cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Social Structure and Prey Dynamics on Extinction Risk in Gray Wolves

Extinction models based on diffusion theory generally fail to incorporate two important aspects of population biology-social structure and prey dynamics. We include these aspects in an individual-based ex- tinction modelfor small, isolated populations of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Our model predicts mean times to extinction significantly longer than those predicted by more general (diffusion) models. According to our model, an isolated population of 50 wolves has a 95% chance of surviving just 9 years and only a 30% chance of surviving beyond 100 years. Reflecting the influence of social structure, a wolfpopulation initially compris- ing 50 individuals is expected to persist only a few years longer, on average (71 years), than is a population initially comprising just a single reproductive pair (62 years). In contrast, substantially greater average prey abundance leads to dramatically longer expected persistence times. Autocorrelated prey dynamics result in a more complex distribution of extinction times than predicted by many extinction models. We contend that de- mographic stochasticity may pose the greatest threat to small, isolated wolf populations, although environ- mental stochasticity and genetic effects may compound this threat. Our work highlights the importance of considering social structure and resource dynamics in the development of population viability analyses.
A VaR-Constrained Mean-Variance Model: Implications for Portfolio Selection and the Basle Capital Accord.

We examine the economic implications arising from using a VaR-constrained mean-variance model for portfolio selection and for the calculation of a bank's minimum regulatory capital. Surprisingly, we show that it is plausible that when a VaR constraint is imposed, certain risk-averse agents end up selecting portfolios with larger standard deviations than they would have chosen in the absence of a VaR constraint. Therefore, regulators such as the Basle Committee for Banking Supervision should be aware that allowing a bank to use VaR to determine its minimum regulatory capital may lead to an increase in the standard deviation of the bank's portfolio.
Dopamine receptors in rat brain regions: Optimal conditions for 3H-agonist binding, pH dependency and lack of inhibition by ascorbic acid

Abstract The binding of dopaminergic agonist and antagonist radioligands was investigated in rat brain regions. A 30-min preincubation of homogenates of caudate nucleus or mesolimbic brain regions at 37° induced a several-fold increase in the stereospecific binding of [3H]-dopamine or [3H]apomorphine to the subsequently washed particulate fraction, whereas it induced a slight decrease in [3H]spiroperidol binding. Stereospecific 3H-agonist binding was not observed in brain regions devoid of dopaminergic innervation. Guanosyl nucleotides, EDTA or ethyleneglycol-bis-(β-amino-ethyl ether) N, N′-tetraacetate (EGTA), included in the preincubation buffer, antagonized the stimulation of 3H-agonist binding. The stereospecific binding sites of 3H-agonists were saturable with equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) of 1–2 nM. High-affinity binding was pH dependent, with different pH optima for each radioligand. Several dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists were potent inhibitors of stereospecific [3H]dopamine binding, whereas l-ascorbic acid was inactive at concentrations as high as 1.0 mM. The stereospecific binding of [3H]apomorphine or [3H]spiroperidol was also unaffected by ascorbic acid. The nonspecific (d-butaclamol-insensitive) portion of 3H-agonist binding was weakly inhibited by concentrations of ascorbic acid higher than 0.01 mM. This effect was also observed in the cerebellum and spinal cord, where none of the 3H-agonist binding was stereospecific. It is concluded that the portion of 3H-agonist or 3H-antagonist radioligand binding which is related to dopamine receptors is unaffected by ascorbic acid.
Work and Health of Parents of Adult Children with Serious Mental Illness

This study examined the effects of work schedule flexibility and the spillover of work stress to family life on the health of parents of adult children with serious mental illness (SMI). We compared 100 parents of adult children with SMI to 500 parents with nondisabled adult children using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. The detrimental impact on health of a lack of work flexibility and of higher levels of negative work-to-family spillover were more pronounced among parents of adult children with SMI than parents with non-disabled adult children. The results have significant implications for developing interventions to help midlife families of persons with SMI cope with work-related stress and for policies that provide for greater work schedule flexibility.
“COERCIVE COOPERATION”? ONTARIO'S PAY EQUITY ACT OF 1988 AND THE GENDER PAY GAP

Evaluating the effect of pay-equity laws is important and yet difficult as one needs to deduce what would have occurred without the policy intervention. We use a new tool, synthetic-control method, to examine the effects of Ontario's Pay Equity Act on the gender pay gap. This tool enables us to create a “Synthetic” Ontario, which resembles Ontario more closely than does any other single province. Using Synthetic Ontario to compare what actually happened in Ontario to what would have happened, we find that the act has had little or no effect on the female-male wage gap in Ontario. (JEL J7, J3)
The influence of benzene on disproportionation of a tertiary amine complex of ethylaluminum dichloride

Abstract The tendency toward disproportionation of ethylaluminum dichloride complexes of tertiary amines in the presence of excess ethylaluminum dichloride EtAlCl 2 ·NR 3 + (EtAlCl 2 ) 2 AlCl 3 ·NR 3 + Al 2 Et 3 Cl 3 dimer has been studied in cyclohexane and benzene. With dimethylcyclohexylamine (DMCHA) the concentrations of the various possible complexes could be directly obtained via integration of the methylamino-PMR signals. The DMCHA methyl resonance exhibited a characteristic chemical shift when complexed with a specific alkyl aluminum chloride or AlCl 3 .
Tests based on L-statistics to test the equality in dispersion of two probability distributions

Abstract The problem of testing the hypothesis that two distributions are identical except for an unknown location parameter against the alternative that one is less dispersed than the other is considered here. It is seen that various tests proposed in the literature can be unified under the present approach. General results about the power functions of these tests are given, and their consistency is shown. Of special interest is a test based on the Gini index which is shown to have better asymptotic relative efficiency properties than a test recently proposed by Marzec and Marzec (1991, Biometrika 78, 923–925).
The evaluation of a positive direct antiglobulin test in pretransfusion testing.

The results of serologic studies on 879 blood samples with a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) are presented. All blood samples were from patients who were either anemic, for reasons other than blood loss, recently transfused, or had serum antibodies detected during routine pretransfusion tests. Blood samples from only 81 of the patients included in this study had serologically reactive eluates (64 autoantibodies, three antibodies to penicillin and cephalothin treated red blood cells, three passively acquired anti-A antibodies, and 11 transfusion-induced alloantibodies). The eluted antibodies were also detected in the serum by routine pretransfusion tests in 13 of the patients whose red blood cells eluted autoantibodies, and in five of the patients whose red blood cells eluted transfusion-induced alloantibodies. All but one of the 11 transfusion-induced alloantibodies were detected within 14 days posttransfusion. Based on these findings, a cost-effective and safe approach to the management of blood samples with a positive DAT would be to restrict the preparation and testing of eluates to those samples from recently transfused patients. It is the contention of the authors that the incorporation of the DAT in pretransfusion testing should primarily serve to detect alloantibody formation before such antibodies are evident in the serum, and should not be used to screen patients for unsuspected autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Furthermore, the authors question the necessity for blood banks to routinely perform an autocontrol on all blood samples from prospective transfusion recipients.
Rapidly adapting receptors in a rabbit model of mitral regurgitation.

1. Unlike in normal rabbits, pulmonary rapidly adapting receptors (RARs) in rabbits with chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) do not respond to small changes in extravascular fluid (EVF) volume in major airways. The present study examined the effect of shrinking the EVF volume in rabbits with chronic MR by infusing hypertonic albumin, to see whether this response of RARs is restored. The effect of raising the left atrial pressure (LAP) acutely above 25 mmHg (to cause pulmonary oedema) on RARs was also investigated. 2. Mean RAR activities in rabbits with MR (n = 6) at initial control, LAP +5 mmHg, LAP +10 mmHg and final control periods were 20.9 +/- 9. 5, 18.8 +/- 11.3, 27.0 +/- 11.2 and 17.2 +/- 9.8 action potentials min-1, respectively (P > 0.05, ANOVA). After infusion of 35 % bovine serum albumin i.v. these values were 9.4 +/- 3.2, 30.6 +/- 14.6, 48. 9 +/- 10.1 and 18.4 +/- 7.3 action potentials min-1, respectively (P < 0.01, ANOVA). In rabbits with chronic MR (n = 7) raising the LAP above 25 mmHg stimulated RARs. 3. EVF content of the airways and lungs was measured in rabbits with MR and in control rabbits, at baseline and after elevation of the LAP by 10 or 25 mmHg for 20 min. In control rabbits the EVF contents in the lower trachea, carina and bronchi at baseline and at LAP +10 mmHg were 52.1 +/- 1.2 and 57.8 +/- 1.7 %, respectively (P < 0.05, Student's t test). In rabbits with MR these values were 58.3 +/- 1.5 and 56.9 +/- 1.9 %, respectively. When the LAP was elevated by 25 mmHg the EVF content increased to 62.4 +/- 1.1 % (P < 0.05, t test compared with baseline and LAP +10 mmHg). 4. We concluded that in rabbits with chronic MR, RARs are unable to respond to acute, small elevations of LAP because there is no concomitant increase in EVF content in the vicinity of these receptors. Furthermore, these receptors can be activated in these animals by elevating the LAP above 25 mmHg or can be made sensitive to acute small elevations of LAP by shrinking the chronically expanded EVF compartment.
Self-broadened half-width measurements in the CO fundamental

Abstract A method for measuring rotational line half-widths for the Lorentzian line shape and a slit function described by three Gaussian curves has been applied to lines in the CO fundamental. This technique uses apparent line-center transmission measurements to determine half-widths of pressure-broadened absorption lines. The half-widths of 12 lines on the R -branch of the CO fundamental were measured and found to compare well with two previous measurements. The half-widths derived from measurements of absorption in troughs between several lines were found to be about 30 per cent greater than the half-widths measured near the line centers.
Sexual Transmission of HIV-1 Among Injection Drug Users in San Francisco, USA: Risk-Factor Analysis

Summary Background Many new HIV-1 infections in the USA occur in injection drug users (IDUs). HIV-1 seroconversion of IDUs is mainly associated with injection-related risk factors. Harm-reduction programmes concentrate on injection-risk behaviour. We aimed to establish whether injection or sexual risk factors, or both, were associated with HIV-1 antibody seroconversion of street-recruited IDUs in San Francisco, from 1986 to 1998. Methods IDUs were enrolled every 6 months from four community sites. We did a nested case-control study comparing 58 respondents who seroconverted between visits with 1134 controls who remained seronegative. Controls were matched with cases by sex and date. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% CI were calculated for men and women by use of conditional logistic regression. Findings Men who had sex with men were 8·8 times as likely to seroconvert (95% CI 3·7–20·5) as heterosexual men. Women who reported having traded sex for money in the past year were 5·1 times as likely as others to seroconvert (95% CI 1·9–13·7). Women younger than 40 years were more likely to seroconvert than those 40 years or older (2·8 [1·05–7·6]), and women who reported having a steady sex-partner who injected drugs were less likely to seroconvert than other women (0·32 [0·11–0·92]). Interpretation HIV-1 seroconversion of street-recruited IDUs in San Francisco is strongly associated with sexual behaviour. HIV-1 risk might be reduced by incorporation of innovative sexual-risk-reduction strategies into harm-reduction programmes.
Nitrite Reductase Activity and Inhibition of H2S Biogenesis by Human Cystathionine ß-Synthase

Nitrite was recognized as a potent vasodilator >130 years and has more recently emerged as an endogenous signaling molecule and modulator of gene expression. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate nitrite metabolism is essential for its use as a potential diagnostic marker as well as therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we have identified human cystathionine s-synthase (CBS) as a new player in nitrite reduction with implications for the nitrite-dependent control of H2S production. This novel activity of CBS exploits the catalytic property of its unusual heme cofactor to reduce nitrite and generate NO. Evidence for the possible physiological relevance of this reaction is provided by the formation of ferrous-nitrosyl (FeII-NO) CBS in the presence of NADPH, the human diflavin methionine synthase reductase (MSR) and nitrite. Formation of FeII-NO CBS via its nitrite reductase activity inhibits CBS, providing an avenue for regulating biogenesis of H2S and cysteine, the limiting reagent for synthesis of glutathione, a major antioxidant. Our results also suggest a possible role for CBS in intracellular NO biogenesis particularly under hypoxic conditions. The participation of a regulatory heme cofactor in CBS in nitrite reduction is unexpected and expands the repertoire of proteins that can liberate NO from the intracellular nitrite pool. Our results reveal a potential molecular mechanism for cross-talk between nitrite, NO and H2S biology.
Designing reality-based interfaces for experiential bio-design

Reality-based interfaces (RBIs) such as tabletop and tangible user interfaces draw upon ideas from embodied cognition to offer a more natural, intuitive, and accessible form of interaction that reduces the mental effort required to learn and operate computational systems. However, to date, little research has been devoted to investigating the strengths and limitations of applying reality-based interaction for promoting learning of complex scientific concepts at the college level. We propose that RBIs offer unique opportunities for enhancing college-level science education. This paper presents three main contributions: (1) design considerations and participatory design process for enhancing college-level science education through reality-based interaction, (2) reflections on the design, implementation, and validation of two case studies--RBIs for learning synthetic biology, and (3) discussion of opportunities and challenges for advancing learning of college-level sciences through next-generation interfaces.
Nucleation of Freezing in Supercooled Water by Cavitation

NUCLEATION of freezing in supercooled liquids by cavitation has been ascribed to a momentary large increase in the degree of supercooling, induced by the high transient pressures generated by a collapsing cavity. This is a plausible mechanism for substances which contract on freezing; for substances such as water, which expand on freezing, it seems less satisfactory1. Hickling2, however, has proposed that the pressures associated with cavitation in water are sufficient to stabilize one of the high-pressure modifications of ice. Nuclei of these high-pressure forms presumably transform to ordinary ice as the pressure decays, and nucleate freezing of the bulk liquid occurs.
Sparsity-based ranging for dual-frequency radars

Dual-frequency radars offer the benefit of reduced complexity, fast computation time, and real-time target tracking in through-the-wall and urban sensing applications. Compared to single-frequency (Doppler) radar, the use of an additional frequency increases the maximum unambiguous range of dual-frequency radars to acceptable values for indoor target range estimation. Conventional dual-frequency technique uses phase comparison of the transmitted and received continuous-wave signals to provide an estimate of the target range. The case of multiple moving targets is handled by separating the different Doppler signatures prior to phase estimation. However, the dual-frequency approach for range estimation can be compromised due to the presence of noise and multipath. In this paper, we investigate a sparsity-based ranging approach as an alternative to the phase difference based technique for dual-frequency radar measurements. Supporting results based on computer simulations are provided that illustrate the advantages of the sparsity-based ranging technique over the conventional method.
Photochemical Oxygen Consumption Sensitized by a Porphyrin Phosphorescent Probe in Two Model Systems

Phosphorescence quenching of certain metalloporphyrins is used to measure tissue and microvascular pO(2). Oxygen quenching of metalloporphyrin triplet states creates singlet oxygen, which is highly reactive in biological systems, and these oxygen-consuming reactions are capable of perturbing tissue oxygenation. Kinetics of photochemical oxygen consumption were measured for a Pd-porphyrin in two model systems in vitro over a range of irradiances (1.34-134 mW cm(-2)). For a given irradiance, and, after correction for differing porphyrin concentrations, rates of oxygen consumption were similar when the Pd-porphyrin was bound to bovine serum albumin and when it was taken up by tumor cells in spheroids. At irradiances comparable to those used in imaging superficial anatomy, rates of oxygen consumption were sufficiently low (2.5 microM s(-1)) that tissue oxygenation would be reduced by a maximum of 6%. An irradiance of 20 mW cm(-2), however, initiated a rate of oxygen consumption capable of reducing tissue pO(2) by at least 20-40%. These measured rates of consumption impose limitations on the use of phosphorescence quenching in thick tissues. The irreversible photobleaching of the Pd-porphyrin was also measured indirectly. The bleaching branching ratio, 23 M(-1), is significantly lower than that of porphyrin photodynamic agents.
Software bloat analysis: finding, removing, and preventing performance problems in modern large-scale object-oriented applications

Generally believed to be a problem belonging to the compiler and architecture communities, performance optimization has rarely gained attention in mainstream software engineering research. However, due to the proliferation of large-scale object-oriented software designed to solve increasingly complex problems, performance issues stand out, preventing applications from meeting their performance requirements. Many such issues result from design principles adopted widely in the software research community, such as the idea of software reuse and design patterns. We argue that, in the modern era when Moore's dividend becomes less obvious, performance optimization is more of a software engineering problem than ever and should receive much more attention in the future. We explain why this is the case, review what has been achieved in software bloat analysis, present challenges, and provide a road map for future work.
Aluminum Substitution in Rutile Titanium Dioxide: New Constraints from High-Resolution 27Al NMR

The substitution of aluminum oxide into rutile (TiO2) has major effects on crystal growth, cation diffusivity, and conductivity and, critical for its widespread application as a white pigment, inhi...
Polymerization of Ethylene Terephthalate Cyclic Oligomers with a Cyclic Dibutyltin Initiator

To produce high-performance poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composites from the polymerization of ethylene terephthalate cyclic oligomers (ETCs) prepared from PET waste, the viscosity, thermal stability, and crystallization of ETC melts were investigated, and ETC melt was polymerized with cyclic dibutyltin initiator (cyclic stannoxane 1). The melt viscosity of ETCs at 295 °C where all ETCs can be melted was about 30 cP initially. The viscosity of the completely molten ETCs remained sufficiently constant at 295 °C to allow time for infusion into large composite preforms, and nearly all of the ETC molten sample remains a liquid for tens of seconds when quenched to the most desirable polymerization/solidification temperature. From the polymerization and crystallization results, it was found that the optimum polymerization temperature is approximately 230 °C. PET polymerized at this temperature had enough crystallinity for a good composite matrix; however, the molecular weights of such PETs were too low to...
Infrared quantum well intersubband modulator

A modulator based on intersubband transition in asymmetrical quantum wells having a large linear Stark shift is demonstrated. Using a high doping density and a large number of quantum wells, a strong intersubband absorption (∼85%) is achieved. With an appropriate asymmetrical quantum well design, a large linear Stark shift is obtained.
The validation of a simple LC/MS/MS method for determining the level of mevalonic acid in human plasma

A simple plasma extraction method coupled with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) detection was developed and validated for the analysis of endogenous mevalonic acid (MVA), a biomarker indicative of the rate of cholesterol biosynthesis, in human plasma samples. The analyte was extracted from the plasma matrix using a straightforward liquid–liquid sample preparation procedure. The extract supernatants were evaporated, reconstituted in aqueous solvent and injected into the LC/MS/MS system without further processing. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography column. The accuracy and precision of the method was determined over the concentration range 0.25–25 ng/mL MVA from human plasma extracts in three validation batch runs. Inter-assay precision (%CV) and accuracy (%RE) of the quality control samples were ≤7.00% (at lower limit quality control) and ≤6.10%, respectively. The sensitivity and throughput of this assay was significantly improved relative to previously published methods, resulting in smaller sample requirements and shorter analysis time. Assay results from a clinical study following the oral administration of an exploratory statin demonstrate that this procedure could potentially be used in the investigation of therapies associated with hypercholesterolemia. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Public Outreach for Public-Private Partnerships The Case of Advanced Traveler Information Systems

Public-private partnerships (PPP) have been established in many metropolitan areas to deploy advanced traveler information systems (ATIS). This paper discusses need for PPPs to publicize and convince the public to use the information provided by the ATIS. An ATIS PPP involves a high level of risk that travelers may be unaware of the ATIS, so sufficient public outreach/marketing efforts must be established to increase usage and limit this inherent risk. For transportation officials, the need for greater public awareness means a changing role. ATIS business plans, those documents that establish policy goals and provide a framework for the PPP, have not focused on marketing ATIS services. The experiences with public outreach efforts by three metropolitan ATIS PPP (Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and South Florida) suggest that such efforts have not led to satisfactory levels of usage. The adoption of the 511 telephone number for traveler information, a decision made by the Federal Communications Commission in July 2000, has increased recognition of the need for public outreach. It is suggested that a more planned, coordinated effort needs to be made in the area of public outreach in order for ATIS PPPs to be successful.
Infrared Spectroscopy in Gem Identification

Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool for gem identification and research. Absorptions of a gem material in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum are due to vibrations in the crystal structure; they can be used to help separate one gem material from another or to detect certain types of treatments. The authors describe the new Nicolet 60SX Fourier transform infrared spectrometer recently acquired by Gemological Institute of America's Research Department, and outline the detection of polymer impregnation of opal as an example of the use of infrared spectroscopy in gemology. -- AATA
Rationale of Estrogenic Therapy in Functional Dysmenorrhea1

Estrogenic therapy for dysmenorrhea has been endorsed by many investigators. The rationale for its use, however, still is based on theory. Some clinicians believe that menstrual pain is a manifestation of an estrogenic deficiency; others claim that an excess of progestin is the exciting cause. Estrogenic therapy is used generally by those who hold either of these views, either as complemental therapy or as a contraphysiologic approach designed to over-ride corpus luteum function. There is another group of workers who employ progesterone on the basis that the pain results from an excess of estrogen and presumably from a deficit in progestin production. Systems of therapy based on these theories have been described as yielding varying degrees of relief but, as yet, no satisfactory explanations have been offered of the pharmacologic actions which produce desirable symptomatic responses. The alleviation of symptoms is usually regarded as proof of the correctness of whichever theoretical basis was postulated.
DIRECTIONAL SENSITIVITY OF INDIVIDUAL VERTEBRATE HAIR CELLS TO CONTROLLED DEFLECTION OF THEIR HAIR BUNDLES

Among the most striking and consistent morphological features of vertebrate hair cells is the geometrical arrangement of their mechanosensitive organelles, the hair bundles. These structures each consist of 30-200 microvilluslike stereocilia and a single, eccentrically placed, axonemal kinocilium. Three geometrical features of hair bundles are widespread, if not universal. First, the stereocilia and kinocilium are inserted into the cellular apex in a regular, hexagonal array. Second, the lengths of stereocilia increase monotonically from one edge of the hair bundle to the other, but are approximately equal within a row of stereocilia across the hair bundle. Finally, the kinocilium is located at the edge of the hair bundle at which the longest stereocilia occur. Distortions of these features may occur; for example, the spacing of stereocilia is not absolutely uniform in some hair cells, but varies from one edge of the hair bundle to the other. Hair bundles become progressively distorted and asymmetrical as the apex of the mammalian cochlea is approached. The kinocilium, although present in ontogeny, is lost from some hair cells in mammalian cochleas. Even in these exceptional cases, however, the general pattern of arrangement of the hair bundle is evident.
Orbital periods of novae before eruption

Since significant mass loss occurs in classical nova eruptions, it is very likely that the orbital period of any classical nova will change when it experiences an eruption. After the eruption, the orbital period can be measured by conventional photometric and spectroscopic techniques. However, we still do not know any pre-eruption orbital periods, since no individual nova was known prior to its eruption. For eclipsing systems, one possible way to measure the prenova orbital period is to look for eclipses on archival photographic plates.
Comparison of the Dynamics for Ground-State and Transition-State Structures in the Active Site of Catechol O-Methyltransferase

Three 1-ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to study the active-site structure of catechol O-methyltransferase when containing catechol, catecholate, or the transition state. It was found that the physical properties of the enzyme active sites are very similar when containing either catecholate or the transition state. The calculated root-mean-squared deviation and positional fluctuations of the active-site residues within 10 A of the methyl group of S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) for the catecholate and transition-state simulations are similar, and the average solvent accessible surface areas for these residues are almost identical. It was found in the ground-state simulation with catecholate that interactions between AdoMet and the enzyme are critical in positioning AdoMet into near attack conformers (NACs) which resemble the transition-state geometry. The CB of Tyr68 influences the distance between the methyl carbon of AdoMet and the ionized oxygen of catecholate. Interactions betwe...
Statin therapy and myocardial no-reflow.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) have now become one of the most powerful pharmacological strategies in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Originally, the cardioprotective effects of statins were thought to be mediated through lipid lowering actions. However, it has now become increasingly clear that the beneficial effects of statins are not related to the lipid lowering effects, but rather to a number of pleiotropic actions. Of particular interest, statins have been shown to increase bioavailability of nitric oxide and protect against vascular inflammation and cardiac cell death in a number of cardiovascular disease states. In this present issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology, Zhao and colleagues provide a novel mechanism of action for statins with the observation that simvastatin reduces myocardial ‘no-reflow' after ischemia and reperfusion by activating the mitochondrial KATP channel. The findings of the present study have very profound implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. This commentary discusses the implications of these findings and how they relate to the established cardioprotective actions of statins.
Rhythmical bursts induced by NMDA in guinea-pig cholinergic nucleus basalis neurones in vitro

1. Intracellular recordings were performed in neurones within the basal forebrain of guinea-pig brain slices. Following injection of biocytin (or biotinamide), a subset of recorded neurones which displayed distinct intrinsic membrane properties were confirmed as being cholinergic by immunohistochemical staining for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). They were all located within the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. The response of the cholinergic cells to NMDA and to the agonists of the other glutamate receptors was tested by bath application of NMDA, t-ACPD, AMPA and kainate. 2. When depolarized from a hyperpolarized level, cholinergic basalis neurones display the intrinsic ability to discharge in rhythmic bursts that are generated by low-threshold Ca2+ spikes. In control solution, these rhythmic bursts were not sustained for more than 5-6 cycles. However, in the presence of NMDA when the membrane was held at a hyperpolarized level, low-threshold bursting activity was sustained for prolonged periods of time. This activity could be reversibly eliminated by D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (D-AP5), showing that it depended upon specific activation of NMDA receptors. 3. NMDA-induced, voltage-dependent, rhythmic depolarizations persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), indicating that they did not depend upon a TTX-sensitive Na+ current and were generated postsynaptically. The rhythmic depolarizations were, however, eliminated by the partial replacement of Na+ with choline, demonstrating that they did depend upon Na+, the major carrier of the NMDA current. 4. In the presence of TTX, the NMDA-induced rhythmic depolarizations were also eliminated by removal of Ca2+ from or addition of Ni2+ to the bath, indicating that they also depended upon Ca2+, which is carried by both the NMDA current and the low-threshold Ca2+ current. The duration of the rhythmic depolarizations was increased in the presence of apamin, suggesting that the repolarization of the cells depended in part upon a Ca(2+)-activated K+ (SK) conductance, but that other mechanisms were additionally involved in the repolarization phase of the bursting. 5. In both the absence and presence of TTX, the NMDA-induced rhythmic activity persisted when Mg2+ was removed from the medium, indicating that the sustained rhythmic depolarizations did not hinge upon the Mg2+ block of the NMDA channels during hyperpolarization. The voltage dependence of the NMDA-induced rhythmic depolarizations in the absence of Mg2+ appeared to be determined by the properties of the low-threshold Ca2+ spike in the cholinergic basalis neurones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The effect of maternal milk on neonatal morbidity of very low-birth-weight infants

Objective To examine the dose effect of maternal milk on neonatal morbidity of very low-birth-weight ( Design Prospective observational study. Setting An urban tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit and follow-up clinic. Population One hundred nineteen singleton very low-birth-weight infants admitted from January 1, 1997, to February 14, 1999 (mean birth weight, 1056 g; mean gestational age, 28 weeks; 57% male; and 43% white). Methods A comparison of the effect on neonatal outcomes of daily graded doses (1-24, 25-49, and ≥50 mL/kg of body weight) of maternal milk through week 4 of life vs a reference group receiving no maternal milk. Main Outcome Measures Neonatal outcomes examined included rates of sepsis after age 5 days, retinopathy of prematurity, chronic lung disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, jaundice, duration of ventilator dependence, and length of hospital stay. Results Seventy-nine infants (66%) received maternal milk, of whom 32 received at least 50 mL/kg per day through week 4 of life. Poisson regression analysis adjusting for birth weight, sex, and ethnicity revealed that the mean number of episodes of sepsis for infants receiving at least 50 mL/kg per day was lower by a factor of 0.27 (95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.95) compared with infants receiving no maternal milk. There was no effect of maternal milk on other neonatal outcomes. Conclusions A daily threshold amount of at least 50 mL/kg of maternal milk through week 4 of life is needed to decrease the rate of sepsis in very low-birth-weight infants, but maternal milk does not affect other neonatal morbidities.
Evaluating framing effects

Abstract This paper examines Tversky and Kahneman's well-known Asian disease framing problem (A. Tversky, D. Kahneman, Science 211 (1981) 453–458). I describe an experiment where respondents received a version of the disease problem using a survival format, a mortality format, or both formats. The results from the survival and mortality formats replicate Tversky and Kahneman's original experiment both in terms of statistical significance and, in contrast to some other studies, in terms of magnitude. I then argue that the “both format” condition constitutes an important and previously unused baseline for evaluating the strength of framing effects. This standard of comparison provides a way to evaluate the impact of a frame on unadulterated preferences – that is, preferences unaffected by a particular frame. The implications for future framing effect experiments are discussed.
The Relationship between Quality Management Practices, Infrastructure and Fast Product Innovation

As the size of the global competitive arena increases, manufacturers have been striving to find new means for achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage. Fast product innovation is a strategy which has gained popularity in recent years, particularly in Japan. Deals with two assertions: (1) fast cycle innovation will be most effective when it is pursued in conjunction with a quality strategy; and (2) there is an organizational infrastructure that provides the environment which supports the simultaneous achievement of fast cycle innovation and high quality. Using data from 42 Japanese and US plants in three industries in the US, discriminant analysis determined the key quality, organization, human resource management and JIT characteristics which separated faster product innovators from slower product innovators.
Political legitimacy: new criteria and anachronistic theories

Two of the three types of legitimacy identified by Max Weber over a century ago, traditional and charismatic, are virtually inapplicable today. The third and only type that remains valid, rational legitimacy, has become an amalgamation of many different varieties, an incoherent collection of cases. Due to this diversity the type is no longer meaningful. Weber's typology is therefore out of touch with the contemporary world. The reasons behind this obsolescence are analysed empirically and the need for new distinctions demonstrated. The role of elites in the legitimation and delegitimation processes is given particular attention, as well as the links between illegitimacy and mistrust.
Ultrasensitive absorption detection of protein and DNA microarrays based on nonlinear multiphoton wave-mixing spectroscopy

Ultrasensitive optical absorption detection method based on multi-photon wave-mixing spectroscopy is inherently suitable for biochips, biosensors and microarrays. Absorption-based wave mixing offers detection sensitivity levels that are comparable or better than those of fluorescence-based methods while using micrometer-thin samples. Wave-mixing methods offer detection of biospecific interactions on antibody or oligonucleotide microarray platforms. Optical absorption measurements of protein and DNA profiles on a glass substrate can be made with excellent reproducibility. The laser probe volume, i.e., the overlap volume of two input laser beams, ranges from nanoliter to picoliter levels. Dynamic gratings created inside the absorbing sample diffract off incoming photons to create the signal beam. Unlike fluorescence methods, wave mixing generates a collimated laser-like signal beam, and hence, signal collection is efficient and convenient. Each microarray spot has a specific antibody or oligonucleotide sequence and wave mixing allows detection of corresponding target molecules with high throughput. Wave mixing also yields intra-spot spatial resolution for profiling individual array spots.
Diurnal variation of cerebrospinal fluid immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone levels in healthy volunteers.

CRH is not only secreted into hypophyseal protal blood where it is believed to regulate the circadian rhythm of pituitary-adrenal activity, but is also measurable in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Altered CSF immunoreactive CRH (IR-CRH) levels have been found in patients with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders and have been implicated in some of the symptoms of these disorders. To further study the potential functional relevance of CRH in human CSF, we examined whether a nonuniform temporal pattern of IR-CRH levels existed in CSF using hourly sampling over a 30-h period in six healthy volunteers. CSF was withdrawn continuously at 6 mL/h through a catheter placed in the lumbar subarachnoid space and connected to a miniroller pump and fraction collector. A significant diurnal variation in CSF IR-CRH levels was observed (P < 0.001), with highest levels between 1830-2330 h and lowest levels around 0730 h. This pattern was nearly opposite that of plasma cortisol levels, which showed the expected peak around 08...
Stiff Elastic Tape Wrapped Onto a Drum

A nonlinear analysis is presented to describe the static equilibrium of a long elastic tape wrapped onto a rigid drum. Closed-form results are obtained for the case when the tape can be modeled as an inextensional beam with finite bending rigidity. Strains are assumed to be small, but rotations of the beam may be arbitrarily large. The tape's stiffness in bending requires the abandonment of a common modeling assumption-that the tape approaches the drum along a perfectly straight tangent. After calculating the actual shape of the elastica, a number of changes are seen to occur in the loading and geometry of the system. Among these are a lower tape tension at the point of tape/drum contact, an increased torque on the drum, and the introduction of an elastic compliance between the drum and distant locations in the tape.
Extremal values of the interval number of a graph, II

It is shown that the interval number of a graph on n vertices is at most [14(n+1)], and this bound is best possible. This means that we can represent any graph on n vertices as an intersection graph in which the sets assigned to the vertices each consist of the union of at most [14(n+1)] finite closed intervals on the real line. This upper bound is attained by the complete bipartite graph K"["n"/"2"]","["n"/"2"].
Russian Terror/ism and Revisionist Historiography

Interest in the violence of the Soviet regime has been a concern primarily of more conservative historians, while those on the Left have either been discomforted by the excessive brutality of the Russian Civil War and Stalinism or have looked for rationalizations for the necessity of violence. One tendency in the historiography has been to see violence as deeply embedded in the Bolshevik project, part of the Marxist or Leninist effort to transform the world or perfect the human being. Revolutionary and Stalinist violence are seen as similar or intimately linked, and differences between them have been largely effaced. This essay argues that the violence and terror of the Civil War years is best understood as part of wartime exigencies as well as choices made by the Bolsheviks and their enemies, while Stalinist violence was much more the product of the will of Stalin and his closest collaborators in their consolidation of autocratic power, and was far more gratuitous and irrational than the violence of the fledgling Soviet regime.
The Use of Multiple Ion Exchange to Produce Energy Transfer in Beta Aluminas

Abstract : The preparation of single crystals of Beta -alumina containing two trivalent lanthanide species is described. The use of eutectic melts enables the two rare earth species to be introduced during a single ion exchange process. Energy transfer in crystals containing Ce+3/Nd +3 and Ce+3/Tb +3 is shown. High transfer efficiencies were measured for crystals with low sensitizer-to- activator ion concentration ratios. Up-conversion processes were observed in crystals doped with Yb+3 and Er +3 ions.
Improvement of proline chiral stationary phases by varying peptide length and linker

Seven new stationary phases with different number of proline units and/or different linkage to silica gel were prepared and evaluated in order to improve the performance of proline chiral stationary phases. The average separation factor achieved with the 53 analytes increases with the number of proline units in the stationary phases. When the proline peptides are directly attached to the 3-methylaminopropyl silica gel without using the 6-methylaminohexanoic acid linker, the stationary phases perform better overall. For decaproline chiral stationary phase 8, the separation also depends on the mobile phase system used. For this stationary phase, the CH2Cl2/hexanes/2-propanol system significantly outperforms the 2-propanol/hexanes system. For the 53 analytes tested, the separation factors achieved with this stationary phase compare well with those for three commercial columns.
Strong supercooling and stimulation of the A-B transition in superfluid 3He.

We report the first studies of the A-B transition in superfluid $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ confined by microscopically smooth surfaces. The transition exhibited dramatic supercooling, down to 0.15${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$. The lifetime \ensuremath{\tau} of the metastable A phase has a temperature dependence consistent with Leggett's ``baked Alaska'' model based on nucleation by ionizing radiation. Radiation sources near the cryostat strongly reduce the lifetime, but do not alter its temperature dependence, and \ensuremath{\tau} increases with increasing magnetic field in accord with Leggett's model.
A deterministic model for line-contact partial elastohydrodynamic lubrication

A deterministic model for partial elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) is presented in this paper. The modelling methodology adopts some of the concepts used in the stochastic modelling of partial EHL and some of the procedures for deterministic calculation of asperity pressures. The model is shown to be capable of simulating the basic process of asperity interaction and solid-to-solid contact within an EHL conjunction of rough surfaces. Deterministic results of transient partial EHL in line contacts are obtained when one pair or multiple pairs of asperities collide. The model may help to gain a fundamental understanding of the transient behaviour of asperity interactions in lubricated concentrated contacts of rough surfaces. Asperity pressures may be calculated more accurately than the conventional analyses under dry and static contact conditions. The work represents a first attempt in deterministic modelling of tribo-contacts operating in the mixed regime of micro-EHL and boundary lubrication. Future work will aim at developing more realistic models incorporating factors such as three-dimensional asperity contacts, asperity plastic deformation, thermal effects and the effect of tribo-chemistry.
Frequency distribution of dust concentration in Barbados as a function of averaging time

Abstract Two sets of daily-averaged dust concentration data from Barbados, West Indies, have been analyzed to determine the affect of averaging time, ranging from 1 to 7 days, on the dust concentration frequency distribution. On each of the time scales examined, the frequency distribution is characterized as a bimodal lognormal distribution. The major effects of increasing the averaging are a major reduction in the percentage of the samples represented by the lower of the two modes and a significant increase in the geometric mean concentration of that mode. Consequently, predictions of the distributions on a shorter time scale are likely to substantially underestimate the frequency of low concentration samples.