cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a small implantable right ventricular assist device

The purpose of this program is to design, develop, and clinically evaluate a new, implantable right ventricular assist device (RVAD) that can be used as a component of an implantable biventricular assist device for patients with severe biventricular heart failure. The initial phase of this program resulted in a prototype RVAD, named DexAide, a modified version of the CorAide left ventricular assist device. In vitro testing was performed in a stand-alone circuit and in a true RVAD mode to evaluate pump performance. Pump flow and power were measured under various afterload and pump speed conditions. The pump performance requirements of 2 to 6 l/min and a pressure rise of 20 to 60 mm Hg were successfully met with pump speeds between 1,800 and 3,200 rpm. The nominal design point of 4 l/min and 40 mm Hg pressure rise was achieved at 2,450 +/- 70 rpm with a power consumption of 3.0 +/- 0.2 W. The initial in vitro testing met the design criteria for the new DexAide RVAD. Initial in vivo testing is under way, which will be followed by preclinical readiness testing and a pilot clinical trial in this 5-year program.
Physical Activity and Stroke Incidence in Women and Men The NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study

To test the hypothesis that physical inactivity is associated with increased stroke risk in women and men, the authors analyzed data from a longitudinal cohort study with three follow-up data collection waves. In the Nation Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (NHANES I) Epidemiologic Follow-up Study, 7,895 white persons and black persons aged 45-74 years were examined in 1971-1975 as part of NHANES I. Included in this analysis were 5,852 persons without a history of stroke (fatal and nonfatal) or missing data. The average follow-up was 11.6 years (maximum, 16.4 years). Incident stroke (fatal or nonfatal) was the main outcome measure. Events were ascertained from cause of death information coded from death certificates and from discharge diagnoses coded from hospital and nursing home records during the follow-up period (1971 through 1987). Participants were asked to characterize their level of habitual physical activity as low, moderate, of high. The relative risk for stroke was estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, comparing persons reporting low with those reporting high physical activity at baseline and persons in the upper with those in the lower tertile of resting pulse rate. There were 249 incident cases of stroke identified in white women, 270 in white men, and 104 in blacks. In white women aged 65-74 years, low nonrecreational activity was associated with an increased risk of stroke (relative risk = 1.82,95% confidence interval 1.10-3.02) after adjusting for the baseline risk factors of age, smoking, history of diabetes, history of heart disease, education, systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, body mass index, and hemoglobin concentration. Similar associations were seen for men and for blacks and for low recreational activity in women. A higher resting pulse rate was associated with an increased risk of stroke in blacks but not in whites. A consistent association of reported low physical activity with an increased risk of stroke was observed in white women. Regular physical activity may be of benefit in preventing stroke in women as well as men.
Interface (and facilitation) among species that exploit alternative resources

Abstract Despite the conspicuousness of interface, little is known about its mechanism(s). Accordingly, a multiple resource-consumer model in which individuals may differ in the efficiencies and strategies by which they exploit alternative resources was modified to permit competing species to increase the cost to others of resources that they share. Four hypothetical interference functions, one linear and three nonlinear, are described, and expressions for the per capita effects of species on the specific growth rates of others are derived for each. Coefficients of interspecific competition, which are ratios of inter- and intraspecific effects, have terms corresponding to niche overlap. However, simulation of the model with linear interference indicates that such competition reduces niche breadths and, consequently, pairwise overlap, particularly that involving facultative strategies. Hence, if one uses the probabilities that individuals of competing species exploit various resources to parameterize these coefficients, rather than their probabilities of exploiting alternatives in the absence of interspecific competition, one obtains the absurd result that competition declines with increasing interference. The notion that competition is proportional to realized (i.e., S th, rather than intraspecific first, partial) niche overlap could have thwarted attempts to evaluate hypothetical mechanisms. Inexplicably, however, empiricists have not regarded multiple resource-consumer models as explicit hypothesis about competition. To illustrate the expectations that can be obtained by analysis and simulation of one such model, the information needed to evaluate alternative hypotheses about interference is described in the context of an exemplary study.
Practical nonlinear design optimization tool for power converter components

A computer-aided design tool for power converter components is described. This tool allows a designer with a minimum of programming and optimization experience to interface with nonlinear optimization routines. Realistic design values and available vendor components can be incorporated in a design without using an extensive data base program structure.1
The Influence of Divorce on Men's Health

Abstract Getting divorced directly and indirectly affects men's biological, psychological, social, and even spiritual health. For example, divorced men have higher rates of mortality, substance abuse, depression, and lack of social support. In this case report we review current literature on the sequelae of divorce on men's health, and highlight key features of divorce from a multi-disciplinary lens using the example of a 45-year-old male from the authors' clinical practice. We provide assessment and treatment recommendations for care providers according to current clinical guidelines, and conclude with a detailed discussion of the case resolution.
Stochastic modeling and real-time prognostics for multi-component systems with degradation rate interactions

Many conventional models that characterize the reliability of multi-component systems are developed on the premise that component failures in a system are independent. By contrast, this article offers a unique perspective on modeling component interdependencies and predicting their residual lifetimes. Specifically, the article provides a stochastic modeling framework for characterizing interactions among the degradation processes of interdependent components of a given system. This is achieved by modeling the behaviors of condition-/degradation-based sensor signals that are associated with each component. The proposed model is also used to estimate the residual lifetime distributions of each component. In addition, a Bayesian framework is used to update the predicted residual lifetime distributions using sensor signals that are correlated with the real-time dynamics associated with the interactions. The robustness and prediction accuracy of the methodology are investigated through a comprehensive simulati...
Le diabete sucre insulino-dependant: Une maladie auto-immune a laquelle participent des cellules T

Le diabete sucre insulino-dependant (IDDM) est une maladie endocrine caracterisee par la destruction auto-immune des cellules pancreatiques s secretrices d'insuline qui se trouvent dans les ilots de Langerhans.
Drift-Collection Calorimeter

A new geometry is presented for a gas-sampling calorimeter in which ionization electrons are collected by drifting to a central PWC. The arrangement is applicable to both hadronic and electromagnetic calorimeters. It allows great flexibility in segmentation of readout and in longitudinal segmentation of the radiator, while allowing the number of proportional wires to remain low. With full instrumentation on each sense wire, the calorimeter can provide a three-dimensional image of the cascade, giving maximum information on its development. Tests of the system have been made in an electron bean and with cosmic rays. It has been demonstrated that ionization electrons are collected efficiently and that good resolution and linearity of electron energy measurement are achieved.
Material contrast based inline metrology: process verification and control using back scattered electron imaging on CD-SEM

The Critical Dimension Scanning Electron Microscope (CDSEM) is the traditional workhorse solution for inline process control. Measurements are extracted from top-down images based on secondary electron collection while scanning the specimen. Secondary electrons holding majority of detection yield. These images provide more on the structural information of the specimen surface and less in terms of material contrast. In some cases there is too much structural information in the image which can irritate the measurement, in other cases small but important differences between various material compounds cannot be detected as images are limited by contrast information and resolution of primary scanning beam. Furthermore, accuracy in secondary electron based metrology is limited by charging. To gather the exact required information for certain material compound as needed, a technique, known from material analytic SEM´s has been introduced for inline CDSEM analysis and process control: Low Loss Back Scattered Electron Imaging (LL-BSE). The key at LL-BSE imaging is the collection of only the back scattered electrons (BSE) from outermost specimen surface which undergo the least amount possible of energy loss in the process of image generation following impact of the material by a primary beam. In LL-BSE very good and measurable material distinction and sensitivity, even for very low density material compounds can be achieved. This paper presents new methods for faster process development cycle, at reduced cost, based on LL-BSE mass data mining instead of sending wafers for destructive material analysis.
Regional vascular responses to an acute stressor in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

Abstract The regional vascular responses to an acute intermittent footshock stressor were examined in Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats using the pulsed Doppler flow probe method. While both strains exhibited vascular resistance changes, which were typical of the ‘defense response’, the changes in regional vascular resistance were exaggerated in the spontaneously hypertensive rats compared to the Wistar-Kyoto. Despite these alterations in vascular resistance, and greater increases in heart rate in the spontaneously hypertensive rats, there were no differences in the pressor responses to footshock between the Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats. These findings indicate that very specific regional hemodynamic changes accompany the characteristic sympathetic nervous system hyperresponsiveness of spontaneously hypertensive rats to environmental stress.
An arsenic-specific biosensor with genetically engineered Shewanella oneidensis in a bioelectrochemical system

Genetically engineered microbial biosensors have yet to realize commercial success in environmental applications due, in part, to difficulties associated with transducing and transmitting traditional bioluminescent information. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) output a direct electric signal that can be incorporated into devices for remote environmental monitoring. Here, we describe a BES-based biosensor with genetically encoded specificity for a toxic metal. By placing an essential component of the metal reduction (Mtr) pathway of Shewanella oneidensis under the control of an arsenic-sensitive promoter, we have genetically engineered a strain that produces increased current in response to arsenic when inoculated into a BES. Our BES-based biosensor has a detection limit of ~40 μM arsenite with a linear range up to 100 μM arsenite. Because our transcriptional circuit relies on the activation of a single promoter, similar sensing systems may be developed to detect other analytes by the swap of a single genetic part.
Guest Editorial: Green and Cloud Computing

Energy consumption is a bottleneck for information computing and communication. Green computing aims to reduce energy costs as well as to effectively reuse and recycle power usage. The topics include energy-efficient CPUs, memories, clusters, data centers, and peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption. The emerging cloud computing provides a new way to address the constraints of limited energy, capabilities, and resources. Cloud computing is the second focus of this special issue. Five papers have been accepted from an open call, and they are briefly discussed as follows. First, “Optimizing Data Placement of Loops for Energy Minimization with Multiple Types of Memories”, by Zhuge et al. (10.1007/s11265-013-0774-y), studies the problem of how to optimally place array data in loops to multiple types of memory units such that the energy and time costs of memory accesses can be minimized and proposes several novel algorithms to solve the problem. For green computing, storage system is an important area. The paper “Eco-Storage: A Hybrid Storage System with Energy-Efficient Informed Prefetching”, by Maen Al Assaf et al. (10.1007/s11265-013-0784-9), presents a power-aware informed prefetching technique that makes use of the application-disclosed access patterns to group the informed prefetching process in a hybrid storage system with hard drives (HDDs) and solid state disks (SSDs). Simulation results show significant reduction of power consumption through this approach. In another paper “Thermal Modeling of Hybrid Storage Clusters” (10.1007/s11265-013-0787-6), the authors propose a thermal model for hybrid storage clusters that are comprised of HDDs and SSDs, and develop a model to estimate cooling cost of a storage cluster equipped with hybrid storage nodes. Power-aware computing is critical in wireless sensor networks. In the paper “BER-based Power Scheduling in Wireless Sensor Networks” (10.1007/s11265-0130776-9), the authors investigate the Bit Error Rate (BER) during packet transmission and propose a power scheduling scheme to reduce the total energy consumption in the routing. The proposed approach controls the transmission power of each transmitter to achieve the minimum energy consumption for successful packet transmission. For cloud computing, the paper entitled “SAFE: A Source Deduplication Framework for Efficient Cloud Backup Services”, by Yujuan Tan et al. (10.1007/s11265-013-0775-x), proposes a source deduplication framework for efficient cloud backup and restore operations. The framework has three features: hybrid deduplication, semantic-aware Elimination, and unmodified data removal. Experiments show this approach can shorten the backup time by an average of 38.7 %, and reduce the restore time by a ratio of up to 9.7 : 1. In this special issue, based on the strict peer-reviewed process, we selected five outstanding papers covering a wide range green and cloud computing. These papers provide frontier information with current depth and breadth of green and cloud computing research. M. Qiu (*) San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA e-mail: qiumeikang@yahoo.com
Possible sources of polarized X-rays for X-ray fluorescence spectra with reduced backgrounds

Abstract Polarization of the X-ray excitation flux by Compton in X-ray fluorescence analysis can result in improved signal-to-background characteristics in the fluorescent spectrum. Two alternate methods of polarizing the excitation flux, with characteristics differing from Compton scattering, are suggested.
Quantitative monitoring of solid-phase peptide synthesis by the ninhydrin reaction.

Abstract A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitative determination of free amino groups during solid-phase peptide synthesis has been developed. The technique involves the reaction of the free amine with ninhydin under carefully controlled conditions and the determination of the resulting chromophore in solution at 570 nm. All of the blue chromophore of the ninhydrin reaction with primary amines is found in solution and the beads of the polystyrene support are colorless. An ion-exchange mechanism for the formation of blue beads by previous methods is proposed. The technique is useful for measuring the total number of peptide chains on the resin and, especially, for monitoring the progress of the coupling reaction. It is possible to determine when the formation of a peptide bond is 99.9% complete.
Application of negative air ionization for reducing experimental airborne transmission of Salmonella enteritidis to chicks

Electrostatic space chargers were used to impart a negative charge to airborne dust particles and thereby cause them to be attracted to grounded surfaces. To determine whether negative air ionization could affect the airborne transmission of Salmonella enteritidis, chicks were housed in four controlled-environment isolation cabinets in which airflow was directed across an unoccupied central area from one ("upstream") group of birds to another ("downstream") group. Negative air ionizers were installed in two of these cabinets. In three replicate trials, groups of chicks were placed in the upstream ends of the transmission cabinets and orally inoculated with S. enteritidis at 1 wk of age. On the following day, 1-d-old chicks were placed in the downstream ends of the cabinets. When chicks were sampled at 3 and 8 d postinoculation, S. enteritidis was found on the surface of 89.6% of the downstream chicks from cabinets without negative air ionizers, but on only 39.6% of the downstream chicks in the presence of the ionizers. Similarly, S. enteritidis was recovered from the ceca of 53.1% of sampled downstream chicks in cabinets without ionizers, but from only 1.0% of the ceca of chicks in cabinets in which ionizers were installed. The presence of the ionizers was also associated with reduced levels of circulating airborne dust particles. Reducing airborne dust levels may thus offer an opportunity to limit the spread of S. enteritidis infections throughout poultry flocks.
Yeast RNA polymerase II lacking the Rpb9 subunit is impaired for interaction with transcription factor IIF.

Previous studies have shown that transcription factors IIB (TFIIB), IIF (TFIIF), and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) play important roles in determining the position of mRNA 5′-ends in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast strains containing a deletion of the small, nonessential Rpb9 subunit of RNAPII exhibit an upstream shift in the positions of mRNA 5′-ends, whereas mutation of the large subunit of yeast TFIIF (Tfg1) can suppress downstream shifts that are conferred by mutations in TFIIB. In this study, we report an approach for the production of functional recombinant yeast holo-TFIIF (Tfg1-Tfg2 complex) and use of the recombinant protein in both reconstituted transcription assays and gel mobility shifts in order to investigate the biochemical alterations associated with the ΔRpb9 polymerase. The results demonstrated that upstream shifts in the positions of mRNA 5′-ends could be conferred by the ΔRpb9 RNAPII in transcription reactions reconstituted with highly purified yeast general transcription factors and, importantly, that these shifts are associated with an impaired interaction between the ΔRpb9 polymerase and TFIIF. Potential mechanisms by which an altered interaction between the ΔRpb9 RNAPII and TFIIF confers an upstream shift in the positions of mRNA 5′-ends are discussed.
Prenatal diagnosis of galactosialidosis

The second prenatal diagnosis of galactosialidosis is reported. Neuraminidase and beta-galactosidase activities in cultured amniotic cells were deficient, this being confirmed by skin fibroblast enzyme assay on the affected fetus after interruption of the pregnancy. Cultured placental cells demonstrated the same enzyme deficiencies. Analysis of deproteinized amniotic fluid showed the presence of abnormal oligosaccharides specific for alpha-neuraminidase deficiency.
Georgia on My Mind: Reflections on Three Georgia Songs

ABSTRACT This article explores the reception history of “Marching Through Georgia,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and “Georgia On My Mind,” with emphasis on the publishing events, discographical events, media events, and historical events that have tended to renew or increase their popularity over the years since their publication dates.
Pulmonary complications of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndromes in HIV‐infected patients

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) describes a paradoxical worsening of clinical status related to recovery of the immune system, as can occur after the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients. Most commonly, IRIS results from opportunistic infections that can unmask or develop paradoxical worsening following HAART. Cancers, autoimmune conditions and sarcoidosis have also been associated with IRIS. Pulmonary complications may be frequently encountered. This article reviews the types and clinical presentation of IRIS, with a focus on the pulmonary manifestations. Management and outcome of IRIS are considered.
The Ocular Motor Defects in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

The results of quantitative infrared horizontal eye movement recordings in 8 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy are presented. Some of the patients had total paralysis of vertical movements, but none had completely lost the ability to perform horizontal eye movements. All patients had a defect in ocular fixation previously undescribed in this condition: the universal presence of square-wave jerks. Analysis of refixation saccades demonstrated hypometria, slow velocity/amplitude relationships, and profound prolongation of duration. The pursuit abnormality, characterized clinically by "cogwheel" eye movements, represented the inability to match eye velocity to target velocity. The ratio of peak eye velocity to peak target velocity (pursuit gain) was 0.2 to 0.5. Defects in the vestibuloocular reflex included inability to increase the gain of the reflex (ratio of peak eye velocity to head velocity) during viewing of a visible, stationary target and failure to suppress the reflex when viewing a target rotating with the head.
Mission effectiveness quantification and assessment of Micro Autonomous Systems and Technologies

Micro Autonomous Systems and Technologies (MAST) is an Army Research Laboratory (ARL) sponsored project based on a consortium of revolutionary academic and industrial research institutions working together to develop new technologies in the field of microelectronics, autonomy, micromechanics, and integration. The overarching goal of the MAST consortium is to develop autonomous, multifunctional, and collaborative ensembles of microsystems to enhance small unit tactical situational awareness in urban and complex terrain, providing real-time intelligence at the squad level. Technologists are trying to understand the impacts of developing state-of-the-art technologies on the MAST systems while the operators are trying to define strategies and tactics on how to use these systems. These two different perspectives create an integration gap that not only results in a major requirements disconnect, representing the difference of perspectives between soldiers and the researchers, but also demonstrates the lack of quantified means to assess the technology metrics in terms of mission requirements. An multidisciplinary framework, built on a technical approach of simultaneous application of decomposition and re-composition approaches, is implemented to provide a structured and traceable method for quantifying mission effectiveness of MAST System of Microsystems (SoMs). An Interior Building Reconnaissance mission scenario, based on a physical test site at Joppa, MD, was analyzed using the framework. Results demonstrated minimum required technology metrics for reasonable mission level performance of SoMs. Comparison with current state of the art provided quantitative technology attribute gaps.
Resuspension of contaminated field and formulated reference sediments Part I: Evaluation of metal release under controlled laboratory conditions

Abstract In aquatic systems where metal contaminated sediments are present, the potential exists for metals to be released to the water column when sediment resuspension occurs. The release and partitioning behavior of sediment-bound heavy metals is not well understood during resuspension events. In this study, the release of Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn from sediments during resuspension was evaluated using reference sediments with known physical and chemical properties. Sediment treatments with varying quantities of acid volatile sulfide (AVS), total organic carbon (TOC), and different grain size distributions were resuspended under controlled conditions to evaluate their respective effects on dissolved metal concentrations. AVS had the greatest effect on limiting release of dissolved metals, followed by grain size and TOC. Predictions of dissolved concentrations of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn were developed based on the formulated sediment Σmetal/AVS ratios with Σmetal being the total sediment metal concentration. Predicted values were compared to measured dissolved metal concentrations in contaminated field sediments resuspended under identical operating conditions. Metal concentrations released from the field sediments were low overall, in most cases lower than predicted values, reflecting the importance of other binding phases. Overall, results indicate that for sulfidic sediments, low levels of the study metals are released to the dissolved phase during short-term resuspension.
Bridging the prebiotic and RNA worlds: prebiotic RNA synthesis on clay.

Progress towards the laboratory demonstration of the steps in the prebiotic origin of the RNA world is reviewed. Montmorillonite clay catalyzes the formation of RNAs containing 6–14 monomer units f...
What do young school‐age children know about occupational therapy? An evaluation study

Occupational therapy is a poorly understood profession. In response to this fact, the American Occupational Therapy Association has launched a national campaign to increase awareness of occupational therapy among adults. Little is known, however, about children's perceptions of occupational therapy. The current evaluation study reports on the assessment of children's perceptions of occupational therapy prior to, and following, an interactive demonstration on occupational therapy as part of a larger neuroscience exposition. One hundred and three elementary school-aged children (55 boys and 48 girls) from local schools attended a one-day neuroscience exposition held at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Omaha. At three of 18 booths at the exposition, occupational therapy faculty and students explained what occupational therapists do, and demonstrated the link between brain function and occupational performance. Children completed pre and post questionnaires. Results revealed that on pre-test, the vast majority of participants could not answer the question or had no idea of what occupational therapists do. On post-test, 75% reported that they had knowledge of what occupational therapists do. These preliminary findings suggest that a campaign of public awareness about occupational therapy for children would be highly effective and beneficial, and that a neuroscience exposition including occupational therapy is one effective intervention to promote such awareness. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
Dynamic stochastic optimization

A framework for sequentially solving stochastic optimization problems with stochastic gradient descent is introduced. Two tracking criteria are considered, one based on being accurate with respect to the mean trajectory and the other based on being accurate in high probability (IHP). An off-line optimization problem is solved to find the constant step size and number of iterations to achieve the desired tracking accuracy. Simulations are used to confirm that this approach provides the desired tracking accuracy.
An assessment of the gasification characteristics of some agricultural and forest industry residues using a laboratory gasifier

Abstract Gasification means here the reaction of solid fuels with air to yield a low calorific value gas, suitable as a fuel. The solid fuels considered are agricultural and forest industry residues, biomass fuels. Biomass-derived gas is an alternative to natural gas. A laboratory-scale downdraft gasifier was used to study the gasification properties of certain biomass fuels. The grate is the most critical part of the gasifier. Two designs were tested: a rotating eccentric grate and a perforated steel basket. The latter was specifically designed for use with granular fuels such as mulled walnut shells. Batch tests were performed with different biomass fuels and at varying fuel consumption rates. Biomass fuel consumption rate was determined by mounting the gasifier on a platform scale and weighing it before and after a run. The composition of the generated gas and the mass and heat balances were determined. Substantial closure errors are reported. These are considered to be the result of tars in the gas which were not accounted for. Yields varied from 75.5% in the case of walnut shells to 46% for rice hulls. With a biomass fuel consisting of a mixture of two sizes of walnut shells, yields in excess of 80% were recorded at high fuel consumption rates. Some practical aspects concerning the gasification of biomass fuels and problems associated with cotton gin trash, rice hulls, and wood residues are discussed.
Autosomal dominant motor system degeneration in a black family

Autosomal dominant motor system degeneration has been described primarily in Portuguese families from the Azorean Islands. The symptoms include various combinations of ataxia, pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs, appendicular dystonias, tics, ophthalmoplegias, and peripheral neuropathies with amyotrophy. One non Portuguese, non-Azorean black family has been described previously; this report describes a second such family affected by autosomal dominant motor system degeneration.
Effects of cytochalasin D on the integrity of the Sertoli cell (blood-testis) barrier.

Ectoplasmic specializations (ES) containing packed actin microfilaments are associated with the numerous parallel rows of occluding junctions which form the Sertoli cell (blood-testis) barrier. To determine if ES regulate the structure of the occluding junctions and/or barrier permeability, we experimentally disrupted ES microfilaments in vivo with intratesticularly injected cytochalasin D (CD). Electron microscopic observations of seminiferous tubules from CD-treated (150–500 μM CD; 0.5–12 hr) animals indicated that ES was absent from regions where the Sertoli cell barrier is located. Seminiferous epithelial sheets from uninjected or vehicle-injected animals (1 DMSO: 1 saline) stained with NBD-phallacidin demonstrated the presence of patterned ES actin surrounding the basolateral regions of adjacent Sertoli cells. After exposure to CD, epithelial sheets exhibited increasingly patchy fluorescence indicating progressive F-actin disruption. Freeze-fracture replicas of CD-injected testes revealed numerous focal alterations in the region of occluding junctions which included disorganization of the parallel arrangement of junctional rows, the presence of free-ending rows, clustering of intramembranous particles (IMPs) between rows, reduction in the number of rows, and loss of IMPs on both the P-face and E-face. Tracer experiments, following CD exposure, were conducted to test the integrity of occluding junctions: lanthanum hydroxide, dextrose, or filipin was added, in separate experiments, to the fixative during perfusion-fixation. In another study, serum containing an antibody against adluminal germ cells was injected intratesticularly, and frozen sections were processed for immunofluorescence study. A final study consisted of simultaneous intratesticular infusions of CD and radiolabelled inulin with subsequent intraluminal and peritubular fluid sampling. In animals which were injected with CD, lanthanum was found to enter the adluminal compartment; fixative made hypertonic by addition of dextrose caused germ cells within the adluminal compartment to shrink and produce exaggerated intercellular spaces; filipin-cholesterol perturbations were present between some Sertoli cell junctional rows and on spermatid plasma membranes; and IgG was detected within the adluminal compartment of many seminiferous tubules. None of these adluminal manifestations was noted in control animals or those which received vehicle. Quantitatively, in the in vivo micropuncture experiments, significantly more radiolabelled inulin entered the lumen of seminiferous tubules from CD-treated animals than from those exposed to vehicle. Collectively, the data suggest that CD treatment alters the functional integrity of the Sertoli cell barrier and that this may be the result of disruption of microfilaments associated with the barrier.
Role of dendritic cells in differential susceptibility to viral demyelinating disease.

Although persistent viral diseases are a global health concern, the mechanisms of differential susceptibility to such infections among individuals are unknown. Here, we report that differential interactions between dendritic cells (DCs) and virus are critical in determining resistance versus susceptibility in the Theiler murine encephalomyelitis virus–induced demyelinating disease model of multiple sclerosis. This virus induces a chronic demyelinating disease in susceptible mice, whereas the virus is completely cleared in resistant strains of mice. DCs from susceptible mice are more permissive to viral infection, resulting in severe deficiencies in development, expansion, and function, in contrast to DCs from resistant mice. Although protective prior to viral infection, higher levels of type I interferons (IFNs) and IFN-γ produced by virus-infected DCs from susceptible mice further contribute to the differential inhibition of DC development and function. An increased DC number and/or acquired resistance of DCs to viral infection render susceptible mice resistant to viral persistence and disease progression. Thus, the differential permissiveness of DCs to infectious agents and its subsequent functional and developmental deficiencies determine the outcome of infection- associated diseases. Therefore, arming DCs against viral infection–induced functional decline may provide a useful intervention for chronic infection-associated diseases.
The design of long range quantum electrodynamical forces and torques between macroscopic bodies

The interaction between electrically neutral surfaces at sub-micron separation is dominated by the force arising from quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, known as the Casimir force. This effect has been witnessing a renewed interest because of its potential impact in micro- and nanotechnology. Most recent literature has focused on the study of the attraction between bulk-like metallic surfaces in vacuum. Because electromagnetic fluctuations depend on the dielectric function of the surfaces, the use of different materials might reveal new aspects of the Casimir force and suggest novel solutions for the design of micro- and nanofabricated devices. Following this approach, we have measured the Casimir force using Hydrogen Switchable Mirrors—a metallic mirror that switches from highly reflective to transparent when exposed to hydrogen. The comparison of the results obtained in air and in hydrogen sheds light on the relative contribution of visible and infrared wavelengths to the Casimir interaction. We have also studied the dependence of the Casimir force on the metallic film thickness and have shown the effect of the skin-depth. The final section of the paper discusses the torque induced by quantum fluctuations on two birefringent plates and describes an experiment that should allow us to observe this phenomenon.
Staffing in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Strategic Opportunities

Modern organizations struggle with staffing challenges stemming from increased knowledge work, labor shortages, competition for applicants, and workforce diversity. Yet, despite such critical needs for effective staffing practice, staffing research continues to be neglected or misunderstood by many organizational decision makers. Solving these challenges requires staffing scholars to expand their focus from individual-level recruitment and selection research to multilevel research demonstrating the business unit/organizational-level impact of staffing. Toward this end, this review provides a selective and critical analysis of staffing best practices covering literature from roughly 2000 to the present. Several research-practice gaps are also identified.
A Study of Non-Equilibrium Heat Transfer in Microporous Media

A numerical study of the non-Fourier heat conduction in microporous media is presented. The governing energy equation is formulated based on the two-equation model and the non-Fourier heat conduction model. This formulation leads to the emergence of three thermal lag-times. These parameters account for the thermal interaction between the fluid and neighboring solid matrix as well as the delay time needed for both phases to approach thermal equilibrium. Numerical experiments were conducted for various microporous media to study the thermal non-equilibrium behavior. Results show that the thermal non-equilibrium phenomena have significant effect on the transient response of the porous media only during the early stage of the heating process and in the near-field region where the heat source is located. The thermal responses of the various microporous media were compared to gain understanding of the effect of thermal diffusivity on thermodynamic non-equilibrium phenomena. It was found that the influence of thermal diffusivity is small especially in the near-field (96–200μm). Also, results obtained using the non-Fourier heat conduction model deviates from the predictions based on the classical Fourier model only during the early stage of the heating process. At large time, results obtained from both models are in good agreement.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Gene transcription in mosaic embryos. II. Polyribosomes and messenger RNA in early development of the coot clam, Mulinia lateralis

Embryos of the coot clam, Mulinia lateralis, have been found to synthesize the several types of RNA in essentially the same temporal pattern as observed in the regulative embryos of a variety of deuterostome organisms. Since it remained to be shown whether the RNA produced in early development of mosaic embryos such as those of the clam has the same function as that synthesized by regulative embryos, a study of the entry of newly-synthesized RNA into polyribosomes of Mulinia embryos was carried out. Unfertilized oocytes contain a detectable number of polyribosomes, and within 45 minutes after fertilization this number has increased. The proportion of ribosomes engaged in polyribosomes continues to increase throughout development, in the absence of any change in the overall size distribution of the polyribosomes. Newly-synthesized RNA can be found in specific association with light polyribosomes as early as the two-cell stage, and the polyribosome classes receiving this RNA are active in protein synthesis. The RNA entering polyribosomes in late cleavage was purified and analyzed by sucrose gradient centrifugation and found to consist predominately of the 8–10s species which had been observed previously in Mulinia embryos from early cleavage through gastrulation. The similarities between this RNA and the 9–10s RNA discovered in sea urchin embryos, which is considered to include the mRNA's for chromosomal histones, suggest that early RNA synthesis in clam and sea urchin embryos fulfills basically the same function. This finding discourages speculation concerning possible differences in gene transcription patterns between early mosaic and regulative embryos.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings in a patient with noncompaction of ventricular myocardium

Noncompaction of ventricular myocardium (NCVM) is a rare cardiomyopathy characterized by numerous prominent trabeculations in the ventricular wall and deep intertrabecular recesses communicating with the ventricular cavity. This article reports a 33-year-old female with a familial history of cardiovascular disease, who presented with shortness of breath and palpitations. Transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were consistent with the diagnosis of NCVM. The advantages of MRI in depicting both the morphological features and pathological characteristics of NCVM were presented.
Pro-Leu-Gly-NH2 and pareptide inhibit development of tolerance to haloperidol catalepsy in the mouse

Abstract Single doses of MIF-1 (0.03–2.0 mg/kg, SC) and chronic pretreatments with MIF-1 (0.03–2.0 mg/kg, SC, BID, 3 1 2 days) or pareptide (0.25 mg/kg, SC, BID, 3 1 2 days) did not affect the acute cataleptic response to haloperidol in the mouse. Chronic pretreatment with haloperidol (8.0 mg/kg, IP, BID, 3 days) decreased the duration of catalepsy in mice given smaller challenge doses of haloperidol (2.0 or 3.0 mg/kg, IP) 15 hours after the last pretreatment injections. Administration of either MIF-1 or pareptide to mice also chronically pretreated with haloperidol antagonized the development of tolerance.
Problem Analysis: Examining the Selection and Evaluation of Data during Problem-Solving Consultation

The purpose of this study was to analyze how school psychologists engaged in problem analysis during problem-solving consultation. Five aspects of the problem analysis process were examined: 1) the types of questions participants asked during problem identification, 2) the types of data participants requested, 3) the frequency of requests for each type of data, 4) the use of multiple methods and sources of data across multiple domains, and 5) the criteria used to interpret the data. Four school psychologists were recruited to each complete three fictional consultation cases within a computer-simulated environment. A qualitative case study method was used. The results of this study revealed how school psychologists used theory, a multidimensional assessment framework, and self-referent data to analyze a problem. Implications for future research are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Predicting Teratoma in the Retroperitoneum in Men Undergoing Post-Chemotherapy Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection

Purpose: The biological potential of teratoma remains unpredictable, therefore identifying its presence in the retroperitoneum remains important. We evaluated patients undergoing post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for nonseminomatous germ cell tumors to determine predictors of teratomatous elements in the retroperitoneum.Materials and Methods: We identified 532 patients from 1989 to 2003 who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection following chemotherapy for nonseminomatous germ cell tumors at our institution. Multiple clinical and pathological variables were reviewed from our prospective retroperitoneal lymph node dissection database. A logistic regression model was designed based on preoperative variables to predict the presence of teratomatous elements in the retroperitoneal lymph node dissection specimen.Results: Of the 532 patients in our series 450 (85%) received only induction chemotherapy and 82 (15%) required salvage chemotherapy. Teratomatous elements were identified ...
Minimax and admissible minimax estimators of the mean of a multivariate normal distribution for unknown covariance matrix

Abstract Let X be a p -variate ( p ≥ 3) vector normally distributed with mean μ and covariance Σ, and let A be a p × p random matrix distributed independent of X , according to the Wishart distribution W ( n , Σ ). For estimating μ, we consider estimators of the form δ = δ ( X , A ). We obtain families of Bayes, minimax and admissible minimax estimators with respect to the quadratic loss function ( δ − μ )′ Σ −1 ( δ − μ ) where Σ is unknown. This paper extends previous results of the author [1], given for the case in which the covariance matrix of the distribution is of the form σ 2 I , where σ is known.
A preliminary report on complex fibrillar aggregates in the gill epithelium of Panulirus interruptus (Randall).

Abstract Complex structures have been found in gill epithelium of the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus . These fibrillar structures are located at the base of gill filaments and at the ends of longitudinal septa which divide the gill filaments into channels for directional blood flow. The complex fibrillar aggregates compare favorably with secretory granules seen in crustacean integument and are believed to play a role in chitin metabolism.
Acts of Meaning

Acts of Meaning. Jerome Bruner. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1990. 181 pp. $19.95 (cloth)
Improved upper bound on the stretch factor of delaunay triangulations

Let S be a finite set of points in the Euclidean plane. Let D be a Delaunay triangulation of S. The stretch factor (also known as dilation or spanning ratio) of D is the maximum ratio, among all points p and q in S, of the shortest path distance from p to q in D over the Euclidean distance ||pq||. Proving a tight bound on the stretch factor of the Delaunay triangulation has been a long standing open problem in computational geometry.In this paper we prove that the stretch factor of the Delaunay triangulation of a set of points in the plane is less than ρ = 1.998, improving the previous best upper bound of 2.42 by Keil and Gutwin (1989).
Highly Sensitive Centrality Dependence of Elliptic Flow -- A Novel Signature of the Phase Transition in QCD

Elliptic flow of the hot, dense system which has been created in nucleus-nucleus collisions develops as a response to the initial azimuthal asymmetry of the reaction region. Here it is suggested that the magnitude of this response shows a highly sensitive dependence on the centrality of collisions for which the system passes through a first-order or rapid transition between quark-gluon plasma and hadronic matter. We have studied the system $\mathrm{Pb}(158A\mathrm{GeV})$ on Pb employing a recent version of the transport theoretical approach relativistic quantum molecular dynamics and find the conjecture confirmed. The novel phase transition signature may be observable in present and forthcoming experiments at CERN-SPS and at RHIC, the BNL collider.