cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Central Venous and Arterial Access for Children

Arterial and central venous access is challenging in children due to their smaller and more mobile vessels. In addition, short and long-term damage to vessels is more likely in children due to the limited catheter sizes available for venous and arterial access. Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICC) avoid children needing multiple peripheral intravenous catheters, and often facilitate treatment as an outpatient. Tunneled, cuffed central catheters (Hickman or Broviac) may last several months and are preferred for oncology treatment. Vascular access may cause thrombosis in the short term, and vessel stenosis in the longer term, which may affect subsequent access for the child. The size of the catheter relative to the size of the vein affects the likelihood of vessel damage, and in general the vein should be at least three times the diameter of the catheter. Multidisciplinary vascular access teams have evolved to develop insertion skills for a variety of catheter devices, and to have an active role in device selection, timing of insertion, and to assist with management and troubleshooting of the device. These teams can be nurse-led and they ensure the appropriate device is chosen to complete the planned duration of therapy without the need for re-insertion or replacement of the device.
Selected topics from the 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves Madison, Wisconsin, USA, July 14–19, 2013

This issue contains a selection of papers that were presented at the 29th International Symposium on Shock Waves, held in Madison, WI, USA, from July 14 to July 19, 2013. The symposia originated in Boston in 1957 under the original name “International Symposium on Shock Tubes”, they are held biennially, and rotate among hosting countries all over the world. The International Symposia on Shock Waves are the definitive meetings of the scientific community devoted to the study and application of high-speed flows and shockwave phenomena of all kinds. At the time of the call for abstracts, 291 abstracts were submitted and sent out to 90 reviewers. The conference had 9 invited presentations, 220 contributed presentations (divided into 70 parallel sessions, in 23 different areas), and 50 poster presentations. A student competition included 46 of the oral presentations and 9 posters. Based on recommendations by the paper reviewers and the chairperson of the session in which the papers/posters were presented, the authors of 35 of the 270 contributions were invited to submit extended versions of their conference paper to ShockWaves Journal, and 13 accepted. These submissions were put through the same rigorous evaluation process (by at least two reviewers and an editor) as any other manuscript
Toward large-scale histopathological image analysis via deep learning

Abstract The histopathological image has served as the gold standard of cancer diagnosis and played a vital role in diagnosing cancer in clinical settings for over a century. Traditionally, tissue samples were reviewed by pathologists under a microscope, which is time-consuming and prone to error. This is changing with the age of digitized glass slides. The current practice is to first digitize the glass slides into histopathological images with a whole-slide image (WSI) scanner and then employ specialized software (i.e., a virtual slide viewer) to view and inspect these images. WSI scanners can digitize glass slides into histopathological images in just a couple minutes, and the computer software can present histopathological images on a screen in real time. Nevertheless, due to the complexity and sheer volume of histopathological image data, effectively diagnosing cancer in gigapixel-sized histopathological images still requires a considerable amount of time spent by an experienced pathologist. In addition, the inter- and intraobserver errors introduced in this process make it more challenging. Computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) is a potentially powerful tool to offer more reliable, efficient, and consistent cancer diagnosis from histopathological images. Currently, state-of-the-art deep learning-based algorithms can automatically analyze the properties (e.g., cells and cancer regions) of histopathological images. Nevertheless, these powerful algorithms are still at the prototype stage and are thus not widely used. In this chapter, we aim to bridge the gap by reviewing recent efforts toward CAD-based histopathological image analysis algorithms, introducing the unique challenges encountered when building effective cancer diagnostic tools and the essential knowledge needed to overcome some of them.
Cerebellar Tonsillar Ischemia and Cysts in the Chiari I Malformation

Rare reports in the literature have documented the presence of a cyst at the tip of the cerebellar tonsil in patients with Chiari I malformation. The authors prospectively reviewed all new Chiari I malformation (CM I) pediatric patients who presented to their clinic during a 2-year period. Specifically, all patients were screened for ischemic or cystic lesions of the herniated cerebellar tonsils on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Out of 340 patients, 2.9% were found to have signal changes on MRI consistent with ischemia or cysts in the cerebellar tonsils. For both ischemic and cystic cerebellar tonsils, histologically, the tissue demonstrated loss of Purkinje cells with concomitant Bergmann gliosis. Based on the findings, cerebellar tonsillar ischemia and cysts in patients with CM I can often be seen radiologically. Histologically, these ischemic and cystic tissues are the same. Taken together, cerebellar tonsillar ischemia and cysts are on a continuum and represent chronic compression of this herniated part of the cerebellum.
High-dose intravenous glucocorticoids are effective in the acute management of ventricular arrhythmias in cardiac sarcoidosis: A case series.

Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune disorder in which granulomatous inflammation leads to multiorgan dysfunction. Cardiac involvement in particular is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality.1 Potential cardiac manifestations include atrioventricular block, ventricular tachycardia (VT), heart failure, and sudden death. Steroids are recommended for pulmonary sarcoidosis and may be effective for cardiac involvement as well. For instance, steroid therapy is reported to be associated with improvement in atrioventricular block and left ventricular (LV) function.2,3 Based on this sort of observational data, the Heart Rhythm Society recommends immunosuppression for active cardiac sarcoidosis.4 Key Teaching Points • Cardiac sarcoidosis is a disease in which granulomatous inflammation in the heart leads to cardiac dysfunction. Cardiac sarcoidosis most commonly manifests with left ventricular dysfunction, heart block, and/or atrial or ventricular arrhythmias. • Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a particularly devastating complication of cardiac sarcoidosis and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Despite optimal treatment, patients often have recurrence of VT and are at increased risk of sudden cardiac death. • VT in cardiac sarcoidosis may occur as a result of either inflammation or scar. Scar-mediated VT is generally caused by re-entry around sites of scar, whereas inflammatory VT is generally a result of increased automaticity. • VT in cardiac sarcoidosis may be treated with immunosuppression, antiarrhythmic drugs, or catheter ablation. Immunosuppression seems to be most useful for patients with automaticity-mediated VT secondary to inflammation. • In our case series, high-dose intravenous (IV) glucocorticoids were an effective treatment for malignant ventricular arrhythmias in cardiac sarcoidosis patients with active myocardial inflammation. The use of high-dose IV glucocorticoids has previously been validated in other systemic rheumatologic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and organ transplant rejection.
An Interprotein Co-S Coordination Complex in the B12-Trafficking Pathway.

The CblC and CblD chaperones are involved in early steps in the cobalamin trafficking pathway. Cobalamin derivatives entering the cytoplasm are converted by CblC to a common cob(II)alamin intermedi...
A radiographic zone-based approach to predict meniscus injury in lateral tibial plateau fracture.

Abstract Objectives There is limited data regarding meniscal injury and it's association to fracture location and articular impaction/displacement (AID) in tibial plateau fractures. The purpose of this study was to predict lateral meniscal injury in tibial plateau fractures, based on location and extent of AID as visualized on pre op CT images. Design Retrospective review study. Setting Level I academic trauma center. Patients We retrospectively reviewed lateral tibia plateau fracture patients that were treated operatively using CPT codes 27535 and 27536. Two hundred patients were identified. Inclusion criteria were lateral tibia plateau fracture, age of 18 years or older, and documented direct examination of lateral meniscus integrity intraoperatively. Seventy patients met inclusion criteria. Intervention The injured lateral tibial plateau was divided into four quadrants on pre-operative CT and maximum AID was measured. The zone of fracture was defined as the location of largest AID (Image-1). All patients had an arthrotomy at the time of surgery to evaluate the integrity of the meniscus. Intra operative data regarding meniscal integrity and preoperative CT data were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to estimate what effect zone and amount of AID had on predicting the meniscal injury. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine cut off points for high sensitivity/specificity. Main outcome measurements Amount and area of depression in the lateral tibial plateau as relates to meniscal injury. Results Mean age was (45.1 ± 12.9) years. Twelve had Schatzker type I and 58 had type II fractures. Twenty-two patients had meniscus injury (MI) and forty-eight patients did not have a meniscus injury (NMI). Mean AID for MI was 12.48 mm ± 7.17 mm and 6.4 mm ± 4.3 mm for NMI (p Conclusion With 1 mm increase in AID there is a 21% increase in chance of meniscal tear. With the same AID, AL and AM zone fractures have a significantly higher chance of having a meniscal tear. AID of 4.3 mm provides 100% sensitivity to predict meniscal tear in lateral tibia plateau fracture. These values are useful in predicting pre op meniscal tear without MRI.
An improved bit plane image encryption technique using RC4 and quantum chaotic demeanour

To compete with the rising apprehension of data/image security, corporations are endorsing cryptography for protection. A high-quality image encryption scheme must ensure high Entropy, high key sensitivity, ability to resist known and chosen-plaintext attack, large keyspace, high randomness, and resistance towards differential attack. To accomplish this need, an improved bit plane image encryption scheme using RC4 and Quantum Chaotic behavior is proposed. In the projected mechanism, to ensure less bandwidth usage and efficient transmission of data over the network, YCbCr format is used. The keys are generated using the s- logistic map due to its high randomness, non-periodic behavior, and large keyspace to resist brute-force attacks. This contemporary encryption process includes confusion and diffusion stages. For the confusion stage, the Channel transformation process is employed, which helps in attaining randomness. A multilevel diffusion stage is implemented using CBC (Cipher Block chaining block), Zigzag permutation, and Inter bit plane permutation process. Additionally, the technique’s randomness and complexity are strengthened by utilizing RC4 to generate S-box for byte substitution. The projected framework is implemented in MATLAB and assessed using various performance metrics like mean square error (MSE), Peak Signal to noise ratio (PSNR), Entropy, and others referenced in writing. Result analysis illustrates that the proposed model reveals its capacity to conceal the confidentiality of information of the transmitted image and is more efficient than its classical counterpart. Its security is verified by the statistical, key-space, and key analysis.
Chaucer, Lydgate, and the Half-Heard Nightingale

Literary nightingales often sing to drowsy listeners before entering their dreams. That position between reality and dream-vision helps account for the nightingale’s popularity as a symbol. Less well known is the connection between its literary representations and the material bird, known to science and poets alike as apparitional—elusive visually but conspicuous through a loud, complex song, itself intermediate between reflex and communication and between mere sound and music. Medieval poets represent the nightingale song with occi (pronounced “oh-see”), understood as both onomatopoeia and some form of occir, “to kill”. In John Lydgate’s A Seying of the Nightingale, the singing nightingale double-exposes with both Venus and Christ; in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, bird and listener remain earthbound but transported by love.
Yield of Head Imaging in Ambulatory and Hospitalized Patients With SARS-CoV-2: A Multi-Center Study of 8675 Patients

Background and Purpose:To describe the neurological and cerebrovascular findings in patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and underwent head imaging in ambulatory and inpatient settings.Metho...
Two-Dimensional Topology of the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey

We study the topology of the publicly available data released by the 2dFGRS. The 2dFGRS data contains over 100,000 galaxy redshifts with a magnitude limit of b_J=19.45 and is the largest such survey to date. The data lie over a wide range of right ascension (75 degree strips) but only within a narrow range of declination (10 degree and 15 degree strips). This allows measurements of the two-dimensional genus to be made. The NGP displays a slight meatball shift topology, whereas the SGP displays a bubble like topology. The current SGP data also have a slightly higher genus amplitude. In both cases, a slight excess of overdense regions are found over underdense regions. We assess the significance of these features using mock catalogs drawn from the Virgo Consortium's Hubble Volume LCDM z=0 simulation. We find that differences between the NGP and SGP genus curves are only significant at the 1 sigma level. The average genus curve of the 2dFGRS agrees well with that extracted from the LCDM mock catalogs. We compare the amplitude of the 2dFGRS genus curve to the amplitude of a Gaussian random field with the same power spectrum as the 2dFGRS and find, contradictory to results for the 3D genus of other samples, that the amplitude of the GRF genus curve is slightly lower than that of the 2dFGRS. This could be due to a a feature in the current data set or the 2D genus may not be as sensitive as the 3D genus to non-linear clustering due to the averaging over the thickness of the slice in 2D. (Abridged)
Deep Probabilistic Koopman: Long-term time-series forecasting under periodic uncertainties.

Probabilistic forecasting of complex phenomena is paramount to various scientific disciplines and applications. Despite the generality and importance of the problem, general mathematical techniques that allow for stable long-term forecasts with calibrated uncertainty measures are lacking. For most time series models, the difficulty of obtaining accurate probabilistic future time step predictions increases with the prediction horizon. In this paper, we introduce a surprisingly simple approach that characterizes time-varying distributions and enables reasonably accurate predictions thousands of timesteps into the future. This technique, which we call Deep Probabilistic Koopman (DPK), is based on recent advances in linear Koopman operator theory, and does not require time stepping for future time predictions. Koopman models also tend to have a small parameter footprint (often less than 10,000 parameters). We demonstrate the long-term forecasting performance of these models on a diversity of domains, including electricity demand forecasting, atmospheric chemistry, and neuroscience. For electricity demand modeling, our domain-agnostic technique outperforms all of 177 domain-specific competitors in the most recent Global Energy Forecasting Competition.
Re-thinking therapeutic development for CNS metastatic disease.

There has been unprecedented progress in the development of systemic therapies for patients with metastatic melanoma over the last decade. There is now tremendous potential and momentum to further and markedly reduce the impact of this disease. However, developing more effective treatments for metastases to the CNS remains a critical challenge for patients with melanoma. Melanoma patients with active CNS metastases have largely been excluded from both early-phase and registration trials for all currently approved targeted and immune therapies for this disease. While this exclusion has generally been justified in clinical research due to concerns about poor prognosis, lack of CNS penetration of agents, and/or risk of toxicities, recent post-approval trials have shown the feasibility, safety, and clinical benefit of clinical investigation in these patients. These trials have also identified key areas for which more effective strategies are needed. In parallel, recent translational and preclinical research has provided insights into novel immune, molecular and metabolic features of melanoma brain metastases that may mediate the aggressive biology and therapeutic resistance of these tumors. Together, these advances suggest the need for new paradigms for therapeutic development for melanoma patients with CNS metastasis.
An Examination of Motor Competence Profiles in Preschool Children: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Purpose: Identifying profiles of preschoolers' motor competence (MC) is essential for providing accurate and targeted intervention. However, little is known regarding children's MC profiles, more specifically how skills may present in unique clusters. The purposes of the study were to explore MC profiles of U.S. children ages 3-6 years, quantify the uniqueness of these profiles, and examine differences by age, gender, race, geographic region, socioeconomic status, and Body Mass Index z-scores. Methods: Participants included children (N = 582, ngirls = 296) aged 3-6 years (Mage = 4.97, SD = .75) enrolled in one of seven early childhood education centers (Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio [× 2], South Carolina [× 2], Texas). Each child's MC was assessed with the 12 skills comprising the TGMD-2. Latent profile analysis was performed using the 12 MC skills. Results: Five profiles of MC emerged, three of which show developing MC but in varying combinations. Wald tests revealed possible MC advantages for preschool children who are older, boys, reside in an urban region, and are of higher socioeconomic status, but only for the proficient MC profile. Conclusion: By uncovering five unique latent MC profiles, professionals should consider the presentation/origins of each profile and use such knowledge to create targeted, individualized MC interventions in American preschoolers. From a research perspective, the implications of this study suggest that researchers should consider person-oriented approaches examining individual skill scores (vs. summed subscale scores) whenever possible.
Computing Genomic Signatures Using de Bruijn Chains

Genomic DNA sequences have both deterministic and random aspects and exhibit features at numerous scales, from codons to regions of conserved or divergent gene order. Genomic signatures work by capturing one or more such features efficiently into a compact mathematical structure. We examine the unique manner in which oligonucleotides constitute a genome, within a graph-theoretic setting. A de Bruijn chain (DBC) is a kind of de Bruijn graph that includes a finite Markov chain. By representing a DNA sequence as a walk over a DBC and retaining specific information at nodes and edges, we obtain the de Bruijn chain genomic signature θdbc, based on graph structure and the stationary distribution of the DBC. We demonstrate that the θdbc signature is information-rich, efficient, sufficiently representative of the sequence from which it is derived, and superior to existing genomic signatures such as the dinucleotide odds ratio and word frequency based signatures. We develop a mathematical framework to elucidate the power of the θdbc signature to distinguish between sequences hypothesized to be generated by DBCs of distinct parameters. We study the effect of order of the θdbc signature, genome size, and variation within a genome on accuracy. We illustrate its superior performance over existing genomic signatures in predicting the origin of short DNA sequences.
Jim Crow on Fraternity Row

Blackface minstrelsy firmly entrenched Blacks, black entertainment, and black performers as buffoons in the white imagination. The entertainment industry (film, radio, and television) is the most common place to witness the persistence of blackface performativity; a less commonly known but equally important site of contemporary blackface performance is the southern white fraternity. Through the use of raced artifacts, racial terrorism is enacted, and the performativity of this racist act is reduced through the guise of humor. Using bell hook's “eating the other” coupled with visual rhetoric, this article examines the continued popularity of racial marginalization and racial terrorism through blackface performances at southern white fraternities.
2-user multiple access spatial modulation using Adaptive Coding and Modulation

Spatial Modulation(SM) is a new communication scheme. It works on the principle of spatial diversity. The principle is basically to map a block of information bits into two information carrying entities: 1) a symbol taken from a constellation diagram and 2) a distinctive transmit antenna number chosen from a set of transmit antennas. For a multiple user interface, we take into account interference from two users and further improve the results with the use of Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM).
What Price Prudence

(1979). What Price Prudence? Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 45-45.
Efficiently Mapping Integrity Constraints from Relational Database to XML Document

XML is rapidly emerging as the dominant standard for exchanging data on the WWW. Most of application data are stored in relational databases due to its popularity and rich development experiences over it. Therefore, how to provide a proper mapping approach from relational data to XML documents becomes an important topic. Integrity constraints are useful for semantic specification that plays the important roles in relation schema definition. The existing XML schema language does not define general constraints and maintaining method for integrity constraints. So how to use XML to express and maintain integrity constraints especially the advanced integrity constraints, e.g., general constraints of relational data is one of challenge research issues. In this paper, a novel mapping approach is proposed to map relation data to XML document with active nodes, XMLA, and extended DTD with constraints, DTDC. The ability to maintain integrity constraints makes our approach more effective than other approaches.
Geomagnetic storm simulation with a Coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere model

We present the first global, self-consistent, fully electrically coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere model, based on the UCLA magnetosphere-ionosphere model and the NOAA Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Model (CTIM). Initial results from this coupled model for the January 10, 1997 geomagnetic storm event are encouraging. In particular, the model produces a much more realistic electrodynamic and ionospheric response as compared with the previous magnetosphere model that relied on parameterizations for the ionospheric conductance. This is attributed to the much more realistic conductance calculations provided by CTIM. Like in previous studies with the magnetosphere model, the cross-polar-cap potential is too high. Examining the cause will require further investigation.
Solid‐Phase Oligonucleotide Labeling with DOTA

This unit describes a method to construct oligonucleotide conjugates labeled with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) on a solid support. A nucleosidic phosphoramidite that contains a protected DOTA ligand compatible with normal chain assembly is prepared first. As the chain assembly is completed, the oligonucleotide is deprotected and converted to the corresponding gadolinium(III) chelate, resulting in an oligonucleotide conjugate containing the chelate at the 5′-terminus. Keywords: solid support; oligonucleotides; DOTA; MRI; molecular imaging; phosphoramidites
Baader-Meinhof Complexities: Ideology and the “Root Causes” of Terrorism

Ulrike Meinhof: Everybody Talks about the Weather … We Don't: The Writings of Ulrike Meinhof, ed. and trans. Karin Bauer (New York: Seven Stories Press, 2008). In the interest of full disclosure, I...
The Path to Post-Modernity, or, 'God is Dead and We Did It for the Kids!'

This paper attempts to present a 'time line' of the increasing levels of doubt and anxiety about the path of 'Progressive Civilization' from the heyday of Victorian liberalism in the early 19th Century to the rise of postmodernism in our day. It does so by tracking a line of thought through John Stuart Mill, Lord Bryce, Matthew Arnold, Henry Adams, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Walter Lippmann. It uses the quip coined by the Yippie leader Abbie Hoffmann in the 1960's as a symbolic phrase for the terminus to which the "Idea of Progess" has led us in the 21st Century. The argument is that over the time period covered the most serious observers became increasingly aware of the disappearance from modern society's horizon of any idea of a transcendent meaning within which it could explain and justify to itself its own deepest purposes. The necessity for a persuasive 'metaphysics' which could show why the modern western experiment is a good thing became increasingly evident in inverse proportion to its philosophical availability. Note: This paper was delivered at the University of Maine on April 27, 2009 under the auspices of the Program in Western Civilization and American Liberty directed by Michael J.Palmer the Abraham Lincoln Professor of Political Philosophy in the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine.
Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor With Divergent Differentiation

Right posterior thigh malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with malignant glandular and rhabdomyoblastic components was diagnosed in a 24-year-old African American man. Malignant glands and rhabdomyoblastic cells were admixed with the spindle cells. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated spindle cells positive for S100 and vimentin; the glandular component was positive for chromogranin, and rare cells were positive for CK20 but negative for CK7. Rhabdomyoblastic cells were positive for muscle-specific actin and desmin. A single pulmonary metastasis occurred 5 months after surgical resection of the tumor. Death occurred 1 month later and was probably due to a pulmonary embolus.
REVIEW: Potential roles of soil fauna in improving the efficiency of rain gardens used as natural stormwater treatment systems

Summary Natural treatment systems such as rain gardens aim to overcome the negative effects of urbanization on water quality, availability, and freshwater and marine ecosystem integrity by mimicking the natural water cycle in urban planning and design. While soils in these systems are inhabited by a diverse array of invertebrates, the soil macrofauna is ignored in the vast majority of studies on new or existing rain gardens. Here, we review the functional roles of invertebrates commonly found within soils of rain gardens. Soil fauna have the potential to substantially alter plant growth, water infiltration rates, and the retention and removal of pathogens, nutrients, heavy metals and other contaminants. Their lack of inclusion in controlled laboratory or greenhouse studies may contribute to differences in observed function in field and laboratory settings. Promising future research directions include the following: (i) the use of controlled experiments to study invertebrate effects on rain garden function; (ii) determining the factors affecting variability in organismal abundance among and within sites; and (iii) the design of rain gardens to facilitate development of fauna that promote desired functions. Synthesis and applications. Soil fauna may substantially alter the function of rain gardens as natural stormwater treatment systems in urban areas. Therefore, incorporat-ing animal effects into design and testing may better enable managers and researchers to understand and optimize rain garden functioning, and forecast the longevity of rain gardens.
Kinetics of aquoluminescence of γ-irradiated KCI

Abstract We present here an extensive analysis of the kinetics concerned with aquoluminescence of γ-irradiated KCI. Activation energies are reported for KCI. NaCI and KBr. A second order effect, oscillation-type is reported for the first time. There are two critical temperatures in the ranges 35 to 45°C and 60 to 70°C for the thermal stimulation of aquoluminescence.
Prefocal alignment improves stone comminution in shockwave lithotripsy.

Background: The Dornier HM-3 machine continues to be one of the most effective lithotripters in use. However, tissue damage occurs in most, if not all, shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) treatments. Cavit...
Marginal homogeneity and the superposition of Latin squares

The marginal homogeneity model for a square table specifies equality of corresponding row and column fitted totals. It is shown how the design matrix for this linear model can always be constructed by superposition of a number of Latin square factors. A set of Latin squares sufficient for this purpose is easily generated, for any table size. The result allows the marginal homogeneity model to be fitted using standard computing packages.
Purification of crystal induced chemotactic factor from human neutrophils.

The crystal induced chemotactic factor is a protein that is released by neutrophils in response to a phagocytic stimulus like monosodium urate or calcium pyrophosphate crystals. This protein has been postulated to play an important role in the development of crystal-induced arthritis. In this report, we present a protocol for its purification which involved ammonium sulfate fractionation, affinity chromatography, lectin chromatography, and high pressure chromatography (HPLC). The purified protein migrated as a single band on SDS-PAGE. Based on its electrophoretic and chromatographic (HPLC) properties, it appears to have a m.w. of 15000. It has a blocked N-terminal since our attempt to sequence the chemotactic protein by established procedures failed. The protein contains one methionine residue which appears to be essential for its chemotactic activity since cyanogen bromide treatment abolished its chemotactic activity. To our knowledge this is the first report on purification of this autocrine leukoattractant from human neutrophils.
Developing profiles of risk for parental abduction of children from a comparison of families victimized by abduction with families litigating custody.

This study systematically compared parents in abducting families with families litigating custody. Findings indicate that risks for parental abduction of children are multidetermined by: (1) a heightened concern about very young children being exposed to neglectful, endangering, or criminal environments by the other parent; (2) unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse; (3) heightened distrust of and less respect for law and authority; and (4) a reluctance to seek help from the courts. Abducting families were also predominantly socially and economically disadvantaged: parents were less likely to have been married to one another; they had lower incomes, were more poorly educated, and were disproportionately members of minority racial and ethnic groups. The social policy dilemmas of identifying these differences as risk factors are discussed together with suggestions for risk management.
Evidence for control of protein synthesis in HeLa cells via the elongation rate

The effects of fresh medium and serum on protein synthesis in suspension-cultured HeLa cells after growth to high cell density (> 5 x 10(5) cells/ml) were studied. Cells which were resuspended in fresh medium plus serum and grown for 24 hours (control) were compared with cells grown for 2 hours after resuspension (stimulated). The spectrum of proteins being synthesized by control and stimulated cells does not appear to be grossly different; that is, the weight and number average molecular weights of newly synthesized whole-cell protein are about the same in both cultures. Also, no significant differences were observed in the number of ribosomes per polysome or in the fraction of total ribosomes in polysomes. However, the transit times (combined elongation and termination times) were found to differ significantly; the average transit time for control cells was 2.24 minutes, while the average transit time for stimulated cells was 1.26 minutes. (An appendex evaluating the methodology involved in measuring the transit time is included.) In aggreement with the difference in transit time, the absolute rate of protein synthesis in stimulated cells was approximately 1.8 times the rate measured in control cells. These data are taken as evidence that under certain conditions, the rate of elongation and/or termination of polypeptide chains limits the overall rate of translation, and that cells can respond to growth conditions by changing the elongation and/or termination rate of protein synthesis.
Do B3LYP and CCSD(T) Predict Different Hydrosilylation Mechanisms? Influences of Theoretical Methods and Basis Sets on Relative Energies in Ruthenium-Silylene-Catalyzed Ethylene Hydrosilylation

A series of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory (WFT) methods were used in conjunction with a series of basis sets to investigate the influence of the computational methodology on the relative energies of key intermediates and transition states in potential reaction pathways in ruthenium-silylene-catalyzed hydrosilylation reactions. A variety of DFT methods in a modest basis set and B3LYP calculations in a variety of basis sets calculated the key transition in the Glaser-Tilley (GT) pathway to be energetically favored. In contrast, with the smaller basis sets, the CCSD(T) method calculated the Chalk-Harrod (CH) pathway to be favored; however, CCSD(T) results extrapolated to larger basis sets favored the GT pathway.
Analysis of constitutively activated stat signaling molecules in primary acute myeloid leukemia cells

Abstract We reported previously that constitutive activation of the JAK2/STAT5 signaling pathway was detected in several leukemic cell lines including HEL and Meg-01 cells, and the constitutively activated STAT5 correlated with growth factor independence for these cell lines ( Blood , 93:2369, 1999). To begin to determine the role of constitutively activated STAT molecules in survival of leukemia cells, we analyzed the activation of STAT signaling molecules in primary leukemia cells from bone marrow or peripheral blood of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). When nuclear translocation of STAT5 was analyzed by Western blotting, significant amounts of STAT5 were detected in 15 or 22 (68%) nuclear extracts from AML patients. Similar results were obtained with two other assays of STAT5 activation—electrophoretic gel mobility shift assays and Western blotting of cellular extracts with anti-phospho-STAT5 antibody. The results of analysis of phosphorylation status of STAT1 and STAT3 showed that constitutively phosphorylated STAT1 was detected in 3 of 22 (13.6%) primary AML samples and phosphorylated STAT3 in 4 of 22 (18%) of patients. Of them, leukemic cells from two patients had constitutively phosphorylated and activated STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5, and cells from one patient had a small amount of phosphorylated STAT1 and STAT3, but only barely detectable phosphorylated STAT5. The majority of these primary leukemia cells died in culture within 2–3 weeks, but cells from one patient continued to grow in culture for two months and cells from one patient continue to grow in culture more than 4 months. The leukemia cells from all 5 patients which continued to proliferate in culture for more than 2 weeks had constitutively activated STAT5. Thus, these data indicate a predominance of STAT5 activation in these leukemia cells. The constitutively activation STAT molecules, especially STAT5, apparently played a role in the survival of these primary leukemia cells in culture.
Comparative physiological disposition of melatonin and its benzo[b]thiophene analog in the rat☆☆☆

Melatonin and its benzo[b]thiophene analog were labeled by acetylation of the corresponding 5-methoxyarylethylamines with 3H-acetic anhydride. The benzo[b]thiophene analog had a much higher lipid solubility. When administered to rats, both compounds disappeared from plasma and tissues by first-order decay. The dispositions were similar, with the higher lipid solubility of the benzo[b]thiophene analog resulting in higher tissue: plasma ratios, especially in adipose tissue, kidney and liver, and longer half-lives in plasma and tissues.
Proposal of ride-sharing system using harmonic aggregation of user demands

In this paper, we propose a ride-sharing system with harmonic aggregation of user demands to support both human satisfaction and resource efficiency, and report results of the simulation of our proposed system showing the efficiency of our method. Our proposed ride-sharing system alters user action time and harmonically aggregates user transfer by using flexible parts of users' demands toward their actions. We built a demonstration system visualizing our future vision in which the proposed ride-sharing method was represented as one scenario. In this system, the ride-sharing will be implemented as the joining of several small personal vehicles. We performed our simulations with basic scenarios including part of the proposed method and obtained results showing that the ride-sharing system with our proposed method has four-times higher efficiency than that without the method.
Continuous microscratch measurements of the practical and true works of adhesion for metal/ceramic systems

Using a continuous microscratch technique, the adhesion strengths of Pt, Cr, Ti, and Ta{sub 2}N metallizations to NiO and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates have been characterized. The practical work of adhesion was determined as a function of both thickness and annealing conditions. For all except the Ta{sub 2}N films, the practical work of adhesion increases nonlinearly from a few tenths of a J/m{sup 2} to several J/m{sup 2} as the thickness of the thin film is increased, indicating that a greater amount of plastic work is expended in delaminating thicker films. Further, the practical work of adhesion also increases with increasing annealing temperature, indicating stronger bonding at the interface. In the limit that the film thickness tends to zero, the plastic energy dissipation in the film tends to zero. As a result, the extrapolation to zero thickness yields the {ital true} work of adhesion for that system. {copyright} {ital 1996 Materials Research Society.}
Abstraction and Counterexample-Guided Refinement in Model Checking of Hybrid Systems

Hybrid dynamic systems include both continuous and discrete state variables. Properties of hybrid systems, which have an infinite state space, can often be verified using ordinary model checking together with a finite-state abstraction. Model checking can be inconclusive, however, in which case the abstraction must be refined. This paper presents a new procedure to perform this refinement operation for abstractions of hybrid systems. Following an approach originally developed for finite-state systems [11, 25], the refinement procedure constructs a new abstraction that eliminates a counterexample generated by the model checker. For hybrid systems, analysis of the counterexample requires the computation of sets of reachable states in the continuous state space. We show how such reachability computations with varying degrees of complexity can be used to refine hybrid system abstractions efficiently. Examples illustrate our counterexample-guided refinement procedure. Experimental results for a prototype implementation indicate significant advantages over existing methods.
Parental Opinion Concerning School Sexuality Education in a Culturally Diverse Population in the USA.

This study aimed to expand upon previous research related to parental opinion concerning school sexuality education by sampling a culturally diverse, low-income population that has been traditionally under-represented in the literature. A total of 191 parents attending an urban community college completed a written questionnaire about what topics schools should teach their children about sexuality education. Independent variables, including country of origin, religion and religiosity, were explored to determine if support for school sexuality education was similar or different in this population compared to previous national and state survey data. The majority of sex education topics were supported by 80% of the parents. There was a significant negative correlation between attendance at religious services and support for school sex education. The hypothesis that there would be less support for comprehensive sexuality education in the sample population than in national and statewide surveys was not supported.
Comparison of the radioallergosorbent test and a quantitative solid-phase radioimmunoassay for the detection of ragweed-specific immunoglobulin E antibody in patients undergoing immunotherapy

Commercially available radioallergosorbent test (RAST) was compared with a quantitative solid-phase polystyrene tube radioimmunoassay (PTRIA) for the detection of ragweed-specific IgE antibody in sera of patients undergoing ragweed immunotherapy. Both assays showed good replication over a wide range of IgE antibody activity. The RAST was limited in the ability to discriminate between sera with high levels of specific IgE antibody. In addition, RAST gave falsely low values of IgE antibody activity in the presence of high levels of blocking antibody.
The Amt/MEP/Rh Family: Structure of AmtB and the Mechanism of Ammonia Gas Conduction

The atomic structures of the first members of the Amt/MEP/Rh family show that they are 11-crossing membrane proteins that form trimers in the membrane. Each monomer supports a hydrophobic channel t...
Characterization of Cholesterol and Drug Ligand Interactions with Translocator Protein 18 KDA (TSPO) from Rhodobacter Sphaeroides

The mitochondrial outer membrane protein Translocator Protein 18 kDa (TSPO), previously known as the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), has been proposed to be a key component of the cholesterol transport system in mitochondria and a rate limiting step for steroidogenesis. Dysregulation of neurosteroids generation involving TSPO has been shown to be related to a variety of neurological and psychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, as well as bipolar disorder. In addition, ligands of TSPO are widely used for imaging brain injury and inflammation, areas in which TSPO is highly expressed. A natural human single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) gives rise to a mutation, A147T, within the proposed cholesterol recognition site (CRAC). This mutation leads to altered ligand binding and has recently been reported to reduce pregnenolone production and to be associated with bipolar disorder. The same mutation is reported to inhibit a proposed TSPO catalyzed degradation of prototoporphyrin IX. TSPO from Rhodobacter sphaeroides (RsTSPO) shares high sequence similarity with the human protein but differs in the region of the SNP and shows significantly lower cholesterol binding. To better understand the interaction of TSPO with cholesterol, porphyrin and other ligands, we expressed and purified the recombinant RsTSPO and several mutants in the cholesterol binding region. Binding properties were investigated with a sensitive tryptophan fluorescence quenching assay and the interactions were characterized by X-ray crystallography.(Supported by the MSU Center for Mitochondrial Science and Medicine, a Strategic Partnership Grant from Michigan State University Foundation and GM26916 to SFM).
Scaling Baroclinic Eddy Fluxes: Vortices and Energy Balance

The eddy heat flux generated by the statistically equilibrated baroclinic instability of a uniform, horizontal temperature gradient is studied using a two-mode f-plane quasigeostrophic model. An overview of the dependence of the eddy diffusivity D on the bottom friction κ, the deformation radius λ, the vertical variation of the large-scale flow U, and the domain size L is provided by numerical simulations at 70 different values of the two nondimensional control parameters κλ/U and L/λ. Strong, axisymmetric, well-separated baroclinic vortices dominate both the barotropic vorticity and the temperature fields. The core radius of a single vortex is significantly larger than λ but smaller than the eddy mixing length l_mix. On the other hand, the typical vortex separation is comparable to l_mix. Anticyclonic vortices are hot, and cyclonic vortices are cold. The motion of a single vortex is due to barotropic advection by other distant vortices, and the eddy heat flux is due to the systematic migration of hot anticyclones northward and cold cyclones southward. These features can be explained by scaling arguments and an analysis of the statistically steady energy balance. These arguments result in a relation between D and l_mix. Earlier scaling theories based on coupled Kolmogorovian cascades do not account for these coherent structures and are shown to be unreliable. All of the major properties of this dilute vortex gas are exponentially sensitive to the strength of the bottom drag. As the bottom drag decreases, both the vortex cores and the vortex separation become larger. Provided that l_mix remains significantly smaller than the domain size, then local mixing length arguments are applicable, and our main empirical result is l_mix ≈ 4λ exp(0.3U/κλ).
Evaluation of the genetic effects of defined dna lesions formed by dna-damaging agents

DNA-damaging agents typically react with DNA to form a plethora of adducts within the genome. Historically, it has been difficult to ascertain the genetic effects of individual DNA adducts by studying randomly modified DNAs. Over the past decade techniques that allow the precise evaluation of the biological effects of single DNA adducts have been developed. This paper describes the methodology required to determine the mutagenic effects of a single DNA adduct in a biological system. The synthesis and characterization of singly modified oligonucleotides, the incorporation of modified oligonucleotides into biologically viable viral or plasmid genomes, the replication of the singly modified vectors in vivo to allow the fixation of mutations, and subsequent qualitative and quantitative evaluation of adduct-induced mutations are described.