cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation of the alternate complement pathway by peptidoglycan of Actinomyces viscosus, a potentially pathogenic oral bacterium.

Abstract Peptidoglycans and cells walls from Actinomyces viscosus, Staphylococcus aureus , and group A streptococcus were compared for their relative abilities to activate the alternate complement pathway (ACP). On the dry-weight basis, the peptidoglycan from A. viscosus was 3.5 times more active than group A streptococcal peptidoglycan and 15.6 times more active than Staph. aureus peptidoglycan in activating the ACP. Consequently A. viscosus peptidoglycan is one of the most potent ACP-activators reported to date. For both A. viscosus and group A streptococcus, the peptidoglycan was a better ACP activator than cell walls from the same organism (125- and 52-fold, respectively) indicating that the peptidoglycan is probably the most important subcellular ACP-activator in these microorganisms. In contrast, cell walls from Staph. aureus were 9 times more active than peptidoglycan from Staph. aureus in activating the ACP, presumably because teichoic acids are the most important subcellular ACP activator in this microorganism.
Race, Ethnicity, Class and Urban Spatial Conflict: Chicago as a Crucial Test Case

The research reported in this paper is an attempt to unravel the conflicting descriptions and explanations of black-ethnic political relations in cities. Three conflicting within-city models of white political behavior vis a vis blacks were explicated and tested using Chicago as a 'crucial test' case study. Little support was found for either the 'group competition' or 'class politics' models. The findings did support the Downs-Williams 'spatial conflict' theory. A pooled estimation analysis found the parameter estimates of the spatial variables to be invariant across three city elections.
Metamaterial-inspired advances in antennas and propagation

Summary form only given. The introduction of metamaterials and metamaterial-inspired structures into the tool set of RF engineers has led to a wide variety of advances in discovery in the antennas and propagation research areas. The enhanced awareness of complex media, both naturally occurring and artificially constructed, which has been stimulated by the debut of metamaterials, has enabled paradigm shifts in terms of our understanding of how devices and systems operate and our expectations of their performance characteristics. These shifts include the trends of miniaturization, enhanced performance, and multi-functionality of antenna systems for wireless platforms; dispersion engineering to modify the properties, for example, of transmission lines and antennas; scattering mitigation (cloaking, active jamming, perfect absorbers) and enhancements (sensors, detectors); and the tailoring output beams (leaky wave broadside radiators, sub-diffraction limit resolution in remote sensing and highly directive beams for energy transfer and low probability of intercept systems). A variety of metamaterial-inspired constructs, which have led to useful improvements in antennas and the propagation of signals in the corresponding electromagnetic environments, and their practical applications from RF to THz to optical frequencies will be described.
Resolving the paradox of reform: Litigation, prisoner violence, and perceptions of risk

The turmoil and prisoner violence that frequently follow court efforts to improve prison conditions have been called the “paradox of reform,” in which the very process intended to make the prison better can make it a more dangerous place. This argument implies that prisoners are often safer before the reforms and that high rates of violence and fear become a normal element of postreform prison life. The present analysis examines violence rates and prisoners' perceptions of risk before and through nearly a decade of litigated reform in the Texas prison system. Results show that prisoners did not feel at all safe in the “old days” and that the paradox exists only in the short term.
Corrosion-Related Interfacial Defects Formed by Dissolution of Aluminum in Aqueous Phosphoric Acid

The mechanism was investigated by which pit initiation on aluminum foils during anodic etching is affected by the use of phosphoric acid as a pretreatment. Positron annihilation measurements, coupled with atomic force microscope images of foils with chemically stripped oxide layers, show evidence that the pretreatment introduces nanometer-scale voids in the metal, at or near the metal-oxide film interface. The location and morphology of voids compares favorably with those of pits, suggesting that voids act as pit initiation sites. The number of void sites was estimated to be 10 7 cm -2 , the same magnitude as the maximum number of pits formed by anodic etching. Capacitance measurements further indicate that the treatment decreases the surface oxide thickness to about 2 nm. Formation of large numbers of pits during etching is promoted by either reduced oxide thicknesses or more positive etching potentials. It is suggested that the rate of initiation of pits at interfacial voids is determined by the electric field in the overlying surface oxide.
Cell differentiation and altered IMP dehydrogenase expression induced in human T-lymphoblastoid leukemia cells by mycophenolic acid and tiazofurin

The IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors mycophenolic acid (MPA) and tiazofurin (TZ) induce a time- and dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth, as well as differentiation in T-lymphoid CEM-2 leukemia cells. The differentiated cells have acquired a suppressor/cytotoxic T-lymphocyte phenotype characterized by reactivity with maturation-specific monoclonal antibodies. Coadministration of guanosine and hypoxanthine reduces the growth inhibition and diminishes the induction of differentiation by either MPA or TZ. No such reduction was observed for differentiation induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), another inducer of a suppressor/cytotoxic phenotype in CEM-2 cells. During the first 2 days of treatment with MPA or TZ, a pattern of stable IMPDH mRNA levels and increased amounts of cellular enzyme was observed, perhaps, because of compensation for the inhibitor-mediated decrease in cellular IMPDH activity or a MPA- or TZ-mediated decrease in proteolysis of IMPDH. PMA treatment decreased the levels of IMPDH mRNA, protein, and activity. In addition, treatment of CEM-2 cells with either IMPDH inhibitors or PMA caused different alterations of the ribonucleotide pools. The lack of a consistent pattern of IMPDH expression in CEM-2 cells treated with IMPDH inhibitors or PMA indicates that no general association exists between the induction of cell differentiation and the expression of IMPDH. Nevertheless, our results indicating that IMPDH inhibitors can induce differentiation in CEM-2 cells suggest that this treatment may provide a useful approach to circumvent the differentiation block in some tumor cells.
A survey of percutaneous/mucocutaneous injury reporting in a public teaching hospital

Our objective was to determine if healthcare workers were reporting all percutaneous and/or mucocutaneous injuries and to use such data to formulate appropriate interventions. The Infection Control Department distributed anonymous surveys of healthcare personnel between 1992 and 1995. The elicited information included the number of percutaneous and mucocutaneous injuries experienced and reported in the last five years and the reasons for not reporting every exposure when applicable. Five hundred and forty nine surveys were received, from physicians, dentists, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, nurses aides, and operating room technicians. Overall, of the 549 respondents, 45% (245) had no injuries, 30% (163) had been injured and had reported all injuries, and 26% (141) had not reported all injuries. Reasons for not reporting included sterile/clean needlestick (39%), little or no perception of risk to employee (26%), too busy (9%), and dissatisfaction with follow-up procedures (8%). Reasons stated for not reporting injuries indicate a need for continued education in the risk of acquiring blood-borne pathogens from such injuries. The results also illustrate the importance of targeting prevention efforts to specific groups, such as physicians, that would not be identified by routine reporting mechanisms.
Some Signal Processing Aspects of Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography (TOFPET) System Implementation

The implementation of data acquisition and real-time backprojection via a bit-slice microprocessor system places serious constraints on data format in TOF-PET systems. To minimize hardware costs and complexity and enhance processing speed, internal data representation is to be realized with a minimum number of bits without significant loss of accuracy. Specifically, we have examined in detail data formats necessary for the quantization of the TOF data and reconstruction filtering via integer FFT's. Estimates of data degradation as related to number of bits utilized have been obtained. It is shown that a significant reduction in image memory size and improvement in speed of computation can be achieved with the appropriate choice of data formats and algorithms.
Cocycles for one-parameter flows of B(H)

Abstract The set of local cocycles is a natural invariant for an E 0 -semigroup. It has a multiplicative structure, as well as a partial order structure among its positive elements. In particular, the unitary local cocycles form a topological group which may be appropriately viewed as the automorphism group of the E 0 -semigroup, while the set of positive contractive local cocycles is order isomorphic to the set of flows of completely positive maps dominated by the semigroup. The local cocycles have been computed for the standard, type I examples of the CAR / CCR flows by W. Arveson and R. Bhat. In this paper, we compute for the first time the local cocycles for a class of type II E 0 -semigroups of B ( H ) with index zero, and describe the order structure as well as the multiplication in terms of the boundary weight associated with such a semigroup.
Growth of Rous sarcoma virus in chick embryo cells following irradiation of host cells or free virus.

Abstract When chick embryo cells were X-rayed in vitro prior to infection with low multiplicities of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), most of the cells lost the capacity to register as infective centers. Even after exposure to large doses of X-rays, however, a small fraction of the cells retained the ability to register as infective centers. When heavily X-rays cells were infected with high multiplicities of virus, practically all of them retained the capacity to register as infective centers. Proflavine, which has no effect on free RSV, but inhibits virus growth in unirradiated cells, readily inhibited the production of virus in X-rayed cells. The ability of X-rayed cells to initiate characteristic foci of Rous sarcoma cells remained sensitive to proflavine inhibition for a longer period of time after infection than did focus formation by the unirradiated cells, suggesting that one effect of irradiation was to delay virus development. Studies were carried out on the effect of ultraviolet light on free RSV. The great resistance of RSV to inactivation by ultraviolet light was not modified by drying the virus before irradiation. The survivors of an irradiated RSV suspension multiplied at the same rate as did unirradiated virus. Thus, if there was any sublethal damage among the survivors it did not delay the growth of the virus for more than a few hours if at all.
A Comparative Test of the Interval-Scale Properties of Magnitude Estimation and Case III Scaling and Recommendations for Equal-Interval Frequency Response Anchors.

This study investigated three sources of differences between recommended sets of equal-interval response anchors derived from two scaling techniques. One set, produced by magnitude estimations, is ...
An integral equation discontinuous Galerkin method for wide-band and multi-scale problems

Recently, an integral equation discontinuous Galerkin method (IEDG) has been proposed to solve electromagnetic problems. One of the most attractive features of IEDG is the possibility to employ non-conformal mesh for the implementation of the combined field integral equation (CFIE) since the square integrable L2 basis is adopted and no continuity requirement is necessary across boundaries of adjacent elements. Moreover, IEDG provides great flexibility in terms of basis function such that different orders of basis functions with different element types can be mixed with the same discretization to best represent the currents locally. This feature also facilitates the incorporation of adaption techniques to IEDG, either through the use of higher order basis functions (p refinement) or subdivide the elements into multiple smaller pieces (h refinement). All these merits makes IEDG a very attractive candidate for the solution of multi-scale and wide-band problems such that geometry components that are smooth can be discretized using coarser elements while finer discretization can be adopted for more intricate structures. For wide-band simulations, IEDG allows one to adopt the discretization that is generated at a lower frequency for the calculation at higher frequencies through adaptively refining the elements. This helps to reduce the computational burden. However, adoption of higher frequency mesh at lower frequencies could result in the well known ”sub-wavelength breakdown” problem for conventional MLFMM. The computational complexity deteriorates significantly for both multi-scale or low frequency problems. In this paper, IEDG is accelerated by hierarchical multi-level fast multipole method, especially for the problems that involve the dense mesh in a local or global scale. H-MLFMM separates the evanescent physics from radiation physics and employ different transformation of basis accordingly. For the evanescent regime, where densely discretized elements reside, it identifies a reduced set of numerically independent basis functions from the original ones via a skeletonalization algorithm, which in essence is a kernel independent algebraic data spacification algorithm. The reduced set of basis functions are named ”skeletons” or ”skeleton DoFs” and they are adopted to represent the interaction related with the original set of basis functions. Subsequently, significant reduction in memory consumption and CPU time per matrix-vector multiplication (MVP) are achieved through the compressed coupling matrices. With the H-MLFMM incorporated, IEDG offers a very attractive approach to solve for the wide-band EM response from a target via the mesh at midfrequency.
The influence of soil pH on sorghum grain yields

Abstract Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is sensitive to acid soil stress environments. Acid soil stress tolerance is quite complex and involves additively inherited characteristics dealing with aluminum and manganese toxicities and calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus deficiencies. Genotype‐by‐environment interactions in unstressed environments are normally high for yield parameters and stress environments escalate the problem. Thirty parental lines and hybrids were compared in the field at mean H2O/KCI pH values of 6.6/5.9, 5.7/5.0, 5.0/4.6, and 4.4/4.1 from 1982–1988 on a Suches clay loam (Fluventic Dystrochrept). All yield data were compared against IS7173C (SC283), an internationally tolerant check. Mean yields decreased 19% as pH dropped from 6.6/5.9 to 5.0/4.6. Yields were reduced 67% as pH dropped from 5.0/4.6 to 4.4/4.1 which reinforced previous research indicating that soil pH must be below pH 4.9 (H2O) and have less than 5% organic matter for proper acid soil stress screening and evaluation of sorghu...
Fl.UIs: Liquid-Mediated Vision Based Touch Surfaces

Fluid User Interfaces (Fl.UIs) are liquid-based touch surfaces that use computer vision to detect and interpret a range of tactile user inputs. While Fl.UIs have less input resolution than digital touch screens, they provide an excellent low-cost solution for rapidly prototyping non-rectilinear screen designs as well as exploring novel surface interaction techniques. Fabricated on a laser cutter using low-cost materials, Fl.UIs use unique shape outlines to displace an internal colored liquid to regions-of-interest for a camera. This paper presents a set of software tools that help users rapidly design, fabricate and author interactions with Fl.UIs. The robust construction and an unpowered surface makes Fl.UIs well-suited for outdoor and public installations. Our Fl.UIs prototyping tool encourages these uncommon "screens" to emerge in complex environments (i.e. urban spaces, benches, tables, fountains, sidewalks).
Myo-Pericarditis and Congestive Heart Failure Secondary to Mesalamine Use Associated With Completely Reversible Cardiac Dysfunction

Mesalamine is a 5-ASA d erivative commonly used to treat ulcerative colitis and mild to moderate crohn’s disease. Rarely, it has been associated with myocarditis or pericarditis. Several hypotheses have been proposed but the exact mechanism of cardiac injury is still unclear. We present a case of combined pericarditis and myocarditis in a young man on mesalamine therapy, with subsequent deterioration of cardiac function, EKG changes and signs of congestive heart failure. After the appropriate treatment, beginning with discontinuation of mesalamine, he had complete recovery of cardiac function to normal. This case exemplifies the importance of quick physician recognition of the disease association and immediate discontinuation of the drug for more successful outcomes in conjunction with appropriate management. doi:10.4021/jmc617w
A spectrometer for photoprotons

Abstract A photoproton spectrometer suitable for use with high intensity electron accelerators is described. Its construction, shielding and associated electronics are discussed. Typical spectra are shown.
Physician and clinical integration among rural hospitals.

: The pressures for closer alignment between physicians and hospitals in both rural and urban areas are increasing. This study empirically specifies independent dimensions of physician and clinical integration and compares the extent to which such activities are practiced between rural and urban hospitals and among rural hospitals in different organizational and market contexts. Results suggest that both rural and urban hospitals practice physician integration, although each emphasizes different types of strategies. Second, urban hospitals engage in clinical integration with greater frequency than their rural counterparts. Finally, physician integration approaches in rural hospitals are more common among larger rural hospitals, those proximate to urban facilities, those with system affiliations, and those not under public control.
Heritability of age at first birth in captive olive baboons.

The evolution of life history traits is a topic of growing interest in primatology. Traits associated with fertility, such as age at menarche and age at first birth, have great significance for natural selection, and knowing the genetic basis of such demographic traits may improve our understanding of population dynamics. Knowledge of the heritability of reproductive traits may also have practical implications for the management of captive breeding colonies. A maximum likelihood method was used to estimate heritability of age at first birth for a sample of female olive baboons resident at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. Only animals born at the Foundation that were caged in mixed sex groups and that had previously given birth were included in the sample (n = 316). There were 117 independent individuals and 199 individuals in 35 pedigrees composed of 2 to 26 members. Age at first birth ranged from 3.85 years to 13.11 years. Age at first birth is highly heritable (h2 = 0.87) with no evidence for maternal effects or a dominance genetic component. This level of genetic variability in a fitness-related trait is contrary to evolutionary expectation and may reflect the uniform environment of a captive breeding situation. Thus, the heritability observed in this population may be taken as an upper bound for that in natural populations. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Two-step estimation of a factor model in the presence of observable factors

Abstract The dynamic factor model of Stock and Watson (2005) and the FAVAR model of Boivin (2009) include both observable and unobservable factors, and they estimate the model by using an iterative procedure. This paper presents a two-step procedure.
Effect of insecticide management history on emergence phenology and neonicotinoid resistance in Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

Emergence phenology and fitness attributes of several Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), populations were measured under field and greenhouse conditions. Anecdotal observations by producers and pest managers in many locations of the upper Midwest increasingly suggested that select populations of Colorado potato beetle were emerging over a longer period in the spring and were less sensitive to systemic neonicotinoids in cultivated potato. These changes in emergence phenologymaybe related to changes in systemic insecticide concentration over time. Specifically, a prolonged period of adult emergence in the spring increases the potential of low-dose chronic exposure to systemic neonicotinoid insecticides in potato. In 2010 and 2011, our objectives were twofold: 1) establish a common garden experiment to compare the emergence phenology of Colorado potato beetle populations uniquely managed with variable insecticide inputs, and 2) measure postdormancy fitness of emerged adult beetles from among these selected populations. Cumulative adult emergence was modeled with logistic regression. Results from this study found no clear evidence for direct relationships between phenology and management history or resistance. Differences in reproductive capacity, sex ratio, and body size were apparent in some instances. However, these results did not uniformly correspond to one specific form of potato pest management tested here. In this study, long-term reliance on systemic insecticides for Colorado potato beetle control did not serve as a strong predictor for variable life history for selected populations in Wisconsin.
Pharyngeal Constriction in Elderly Dysphagic Patients Compared with Young and Elderly Nondysphagic Controls

This article reports the results of our study to determine the incidence of abnormalities in timing and extent of pharyngeal constriction in an elderly population with complaints of dysphagia. We performed a retrospective analysis of videofluoroscopic studies, i.e., dynamic swallow studies, that were performed between 1996 and 1999. Included in the study were patients over 65 years old without an obvious medical or surgical cause for their dysphagia complaints. The timing of maximum pharyngeal constriction was measured relative to the onset of bolus pharyngeal transit, relative to the arrival of the bolus at the upper esophageal sphincter, and relative to the exit of the tail of the bolus from the upper esophageal sphincter. The extent of maximum pharyngeal constriction was measured from a lateral view. Patient data were compared with data gathered from young (18-62 years old) nondysphagic controls and with data gathered from elderly (67-83 years old) nondysphagic controls. We found that 73% of the patient population demonstrated incomplete pharyngeal constriction relative to controls, although the timing of pharyngeal constriction remained coordinated relative to the position of the bolus in the pharynx. Poor pharyngeal constriction, suggestive of pharyngeal weakness, contributed to 75% of the cases of aspiration.
Thoracic and lumbar spinal impact tolerance

Abstract Introduction Thoracolumbar injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assaults have a high risk of morbidity and mortality. However, there are no biomechanically based standards that address this problem. Methods This study used four cadaveric porcine specimens as a model for direct spinal impact injuries to humans to determine an appropriate injury tolerance value. The anthropometric parameters of these specimens are compared with values found in a large human cadaveric dataset. Each specimen was subjected to five impacts on the dorsal surface of the lower thorax and abdomen. Results The injuries ranged from mild spinous process fractures to endplate fractures with anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) transactions with a maximum AIS = 3. The average peak reaction force for the thoracic failure tests was 4720 ± 1340 N, and the average peak reaction force for the lumbar failure tests was 4650 ± 1590 N. Discussion When scaled to human values using anthropometric parameters determined in this study, the force at which there is a 50% risk of injury is 10,200 ± 3900 N. This value favorably compares to that found in the existing literature on isolated vertebral segments. Summary After demonstrating that the porcine model can be used as a spinal impact model for the human, the resulting injury risk value can be used in determining new standards for human injury risk or in guiding the design of safety equipment for the back.
Method for examining children's beliefs about the functional role played by defensive interpersonal behaviour

The goal of this study was to develop a method for examining children's expectations about the short-term consequences of defensive interpersonal behaviour. We employed the theory of interpersonal defence (Dahmen & Westerman, in press; Westerman, 1998, 2005; Westerman & Prieto, 2006), an interpersonal reconceptualization of defence processes, as the framework for this method. We developed a two-part procedure for eliciting children's responses to closed-ended and open-ended questions about interpersonal vignettes presented in storyboard format, and we employed this method in a preliminary investigation with a sample of 62 intellectually gifted boys and girls aged 7–8 and 10–11. The results showed that the participants understood that defensive interpersonal behaviours affect the likelihood that feared and wished-for short-term outcomes will occur. Participants demonstrated that they understood that people behave defensively in order to avoid feared consequences and nondefensively in order to pursue wished-for outcomes. Findings also indicated that older participants understood that a person is more likely to behave defensively in highly conflict-ridden situations. The results suggest that our method provides the basis for research that complements previous studies of children's understanding of how intrapsychic defence mechanisms regulate a person's affective experience. Future research using this method could investigate the role of beliefs about defensive behaviour in the development of behaviour problems.
Development and characterization of a human marrow stromal cell line that enhances osteoclast-like cell formation.

We established a human bone marrow stromal cell line (Saka) by infecting marrow adherent cells from semisolid marrow cultures with a recombinant simian virus-40 (SV40) virus. The cells expressed SV40 large tumor antigen, had a fibroblast-like shape, and expressed fibronectin and vimentin. They did not contain detectable alkaline phosphatase activity; express myeloid, lymphoid, or factor VIII-associated antigens; or develop adipocyte-like characteristics with dexamethasone treatment. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of Saka cell RNA detected expression of messenger RNAs for interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1 beta, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, stem cell factor, and the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptor. Coculture of Saka cells with human marrow mononuclear cells enhanced formation of osteoclast-like multinucleated cells (MNC) in long term human bone marrow cultures. These MNC expressed calcitonin receptors and formed resorption lacunae on dentine. In cont...
A comparative study of distortion-product-otoacoustic-emission fine structure in human newborns and adults with normal hearing

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) measured in human newborns are not adult-like. More than a decade of work from various investigators has created a well-developed body of evidence describing these differences but the putative anatomy or physiology has only been partially explained. Recently, Abdala and Keefe [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 3832–3842 (2006)] have identified outer and middle ear immaturities that at least partially describe the differences observed between newborn and adult input–output functions and suppression tuning curves. DPOAE fine structure characteristics and their maturation have not been examined to any extent in the literature. Fine structure characteristics in two groups of ten newborns and young adults with normal hearing sensitivity are compared here. Consistent with previous reports, the newborns show higher DPOAE levels; greater fine structure depth and wider fine structure spacing is also observed in the newborns. Differences in fine structure morphology are also ...
Spectroscopic evidence for a CO-O2 complex as a precursor to the low temperature oxidation of CO on the Pt(1 1 1) surface

Abstract Reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy was used to study the reaction of adsorbed molecular oxygen with carbon monoxide to produce adsorbed carbon dioxide at 130 K. By simultaneously monitoring the O–O stretch of O 2 (ads), the C–O stretch of CO(ads), and the asymmetric O–C–O stretch of CO 2 (ads), it is found that there is an O 2 –CO interaction, suggesting that the transition state involves direct transfer of an O atom from O 2 (ads) to CO, rather than through reaction of CO(ads) with a hot surface O atom produced from O 2 dissociation.
Liver function assessment by drug metabolism

Liver function can be assessed by administering an exogenous substance to quantify changes in hepatic blood flow, uptake, biotransformation, and excretion. Characterization of drug half-life, clearance, and product formation rates are possible methods for measuring hepatic efficiency. Allopurinol and caffeine have been used to measure metabolite formation followed by renal elimination of both parent substance and metabolite. Sorbitol, a substance with high intrinsic clearance, can reflect liver blood flow, while trimethadione, a low-extraction drug, has been used to measure liver enzyme capacity. Metabolites from lidocaine, methacetin, and aminopyrine have been measured in serum, urine, and breath tests. Salivary clearance measurements of caffeine and antipyrine are reported as suitable for routine use. Genetic diversity of isoenzymes and the many metabolic processes used by hepatocytes make it extremely difficult to quantify functional changes with one substance. Combinations of model substrates have been suggested to assess the many hepatic processes.
6:1 aspect ratio silicon pillar based thermal neutron detector filled with 10 B

Current helium-3 tube based thermal neutron detectors have shortcomings in achieving simultaneously high efficiency and low voltage while maintaining adequate fieldability performance. By using a three-dimensional silicon p-i-n diode pillar array filled with boron-10 these constraints can be overcome. The fabricated pillar structured detector reported here is composed of 2μm diameter silicon pillars with a 4μm pitch and height of 12μm. A thermal neutron detection efficiency of 7.3+∕−0.6% and a neutron-to-gamma discrimination of 105 at 2V reverse bias were measured for this detector. When scaled to larger aspect ratio, a high efficiency device is possible.
Impact of genetic targets on cancer therapy in acute myelogenous leukemia.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of the cells of myeloid origin. It can present at all ages, but is more common in adults. It is one of the most common leukemias in adults and continues to pose significant challenge in diagnosis and long-term management.
The Eects of Uncertainty Estimation on Dynamic Sensor Tasking

The tracking of Earth orbiting objects has been a topic of recent concern, due to the increasing number of man-made orbital debris, active, and inactive space objects over the past several decades. While ground and space-based sensors can provide observations of object characteristics (range, azimuth, elevation, etc), the large amount of objects compared to the limited sensors available to track them results in measurements occurring infrequently, leading to long periods of object uncertainty propagation. These potentially long periods of either inability to make observations (due to line-of-sight access) or unavailability of sensors (due to scheduling constraints) necessitates the need to intelligently determine which objects should be observed and which should be ignored at various times, a process known as sensor tasking. Various methods have been suggested for how to accomplish this tasking, many of which revolve around using an object’s state/uncertainty estimates as a utility metric to prioritize objects for observation. Therefore, the method of propagating and updating (when measurements occur) the state/uncertainty estimates through application of a nonlinear lter can become an important variable in the tasking and overall object tracking performance. Recent studies have shown that for nonlinear tracking problems (including satellite orbit/attitude determination), Gaussian sum lters, such as the adaptive entropy-based Gaussian-mixture information synthesis (AEGIS) lter can provide better uncertainty propagation and updating than the more commonly used extended Kalman lter (EKF) or unscented Kalman lter (UKF). The work presented here investigates applications of these lters to a simpli ed multi-object, multi-sensor satellite tracking simulation to show how the more accurate uncertainty estimation of the AEGIS lter can lead to improved tasking decisions and overall better tracking performance.
Delay in Diagnosis of Children with Cancer: A Retrospective Study of 315 Children

To determine the demographic and systemic parameters in children with solid malignancies and to ascertain which of them affected the delay in diagnosis, a retrospective study was performed on 315 children diagnosed with a solid tumor at our hospital, including epidemiological, social, and medical issues concerning the family, the child, the medical system, and the tumor. Lag time, defined as the interval between onset of symptoms and final diagnosis, including parent delay and physician delay, was estimated for each child. Mean lag time: 15.75 weeks (w), median: 7 w, range: 0–208 w. Lowest mean values appeared in kidney tumors, highest in epithelial, brain and soft tissue sarcomas. Mean parent delay: 4.42 w, median: 1 w, range: 0–130 w. Mean physician delay: 11.17 w, median: 4 w, range: 0–206 w. Among the demographic and personal parameters, the best predictors for diagnosis delay were age of child and father's ethnic origin. Several factors influenced diagnosis delay of childhood solid tumors. Recognizin...
The strategic design driven inspection of machined parts

A system for the automatic dimensional inspection of machined industrial parts is under development. Key attributes of the system are its use of design knowledge, i.e. the CAD (computer-aided design) description of the part to be inspected and the strategic use of diverse sensors to generate geometric descriptions of the actual part being inspected as well as the designer's conception of the part. Inspection reduces to the simple comparison of all components of the two models with a correct interpretation of the designer's specified tolerances. Sensors are used in a strategic manner, low-cost sensors, such as those for vision, are used for low-tolerance measurements, and higher-cost sensors, such as coordinate-measuring machines or surface probes, are used to refine object features until all object features have been compared between the CAD model and the actual object being inspected. >
HEALTH SCREENING: II

A 77-year-old black female began in-center hemodialysis in early 1992 because of hypertensive nephrosclerosis. Her past medical history was significant only for a pericardial window done in 1990 because of pericarditis of unknown etiology. Cultures of the pericardial sac and fluid were negative for bacteria and tuberculosis (TB). There was no history of exposure to TB- She was anergic to both purified protein derivative (PPD) and Candida skin tests. The patient tolerated dialysis well and gained 2 kg in five months. At that time she complained of severe pain and swelling over her proximal right thumb. She denied a history of trauma. On examination she was afebrile and not ill-appearing. There was no adenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, or ascites. The proximal thumb was swollen and tender to palpation but not warm or erythematous. The white cell count, liver function tests, and radiographs of the chest and hand were all negative. Observation and acetaminophen were recommended. The pain worsened but the examination and laboratory findings were unchanged. A repeat hand radiograph showed destruction of the proximal phalanx, consistent with osteomyelitis. Repeat skin tests for TB and Candida were negative. The patient promptly underwent surgical curettage of the phalanx. The stains were negative for bacteria and mycobacteria, however, the cultures grew M. tuberculosis. She was begun on isoniazid 300 mg/ day, rifampin 600 mg/day, pyrazinamide 600 mg/ day and pyridoxine 50 mg/day with subsequent improvement in her signs and symptoms.
The multiple-sugar metabolism (msm) gene cluster of Streptococcus mutans is transcribed as a single operon

The multiple-sugar metabolism (msm) locus of Streptococcus mutans constitutes a non-PTS sugar uptake system responsible for the transport and utilization of raffinose, melibiose and isomaltotrioses. While previous studies have used polar mutations to suggest that these genes are co-transcribed, there has not been any direct evidence to support this. In this report we present direct evidence that the msm genes can be transcribed as a single operon.
Self-punishment for responding by monkeys during extinction of discriminated avoidance: effects of previous stimulus change reinforcement.

Two groups of rhesus monkeys acquired a discriminated avoidance response (lever-pressing) under different training procedures. One group was trained using a conventional escape-avoidance procedure ...
Fat intake and adiposity in children of lean and obese parents

We examined the relations between obesity in parents and fat intake in their children, and the effect of fat intake on fat mass in these children. Our heterogenous sample (-x+/-SD: 20.2+/-3.4 kg; 3.2+/-1.3kg fat mass) consisted of 56 white and 15 Mohawk children 4-7 y of age (35 girls and 36 boys). Dietary intake was assessed with the Willett food-frequency questionnaire revised for children. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical resistance and subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses. Physical-activity energy expenditure was estimated by the difference between total energy expenditure (measured over 14 d by the doubly labeled water method) and postprandial resting energy expenditure (measured by indirect calorimetry). Before statistical analysis, fat mass was adjusted for fat-free mass, and fat intake was adjusted for nonfat intake. There was no effect of sex or ethnicity on fat intake and no effect of ethnicity on the relation between fat intake and fat mass. Adjusted mean (+/-SE) fat intakes for the groups of children, based on parental obesity status, were as follows: 1.65+/-0.09 MJ/d (nonobese mother and father), 2.58+/-0.10 MJ/d (obese father, nonobese mother), and 2.79+/-0.10 MJ/d (obese mother and father). We found an influence of maternal obesity on dietary fat intake in children (P=0.052) and a significant correlation between fat mass and fat intake in boys (r=0.48, P<0.01) but not in girls after adjustment for physical-activity energy expenditure. Our data suggest that 1)mothers may contribute to the development of obesity in children by influencing their dietary fat intake, and 2) dietary fat intake contributes to obesity in boys, independent of physical-activity energy expenditure.
Advances in Diagnosis of Respiratory Virus Infections

The diagnosis of respiratory virus infections has evolved substantially in recent years, with the emergence of new pathogens and the development of novel detection methods. While recent advances have improved the sensitivity and turn-around time of diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses, they have also raised important issues such as cost, and the clinical significance of detecting multiple viruses in a single specimen by molecular methods. This article reviews recent advances in specimen collection and detection methods for diagnosis of respiratory virus infections, and discusses the performance characteristics and limitations of these methods.
Factors influencing the activity of a heat-resistant lipase of Pseudomonas.

The heat resistant lipase of Pseudomonas spp. MC50 hydrolyzed coconut oil, corn oil, butter oil and olive oil. Lipase activity was maximum at 1% corn oil. The effects of pH and temperature on lipase activity varied with the substrate. The pH optima were in the range pH 8–9; the temperature optima were in the range 35–40°C. Of several emulsifiers tested, four supported significant lipase actiivity, and three supported no lipase activity and may have inhibited the lipase. Emulsifier concentration influenced lipase activity. All stabilizers tested supported lipase activity; above 0.36% stabilizer concentration had no effect.
IL-28B polymorphisms and the response to antiviral therapy in HCV genotype 2 and 3 varies by ethnicity: a meta-analysis.

Summary Studies of IL-28B genotype in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2/3 infection have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to obtain a pooled odds ratio (OR) of the impact of IL-28B genotype on achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients with HCV genotype 2/3 infection treated with pegIFN and ribavirin. A meta-analysis with a random effects model was performed, and study heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. Forty-three percent of the Caucasians (11 studies) and 86% of Asians (five studies) had the favourable IL-28B genotype. In Caucasians, the pooled OR of SVR with the favourable IL-28B genotype was 1.36 (95%CI: 0.98–1.88, P = 0.07) in all patients and 1.55 (95%CI: 1.10–2.18, P = 0.01) in patients treated with pegIFN and ribavirin for ≥24 weeks. In Asians, the pooled OR of SVR in patients with the favourable IL-28B genotype was 1.99 (95%CI: 0.94–4.25, P = 0.07). The favourable IL-28B genotype was also significantly associated with rapid virologic response (RVR) in both groups (Caucasians: OR: 1.82, 95%CI: 1.12–2.96, P = 0.02; Asians: 2.39, 95%CI: 1.39–4.11, P = 0.002), as well as the likelihood of an SVR in a subgroup of 350 Caucasian patients without an RVR (OR: 3.29, 95%CI: 1.67–6.51, P = 0.001). The favourable IL-28B genotype is a statistically significant predictor of SVR and RVR in Caucasian patients treated with pegIFN and ribavirin for 24 weeks. In contrast, the favourable IL-28B genotype is associated with RVR, but not SVR in Asian HCV genotype 2 patients.
Ovarian Follicular Growth and Maturation in the Domestic Turkey

Abstract IN THE chicken, theoretical follicular growth-ovulation sequence curves were constructed by Stieve (1918) for the ova in rapid development. Riddle (1916) stated that rapid development starts when the ova have obtained a diameter of about 6 mm., while Lacassagne (1957) stated that it started when the ova deposited fat soluble dyes, or at 8 mm. diameter. Stieve postulated from his follicular growth curves that ova ovulated on successive days would show relatively small differences in weight, while relatively large differences in weight would correspond to the day or days when no ova would be ovulated. Buss (1963) stated that ova of nearly identical weight would be ovulated at the same time and form double or triple yolked eggs. Riddle (1908) fed Sudan III, a fat soluble dye, to laying chicken hens and found it deposited in concentric rings in the ova of the subsequently laid eggs, with each ring corresponding . . .
Risk Factor Modification: Rationale for Management of Dyslipidemia

Abstract A number of recent clinical trials have clearly demonstrated the efficacy of cholesterol lowering as a risk-reduction strategy for the primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD). The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S), the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS), and the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) trial, as well as numerous other investigations, have established that decreasing elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol will result in a reduction in CAD risk. This has been reported since the 1980s, when the first of the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors ("statins") became available. These drugs were an important advance because they showed better patient compliance due to fewer side effects when compared with other lipid-lowering agents. Nonetheless, many physicians, for various reasons, have not done an adequate job of ensuring that the millions of patients who could benefit from lipid-lowering therapy actually receive the treatment they require.
TEACHING WOMEN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES TO IDENTIFY AND REPORT INAPPROPRIATE STAFF‐TO‐RESIDENT INTERACTIONS

This study examined the effectiveness of behavioral skills training in teaching 2 adult women with mild intellectual disabilities to report inappropriate staff-to-resident interactions. The reporting skill included making a self-advocacy response, walking away, and reporting the interaction. Participants' performance was measured during baseline, posttesting, 2- and 4-week follow-up, and generalization probes in new situations. All participants learned reporting skills, maintained these skills at 2- and 4-week follow-up, and generalized the skills to novel stimulus situations.
Blood Saccharoid Content in Neuropsychiatric Patients

Glucose tolerance tests were obtained in 430 psychiatric inpatients with both the Folin-Wu and Somogyi-Nelson methods on the same blood sample. Blood was drawn in the fasting state and at one-half, one, two and three hours after ingestion of glucose. By the Somogyi-Nelson method the curves of 170 subjects were classified as normal and 260 as abnormal. The saccharoid content of the blood was operationally defined as the Folin-Wu value minus the Somogyi-Nelson value with the latter taken as the “true” blood sugar. In marked contrast to previous studies of others with nonpsychiatric subjects the mean saccharoid values were not constant in either the normal or abnormal group but varied significantly from one time period to the next. The variations in saccharoids observed in the abnormal group over the testing interval were different from the variations for the normals. Within each group, there was no association between age and either saccharoid content or blood sugar level. Saccharoid content was not related to deviations from average weight. A “rule of thumb” suggested by the data is that if one wants to estimate “true glucose” from the Folin-Wu with 95 per cent certainty, then the constant to subtract varies with the time interval after glucose ingestion and is in the range of approximately 0 to 47 mg./lOO ml. Estimation of true blood sugar content from a Folin-Wu reading that is close to the borderline range by subtraction of a constant is seen as an extremely dubious procedure.
Surface plasmons in periodically coupled gold nanoparticles: A semi-analytical model

The surface plasmon coupling between gold nanoparticles in a periodic array is theoretically modeled. The calculated dispersion relation and loss properties of an array of chains at air/glass interface agree well with FDTD simulation results.