cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Training via the web: a virtual instrument

Abstract Using readily available software to capture screens from a gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS) while setting up and running actual experiments, we have developed a virtual GC–MS mounted on the World Wide Web to train students in instrument operation. This resource enables students to use any computer by which they have access to the Internet to learn how to run the instrument. The students learn to operate the virtual instrument using this program outside the laboratory, thus freeing the instrument for use within the laboratory periods to run meaningful experiments and collect data. The virtual instrument has proved popular with students and faculty at both, the undergraduate and graduate levels for its realism and usefulness.
The serum albumin and globulin of newborn, premature and normal infants

Summary The serum concentration of total protein, albumin, and globulin was determined in 20 newborn infants, 14 normal infants, aged about five months, and 26 permature infants. Similar studies in full-term and premature infants suffering from various diseases were made. The total protein is decreased in all infants, the decrease being due chiefly to low globulin. The diminution in globulin is greatest in premature infants. Postmortem serum of small fetuses shows essentially the same albumin-globulin ratio as that of full-term infants. Both premature and normal infants may show an increase in globulin during infection. It is suggested that the low globulin in infants may indicate the lack of the usual stimuli that give rise to globulin production in adults.
A GENERALIZED VISCERAL DISEASE OF GUINEA PIGS, ASSOCIATED WITH INTRANUCLEAR INCLUSIONS

A spontaneous generalized visceral disease of guinea pigs, characterized by the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies of the herpes type, is described. The possible relation of this disease to the salivary gland virus infection of guinea pigs is discussed.
Responses ton-dipropyl disulfide by ovipositing onion flies: Effects of concentration and site of release.

Onion fly females,Delia antiqua (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) laid the most eggs on ovipositional dishes havingn-dipropyl disulfide (Pr2S2) release rates of 1–6 ng/sec from polyethylene capsules placed beneath a sand substrate. When dipropyl disulfide was released from the wax coating of surrogate foliage rather than from the substrate, ovipositing females again responded differentially to various concentrations, laying more eggs around stems containing 0.075 and 0.089 mg/stem. Factorial combinations of several concentrations released from surrogate foliage and substrate showed that releases from surrogate foliage stimulated four times more egg-laying than releases from the substrate. Females tended to lay more eggs around surrogate stems having Pr2S2 at the base rather than on the upper half of foliage. Observations of individual females performing preovipositional examining behaviors on Pr2S2-treated surrogate stems indicated that females tended to land on the upper portions of the foliage, but after landing, spent most of their time examining areas of soil and surrogate within 1 cm of the soil-surrogate foliage interface. Surrogate stems provide a realistic context for investigating effects of plant chemicals on host-acceptance behaviors.
Influence of Stimulus Level and Sleep Stage on the Early Components of the Averaged Electroencephalic Response to Clicks during All-Night Sleep

Ongoing EEG activity was recorded from six adults from an electrode on the vertex referred to the right and left mastoids during nine nights of natural sleep. An electrode placed near the lateral c...
Expression of the major isoenzyme of protein kinase-C in skeletal muscle, nPKC theta, varies with muscle type and in response to fructose-induced insulin resistance

The ability of insulin to stimulate glucose uptake by skeletal muscle varies as a function of muscle type, but the biochemical mechanisms that regulate insulin-mediated glucose transport under normal conditions and in pathological states of insulin resistance are poorly understood. We evaluated differences in the expression of nPKC theta (the major isoform of protein kinase-C in skeletal muscle) in hind limb muscles of different fiber type composition from normal Sprague-Dawley rats and rats made insulin resistant by feeding a fructose-enriched diet. In total muscle homogenates from normal rats, the amount of nPKC theta per unit total protein quantified by immunoblotting using a specific antipeptide antibody was 2.5 times higher in pure white muscle (tensor fascia latae) compared with red muscle (soleus), with two mixed muscles showing intermediate expression. The development of insulin resistance after a fructose-enriched diet was associated with significant increases in diacylglycerol and nPKC theta mas...
The practice of pain management

L ike many clinician-researchers struggling to survive in an academic institutional setting, I awoke one morning to discover that I had also, somewhat unwittingly, taken on the role of educator. In my particular case, the realization that I was in the education and training business hit home shortly after our group at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center received funding from The National Cancer Institute for a cancer education and training program in cancer pain called the Network Project. Over the prior decade, I had done what came naturally to most academic physicians: I supervised residents and fellows, conducted multidisciplinary symposia and conferences, and even took on the role of directing our Psychiatry Service's Fellowship Training Program (the largest of its kind in the world). Yet, I had not seriously acknowledqed my role as an educator. Drs. Dalton and Blau's compelling focus article on the theoretical bases of change in the practice of pain management helped me understand why.The simple fact was that I had never been formally trained to be an effective educator. I taught others using the methods, customs, and traditions of the physicians who trained me in medical school and postgraduate training. Dalton and Blau's article made me realize, somewhat embarrassedly, that there was an enormous body of knowledge regarding the theoretical basis of adult learning and behavioral change of which I was ignorant. I suspect that many readers of Pain Forum find themselves in similar positions; being the local educator without the benefits of education expertise. For those readers it is hoped that, like myself, the Dalton and Blau
Dynamical friction in spherical systems

On etudie la friction dynamique sur un objet test (tel qu'une barre ou un satellite) qui tourne ou evolue dans un systeme stellaire spherique. On trouve que les effets de friction proviennent entierement des etoiles proches de la resonance et on obtient une formule pour la friction dynamique, analogue a celle de Chandrasekhar, qui s'applique aux systemes spheriques. On montre qu'une formule de ce type demeure valide tant que la vitesse angulaire de l'objet test change suffisamment rapidement
Effects of GnRH on superovulated cattle.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) was given to 109 cows and heifers during the course of 224 superovulations. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) was administered twice daily (5 or 6 mg) for 3.5 to 4 days beginning on any of Days 9 to 14 of the estrous cycle; prostaglandin (45 mg PGF2α or 750 ug cloprostenol) was given in a split dose on the fourth day. Donor cows and heifers were placed into four groups according to previous superovulation treatments, which consisted of one to three treatments or of no previous treatment. Every other cow or heifer within each of the four subgroups was treated with GnRH (200 μg i.m.) at standing estrus. Only donors that exhibited estrus within 32 to 72 h after the first prostaglandin treatment were used in the study. Animals were inseminated artificially 12 and 24 h after standing estrus was first observed. No differences were noted in the number of ovulations, total ova or transferable embryos recovered from the GnRH or control groups; however, two interactions were detected. Cows given GnRH had fewer palpable corpora lutea than control cows (P < 0.05), but this difference was not seen in heifers. The second interaction was that GnRH seemed to depress ovulation rate in donors not previously superovulated, but this effect was not observed with subsequent superovulations. Cows yielded more total ova than heifers (P < 0.01). There was no difference in return to estrus between GnRH and control groups after a second prostaglandin treatment at the time of embryo recovery. Most donors within each group resumed cycling between 5 and 12 d after embryo recovery.
Antarctic marine top predators revisited: homeotherms do not leak much CO2 to the air

Gross growth efficiencies observed for populations are applied to reasonably detailed box models of food webs of coastal Antarctic waters and the marginal ice zone. Seabirds, seals and whales apparently exhale ⩽3% of primary net production as CO2 into the atmosphere. For the Southern Ocean at large, the figure may be <2%.
Radioactive Isotopes of Iron

Radioactive ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{59}$ has been produced through the reactions ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{58}(d, p){\mathrm{Fe}}^{59}$ and ${\mathrm{Co}}^{59}(n, p){\mathrm{Fe}}^{59}$; the half-life is 47\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3 days. The emitted particles are negative electrons, most of which have a range of 0.09 grams/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ Al, while a small number extend to 0.35 grams/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ Al. The gamma-ray shows a half-thickness of 10 grams/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ Pb. Radioactive ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{53}$ is formed by the two processes ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{54}(n, 2n){\mathrm{Fe}}^{53}$ and ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{50}(\ensuremath{\alpha}, n){\mathrm{Fe}}^{53}$; positrons are ejected with a half-life of 8.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 minutes. No subsequent decay of ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{53}$ to ${\mathrm{Cr}}^{53}$ has been observed. No activity corresponding to ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{55}$ has been detected, although Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni have been bombarded with protons, neutrons, deuterons and alpha-particles in all the combinations that might be expected to produce this isotope; it is concluded that ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{55}$ is either stable or has a very long or a very short life.
Theory of mass-independent fractionation of isotopes, phase space accessibility, and a role of isotopic symmetry.

Key experimental and theoretical features of mass-independent fractionation (MIF) of isotopes, also known as the η-effect, are summarized, including its difference from the exit channel zero-point energy difference effect. The latter exactly cancels in the MIF. One key experimental result is that the MIF for O 3 formation is a low-pressure phenomenon and, moreover, that it decreases with increasing pressure of third bodies at pressures far below the “Lindemann fall-off” pressur e s for three-body recombination of O and O 2 . A possible origin of the MIF is discussed in terms of a role for isotopologue symmetry in intramolecular energy sharing. An explanation is suggested for the large difference in the fall-off pressure for recombination and the pressure for a large decrease in MIF, in terms of a difference between deactivating collisions and what we term here “symmetry-changing collisions”. It is noted that the theory of the MIF involves four recombination rate constants and an equilibrium constant, for each trace isotope, seven rate constants in all and two equilibrium constants. A conceptual shortcut is noted. Experimental and computational information that may provide added insight into the MIF mechanism and tests is described.
Nucleation-controlled aggregation of deoxyhemoglobin S. Effect of organic phosphates on the kinetics of aggregation of deoxyhemoglobin S in concentrated phosphate buffer.

Abstract The kinetics of the aggregation of deoxyhemoglobin S in concentrated phosphate buffer were studied turbidimetrically in the presence of organic phosphates. The addition of inositol hexaphosphate shortened the delay time by 35–80%, the range depending on the hemoglobin concentration. The logarithmic plot of delay time versus hemoglobin concentration in 1.85 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.34, showed a linear relationship with a slope (n value) of 2.5 ± 0.14 in the absence of inositol hexaphosphate, while the slope was decreased to 2.1 in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate. The turbidity (A700) of aggregates per g deoxy Hb S was found to be lower in the presence of inositol hexaphosphate than in the absence of inositol hexaphosphate. The solubility of deoxy Hb S was decreased by inositol hexaphosphate. 2,3-Diphosphoglyceric acid also showed an effect similar to that of inositol hexaphosphate. However, if the pentacyclohexylammonium salt of diphosphoglyceric acid were used, the delay time was increased significantly. The opposite effect of the pentacyclohexylammonium salt of diphosphoglyceric acid on the delay time was found to be attributed to the anti-gelation effect of the pentacyclohexoxylammonium ion. The difference in the effect of inositol hexaphosphate and diphosphoglyceric acid on the delay time appears to be related to their effect on the solubility of deoxy Hb S.
Cryosurvival of herpes simplex virus-2 during cryopreservation of human spermatozoa.

Abstract Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a sexually transmitted agent which has potential association with cervical cancer (9), as well as with high morbidity and mortality in perinatal infection (1). Its incidence is estimated just after gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis infections. Cryobanking of human semen is accepted worldwide in therapeutic use for both husband and donor. Serious consequences could follow the clinical applications of cryobanked human semen in insemination, if some ejaculates contain HSV and the virus survives the processing of semen in cryopreservation. There is then the likelihood of infection of the female, and through her, the child, generally during parturition.
Transfer of information between synchronized chaotic systems

Chaotic systems are known for their sensitivity to initial conditions. However, Pecora and Carroll have recently shown that a system, consisting of two Lorenz oscillators exhibiting chaos, could achieve synchronization, if a portion of the second system is driven by the corresponding portion of the first. It has been shown that the chaotic synchronization is related to asymptotic stability and that the method of the Lyapunov function can be used to prove synchronization, and to generate new systems exhibiting this phenomenon. In this paper, the main issue is that of the transfer of information between such synchronous chaotic systems. It has been shown that for a mutual transfer of information, a new type of synchronous organization is required. It leads to what we have termed as `the fraternal synchronization.' We have enumerated several interesting properties of fraternal synchronization, and followed it with a discussion of potential applications to parameter identification, communications and cryptography. Applications to biology and other fields are also briefly mentioned.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Criteria for Assessing Salinity Tolerance of the Halophytic Turfgrass Seashore Paspalum

Turfgrass improvement for salinity tolerance requires reliable assessment of salt-tolerance variability among grasses. Using seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) as a model halophytic grass, the objectives are to discuss problems of applying traditional direct salinity classification criteria used for glycophytic to halophytic turfgrasses and to provide a set of evaluation criteria for halophytic turfgrasses for which traditional criteria at the soil salinity of EC e (electrical conductivity of soil) 30 dS m -1 , which confound the use of the traditional criteria-threshold EC e , slope factor based on decline in growth with increasing salinity, and EC e for 50% growth reduction. Using absolute growth rather than relative growth (percent of nonsaline control) is important for halophytic grass screening, especially for ecotypes within a species, since plant vigor is necessary in salt-affected sites. Salinity-growth curves for shoot, root, verdure, and total plant growth provide the most information for separation of ecotypes for salt-tolerance, with shoot and root response curves the most critical. Minimum screening criteria that require the least time and cost for large numbers of ecotypes are recommended as absolute growth at nonsaline conditions, growth at the highest salinity level expected for use of the grass, and leaf firing. For the limited number of the most tolerant ecotypes, more detailed salinity-growth curves are necessary, including data at salinities of EC w >30 dS m -1 . Classical salt-tolerance ranks together all grasses as tolerant with no classes above the levels of a threshold EC w >10 dS m -1 or an EC w for 50% reduction of >22 dS m -1 (Maas, 1994). Halophytic grasses can exhibit considerable variation in salinity tolerance at well above these salinities and ranking classes should be developed that are appropriate to distinguish these classes.
Bethe-Salpeter dynamics and the constituent mass concept for heavy quark mesons

The definition of a quark as heavy requires a comparison of its mass with the nonperturbative chiral symmetry breaking scale which is about 1 GeV (${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{\ensuremath{\chi}}\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$) or with the scale ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{\mathrm{QCD}}\ensuremath{\sim}0.2\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ that characterizes the distinction between perturbative and nonperturbative QCD. For quark masses significantly larger than these scales, nonperturbative dressing effects, or equivalently nonperturbative self-energy contributions, and relativistic effects are believed to be less important for physical observables. We explore the concept of a constituent mass for heavy quarks in the Dyson-Schwinger equations formalism, for light-heavy and heavy-heavy quark mesons by studying their masses and electroweak decay constants.
Acute inhalation toxicology and proposed emergency exposure limits of nitrogen trifluoride.

Abstract Acute exposures of rats, mice, dogs and monkeys to nitrogen trifluoride have been carried out and median lethal concentrations were determined for rats and mice. Confirmative evidence was obtained that the immediate effects of acute exposure are caused by extensive methemoglobin formation and resulting anoxia. Dogs surviving exposure to 9600 ppm for 60 min exhibit a Heinz body anemia with red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit decreasing 33% to minimum values by the end of the second week postexposure. Recovery of hematologic values to preexposure levels is attained in 40 days. In dogs, the anemia caused by a dose level of 120,000 ppm-min is severe enough to invalidate that dose as an emergency exposure limit (EEL). At 30,000 ppm-min, however, no detectable anemia occurs, and no other toxic effects are discernible. The results of experiments conducted at subacute levels justify recommending an upward revision of the EEL to 30,000 ppm-min from the proposed National Academy of Science, National Research Council value of 3000 ppm-min.
Material Study for Electrowetting-Based Multi-Microfluidics Array Printing of High Resolution Tissue Construct With Embedded Cells and Growth Factors

Tissue engineering (TE) is evolving as a potential solution for repair and reconstruction of diseased or damaged tissues. TE faces major manufacturing challenges: manufacturing techniques are needed to mimic tissue and extra cellular matrix (ECM) architecture, with high resolution (less than 10 μm) for tissues such as myocardium (heart muscle), blood vessels, bone or nerves; innovative methods are needed for delivery of cells and growth factors into scaffolds; and manufacturing techniques are needed to create vascular structure in tissue construct; lack of nutrient transport currently limits the size and cellular content of implants.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
“Roles for the pre-supplementary motor area and the right inferior frontal gyrus in stopping action: electrophysiological responses and functional and structural connectivity”

Both the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA) and the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) are important for stopping action outright. These regions are also engaged when preparing to stop. We aimed to elucidate the roles of these regions by harnessing the high spatio-temporal resolution of electrocorticography (ECoG), and by using a task that engages both preparing to stop and stopping outright. First, we validated the task using fMRI in 16 healthy control participants to confirm that both the preSMA and the rIFG were active. Next, we studied a rare patient with intracranial grid coverage of both these regions, using macrostimulation, diffusion tractography, cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) and task-based ECoG. Macrostimulation of the preSMA induced behavioral motor arrest. Diffusion tractography revealed a structural connection between the preSMA and rIFG. CCEP analysis showed that stimulation of the preSMA evoked strong local field potentials within 30 ms in rIFG. During the task, when preparing to stop, there was increased high gamma amplitude (~70-250 Hz) in both regions, with preSMA preceding rIFG by ~750 ms. For outright stopping there was also a high gamma amplitude increase in both regions, again with preSMA preceding rIFG. Further, at the time of stopping, there was an increase in beta band activity (~16 Hz) in both regions, with significantly stronger inter-regional coherence for successful vs. unsuccessful stop trials. The results complement earlier reports of a structural/functional action control network between the preSMA and rIFG. They go further by revealing between-region timing differences in the high gamma band when preparing to stop and stopping outright. They also reveal strong between-region coherence in the beta band when stopping is successful. Implications for theories of action control are discussed.
On Jacobi sum Hecke characters ramified only at 2

Abstract Let K be the cyclotomic field of the mth roots of unity in some fixed algebraic closure of Q. Weil has shown in [Jacobi sums as Grosencharaktere, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 73 (1952), 487–495] that Jacobi sums induce Hecke characters on K modulo m2, or equivalently homomorphisms of the idele class group of K into K ∗ . Given such a Hecke character ϱ, we then obtain for every place p of K a continuous homomorphism ϱp (the local component of ϱ at p), from (Kp)∗ into K ∗ . When p does not divide m, ϱp is completely determined. When p divides m the determination of ϱp is much more difficult. Coleman and McCallum in [Stable reduction of Fermat curves and Jacobi sum Hecke characters, J. Reine Angew. Math. 385 (1988), 41–101] have given formulas and computed the conductors of the local components of ϱ at p for p∥m and m odd. Hasse, in [Zetafunktion und L-Funktionen zu einem arithmetischen Funktionenkorper vom Fermatschen Typus, Abh. Deut. Akad. Wiss. Berlin Kl. Math. Nat. 1954 4 (1955)] has computed the local component and the conductor when m is prime, while in [C. Jensen, Uber die Fuhrer einer Klasse Heckescher Grosencharaktere, Math. Scand. 8 (1960), 81–96; D. Rohrlich, Jacobi sums and explicit reciprocity laws, Compositio Math. 60 (1986), 97–110; C.-G. Schmidt, Uber die Fuhrer von Gauss'schen Summen als Grosencharaktere, J. Number Theory 12, No. 3 (1980), 283–310] the authors have given estimates and in some cases have determined the conductor of the local component. Here we deal with the case where m = 2n, and we give an explicit formula for the local component in terms of Hilbert symbols, similar to the one in [R. Coleman and W. McCallum, Stable reduction of Fermat curves and Jacobi sum Hecke characters, J. Reine Angew. Math. 385 (1988), 41–101]. In [D. Prapavessi, On the conductor of 2-adic Hilbert norm residue symbols, to appear in J. Algebra] we use this result to compute the conductor of ϱ when m = 2n.
Kinetics of phase separation by spinodal decomposition in a liquid-crystalline polymer solution

Abstract Time-resolved light scattering studies have been undertaken for elucidating the dynamics of phase separation in aqueous HPC (hydroxypropyl cellulose) liquid-crystalline solutions. The HPC/water system phase separates during heating and returns to a single phase upon cooling. The phase diagram of thermally induced phase separation was subsequently established on the basis of cloud point measurements. For kinetic studies, T (temperature) jump experiments of 10 per cent aqueous HPC solutions were undertaken. Phase separation occurs in accordance with the spinodal decomposition mechanism. At low T jumps or in reverse quenched experiments, the scattering maximum remains invariant as predicted by the linearized Cahn-Hilliard theory. However, at large T jumps, the SD is dominated by non-linear behaviour in which scattering peaks move to low scattering angles. The latter process has been identified to be a coarsening mechanism associated with the coalescence of phase separated domains driven by a surface...
Spanish Translations of a Standard Assessment Battery for Marital Distress

(2003). Spanish Translations of a Standard Assessment Battery for Marital Distress. The American Journal of Family Therapy: Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 409-412.
Tightening the theory-experiment connection in physics : R N based space and time

Some aspects of replacing C based physics by Cn based physics are discussed. Here Cn=Rn,In, where Rn (and In) is a set of length 2n string numbers in some basis. The discussion is limited to describing the experimental basis and choice for the numbers in Rn, and a few basic but interesting properties of Rn based space and time.
SLUG-induced elevation of D1 cyclin in breast cancer cells through the inhibition of its ubiquitination

UbcH5c, a member of the UbcH5 family of protein ubiquitin conjugase E2 enzymes, is a critical component of biological processes in human cells, being the initial ubiquitinating enzyme of substrates like IκB, TP53, and cyclin D1. We report here that the metastasis regulator protein SLUG inhibits the expression of UbcH5c directly through chromatin remodeling and thus, among other downstream effects, elevates the level of cyclin D1, thus enhancing the growth rates of breast cancer cells. Overexpression of SLUG in the SLUG-deficient breast cancer cells significantly decreased the levels of mRNA and protein of UbcH5c but only elevated the protein levels of cyclin D1. On the contrary, knockdown of SLUG in SLUG-high breast cancer cells elevated the levels of UbcH5c while decreasing the level of cyclin D1 protein. SLUG is recruited at the E2-box sequence at the UbcH5c gene promoter along with the corepressor CtBP1 and the effector HDAC1 to silence the expression of this gene. Knockdown of UbcH5c in the SLUG-deficient human breast cells elevated the level of cyclin D1 as well as the rates of proliferation and invasiveness of these cells. Whereas the growth rates of the cells are enhanced due to overexpression of SLUG or knockdown of UbcH5c in the breast cancer cells tested, ER+ cells also acquire resistance to the anti-estrogen 4-hydroxytamoxifen due to the rise of cyclin D1 levels in these cells. This study thus implicates high levels of SLUG and low levels of UbcH5c as a determinant in the progression of metastatic breast cancer.
What Drives Trickle-Down Effects? A Test of Multiple Mediation Processes

Organizational research has established the existence of trickle-down effects, wherein the perceptions, attitudes, or behavior of one person in an organization affects those of another person at a ...
Mechanisms Responsible for Cross-Resistance and Dichotomous Resistance among the Quinolones

Resistance to the quinolones almost always arises from the accumulation of mutations in chromosomal genes responsible for the drug targets, permeability, or active efflux. This resistance can be depicted as a stepwise process in which each step, represented by separate mutations, diminishes susceptibility on average 4- to 8-fold. The precise path followed in this stepwise process differs with the quinolone that selects resistance as well as the organism involved. At each step, the influence of each mutation on susceptibility to other quinolones not used in the selection process varies greatly, and a pattern of either cross-resistance or dichotomous resistance may be seen. From an understanding of the stepwise process by which resistance to the quinolones evolves, it is possible to use an 8-fold rule to predict which compounds may provide effective therapy for a given infection and be least likely to select for resistance.
Molecular Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Using Nine Novel Variable-Number Tandem Repeats across the Beijing Family and Low-Copy-Number IS6110 Isolates

Molecular epidemiological tools for genotyping clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been developed and used to help track and contain transmission of tuberculosis. We identified 87 short sequence repeat loci within the genome of the M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain. Nine tandem repeats were found to be variable (variable-number tandem repeats [VNTRs]) in a set of 91 isolates. Fifty-seven of the isolates had only four IS6110 bands. The other 34 isolates were members of the Beijing strain family. The number of alleles of each these nine VNTRs was determined by examining each isolate. Six of the loci (Mtb-v1, -v4, -v10, -v15, -v18, and -v20) were able to differentiate the Beijing spoligotype identical isolates into seven distinct genotypes. Five of the loci (Mtb-v3, -v5, -v6, -v10, and -v15) were informative in discriminating the four-band IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism isolates from each other. The Nei's diversity values of each marker ranged from 0.02 to 0.59, with the number of alleles ranging from two to eight across the entire strain set. These nine loci provide a useful, discriminatory extension of VNTR typing methods for application to molecular epidemiologic studies of M. tuberculosis.
Solid state complexes of poly(L‐lysine) with metal chlorides from the 1st row of the d‐block

Solid state characterization of poly(L-lysine)hydrobromide was obtained via differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, optical microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. The glass transition temperature of poly(L-lysine)hydrobromide is 178°C. This thermal transition has not been reported previously. Poly(L-lysine)'s T g decreases when complexes are produced with the following divalent transition metal chlorides; cobalt chloride hexahydrate, nickel chloride hexahydrate, copper chloride dihydrate and anhydrous zinc chloride. At 10 mol% salt, nickel chloride decreases T g by 45°C, and the general trend is Ni 2+ >Co 2+ >Zn 2+ >Cu 2+ . The depression of poly(L-lysine)'s T g correlates well with ligand field stabilization energies for pseudo-octahedral and pseudo-tetrahedral do complexes (n = 7, 8, 10) from the 1 st row of the d-block. However, d 9 copper(II) complexes cannot be included in this empirical correlation. Infrared spectroscopic evidence suggests that Co 2+ , Ni 2+ and Zn 2+ coordinate to the carbonyl oxygen in the main chain of the polymer. When transition metal ions coordinate to C=O, the network of hydrogen bonded amide groups is disrupted, which lowers the glass transition. The amide I region of the infrared spectrum reveals a hydrogen bonded C=O stretch @ 1655 cm -1 that is characteristic of poly(α-amino acid) random coil conformations, and a metal-ligand coordinated C=O stretch @ 1625 cm -1 in complexes with divalent cobalt, nickel and zinc. The amide II region of the infrared spectrum near 1550 cm -1 is also sensitive to the formation of coordination complexes with these d-block metal chlorides.
Sequence estimation in the presence of random parameters via the EM algorithm

The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm was first introduced in the statistics literature as an iterative procedure that under some conditions produces maximum-likelihood (hit) parameter estimates. In this paper we investigate the application of the EM algorithm to sequence estimation in the presence of random disturbances and additive white Gaussian noise. As examples of the use of the EM algorithm, we look at the random-phase and fading channels, and show that a formulation of the sequence estimation problem based on the EM algorithm can provide a means of obtaining ML sequence estimates, a task that has been previously too complex to perform.
Genetically engineered mouse models for lung cancer

▪ Abstract The lung is a complex organ consisting of numerous cell types that function to ensure sufficient gas exchange to oxygenate the blood. In order to accomplish this function, the lung must be exposed to the external environment and at the same time maintain a homeostatic balance between its function in gas exchange and the maintenance of inflammatory balance. During the past two decades, as molecular methodologies have evolved with the sequencing of entire genomes, the use of in vivo models to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in pulmonary physiology and disease have increased. The mouse has emerged as a potent model to investigate pulmonary physiology due to the explosion in molecular methods that now allow for the developmental and tissue-specific regulation of gene transcription. Initial efforts to manipulate gene expression in the mouse genome resulted in the generation of transgenic mice characterized by the constitutive expression of a specific gene and knockout mice characterized ...
Modeling and control for in vitro combination therapy using ONYX-015 replicating adenovirus

Replicating genetically modified adenoviruses have shown promise as a new treatment approach against cancer. Recombinant adenoviruses replicate only in cancer cells which contain certain mutations, such as the loss of functional p53, as is the case in the virus ONYX-015. The successful entry of the viral particle into target cells is strongly dependent on the presence of the main receptor for adenovirus, the coxsackie- and adeno-virus receptor (CAR). This receptor is frequently down-regulated in highly malignant cells, rendering this population less vulnerable to viral attack. It has been shown that use of MEK inhibitors can up-regulate CAR expression, resulting in enhanced adenovirus entry into the cells. However, inhibition of MEK results in G1 cell cycle arrest, rendering infected cells temporarily unable to produce virus. This forces a tradeoff. While drug mediated up-regulation of CAR enhances virus entry into cancer cells, the consequent cell cycle arrest inhibits production of new virus particles and the replication of the virus. Optimal control-based schedules of MEK inhibitor application should increase the efficacy of this treatment, maximizing the overall tumor toxicity by exploiting the dynamics of CAR expression and viral production. We introduce two mathematical models of these dynamics and show simple optimal control based strategies which motivate this approach.
Enhanced Head-Up Display for General Aviation aircraft

General aviation (GA) as a means of transportation, can be safe and time efficient given favorable flying conditions. However, when instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevail the pilot must rely on his or her ability to navigate and safely land the aircraft using instrumentation that has undergone little change in the past fifty years. Gauges and dials are used to determine the spatial orientation of the aircraft rather than the intuitive "out the window view" used during visual meteorological conditions (VMC). It is common knowledge that VMC flight requires far less skill, and thus is inherently safer than IMC flight, particularly for low-time instrument rated pilots. The GA cockpit could be modernized by combining an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver with advanced display technology. Attitude information, coupled with GPS-derived position and velocity information, can be used to display to the pilot an "out the window view" on a novel head-up type of display. Overlapping the display with the outside world provides the pilot with a better understanding of the aircraft flight path and he or she is not spending valuable time struggling to determine the aircraft's position and orientation relative to the runway.
Analysis of a learning algorithm for neural network classifiers

The authors provide a convergence analysis of a learning rule derived for the adaptation of the neurons' synaptic weight vectors representing the prototype vectors of the class distribution in a classifier. The analysis also provides a theoretical foundation for the Kohonen learning vector quantization (LVQ1 and LVQ2) algorithms. The convergence of the learning rules is proved under certain conditions. More specifically, it is shown that the algorithm will converge to an error-free solution when the input patterns are linearly separable. >
Chip/Package Mechanical Stress Impact on 3-D IC Reliability and Mobility Variations

In this paper, we propose a fast and accurate chip/package thermomechanical stress co-analysis tool for through-silicon-via (TSV)-based 3-D ICs. We use our tool for full-stack mechanical reliability as well as stress-aware timing analyses. First, we analyze the stress induced by chip/package interconnect elements, i.e., TSV, μ-bump, and package bump. Second, we explore and validate the principle of lateral and vertical linear superposition of stress tensors (LVLS), considering all chip/package elements. The proposed LVLS method greatly reduces the complexity of stress calculation compared with the conventional finite element analysis method with high enough accuracy for full-chip/package-scale stress simulations and reliability analysis. In addition, we build hole and electron mobility variation maps based on LVLS. Finally, we study the mechanical reliability issues and provide full-stack timing analysis results in practical 3-D chip/package designs including wide-I/O and block-level 3-D ICs.
A geometric approach to machine-printed character recognition

An approach to feature extraction that eliminates binarization by extracting features directly from gray scale images is presented. It not only allows the processing of poor quality input (e.g., low contrast, dirty images), but also offers the possibility of significantly lower resolution for digitization. >
A model for critical thinking measurement of dental student performance.

The educational application of critical thinking has increased in the last twenty years with programs like problem-based learning. Performance measurement related to the dental student's capacity for critical thinking remains elusive, however. This article offers a model now in use to measure critical thinking applied to patient assessment and treatment planning across the four years of the dental school curriculum and across clinical disciplines. Two elements of the model are described: 1) a critical thinking measurement "cell," and 2) a list of minimally essential steps in critical thinking for patient assessment and treatment planning. Issues pertaining to this model are discussed: adaptations on the path from novice to expert, the role of subjective measurement, variations supportive of the model, and the correlation of individual and institutional assessment. The critical thinking measurement cell consists of interacting performance tasks and measures. The student identifies the step in the process (for example, chief complaint) with objective measurement; the student then applies the step to a patient or case with subjec- tive measurement; the faculty member then combines the objective and subjective measurements into an evaluation on progress toward competence. The activities in the cell are then repeated until all the steps in the process have been addressed. A next task is to determine consistency across the four years and across clinical disciplines.
Applying Film to Public Administration

(2012). Applying Film to Public Administration. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 133-142.
Propensities and Probabilities

In 1953 or thereabouts, Karl Popper brought forth into the world a new interpretation of probability: the propensity interpretation. According to this view, probability represents something objective and empirical, as it does on frequency or limiting frequency interpretations of probability; but it is a property not of a sequence or class of trials, but rather of a set of circumstances. It is a theoretical property of something (of exactly what we shall have to consider in due course), and more than that it is an explicitly dispositional property. In recent years quite a number of philosophers (Mellor, Levi, Hacking, Gillies, Fetzer, among others) have become persuaded that in principle this is the right approach to interpreting probability. Not only that, in recent years the propensity view of probability has been attributed, retroactively, to such writers as Cramer and Braithwaite and Hempel. There is, to be sure, a ‘theoretical counterpart of relative frequencies’ view that may be attributed both to Cramer and to Braithwaite (among others) as well, I think, as to Levi; whether this attribution is correct, and whether it is appropriate to characterise it as a brand of propensity theory is a question that would involve me in historical and terminological questions I should prefer to avoid.
The Evolution of Multimeric Protein Assemblages

Although the mechanisms by which complex cellular features evolve constitute one of the great unsolved problems of evolutionary biology, it is clear that the emergence of new protein–protein interactions, often accompanied by the diversification of duplicate genes, is involved. Using information on the levels of protein multimerization in major phylogenetic groups as a guide to the patterns that must be explained and relying on results from population-genetic theory to define the relative plausibility of alternative evolutionary pathways, a framework for understanding the evolution of dimers is developed. The resultant theory demonstrates that the likelihoods of alternative pathways for the emergence of protein complexes depend strongly on the effective population size. Nonetheless, it is equally clear that further advancements in this area will require comparative studies on the fitness consequences of alternative monomeric and dimeric proteins.
Audience response systems during case-based discussions: A pilot study of student perceptions

Abstract Objectives Recent literature has described the benefits of instruction with Audience Response Systems (ARS, often referred to as “clickers”), but little information is available regarding their role in case-based learning within pharmacy education. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate student perceptions on involvement, discussion, and evaluation of therapeutics, as well as preference for traditional or ARS-based cases. Methods During a therapeutics course, students participated in three case discussions involving ARS and four traditional case discussions. Students completed an anonymous online survey regarding perceptions of traditional or ARS-based cases at baseline and at the completion of the five-week module. Results Of 150 students enrolled in the course, 142 completed the baseline survey and 148 completed the follow-up survey. Using a five-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree), students reported a stronger preference for ARS-based cases at the end of the course as compared to the beginning of the course (4.53 from 4.34, p Conclusion Students reported a strong preference for ARS during case-based learning and specifically noted that they felt more involved, felt that more therapeutic options were discussed, and found it easier to participate when using ARS. It may be appropriate to consider ARS in other case and discussion-oriented learning opportunities.
A Draping Technique for Prevention of Coronary Bypass Graft Kinking and Suture‐Line Oozing

Acute kinking of coronary bypass grafts and postoperative hemorrhage due to oozing from the anastomotic suture lines are uncommon but devastating complications of myocardial revascularization. Routine draping of arterial and venous coronary bypass grafts just prior to sternal closure by use of thrombin-soaked oxidized regenerated cellulose may help to avoid these potentially lethal complications. This practice appears to be devoid of any immediate or long-term sequela to the patient.
Improving preciseness of time to failure predictions: Application to APU starter

Despite the availability of huge amounts of data and a variety of powerful data analysis methods, prognostic models are still often failing to provide accurate and precise time to failure estimations. This paper addresses this problem by integrating several machine learning algorithms. The approach proposed relies on a classification system to determine the likelihood of component failures and to provide rough indications of remaining life. It then introduces clustering and SVM-based local regression to refine the time to failure estimations provided by the classification system. The paper illustrates the applicability of the proposed approach through a real world aerospace application and discusses data pre-processing requirements. The preliminary results show that the proposed method can reduce uncertainty in time to failure estimates, which in turn helps augment the usefulness of prognostics.
Parallel processing implementation of the unit commitment problem with full AC power flow constraints

The authors describe a parallel implementation of the Lagrangian Relaxation Algorithm with variable duplication for the thermal unit commitment problem. The formulation was previously reported by the authors and allows inclusion of the full nonlinear AC network power flow model, which permits addressing voltage limits, as well as more realistic branch flow limits than is possible with a linear DC flow model. Thus, potential VAr production can be used as another criterion for commitment of otherwise expensive generators in strategic locations. The algorithm is highly parallelizable, and the authors have taken advantage of this in a version currently being developed for the Cornell Theory Center's Velocity AC3 NT cluster.
Degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol by Phanerochaete chrysosporium: involvement of reductive dechlorination

Chlorophenols, which have been produced industrially on a large scale, constitute a significant class of environmental pollutants. 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) and pentachlorophenol have been used extensively as wood preservatives and pesticides (11, 31). In addition, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) and 2,4,5-TCP are precursors in the synthesis of the herbicides 2,4-dichloro- and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acids (11, 31). Of the six isomers of TCP, 2,4,5-TCP and 2,4,6-TCP are considered priority pollutants (34). The white-rot basidiomycetous fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium effectively degrades polymeric lignin as well as dimeric lignin model compounds (6, 16, 21, 25). Two extracellular heme peroxidases, lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP), as well as an H2O2-generating system, apparently constitute the major extracellular components of this organism’s lignin degradative system (16, 19, 25, 42). P. chrysosporium has been reported to degrade a variety of environmentally persistent pollutants, including 2,4,6-TCP (2, 5, 8, 18, 22, 28, 35, 37–39); however, the detailed metabolic pathway for the degradation of 2,4,6-TCP has not been examined previously. Earlier we proposed possible pathways for the degradation of 2,4-DCP (38) and 2,4,5-TCP (24), and we suggested that LiP and MnP as well as intracellular enzymes, including a 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene (1,2,4-THB) 1,2-dioxygenase (33) and a quinone reductase (4), are involved in the degradation of these pollutants. In the present report, we describe the degradation of 2,4,6-TCP by P. chrysosporium. Although the initial dechlorination at the 4 position is catalyzed by either LiP or MnP, as described previously for 2,4-DCP and 2,4,5-TCP (20, 24, 38), we make the novel observation that subsequent chlorines are removed by a reductive process.