cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel “Elements” of Immune Suppression within the Tumor Microenvironment

Adaptive evolution has prompted immune cells to use a wide variety of inhibitory signals, many of which are usurped by tumor cells to evade immune surveillance. Although tumor immunologists often focus on genes and proteins as mediators of immune function, here we highlight two elements from the periodic table-oxygen and potassium-that suppress the immune system in previously unappreciated ways. While both are key to the maintenance of T-cell function and tissue homeostasis, they are exploited by tumors to suppress immuno-surveillance and promote metastatic spread. We discuss the temporal and spatial roles of these elements within the tumor microenvironment and explore possible therapeutic interventions for effective and promising anticancer therapies. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(6); 426-33. ©2017 AACR.
Stenosis Morphology and Risk Assessment in Balloon Angioplasty

The risk of percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty (PTCA) includes acute vessel closure and perforation potentially leading to myocardial Infarction, need for emergency coronary artery bypass surgery and death. Factors such as the skill of the operators, availability of technology and patient selection are the major consideration in the risk assessment. From 1979-83, the operators from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) PTCA Registry reported major adverse coronary events in 13.6% of their patients (1); with an emergent coronary artery bypass rate of 6.6% and non-fatal myocardial infarction rate of 5.5%. Subsequently, the 1985-86 NHBLI PTCA Registry documented that the emergency coronary artery by-pass and non-fatal myocardial infarction rates fell to 4.3 % and 4.3 % respectively (2). The higher incidence of the elderly, multivessel disease and poor left ventricular function in the latter group of patients may account for the lack of change in the mortality rate; which was about 1 %. Hence, with more experienced operators and better technology, the risk for a patient was reduced. In 1988, lesion morphology described on coronary angiography became the basis of risk assessment in the guidelines set up by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (3) (Table 1). This recommendation was first validated by Cragg et al (4) when it was used successfully to help select patients for early hospital discharge after PTCA. Ellis et al (5) further refined the system by sub-dividing the type B lesions into Bl and B2 — Bl lesions consist of only one B characteristic and B2 lesions consist of at least two B characteristics. They demonstrated a step-wise relationship between the lesion types (A, Bl, B2 and C) with success and complication rates.
Tissue Water Deficits and Plant Growth in Wet Tropical Environments

Although the supply of water is usually abundant in lowland and montane wet tropical forests, plants growing in these environments may be exposed to moderate tissue water deficits on a fairly regular basis. In addition, these plants may experience severe water deficits every few years. Information on the nature of these water deficits, their physiological effects on growth, and the mechanisms by which they are tolerated in wet tropical plants is reviewed in the present chapter. Special attention is given to several recent studies involving wet forest species from Hawaii and Panama. These latter studies demonstrate the importance of variation in tissue elastic and osmotic properties as a means of promoting turgor maintenance in wet tropical plants.
Biomechanical, ultrastructural, and electrophysiological characterization of the non-human primate experimental glaucoma model

Laser-induced experimental glaucoma (ExGl) in non-human primates (NHPs) is a common animal model for ocular drug development. While many features of human hypertensive glaucoma are replicated in this model, structural and functional changes in the unlasered portions of trabecular meshwork (TM) of laser-treated primate eyes are understudied. We studied NHPs with ExGl of several years duration. As expected, ExGl eyes exhibited selective reductions of the retinal nerve fiber layer that correlate with electrophysiologic measures documenting a link between morphologic and elctrophysiologic endpoints. Softening of unlasered TM in ExGl eyes compared to untreated controls was observed. The degree of TM softening was consistent, regardless of pre-mortem clinical findings including severity of IOP elevation, retinal nerve fiber layer thinning, or electrodiagnostic findings. Importantly, this softening is contrary to TM stiffening reported in glaucomatous human eyes. Furthermore, microscopic analysis of unlasered TM from eyes with ExGl demonstrated TM thinning with collapse of Schlemm's canal; and proteomic analysis confirmed downregulation of metabolic and structural proteins. These data demonstrate unexpected and compensatory changes involving the TM in the NHP model of ExGl. The data suggest that compensatory mechanisms exist in normal animals and respond to elevated IOP through softening of the meshwork to increase outflow.
Diaphragm muscle activity across respiratory motor behaviors in awake and lightly anesthetized rats.

Respiratory muscles accomplish a range of motor behaviors, with forces generated for ventilatory behaviors comprising only a small fraction of their maximal force generating capacity. Induction of ...
Nucleation and stabilization of cavitation nuclei in liquids

The presence of cavitation nuclei are normally required in order to induce cavitation in water-based fluids, as the homogeneous nucleation threshold is beyond the range of most acoustic-pressure generation systems (a notable exception is the “intrinsic threshold” achieved by some histotripsy devices). There are a number of potential models for these nuclei, but one that continues to receive favor is the “crevice model,” in which a pocket of gas is contained in a crack or crevice in a contaminating particle and then stabilized against diffusion by the geometry of the crevice. This presentation will describe this model in some detail, present some (old) data that support the model, and some new data that imply that such activatable nuclei exist in mammalian tissue.
Rivalry Versus Hate: Measuring the Influence of Promotional Titles and Logos on Fan Rival Perceptions

The current study used an experimental design to examine how exposure to promotional titles and logos can influence fan rival perceptions. Students attending two schools that moved athletic conferences, and therefore, began rivalries with teams in their new conference, were exposed to either a neutral or negative fabricated title and logo meant to promote the new rivalry. They then reported their perceptions of the rival team. Results showed that students exposed to the neutral title were less likely to support their rival against another team than students exposed to the negative title. Further, students exposed to the negative title believed their rival fans behaved more poorly. Important implications and ways practitioners can use the data are discussed. Subscribe to JASM
Learning by observation and practice: a framework for automatic acquisition of planning operators

The knowledge engineering bottleneck is a central problem in the field of Artificial Intelligence. This work addresses this problem in the context of planning systems. It automatically learns planning operators by observing expert agents and by subsequent knowledge refinement in a learning-by-doing paradigm. Our learning method is implemented on top of the PRODIGY architecture(Carbonel1
INEXPENSIVE, OFF THE SHELF HYBRID MICROWAVE SYSTEM

A hybrid-heating microwave oven provides the energy to heat small 10-gram samples of spent metal tritide storage bed material to release tenaciously held decay product {sup 3}He. Complete mass balance procedures require direct measurement of added or produced gases on a tritide bed, and over 1100 C is necessary to release deep trapped {sup 3}He. The decomposition of non-radioactive CaCO{sub 3} and the quantitative measurement of CO{sub 2} within 3% of stoichiometry demonstrate the capabilities of the apparatus to capture generated (released) gases.
Toward Environmentally Friendly Lithium Sulfur Batteries: Probing the Role of Electrode Design in MoS2-Containing Li–S Batteries with a Green Electrolyte

While lithium sulfur batteries (Li–S) hold promise as future high energy density low cost energy storage systems, barriers to implementation include low sulfur loading, limited cycle life, and the use of toxic electrolyte solvents. A comprehensive study of Li–S cells in the environmentally benign di(propylene glycol) dimethyl ether (DPGDME)-based electrolyte, using as-prepared MoS2 nanosheets derived from a facile aqueous microwave synthesis as polysulfide trapping agents, is reported herein for the first time. Conventional coated foil electrodes and binder-free electrodes (BFEs) with various structures are systematically generated and tested to correlate electrode design with the resulting electrochemical behavior. Significantly improved Li–S electrochemistry is demonstrated through the synergy of MoS2 chemistry and binder-free electrode engineering. In the coating configuration, the MoS2-containing cell evinced better rate performance and more stable cyclability than the cell without MoS2. In comparison...
A Problem in Plato’s Laws

In Book IX of Plato’s Laws a conflict arises between the needs of practical legislation and the Platonic principle that all wrongdoing is involuntary. That there is a conflict seems obvious. For example, our present common law distinction between voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter is important morally as well as legally. And since manslaughter of either sort is wrong, the distinction appears to collapse if all wrongdoing is involuntary.
Spectrum of TERT promoter mutations and mechanisms of activation in thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND Reactivation of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is an important event in cancer. Two hotspot mutations in the TERT promoter region, c.-124C > T (C228T) and c.-146C > T (C250T), occur in various cancer types including thyroid cancer. They generate de novo binding sites for E-twenty-six (ETS) transcription factors causing increased TERT transcription. The aim of this study was to search for novel TERT promoter mutations and additional mechanisms of TERT activation in thyroid cancer. METHODS We studied 198 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs), 34 follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs), 40 Hurthle cell carcinomas (HCCs), 14 poorly differentiated/anaplastic thyroid carcinomas (PDTC/ATC), and 15 medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs) for mutations in an -424 bp to +64 bp region of TERT. The luciferase reporter assay was used to functionally characterize the identified alterations. Copy number variations (CNVs) in the TERT region were analyzed using TaqMan copy number assay and validated with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). RESULTS We detected the hotspot c.-124C > T and c.-146C > T mutations in 7% PTC, 18% FTC, 25% HCC, and 86% PDTC/ATC. One PTC carried a c.-124C > A mutation. Furthermore, we identified two novel mutations resulting in the formation of de novo ETS-binding motifs: c.-332C > T in one MTC and c.-104_-83dup in one PTC. These genetic alterations, as well as other detected mutations, led to a significant increase in TERT promoter activity when assayed using luciferase reporter system. In addition, 5% of thyroid tumors were found to have ≥3 copies of TERT. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the increased prevalence of TERT promoter mutations and CNV in advanced thyroid cancers and describes novel functional alterations in the TERT gene promoter, including a point mutation and small duplication. These mutations, as well as TERT copy number alterations, may represent an additional mechanism of TERT activation in thyroid cancer.
Thermoacoustic Image-Guided Focused Microwave Therapy for Enhanced Breast Cancer Treatment

This paper reports studies on EM characterization, instrumentation development and proof of concept experimental evaluation of a novel system capable of focused microwave therapy (FMT) at 915 MHz integrated with thermoacoustic imaging (TAI). The combined TAI-FMT prototype assists accurate dielectric property mapping, precise temperature prediction and treatment monitoring through TA thermometry feedback for adaptive beamforming. A 32-element array prototype is simulated and focusing is evaluated through time reversal. Initial experimental results using a 4-element FMT system showed 2°C accuracy in temperature prediction.
Early evidence of inactivated enterovirus 71 vaccine impact against hand, foot, and mouth disease in a major center of ongoing transmission in China, 2011-2018: a longitudinal surveillance study

Background Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), associated with severe manifestations of the disease. Pediatric immunization with inactivated EV71 vaccine was initiated in 2016 in the Asia-Pacific Region, including China. We analyzed time series of HFMD cases attributable to EV71, coxsackievirus A16 (CA16), and other enteroviruses in Chengdu, a major transmission center in China, to assess early impacts of immunization. Methods Reported HFMD cases were obtained from China's notifiable disease surveillance system. We compared observed post-vaccination incidence rates during 2017-18 with counterfactual predictions made from a negative binomial regression and a random forest model fitted to pre-vaccine years (2011-15). We fit a change point model to the full time series to evaluate whether the trend of EV71 HFMD changed following vaccination. Results Between 2011-18, 279,352 HFMD cases were reported in the study region. The average incidence rate of EV71 HFMD in 2017-2018 was 60% (95% prediction interval (PI): 41%-72%) lower than predicted in the absence of immunization, corresponding to an estimated 6,911 (95% PI: 3,246, 11,542) EV71 cases averted over two years. There were 52% (95% PI: 0.42, 0.60) fewer severe HFMD cases than predicted. However, the incidence rate of non-CA16 and non-EV71 HFMD was elevated in 2018. We identified a significant decline in the trend of EV71 HFMD four months into the post-vaccine period. Conclusions We provide the first real-world evidence that programmatic vaccination against EV71 is effective against childhood HFMD and present an approach to detect early vaccine impact or intended consequences from surveillance data.
Ecological insights into assembly processes and network structures of bacterial biofilms in full-scale biologically active carbon filters under ozone implementation.

Abstract To address the adverse effects of harmful algal blooms, there are increased demands over the implementation of ozone coupled with biologically active carbon (BAC) filters in the drinking water treatment plants. Although the microbial biofilms are vital elements to support the proper performance of BAC filters, except for taxonomic affiliations, little is known about the assembly mechanisms of microbial communities in the full-scale BAC filters. This study aimed to examine how the assembly processes and their associated factors (e.g., influent characteristics, biological interactions) drive the temporal dynamics of bacterial communities in full-scale BAC filters, which underwent ozone implementation (five consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2018). The results revealed that along with the increase of bacterial taxonomic richness and evenness, stochastic processes became more crucial to determine the bacterial community assembly in the summer and autumn after ozone implementation (relative contribution: 61.23% and 83.75%, respectively). Moreover, their corresponding networks possessed simple network structures with lower modularity than other seasons, which implied lesser biological interactions among bacterial populations. The correlation between taxonomic and predicted functional diversities using functional redundancy index indicated that relatively high levels of bacterial functional redundancy (>0.83) were generally present in BAC filters. However, compared to other seasons, significantly higher degrees of functional redundancy existed in the summer and autumn after ozone implementation (0.85 ± 0.01 and 0.86 ± 0.01, respectively). Overall, this work improves our understanding of the microbial ecology of full-scale BAC filters by providing a conceptual framework that characterizes bacterial biofilm assembly processes relevant to performance optimization of full-scale BAC filters.
Systematic Review of Interventions Designed to Maintain or Increase Physical Activity Post-Cardiac Rehabilitation Phase II.

Background:Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and globally, and individuals with a history of a cardiac event are at increased risk for a rep...
ILRUN, a Human Plasma Lipid GWAS Locus, Regulates Lipoprotein Metabolism in Mice

Rationale: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms near the ILRUN (inflammation and lipid regulator with ubiquitin-associated–like and NBR1 [next to BRCA1 gene 1 protein]-like domains) gene are genome-wide...
Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2

An increased understanding of the pathogenesis and transmission of HSV infections and the development of sensitive type-specific diagnostic tests have helped develop effective prophylactic and therapeutic antiviral drug regimens. Effective medications have been available for quite some time, but the most optimal regimens are still under investigation. Advances in the treatment of atypical presentations of HSV infection (such as the use of cidofovir gel for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant HSV) are promising. Newer treatments, such as resiquimod, actually may alter the course of HSV infection, reducing the severity and frequency of recurrences. Vaccines are being explored as preventive and therapeutic measures against HSV.
Integrating intuition and artificial intelligence in organizational decision-making

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing organizational decision-making processes. With the abilities to self-learn and to improve decision quality, AI is now taking over many decision responsibilities that were formerly assigned to humans alone. However, the effectiveness of AI for ill-structured and uncertain decision environments is still in question. In such decision contexts that have no precedent on which to base a solution, humans have historically relied on their intuition to make decisions. Yet intuition, too, has been found to have weaknesses that restrict decision quality. Therefore, this article introduces a decision-making model that effectively integrates the strengths of both intuition and AI while minimizing the vulnerabilities of each method. The model specifies when and how both modes should be combined for effective organizational decision-making. In addition, the article presents important future research considerations relating to AI for both practitioners and academics.
Macbeth: management of avatar conflict by employment of a technique hybrid

Since virtual objects do not prevent users from penetrating them, a virtual environment user may place his real hand inside a virtual object. If the virtual environment system prevents the user's hand avatar from penetrating the object, the hand avatar must be placed somewhere other than the user's real hand position. I propose a technique, named MACBETH (Management of Avatar Conflict By Employment of a Technique Hybrid) for managing the position of a user's hand avatar in a natural manner after it has been separated from the user's real hand due to collision with a virtual object. This technique balances visual/proprioceptive discrepancy in position and velocity by choosing each so that they are equally detectable. To gather the necessary information to implement MACBETH, I performed user studies to determine users' detection thresholds for visual/proprioceptive discrepancy in hand position and velocity. I then ran a user study to evaluate MACBETH against two other techniques for managing the hand avatar position: the rubber-band and incremental-motion techniques. Users rated MACBETH as more natural than the other techniques and preferred MACBETH over both. Users performed better on a hand navigation task with MACBETH than with the incremental-motion technique and performed equally well as with the rubber-band technique.
Certification of health educators: a priority for the seventies.

Abstract The emergence of health education as a recognized curriculum in American schools has been a long and difficult process. In recent times, we have witnessed excellent gains in the acceptance of health instruction programs, with greater visibility and higher status than was previously enjoyed in the total pattern of education. However, provisions for the certification of qualified personnel to provide such instruction have not kept pace with other developments in health education. With few exceptions, states are continuing to certify health instructors according to obsolete certification patterns, designed for another time and for conditions and circumstances other than those which now prevail. Most of the traditional patterns under which we continue to labor are no longer adequate to certify that a health instructor is capable of meeting today's challenges.
IP only server

Present day servers must support a variety of legacy I/O devices and protocols that are rarely used in the day to day server operation, at a significant cost in board layout complexity, reliability, power consumption, heat dissipation, and ease of management. We present a design of an IP Only Server, which has a single, unified I/O interface: IP network. All of the server's I/O is emulated and redirected over IP/Ethernet to a remote management station, except for the hard disks which are accessed via iSCSI. The emulation is done in hardware, and is available from power-on to shutdown, including the pre-OS and post-OS (crash) stages, unlike alternative solutions such as VNC that can only function when the OS is operational. The server's software stack -- the BIOS, the OS, and applications -- will run without any modifications. We have developed a prototype IP Only Server, based on a COTS FPGA running our embedded I/O emulation firmware. The remote station is a commodity PC running a VNC client for video, keyboard and mouse. Initial performance evaluations with unmodified BIOS and Windows and Linux operating systems indicate negligible network overhead and acceptable user experience. This prototype is the first attempt to create a diskless and headless x86 server that runs unmodified industry standard software (BIOS, OS, and applications).
Sociological Theories Relating to Mental Disabilities in Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations

Research has demonstrated that mental disorders are one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. The level of mental health need is particularly high for members of racial and ethnic minority groups who, despite similar to higher mental disorder and disability prevalence rates, use fewer mental health services in comparison to whites and tend to receive poorer quality care when they do use services. Though the existence of mental health disparities is well established, solid explanations for their causes are less so. This literature review examines major theories in the discipline of sociology with the aim of elucidating reasons for the preponderance of differential mental health impacts across racial lines. Specifically, it discusses the theories of social causation or fundamental causes, social stress theory, social capital theory, political economy of health, and ecosocial theory. The relevance of each of these general sociological theories to the specific topics of mental health, diso...
Fluorine-containing nitrogen compounds—VI : Sulfur tetrafluoride fluorination of aliphatic nitro acids

Abstract Sulfur tetrafluoride converts aliphatic nitro acids to the corresponding trifluoromethyl compounds. The yield is poor with primary nitro acids; but high yields of fluoronitrocarbons, otherwise difficult to obtain, are produced from certain γ-substituted butyric acids and from substituted acrylic acids. Eleven new fluoronitrocarbons are described.
The Clash of Economic Ideas: The Second World War and Hayek’s Road to Serfdom

In the spring of 1933, the German economist Wilhelm Ropke found two SS agents at his door. He later recalled that these particular members of Adolf Hitler’s paramilitary elite were men “of thorough ‘bruiser’ type.” An outspoken classical liberal, Ropke had been declared an “enemy of the people” and dismissed from his teaching post at Marburg University for giving anti-Nazi speeches. Other professors, similarly dismissed as part of the Nazis’ program to dominate the universities with antiliberal ideology, had promised to switch sides or keep quiet in order to get their old jobs back. Ropke had refused. Hitler’s government had now turned to overt intimidation. When the SS agents explained to Ropke that he should be on the Nazis’ side, he rebuked them with “scorn and indignation.” As soon as they departed, he realized that he needed to leave the country immediately. THE NAZIS COME TO POWER Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party, had assumed the German chancellorship in January 1933. Hitler initially headed a coalition government, but soon consolidated power in his own hands. A biographer reports that Hitler was “wholly ignorant” of economics. Hitler’s choice of economic policies appears to have been guided by no principle other than to enhance his government’s power. The same can be said of the Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
Heat shock protein 27 regulates human prostate cancer cell motility and metastatic progression

// Eric A Voll 1 , Irene M Ogden 1 , Janet M Pavese 1 , XiaoKe Huang 1 , Li Xu 1 , Borko D Jovanovic 2,3 , and Raymond C Bergan 1,2,3,4 1 Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E Superior, Chicago, IL 2 Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E Superior, Chicago, IL 3 Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center and Northwestern University, 303 E Superior, Chicago, IL 4 Center for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery, Northwestern University, 303 E Superior, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Raymond C Bergan, email: // Keywords : Prostate Cancer, Metastasis, Heat Shock Protein 27, Matrix Metalloprotease-2, Cell Invasion Received : April 11, 2014 Accepted : April 20, 2014 Published : April 21, 2014 Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common form of cancer in American men. Mortality from PCa is caused by the movement of cancer cells from the primary organ to form metastatic tumors at distant sites. Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is known to increase human PCa cell invasion and its overexpression is associated with metastatic disease. The role of HSP27 in driving PCa cell movement from the prostate to distant metastatic sites is unknown. Increased HSP27 expression increased metastasis as well as primary tumor mass. In vitro studies further examined the mechanism of HSP27-induced metastatic behavior. HSP27 did not affect cell detachment, adhesion, or migration, but did increase cell invasion. Cell invasion was dependent upon matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), whose expression was increased by HSP27. In vivo , HSP27 induced commensurate changes in MMP-2 expression in tumors. These findings demonstrate that HSP27 drives metastatic spread of cancer cells from the prostate to distant sites, does so across a continuum of expression levels, and identifies HSP27-driven increases in MMP-2 expression as functionally relevant. These findings add to prior studies demonstrating that HSP27 increases PCa cell motility, growth and survival. Together, they demonstrate that HSP27 plays an important role in PCa progression.
Catabolism and elimination of cholesterol in germfree rats.

Three-month old germfree and conventional male rats were maintained on a complete steam-sterilized, semisynthetic diet. After intravenous injection of cholesterol-26-14C the animals were housed in a plastic metabolism chamber for 72 hr. Expired CO2 was collected throughout the period. The conventional rats released 50% more 14C as 14CO2 than the germfree animals. The total amount of the label recovered as 14CO2 during the 72 hr period amounted to 30% and 19% respectively, of the original dose. In both conventional and germfree rats the release of 14CO2 accounted for approximately 75% of the 14C recovered in forms other than the original cholesterol-26-14C; 15–20% was found incorporated in water-soluble and fat-soluble fractions other than 3Β-OH sterol of liver and carcass while the remainder was excreted with feces and urine. After the 72 hr period the specific activities of the cholesterol in plasma and liver were lower in conventional than in germfree animals. The data express the accelerating effect of the intestinal microflora on systemic cholesterol catabolism. They demonstrate that the release of 14CO2 from cholesterol-26-14C in the intact rat is a suitable and convenient indicator of the oxidative catabolism of cholesterol.
Coupled Fe(II)-Fe(III) electron and atom exchange as a mechanism for Fe isotope fractionation during dissimilatory iron oxide reduction.

Microbial dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) is an important pathway for carbon oxidation in anoxic sediments, and iron isotopes may distinguish between iron produced by DIR and other sources of aqueous Fe(II). Previous studies have shown that aqueous Fe(II) produced during the earliest stages of DIR has δ56Fe values that are 0.5−2.0‰ lower than the initial Fe(III) substrate. The new experiments reported here suggest that this fractionation is controlled by coupled electron and Fe atom exchange between Fe(II) and Fe(III) at iron oxide surfaces. In hematite and goethite reduction experiments with Geobacter sulfurreducens, the 56Fe/54Fe isotopic fractionation between aqueous Fe(II) and the outermost layers of Fe(III) on the oxide surface is ∼ −3‰ and can be explained by equilibrium Fe isotope partitioning between reactive Fe(II) and Fe(III) pools that coexist during DIR. The results indicate that sorption of Fe(II) to Fe(III) substrates cannot account for production of low-δ56Fe values for aqueous Fe(II) du...
Simple method to set up low eccentricity initial data for moving puncture simulations

We introduce two new eccentricity measures to analyze numerical simulations. Unlike earlier definitions these eccentricity measures do not involve any free parameters which makes them easy to use. We show how relatively inexpensive grid setups can be used to estimate the eccentricity during the early inspiral phase. Furthermore, we compare standard puncture data and post-Newtonian data in ADMTT gauge. We find that both use different coordinates. Thus low eccentricity initial momentum parameters for a certain separation measured in ADMTT coordinates are hard to use in puncture data, because it is not known how the separation in puncture coordinates is related to the separation in ADMTT coordinates. As a remedy we provide a simple approach which allows us to iterate the momentum parameters until our numerical simulations result in acceptably low eccentricities.
On the allocation of inference functions in decision systems

Abstract Information processing and decision performance by a hierarchal (or cascaded) system was studied under the realistic circumstance in which some input data are of necessity processed intuitively, and some are processed by a man-machine (PIP) combine. The objective was to determine how much use the system is able to make of information that, for one reason or another, must be added to the PIP aggregate “by hand.”. Three ranges of such “unanticipated” data were introduced, together with two procedures for handling it: before and after PIP arrived at its opinion (i.e., as an adjustment in the priors for PIP, and as a revision in the PIP posteriors ). From a total of 1722 problems the conclusion seems to be that performance does improve with manually aggregated (unanticipated) data, but it asymptotes after relatively few (4–6) such items. This implies a limited human capacity. Order of processing has little or no effect.
Graphical analysis of angular momentum for collision products

Abstract The complexity of atomic and nuclear structures and their collision processes involves conservation laws, bearing mainly on angular momenta; indeed angular momentum treatments prove most laborious. The analytic treatments, preferably carried out in Racah’s calculus, combine initially independent elements stepwise into structures branching out into resulting products. Graphical procedures that ensure phase and amplitude control of their manifold elements, illustrate these sequential steps and provide their results. The present report should familiarize readers with these procedures through examples of reactions of increasing complexity, bearing of course on structure calculations as well. The report has thus two aims: (i) computing correlation functions for reactions yielding several emitted particles (hence of arbitrary complexity) in terms of a novel method of computation, and (ii), describing the mathematical techniques relevant to solve high-complexity angular momentum problems, including the computation of many-body systems’ bound states. The complexity reflects the symmetries of the reaction products, and, more generally, of many-body system. The basic mathematical tool for such treatments is the Racah calculus which employs recoupling transformations, thus avoiding the many summations required by expansions in terms of vector coupling coefficients. The application of the Racah calculus is greatly aided by appropriate definitions and graphical procedures ensuring phase and amplitude control of their manifold elements, as well as illustrating the physical content. Beginning with photon absorption by discrete states, our examples progress to an Auger process yielding a correlation function with seven direction and polarization parameters.
Competition between Li+ and Mg2+ for ATP in human erythrocytes A 31P NMR and optical spectroscopy study

We have investigated the influence of Li+ on free intracellular Mg2+ concentration in human erythrocytes by 31P NMR and optical absorbance spectroscopies. In red cells loaded with 3 mM intracellular Li+, the chemical shift separation between the α- and β-phosphate resonances of MgATP2− was approx. 0.9 ppm larger than that observed in Li+-free red cells. By analyzing the interaction of each red cell component with Mg2+ and Li+, we found that Mg2+ is displaced in part from MgATP2− upon addition of Li+ and that the released Mg2+ is bound to the red cell membrane causing an overall decrease in free intracellular Mg2+ concentration.
CSF in vivo: effects on hematopoiesis.

A summary of the biological models that Amgen and its collaborators have used to document the biologcial effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), in particular its profound ability to stimulate granulopoiesis, was presented. Cloned human, bovine and canine G-CSF molecules have been investigated. G-CSF is a highly conservative molecule having 80% homology between human, bovine and canine, and 76% homology with cloned murine G-CSF. Preliminary evidence was advanced on a canine cyclic neutropenic model which affords an excellent opportunity to dissect in vivo homeostasis of neutrophil production. From these studies, it appears that G-CSF is important in the day-to-day maintenance of the neutrophil lineage. The efficacious use of G-CSF was advanced for a variety of non-neutropenic infectious states. These included preclinical burn and pneumonia studies in which animals received G-CSF-supportive treatment.
Compatibility of Radiosonde and Nimbus 4 SIRS-Derived Data at Stratospheric Constant-Pressure Surfaces

Abstract The usefulness of Nimbus 4 satellite infrared spectrometer (SIRS)-derived temperature and height data for constant-pressure analyses at stratospheric levels is investigated by comparing SIRS data with rawinsonde observations and objective analyses of those data. Results from the various methods of comparison are difficult to interpret since systematic and random errors of observations at stratospheric altitudes do not permit the observed data to be used as an unquestioned standard. In addition, conclusions must be qualified by the fact that the SIRS information derived to date has depended in part on analyses of rawinsonde data. The following conclusions were reached from the various comparison studies: (1) SIRS data are useful for constant-pressure analyses at stratospheric levels, (2) mean differences between analyzed rawinsonde temperatures and SIRS derivations are generally less than 3°C, (3) differences are greater during stratospheric warmings, but SIRS data generally indicate the proper tr...
T cells join the Blimp-1 brigade.

B lymphocyte–induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp-1) is known as a 'master regulator' of plasma cell differentiation. New findings suggest that the influence of this transcription factor extends beyond the B cell lineage.
Evaluation of a Sampling Method for the Measurement of Occupational Exposures to Ethylene

In an effort to assess the scope of occupational exposures to ethylene, the Olefins Panel of the American Chemistry Council designed and conducted a research project to develop and apply a sampling and analytical method to measure workplace exposure. The method uses packed CarbosieveTM S-III thermal desorption tubes (Supelco, Bellefonte, Pa.) with a low sample collection flow rate. The tubes were analyzed by thermal desorption gas chromatography. The methodology was validated for both 15-min short-term exposure limit and 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) samples in the laboratory prior to the field study. The effects of varying sampling flow rate (2, 5, 10, and 25 mL/min) and temperature (25 and 35°C) on sample breakthrough time were assessed at a constant relative humidity of 90%. Breakthrough times decreased linearly with sampling flow rate and temperature. The optimal sampling flow rate and temperature at 90% relative humidity were 2 mL/ min and 25°C. A full-shift TWA sample can be collected using two t...
Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates for possible variations within the virulence genes exotoxin A and exoenzyme S.

We have previously characterized several Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates that were obtained from patients with tracheal, urinary tract, or wound infections (A. H. Hamood, J. A. Griswold, and C. M. Duhan, 1996, J. Surg. Res. 61: 425). Analysis of additional isolates showed that regardless of the isolation site, some isolates produced significantly higher or significantly lower levels of either exotoxin A or exoenzyme S proteins. These variations did not correlate with the mucoid phenotype of the isolates. One aim of this study was to determine if the variations in the level of exotoxin A or exoenzyme S are due to DNA rearrangements within either the toxA or the exoS gene. This was accomplished by Southern blot hybridization experiments using a toxA internal probe, a toxA upstream probe, or an exoS internal probe. Hybridization with the toxA internal probe produced a 0.8-kb hybridizing fragment, whereas hybridization with the exoS internal probe produced either a 2.0- or a 2.3-kb hybridizing fragment. Hybridization with the toxA upstream probe, however, produced hybridizing fragments of varying sizes, regardless of their isolation site. Isolates that showed a similar hybridization fragment with either the toxA upstream probe or the exoS internal probe produced variable levels of exotoxin A or exoenzyme S. These results suggest that: [1] specific location within the host has no effect on either the mucoid phenotype of the isolate or the level of exotoxin A or exoenzyme S produced by the isolates; [2] although restriction polymorphism exists within the toxA upstream region, both the toxA and the exoS structural genes are relatively conserved; and [3] variations in the level of exoenzyme S and exotoxin A produced by different isolates do not correlate with either the observed heterogeneity within the toxA upstream region or the mucoid phenotype of the isolates.
Microenvironments of photoreceptor and interphotoreceptor matrix glycoconjugates.

Enzyme-linked lectin cytochemical and biochemical analyses have been used to identify microdomains of retinal outer segments and interphotoreceptor matrix glycoconjugates. We have devised a highly reproducible trypsin digestion procedure to identify protease-resistant wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) domains on the distal tips of some photoreceptor outer segments, and on shed outer segment membrane inXenopus laevis retina. WGA binding sites in the frog interphotoreceptor matrix were completely susceptible to trypsin digestion. In contrast, the cytochemical procedures revealed a distinct protease resistant WGA-positive microdomain in the interphotoreceptor matrix of rat (and probably human) retina at the outer segment—pigment epithelium interface. Neuraminidase digestion of sections of rat retina previously digested with trypsin essentially completely removed WGA binding sites in this microdomain. These results indicated that the protease-resistant carbohydrates were sialoglycoconjugates. A potential role for this pool of sialoglycoconjugates would be to mediate adhesion of the outer segment—pigment epithelium interface. Analysis of solubilized retina digested with trypsin and separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed a set of protease resistant WGA binding glycoprotein ofM r 60 kDa on nitrocellulose transblots which we hypothesize may be a component of the protease resistant microdomain at the outer segment—pigment epithelium interface of rat retina.
Commotio cordis: sudden death due to chest wall impact in sports

Sudden death resulting from relatively minor chest wall blows (commotio cordis) has been described in the medical literature since the late 1970s.1 Since this phenomenon was first described, 70 cases have been collected (Barry J Maron, personal communication, 1998). This number is, in all likelihood, an underestimate of the true incidence of this phenomenon as many cases go unreported or are reported as accidental deaths or idiopathic sudden death. Indeed, a case of ventricular fibrillation during a soccer match, although initially reported as idiopathic, was on careful review of the events, discovered to occur after an elbow blow to the anterior left chest2(Gianfranco Buja, personal communication, 1998). Commotio cordis occurs most frequently in baseball, but sudden death owing to chest impact has also been reported in hockey, lacrosse, softball, and after bodily impacts in other sports.1-6 There are no known cases in cricket, but given that the ball is quite similar in size, weight, and hardness to a baseball, cricket players may also be at risk for commotio cordis. The lack of deaths resulting from chest wall impact in cricket matches is …
The mechanics of in-kernel synchronization for a scalable microkernel

Systems with minimal kernels address the problem of ever-increasing system software complexity by strict separation of resource permission management and resource policies into different trust domains. Lately, such system structure has found wide attention in the research community and industry in the form of hypervisors and virtual machines.With an increasing number of processors, these systems face a scalability problem. The separation eliminates semantic information about the expected parallelism for individual resources, such as memory pages or processors. Hence, the kernel is unable to optimize its synchronization primitives on a case-by-case basis---a precondition for a scalable, yet well-performing system.In this paper we present an adaptive synchronization scheme, one of the core building block for scalable microkernels. Herewith, unprivileged components (like virtual machines) can express the degree of concurrency at the granularity of individual resources. The kernel can safely adapt and optimize its internal synchronization regime on a case-by-case basis as we show exemplary for inter-process communication and the memory management subsystem of an L4 microkernel.
A numerical scoring system for the classification of multiple sclerosis

A simple, numerical system for the classification of multiple sclerosis into probable and definite categories is proposed. This system is based upon the analysis of the clinical symptomatology of 111 autopsy-proved cases of the disease from England, Norway and the United States. It is not designed to be used as an aid in the diagnosis and should be applied only to those cases where multiple sclerosis is suspected. It permits the incorporation of data obtained by means of evoked responses studies, psychological evaluations and other methods for confirming anamnestic information or delineating some asymptomatic lesions. The numerical system also provides a means for plotting the temporal evolution of the disease strictly in terms of the appearance of new signs and symptoms since recurrences of previously experienced symptoms cannot be scored; thus it has the advantage of not allowing so-called exacerbation due to physiological or psychological factors to falsely suggest disease progression or activity. The major use of this scoring system is to provide a reasonably reliable means of comparing epidemiologic data from different investigators by more clearly defining the probable and definite categories.
Partial Hepatectomy With or Without Endotoxin Does Not Promote Apoptosis in the Rat Liver

Abstract Background Liver insufficiency and failure has been described following subtotal hepatectomy. The cause is poorly understood but may be because of attrition of hepatocytes through enhanced cell death pathways such as apoptosis. The trigger for this could be reduction beyond a critical mass of liver tissue or the influence of endotoxin (LPS) on cytokine activation. The experiment was designed to answer these questions. Materials and methods Rats were subjected to either 30% or 70% hepatectomy. Sacrifice occurred on either postoperative day 2 or 4. At sacrifice remnant livers were examined for apoptosis through the direct Tunel immunoperoxidase method (apoptotic index) and soluble histone ELISA. A second group of rats underwent 30% or 70% hepatectomy and were given either saline or endotoxin (LPS). Sacrifice occurred on postoperative day 1, 2, or 4. Liver samples were analyzed for apoptosis by Tunel immunoperoxidase, histone-associated DNA, TNF-α, and caspase-3. Mitotic activity and evidence of hepatocellular necrosis were also determined. Results By comparison to prehepatectomy values, rats subjected to hepatectomy alone failed to disclose any effect of resection on apoptotic activity. By comparison to sham operated controls there was a modest but significant increase in apoptotic activity at day 4 in the 30% and 70% hepatectomized rates by apoptotic index but not the soluble histone ELISA. Injection of LPS without hepatectomy produced an increase in apoptotic activity by apoptotic index and soluble histone ELISA methods on day 1 and 2. The addition of 30% or 70% hepatectomy produced a sporadic, but not sustained, increase in apoptotic activity which may have been because of LPS injection alone. Tissue TNF-α levels increased with LPS but changed little with addition of hepatectomy. Mitotic activity remained essentially unchanged with or without LPS injection. No evidence of hepatocellular necrosis was detected with LPS and extended hepatectomy. Conclusion Apoptosis does not appear to be a prominent feature in the posthepatectomy liver, with or without addition of LPS. Even with accelerated TNF-α production from LPS, the mitotic pathways continue to take precedent. Apoptosis, except for occasional sporadic bursts, is effectively suppressed. It is not likely that apoptosis contributes to depletion of functional hepatocytes and liver insufficiency.
ELECTRON--PROTON ELASTIC SCATTERING AT HIGH MOMENTUM TRANSFERS.

We report preliminary values of electron-proton elastic scattering measurements at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) carried out at squared four-momentum transfers q^2 from 0.7 to 25.0 (GeV/c)^2. In the newly accessible region of q^2 above 10 (GeV/c)^2, the principal feature is the continued decrease of the magnetic form factor approximately as 1/q^4.