cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the formation of the penicillin antigen. II. Some reactions of D-benzylpenicillenic acid in aqueous solution at pH 7.5.

Abstract A method of preparing d -benzylpenicillenic acid in high purity is reported. d -Benzylpenicillenic acid, a rearrangement product of benzylpenicillin, reacted rapidly with water and β-alanine at pH 7.5 to yield d -benzylpenicilloic acid and N-( d -α-benzylpenicilloyl) β-alanine, respectively. These compounds are probably formed as a mixture of their diastereomers. Speetrophotometric evidence suggests that d -benzylpenicillenic acid may undergo an exchange reaction with oxidized glutathione to yield d -benzylpenicillenic acid-glutathione mixed disulfide. The possibility that d -benzylpenicillenic acid may be the active intermediate by which benzylpenicillin undergoes irreversible reaction with tissue and bacterial proteins in vivo is discussed.
Collective AIDS Activism and Individuals' Perceived Self-Advocacy in Physician-Patient Communication

In a study of AIDS activism and communication patterns between people with HIV or AIDS and health care personnel, parallel persuasive processes are described between social or political activism and personal self-advocacy. The analysis of public and private discourse leads to 3 interrelated conclusions about AIDS activist behaviours at the collective and individual levels: (a) greater patient education about the illness and treatment options is encouraged, (b) a more assertive stance toward health care is promoted, and mindful nonadherence is considered. Activists perceived that their self-advocacy behaviors, in turn, impact the physician-patient interaction. In communicative interactions, education allows patients to challenge the expertise of the physician, assertiveness allows them to confront paternalistic or authoritarian interactional styles, and mindful nonadherence allows them to reject treatment recommendations and offer reasons for doing so. Participants reported that physicians had mixed reactions to their self-advocacy attempts.
Correction of Urine Cotinine Concentrations for Creatinine Excretion: Is It Useful?

The validity of plasma or serum cotinine concentrations as a marker and stable measure of chronic nicotine intake is well documented (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Although considerably less exact as a measure of cigarette consumption (2)(4), cotinine concentrations are often used for that purpose as well. Applications include screening of individuals before recruitment into research studies and smoking cessation clinical trials, as an outcome marker of treatment efficacy, and for evaluation of adequacy of dosage in conjunction with nicotine replacement therapy (7). Measurement of salivary or spot urinary cotinine concentrations is frequently selected as a noninvasive alternative to blood-derived assays for reasons of logistics, cost, and subject retention (6)(8)(9)(10). As has been done with other analytes, urine cotinine-to-creatinine concentration ratios are commonly determined to correct for dilutional effects (6)(11)(12)(13), although a recent review of markers for tobacco use suggests that this step might be unnecessary (10). Considering the disparate renal handling of cotinine and creatinine (14), we were interested in determining whether this additional laboratory procedure and calculation was justified. Because spot urinary cotinine measurements are often used as a surrogate for serum cotinine determinations, we investigated how well spot urinary cotinine measurements correlated with concurrent serum concentrations in smokers, and whether normalizing for urine creatinine concentration improved the relationship. Samples were drawn from adults recruited into a smoking cessation treatment trial comparing three different doses of naltrexone or placebo in conjunction with a nicotine patch. In addition to meeting criteria for adequate renal and liver function and hematologic indices, participants were required to have a smoking habit of at least 20 cigarettes/day and a CO concentration >10 ppm. Mean age of the sample was 47.5 years; 50.3% …
HIV-1 and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was in part recognized because of the unusual occurrence of aggressive B cell lymphomas and opportunistic infections in the same patients. Because the lymphomas typically presented in advanced stage, some of the earliest attempts at treatment were very aggressive. It soon emerged that the complications of chemotherapy that might be anticipated in the general population were much more likely to occur in patients with AIDS and lymphoma. Standard lymphoma regimens were replaced by reduced-dose lymphoma regimens and high-dose strategies involving stem cell rescue were deemed inappropriate. However, with advances in supportive care including routine use of pneumocystis prophylaxis, leukocyte growth factors, and effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), standard-dose lymphoma therapies became standard for AIDS lymphoma patients and stage for stage, outcomes were comparable or even better than in the general population. High-dose therapy with autologous stem cell rescue was pursued at several centers and in small cooperative group trials, and the results were similar to what was achieved with high-dose therapy in the general population. Specifically, mortality among HIV-1-infected patients with lymphoma who went to transplant was largely a function of relapsed or progressive lymphoma or occasionally organ toxicity (veno-occlusive disease) rather than opportunistic infection. Many patients achieved sustained remission and were likely cured. Small numbers of allogeneic transplants followed, and in the era of effective ART yielded encouraging results. Outcomes for a very small number of patients appear similar to what might be expected in the general population. Among the recipients of allotransplant was a patient in Berlin with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) who received a graft from a donor who was homozygous for a polymorphism that confers resistance to HIV-1 infection; ART was discontinued and 3.5 years later it appears that the patient was cured of AML and of HIV-1. Hence, this special symposium is presented with a focus on aspects of HIV-1 biology, innate and adaptive resistance, genetically engineered resistance, practical aspects of the autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and consideration of the possibility that the use of partially matched unrelated donors might increase the opportunity to cure malignancy as well as HIV-1 infection.
A JOINT ECONOMIC-LOT-SIZE MODEL FOR PURCHASER AND VENDOR

In a typical purchasing situation, the issues of price, lot sizing, etc., usually are settled through negotiations between the purchaser and the vendor. Depending on the existing balance of power, the end result of such a bargaining process may be a near-optimal or optimal ordering policy for one of the parties (placing the other in a position of significant disadvantage) or, sometimes, inoptimal policies for both parties. This paper develops a joint economic-lot-size model for a special case where a vendor produces to order for a purchaser on a lot-for-lot basis under deterministic conditions. The focus of this model is the joint total relevant cost. It is shown that a jointly optimal ordering policy, together with an appropriate price adjustment, can be beneficial economically for both parties or, at the least, does not place either at a disadvantage.
Antigens from synthetic and natural estrogens: formation by conjugation with protein through a thiopropionic acid link.

Abstract Formation of estra-1,3,5(10)-trienes substituted in the 7-position by a 3-thiopropionic acid side chain occurs by light-catalyzed reaction of β-mercaptopropionic acid with 1,3,5(10),6-estratetraenes. The reaction yields a mixture of α and β-epimers, which can be distinguished by their nmr spectra in pyridine. Both estrone and estradiol analogs were prepared. Addition of acetylene to estrone derivatives led to mestranol and ethynylestradiol analogs. The carboxylic acids were coupled with bovine serum albumin (with an incorporation of 25–30 steroid residues per albumin molecule) to yield antigens for the synthetic and natural estrogens which caused formation of specific antibodies.
Improving Influenza Vaccine Rates among Health Care Workers

Vaccine rates By Year 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 TO DATE 44% 57% 53% 49% 49% 41% 32% 57% Barriers to Receiving Shots Inconvenient Times Hate Shots Afraid I Will Get Flu It Doesn't Work Bad Past Experience Medical Never Got Flu/Immunity Natural Just Decided Against It 7% 12% 18% 9% 31% 8% 9% 6% ISSUE: This is a 60-bed community hospital with approximately 500 full time active employees. In accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this facility has always offered influenza vaccine free of cost to all health care workers. Rate of participation ranged from 30 to 44%. Each year various strategies were incorporated into the influenza campaign to get employees to participate. An opportunity for improvement still remained. Infection Control and Employee Health Subcommittee accepted the challenge to increase employee participation by at least 20%. PROJECT: In 1999 a survey was done to identify barriers to getting the flu shot. This was followed house-wide education to erase some of the barriers. A budget was decided on to provide motivational gifts. Posters and reminders were placed at strategic places. The flu shot was added as one of the challenge steps in the employee health wellness program. Managers and Department Heads were empowered to assist in the campaign. The kick-off for the campaign was at our annual employee health fair and continued with the roving carts to each department for all shifts. Competition between departments was promoted. The campaign continued each year but was interrupted with vaccine shortages. In 2004 we added the Follow the Leaders posters in which Administration and Physicians could be seen receiving their shots. A declination form for those refusing the vaccine was also added. RESULTS: 31% of employees who refused the flu shot claimed they had experienced a bad outcome in the past [Table 2]. After the first year of the campaign,vaccine rate went from 44% to 57% [Table 1] but declined the following years due to vaccine shortage. The rate for 2005-2006 influenza season to date is back up to 57% with 85% of employees completed. Sadly enough, participation is still higher amoung non-clinical workers. The declination forms seemed to have helped to increase participation but that will be studied later. LESSONS LEARNED: A number of strategies must be coupled together to get employee participation. Creativity is important. The momentum once achieved must continue in order to maintain that improvement. Flu vaccine shortage really foiled the process. To acheive success the campaign must begin at the end of the previous season.
New Techniques for the Computation of Linear Recurrence Coefficients

The n coefficients of a fixed linear recurrence can be expressed through its m?2n terms or, equivalently, the coefficients of a polynomial of a degree n can be expressed via the power sums of its zeros?by means of a polynomial equation known as the key equation for decoding the BCH error-correcting codes. The same problem arises in sparse multivariate polynomial interpolation and in various fundamental computations with sparse matrices in finite fields. Berlekamp's algorithm of 1968 solves the key equation by using order of n2 operations in a fixed field. Several algorithms of 1975?1980 rely on the extended Euclidean algorithm and computing Pade approximation, which yields a solution in O(n(log n)2 log log n) operations, though a considerable overhead constant is hidden in the “O” notation. We show algorithms (depending on the characteristic c of the ground field of the allowed constants) that simplify the solution and lead to further improvements of the latter bound, by factors ranging from order of log n, for c=0 and cn (in which case the overhead constant drops dramatically), to order of min (c, log n), for 2?c?n; the algorithms use Las Vegas type randomization in the case of 2
Preliminary characterization of a xylose acceptor prepared by hydrogen fluoride treatment of proteoglycan core protein.

Abstract Polysaccharide was removed from rat chondrosarcoma chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan by hyaluronidase digestion followed by treatment with 70% polyhydrogen fluoride (HF) in pyridine or by the Smith procedure. Both methods were greater than 95% effective in removing carbohydrate. However, the nearly complete removal of carbohydrate by either method resulted in a 50-fold decrease in immunoreactivity as determined by a quantitative radioimmune inhibition assay, suggesting that some structural alteration may have occurred. In contrast, core protein deglycosylated by the HF procedure was a better xylosyltransferase acceptor than that prepared by the Smith procedure. HF-treated core protein exhibited a higher acceptor capacity (Vmax approximately 2.5-fold that for the Smith-treated core protein) although the Km values were similar.
Instabilities in multiserotype disease models with antibody-dependent enhancement

This paper investigates the complex dynamics induced by antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in multiserotype disease models. ADE is the increase in viral growth rate in the presence of immunity due to a previous infection of a different serotype. The increased viral growth rate is thought to increase the infectivity of the secondary infectious class. In our models, ADE induces the onset of oscillations without external forcing. The oscillations in the infectious classes represent outbreaks of the disease. In this paper, we derive approximations of the ADE parameter needed to induce oscillations and analyze the associated bifurcations that separate the types of oscillations. We then investigate the stability of these dynamics by adding stochastic perturbations to the model. We also present a preliminary analysis of the effect of a single serotype vaccination in the model.
Characterization and correction of dark current in compact consumer cameras

A study of dark current in digital imagers within consumer grade digital cameras is presented. Dark current is shown to vary with temperature, exposure time, and ISO setting. Further, dark current is shown to increase in successive images during a series of images. Consumer cameras are often designed to be as compact as possible and therefore the digital imagers within the camera frame are prone to heat generated by nearby elements within the camera body. It is the scope of this work to characterize the dark current in such cameras and to show that the dark current, in part due to heat generated by the camera itself, can be corrected for by using hot pixels on the imager. This method generates computed dark frames based on the dark current indicator value of the hottest pixels on the chip. We compare this method to standard methods of dark current correction.
Exploring superdense matter at RHIC

I report first results on Au+Au collisions at \(\sqrt {\text{s}} = 130\) GeV per nucleon pair from all four experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.
Similarity relations (dimensional analysis) for membrane transport

Abstract An investigation has been made of the extent to which useful similarity relations for solute-membrane transport coefficients can be obtained by dimensional analysis, as based on some physical knowledge about membrane transport, but without the need to assume any detailed model of microscopic membrane structure. Several promising correlations were found, which would enable accurate predictions to be made on the basis of minimal experimental results. Unfortunately, data for testing such similarity relations are scarce: some available experimental data, and some “artificial data” obtained from calculations on hydrodynamic pore models were used. (As a by-product, useful Pade approximants for the pore-model functions of both circular holes and slits, over the entire range of pore size, were obtained.) The results appear to be sufficiently promising to warrant further experimental testing.
Instructor Care and Consideration toward Students—What Accounting Students Report: A Research Note

This Research Note reports on a study of students' perceptions of care and respect in the student-instructor relationship. Students in a daytime accounting program at a university in the USA were given the opportunity to respond to questions such as: (1) Have you ever had the feeling that a faculty member or instructor had ‘given up’ on you and your learning in a course? (2) What did the faculty member do or not do to give you that feeling? and (3) What did you do as a result of that feeling, perception? Eighty-one students (50 in the autumn semester of 2009; 31 in the autumn semester of 2010) responded to all questions, with 35% of the total indicating that they felt at least one course instructor had given up on them and their learning in a higher education (post-secondary) course. We examine students' responses to the questions in the context of care, respect, and civility. This Research Note offers several recommendations to help instructors in improving instruction and building better relationships w...
Calorimetric measurement of thermal neutron flux

Abstract A device is proposed that totally absorbs a neutron beam with the generation of a precisely known amount of heat per neutron. This forms the basis of a calorimetric determination of neutron flux to an accuracy of 0.05% or better.
On the dimensionality of bounds generated by the Shapley–Folkman theorem

Abstract The Shapley–Folkman theorem places a scalar upper bound on the distance between a sum of non-convex sets and its convex hull. We observe that some information is lost when a vector is converted to a scalar to generate this bound and propose a simple normalization of the underlying space which mitigates this loss of information. As an example, we apply this result to the Anderson (1978) core convergence theorem, and demonstrate how our normalization leads to an intuitive, unitless upper bound on the discrepancy between an arbitrary core allocation and the corresponding competitive equilibrium allocation.
Cutaneous metastasis of osteosarcoma

Cutaneous metastases of solid tumors have been reported with a frequency that ranges from 0.7% to 4.4% with recent studies reporting 9% and 10%. Osteosarcomas seldom metastasize to the skin. The most frequent metastatic sites are to the lungs, bones, and kidneys. We report 2 cases of osteosarcoma that metastasized to the skin. A 75-year-old patient with known osteosarcoma of the tibia developed cutaneous nodules overlying the site of the primary tumor. A 46-year-old woman with a history of osteosarcoma of the knee developed a nodule on her scalp. Histologic examination of both lesions revealed metastatic osteosarcoma. This is a rare event that, to our knowledge, has previously only been reported 6 times.
First annual symposium of the American Heart Association Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences: stress signals, molecular targets, and the genome.

The completed sequence of a human genome, alongside increasingly those of model organisms, in rank of use and tractability, lays before the investigator the raw matter of inherited biology in stark and exquisite reductionist detail. At the dawn of our millennium, this newly arrived state of knowledge—omniscience, with respect to sequence—set into place the concatenation of new questions and bracing opportunities deemed the “postgenomic” era. What genes serve what functions, when, where, and how? (Even the most optimistic among us dispenses with “why?”) At a higher level of complexity, what networks of genes serve what functions, and how are these coordinated? How, too, do proteins relate, not just pairwise but in intricate webs of physical associations, counting in the thousands or many tens of thousands? In other words, broad-band biology. For the cardiovascular sciences, long-separate strands of work converged in recent years, in …
On-orbit calibration of the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Scanning Imager (SSUSI): a far-UV imaging spectrograph on DMSP F-16

The Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) is currently slated for launch on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F-16 in November 2001. This instrument consists of a scanning imaging spectrograph (SIS) whose field-of-view is scanned from horizon-to-horizon and a nadir-looking photometer system (NPS). It will provide operational information about the state of the atmosphere above 100 km. The unique problems incurred by the observational requirements (e.g. that we be able to make daytime and nighttime observations) and the design trade-offs needed to meet those requirements were strong drivers on calibration requirements. Those design trade-offs and the expectation that the instrument calibration will change appreciably in-flight have led to the requirement to perform a large instrument characterization in-flight using only natural sources. We focus, in this paper, on the flight characterization of the SSUSI instrument. This includes discussions of the stellar calibration approach for radiometric calibration, measurements of internally scattered light, sensitivity to the South Atlantic Anomaly, measurements of changing pulse height distributions, and measuring changing reflectivity of a nadir viewing scan mirror. In addition, the calibration of the NPS system using natural sources is addressed.
Revisiting magnesium chelation by teichoic acid with phosphorus solid-state NMR and theoretical calculations.

Teichoic acids are essential components of the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall. One of their many functions is metal binding, a vital process for bacterial growth. With the combination of phosphorus-31 solid-state NMR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations using density functional theory (DFT), we have determined that the binding mode between teichoic acids and magnesium involves bidentate coordination by the phosphate groups of teichoic acid. Measurement of chemical shift anisotropy tensors gave a reduced anisotropy (δ) of 49.25 ppm and an asymmetry (η) of 0.7. DFT calculations with diglycerol phosphate and triglycerol diphosphate model compounds were completed with Mg2+ in anhydrous as well as partially hydrated bidentate and fully hydrated monodentate, bidentate, and bridging binding modes. 31P CSA tensors were calculated from the energy-minimized model compounds using the combined DFT and GIAO methods, resulting in dramatically different tensor values for each binding mode. The anhydrous bidentat...
Safety Considerations and Safe Handling of Oral Chemotherapy Agents

As a class of drugs, chemotherapy agents have two unique features. They have low therapeutic indexes, which places patients at an increased risk for medication errors, and they are considered hazardous drugs, which places patients and nurses at risk for environmental exposure. Policies and procedures for handling and administering oral chemotherapy agents are essential to promoting patients' and nurses' safety. Risk-reduction measures for administering oral chemotherapy in nontraditional healthcare settings, such as the home, require instituting a two-person dose-verification system, educating everyone who will administer and handle these agents, and developing procedures for securely and appropriately storing oral chemotherapy agents. Currently, no standardized guidelines exist for handling oral chemotherapy agents, and institutions must develop their own policies and procedures. This article discusses oral chemotherapy safety considerations, including safe handling of these agents, and offers recommendations for practice.
Thirty years of tick population genetics: A comprehensive review

Population genetic studies provide insights into the basic biology of arthropod disease vectors by estimating dispersal patterns and their potential to spread pathogens. In wingless vectors, such as ticks, gene flow will be defined in large part by the mobility of their hosts. However, tick behaviors and life cycle strategies can limit their dispersal even on highly mobile hosts and lead to an increase in genetic structure. In this review we synthesize the published literature from three decades of tick population genetic studies. Based on studies from 22 tick species (including representatives from Amblyomma, Bothriocroton, Dermacentor, Ixodes, Ornithodoros, and Rhipicephalus), observed levels of population genetic structure in ticks varied from no structure to very high levels. In about half of the species (including representatives from Amblyomma, Bothriocroton, Dermacentor, and Ornithodoros), tick genetic structure appeared to be determined primarily by the movement capacity of hosts, with low gene flow observed in ticks that use smaller bodied less mobile hosts and high gene flow in ticks using highly mobile hosts. In a number of other species (primarily from Ixodes, Ornithodoros, and Rhipicephalus), behavioral limitations to gene flow appeared to result in greater genetic structure than expected based upon host movement capability alone. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of genetic markers and their applicability to ticks and suggest possible analyses when planning population genetic studies for ticks.
Pilot assessment of patient satisfaction and clinical impact of Medicare Part D in diabetic geriatric patients.

Objectives: To assess patients’ 1) satisfaction with their decision to enroll or not enroll in the Medicare Part D program, and 2) clinical status of diabetes before and after decision to enroll in Medicare Part D.Methods: Patients 65 years or older were enrolled in the study from November 2006 through February 2007. Patients were screened by a clinical pharmacist at their clinician visit and administered a Medicare Part D satisfaction survey. Upon completion of the survey, a retrospective chart review was completed in diabetic patients who were enrolled in Medicare Part D to assess goal attainment of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and blood pressure. Pre-enrollment values were obtained in the 6 months prior to the start of Medicare Part D enrollment (July 1- December 31, 2005). Post-enrollment values were obtained after enrollment was complete for the 2006 year (May 1- October 31, 2006).Results: Results show that 74% (60/81) of patients surveyed were enrolled into the Medicare Part D program, including patients who have dual eligibility. Of the 60 patients who were enrolled in Medicare Part D, 48 patients (80.0%) responded that they were satisfied with their decision to enroll. Clinical outcomes were unchanged from the pre-enrollment to the post-enrollment periods. Mean HbA1c was 7.47% in the pre-enrollment period and 7.25% post-enrollment (differencepre-post = 0.23; 95%CI = -0.28 to 0.73). There was no change in LDL in the two time periods (pre = 79.4 mg/dL; post = 79.7; differencepre-post = -0.25; 95%CI = -13.6 to 13.1). Similarly, there were no significant differences observed for blood pressure. Mean systolic blood pressure was 129.5 in the pre-enrollment period and 131.6 in the post-enrollment period (differencepre-post = -2.1; 95%CI = -7.0 to 2.7). Mean diastolic blood pressure was 70.3 for the pre-enrollment period and 70.7 for the post-enrollment period (differencepre-post = -0.4; 95%CI = -4.2 to 3.4).Conclusion: Patients were generally satisfied with their decision to enroll in Medicare Part D. Clinical outcomes were not affected by participation in a Medicare Part D plan. More longitudinal studies are necessary to determine long term impact of Medicare Part D on diabetes management.
A Compensatory Control Account of Meritocracy

Why are people motivated to support social systems that claim to distribute resources based on hard work and effort, even when those systems seem unfair? Recent research on compensatory control shows that lowered perceptions of personal control motivate a greater endorsement of external systems (e.g., God, government) that compensate for a lack of personal control. The present studies demonstrate that U.S. citizens’ faith in a popular economic ideology, namely the belief that hard work guarantees success (i.e., meritocracy), similarly increases under conditions of decreased personal control. We found that a threat to personal control increased participants’ endorsement of meritocracy (Studies 1 and 2). Additionally, lowered perceptions of control led to increased feelings of anxiety regarding the future, but the subsequent endorsement of (Study 2) or exposure to (Study 3) meritocracy attenuated this effect. While the compensatory use of meritocracy may be a phenomenon unique to the United States of America, these studies provide important insight into the appeal and persistence of ideologies in general.
Soil carbon under switchgrass stands and cultivated cropland

Abstract Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) is considered to be a valuable bioenergy crop with significant potential to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC). A study was conducted to evaluate soil carbon stocks within established switchgrass stands and nearby cultivated cropland on farms throughout the northern Great Plains and northern Cornbelt. Soil from 42 paired switchgrass/cropland sites throughout MN, ND, and SD was sampled to a depth of 120 cm and analyzed for soil carbon in depth increments of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–60, 60–90, and 90–120 cm. SOC was greater ( P 0.1 ) in switchgrass stands than cultivated cropland at 0–5, 30–60, and 60–90 cm. Differences in SOC between switchgrass stands and cultivated cropland were especially pronounced at deeper soil depths, where treatment differences were 7.74 and 4.35 Mg ha −1 for the 30–60 and 60–90 cm depths, respectively. Greater root biomass below 30 cm in switchgrass likely contributed to trends in SOC between switchgrass stands and cultivated cropland. Switchgrass appears to be effective at storing SOC not just near the soil surface, but also at depths below 30 cm where carbon is less susceptible to mineralization and loss.
On a uniform representation of combinators, arithmetic, lambda terms and types

A uniform representation, as binary trees with empty leaves, is given to expressions built with Rosser's X-combinator, natural numbers, lambda terms and simple types. Type inference, normalization of combinator expressions and lambda terms in de Bruijn notation, ranking/unranking algorithms and tree-based natural numbers are described as a literate Prolog program.With sound unification and compact expression of combinatorial generation algorithms, logic programming is shown to conveniently host a declarative playground where interesting properties and behaviors emerge from the interaction of heterogenous but deeply connected computational objects.
Mechanism of action of intravenous immunoglobulin and therapeutic considerations in the treatment of autoimmune neurologic diseases.

On the basis of controlled clinical trials, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has emerged as a critical therapy in the management of patients with various autoimmune neurologic diseases. Different interpretations of the clinical trial results, the expected benefit of IVIg compared to that of alternate therapies, off-label use, results from anecdotal or empirical clinical trials, issues about safety and cost and, most importantly, the uncertainty about mechanisms of action of IVIg have generated concerns among practicing neurologists. Understanding the mechanisms of action of IVIg and its potential risks or side effects is expected to help us make more judicious use of this powerful immunomodulating agent. This article provides evidence that IVIg has multiple actions which may operate in concert with each other but that for each disease a predominant mechanism may prevail according to the underlying immunopathogenetic cause of the respective disorder. The most relevant actions of IVIg in the therapy of neurological diseases include (a) inhibition of complement binding and prevention of MAC formation, (b) neutralization of certain pathogenic cytokines, (c) downregulation of antibody production, and (d) modulation of Fc-receptor mediated phagocytosis. Additional actions include the effect of IVIg on superantigens, modulation of T-cell function and antigen recognition, and enhancement of remyelination. On the basis of our experience with more than 130 closely monitored patients, I provide guidelines on how to use the drug, kinetics of IVIg, adverse reactions, and risk factors. In addition, the incidence, morbidity prevention and treatment of the common or rare side effects, including thromboembolic events, increased serum viscosity, aseptic meningitis, headaches, skin reactions, renal failure, and hemolysis are described. Spurious results of serologic tests, such as false hyponatremia and elevated sedimentation rate, as well as a transient rise in various viral titers, are described in an effort to avoid misinterpretations by treating neurologists. Finally, details on the latest findings of viral safety of IVIg are provided.
Provision of genetics services on Guam.

Guam’s geographic isolation and lack of community resources have resulted in unique healthcare needs. In 2006, the Western States Genetic Services Collaborative (WSGSC) conducted a genetics needs assessment and found that professional development is limited, families lack access to genetic services, and improved coverage of genetic testing is needed. With funding from the WSGSC, a Guam genetics outreach clinic was established and staffed by genetic counselors and a medical geneticist from Hawaii. Four clinics have been held to date. Although several challenges have been encountered, including minimal coverage of genetic testing by Guam insurance companies, limited referrals for families with private insurance, and inappropriate referral indications, the outreach clinic has been successful at increasing access to genetic services and improving professional development. With more collaborative work by staff from Guam, Hawaii, and the WSGSC, provision and reimbursement of genetic services and testing will continue to improve.
Correlations of inflammatory gene pathways, corticolimbic functional activities, and aggression in pediatric bipolar disorder: A preliminary study

The mechanisms underlying aggression in adolescents with bipolar disorder have been poorly understood. The present study has investigated the associations among TNF gene expressions, functional brain activations under the frustrative non-reward task, and aggression in adolescents with bipolar disorder. Baseline gene expressions and aggressive tendencies were measured with the RNA-sequencing and Brief Rating of Aggression by Children and Adolescents (BRACHA), respectively. Our results show that activity levels of left subgenual anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), right amygdala, left Brodmann area 10 (orbitofrontal cortex), and right thalamus were inversely correlated with BRACHA scores and were activated with frustrative non-reward during the affective Posner Task. In addition, 11 TNF related gene expressions were significantly correlated with activation of amygdala or ACG during the affective Posner Task. Three TNF gene expressions were inversely correlated with BRACHA score while one TNF gene (TNFAIP3) expression was positively correlated with BRACHA score. Therefore, TNF-related inflammatory cytokine genes may play a role in neural activity associated with frustrative non-reward and aggressive behaviors in pediatric bipolar disorder.
Golf Ball Deceleration Measuring System to Evaluate Surface Uniformity on Golf Course Greens

The Stimpmeter provides one measurement that averages turf characteristics affecting ball roll distance along Surface uniformity is an important component of golf course putthe entire length of the ball roll. Several measurements ting greens. Presently, there is no quantitative method to measure the surface uniformity of a putting green. The objective of this research of the speed of a golf ball are needed as the ball crosses was to develop a quantitative method to measure the uniformity of the putting surface in order to obtain an indication of the surface of a golf course green. A Stimpmeter was attached to the the uniformity of the surface within a single ball roll. end of a plastic tunnel. Photoelectric switches spaced at uniform From physics, we know that a uniform surface will cause intervals were activated by the ball as it rolled through the tunnel. an object to decelerate at a uniform rate. A uniform As each switch was activated, a single-board computer recorded the putting surface then should cause the ball to decelerate time data. The time and distance data were used to determine average at a uniform rate. acceleration at five locations along the length of the ball roll. An The Stimpmeter releases a golf ball with an initial analysis procedure, using data collected from various mowing treatvelocity of ≈ 1.9 m s 2 1 , and a ball roll of 180 cm lasts ments, was developed to determine if surface uniformity differences were detected. The method developed effectively identified unifor- ≈ 2 s, while a ball roll of 300 cm lasts ≈ 3.3 s. In searching mity differences among the mowing treatments.
LIBRE Stick Figure Tool: A Graphic Organizer to Foster Self-Regulated Social Cognitive Problem Solving.

Graphic organizers are powerful visual tools. The representation provides dimension and relationship to ideas and a framework for organization and elaboration. The LIBRE Stick Figure Tool is a graphic organizer for the problem-solving application of the LIBRE Model counseling approach. It resembles a “stick person” and offers the teacher and student a problem-solving processing map. The use of the LIBRE Stick Figure Tool is presented to demonstrate its application and illustrate potential benefits to both student and teacher.
Evaluating Multimedia-Learning Tools Based on Authentic Research Data That Teach Biology Concepts and Environmental Stewardship

High school science teachers and students need interactive, multimedia researchbased learning objects that (a) support standards-based teaching, (b) enforce complex thinking and problem solving, (c) embrace research skills, (d) include appropriate assessments to measure student performance, and (e) show “realworld” uses. To meet these five criteria, the CHANCE modules have been purposefully designed to allow students to “learn how things work” using realworld research data. These modules pace students through images and text that help them to interpret biological and ecological principles. Indeed, each module has been carefully field tested with practicing in-service and preservice science teachers and real students to assure its effectiveness. Notably, the integration of authentic scientific research with sequenced, interactive computer simulations create a solid curriculum base of national interest that has laid the groundwork for additional materials collections that capitalize on the resources of communities that surround schools in particular regions of the country.
Far East Chapters Meet in Hangzhou, China, Inaugural SSCS Regional Meeting on 15 November, 2006

The first SSCS regional chapters' meeting brought together chapter officers, society representatives and regional leaders to share experiences about best chapter practices, provide information on chapter support services, and to stimulate further chapter development in Asia. The Society will hold a second, Pan-European, regional chapter meeting in the fall of 2007.
Novel ligands for zipping and unzipping the intercalated disk: today's experimental tools, tomorrow's therapies?

This editorial refers to ‘Desmoglein-2 interaction is crucial for cardiomyocyte cohesion and function’ by A. Schlipp et al. , doi:10.1093/cvr/cvu206. Cardiac myocytes are mechanically coupled at intercalated disks by adherens junctions, desmosomes, and mixed composites of these two junction types.1,2 In addition to affording vital mechanical stability to a strongly contractile tissue, these junctions have also been demonstrated to stabilize closely apposed membranes of adjacent cells so as to facilitate electrical coupling via gap junctions.3 Therefore, it is scarcely surprising that mutations in various mechanical junction proteins have been associated with electrical abnormalities in pathologies such as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.4 Given the array of mechanical junction proteins expressed by cardiac myocytes, there is a critical need to understand the specific role of each. In this context, Schlipp et al. 5 offer some intriguing results delineating the function of desmoglein-2 in mediating cell–cell interactions in HL-1 cells and demonstrate …
Pitch targets and their realization: evidence from Mandarin Chinese

In this paper, we propose a preliminary framework for accounting for certain surface F0 variations in speech. The framework consists of definitions for pitch targets and rules of their implementation. Pitch targets are defined as the smallest operable units associated with linguistically functional pitch units, and they are comparable to segmental phones. The implementation rules are based on possible articulatory constraints on the production of surface F0 contours. Due to these constraints, the implementation of a simple pitch target may result in surface F0 forms that only partially reflect the underlying pitch targets. We will also discuss possible implications of this framework on our understanding of various observed F0 patterns, including carryover and anticipatory variations, downstep, declination, and F0 peak alignment. Finally, we will consider possible interactions between local and non-local pitch targets.
Life History and Laboratory Rearing of Mecidea minor (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), with Descriptions of Immature Stages

ABSTRACT The life history of the stink bug Mecidea minor Ruckes (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) was studied in the southern half of New Mexico from January 2005 to December 2007, and the egg and nymphal instars are described. This species was active year-round, occurring on various species of grasses but primarily on Lehmann lovegrass, Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees; grama grasses (Bouteloua spp.); Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon (L.); and tobosagrass, Pleuraphis mutica Buckley. Adults and late instars (fourth and fifth) were present during winter. The appearance and abundance of the eggs, nymphs, and adults during the year suggest this species is bivoltine with the possibility of a partial third generation. Instars can be distinguished by differences in morphological features, including body size and presence and relative development of wing pads.
Harmonic analysis of ferroresonance in single-phase transformers

Ferroresonance is a power quality problem that is characterized by distorted overvoltage and current waveforms. This paper reviews the ferroresonance problem associated with a circuit involving an unloaded transformer that is connected to a source through a capacitor, and solution methodologies. A common simplified method based on fundamental frequency is revisited while emphasizing the impact of harmonic components. Time-domain numerical simulations are conducted on a transformer using manufacturer data and the solutions are analyzed in terms of their harmonic content in an attempt to determine at what point the switching between the different ferroresonance modes takes place. The damping effect by transformer core loss is also emphasized.
QoS-aware routing based on bandwidth estimation for mobile ad hoc networks

Routing protocols for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) have been explored extensively in recent years. Much of this work is targeted at finding a feasible route from a source to a destination without considering current network traffic or application requirements. Therefore, the network may easily become overloaded with too much traffic and the application has no way to improve its performance under a given network traffic condition. While this may be acceptable for data transfer, many real-time applications require quality-of-service (QoS) support from the network. We believe that such QoS support can be achieved by either finding a route to satisfy the application requirements or offering network feedback to the application when the requirements cannot be met. We propose a QoS-aware routing protocol that incorporates an admission control scheme and a feedback scheme to meet the QoS requirements of real-time applications. The novel part of this QoS-aware routing protocol is the use of the approximate bandwidth estimation to react to network traffic. Our approach implements these schemes by using two bandwidth estimation methods to find the residual bandwidth available at each node to support new streams. We simulate our QoS-aware routing protocol for nodes running the IEEE 802.11 medium access control. Results of our experiments show that the packet delivery ratio increases greatly, and packet delay and energy dissipation decrease significantly, while the overall end-to-end throughput is not impacted, compared with routing protocols that do not provide QoS support.
The Antibiotic Gentamicin Inhibits Specific Protein Trafficking Functions of the Arf1/2 Family of GTPases

Gentamicin is a highly efficacious antibiotic against Gram-negative bacteria. However, its usefulness in treating infections is compromised by its poorly understood renal toxicity. Toxic effects are also seen in a variety of other organisms. While the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is relatively insensitive to gentamicin, mutations in any one of ∼20 genes cause a dramatic decrease in resistance. Many of these genes encode proteins important for translation termination or specific protein-trafficking complexes. Subsequent inspection of the physical and genetic interactions of the remaining gentamicin-sensitive mutants revealed a network centered on chitin synthase and the Arf GTPases. Further analysis has demonstrated that some conditional arf1 and gea1 alleles make cells hypersensitive to gentamicin under permissive conditions. These results suggest that one consequence of gentamicin exposure is disruption of Arf-dependent protein trafficking.
Die Beziehung zwischen Theorie und Experiment

Wir kommen nun in der Berichtigung der primitiven Auffassung uber die Physik zu dem dritten Punkt, welcher das Schliesen betrifft. Da sich die Schlusse der Physik auf Erfahrungstatsachen stutzen, so haben wir hier das Verhaltnis zwischen Theorie und Experiment zu betrachten. Dieses besteht nach der landlaufigen Meinung darin, das der Physiker zunachst Hypothesen bildet und das zwischen diesen dann das Experiment entscheidet. In Wirklichkeit ist aber die Beziehung zwischen Hypothese und Experiment nicht so einfach und eindeutig. Insbesondere trifft es nicht zu, das das Experiment immer erst das Nachtragliche ist. Viele Experimente werden auf Vorrat gemacht. So werden mannigfache experimentelle Bestimmungen von physikalischen Konstanten (z. B. Materialkonstanten) ausgefuhrt, es werden Tabellen angelegt, z. B. fur die Spektren der verschiedenen Stoffe, ohne das man dabei eine Entscheidung uber bestimmte Hypothesen im Auge hat. Auch gibt es ja experimentelle Entdeckungen, welche gar nicht durch die zu ihrer Zeit vorliegenden physikalischen Hypothesen vorbereitet sind, vielmehr dem physikalischen Denken ganz neue Bahnen weisen und neue Gebiete erschliesen. Es geht also in der Entwicklung der physikalischen Wissenschaft nicht immer die Hypothesenbildung voran, sondern teils hat die Theorie, teils aber auch das Experiment die fuhrende Rolle. Dies wollen wir nun genauer an Beispielen verfolgen, und zwar haben wir vier typische Falle zu unterscheiden.
Live and Let Live: A Tale of Weak Patents

Patent protection has gradually expanded over time, and many patents of suspect value are routinely granted owing to the lack of rigorous scrutiny in the examination process. This has resulted in the recent explosion of patents granted and potentially creates a “patent thicket” that hinders future innovation. I investigate the question of whether the litigation process can be relied on to restore competition when an imperfect market outcome is sustained through patents of suspect value. The analysis undertaken in the paper points out the serious lack of private incentives to eliminate patents of suspect value through litigation. I also discuss potential measures to restore the soundness of the patent system. (JEL: O3, L1, L4, D8, K4)