cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The combined estimation of cortisol and 11-desoxycortisol in plasma as Porter-Silber chromogens.

ABSTRACT Current methods of measuring the concentration of plasma 17-hydroxycorticosteroids, although adequate for cortisol, may vary in the recovery of 11-desoxycortisol. The present study demonstrates that procedures which employ solvent partition to transfer 11-desoxycortisol from the extracting solvent, dichloromethane, into the phenylhydrazine-sulfuric acid-ethanol color reagent lose almost 50 per cent of the steroid in this step. A modification of the Silber-Porter procedure has been developed, which overcomes this difficulty by evaporating the extracting solvent before addition of the color reagent. By the joint quantitation of both cortisol and 11-desoxycortisol this procedure provides a more accurate estimation of total free 17,21-dihydroxy-20-ketosteroids in plasma. The quantitative recovery of 11-desoxycortisol is of considerable practical value, since it is a biosynthetic precursor of cortisol and its presence is being recognized with greater frequency in various spontaneous and induced abnorm...
Electron-beam zone purification and analysis of tungsten

Abstract Mass spectrographic, combustion-chromatographic, inert-gas fusion, and colorimetric techniques of analysis have been applied to the determination of impurities in zone-melted tungsten. The mass spectrograph, in sampling only small quantities of the specimen, revealed that the impurity distribution was in general inhomogeneous. The results indicated that only the most refractory impurities were redistributed by zone-refining action and that the primary mechanism of removal is generally by volatilization.
Epigenetics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a complex lung disease of unknown etiology. Development of IPF is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent work by our and other groups has identified strong genetic predisposition factors for the development of pulmonary fibrosis, and cigarette smoke remains the most strongly associated environmental exposure risk factor. Gene expression profiling studies of IPF lung have taught us quite a bit about the biology of this fatal disease, and those of peripheral blood have provided important biomarkers. However, epigenetic marks may be the missing link that connects the environmental exposure in genetically predisposed individuals to transcriptional changes associated with disease development. Moreover, epigenetic marks represent a promising therapeutic target for IPF. In this review, the disease is introduced, genetic and gene expression studies in IPF are summarized, exposures relevant to IPF and known epigenetic changes associated with cigarette smoke exposure are discussed, and epigenetic studies conducted so far in IPF are summarized. Limitations, challenges, and future opportunities in this field are also discussed.
An elementary approach to the population projection-matrix, to the population reproductive value, and to related topics in the mathematical theory of population growth

This article presents an elementary approach to the study of the population projection-matrix, the reverse (or inverse) projection-matrix, the process of population growth generated by the projection-matrix, the “prior” process of population growth associated with the reverse projection-matrix, the stable age-distribution that pertains to the projection-matrix, the characteristic equation of the projection-matrix, and the latent roots of the characteristic equation. We also introduce some new indices that measure the “eventual reproductive value” of the individuals in the various ageintervals in a population, and we show why the indices presented here. are preferable to a related index presented earlier by R. A. Fisher and P. H. Leslie.
Histamine release from rodent and human mast cells induced by protoporphyrin and ultraviolet light: studies of the mechanism of mast-cell activation in erythropoietic protoporphyria.

SUMMARY We report that protoporphyrin (PP) and ultraviolet light (UVA) induces histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells, mouse bone marrow mast cells and human cutaneous mast cells in a dose- and temperature-dependent manner. The mast-cell activation was associated with loss of membrane integrity and inhibited by the hydrogen peroxide scavenger, catalase. Histamine release was independent of extracellular calcium in the rodent mast cells, but was markedly reduced in the absence of calcium in human cells. These findings indicate that PP and UVA induce mast-cell-mediator release by a process that may involve hydrogen peroxide formation. There appear to be differences in response to PP and UVA between rodent and human mast cells.
Live-cell imaging of cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are a diverse bacterial phylum whose members possess a high degree of ultrastructural organization and unique gene regulatory mechanisms. Unraveling this complexity will require the use of live-cell fluorescence microscopy, but is impeded by the inherent fluorescent background associated with light-harvesting pigments and the need to feed photosynthetic cells light. Here, we outline a roadmap for overcoming these challenges. Specifically, we show that although basic cyanobacterial biology creates challenging experimental constraints, these restrictions can be mitigated by the careful choice of fluorophores and microscope instrumentation. Many of these choices are motivated by recent successful live-cell studies. We therefore also highlight how live-cell imaging has advanced our understanding of bacterial microcompartments, circadian rhythm, and the organization and segregation of the bacterial nucleoid.
Trypsin-induced lysis of lipid vesicles: effect of surface charge and lipid composition.

Abstract We have made a curious observation that the proteolytic enzyme, trypsin, induced a rapid and complete release of the contents of vesicles composed of dioleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) and oleic acid (OA). Content release at 37°C, monitored by the release of an entrapped fluorescence marker (calcein), was accompanied by an extensive vesicle aggregation. The lytic activity of trypsin on the vesicles depended on pH and liposome composition. The optimal pH for vesicle lysis was below pH 7.4, which was different from the optimal pH for catalytic activity of trypsin. The lytic activity of trypsin was specific for vesicles composed of DOPE and fatty acids such as OA and palmitoleic acid; vesicles composed of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, N -methyl-DOPE, and OA, or DOPE combined with other negatively charged lipids such as phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid were not sensitive to trypsin. Inhibition of enzyme activity by trypsin inhibitors did not abolish the lytic activity, suggesting that the lytic activity of trypsin is not related to the catalytic activity. However, the lytic activity of trypsin on vesicles composed of DOPE and OA was inhibited in the presence of excess vesicles containing negative charges, or by a pretreatment of trypsin with acylating reagent to reduce the positive-charge content of trypsin. These data demonstrate that vesicle aggregation and lysis are the results of electrostatic interactions of positive charges on trypsin and negative charges on the vesicles. Phase separation and transition to nonbilayer phases of the vesicle lipids are likely involved.
Some exact tables for the squared ranks test

Since the squared ranks test was first proposed by Taha in 1964 it has been mentioned by several authors as a test that is easy to use, with good power in many situations. It is almost as easy to use as the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and has greater power when two populations differ in their scale parameters rather than in their location parameters. This paper discuss the versatility of the squared ranks test, introduces a test which uses squared ranks, and presents some exact tables
Changes in glucose metabolism in dementia of the Alzheimer type compared with depression: A preliminary report

We evaluated positron emission tomography (PET) in the differential diagnosis of depression and Alzheimer's disease. The local cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (LCMRGlc) in the parahippocampal gyrus-hippocampus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were determined. The ratio of the LCMRGlc in those two regions was examined in patients with unipolar depression, bipolar depression, and Alzheimer's dementia. An analysis of variance revealed significant overall intergroup differences in values for both hemispheres. Student's t test showed significant differences in LCMRGlc for both unipolar and bipolar depression as compared with Alzheimer's dementia. These data indicate that PET may be useful in the differential diagnosis of dementia vs. depression.
Flexibility of Household Structure Child Fostering Decisions in Burkina Faso

Using data I collected in Africa, this paper examines a household's decision to adjust its size through child fostering, an institution where biological parents temporarily send children to live with other families. Households experiencing negative idiosyncratic income shocks, child gender imbalances, located further from primary schools, or with more "good" quality network members (fewer subsistence farmers and unmarried individuals and more educated members) are significantly more likely to send a child. Results reject an overall symmetric fostering model across senders and receivers, but evidence of symmetry is found when the test is restricted to exogenous income shocks and gender imbalances.
AVOIDED CROSSINGS AND AUTOIONIZATION WIDTHS OF HYDROGEN AND ALKALI METALS IN MAGNETIC FIELDS

Anticrossing sizes and autoionization widths provide sensitive tests of theories on hydrogen in magnetic fields. The various contributions to these sizes and widths are discussed, as well as calculational methods. An experimental method is described for studying these effects by cw laser spectroscopy on lithium. INTRODUCTION The spectra of highly excited atoms in magnetic fields show a remarkable simplicity which was not expected from early theoretical considerations. Garton and Torakins initially observed "quasi-Landau" resonances as field dependent periodic modulations of the oscillator strength with energy near the ionization limit. These observations were subsequently explained and calculated by vari2 .. ous authors using several methods. The discovery of the "quasi-Landau levels stimulated much interest in the structure of atoms in strong fields. Another aspect of the simplicity, perhaps even more profound, is the apparent crossing of levels in hydrogen. This suggestion of an unexpected symmetry surfaced during numerical calculations of the spectra of alkali metals 3 and hydrogen . Figure 1 shows the energy levels and several anticrossings for hydrogen. The anticrossings between adjacent n-manifolds become small quite rapidly as n increases. Although the approximate crossings are from computational results, interestingly, the observation is empirical. Figures 2 and 3 show true experimental results for sodium which demonstrate the accuracy of Article published online by EDP Sciences and available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/jphyscol:1982209 C2-114 JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE the calculations and also suggest level crossings. Several recent calculations5, spurred in part by the level crossing observation, have made progress, especially in the'low field region (when n mixing is small) and estimate both energies and wavefunctions.
Pyuria associated with acute Kawasaki disease and fever from other causes

Despite the widespread recognition of pyuria in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) patients and its inclusion in the American Heart Association list of supporting laboratory data for KD diagnosis, no systematic study of pyuria and the origin of these cells in KD patients have been reported. We used automated urinalysis with flow cytometry to characterize urine samples from 135 acute KD subjects and 87 febrile control (FC) subjects without urinary tract infection. Pyuria [defined as > or =12 (for males) or 20 (for females) cells/microL] was present in 79.8% of KD and 54.0% of FC subjects (P < 0.0001). The median number of white blood cells (WBC) in the urine was 42 WBC/microL in KD and 12 WBC/microL in FC (P < 0.0001). No significant difference between the groups was seen for urine red blood cell (RBC) count, protein, or specific gravity. Comparison of voided versus catheter-collected urine samples indicated an origin of the cells from the bladder or upper urinary tract in both patient groups. Pyuria in KD subjects was not correlated with age or day of illness. Overall, the presence of pyuria was neither specific nor sensitive as a marker for KD, but the magnitude of pyuria was significantly higher in KD patients compared with the FC group.
Electron damage to fluoride insulators as viewed by neutral atom scattering

Abstract LiF and LaF 3 have been studied under electron bombardment. He atom scattering was used to follow the induced damage for LiF as a function of electron energy and dose. Both glancing and normal electron impact were utilized and differences emerged between the two cases. A threshold energy was found for damage to LiF and anneal curves with time and temperature showed two regions of annealing. Morphological studies were made for both crystals.
Transcellular chaperone signaling: an organismal strategy for integrated cell stress responses

The ability of each cell within a metazoan to adapt to and survive environmental and physiological stress requires cellular stress-response mechanisms, such as the heat shock response (HSR). Recent advances reveal that cellular proteostasis and stress responses in metazoans are regulated by multiple layers of intercellular communication. This ensures that an imbalance of proteostasis that occurs within any single tissue 'at risk' is protected by a compensatory activation of a stress response in adjacent tissues that confers a community protective response. While each cell expresses the machinery for heat shock (HS) gene expression, the HSR is regulated cell non-autonomously in multicellular organisms, by neuronal signaling to the somatic tissues, and by transcellular chaperone signaling between somatic tissues and from somatic tissues to neurons. These cell non-autonomous processes ensure that the organismal HSR is orchestrated across multiple tissues and that transmission of stress signals between tissues can also override the neuronal control to reset cell- and tissue-specific proteostasis. Here, we discuss emerging concepts and insights into the complex cell non-autonomous mechanisms that control stress responses in metazoans and highlight the importance of intercellular communication for proteostasis maintenance in multicellular organisms.
Atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) catalyzed by copper complexes with tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine (Me6TREN) ligand in the presence of free-radical diazo initiator AIBN.

In this article, we focus on the evaluation of tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine (Me6TREN) ligand in copper catalyzed ATRA in the presence of free-radical diazo initiator AIBN (2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile)). The addition of carbon tetrachloride to 1-hexene, 1-octene and cis-cyclooctene proceeded efficiently to yield 89, 85 and 85% of monoadduct, respectively, using the catalyst to alkene ratio of 1 : 2500. For alkenes that readily undergo free radical polymerization, such as methyl acrylate, catalyst loadings as high as 0.4 mol-% were required. Furthermore, modest yields of the monoadduct were obtained with less active alkyl halides (chloroform and bromoform) using 250 : 1 and 500 : 1 ratios of alkene to copper(II). Interestingly, the addition of carbon tetrachloride to cis-cyclooctene produced only 1-chloro-4-(trichloromethyl)-cyclooctene, while carbon tetrabromide yielded 1,2 and 1,4-regioisomers in 75 : 25 ratio. The activity of [CuII(Me6TREN)X][X] (X = Br− and Cl−) complexes in ATRA in the presence of AIBN was additionally probed by adding excess free ligand, source of halide anions and triphenylphosphine. The results indicated that disproportionation is a likely cause for lower activity of Me6TREN as compared to TPMA (tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine).
Predicting and verifying dynamic performance of the IBSS sensor

Prediction of the dynamic performance of the Infrared Background Signature Survey (IBSS) is considered in terms of the expected system response, system noise, photon noise, and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR). The prediction is based on a preliminary radiometric analysis that facilitates the calibration test program. The IBSS sensor exhibited a design noise-equivalent sterance of 9.72 x 10 exp -9 W/sq cm/sr at 6.86 microns for a 6.13 x 10 exp -6 sr detector, a dynamic range of 1 x 10 exp 6 with three gain ranges, and an SNR between 1 and 2400. Theoretical predictions are found to be in an excellent agreement with measurements.
Gambling Severity and Health Functioning in Adolescents Recruited from Urban Primary Care Settings

This study examined the relationship between gambling severity and physical and mental health in a sample of 110 adolescents recruited from urban primary care settings. A total of 11.8% were probable pathological gamblers, and 5.5% were problem gamblers. Probable pathological/problem gambling was associated with poor mental health and perceived social functioning.
Enhancement of Endothelial Cell Migration and in Vitro Tube Formation by Tap20, a Novel β5 Integrin–Modulating, Pkcθ-Dependent Protein

Migration, proliferation, and tube formation of endothelial cells are regulated by a protein kinase C isoenzyme PKCθ. A full-length cDNA encoding a novel 20-kD protein, whose expression was PKCθ-dependent, was identified in endothelial cells, cloned, characterized, and designated as theta-associated protein (TAP) 20. Overexpression of TAP20 decreased cell adhesion and enhanced migration on vitronectin and tube formation in three-dimensional culture. An antiintegrin αvβ5 antibody prevented these TAP20 effects. Overexpression of TAP20 also decreased focal adhesion formation in αvβ3-deficient cells. The interaction between TAP20 and β5 integrin cytoplasmic domain was demonstrated by protein coprecipitation and immunoblotting. Thus, the discovery of TAP20, which interacts with integrin β5 and modulates cell adhesion, migration, and tube formation, further defines a possible pathway to angiogenesis dependent on PKCθ.
Abstract 342: Murine transgenic lung cancer models guide a proof of principle histone deacetylase inhibitor trial in lung cancer patients

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality in the United States. New treatments for lung cancer are therefore needed. We previously engineered murine transgenic cyclin E models that recapitulated frequent features of lung cancers in patients. These included chromosome instability, hedgehog pathway and cyclin D1 activation as well as single or multiple pre-malignant and malignant (adenocarcinoma) lung lesions. Metastases were also observed. Cell lines (ED-1 and ED-2) were derived from these murine lung cancers. After tail vein injection of ED-1 or ED-2 cells into syngeneic FVB mice, neoplastic lung lesions form within 1-2 weeks. These models are useful tools to identify promising anti-neoplastic agents. Among a panel of drugs that caused growth inhibition of lung cancer cells and repression of cyclin D1 protein, the histone deacetylase inhibitor (Vorinostat) was found as most potent. Vorinostat treatment caused dose- (1-5μM) and time-dependent (2 and 4 days) growth inhibition and apoptosis induction in murine lung cancer cells. Effects were reversed by washouts of Vorinostat. Similar reversible Vorinostat effects on growth inhibition and apoptosis were observed in human lung cancer cell lines (HOP62, H522 and H23). Vorinostat treatments repressed cyclin D1 and cyclin E proteins, but increased p27 expression in ED-1 cells. Notably, Vorinostat treatments of cyclin E transgenic mice also substantially repressed cyclin D1 expression in pre-malignant and malignant lung tissues. Vorinostat treatment also significantly reduced lung tumor formation (p = 0.047) in FVB mice harboring transplanted syngeneic murine lung cancer cells. To translate studies into the clinic, an Institutional Review Board-approved proof of principle Vorinostat trial was launched for early stage non-small cell lung cancer cases undergoing surgical resection. Patients receive Vorinostat treatments pre-operatively. Post- versus pre-treatment biopsies will be scored for changes in immunohistochemical profiles of cyclin D1, cyclin E, p27, and ki-67. Trial accrual ends January 2011. Results will then be analyzed with findings reported at this meeting. Taken together, Vorinostat treatments repressed lung cancer cell growth by augmenting apoptosis and reducing cyclin D1 expression. Substantial anti-neoplastic effects of Vorinostat were seen in murine transgenic and transplantable lung cancer models. These studies underscore the value of clinically-relevant murine lung cancer models for guiding clinical trials in lung cancer patients. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 342. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-342
Elementary Mechanics of the Endothelium of Blood Vessels

The endothelium lining human arteries is a continuum of endothelial cells. The flowing blood imposes a shear stress on the endothelium. To compute the internal stress in the endothelium, we use two alternative hypotheses: 1) The cell content is fluid-like so that at steady-state it has no shear stress. 2) The cell content is solid-like. Under hypothesis No. 1, the membrane tension in the upper cell membrane grows in the direction opposite to the blood flow at a rate equal to the blood shear stress. At the junction of two neighboring cells the membrane tension in the downstream cell is transmitted partly to the basal lamina, and partly to the upstream cell. The transmission depends on the osmotic or static pressure difference between the cell and blood. If the static pressure difference is zero, the tension in the upper cell membrane will accumulate upstream. At other values of static pressure, the cell membrane tension may increase, decrease, or fluctuate along the vessel depending on the inclination of the side walls of the cells at the junctions. To determine the sidewall inclinations, we propose to use the complementary energy theorem. Under hypothesis No. 2, the cell content can bear shear, which tends to reduce the cell membrane tension; but the cell membrane tension accumulation phenomenon discussed above remains valid. These results are used to analyze the interaction of the cell membrane and cell nucleus; and the effect of turbulences in the flow on causing large fluctuations in cell membrane tension and vertical oscillations of the nuclei. The implication of tensile stress on the permeability of the cell membrane is discussed. We conclude that for the study of mass transport and stress fibers in the endothelial cells, one should consider the interaction of neighboring endothelial cells as a continuum, and shift attention from the shear stress in the blood to the principal stresses in the cells.
A Séance for Science

Art by Redniss serves as a matrix for presenting episodes from the life and research of Marie Curie and interjections about radiation, its effects, and its uses.
Robust Control of Active Suspensions

Active suspension has been widely studied in recent decades but the implementation of the single-input, single-output (SISO) force-control architecture that many of the prior studies use has had limited success due to the lightly damped zeros. The inherent trade-off between robust stability and road disturbance attenuation for SISO control architecture is the main culprit. In this paper, we study whether the single-input, two-output (SITO) control architecture provides sufficient degrees of freedom in the control synthesis. First, a quarter car model with an electromagnetic motor is derived and the improved LQG/LTR design technique is employed to simultaneously recover both stability robustness and disturbance attenuation properties at the expense of measurement noise sensitivity. It was found that if the control system is restricted to SISO architecture, sprung mass acceleration is the most promising choice among practical measurements. Both classical and modern control approaches are used to analyze the effectiveness of the proposed method and its closed-loop performance. Simulation results show that stability robustness and disturbance attenuation can be dramatically improved by the SITO architecture over its SISO counterpart.© 2007 ASME
Electroactive polymers as an enabling materials technology

AbstractNatural muscles are the actuators in most of the biological systems that are larger than a bacterium. The drive mechanism of muscles is complex, and they are capable of lifting large loads ...
The dynamics of exchange rate regimes: Fixes, floats, and flips

The impermanence of fixed exchange rates has become a stylized fact in international finance. The combination of the “mirage” view that pegs do not really peg with the “fear of floating” view that floats do not really float generates the conclusion that exchange rate regimes are, in practice, unimportant for the behavior of the exchange rate. This is consistent with evidence on the irrelevance of exchange rate regimes for general macroeconomic performance. Recent studies, however, show that the exchange rate regime matters. This can be understood by considering the dynamics of exchange rate regimes. We demonstrate that the “mirage” view is somewhat misleading and incomplete. Pegs frequently break, but many do last. Also, there is a high degree of flipping, that is, the re-formation of pegs that have broken. Thus, a fixed exchange rate today is a good predictor that one will exist in the future. We also investigate the quantitative effect of fixed exchange rates. While the “fear of floating” view suggests little actual difference in fixed and floating rates with respect to exchange rate volatility, we show that fixed exchange rates exhibit considerably greater bilateral exchange rate stability than flexible rates, both today and in the future. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Year in review 2007: Critical Care – multiple organ failure and sepsis

Several research papers published in Critical Care throughout 2007 examined the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of sepsis and multiorgan failure. The present review summarizes the findings and implications of the papers published on sepsis and multiorgan failure and places the research in the context of other work in the field.
Sealing of porous low-k dielectrics during plasma etching with H 2 plasma cleaning

Summary form only given. In order to reduce the RC time delay in integrated circuits, porous dielectric materials are used to lower the capacitance of the interconnect wiring insulation. Typical pore sizes are up to many nm with porosity of up to 50%. The low-k materials are typically SiOCH - silicon dioxide with carbon groups, principally CH3, lining the pores. The pores are open to the surface and internally connected, and so can offer pathways for reactive species to enter into the porous network. Reactions which remove CHX groups can increase the k value of the material. To maintain the low-& value of the dielectric, sealing of the surface pores is desired.
Hypernuclear structure from γ-ray spectroscopy☆

The energies of p-shell hypernuclear {gamma} rays obtained from recent experiments using the Hyperball at BNL and KEK are used to constrain the YN interaction which enters into shell-model calculations which include both {Lambda} and {Sigma} configurations.
The effect of laparoscopic versus open ovariectomy on postsurgical activity in small dogs.

Objective— To describe a technique for laparoscopic ovariectomy (LapOVE) in small dogs, and compare the surgical time, complications, and postoperative activity of dogs undergoing LapOVE to those undergoing conventional traditional open ovariectomy (OOVE). Study Design— A randomized, controlled clinical trial. Animals— Intact small breed (<10 kg) female dogs (n=20). Methods— Ventral median celiotomy was performed for OOVE. A 2-midline portal technique using a 3.5 mm laparoscope port and a 6 mm instrument portal was used for LapOVE. An accelerometer was attached to the collar of each dog to record 24-hour preoperative and 48-hour postoperative activity. Total activity counts recorded before surgery were compared with total counts recorded after surgery. The percent change in counts after surgery was compared between OOVE- and LapOVE-treated dogs. Results— No major complications occurred and surgical time for LapOVE was significantly longer than for OOVE cases (P=.005). Dogs in the LapOVE group had a 25% decrease in total activity counts after surgery (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11–38%), whereas dogs in the OOVE group had a 62% decrease in total activity counts after surgery (95% CI: 48–76%). Conclusions— Both procedures were performed with reasonable surgical times and without major complication. Postoperative activity, as measured by accelerometry, was significantly different between the 2 groups. Clinical Relevance— Laparoscopy is a safe method for ovariectomy in small dogs and results in increased postoperative activity counts when compared with an open technique.
Quantized EDF scheduling in a stochastic environment

In this paper, the efects of quantization on EDF (Earliest Deadline first) queues with a stochastic traffic model are presented. In a quantized EDF queue, jobs have limited fidelity in representing their relative deadlines. It is shown that most of the benefits of full EDF can be achieved with relative deadlines expressed in as little as three bits. The implications of this are that QoS networking technologies such as DifServ can be used to implement near EDF performance while still using no more than the standard set of bits in DS/TOS field.
The effect of connective tissue material uncertainties on knee joint mechanics under isolated loading conditions

Although variability in connective tissue parameters is widely reported and recognized, systematic examination of the effect of such parametric uncertainties on predictions derived from a full anatomical joint model is lacking. As such, a sensitivity analysis was performed to consider the behavior of a three-dimensional, non-linear, finite element knee model with connective tissue material parameters that varied within a given interval. The model included the coupled mechanics of the tibio-femoral and patello-femoral degrees of freedom. Seven primary connective tissues modeled as non-linear continua, articular cartilages described by a linear elastic model, and menisci modeled as transverse isotropic elastic materials were included. In this study, a multi-factorial global sensitivity analysis is proposed, which can detect the contribution of influential material parameters while maintaining the potential effect of parametric interactions. To illustrate the effect of material uncertainties on model predictions, exemplar loading conditions reported in a number of isolated experimental paradigms were used. Our findings illustrated that the inclusion of material uncertainties in a coupled tibio-femoral and patello-femoral model reveals biomechanical interactions that otherwise would remain unknown. For example, our analysis revealed that the effect of anterior cruciate ligament parameter variations on the patello-femoral kinematic and kinetic response sensitivities was significantly larger, over a range of flexion angles, when compared to variations associated with material parameters of tissues intrinsic to the patello-femoral joint. We argue that the systematic sensitivity framework presented herein will help identify key material uncertainties that merit further research and provide insight on those uncertainties that may not be as relative to a given response.
Bows and ribbons, tape and twine: Wrapping the wraparound process for children with multi-system needs

The wraparound process for children with multi-system needs is one of the most innovative and popular reform efforts in children's services. Nonetheless, the articles in this special issue are indicative of a service reform process that is still maturing and evolving. In this commentary, three key questions regarding the wraparound process are posed: (a) What is wraparound? (b) What is the current state of research regarding wraparound services? and (c) What are the implications for the future? It is argued that the future of wraparound depends at least in part on: (a) carefully defining the wraparound process, including how to best integrate the process with reforms based on the principles of a comprehensive system of care; and (b) making a strong commitment at all levels to the process of cumulative knowledge, of building and creating innovative research and program efforts over time, one upon the other. It is concluded that a failure to invest in careful definition, refinement, implementation, and research on the wraparound process consitutes a failure to invest in children and families with multi-system needs.
The Role of the Long Head of the Biceps Muscle and Superior Glenoid Labrum in Anterior Stability of the Shoulder

The authors conducted a study to determine if the long head of the biceps muscle and its attachment at the superior glenoid labrum play a role in stability of the shoulder in an overhead position. Their study used a dynamic cadaveric shoulder model that simulated the forces of the rotator cuff and long head of biceps muscles as the glenohumeral joint was abducted and externally rotated. Their data suggest that the long head of the biceps muscle contributes to anterior stability of the glenohumeral joint by increasing the shoulder's resistance to torsional forces in the vulnerable abducted and externally rotated position. The biceps muscle also helps to diminish the stress placed on the inferior glenohumeral ligament. Detachment of the superior glenoid labrum is detrimental to anterior shoulder stability as it decreases the shoulder's resistance to torsion and places a greater magnitude of strain on the inferior glenohumeral ligament.
The Two Kingdoms in America

Abstract: Two classical Christian commitments—the Augustinian notion of human sin plus the Reformation distinction between the two kingdoms—have been folded in to the vision of America's founding fathers. Contemporary secular political understanding reflects these wholesome religious roots. Most importantly, the Reformation commitment to relieving poverty belongs squarely on the ethical agenda of today's democracy.
Chemical Characteristics of Oceanic Basalts and the Upper Mantle

Tholeiitic basalts (oceanic tholeiites) that form most of the deeply submerged volcanic features in the oceans are characterized by extremely low amounts of Ba, K, P, Pb, Sr, Th, U, and Zr as well as Fe 2 O 3 /FeO 10 in unaltered samples. Oceanic tholeiites also have rare earth abundance-distribution patterns and ratios of K/Rb (1300) and Sr 87 /Sr 86 (0.702) similar to or overlapping those of calcium-rich (basaltic) achondritic meteorites. The close compositional similarities between the oceanic tholeiites and calcium-rich achondrites indicates the relatively primitive nature of the oceanic tholeiites. In contrast, the alkali-rich basalts that cap submarine and island volcanoes are relatively enriched in Ba, K, La, Nb, P, Pb, Pb 206 , Rb, Fe 2 O 3 , Sr, Sr 87 , Ti, Th, U, and Zr; i.e . in the same elements and isotopes that are concentrated in the sialic continental crusts by factors of 5 to 1000 more than the amounts readily inferred in the upper mantle. These analytical data coupled with the field relationships indicate that the alkali-rich basalts are derivative rocks, fractionated from the oceanic tholeiites by processes of magmatic differentiation, and that the oceanic tholeiites are the principal or only primary magma generated in the upper mantle under the oceans. Studies of the abundances and compositions of continental basalts show that essentially identical tholeiitic lavas, contaminated with Si, K, and the chemically coherent trace elements and radiogenic isotopes from the sial, also have been the predominant or only magma generated in the mantle under the continents. The chemical properties of oceanic tholeiites suggest that the upper mantle probably contains less than (in parts per million): Ba, 10; K, 1000; Pb, 0.4; Rb, 10; Th, 0.2; and U, 0.1. The Sr 87 /Sr 86 must be less than 0.7015; Th/U about 2; K/Rb about 1500–2000; and Fe 2 O 3 /FeO less than 0.1. The integration of field and petrochemical data with seismic, density, and shock-wave studies suggests that the oceanic tholeiites are either complete melts of the upper mantle or are generated from a mix of this tholeiite and a magnesium-rich peridotite or dunite in proportions up to perhaps 1:4. The Mohorovicic discontinuity under the oceans appears to mark the transition downward from a largely tholeiitic oceanic crust to either tholeiite reconstituted to blueschist or greenschist or to the ultramafic residue left after expulsion of oceanic tholeiite.
Ultrasonic Devices in Cardiac Surgery

Recent innovations in ultrasonic devices include high-frequency coagulating shears with piezoelectric ceramic electrostrictive transducers for both open and endoscopic procedures. Various ultrasonic devices have been used for the dissection of internal mammary, radial, and gastroepiploic arteries, aortic root, proximal right coronary artery, and left main coronary artery, as well as prior to surgical coronary ostial reconstruction and for elimination of stenotic induration in coronary arteries, release of muscle bridges, exposure of deep-seated coronary arteries, pericardiectomy, and removal of a cardiac tumor. Unlike valve decalcification, the required energy output of ultrasonic aspirators in coronary artery surgery is much lower and harvesting time of arterial conduits is significantly shortened. Ultrastructural studies of harvested internal mammary artery segments with scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed no structural alteration of the wall or luminal surface when low energy output ...
Group-based Differences in Perceptions of Racism: What Counts, to Whom, and Why?

Belonging to a group fundamentally shapes the way we interpret and attribute the behavior of others. Similarly, perceptions of racism can be influenced by group membership. Experimental and survey research reveal disagreement between Whites and Blacks about the prevalence of racism in America. Several social cognitive factors contribute to this disagreement: discrepancies in Whites' and Blacks' lay intuitions about the attitudes and behaviors that count as racism, comparison standards when determining racial progress, and the salience of and meaning drawn from successful Black individuals in society. These perceptual discrepancies have consequences for policy attitudes, decisions about how best to combat racial inequality, and beliefs about whether inequality persists. Successful interventions that increase Whites' knowledge of structural racism and that attenuate self-image threat suggest that it is possible to converge Blacks' and Whites' perceptions of racism by expanding Whites' definition of racism.
BTC Image Coding Using Median Filter Roots

In this paper we source encode the truncated block used in block truncation coding. It is shown that the truncated block is well approximated by wide-sense Markoff statistics; a signal having these characteristics has a high probability of belonging to the root signal set of median filters. Because the root signal space is much smaller than the binary space, it takes fewer bits to specify the truncated block in the root signal space, obtaining in this manner rate compression. Using two-dimensional filtering we can reduce the standard BTC rate of 1.63 bits/pel to 1.31 bits/pel. Using one-dimensional filtering along with a trellis encoder, rates close to 1.1 bits/pel are obtained with this fixed-length coding method.
Federal Active Transportation Policy in Transition From ISTEA to Complete Streets

Active transportation has become an increasingly important policy area over the past 40 years as communities around the country have sought to provide transportation options that improve community quality of life and minimize negative environmental impacts. Federal infrastructure investments supporting walking and bicycling have, however, been contentious. This article explores the underlying tensions created as active transportation has been included in the federal transportation planning process over the past 40 years. Specifically, the article tracks the succession of transportation bill funding levels and changes in policy actors during this period. Structural changes that provided dedicated funding and expanded public participation have been vital to helping to foster the burgeoning active transportation coalition and to increasing usage rates for active transportation around the country.
How People with Disabilities Communicatively Manage Assistance: Helping as Instrumental Social Support

While social support is often conceptualized as a temporary need in crisis situations, people with visible physical disabilities face an ongoing challenge of balancing the need for instrumental social support against receiving unwanted help on a daily basis. Our goal was to study instrumental support interactions from the perspective of support recipients; in this case, people who are disabled, focusing on how physical assistance is communicatively managed with strangers and newer acquaintances. A qualitative/interpretive analysis was carried out on transcripts of in-depth interviews with 30 participants who had visible physical disabilities. Participants and interviewers discussed how help was communicated and managed with nondisabled others. Results detailed the physical assistance needed by people with disabilities, assistance initiated by persons with disabilities, assistance initiated by nondisabled persons, and how people with disabilities manage unwanted assistance. Practical applications for commu...
Endotoxin activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase in THP-1 cells; diminished activation following endotoxin desensitization

The signal transduction events occur- ring in monocytes in response to endotoxin (LPS) stimulation are incompletely delineated, although pertussis toxin (PT)-sensitive G proteins and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade have been implicated. Cellular desensitization in response to 18-h pre-exposure to 1 mg/mL LPS alters signal transduction pathways of cellular acti- vation and decreases production of certain inflam- matory mediators such as thromboxane (Tx)B2, the stable metabolite of TxA2. We hypothesized that LPS stimulation of the human monocyte cell line THP-1 occurs via MAPK activation, and that LPS desensitization, induced by pre-exposure to LPS, is associated with altered signaling through the MAPK cascade. Involvement of a specific MAPK, ERK, in LPS-stimulated TxB2 production was further tested using a specific MAPK cascade inhibitor, PD98059 (PD). PD inhibited LPS and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-stimulated ERK activation as demon- strated by immunoblots using anti-activated ERK antibodies. PD significantly inhibited LPS and PMA- stimulated TxB2 synthesis to non-detectable levels, suggesting an involvement of MAPK in LPS- stimulated activation. Because PT-sensitive G pro- teins mediate LPS-stimulated signal transduction, their role in MAPK activation was tested. Pretreat- ment with PT inhibited basal and LPS-stimulated, but not PMA-stimulated ERK activation. Activation of ERK after LPS desensitization was also assessed. LPS pre-exposure resulted in a profound decrease in LPS-stimulated activation of ERK, but did not affect PMA activation of ERK. These data implicate the involvement of the MAPK cascade in LPS- stimulated activation of THP-1 cells and suggest coupling of Gi proteins and MAPKs in LPS- stimulated events. LPS desensitization is associated with decreased MAPK activation, but does not impair MAPK activation by PMA. Thus, LPS desen- sitization appears to selectively alter signal transduc- tion upstream of ERK. J. Leukoc. Biol. 64: 259- 264; 1998.
Environmental Correlates of Abundances of Mosquito Species and Stages in Discarded Vehicle Tires

Discarded vehicle tires are a common habitat for container mosquito larvae, although the environmental factors that may control their presence or abundance within a tire are largely unknown. We sampled discarded vehicle tires in six sites located within four counties of central Illinois during the spring and summer of 2006 to determine associations between a suite of environmental factors and community composition of container mosquitoes. Our goal was to find patterns of association between environmental factors and abundances of early and late instars. We hypothesized that environmental factors correlated with early instars would be indicative of oviposition cues, whereas environmental factors correlated with late instars would be those important for larval survival. We collected 13 species of mosquitoes, with six species (Culex restuans, Cx. pipiens, Aedes albopictus, Cx. salinarius, Ae. atropalpus, and Ae. triseriatus) accounting for ≈95% of all larvae. There were similar associations between congenerics and environmental factors, with Aedes associated with detritus type (fine detritus, leaves, seeds) and Culex associated with factors related to the surrounding habitat (human population density, canopy cover, tire size) or microorganisms (bacteria, protozoans). Although there was some consistency in factors that were important for early and late instar abundance, there were few significant associations between early and late instars for individual species. Lack of correspondence between factors that explain variation in early versus late instars, most notable for Culex, suggests a difference between environmental determinants of oviposition and survival within tires. Environmental factors associated with discarded tires are important for accurate predictions of mosquito occurrence at the generic level.
Antagonistic and rate-suppressing effects of opioid antagonists in the pigeon

Pigeons trained to peck a key on a fixed-ratio 20 schedule of food presentation were used to evaluate the antagonistic and rate-suppressing effects of several opioid antagonists. Antagonism was measured as an increase in the dose of morphine necessary to suppress responding. Antagonist pretreatments increased the suppressing dose of morphine, although the magnitude of the increase varied markedly among different antagonists. Rank order of the maximum increase in the suppressing dose of morphine that each antagonist produced was: naltrexone = WIN 44,441 greater than beta-funaltrexamine greater than naloxone = buprenorphine greater than MR 2266 greater than diprenorphine. The time course of morphine antagonism also differed among antagonists. For example, buprenorphine was not an effective antagonist when administered 10 min before morphine, but was effective when administered either 2 or 12 hr before morphine. beta-Funaltrexamine and WIN 44,441 had the longest durations of antagonist action; each antagonized the rate-suppressing effects of morphine from 10 min to 24 hr. The effective antagonistic dose range (i.e., doses which blocked the rate-suppressing effects of morphine without affecting response rate when administered alone) and maximum increase in the suppressing dose of morphine were highly correlated, suggesting that the direct effects of most of these antagonists on responding may limit their effectiveness as morphine antagonists.