cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histologic changes in jaws and teeth of rats following nephritis, adrenalectomy, and cortisone treatment

Abstract We have described the effects of certain systemic alterations on the jaws and teeth of the rat. A loss of supporting bone was observed in the jaws of rats subjected to cortisone alone or adrenalectomy alone. A similar loss of supporting bone was observed in the jaws of rats subjected to a combination of factors—adrenalectomy, antikidney serum, and cortisone. There was also a marked change in the bone pattern of these rats. Certain vascular changes in the pulps of the molar teeth of these rats were described. After adrenalectomy, the pulpal blood vessels were dilated and there was hemorrhage. Rats given cortisone showed dilated blood vessels in the molar pulps. Similar changes were observed in rats which were adrenalectomized and then given cortisone plus antikidney serum. Rats given antikidney serum alone did not show a severe dilation of the pulpal blood vessels. The factors involved in these changes were discussed.
Cohesive Fracture Model Based on Necking

A linear hardening model together with a linear elastic background material is first used to discuss some aspects of the mathematical and physical limitations and constraints on cohesive laws. Using an integral equation approach together with the cohesive crack assumption, it is found that in order to remove the stress singularity at the tip of the cohesive zone, the cohesive law must have a nonzero traction at the initial zero opening displacement. A cohesive zone model for ductile metals is then derived based on necking in thin cracked sheets. With this model, the cohesive behavior including peak cohesive traction, cohesive energy density and shape of the cohesive traction–separation curve is discussed. The peak cohesive traction is found to vary from 1.15 times the yield stress for perfectly plastic materials to about 2.5 times the yield stress for modest hardening materials (power hardening exponent of 0.2). The cohesive energy density depends on the critical relative plate thickness reduction at the root of the neck at crack initiation, which needs to be determined by experiments. Finally, an elastic background medium with a center crack is employed to re-examine the shape effect of cohesive traction–separation curve, and the relation between the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and cohesive zone models by considering the cohesive zone development and crack growth in the infinite elastic medium. It is shown that the shape of the cohesive curve does affect the cohesive zone size and the apparent energy release rate of LEFM for the crack growth in the elastic background material. The apparent energy release rate of LEFM approaches the cohesive energy density when the crack extends significantly longer than the characteristic length of the cohesive zone.
Low-energy effective theories of quantum spin and quantum link models

Quantum spin and quantum link models provide an unconventional regularization of field theory in which classical fields arise via dimensional reduction of discrete variables. This D-theory regularization leads to the same continuum theories as the conventional approach. We show this by deriving the low-energy effective Lagrangians of D-theory models using coherent state path integral techniques. We illustrate our method for the $(2+1)\mathrm{D}$ Heisenberg quantum spin model which is the D-theory regularization of the $2\mathrm{D} O(3)$ model. Similarly, we prove that in the continuum limit a $(2+1)\mathrm{D}$ quantum spin model with ${\mathrm{SU}(N)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{SU}(N)}_{R}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{U(1)}_{L=R}$ symmetry is equivalent to the 2D principal chiral model. Finally, we show that $(4+1)\mathrm{D}$ $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ quantum link models reduce to ordinary 4D Yang-Mills theory.
Reflexive/Diffractive Ethnography

This article calls attention to the productive intersection of various postcriticisms of knowledge production and the critique of ethnography as a writing technology for producing scientific knowledge about others. In particular, poststructural and deconstructive criticism, cultural studies, feminist science studies, postcolonial theory, and queer theory are seen to have focused disruptive and useful attention on the ethnographic I/eye, both inside and outside the professional academic texts of human science. A radical or full reflexivity is seen to be particularly useful in this attention to the one who sees, knows, and writes, but this reflexivity has been criticized by feminist technoscience critic Donna Haraway for being in fact too timid. A consideration of Haraway's preferred strategy based on the metaphor of diffraction, which seeks to effect difference patterns in the local worlds where ethnography is done, closes the article.
Hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage in bovine lens epithelial cells.

Abstract The present investigation was undertaken to determine the types and extent of DNA damage resulting from incubation of primary cultures of bovine lens epithelial cells with hydrogen peroxide. Significant numbers of DNA single-strand breaks were detected by alkaline elution after exposure to as little as 25 μM H2O2 for 5 min at 37°C. The extent of single-strand breakage was concentration dependent and linear from 25 to 200 μM H2O2. The observed single-strand breaks appear primarily due to the action of the hydroxyl radical via a Fenton reaction as both an iron chelator, 1,10-phenanthroline and OH· scavengers, including DMSO, KI and glycerol, significantly inhibited the DNA-damaging effect of H2O2. Diethyldithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of superoxide dismutase, further potentiated the DNA-damaging effects of H2O2, presumably by increasing the steady-state concentration of Fe2+. DNA-protein cross-linking was not observed. In addition, significant levels of 5,6-saturated thymine residues or pyrimidine dimers were not detected after modification of the alkaline elution methodology to allow the use of either E. coli endonuclease III or bacteriophage T4 endonuclease V, respectively. No double-strand breaks were detected after incubation of epithelial cell cultures with H2O2 concentrations of up to 400 μM for 10 min and subsequent neutral filter elution. Since, in vivo, the lens epithelium contains populations of both quiescent and dividing cells, the degree of susceptibility to oxidative damage was also studied in actively growing and plateau-phase cultures. Reduced levels of single-strand breakage were observed when plateau-phase cultures were compared to actively growing cells. In contrast, essentially no differences in repair rates were noted at equitoxic doses of H2O2. The above results suggest that lens epithelial cells may be particularly sensitive to oxidative damage and thus are a good model system in which to study the effects of oxidative stress.
MANNITOL CATABOLISM BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS.

In Staphylococcus aureus strain 233, mannitol is oxidized rapidly by d-mannitol-, sorbitol-, and d-arabitol-grown cells; it is not oxidized by cells grown in broths containing glucose, succinate, or no added carbohydrate. Neither sorbitol nor arabitol are oxidized by staphylococci, but these sugar alcohols induce high rates of mannitol uptake. Noninduced cells and sucrose-grown cells take up mannitol slowly, but uptake is repressed in glucose-, fructose-, mannose-, and glycerol-grown cells. Although no direct oxidation or phosphorylation of mannitol was demonstrable with cell-free extracts of induced cells, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked dehydrogenase was found which was specific for mannitol-1-phosphate. The enzyme was also present in extracts of noninduced cells but at much lower levels. These results suggest that mannitol-1-phosphate is an intermediate in the catabolism of mannitol by staphylococci. Nineteen mannitol-negative mutants of strain 233 were studied, and specific enzymatic and/or genetic defects are suggested for each.
Relations Between Large-Angle Scattering, From Factors, and Structure Functions

We study the large-momentum-transfer limit of electromagnetic form factors and the high-energy, large-momentum-transfer limit of exclusive and inclusive scattering under the physical approximation that hadronic states are composite systems which can be decomposed in this kinematic regime into two finite mass and spin constituents. One of these constituents (the parton) is pointlike in accordance with the results of deep-inelastic scattering, while the other (the core) is not. We study in this work only the constituent interchange contribution to scattering, as in a previous work by Gunion, Blankenbecler, and Brodsky. Our approach is to use a general, covariant decomposition of the composite-particle vertex, and then to study relations between the form factors and scattering amplitudes. Rather than taking a phenomenological approach, our aim is to make a careful study of the theoretical underpinnings of such relations. We find that the Drell-Yan-West relation between elastic form factors and deep-inelastic structure functions holds in general, and that the inclusive cross section is proportional to a deep-inelastic structure function. The power dependence of the exclusive and inclusive cross section on elastic form factors is not uniquely determined and we classify various theories according to this dependence. Basically the reason for this is that the elastic and inelastic form factor sample the off-shell behavior of the composite system only in the parton momentum, whereas scattering amplitudes depend intimately on the off-shell behavior of the hadronic vertex in both the core and parton. We also examine a noncovariant integral equation first given by Weinberg to study these problems.
LDA+U evaluation of the stability of low-index facets of LaCoO3 perovskite

Abstract We report ab initio calculations at the LDA+ U level to examine the atomic configurations and stabilities of different terminations of the perovskite LaCoO 3 . Results of cleavage energies indicate that the propensity to reconstruct depends on the orientation of terminations. The stability of the reconstructed termination relates to the nominal charge of a given surface. O atoms on surfaces interact repulsively with each other. We discuss the thermodynamic stabilities of all terminations using the Grand potential. A stability diagram demonstrates that the ground termination is LaO-(001) p (1 × 1) surface in most cases, while it transforms to the LaO 3 -(111) p (1 × 1) surface in O-rich/La-poor condition. The results provide potential candidates for future studies of LaCoO 3 surface catalysis.
Smooth muscle cells and the pathogenesis of the lesions of atherosclerosis

In this review we have tried to identify the characteristic features of SMCs in developing lesions of atherosclerosis and the extracellular factors that may be involved in regulating these altered features. Though the list seems long and complex there is probably a great deal of interplay among the different regulatory mechanisms. The function and activities of SMCs in the artery are dependent on the milieu created by the surrounding cells and the components of the extracellular matrix. In the normal, uninjured media of the artery, SMC phenotype and function seem to be in large part determined by the extracellular matrix in which they are embedded and by diffusible factors, in particular from endothelial cells. Endothelial cell injury, infiltration of monocytes and lymphocytes, and ultimately, thrombosis and platelet release, as seen in developing lesions of atherosclerosis, dramatically alter the balance of growth-regulatory and vasoactive factors present in the local environment. These extracellular factors (table and figure) can alter both SMC phenotype, and thus responsiveness, and SMC migration, proliferation, and synthesis of the extracellular matrix. A better understanding of how specific factors mediate these responses, should make it possible to determine the ways in which the SMC response can be modulated. Though growth regulatory molecules seem to be key to this process, the challenge for the future is to understand their regulation in the environment of the artery wall and the interplay between growth-regulatory molecules, extracellular matrix, and vasoactive agents.
Unsteady Flows Produced by Small Amplitude Oscillations of the Canard of an X-29 Model

Abstract : This investigation develops previous flow visualization studies by quantifying the flowfield around the tandem wing of an X-29 model in the wake of an oscillating canard. The local velocity above and below the wing was measured with the canard oscillating and compared to the cases with the canard static. A structured disturbance pattern was documented in the wake of the oscillating canard then compared to the random flow pattern behind the static canard. Considering the dual vortex system shed from the oscillating canard, the tip vortex dominates the flowfield, the leading edge vortex passes well above the wing. (EDC)
Does cortisol bias cytokine production in cultured porcine splenocytes to a Th2 phenotype

Abstract Glucocorticoids are reported to bias the production of cytokines from a type 1 to a type 2 phenotype. However, this dogma has been advanced largely from studies utilizing potent glucocorticoid analogs, particularly dexamethasone (DEX). Although studies utilizing DEX certainly have clinical and pharmacological relevance, DEX is probably not the best glucocorticoid for studies designed to evaluate the interaction and regulation of endogenous corticosteroids with immune cells in vivo in the domestic pig. Functional measures of immune suppression suggest that the pig is relatively resistant to DEX. Furthermore, type II corticosteroid receptors exclusively bind DEX with high affinity, whereas type I receptors, the so-called mineralocorticoid receptors, have a higher affinity for cortisol. In addition, DEX is not bound by serum binding proteins as are endogenous corticosteroids. These issues prompted us to revisit glucocorticoid regulation of type 1 and type 2 cytokines in cultured pig splenocytes and to test the broad hypothesis that cortisol biases cytokine production in favor of a Th2 response. We evaluated interferon gamma (IFNγ) (also interleukin 2 (IL-2) in one experiment) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) as representative Th1 and Th2 cytokines, respectively. Furthermore, we evaluated macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) because it is reported to be an essential factor in T cell activation; it is also upregulated by glucocorticoids and reported to be a product of Th2 lymphocytes. In general, both IFNγ and IL-10 were sensitive to cortisol inhibition early in culture. However, IFNγ ultimately escaped cortisol inhibition, whereas IL-10 continued to be substantially suppressed by high physiological concentrations of cortisol. Similarly, MIF mRNA could be suppressed by cortisol, but only when cortisol was added to cultures after ConA (concanavalin A) stimulation of splenocytes. So, taken together, our studies do not support the hypothesis that cortisol favors a Th2 cytokine profile in cultured pig splenocytes.
Effect of endotoxin on keratin production of keratinocytes in vitro

The rate of keratin protein accumulation appears to be a crucial factor in the pathogenesis of middle ear cholesteatoma. The effect of endotoxin on keratin production of keratinocytes was studied, Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides contained within the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, Various concentrations of endotoxin were added to keratinocytes derived from newborn rats. Syntheses of keratin proteins were studied by incorporation of 3H-leucine into each protein fraction. Extraction of keratin proteins with various salt solutions showed that endotoxin stimulated keratinocytes to produce keratohyalin granules and its related proteins as well as proteins in the stratum corneum (keratin proteins). These findings suggest that accumulation of keratin debris in cholesteatoma may result from the effect of infection in the epithelial cells.
Supplementary Schooling and the Law of Unanticipated Consequences: A Review Essay of Stuart Schoenfeld's “Folk Judaism, Elite Judaism and the Role of Bar Mitzvah in the Development of the Synagogue and Jewish School in America”

Stuart Schoenfeld's (1987) essay “Folk Judaism, Elite Judaism and the Role of Bar Mitzvah in the Development of the Synagogue and Jewish School in America” recounts how, in the 1930s and 40s, rabbis and Jewish educators banded together to impose attendance requirements on families that wanted to celebrate their sons' b'nei mitzvah in synagogues. Though this newly instituted requirement succeeded in increasing synagogue membership and religious school enrollment, it led to unintended and unfortunate consequences that affect us to this day—a high drop-out rate after bar/bat mitzvah, a reduction of Hebrew instruction to decoding from the Siddur, and proliferation of non-synagogue venues for the celebration of b'nei bat mitzvah. After summarizing Schoenfeld's research and reviewing the undesirable consequences of the attendance requirement, I describe several alternative models of the religious school that have successfully communicated to parents and children that the goals of religious education are broader...
Influence of initial conditions on compressible vorticity dynamics

Prompted by the lack of a unique choice of pressure (P) and density (ρ) fields for a compressible free vortex and by the observed dependence of turbulence dynamics on initial P and ρ in compressible simulations, we address the effects of initial conditions on the evolution of a single vortex, on the prototypical phenomenon of vortex reconnection, and on two-dimensional turbulence. Two previous choices of initial conditions used for numerical simulations of compressible turbulence have been: (i) both P and ρ uniform (constant initial conditions, CIC), and (ii) uniform ρ with P determined from the Poisson equation (constant density initial conditions, CDIC). We find these initial conditions to be inappropriate for compressible vorticity dynamics studies. Specifically, in compressible reconnection, the effects of baroclinic vorticity generation and shocklet formation cancel each other during early evolution for CDIC, thus leading to almost incompressible behavior. Although CIC captures compressibility effects, it incorrectly changes the initial vorticity distribution by introducing strong acoustic transients, thereby significantly altering the evolving dynamics. Here, a new initial condition, called polytropic initial condition (PIC), is proposed, for which the Poisson equation is solved for initially polytropically related P and ρ fields. PIC provides P and ρ distributions within vortices which are consistent with those observed in shock-wedge interaction experiment and also leads to compressible solutions with no acoustic transients. At low Mach number (M), we show that the effects of all these three initial conditions can be predicted by low-M asymptotic theories of the Navier-Stokes equations. At high M, it is shown here that inappropriate initial conditions may alter the evolutionary dynamics and, hence, lead to wrong conclusions regarding compressibility effects. We argue that PIC is a more appropriate choice.
Municipal corporations, economic calculation, and political pricing: exploring a theoretical antinomy

Most thinking about political economy treats states as unitary actors. In contrast, this paper treats states as ecologies of politically-based enterprises. Where a market is a congeries of business enterprises, a state is a congeries of political enterprises. Both sets of enterprises compete with one another in a setting where those who manage corporate capital are largely separate from those who supply it. Competition among political enterprises, however, cannot generate market prices because of the inalienability of property rights. In consequence, what arises is a system of pricing and calculation that exists parasitically upon the system of market prices.
Observation of Magnetic Octupole and Scalar Spin-Spin Interactions in I 2 Using Laser Spectroscopy

Magnetic octupole and scalar spin-spin interactions have been observed in $^{127}\mathrm{I}_{2}$ by precisely measuring (line centers located to 1 part in ${10}^{11}$) the hyperfine spectrum on the $P(13)$, 43-0 line using laser-molecular-beam techniques. The values of the coupling strengths obtained from fitting the spectrum are, for the electric quadrupole, $\mathrm{eQ}{q}^{\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}554094\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}13$ kHz and $\mathrm{eQ}{q}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}2448025\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}10$ kHz; for the spin-rotation, ${C}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{-}{C}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=186.71\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10$ kHz; for the tensor spin-spin, ${{D}_{t}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{-}{{D}_{t}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}100.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0$ kHz; for the scalar spin-spin, ${{D}_{s}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{-}{{D}_{s}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}2.72\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.0$ kHz; and for the magnetic octupole, $\ensuremath{\Omega}{m}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Omega}{m}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}2.17\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.70$ kHz.
A contact process with a single inhomogeneous site

The one-dimensional basic contact process is a Markov process for which particles give birth on vacant nearest neighbor sites at rate λ>0 and particles die at rate one. We introduce a one-dimensional contact process with a single inhomogeneous site: the evolution is as above except that a particle located at the origin does not die. Let λ c be the critical value of the basic contact process. We show that for λ≠λ c the upper invariant measures of the inhomogeneous contact process and the basic contact process coincide except at a finite number of sites. The behavior at λ=λ c is much more intersting: the upper invariant measure of the inhomogeneous contact process concentrates on configurations with infinitely many particles, while it is known that the critical basic contact process dies out. So a single inhomogeneity may provoke a perturbation unbounded in space. As a byproduct of our analysis we prove that the connectivity probabilities of the critical basic contact process are not summable. We also give a biological interpretation of this model.
ROY PORTER STUDENT PRIZE ESSAY WINNER: Diseased Imaginations: Constructing Delirium Tremens in Philadelphia, 1813-1832

First described in British medical journals in 1813, delirium tremens became a subject of intense interest in the Philadelphia medical community in the 1820s. While the linkage between alcohol abuse and insanity had long been widely accepted, the delirium tremens diagnosis separated the disorder from other forms of mental illness and established the inebriate as a distinct category of study and treatment. Through dissection of the disease's victims, doctors searched for the effects of habitual intoxication on the body and soon turned to investigate the physiological basis of the inebri-ate's compulsion to drink, thereby shaping later nineteenth-century conceptions of the pathology of alcohol abuse. Medical interest in delirium tremens emanated in part from a broad cultural fascination with the supernatural and hallucinations. Doctors filled the medical literature on the disease with detailed descriptions of phantoms, ghosts, and other forms of supernatural horror. In the context of the depression that followed the financial panic of 1819, delirium tremens became a highly symbolic phenomenon that resonated with the economic instability faced by the urban middle class. Doctors' detailed accounts of patients' hallucinations quickly passed back into popular culture, shaping a new and dark conception of the psychology of inebriety in antebellum America.
Reply to McCormick and Benson

McCormick makes three criticisms of my paper. First, he argues that the measurement approach suggested by the paper, adapted from Georgopoulos and Mann's (1962) study of community general hospitals, focuses exclusively on the evaluations of organizational effectiveness by members, thereby neglecting evaluations by knowledgeable and competent nonmembers. Second, he argues that the paper concentrates on the reliability of the suggested measures and thus ignores the validity of the measures. Third, he argues that the paper evaluates effectiveness by the degree to which the organization achieves the goals of the major decision-makers; the result is that the goals of the nonmajor decision-makers are overlooked. The first criticism is correct. The brief (less than two pages) description of the suggested measurement approach in my paper does focus exclusively on the effectiveness by members. However, the suggested approach can be used for members and nonmembers. Georgopoulos and Mann asked hospital personnel to describe the evaluations that two types of nonmembers (patients and citizens of the community) held concerning the effectiveness of the hospitals. In a later version of the suggested measurement approach (Price, 1972:105-106), I suggest the desirability of obtaining evaluations from clients, one type of nonmember. The Georgopoulos and Mann measurement approach can and should be used for members and nonmembers. The second criticism is incorrect. The final section of the paper (Price, 1972:12-14) treats the question of validity. Two of the three measurement needs discussed in the final section are concerned with validity. It is first suggested that ". . . additional research must be performed to check the validity and reliability of Georgopoulos and Mann's measures. . . ." (emphasis added) (Price, 1972:13). The paper specifically urges that ". . . in the assessment of validity, greater use should be made of measures based on objective data ... ." (emphasis added) (Price, 1972:13). Official records are cited as an example of objective
Effect of the total motile sperm count on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization

Abstract Objective: To determine prognostic factors for achieving a pregnancy with intrauterine insemination (IUI) and IVF. To compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of IUI and IVF based on semen analysis results. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Academic university hospital–based infertility center. Patient(s): One thousand thirty-nine infertile couples undergoing 3,479 IUI cycles. Four hundred twenty-four infertile couples undergoing 551 IVF cycles. Intervention(s): IUI and IVF treatment. Main Outcome Measure(s): Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the significance of prognostic factors including a woman's age, gravidity, duration of infertility, diagnoses, use of ovulation induction, and sperm parameters for predicting the outcomes of clinical pregnancy and live birth rate after the first cycle of IUI and IVF. The relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these treatments were then determined based on sperm count results. Result(s): Female age, gravidity, and use of ovulation induction were all independent factors in predicting pregnancy after IUI. The average total motile sperm count in the ejaculate was also an important factor, with a threshold value of 10 million. For IVF, only female age was an important predictor for both clinical and ongoing pregnancy. When the average total motile sperm count was under 10 million, IVF with ICSI was more cost-effective than IUI in our clinic. Conclusion(s): An average total motile sperm count of 10 million may be a useful threshold value for decisions about treating a couple with IUI or IVF.
Distributive Justice and International Trade

Public officials frequently assert that nations shape their own economic destiny. This statement implies that the international economy presents a level playing field for all participants. If the rules of globalization were somehow written in favor of certain countries, however, that would not be true, and the legitimacy of the economic system would be cast in doubt. This essay examines the structure of the international trade regime. Following John Rawls, it asserts that “justice is the first virtue of social institutions.” This leads to the question: Is the trade regime just? The essay seeks to answer that question through both a theoretical and empirical exploration of the trading system. Building on the Rawlsian “original position,” it sketches the fundamental principles that would underlie such a regime. It then traces the history of North-South trade relations as a case study. The essay concludes by suggesting that concerns with the trade regime's normative framework have played an important role in shaping its basic principles. But that does not mean that the regime is just. Greater transfers from North to South would be one of the major requirements of justice that currently are not being met
An enhanced Petri-net model to predict synergistic effects of pairwise drug combinations from gene microarray data

Motivation: Prediction of synergistic effects of drug combinations has traditionally been relied on phenotypic response data. However, such methods cannot be used to identify molecular signaling mechanisms of synergistic drug combinations. In this article, we propose an enhanced Petri-Net (EPN) model to recognize the synergistic effects of drug combinations from the molecular response profiles, i.e. drug-treated microarray data. Methods: We addressed the downstream signaling network of the targets for the two individual drugs used in the pairwise combinations and applied EPN to the identified targeted signaling network. In EPN, drugs and signaling molecules are assigned to different types of places, while drug doses and molecular expressions are denoted by color tokens. The changes of molecular expressions caused by treatments of drugs are simulated by two actions of EPN: firing and blasting. Firing is to transit the drug and molecule tokens from one node or place to another, and blasting is to reduce the number of molecule tokens by drug tokens in a molecule node. The goal of EPN is to mediate the state characterized by control condition without any treatment to that of treatment and to depict the drug effects on molecules by the drug tokens. Results: We applied EPN to our generated pairwise drug combination microarray data. The synergistic predictions using EPN are consistent with those predicted using phenotypic response data. The molecules responsible for the synergistic effects with their associated feedback loops display the mechanisms of synergism. Availability: The software implemented in Python 2.7 programming language is available from request. Contact: [email protected]
Purification and characterization of an active fragment of the LasA protein from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: enhancement of elastase activity.

A 22-kilodalton protein purified from the culture supernatant fraction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strains PA220 and PAO1) was found to enhance the elastolytic activity of purified P. aeruginosa elastase. N-terminal sequence analysis identified the protein as a fragment of the lasA gene product (P.A. Schad and B.H. Iglewski, J. Bacteriol. 170:2784-2789, 1988). However, comparative analysis with the reported LasA sequence indicated that the purified LasA fragment is longer than the deduced sequence reported. The purified LasA fragment had minimal elastolytic and proteolytic activity and did not enhance the proteolytic activity of purified elastase, yet enhanced the elastolytic activity more than 25-fold. The LasA fragment was found to also enhance the elastolytic activities of thermolysin, human neutrophil elastase, and proteinase K. The results presented here suggest that the LasA protein interacts with the elastin substrate rather than modifying elastase.
Experimentally Validated Models of O-Ring Seals for Tiny Hydraulic Cylinders

To enable simulation of tiny hydraulic systems, including predicting system efficiency, it is necessary to determine the effect of the hydraulic cylinder piston seal. For tiny cylinders whose bore is less than 10 mm, O-ring seals are convenient. Simplified models for the O-ring were used to describe piston leakage and friction and based on the models, the force and volumetric efficiencies for tiny cylinders were predicted for a range of steady state operating conditions. To validate the models, a test stand was constructed to collect experimental data for 4, 6 and 9 mm bore cylinders, which were in the form of a vertical ram with a single O-ring seal. The ram was fully extended and put under load. A needle valve was then cracked to cause the ram to descend at different speeds. Pressure, load and velocity were recorded and the data used to calculate cylinder efficiencies, which were then compared to model predictions. The model and the experiment showed essentially zero leakage. The experimental force efficiency had good agreement with the model over a range of operating conditions. The study showed that simple O-ring models for tiny hydraulic cylinders suffice for building system level simulation models.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Aspiration and Sclerotherapy: a Nonsurgical Treatment Option for Hydroceles

Purpose: We demonstrated that hydrocele aspiration and sclerotherapy with doxycycline is an effective and safe nonsurgical treatment option for hydrocele correction.Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients who underwent hydrocele aspiration and sclerotherapy were analyzed in a retrospective cohort study for success rates as well as improvement in scrotal size and discomfort after a single hydrocele aspiration and sclerotherapy treatment. Patients who reported decreased scrotal size, improved physical symptoms and satisfaction with the procedure were considered as having success with hydrocele aspiration and sclerotherapy.Results: A total of 29 patients (mean age 52.8 years) presenting with 32 nonseptated hydroceles underwent hydrocele aspiration and sclerotherapy with doxycycline between 2005 and 2012. Of the hydroceles 27 (84%) were successfully treated with a single aspiration and sclerotherapy procedure. Overall mean followup was 20.8 months. Three patients reported moderate pain which re...
On the exit value of a forward contract

Default risk associated with forward contracts can be substantial, yet these financial instruments are widely used to hedge price risk. An objectively priced exit option on the forward contract would help reduce the likelihood of litigation associated with contract default. A method is proposed to compute the exit option's value for an arbitrary forward contract, using Black's (1976) model and option premium data. The time series dynamics of the exit option value are confirmed to be, like its underlying, well described by a martingale with heavy-tailed (Student) GARCH residuals. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 29: 179–196, 2009
Demonstration of a fibre-optic tapped delay line spectrometer

A method for obtaining power spectral estimates for narrow-band (<100 MHz) optical signals is reported, based on measurements of the far-field intensity profiles resulting from diffraction of the output of a fiber optic tapped delay line array. The device exhibits a resolving power exceeding 10/sup 7/, as well as an angular dispersion of 0.4/spl deg//GHz, representing an improvement of at least three orders of magnitude over conventional diffraction gratings.
Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use Among a Sample of College Students: Relationship With Psychological Variables

Objective: To further investigate use and potential misuse of prescription stimulants (e.g., Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta) among a sample of college students and to explore the relationship between psychological variables and nonmedical stimulant use. Method: The sample consisted of 390 college students (71.6% female, 28.4% male). Participants were asked to complete five questionnaires concerning demographic information, prescription stimulant use, internal restlessness, sensation seeking, and psychological distress. Results: The study findings revealed that, regarding nonprescribed stimulants, 7.5% reported use within the past 30 days; 60% reported knowing students who misused stimulants; and 50% agreed or strongly agreed that prescription stimulants were “easy to get on this campus.” Findings further revealed a relationship between stimulant use and degree of psychological distress and internal restlessness. Conclusions: Continued research regarding psychological variables, specific group membership (e.g...
The Bayesian lasso for genome-wide association studies

Motivation: Despite their success in identifying genes that affect complex disease or traits, current genome-wide association studies (GWASs) based on a single SNP analysis are too simple to elucidate a comprehensive picture of the genetic architecture of phenotypes. A simultaneous analysis of a large number of SNPs, although statistically challenging, especially with a small number of samples, is crucial for genetic modeling. Method: We propose a two-stage procedure for multi-SNP modeling and analysis in GWASs, by first producing a ‘preconditioned’ response variable using a supervised principle component analysis and then formulating Bayesian lasso to select a subset of significant SNPs. The Bayesian lasso is implemented with a hierarchical model, in which scale mixtures of normal are used as prior distributions for the genetic effects and exponential priors are considered for their variances, and then solved by using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. Our approach obviates the choice of the lasso parameter by imposing a diffuse hyperprior on it and estimating it along with other parameters and is particularly powerful for selecting the most relevant SNPs for GWASs, where the number of predictors exceeds the number of observations. Results: The new approach was examined through a simulation study. By using the approach to analyze a real dataset from the Framingham Heart Study, we detected several significant genes that are associated with body mass index (BMI). Our findings support the previous results about BMI-related SNPs and, meanwhile, gain new insights into the genetic control of this trait. Availability: The computer code for the approach developed is available at Penn State Center for Statistical Genetics web site, http://statgen.psu.edu. Contact: rwu@hes.hmc.psu.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Emergency Preparedness and Response for Disabled Individuals: Implications of Recent Litigation

Legal protections granted to disabled individuals remain in place during emergencies. This article considers lawsuits brought against Los Angeles and New York concerning their treatment of disabled individuals within their emergency plans, explores how the principle ofjustice supports these rulings, and discusses lessons learned for other localities.
A comparison of selected quantitative trait loci associated with alcohol use phenotypes in humans and mouse models

Evidence for genetic linkage to alcohol and other substance dependence phenotypes in areas of the human and mouse genome have now been reported with some consistency across studies. However, the question remains as to whether the genes that underlie the alcohol-related behaviors seen in mice are the same as those that underlie the behaviors observed in human alcoholics. The aims of the current set of analyses were to identify a small set of alcohol-related phenotypes in human and in mouse by which to compare quantitative trait locus (QTL) data between the species using syntenic mapping. These analyses identified that QTLs for alcohol consumption and acute and chronic alcohol withdrawal on distal mouse chromosome 1 are syntenic to a region on human chromosome 1q where a number of studies have identified QTLs for alcohol-related phenotypes. Additionally, a QTL on human chromosome 15 for alcohol dependence severity/withdrawal identified in two human studies was found to be largely syntenic with a region on mouse chromosome 9, where two groups have found QTLs for alcohol preference. In both of these cases, while the QTLs were found to be syntenic, the exact phenotypes between humans and mice did not necessarily overlap. These studies demonstrate how this technique might be useful in the search for genes underlying alcohol-related phenotypes in multiple species. However, these findings also suggest that trying to match exact phenotypes in humans and mice may not be necessary or even optimal for determining whether similar genes influence a range of alcohol-related behaviors between the two species.
Statistical Test Development for Analog Circuits Under High Process Variations

The test development efforts for analog circuits today are disproportionately high due to the lack of widely accepted automation methods. The evaluation of a particular test input and measurement setup requires the determination of the probabilistic detection of all faults in the circuit. This evaluation step is the most time consuming step during analog test development. Based on the observation that test evaluation requires injecting many parametric and catastrophic faults into the circuit and analyzing the masking effect of process variations, we develop a fault injection and simulation technique for analog circuits that is specifically geared toward information reuse. We also present a heuristic test selection methodology that aims at providing the same coverage level as the full specification measurements while reducing the test time as well as reliance on hard-to-measure parameters. Experimental results on several circuits confirm the high accuracy of our variance analysis technique and show a nearly 72% reduction in the number of tests for a three-stage amplifier circuit in the experiment after the application of the test selection algorithm.
Hypertension is Associated With Increased Urinary Calcium Excretion in Patients With Nephrolithiasis

Purpose: The epidemiological relationship between nephrolithiasis and hypertension is well-known. Patients with hypertension are at increased risk for nephrolithiasis and those with nephrolithiasis are at risk for hypertension. Urine calcium or urine citrate may be related to hypertension status. We examined the relationship between hypertension and 24-hour urine composition in patients with nephrolithiasis.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the database on 462 stone forming patients to examine the relationship between hypertension and 24-hour urine composition. Multivariate linear regression models were adjusted for age, race, gender, body mass index, diabetes mellitus and 24-hour urine constituents. Nominal logistic regression was also done to examine the hypertension prevalence by quintile of calcium and citrate excretion.Results: On adjusted multivariate analysis compared with normotensive stone formers those with hypertension excreted 25.6 mg per day more urine calcium, corresponding ...
Novel Therapeutic Applications of Nitric Oxide in the Inhibition of Tumor Malignancy and Reversal of Resistance

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the current state of the mechanisms underlying nitric oxide (NO)-mediated reversal of tumor cell resistance to apoptosis by chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation, as well as its novel role in inhibition of metastasis. It is proposed that activation of endogenous inducible nitric oxide synthase and/or the application of NO donors may be considered as a general and novel therapeutic modality in the treatment of malignancies. Progress has been made in the treatment of cancer since the introduction and applications of chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. However, relapses and recurrences frequently occur, and there are no current therapies for such tumors resistant to apoptotic stimuli. Resistant tumor cells exhibit hyperactive cell survival and antiapoptotic pathways that regulate resistance and malignancy. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies are aimed at targeting dysregulated gene products involved in apoptosis and malignancy. NO has been shown to inhibit tumor cell survival by different biochemical mechanisms and was examined for its role in the reversal of resistance and malignancy. Tumor cells develop mechanisms that lead them to be resistant to apoptotic stimuli. Molecular alterations that lead to apoptosis resistance can be inactivated or promoted by S-nitrosylation of antiapoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 and Flip. S-nitrosylation may represent a key role of NO in apoptosis signaling and may provide a key mechanism for apoptosis resistance and carcinogenesis. However, direct evidence linking S-nitrosylation and carcinogenesis is lacking. Findings in vitro and in vivo demonstrated the antitumorigenic effect of NO alone at high concentrations, and also as a chemo- and immune-sensitizing agent to reverse resistance of tumor cells to drug-induced apoptosis. These findings revealed intracellular modifications by NO and also resulted in the identification of various gene product expression levels of prognostic significance.
VisibleZ: A Mainframe Architecture Emulator for Computing Education

This paper describes a PC-based mainframe computer emulator called VisibleZ and its use in teaching mainframe Computer Organization and Assembly Programming classes. VisibleZ models IBM’s z/Architecture and allows direct interpretation of mainframe assembly language object code in a graphical user interface environment that was developed in Java. The VisibleZ emulator acts as an interactive visualization tool to simulate enterprise computer architecture. The provided architectural components include main storage, CPU, registers, Program Status Word (PSW), and I/O Channels. Particular attention is given to providing visual clues to the user by color-coding screen components, machine instruction execution, and animation of the machine architecture components. Students interact with VisibleZ by executing machine instructions in a step-by-step mode, simultaneously observing the contents of memory, registers, and changes in the PSW during the fetch-decode-execute machine instruction cycle. The object-oriented design and implementation of VisibleZ allows students to develop their own instruction semantics by coding Java for existing specific z/Architecture machine instructions or design and implement new machine instructions. The use of VisibleZ in lectures, labs, and assignments is described in the paper and supported by a website that hosts an extensive collection of related materials. VisibleZ has been proven a useful tool in mainframe Assembly Language Programming and Computer Organization classes. Using VisibleZ, students develop a better understanding of mainframe concepts, components, and how the mainframe computer works. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): C.0, K.3.2.
Properties of LTI Systems

This chapter contains sections titled: Tandem Connection of LTI Systems A Consequence of the Commutative Property The Unit Impulse Revisited Convolution Revisited Causality Stability System Continuity The Potential Integral This chapter contains sections titled: Problems ]]>
Higher-Order Turbulence Modeling Closure and Use of Near-Wall Models

In the study attention has been given primarily to the development of turbulence near-wall models based on the wall function. An efficient numerical method is also employed for the computation of high velocity flows. The computed results are compared with experimental data obtained earlier. Generally better results are obtained by employing the present near· wall models, and among them the three-layer model is superior to the two-layer one.