cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic studies of protein fractionation by precipitation with carboxymethyl cellulose

The properties of aggregates formed by the precipitation of egg white proteins by carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were examined. Both the final level and the number of incremental additions of the polyelectrolyte were varied. The protein and lysozyme recoveries, particle zeta potential, and protein composition of the precipitate were found to vary with only the final CMC level. Particle size and size distributions were dependent on both the polymer dosage and manner of addition. Overdosed systems, or systems in which the CMC dosage exceeded that required for optimal total protein removal, produced the smallest particles with size increasing as the number of incremental polymer additions increased. Optimally dosed systems produced the largest particles.
Upper Limb Blocks: Advances in Anesthesiology Research

To summarize the recent literature regarding regional anesthesia of the upper extremity. Brachial plexus anatomy is more variable than previously believed. Several novel techniques for upper extremity blockade have been recently described. The ability of local anesthetic adjuvants and liposomal bupivacaine to prolong block duration has been investigated with mixed results. Regional anesthesia has played an important role in the expansion of ambulatory upper extremity surgery, especially shoulder arthroscopy and arthroplasty. Knowledge about the management of local anesthetic systemic toxicity remains essential for the safe performance of upper extremity blocks. The widespread adoption of ultrasound guidance for nerve blocks and the increasing emphasis on value in healthcare have fostered numerous innovations in regional anesthesia of the upper extremity in recent years. Further research is needed to determine the best technique for diaphragm-sparing shoulder analgesia and the most appropriate role for liposomal bupivacaine.
Type A Influenza Virus Detection from Horses by Real-Time RT-qPCR and Insulated Isothermal RT-PCR

Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious disease of horses caused by the equine influenza virus (EIV) H3N8 subtype. EI is the most important respiratory virus infection of horses and can disrupt major equestrian events and cause significant economic losses to the equine industry worldwide. Influenza H3N8 virus spreads rapidly in susceptible horses and can result in very high morbidity within 24-48 h after exposure to the virus. Therefore, rapid and accurate diagnosis of EI is critical for implementation of prevention and control measures to avoid the spread of EIV and to reduce the economic impact of the disease. The probe-based real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assays targeting various EIV genes are reported to be highly sensitive and specific compared to the Directigen Flu A(®) test and virus isolation in embryonated hens' eggs. Recently, a TaqMan(®) probe-based insulated isothermal RT-PCR (iiRT-PCR) assay for the detection of EIV H3N8 subtype has been described. These molecular based diagnostic assays provide a fast and reliable means of EIV detection and disease surveillance.
Only a matter of time: the impact of daily and seasonal rhythms on phytochemicals

Plants regulate molecular bioactivity in response to daily and seasonal environmental fluctuations in temperature, light, humidity, and precipitation. These rhythms interconnect, overlap, and feedback both into each other and into the plant’s endogenous circadian clock. The resulting regulatory network tightly ensures that the overall phytochemical composition is highly adaptive to the plant’s needs at any point in time. Temporally coordinated control of primary and secondary metabolism ensures phytochemicals are in tune with the demands of the environment and the available resources. As a consequence, phytochemical composition varies throughout the day and year. This variation in phytochemical abundance and composition across time can affect experimental results and conclusions. Understanding how phytochemical composition varies across time is critical for uncovering the underlying regulatory connections and ultimately improving the quality of phytochemical products. Herein, we review the mechanisms underlying diel and seasonal variations in phytochemical composition and provide examples of temporal regulation of specific compounds within phenol, terpenoid, and alkaloid phytochemical classes. Temporal regulation of phytochemical composition. The phytochemical composition of a plant is under complex control, affected by both external environmental factors and endogenous circadian rhythms. The environmental factors that directly affect phytochemical profiles and concentrations themselves vary across time of day and time of year. These cyclic environmental factors also entrain the endogenous circadian clock which imposes additional regulation on the production and processing of many phytochemicals. This concerted effort to ensure phytochemicals are exquisitely in tune with the demands of the environment results in fluctuating phytochemical composition. Variation in phytochemical abundance and composition across time can affect experimental results and conclusions. Failing to consider the factors of time of day and year can result in misleading or inconsistent estimations of the potency and composition of phytochemical extractions. Integrating temporal factors will improve our understanding of the underlying regulatory connections and ultimately improve the quality of phytochemical products.
Total Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor and Incident Venous Thrombosis: The Longitudinal Investigation of Thromboembolism Etiology

Introduction: Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI) inhibits tissue factor, a potent coagulation initiator. Limited evidence suggests that low TFPI levels are associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VT). Methods: VT was ascertained in the Longitudinal Investigation of Thromboembolism Etiology, which combines data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study. Total TFPI was measured in a nested case-control sample. With 12 years of follow-up, 534 cases of new VTE were age-, sex-, and race-frequency matched with 1091 controls. The odds ratio for VT was determined for quartiles of TFPI, and for the bottom 5% versus the top 95% in logistic regression models adjusting for demographics (age, race, gender, study), coagulation factors (Factors VII, VIII, IX, XI, D-dimer), and other VT risk factors. To evaluate for greater than additive interactions we calculated the percent relative excess risk of interaction between TFPI and other VT risk factors. Results: Mean TFPI in ng/mL (standard deviation) in cases and controls was 36.4 (12.8) and 35.0 (11.1), respectively. Increasing quartiles of TFPI were associated with male gender and increasing age, body mass index, factors VII, VIII, IX, XI, and D-dimer (all p Conclusions: Associations of high TFPI levels with VT were masked by concurrent higher procoagulant levels. After adjusting for procoagulant factors and D-dimer, TFPI ≤ 5% was associated with a 1.9-fold increased odds of VT. These data suggest high total TFPI may be a response to procoagulant states.
Connecting with Stories: Improving Patient Adherence and Compliance

A well-established approach in marketing, telling stories, can be successfully applied to the care of all patients and be particularly effective with African Americans. The history and basics of storytelling are reviewed as well as an examination of the patient’s perspective and how that point of view was formed. Specific approaches to discussions with patients regarding hypertension and diabetes are reviewed. Interviews with high quality physicians with large African American practices confirm that the use of stories as a way to connect, convince, and improve compliance is essential.
Influence of product volume on water antimicrobial efficacy and cross-contamination during retail batch washing of lettuce.

Abstract Fresh produce shall be thoroughly washed at the retail level prior to serving to the consumer with potable water. Foodborne pathogens if present on a product may transfer to the wash water and cross-contaminate other products immersed in the water. Typically, an entire carton of lettuce (24 heads) is washed together increasing the likelihood of cross-contamination due to the close contact between each head. This study aimed to compare the effects of two wash batch volumes – “low” (8 heads) and “high” (24 heads) on the efficacy of two commercial water antimicrobials and cross-contamination. Red leaf lettuce was spot-inoculated (~5.0 log CFU/g) with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes. In the first batch of washing, inoculated lettuce was washed with non-inoculated lettuce, followed by reuse of the water/antimicrobials twice washing only non-inoculated lettuce. Samples of inoculated and non-inoculated lettuce were collected to determine aerobic plate count (APC) as well as the populations of STEC and L. monocytogenes. Microbiological analysis of the wash water was also conducted. Wash volume (8 versus 24 lettuce heads) had limited effects on the antimicrobial activities of the interventions evaluated. Instead, high-volume wash increased the rate of cross-contamination between non-inoculated and inoculated lettuce, and cross-contamination of non-inoculated lettuce through wash water reuse. Retailers should consider volume of product processed per batch, reuse of wash water, and use of an appropriate water antimicrobial in consideration of mitigating potential product cross-contamination.
MIXING IT UP: MYOPERICARDITIS AS THE INDEX PRESENTATION OF RHEUMATOLOGIC DISEASE

Myopericarditis is a common entity in young adults. As viral triggers are most commonly implicated, the etiology often goes undetermined. Vigilance and clinical acumen are necessary to recognize myopericarditis as a manifestation of a separate nefarious process. A 27-year-old woman with a history
Cardio-Obstetrics: Developing a Niche in Maternal Cardiovascular Health

Over the last 2 decades, the U.S. maternal mortality ratio has increased, as has the contribution of cardiovascular disease (CVD) to pregnancy-related mortality ([1][1]). In the United States, CVD is now the leading cause of death in pregnancy and the postpartum period, accounting for 26.5% of the
Comparison of the effects of low-dose hydrocortisone and Xuebijing injection on acute lung injury in rats

Objective To investigate the efficacy of low-dose hydrocortisone and Xuebijing injection on acute lung injury (ALI) induced by Escherichia coli (E.coli) in rats. Methods ALI model was induced in Wistar rats by intratracheal E.coli injection [3 ml/kg, O111B4, (4.4~5.6)×1012CFU/L], twelve hours later the survived rats were randomly divided into hydrocortisone group (HC) treated with hydrocortisone for two days [5 mg/(kg•d), intraperitoneally], Xuebijing group (X) treated with Xuebijing injection for two days [5 ml/(kg•d), intraperitoneally], and ALI control group (C) treated with normal saline for two days (5 ml/(kg•d), intraperitoneally). And there was a normal control group (N) that received intratracheal E.coli (3 ml/kg) injection and was treated with intraperitoneal normal saline for two days [5 ml/(kg•d)]. Twelve hours after the treatment the rats were killed, and the levels of TNF- and IL-8 in serum were measured by ELASA, then the lung index was calculated. Results There was no difference in mortality among group HC, X and C (χ2=0.194, P=1.000). The levels of TNF- in serum in group HC and X [(80.31±11.87) ng/L and (89.42±22.76) ng/L, respectively] were significantly lower than that in group C [(125.68±27.91) ng/L] (P 0.05); IL-8 in group HC and X [(175.01±40.29) ng/L and (214.38±56.03) ng/L, respectively] were significantly lower than that in group C [(266.48±56.09) ng/L] (P 0.05); The lung index in group HC and X [(0.318±0.058)% and (0.352±0.046)%, respectively] were significantly lower than that in group C [(0.412±0.055)%] (P 0.05). Conclusion Both low-dose hydrocortisone and Xuebijing injection can inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and attenuate pulmonary edema in rats with E.coli-induced ALI with similar effects. Key words: Acute lung injury; Hydrocortisone; Xuebijing injection; Cytokine; Rat
Minimal net loss of vegetation via interior pond dynamics in an extensive unditched salt marsh

Ponds in salt marshes are often interpreted as a symptom of degradation, yet ponds can also be part of a cyclical process of pool formation, expansion, tidal breaching and vegetation recovery. Pond dynamics may be altered by accelerated sea level rise, with consequences for the long-term stability of ecosystems. We test the prediction that ponds are in dynamic equilibrium across one the largest expanses of unditched salt marsh in the Northeast USA by (1) examining change in pond and marsh area between 1970 and present and (2) by tracking individual pool dynamics across an 87-year time series. We found that net pond area has remained unchanged since 1970 because the amount of marsh conversion to ponds is equivalent to the amount pond recovery to marsh. The ratio of tidally-connected ponds is increasing relative to non-tidal ponds which suggests that some rates of change may be decoupling, which may be related to a decline in the rate of pond formation. A nuanced understanding of marsh pools needs to be incorporated into marsh condition assessments and establishment of restoration priorities so that ponds are not interpreted as evidence of degradation when they are exhibiting a recovery cycle. Unditched marshes around the world are a rare resource that remains essential for advancing scientific understanding and serving as reference sites for restoration of marshes altered by past management.
Bright light shows promise in improving sleep, depression, and quality of life in women with breast cancer during chemotherapy: findings of a pilot study.

Sleep and fatigue-associated symptoms are prominent during chemotherapy. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine bright light effects on sleep disruption, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, depres...
Alternate Currents in Women’s Republicanism During the French Revolution

In this article I consider alternate but often complementary models for women’s republicanism from those discussed by Sandrine Berges. In particular, I make use of Berges’s insights about extending...
Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis Emphysema: Role of Cigarette Smoking and Pulmonary Hypertension in a Rural Cohort

Background Disease heterogeneity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) often complicates the systematic study of disease, management of patients and clinical investigations. Objective To describe combined pulmonary fibrosis emphysema (CPFE) phenotype in a rural Appalachian IPF cohort with the highest smoking rates in the United States. Methods CPFE patients (n = 60) in a developed IPF cohort (n = 153) were characterized. Groups (CPFE vs IPF without emphysema) were categorized based on the predominant HRCT patterns of UIP (n = 109). Demographics, clinical variables, and treatment details were recorded. Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Results The prevalence of CPFE in our IPF cohort was 45% (n = 49). The CPFE group was younger (73.9 vs 78.2), had a more extensive smoking history (93.9% vs 53.3%) with greater mean smoking pack years (49.09 vs 15.39) and had lower percentage predicted DLCO on presentation (38.35 vs 51.09) compared to IPF without emphysema group. Both groups shared equivalent higher burden of comorbidities, including pulmonary hypertension (PH) (46.9% vs 33.3%). One-fifth of patients were prescribed antifibrotics and only a subset (5%) of patients underwent lung transplantation. There was a non-significant trend towards reduced survival in CPFE (p = 0.076). Smoking status and DLCO predicted CPFE in our cohort. Body mass index (BMI), PH, and pirfenidone use were significant predictors of mortality. Conclusion CPFE was highly prevalent in our rural IPF cohort. In contrast to previous studies, CPFE group was older and had higher female (approx. 30%) occurrence. A greater exposure to cigarette smoke and reduced DLCO at diagnosis predicted CPFE. Lower BMI and PH predicted higher mortality whereas use of pirfenidone improved survival in our cohort. This study highlights a complex interaction of cigarette smoking, advanced fibrosis of UIP, PH and potential utility of antifibrotic agents in CPFE phenotype. Substantial burden of comorbidities, older age, and the limited utilization of advanced therapeutics in the cohort emphasize the challenges faced by rural Appalachian patients.
CAFOs and U.S. Law

One noticeable result of the industrialization of American agriculture over the past half-century is the proliferation of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in many farm states. CAFOs are particularly popular in modern swine production. This Essay examines the regulation of CAFOs to protect against potential threats to public health, to preserve environmental quality, and to prevent neighboring landowners from having to suffer the detrimental effects of the high levels of water and air pollution CAFOs can generate. Most of the potential water and air pollution escaping from CAFOs today is caused by the universal use of an environmentally unsatisfactory method for disposing of the massive amounts of animal wastes CAFOs produce. Under this method, animal wastes are simply collected in a large outdoor storage basin (euphemistically called a “lagoon”), where they gradually decompose. Periodically a liquid slurry is removed from the lagoon and spread on nearby fields as natural fertilizer. This crude waste disposal method was outlawed for human wastes in the middle of the 20th Century, but it has become the standard method for CAFOs to dispose of animal wastes, and it is regularly approved as a prudent and reasonable waste disposal practice by federal and state environmental regulators. The Essay confirms the widely recognized reality that existing federal, state and local regulatory regimes are simply inadequate to prevent the type of serious harms the waste disposal practices of CAFOs can inflict on neighboring rural residences and farmsteads. In states like Iowa and North Carolina, the nation’s two leading hog producers, initiating private nuisance actions has become the only viable recourse for CAFO neighbors to prevent or remedy these vexing harms. Even this line of legal protection is under attack legislatively in states eager to compete more effectively for greater business from the hog industry. For example, both Iowa and North Carolina have recently upgraded their traditional Right- to- Farm laws to add special provisions designed to insulate CAFOs from neighbors’ nuisance claims. Litigation underway to construe these new laws and to challenge their constitutionality is described and analyzed in this Essay.
Regulation of the Rate of Lactose Production

The rate of lactose synthesis during the declining phase of lactation was examined relative to the concentrations of ionized calcium, glucose and alpha-lactalbumin in human milk. Ionized calcium was found to remain constant at about 2.5 mM or to increase slightly during the declining phase of milk production in 5 subjects. Alpha-lactalbumin concentrations in milk increased or remained constant during the declining phase of lactation in four women. If the concentrations of ionized calcium and alpha-lactalbumin in milk are representative of their concentrations in the Golgi system, the site of lactose synthesis, it is unlikely that either plays a regulatory role in lactose synthesis during the declining phase of lactation. Glucose concentration decreased when the milk yield fell below about 300 g/day and was linearly related to the lactose secretion rate under this condition. A possible relation between milk glucose and the lactose synthesis rate is discussed.
The devolution of urban food waste governance: Case study of food rescue in Los Angeles

Abstract In Los Angeles (LA), food waste is at record levels. This has negative outcomes for food insecurity, land use, and methane production associated with climate change. To overcome these challenges, a range of government, private, and civil society organizations (CSOs) have developed programs to reduce food waste. With the decentralization, privatization, and devolution of food waste policies to local actors, CSOs have emerged as key institutions in the governance of food waste in many contexts. However, it is unclear whether CSOs have the capacity to reduce food waste and food insecurity, empower communities, or promote social change. To this end, this paper critically analyzes a local food rescue CSO as a case study in order to understand the challenges associated with food waste governance in LA and the roles that CSOs play in food waste reduction. Through an analysis of interview and participant observation data in LA’s food system, this paper examines the ways that food waste is produced, regulated, and reused by institutions in LA. Findings illustrate that although local CSOs have expanded their food waste reduction programs, the impact of their operations may be limited. In addition, while CSOs rescue some food, they operate in conjunction with food waste surpluses and the overabundance of food, and do little to reduce the root cause of food waste or food insecurity. Although the structural causes of food waste are arguably beyond the scope of some CSOs to change, data in this paper suggest that some CSOs may contribute indirectly to neoliberal governance when they romanticize the power of local communities, depoliticize food issues, and focus on individual personal responsibility. For these reasons, this research suggests that food waste may only be reduced significantly with more government regulation of the institutions which produce food waste, namely food businesses and households.
Structural Organization of Three Pools of Acetyl Coenzyme A in Tetrahymena

Abstract The compartmentalization of acetyl-CoA metabolism in Tetrahymena has been studied by measuring the incorporation of label from [1-14C]acetate, [2-14C]pyruvate, and [1-14C]-octanoate into CO2, lipids, glycogen, and glutamate in experiments in which these substrates were used singly, in pairs, and all together. The results of these studies require that there be at least three pools of acetyl-CoA in Tetrahymena, two in the mitochondria and one in the peroxisomes. A steady state model was developed which allows a quantitative analysis of the metabolic fate of acetyl-CoA derived from acetate, pyruvate, and octanoate. The model shows that pyruvate enters a different mitochondrial pool of acetyl-CoA than acetate or octanoate, which accounts for the relatively high proportion of [2-14C]pyruvate label incorporated into glycogen. About three-fourths of the acetate utilization occurs in the mitochondria, the remainder via the peroxisomal pool of acetyl-CoA for lipogenesis. Only part of the octanoate utilization is accounted for by β oxidation in the peroxisomes; a pathway is also required allowing the incorporation of label from octanoate into lipids without prior oxidation to acetyl-CoA. Labeled acetyl-CoA used for glyconeogenesis comes from both the peroxisomal and the outer mitochondrial pools of acetyl-CoA, more of it coming from the former. The experiments were performed on well aerated cultures in both the logarithmic and transitional phases of growth. Differences in metabolic flux patterns between cells at these two stages of growth are small; lipogenesis was decreased and glutamate output and pyruvate utilization were increased in transition as compared to log cultures.
Killings During Crime: Toward a Discriminating Theory of Strict Liability

Commentators persistently have attacked the strict-liability aspects of the felony-murder and misdemeanor-manslaughter rules, and strict criminal liability more generally. While acknowledging the force of the argument against strict liability, this article also recognizes the concept's persistence and the difficulty this persistence causes for doctrinal analysis. The article explores how a discriminating theory of strict liability might illuminate the decisions courts must make when confronted with strict liability in the criminal law.
Debt Cancellation in the Age of Mortgage Foreclosures

Several relief provisions can eliminate or reduce the tax consequences of mortgage relief for homeowners. A homeowner on the West Coast recently received a letter from a large bank offering to reduce her mortgage by over $220,000. She contacted a CPA and together they verified that the offer was real — even though the homeowner was not delinquent in payments or in financial distress. A bank representative explained that the homeowner fit a profile similar to approximately 20,000 other people who were receiving similar offers. Finally accepting her good fortune, her next question to the CPA was: ‘Is this taxable?’ According to the credit bureau TransUnion, as many as 6.21% of mortgages in the United States are more than 60 days delinquent. In these difficult times, many homeowners are either seeking or receiving offers of debt relief from their lenders. Many others are already in foreclosure or are structuring short sales. Mindful of the old adage that there is ‘no free lunch,’ distressed mortgagees seeking debt relief are turning to their financial advisors for guidance.
TH‐CD‐207‐11: Gradient Nonlinearity Calibration and Correction for Head‐Only Asymmetric Gradient System

Purpose: Due to engineering limitations, the gradient fields in clinical MRI inevitably contain high-order, nonlinear components. The presence of gradient nonlinearity (GNL) causes image geometrical distortion. Standard correction methods are based on parameterization of the simulated gradient fields with spherical harmonic polynomials. Conventional whole-body gradient systems typically employ symmetric designs, and the GNL for such systems usually contains only odd-order terms (up to 5th-order). Recently, a high-performance, head-only gradient system was developed. Due to asymmetric design, this new system exhibits more complex GNL profiles. Here, we demonstrate measurement-based high-order(N>5) GNL-correction on this new system using a fiducial phantom and iterative model-fitting procedure. Methods: The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) phantom was scanned with a 3D IR-FSPGR sequence (sagittal acquisition plane, Nx=Ny=256, Nz=196, x= y=1.05mm, z=1.3mm, BW=125kHz) on the head-only gradient system operating at 80mT/m, 500T/m/s. This phantom contains 160 fiducial spheres (diameter=1.0 or 1.5cm) that are distributed within a diameter=20cm spherical shell. The spatial positions of the fiducials were then measured from the distorted images and fit using a spherical harmonic polynomial model and iterative fitting procedure. The model order was increased from 1 to 10 step-by-step to test the effects of including high-order terms (N>5). Then, the coefficients were used to correct distortion. The residual root-mean-square-error (RMSE) was calculated from fiducial positions tracked from GNL-corrected images. Results: The RMSE analysis shows that GNL-distortion is reduced from 3.93 to 0.39mm by using correction terms up to 7th-order including both even-and odd-order terms. The addition of higher orders (N>7) provides negligible benefit. Conclusion: The GNL of a high-performance, head-only gradient system was successfully measured. The use of up to 7th-order correction terms was found to be sufficient for correcting GNL-distortion in a typical brain scan. These techniques could also improve geometric accuracy for whole-body MRI systems used for radiation therapy planning.
An Electrochemical Study of Redox Indicators: Part I. Substituted Chrysoidines

Abstract The electrochemical oxidation of various substituted chrysoidines was studied by cyclic voltammetry, to determine which have stable oxidation products. Only 4-hydroxy-chrysoidine has a stable product; the apparent oxidation potential is 0.779 V vs. NHE. 4-Methoxy- and 4-ethoxy-chrysoidine rapidly lose methanol or ethanol, respectively, so that the 4-hydroxychrysoidine wave appears on subsequent scans. All the other chrysoidines studied are irreversible. The results indicate that a hydroxy group in the 4-position is necessary for stability; the 4-alkoxychrysoidines can achieve the stable quinoidal structure by cleavage of the alkoxy group after nucleophilic attack.
Abstract 19749: Racial Differences in Outcomes With Dabigatran in Elderly Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Introduction: Dabigatran was shown to be superior to warfarin in stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) in the RE-LY clinical trial. However, the majority of patients were white, and it is unclear whether its beneficial results can be extrapolated to black patients. Hypothesis: To study the outcomes of dabigatran in comparison to warfarin, in white and black patients with AF. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed AF from November 2010 to December 2011 were identified using the Medicare Beneficiary Summary Chronic Condition flags. Inclusion criteria was age 66 or older, black or white race, enrolled in Medicare Part D, and received warfarin or dabigatran within 90 days of AF diagnosis. Patients who were on warfarin prior to the AF diagnosis were excluded. The primary outcome of death and secondary outcomes of stroke, gastrointestinal bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage were investigated in analyses that incorporated propensity matching by anticoagulant type within race. ...
Atopic Dermatitis and the Stratum Corneum: Part 3: The Immune System in Atopic Dermatitis

Part 3 of this three-part review of atopic dermatitis and the stratum corneum barrier discerns how immune dysregulation, including upregulation of a TH2 inflammation pattern, augmented allergic sensitization, sustained wound healing inflammation, and impaired innate immunity, plays an integral role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis. An increased understanding of the interdependence, polymorphisms, and dysregulations of epidermal barrier functions, including the stratum corneum permeability barrier, immune defense, and antimicrobial barriers, should provide further knowledge about the pathophysiological mechanisms that are clinically relevant and that contribute to the development of atopic dermatitis. Further understanding of these mechanisms should lead to newer therapies that target specific pathogenic components of atopic dermatitis.
Economic Models of Voting

The economic vote provides a widely available tool for gauging electoral accountability. Yet in many cases, this search for electoral accountability appears elusive. A large literature has yielded conflicting and unstable empirical results. While there appears to be an association between the economy and citizens' voting behavior, we are unsure of its foundation. Do citizens reflect on the performance of the economy when choosing between candidates in democratic elections? What determines the existence and size of the economic vote: individual attributes, the wider politico-economic context, or messages received from trusted elites? Scholars have unearthed some answers by turning outward to consider context, theorizing the cross-national, individual-level, and temporal conditions under which economic voting is likely to be strongest. In addition, more recently, researchers have turned inward to reassess the mechanism that drives the link between economic performance and voting behavior. Future scholarship must continue to interrogate core theoretical questions in an effort to better understand how citizens' subjective economic evaluations are reflected in their decisions as voters. Keywords: economy; voting behavior; economic evaluations; sociotropic economy; motivated reasoning; endogeneity; clarity of responsibility
Bargaining Under Rules Versus Standards

The efficiency of two-party incomplete information sequential bargaining over an entitlement relating to external harm is analyzed under two alternative property rights regimes: definite entitlements, where a rule allocates the entitlement to one of the parties in an ex ante certain way; and contingent entitlements, where the assignment of the entitlement depends on the outcome of an ex post judicial balancing test that weighs the value of the activity against the external harm it generates. It is shown that a contingent entitlement may make credible a threat to take-cause harm without consent-that is not credible under a definite entitlement, and that such a credible taking threat may supplant strategic delay as a screening device. Such a threat may induce immediate ex post efficient agreement. However, such a result obtains as a Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium only if the legal balancing process is imperfect in measuing and balancing harm against value.
Inhibition of IFN-γ-Inducible Protein-10 Abrogates Colitis in IL-10−/− Mice

A deficiency in understanding the steps responsible for colitis is the lack of comprehension for the role chemokines play in mucosal inflammation. IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and CXCR3 are highly expressed at sites of colitis. Our findings show that IP-10 significantly contributes to the development of Th1 and inflammatory responses. Specifically, IP-10 inhibition in IL-10(-/-) mice attenuates the associated increases in serum and/or local amyloid A, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-1alpha, and IL-1beta with colitis as compared with IL-10(-/-) mice that develop colitis similar to human Crohn's disease. Correspondingly, the rate or intensity of inflammation in IL-10(-/-) mice treated with anti-IP-10 Abs showed improved scoring of inflammation, compared with control IL-10(-/-) mice. This study provides important and novel information regarding IP-10 as a target for the treatment of colitis.
New Approach to Derivatization and Gas-Chromatographic Analysis of Barbiturates

A recently developed procedure for alkylation of organic acids has proven extremely successful for preparation of volatile alkyl derivatives of the barbiturates for gas-chromatographic analysis. Soluble salts are formed in a mixture of N,N-dimethylacetamide and methanol. These in turn react rapidly with alkyl iodides to form the corresponding alkyl derivatives. The butyl derivatives of barbiturates, prepared in this manner, are separable by high-resolution gas-chromatography. Any of 14 barbiturates can be determined simultaneously or separately (although there is some overlap with certain uncommon barbiturates). The butyl derivatives of several barbiturates that are unresolved in the form of underived compounds or methyl esters can be resolved, thus overcoming many previous analytical limitations.
Growth improvements in children above 3 years of age: the Cali Study.

The Cali Study involved the random assignment of 301 malnourished children to be exposed to one (CT1, n = 113), two (CT2, n = 64), three (CT3, n = 62) or four (CT4, n = 62) 9-mo periods of a multifocal day care-based intervention (i.e., education, health and nutrition). The ages at which the intervention was initiated for Groups CT4, CT3, CT2 and CT1 were 3.5, 4.2, 5.2 and 6.1 y, respectively. After the experimental phase, children were followed up in elementary school until they were 10.4 y old. Our secondary data analyses show that children who were exposed at an earlier age and for a longer period of time showed the highest degree (P < or = 0.05) of improvement in weight and linear growth during the pre-school period. These improvements in physical growth could no longer be detected 3 y after the termination of the intervention.
INTER-FRAME INTERPOLATION BY SNAKE MODEL AND GREEDY ALGORITHM

In this paper, we present a novel method to solve the inter-frame interpolation problem in image morphing. We use our improved snake model that is associated with the gravitational force field to locate control points in the object contours. Afterwards, we apply the greedy algorithm in free-form deformations to achieve optimal warps among feature point pairs in starting and ending frames. The new method uses an energy-minimization function under the influence of inter-frames. The energy serves to impose frame-wise and curve-wise constraints among the interpolated frames.
Organ-selective induction of cytochrome P-450-dependent activities by indole-3-carbinol-derived products: influence on covalent binding of benzo[a]pyrene to hepatic and pulmonary DNA in the rat.

Abstract Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a dietary modulator of carcinogenesis that can reduce the level of carcinogen binding to DNA. I3C-derived products are potent inducers of certain cytochrome P -450(CYP)-dependent enzyme activities. To investigate whether the protective effects of I3C against carcinogen damage to DNA are associated with increased activities of CYP1A1 enzymes, we examined the relationship of I3C-mediated organ-specific CYP enzyme induction with total levels of benzo[ a ]pyrene (BP) binding to hepatic and pulmonary DNA of rats. Oral intubation (PO) of I3C (500 μmol/kg body wt.) in 10% DMSO in corn oil produced after 20 h, increases in ethoxyresorufin O -deethylase (EROD) activities (associated with CYP1A1 isozyme) of 700-fold, 245-fold and 36-fold in small intestine, lungs and liver, respectively, compared with activities in untreated controls. Hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity was increased 4-fold under these conditions. Pentoxyresorufin O -depentylase (PROD) activity (associated with CYP2B isozyme) was increased 6-fold in the liver but was unaffected in lung and small intestine. Intraperitoneal injection (IP) of I3C (500 μmol/kg body wt.) produced no significant change in EROD or PROD activities in lung, liver, or small intestine. PO administration of the acid reaction mixture (RXM) of I3C increased hepatic AHH activity (5-fold) and EROD activities in small intestine (650-fold), lung (100-fold) and liver (18-fold). IP administration of RXM (equivalent to 500 μmol I3C/kg body wt.) significantly increased only EROD activity in lung and liver, but did not affect EROD activity in small intestine, AHH activity in liver, or PROD activity in any of the organs examined. Twenty hours after inducer treatment, half of the rats were treated PO with 0.2 μmol [ 3 H]BP in corn oil. Analysis of tissues 5 h after BP administration indicated that compared with untreated controls, administration of I3C and RXM by either route reduced by 30–50% the level of BP binding to hepatic DNA, an effect that was not correlated to CYP1A1 enzyme induction in any of the organs examined. However, PO administration of I3C and RXM produced a 50–70% decrease in carcinogen binding to pulmonary DNA, while IP administration of inducers had no effect on DNA binding in this organ. These results with the lung are consistent with an increased presystemic clearance of BP in the intestine and are discussed in terms of the role of induction of intestinal CYP1A1 activity in the decreased lymphatic and venous transport of unmetabolized BP to the lung.
Antibodies to a DNA:RNA hybrid in systemic lupus erythematosus measured by a cellulose ester filter radioimmunoassay.

Antibodies to a DNA:RNA Hybrid in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus measured by a Cellulose Ester Filter Radioimmunoassay
Purpose based access control for privacy protection in relational database systems

In this article, we present a comprehensive approach for privacy preserving access control based on the notion of purpose. In our model, purpose information associated with a given data element specifies the intended use of the data element. A key feature of our model is that it allows multiple purposes to be associated with each data element and also supports explicit prohibitions, thus allowing privacy officers to specify that some data should not be used for certain purposes. An important issue addressed in this article is the granularity of data labeling, i.e., the units of data with which purposes can be associated. We address this issue in the context of relational databases and propose four different labeling schemes, each providing a different granularity. We also propose an approach to represent purpose information, which results in low storage overhead, and we exploit query modification techniques to support access control based on purpose information. Another contribution of our work is that we address the problem of how to determine the purpose for which certain data are accessed by a given user. Our proposed solution relies on role-based access control (RBAC) models as well as the notion of conditional role which is based on the notions of role attribute and system attribute.
"Fuku-chan" Goes to Java: Images of Indonesia in a Japanese Wartime Newspaper Comic Strip

This article will discuss how a wartime Japanese comic strip portrayed Japan's war against the Allied troops, the natural settings, customs and cultural forms of Java, and the relationship of the Japanese and the Javanese. The discussion is based on a textual analysis of a popular newspaper comic strip, "Fuku-chan" (Little Fuku), during the three-month period in 1942 when Java was the focus of the strip. A close analysis of this widely read newspaper strip reveals how images of Indonesia - a newly occupied, unknown place - were introduced to the Japanese audience at the early stages of World War II (1941-1945).
Angiotensin-converting enzyme and a second dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase from hog plasma.

Abstract Two distinct dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase enzymes were demonstrated in hog plasma by a gel filtration experiment using Sephadex G-200. The two enzymes hydrolyzed different substrates and were affected in a different manner by the presence of NaCl and histidylleucine. Angiotensin-converting enzyme which hydrolyzes angiotensin I to angiotensin II and histidylleucine required NaCl for activity and was not inhibited by histidylleucine, whereas the other hydrolase using glycylalanylalanine as the substrate was little affected by NaCl but was heavily inhibited by histidylleucine and other peptides. Our results show that the apparent lack of specificity of crude preparations of angiotensin-converting enzyme from hog plasma arises because the plasma contains at least one other dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase. This second hydrolase appears to be fairly nonspecific but it will not hydrolyze a peptide bond in which the amino function is derived from proline as in glycylprolylalanine and angiotensin II. This second hydrolase, dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase, does not hydrolyze angiotensin I.
Peripheral Versus Aperture Fixation for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Because both the young and aging population are showing increasing interest in sports participation, the number of sports related injuries and in particular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been increasing. Because of these injuries much time and energy has been focused on ACL reconstruction in order to return these individuals to their optimal level of participation in their sport. This article explores and reviews the concepts of ACL fixation location and how this affects the ultimate outcome of this reconstructive procedure.
Literacy, Development and Disabilities: Are We Moving in the Right Direction?.

A growing body of research supports the belief that literacy begins at birth for all children, including young children with disabilities. The literature review revealed issues related to individuals with disabilities and literacy, including the differences in parental perceptions and lack of adequate support and exposure to literacy related materials for individuals with disabilities. This article highlights available research in this area and its implications for practice.
Coefficients of Heterogeneity for Kinetic Reaction Systems

THE purpose of our past work in the area of heterogeneous effects in kinetic reaction systems1,2 has been to elucidate a method by which the contribution of heterogeneous effect to the observed rate in kinetic reaction systems can be quantitatively assessed. We have shown that the deviation of the measured reaction rate (at a particular pressure in a reaction vessel of finite extent) away from the value which the rate succeeds to, in a reaction vessel of infinite extent, is solely determined by the steady state concentration of excited species1,2. That is, as long as the concentration of activated species is not significantly perturbed away from the steady state value reached in a reaction vessel of infinite extent, no appreciable heterogeneous effects will be observed.
How well designed is the human lung

Although it is often stated that the structure of the human lung is ideally suited to its gas exchange function, the lung is very vulnerable under some abnormal conditions. One example is the postoperative period in a patient with an otherwise normal lung where retained secretions can rapidly cause unventilated areas or atelectasis and substantial impairment of gas exchange. Some pulmonologists may be surprised to learn that evolution has provided a very different, and arguably superior, lung design in the bird. Here, the gas exchange and ventilatory functions of the lung are separated. Gas exchange occurs in relatively rigid parabronchi, which are more robust than the delicate alveoli in the human lung, and ventilation is performed by highly expandable air sacs. A comparison of these two completely divergent evolutionary paths throws light on some of the problems of the human lung. Suppose you were asked to design* a heat exchanger, such as the radiator of a car. The purpose of this is to enable heat from the engine to be eliminated to the outside air. One way would be to pump the hot coolant fluid from the engine through a grid of many small tubes and have air passed across these by means of a fan. In fact, this is the time-honored design for car radiators. If you suggested this, Henry Ford would have been proud of you. But you might come up with an alternative design in which the small tubes containing the coolant fluid were enclosed in a bellows that was alternately inflated and deflated so that the air in the bellows was heated and then expelled. In fact, you might even conceive of a design in which the small tubes themselves were part of the bellows. A critic might say that this alternative design was unnecessarily complicated and prone to problems, especially if the small tubes formed part of the moving bellows. But amazingly this is the design that evolution chose for the mammalian, and therefore human, lung. The lung is a gas exchanger, which is closely analogous to a heat exchanger. Although in the latter, heat is taken from the engine and eliminated into the surrounding air, the lung does this for carbon dioxide, and at the same time it takes up oxygen. The route taken by evolution for the mammalian lung is even more astonishing when we realize that a completely different path was pursued in designing the bird lung. Indeed, the bird has a lung rather like the classic car radiator. A comparison of these two quite divergent evolutionary paths helps us to understand some of the vulnerabilities of the human lung.
Development of cochlear potentials in the neonatal gerbil

The onset and maturation of hearing was examined in separate groups of sibling and nonsibling neonatal Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Auditory nerve compound action potentials (CAP) and cochlear microphonics (CM) were measured at the round window, and the endocochlear potential (EP) was recorded at three different locations in pups aged 13 to 30 days after birth (DAB) and in 90 day-old animals. Maturational trends for the three potentials were similar to those previously reported for gerbil neonates. However, CAP thresholds continued to decrease, and CM and CAP input/output functions and EP continued to increase beyond 30 days of age, a time at which many investigators have considered hearing in the gerbil to be mature. The EP developed simultaneously throughout the cochlea and approached 80 mV by 20 DAB. CAP thresholds showed a highly correlated log-linear relationship with EP in groups of nonlittermates and in siblings studied at different ages. In contrast, maximum CAP and CM amplitudes increased with increasing EP, but did not show significant growth until the EP exceeded 70 mV.