cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cell-Associated Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Interleukin-8 and Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1: Immunochemical and In-situ Hybridization Analyses

Abstract Human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells secrete chemokines, interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study we (1) examined the efficiency of human RPE IL-8 and MCP-1 secretion, (2) determined the amount of neutrophil and monocyte chemotactic activity in human RPE cell conditioned media and cell extracts that is attributable to IL-8 and MCP-1, respectively, and (3) assessed the sensitivity of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization for detecting chemokine production by cytokine-stimulated human RPE cells. Conditioned media and extracts from human RPE cells stimulated with various physiologic concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) (0.2–20 ng ml −1 ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) (0.2–20 ng ml −1 ) or interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) (10–1000 U ml −1 ) were examined to compare secreted and cell associated levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 at various time points up to 24 hr. ELISA demonstrated that IL-8 and MCP-1 are both efficiently secreted by pro-inflammatory cytokine treated human RPE cells. Substantial dose- and time-dependent RPE secretion of IL-8 was observed following stimulation with IL-1β or TNF-α, but cell associated IL-8 was detectable only after high dose (20 ng ml −1 ) IL-1β stimulation and comprised less than 1% of the total IL-8 induced. Dose- and time-dependent RPE cell MCP-1 secretion was also observed following IL-1β>TNF-α>IFN-γ stimulation, with an average of 4% of the total MCP-1 retained within RPE. Bioassays demonstrated neutrophil and monocyte chemotactic activity in conditioned media from stimulated RPE cells, but not in human RPE cell extracts. Inhibition of conditioned media-induced chemotaxis by specific anti-IL-8 or anti-MCP-1 antibodies demonstrated that IL-8 and MCP-1 were responsible for the majority of HRPE-derived neutrophil (>60%) and monocyte (53–57%) chemotactic activity, respectively. Using in situ hybridization IL-8 mRNA was readily detected within IL-1β>TNF-α stimulated RPE cells and MCP-1 mRNA easily visualized within IL-1β>TNF-α> or IFN-γstimulated cells. Immunohistochemistry to detect IL-8 was positive only in RPE cells exposed to high dose IL-1β(20 ng ml −1 ) for 8 or 24 hr and was weak. Immunohistochemical staining for MCP-1 in RPE cells was more intense and was visualized within RPE cells stimulated with IL-β, TNF-α, or IFN-γ. This study demonstrates that: (1) RPE cells efficiently secrete IL-8 and MCP-1 upon stimulation with pro-inflammatory cytokines; (2) secreted IL-8 and MCP-1 account for the majority of human RPE neutrophil and monocyte chemotactic activity; (3) in situ hybridization readily detects IL-8 and MCP-1 mRNA in cytokine stimulated RPE cells; and (4) immunohistochemistry demonstrates cell-associated MCP-1 in cytokine stimulated RPE cells, but only minimal cell-associated IL-8.
Stability of Language and Literacy Profiles of Children With Language Impairment in the Public Schools

Purpose The present study focused on the identification and stability of language and literacy profiles of primary school children receiving school-based language therapy over the course of one aca...
Adenocarcinoma of the prostate involving the lumbosacral plexus: MRI evidence to support direct perineural spread.

Background Prostate adenocarcinoma, which may recur despite aggressive treatment, has the potential to spread to the lumbosacral plexus. This intraneural involvement is not widely known and is thought to be from direct perineural spread. We hypothesized that high-resolution imaging could provide supportive evidence for this mechanism.
Accumulation of sediment-bound PCBs by fiddler crabs.

The primary objective of this research was to characterize rates of PCB uptake and depuration by fiddler crabs in a simulated spoil bank habitat that contained PCBs in weathered sediment. Also, the authors examined whether the concentration of PCBs in substrates affected bioaccumulation by mixing PCB-laden sediments with clean sand. In a pilot study, they tested Uca pugilator, an inhabitant of relatively dry and sandy areas, and U. minax, which inhabits wetter and muddier substrates, to determine if species differ in PCB uptake and depuration rates.
On optimal estimation in linear systems with time delay

Optimal state estimation in linear systems with time delay is investigated. The application of optimum control theory leads to a split boundary value problem. The existence of the solution to the two-point boundary value problem is investigated. It is shown that the adjoint system (costate equations) must be completely controllable to a function (complete observability) with respect to the initial function in order to solve the two-point boundary value problem. Necessary and sufficient conditions are presented. Equations for the optimal estimator, which can be solved on-line, are derived. These equations are applied to an example to illustrate the applicability of the approach.
Resonance description of S-nitrosothiols: insights into reactivity.

A resonance representation of the electronic structure of S-nitrosothiols as a combination of the conventional R−S−NO structure, a zwitterionic structure R−S+N−O-, and a RS-/NO+ ion pair is proposed. The resonance forms are employed to predict and rationalize the structural and conformational properties of RSNOs, their interaction with Lewis acids, and their overall chemical reactivity.
Cancer: Catalyst of a catalyst

Breast cancers arise when the BRCA2 protein is defective, but what does the normal enzyme do? Studies of a relative of BRCA2 reveal a capacity to initiate the repair of broken DNA by loading a repair protein.
VIA-RAD: a blackboard-based system for diagnostic radiology

The work described in this article presents an approach to the integration of computer-displayed radiological images with cooperative computerized assistance for decision-making. The VIA-RAD system (Visual Interaction Assistant for Radiology) is a blackboard-based architecture, founded on extensive data collection and analysis in the domain of diagnostic radiology, together with cognitive modeling of the interaction between perception and problem-solving. The details of this system are presented in terms of domain knowledge representation and domain knowledge mapping. A small prototype of the system has been implemented and tested with radiology subjects, and the results of this study are also described.
Balloon borne Antarctic frost point measurements and their impact on polar stratospheric cloud theories

The first balloon-borne frost point measurements over Antarctica were made during September and October, 1987 as part of the NOZE 2 effort at McMurdo. The results indicate water vapor mixing ratios on the order of 2 ppmv in the 15 to 20 km region which is somewhat smaller than the typical values currently being used significantly smaller than the typical values currently being used in polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) theories. The observed water vapor mixing ratio would correspond to saturated conditions for what is thought to be the lowest stratospheric temperatures encountered over the Antarctic. Through the use of available lidar observations there appears to be significant evidence that some PSCs form at temperatures higher than the local frost point (with respect to water) in the 10 to 20 km region thus supporting the nitric acid theory of PSC composition. Clouds near 15 km and below appear to form in regions saturated with respect to water and thus are probably mostly ice water clouds although they could contain relatively small amounts of other constituents. Photographic evidence suggests that the clouds forming above the frost point probably have an appearance quite different from the lower altitude iridescent, colored nacreous clouds.
Characterization of multiple extracellular cAMP-phosphodiesterase forms in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Summary The growth phase extracellular adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate phosphodiesterases from Dictyostelium discoideum have been studied. Following enzyme activation with dithiothreitol and magnesium chloride (1), three peaks of activity are resolved on DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The three forms are distinct with respect to: 1) mobility on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; 2) molecular weight; 3) sensitivity to an inhibitor protein. The Michaelis constants (K m ) for cAMP of all three forms are similar and in the 1–10 μM concentration range: no evidence is found for an enzyme species with a K m in the 1–10 mM concentration range or for monomer-dimer interconversion as noted by other workers (2).
USING A SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM AS A MECHANISM FOR NURTURING PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN GERONTOLOGY

In spite of a clear demographic imperative, the field of gerontology seems to have some difficulty recruiting sufficiently large numbers of bright, emerging professionals. The relative lack of interest in gerontology shown by students in the health professions is believed to have a number of causes. Among the factors that may discourage students are public and professional ignorance and misperceptions of the field, lower than average income earning potential, and negative characterizations and public stereotyping of elderly people and their problems. Although the dearth of young professionals expressing an interest in gerontology has been recognized for some time now as a problem in medicine and, to a lesser degree, in nursing, it is only beginning to be recognized in the field of dentistry. We discuss the use of an organized student research program that supplements the basic dental curriculum as an effective educational methodology to increase students’ interest in the field of gerontology.
Batse time-resolved observations of GRBs: the burst ‘topographic’ map

It is a well-known observation that many GRBs have spectra with curvature in the less than 1 MeV regime, but flatten out to approximately a -2 power law at higher energies. The large collecting area of BATSE allows spectral studies with unprecedented time resolution. We are conducting a systematic study of time-resolved spectroscopy of GRBs observed by BATSE. Several aspects of this survey are discussed: correlations among fit parameters and between fit parameters and intensity; screening for spectral features usingσ-residual contour maps; and an introduction to the GRB ‘topographic’ map and its possible qualitative diagnostic abilities.
Effect of interventions on stage of mammography adoption.

Mammography has been found significantly to impact mortality in women; however, compliance is still problematic. A theoretical model which combined Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs with stage of mammography adoption was used to investigate the effect of an individualized belief and/or informational intervention on mammography compliance. A control group and three intervention groups (belief, information, and belief and information) were used. A probability sample of 405 women ages 40–88 years without a prior history of breast cancer was randomly assigned to groups. Subjects in the intervention group received individually tailored messages to alter beliefs or provider information related to mammography screening. Women in the combined belief/information group were over two times more likely to have been compliant with mammography 1 year postintervention than those in the control. In addition, groups who received the belief intervention had significantly more women that went from a lower to a higher stage of mammography adoption.
The effect of an electric field on self-sustaining combustion synthesis: Part II. field-assisted synthesis of μ-SiC

Self-sustaining combustion synthesis of β-SiC is shown to be possible in the presence of an electric field. Above a threshold field of ∼6.8 V · cm−1, a combustion wave resulting from the reaction between silicon and graphite powders can be self-sustaining. A linear relationship between the applied field and the measured wave velocity is observed, in qualitative agreement with the model (as discussed in the previous article). At relatively high fields, >21 V · cm−1, simultaneous combustion occurs. Microstructural examinations of quenched combustion fronts provided evidence of melting of the Si reactants. This experimental work provides evidence of the validity of a model in which chemical and electrical heat generation are contributing inside the combustion front.
Structure of calf lens β-crystallins

Abstract An investigation of the polypeptide composition of calf lens β-crystallin was conducted. Two β-crystallin fractions, previously designated fractions B and C, were separated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. Fraction C was found to have a molecular weight of approximately 52,000. Electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) of this fraction yielded two bands with molecular weights of 24,000 and 27,500, respectively, calculated on the basis of their mobilities. Electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels in 6 m urea, however indicated that eight distinct polypeptides compose Fraction C. The molecular weight of Fraction B was calculated to be approximately 210,000. SDS electrophoresis of this fraction produced four bands. Over 80% of the protein material was of either 24,000 or 27,500 molecular weight, however two lesser components had molecular weights of 31,000 and 35,000. Electrophoresis in 6 m urea gels yielded eight bands corresponding in mobility to the bands found for Fraction C, plus at least five other bands of lesser mobility. On the basis of these figures Fraction C apparently exists as a dimer in the native state and Fraction B in the native state consists of eight polypeptide chains. The percentage composition of the SDS polypeptides of Fraction B suggests that each native molecule may contain one polypeptide chain from the 31,000 or 35,000 molecular weight species. We suggest that the evidence strongly indicates that the two fractions of calf lens β-crystallin, while being quite different in molecular weight, are composed to a great extent of similar polypeptide chains. This fact would make the great similarity in amino acid composition of the two fractions more easily explicable. Furthermore the large number of non-identical polypeptides which were found to exist in each of these fractions would produce the high degree of heterogeneity observed in the β-crystallin by several previous investigators.
Structural and biological properties of carbon nanotube composite films

Abstract Carbon nanotube composite films have been developed that exhibit unusual structural and biological properties. These novel materials have been created by pulsed laser ablation of graphite and bombardment of nitrogen ions at temperatures between 600 and 700 °C. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and radial distribution function analysis demonstrate that this material consists of sp2-bonded concentric ribbons that are wrapped approximately 15° normal to the silicon substrate. The interlayer order in this material extends to approximately 15–30 A. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy data suggest that this material is predominantly trigonally coordinated. The carbon nanotube composite structure results from the use of energetic ions, which allow for non-equilibrium growth of graphitic planes. In vitro testing has revealed significant antimicrobial activity of carbon nanotube composite films against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus warneri colonization. Carbon nanotube composite films may be useful for inhibiting microorganism attachment and biofilm formation in hemodialysis catheters and other medical devices.
Parallel parametric design optimization for RF amplifiers with 3D EM-PIC

Three-dimensional electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell (3D EM-PIC) codes offer an advantage in the process of RF amplifier design since they are capable of highly-accurate, device-independent simulation and prediction of the amplifier's performance and physical characteristics. Achieving the desired amplifier performance generally requires optimization of device's geometry and operating parameters with respect to a specific set of criteria. The RF amplifier design cycle typically involves many simulations with varying parameters that are carried out until such criteria are met. Traditionally, the computational intensity and prohibitively long runtimes of 3D EM-PIC codes have limited their practical application to the case of manually controlled parametric optimization of RF amplifiers.
Continuous fractionation of protein mixtures by p H parametric pumping: Experiment

Continuous pH parametric pumping separations of a haemoglobin-albumin-CM Sepharose system were experimentally investigated. The parapump has a feed containing the protein mixture to be separated, introduced alternately to the top and bottom of the chromatographic column. The top and bottom products are withdrawn from the apparatus, respectively, during the bottom and top feed. It is shown that under certain conditions the pH driven parametric pump has the capacity for removal of protein components from one product fraction and large enrichment in the other fraction. Moreover, the continuous process can be operated with a large feed throughput.
Prenatal Stress-Induced Increases in Placental Inflammation and Offspring Hyperactivity Are Male-Specific and Ameliorated by Maternal Antiinflammatory Treatment

Adverse experiences during gestation such as maternal stress and infection are known risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The mechanisms by which these distinct exposures may confer similar psychiatric vulnerability remain unclear, although likely involve pathways common to both stress and immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface. We hypothesized that maternal stress-induced activation of immune pathways within the placenta, the sex-specific maternal-fetal intermediary, may contribute to prenatal stress programming effects on the offspring. Therefore, we assessed for markers indicative of stress-induced placental inflammation, and examined the ability of maternal nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment to ameliorate placental effects and thereby rescue the stress-dysregulation phenotype observed in our established mouse model of early prenatal stress (EPS). As expected, placental gene expression analyses revealed increased levels of immune response genes, including the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β, specifically in male placentas. NSAID treatment partially ameliorated these EPS effects. Similarly, in adult offspring, males displayed stress-induced locomotor hyperactivity, a hallmark of dopaminergic dysregulation, which was ameliorated by maternal NSAID treatment. Fitting with these outcomes and supportive of dopamine pathway involvement, expression of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors was altered by EPS in males. These studies support an important interaction between maternal stress and a proinflammatory state in the long-term programming effects of maternal stress.
Oxidant-induced haemoprotein degradation in rat tissue slices: effect of bromotrichloromethane, antioxidants and chelators.

Abstract Haemoprotein degradation and lipid peroxidation were evaluated in rat liver, kidney and heart slices incubated for 2 h in the presence and absence of bromotrichloromethane, antioxidants and chelators to obtain information about the relationship between oxidants and damage to haemoproteins. Haemoproteins were modified by bromotrichloromethane, and this modification, measured as loss of ferrohaemoproteins, generally was concurrent with lipid peroxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. These two processes occured simultaneously as a function of incubation time and oxidant concentration. Inhibition of the two processes by nordihydroguaiaretic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole and Trolox C, and lack of inhibition by mannitol, catalase and superoxide dismutase also were coincident. However, Methylene blue, EDTA, sodium fluoride, 2,4-dinitrophenol, N -ethylmaleimide and o -phenanthroline affected the two processes differently. The results suggested that haemoproteins may compete with other molecules for oxidant radicals, thus serving as protectors of cells against oxidant radicals. Products of haemoprotein degradation such as protein polymers, free amino acids and bilirubin may be indicators of in vivo oxidative stress.
THE ROLE OF EXTENSION IN HELPING AMERICANS IMPROVE THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF THEIR DIETS

The land-grant extension system has long been known as the best educational network in the world. Extension home economists are focusing much of their efforts in food, nutrition and health programming. Extension personnel are collaborating with other agricultural health professionals in programs designed to improve the nutritional quality of diets consumed by individuals in the United States.
Modification of the multiple forms of rat hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase by in vitro phosphorylation.

Abstract The two major forms of rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase have been isolated and partially purified. The tetrahydrobiopterin-dependent activity of these forms can be differentially stimulated by exposure to enzymatic phosphorylating conditions. This in vitro treatment is associated with incorporation of 32p into the enzymes and generates a further, chromatographically distinct, species. These results suggest that the multiple forms of rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase are due to different degrees of phosphorylation.
Effect of Incorporation of Cylindrical Inhomogeneities on the Strength Distributions of Brittle Materials

Cylindrical inhomogeneities are often deliberately incorporated into engineering ceramics (e.g., fibers, vias, electrical feedthroughs). The thermal expansion mismatch between the matrix and inhomogeneity creates a state of localized stress. We show that for radial cracks around such inhomogeneities, there may be conditions of crack stability even in the presence of an external, destabilizing field. This stability, and the nature of the stress intensity factor due to local stresses, modifies the strength distribution of the matrix. A fracture-mechanics approach allows the prediction of the new strength distributions. As an illustration of this approach, calculations for commonly used ceramic-metal inhomogeneity material pairs are discussed. Depending on the inhomogeneity/flaw size ratio, the new strength distributions can have lower or higher strength variability than the matrix. If the inhomogeneity radius (R) is chosen such that a majority of the cracks in the matrix are > 0.25R, the material will have the highest possible strength and reduced variability.
Comparison of frog albumins with those of other vertebrates.

Serum albumin was purified from two frog species (Rana pipiens andR. catesbeiana) and compared by several physical, chemical and immunological techniques with the purified albumins of a reptile, a bird and three mammals. Although the frog albumins proved to be very similar to those of other vertebrates in physical and chemical properties, no immunological relationship was detected in direct precipitin and complement fixation tests. The absence of an immunological relationship between frog albumins and those of other vertebrates is expected because other evidence indicates that albumin evolves very rapidly. Fossil evidence indicates that the lineage leading to frogs separated from those leading to other vertebrates so long ago that we should expect frog albumins to have become more than 40% different in amino acid sequence from those of other vertebrates and thus to exhibit no cross reactivity in direct precipitin or complement fixation tests.
Hemodynamic pulmonary edema in dog lungs after contralateral pneumonectomy and mediastinal lymphatic interruption

The effect of pneumonectomy and mediastinal lymphatic interruption on gravimetrically measured extravascular lung water was studied in dogs. Raising left atrial pressure to 23 mm Hg caused a significant increase in extravascular lung water in normal dogs compared to controls. The same hemodynamic challenge, however, when applied to pneumonectomized dogs caused a significantly greater increase in extravascular lung water than in the hemodynamically challenged normal dogs. When a moderate mediastinal lymphatic interruption was added to the pneumonectomy, there was no additional increase in extravascular lung water. We suggest that the remaining lungs after contralateral pneumonectomy are more prone to extravascular fluid development when subjected to a significant hemodynamic challenge because of the combination of an increase in transmembrane fluid transudation into the interstitium of the remaining lung and loss of parenchymal/hilar lymphatic drainage routes. In this situation, lymphatic clearance thresholds are more easily exceeded, extravascular fluid accumulates and pulmonary edema is the result.
New Strategy for Controlling the Size and Shape of Metallic Features Formed by Electroless Deposition of Copper: Microcontact Printing of Catalysts on Oriented Polymers, Followed by Thermal Shrinkage

This paper describes a new method of reducing the size of the metal features made by electroless deposition and fabricating complex-shaped, patterned surfaces. Microcontact printing (μCP) was used to pattern oriented glassy polymers with palladium colloids, stabilized with tetraoctadecylammonium bromide. These colloids are catalysts for the selective electroless deposition of copper. Annealing of the activated polymer at a temperature slightly above its glass transition temperature led to a shrinkage of the substrate. Immersion of the shrunken substrate in the plating bath yielded the metal features. The maximum shrinkage of the feature size achieved was on the order of a factor of ∼4 in one direction of the oriented polymer and of ∼7 in the perpendicular direction. Control of the extent and direction of shrinkage allowed the fabrication of metal features with sizes and shapes different from those on the polydimethylsiloxane stamp used for the patterning of the substrate and from the draw ratios. Free-sta...
A Trial of Oocyte Maturation and In Vitro Fertilization by Frozen-Thawed Spermatozoa in the Red-Bellied Tamarin(Saguinus labiatus)

Freezing of epididymal spermatozoa from red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus) was achieved by using a semen-diluting medium called TTE (Tes, Tris, egg-yolk base) containing 5% glycerol. When the frozen spermatozoa were suspended and incubated in m-TYH medium (TYH medium supplemented with 1mM caffeine and 1mM dibutyryl cyclic AMP), the frozen-thawed spermatozoa showed a good sperm survival rate and hyperactive movement after 30 min of incubation. A total of 59 germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes were collected from 4 ovaries of 4 female red-bellied tamarins regardless of their menstrual cycles. At 24, 48, and 72 h after incubation in TCM-199 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), 30%, 53%, and 71% oocytes, respectively, either showed germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) or had extruded the first polar body. Although the oocytes matured in vitro were inseminated by frozen-thawed spermatozoa, no eggs became fertilized.
Intravitreal clearance of tissue plasminogen activator in the rabbit.

• The clearance of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) injected into the midvitreous cavity was studied in the phakic, vitrectomized rabbit eye with and without intravitreal fibrin clots. The quantity and activity of t-PA in the vitreous, serum, and aqueous were determined at ten minutes and at 3, 6, 15, 24, and 48 hours after initial injection by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a spectrophotometric solid-phase fibrin assay (SOFIA). In eyes without an intravitreal fibrin clot, the estimated half-life for t-PA was 4.3 hours by SOFIA and 5.8 hours by ELISA. In eyes containing a vitreal fibrin clot, the half-life increased to 9.8 hours by SOFIA and 11.9 hours by ELISA. Both of these half-lives were significantly greater than the half-life for eyes without fibrin. Regardless of the presence of fibrin, intravitreal t-PA activity was significantly less than t-PA quantity, suggesting the presence of a t-PA inhibitor. A peak in aqueous t-PA occurred before six hours, indicating that t-PA was cleared in part through the anterior chamber. There was no measurable serum t-PA at any of the sampling times.
Is breast reconstruction a quality measure for breast cancer treatment

349 ISSN 1758-1923 10.2217/BMT.13.35 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Breast Cancer Manage. (2013) 2(5), 349–352 Immediate breast reconstruction following mastectomy is associated with benefits in quality of life, self-esteem, sexual functioning and body image [1]. The UK National Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction Audit in 2010 found that, following mastectomy, 20.6% of patients had an immediate reconstruction and 10.5% had delayed reconstruction [101]. In the USA, immediate breast reconstruction rates have increased by an average of 5% per year, from 20.8% in 1998 to 37.8% in 2008 [1]. At a glance, breast reconstruction following mastectomy is an attractive quality measure for the care of patients with breast cancer; in this editorial, we explore if this is potentially true.
The gross and histologic appearance and the lipid composition of normal intima and lesions from human coronary arteries and aorta

Abstract Normal intima tissue and individual lesions from coronary arteries and aorta were obtained at autopsy and three plaques were obtained from carotid endarterectomies. Normal appearing intima and lesions were analyzed individually for lipid content and composition. Lesions were classified histologically on the basis of localization of lipid in the intima and in the case of plaque lesions the presence of a fibromuscular cap or zone beneath the endothelium. The lipid composition of each histologic type was determined. Normal intima and individual lesions from coronary arteries and aorta did not differ in absolute or relative triglyceride content. The relative triglyceride content of lesions from both anatomic sites decreased with the development of atherosclerosis. Intracellular lipid lesions and foam cell lesions had the same total and relative lipid composition. The absolute amount and the relative amount of cholesteryl ester increased when these lesions were compared with normal intima (perifibrous lipid). Fibrous plaques were divided into a group containing the same amount of total lipid as normal tissue, a group containing the same amount of total lipid as foam cell fatty streaks, and a group containing much more total lipid than foam cell fatty streaks. The absolute amount and the relative amount of cholesteryl ester were increased when fibrous plaques were compared with normal intima but were not increased when fibrous plaques were compared with intracellular lipid lesions and foam cell lesions (fatty streaks). The relative amount of free cholesterol was increased when fibrous plaques were compared with both normal intima and foam cell lesions but not intracellular lipid lesions. We suggest that the formation of fibrous plaques does not correlate with either a progressive increment in total lipid or a progressive change in relative lipid composition.
Parallel techniques for computational geometry

A survey of techniques for solving geometric problems in parallel is given, both for shared memory parallel machines and for networks of processors. Parallel models are reviewed, and basic subproblems that tend to arise in the solution of geometric problems on any parallel model, are discussed. PRAM techniques, techniques for mesh-connected arrays of processors, and the hybrid RAM/ARRAY model and its connection to I/O complexity are considered. Open problems are also discussed, as well as directions for future research. >
An Immigrant Success Story: East Indians in America

Part 1 Context: who, where and when why stay, why leave? East Indians come to America (1790-1965) the new immigration (1965-1989) East meets West. Part 2 Social dynamics: the student experience Indian society in America family life in these United States secrets of success. Part 3 Ramifications: no ghettos trouble in paradise? you can't go home again emigration from India and immigration to America the new immigrants.
Performance modeling of neighbor discovery in proactive routing protocols

Abstract It is well known that neighbor discovery is a critical component of proactive routing protocols in wireless ad hoc networks. However there is no formal study on the performance of proposed neighbor discovery mechanisms. This paper provides a detailed model of key performance metrics of neighbor discovery algorithms, such as node degree and the distribution of the distance to symmetric neighbors. The model accounts for the dynamics of neighbor discovery as well as node density, mobility, radio and interference. The paper demonstrates a method for applying these models to the evaluation of global network metrics. In particular, it describes a model of network connectivity. Validation of the models shows that the degree estimate agrees, within 5% error, with simulations for the considered scenarios. The work presented in this paper serves as a basis for the performance evaluation of remaining performance metrics of routing protocols, vital for large scale deployment of ad hoc networks.
Can Deflationism Allow For Hidden Indeterminacy

Field (2000) claims that both inflationists and deflationists can and should accept the existence of linguistic indeterminacy in their own language. This paper shows that inflationists and deflationists consider the nature of indeterminacy quite differently; in particular, deflationists' notion of indeterminacy lacks the kind of objectivity inflationists' notion has; as a result, while both inflationists and deflationists can and should accept the existence of manifest indeterminacy such as vagueness, only inflationists can accept the existence of hidden indeterminacy such as the yet-to-be-discovered indeterminacy thought to be involved in terms of our current scientific theories. The paper also considers the question how well deflationists can do without hidden indeterminacy.
GAR-936 (9-t-butylglycylamido-minocycline) susceptibility test development for streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: preliminary guidelines and interpretive criteria

GAR-936, a new semisynthetic derivative of minocycline, has earlier shown promising activity against tetracycline-resistant pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this study, the activity of GAR-936 was tested against a total of 514 tetracycline-susceptible and -resistant strains of S. pneumoniae, beta-haemolytic streptococci, viridans group streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. All strains of H. influenzae, were inhibited by or =20 mm zone diameter. Clinical trial results should be correlated with these preliminary in vitro results to confirm and/or adjust these susceptibility interpretive criteria for GAR-936 when testing fastidious streptococci, H. influenzae and N. gonorrhoeae.
Experimental assessment of maize phytolith and starch taphonomy in carbonized cooking residues

Many taphonomic studies of plant microfossils, specifically phytoliths and starch, are concerned with post-depositional movement, contamination, and morphological changes due to environmental fluctuations or plant processing. Additionally, the identification of phytoliths and starches archaeologically are based on their presence or absence. This paper examines whether it is possible to identify maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) phytolith and starch abundance associated with different processing behaviors as replicated through experimentally produced cooking residues. If successful, identification of likely associated processing and taphonomy of these microfossils will allow for a more refined interpretation of plant use as it relates to timing and plant form and processing.
Some Key Problems in Network Error Correction Coding Theory

This paper summarizes our recent works on network error correction codes. We study basic properties of linear network error correction codes in the single source multicast case. We define the minimum distance of a network error correction code which plays the same role as it does in classical coding theory. We construct MDS codes and give sufficient conditions for its existence. We propose basic decoding algorithms and analyze their performance. We propose an improved upper bound for the failure probability of random network code and use it to analyze the performance of randomized network error correction codes [9], [10]. We study the possibility of decoding beyond error correction capability. We propose a hybrid network error correction coding systems. An extensive performance analysis of this coding system is reported in a separate paper.
High accuracy CO 2 measurement system based on Fabry-Perot interferometer

The precise detection of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is of great interest due to its impact on trapping the long wavelength radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface.
Magnetic-field-induced transition in quasi-two-dimensional systems

A model is presented which gives a unique magnetic-field-induced transition from a two-dimensional open-orbit metal to a semimetal. A magnetic field causes the open-orbit electron motion to become progressively more one dimensional, with an effective density of states proportional to H at low field. This leads to a Fermi-surface instability with a transition temperature which varies approximately as ${T}_{c}$=${T}_{0}$exp(-A/H). The resulting gap, which is both temperature and magnetic field dependent, can explain some of the anomalous quantum oscillations and the Hall steps observed in the tetramethyltetraselenafulvalenium compounds [(TMTSF${)}_{2}$X].
Wetting phenomena on micro-grooved aluminum surfaces and modeling of the critical droplet size

The behavior of water droplets on aluminum surfaces with parallel grooves tens of microns in width and depth is considered, and a mechanistic model is developed for predicting the critical droplet size-droplets at incipient sliding due to gravity. The critical droplet size is nearly 50% smaller on micro-grooved surfaces than on the same surface without micro-grooves. The application of existing models fails to predict this behavior, and a new model based on empiricism is developed. The new model provides reasonable predictions of the critical droplet size for a given inclination angle, advancing contact angle, and maximum contact angle. When the grooves are aligned parallel to gravity, the maximum apparent contact angle does not occur at the advancing front but rather along the side of the droplet because of contact-line pinning. Droplets on these surfaces are elongated and possess a parallel-sided base contour shape. Novel data are provided for droplets in a Wenzel state, a Cassie-Baxter state, and combined state on micro-grooved surfaces, and the ability of the empirical model to handle these variations is explored. These findings may be important to a broad range of engineering applications.
OH Radical Formation from the Gas-Phase Reaction of Ozone with Terminal Alkenes and the Relationship between Structure and Mechanism

The reactions of ozone with alkenes have been shown recently to lead to the direct production of OH radicals in quantities that vary from 7 to 100% depending on the structure of the alkene. OH radicals are the most important oxidizing species in the lower atmosphere, and the OH−alkene reaction is a large source of new OH radicals, important in urban and rural air during both day and night. Evidence for OH formation comes both from low-pressure direct measurements and from tracer experiments at high pressure. With the goal of measuring OH formation yields with good precision, a small-ratio relative rate technique was developed. This method uses small amounts of fast-reacting aromatics and aliphatic ethers to trace OH formation yields. Here, we report OH formation yields for a series of terminal alkenes reacting with ozone. Measured OH yields were 0.29 ± 0.05, 0.24 ± 0.05, 0.18 ± 0.04, and 0.10 ± 0.03 for 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene, respectively. For the methyl-substituted terminal alkenes ...
Phase equilibrium in aqueous mixtures of nonionic and anionic surfactants above the cloud point

The phase equilibrium between the two isotropic phases formed above the cloud point in an aqueous solution containing anionic surfactant, nonionic surfactant, and salt was studied as a function of the anionic/total surfactant ratio in the concentrated or coacervate phase under isothermal conditions. As the anionic/total surfactant ratio increased, the system approached the lower consolute solution temperature and the two phases became increasingly similar in composition. The concentration of surfactant in the dilute phase was found to be well above the CMC. The activity coefficient of each component was determined in the coacervate phase. The activity coefficients of the surfactant components in the coacervate were also computed on a surfactant-only basis. There is substantial negative deviation from ideality of mixing between the dissimilar surfactants in the coacervate. Regular solution theory provides an approximate description of the anionic/nonionic surfactant interaction in the coacervate. A thermodynamic consistency test found the true activity coefficients in the coacervate to be internally consistent, but the surfactant-only based activity coefficients failed the test, bringing into question the validity of using the pseudo-phase separation model to describe surfactant interactions in the coacervate.
Nonstationary dynamic pavement loads generated by vehicles traveling at varying speed

Many of the existing studies on vehicle dynamics assume that vehicles travel at a constant speed on a homogeneous pavement surface. In this paper the effect of nonstationary surface excitation to vehicle dynamics are analyzed. Nonstationary road excitation is resulted from varying vehicle speed when the vehicle travels on a homogenous pavement surface. Frequency-domain methods are no longer valid due to the involvement of varying speed. The state space models are used to characterize vehicle dynamics in the time domain. Two models of vehicle suspension systems are used in the study: a quarter-vehicle model and a half-vehicle model. The former is suitable for analytical treatment because of its simplicity, whereas the latter is more complex but produces more accurate result. Numerical computation is performed to quantify the effects of acceleration and deceleration on dynamic pavement loads. The developed method and computer simulation model can be applicable and integrated into the study of dynamic response of pavement structures.
Multiuser detection for WDM fiber-optic communication systems

In fiber-optic WDM communications, the nonlinearity of the channel and the limitations of optical filters result in received channel signals that are correlated. Furthermore, the nonlinear nature of the detector creates a data-dependent asymmetric and non-Gaussian noise. Through bounds on the error probability, the optimal multiuser detector is found to significantly improve performance in highly correlated data cases. This result is applied to a practical WDM system.
Evaluation of a specific activity questionnaire to predict mortality in men referred for exercise testing.

Background A self-administered symptom questionnaire developed at our institution (Veterans Specific Activity Questionnaire [VSAQ]) is routinely used to estimate a patient's exercise capacity to individualize the exercise test in accordance with current guidelines. This study was performed to evaluate the association of the VSAQ with all-cause mortality. Methods The VSAQ was administered to 1185 consecutive male patients (mean age 58 ± 12 years) referred for exercise testing for clinical reasons. The VSAQ is designed to determine which specific daily activities are associated with cardiovascular symptoms (fatigue, chest pain, or shortness of breath) to provide an estimate of exercise tolerance (in metabolic equivalents [METs]) before exercise testing. Patients were classified into 1 of 3 groups according to VSAQ score: 8 METs. The association between exercise capacity estimated by the VSAQ, other clinical and exercise test variables, and all-cause mortality was assessed by Cox proportional hazards. The mean follow-up period was 4.5 ± 2.9 years. Results There were a total of 132 deaths during the follow-up period, resulting in an average annual mortality of 2.7%. In a multivariate analysis including clinical risk factors and exercise test variables, age-adjusted predictors of mortality, in rank order, were the VSAQ score in METs, history of chronic heart failure, history of smoking, and diabetes (for VSAQ: hazard ratio [HR] 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.98; for chronic heart failure: HR 2.67; 95% CI 1.51-4.72; for smoking: HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.18-2.57; and for diabetes: HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.15-2.95). Expressed in tertiles, age-adjusted relative risks for the VSAQ were 1.0, 0.54, and 0.22 ( P for trend Conclusions A simple self-administered symptom questionnaire strongly and independently predicted all-cause mortality. The VSAQ is a useful adjunct to clinical and exercise test data for stratifying risk in patients undergoing exercise testing for clinical reasons.
Antitrypanosomal Treatment with Benznidazole Is Superior to Posaconazole Regimens in Mouse Models of Chagas Disease

Two CYP51 inhibitors, posaconazole and the ravuconazole prodrug E1224, were recently tested in clinical trials for efficacy in indeterminate Chagas disease. The results from these studies show that both drugs cleared parasites from the blood of infected patients at the end of the treatment but that parasitemia rebounded over the following months. In the current study, we sought to identify a dosing regimen of posaconazole that could permanently clear Trypanosoma cruzi from mice with experimental Chagas disease. Infected mice were treated with posaconazole or benznidazole, an established Chagas disease drug, and parasitological cure was defined as an absence of parasitemia recrudescence after immunosuppression. Twenty-day therapy with benznidazole (10 to 100 mg/kg of body weight/day) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in antiparasitic activity, and the 100-mg/kg regimen effected parasitological cure in all treated mice. In contrast, all mice remained infected after a 25-day treatment with posaconazole at all tested doses (10 to 100 mg/kg/day). Further extension of posaconazole therapy to 40 days resulted in only a marginal improvement of treatment outcome. We also observed similar differences in antiparasitic activity between benznidazole and posaconazole in acute T. cruzi heart infections. While benznidazole induced rapid, dose-dependent reductions in heart parasite burdens, the antiparasitic activity of posaconazole plateaued at low doses (3 to 10 mg/kg/day) despite increasing drug exposure in plasma. These observations are in good agreement with the outcomes of recent phase 2 trials with posaconazole and suggest that the efficacy models combined with the pharmacokinetic analysis employed here will be useful in predicting clinical outcomes of new drug candidates.