cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conformation–activity relationships in polyketide natural products. Towards the biologically active conformation of epothilone

The conformation–activity relationships for the biologically active polyketide, epothilone, have been determined. Computer-based molecular modeling and high field NMR techniques have provided the solution preferences for epothilones 1 and 2. For the C1–C8 polypropionate region, two conformational families, conformers 1 and 2, have been identified as having significant populations in polar and non-polar solvents. In the C11–C15 region, additional flexibility was observed and two local conformations have been identified as important, conformers 3 and 4. Epothilone analogues with altered conformational profiles have been designed and synthesized. Conformational analysis and the results of biological assays have been correlated to provide increased understanding of the biologically active conformation for the epothilone class of natural product. Conformation–activity relationships have been shown to be an important complement to structure–activity data.
Distribution of menin-occupied regions in chromatin specifies a broad role of menin in transcriptional regulation.

Menin is the protein product of the MEN1 tumor-suppressor gene; one allele of MEN1 is inactivated in the germ line of patients with “multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1” (MEN1) cancer syndrome. Menin interacts with several proteins involved in transcriptional regulation. RNA expression analyses have identified several menin-regulated genes that could represent proximal or distal interaction sites for menin. This report presents a substantial and unbiased sampling of menin-occupied chromatin regions using Serial Analysis of Chromatin Occupancy; this method combines chromatin immuno-precipitation with Serial Analysis of Gene Expression. Hundreds of menin-occupied genomic sites were identified in promoter regions (32% of menin-occupied loci), near the 3′ end of genes (14%), or inside genes (21%), extending other data about menin recruitments to many sites of transcriptional activity. A large number of menin-occupied sites (33%) were located outside known gene regions. Additional annotation of the human genome could help in identifying genes at these loci, or these might be gene-free regions of the genome where menin occupancy could play some structural or regulatory role. Menin occupancy at many intragenic positions distant from the core promoter reveals an unexpected type of menin target region at many loci in the genome. These unbiased data also suggest that menin could play a broad role in transcriptional regulation.
NEW SPIN-2 GAUGED SIGMA MODELS AND GENERAL CONFORMAL FIELD THEORY

Recently, we have studied the general Virasoro construction at one loop in the background of the general nonlinear sigma model. Here, we find the action formulation of these new conformal field theories when the background sigma model is itself conformal. In this case, the new conformal field theories are described by a large class of new spin-2 gauged sigma models. As examples of the new actions, we discuss the spin-2 gauged WZW actions, which describe the conformal field theories of the generic affine-Virasoro construction, and the spin-2 gauged g/h coset constructions. We are able to identify the latter as the actions of the local Lie h-invariant conformal field theories, a large class of generically irrational conformal field theories with a local gauge symmetry.
Dopaminergic regulation of GABA release from the intact goldfish retina.

Abstract The rate of release of [ 3 H]GABA from intact goldfish retinas was studied using a modified superfusion technique. Small, significant increases in the rate of GABA release were observed when the retinas were exposed to dopamine (DA) (100–1000 μM); however, when free Ca 2+ was removed from the medium, the basal rate of GABA release was increased and DA became inhibitory. Forskolin, a non-specific stimulator of adenylate cyclase in intact cells, also inhibited GABA release in the absence of Ca 2+ . There was no significant effect of forskolin in the presence of Ca 2+ ; however, (+)-butaclamol, a dopamine antagonist, increased basal GABA release under these conditios. l -glutamic acid ( l -Glu) (1–10 mM) causes up to a 10-fold increase in GABA release. In the presence of Ca 2+ , DA did not significantly alter the effects of l -Glu; however, in the absence of Ca 2+ a significant inhibition of the effects of l -Glu by DA was observed. Forskolin, on the other hand, inhibited the effects of l -Glu both in the presence and absence of Ca 2+ . Finally, EGTA (0.3–1 mM) produced a large release of GABA: this release was inhibited by DA, forskolin, theophylline and 8-bromo cyclic AMP. These results suggest a model wherein DA stimulates Ca 2+ -dependent GABA release from one site and inhibits Ca 2+ -independent GABA release from another site via cyclic AMP-mediated event.
Preliminary study of keratomileusis in primates (Macaca speciosa).

Abstract Keratomileusis was investigated in five stumptail monkey eyes ( Macaca speciosa ). An arbitrary flattening of six diopters was selected and programmed in the computer for each eye. The actual flattening achieved two weeks after surgery ranged from −4.00 D to − 6.00 diopters (D). One to 5 diopters of the initial effect was lost during the six-month observation period. Histopathology of two eyes demonstrated attenuation and/or loss of Bowman's membrane with overlying epithelial defects.
God's Last, Best Gift to Mankind: Gnostic Science and the Eschaton in the Vision of John Murray Spear Le dernier, le meilleur, cadeau à l'humanité: Science Gnostique et Eschaton dans la vision de John Murray Spear

En 1853, John Murray Spear tenta de construire une machine en se servant de schemas recus par communication spirite avec Benjamin Franklin. Les historiens se sont efforces d'accorder cet episode, connu comme 'l'Experience du Nouveau Moteur', avec l'œuvre anterieure de Spear abolitionniste. On ne peut comprendre convenablement le Nouveau Moteur sans prendre en consideration la place de la technologie dans le projet 'dispensationnaliste' de Spear. Si l'experience avait reussi, les successeurs de Spear auraient cru qu'une source energetique libre allait faciliter l'abolitionnisme ainsi qu'un paradis socialiste sur terre. Le Nouveau Moteur represente aussi une importante etude de cas en matiere de theorisation des rapports entre esoterisme et science. La vision qu'avait Spear d'un avenir utopique fonctionnant par la vertu d'une technologie spirituelle represente une forme de la 'science gnostique' qui s'est trouvee au carrefour des imaginations scientifique et religieuse.
Influence of substrate treatment on the growth morphology and magnetic anisotropy of epitaxial CrO2 films

Epitaxial CrO2 thin films deposited on HF-cleaned TiO2 (100) substrates exhibit very strong strain anisotropy, while those grown without the HF treatment step are essentially strain-free and display bulk-like magnetic properties. The HF treatment enhances the surface smoothness of the TiO2 (100) substrates thus leading to the growth of epitaxially strained CrO2 films. The magnetic easy axis of these films changes orientation with thickness, switching from the in-plane c-axis direction for thick films to the b-axis direction for thinner films (< 50 nm). Similarly, over a thickness range, a change of the easy axis direction is also observed with lowering temperature. Ion-beam irradiation of the substrate surface prior to growth also results in the growth of strained CrO2 films, although the amount of strain is less than that observed for HF-treated substrates. The magnetic properties as a function of thickness have also been studied for as-deposited “thick” CrO2 films that are slowly chemically etched down in thickness. Unlike as-grown thin films below 50 nm thickness that have the easy axis along the b direction, the chemically etched down CrO2 thin films of equivalent thickness retain their easy axis alignment along the c-direction, but display a significantly enhanced coercivity. The observed differences in the switching behavior between the as-deposited films and those that are chemically etched can be qualitatively attributed to changes in the strain relaxation mechanism.
Influence of hadronic channels on heavy quarkonium systems

Using theP-matrix formalism the influence of hadronic channels on states of the J/ψ andY family is estimated. The influence is small for states below open charm respectively beauty threshold (shifts ≲5 MeV) and moderate (shifts ≲50 MeV) for those above threshold.
Residential Satisfaction, Moving Intention and Moving Behaviours: A Study of Redeveloped Neighbourhoods in Inner-City Beijing

This paper studies residential satisfaction among original residents in the redeveloped inner-city neighbourhoods of Beijing. It is based on a questionnaire survey that was conducted in four neighbourhoods redeveloped at different time periods in the past 15 years. The survey data suggest an overall low level of satisfaction across all four neighbourhoods. Only the unit size and length of stay significantly relate to residential satisfaction. The survey shows that low residential satisfaction does not lead to frequent moving behaviours despite high moving intentions. These findings contradict hypotheses in the Western literature about lower residential satisfaction associated with higher mobility. In Western studies, residential satisfaction determines housing adjustment and mobility behaviours, which form the basis for public intervention. The central assumption is that residents' mobility will be relatively unhindered by factors other than personal financial ability. By differentiating between voluntary...
Marius' Villas: the Testimony of the Slave and the Knave

Plutarch tells us that the great C. Marius possessed a Campanian villa, which in 88 B.C. could be regarded as more luxuriously appointed than befitted an old soldier; though more than a century later, Seneca, in moralistic mood, could describe it as positively Spartan compared with those of his own day. The villa (we are specifically and credibly informed) was sited in the territory of Misenum; but for rhetorical purposes both Plutarch and Seneca connect it with Baiae—a name that had more powerful associations of luxury and that, even geographically, was not far out.
Salicoyl-Hydrazone des D-Glukuronlaktons und der D-Glukuronsäure

Durch die Reaktion zwischen Salicylsaurehydrazid und D-Glukuronsaure bzw. D-Glukuronlakton wurden zwei neue Verbindungen erhalten, die als Chemotherapeutika anzusprechen sind. Als Antipyretika und Analgetika sind sie wirksamer als Acetylsalicylsaure und Salicylamid und weniger toxisch als Salicylsaurehydrazid.
Temporal and Spatial Distributions of Damaging Hail in the Continental United States

Insurance data for hail damages to property during the period 1949-2006 were assessed to define the spatial and temporal distributions of losses in the United States. There were 876 hail events, each causing more than $1 million in losses, and the average loss was $56 million per event. The nation's annual average property losses due to hail was $852 million and greatly exceeded existing estimates of hail losses. Hail losses typically occurred within 1 state, and were most common in the High Plains where hailstorms are most frequent. When hail losses occurred with tornadoes, they were most frequent in the South and Midwest. The temporal distribution of hail losses had a flat linear trend during 1949-2006. In cases when damaging hail occurred with floods, the losses increased from 1949 to 2006, an outcome resulting from increasing floods incidences.
The Judgment Proof Problem

Parties who cause harm to others may sometimes turn out to be ‘judgment proof,’ that is, unable to pay fully the amount for which they have been found legally liable.1 This possibility is an important and realistic one. Certainly individuals may readily be imagined to cause personal injury or property damage resulting in judgments that exceed their assets plus any liability insurance coverage; and the same is true of firms.2
Theoretical and experimental verification of the properties of superconductor surface imaging

Electric currents in the vicinity of a superconductor induce surface currents which contribute to the complete expression for the magnetic field. The solution can be written in terms of a magnetic scalar potential that satisfies the Neumann condition at the superconducting boundary. A sensing coil whose axis is normal to the surface detects a field component which is the sum of these direct and induced current contributions. As a result of this imaging effect, a single coil acts like a first order gradiometer. Furthermore, it can be shown that the surface deflects noise from distant sources. An experimental verification of the properties of the superconductor surface imaging discussed here is presented. The primary application of the principles considered here will be the sensing of extremely weak magnetic fields, such as those encountered in magnetoencephalography, nondestructive evaluation, and corrosion analysis. >
Understanding the Construct of Self-Determination Examining the Relationship Between the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the American Institutes for Research Self-Determination Scale

Since the early 1990s, attention has been focused on the importance of self-determination in the education of students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to further our understanding of the construct of self-determination by examining the relationship between the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale student and educator versions. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the theoretical structure of the Arc's Self-Determination Scale and the AIR Self-Determination–Student Scale was supported by the data, while the proposed theoretical structure of the AIR Self-Determination–Educator Scale was not. The analyses suggested that each of the measures of self-determination was measuring a different aspect of the self-determination construct (i.e., it was not possible to create a higher order factor comprising each of the assessments); thus issues related to the goals of the research and the underlying theoretical perspective...
Can non‐formal education keep working children in school? A case study from Punjab, India

This paper analyses the effectiveness of non‐formal schools for working children in Jalandhar, Punjab, India, in mainstreaming child labourers into the formal education system through incentivised, informal schooling. Using a family fixed effects model and sibling data as an equivalent population comparison group, I find that the non‐formal schools effectively provide an alternative to formal primary education and also show high success rates of mainstreaming and maintaining children into post‐primary education relative to the control group. I find that the children within the non‐formal schools are 40.47–50.07% more likely to still be studying relative to the sibling‐inclusive control group, and have 1.976 to 3.389 years less of a gap in educational attainment. I conclude that the child labour schools are serving a useful function in helping poor children attend school, regardless of their labour status. The policy implications explored suggest that aspects of the techniques used in the non‐formal school...
Making Tracks: Rail Networks in World Cities

Urban rail networks are a critical component of successful cities able to compete at a global level in the twenty-first century. They enhance a city's economic efficiency, quality of life, and image through their traditional role as provider of local mobility between home, work, and leisure, as well as their new role in supporting global mobility between airports, business districts, and other critical economic nodes as a strategy to attract highly mobile high-human-capital individuals, investment, and tourists. Using a database of 140 urban rail transit systems at five intervals since 1970, we rank cities using an index that tracks each system's level of population exposure as well as its provision of airport access. We find that (1) higher ranked producer service cities provide better quality local and global mobility; (2) investment in urban rail has dramatically shifted to Asia and that continent's megacities are poised to become leaders in providing high levels of local and global mobility; and (3) s...
Critical failure of a percutaneous discectomy probe requiring surgical removal during disc decompression.

Objective We report a complication while performing a percutaneous disc decompression at the L4-L5 level using a Dekompressor Percutaneous Discectomy Probe. Case Report A 54-year-old male was referred to the pain clinic for possible percutaneous disc decompression. For the procedure the Dekompressor unit was inserted over the stylette and a percutaneous disc decompression was performed for 1 to 2 minutes using the channeling technique. Approximately ¾ mL of disc nucleus was successfully removed. Upon withdrawal of the Dekompressor unit, it was noted that the probe was no longer connected to the device handle. Fluoroscopic imaging showed that approximately 4 inches of the probe remained in the patient and that the auger’s distal end was still lodged in the disc. An incision was made, and the auger was successfully removed by a neurosurgeon. Conclusions The patient had an uneventful recovery. Manipulation of the auger should be performed in a linear motion as best as possible and under fluoroscopic guidance.
Effect of ischemia and postischemic dysfunction on myocardial uptake of technetium-99m-labeled methoxyisobutyl isonitrile and thallium-201☆

Abstract The myocardial uptake of a new technetium-99m-labeled myocardial perfusion agent, methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (Tc-99m MIBI), and thallium-201 was correlated with microsphere flow in an open chest canine model of low coronary flow and postischemic dysfunction. Eighteen dogs were given an injection of thallium-201 (0.5 mCi) and Tc-99m MIBI (5 mCi) either after 40 min of partial left anterior descending artery occlusion (Group I, 10 dogs) or during reperfusion after 15 min of left anterior descending artery occlusion (Group II, 8 dogs). Regional dysfunction was documented during injection in both groups by quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography. Regional blood flow was assessed by radiolabeled microspheres. The heart was excised 15 min after radionuclide injection and the left ventricle divided into 96 segments for gamma well counting. Among Group I dogs, central ischemic thallium-201 and Tc-99m MIBI activity (expressed as a percent of the activity in the corresponding nonischemic zone) was comparable, respectively, for endocardial (54 ± 17% and 52 ± 17%), mid-wall (71 ± 20% and 69 ± 17%) and epicardial (89 ± 13% and 94 ± 9%) segments and increased proportionally with flow. There was a good linear correlation among these endocardial segments between flow and both thallium-201 (r = 0.78) and Tc-99m MIBI (r = 0.85) activity. Among Group II dogs, central ischemic endocardial flow (59 ± 14%) was comparable to thallium-201 (70 ± 18%) and Tc-99m MIBI (74 ± 12%) activity. Similarly, relative endocardial flow in the intermediate ischemic region (71 ± 11%) was comparable to thallium-201 (77 ± 11%) and Tc-99m MIBI (81 ± 10%) activity. Thus, myocardial uptake of Tc-99m MIBI and thallium-201 is comparable under conditions of low coronary flow and postischemic dysfunction and closely parallels flow alterations.
Stress-relief method in anisotropic rocks by means of gauges applied to the end of a borehole

Abstract The stress-relief method for the determination of the ground stress tensor is a common procedure in rock mechanics. In particular, the method of applying gauges to the end of a borehole is a well-established technique. Investigations, both experimental and theoretical, indicate that large discrepancies can exist in the determination of the ground stress tensor when the rock substance is not ideal elastically isotropic material assumed for the reduction of data. The purpose of this paper is to extend the analysis of strain gauges applied to the end of a borehole to rock material more closely approximate to an orthotropic substance.
Fixed-node quantum Monte Carlo

Abstract Quantum Monte Carlo methods cannot at present provide exact solutions of the Schrodinger equation for systems with more than a few electrons. But, quantum Monte Carlo calculations can provide very low energy, highly accurate solutions for many systems ranging up to several hundred electrons. These systems include atoms such as Be and Fe, molecules such as H2O, CH4, and HF, and condensed materials such as solid N2 and solid silicon. The quantum Monte Carlo predictions of their energies and structures may not be ‘exact’, but they are the best available. Most of the Monte Carlo calculations for these systems have been carried out using approximately correct fixed nodal hypersurfaces and they have come to be known as ‘fixed-node quantum Monte Carlo’ calculations. In this paper we review these ‘fixed node’ calculations and the accuracies they yield.
A new radical for group rings

Abstract This paper contains a number of observations on the semisimplicity problem for group rings which are motivated by recent work of A. E. Zalesskii. We start by defining a new radical for rings and then we describe it precisely and study its properties in the special case of group rings. After this we show that at least in the case of solvable, linear or locally finite groups this new radical for K [ G ] does in fact coincide with the Jacobson radical. In this way we obtain information on the structure of JK [ G ].
Atypical Presentation of Anomalous Origin of the Left Main Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery

Anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital anomaly that usually presents in childhood. Ninety percent of the patients with ALCAPA die within the first year of life without surgical intervention. In adults, ALCAPA is associated with left ventricular dysfunction, mitral regurgitation, and sudden death. The present report describes the case of an adult patient who presented with an abnormal stress test and ALCAPA was diagnosed during cardiac catheterization.
Thermal decomposition of hydroxylammonium nitrate at kilobar pressures

Abstract The Raman spectrum of an 11 molar hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) solution at ambient and unconfined conditions has been recorded and analyzed. Experiments at elevated pressures have been conducted using a diamond anvil cell. Pressure and temperature of the cell were varied over the range of 2–7 kbar and 22–120°C. At pressures near 6 kbar and temperatures near 90°C a significant and irreversible change in the HAN spectra was observed. This change is interpreted as the result of thermal decomposition occurring within the sample. The disappearance of features related to HAN nitrogenoxygen bonds was observed. Evidence of nitrous oxide formation was found. Some of the nitrous oxide appears to be present in the solid state. A transient appearance of nitrogen dioxide in an early reaction stage is indicated by our results.
Solitons and related periodic pulse evolutions in a femtosecond ring dye laser

The generation of solitons and other related periodic pulse evolutions in a passively mode-locked dye laser is controlled by adjustment of group velocity dispersion, self-phase modulation, and spectral filtering. Without spectral filtering, periodic pulse evolutions reminiscent of higher-order solitons are observed. The pulses differ from the classic solitons because of additional shaping mechanisms. With spectral filtering, pulses are generated that can be described analytically as true asymmetric N=2 solitons. The introduction of the filter appears to simplify the intracavity shaping mechanisms in such a way that the nonlinear Schrodinger equation becomes a good approximation for pulse generation in the laser. The remarkable stability achieved allows for accurate characterization and control. >
Using Management to Teach Mathematics.

ABSTRACT A major obstacle to teaching mathematics to students in business curricula is their lack of both interest and motivation. My attempt to combat this consisted of a fictitious corporation, run by the students. By dividing the class into departments, such as Finance and Personnel, and requiring the departments at regular intervals to solve and report on problems related to the corporation, the students saw first hand the value of the material for their future profession. Further, the group work greatly increased the level of enthusiasm. These factors induced a more sincere effort from the students and consequently heightened their learning.
Abstract PR03: Genome-wide screens for Wnt signaling in human haploid cells

Wnt signaling is at the core of human development and stem cell biology. Defective Wnt signaling leads to several forms of cancer, most notably colorectal cancer. Using HAP1 cells, a human haploid cell line, we conducted a set of genome-wide forward genetic screens to identify new Wnt pathway components. We constructed a HAP1 line harboring a GFP reporter driven by the Wnt-responsive TCF promoter, we mutagenized the cells by insertion of a gene-trap retrovirus throughout the haploid genome, and we sorted the mutagenized population for cells exhibiting phenotypes of interest using FACS. In order to find 1. negative regulators, 2. positive regulators and 3. feedback modulators of the pathway, we sorted for 1. cells expressing GFP in the absence of Wnt, 2. cells with reduced GFP expression after strong Wnt stimulation and 3. cells with enhanced GFP expression after mild Wnt stimulation, respectively. Deep sequencing of amplified genomic DNA flanking the retroviral insertion sites in the sorted cell populations revealed genes whose disruption may have led to the phenotype of interest. Among the most frequently disrupted genes (some with over 150 unique retroviral insertions) we found many of the known components of the canonical Wnt pathway, including LRP6, casein kinase I, APC, β-catenin, DOT1-L, TCF4 and the recently discovered negative feedback regulator ZNRF3. Unexpectedly, the screen for positive regulators revealed retroviral insertions in AXIN2 (a scaffold protein found in the β-catenin destruction complex) predicted to yield a C-terminally truncated form that appears to act as a dominant negative. We are currently assessing hits not previously known to be involved in Wnt signaling. This abstract is also presented as Poster A40. Citation Format: Andres Lebensohn, Casey Hughes, Caleb Marceau, Rajat Rohatgi, Jan Carette. Genome-wide screens for Wnt signaling in human haploid cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Synthetic Lethal Approaches to Cancer Vulnerabilities; May 17-20, 2013; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(5 Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.
Note on the mean-square strategy for vector-valued objective functions

The problem of minimizing a vector-valued objective function is considered, and a mean-square strategy is derived.
Depression-Related Differences in Learning and Forgetting Responses to Unrelated Cues

Using the think/no-think paradigm, we examined the effect of a meaningful connection between emotionally neutral cues and targets on initial learning and later recall by students in dysphoric or nondysphoric mood states. Compared to meaningfully connected cue-target pairs, unrelated pairs were less easily learned and more easily forgotten, even when initial learning was controlled. Depressive deficits were obtained in initial learning (only marginally) and final recall. When examined separately within each cuing condition, the recall deficit associated with depressed mood was restricted to the unrelated condition, but when initial learning differences were controlled this deficit was only marginally significant. Results are discussed in relation to other recent findings concerning depression-related performance in this paradigm and to findings of depression and memory more generally.
Optimizing Delivery of Care for Patients with MRSA Infection: Focus on Transitions of Care

Staphylococcus aureus is among the most prevalent pathogens isolated from hospitalized patients; those infected with methicillin-resistant strains have longer hospital stays and higher total costs compared with those infected by methicillin-susceptible strains. A multidisciplinary team of health care providers, including hospitalists and other hospital-based physicians, clinical pharmacists, infectious disease specialists, infection control professionals, and case managers, is key to improving treatment and outcomes in these patients. Optimizing transitions of care for hospitalized patients with S aureus infections can improve quality and reduce total costs of care. Hospital length of stay can be shortened by initiating timely, appropriate empiric therapy and by transitioning suitable patients to outpatient antimicrobial therapy. The number of hospitalizations can be reduced by identifying patients who are suitable candidates for initial outpatient antimicrobial therapy. Consistent with good antimicrobial stewardship, the risk of resistance can be minimized by de-escalating empiric therapy to a more narrow-spectrum agent once culture and susceptibility testing results are known. There are several antimicrobial agents available for the management of S aureus infections, including methicillin-resistant S aureus. Consideration of these agents' characteristics may facilitate optimal transition of patients through health care settings.
Scyllo-inositol and myo-inositol levels in tissues of the skate Raja erinacea

Abstract 1. 1. Many organs of the skate Raja erinacea have been found to contain scyllo -inositol levels that are much higher than myo -inositol, the opposite to that found in mammals. 2. 2. Both inositols were found in all skate organs studied. 3. 3. myo -Inosose-2 was found to accompany the inositols in many of these organs.
Commercial Liberalism on Trial

The Liberal Illusion: Does Trade Promote Peace? By Katherine Barbieri. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2002. 144 pp., $42.50 (ISBN: 0-472-11300-3). In his 2003 commencement address at the University of South Carolina, US President George Bush surprised many observers by proposing the “establishment of a US-Middle East free trade area within a decade.” Does the president agree with traditional economic liberals that expanded trade will bring peace, even to that sorely troubled region? He would not if he accepted the counsel of Katherine Barbieri. Her new book, The Liberal Illusion , gives away its punch-line in the title. But Barbieri's book has much more to offer than just its empirically grounded challenge to the liberal hypothesis that trade promotes peace. The Liberal Illusion is an important contribution to the international conflict literature for three reasons. First, it provides a coherent elaboration of an influential research program that has until now been accessible only in glimpses through a few scattered papers and journal articles (for example, Barbieri 1996). Second, by encompassing Marxist and realist thinking as well as traditional liberalism, the book adopts and skillfully articulates a more comprehensive theoretical approach to the trade–conflict linkage than other recent studies. And third, it stands apart from most recent empirical work by not merely disconfirming the liberal proposition but by showing that trade can actually promote interstate conflict. Readers familiar with recent debates over the purported empirical connection between trade and interstate conflict (for example, Mansfield and Pollins 2003; Schneider, Barbieri, and Gleditsch 2003) will find Barbieri's conceptualization of the issues particularly enlightening because she takes seriously the full range of contending propositions. She begins with the now familiar liberal position that gains from mutual trade ties render militarized conflict much too costly an option for policymakers to seriously consider. However, she draws from an eclectic group of realist and dependency theorists to argue that the impact of trade interdependence is likely to …
Purification and properties of glutahtione reductases from bovine ciliary body

Two glutathione reductases, designated GR-I and GR-II, were purified from bovine ciliary body to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-agarose and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200. The two enzymes were isolated whether protease inhibitors were included or not in the medium during tissue homogenization. GR-I was found to have a molecular weight of about 140,000 by gel filtration and be composed of two identical subunits. On the other hand, GR-II was shown to exist as aggregates with molecular weights larger than 670,000. The subunit molecular weight of GR-II was estimated to be about 45,000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The high molecular aggregate dissociated into smaller species by treatment with mercaptoethanol. The isoelectric points of GR-I and GR-II were determined to be 5.8 and 6.4, respectively. The K'm values for NADPH and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were 22- and 84 microM for GR-I and 11- and 98 microM for GR-II. Coenzyme A-glutathione disulfide served as a substrate, though it was much less reactive than oxidized glutathione, for both enzymes. S-alkyl glutathiones were inactive as substrates. Nitrofurantoin was a non-competitive inhibitor of the enzymes. 1,3-bis(2 chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) inhibited GR-I and GR-II irreversibly. The two enzymes are similar, if not identical, in their amino-acid composition. The two enzymes are also very similar on the basis of the relative position of tryptic peptides separated in two-dimensional peptide maps. From the tissue content and turnover numbers of these enzymes it is concluded that bovine ciliary body has a sufficient capability for rapid reduction of oxidized glutathione produced in the tissue during glutathione-dependent peroxide detoxification.
Influence of hydrogen on PtSiO2Si structures

Abstract It is shown that hydrogen in the ambient gives rise to a dipole layer at the PtSiO2 interface and to drifting charges in the oxide. These reversible effects were studied with internal photoemission, polarisation currents and quasistatic C(V)-measurements.
Myocardial Infarction Following Transmural Extravasation of Contrast Medium during Left Ventricular Cineangiography

An instance of accidental injection of contrast medium into the wall of the left ventricle during retrograde cineangiocardiography is described. The transmural extravasation led to myocardial infarction from which the patient made an uneventful recovery. The mode of occurrence of this complication during selective cineangiocardiography and measures for its prevention are discussed.
Hippocampal seizure states in guinea pig

Abstract 1. 1. The electrical activity of hippocampus and isocortex in unanesthetized guinea pigs during resting state and in response to external stimulation is described. It is shown that there is a differential response of hippocampal and isocortical activity to complex environmental stimuli. 2. 2. Mechanical and electrical stimulation of the hippocampus induce local and propagated seizure discharges at relatively lower thresholds than stimulation of isocortex, striatum and thalamus. 3. 3. The structure of the hippocampal seizure discharge as analyzed from combined ink-writer and cathode-ray oscillograph recordings is a composite of several activities of different frequency orders with relatively constant mutual phase relationships. In particular, the clonic stage is characterized by slow pulses of 0.3 to 5 c/sec., with super-imposed waves of 10–30 c/sec., carrying on top of them brief spikes of 2–5 msec. duration. Each of these complex pulses is preceded by a shower of 100–200 c/sec. spikes. Periods of apparent silence are characterized by a deviation of the basic potential from the iso-electric line, of opposite polarity to the one exhibited during the clonic pulse. Gross spikes and spike-and-waves appearing at the onset of a “tonic-clonic” afterdischarge are rarely observed in the hippocampus but are common in the epileptic activity of neocortex, striatum, amygdala and thalamus. 4. 4. Hippocampal afterdischarges spread widely over cortical and subcortical structures, as well as over the cerebellum. They show a preferential spread over the centrocaudal isocortex, often avoiding the rostral neocortex. 5. 5. Unless unduly strong stimulation, resulting in a grand mal convulsion, is applied, there are only slight changes of behavior concurrent with the after-discharge: arrest of ongoing behavioral activity and decrease of reflex responses. 6. 6. These various findings suggest that the hippocampus may play an important role in epilepsy in general. This structure may participate in, and may indeed initiate the manifestation of those forms of epilepsy which are chiefly characterized by disturbances of awareness and mental confusion.
Digitally enhanced heterodyne interferometry

Combining conventional interferometry with digital modulation allows interferometric signals to be isolated based on their delay. This isolation capability can be exploited in two ways. First, it can improve measurement sensitivity by reducing contamination by spurious interference. Second, it allows multiple optical components to be measured using a single metrology system. Digitally enhanced interferometry employs a pseudorandom noise (PRN) code phase modulated onto the light source. Individual reflections are isolated based on their respective delays by demodulation with the PRN code with a matching delay. The properties of the PRN code determine the degree of isolation while preserving the full interferometric sensitivity determined by the optical wavelength. Analysis and simulation indicate that errors caused by spurious interference can be reduced by a factor inversely proportional to the PRN code length.
High-pressure sodium lamp technology

Since the development of translucent polycrystalline alumina more than twenty years ago there has been a continuous improvement in high-pressure sodium lamp technology. Lamp lives have quadrupled and light output increased by 20%. There are approximately 16 manufacturers of h.p.s. lamps in the world today and more than 15 sizes of the lamps are now available from 45 to 1000 watts. The light source development is traced with emphasis on the material properties where future improvements can be made.
Evaluation of vaccine safety after the events of 11 September 2001: role of cohort and case-control studies

Abstract As immunization programs world-wide “mature” with high vaccine coverage and near elimination of vaccine-preventable disease, vaccine safety issues have increased in relative prominence. In the wake of events of 11 September 2001, fear of bioterrorism has reemerged. The paradigm of eradicating vaccine-preventable diseases, stopping vaccinations and thereby also eradicating the associated vaccine adverse events (a la smallpox) may unfortunately be obsolete. If all vaccinations have to be continued indefinitely, research is needed more than ever to understand and prevent rare vaccine adverse events. Case-control studies are usually best suited for such purposes, especially when nested within a pre-existing large-linked administrative database cohort to minimize bias. The new clinical immunization safety assessment centers may play an important role in bridging the sometimes conflicting clinical and epidemiologic perspectives in vaccine safety.
High reliable digital signal processor for automotive application

Today, in automotive application, especially for safety-critical part, more and more customers request for high reliable feature. In the recent years, the international norm IEC 61508 and ISO 26262 has been adopted in many application fields as the key reference for functional safety. In this paper, a distributed fault detection based high reliable compact digital signal processor architecture is proposed for digital signal processing and on-the-fly failure check. To complain with IEC 61508 and ISO 26262, a high reliable digital design methodology is also proposed to guarantee the functional safety of the analog/digital signal processing. Meanwhile, area should be minimized because the automotive market is not only sensitive for safety but also sensitive for price.
Luminescence of fluorenes 2,7-conjugatively extended with pyrenylvinylene and pyrenylvinylene-phenylenevinylene

2,7-Bis(1′-pyrenylvinylene)-9,9-diethylfluorene (1) and 2,7-bis(1′-pyrenylvinylene-4″-phenylenevinylene)-9,9-diethylfluorene (2) were synthesized and their static luminescence behavior assessed. They show solution photoluminescence (PL) maxima in chloroform at 475 nm and 467 nm, with quantum efficiencies of 54% and 52%, respectively. Double-layer LED devices with configuration ITO/PEDOT-PSS/(1 or 2)/Ca–Al emitted blue-green light with turn-on voltages of 2.5 V and emission maxima at 500 nm (2.48 eV); their luminance efficiencies were 0.36 and 0.30 cd A−1, respectively. Blending of 1 at 20% (w/w) in PVK improved the luminance efficiency to 1.81 cd A−1 for the same device configuration, with only a small increase in turn-on voltage to 3 V; the emission maximum was 497 nm (blue-green emission), the maximum luminance 7600 cd m−2 with CIE color coefficients of (0.12, 0.45). For a 10% (w/w) blend of 2 in PVK using the same device configuration, the luminance efficiency was 1.47 cd A−1, turn-on voltage 3 V, maximum luminance 2600 cd m−2 with CIE coefficients of (0.13, 0.45). Simple π-MO calculations show that structural extension of the nominal conjugation length in 2 does not significantly decrease the effective band gap relative to 1, consistent with the observed lack of red shift in 2.
Leben auf der Schattenseite

Die meisten Cyanobakterien benutzen zur Lichternte die gleichen Pigmente wie hohere Pflanzen, das Chlorophyll a, oft auch den Typ b. Einige dieser Bakterien besitzen aber nur ein einziges Chlorophyll, das d, das nur langwelliges rotes Licht aufnehmen kann. Untersuchungen von kleinen Ascidien (Seescheiden), die auf der Oberflache von Korallen wohnen, zeigten jetzt, wo diese Cyanobakterien ihre Nische zum Leben finden: Sie bilden auf der Unterseite der Ascidien einen Biofilm und finden dort optimale Bedingungen fur ihre Version der Photosynthese.
Hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors in women

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in U.S. women, causing about 250,000 deaths annually. More than one-third of women aged 55 to 64 with CHD are disabled by their disease, and this increases to 55% in women 75 years and older. Risk factors are highly prevalent in U.S. women aged 20 to 74 years: > 1/3 have hypertension, > 1/4 have hypercholesterolemia, > 1/4 are overweight, and > 1/4 are sedentary. Additionally, diabetes mellitus imparts greater risk for women than for men. Risk factor prevalence is greater in women of lower socioeconomic status and lower educational level. The decrease in coronary risk factors has been less pronounced in women than in men in the past 2 to 3 decades; the decrease in coronary and cardiovascular mortality has also been less pronounced for women than for men. For example, 51% of white women and 79% of black women > 45 years of age have hypertension; 71% of women > 65 years of age have hypertension. Systolic blood pressure peaks in middle age for men but continues to increase in women until beyond age 80. Hypertension is more prevalent in women than men after age 65, and women incur more complications than men from hypertension. There is an equal current prevalence of cigarette smoking in both genders due to increased smoking cessation in men. Cigarette smoking doubles to triples the risk of myocardial infarction, even in premenopausal women. Young to middle aged women have higher HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol levels than men. Total cholesterol levels in white women increase with age at least to age 70; LDL cholesterol levels rise progressively to exceed those in men. The postmenopausal increase in total cholesterol is far less in black women. The association of physical fitness with a more favorable coronary risk profile is more pronounced for women than men. Education is important; unless women consider CHD as part of their illness experience, they are unlikely to heed preventive messages.
Comparison of Pravastatin With Crystalline Nicotinic Acid Monotherapy in Treatment of Combined Hyperlipidemia

Pravastatin treatment of combined hyperlipidemia lowers low-density lipoprotein effectively; nicotinic acid lowers remnant cholesterol and raises high-density lipoprotein. A combination of these 2 drugs may be indicated for optimal treatment of lipoprotein abnormalities in combined hyperlipidemia.
Effects of thyroidectomy and season on the external granular layer of the cerebellum in metamorphosing bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana)

Transient formation of the cerebellar external granular layer (EGL) occurs during metamorphosis in frog tadpoles and is dependent on thyroid hormone. Late prometamorphic bullfrog tadpoles at similar stages of development were thyroidectomized and then killed after 1 month and 2 months during the fall and winter. The cerebellum was studied by qualitative and quantitative light microscopy. Thyroidectomy resulted in an inhibition of external metamorphic changes such as hind limb growth. Examination of the cerebellum after thyroidectomy showed the EGL greatly decreased in thickness after 1 month and in some cases was altogether absent after 2 months. Because the disappearance of EGL cells was a result of their inward migration into the IGL, we conclude that thyroid hormone was not necessary for granule cell migration. In addition, metamorphic change normally occurs in the late spring and summer in bullfrog tadpoles, and is inhibited during the fall and winter (metamorphic stasis). During the winter, the volume of the EGL was significantly less compared with tadpoles undergoing active metamorphosis. Although lowered temperature appears to contribute to the large decline in EGL thickness, significant seasonal differences in the EGL volume ratio were still observed in tadpoles maintained under conditions of constant temperature and light. Thyroxine administered to thyroidectomized tadpoles during the winter increased the thickness of the EGL. Therefore, the seasonal decline in the EGL thickness reflects a decrease in thyroid hormone activity, which in turn appears controlled by both internal (hypothalamic) and environmental (e.g., temperature) factors.
The Effect of Hygrothermal Aging on the Microcracking Properties of of Some Carbon Fiber/Polyimide Laminates:

Hygrothermal aging in the absence of external loads can lead to spontaneous formation of matrix microcracks in carbon fiber laminates made with Avimid® K polymer. The microcracks are caused by a wa...