cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adenoviral gene transfer to the heart during cardiopulmonary bypass: effect of myocardial protection technique on transgene expression.

Objective: Adenoviral gene transfer to the arrested heart during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a novel method of allowing prolonged vector contact with the myocardium. In this model we investigated the importance of temperature, duration of arrest and cardioplegia on transgene expression. Methods: First-generation adenoviral vector (1 £ 10 12 total viral particles) containing the transgene for the human b2adrenoceptor (Adeno-b2AR) or b-galactosidase (Adeno-bgal) was delivered to neonatal piglets via the proximal aorta, during simulated cardiac surgery, and allowed to dwell for the cross-clamp duration. Four treatment groups received Adeno-b2AR. Groups A (n ¼ 4) and B (n ¼ 6) underwent cold crystalloid cardioplegia arrest for 10 and 30 min, respectively, Group C (n ¼ 5) underwent warm crystalloid cardioplegia arrest for 10 min, and Group D (n ¼ 5) underwent warm fibrillatory arrest for 10 min. Group E (n ¼ 6) received Adenobgal and underwent cold crystalloid cardioplegia arrest (30 min). Animals were weaned off CPB and recovered for 2 days. Receptor density was assessed in membrane fractions using radioligand binding and compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: Left ventricular transgene overexpression, as evidenced by elevated bAR density, following Adeno-b2AR treatment was greatest with cold cardioplegia (Group A 588 ^ 288.8 fmol/mg; P ¼ 0:002 and Group B 520 ^ 250.9 fmol/mg; P ¼ 0:01) versus control (Group E 109 ^ 8.4 fmol/mg). Overexpression also occurred with warm cardioplegia (Group C 274 ^ 69.5 fmol/mg; P ¼ 0:05) and ventricular fibrillation (Group D 215 ^ 48.4 fmol/mg; P ¼ 0:02) versus control. Comparison of the combined cold cardioplegia groups versus those treated with warm conditions showed a trend towards increased expression with cold conditions (P ¼ 0:1). Receptor density was also significantly increased in the right ventricle of animals in Group B (165 ^ 18.1 fmol/mg; P ¼ 0:03) and Group D (181 ^ 23.4 fmol/mg; P ¼ 0:02) versus control (Group E 118 ^ 5.8 fmol/mg). Conclusions: Cold crystalloid cardioplegia is not detrimental to gene transfer in vivo. In fact, there was a trend towards increased left ventricular transgene expression when the adenoviral vector was delivered following cold versus warm cardioplegia. Shorter periods of contact with the vector may reduce transgene overexpression. Therefore, gene transfer is possible during cardiac surgery with clinically used myocardial protection techniques. q 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Development of experimentally validated optical property models for silicon and related materials

A critical issue for rapid thermal processing (RTP), a single wafer integrated circuit manufacturing process, is how to reduce the temperature measurement uncertainty. Achieving high-accuracy temperature measurements using radiation thermometry requires knowledge of the optical properties of silicon and related materials. However, available optical property models lack consistency and are not fully validated by experiments at the wavelength and temperature ranges critical to radiation thermometry. To remedy this problem, researchers at the Georgia Institute and Technology and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have collaborated to develop experimentally validated software tools for the calculation of radiative properties of silicon-related materials. In the present study, a survey of existing optical property models has identified the need for more thorough measurements of the radiative properties at the wavelengths between 0.8 /spl mu/m and 1.0 /spl mu/m. The radiative properties of multilayer structures was calculated using thin-film optics, and a spectrophotometer at NIST was used to measure the reflectance for selected samples in the wavelength region from 0.5 /spl mu/m to 1 /spl mu/m at room temperature. The measurement results agreed well with the predicted reflectance using the optical constants extrapolated from two existing expressions. This study will pave the way for the validation and development of optical property models of silicon and related materials at elevated temperatures.
Retinoic acid is detected at relatively high levels in the CNS of adult rats

Retinoic acid (RA) is essential for cellular growth and differentiation in developing and adult animals. The central nervous system (CNS) suffers developmental defects if embryonic levels of RA are...
Recent Development in Poultry Waste Dizgestion and Feather Utilization—A Review,

Abstract The intensive and large-scale production of food animals and animal products has generated an enormous waste disposal problem for the animal industry. These wastes, which include animal excreta, mortalities, hair, feathers, and processing wastes, are largely organic materials and are convertible to useful resources. Making the conversion processes efficient and economical presents a great challenge to modern biotechnology. An efficient thermophilic anaerobic digester system has been developed that converts animal manure to methane for an energy source, solid residues for feed supplements, and liquid nutrients for aquaculture. This digester system also destroys pathogens and thus protects environmental health. During the development of this system, a feather-degrading bacterium was discovered and identified as a thermophilic Bacillus licheniformis, Strain PWD-1. The bacterium can ferment and convert feathers to feather-lysate, a digestible protein source for feed use. An enzyme, keratinase, secreted by this bacterium was purified and characterized. This keratinase is a potent protease that hydrolyzes all proteins tested, including collagen, elastin, and feather keratin. When the enzyme was mixed as an additive in feed, it significantly enhanced the digestibility of feather meal in chickens. In addition to feed technology, the bacterium and the enzyme are believed to have many other industrial and environmental applications.
Sequence variation in ligand binding sites in proteins

Background: The recent explosion in the availability of complete genome sequences has led to the cataloging of tens of thousands of new proteins and putative proteins. Many of these proteins can be structurally or functionally categorized from sequence conservation alone. In contrast, little attention has been given to the meaning of poorly-conserved sites in families of proteins, which are typically assumed to be of little structural or functional importance. Results: Recently, using statistical free energy analysis of tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domains, we observed that positions in contact with peptide ligands are more variable than surface positions in general. Here we show that statistical analysis of TPRs, ankyrin repeats, Cys2His2 zinc fingers and PDZ domains accurately identifies specificity-determining positions by their sequence variation. Sequence variation is measured as deviation from a neutral reference state, and we present probabilistic and information theory formalisms that improve upon recently suggested methods such as statistical free energies and sequence entropies. Conclusion: Sequence variation has been used to identify functionally-important residues in four selected protein families. With TPRs and ankyrin repeats, protein families that bind highly diverse ligands, the effect is so pronounced that sequence "hypervariation" alone can be used to predict ligand binding sites.
The Effects of Advertisement Variation and Need for Cognition on Attitudes toward Products

Consumers are often exposed to advertisement variations—several similar advertisements about the same product or service over time. This study tested whether participants’ initial attitudes about a product changed as cosmetic or substantive features of the advertisement were modified, and whether or not the effect of these modifications depended on participants’ need for cognition, which is the intrinsic motivation to process information. Three hundred nineteen undergraduate students answered questions designed to measure their need for cognition, viewed an initial advertisement for a fictitious electric automobile, and then rated the product. Two days later, the same participants viewed a different version of the advertisement for the automobile in which either cosmetic or substantive features had been changed, and then rated the product again. The results of the study revealed that attitude changes about the automobile were greatest when participants with low need for cognition were exposed to advertisements with cosmetic variations. The results suggest that changing initial public attitudes about an ongoing series of advertisements, public service announcements, or other media might be made most effective by making changes to those features that correspond to the intended audience’s estimated need for cognition.
Deficit round-robin scheduling for input-queued switches

We address the problem of fair scheduling of packets in Internet routers with input-queued switches. The goal is to ensure that packets of different flows leave a router in proportion to their reservations under heavy traffic. First, we examine the problem when fair queuing is applied only at output link of a router, and verify that this approach is ineffective. Second, we propose a flow-based iterative deficit-round-robin (iDRR) fair scheduling algorithm for the crossbar switch that supports fair bandwidth distribution among flows, and achieves asymptotically 100% throughput under uniform traffic. Since the flow-based algorithm is hard to implement in hardware, we finally propose a port-based version of iDRR (called iPDRR) and describe its hardware implementation.
Radio channel models for MIMO antenna systems based on ellipsoidal scattering

For multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems, it is necessary to evaluate performance under realistic propagation channels that include spatial correlation and dispersion. Models developed for this purpose must have enough flexibility to handle different antenna configurations and propagation scenarios. In this paper, the recently proposed 3GPP spatial channel model is extended to three-dimensional scattering using ellipsoidal sub-regions to model time dispersion. We further develop an analytical formulation of the space-time correlation function, allowing traditional methods to generate correlated fading realizations. We show that the 3D model reduces correlation compared to 2D propagation, and evaluate correlation properties for different antenna orientations, showing that averaging over random receive antenna orientations both reduces correlation and its dependence on the base to mobile distance.
Elimination of Precipitates in Oil Red O Fat Stain by Adding Dextrin

Addition of dextrin in the final 60% isopropanol of the Lillie-Ashburn super-saturated oil red O isopropanol technic moderately intensified the stain and decreased our required staining interval. Precipitates were decreased and the diluted solution remained usable into the second week. A saturated 60% isopropanol oil red O solution contained 33 mg/100 ml. Without dextrin the fresh supersaturated solution contains 40 mg, after 3 days 25 mg. With dextrin the fresh solution contained 130 mg dye, the 10-day-old one 100 mg/100 ml.
Lin parameter as characteristic of atmospheric vortex streets.

Atmospheric Vortex Streets T vortex patterns of Figs. 1 and 2, leeward of the Canary islands, were revealed by the TIROS weather satellites. These patterns, consisting of vortices of radii ~ 10-20 km in wakes 40-50 km wide and 400-500 km long, were observed to persist for 18 to 30 hr. Chopra and Hubert' identified these eddy patterns as the atmospheric analogs of the well-known vortex street phenomenon in which the vortices are shed alternately from each side of the obstacle to the ambient flow and arrange themselves in two rows in such a way that: a) the vortices in one row have similar circulations of the sense opposite to that of the vortices in the other row; and b) each vortex in one row is located across the midpoint of the two adjacent vortices in the second row. The theory developed by Chopra and Hubert explained the observed features of Figs. 1 and 2 and made the following predictions: 1) The coefficient of eddy viscosity in the wake region is about 10m/sec; and 2) The vortices are shed alternately from each side of the island generating the wake at a rate of about one every 7-8 hr. Eddy viscosity is a property of fluid flow, and it is known to vary from 10 m/sec to 10m/sec. Zimmerman has provided support for the prediction regarding the frequency of shedding through observations on pressure fluctuations around the Island of Tenerife. Since the Chopra-Hubert explanation of the Canary vortices, evidence for the island-generated atmospheric vortex streets has been mounting. Gemini VI and IX missions photographed
LATITUDINAL DIFFERENCES IN PLANT PALATABILITY IN ATLANTIC COAST SALT MARSHES

A central hypothesis of biogeography is that consumer-prey interactions are more intense at lower latitudes, leading to increased defenses of prey. Because plants vary in many traits that might affect palatability to herbivores, however studies of latitudinal variation in single plant traits such as secondary chemistry provide only circumstantial evidence to test this hypothesis. We directly compared the palatability of 10 salt marsh plants from seven northern (Rhode Island and Maine) and eight southern (Georgia and Florida) coastal salt marshes by flying fresh plant material back and forth and allowing 13 species of herbivores direct choices between northern and southern nonspecific plants in laboratory assays. In 127 of 149 assays (85%), herbivores showed a significant or marginally significant preference for northern plants. In only one assay did herbivores prefer southern plants. These results occurred regardless of the geographic location of the assay, herbivore species, year, or season of plant collection, although there were hints that latitudinal dif- ferences became less pronounced for two plant species late in the growing season. Our results provide the most comprehensive evidence to date for a latitudinal gradient in plant palatability in any community. The proximate plant traits and the ultimate evolutionary factors responsible for this pattern remain to be determined.
Problems of Dynamic Buckling of Antisymmetric Rectangular Laminates

Abstract Dynamic buckling of antisymmetrically laminated angle-ply rectangular plates due to axial loads proportional to time and axial step loads is considered. The nonlinear response of initially imperfect plates is determined from the numerical solution of the governing differential equation. In the case of the step loading this equation can be solved analytically. In the particular case of a perfect plate the solution of the linear problem yields the condition of dynamic buckling. Another problem considered in the paper is the behavior of an imperfect plate initially loaded by axial static stresses. The static response is determined first and the motion of the plate is superimposed on the static displacements in the second phase of the solution.
Evidence-Based Assessment and Treatment of Persistent Pain in the Community-Dwelling Elderly Receiving Home Health Services: A Pathway

Persistent pain is a problem for a significant portion of the community-dwelling elderly. Many elderly are reluctant to admit to pain because of fears related to areas such as loss of independence and possible addiction. Cognitively impaired elders may have difficulty expressing persistent pain and understanding pain assessment questions. Because of these and other concerns, the home health nurse faces many challenges when assessing persistent pain in the community-dwelling elderly. A persistent pain pathway was developed to assist home health nurses at Senior Care in the assessment and treatment of persistent pain. Evaluation of its use after 3 months showed an agency-wide increase in client assessment and treatment of pain.
Pixel-oriented techniques for visualizing next-generation HPC systems

Visualization schemas need to be enhanced to support next-generation high-performance computing (HPC) environments. New HPC runtimes perform more actions in a unit of time, but they also perform a wider variety of actions. Existing schemas are too simple to illustrate the variety of information that HPC developers need. However, existing schemas can be extended in simple ways to become more effective for next-generation HPC environments. This paper presents extensions to the common Vampir style plot that use high-definition alpha composition and color weaving. These two techniques incorporate new detail into the traditional plot style, providing useful information for HPC developers.
Applications of Solids NMR to the Analysis of Insect Sclerotized Structures

Abstract This article reviews the solids NMR research conducted on insect sclerotized structures in the last 10 years and previews some of the experiments that will be conducted in the future. Solids NMR has been used as a noninvasive approach to investigate the chemical compositions of, and some covalent interactions that occur in, several types of sclerotized structures that are otherwise highly intractable to conventional chemical analyses. Sclerotization is a complex process used by insects to confer stability and mechanical versatility to their cuticular exoskeletons and certain other proteinaceous structures. Samples analyzed include cuticular exoskeletons, egg cases, egg shells, cocoons and peritrophic membranes. Cross polarization, dipolar decoupling, magic angle spinning, magnetization dephasing, and isotropic enrichment were used to obtain high resolution spectra that provide information about the types and relative concentrations of carbon atoms as well as internuclear distances and covalent bonds between carbon and nitrogen atoms. Relative amounts of protein, chitin, catechols, lipids, pigment, and oxalate were estimated. Covalent interactions between protein nitrogens and catechol carbons were detected in the stiff brown pupal cuticle of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta . The results of these solids NMR studies support the hypothesis that sclerotization of insect structures occurs primarily when quinones derived from N -acylcatecholamines form cross-links and adducts with functional groups of proteins deposited in the structures. Future applications of solids NMR will utilize advanced techniques for further probing the covalent interactions of 13 C, 15 N and 17 O-labeled catechols, chitin and protein in sclerotized structures.
Longitudinal Motion of a Thick Transversely Isotropic Hollow Cylinder

The propagation of a longitudinal harmonic wave in a transversely isotropic shell has been investigated in the development of ultrasonic techniques for thick hollow composite cylinders. The characteristic equation for satisfying the stress-fee inner and outer cylindrical boundaries has been obtained in an exact form in terms of the wavelength, the cylinder radii and the material constants. The phase velocity of the fundamental mode is calculated for a wide range of the wavelength for various cylinder radii for some typical sample materials. The shell wave speeds for the second mode of vibration are also presented. Comparisons are made between shell wave speeds and plate wave speeds. The spread of the wave speeds for the composite shells is shown to be much wider than that for an isotropic shell.
Fungal endophytes of native grasses decrease insect herbivore preference and performance

Endophytic fungal symbionts of grasses are well known for their protective benefit of herbivory reduction. However, the majority of studies on endophyte–grass symbioses have been conducted on economically important, agricultural species—particularly tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)—raising the hypothesis that strong benefits are the product of artificial selection. We examined whether fungal endophytes found in natural populations of native grass species deterred insect herbivores. By testing several native grass–endophyte symbiota, we examined phylogenetic signals in the effects of endophytes on insects and compared the relative importance of herbivore and symbiotum identity in the outcome of the interactions. Preference was assessed using three herbivore species [Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera), Schistocerca americana (Orthoptera), Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera)] and ten native symbiota, which spanned seven grass genera. We also assessed herbivore performance in a no choice experiment for five native symbiota against S. frugiperda. We compared greenhouse and laboratory trials with natural levels of herbivory measured in experimental field populations. In all cases, we included the agronomic grass species, L. arundinaceum, to compare with results from the native grasses. Both in the field and in experimental trials, herbivores showed a significant preference for endophyte-free plant material for the majority of native grasses, with up to three times lower herbivory for endophyte-symbiotic plants; however, the degree of response depended on the identity of the herbivore species. Endophyte presence also significantly reduced performance of S. frugiperda for the majority of grass species. In contrast, the endophyte in L. arundinaceum had few significant anti-herbivore effects, except for a reduction in herbivory at one of two field sites. Our results demonstrate that the mechanisms by which native symbionts deter herbivores are at least as potent as those in model agricultural systems, despite the absence of artificial selection.
Phenotypic trajectory analysis: comparison of shape change patterns in evolution and ecology

Research using shape data from geometric morphometric (GM) methods in ecology and evolutionary biology is typically comparative, analyzing shapes and shape change over different points along ecological or evolutionary gradients. Whereas standard multivariate statistics procedures are fine for "static" variation - testing for location differences of groups in multivariate data spaces - they are limited for "dynamic" variation - testing specific differences in the ways groups change locations associated with changes in state along ecological, developmental or evolutionary gradients. In this paper, we show that continuous phenotypic change can be described by trajectories in multivariate data spaces. We describe the geometric attributes of phenotypic change trajectories (size, direction, and shape), specifically for GM data. We illustrate, with examples, how differences in such attributes can function as test statistics for comparative analyses in order to understand the mechanisms that produce dynamic differences in shape change. We demonstrate that analysis of such attributes - called phenotypic trajectory analysis (PTA) - is a general analysis that can be applied to various types of research questions concerned with measuring dynamic variation. Finally, we posit some challenges for the future for this novel analytical method. Download the complete "Yellow Book" on "Virtual Morphology and Evolutionary Morphometrics in the new millenium".
Mathematical Model for Diffusion of a Protein and a Precipitant about a Growing Protein Crystal in Microgravity

A BSTRACT : Equations are presented that model diffusion of a protein to the surface of a growing crystal in a convection-free environment. The equations apply to crystal growth solutions that contain both a protein and a protein precipitant. The solutions are assumed ternary and the equations include all four diffusion coefficients necessary for the full description of the diffusion process. The four diffusion coefficients are assumed constant. Effects of crystal/solution moving boundary and the effect of a protein adsorption barrier at the crystal interface are included. The equations were applied to the system lysozyme chloride + NaCl + H 2 O, which has served as the primary model system for the study of crystal growth of proteins and for which there are now published ternary diffusion coefficients. Calculated results with and without the inclusion of cross-term diffusion coefficients are compared.
Neutralizing Th2 Inflammation in Neonatal Islets Prevents β-Cell Failure in Adult IUGR Rats

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) leads to development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adulthood. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been fully elucidated. Inflammation is associated with T2D; however, it is unknown whether inflammation is causal or secondary to the altered metabolic state. Here we show that the mechanism by which IUGR leads to the development of T2D in adulthood is via transient recruitment of T-helper 2 (Th) lymphocytes and macrophages in fetal islets resulting in localized inflammation. Although this immune response is short-lived, it results in a permanent reduction in islet vascularity and impaired insulin secretion. Neutralizing interleukin-4 antibody therapy given only in the newborn period ameliorates inflammation and restores vascularity and β-cell function into adulthood, demonstrating a novel role for Th2 immune responses in the induction and progression of T2D. In the neonatal stage, inflammation and vascular changes are reversible and may define an important developmental window for therapeutic intervention to prevent adult-onset diabetes.
A heuristic solution procedure for the multiconstraint zero‐one knapsack problem

In this article a new heuristic procedure is proposed. This procedure makes use of surrogate duality in solving multiconstraint knapsack problems. Computational effort involved in the procedure is bounded by a polynomial in the number of variables. Extensive computational testing indicates that the procedure generates good feasible solutions regardless of the problem structure. In 98% of the problems solved, the solution generated by the heuristic was within 1% of the optimal solution. This procedure was also tested against other heuristics and was found to compare favorably.
Non-linear Causality Between Stock Returns And Inflation Uncertainty: Evidence From The US And The UK

This study analyzes the dynamic relationships between inflation uncertainty and stock returns by employing the linear and non-linear Granger causality tests for the US and the UK. Using GARCH model to generate a measure of inflation uncertainty, it does not have a predictive power for stock returns, as predicted by Friedman, and it does not support the opportunistic central bank hypothesis suggested by Cukierman-Meltzer. However, the findings from non-linear Granger causality put forth that there is a bi-directional non-linear predictive power between these variables. Stock market is used as a hedge against inflation uncertainty.
Divergence of late Miocene Caribbean and tropical Eastern Pacific shallow-water benthic foraminifera

In the Paleogene to earliest Neogene, benthic foraminiferal and molluscan faunas from the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific were reported to be quite similar, because a tropical seaway connected the two oceans across the area that is today southern Central America. About four million years ago the Central American Seaway closed completely, and today the two faunas are quite different in composition. This study compares Neogene benthic foraminiferal faunas of formations from either side of the Central American isthmus that are from the same time intervals and paleobathymetric zones, to look at changes in faunal composition, diversity and the proportion of endemism up through the time of seaway constriction and complete closure. Formations on the Caribbean side of Central America are from the Limon Basin of Costa Rica, and the Bocas del Toro Basin and Panama Canal Basin of Panama. The time period covered by these formations is from early Miocene to late Pliocene, and from middle neritic to lower bathyal water depths. Because there are no comparable, well-oxygenated Neogene depositional basins on the Pacific coast of Central America, benthic foraminiferal assemblages primarily from formations of coastal Ecuador are used for comparison with the Caribbean formations. Ecuador was the furthest that tropical waters extended south on the Pacific side of Central America, just north of stronger influence by the Peru Current. The time interval covered by Ecuador formations is also early Miocene to late Pliocene, from middle neritic to lower bathyal depths. The prediction, based on preliminary results, is that species distributions should indicate a stage of developing endemism in late Miocene Caribbean and Pacific faunas. For example, the deeper, outer neritic faunas of the late Miocene Angostura Formation of the Borbon Basin, northwestern Ecuador, show less similarity with the Caribbean than do the shallower, middle neritic faunas of the same formation. Deeper faunas should have been affected first by the rise of the sill that severed the connection between Caribbean and tropical Eastern Pacific faunas. Diversity is also predicted to have been more similar between the Caribbean and tropical Eastern Pacific prior to seaway constriction, and to have diverged in the late Miocene to early Pliocene.
Regulation of cardiac and skeletal muscle malonyl-CoA decarboxylase by fatty acids.

Malonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MCD) catalyzes the degradation of malonyl-CoA, an important modulator of fatty acid oxidation. We hypothesized that increased fatty acid availability would increase the e...
Design, test and validation of the application system/400 through early user involvement

The Application System/400™ (AS/400™) is the culmination of a development effort requiring seven million lines of code. Key challenges to its development were those of ensuring that the system had been designed correctly and thoroughly tested, that IBM Business Partners were ready for its introduction together with their applications, and that IBM marketing representatives and systems engineers were trained and knowledgeable on the system. This paper discusses how these challenges were met through the involvement of customers, Business Partners, vendors, and systems engineers in the development of the AS/400 system so as to positively affect its design and quality.
Biology of the Sweetclover Root Borer

Limited field observations from 1966 to 1969 extended the known distribution of Walshia miscecolorella (Chambers) in sweetclover from Texas to South Dakota. Damage to sweetclover in Nebraska appeared similar to that reported from Texas except that plant mortality did not become noticeable during the fall of the 1st year of plant growth. However, by 1968, when populations of W. miscecolorella were heavy in Nebraska, many badly damaged plants failed to make regrowth the following spring. In southeastern Nebraska, 2 generations are completed in a season. Overwintering occurs primarily in the larval stage, and pupation generally occurs in the soil but may take place in the host plant. Two species of Ichneumonidae were detected parasitizing pupae, but no other parasites were found. In nature W. miscecolorella completed its development in several species of sweetclover, Melilotus spp., but not in red clover, Trifolium Pratense L., or in alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., that were growing nearby. Either a biotype of W. miscecolorella with a host preference for sweetclover developed in Texas and spread slowly northward or the species has always been present in sweetclover but in such low numbers that it was not detected.
Separation of lymphocytes in human blood by means of glass wool column.

SummaryThe method of differential adsorption has been successfully applied to separation of lymphocytes from granulocytes in human blood. When whole blood was passed through a short column of siliconized glass wool, the granulocytes were almost quantitatively retained on the column, and uninjured lymphocytes in 30-89% yield appeared in the effluent blood.
Treatment of Kleine-Levin Syndrome with Acetazolamide

Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) is a rare and disabling disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of hypersomnia as well as cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. Sadly, the treatment options are very limited and often ineffective. To our knowledge, there have been no reports in the literature for the use of acetazolamide as a treatment for this disorder. We report the case of a 26-year-old female patient with KLS in whom acetazolamide was used to treat recurrent hypersomnia and cognitive abnormalities. The patient had a dramatic improvement on acetazolamide in both the frequency and severity of her symptoms. The symptoms recurred when acetazolamide was stopped on two occasions and improved with resumption of the drug, leading us to conclude that its therapeutic effect was significant.
Intraoperative near-infrared fluorescence imaging as an adjunct to robotic-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy.

During esophagectomy, identification and preservation of the right gastroepiploic vascular arcade are critical and may be challenging with minimally invasive approaches. We assessed the use of near...
QUANTITATIVE GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MULTIVARIATE EVOLUTION, APPLIED TO BRAIN:BODY SIZE ALLOMETRY.

Darwin (1859, pp. 11-14, 143-150) stressed the evolutionary importance of covariation between characters in populations and its "most imperfectly understood" connection with correlated responses to artificial and natural selection. After the turn of the century the discoveries of pervasive pleiotropy and linkage of Mendelian factors revealed the underlying genetic mechanisms. Existing theory on the dynamics of correlated characters has been developed in the limited framework of practical plant and animal breeding. Methods of multivariate analysis, functional analysis and optimality criteria popular among evolutionists, do not account for dynamical constraints imposed by the pattern of genetic variation within populations. Consideration of phenotypic variation often does not suggest any clear mechanism connecting growth patterns or adult variation to interspecific evolution. When there is individual variation in development, no necessary correspondence exists between ontogenetic and adult variation in a population (Cock, 1966, pp. 148-15 1). It is also common for the pattern of adult variation within a species to differ from that at higher taxonomic levels (Simpson, 1953, pp. 25-29). An example which will be investigated here is the brain weight:body weight relationship. At various taxonomic levels, brain and body weights tend to follow the allometric equation
Summary and Comments on IEEE PES 2005 General Meeting:Electricity Market and EMS Part

In this paper the control center and EMS parts of IEEE PES 2005 General Meeting are summarized. The construction of spare control center, application of visualization technique, application of multi-agent technology in EMS design, anti-accident exercise for large scope blackout and the research on restoration control and so on are presented. The operating experiences of power systems in USA, existing problems and its solution methods as well as the trend of development in RD are analyzed and it is pointed out that which part of experiences are suitable for our country, which part of lessons we should learn in order to avoid similar mistakes or traps. This summary can be used as reference to improve power system operation and research works in this country.
Cimex lectularius. What is this insect and how does it affect man

Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is a bloodsucking nocturnal parasite of man. Other hosts for this bug include chickens, bats, and some domestic animals. Cimex feeds by piercing the host with hollow tubes derived from the maxilla. Saliva injected at the time of feeding is associated with local and sometimes widespread urticaria. This pest has become less important over the last half century with general improvements in household and personal cleanliness.
Formulation design of acidic fibroblast growth factor.

The design of an aqueous formulation for acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) requires an understanding of the type of compounds that can either directly or indirectly stabilize the protein. To this end, spectrophotometric turbidity measurements were initially employed to screen the ability of polyanionic ligands, less specific compounds, and variations in solution conditions (temperature and pH) to stabilize aFGF against heat-induced aggregation. It was found that in addition to the well-known protection of aFGF by heparin, a surprisingly wide variety of polyanions (including small sulfated and phosphorylated compounds) also stabilizes aFGF. These polyanionic ligands are capable of raising the temperature at which the protein unfolds by 15–30°C. Many commonly used excipients were also observed to stabilize aFGF in both the presence and the absence of heparin. High concentrations of some of these less specific agents are also able to increase the temperature of aFGF thermal unfolding by as much as 6–12°C as shown by circular dichroism and differential scanning calorimetry. Other compounds were found which protect the chemically labile cysteine residues of aFGF from oxidation. Aqueous formulations of aFGF were thus designed to contain both a polyanionic ligand that enhances structural integrity by binding to the protein and chelating agents (e.g., EDTA) to prevent metal ion-catalyzed oxidation of cysteine residues. While room-temperature storage (30°C) leads to rapid inactivation of aFGF in physiological buffer alone, several of these aFGF formulations are stable in vitro for at least 3 months at 30°C. Three aFGF topical formulations were examined in an impaired diabetic mouse model and were found to be equally capable of accelerating wound healing.
Multivariate cohort analysis

Modern methods of categorical and survival data analysis are usefully applied to the multivariate analysis of follow-up data that arise in epidemiologic cohort studies. They provide a formal basis for extending analyses based on the standardized mortality ratio into the multivariate domain so as to permit simultaneous consideration of such risk factors as age, duration, and intensity of exposure; age and calendar year of follow-up; and personal characteristics. Analogous methods are available that control for demographic variables internally, without reference to vital statistics or other standard rates. Various model structures allow for the effects of different variables to combine in an additive, multiplicative, or mixed (additive relative risks) fashion. Illustrative analyses are provided of the relationship between respiratory cancer mortality and arsenic exposure in a cohort of Montana smelter workers.
Effect of Meat Curing Ingredients on Thermal Destruction of Listeria monocytogenes in Ground Pork.

Ground pork (15% fat) inoculated with a mixture of nine strains of Listeria monocytogenes (107-108 CFU/g) was mixed with different levels of curing ingredients, filled into baby food jars (140 ± 5 g/jar), and cooked in a waterbath to 60°C internal product temperature. Heating rates were similar among meat treatments with different additives. However, destruction of L. monocytogenes was 3 log per gram less in ground pork with 3% sodium chloride than in ground pork without added sodium chloride (P 0.05) the degree of thermal destruction of L. monocytogenes in ground pork. The greatest protective effect was observed when all curing ingredients were combined and added in ground pork. These results indicated that the chance for L. monocytogenes to survive during heat processing is greater in cured than in fresh meat.
Tradeoffs between Dense and Replicate Sampling Strategies for High-Throughput Time Series Experiments

An important experimental design question for high-throughput time series studies is the number of replicates required for accurate reconstruction of the profiles. Due to budget and sample availability constraints, more replicates imply fewer time points and vice versa. We analyze the performance of dense and replicate sampling by developing a theoretical framework that focuses on a restricted yet expressive set of possible curves over a wide range of noise levels and by analyzing real expression data. For both the theoretical analysis and experimental data, we observe that, under reasonable noise levels, autocorrelations in the time series data allow dense sampling to better determine the correct levels of non-sampled points when compared to replicate sampling. A Java implementation of our framework can be used to determine the best replicate strategy given the expected noise. These results provide theoretical support to the large number of high-throughput time series experiments that do not use replicates.
Isolated coastal populations of Tilia americana var. caroliniana persist long-term through vegetative growth

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Sprouting in woody plant species allows for the long-term persistence of small, isolated populations experiencing changing environments and can preserve genetic diversity in these populations despite the infrequent recruitment of sexually produced individuals. We examined demographic data collected over a 10-yr period for Tilia americana var. caroliniana populations in the context of genetic structure as an empirical case study of this concept. METHODS Two back-barrier islands on the Georgia coast of the United States were completely censused for Tilia americana var. caroliniana. Recruitment, growth, and mortality of all stems were tracked over 10 yr. All genets were genotyped using eight nuclear microsatellite loci to assess population genetic structure among sampled stems and among populations in the region. KEY RESULTS The two island populations differed in their ability to establish seedlings despite having similar patterns in flowering frequency. Seedling mortality was high throughout the 10 yr, and cycling of ramets within genets was common. Long-term recruitment in this system appears to be primarily a result of vegetative growth via basal sprouts. Genetic structure was limited, both between islands and among populations in the region. CONCLUSIONS Long-lived woody species that persist by vegetative reproduction may unexpectedly influence regional forest responses to climate change, particularly on the trailing edge of a species' distribution.
New results about semi-positive matrices

Our purpose is to present a number of new facts about the structure of semipositive matrices, involving patterns, spectra and Jordon form, sums and products, and matrix equivalence, etc. Techniques used to obtain the results may be of independent interest. Examples include: any matrix with at least two columns is a sum, and any matrix with at least two rows, a product, of semipositive matrices. Any spectrum of a real matrix with at least 2 elements is the spectrum of a square semipositive matrix, and any real matrix, except for a negative scalar matrix, is similar to a semipositive matrix. M-matrices are generalized to the non-square case and sign patterns that require semipositivity are characterized.
Spectrum of Antiphospholipid Antibodies and Associated Thrombotic and Obstetric Events among Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Introduction: Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is characterized by arterial or venous thrombosis, and/or adverse obstetric outcomes in the presence of persistent antiphospholipid antibodies (APab). Between 2–10% of all patients with APS are reported to present solely with anti beta-2 glycoprotein 1 antibodies (b2GP1 abs) (ref 1). In 2006 the Sapporo criteria were revised to include b2GP1 abs to the panel of diagnostic tests. While presence of a lupus anticoagulant (LA) has been found to correlate well with occurrence of thromboses, the prognostic and predictive roles of b2GP1 abs and anticardiolipin antibodies (ACLA) need better definition. Previous studies suggest both the severity of the initial event and the risk for recurrent events is greater among patients demonstrating presence of more than one APab on laboratory testing (ref 2 and 3), but this aspect needs further confirmation. Objectives: To identify the spectrum of clinical thrombotic and obstetric manifestations associated with the different APab profiles; To determine the prevalence and clinical significance of the b2GP1 ab positive and ACLA/LA negative phenotype; and To evaluate the significance of IgM b2GP1 ab and IgM ACLA. Methods: Medical records of patients tested for all three antiphospholipid antibodies at the University of Minnesota Medical Center from Dec 2000 to Dec 2005 were reviewed. Patients that met the modified criteria for APS were included. IgG and IgM ACLA were measured using the Diamedix kit (VAX diagnostics) and IgG and IgM b2GP1 abs using the Inovalite kit (NOVA diagnostics). LA was determined using standard protocol. Results: Over the 5 year period, all three laboratory assays were obtained in 560 individuals, but only 76 (13.5%) patients who met both the clinical and laboratory criteria for APS were included in this study. Seven of the 76 patients (9.2%) had isolated, persistently positive b2GP1 abs. LA alone was present in 21 patients (27.6%). Twenty nine patients (38%) had all three APabs, and had a higher incidence of thrombosis at multiple sites at the time of diagnosis as well as increased rate of recurrent events, in comparison to those with two or less than two APab. Isolated ACLA was present in only 2 patients (2.6%). Interestingly, both IgM (47%) and IgG (50%) b2GP1 abs were associated with thrombosis, whereas only IgG ACLA was found to be associated with thrombosis. Conclusion: The presence of b2GP1 abs as the sole laboratory anomaly is uncommon, but is noted in patients with APS, thus warranting it’s testing at the time of clinical suspicion. Amongst the different antibody types LA seems to be the strongest predictor for thrombotic events and ACLA seems to have a weaker link, consistent with the results of previous studies (ref 4). The presence of all three AP antibodies does increase the risk for recurrent and multiple thromboses.
Archaeologists and Archives: Revisiting an Old Challenge

Archaeology as a field is experiencing a curation crisis—our professional paper trail is extensive, and we are not properly trained to adequately catalogue and curate these records. For decades, a handful of archaeologists have pushed for our discipline to confront this crisis—we need better methods for creating records and maintaining archives, as well as stronger training in how to effectively conduct archival research. This issue of Advances in Archaeological Practice echoes these earlier calls to action, adding new voices and perspectives. In addition to the theme of a curation crisis, our authors discuss access to archival records and the relationship between archives and power. The authors and guest editors of this issue hope the contributions presented here will inspire more sustained engagement with archival training, theory, and praxis.
Bleeding during pregnancy is associated with familial preterm birth.

Purpose: the purpose of this study is to identify risk factors for familial, likely genetically-determined, preterm birth.Materials and methods: We performed a case–control study, enrolling 211 pat...
Enhancing Ferroelectric Dipole Ordering in Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite CH3NH3PbI3: Strain and Doping Engineering

Organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites with a prototype formula MAPbI3 (MA = CH3NH3) have shown great promise in next-generation solar cells, yet a full understanding of their high power conversion efficiency relative to their inorganic counterparts has not been achieved. One of the most plausible arguments for their high efficiency is the ability of organic cations to form ferroelectric (FE) domains. By using first-principles calculations to examine the rotational behavior of MA cations in MAPbI3, here we show a relationship between the lattice structures and the FE dipole ordering of MA cations. It is found that the MA cations could form a spontaneous FE dipole ordering in tetragonal MAPbI3 at room temperature. The tendency of the FE formation is strongly related to the ratio of lattice parameters of MAPbI3. On the basis of the developed structure–ferroelectric-property relationship, we propose that a biaxial or uniaxial compressive strain and an anion doping with small halogen ions can further enhance th...