cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Rapid Economic Convergence Phenomenon

The global economic convergence phenomenon refers to the process of catching up by the less developed countries (LDCs) with the rich countries. Currently a large variance exists in the per capita GDP of nations ranging from less than $500/year to over $40,000/ year. In a wide cross-section of countries in this study, rapid economic convergence is noted over the last few decades. Essential conditions for convergence are a difference in the level of productivity, a difference in the annual growth rate of productivity in favor of the catching up LDCs, and a relatively long-run time horizon. Many LDCs, most notably China and India, are poised to meet the above three conditions for economic convergence. Within the last two decades, three turning points in human experiences have occurred, which have given special thrust to the convergence process, namely: (1) a universal and secular decline in fertility rates; (2) a rapid transfer and dissemination of technologies to LDCs at low marginal cost; and (3) an opening up of international trade and commerce resulting from the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991. (JEL O47) International Advances in Economic Research (2006) 12:433 * IAES 2006 DOI: 10.1007/s11294-006-9037-z
Novel beam former approach to direction-finding problem

Estimation of the direction-of-arrival (DOA), also known as direction-finding (DF) problem, has been an active research area for some time. While one DOA estimation method may be better than another depending on the application, these methods can be categorized into either subspace decomposition methods or beamforming methods. Subspace decomposition methods are usually known to provide higher resolution but most of them assume relatively high signal to noise ratio. For low array-signal-to-noise-ratio (ASNR), however, their performance degenerates in a similar way as conventional beam forming methods do. In this paper, we introduce a new method which we refer to as 'MaxMax' method for ASNR below zero. The new method does not depend entirely on either the subspace decomposition technique or the conventional beamforming technique and is attractive for extremely low ASNR environment with small number of sensors at the price of higher computational complexity. Its performance is superior to the others for multipath signals for the same number of sensors. The number of signals need not be known and more than M-1 signals can be resolved where M is the number of sensors. The increased computational complexity can be reduced through parallel processing implemented on massively parallel computers.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Policy implications of social justice in education

This article analyzes the implications of a particular conception of social justice in education for the policies that have led to significant political controversies in contemporary communities in the United States. Many of these controversies have arisen from the collision between the increasingly multicultural reality in those communities and the accountability system that has during the past decade or so been imposed on the schools by standards-based reformers in the federal and state governments. For this task, the article considers the schools in a hypothetical community in which significant immigration of Latino citizens has occurred. It proposes a theory of social justice in education that uses John Rawls's ideas about political liberalism and an overlapping political consensus in a pluralistic society as a basis for analyzing the normative and factual disagreements in that community. Employing the principles of that theory, the article considers whether the system of accountability that has led t...
A novel approach to fabricate uni-directional and branching slender structures using laser-based direct metal deposition

Abstract The slender structures are identified by a distinctive morphology and large aspect ratio. Contrary to most of the common products, the fabrication of slender structures is usually based on forming operations. For complex shapes; however, machining may be required. Characteristic of machining for a slender structure; however, is the very small ratio of sustained material with respect to the machined material. This paper describes a novel approach to fabricate slender structures using laser-based direct metal deposition (LBDMD) in a layer-by-layer fashion such that the thickness of each layer is infinitesimally small. The existing additive layer-by-layer deposition is guided by 2 1 2 axis movement and is characterized by intermittent steps. The proposed method, on the contrary, is similar to continuous casting such that the layer thickness can be considered infinitesimally small. The paper develops a framework for fabrication of slender structures using LBDMD. An algorithm based on geometric reasoning is proposed. Simulations based on Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method and a set of experiments are performed to determine and control various key process parameters. Simulations and experiments performed to determine the a relationship between the material flow rate and corresponding body forces that act on the molten pool as the inclination of substrate changes. A range of complex geometries that are based on linear as well as nonlinear spatial trajectories are fabricated. The fabricated geometries offer different inclinations as well as material flow rate; hence, support the applicability of proposed method.
Global Climate Change: What has Science Education Got to Do with it?

Despite a near universal consensus among scientists regarding the perils of climate change for human civilizations, climate change has not emerged as a key issue among science educators. This position paper advocates for the centrality of climate change in science education. Using Polanyi’s critique of market in capitalist societies, it positions global climate change as an outcome of commodification of nature in market dominated societies. Thus, the paper argues that global climate change is primarily a societal issue that needs a societal response much more than a technological one. Further, it presents a case for considering science education as an important element of societal response to global climate change. In the end, the paper presents some ideas for re-imagining science education for the global climate change era.
A multizone adaptive process model for low and high pressure crystal growth

Many of the inhomogeneities and defects in the crystal grown from a pool of melt are a direct result of the non-steady nature of the growth kinetics and complex heat transfer and flow mechanisms. The transport phenomena become more complicated in a high pressure system because of the thermal interaction between melt and gas flows, and require special numerical treatment. A high resolution computer model based on multizone adaptive grid generation and curvilinear finite volume discretization (MASTRAPP2d) has been developed to simulate the crystal growth processes at low and high pressures. The scheme allows consideration of a multiphase system for more than one material in one single domain which may consist of irregular and moving boundaries, interfaces, and free surfaces. Cz growth of silicon and LEC growth of indium phosphide crystals are modeled to demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of this innovative scheme.
A quantitative protein interaction network for the ErbB receptors using protein microarrays

Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; also called ErbB1) and its relatives initiate one of the most well-studied signalling networks, there is not yet a genome-wide view of even the earliest step in this pathway: recruitment of proteins to the activated receptors. Here we use protein microarrays comprising virtually every Src homology 2 (SH2) and phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain encoded in the human genome to measure the equilibrium dissociation constant of each domain for 61 peptides representing physiological sites of tyrosine phosphorylation on the four ErbB receptors. This involved 77,592 independent biochemical measurements and provided a quantitative protein interaction network that reveals many new interactions, including ones that fall outside of our current view of domain selectivity. By slicing through the network at different affinity thresholds, we found surprising differences between the receptors. Most notably, EGFR and ErbB2 become markedly more promiscuous as the threshold is lowered, whereas ErbB3 does not. Because EGFR and ErbB2 are overexpressed in many human cancers, our results suggest that the extent to which promiscuity changes with protein concentration may contribute to the oncogenic potential of receptor tyrosine kinases, and perhaps other signalling proteins as well.
EbpA vaccine antibodies block binding of Enterococcus faecalis to fibrinogen to prevent catheter-associated bladder infection in mice.

Enterococci bacteria are a frequent cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, the most common type of hospital-acquired infection. Treatment has become increasingly challenging because of the emergence of multiantibiotic-resistant enterococcal strains and their ability to form biofilms on catheters. We identified and targeted a critical step in biofilm formation and developed a vaccine that prevents catheter-associated urinary tract infections in mice. In the murine model, formation of catheter-associated biofilms by Enterococcus faecalis depends on EbpA, which is the minor subunit at the tip of a heteropolymeric surface fiber known as the endocarditisand biofilm-associated pilus (Ebp). We show that EbpA is an adhesin that mediates bacterial attachment to host fibrinogen, which is released and deposited on catheters after introduction of the catheter into the mouse bladder. Fibrinogen-binding activity resides in the amino-terminal domain of EbpA (EbpA NTD ), and vaccination with EbpA and EbpA NTD , but not itscarboxyl-terminal domain or otherEbp subunits, inhibited biofilm formation in vivo and protected againstcatheter-associatedurinarytractinfection.Analysesinvitrodemonstratedthatprotectionwasassociatedwith a serum antibody response that blocked EbpA binding to fibrinogen and the formation of a fibrinogen-dependent biofilm on catheters. This approach may provide a new strategy for the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
On the many voices of bioethics.

Across the last twenty-five years, writers in the field of bioethics have concentrated chiefly on moral dilemmas that beset practitioners. They have appealed to rules and principles that will help to solve or resolve such quandaries. This caseoriented, problem-solving view of ethics fits smoothly into the curriculum of medical schools and teaching hospitals, since medical education already focuses on cases. Moralists, operating in this mode, have produced impressive work on confidentiality, truth-telling, conflict of interest, experimentation on human subjects, pulling the plug, and the like. However, this principled, problem-solving approach has not offered as much insight into those ordeals confronting patients (and sometimes practitioners) that do not wholly admit of solution. T.S. Eliot once distinguished between two types of moral problems: those relatively technical and pragmatic problems for which the appropriate question is, What are we going to do about it? and those deeper spiritual problems that no specific policy or strategy will dissolve, for which the appropriate question is, How does one behave toward it? Such problems must be faced rather than solved. These deeper moral demands beset us in the mystery of birth, in chronic affliction, after the heart attack and the stroke, and in the ordeal of fading powers and death. "I could do nothing about the death of my husband," the wife of a college president once said to me. "The chief question was whether I could rise to the occasion." With one stroke, his death altered her daily life and intimacy and transformed her from a person with a clear-cut public role in the college to a superfluity. How could she rise to an occasion that redefined her identity? Moral reflection about such events does not simply trace back to a brace of sometimes conflicting principles; it forces meditation on the human condition; it probes one's deepest convictions; it may even unsettle one's habits; it asks of the agent the mobilization of resources, some of them already in place but untested; others, as yet, unbidden. I suspect that the planners for this twenty-fifth anniversary of The Hastings Center had in mind this second range of problems when they included at this celebration a panel on "Spirit, Emotion, and Meaning." Their decision suggests that these wider approaches--variously literary, phenomenological, metaphysical, theological, historical, psychological, and sociological--belong in the total mix of disciplines bearing on the field of bioethics if one wishes to explore the field to a depth of at least six feet. This broader examination may yield important results not simply for patients tested by ordeal but also for practitioners, redefining and illuminating for them the quandaries they face. …
Local density valence band offset in GaAs/AlAs: Role of interface dipole

Abstract The valence band offset, ΔEV ,at the lattice-matched GaAs/AlAs(001) interface is derived from highly precise self- consistent all-electron local density band structure calculations of the (GaAs)n(AlAs)n(001) superlattices (with n ⩽ 3). Using the core levels as reference energies, we find that ΔEV = 0.50 ± 0.05 eV, in very good agreement with recent experimental results (ΔEV = 0.45 − 0.55 eV). The dependence of ΔEV on the superlattice thickness is studied and related to the interface charge redistribution which produces an interface dipole potential estimated to be ∼ 0.14 eV.
Mesenchymal stem cell administration at coronary artery reperfusion in the rat by two delivery routes: a quantitative assessment.

Aims Ideally, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) home to and/or remain at the site of damaged myocardium when administered after myocardial infarction. However, MSC may not remain in the heart, but instead relocate to other areas. We investigated quantitatively the distribution of labeled rat MSC, given by two routes after coronary artery occlusion/reperfusion in rats.
Exploring housing subsidies to households in Russia

The importance of reforming housing and communal services (HCS) from a system where rents and utilities were nearly free, to one where residents paid the costs of their housing is outlined in this report. But, although the overall level of subsidies, and the problem of tariffs are reasonably well understood, a lack of data means that little has been known about the recipients of the two formal HCS subsidy programs. The objective of this paper is to use the newly available NOBUS data, which is described in detail hereby, to analyze housing subsidy (housing subsidies and allowances) recipients. Because of the way the two formal subsidy programs are structured it is expect that: as housing allowances are targeted towards poorer households, allowances would reach many fewer households, those households should be poorer and should live in smaller housing units; as both l'goti recipients and housing allowance recipients benefit only if they have access to utilities, both kinds of subsidy recipients are more likely to live in urban areas than rural, and to live in apartments rather than houses; as l'goti are a federal program, and as housing allowances are provided in accordance with federal standards, regions would differ relatively little in terms of the incidence of these subsidies.
NEONATAL ISLET CELL ADENOMA

In each of 8 cases of neonatal islet cell adenoma, pregnancy labor, delivery and birth weight were normal. Seizures began at 5 hours in 1 case, 24-48 hours in 4 cases and 6 and 7 weeks in 2 cases; in late onset cases, fasting symptoms were overlooked for weeks. Fasting insulin/glucose ratios utilizing the formula insulin μU/ml × 100 ÷ glucose mg% - 20 were >200 in all cases (normal ≤ 50). Glucose infusion (20+ mg/kg/min) relieved persistent hypoglycemia (in one case briefly) but glucose plus steroids and diazoxide (given to toxicity as manifested by edema and vomiting) were ultimately ineffective. In addition, susphrine or ephedrine was tried in 3 cases, glucagon in 2 and growth hormone in 1 unsuccessfully. 75% pancreatectomy was done in 6 cases, but 3 required 95% removal to relieve hyperinsulinism. All had single adenomas. Five of 8 were in the head of the pancreas. Only 2 were identified during 10 surgical procedures. Hyperglycemia requiring insulin therapy rapidly appeared after removal of the tumor. Two required insulin for >48 hours; 1 continues to have glycosuria with illness. 75% pancreatectomy resulted in no exocrine or endocrine dysfunction, whereas 95% pancreatectomy caused minor exocrine deficiency in all, and minimal endocrine deficiency in 1 of 4. Only 1 patient (now age 1 year) is free of nonhypoglycemic seizures. Up to 3 years have elapsed before onset of these seizures. Two of 7 are normal in development. If medical therapy fails, prompt 90% pancreatectomy in the absence of an identifiable tumor is recommended because the tumor is difficult to localize at surgery or is in the head of the pancreas.
Implementation of the adaptive resonance theory (ART1) architecture on a CNAPS neurocomputer

This study reports the attempt being made to implement adaptive resonance theory (ART) neural network architecture on Adaptive Solution Inc. CNAPSR Neuro-Computer. The architecture is being implemented on a single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) parallel computer, having 256 processors. CNAPS-C language, modified ANSI C having parallel construction, is used in generating the ART code. Five important issues in the implementation are addressed. The performance of the implementation is used to bench-mark against the sequential version using standard data sets. © (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
In Vivo Evidence for Inverse Agonism of Agouti-Related Peptide in the Central Nervous System of Proopiomelanocortin-Deficient Mice

OBJECTIVE— Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) peptides processed from proopiomelanocortin (POMC) regulate energy homeostasis by activating neuronal melanocortin receptor (MC-R) signaling. Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) is a naturally occurring MC-R antagonist but also displays inverse agonism at constitutively active melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4-R) expressed on transfected cells. We investigated whether AgRP functions similarly in vivo using mouse models that lack all neuronal MSH, thereby precluding competitive antagonism of MC-R by AgRP. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— Feeding and metabolic effects of the MC-R agonist melanotan II (MTII), AgRP, and ghrelin were investigated after intracerebroventricular injection in neural-specific POMC-deficient ( Pomc −/− Tg/ +) and global POMC-deficient ( Pomc −/− ) mice. Gene expression was quantified by RT-PCR. RESULTS— Hyperphagic POMC-deficient mice were more sensitive than wild-type mice to the anorectic effects of MTII. Hypothalamic melanocortin-3 (MC3)/4-R mRNAs in POMC-deficient mice were unchanged, suggesting increased receptor sensitivity as a possible mechanism for the heightened anorexia. AgRP reversed MTII-induced anorexia in both mutant strains, demonstrating its ability to antagonize MSH agonists at central MC3/4-R, but did not produce an acute orexigenic response by itself. The action of ghrelin was attenuated in Pomc −/− Tg/ + mice, suggesting decreased sensitivity to additional orexigenic signals. However, AgRP induced delayed and long-lasting modifications of energy balance in Pomc −/− Tg/ +, but not glucocorticoid-deficient Pomc −/− mice, by decreasing oxygen consumption, increasing the respiratory exchange ratio, and increasing food intake. CONCLUSIONS— These data demonstrate that AgRP can modulate energy balance via a mechanism independent of MSH and MC3/4-R competitive antagonism, consistent with either inverse agonist activity at MC-R or interaction with a distinct receptor.
GAPS IN MAMMALIAN BODY SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS REEXAMINED

Holling suggested that discontinuities in the body size distributions among species of animals are a universal feature of terrestrial biomes. We compared the magnitudes of body size gaps of mammal communities of North America and Australia to those generated by a simple random null model. In most biomes, no gaps were significantly larger than random, so discontinuities in body size distributions are the exception, not the rule. We also made intra- and intercontinental comparisons of size distributions to test two alternative hypotheses: (1) Holling’s Textural-Discontinuity Hypothesis, that body size distributions reflect structural characteristics of the habitat; and (2) the Core-Taxa Hypothesis, that body sizes reflect the distributions of widespread taxa. We found that the gaps in body size were similar in structurally dissimilar but adjacent biomes that shared the same or closely related species. We conclude that body size distributions of biomes are not highly discontinuous, and their structure reflec...
Low-frequency noise characteristics of p-n-p InAlAs/InGaAs HBTs

The low-frequency noise characteristics of p-n-p InAlAs/InGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) were investigated. Devices with various geometries were measured under different bias conditions. The base noise current spectral density (3.11 /spl times/ 10/sup -16/ A/sup 2//Hz) was found to be higher than the collector noise current spectral density (1.48 /spl times/ 10/sup -16/ A/sup 2//Hz) at 10 Hz under low bias condition (I/sub C/=1 mA, V/sub EC/=1 V), while the base noise current spectral density (2.04 /spl times/ 10/sup -15/ A/sup 2//Hz) is lower than the collector noise current spectral density (7.87 /spl times/ 10/sup -15/ A/sup 2//Hz) under high bias condition (I/sub C/=10 mA, V/sub EC/=2 V). The low-frequency noise sources were identified using the emitter-feedback technique. The results suggest that the low-frequency noise is a surface-related process. In addition, the dominant noise sources varied with bias levels.
Grids challenged by a Web 2.0 and multicore sandwich

We discuss the application of Web 2.0 to support scientific research (e-Science) and related ‘e-more or less anything’ applications. Web 2.0 offers interesting technical approaches (protocols, message formats, and programming tools) to build core e-infrastructure (cyberinfrastructure) as well as many interesting services (Facebook, YouTube, Amazon S3-EC2, and Google maps) that can add value to e-infrastructure projects. We discuss why some of the original Grid goals of linking the world's computer systems may not be so relevant today and that interoperability is needed at the data and not always at the infrastructure level. Web 2.0 may also support Parallel Programming 2.0—a better parallel computing software environment motivated by the need to run commodity applications on multicore chips. A ‘Grid on the chip’ will be a common use of future chips with tens or hundreds of cores. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EFFECTS OF A NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDFIRE ON RUNOFF AND SEDIMENT PRODUCTION

: Runoff was measured from a 564-ha catchment located on the Entiat Experimental Forest for nine years before a severe wild-fire in 1970 destroyed the mixed conifer vegetation. Runoff records from the Chelan River (2 393 km2) were used as control data for determining changes in water yield during the seven years following the fire. The first post-fire year was a period of transition in which the soil profile retained more water than in previous years and measured runoff was 8.9 cm greater than the predicted value based on pre-fire conditions. Runoff from the burned catchment during subsequent years was much greater than measured values before the fire. Measured minus predicted runoff, based on the pre-fire calibration equation, varied from 10.7 cm during the dry year of 1977 to 47.2 cm during the abnormally wet year of 1972. Flow duration curves indicated that runoff at each percent value after the fire was at least double the comparable pre-fire value. Sediment production increased dramatically after the fire because of increased flow rates, increased overland flow caused by reduced infiltration capacity, and mass soil movement. Sediment yield is beginning to decrease as stream channels become stabilized and vegetation on upper slopes improves infiltration capacity.
When do People Generate their Best Ideas

Using the electronic brainstorming technique, participants brainstormed ideas in three-person groups. After brainstorming for 15 minutes, participants received a paper transcript that contained all of their generated ideas and then they were asked to individually select the five best ideas. When selecting ideas, participants had an affinity for ideas that were generated early. For instance, 23% of participants selected the very first idea that was generated as their very best idea. Furthermore, over half of the participants (51%) selected one of the first five ideas that were generated as their very best idea. This was notable considering the average group generated 55 ideas. This finding may be beneficial in that it could shorten the brainstorming process.
Congenital aural atresia: Stability of surgical results†

Objectives/Hypothesis: To compare early ( 1 y) for initial and revision surgeries were compared. Results: In the early postoperative period, an SRT of ≤25 dB was achieved in 60% and an SRT of ≤30 dB in 70%. With longer follow-up (mean, 2.8 y), 46% of patients maintained an SRT ≤25 dB. Revision surgery was necessary in approximately one third of patients. Longer-term hearing results following initial surgery only or after revision surgery showed an SRT ≤25 dB in 53% and an SRT ≤30 dB in 64%. For primary and revisions surgeries the incidence of temporary facial paralysis was 1.5% and for significant hearing loss, 3.0%. Conclusions: Some degradation in hearing does occur as patients are followed beyond the first postoperative year. Revision surgery will be necessary in approximately one third of cases. With revisions, an SRT ≤25 dB can be expected in half of cases and an SRT ≤30 dB in two thirds of cases. The ability to provide these hearing results supports this surgery in unilateral cases.
The grinding of organic dyestuffs

A mechanism for grinding disperse dyes in a sand mill is discussed which is supported by experimental data. Experimental data with disk, cylinder and vibrator agitators are examined from the point of view of dimensional analysis. All rotors exhibited fluid slip and decreased efficiencies at high rotor speeds. Cylinder rotors provided higher rates of energy input to the milling paste, and shorter grinding times, relative to disk and vibrator agitators. On discute un mecanisme de mouture de colorants dispersifs dans un broyeur a sable, dont le rendement est conforme aux resultats experimentaux. On examine, an point de vue de l'analyse a dimensions, les donnees experimentales obtenues au moyen d'agitateurs a disques, cylindres et vibrateurs. Tous les rotors ont manifeste un glissement fluide et un rendement moindre pour des vitesses elevees de ceux-ci. Les rotors a cylindres ont transmis plus rapidement l'energie a la pa'te de mouture et dimine le temps de broyage, en comparaison avec les agitateurs a disques et a vibrateurs.
An Analysis of Prisoner Reentry and Parole Risk Using COMPAS and Traditional Criminal History Measures

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has adopted Correctional Offender Management and Profiling Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS), an actuarial risk- and needs-assessment instrument, as part of its reentry supervision and parole planning procedure. A large-scale 3-year prospective study was conducted to assess the instrument with regard to how well it predicted whether a parolee would be rearrested for (a) any crime and (b) a violent offense. This study followed, for up to 2 years, a total of 91,334 parolees who had been assessed with COMPAS prior to reentry into the community. The instrument achieved an acceptable level of predictive validity in general rearrests with an area under the curve value of 0.70, but its predictive power for subsequent violent offenses fell short of this conventional threshold. Moreover, a parsimonious model using four known risk factors from existing official records (i.e., gender, age, age of first arrest, and the number of prior arrests) performed just as...
The measurement of sub-Brownian lever deflections

A micromechanical lever that deflects in response to the impacts of charged particles has previously been proposed as a means of improving upon the capabilities of existing radiation detection technology. The momentum detector offers promise as a highly discriminating, high-resolution tool for ion sensing. Advances required to successfully realize a spectroscopic capability has been completed; specifically, techniques for reproducibly fabricating micromechanical structures have been optimized, and an instrument that measures miniscule deflections has been developed. Even without substantial refinement efforts, the novel coupled-cavity optical detector can resolve lever motions on the order of 1-10 picometers. A method by which the Brownian motion of the lever can be stilled has been proven which elicits reductions sufficient to measure heavy-ion impact, the deflections from which may be several orders of magnitude below the thermal vibration amplitude. Using active forcing techniques, the Brownian vibration of the microlevers has been reduced from room temperature (288 K) to sub-Kelvin temperatures, for levers vibrating in air. The mechanical factors that limit the noise reduction magnitude are discussed and methods of surmounting those limitations are identified.
Effects of Ethanol and Anesthetics on Type 1 and 5 Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors Expressed in Xenopus laevis Oocytes

Previous studies have demonstrated that ethanol and volatile anesthetics inhibit the function of some metabotropic (G protein-coupled) receptors, including the 5-hydroxytryptamine2 and muscarinic cholinergic receptors. The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) show little sequence homology with most other metabotropic receptors and are important modulators of synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. It was of interest to determine drug actions on these receptors, and we investigated the effects of ethanol, halothane, the anesthetic compound F3 (1-chloro-1,2,2-trifluorocyclobutane), and the nonanesthetics F6 (1,2-dichlorohexafluorocyclobutane) and F8 (2,3-chlorooctafluorobutane) on the function of mGluR1 and mGluR5 expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Halothane, F3, and ethanol inhibited mGluR5-induced Ca2+-dependent Cl− currents, yet pharmacologically relevant concentrations of these compounds had little effect on the glutamate-induced currents in the oocytes expressing mGluR1. F6 had inhibitory effects on both receptors, and F8 did not affect either mGluR1 or mGluR5 function. The protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor GF109203X enhanced the glutamate-induced current, and the PKC activator phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate inhibited this current in the oocytes expressing mGluR5, but these compounds had little effect on mGluR1 function. GF109203X abolished the inhibitory effects of halothane, F3, and ethanol on mGluR5s. Conversely, the phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A prolonged the action of halothane and ethanol. Furthermore, mutation of a PKC consensus site (Ser890) of mGluR5 abolished the inhibitory effects of halothane, F3, and ethanol. These results suggest that ethanol and volatile anesthetics inhibit mGluR5 because they promote PKC-mediated phosphorylation.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating airway smooth muscle physiology and pharmacology

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) in asthma is the pivotal cell regulating bronchomotor tone. Recent evidence suggests that ASM may also modulate airway inflammation and perpetuate airway remodeling. A variety of signaling pathways regulate ASM cytokine-chemokine secretion as well as cell adhesion molecule expression. Interestingly, these signaling pathways appear to be disparate from those of trafficking leukocytes. In this review, excitation-contraction coupling as well as synthetic function of ASM, defined as the ability to secrete immunomodulatory cytokines and chemokines and to express cell surface receptors that are important in cell adhesion and leukocyte activation, will be reviewed. Pharmacologic approaches to modify the synthetic function of ASM and how altered synthetic function may contribute to airway remodeling will also be defined.
Identification of a new class of adenosine deaminase from Helicobacter pylori with homologs among diverse taxa.

Early studies of Helicobacter pylori's nutritional requirements alluded to a complete purine salvage network in this organism. Recently, this hypothesis was confirmed in two strains of H. pylori, whose purine requirements were satisfied by any single purine base or nucleoside. Most of the purine conversion enzymes in H. pylori have been studied using mutant analysis; however, the gene encoding adenosine deaminase (ADD) in H. pylori remained unidentified. Through stepwise protein purification followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), we discovered that H. pylori ADD is encoded by hp0267, an apparently essential gene. Hp0267 shares no sequence homology with previously characterized ADDs, yet both are members of the amidohydrolase superfamily. Hp0267 is grouped within cog0402, while other ADDs studied to date are found in cog1816. The hp0267 locus was previously misannotated as encoding a chlorohydrolase. Using purified recombinant Hp0267, we determined the enzyme's pH optimum, temperature optimum, substrate specificity, and estimated kinetic constants. In contrast to other known ADDs, Hp0267 contains Fe(II) as the relevant metal ligand. Furthermore, Hp0267 exhibits very low deaminase activity on 2′-deoxyadenosine, a substrate that is readily hydrolyzed by cog1816 ADDs. Our preliminary comparative genomic analysis suggests that Hp0267 represents a second enzyme class of adenosine deaminase whose phyletic distribution among prokaryotes is broad.
Results of chart reviews conducted to evaluate primary care patients seen by second and third year family medicine residents for potential adverse polypharmacy

Objective: To determine the prescribing patterns of family medicine residents for patients aged more than 60 years with 2 or more chronic diseases and seen at least twice in a 12 month timeframe. Methods: This is a descriptive analysis which was based on chart reviews. The setting was the University of Illinois-Rockford Family Practice Residency. Patients aged 60 years with 2 or more chronic diseases who were seen at least twice by second and third year residents. Results: Findings from this chart review include: 28.8% of the prescribed medications were not effective for the documented condition, 26.3% of the prescribed doses were incorrect, and 44.5% of the drugs prescribed were not the least expensive alternative. Discussion: This preliminary study suggests a need for a focused intervention with family medicine residents regarding inappropriate polypharmacy issues with older patients.
Heat transport in rotating convection

Abstract We derive upper bounds for the Nusselt number in infinite Prandtl number rotating convection. The bounds decay algebraically with Taylor number to the conductive heat transport value; the decay rate depends on boundary conditions. We show moreover that when the rotation is fast enough the purely conductive solution is the globally and nonlinearly attractive fixed point; the critical rotation rate also depends on boundary conditions. The influence of the boundary conditions is explained physically in terms of Ekman layers.
Type and prevalence of adverse events during the parenteral nutrition cycling process in patients being prepared for discharge.

Background: The mechanism for cycling parenteral nutrition (PN) varies from institution to institution. However, the types and frequency of adverse events (AEs) involved with this process are not well understood. Purpose: To determine the type and prevalence of AE in patients during PN cycling and identify factors associated with the occurrence of AEs. Methods: Patients without severe organ dysfunction or uncontrolled diabetes mellitus scheduled to be discharged on cyclic PN with a goal of 12 hours were eligible. Patients were cycled from 24 to 12 hours over 2 or 3 days based on previously established criteria. Demographic, nutrition, and monitoring data were collected. AEs were documented and graded as mild or serious. Results: Mild AEs occurred in 35 of 38 patients (92.1%) consisting primarily of mild hyperglycemia (86.8%) and tachycardia (29.0%). Serious AEs occurred in 8 of 38 patients (21.1%), including 7 patients (18.4%) with capillary blood glucoses between 255 and 324 mg/dL and 1 (2.6%) with tachy...
Buying Expertise: Campaign Contributions and Attention to Policy Analysis in Congressional Committees

Policy analysis is available in abundance on Capitol Hill. Inside-the-beltway elites routinely discuss the likely implications of proposed government interventions, as well as other hypothetical and empirical aspects of policies such as conditions, constraints, risk, and efficiency. Krehbiel (1992) demonstrates that the committee system of the U.S. Congress is organized to make use of this analytical policy information. Because legislators are often risk averse and are uncertain over the impact of different policies, they sometimes, but not always, pay attention to expert information as they develop legislation in committees (Krehbiel 1992, 62). The discourse among elite policy watchers often centers on analytical policy research. Understanding these technical aspects of policies requires a level of knowledge, however, that typical constituents do not possess. Policy expertise is inherently difficult to communicate in a sound bite that will resonate with constituents (Arnold 1990, 80). This difference in perspectives between D.C. elites and constituents creates a dilemma for members of Congress (see Bianco 1994 andFenno1978).Committeemembersmaywishtodevelop expert-informed legislation, but it is constituents who put legislators in office, not experts. If constituents cannot evaluate the intellectual merits of legislators’ work in D.C., what induces members to care about policy outcomes, and to attend to policy expertise in committees?
Chorea and related disorders

Chorea refers to irregular, flowing, non-stereotyped, random, involuntary movements that often possess a writhing quality referred to as choreoathetosis. When mild, chorea can be difficult to differentiate from restlessness. When chorea is proximal and of large amplitude, it is called ballism. Chorea is usually worsened by anxiety and stress and subsides during sleep. Most patients attempt to disguise chorea by incorporating it into a purposeful activity. Whereas ballism is most often encountered as hemiballism due to contralateral structural lesions of the subthalamic nucleus and/or its afferent or efferent projections, chorea may be the expression of a wide range of disorders, including metabolic, infectious, inflammatory, vascular, and neurodegenerative, as well as drug induced syndromes. In clinical practice, Sydenham's chorea is the most common form of childhood chorea, whereas Huntington's disease and drug induced chorea account for the majority of adult onset cases. The aim of this review is to provide an up to date discussion of this disorder, as well as a practical approach to its management.
Transiently altered acetaminophen metabolism after liver transplantation.

Background and objectives: Acetaminophen (INN, paracetamol) is metabolized to N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI), a hepatotoxic metabolite, predominantly by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1. Alterations in drug metabolism occur after organ transplantation. This study was designed to characterize acetaminophen disposition during the first 6 months after liver transplantation. Methods: Thirteen liver transplant patients received an oral dose of acetaminophen (500 mg) on days 2, 10, 90, and 180 after transplantation. Serial blood samples were collected for 8 hours, and urine was collected for 24 hours. Liver biopsy specimens were obtained from the donor liver during transplantation (day 0) and on days 10, 90, and 180 after transplantation. Results: There were significant time-dependent changes in acetaminophen metabolism after liver transplantation. When day 2 and day 10 were compared with day 180, the respective mean urinary recovery was 137% and 81% higher for thioether conjugates derived from NAPQI (P = .0002 and P = .01, respectively); 31% and 22% lower for acetaminophen sulfate (P = .0006 and P = .008, respectively); and 22% and 27% lower for acetaminophen glucuronide (P = .05 and P = .004, respectively). Metabolite formation clearances changed in concordance with the fractional urinary recovery. It was surprising that hepatic CYP2E1 content on day 10 after transplantation was only 20% higher, on average, than that found on day 180 (not significant). In contrast, hepatic CYP3A4 content was 984% higher, on average, when tissue from days 10 and 180 was compared after transplantation (P = .007). Conclusions: Increased recovery of acetaminophen thioether conjugates during the first 10 days after liver transplantation was a result of impaired glucuronidation and sulfation and enhanced NAPQI formation. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2003) 73, 545–553; doi: 10.1016/S0009-9236(03)00062-6
Studies on chicken γ-globulins and hapten-specific chicken antibodies☆

Abstract 1. 1. Chickens were injected with a mixture of Ars-BSA and R 4 N-BSA, i.e. azoproteins prepared by coupling BSA with diazotized arsanilic acid or diazotized p -aminophenyl-N-trimethylammonium chloride, or with the doubly labeled antigen Ars-R 4 N-BSA. Serotologically pure hapten-specific anti-Ars and anti-R 4 N antibodies were prepared by means of immunosorbents; they were free of anti-BSA and other γ-globulins. 2. 2. Reduction of the hapten-specific antibodies with mercaptoethanol and alkylation with iodoacetamide yielded a mixture of peptide chains which on starch gel electrophoresis in urea at pH 8·2 was resolved into a diffuse band which migrated toward the cathode and 7–8 anodically migrating narrow bands. The cathodically migrating material was identified with the heavy A chains, the anodically migrating bands with the light B chains of chicken γ-globulin. No consistent significant difference was found when the band pattern of A and B chains from anti-Ars antibody was compared with the analogous bands from anti-R 4 N antibody. 3. 3. Ultracentrifugation of the hapten-specific antibodies isolated from hyperimmune chickens revealed the presence of some 18 S antibodies in the 7 S population. Digestion of the isolated hapten-specific anti-Ars and anti-R 4 N antibodies with papain yielded a product which on ultracentrifugation sedimented as a single peak of 3·7 S ; material of the same sedimentation coefficient was obtained by the papain digestion of normal chicken γ-globulin. 4. 4. The peptide maps of the tryptic digests of anti-Ars and anti-R 4 N antibodies were extremely similar if not identical. No distinct and consistent difference was found. However, distinct differences were found between fragments I and II from normal chicken γ-globulin, and also between peptide maps of anti-R 4 N (or anti-Ars) antibodies from chicken and rabbit serum. 5. 5. The identity of the peptide maps of anti-Ars on the one hand and anti-R 4 N on the other can be reconciled with the clear-cut serological differences between these two antibodies by the assumption that the combining sites of the antibody molecules are highly heterogeneous, that the distinct spots of the peptide maps, which are identical in anti-Ars and anti-R 4 N are those of amino acid sequences which are common to both hapten-specific antibodies, and that the specific combining sites of the antibody molecules are formed by variable amino acid sequences, each of these occurring in amounts too small to produce distinct spots in the peptide maps.
The pricing efficiency of agricultural futures markets: an analysis of previous research results

related to pricing efficiency. Such reviews identify and provide qualitative insight The analysis examines quantitatively the regarding the factors which might affect the findings of previous studies of the pricing effi- outcome of tests of market efficiency. In order ciency of various agricultural markets using a to generate a more definitive understanding logit framework. The findings provide insight regarding the efficiency of futures markets, into the importance of commodity characteris- quantitative measures may be useful. Few, if tics, uncertainty, and testing procedures used any, attempts have been made to quantita- on the results of past research of pricing effi- tively synthesize the results of the studies on ciency. The study also identifies several areas the pricing efficiency of agricultural futures for further research. cultural futures markets in a quantitative m~The~~~~~ prcn fiinyo gmanner. The literature is reviewed and classi- The pricing efficiency of agricultural fied with respect to factors hypothesized to in- futures markets has long been a question of in- fluence the outcome of tests of market effi- terest and concern. Various authors have ciency. A logit framework is then employed to recognized that futures markets generate in- generate measures regarding the impacts of formation on forward prices which producers these factors on the conclusions of market effi- and marketing firms use in making produc- ciency tests. The results of the inquiry pro- tion, marketing, and inventory decisions. If vide information regarding the importance of these prices do not appropriately reflect ex- the factors which influence the efficiency of pectations of supply and demand conditions, a agricultural futures markets, while suggest- misallocation of resources may result in a ing future research directions. reduction in economic surplus (Stein). The paper is organized as follows. Methodo- Numerous research efforts have examined logical issues are considered in the second sec- the pricing efficiency of agricultural futures tion. The third section summarizes the data, markets. However, many of the studies differ methods, and empirical procedures. The re- with respect to the commodities examined, suits of the analysis are presented in section the time period and method of analysis, and four. The paper concludes with a discussion of the type of data employed in the analysis. In conclusions and implications for further addition, there is a wide range of variability in research. the conclusions drawn. As a result, definitive statements regarding the efficiency of futures