cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Deactivation of Ventricular Assist Device: A Case Series from a Tertiary Care Center

Introduction Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) deactivation is considered in certain situations e.g. myocardial recovery, device complication such as pump thrombosis or drive line infection. Surgical pump explantation remains the main method for device deactivation, however it carries its own risks and complications. Aim To assess the feasibility and safety of percutaneous device deactivation. Methods retrospective observational case series of all patients underwent percutaneous device deactivation using Amplatzer Vascular Plug II (AVP II) (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, Minn) at our institute. Results A total of 4 patients underwent percutaneous LVAD deactivation between August 2017 and March 2018. The 1st patient was a 68 y.o male who underwent LVAD placement with HeartWare HVAD (HeartWare, Inc., Framingham, MA) for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP). He presented in August 2017 with significant pump thrombosis and recurrent TIAs. Given his prohibited surgical risk for a repeat sternotomy, the decision was made to proceed with percutaneous deactivation of his LVAD using two 14 mm AVP II placed at the LVAD outflow graft at each end. Two months later, he underwent successful heart transplant and he continued to do well since then. The 2nd patient was a 35 y.o male with a history of non-ICMP. He underwent placement of Heartmate II (Thoratec Corp., Pleasanton, CA) in November 2014 which was complicated with pump thrombosis requiring pump exchange in March 2017. He presented again in November 2017 with a recurrent pump thrombosis. Given recovery of his cardiac function and patient's request to avoid further surgery, the device was deactivated percutaneously. This was achieved using a 16 mm AVP proximally and a 18 mm distally to the outflow graft. The 3rd patient was a 53 y.o male with a history of non-ICMP s/p HeartWare HVAD placement in October 2017. Given the recovery of his cardiac function, he presented in February 2018 for device deactivation using two 14 mm APV II at the 2 ends with another 12 mm AVP II at mid segment of the outflow graft. The 4th patient was a 57 y.o female with non-ICMP s/p Heartmate III placement in March 2017. She was complicated with recurrent GI bleed secondary to the chronic anticoagulation use. Given this reason along with cardiac recovery, decision was to proceed with device activation percutaneously using two 18 mm AVP at the distal end with another 16 mm AVP II at the proximal end of the outflow graft. The procedure was successful in all the 4 patients, and they continued on anticoagulation afterwards. See Table 1 Conclusion Percutaneous device deactivation is safe and a feasible approach for all different types of LVAD.
Bisphenol-A diminishes neutrophil recruitment in zebrafish

The prevalent use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in food containers, thermal paper, and other products provides an environmental challenge to the immune system of both humans and wildlife as BPA disrupts estrogen activity and alters signaling. We are exploring the impact of in vivo BPA exposure on innate immunity in both mice and zebrafish. Our earlier work in C57BL/6J mice showed that low dose, in vivo BPA exposure significantly decreases LPS-induced expression of CXCL-1, a chemokine that recruits neutrophils to the site of infection and the mouse homolog of human IL-8, in spleen cells. To determine if reduced chemokine secretion has a functional outcome, we expanded our studies to the zebrafish embryo model. Real time PCR analysis indicates that 4 to 6 day post fertilization (dpf) zebrafish exposed to environmentally relevant doses of BPA show reduced background expression of CXCL-8, the zebrafish homolog of mouse CXCL-1, and a reduction in the total number of neutrophils (4 dpf). BPA exposure also reduces the upregulation of CXCL-8 induced by a tail cut injury in 4 dpf zebrafish. MPO::GFP zebrafish expressing GFP under a neutrophil-specific myeloperoxidase promoter were used to track neutrophil movement for six hours following a tail cut injury. 4 dpf zebrafish exposed to BPA show a significantly reduced neutrophil recruitment to the site of injury compared to controls (p=0.004), a finding which correlates with the reduction in injury-induced CXCL-8 expression. Together our findings demonstrate that BPA exposure during early zebrafish development diminishes two key innate immune responses, thus potentially increasing susceptibility to infection.
The Middle East and the Cold War

From its early concern with the origins of the superpower conflict, Cold War historiography has expanded. Spatially, it has shifted from a focus on the division of postwar Europe to an examination ...
Vaqaye'-e Ettefaqiyeh (1851–1861) and the Education of the Iranian Nation in the Middle of the Nineteenth Century

This article contributes to the discussions of the genesis of the print media in Iran by analysing the first official weekly gazette published for ten years in the country. It first, examines the p...
Kerr Soliton Microcomb Pumped by an Integrated SBS Laser for Ultra-Low Linewidth WDM Sources

An ultra-low linewidth WDM comb is realized using an integrated SiN SBS laser to pump a 128 GHz channel spacing SiN Kerr soliton microring resonator. We measure the frequency noise of each of 25 C-band individual comb lines yielding ultra-low ∼10Hz fundamental and ∼4.0kHz integral linewidths for high-capacity coherent WDM.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait: Optimizing Job Waiting in the Cloud

Cloud-enabled schedulers execute jobs on either fixed resources or those acquired on demand from cloud platforms. Thus, these schedulers must define not only a scheduling policy, which selects which jobs run when fixed resources become available, but also a waiting policy, which selects which jobs wait for fixed resources when they are not available, rather than run on on-demand resources. As with scheduling policies, optimizing waiting policies requires a priori knowledge of job runtime. Unfortunately, prior work has shown that accurately predicting job runtime is challenging. In this paper, we show that optimizing job waiting in the cloud is possible without accurate job runtime predictions. To do so, we i) speculatively execute jobs on on-demand resources for a small time and cost to learn more about job runtime, and ii) develop a ML model to predict wait time from cluster state, which is more accurate and has less overhead than prior approaches that use job runtime predictions. We evaluate our approach on a year-long batch workload consisting of 14 million jobs, and show that it yields a cost and average wait time within 4% and 13%, respectively, of the optimal.
Base-Pairing Energies of Proton-Bound Dimers and Proton Affinities of 1-Methyl-5-Halocytosines: Implications for the Effects of Halogenation on the Stability of the DNA i -Motif

(CCG)n•(CGG)n trinucleotide repeats have been found to be associated with fragile X syndrome, the most widespread inherited cause of mental retardation in humans. The (CCG)n•(CGG)n repeats adopt i-motif conformations that are preferentially stabilized by base-pairing interactions of noncanonical proton-bound dimers of cytosine (C+•C). Halogenated cytosine residues are one form of DNA damage that may be important in altering the structure and stability of DNA or DNA–protein interactions and, hence, regulate gene expression. Previously, we investigated the effects of 5-halogenation and 1-methylation of cytosine on the base-pairing energies (BPEs) using threshold collision-induced dissociation (TCID) techniques. In the present study, we extend our work to include proton-bound homo- and heterodimers of cytosine, 1-methyl-5-fluorocytosine, and 1-methyl-5-bromocytosine. All modifications examined here are found to produce a decrease in the BPEs. However, the BPEs of all of the proton-bound dimers examined significantly exceed those of Watson-Crick G•C, neutral C•C base pairs, and various methylated variants such that DNA i-motif conformations should still be preserved in the presence of these modifications. The proton affinities (PAs) of the halogenated cytosines are also obtained from the experimental data by competitive analysis of the primary dissociation pathways that occur in parallel for the proton-bound heterodimers. 5-Halogenation leads to a decrease in the N3 PA of cytosine, whereas 1-methylation leads to an increase in the N3 PA. Thus, the 1-methyl-5-halocytosines exhibit PAs that are intermediate.
Data systems and decision-making: State intellectual/developmental disability agencies and their employment data collection systems

BACKGROUND: A growing emphasis on government accountability has increased interest in the collection and use of employment outcomes data. At the national level, data on employment for individuals with disabilities are available through multiple data collection systems. However, many disability data systems are fragmented and only loosely coordinated across agencies. OBJECTIVE: Research on states that support a high percentage of individuals in integrated employment suggests that a clear and visible data collection system that provides individual outcome data is critical (Hall, Butterworth, Winsor, Gilmore, & Metzel, 2007). This article offers a qualitative, in-depth look at how employment data is collected and used within four state intellectual/developmental disability agency systems. METHODS: Case study research focused on the development and use of data systems related to integrated employment and their relationship to agency priorities, decision-making, and policy development. RESULTS: Data systems reflected both new and ongoing priorities of state systems. States used their data and data systems to shape relationships with service providers; the frequency and consistency of data collection helped to cement relationships and underscore the importance of data. Research showed the importance of data both at the state and local levels. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that the data collection process, as well as the data it produces, is critical in informing and promoting conversation about employment.
Brendan McGrath. Landscape and Society in Contemporary Ireland (Cork: Cork University Press, 2013).

The rise of the Irish economy since the 1990’s is transforming the Irish landscape. The increase in personal wealth has created a strong demand for “rural housing”, the Irish term for detached sing...
Construction of a full-length cDNA encoding human pro-alpha 2(I) collagen and its expression in pro-alpha 2(I)-deficient W8 rat cells.

Abstract We have constructed a cDNA encoding the entire human pro-alpha 2(I) collagen molecule. Sequence determination for 2196 base pairs at the 5' end of the cDNA clone, and comparison with previously characterized human alpha 2(I) sequences, identified a number of nucleotide and amino acid polymorphisms. Functionality of the cDNA clone, under control of the long terminal repeat of Rous sarcoma virus, was demonstrated by its introduction into the W8 cell line. The W8 line, a chemically transformed variant of K16 rat liver epithelial cells, has been previously shown to lack detectable levels of alpha 2(I) RNA, but to secrete alpha 1(I) homotrimers. Introduction of the human cDNA into W8 cells, resulted in secretion of chimeric type I collagen comprised of rat alpha 1(I) and human alpha 2(I) chains. Availability of a functional full-length clone of human alpha 2(I) cDNA, combined with the W8 cell line as expression system, will allow detailed analysis, through site-directed mutagenesis, of domains on the pro-alpha 2(I) molecule involved in assembly, transport, secretion, and fibrillogenesis.
James Mark Baldwin with Alfred North Whitehead on Organic Selectivity: The “Novel” Factor in Evolution

The aim of this paper is to show how James Mark Baldwin's theory of Organic Selection (also known as the "Baldwin effect”) can be fruitfully integrated with Alfred North Whitehead's speculative philosophy, as part of the endeavor to develop a comprehensive process-relational evolutionary cosmology. In so doing, it provides an overview of the theory of Organic Selection and points to several concrete examples from the Galapagos Islands which elucidate Baldwin's claim that organisms, through their selective activities and behavioral adjustments, play a causal role in directing evolutionary processes. I emphasize some of the affinities between Baldwin's theory of Organic Selection and Whitehead's theory of prehensions, especially focusing on the latter's notion of "prehensive selectivity.” Overall, while Baldwin's theory of Organic Selection provides a biological ground for a comprehensive process-relational evolutionary cosmology to be developed, illuminating the importance of Whitehead's theory of prehensions for evolutionary theory, Whitehead's overall speculative scheme can, in turn, strengthen the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical foundations of Baldwin's theory. In the course of merging the two views, I arrive at an enlarged conception of Organic Selection, placing it in context with Darwin's principle of Natural Selection. At the end of the paper, I take up the resulting question of the ethics of selectivity in general, arguing that the merger of Baldwin's and Whitehead's ideas constitutes a "non-reductionistic critical pan-selectionism.” This position stands in contrast to the antagonistic standpoints of "Selectionism” and "Anti-Selectionism” in the ongoing debates over the ethical dimensions of evolution.
VISUAL ANALYSIS OF A CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM BASED ON ECG AND ABP SIGNALS USING EVOLVABLE HARDWARE DESIGN

In this paper, visual data analysis was applied to raw medical data using probability theory to provide valuable information for preliminary diagnosis. The evolvable hardware design approach combined with information theory was applied to model an adaptive cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system is modelled by a digital logic circuit based on ECG and ABP signal samples as input and output respectively. In our experiments, five patients' ECG and ABP data was chosen for the visual analysis. A user friendly GUI was demoed and the correlation of patient data was analyzed in the space and time domain. The digital circuit model was extrinsically evolved using genetic programming as the evolutionary algorithm and mutual information as the fitness function. In our experiments using MATLAB, we demonstrated that the data analysis could provide valuable information for preliminary diagnosis, and the proposed method could fit the input-output relationship as recorded samples piece-wise in which each piece contains monotonic input data. The model we proposed is a self reconfigurable digital circuit model based on input and output information. It's safe to conclude that the model is adaptive to changes based on different patient's unique ECG and ABP signals since the I/O information is also changed. Furthermore, a "divide and conquer" method was employed to get a more accurate piece-wise model. Experimental results show that the method is feasible, scalable, and promising as a personalized medical simulation tool.
Bruising and Hemorrhagic Vesicles on the Tongue.

Awoman inher 70swith recently diagnoseddiastolic heart failurewas admitted forworsening dyspnea. Her medical history was notable for hypertension and oral lichen planus. Over theprevious2 to3months, thepatient also reportedeasybruisingwithminor trauma and erosions on the lateral tongue. Findings fromphysical examination revealedperioral andperiorbital purpura, someof which she attributed to friction from her nasal cannula (Figure, A). Hemorrhagic vesicles and petechiaewere distributed over the lateral tongue (Figure, B) and buccalmucosa. Additional petechiaeandpurpurawerenotedonher lowerextremities, including inguinal fold, thigh, and crura. Laboratory values were notable for elevated serum troponin I levels of 0.144 ng/mL (to convert to micrograms per liter, multiply by 1), probrain natriuretic propeptide (BNP) levels of 14 000 pg/mL (to convert to nanograms per liter, multiply by 1), and proteinuria with hyaline casts. Biopsy specimens for histological analysis were obtained from the lower extremity petechia (Figure, C) and abdominal fat pad (Figure, D). Quiz at jamadermatology.com Photograph of hemorrhagic purpura A Photograph of hemorrhagic vesicles B
Conventional oil and gas development alters forest songbird communities

Energy extraction within forest habitat is increasing at a rapid rate throughout eastern North America from the combined presence of conventional oil and gas, shale gas, and wind energy. We examined the effects of conventional oil and gas development on forest habitat including amounts of core and edge forest, the abundance of songbird species and guilds, species diversity, and community similarity within and between mixed hardwood and oak forest types at both individual wells (local scale) and at the 25-ha scale at differing levels of well density: reference (0 wells/site, 0wells/km2), low (1-5 wells/site, 4-20 wells/km2), and high (10-15 wells/site, 40-60 wells/km2). Amount of cleared area, length of roads, and amount of edge increased with increasing well density, whereas amount of core forest declined. At high well densities, 85% of the study site remained forested, but the mean amount of core forest declined from 68% to 2%. Specific changes to forest structure associated with oil and gas development included decreases in basal area and canopy cover within 20m of individual wells and with increasing well density.
Bayesian Computation Using Design of Experiments-Based Interpolation Technique

In this article, a new deterministic approximation method for Bayesian computation, known as design of experiments-based interpolation technique (DoIt), is proposed. The method works by sampling points from the parameter space using an experimental design and then fitting a kriging model to interpolate the unnormalized posterior. The approximated posterior density is a weighted average of normal densities, and therefore, most of the posterior quantities can be easily computed. DoIt is a general computing technique that is easy to implement and can be applied to many complex Bayesian problems. Moreover, it does not suffer from the curse of dimensionality as much as some quadrature methods. It can work using fewer posterior evaluations, which is a great advantage over the Monte Carlo and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, especially when dealing with computationally expensive posteriors. This article has supplementary material that is available online.
Response to Peter Silberman

counterpoint cantus firmus exercise. . .. All rhythm in music comes from counterpoint and only from counterpoint" (15). By this, he means that it is the diminutions of second species that are the source of musical rhythm and meter (as the chapter on that topic makes clear [118ff.]). A horizontal tonespace then acts as the source of an analogous "precontrapuntal rhythm" for the fundamental structure, the fluid atmosphere through which the fundamental line pushes towards its tonic-tone goal. In adopting the argument we did, we sought to mitigate Schenker's radically contrapuntal, radically linear notion of music and move, albeit tentatively, toward a more general and more contemporary sense of musical space (after Lerdahl, Lewin, or Morris). We did this partly because it opened up a wider range of alternative readings than might have been possible otherwise, but Silberman is right in complaining that "one does not get a sense of why this change is important in itself." We were not hunting for "accuracy" (what does that mean anyway in such a fanciful theory as Schenker's?): we were insisting on the point that Schenker's is a theory, too, and not just a collection of analytic practices with a professional community's imprimatur. With respect to the question of ideology, I think Silberman has misunderstood us, but in articulating his questions, he has succeeded nevertheless in shedding light on how our conclusions can affect analytic practice. He writes, "This leads one to ask whether the principles behind multiple interpretations of the same work could be formulated so that they are independent of both composer and analyst." Indeed, they could. Two things would be necessary: a mechanism (that is, some theoretical grounding) and sensitivity to the several ideological dimensions of one's analytic enterprise. We tried to direct the reader toward both. On the other hand, Silberman's complaint that "if the use of multiple interpretations of the same work is to be accepted, it must be justified on more than ideological grounds" really does miss our point: we were trying to undercut a "science"-bias by showing the pervasiveness of the ideological grounding in Schenkerian theory and in the culture of its analytic practice.
Metastable Patterns for the Cahn-Hilliard Equation: Part II. Layer Dynamics and Slow Invariant Manifold

Abstract In this paper we study the dynamics of the 1-dimensional Cahn-Hilliard equation u t =(−ϵ 2 u xx + W ′( u )) xx in a finite interval in a neighborhood of an equilibrium with N +1 transition layers, where ϵ is a small parameter and W is a double well energy density function with equal minima. The lower bound of the layer motion speed is given explictly and the layer motion directions are described precisely if a solution of the Cahn-Hilliard equation starts outside a neighborhood of the equilibrium of size O (ϵ ln 1/ϵ). It is proved that there is an N -dimensional unstable invariant manifold which is a smooth graph over the approximate manifold constructed in J. Differential Equations 111 (1994), 421-457, with its global Lipschitz constant exponentially small and this unstable invariant manifold attracts solutions exponentially fast uniformly in ϵ.
iPads: Intuitive Technology for 21st-Century Students

The purpose of this article is to provide a rationale for using iPad technology with young students. Various inexpensive apps are described that parents and educators will find useful.
Maxillary expansion: a meta analysis

The utility of maxillary expansion has been equivocal for more than 100 years. The advent of meta-analysis and evidence-based learning has provided an opportunity to look objectively at this treatment modality. Medline was searched from 1978 to 1999 for all studies examining the stability of transverse expansion of the human maxilla using initial search terms of maxillary expansion and palatal expansion which were limited to those English language and human subjects. The more than 5000 articles were reduced to 12 based on the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The two investigators participating in the study were blinded, the studies' authors and origins blacked out and the evaluation coded and scored. A cumulative 'Meta evaluation score' was computed for each study. Six studies remained for the final analysis. The mean expansion after adjustment according to the principles of meta analysis was 6.00 mm with a standard deviation of 1.29 mm. Of the 6-mm average, 4.89 mm was retained while wearing retainers. Five of the papers provided retention data and post-retention data, but only three studies provided both retention and post-retention data. The average age of patients in these reports was 10.8 years. The 6-mm average expansion with retention in the short-term (<1 year) yielded a 4.71-mm residual expansion. Subsequently, this expansion during the short-term post-retention period was reduced to 3.88 mm. Finally, in the long-term post-retention study period only 2.4 mm of the residual expansion was reported to have remained. This 2.4 mm of expansion remaining after more than a year or more of post-retention period was no greater than what has been documented as normal growth. There is insufficient data to conclude that any useful expansion beyond that can be expected through normal growth was retained.
The potential and limitations of mortgage innovation in fostering homeownership in the United States

Abstract This article presents an empirical analysis of mortgage innovation as a vehicle to enable renters, especially those from traditionally underserved populations, to realize home‐ownership. It examines the financial and underwriting criteria of a typology of mortgage products, from those adhering to historical standards to some of today's most liberal loans, and develops synthetic models to account for all direct purchase costs. These models are calibrated using 1995 data on renter demographic and financial characteristics from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Compared with historical mortgages, today's more innovative loans increase the number of renters who could hypothetically qualify for homeownership by at least a million and expand potential home‐buying capacity by $300 billion. Certain policies could greatly expand the potential gains. Nevertheless, even the most aggressive innovations can play only a limited role in efforts to deliver the material benefits of homeownership to ...
Charlotte Brontë's Villette and the Possibilities of a Postsecular Cosmopolitan Critique

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs …. (Genesis, Chapter 15) In Imagined Communities (1983), Benedict Anderson posits a trajector...
New antiepileptic drugs and preparations.

Epilepsy affects 1.2% to 4.4% of the general population. Given the clinical profile of the newer antiepileptic agents, it is likely their usage will increase in the coming years, thus increasing the emergency physician's exposure to these medications and their side effects. Several of these side effects can have high morbidity, such as the aplastic anemia and hepatotoxicity caused by felbamate, and the Stevens-Johnson syndrome associated with lamotrigine. Overdoses of these medications also could increase, as will our knowledge of recognizing and managing them. The clinical spectrum of the newer medications is the treatment of partial seizures. None of the newer medications can be orally loaded nor are they available in an i.v. preparation. Serum drug levels are not available in most institutions and are not routinely measured in the ED. The new preparations of phenytoin, diazepam, and valporic acid add increased efficiency in drug administration, providing a new method for prehospital treatment of seizures and a more tolerable means of administration in the ED.
Conversion of furfural and 2-methylpentanal on Pd/SiO2 and Pd–Cu/SiO2 catalysts

Abstract The conversion of furfural (FAL) and 2-methylpentanal (MPAL) under hydrogen has been studied over silica-supported monometallic Pd and bimetallic Pd–Cu catalysts. At low space times, the conversion of MPAL yields primarily pentane (decarbonylation), but at higher space times, di-methylpentyl ether (etherification) becomes the main product. Upon addition of Cu, both the overall activity and the decarbonylation selectivity decrease while the selectivity to hydrogenation and etherification increases. In contrast to MPAL, the conversion of FAL shows no etherification products at any space time in the temperature range 210–250 °C but only produces furan via decarbonylation. It is proposed that the presence of the aromatic ring in the furfural molecule has a marked effect in inhibiting the formation of the alkoxide surface intermediate, which is required in the etherification reaction. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations of furfural and 2-methyl pentanal have been conducted to gain a better understanding of the differences in the molecule–surface interactions between the aldehydes and the Pd and Pd–Cu surfaces. The reaction mechanisms and the resulting selectivity towards the possible reaction paths (hydrogenation/etherification/decarbonylation) are discussed in terms of the relative stability of the η2-(C,O) and acyl surface species occurring on the different metal surfaces.
New AGU scientific integrity and professional ethics policy available for review

The AGU Task Force on Scientific Ethics welcomes your review and comments on AGU's new Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy. The policy has at its heart a code of conduct adopted from the internationally accepted “Singapore Statement,” originally created by the Second World Conference on Research Integrity (http://www.singaporestatement.org/), held in 2010. The new policy also encompasses professional and publishing ethics, providing a single source of guidance to AGU members, officers, authors, and editors.
College students' living arrangements and attitudes toward family roles: Demographic and value correlates

Using data from the college population, Pearson correlations and regression were used to examine three hypotheses. The major hypothesis was that “conformity-oriented” values are associated with college students' traditional living arrangements and family-related attitudes, while “self-directed” values are associated with nontraditional attitudes and behavior. Two other hypotheses focused on interrelationships among demographic variables, values, family-related attitudes, and living arrangements. General support was found for the major value-orientation hypothesis and mixed support for the secondary hypotheses. Comparing these findings with those of several other studies, we propose that there may be a subset of human values associated with general tendencies toward confomity and resistance to change on the one hand, and experimentation and receptivity to change on the other. A typology of such value orientations is put forward for future research in areas of sex roles, social change, sociopolitical conflict, and attitude and/or behavior change.
Activation of light-dependent K+ channels in ciliary invertebrate photoreceptors involves cGMP but not the IP3/Ca2+ cascade

The activation of light-dependent K+ channels in ciliary photoreceptors from Pecten was investigated using intracellular dialysis of putative messengers and modulators. Neither elevated [Ca2+] nor BAPTA changed the membrane current in the dark or the light response. IP3 and the antagonists heparin and decavanadate were similarly ineffective, indicating that in these cells the IP3/Ca2+ signaling pathway is not crucial for phototransduction. By contrast, 8-Br-cGMP and cGMP induced an outward current accompanied by an increase in membrane conductance; 8-Br-cAMP was ineffective. The identity between the cGMP-induced and the light-induced currents is suggested by the following: both are carried by K+ and blocked by 4-AP, and both show outward rectification. In addition, guanine cyclic nucleotides depressed the photoresponse and induced single-channel currents in excised patches of light-sensitive membrane. These light-dependent channels therefore appear to represent a link between the families of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels and voltage-dependent K+ channels.
Dynamic inventory competition with stockout-based substitution

This paper continues the stream of literature observed in Olsen and Parker (2008) where retailers compete under a Markov equilibrium solution concept. In this presentation, we consider a duopoly where retailers compete by providing inventory under the circumstances where unsatisfied customers may seek satisfaction elsewhere or leave. A very general framework is formulated to address a variety of customer avenues when stock is unavailable. We find a base-stock inventory policy is the equilibrium policy in the infinite horizon (open loop) under several mild conditions; this model's solution is known as an equilibrium in stationary strategies (ESS). We consequently determine conditions under which the parsimonious base-stock policy is the Markov equilibrium (closed loop) in a discrete-time dynamic game for a general time horizon, coinciding with the ESS base-stock levels. Importantly, when these conditions do not apply, we have counterexamples where a firm has a unilateral incentive to deviate from the ESS, stocking at a higher level. These examples demonstrate a value of inventory commitment, where the retailer may extract a benefit over multiple periods through committing to a higher stocking level and forcing her rival to understock. Our conclusion is that when the Markov solution is base-stock, it coincides with the ESS, but other Markov solutions also exist.
The lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania and macrophage protein kinase C.

Abstract Lipophosphoglycan (LPG), the major cellsurface glycoconjugote of Leishmania promastigotes, is on essential virulence determinant. One feature of LPG resides in its strong inhibitory effect on the activity of purified protein kinase C (PKC). In this article, Albert Descoteaux and Salvatore Turco briefly review the evidence that LPG effectively inhibits PKC activity in the macrophage, and discuss the implication of such inhibition on Leishmania intromocrophoge survival.
Abstract 4893: ProtooncogenicTLR4induces NANOG-mediated oncogenic signaling via synergistic interaction with STAT3 pathway in experimental and clinical tumor-initiating cells.

[Background] TLR4 signaling activated by alcohol/obesity-associated endotoxemia, induces the stem cell marker Nanog to generate tumor-initiating stem-like cells (TICs) and liver tumors in the HCV nonstructural protein Ns5a transgenic (Tg) mice but not in wild type or Ns5a Tg mice deficient in TLR4 (Machida and Tsukamoto, PNAS, 2009). However, it is unknown whether the TLR4-NANOG pathway serves as a universal oncogenic signaling in the genesis of TICs and HCC in other etiological animal models and patients or how TLR4-NANOG signaling promotes oncogenesis and self-renewal Sin TICs. [Aim] We aimed to determine whether TLR4 is a putative proto-oncogene for TIC in liver oncogenesis due to different etiologies and how TLR4 is regulated at the transcriptional and epigenetic levels. [Methods] Genome-wide NANOG-binding sites were analyzed by ChIP-seq in CD133+/CD49f+ TICs isolated from HCC developed in HCV Core Tg mice fed alcohol. We generated Tg mice with liver-selective overexpression of constitutively active (ca) TLR4 using LAP promoter-driven tTA and Tet-caTLR4. TICs were also isolated from diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-treated mice and alcoholic patients with or without HCV infection. [Results] TLR4 or NANOG silencing with shRNA attenuates tumor initiating property of TICs. Hepatocyte specific expression of caTLR4 results in spontaneous development of HCC in 35% of the mice. Genome-wide NANOG-binding site analysis (ChIP-seq) in TICs shows similarity to STAT3 binding motifs. STAT3 silencing reduces NANOG promoter reporter activity in TICs. Genome-wide NANOG-binding site analysis also shows that NANOG regulates oxidative phosphorylation and β-oxidation in mitochondria. Simultaneous real time analysis quantifying mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis demonstrates that NANOG inhibits mitochondria-mediated energy production, leading to promotion of self-renewal in TICs. TLR4 expression and promoter activity are further reduced by a silencing of LIN28 or expression of Let7. Overexpression of LIN28 and NANOG transforms primary liver progentior cells through activation of TLR4-NANOG pathway. [Conclusions] These results demonstrate that CD133+/CD49f+ cells are TLR4/NANOG-dependent TICs in both experimental and clinical HCC. TLR4 is induced by LIN28 signaling and is a universal proto-oncogene responsible for the genesis of TLR4-NANOG dependent TICs through integration of NANOG pathway with STAT3 signaling, and this pathway serves as a novel therapeutic target for HCC. Citation Format: Chia-Lin Chen, Jian-Chang Liu, Linda Sher, Lopa Mishra, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Keigo Machida. Protooncogenic TLR4 induces NANOG-mediated oncogenic signaling via synergistic interaction with STAT3 pathway in experimental and clinical tumor-initiating cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4893. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4893
Photoion-pair formation in Cl2

Abstract The relative photoion yield curves of Cl+2, Cl− and Cl+ from Cl2 (normalized to absolute cross sections) are presented, from threshold to 740 A. A structured spectrum involving the formation of Cl+—Cl− ion pairs, and amounting to ≈ 1% of total ionization, extends from its threshold to ≈ 750 A. The spectrum is divided into four distinct bands. The two lowest in energy must correlate with Cl+(3P) + Cl−(1S). The other two are inferred to have Cl+(1D) and Cl+(1S) asymptotes, respectively. The fine structure observed implies predissociation of photoexcited Rydberg states by ion-pair states. The Rydberg states can be assigned by their absolute energies, vibrational spacings and vibrational envelopes. The lowest-energy ion-pair band can be observed at least 0.16 eV below its thermochemical threshold at 300 K. This band has a pronounced temperature effect, which can be interpreted as an example of heterogeneous predissociation. The contribution to Cl+ from dissociative ionization rapidly overwhelms the ion-pair component below 802.5 A, the dissociative ionization threshold.
Simultaneous quantification of zidovudine and its glucuronide in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay has been developed to simultaneously determine levels of the anti human immunodeficiency virus agent, zidovudine (AZT), and its major metabolite (the 5'-O-glucuronide) in serum. Samples were first mixed with an internal standard (a stereoisomer of AZT), then prepared for analysis using solid-phase extraction columns and chromatographed using a reversed-phase analytical column. Isocratic elution with a mobile phase of 15% acetonitrile, buffered to pH 2.70 with ammonium phosphate, gave good resolution of the three analytes and endogenous serum components. The HPLC analysis time required per sample was 34 min and analyte recoveries were reproducibly high (greater than 93%). Replicate analyses of prepared standards gave satisfactory precision and accuracy, with coefficients of variation less than 15% and deviations from expected concentrations less than 10%.
Mathematical model for gas-particle partitioning of secondary organic aerosols

Abstract A dynamic model is developed for gas-particle absorptive partitioning of semi-volatile organic aerosols. The model is applied to simulate a pair of m-xylene/NOx outdoor smog chamber experiments. In the presence of an inorganic seed aerosol a threshold for aerosol formation is predicted. An examination of characteristic times suggests conditions where an assumption of instantaneous gas-particle equilibrium is justified. Semi-volatile products that are second-generation, rather than first-generation, products of a parent hydrocarbon cause a delay in aerosol formation due to the delayed rate at which the second-generation products are formed. The gas-particle accommodation coefficient is the principal transport parameter and is estimated to have a value between 1.0 and 0.1 for the m-xylene aerosol.
Changing concepts of prevention in mental health

This paper reviews early evolution and definitions of primary prevention in mental health and considers factors that impeded the field's initial development. what the approach had to offer; (b) the absence of a sound research substrate; and (c) definitional fuzziness. Although early definitions of primary prevention included both disorder prevention and wellness building components, policy-making and funding organizations have come increasingly to focus on the relatively narrower objective of preventing serious psychological disorders. The case is made here that a wellness enhancement approach is eminently justifiable in its own right and may, in the last analysis, have as much or more to contribute to disorder prevention as specific risk-driven, disorder prevention, approaches. Research evidence is cited in support of this possibility and key elements of a broad-gauge, life-span-wellness-enhancement approach are outlined skeletally. Those include: (a) skepticism about
Evaluation of the Relative Time Scales of Mechanisms Controlling Fuel Droplet Behavior in Diesel Engines

Prior studies have shown the importance of interfacial behavior on droplet secondary breakup and fuel distribution in diesel engines. These investigations have focused on the accurate evaluation of high-pressure phase equilibrium and surface tension coefficient at thermodynamic conditions relevant to diesel engine operation. This approach is extended here to account for droplet heat transfer, mass transfer, and dynamic behavior in order to adequately account for the relative magnitude of the droplet heating and species diffusion times (which control surface tension) as compared to the droplet dynamics characteristic time (over which the slip velocity vanishes) and the time required to reach interfacial equilibrium.© 2003 ASME
A murine photochemical stroke model with histologic correlates of apoptotic and nonapoptotic mechanisms

Introduction: The neuronal cell death that occurs after ischemia-induced cerebral infarction (stroke) contains elements of apoptosis and necrosis, an intermediary form of the two, and a distinct excitotoxic process. We previously developed a photochemical model of stroke in the rat. We have now adapted this model for use in the mouse. The present manuscript describes the mouse model. Methods: Minimal beam intensity (0.1 W/cm2) cold white light (8 min exposure) was used to evoke discrete infarcts in the parietal lobes of 11 mice sensitized by the administration of fresh Rose Bengal (10 mg/kg by rapid iv infusion). Results: At 2 h, five out of five mice and at 6 h, six out of six mice demonstrated light microscopic histologic features like those in the rat model. These included a superior ischemic zone with shrunken and pyknotic nuclei, a middle transition zone of edematous vacuolated neuropil but normal neurons with open chromatin and retained Nissl granules, and an inferior zone with normal neurons. There was widespread nuclear terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) in the superior infarct zone in 11/11 mice. However, in the edematous vacuolated transition zone, 11/11 mice had TUNEL positive and negative nuclei randomly mixed. Light microscopic analysis of that same transition zone showed no pyknosis or chromatin bodies in the TUNEL positive or negative cells. Discussion: In mice, photoactivation of Rose Bengal evoked similar infarct and transition zone patterns found previously in rats, with TUNEL evidence of apoptotic and nonapoptotic events. Thus, it will be possible to use this model for further quantitative study of apoptotic and excitotoxic events in wild and transgenic mice.
Review of CIS Stock Markets: Future Perspectives

This paper critically reviews the market structure of major stock exchanges in eight members of Countries of Independent States (CIS)—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Because these markets are somewhat similar in terms of their size, trading volume and market design, their comparative analysis will enhance our knowledge on the development of the financial sector in CIS countries. By examining the data provided by the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges, we observe the similarities and differences among these markets that may be improved through structural changes. Later we discuss what CIS equity markets can learn from the successful examples of small and emerging company marketplaces. We also study the advantages and disadvantages of potential regional consolidation among these eight stock exchanges. We propose that while current fragmented structure may be beneficial in the short or medium term, the stock exchanges of CIS countries will benefit from consolidation in the long term. Later we focus on the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE) and propose specific suggestions to develop the market mechanism and facilitate a better environment of financial markets in Azerbaijan. We find that the BSE currently lacks several fundamental factors required to establish well-functioning financial markets. Our suggestions aim to contribute to the improvement process started by BSE management.
Differential effects of chronic antidepressant treatment on shuttle box escape deficits induced by uncontrollable stress

Rationale The transient behavioral deficit produced in rodents by typical learned helplessness (LH) procedures limits the utility of LH in identifying the therapeutic mechanisms associated with chronic antidepressant administration. In addition, LH procedures do not differentiate between different antidepressant classes as observed in the forced swim test.
The Sub Specie Aeternitatis Perspective and Normative Evaluations of Life's Meaningfulness: A Closer Look

It is a common pessimistic worry among both philosophers and non-philosophers that our lives, viewed sub specie aeternitatis, are meaningless given that they make neither a noticeable nor lasting impact from this vast, cosmic perspective. The preferred solution for escaping this kind of pessimism is to adopt a different measure by which to evaluate life’s meaningfulness. One of two primary routes is often taken here. First, one can retreat back to the sub specie humanitatis perspective, and argue that life is meaningful only when viewed within the local context of human values, cares, and concerns. Or, second, one can distinguish between perspectives and standards for meaningfulness, arguing that the latter are independent of the former and are the most appropriate means by which evaluations of life’s meaningfulness are made. Importantly, none of these issues can be sufficiently addressed without first answering a prior question, and one that is surprisingly under-addressed in the literature: What is the sub specie aeternitatis perspective? Unfortunately, many philosophers who employ this perspective do so without carefully defining or clarifying it, or, if they do clarify what it means, they only note its time and spatial components. I will argue that, in addition to these components, this perspective includes something like a modal component (following Thomas Nagel), and an ontologicalNormative component. I will then apply this more nuanced understanding of the sub specie aeternitatis perspective to the question of whether perspectives can be distinguished from standards for meaningfulness.
The Clinical EEG-A Search for a Buried Message

Techniques for the study of the EEG have been developed, techniques that are capable either of averaging noise or of improving the signal to noise ratio in the absence of any triggering or synchronizing pulse. These techniques show that electroencephalograms of the type ordinarily encountered in clinical work (except for EEGs during clinical seizures which have not yet been analyzed) are apparently composed of only pseudo-random noise. The results are further support of the claim that no signal wave form with features distinct from those of random noise is present in the EEG.
Charles IX and the French revolution: Law, vengeance, and the revolutionary uses of history

Abstract In his study on the French Revolutionary theatre, the author discusses the controversies and conflicts which surfaced in 1789 and 1790 over performances of Marie‐Joseph Chenier's play ‘Charles IX ou la Saint‐Barthelemy’. The tragedy depicts the court intrigues leading up to the 1572 massacres of Protestants during the wars of religion. The author shows how struggles concerning the play reveal the competing conceptions revolutionaries held, not only about regulating the theatre, but also about the nation's history and the nature of revolutionary justice. The author pays particular attention to a tension between law and popular violence as two alternative positions on revolutionary justice, and he suggests links between this tension and the evolution of revolutionary violence into the Terror.