cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tobacco exposure and wound healing in head and neck surgical wounds.

Objective Smoking impairs wound healing, yet the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are unclear. We evaluated tobacco-altered healing in head and neck surgery by studying the association between biomarkers and tobacco exposure, as well as cutaneous perfusion by smoking status. Study Design Prospective cohort study, tertiary/academic care center, 2011 to present. Methods Patients who required head and neck surgery were enrolled prospectively. Postsurgical drain fluid was collected 24 hours postoperatively. Biomarkers associated with postulated mechanisms of smoking-impaired healing were assayed. These included interleukin-1, -6, and -8; tumor necrosis factor- alpha; transforming growth factor-beta; epidermal growth factor (EGF); basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF); C-reactive protein; vascular endothelial growth factor; soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1); and placental growth factor. Tobacco exposure and clinical outcomes were recorded. Two sample two-sided t tests evaluated the differences in cytokine levels by tobacco exposure. In a second cohort, cutaneous vascular assessment via indocyanine green angiography was compared by smoking status. Results Twenty-eight patients were enrolled with drain fluid collection. Twenty-one subjects were current/former smokers, whereas seven were never smokers. EGF was higher in never smokers than smokers in a statistically significant manner (P = 0.030). Likewise, sFLT-1 was significantly higher in never smokers (P = 0.011). Cutaneous angiography revealed nonsmokers to have significantly higher cutaneous perfusion than smokers. Conclusion In this head and neck surgical cohort, significantly higher EGF and sFLT-1 levels in wound fluid were associated with never smoking, suggesting that smoking has adverse effects on the inflammatory phase of wound healing. Cutaneous angiography supports the detrimental effect of smoking on skin perfusion. These findings suggest the need for further study as well as therapeutic targets for smokers undergoing surgery. Level of Evidence IIb. Laryngoscope, 2017
Building a Dossier on the Cheap: Integrating Distributed Personal Data Resources Under Cost Constraints

A wide variety of personal data is routinely collected by numerous organizations that, in turn, share and sell their collections for analytic investigations (e.g., market research). To preserve privacy, certain identifiers are often redacted, perturbed or even removed. A substantial number of attacks have shown that, if care is not taken, such data can be linked to external resources to determine the explicit identifiers (e.g., personal names) or infer sensitive attributes (e.g., income) for the individuals from whom the data was collected. As such, organizations increasingly rely upon record linkage methods to assess the risk such attacks pose and adopt countermeasures accordingly. Traditional linkage methods assume only two datasets would be linked (e.g., linking de-identified hospital discharge to identified voter registration lists), but with the advent of a multi-billion dollar data broker industry, modern adversaries have access to a massive data stash of multiple datasets that can be leveraged. Still, realistic adversaries have budget constraints that prevent them from obtaining and integrating all relevant datasets. Thus, in this work, we investigate a novel privacy risk assessment framework, based on adversaries who plan an integration of datasets for the most accurate estimate of targeted sensitive attributes under a certain budget. To solve this problem, we introduce a graph-based formulation of the problem and predictive modeling methods to prioritize data resources for linkage. We perform an empirical analysis using real world voter registration data from two different U.S. states and show that the methods can be used efficiently to accurately estimate potentially sensitive information disclosure risks even under a non-trivial amount of noise.
Spatiotemporal Characterization of Brain Function Via Multiplex Visibility Graph

fNIRS signals recorded at resting-state and during task are analyzed using multilayer visibility graph (MVG). Results show that MVG can provide new insights for studying spatiotemporal characteristics of brain function.
Shear modulus and damping relationships for dynamic analysis of compacted backfill soils

Dynamic analysis of structures often considers the effects of soil–structure interaction which requires estimation of the shear modulus and damping ratio of the soil. While the in situ properties can be measured, the properties of the backfill soils that surround substructures are rarely available at the time of design and in many cases are never measured. This study provides a practical means of estimating properties for compacted coarse-grained soils based on relative density. The results of more than 400 tests gathered from the literature were used to develop correlations between the small strain shear modulus, Gmax and relative density for compacted coarse-grained soils, which can be used when the mechanical properties are not available. The proposed relationships better distinguish between the behavior of sand and gravel compared to existing correlations. Best-fit hyperbolic curves are also presented for the variation of normalized shear modulus and damping ratio with shear strain for compacted coarse-grained soils to represent the nonlinear behavior of the backfill in the dynamic analysis.
Determination of Neurological Prognosis

After a patient undergoes therapeutic hypothermia (TH) and rewarming is achieved, a neurologist is often involved to prognosticate, especially in difficult cases when the patient remains in a coma. The neurologist must use both the clinical exam and various other data including electrophysiological tests to make a conclusion and suggest the most likely outcome for the patient to the primary team and family. This chapter will review the most current evidence from literature regarding the various elements used to make a prognosis.
Energy Portfolio Optimization for Electric Utilities: Case Study for Germany

We discuss a portfolio optimization problem occurring in the energy market. Energy distributing public services have to decide how much of the requested energy demand has to be produced in their own power plant, and which complementary amount has to be bought from the spot market and from load following contracts. This problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem and implemented in GAMS. The formulation is applied to real data of a German electricity distributor.
Construction of Dynamically Equivalent Time-Invariant Forms for Time-Periodic Systems

In this study dynamically equivalent time-invariant forms are obtained for linear and non-linear systems with periodically varying coefficients via Lyapunov–Floquet (L–F) transformation. These forms are equivalent in the sense that the local stability and bifurcation characteristics are identical for both systems in the entire parameter space. It is well known that the L–F transformation converts a linear periodic first order system into a time-invariant one. In the first part of this study a set of linear second order periodic equations is converted into an equivalent set of time-independent second order equations through a sequence of linear transformations. Then the transformations are applied to a time-periodic quadratic Hamiltonian to obtain its equivalent time-invariant form. In the second part, time-invariant forms of nonlinear equations are studied. The application of L–F transformation to a quasi-linear periodic equation converts the linear part to a time-invariant form and leaves the non-linear part with time-periodic coefficients. Dynamically equivalent time-invariant forms are obtained via time-periodic center manifold reduction and time-dependent normal form theory. Such forms are constructed for general hyperbolic systems and for some simple critical cases, including that of one zero eigenvalue and a purely imaginary pair. As a physical example of these techniques, a single and a double inverted pendulum subjected to periodic parametric excitation are considered. The results thus obtained are verified by numerical simulation.
Cross sectional survey of male adolescent and young adult (AYA) childhood cancer survivors regarding fertility.

e22019Background: 30% of male cancer patients receive gonadotoxic therapy that results in infertility. Research exploring male cancer survivors’ attitudes regarding risk of infertility has focused ...
Outcomes of Obese Patients Bridged to Heart Transplantation with Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Purpose Clinical outcomes in heart failure patients with BMI > 30 are better than their normal weight counterparts; however obese patients have worse outcomes after heart transplantation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of obesity on post-transplant outcomes in patients bridged to transplantation with left ventricular assist devices Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database was queried to identify patients with BMI ≥ 30 that underwent LVAD implantation as bridge to transplantation from 2005 and 2015. Patients were divided into three based on body mass index (BMI) as defined World Health Organization classification. The primary outcome was a post-transplant survival. Secondary outcomes included a composite of death or delisting, and the incidence of complications (infection, thrombosis, arrythmia, device malfunction). Cox proportional hazard was used to determine the predictors of the primary outcome. Results Out of 3973 patients who had BTT with a CF-LVAD within the study period, 1400 (35%) had a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. Obesity was classified as Class I in 1053 (75%), class II in 309 (22%) and Class III in 38 (2.7%) patients. Post-transplant survival was not significantly different between obese groups (p = 0.471). Risk of death or delisting was also similar in all 3 groups (p> 0.05). Compared to class I and II, the Incidence of thrombosis was significantly higher in the class III group (p=0.042). Rates of infection (p=0.064), life threatening arrythmia (0.758), and device malfunction (0.503) were comparable in all 3 groups. On Cox proportional hazard modeling, the only factor associated with the primary outcomes was life threatening arrythmia while on LVAD (p=0.009). Conclusion Among obese patients bridged to transplant with a CF-LVAD, obesity class had no impact on post-transplant outcomes. Class III obese patients had an increased risk of thrombosis requiring UNOS status upgrade compared with those with lower obesity class. Life threatening arrythmia while on LVAD support was associated with post-transplant survival.
Administrative Climate, Early Career Teacher Burnout, and Turnover.

Teacher burnout and turnover are known to be especially high for early career teachers (ECTs). However, the link between teacher burnout and turnover has received little attention in the current ag...
Event-Dataset: Temporal information retrieval and text classification dataset.

Abstract Recently, Temporal Information Retrieval (TIR) has grabbed the major attention of the information retrieval community. TIR exploits the temporal dynamics in the information retrieval process and harnesses both textual relevance and temporal relevance to fulfill the temporal information requirements of a user Ur Rehman Khan et al., 2018. The focus time of document is an important temporal aspect which is defined as the time to which the content of the document refers Jatowt et al., 2015; Jatowt et al., 2013; Morbidoni et al., 2018, Khan et al., 2018. To the best of our knowledge, there does not exist any standard benchmark data set (publicly available) that holds the potential to comprehensively evaluate the performance of focus time assessment strategies. Considering these aspects, we have produced the Event-dataset, which is comprised of 35 queries and set of news articles for each query. Such that, C = { Q s , D s } , where C represents the dataset, Q s is query set Q s = { q 1 , q 2 , q 3 , … … . , q 35 } and for each q i there is a set of news articles q i = { d r , d n r } . d r , d n r are sets of relevant documents and non-relevant documents respectively. Each query in the dataset represents a popular event. To annotate these articles into relevant and non-relevant, we have employed a user-study based evaluation method wherein a group of postgraduate students manually annotate the articles into the aforementioned categories. We believe that the generation of such dataset can provide an opportunity for the information retrieval researchers to use it as a benchmark to evaluate focus time assessment methods specifically and information retrieval methods generically.
Assessing the Anesthetized State with the Electroencephalogram

The human electroencephalogram (EEG), first recorded in the 1920s, was proposed as an intraoperative monitor in 1937. However, it was not until the 1990s that the perioperative utility of EEG was first seriously considered. This chapter will describe the foundations of EEG acquisition and interpretation, the neurophysiologic properties of anesthetics, and the advantages to using raw and processed EEG in various clinical settings.
Comparison of free breathing and respiratory triggered diffusion-weighted imaging sequences for liver imaging

Comparison of free breathing and respiratory triggered diffusion-weighted imaging sequences for liver imaging
Surface-Based Registration of MR Scan versus Refined Anatomy-Based Registration of CT Scan: Effect on the Accuracy of SEEG Electrodes Implantation Performed in Prone Position under Frameless Neuronavigation.

Introduction Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) refers to a commonly used diagnostic procedure to localise and define the epileptogenic zone of refractory focal epilepsies, by means of minimally invasive operation techniques without large craniotomies. Objective This study aimed to investigate the influence of different registration methods on the accuracy of SEEG electrode implantation under neuronavigation for paediatric patients with refractory epilepsy. Methods The clinical data of 18 paediatric patients with refractory epilepsy were retrospectively analysed. The SEEG electrodes were implanted under optical neuronavigation while the patients were in the prone position. Patients were divided into two groups on the basis of the surface-based registration of MR scan method and refined anatomy-based registration of CT scan. Registration time, accuracy, and the differences between electrode placement and preoperative planned position were analysed. Results Thirty-six electrodes in 7 patients were placed under surface-based registration of MR scan, and 45 electrodes in 11 patients were placed under refined anatomy-based registration of CT scan. The registration time of surface-based registration of MR scan and refined anatomy-based registration of CT scan was 45 ± 12 min and 10 ± 4 min. In addition, the mean registration error, the error of insertion point, and target error were 3.6 ± 0.7 mm, 2.7 ± 0.7 mm, and 3.1 ± 0.5 mm in the surface-based registration of MR scan group, and 1.1 ± 0.3 mm, 1.5 ± 0.5 mm, and 2.2 ± 0.6 mm in the refined anatomy-based registration of CT scan group. The differences between the two registration methods were statistically significant. Conclusions The refined anatomy-based registration of CT scan method can improve the registration efficiency and electrode placement accuracy, and thereby can be considered as the preferred registration method in the application of SEEG electrode implantation under neuronavigation for treatment of paediatric intractable epilepsy.
Stress Ethylene Production in a Plant-Insect-Microbe System

Cotton fleahopper (CFH), Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter), which causes extensive shedding of small floral buds of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), also induces ethylene synthesis and microbial contamination of excised shoot tips. Salivary glands from lab reared insects were contaminated with microbes while those from insects from several native plant hosts were largely microbe-free. CFH were shown to transmit Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum (Smith) Dye to cotton during feeding. Salivary gland extracts from insects from hosts yielding microbe-free CFH, when injected into cotton shoot tips, duplicated the magnitude and pattern of ethylene production induced by insects. Microbe additions amplified the effect of salivary extracts. Filter sterilized salivary fluid was shown to contain a heat- and aging-labile, ethylene inducing activity. Commercial pectinases also induced ethylene production, and they, as well as CFH and CFH salivary fluids, caused darkening and softening of tissue. Characterization of the ethylene inducing enzyme in salivary fluid is in progress.
Mechanical Condition Assessment of Transformer Winding Based on D-S Evidence Theory

This paper presents a method of transformer winding mechanical condition evaluation based on D-S evidence theory. It takes the S11-M-500/35 transformer as the actual prototype, winds the normal and fault windings, obtains the characteristic information of the windings in different states and quantifies the information and distributing the membership degree, so that the electrical and vibration parameters can be divided into multiple sub evidence bodies according to the characteristics, and establish the transformer body state evaluation model based on evidence theory. The experimental results show that this method can accurately evaluate the current mechanical state of each phase winding, which verifies the accuracy and feasibility of this method.
Core Competencies to Initiate Effective Protection Programs

This chapter discusses the core competencies of security operations. It also reviews the relationship between organizations that contract out for routine security services. Security operations must possess competence in a “core” set of skills to run successfully. These skills include program initiation, ongoing monitoring, and constant endeavors to improve performance. The reasons for the growth of corporate security endeavors involve diverse psychological, legal, social, and financial requisites. Politics, federal, and state laws have helped shape security services. The changing priorities of security practitioners in large corporations focus on workplace violence, crisis management, and executive protection, however, the nature of such concerns differ according to the particular industry of the corporation. Some of the leading elements that underpin the growth of contemporary security programs and drive their growth and vitality include: cost savings, risk mitigation, income generation, bureaucratic requirements, and accreditation requirements.
Rule-based detection for reverse engineering user interfaces

Reengineering the user interface can be a critical part of the migration of any large information system. The paper details experiences with manually reverse engineering legacy applications to build a model of the user interface functionality, and to develop a technique for partially automating this process. The results show that a language-independent set of rules can be used to detect user interface components from legacy code, and also illustrate problems that require dynamic analysis to solve them.
Stiffness-Analysis of Cable-Stayed Bridges

A general procedure for analysis of cable-stayed bridges by the stiffness method is presented. The bridge system is considered as a structure made up of rigid bars and cables. Stiffness matrices are developed for fixed as well as movable cables, by taking into account both their flexibility and catenary action. The nonlinear analysis is performed by successive iteration of linear computations. In each step of the iterations, stiffness matrices and stability functions assembled on the basis of data determined in the previous step, are employed. The external loads applied in each iteration are obtained by subtracting the internal joint stress resultants of the previous step from the corresponding joint loads.
Achenbach, Thomas M. (b. 1940)

Thomas M. Achenbach (b. 1940) developed the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA), which is used worldwide for ages 1½–90+ years and is available in 90 languages. Its use is reported in over 8,000 published studies from 80 societies. Achenbach earned his BA from Yale in 1962, was a German government fellow at Heidelberg University during the following year, obtained his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1966, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale Child Study Center. Beginning in 1967, Achenbach was a faculty member at Yale and then research psychologist at NIMH. Since 1980, he has been professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Vermont, where he is president of the nonprofit Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families. Achenbach's research has identified numerous syndromes and broader groupings of problems, for which he coined the terms “internalizing” and “externalizing.” He authored the first book for the discipline that he dubbed “developmental psychopathology.” Keywords: psychopathology; metadata; multi-informants; multiculturalism
A high-performance VME-based acquisition system for positron emission mammography

A prototype for a practical and economical breast imaging system for cancer detection is currently under development at Jefferson Lab. The latest advances in bright, fast, crystal scintillators, compact position-sensitive photomultipliers (PSPMT), and high-performance digitizing and readout electronics are being used to develop a compact imager based on Positron Emission Tomography (PET). To facilitate the performance demands of the detector as well as the high number of readout channels, the data acquisition system is built around an intelligent, self-contained, VNM form-factor.
Determination of physical parameters and reliability of ultra thin oxides

Summary form only given. The aggressive downscaling of CMOS device dimensions requires the fabrication of gate oxides in the 2-3 nm range in the near future. The accuracy and sensitivity of numerous experimental techniques may soon lead to difficulties in measuring physical parameters such as the oxide thickness or the densities of stress induced defects required to quantify oxide degradation and to understand dielectric breakdown. In this presentation, commonly used methods for measurement of oxide thickness were critically reviewed and some recent efforts to obtain higher accuracy for thickness measurements were discussed. Similarly, the limitations of the more conventional methods for defect generation measurement were discussed and one powerful alternative which can only be used in thin oxides was introduced. It was shown how this method, stress induced leakage current measurement, can be related to the oxide degradation and can be used to understand oxide breakdown. The dominant role played by hydrogen in the degradation process was illustrated.
Influence of penicillinase-producing staphylococci on the eradication of group A streptococci from the upper respiratory tract by penicillin treatment.

Penicillinase-producing strains of S. aureus were isolated from the upper respiratory tract of 28% of a group of children presenting with signs or symptoms of respiratory illness and group A streptococci on cultures from the pharynx or anterior nares. Although group A streptococci were found in 10% of the children 14 to 30 days after penicillin treatment, no correlation was found between the presence of penicillinase-producing S. aureus initially or at follow-up and re-isolation of group A streptococci. There was no suggestion from these studies that antibiotic therapy aimed at penicillin-resistant staphylococci would be of any greater value than intramuscular benzathine penicillin G for the treatment of patients with group A streptococci in the upper respiratory tract.
Time course of cocaine-induced behavioral and neurochemical plasticity.

Factors that result in augmented reinstatement, including increased withdrawal period duration and high levels of cocaine consumption, may provide insight into relapse vulnerability. The neural basis of augmented reinstatement may arise from more pronounced changes in plasticity required for reinstatement and/or the emergence of plasticity expressed only during a specific withdrawal period or under specific intake conditions. In this study, we examined the impact of withdrawal period duration and cocaine intake on the magnitude of cocaine-primed reinstatement and extracellular glutamate in the nucleus accumbens, which has been shown to be required for cocaine-primed reinstatement. Rats were assigned to self-administer under conditions resulting in low (2 hours/day; 0.5 mg/kg/infusion, IV) or high (6 hours/day; 1.0 mg/kg/infusion, IV) levels of cocaine intake. After 1, 21 or 60 days of withdrawal, drug seeking and extracellular glutamate levels in the nucleus accumbens were measured before and after a cocaine injection. Cocaine-reinstated lever pressing and elevated extracellular glutamate at every withdrawal time point tested, which is consistent with the conclusion that increased glutamatergic signaling in the nucleus accumbens, is required for cocaine-induced reinstatement. Interestingly, high-intake rats exhibited augmented reinstatement at every time point tested, yet failed to exhibit higher levels of cocaine-induced increases in extracellular glutamate relative to low-intake rats. Our current data indicate that augmented reinstatement in high-intake rats is not due to relative differences in extracellular levels of glutamate in the nucleus accumbens, but rather may stem from intake-dependent plasticity.
Diagnostic accuracy of a new instrument for detecting cognitive dysfunction

Background: Effective screening of cognitive disorders is limited by psychometric and practical properties of available instruments. The Brief Cognitive Screen (BCS) was developed to improve sensitivity and overall diagnostic accuracy of case detection for cognitive dysfunction in a quick and convenient format. Methods: This validation study compared psychometric properties of the BCS with the Mini mental state examination (MMSE) in 308 patients with suspected or known disorders of cognition. Diagnostic accuracy of the MMSE was determined using the traditional 23/24 clinical cutoff and area under the curve (AUC) from receiveroperating characteristics (ROC) analyses. Diagnosticaccuracy of BCS summary scores and components was determined by ROC analyses. Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation served as the criterion standard for determining cognitive dysfunction. Results:TheMMSE sensitivity(34.8%)wasinadequateat the 23/24 cutoff.Under ROCanalyses,diagnostic accuracy of a BCS summary score was superior (AUC=0.950) to the MMSE total score (AUC=0.862) for the total sample. Excluding all patients with a history of cognitive deficit, classification accuracy of the BCS remained high (AUC=0.936). Conclusions:Findings suggest that BCS is an effective, convenient alternative screening instrument for use in clinical populations with suspected cognitive dysfunction. Copyright # 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isotope Effect in Spectra and Precise Atomic Weights

IT seems probable that many isotopes exist in amounts too small to fall within the experimental range of the mass spectrograph. This makes it desirable to seek some means of determining their atomic weights with sufficient accuracy to give reliable values of their packing effects. Two methods, of which the second appears generally applicable, will be discussed here.
Arachidonic acid-induced human platelet aggregation and prostaglandin formation.

Abstract Arachidonic acid and several of its salts caused aggregation of platelets in platelet-rich plasma. Other fatty acids did not cause aggregation when tested under similar conditions. Platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid was inhibited by adenosine, β naphthol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, unsaturated fatty acids and albumin. At concentrations too low to cause aggregation, arachidonic acid enhanced aggregation induced by collagen, ADP or epinephrine. Arachidonic acid caused platelets to form PGE 2 and PGF 2α . However, it failed to induce prostaglandin synthesis or platelet aggregation in plateletrich plasma obtained one hour after the ingestion of a therapeutic dose of aspirin. This effect of aspirin persisted for several days. The significance of these findings in relation to hemostasis and thrombosis is discussed.
Construction and optimization of a family of genetically encoded metabolite sensors by semirational protein engineering

A family of genetically-encoded metabolite sensors has been constructed using bacterial periplasmic binding proteins (PBPs) linearly fused to protein fluorophores. The ligand-induced conformational change in a PBP allosterically regulates the relative distance and orientation of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-compatible protein pair. Ligand binding is transduced into a macroscopic FRET observable, providing a reagent for in vitro and in vivo ligand-measurement and visualization. Sensors with a higher FRET signal change are required to expand the dynamic range and allow visualization of subtle analyte changes under high noise conditions. Various observations suggest that factors other than inter-fluorophore separation contribute to FRET transfer efficiency and the resulting ligand-dependent spectral changes. Empirical and rational protein engineering leads to enhanced allosteric linkage between ligand binding and chromophore rearrangement; modifications predicted to decrease chromophore rotational averaging enhance the signal change, emphasizing the importance of the rotational freedom parameter kappa2 to FRET efficiency. Tighter allosteric linkage of the PBP and the fluorophores by linker truncation or by insertion of chromophores into the binding protein at rationally designed sites gave rise to sensors with improved signal change. High-response sensors were obtained with fluorescent proteins attached to the same binding PBP lobe, suggesting that indirect allosteric regulation during the hinge-bending motion is sufficient to give rise to a FRET response. The optimization of sensors for glucose and glutamate, ligands of great clinical interest, provides a general framework for the manipulation of ligand-dependent allosteric signal transduction mechanisms.
In vitro activation of woodchuck lymphocytes measured by radiopurine incorporation and interleukin-2 production: Implications for modeling immunity and therapy in hepatitis B virus infection

Cellular immune responses to hepatitis B virus (HBV) play an important role in the resolution of acute infection. They also influence the course of chronic infection and disease but are inadequate to completely clear the infection. Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection of the woodchuck can provide a model to study these processes. Lymphocyte responses of woodchucks were assessed by in vitro proliferation and/or interleukin (IL)-2 assays using mitogen (Concanavalin A [ConA]), cytokine (IL-2), superantigen (Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B [SEB]), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) allo-antigen (mixed lymphocyte reaction [MLR]), and viral antigens (woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen [WHcAg] and woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen [WHsAg]). ConA-stimulated woodchuck lymphocytes underwent cell division based on cell counting experiments and produced IL-2 as detected using an IL-2-dependent murine cell line but failed to incorporate sufficient tritiated thymidine; however, they did incorporate sufficient tritiated adenosine and deoxyadenosine to permit development of a meaningful proliferation assay. The IL-2 assay was sensitive and specific for detection of woodchuck IL-2 induced by mitogen, superantigen, and MLR, as shown by quantitative titration analysis and anti-body neutralization of ConA-supernatant activity. Cyclosporin A and FK506 specifically inhibited ConA- and SEB-induced IL-2 production by woodchuck lymphocytes. Positive two-way MLRs were detected by IL-2 production and proliferation assay between woodchucks from different geographic regions, thus indicating divergence among MHC molecules; however, occasional negative MLR reactions among indigenous pairs of woodchucks indicated that some woodchucks were mutually immunocompatible to some degree. The radioadenosine proliferation assay was sensitive for detecting peripheral blood lymphocyte responses to WHcAg and WHsAg in adult woodchucks with recently resolved acute infections. The above systems should facilitate the design of adoptive therapy and liver transplantation experiments in the woodchuck, and also enable modeling of immune responses that promote and maintain chronic hepadnavirus infection.
p53 Mediates Nontranscriptional Cell Death in Dopaminergic Cells in Response to Proteasome Inhibition

Proteasome dysfunction has been demonstrated in Parkinson disease (PD), and proteasome inhibitors have been shown to induce degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in vitro and in vivo. The mechanism whereby proteasome dysfunction leads to dopaminergic cell death, however, is unknown. In this study, we show that proteasome inhibition in both PC12 cells and dopaminergic neurons derived from embryonic stem cells is associated with mitochondrial membrane permeabilization, activation of caspase-3, and nuclear changes consistent with apoptosis. Prior to the emergence of apoptotic features, we found that proteasome inhibition induced increased levels of phosphorylated p53. Inhibition of p53 by pifithrin-α or by RNA interference prevented mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and cytotoxicity. There was no increase in p53 mRNA in proteasome-inhibited cells, suggesting that p53 was increased in a transcription-independent manner. Further, there was no increase in Puma or Bax mRNA and p53 co-immunoprecipitated with Bcl-xL and Mdm2. These findings suggest that p53 mediates cell death by way of a direct mitochondrial effect in this model. We also observed increased levels of phosphorylated p53 in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta of mice following systemic administration of a proteasome inhibitor. These changes preceded degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Increased phosphorylated p53 was also demonstrated in the substantia nigra pars compacta of post-mortem PD brains. These results suggest that abnormalities in p53 signaling play a role in dopaminergic cell death induced by proteasome inhibition and may be relevant to neurodegeneration in PD.
Solving some combinatorial problems on arrays with one-way dataflow

In this paper we present algorithms for solving some combinatorial problems on one-dimensional processor arrays in which data flows in only one direction through the array. The problems we consider are: ranking the elements in a chain of sizen, rooting a spanning tree withn vertices, and computing biconnected components of a connected graph withn vertices. We show that each of these problems can be solved using arrays of sizen in which the data enters at the first cell and flows through the array in only one direction until it leaves the last cell as output. We also show how the biconnectivity algorithm for the array yields a new sequential algorithm for computing biconnected components which uses onlyO(n) locations of random access memory.
Special Cases of Orthogonal Networks - Mesh and Nodal Networks

The conventional mesh and nodal methods, their theories, and their algorithms are examined from an entirely new direction. This new direction, or viewpoint, assumes both methods to be special cases of the orthogonal network theories and methods. A deeper and broader understanding of the conventional methods and the topological tools that they employ are thereby obtained.
“Half-open cobaltocene” chemistry: diene replacement vs. hydride abstraction by the triphenylmethyl cation

Summary Cyclopentadienyl(η 4 -2,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-pentadiene)cobalt has been prepared by the reaction of the fluorinated diene with (cyclopentadienyl)bis (ethylene)cobalt. An attempt to bring about hydride abstraction from the former compound using the triphenylmethyl cation has instead led to a replacement of the fluorinated diene by an η 5 -(C 6 H 5 ) 3 C + ligand.
Lens induction by Pax-6 in Xenopus laevis.

Abstract Despite extensive study following the pioneering work of Spemann on lens development (Spemann, H. (1901)Verh. Anat. Ges.15, 61–79) and the subsequent establishment of the concept of embryonic induction, the molecular mechanism of vertebrate lens induction remains largely unknown. Here we report that inXenopusexpression of Pax-6 results in lens formation in a cell autonomous manner. In animal cap experiments, Pax-6 induced expression of the lens-specific marker βB1-crystallin without inducing the general neural marker NCAM. Ectopic Pax-6 expression also resulted in the formation of ectopic lenses in whole embryos as well as in animal cap explants indicating that in vertebrates, as well asDrosophila(Halder, G., Callaerts, P., and Gehring, W. J. (1995)Science267, 1788–1792), Pax-6 can direct the development of major components of the eye. Interestingly, ectopic lenses formed in whole embryos without association with neural tissue. Treatments giving rise to anterior neural tissue in animal cap explants resulted in the expression of both βB1-crystallin and Pax-6. Given the ability of Pax-6 to direct lens formation, we propose that the establishment of Pax-6 expression in the presumptive lens ectoderm during normal development is likely to be a critical response of lens-competent ectoderm to early lens inducers.
The Writing on the Walls: The Graffiti of the Intifada

One of the most striking features of the cultural landscape of the occupied West Bank at the height of the intifada, in the late 1980s and early in 1990, was the writing on the walls.' The eye was immediately drawn to the hastily inscribed, but on occasion rather painstakingly painted, graffiti splashed on nearly every stone wall in the area. Usually, each graffito carried the signature of a Palestinian political faction, either its full name or its acronym. Large blotches of black or white paint, either brush or spray painted, overlaid some graffiti and were intended to prevent their being read. One could read the battle of the walls much the way an archaeologist reads stratigraphy-layer by layer-each layer of paint indicating a partial and temporary victory in an ongoing battle. (See Figures 1 and 2.) Popularly dubbed a "war of stones," stone-throwing images dominated the intifada's public presentation.2 Indeed it was a war of stones, but stones were more than weapons of defense: they were print weapons as well. With its preponderance of stones and stone walls, the landscape provided ready made, easily accessible weapons of communication, assault, and defense. As an anthropologist intent on exploring cultural production during a moment of intense political contest, I had given little, if any, thought to graffiti. But upon arrival in the occupied West Bank in 1990, I could not avoid it. In streets utterly devoid of movement or noise due to a general strike, the blotchy, hurriedly splashed red or black words on an otherwise fairly monotone landscape drew the eye. Once I got a sense of the process of graffiti's production and their content-which was humorous, demanding, threatening, chastising, and resistant-I started writing them down on index cards. A young woman who worked as a research assistant with me was assigned the task of writing down as many graffiti as she could. I had the good fortune to reside in Beit Hanina, a small suburb of Jerusalem particularly rich in graffiti. This article explores graffiti as a form of cultural production during a sustained political contest. I take one particular cultural artifact, graffiti (shi'arat), to suggest that forms of cultural production deployed as a means of resistance
Microassay for the photometric quantitation of cell-associated plasminogen activator using a chromogenic tripeptide substrate.

Abstract Plasminogen activator (PA), a neutral protease whose primary function is to convert plasminogen to plasmin, is produced by various cells including macrophages, monocytes, endothelial cells, and tumor cells. This study reports the use of the chromogenic tripeptide substrate D -Val-Leu-Lys -p- nitroanilide (S-2251) and an automated microtiter plate reader spectrophotometer for the determination of PA activity in cells and fluids. There was a linear relationship between the time of incubation at 37°C and the square root of the absorbance measured at 405 nm when urokinase was incubated with the substrate in the presence of plasminogen. There was no activity in the absence of plasminogen. The slopes of the lines ( √A 405 time ) were directly related to the concentrations of urokinase, up through 0.05 CTA units. Using this assay, we determined the cellular activity of PA in human promyelocytic cells HL-60 (1.33 ± 0.12 CTA units/mg), human monocytoid cells U937 (1.27 ± 0.12 CTA units/mg), mouse myeloid leukemia cells RFM/UN (0.70 ± 0.07 CTA units/mg), freshly isolated normal human monocytes (0.00 ± 0.00 CTA units/mg), and human monocytes after 7 days in culture (5.66 ± 0.38 CTA units/mg). There was a variable amount of activity expressed in freshly isolated cells or cell lysates of peritoneal macrophages from normal mice, or mice that had gotten intraperitoneal injections of peptone, thioglycollate, or NaIO4, but after 24 or 48 h of culture, these activities, in general, increased. Using this assay, PA levels in the euglobulin precipitates from human plasma prepared without venous occlusion (0.03 ± 0.02 CTA units/mg protein) or after 5 min of venous occlusion of the arm (0.18 ± 0.01 CTA units/mg) were comparable to those reported by others using different assays. Thus, this represents a simple, rapid, accurate assay of PA that should be useful to those in immunology, cell biology, and clinical medicine.
Effect of Visual Blur on Contrast Sensitivity: Clinical Implications

Contrast sensitivity of normal subjects was measured under conditions of refractive blur that produced specific levels of visual acuity. Measurements were made at distance (with Vistech charts), at near (with Arden gratings), and with a pinhole to control pupil size. Under all conditions, when visual acuity was reduced by spherical lenses, there was a loss of contrast sensitivity over a broad range of spatial frequencies (i.e., not just at the higher frequencies that correlate with target letter size). By inference, it may be clinically hazardous to interpret contrast sensitivity results in patients with reduced acuity (from any cause) relative only to standard contrast sensitivity values based on subjects with normal visual acuity. If the potential effects of acuity are taken into account, contrast sensitivity testing can distinguish between deficits that are roughly equivalent to the loss of acuity and those which indicate more distinctive pathology of the media, retina, or optic nerve.
Adaptive collaboration for wired and wireless platforms

The Disciple and Manifold (I. Marsic, 1999; 2001) frameworks, developed at Rutgers Center for Advanced Information Processing (CAIP), take a data-centric approach to the development of collaborative multimedia applications. (Disciple is an abbreviation for Distributed System for Collaborative Information Processing and Learning.) This approach represents data and modifies it in a generic way via a standard representation medium and a standard communications protocol. Each user can obtain a subset of the shared data that can be visualized differently for different users (polymorphic views). The amount of data presented and the visualization technique reflect a user's interests and, more important, a device's computing and communications capabilities. The article begins by introducing a data-centric architecture that abstracts collaborative tasks as editing of data repositories, followed by descriptions of the role of XML in managing heterogeneity and intelligent software agents in discovering network and computing environment conditions. Finally, it presents an instantiation of a furniture arrangement application used to test the approach.
Anti-Aging Medicine: Can Consumers Be Better Protected?

The use of interventions claiming to prevent, retard, or reverse aging is proliferating. Some of these interventions can seriously harm older persons and aging baby boomers who consume them. Others that are merely ineffective may divert patients from participating in beneficial regimens and also cause them economic harm. "Free market regulation" does not seem to weed out risky, ineffective, and fraudulent anti-aging treatments and products. Public health messages, apparently, are having little effect. What more can be done to achieve better protection for older consumers? An analysis of the potential for federal and state action reveals many barriers to effective governmental regulation of anti-aging interventions. In view of dim prospects for stronger public regulation, physicians and other professionals--especially geriatricians and gerontologists--will need to be more aggressive in protecting older consumers. In particular, The Gerontological Society of America and the American Geriatrics Society should undertake a sustained program of specific educational efforts, directed at health professionals and the general public, in which they sort out as best they can the helpful, the harmful, the fraudulent, and the harmless anti-aging practices and products.
THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE STABLE CARBON ISOTOPES

Abstract Several hundred samples of carbon from various geologic sources have been analyzed in a new survey of the variation of the ratio C13/C12 in nature. Mass spectrometric determinations were made on the instruments developed by H. C. Urey and his co-workers utilizing two complete feed systems with magnetic switching to determine small differences in isotope ratios between samples and a standard gas. With this procedure variations of the ratio C13/C12 can be determined with an accuracy of ±0.01% of the ratio. The results confirm previous work with a few exceptions. The range of variation in the ratio is 4.5%. Terrestrial organic carbon and carbonate rocks constitute two well defined groups, the carbonates being richer in C13 by some 2%. Marine organic carbon lies in a range intermediate between these groups. Atmospheric CO2 is richer in C13 than was formerly believed. Fossil wood, coal and limestones show no correlation of C13/C12 ratio with age. If petroleum is of marine organic origin a considerable change in isotopic composition has probably occurred. Such a change seems to have occurred in carbon from black shales and carbonaceous schists. Samples of graphites, diamonds, igneous rocks and gases from Yellowstone Park have been analyzed. The origin of graphite cannot be determined from C13/C12 ratios. The terrestrial distribution of carbon isotopes between igneous rocks and sediments is discussed with reference to the available meteoritic determinations. Isotopic fractionation between iron carbide and graphite in meteorites may indicate the mechanism by which early fractionation between deep seated and surface terrestrial carbon may have occurred.