cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antimagnet [Microwave Surfing]

Maxwell's equations can be harnessed to design an antimagnet, a cloak that would, on one hand, conceal the static magnetic field produced by an object inside and, on the other, would not perturb an external static magnetic field. The new antimagnet cloak has an inner layer fabricated from a high-temperature superconducting tape, which, on its own, repels the magnetic field. The outer ferromagnetic layer is made from a thick FeNiCr alloy sheet and, on its own, it draws in the magnetic field lines.
Size of the embryoid body influences chondrogenesis of mouse embryonic stem cells.

For applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are commonly pre-differentiated in the form of embryoid bodies (EBs). The uncontrolled cell differentiation in EBs results in a highly heterogeneous cell population, an unfavourable condition for therapeutic development. The purpose of this study was to determine an optimal size of EBs for chondrogenic differentiation. EBs were produced in suspension culture with mouse ESCs (ES-D3 GL). The 5-day-old EBs were sorted under a microscope by diameter: small EBs (S-EBs, 150 microm). The three sizes of EBs were cultured separately for 3 weeks in chondrogenic medium. Type II collagen and aggrecan gene expression was significantly upregulated in the S-EBs, when compared with the M-EBs and L-EBs (p 50% of the other two groups. In addition, both Oct4 and Sox2 were expressed more in S-EBs than in M-EBs and L-EBs. Type X collagen expression was relatively increased in L-EBs. Slight shifts toward haematopoietic and endothelial differentiation were seen in the L- and M-EBs. In summary, the size of EBs has implications on ESC differentiation. Cells derived from S-EBs have a greater chondrogenic potential than those from M-EBs and L-EBs. The size of EBs can be a parameter utilized to optimize ESC differentiation for tissue engineering.
Perspective: A model disease.

Despite its rarity, multiple myeloma is an ideal testing ground for cancer biology, says William Matsui.
A THEORETICAL TREE LINE IN CENTRAL CANADA

ABSTRACT An index of tree growth based on the mean growth curve of black spruce shows that tree growth in the boreal forest of central Canada decreases linearly as the forest-tundra boundary is approached. A theoretical tree line is defined by black spruce growth data. The distribution of tree growth and the theoretical tree line indicate that the forest-tundra boundary is the mean summer position of the arctic front. The growth of white spruce is briefly considered, but because of a small sample size, no conclusions are drawn.
Estimating the magnitude of capital flight due to abnormal pricing in international trade: The Russia–USA case

Governmental and international lending agencies, as well as private sector firms, who engage in international trade, have long been concerned with detecting and determining the magnitude of abnorma...
Gas phase production of particles in reactive turbulent flows

Abstract Industrial production of carbon blacks and various oxide powders (silica, titania) is commercially carried out in turbulent conditions. A theoretical study was conducted to analyze the interplay of chemical reaction, Brownian and shear-induced coagulation in nonisothermal, highly turbulent flows, during gas phase production of ceramic powders. The dynamic behavior of these particles is modelled by approximating the particle size distribution by a lognormal function throughout the process. The validity of the lognormal approximation is investigated by comparing it to a detailed solution of the respective population balance equation. The effects of turbulent intensity, mass loading, process pressure, initial temperature and cooling rate on the polydispersity and average size of the product particles were investigated. It was found that initially, particle growth is controlled by chemical reaction and Brownian coagulation while later shear-induced coagulation becomes predominant. During the transition from Brownian to shear-induced coagulation the geometric standard deviation goes through a minimum. Thus, an optimal average particle diameter can be identified with respect to the polydispersity of the product powder. This optimal diameter decreases with increasing turbulent intensity and initial temperature, and with decreasing process pressure.
Dose-related effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on growth, modeling, and morphology of fetal mouse metatarsals cultured in serum-free medium

A serum-free, fetal bone organ culture model that permits the simultaneous determination of modeling and growth parameters was used to examine the effects of a near physiologic and a pharmacologic dose of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25-(OH)2D3]. The fetuses of pregnant mice were removed on day 17 of gestation, and three medial metatarsal rudiments were cleaned and after preculturing were cultured as pair-matched groups for 4 days in MEM supplemented with 0.2% BSA. 1,25-(OH)2D3 was added to the cultures at concentrations of 10(-12) or 10(-6) M. Cultures treated with the carrier and devitalized bones served as controls. For resorption studies, pregnant mice were given 45Ca on day 17 of pregnancy and fetal metatarsals harvested 24 h later. Resorption was determined by the amount of 45Ca released into the media. DNA synthesis was estimated by determining the incorporation of [3H]thymidine, collagen synthesis by measuring the incorporation of [3H]proline, mineralization by the incorporation of 45Ca, and proteoglycan synthesis by the incorporation of 35S. The amount of radiolabel was detected in media, as well as in noncultured, dead, and cultured rudiments. The total length of the rudiments and length of the calcified diaphyses were measured daily. In addition, rudiments from all experimental groups were prepared for light and electron microscopy. The high dose (10(-6) M) of 1,25-(OH)2D3 suppressed total rudiment growth but not the growth of the calcified diaphysis, 1,25-(OH)2D3 also decreased DNA, collagen, and proteoglycan synthesis, reduced calcification, and increased bone resorption in a dose-related manner. There were morphologic and ultrastructural changes in the osseous tissues and cells, particularly with the high dose of vitamin D, that supported the biochemical findings of suppressed activity of the osteogenic and chondrogenic cells. However, the suppression of collagen production and bone cell proliferation observed with the pharmacologic dose of vitamin D may be partially attributable to the decrease in bone mass (from increased resorption), thus resulting in less osseous tissue surface for these events to occur as endochondral osteogenesis progressed. The lower dose of vitamin D, however, had effects on 35S and 45Ca incorporation that could not be attributed to a decreased osseous tissue mass. This study emphasizes the importance of measuring specialized activities of the various cell populations in bone rudiment culture models to more fully understand the changes in tissue metabolism that result in changes in rudiment growth and modeling.
Inverse power law quintessence with non-tracking initial conditions

A common property of popular models of quintessence dark energy is the convergence to a common solution from a large range of the initial conditions. We reexamine the popular inverse power-law model of quintessence (where the common solution is dubbed as the ``tracker'') with particular attention to the initial conditions for the field and their influence on the evolution. We find that previously derived limits on the parameters of the potential in this model are valid only in a range of initial conditions. A reasonably sharp boundary lies where the initial energy density of the scalar field is equal to that of the background radiation component. An initial quintessence energy density above this equipartition value leads to a solution that will not have joined the tracker solution by the present epoch. These nontracker solutions possess the property that their present equation of state is very compatible with the observed bounds and independent of the exponent of the potential.
Computational Framework for Microstructural Bone Dynamics Model and Its Evaluation

Bones are firm and solid organs that form the skeleton of the body. Bone consists of living tissues with which bone remodeling occurs asynchronously at various sites and involves resorption by osteoclast, followed by formation of new bone by osteoblast. Although bone is a simple composite of a mineral structure, its structure highly contributes to the strength of the bone. In this paper, we develop a computational framework for microstructural bone dynamics modeling which is capable of quantitative assessment of bone mineral density and bone micro-architecture. Our paper focuses on bone microstructure and remodeling dynamics based on a bone network model. First, we generate a bone network based on our bone model reflecting bone microstructure. Next, we introduce a mathematical model of autocrine and paracrine interactions among osteoblast and osteoclast. It allows us to calculate cell population dynamics and changes in bone mass at multiple sites of bone remodeling. Last, we analyze two bone networks representing healthy bone and bone with osteoporosis with our evaluation measurements. Our study provides an initial framework of bone remodeling simulation that can explain experimental observations in bone biology to explore bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
Use of the SF-36 among persons with spinal cord injury

The purpose of this study was to explore the applicability of the SF-36 for assessing health-related quality of life among persons with spinal cord injuries. A sample of 215 persons who had experienced new, traumatic spinal cord injury and who had been discharged from their initial hospitalizations for at least 1 yr were included in the study. Correlations between the SF-36's physical and mental component scores appraised and the relationship of each component to level of neurologic impairment was assessed. As expected, the two components measured separate and distinct constructs; only physical component scores were associated with impairment severity.
Diastolic Dysfunction in the Presence of Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction: Implications of ß-Adrenergic Blocking Therapy

The contribution of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction to the impairment in overall left ventricular performance in patients with systolic dysfunction is underappreciated. This article summarizes the available data on diastolic dysfunction in patients with congestive heart failure in which the predominant abnormality was thought to be left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The prevalence and iden- tification of diastolic abnormalities and their clinical rele- vance are addressed, particularly the role of s-adrenergic blocking therapy. The potential benefits of s-adrenergic blocking therapy to diastolic performance are discussed from both a hemodynamic and clinical standpoint, with the implication that diastolic performance and its modula- tion should be considered in future investigations. (CHF. Congestive heart failure is known to be caused by ei- ther left ventricular systolic dysfunction or diastolic dysfunction in patients with preserved left ventricular systolic performance. This differentiation in the pathophysiology of the clinical syndrome of conges- tive heart failure and the medical management of each of these unique hemodynamic conditions has been well described.1-4 However, despite the reports of ab- normalities in left ventricular diastolic performance in patients with congestive heart failure who do not have left ventricular systolic dysfunction,5,6 no study has critically evaluated the prevalence, significance, and management of diastolic abnormalities in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Furthermore, the contribution of impairment in left ventricular diastolic performance in patients with impaired left ventricular systolic performance, as defined by a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less, is underappreciated. The development of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at the biologic properties of the failing heart through the use of s-adrenergic blocking therapy in chronic congestive heart failure7,8 has rekindled an interest in the investigation of diastole. This article summarizes the available data on diastolic dysfunc- tion in the presence of congestive heart failure in which left ventricular systolic dysfunction is assumed to predominate, with particular emphasis on the methods of assessment and response to s-adrenergic blocking therapy. In particular, the following questions will be addressed: 1) How often is diastolic dysfunction present when left ventricular systolic performance is impaired? 2) How do we identify diastolic dysfunction? 3) Is there any prognostic significance to impaired di- astolic performance in this setting? and 4) Does med- ical therapy, principally β-adrenergic blockade, have a beneficial impact on abnormal left ventricular dias- tolic properties?
Foxd3 is required in the trophoblast progenitor cell lineage of the mouse embryo

The murine blastocyst contains two nonoverlapping pools of progenitor cells: the embryonic component contributes to the fetus and generates embryonic stem cells in vitro, whereas the extraembryonic pool contributes to the placenta and generates trophoblast stem cells in vitro. The transcriptional repressor Foxd3 is required for maintenance of the epiblast and the in vitro establishment of embryonic stem cell lines. Here, we demonstrate that Foxd3 is also required in the trophoblast lineage. Trophoblast progenitors in Foxd3/ embryos do not selfrenew and are not multipotent, but instead give rise to an excess of trophoblast giant cells. Injection of Foxd3/ blastocysts with wild type ES cells fails to rescue Foxd3/ placentas and such chimeras die around 10 days of embryogenesis. These results indicate an essential role for Foxd3 in two nonoverlapping progenitor cell populations that require different secreted factors to maintain their multipotent properties in vitro and give rise to divergent tissues in vivo. Moreover, this provides support for the hypothesis that there are conserved molecular mechanisms for maintaining the self-renewing properties of diverse progenitor cell types.
Redirecting research in large-format displays for visualization

Large-format displays, in particular tiled displays, remain actively used and researched today after almost two decades since their conception. Many government, academic, and commercial entities have invested considerably in the construction and use of large-format displays. During this time we have developed new applications but have also discovered faulty assumptions. This position paper evaluates the most important lessons learned from early and recent research in large-format displays. Each lesson suggests a direction for future research, which generally takes the form of a more user- and application-centric focus.
Electrostatic nanolithography in polymers using atomic force microscopy.

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of techniques used to pattern polymers on the nano (1–100 nm) and submicrometre (100–1,000 nm) scale, driven by the extensive versatility of polymers for diverse applications, such as molecular electronics1,2, data storage3, optoelectronics4, displays5, sacrificial templates6,7 and all forms of sensors. Conceptually, most of the patterning techniques, including microcontact printing (soft lithography)8, photolithography9,10, electron-beam lithography11, block-copolymer templating12,13 and dip-pen lithography14, are based on the spatially selective removal or formation/deposition of polymer. Here, we demonstrate an alternative and novel lithography technique—electrostatic nanolithography using atomic force microscopy—that generates features by mass transport of polymer within an initially uniform, planar film without chemical crosslinking, substantial polymer degradation or ablation. The combination of localized softening of attolitres (102–105 nm3) of polymer by Joule heating, extremely non-uniform electric field gradients to polarize and manipulate the soften polymer, and single-step process methodology using conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM) equipment, establishes a new paradigm for polymer nanolithography, allowing rapid (of the order of milliseconds) creation of raised (or depressed) features without external heating of a polymer film or AFM tip–film contact.
An association between glutathione S-transferase P1 gene polymorphism and younger age at onset of lung carcinoma

BACKGROUND. Among the genes that encode the glutathione S-transferase (GST) superfamily of Phase 2 metabolizing enzymes, GSTP1 has the highest expression in the lung. The polymorphic GSTP1 gene encodes glutathione S-transferase π, which is an enzyme that detoxifies cigarette carcinogens, such as benzo-[a]-pyrene. The variant GSTP1 GG genotype is associated with lower enzymatic activity and higher DNA adduct levels in human lymphocytes compared with the AA genotype. METHODS. The authors evaluated the association of GSTP1 genotypes with lung cancer in 1921 cases and 1343 controls of Caucasian descent by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. The results were analyzed with multiple logistic regression adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, and pack-years. To investigate specifically the subset of younger lung cancer patients and controls, the effect of age (either as a dichotomous or continuous variable in separate models) was analyzed as a modifying factor of the association between the GSTP1 polymorphism and lung cancer. RESULTS. The GSTP1 GG genotype was not associated with an overall increased risk of lung cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.78–1.34) compared with the GSTP1 AA genotype. In both models that evaluated the gene-age interaction, an overall statistically significant interaction (P < .01) was observed between age and the GG genotype. However, for the model that included age as a dichotomous variable, the odds ratio of lung cancer risk with the GG genotype compared with the AA among individuals age ≤50 years was 2.67 (95% CI, 1.36–5.22); in older individuals, the risk was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.65–1.2). RESULTS. The GSTP1 GG genotype was associated with increased lung cancer susceptibility among younger study participants. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Saints and Heroes: A Plea for the Supererogatory

If we judge the actions of saints and heroes to be morally praiseworthy, are we thereby committed to the belief that actions of a similar type are encumbent upon the rest of us as a duty? Elizabeth Pybus in her article 'Saints and Heroes'1 argues that we are. The category of the supererogatory as introduced by J. 0. Urmson2 is, she tells us, superfluous, and the kinds of acts which it putatively identifies can be accommodated adequately under the concept of duty. Traditional theories of morality usually classify actions into one of three mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories: duties, which instantiate ideals with a positive moral evaluation the attainment of which is, ceteris paribus, considered obligatory ;3 the impermissible, which instantiate ideals with a negative moral evaluation the pursuit of which is prohibited; and the permissible, which instantiate ideals with neither a positive or negative moral evaluation the attainment of which is optional. But according to Urmson this trichotomy fails to capture all the actions which fall within the moral realm. Some actions, which he chooses to call the supererogatory, instantiate ideals with the highest possible moral evaluation though their performance is seldom, if ever, considered obligatory. The sort of actions Urmson has in mind here are those of the hero who shields his comrades from the blast of a live hand grenade by throwing his own body across it, or the saint who selflessly volunteers to give aid in a plague-ridden city. Since these actions instantiate ideals with a positive moral evaluation, they are clearly neither impermissible nor merely permissible. Yet since their emulation is not obligatory, neither can they be classified as duties. Hence, Urmson tells us, the need for a new taxonomy, a four-fold classification of the moral realm, which recognizes the existence of acts which attract more praise but do not require emulation.
A reversible, hydrogen lon blockade of spontaneous oocyte maturation in the starfish: Locus of action

Starfish (Asterias forbesi) oocytes encased within their follicle cells mature spontaneously during a portion of the normal reproductive period when released from the ovary into seawater. A previous report has shown that oocytes isolated in acidic seawater do not mature spontaneously but retain the capacity to do so when returned to normal seawater. The object of this study was to determine the mechanism by which acidic pH reversibly blocks spontaneous oocyte maturation in isolated follicles. Incidence of spontaneous oocyte maturation in follicles isolated in acidic seawater decreased as pH decreased from 7 to 4. Oocytes in which spontaneous maturation was inhibited (ASW at pH 4.7 TO 5.4) underwent germinal vesicle breakdown with the addition of 1-methyladenine. Oocytes isolated in acidic seawater (pH 4 or 5) with intact follicle cells matured spontaneously when transferred immediately to normal seawater pH 8); after four hours, 60-65% of the follicles incubated in seawater at pH 5 matured spontaneously when returned to normal seawater as compared to less than 10% of the follicles maintained at pH 4. Inhibition of spontaneous maturation was not reversible in the absence of the follicle cells. Oocytes isolated in acidic seawater with their follicle cells did not spontaneously mature when transferred to calcium-free seawater at pH 8. The results obtained support the hypothesis that acidic seawater reversibly inhibits spontaneous oocyte maturation by interfering with the release of meiosis-inducing substance from the follicle cells.
Effectiveness of Antimicrobial Incise Drapes versus Cyanoacrylate Barrier Preparations for Surgical Sites

Surgical wound infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. We compared the effectiveness of antimicrobial incise drapes versus cyanoacrylate microbial sealant adhesive barrier in preventing skin flora contamination of surgical wounds in an animal model. Staphylococcus aureus in suspension was placed on fresh ovine skin across 60 circular marks of defined area: 20 circles were designated as controls, 20 were covered with antimicrobial incise drapes, and 20 were covered with cyanoacrylate. Incisions were made through the circles; swab cultures were taken, serially diluted after agitation, and cultured on blood agar plates. The number of colony forming units (CFUs) was then counted and compared between the samples from the two drapes. While there were no differences between antimicrobial incise-draped areas (108.3 ± 90 CFUs) and undraped controls (82.7 ± 93.3 CFUs), the cyanoacrylate-treated group demonstrated lower wound bed contamination (0.3 ± 0.6 CFUs) when compared to controls.
Poor Sensitivity of a Modified Alvarado Score in Adults With Suspected Appendicitis

Study objective A clinical decision rule that identifies patients at low risk for appendicitis may reduce the reliance on computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis. We seek to prospectively evaluate the accuracy of a low modified Alvarado score in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected appendicitis and compare the score to clinical judgment. We hypothesize that a low modified Alvarado score will have a sufficiently high sensitivity to rule out acute appendicitis. Methods We performed a prospective observational study of adult patients with suspected appendicitis at 2 academic urban EDs. A low modified Alvarado score was defined as less than 4. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated with 95% confidence interval (CI) for a low modified Alvarado score, and a final diagnosis of appendicitis was confirmed by CT, laparotomy, or 7-day follow-up. Results Two hundred sixty-one patients were included for analysis (mean age 35 years [range 18 to 89 years], 68% female patients, 52% white). Fifty-three patients (20%) had acute appendicitis. The modified Alvarado score test characteristics demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 72% (95% CI 58% to 84%) and 54% (95% CI 47% to 61%), respectively. Unstructured clinical judgment that appendicitis was either the most likely or second most likely diagnosis demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 93% (95% CI 82% to 98%) and 33% (95% CI 27% to 40%), respectively. Conclusion With a sensitivity of 72%, a low modified Alvarado score is less sensitive than clinical judgment in excluding acute appendicitis.
Neural reapportionment: an hypothesis to account for the function of sleep

Sleep is a ubiquitous component of animal life, and prolonged sleep deprivation is fatal in both vertebrates and invertebrates. The physiologic function of sleep, however, is not known. We propose here that sleep provides a period of time necessary to reapportion resources within neurons and neural systems that become sub-optimally distributed during active waking. Three specific examples of such reapportionment during sleep are suggested: (1) the return of the neurotransmitter, glutamate, to synaptic vesicles at presynaptic sites most active during waking, (2) the intracellular movement of mitochondria from neuronal processes to the cells soma where mitochondrial replication can occur, and (3) the readjustment of the level and distribution of neurotransmitters within the brainstem modulatory systems and elsewhere that must function in an integrated fashion during waking. Experimental approaches that might be utilized to test these hypotheses are suggested.
Vertebral and right subclavian artery abnormalities in the Down syndrome

Abstract The Down Syndrome (DS), the most common chromosomal malformation syndrome in humans, occurs in 1 in 660 births. 1 The clinical manifestations of DS are variable, and may be difficult to recognize in the neonate. We performed this study after the fortuitous finding of aberrant origin of the left vertebral artery on an aortic arch cineangiogram in a patient with DS. We retrospectively reviewed the cineangiograms of other patients with and without DS to determine the frequency of its occurrence. Patients with DS (confirmed by karyotyping) who underwent cardiac catheterization and selective cineangiography for suspected congenital heart disease between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1987, were included. Patients who did not have DS and who were shown to have similar congenital cardiac defects by cardiac catheterization and selective cineangiography served as controls. Only those cineangiograms that clearly showed the aortic arch and the branches arising from the aortic arch were included in the study.
MSSM—a design aid for multi-stage systolic mapping

A multi-stage algorithm is a computing algorithm consisting of a sequence of nested loop constructs to be executed sequentially. In this paper, a systematic approach to address the multi-stage systolic mapping problem is proposed. To reduce the inter-stage data communication overhead, we argue that the adjacent stages should have matched I/O interface. For this, the conditions of I/O matching between two stage's mapping are established. A systematic method to derive the I/O matched mapping is also presented. To improve the performance degradation due to theinitiation andconclusion phases of computation in systolic array, a technique calledchaining which tries to overlap part of the computations in successive stages and thus effectively reduces the computation latency is employed. With these results, the multi-stage mapping problem is formulated as an optimization problem and a heuristic search based multi-stage systolic mapping (MSSM) tool is developed. Several design examples are presented to illustrate the potential use of MSSM.
Synthesis, physicochemical properties and antiviral activities of ester prodrugs of ganciclovir.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to synthesize a series of diester prodrugs of ganciclovir (GCV), for improving ocular and oral bioavailability and therapeutic activity. Solubility, log P , pH stability profile, in vitro antiviral activity, cytotoxicity, inhibition profile and ocular tissue hydrolysis of the GCV prodrugs were measured. Val–Val–GCV and Val–Gly–GCV diesters were found to exhibit greater aqueous stability compared to Val–GCV and Gly–Val–GCV while ocular tissue hydrolysis demonstrated Val–Gly–GCV and Gly–Val–GCV to be more stable. Val–Val–GCV and Val–GCV diesters were the most lipophilic compounds and were predicted to possess a partition coefficient 295- and 12-fold greater than that of GCV, respectively. All the prodrugs possess much higher aqueous solubility than the parent drug GCV. Ex vivo uptake in the rabbit eye indicates that the prodrugs have high uptake potential. The prodrugs showed no increase in cytotoxicity compared to GCV, instead there was a marked increase in their potency against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as well as HSV-1 and HSV-2. This should allow therapeutic response to be seen at a lower concentration that can be achieved more easily, than the drugs currently being used. In conclusion, the diester GCV prodrugs demonstrated excellent chemical stability, high aqueous solubility and markedly enhanced antiviral potency against the herpes viruses without any increase in cytotoxicity.
Brightness contrast effects in a pupillometric experiment

Pupillometric experiments which employ picture slides as stimuli have been criticized for their failure to control intrastimulus brightness variation. This factor has been suggested as the source of pupil size changes that are observed in response to picture slide stimuli, rather than the emotional response of the subject. The present study required subjects to direct their gaze to areas of a slide that varied in brightness. On the basis of the obtained results, it was concluded that brightness contrast does not play a major role in the pupil’s response to picture slide stimuli which have been properly prepared.
Individual differences in the attack behavior of male mice: A function of attack stimulus and hormonal state

Male CFW mice were tested for fighting behavior directed against olfactory bulbectomized male mice and against lactating female mice. Some males were tested with each stimulus type before and after castration. Some males were tested first following castration and then after testosterone treatment. All gonadally intact males attacked bulbectomized males and 25% attacked lactating females. After castration 81% attacked males on at least one occasion and 62% began to attack lactating females, although individual differences in the pattern of post-castration behavior were large. Individual differences in attack behavior were also large in males whose first tests followed castration. Of these, 60% attacked both stimuli. Following testosterone treatment, attack against males increased while attack against females was inhibited. Hormonal stimulation reduced individual differences in behavior and increased males' discrimination between the two types of stimuli.
Property rights and transformation in Russia: Institutional change in the far North

THIS ARTICLE IS AN IN-DEPTH STUDY of the transformation of property rights systems in a far northern region of Russia-the Yamal Peninsula.' Although the region is remote, the issues are central to larger questions, including development policy, assistance by international lending institutions in the rebuilding of the Russian economy, and tailoring of privatisation policy to achieve multiple policy goals of a culturally and environmentally diverse society. Thus the questions raised here reach beyond Russia to touch on issues of equity and sustainability, as well as successful economic transformation. The system of property rights that emerges on Yamal will have a powerful impact on the culture and economy of the reindeer herding Nenets who have lived there for centuries. The property rights system developed there will also determine, in large measure, whether the indigenous local people have a say in or even benefit from development of the supergiant gas fields on the Peninsula.2 As potential Western investors know from experience elsewhere in the Circumpolar North, the vast energy resources of Yamal could be developed in a more secure political environment with (rather than without) the support of indigenous residents. This detailed study of the Yamal Peninsula elucidates the larger principle that the economic transformation in Russia needs to be supported through institutional development, especially through the allocation of property rights in a manner that protects local economies and allows the indigenous population to participate in decision making as well as share in the benefits of development. As experience in Alaska and across the Canadian North demonstrates, according substantial property and even political rights to indigenous peoples need not constitute a barrier to larger national agendas for development of oil and gas resources.3 Privatisation plays a central role in Russian policy for transforming the Russian economy to a market system but, as others have pointed out, the achievements to date fall far short of a shift to a market economy. McFaul recently attributed the failure to transform Russia's economy to the inattention paid to dismantling 'old Soviet institutional arrangements governing property rights of large enterprises'.4 He advocates the exercise of state power to create institutions that support and stimulate a market economy and enforce hard budget constraints for large enterprises, such as a legal code regarding private property, regulation of corporations, and a social safety
Computer Processing of Radiographic Images with the Finite Fourier Transform

This paper considers the optimal design and implementation of two-dimensional, nonrecursive digital filters for use in the processing of radiographic images. A stochastic system model is used for the image-forming process, and the filter is designed to a mean-square error criterion. Both the design algorithm and filter realization are mechanized by using a Fast Fourier Transform code, thereby ensuring the computational efficiency of the method.
Nature and distribution of tungsten oxides in porous Vycor glass

Abstract Tungsten oxides, including WO3 and mixed valent oxides, are formed in unpolished porous Vycor glass (PVG) by ultraviolet photolytic decomposition of adsorbed tungsten hexacarbonyl. The relative amounts of the oxides formed are determined by a competition between aggregation and oxidation, and both are influenced by CO pressure gradients created by the photoinduced release of CO within the nanoporous silica matrix. These gradients sweep the hexacarbonyl precursor into the outer regions of the PVG, increasing amounts of tungsten nearer the surface, thereby enhancing the rate of aggregation relative to the rate of oxidation and promoting the formation of the mixed valent oxides. Thermolysis of the physisorbed hexacarbonyl, on the other hand, produces predominantly WO3. Thermolysis promotes desorption of the physisorbed W(CO)6, reducing the amount of tungsten available, permitting oxidation to be the predominant process over aggregation, leading to WO3 formation.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors suppress the expression of inflammatory and innate immune response genes in human microglia and astrocytes

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been proposed as therapies for certain cancers and as an anti-reservoir therapy for HIV+ individuals with highly active anti-retroviral therapy, yet their roles in glial inflammatory and innate antiviral gene expression have not been defined. In this study, we examined the effects of two non-selective HDACi, trichostatin A and valproic acid, on antiviral and cytokine gene expression in primary human microglia and astrocytes stimulated with TLR3 or TLR4 ligand. HDACi potently suppressed the expression of innate antiviral molecules such as IFNβ, interferon-simulated genes, and proteins involved in TLR3/TLR4 signaling. HDACi also suppressed microglial and astrocytic cytokine and chemokine gene expression, but with different effects on different groups of cytokines. These results have important implications for the clinical use of HDACi.
4. IS THERE A CHINESE MODE OF HISTORICAL THINKING? A CROSS‐CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Taking Chun-chieh Huang's ruminations on the defining character of Chinese historical thinking as a starting point, this essay discusses the ways in which historical cultures and traditions are compared and contrasted and explores some new ways of thinking. It argues that cultural comparisons often constitute two-way traffic (one begins to examine itself after encountering the other) and that attempts to characterize one historical culture, such as that of China, are often made relationally and temporally. When the Chinese tradition of historiography is perceived and presented in the West, it has been regarded more or less as a counterexample against which the "unique" traits of Western historical thinking are thrown into relief. Given the hegemonic influence of Western scholarship in modern times, latter-day Chinese historians also valorize the East-West dichotomy. A closer look at this dichotomy, or the characterization of both cultures, reveals that it is not only relative but also relational and temporal. When the modern Chinese appeared impressed by the rigor of Rankean critical historiography, for example, they were essentially attempting to rediscover their own cultural past, for example, the eighteenth-century tradition of evidential learning, in adapting to the changing world. Our task today, the essay contends, is to historicize the specific context within which cultural comparisons are made and to go beyond readily accepted characterizations in order to reassess certain elements in a given culture, to apply historical wisdom, and to cope with the challenges we now face.
Borrowing relationships, intermediation, and the cost of issuing public securities

Abstract This paper investigates how an established borrowing relationship affects the costs associated with initial public offerings of equity. Our model illustrates how the existence of a borrowing relationship reduces the ex ante uncertainty about the value of the issuing firm's equity in the secondary market. If underpricing is related to uncertainty, a borrowing relationship can reduce underpricing. Empirically, we find that, other things equal, IPOs of firms with previously established borrowing relationships are underpriced substantially less than other IPOs.
Development and evaluation of a ground-level area source analytical dispersion model to predict particulate matter concentration for different particle sizes

Abstract The dispersion of particulate matter downwind of a biosolids applied site was modeled incorporating dry deposition. For this purpose, a ground-level area source analytical dispersion model known as particulate matter deposition – PMD was developed. The PMD model includes dry deposition which involves particulate deposition velocities in predicting concentrations. The performance of this model was statistically evaluated after applying it to particulate matter emitting from an agricultural field applied with biosolids. The results of the statistical evaluation are presented for different particle sizes. The statistical evaluation results showed that the PMD model satisfied the criteria for most of the statistical performance measures considered. This study concludes that the PMD model can be used effectively in predicting particulate matter concentrations with dry deposition in unstable conditions (B and C) at different wind speed categories for near-field downwind distances of an area source.
On the Moments of Multivariate Discrete Distributions Using Finite Difference Operators

Abstract This article discusses a general approach to finding the moments of two classes of multivariate discrete distributions, which include those widely used in applied and theoretical statistics. The two classes of multivariate discrete distributions are the multivariate generalized power series distributions (GPSD) and the unified multivariate hypergeometric (UMH) Distributions. The results of Link (1981) follow as special cases.
The beginning of the second decade of the era of patient safety: implications and roles for the clinical laboratory and laboratory professionals.

Abstract Providing high quality, effective laboratory services is not new to the laboratory profession. The laboratory began examining its analytical quality in the 1920s when the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) began a voluntary proficiency testing (PT) program with that was the predecessor of the College of American Pathologist's current PT program. The program focuses primarily on analytic quality, 1 of the 3 phases of what has become known as the “total testing process,” a cyclical process conceptualized by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that provides a framework for assessing quality of laboratory services. Laboratory testing is particularly essential in the practice of medical genetics. The translation of human genomic research into clinical practice has resulted in a rapidly expanding portfolio of DNA-based tests for heritable conditions and markers of drug metabolism. This creates an opportunity for laboratory professionals with genetic training but also brings with it a threat to the quality of care that might result from inappropriate use of unfamiliar, costly and inappropriate testing. As for conventional laboratory tests, there is the need to identify and control all phases of the “total genetic testing process.” An agenda for the second decade of the era of patient safety must be developed and here we offer a few key areas for practice improvement in laboratory medicine.
CampusGuides: A Solution for the Hospital Library

Our large nonprofit health system consists of one main campus and several regional hospitals, each with varying degrees of library services, access, and staffing. When our free wiki-based Web site platform went down unexpectedly, we needed a quick solution for our library Web pages. This article details our transition to LibGuides content management system (CMS; formerly called CampusGuides). Library Web sites across the hospital system now have a much more consistent “look & feel,” are easier to update, and resource use can be tracked in new ways. Popular among academic libraries, we show that CampusGuides can be a valuable tool for hospital library systems.
Naturism as a Form of Religious Naturalism

The version of religious naturalism sketched here is called naturism to distinguish it from conceptions of religious naturalism that make fundamental appeal to some idea of deity, deities, or the divine, however immanental, functional, nonontological, or purely valuational or existential such notions may be claimed to be. The focus of naturism is on nature itself as both metaphysically and religiously ultimate. Nature is sacred in its own right, not because of its derivation from some more-ultimate religious principle, state, being, beings, or order of being. Humans, their cultures, and their histories are conceived as integra parts of nature, manifestations of potentialities that lie within it and have been actualized by biological evolution. While there is no purpose of nature, the natural order contains beings capable of purposive behavior. With this purposive behavior, and the goals and ideals implicit in it, humans have the capacity to give significant direction to their ongoing cultural evolution and to discover and maintain their appropriate place within the community of creatures.
Reciprocity in the activation of geotropism in oat coleoptiles grown on clinostats.

The activation of geotropism in oat coleoptiles, grown on horizonta clinostats, i.e., without the tropic influence of gravity, shows a reciprocal relationship between force and time. Two methods were used to approximate geotropic presentation time. In one, this parameter was estimated by extrapolation to zero response from the linear relationship, response = a+b log stimulation time. In the other, stimulation times of very short as well as longer durations were used; under these conditions, the response curve shows two distinct rates, with the lower rate for stimuli of brief duration. The intersection of the two rate-segments of the response curve was taken as the presentation time. Both methods show reciprocity for the activation of geotropism, but yield significantly different reciprocity constants. The ability of the coleoptile to sense gravity is not affected by gravity compensation. With agar as a growth medium, the magnitude of response to gravity is greater than with sand. However, coleoptiles grown in sand are more sensitive to geotropic activation.
The nature of modifications by various anions of synthetic and hydrolytic activities of multifunctional glucose-6-phosphatase

The in vitro effects of 13 inorganic and organic salts on Glc-6-P phosphohydrolase, carbamyl-P:glucose phosphotransferase, and PPi:glucose phosphotransferase of multifunctional d-Glc-6-P phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.9) have been studied systematically. Identical concentrations of NaCl, KCl, LiCl and CsCl were equally effective as inhibitors, when studied with individual activities. In marked contrast, when the cation (Na−) was maintained constant and modifying affects of salts studied as a function of varied anion (Cl−, acetate, cacodylate, N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N′-ethanesulfonate, I, NO2−, NO3−, HSO3, SO42− and F−), a heterogeneity of effects-various degrees of inhibition, activation, or no change-were noted with equivalent salt concentrations. These same general patterns of response were noted at pH 6.0 as well as pH 7.0. NaCl was found to function as an effective inhibitor competitive with respect to phosphate substrates in both phosphohydrolase and phosphotransferase reactions, Ki = 70 mM with both activities at pH 7.0. It is concluded from these findings, and additional earlier observations described in the literature, that these alterations in activity levels are manifest through the action of anions, rather than by monovalent cations or generalized ionic strength effects. Further, it is suggested that many such anions may compete with phosphate substrates (themselves divalent anions) for a positive functional group, possibly protein-bound divalent cation, at the enzyme's active site. Physiological, metabolic regulatory implications of these observations are discussed briefly.
Methodological challenges when performing a systematic review

Well-conducted systematic reviews can provide a foundation upon which to base educational curricula, practice guidelines and healthcare policy. We aim to provide an overview of important methodological issues that need to be addressed during the five phases of performing a systematic review. 1. The specific problems to be addressed by the systematic review need to be formulated as clear, unambiguous and structured question/s. 2. Literature from multiple resources should be searched to avoid publication biases, as positive outcomes are more likely to be published than null/negative results. 3. The quality of selected articles should be assessed using a checklist, while the reliability of graders, as well as the quality of the checklist, needs to be established a priori. 4. Statistical heterogeneity needs to be assessed to determine if a meta-analysis is appropriate to pool the data. If not, a narrative synthesis of the evidence/overall findings needs to be performed within a clinical context.