cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The preferential cytotoxicity of reovirus for certain transformed cell lines

The susceptibility of a variety of cell lines of different mammalian origin to cytotoxic (CT) induction by either ultraviolet light-irradiated reovirus type 2 (UVR2) or viable reovirus type 2 plus the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, was examined. The following groups of cells were found to be susceptible to CT-induction: certain tumor cells and spontaneously transformed cell lines of human origin and certain virally and spontaneously transformed cell lines of murine origin. The following groups of cells were found to be resistant: normal human diploid cell lines, primary and continuous cell cultures of subhuman primates, primary mouse cells, normal rat kidney cells and baby hamster kidney cells. Susceptibility to CT-induction could not be related to the adsorption of virus to cells, nor to the capacity of the cell to support virus replication.
Transthoracic cardioversion of atrial fibrillation and flutter: standard techniques and new advances.

Direct current electric shocks have been used to terminate atrial arrhythmias (cardioversion) in humans since the 1960s. The likelihood of successful cardioversion and maintenance of sinus rhythm is increased if the left atrium is not markedly enlarged and fibrotic, if there is no marked left atrial hypertension (e.g., mitral stenosis), and if the arrhythmia is not long-standing. To minimize the risk of thromboembolic phenomena, therapeutic anticoagulation should be established for at least 3 weeks before and for 4 weeks after cardioversion; coumadin is usually used for this purpose. A more recent approach uses transesophageal echocardiography to demonstrate the absence of thrombi in the left atrium and left atrial appendage. If no thrombi are evident, 48 hours of heparin anticoagulation may be adequate prior to cardioversion. Anticoagulation is still required after cardioversion. Quinidine and digitalis, singly or in combination, are frequently used to achieve and maintain sinus rhythm in association with cardioversion. For the procedure itself, traditional hand-held paddle electrodes or self-adhesive electrode pads may be used; the apex-anterior and anterior-posterior positions are equally effective. Gel couplants and firm pressure should always be used with hand-held paddles to reduce transthoracic impedance and maximize current flow. Electrodes should be widely separated to avoid shunting of current along the chest wall between electrodes. Generally, electrodes should be large in size; small "pediatric" electrodes should only be used in infants < 1 year of age (< 10 kg). Shocks should always be synchronized to the R wave to avoid the vulnerable period and the inadvertent induction of ventricular fibrillation. Initial shocks for atrial fibrillation should begin at 100 J; atrial flutter generally requires a smaller shock (initial shocks at 50 J). Effective anesthesia, not merely sedation, is required to achieve amnesia and avoid pain. Exciting new developments in defibrillation and cardioversion have occurred. It is now understood that excessive energy and current may induce cardiac damage, and recent studies suggest such damage may be mediated in part by free radicals. New shock waveforms, such as biphasic and multiphasic waveforms from multiple encircling electrodes, may be superior to the standard damped sinusoidal waveform.
Observing distant solar system objects with James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

The James Webb Space Telescope will provide a unique capability to observe Solar System objects such as Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, asteroids, and the outer planets and their moons in the near and mid-infrared. A recent study developed the conceptual design for a capability to track and observe these objects. In this paper, we describe how the requirements and operations concept were derived from the scientific goals and were distributed among the Observatory and Ground Segment components in order to remain consistent with the current event-driven operations concept of JWST. In the event-driven operations concept, the Ground Segment produces a high-level Observation Plan that is interpreted by on-board scripts to generate commands and monitor telemetry responses. This approach allows efficient and flexible execution of planned observations; precise or conservative timing models are not required, and observations may be skipped if guide star or target acquisition fails. The efficiency of this approach depends upon most observations having large time intervals in which they can execute. Solar System objects require a specification of how to track the object with the Observatory, and a guide star that remains within the field of view of the guider during the observation. We describe how tracking and guiding will be handled with JWST to retain the efficient and flexible execution characteristics of event-driven operations. We also describe how the implementation is distributed between the Spacecraft, Fine Guidance Sensor, On-board Scripts, and Proposal Planning Subsystem, preserving the JWST operations concept.
Trace gas emissions through a winter snowpack in the subalpine ecosystem at Niwot Ridge, Colorado

[1] A preliminary study of whole air measurements within a snowpack in the subalpine forest of Colorado found that lower snow layers and underlying soil were a strong source of chemically active trace gases (VOC). The emissions of trace gases were correlated with emissions of radiatively active greenhouse gases (CO2 and N2O) through the snowpack. Carbon dioxide was enhanced in the lower snowpack to over 1000 ppmv, similar to previous studies, which have shown that a thermal insulation of snow covering the soil leads to enhanced emissions of CO2 equivalent to a large fraction of annual respiration. Comparable enhancements of several VOCs reached 1275, 1670, and 1000 pptv for methyl chloride, propane, and α-pinene, respectively. The measurements are limited to a one-day pilot study, however, considering that previous studies have reported significant CO2 emissions through snowpacks any emissions of VOC may also be important on a local or potentially global scale.
Cooperatives and Capital Markets: The Case of Minnesota-Dakota Sugar Cooperatives

products. The remainder of the article considers an important implementation issue related to one of the alternatives being considered by the cooperatives. Segmenting of yield risk into systemic (spatially correlated) and independent components-a concept discussed in the Skees and Zeuli companion papers-is demonstrated. This example draws on information from focus groups with cooperative members and processing plant managers, yield data maintained by the cooperatives, and analyses of selected issues raised by the focus groups (Black, Black and Hu).
Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in young adolescents.

OBJECTIVES To assess prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms in young adolescents and examine associations between symptoms and sociodemographic and behavioral factors. METHODS Cross-sectional survey data from 3621 seventh grade students from 16 middle schools were analyzed. RESULTS Elevated depressive symptoms were reported by 40% of girls and 30% of boys. Socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and age group were independently associated with depressive symptomatology. For girls, monthly alcohol use, monthly smoking, heavy drinking, and inhalant use were significant correlates. For boys, monthly alcohol use and inhalant use were significant. CONCLUSIONS Elevated depressive symptomatology was a prevalent problem. Substance use was often associated with depressive symptoms, especially among girls.
The effect of dry matter content on the preservation of big hale grass silages made during the autumn on commercial farms in South Wales 1983-87

A total of eighty-nine big-bale (BB) silages made on commercial farms in South Wales during the autumn in 1983-87 were analysed to discern the effect of dry matter (DM) content on fermentation. Silages were made predominantly in late September, during fine weather from permanent pasture or perennial ryegrass pastures, which had not been grazed for 9 weeks. On average 7·8 ha of pasture were cut; most farmers attempted to pre-wilt grass for an average of 36 h prior to ensilage in individual plastic bags. Silage making was usually completed within 4 d of starting to cut. Silage ammonia-N content was inversely correlated with DM content. The results indicated that a DM content of about 280 g kg−1 was needed to produce well-preserved silage with an ammonia-N content of 100 g (kg total N)−1. Silages were, therefore, generally poorly preserved because the DM increase from wilting was only 2·3 g kg−1 h−1.
Ubiquitin and ubiquitin-derived peptides as substrates for peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase

Ubiquitin (Ub) and the ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) mediate an array of cellular functions. These proteins contain a C-terminal glycine residue that is key to their function. Oxidative conversion of C-terminal glycine-extended prohormones to the corresponding α-amidated peptide is one step in the biosynthesis of bioactive peptide hormones. The enzyme catalyzing this reaction is peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM). We report herein that Ub is a PAM substrate with a (V/K)amidation that is similar to other known peptide substrates. This work is significant because PAM and the UBLs co-localize to the hypothalamus and the adrenal medulla and are both over-expressed in glioblastomas.
Managing Communication within Virtual Intercultural Teams

As global companies increasingly rely on virtual teams to conduct short- and long- term projects, business students need to be prepared to manage the communication of intercultural teams. Communica...
Prostaglandin F2α rises in response to hydroxyl radical generated in vivo

Abstract Free radicals and some free fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid metabolites, have been hypothesized to be contributors to secondary damage to the spinal cord upon injury. These two types of species may form a feedback loop in which generation of one type leads to formation of the other. In this study, to determine whether hydroxyl radical causes generation of arachidonic acid metabolites in vivo, we generated hydroxyl radical, a most reactive oxygen radical, in the rat spinal cord and measured resulting changes in levels of prostaglandin F 2α , an arachidonic acid metabolite that rises following traumatic injury. The hydroxyl radical was generated in the rat spinal cord by administering H 2 O 2 through one microdialysis fiber and FeC1 2 /EDTA through a parallel fiber. The prostaglandin F 2α in the collected microdialysates was measured by HPLC as its 3-bromomethyl-6,7-dimethoxy-l-methyl-2-(1H)-quinoxalinone derivative. Prostaglandin F 2α dramatically increased in response to hydroxyl radical generation, but declined substantially after 3 h of exposure. Prostaglandin F 2α was undetectable when either H 2 O 2 or FeC1 2 /EDTA was administered alone in control experiments, demonstrating that its formation was caused by generated hydroxyl radical.
Predictive models for cytochrome p450 isozymes based on quantitative high throughput screening data.

The human cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isozymes are the most important enzymes in the body to metabolize many endogenous and exogenous substances including environmental toxins and therapeutic drugs. Any unnecessary interactions between a small molecule and CYP450 isozymes may raise a potential to disarm the integrity of the protection. Accurately predicting the potential interactions between a small molecule and CYP450 isozymes is highly desirable for assessing the metabolic stability and toxicity of the molecule. The National Institutes of Health Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC) has screened a collection of over 17,000 compounds against the five major isozymes of CYP450 (1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4) in a quantitative high throughput screening (qHTS) format. In this study, we developed support vector classification (SVC) models for these five isozymes using a set of customized generic atom types. The CYP450 data sets were randomly split into equal-sized training and test sets. The optimized SVC models exhibi...
Detection of tomato mosaic tobamovirus RNA in ancient glacial ice

Tomato mosaic tobamovirus is a very stable plant virus with a wide host range, which has been detected in plants, soil, water, and clouds. Because of its stability and prevalence in the environment, we hypothesized that it might be preserved in ancient ice. We detected tomato mosaic tobamovirus RNA by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction amplification in glacial ice subcores <500 to approximately 140,000 years old from drill sites in Greenland. Subcores that contained multiple tomato mosaic tobamovirus genotypes suggest diverse atmospheric origins of the virus, whereas those containing tomato mosaic tobamovirus sequences nearly identical to contemporary ones suggest that recent tomato mosaic tobamovirus populations have an extended age structure. Detection of tomato mosaic tobamovirus in ice raises the possibilities that stable viruses of humans and other hosts might be preserved there, and that entrapped ancient viable viruses may be continually or intermittently released into the modern environment.
Design and implementation of software for automated quality control and data analysis for a complex LC/MS/MS assay for urine opiates and metabolites

Abstract Background Mass spectrometry provides a powerful platform for performing quantitative, multiplexed assays in the clinical laboratory, but at the cost of increased complexity of analysis and quality assurance calculations compared to other methodologies. Methods Here we describe the design and implementation of a software application that performs quality control calculations for a complex, multiplexed, mass spectrometric analysis of opioids and opioid metabolites. Results The development and implementation of this application improved our data analysis and quality assurance processes in several ways. First, use of the software significantly improved the procedural consistency for performing quality control calculations. Second, it reduced the amount of time technologists spent preparing and reviewing the data, saving on average over four hours per run, and in some cases improving turnaround time by a day. Third, it provides a mechanism for coupling procedural and software changes with the results of each analysis. We describe several key details of the implementation including the use of version control software and automated unit tests. Conclusions These generally useful software engineering principles should be considered for any software development project in the clinical lab.
Technology transfer to the USSR: an econometric analysis

Abstract A production-function study is undertaken that attempts to estimate the marginal productivity of machinery imported from the West for Soviet industry, and for the subsectors of chemicals, petroleum, and machinery during the period 1960–1975. The basic conclusion is that the marginal productivity of imported Western capital is not significantly different from that of capital of non-Western Western origin. It seems quite difficult to detect any influence of Western technology on the Soviet economy from the aggregate time-series data available to us.
The “Dictatorship” in Yugoslavia

The coup d'etat, so-called, which, on January 6, 1929, brought into being a new form of government and established a new type of constitutional regime in the kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, marked the end of exactly a decade of experimentation with the traditional principles of parliamentary government. That this “critical period” had not been an unqualified success is admitted by statesmen, diplomats, and politicians alike; that it was abruptly ended by the personal intervention of King Alexander and the supercession of the Vidov-dan constitution is equally a matter of fact. From Zagreb to Belgrade the passing of the political order which had obtained in the triune kingdom since 1918 has brought general rejoicing; outside the country, however, the queries have been raised: Is the change indicative of the future fate of all democracies, and have not the doctrines of fascism, of military dictatorship, of camarilla government, simply been transplanted to the Yugoslav capital from Rome and Madrid respectively?The situation is not to be understood merely by drawing hasty conclusions as to the prospective demise of democratic or parliamentary government everywhere, nor is it possible to speak, with any scientific accuracy, of the new regime in the Serb-Croat-Slovene state as a Balkan adaptation of the Italian and Iberian dictatorships. The occurrence of this constitutional change in the life of the Yugoslav people has its own distinctive raison d'etre and does not flow from mere facile imitation of dictatorial practices in other countries.
Impact of adjuvant mitotane on the clinical course of patients with adrenocortical cancer

Background. Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare and aggressive disease with a poor prognosis. Adjuvant mitotane administration has been suggested as a strategy that might improve the outcome of patients with localized disease. Methods. The authors analyzed the clinical outcome of patients with localized or regional adrenocortical cancer. The study included 19 patients who were registered at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center during a 3-year period and who had localized or regional disease at the time of surgery. Of these, eight patients received mitotane postoperatively and continued the drug until their last contact or recurrence (Group A, adjuvant); five patients began taking mitotane after surgery but discontinued it after 2–12 months for reasons unrelated to the disease (Group P, postoperative); and six patients did not receive mitotane (Group N, no mitotane). All patients have been followed for at least 12 months. Results. The treatment groups differed significantly in their time to recurrence; the disease-free interval was shortest in Group A (P = 0.0055, by log-rank test). There was no statistical difference in survival among the groups, but the profile remained unfavorable for Group A. The 2-year survival rate was 100% for Groups N and P but only 43% for Group A. Of the potentially confounding factors, gender, age, steroid hypersecretion, and tumor size, none had any influence on recurrence or survival rates. Conclusions. These findings do not support the conclusion that adjuvant mitotane is beneficial in patients with localized or regional adrenocortical cancer. Neither the disease-free interval nor survival was improved by the drug. The authors suggest that alternative therapeutic strategies be explored for the management of these patients.
Feasibility of Shape Memory Alloy Wire Actuation for an Active Steerable Cannula

Needle insertion is used in many diagnostic and therapeutic percutaneous medical procedures such as brachytherapy, thermal ablations, and breast biopsy. Insufficient accuracy using conventional surgical cannulas motivated researchers to provide actuation forces to the cannula's body for compensating the possible errors of surgeons/physicians. In this study, we present the feasibility of using shape memory alloy (SMA) wires as actuators for an active steerable surgical cannula. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model of the active steerable cannula was developed to demonstrate the feasibility of using SMA wires as actuators to bend the surgical cannula. The material characteristics of SMAs were simulated by defining multilinear elastic isothermal stress–strain curves that were generated through a matlab code based on the Brinson model. Rigorous experiments with SMA wires were done to determine the material properties as well as to show the capability of the code to predict a stabilized SMA transformation behavior with sufficient accuracy. In the FE simulation, birth and death method was used to achieve the prestrain condition on SMA wire prior to actuation. This numerical simulation was validated with cannula deflection experiments with developed prototypes of the active cannula. Several design parameters affecting the cannula's deflection such as the cannula's Young's modulus, the SMA's prestrain, and its offset from the neutral axis of the cannula were studied using the FE model. Real-time experiments with different prototypes showed that the quickest response and the maximum deflection were achieved by the cannula with two sections of actuation compared to a single section of actuation. The numerical and experimental studies showed that a highly maneuverable active cannulas can be achieved using the actuation of multiple SMA wires in series.
Brief Report: Non-Random X Chromosome Inactivation in Females with Autism

Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder with a 3-4 times higher sex ratio in males than females. X chromosome genes may contribute to this higher sex ratio through unusual skewing of X chromosome inactivation. We studied X chromosome skewness in 30 females with classical autism and 35 similarly aged unaffected female siblings as controls using the polymorphic androgen receptor (AR) gene. Significantly, increased X chromosome skewness (e.g., >80:20%) was detected in our autism group (33%) compared to unaffected females (11%). X chromosome skewness was also seen in 50% of the mothers with autistic daughters. No mutation was seen in the promoter region of the XIST gene reported to be involved in X chromosome inactivation in our subjects. X chromosome skewness has been reported in female carriers of other neurological disorders such as X-linked mental retardation, adrenoleukodystrophy and Rett syndrome.
Use of cutoff pigtail catheters with intraluminal guidewires in interventional procedures in congenital heart disease

Advances in interventional cardiac catheterization have necessitated technique modifications to ensure patient safety while allowing data acquisition. The use of cutoff pigtail catheters over guidewires for pressure recordings and angiography exemplifies such a modification. The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain contast volume and flow rates achievable using such a system. A total of 140 used catheters of various sizes, with intraluminal guidewires (0.035 inch in 6, 7, and 8F; 0.025 inch in 5F) were subjected ot contast injectins at increasing rates and volumes until rupture occurred. The 7F catheters allowed volume delivery at 15–40 ml at 15 ml/sec, 8F catheters 40 ml at 30 ml/sec, and 5 and 6F catheters 10 ml/sec. All ruptured within 3 cm of the hub, at⩾900 PSI. A review of 737 clinical procedures revealed adequate pressure recordins and angiogrphic detail inall, uncomplicated save for one intracardiac wire dislodgement. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Leishmania species: Mechanisms of complement activation by five strains of promastigotes

The interaction of fresh serum with promastigotes of Leishmania major, L. donovani, L. mexicana mexicana, L. mexicana amazonensis, and L. braziliensis guyanensis results in lysis of all strains tested with either fresh human or guinea pig serum at 37 C for 30 min. Lysis does not occur in the cold and requires divalent cations and complement that is active hemolytically. Serum deficient in the eighth component of complement is not lytic. Lysis of L. major, L. mexicana, and L. braziliensis proceeds fully in human serum containing EGTA/Mg2+ or in guinea pig serum deficient in the fourth complement component. These species consume only small amounts of C4 from human serum and do not require calcium to optimally bind C3. The data indicate that all are activators of the alternative complement pathway and that the classical pathway is not required for the lysis of these organisms. Promastigotes of L. donovani, in contrast, activate the classical pathway. The presence of calcium is required for both optimal C3 binding and parasite lysis, and L. donovani promastigotes consume C4 when incubated in human serum. In high concentrations, human serum agglutinates all tested Leishmania spp. The agglutinating factor does not require divalent cations, is heat stable, and works at 4 C, suggesting that it is an antibody. This "naturally occurring" antibody cross reacts with all Leishmania spp. and agglutinates them. The adsorption of serum with any Leishmania species or with beads that are Protein A coated, removes the agglutinogen. This factor causes a slight enhancement in alternative pathway activation by L. major and mediates the classical activation by L. donovani. In adsorbed serum, L. donovani promastigotes only weakly activate the alternative complement pathway. Increased concentrations of adsorbed serum are therefore necessary for lysis to proceed. The titer can be partially restored by the addition of heat inactivated serum. Using purified components of the classical cascade, we are unable to visualize surface bound C3 on L. donovani promastigotes unless heat inactivated serum is also present. We conclude that all Leishmania spp. promastigotes are susceptible to lysis by normal serum independent of antibody. The presence of small amounts of naturally occurring antibody in human serum enhances the susceptibility of L. donovani promastigotes to lysis by activating the classical complement pathway.
Cortical inhibitory neurons and schizophrenia

Impairments in certain cognitive functions, such as working memory, are core features of schizophrenia. Convergent findings indicate that a deficiency in signalling through the TrkB neurotrophin receptor leads to reduced GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) synthesis in the parvalbumin-containing subpopulation of inhibitory GABA neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with schizophrenia. Despite both pre- and postsynaptic compensatory responses, the resulting alteration in perisomatic inhibition of pyramidal neurons contributes to a diminished capacity for the gamma-frequency synchronized neuronal activity that is required for working memory function. These findings reveal specific targets for therapeutic interventions to improve cognitive function in individuals with schizophrenia.
Convection in chemical waves

We present a theory for the vertical propagation of chemical waves near the onset of convection. Fluid motion, coupled to a standard reaction-diffusion mechanism for chemical wave propagation, determines the speed and shape of the reaction front in a two-dimensional slab. Our model is compared with experiments in capillary tubes. For tilted and horizontal tubes, fluid motion is always present with a corresponding increase in front speed.
Multiphasic and tissue-specific roles of sonic hedgehog in cloacal septation and external genitalia development

Malformations of the external genitalia are among the most common congenital anomalies in humans. The urogenital and anorectal sinuses develop from the embryonic cloaca, and the penis and clitoris develop from the genital tubercle. Within the genital tubercle, the endodermally derived urethral epithelium functions as an organizer and expresses sonic hedgehog (Shh). Shh knockout mice lack external genitalia and have a persistent cloaca. This identified an early requirement for Shh, but precluded analysis of its later role in the genital tubercle. We conducted temporally controlled deletions of Shh and report that Shh is required continuously through the onset of sexual differentiation. Shh function is divisible into two temporal phases; an anogenital phase, during which Shh regulates outgrowth and patterning of the genital tubercle and septation of the cloaca, and a later external genital phase, during which Shh regulates urethral tube closure. Disruption of Shh function during the anogenital phase causes coordinated anorectal and genitourinary malformations, whereas inactivation during the external genital phase causes hypospadias. Shh directs cloacal septation by promoting cell proliferation in adjacent urorectal septum mesenchyme. Additionally, conditional inactivation of smoothened in the genital ectoderm and cloacal/urethral endoderm shows that the ectoderm is a direct target of Shh and is required for urethral tube closure, highlighting a novel role for genital ectoderm in urethragenesis. Identification of the stages during which disruption of Shh results in either isolated or coordinated malformations of anorectal and external genital organs provides a new tool for investigating the etiology of anogenital malformations in humans.
Don't trust your file server

All too often, decisions about whom to trust in computer systems are driven by the needs of system management rather than data security. In particular data storage is often entrusted to people who have no role in creating or using the data-through outsourcing of data management, hiring of outside consultants to administer servers, or even collocation servers in physically insecure machine rooms to gain better network, connectivity. This paper outlines the design of SUNDR, a network file system designed to run on untrusted servers. SUNDR servers can safely be managed by people who have no permission to read or write data stored in the file system. Thus, people can base their trust decisions on who needs to use data and their administrative decisions on how best to manage the data. Moreover, with SUNDR, attackers will no longer be able to wreak havoc by compromising servers and tampering with data. They will need to compromise clients while legitimate users are logged on. Since clients do not need to accept incoming network connections, they can more easily be firewalled and protected from compromise than servers.
Analysis of osteopontin at the maternal-placental interface in pigs.

Noninvasive, epitheliochorial placentation in the pig follows a prolonged preimplantation period characterized by migration, spacing and elongation of conceptuses, and secretion of estrogen for maternal recognition of pregnancy. Osteopontin (OPN) is an extracellular matrix protein that binds integrins to promote cell-cell attachment and communication. OPN appears to play a key role in conceptus implantation and maintenance of pregnancy in sheep; however, a role for OPN in the porcine uterus has not been established. Therefore, this study examined OPN expression and function in the porcine uterus and conceptus (embryo/fetus and associated extraembryonic membranes). Northern and slot blot hybridization detected an increase in endometrial OPN expression between Days 25 and 30, and levels remained elevated through Day 85 of pregnancy. In situ hybridization localized OPN mRNA to discrete regions of the uterine luminal epithelium (LE) on Day 15 of pregnancy and to the entire LE thereafter. Glandular epithelial (GE) expression of OPN mRNA was first detected on Day 35 of pregnancy and increased through Day 85. Both 70- and 45-kDa forms of OPN protein were detected in cyclic and pregnant endometrium by Western blotting. OPN protein was localized to the LE and GE by immunofluorescence; however, only the 70-kDa OPN was detected in uterine flushings. OPN protein was present along the entire uterine-placental interface after Day 30 of pregnancy. In addition, OPN mRNA and protein were localized to immune-like cells within the stratum compactum of the endometrium in both Day 9 cyclic and pregnant gilts. Incubation of OPN-coated microbeads with porcine trophectoderm and uterine luminal epithelial cells induced Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-dependent integrin activation and transmembrane accumulation of cytoskeletal molecules at the apical cell surface as assessed by immunofluorescence detection of talin or alpha-actinin as markers for focal adhesions. These results suggest that OPN, expressed by uterine epithelium and immune cells, may interact with receptors (i.e., integrins) on conceptus and uterus to promote conceptus development and signaling between these tissues as key contributors to attachment and placentation in the pig.
Clinical features and management of facial nerve paralysis in children: analysis of 24 cases

Objectives:To evaluate the causes, treatment modalities and recovery rate of paediatric facial nerve paralysis.Materials and methods:We analysed 24 cases of paediatric facial nerve paralysis diagnosed in the otolaryngology department of Gachon University Gil Medical Center between January 2001 and June 2006.Results:The most common cause was idiopathic palsy (16 cases, 66.7 per cent). The most common degree of facial nerve paralysis on first presentation was House–Brackmann grade IV (15 of 24 cases). All cases were treated with steroids. One of the 24 cases was also treated surgically with facial nerve decompression. Twenty-two cases (91.6 per cent) recovered to House–Brackmann grade I or II over the six-month follow-up period.Conclusion:Facial nerve paralysis in children can generally be successfully treated with conservative measures. However, in cases associated with trauma, radiological investigation is required for further evaluation and treatment.
THE EFFECT OF TOTAL BODY PERFUSION ON DIGITALIS TOLERANCE.

SUMMARY 1.The effect of total body perfusion on digitalis tolerance was studied clinically in 84 infants and children undergoing open heart surgery and experimentally in eight mongrel dogs subjected to total body perfusion. 2.The clinical studies consisted of comparison of immediate postperfusion electrocardiograms to preperfusion electrocardiograms. There was no statistically significant difference between the incidence of postperfusion electrocardiographic arrhythmias in patients who had been digitalized prior to perfusion and in patients who had not received digitalis. Additionally there was no correlation between the incidence of postperfusion arrhythmias and the degree of the preperfusion electrocardiographic evidence of digitalis effect. 3.Studies of the effect of perfusion on digitalis tolerance in the dog were performed both for digitalis administered prior to perfusion ("tissue fixed") and for digitalis administered following perfusion. Perfusion was associated with no significant change in sensitivity to "tissue fixed" digitalis; however, all of the animals tested showed a decreased tolerance to digitalis administered one hour following perfusion. Decreased tolerance to digitalis persisted at four hours in 80 per cent of animals and at seven hours in 40 per cent of animals. 4.The application of this information to the administration of digitalis to patients undergoing open heart surgery is discussed.
Socioeconomic Status and Age Identity: The Role of Dimensions of Health in the Subjective Construction of Age

Objectives This study examines health inequality as a potential explanation for socioeconomic differences in age identity. The following dimensions of health are examined: comparative self-rated health, self-assessed changes in physiological well-being, prospective self-rated health, perceived control over health, chronic conditions, and parents' health. Components of health also are explored as possible mediators of age differences in the effect of socioeconomic status on age identity. Methods Using the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, ordinary least squares regression models of age identity are estimated for a representative sample of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population between the ages of 25 and 74 (n = 2,864). Results The older identities held by the less socioeconomically advantaged are explained by their worse health, particularly their less favorable predictions of future health, compared with their wealthier peers. Differences in age identity by education and perceived financial well-being are greatest among older adults; however, health only partially accounts for these age patterns. Discussion This study reveals that health inequalities shape the subjective experience of aging. Further work using longitudinal data is needed to determine the precise causal pathways linking socioeconomic status, health, and age identity.
Protein Replacement Therapy and Gene Transfer in Canine Models of Hemophilia A, Hemophilia B, von Willebrand Disease, and Factor VII Deficiency

Dogs with hemophilia A, hemophilia B, von Willebrand disease (VWD), and factor VII deficiency faithfully recapitulate the severe bleeding phenotype that occurs in humans with these disorders. The first rational approach to diagnosing these bleeding disorders became possible with the development of reliable assays in the 1940s through research that used these dogs. For the next 60 years, treatment consisted of replacement of the associated missing or dysfunctional protein, first with plasma-derived products and subsequently with recombinant products. Research has consistently shown that replacement products that are safe and efficacious in these dogs prove to be safe and efficacious in humans. But these highly effective products require repeated administration and are limited in supply and expensive; in addition, plasma-derived products have transmitted bloodborne pathogens. Recombinant proteins have all but eliminated inadvertent transmission of bloodborne pathogens, but the other limitations persist. Thus, gene therapy is an attractive alternative strategy in these monogenic disorders and has been actively pursued since the early 1990s. To date, several modalities of gene transfer in canine hemophilia have proven to be safe, produced easily detectable levels of transgene products in plasma that have persisted for years in association with reduced bleeding, and correctly predicted the vector dose required in a human hemophilia B liver-based trial. Very recently, however, researchers have identified an immune response to adeno-associated viral gene transfer vector capsid proteins in a human liver-based trial that was not present in preclinical testing in rodents, dogs, or nonhuman primates. This article provides a review of the strengths and limitations of canine hemophilia, VWD, and factor VII deficiency models and of their historical and current role in the development of improved therapy for humans with these inherited bleeding disorders.
Mutual empowerment in cross‐cultural participatory development and service learning: Lessons in communication and social justice from projects in El Salvador and Nicaragua

Abstract Two cross‐cultural participatory development and service‐learning projects conducted in El Salvador and Nicaragua illustrate a model of mutual empowerment formed from the unification of the three related literatures on developmental communication, intercultural communication and cross‐cultural adaptation, and service learning. The essay presents an argument for and illustration of communication and social justice research and action that is grounded in long‐term, international participatory projects that empower community members, broaden sojourners’ minds and personal growth, and result in increased communication skills and “education in citizenship” that empowers participants in both the learning context and the broader socio‐political context. The essay includes an in‐depth description of the projects, an overview of the continuing assessment research, and a consideration of ongoing concerns about project design, communication research, and ethics.
Giving to Others and the Association Between Stress and Mortality

Objectives. We sought to test the hypothesis that providing help to others predicts a reduced association between stress and mortality.Methods. We examined data from participants (n = 846) in a study in the Detroit, Michigan, area. Participants completed baseline interviews that assessed past-year stressful events and whether the participant had provided tangible assistance to friends or family members. Participant mortality and time to death was monitored for 5 years by way of newspaper obituaries and monthly state death-record tapes.Results. When we adjusted for age, baseline health and functioning, and key psychosocial variables, Cox proportional hazard models for mortality revealed a significant interaction between helping behavior and stressful events (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58; P < .05; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35, 0.98). Specifically, stress did not predict mortality risk among individuals who provided help to others in the past year (HR = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.79, 1.18), but stress did predict m...
Temperature sensitivity of dielectric resonators and dielectric resonator oscillators

Experiments were performed on L-band and S-band dielectric resonators (DRs) and direct-resonator-based oscillators (DROs) to investigate the details of their behavior with variation in temperature. Measurements were performed using commercially available Zr/Sn titanate and barium tetratitanate dielectric resonator materials enclosed in metal cavities. The results indicate that the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency, tau /sub f/, supplied by vendors of the high-dielectric-constant ceramics, is not sufficient to predict accurately a DRO's total frequency excursion over a given temperature range. Significant second-order contributions to the frequency versus temperature characteristics were observed, with values ranging from -27 to +20 p.p.b./ degrees C/sup 2/. In addition the cavity material used to enclose the DR can significantly alter its temperature characteristic. Procedures have been developed to aid in the estimation of a DRO's characteristic temperature sensitivity. They can be used to adjust the DRO design to minimize the total frequency excursion over a desired temperature range. >
Tight-binding calculations of the elastic constants and phonons of hcp Zr: Complications due to anisotropic stress and long-range forces

We have calculated the phonons and elastic constants of zirconium in the hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) crystal structure using the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) empirical tight-binding (TB) approach; the tight-binding parameters are obtained by fitting to ab initio density-functional theory--generalized gradient approximation energy bands and total energies for many different structures and volumes. We address difficulties involved with the fitting procedure and give results for elastic constants, force constants, quasiharmonic phonons, and specific heat. Because the predicted TB lattice constants at the zero-temperature energy minimum are slightly different from those experimentally observed at room temperature, our TB model has an anisotropic stress at the experimental lattice constants. We correct for these stresses in our calculations of the elastic constants and sound speeds. Such techniques are also useful for calculating such properties for arbitrary $c∕a$. Our phonon calculations were done by the direct-force method in real space using calculated force constants; these fall off quite slowly with distance, which causes problems with the calculated phonon spectrum due to the slow convergence with increasing supercell size. This long-range behavior could play a large role in determining the unusually anharmonic and anomalous physical properties of Zr. We show that similar, although less severe, problems should arise for other metals. These considerations suggest that the direct-force method for calculating phonons may be problematic for many metals.
An experimental investigation of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds on two-phase aggregate elastic properties

Abstract Existing data supporting or disputing the validity of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds on the elastic properties of multiphase aggregates often do not consider porosity, elastic anisotropy, or experimental errors. In this experiment, two-phase aggregates of KCl + (NH4Br, TlBr, CsCl, NaCl, Cu, and LiF) at every 20% volume fraction were vacuum hot-pressed and the compressional and shear velocities were measured with a computer-controlled ultrasonic interferometer to ±0.2%. The ratio of the shear moduli, μ, (phase 2/KCl) varied from about 1 to 5, producing a range of separations between the theoretical two-phase Hashin-Shtrikman bounds for the composites. Samples were generally 99% or better of the theoretical density, with less than 1% velocity anisotropy. Porosity corrections were applied assuming spherical pores, based on the observed velocity-pressure behaviour. Velocities agreed with the HS bounds calculated from the end-member single-crystal stiffnesses when anisotropy was taken into account. The velocity data were also used to estimate the bulk modulus, K, and shear modulus of the second phase by means of the matrix method — taking the K and μ of KCl as known and calculating the moduli of the other phase assuming that the measured velocities were the two-phase Hashin-Shtrikman bounds or the Voigt-Reuss-Hill average. A narrow range of moduli estimates results only if the μ's of both phases are fairly closely matched. For μ's mismatched by a factor of 5, the theoretical uncertainty in the estimates can be 10 times larger than the experimental uncertainty. Estimates using the VRH average can lie outside the HS-based results.
The interplay of resource provisioning and workflow optimization in scientific applications

In this paper, we propose resource provisioning as the means to reduce the completion time of scientific workflows in a Grid environment. We propose task clustering as a form of workflow optimization that can be used along with provisioning in order to achieve this reduction in completion time. Provisioning can be done statically using advance reservations (ARs) or using dynamic provisioning mechanisms. A simulation is done using the Maui simulator, a workload trace collected from the NCSA Teragrid cluster and 13 workflows to study the effect of provisioning on the completion time of the scientific workflows. The results show in general a reduction of about 50% in the workflow completion time using provisioning for the First In First Out and fair share scheduling policies. In this paper, we also examine the cost of resource provisioning and propose a utilization-based metric that can be used to guide the provisioning decisions in order to reduce the cost. Finally, we present the results of a survey on the support of AR at the Grid sites. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Autonomous Bioluminescent Expression of the Bacterial Luciferase Gene Cassette (lux) in a Mammalian Cell Line

Background: The bacterial luciferase (lux) gene cassette consists of five genes (luxCDABE) whose protein products synergistically generate bioluminescent light signals exclusive of supplementary substrate additions or exogenous manipulations. Historically expressible only in prokaryotes, the lux operon was re-synthesized through a process of multibicistronic, codon-optimization to demonstrate for the first time self-directed bioluminescence emission in a mammalian HEK293 cell line in vitro and in vivo. Methodology/Principal Findings: Autonomous in vitro light production was shown to be 12-fold greater than the observable background associated with untransfected control cells. The availability of reduced riboflavin phosphate (FMNH2) was identified as the limiting bioluminescence substrate in the mammalian cell environment even after the addition of a constitutively expressed flavin reductase gene (frp) from Vibrio harveyi. FMNH2 supplementation led to a 151fold increase in bioluminescence in cells expressing mammalian codon-optimized luxCDE and frp genes. When injected subcutaneously into nude mice, in vivo optical imaging permitted near instantaneous light detection that persisted independently for the 60 min length of the assay with negligible background. Conclusions/Significance: The speed, longevity, and self-sufficiency of lux expression in the mammalian cellular environment provides a viable and powerful alternative for real-time target visualization not currently offered by existing bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging technologies.