cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Body dissatisfaction adjusted for weight: The body illusion index

The current study extends earlier observations that body dissatisfaction is positively associated with body weight for eating disorder patients and for nonpatient college women. An adjustment to the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) Body Dissatisfaction score (i.e., the “Body Illusion Index” or “Bll”) is proposed to statistically eliminate the effects of relative body weight on Body Dissatisfaction scores and to systematically increase Body Dissatisfaction scores at lower relative weights. The adjustment results in a mean adjusted body dissatisfaction score for the anorexia nervosa patients more closely resembling that for bulimia ner-vosa patients and differing significantly from normal weight college women. The “Body Illusion Index” addresses the different meanings and clinical significance that body dissatisfaction implies for individuals at different weights. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Total Laboratory Solution: A New Laboratory E-Business Model Based on a Vertical Laboratory Meta-Network

Major forces are now reshaping all businesses on a global basis, including the healthcare and clinical laboratory industries. One of the major forces at work is information technology (IT), which now provides the opportunity to create a new economic and business model for the clinical laboratory industry based on the creation of an integrated vertical meta-network, referred to here as the "total laboratory solution" (TLS). Participants at the most basic level of such a network would include a hospital-based laboratory, a reference laboratory, a laboratory information system/application service provider/laboratory portal vendor, an in vitro diagnostic manufacturer, and a pharmaceutical/biotechnology manufacturer. It is suggested that each of these participants would add value to the network primarily in its area of core competency. Subvariants of such a network have evolved over recent years, but a TLS comprising all or most of these participants does not exist at this time. Although the TLS, enabled by IT and closely akin to the various e-businesses that are now taking shape, offers many advantages from a theoretical perspective over the current laboratory business model, its success will depend largely on (a) market forces, (b) how the collaborative networks are organized and managed, and (c) whether the network can offer healthcare organizations higher quality testing services at lower cost. If the concept is successful, new demands will be placed on hospital-based laboratory professionals to shift the range of professional services that they offer toward clinical consulting, integration of laboratory information from multiple sources, and laboratory information management. These information management and integration tasks can only increase in complexity in the future as new genomic and proteomics testing modalities are developed and come on-line in clinical laboratories.
Predicting risk of ovulation in new start oral contraceptive users.

OBJECTIVE: To assess ovarian follicular development and ovulation rates in women starting to take oral contraceptives (OC) on menstrual cycle day 1, 4, or 7. METHODS: One hundred thirty women starting treatment with OC were randomized to begin use of ethinyl estradiol, 30 μg, plus norgestrel, 300 μg, on menstrual cycle day 1 (group 1), 4 (group 2), or 7 (group 3). Follicular development was assessed by vaginal ultrasonography on menstrual cycle days 7, 14, 21, and 28, and serum progesterone levels were measured on menstrual cycle days 21 and 28. At a .05 level of significance (two-tailed) and power of 80%, 84 participants were required to complete the study. Eighty-five women who met study criteria, made minimal dosing errors, and underwent at least three ultrasonographic examinations were analyzed. RESULTS: A follicle-like structure that reached a maximum diameter over 13 mm was observed in three of 29 (10.3%), five of 29 (17.2%), and 12 of 27 (44.4%) women in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P = 0.003). The median maximum follicle size for each group was 9.0 mm, 9.0 mm, and 12.0 mm for start day 1, 4, and 7 respectively (P < .001). Evidence of ovulation based on serum progesterone was present in two, one, and zero women in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P = .2). CONCLUSION: Although a delay in oral contraceptive initiation results in significantly more ovarian follicular development, the postponement does not appear to increase actual ovulation rates.
On the Violence of Systemic Violence: A Critique of Slavoj Žižek

This paper questions the extension of the common notion of violence, i.e., “subjective violence,” involving the intentional use of force to inflict injury or damage, towards social injustice as “systemic violence.” Systemic violence is altogether unlike subjective violence and the work of Slavoj Žižek illustrates that conceptual obfuscation in this regard may lead to an overly broad and facile justification of revolutionary violence as counter-violence to systemic violence, appealing to the ethics of self-defense. I argue that revolutionary violence is only justified to counter subjective violence inflicted or organized by the state. Thus I reject in conclusion Žižek’s further defense of revolutionary violence as retributive and as “shock therapy” necessary to disrupt the old society.
Restoration ecology and conservation biology

Restoration ecology is undergoing rapid growth as an academic discipline, similar to that experienced by conservation biology over the last 15 years. Restoration ecology and conservation biology share many underlying biodiversity goals, but diAer in striking ways. Using data from published literature in these two fields, I document that conservation biology has been more zoological, more descriptive and theoretical, and more focused on population and genetic studies than restoration ecology, which has been more botanical, more experimental, and more focused on population, community and ecosystem studies. I also use documented trends in population, land use, and biodiversity awareness to suggest that in the future ecological restoration will play an increasing role in biodiversity conservation. The conservation mind set is one of loss on a relatively short time horizon, whereas the restoration mind set is one of long-term recovery. I suggest that a restoration mind set can provide useful insights into problems of conservation today, illustrated with examples examining edge eAects and integrated conservation and development projects. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Eat-Me: Autophagy, Phagocytosis, and Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling

Abstract Significance: Phagocytosis is required for the clearance of dying cells. The subsequent regulation of inflammatory responses by phagocytic cells is mediated by both innate and adaptive immune responses. Autophagy, an evolutionarily ancient process of lysosomal self-digestion of organelles, protein aggregates, apoptotic corpses, and cytosolic pathogens, has only recently become appreciated for its dynamic relationship with phagocytosis, including newly discovered autophagic-phagocytosis “hybrid” processes such as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). Recent Advances: Signal transduction by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in the modulation of autophagy, phagocytosis, and LAP, and serves as both a link and an additional layer of regulation between these processes. Furthermore, specific targets for oxidation by ROS molecules have recently begun to become identified in each of these processes, as have “shared” proteins that facilitate the suc...
Norepinephrine response to exercise at the same relative intensity before and after endurance exercise training

It is well documented that endurance exercise training results in a blunted norepinephrine (NE) response to exercise of a given absolute exercise intensity. However, it is not clear what effect tra...
Filicide-Suicide Involving Children With Disabilities

Filicide-suicide, or murder of a child by a parent followed by suicide, has an unknown incidence in both the general and disabled population. As there is no national database, the authors examined known associated factors and newspaper reports to characterize filicide-suicide victims and perpetrators involving children with disabilities. A newspaper search was conducted using LexisNexis and NewsBank: Access World News databases through the University of California, Irvine Library's Web site. Age, gender of child and parent, method used, and diagnoses of parent and child were recorded. Twenty-two news articles were found describing a total of 26 disabled children as victims of filicide-suicide between 1982 and 2010. Eighty-one percent of children killed were male, and 54% were autistic. Thirty percent of perpetrators had a reported mental illness. Male children or children with autism may be at risk for filicide-suicide, but accurate record keeping is needed to determine the incidence and risk factors and aid in its prevention in the disabled population.
A decentralized model for information flow control

This paper presents a new model for controlling information flo w in systems with mutual distrust and decentralized authority. The model allows users to share information with distrusted code (e.g., downloaded applets), yet still control how that code disseminates the shared information to others. The model improves on existing multilevel security models by allowing users to declassify information in a decentralized way, and by improving support for fine-graineddata sharing. The paper also shows how static program analysis can be used to certify proper information flo ws in this model and to avoid most run-time information flo w checks.
SadA, a novel adhesion receptor in Dictyostelium

Little is known about cell–substrate adhesion and how motile and adhesive forces work together in moving cells. The ability to rapidly screen a large number of insertional mutants prompted us to perform a genetic screen in Dictyostelium to isolate adhesion-deficient mutants. The resulting substrate adhesion–deficient (sad) mutants grew in plastic dishes without attaching to the substrate. The cells were often larger than their wild-type parents and displayed a rough surface with many apparent blebs. One of these mutants, sadA−, completely lacked substrate adhesion in growth medium. The sadA− mutant also showed slightly impaired cytokinesis, an aberrant F-actin organization, and a phagocytosis defect. Deletion of the sadA gene by homologous recombination recreated the original mutant phenotype. Expression of sadA–GFP in sadA-null cells restored the wild-type phenotype. In sadA–GFP-rescued mutant cells, sadA–GFP localized to the cell surface, appropriate for an adhesion molecule. SadA contains nine putative transmembrane domains and three conserved EGF-like repeats in a predicted extracellular domain. The EGF repeats are similar to corresponding regions in proteins known to be involved in adhesion, such as tenascins and integrins. Our data combined suggest that sadA is the first substrate adhesion receptor to be identified in Dictyostelium.
Formation of bone marrow in fibroblast-transformation ossicles

Abstract The genesis of hemopoietic bone marrow was studied in matrix-induced transformation plaques and ossicles in subcutaneous spaces of thorax and abdomen of rat. With the advent of blood vessels in the plaque on day 9, there began a rapid and radical conglomerate shift, cartilaginous to osseous, which was nearly total in 72 hr. Incorporation of 59-Fe into heme provided a sensitive quantitative assay for hemopoiesis. On day 12 the first colonies of hemopoietic cells were observed. These developed adjacent to cavernous sinuses which had formed to fill the void left by chondrolysis. Total occupation of the ossicle with hemopoietic marrow was found on days 23-28. The thoracic region was favorable for the formation of hemopoietic marrow, whereas lower abdominal sites were disadvantageous.
Interpretation of prematurely terminated air-pressurized slug tests

Air-pressurized slug tests offer a means of estimating formation transmissivity and storativity without extensive downhole equipment and in situations where contact with formation fluids may pose a health concern. An air-pressurized slug test, as discussed in this paper, consists of applying a constant pressure to the column of air in a well, monitoring the declining water level, and then releasing the air pressure and monitoring the recovering water level. If the maximum declining (or new equilibrium) water level is achieved for a constant applied air pressure, the slug-test solution of Cooper et al. (1967) can be used to interpret the water-level recovery data and estimate the formation properties. In low-permeability terranes, the time required to achieve the equilibrium water level during the pressurized part of the test may be too long for practical purposes, and it may be necessary to terminate the applied air pressure prior to establishing a new equilibrium. To analyze data from such tests, a solution to the boundary-value problem for the declining and recovering water level during an air-pressurized slug test is developed for an arbitrary time-dependent air pressure applied to the well. For the special case of applying a constant air pressure and then reducing it instantaneously to atmospheric pressure at a prescribed time, the general solution reduces to the superposition of the solution of Cooper et al. (1967) at two displaced times. Type curves are generated to estimate formation transmissivity and storativity from the recovering water level associated with prematurely terminated air-pressurized slug tests. The application of the type curves is illustrated in tests conducted in wells completed in the Minnelusa and Madison aquifers near Rapid City and Spearfish, South Dakota.
Modeling of plasma assisted formation of precipitates in zirconium containing liquid precursor droplets

This paper focuses on the modeling of heat and mass transfer in precursor containing droplets injected into a plasma jet and the estimation of precipitate formation in these droplets from the solute. A hybrid model is employed where the plasma temperature and velocity fields are obtained from previous experimental results and the heat and mass transfer around droplets are modeled. The precipitate formation zones from the zirconium acetate solution in these droplets are estimated based on the solute concentration field within the droplet. A simple homogeneous nucleation hypothesis is employed in predicting the regions of droplets where zirconia might precipitate. The effects of droplet size, injection velocity and angle, plasma conditions as well as the solute mass diffusivity are considered. Micrographs from single pass coating experiments give credible evidence of the presence of similar types of particle morphologies in agreement with this modeling study.
Consumers’ Valuation of Primary Care–Based Treatment Options for Mental and Substance Use Disorders

Most individuals with substance use disorders and with mental disorders do not receive treatment. If treatment options were more attractive, treatment rates might increase. The advantages of novel approaches, including primary care–based treatment and collaborative care in a primary care setting, have been documented. However, less is known about consumers’ valuation of these options. The authors assessed monetary valuation of these treatment types compared with usual care in a specialty treatment setting. Contingent valuation methods were used in a Web-based randomized vignette experiment that involved 2,146 individuals who screened positive for a drug or alcohol use disorder or a mental disorder. Participants valued a primary care–based treatment visit over usual care in a specialty treatment setting by $9.00 and a collaborative care visit over usual care in a specialty treatment setting by $5.85.
Life indicators, illness characteristics, and psychosocial concomitants of self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity: A two-year longitudinal study

Life indicators, illness characteristics, and psychosocial concomitants were measured in a large sample of persons self-reporting multiple chemical sensitivity. Cross-sectional data are presented for 305 persons who responded to written surveys. Examined are employment status, income, relationship status, illness characteristics such as length, severity, and age respondents became sensitive, money spent on physicians and on home alterations, situations reported to cause the initial sensitization, and the psychosocial measures of social support and psychosocial adjustment to illness. In addition, relevant life indicators are re-examined two years later and presented for 209 persons who continued to participate. This paper examines life indicators for persons of four levels of severity of condition and three courses of condition over time.
The Case for Lifetime Reliability-Aware Microprocessors

Ensuring long processor lifetimes by limiting failuresdue to wear-out related hard errors is a critical requirementfor all microprocessor manufacturers. We observethat continuous device scaling and increasing temperaturesare making lifetime reliability targets even harder to meet.However, current methodologies for qualifying lifetime reliabilityare overly conservative since they assume worst-caseoperating conditions. This paper makes the case thatthe continued use of such methodologies will significantlyand unnecessarily constrain performance. Instead, lifetimereliability awareness at the microarchitectural design stagecan mitigate this problem, by designing processors that dynamicallyadapt in response to the observed usage to meeta reliability target.We make two specific contributions. First, we describean architecture-level model and its implementation, calledRAMP, that can dynamically track lifetime reliability, respondingto changes in application behavior. RAMP isbased on state-of-the-art device models for different wear-outmechanisms. Second, we propose dynamic reliabilitymanagement (DRM) - a technique where the processorcan respond to changing application behavior to maintainits lifetime reliability target. In contrast to currentworst-case behavior based reliability qualification methodologies,DRM allows processors to be qualified for reliabilityat lower (but more likely) operating points than theworst case. Using RAMP, we show that this can save costand/or improve performance, that dynamic voltage scalingis an effective response technique for DRM, and that dynamicthermal management neither subsumes nor is sub-sumedby DRM.
Examining Patterns of Vulnerability to Domestic Violence Among African American Women

The study discussed in this article explored the relationship between child abuse and neglect, other traumatic events, background variables, and HIV status as they relate to the continuum of conflict in adulthood, specifically verbal conflict and physical abuse that can increase women's risk for domestic violence. The sample included 135 African American women, ages 19 to 61, of mixed HIV serostatus. Almost half of the women reported both physical and verbal conflict and moderate to severe levels of physical abuse with current or recent intimate partners. Simple correlations and multiple regressions revealed that women with histories of child abuse were more likely to experience partner violence as adults. Other traumatic events were not associated with partner violence. Income and HIV status were related to specific patterns of partner violence. The influence that early experiences have on African American women eventually entering abusive adult intimate relationships is discussed.
Impact of trap design, windbreaks, and weather on captures of European corn borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in pheromone-baited traps.

Pheromone-baited traps are often used in ecological studies of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). However, differences in trap captures may be confounded by trap design, trap location relative to a windbreak, and changes in local weather. The objectives of this experiment were, first, to examine differences in O. nubilalis adult (moth) captures among the Intercept wing trap, the Intercept bucket/funnel UNI trap, and the Hartstack wire-mesh, 75-cm-diameter cone trap (large metal cone trap) as well as among three cone trap designs. Second, we examined the influence of the location of the large metal cone trap relative to a windbreak on the number of moths captured. Third, we examined the relationship between nightly mean air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and the number of moths captured in large metal cone traps. The number of moths captured was significantly influenced by trap design, with large metal cone traps capturing the most moths. Wing and bucket traps were ineffective. Differences among trap captures were significant among trap locations relative to a windbreak. Under strong (>14 kph) or moderate (7 < 14 kph) wind speeds, traps located leeward of the windbreak captured the most moths, but when wind speeds were light (<7 kph), traps not associated with windbreaks captured the most moths. The multiple regression model fitted to the relationship between number of moths captured per Julian date and nightly weather patterns was significant. Nightly mean air temperature was the most influential parameter in the model, and its relationship with moth capture was positive.
Premium Growth between 1997 and 2004 and its Effect on Employer-Sponsored Insurance

While economic theory predicts that workers bear the cost of rising health insurance premiums with reductions in wages and/or other benefits, empirical evidence on the existence of a wage-health insurance tradeoff has been mixed. Empirical analyses have been hampered by the fact that individuals with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) are usually more skilled and have higher wages than those without insurance. For instance, a simple regression of wages on the presence of health insurance typically leads to a positive, rather than a negative relationship. Several recent studies have used difference-in-differences strategies to explore this topic across geographic areas with differing health care costs or inflation rates. For instance, Sheiner (1999) finds evidence that age-wage profiles are flattest in high-health cost areas, reflecting the incidence of health costs on workers' wages. Sommers (2005) finds evidence that when employers are faced with rising premiums, the increased insurance costs can be better absorbed through wage adjustments in areas with high general inflation or by high wage workers. Both of these studies analyzed household level survey data. We extend this literature using employer level data from the 1999-2004 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Insurance Component (MEPS-IC), a large, nationally representative survey of employers and their health insurance plans. We also extend prior work in that we use difference-in-differences strategies to examine the effect of high premium growth on a wider set of health insurance outcomes: the likelihood that an employer will offer insurance, the levels of employee premium contributions and the generosity of benefits. Our strategies involve comparing areas with varying levels of premium growth, general inflation and employers with different wage distributions. To form premium-specific inflation measures, we predict values from a hedonic regression of MEPS-IC premiums on various MSA-level measures of health care costs as well as plan type and benefits. MSA-level predictions are then formed by fixing plan type and benefits, so that the only source of variation is health care costs. To identify areas with varying levels of inflation, we combine the MEPS-IC data with the CPI for Metropolitan Statistical Areas (which provides MSA-specific inflation rates over time). The MEPS-IC data are arguably better suited for studying many aspects of the ESI market than are widely-used household data sources such as the CPS or the MEPS-Household Component and provides a rich data resource for exploring a wide range of hypotheses regarding the impact of premium growth on the presence and generosity of ESI offers.
ADAPTIVE COLORATION AND GENE FLOW AS A CONSTRAINT TO LOCAL ADAPTATION IN THE STREAMSIDE SALAMANDER, AMBYSTOMA BARBOURI.

Predation is an important selective force that influences animal color patterns. Some larval populations of the streamside salamander, Ambystoma barbouri, inhabit streams with fish predators. Other larval salamanders are found in shallow, ephemeral streams that are predator-free. Quantitative melanophore cell counts and estimates of percent body area pigmented indicated that larval coloration is strongly correlated with stream type. Larvae that coexist with fish tend to be lighter than larvae from streams that are fishless and ephemeral. Two approaches dem- onstrated that lightly pigmented salamander larvae better match the common background in relatively permanent streams and are less conspicuous to fish than dark larvae. First, using a model based on the spectral sensitivity of the fish and reflectance properties of salamanders and natural stream backgrounds, we showed that light larvae are three times more cryptic than dark larvae on rocks. Second, lighter larvae had higher survival than darker salamanders on rocks in a predator- choice experiment. It is not clear why larvae in ephemeral streams are darker. Larvae in ephemeral streams should be active to feed and develop rapidly and reach sufficient size to metamorphose before seasonal drying. Several hypotheses may explain why larvae tend to be darker in ephemeral streams, such as increased thermoregulatory ability, better screening of ultraviolet radiation (in these shallower streams), or better background matching to terrestrial predators. Among populations where salamander larvae coexist with fish, there are differences in relative crypsis. Larvae from populations with fish and relatively high gene flow from ephemeral populations (where larvae are dark) tend to be darker (with more melanophores) and more conspicuous to predators than those from more genetically isolated populations, where larvae are lighter and more cryptic. These differences illustrate the role of gene flow as a constraint to adaptive evolution.
Detection of Salmonella Thompson in food poisoning by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

Objective:Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis(PFGE) was used for homology analysis of Salmonella Thompson isolated from a food poisoning.Methods: The Salmonella strains were detected by biochemical identification,serotyping and drug sensitive test as well as PFGE.The results of PFGE were analyzed by BioNumerics software.Results: A total of 8 strains of S.Thompson were isolated from this food poisoning,five from patient stools or anal swabs,one from kitchen dishcloth and two from remaining foods.Through the PFGE analysis,the 5 strains from patients and 1 from mutton were the same,the strains from beef and kitchen dishcloth had difference in 1~2 electrophoretic bands.Conclusion: The food poisoning was caused by Salmonella Thompson from mutton.
Comparison of Extraction Methods of Total RNA from Conchocelis in Porphyra yezoensis

Objective:In order to develop a simple and efficient protocol for isolating total RNA from conchocelis of Porphyra yezoensis,several methods were investigated.Methods:Guanidine thiocyante method,CTAB method,SDS/hydroxybenzene method,TRIzol method and RNAplant method were employed to isolate and purify the total RNA from the free living conchocelis of P.yezoensis.The quality and quantity of RNA were compared among these methods.Results:The RNA extracted by guanidine thiocyante method had low expense but poor purity;the RNA extracted by CTAB method had poor yield and remained some protein and polysaccharide;the RNA extracted by SDS/hydroxybenzene method lost some of RNA;the RNA extracted by TRIzol method didn't have high quantity;while the RNAplant method produced RNA with good quality and high purity.The value of D260nm/D280nm was 1.836.The double strand cDNAs synthesized by reverse transcription were larger than 200 bp.Conclusion:The results show that RNAplant method is fit for the isolation of the total RNA from the conchocelis of P.yezoensis.
Erosion test of the insulation in the ramjet combustor of solid ducted rocket motors

The research of thermal protection system for the ramjet combustor of the integral solid ducted rocket motor is an important component of the development of the solid ducted rocket motor. A test motor with new insulation material was designed. Then the working situation of the insulation in severe environment was examined in a direct connect test research facility. The test data can be used for the research of thermal protection system in the ramjet combustor of the solid ducted rocket motors.
Study on insecticide resistance of Musca domestica and its control strategies in special places of a city in Guangdong province, China

Objective To investigate the resistance levels of Musca domestica to four commonly used insecticides in the special places such as landfill and meat processing plant in Guangdong province, China. Methods M. domestica larvae were collected in the wild breeding habitats, and topical application was used to determine the median lethal doses (LD 50 ) of permethrin, deltamethrin, beta cypermethrin, and DDVP for M. domestica. The experimental data were statistically analyzed by extremum method. Results The LD 50 of permethrin, deltamethrin, beta cypermethrin, and DDVP were 13.7179, 3.5971, 5.5982, and 0.7704 μg/insect, respectively, for M. domestica in the landfill and were 1.0999, 0.7278, 8.3314, and 0.5322 μg/insect, respectively, for M. domestica in the meat processing plant. The resistance ratios were 58-2525, increased 1-103 times compared with those in 1996 and increased 2-1383 times compared with those in 1991. The resistance of M. domestica to permethrin, deltamethrin, and DDVP was higher in the landfill than in the meat processing plant. Conclusion M. domestica develops high resistance to some insecticides in the special places in Guangdong province, and the resistance to pyrethroid increases rapidly. Comprehensive management strategies and proper insecticide use should be adopted to control M. domestica in the special places such as landfill and meat processing plant.
Hormonal effects on glycogen metabolism in the rat heart in situ.

Several hormones known to affect tissue glycogen concentration have been studied in the open-chested rat in relation to their effects on the enzymes of cardiac glycogen metabolism. Epinephrine, given by rapid intravenous injection, increased phosphorylase a activity and glucose-6-P concentration in both heart and skeletal muscle. In contrast, glycogen synthetase I activity was increased in heart and decreased in skeletal muscle. Continuous infusion of epinephrine (1 µg/kg min-1) caused marked glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle, but no change in heart glycogen concentration. In these experiments a transient increase was seen in cardiac glycogen synthetase I activity, while the percentage synthetase I decreased in skeletal muscle. Infusion of 2.5 µg/kg min-1 of epinephrine decreased cardiac glycogen and produced a biphasic change in synthetase I activity, consisting of first an increase, then a decrease in heart percentage of glycogen synthetase I. All these effects of epinephrine were prevented by prior administration of the beta adrenergic blocking agent pronethalol. Glucagon caused marked cardiac glycogenolysis, an increase in the percentage of phosphorylase a, but no change in the percentage of synthetase I. These effects were also antagonized by pronethalol pretreatment. Insulin caused an increase in the percentage of synthetase I in heart without affecting phosphorylase activity. The increase in synthetase I activity was unaffected by the administration of pronethalol. Thus, in heart as in skeletal muscle, hormones affect the critical steps in glycogen synthesis and degradation, perhaps in part through a common pathway sensitive to beta adrenergic blockade. However, other factors such as physiological changes in cardiac muscle may be involved in the magnitude and direction of the response.
Conjugation and Resistance Transfer in Streptococci and Other Gram Positive Species: Plasmids, Sex Pheromones and “Conjugative Transposons” (A Review)

Until recently, information on the nature of conjugation and related gene transfer in Gram positive bacteria has been relatively scarce. Although conjugation among the actinomycetes has been known for many years,1,2 fertility plasmids have, so far, been recognized in only a single strain of a single species in this group. Strepto-myces coelicolor strain A3(2) harbors two conjugative plasmids, SCP1 and SCP23-5; and whereas SCP2 has been isolated and characterized5,6, efforts to isolate SCP1 have been unsuccessful. The latter determines the synthesis of the antibiotic methylenomyein7 and, when integrated into the bacterial chromosome, will mobilize chromosomal segments to SCP1 strains with almost 100 percent efficiency8.
Application of a Hybrid Chemical Transport-Receptor Model to Develop Region-Specific Source Profiles for PM2.5 Sources and to Assess Source Impact Changes in the United States

A novel, hybrid chemical transport/receptor model approach is used to develop spatial fields of daily source impacts. The spatial-hybrid (SH) method uses source impact fields obtained from CMAQ simulations, which are then adjusted to better match species-specific observations. Specifically, the SH method assimilates modeled 36-km source impact estimates from CMAQ and ground observations from the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) to produce source impacts that better reflect observed data. New source profiles are generated using source impact results from the SH method. The new source profiles reflect modeled and observed concentrations and also reflect secondary formation processes that are captured by CMAQ. Results of the application of this method suggest that the default source profiles used in emissions inventories may be inconsistent with observations. In this work, we present SH source impact fields over the year 2006. These results are then used to develop updated source profiles for fine particulate matter sources for the contiguous U.S. The profiles characterize the composition of 22 particulate matter species, including major ions, carbon species, and 17 metals. Sources analyzed include fossil fuel combustion, mobile sources, sea salt, biogenic emissions, biomass burning, as well as livestock operations, agricultural activities, metals processing, and solvents. Source profiles are evaluated by comparing results for two locations Atlanta, GA, and St. Louis, MO to previous studies.
Melting Point and Heat Capacity of MgCl2 + Mg Salts

MgCl2-containing salt is one of the candidates for the solar thermal energy storage applications. To protect the structural alloy from corrosion, the addition of Mg to salt as a corrosion inhibitor is considered. Melting point, heat capacity, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy of MgCl2 with different amount of Mg are studied in this paper. Depression of melting point is calculated using a derivation of Raoul-Van’t Hoff formula. The MgCl2 rich phase diagram is constructed. The MgCl2 with a small amount of Mg addition shows no significant effect on melting point of the salt mixture. Moreover, it can be a candidate as heat transferring fluid for MgCl2 in solar thermal energy storage applications.
Combination therapy with BPTES nanoparticles and metformin targets the metabolic heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer

Targeting glutamine metabolism via pharmacological inhibition of glutaminase has been translated into clinical trials as a novel cancer therapy, but available drugs lack optimal safety and efficacy. In this study, we used a proprietary emulsification process to encapsulate bis-2-(5-phenylacetamido-1,2,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)ethyl sulfide (BPTES), a selective but relatively insoluble glutaminase inhibitor, in nanoparticles. BPTES nanoparticles demonstrated improved pharmacokinetics and efficacy compared with unencapsulated BPTES. In addition, BPTES nanoparticles had no effect on the plasma levels of liver enzymes in contrast to CB-839, a glutaminase inhibitor that is currently in clinical trials. In a mouse model using orthotopic transplantation of patient-derived pancreatic tumor tissue, BPTES nanoparticle monotherapy led to modest antitumor effects. Using the HypoxCR reporter in vivo, we found that glutaminase inhibition reduced tumor growth by specifically targeting proliferating cancer cells but did not affect hypoxic, noncycling cells. Metabolomics analyses revealed that surviving tumor cells following glutaminase inhibition were reliant on glycolysis and glycogen synthesis. Based on these findings, metformin was selected for combination therapy with BPTES nanoparticles, which resulted in significantly greater pancreatic tumor reduction than either treatment alone. Thus, targeting of multiple metabolic pathways, including effective inhibition of glutaminase by nanoparticle drug delivery, holds promise as a novel therapy for pancreatic cancer.
Syntheses of (+)-30-epi-, (-)-6-epi-, (±)-6,30-epi-13,14-didehydroxyisogarcinol and (±)-6,30-epi-garcimultiflorone A utilizing highly diastereoselective, Lewis acid-controlled cyclizations

The first syntheses of 13,14-didehydroxyisogarcinol (6) and garcimultiflorone A (5) stereoisomers are reported in six steps from a commercially available phloroglucinol. Lewis acid-controlled, diastereoselective cationic oxycyclizations enabled asymmetric syntheses of (−)-6-epi-6 and (+)-30-epi-6. A similar strategy enabled production of the meso-dervied isomers (±)-6,30-epi-6 and (±)-6,30-epi-5. Finally, a convenient strategy for gram scale synthesis was developed utilizing diastereomer separation at a later stage in the synthesis that minimized the number of necessary synthetic operations to access all possible stereoisomers.
Design and Development of RFID and RFID-Enabled Sensors on Flexible Low Cost Substrates

This book presents a step-by-step discussion of the design and development of radio frequency identification (RFID) and RFID-enabled sensors on flexible low cost substrates for UHF frequency bands. Various examples of fully function building blocks (design and fabrication of antennas, integration with ICs and microcontrollers, power sources, as well as inkjet-printing techniques) demonstrate the revolutionary effect of this approach in low cost RFID and RFID-enabled sensors fields. This approach could be easily extended to other microwave and wireless applications as well. The first chapter describes the basic functionality and the physical and IT-related principles underlying RFID and sensors technology. Chapter two explains in detail inkjet-printing technology providing the characterization of the conductive ink, which consists of nano-silver-particles, while highlighting the importance of this technology as a fast and simple fabrication technique especially on flexible organic substrates such as Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) or paper-based substrates. Chapter three demonstrates several compact inkjet-printed UHF RFID antennas using antenna matching techniques to match IC's complex impedance as prototypes to provide the proof of concept of this technology. Chapter four discusses the benefits of using conformal magnetic material as a substrate for miniaturized high-frequency circuit applications. In addition, in Chapter five, the authors also touch up the state-of-the-art area of fully-integrated wireless sensor modules on organic substrates and show the first ever 2D sensor integration with an RFID tag module on paper, as well as the possibility of 3D multilayer paper-based RF/microwave structures.
Viruses in Source and Drinking Water

All warm blooded animals harbor enteric viruses which are excreted in fecal material and can find their way into the aquatic environment. In addition fish, other lower animals and even plants release viruses which can find their way into water. Fortunately, most viruses are highly host specific and only the enteric viruses of humans appear to offer the greatest health concern for waterborne transmission. Human enteric viruses are able to exist for extended periods in the environment and many may survive conventional water and wastewater treatment. Waterborne transmission has now been well documented for many of the enteric viruses. While a direct association with the presence of virus in a water supply and illness has not been demonstrated for all enteric viruses, the presence of any of these viruses in drinking water should be considered a major health concern.
Dexamethasone (Dex) Inhibits Anti-GPIIIa49-66 Ab Induced Oxidative Fragmenation of Platelets: Inhibition of Platelet Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and 12-Lipoxygenase (12-LO) MembraneTranslocation and Activity.

Patients with HIV related thrombocytopenia (HIV-ITP) have a unique Ab against GPIIIa49-66 (Ab) which induces complement-independent, Fc-independent, peroxide-induced lysis of platelets (Cell, 106:551, 2001). This Ab correlates inversely with platelet count and induces oxidative-fragmentation of human and mouse platelets, and thrombocytopenia in mice. Oxidation is induced by H 2 O 2 generated from platelet NADPH oxidase activated with the platelet 12-LO product, 12(S)-HETE (JCI 113: 973, 2004). The substrate for 12-LO is arachidonic acid (AA), produced by PLA 2 . Similar oxidative fragmentation is also induced by the Ca ++ ionophore A23187 as well as phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) (Blood 102:126A, 2003). Most patients with classic autoimmune thrombocytopenia (AITP) as well as HIV-ITP respond dramatically to treatment with steroids. The effect of Dex in AITP requires opsonized platelets interacting with Fc macrophage receptors, while Ab-induced oxidative fragmentation of platelets does not. We therefore investigated possible mechanisms of Dex inhibition of oxidative platelet fragmentation in gel-filtered human platelets (measured by flow cytometry and DCFH oxidation) induced by Ab, A23187 or PMA over 4 hr at 37 C. Dex inhibited both oxidation and platelet fragmentation ( IC 50 0.8uM, range 3.2uM to 0.2uM), n=5. Regardless of the stimulus, 12(S)-HETE production was completely inhibited during the first 60 min of Dex incubation with 2–3 fold inhibition at 60–240 minutes. Similar Dex inhibition was noted when exogenous AA was added confirming a reduction of 12-LO activity, n=4, p 2 activity (measured by the release of 3 H-AA from labeled membrane of intact platelets), as effectively as the the PLA 2 inhibitor, bromophenacyl bromide (85 ± 2% vs 84 ± 1%, n=3, p 2 and 12-LO. Regardless of stimulant, Dex inhibited translocations of all 3 proteins, p67phox, PLA 2 and 12-LO by 50–80%. Indeed agonist-induced membrane loading of PLA 2 , 12-LO and p67phox was actually reversed with Dex, i.e. ~50% translocated to cytosol compared to buffer, after an additional 4hr of incubation. Since Dex inhibits phagocytosis by macrophages, we reasoned that the inhibitory effect of Dex on macrophage oxidative damage or killing of bacteria could also be related to its inhibition of cytosol to membrane translocation. Such proved to be the case for PMA-induced granulocyte cytosol membrane translocation of p67phox and PLA 2 , n=3. Thus Ca ++ ionophore, PMA and Ab-induced platelet oxidative fragmentation are inhibited by therapeutic Dex concentrations. Inhibition results in severely impaired PLA 2 and 12-LO activity as well as inhibition of translocation of these components and p67phox from cytosol to membrane, thus disrupting NADPH oxidase activity (confirmed by inhibition of Rac-2 activation, as measured by Rac-2 binding to PAK-1). This occurs in the presence of steroid receptor blockade, suggesting a direct effect of Dex on the membrane.
Statistical Verification of the Toyota Powertrain Control Verification Benchmark

The Toyota Powertrain Control Verification Benchmark has been recently proposed as challenge problems that capture features of realistic automotive designs. In this paper we statistically verify the most complicated of the powertrain control models proposed, that includes features like delayed differential and difference equations, look-up tables, and highly non-linear dynamics, by simulating the C++ code generated from the SimulinkTM model of the design. Our results show that for at least 98% of the possible initial operating conditions the desired properties hold. These are the first verification results for this model, statistical or otherwise.
Effects of the Decline in Social Capital on College Graduates' Soft Skills.

Both businesses and recent college graduates in the United States attribute the lack of soft skills in recent college graduates to the colleges’ inability to prepare students for the workforce. Thi...
Some Mathematical Aspects of Rarefied Gasdynamics as Applied to Hypersonics, Reentry and Magneto-Gas-Dynamics

There exists no precise definition of the boundaries of the regime known under the name of hypersonics. On one side it includes the. reentry phenomena which are inseparably connected with all the domains of the classical aero-and fluid-dynamics, involving all of the classical regions of the sub-, trans-, and supersonic nature. On the other side it involves the relativistic phenomena with the velocity of light being another barrier, the light-barrier, having a some sort of analogy to the old sonic barrier. Practically, the hypersonics is interested in the sub-light regime, leaving the super-light region still in the sphere of speculations of the theoretical physics. Hypersonics applies all the possible tools, ever invented, developed and worked out by the mechanics of continuous media, kinetic theory of gases, Newtonian free molecule technique and finally the classical special theory of relativity. This refers to all kinds of gaseous media, i.e., ideal, perfect, real, ionized, etc. There is no limit in that respect from any point of view. Concerning the problem of solving the differential and integral equations occurring in the fields in question, there are used all of the possible techniques and methods known in the theory of partial and ordinary differential as well as of integro-differential equations. One can mention here the classical techniques, special functions, algebraic, integral operator, topological techniques, reduction of the number of independent variables, etc. Each of these methods possesses certain advantages and disadvantages.
NF-κB inhibition reverses acidic bile-induced miR-21, miR-155, miR-192, miR-34a, miR-375 and miR-451a deregulations in human hypopharyngeal cells

We previously demonstrated that acidic bile activates NF-κB, deregulating the expression of oncogenic miRNA markers, in pre-malignant murine laryngopharyngeal mucosa. Here, we hypothesize that the in vitro exposure of human hypopharyngeal cells to acidic bile deregulates cancer-related miRNA markers that can be reversed by BAY 11-7082, a pharmacologic NF-κB inhibitor. We repetitively exposed normal human hypopharyngeal primary cells and human hypopharyngeal keratinocytes to bile fluid (400 μmol/L), at pH 4.0 and 7.0, with/without BAY 11-7082 (20 μmol/L). We centred our study on the transcriptional activation of oncogenic miR-21, miR-155, miR-192, miR-34a, miR-375, miR-451a and NF-κB-related genes, previously linked to acidic bile-induced pre-neoplastic events. Our novel findings in vitro are consistent with our hypothesis demonstrating that BAY 11-7082 significantly reverses the acidic bile-induced oncogenic miRNA phenotype, in normal hypopharyngeal cells. BAY 11-7082 strongly inhibits the acidic bile-induced up-regulation of miR-192 and down-regulation of miR-451a and significantly decreases the miR-21/375 ratios, previously related to poor prognosis in hypopharyngeal cancer. This is the first in vitro report that NF-κB inhibition reverses acidic bile-induced miR-21, miR-155, miR-192, miR-34a, miR-375 and miR-451a deregulations in normal human hypopharyngeal cells, suggesting that acidic bile-induced events are directly or indirectly dependent on NF-κB signalling.
Technocentrism and social fields in the Indian EdTech movement: formation, reproduction and resistance

All over the globe, educational technology (EdTech) is being sold to schools as a central mechanism for improving access to quality learning for high poverty populations. There is a growing scholar...