cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Alachlor and Metolachlor on Toxicity of Chlorpyrifos and Major Detoxification Enzymes in the Aquatic Midge, Chironomus tentans (Diptera: Chironomidae)

The toxicities of two herbicides (alachlor and metolachlor) and an organophosphate insecticide (chlorpyrifos) were evaluated individually and with either herbicide in binary mixture with chlorpyrifos in fourth-instar larvae of the aquatic midge (Chironomus tentans). Alachlor alone up to 1,000 micrograms per liter of water (μg/L) did not exhibit significant toxicity, whereas metolachlor at 1,000 μg/L affected 58% of midges in 72-h bioassays. However, alachlor at 1,000 μg/L and metolachlor at 10, 100, and 1,000 μg/L enhanced the toxicity of chlorpyrifos to the midges. Furthermore, alachlor and metolachlor at 1,000 μg/L reduced acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity by 34.3% and 27.6%, respectively, in the treated midges. Although alachlor at 1,000 μg/L did not significantly affect protein production in the treated midges, it reduced glutathione S-transferases (GST) total activities by 1.9- to 2.1-fold. In contrast, metolachlor at 1,000 μg/L reduced protein production by 3.2-fold, which was associated with a 2.8-fold reduction of cytochrome P450 O-deethylation total activity and 1.4- to 1.7-fold reductions of GST total activities in the treated midges. Such reduced total activities of the major detoxification enzymes in herbicide-treated midges might impede the metabolic detoxification of chlorpyrifos and, therefore, increase the susceptibility of the midges to chlorpyrifos. Thus, it is likely that coexistence of chlorpyrifos and these herbicides, particularly metolachlor, in surface waters may pose increased risks to midges in aquatic environments.
Modeling Site Response in the Paducah, Kentucky Area

Abstract Site conditions at 37 locations in Paducah, Kentucky, and the surrounding area were modeled using seismic refraction and reflection data to determine site response to a suite of Canadian strong‐motion records and a hypothetical central United States earthquake. The seismic data, integrated with local borehole information, indicated that depths to bedrock range from less than 300 to more than 500 ft. The site‐response analysis shows that the study area can be subdivided into three zones and the highest spectral amplifications are associated with thick alluvial and lake‐bed deposits. The magnitude of spectral ratios ranges from less than five to more than 20 times, and dynamic site periods range from 0.7 to 1.5 sec. Although this study relates directly to the Paducah area, the methods and types of data collected are applicable for other Upper Mississippi Embayment communities for land‐use planning and the design of critical structures.
Hereditary defect in the platelet release reaction caused by a deficiency in the storage pool of platelet adenine nucleotides.

Summary A large family has recently been described in which impaired platelet aggregation was attributed to defective release of the ADP present, although in decreased amounts, in their platelets (Weiss et al, 1969). It was postulated that these patients might lack the storage, or non-metabolic, pool of ADP which is selectively released from specialized granules during the platelet release reaction and studies on three affected members of this family were undertaken to test this hypothesis. Citrated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was incubated with [8-14C]adenine for 2 hr at 37°C and the specific activity of platelet nucleotides was determined. The release reaction was then induced by shaking the PRP with collagen fibres. The labelling patterns in the patients' platelets were distinctly abnormal. The specific activities of their platelet ADP following incubation with [14C]adenine were 4–6 times those of similarly treated normal platelets and were similar to those obtained in the normal platelets after they had been depleted of their non-metabolic (unlabelled) ADP by treatment with collagen. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the patients' platelets contain a normal amount of metabolically active ADP, but are deficient in the storage pool. Similar conclusions were reached for ATP. Incubation of the patients' platelets with collagen was accompanied by a normal disappearance of radioactive ATP and accumulation of radioactive IMP and hypoxanthine. Thus the abnormality in the platelet release reaction in these patients appears to be the result of a diminished storage pool of nucleotides rather than a block in the pathway which may provide the energy for this reaction.
Experimental Confirmation of Different Mechanisms of Evaporation from Ink-Bottle Type Pores: Equilibrium, Pore Blocking, and Cavitation

We present a new classification of physical mechanisms of adsorption hysteresis in ink-bottle type pores confirmed by experimental studies of capillary condensation of N2, Ar, and Kr at 77.4 and 87.4 K in ordered 3D cage-like structures of FDU-1 and SBA-16 nanoporous templated silicas with narrow pore size distribution. An analysis of the hysteresis loops and scanning desorption isotherms on FDU-1 with ∼15 nm spherical pores reveals three mechanisms of evaporation: (1) evaporation from the blocked cavities controlled by the size of connecting pores (classical ink-bottle or pore blocking effect); (2) spontaneous evaporation caused by cavitation of the stretched metastable liquid; and, for the first time, (3) near-equilibrium evaporation in the region of hysteresis from unblocked cavities that have access to the vapor phase. Studies of the temperature dependence of the hysteresis loop showed a transition between the cavitation and the pore blocking regimes of evaporation, which opens up the possibility to ...
Observations on the crystallization of amylopectin from aqueous solution

Abstract If concentrated aqueous solutions of amylopectin are stored at 2°C aggregation occurs with the eventual formation of an opaque elastic gel. The gel can be melted by heating to 100°C. During gel formation the amylopectin crystallizes into the B-type crystalline modification of starch and the crystalline order approaches that of the native starch granule.
Improved index compression techniques for versioned document collections

Current Information Retrieval systems use inverted index structures for efficient query processing. Due to the extremely large size of many data sets, these index structures are usually kept in compressed form, and many techniques for optimizing compressed size and query processing speed have been proposed. In this paper, we focus on versioned document collections, that is, collections where each document is modified over time, resulting in multiple versions of the document. Consecutive versions of the same document are often similar, and several researchers have explored ideas for exploiting this similarity to decrease index size. We propose new index compression techniques for versioned document collections that achieve reductions in index size over previous methods. In particular, we first propose several bitwise compression techniques that achieve a compact index structure but that are too slow for most applications. Based on the lessons learned, we then propose additional techniques that come close to the sizes of the bitwise technique while also improving on the speed of the best previous methods.
Protein engineering of a cold-active β-galactosidase from Arthrobacter sp. SB to increase lactose hydrolysis reveals new sites affecting low temperature activity

We examined variants of an especially cold-active β-galactosidase (BgaS) to better understand features affecting enzyme activity at temperature extremes. We targeted locations corresponding to a region in the LacZ enzyme previously shown to increase activity and decrease thermostability. Changes in this region of BgaS consistently caused the elimination or reduction of activity. A gene (bgaS3) encoding a loss of function variant was subjected to random mutagenesis to restore activity and discover potential interactions important in cold activity. Gene sequences from the resulting library indicated that only two amino acid alterations, E229D and V405A, were required to restore activity. Genes with combinations of these mutations were constructed and their enzymes purified. Enzymes with the E229D/V405A/G803D alterations (BgaS6), or E229D/V405A (BgaS7) had similar thermal optima and thermostabilities as BgaS. BgaS7, however, showed a 2.5-fold increase in catalytic activity at 15°C and hydrolyzed 80% of lactose in skim milk in less than half the time of BgaS at 2.5°C. Computer-generated models predicted that the substitutions at positions 229 and 405 yielded fewer contacts at the enzyme’s activating interface. Results from regional saturation mutagenesis supported this hypothesis and suggested that not easily predicted, subtle, cooperative intramolecular interactions contributed to thermal adaptation.
TEMPO-Based Catholyte for High-Energy Density Nonaqueous Redox Flow Batteries

A TEMPO-based non-aqueous electrolyte with the TEMPO concentration as high as 2.0 m is demonstrated as a high-energy-density catholyte for redox flow battery applications. With a hybrid anode, Li|TEMPO flow cells using this electrolyte deliver an energy efficiency of ca. 70% and an impressively high energy density of 126 W h L(-1) .
Development of a synergistic case-based microanatomy curriculum.

This paper discusses the development of an interactive approach to teaching and assessing a microanatomy curriculum in an innovative medical school program. As an alternative to lectures and labs, students are engaged in interactive seminars focused on discussion of clinical and research-based cases matched with normal histology and pathology slides. A virtual microscopic system is used rather than the traditional glass slide and light microscope. Evaluation of student performance consists of self-assessment board style questions, concept appraisal problems, and utilization of a portfolio system where the assessment pieces are continuously integrated as part of written formative and summative assessments. Anat Sci Ed 1:102–105, 2008. © 2008 American Association of Anatomists.
Cars on crutches: How much abatement do smog check repairs actually provide?

Not as much abatement as has been presumed. Smog check programs aim to curb tailpipe emissions from in-use vehicles by requiring repairs whenever emissions, measured at regular time intervals, exceed a certain threshold. Using data from California, we estimate that on average 41% of the initial emissions abatement from repairs is lost by the time of the subsequent inspection, normally two years later. Our estimates imply that the cost per pound of pollution avoided is an order of magnitude greater for smog check repairs than alternative policies such as new-vehicle standards or emissions trading among industrial point sources.
Bioavailability of microsphere-entrapped cyclosporine A in the cornea and aqueous of rabbits.

Extended release of immunosuppressive drugs and sustained drug levels are desirable for the treatment of corneal graft rejection and other ocular immune disorders. This experiment was conducted with biodegradable microspheres containing cyclosporine A to assess their suitability for achieving this goal. Microspheres containing cyclosporine A were prepared using a solvent evaporation process. A mixture of poly (lactic) and poly(glycolic) acid polymers (50: 50) and cyclosporine A was dissolved in a mixture of chloroform and acetone. The solution was then emulsified in an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol and stirred for 24 hours to evaporate the organic solvent. The final assayed concentration of cyclosporine A was 15.38 mg/mL. A 0.13 mL aliquot (2.0 mg) of the suspension of the microspheres was injected subconjunctivally in 24 eyes of white New Zealand rabbits. The concentration of cyclosporine A in the aqueous and cornea was measured at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 144 hours after injection (n=4 for each group). Corneal levels of cyclosporine A ranged from 2392±70 ng/mL at 6 hours to 1297±459 ng/mL at 144 hours. The aqueous levels ranged from 110±0 ng/mL at 6 hours to 62±11 ng/mL at 144 hours. These data indicate that a microsphere drug delivery system is an effective means of delivering cyclosporine A to the cornea and anterior chamber, and may provide an alternative for the treatment of ocular immune disorders.
Experimental and /first-order many-body/ theoretical differential and integral cross sections for excitation of the n = 3 states of He by electron impact at 29.2 and 39.7 eV

Differential and integral electron scattering cross sections have been measured and calculated for the transitions $1^{1}S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3^{1}S, 3^{3}S, 3^{3}P$ and for the experimentally unresolved transitions $1^{1}S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3^{1}P, 3^{1,3}D$ in helium. Measurements were made relative to both the $2^{3}P$ and $2^{1}P$ transitions at incident electron energies of 29.2 and 39.7 eV, and over the angular range 5-136\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The $n=3$ relative differential cross sections (DCS) were normalized to the absolute scale by utilizing known normalized absolute DCS for the $2^{3}P$ and $2^{1}P$ transitions. The theoretical calculations were carried out in the first-order manybody theory of Csanak, Taylor, and Yaris. Comparisons are also made of the present measurements and calculations with other calculations carried out for the $3^{1}S$, $3^{1}D$, and $3^{1}P$ states in the Born and several Ochkur-like approximations. The theoretical origins in several theories of the intriguing sharp minimum in the $1^{1}S\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3^{1}S$ DCS are discussed.
A Bridge for Precision Power-Factor Measurements on Small Oil Samples

A BRIDGE constructed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the measurement of the power factor of small oil samples to an absolute power-factor precision of 10 ∼6 is described in this paper. The bridge is being used in a research project for the study of commercial cable oils and pure synthetic hydrocarbons.
Connectivity of Ad Hoc Networks for Advanced Air Traffic Management

This paper presents the concept and studies connectivities of wireless ad hoc networks among aircraft for enhanced situational awareness. Under this multi-hop broadcast concept, an aircraft would periodically broadcast not only its own state information, but also relay state information received from neighboring aircraft. In this paper, a basic architecture of such an airborne ad hoc network is established. The relationship between network connectivity and information reachability, which accounts for information latency and depends on transmission protocols, is discussed. Two general performance criteria are introduced that measure the connectivity performance of an airborne network subject to a specified maximum number of hops in the network. The first metric is the ratio of the total coverage area of a network cluster over that of a single aircraft. The second metric is the number of aircraft each individual aircraft can connect to within the network cluster. Three representative types of traffic scenarios are considered: a one-dimensional flight stream, two streams merging into one, and randomly distributed traffic over a horizontal region. In all cases, aircraft positions are checked against their conflict-free requirements. For the onedimensional traffic and merging traffic scenarios, the best, the worst, and the average values of the connectivity performance criteria are obtained via numerical simulations. For the two-dimensional random traffic scenario, random simulations are repeated, and both average connectivity performances and their standard deviations are calculated. Simulation results indicate that the connectivity of the proposed airborne ad hoc network is always better than that of the non-relay scheme. Overall, the proposed concept offers great flexibilities through the use of different transmission protocols and maximizes the benefits of a given digital data link.
A Genetic (Psychological) Phenomenology of Perception

This paper focuses on the concept of the "intentional arc" in Merleau-Ponty, who maintains that perception comes into play within, and is nourished by, an already established relation between the person and the world. That obscure relation, the intentional arc, is the "genesis" of perception, and this paper argues that in it resides the proper theme of a psychological phenomenology of perception. A study of the intentional arc shows that perception is not a passive, causal, impersonal process. On the contrary, perception is active in that it requires the perceiver's free consent to the solicitations stemming from the world; it is thus only motivated or beckoned, but not caused; and it rests on a personal foundation, which is to say that it depends on the entire psychological life of the perceiver. A subsequent paper will enrich and develop the implications of this thesis by taking up the phenomenology of hallucinations.
A generalization of AVL trees

A generalization of AVL trees is proposed in which imbalances up to Δ are permitted, where Δ is a small integer. An experiment is performed to compare these trees with standard AVL trees and with balanced trees on the basis of mean retrieval time, of amount of restructuring expected, and on the worst case of retrieval time. It is shown that, by permitting imbalances of up to five units, the retrieval time is increased a small amount while the amount of restructuring required is decreased by a factor of ten.A few theoretical results are derived, including the correction of an earlier paper, and are duly compared with the experimental data. Reasonably good correspondence is found.
The Role of Meprin A in the Pathogenesis of Acute Renal Failure

Meprin A is a zinc-dependent metallo-endopeptidase that is present in the brush border membrane of renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Although this enzyme has been detected in the kidney of mammalian species and its biochemical structure and action have been characterized, the role of this endopeptidase in normal renal physiology and in disease states is unknown. Therefore, we assessed the susceptibility of inbred strains of mice with normal and low meprin A activity to ischemic and nephrotoxic acute renal failure. We report that two normal meprin A strains of mice, C57BL/6 and DBA/2, developed more severe renal functional and structural injury following either bilateral renal artery clamping or the injection of hypertonic glycerol, compared to two low meprin A strains, C3H/He and CBA. These findings suggest that meprin A plays a role in the pathophysiology of acute renal failure following a variety of insults to the kidney. We propose that redistribution of this metalloendopeptidase to the basolateral membrane domain during acute renal failure results in degradation of the extracellular matrix and damage to adjacent peritubular structures.
Distorted wave emission function (DWEF) calculations of RHIC HBT and spectra

The emission of pions produced within a dense, strongly-interacting system of matter in the presence of strong radial flow and absorption is described using a relativistic optical model formalism, replacing the attenuated or unattenuated plane waves of earlier emission function approaches with "distorted wave" solutions to a relativistic wave equation including a complex optical potential. The resulting distorted-wave emission function model (DWEF) is used in numerical calculations to fit HBT correlations and the resonance-corrected pion spectrum from central-collision STAR Au+Au pion data at Os = 200 GeV. Excellent agreement with the STAR data are obtained. This allows us to predict HBT radii over a range of centralities for both Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions.
Junzi as a Tragic Person: A Self Psychological Interpretation of the Analects

This article explicates self psychological connotations of junzi (君子) in the Analects of Confucius. Junzi is a noble person who attempts to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues in concrete human relationships at any cost. Kohut argues that a tragic person is faithful to the psychologically structured ideals even at the expense of death. Like a tragic person, a junzi follows his or her ideals and values, which are deeply anchored in the nuclear self. In the Analects, a junzi remarkably resembles a tragic person. A junzi in the Analects shows the characteristics of a tragic person: empathy, creativity, humor, and wisdom.
Blockade of ionotropic quisqualate receptor desensitization in rat hippocampal neurons by wheatgerm agglutinin and other lectins.

Abstract Previous experiments with wheatgerm agglutinin, an inhibitor of ionotropic quisqualate receptor desensitization, suggest that desensitization regulates quisqualate receptor-mediated synaptic transmission and excitotoxicity. Using whole-cell recordings from cultured postnatal rat hippocampal neurons, we have examined the wheatgerm agglutinin effect in further detail and compared it to other lectins. Wheatgerm agglutinin and other lectins belonging to the glucose/mannose, N -acetylglucosamine, and sialic acid classes inhibited desensitization. However, wheatgerm agglutinin was the most effective and had the most rapid onset of action. The inhibition was dose-dependent, and it was reduced and reversed by N -acetylglucosamine and N -acetylneuraminic acid. Treating neurons with neuraminidase, which cleaves sialic acid residues from the surface of cells, also diminished the effect. These results suggest that wheatgerm agglutinin reversibly inhibits ionotropic quisqualate receptor desensitization by interacting with carbohydrate residues on or near the quisqualate receptor complex. Future studies using the lectins may help to clarify the functional role of carbohydrate chains on the ionotropic quisqualate receptor.
Individual Choice when Objects have "Ordinal" Properties

We have attempted here to trace the implications, in terms of operational procedures, of some postulates about the "physical" nature of objects on one hand and individual choice behaviour on the other. We summarize the major result in very loose terms by asserting that if when choosing from among several objects which are characterized by "qualitative" or "ordinal" properties, an individual's choice obeys a transitivity law, then the choice is necessarily" dictated" by one characteristic a lone; that is, the underlying preference must be lexicographic in one of these ordinal properties. The reader must consult the text below for an elaboration on the meaning of the terms emphasized by quotation marks before the proper context of the result can be established.
Restricted rotation due to the lack of free space within a capsule translates into product selectivity: photochemistry of cyclohexyl phenyl ketones within a water-soluble organic capsule

The rotational mobility of organic guest molecules when included within a confined capsule is restricted and this feature could be translated into product selectivity as established with the photochemical behavior of cyclohexyl phenyl ketones.
Oligonucleotide-directed restriction endonuclease digestion.

The following is a simple procedure for efficiently targeting restriction endonuclease digestion to virtually any restriction endonuclease site in cloned single-strand DNA. A synthetic oligonucleotide complementary to the site of interest is hybridized to the single-strand DNA to form a duplex substrate for the restriction endonuclease. Cleavage is limited to only a single copy of a restriction endonuclease recognition sequence which may be present in multiple copies in the single-strand DNA because the sequences flanking the restriction endonuclease recognition sequence in the oligonucleotide target the oligonucleotide to the proper site. Nonspecific endonuclease digestion is blocked by the addition of E. coli single-strand DNA binding protein (SBP]. The cleaved single-strand DNA can be easily used for the preparation of site-specific inframe deletions and insertions by priming DNA synthesis on the cleaved DNA with an appropriately designed oligonucleotide complementary to the 3' end of the DNA, followed by ligation and transformation. Single-strand DNA at a ratio of lug of DNA to lug of oligonucleotide, 7.5ug of SBP, and 2-5 units of restriction endonuclease is digested in a 20ul to looul volume of Buffer A [lOmM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 10mM MgCl2, lmM DTT, and 1 ug/ml bovine serum albumin] depending upon the amount of single-strand DNA used for 1 to 2hr at 370C. The oligonucleotide and singlestrand DNA are first incubated in Buffer A at 550C for 30min to anneal the oligonucleotide followed by a 15min incubation at 370C to adjust the temperature to the digestion conditions. The SBP is added and incubation is continued for 10min to coat the singlestrand regions of the DNA prior to the addition of the restriction endonuclease. The extent of digestion with each combination of oligonucleotide, SBP, and restriction endonuclease should be monitored by submerged agarose gel electrophoresis on 0.8% agarose gels buffered with Tris-Borate-EDTA [1]. The optimal conditions for targeting digestion with a particular oligonucleotide may have to be experimentally modified by varying the digestion conditions. Cleaved single-strand DNA stripped of accompanying cleaved oligonucleotide can be prepared by denaturing the digestion products with 0.1M NaOH and immediately purifying the DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis on 0.9% low melting temperature agarose gels buffered with Tris-Borate-EDTA [1] followed by electroelution. Cleaved single-strand DNA purifed by phenol/chloroform extraction and precipitated with ethanol [1] can be used as a template for DNA synthesis or other procedures.
Local structure, magnetism, and superconductivity in Sr analogs of Fe-doped YBa 2 Cu 3- y Fe y O 6+ x

The local structure, magnetism, and superconductivity of Y1−z Ca z Sr2Cu3−y Fe y O6+x have been investigated by magnetic susceptibility,57Fe Mossbauer absorption spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and iodometric titration. By modification of the hole distribution between the Cu(1)O x chains and Cu(2)O2 sheets, we induced bulk superconductivity with a maximum superconducting critical temperatureT c near 20 K in Y−zCa z Sr2Cu2.5Fe0.5O6+x (0.05≤z≤0.18). We interpret the development of a broad maximum inT c and the Meissner fractionV f versusz nearz=0.12 to be due to an increasing transfer of holes from the Cu(1)O x chains to the Cu(2)O2 sheets induced by a shorterc-axis and reduced Coloumb repulsion of the positively charged Y1−z Ca z plane. The increase in hole transfer from the Cu(1)O x chains to the Cu(2)O2 sheets also modulates the magnetic ordering temperatureT m. We show thatT m of YSr2Cu2FeO7.26 is approximately 65 K, which is much lower than that observed in YBa2Cu2.31Fe0.69O7.21 (T m≈400 K).
Keep meaning in conversational coordination

Coordination is a widely employed term across recent quantitative and qualitative approaches to intersubjectivity, particularly approaches that give embodiment and enaction central explanatory roles. With a focus on linguistic and bodily coordination in conversational contexts, I review the operational meaning of coordination in recent empirical research and related theorizing of embodied intersubjectivity. This discussion articulates what must be involved in treating linguistic meaning as dynamic processes of coordination. The coordination approach presents languaging as a set of dynamic self-organizing processes and actions on multiple timescales and across multiple modalities that come about and work in certain domains (those jointly constructed in social, interactive, high-order sense-making). These processes go beyond meaning at the level that is available to first-person experience. I take one crucial consequence of this to be the ubiquitously moral nature of languaging with others. Languaging coordinates experience, among other levels of behavior and event. Ethical effort is called for by the automatic autonomy-influencing forces of languaging as coordination.
Beyond noise mitigation: managing soundscapes as common-pool resources

The extent of noise and its impacts continues to grow globally indicating a different approach from regulating individual noise sources is needed. We pose the argument that soundscapes, or the acoustic environment, should be managed as a common-pool resource (CPR). Using CPR theory, we argue that soundscapes possess key features of CPRs: (1) multiple soundscape users, (2) difficulty of exclusion, and (3) subtractability and degradation. Using Ostrom’s Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework, we describe the main elements of soundscapes to consider for their sustainable management. In order to assess noise issues and challenges in managing national park soundscapes, we conducted interviews with U.S. National Park Service managers at parks identified as having air tour overflight impacts. While most managers indicated that aircraft overflights posed the most serious impacts to park resources and visitor experiences, the park units also experienced several other types of noise impacts including traffic on park roads, park maintenance operations, and different types of motorized recreational vehicles. Addressing single sources of noise is necessary, as is the case with air tour overflights, but we argue that a more comprehensive approach is needed to protect park soundscapes. From this study several SES framework variables emerged that need to be addressed for sustainable management, such as the lack of clear soundscape boundaries, availability of acoustic monitoring and data, and the number and types of soundscape users. Based on CPR theory and using the SES framework, the challenges and a potential new approach for sustainable management are discussed.
A case of common variable immunodeficiency syndrome associated with Takayasu arteritis.

Background Association of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) with Takayasu arteritis has rarely been reported. Objective To describe a case of Takayasu arteritis in a 53-year-old Hispanic woman with CVID undergoing long-term (3-year) intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. Methods The patient's serum immunoglobulin levels and antibody titers to measles, mumps, and rubella were measured. She also underwent angiography of the large vessels. Results Low to undetectable serum IgA, IgM, and IgG levels and low antibody titers to mumps, measles, and rubella were consistent with the diagnosis of CVID. The angiogram showed narrowing of the proximal left subclavian artery (2-3 mm in diameter). Conclusions This patient developed Takayasu arteritis while receiving IVIG for CVID. She clinically improved after her IVIG dose was increased. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of Takayasu arteritis associated with CVID.
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in adjuvant chemotherapy for older women with lymph node-positive, operable breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Consistent with findings from clinical trials, a recent population-based study indicated that adjuvant chemotherapy for lymph node-positive, operable breast cancer is effective at improving survival in older women, specifically those ages 65 years to 69 years; however, to the authors' knowledge, no conclusion has been reached about the relative benefit of chemotherapy for women aged ≥70 years, probably because of small number of patients. However, little is known about racial and socioeconomic disparities in adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer among older women. METHODS: This study included 14,177 white women and 1277 black women aged ≥65 years who were diagnosed with operable breast cancer (stage II-IIIA) and positive lymph nodes between 1991 and 2002. These women were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results and Medicare-linked database. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compute the odds ratios of receiving chemotherapy among black women compared with white women, and the causal step approach was used to test whether census tract-level poverty mediated racial disparities. RESULTS: Interaction terms analyses indicated that regressions should be stratified by age group. In the group ages 65 years to 69 years, the adjusted odds ratio of receiving chemotherapy were lower for black women than for white women (odds ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.97). Poverty mediated the association between chemotherapy and race in this age group. No racial or socioeconomic disparities were observed among women aged ≥70 years. CONCLUSIONS: This study documented racial disparities in adjuvant chemotherapy that were mediated by poverty in women ages 65 years to 69 years, an age group for which there is clear evidence for the efficacy of chemotherapy, but no disparities were observed among women aged ≥70 years. The authors concluded that it is important to work toward reducing treatment disparities among older women. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Trend Dynamics and Attention in Chinese Social Media

We analyzed the temporal aspect of trends and trend-setters in Sina Weibo, contrasting it with earlier observations of Twitter. We found a vast difference in the content shared in China as compared with a global social network such as Twitter. In China, the trends are created almost entirely due to the retweets of media content such as jokes, images, and videos, unlike Twitter where trends have more to do with current global events and news stories. On closer inspection, we observed that most trends in Sina Weibo are due to the continuous retweets of a small percentage of fraudulent accounts, set up to artificially inflate certain posts. This reveals evidence of an “Internet Water Army,” a unique promotional method deployed by public relations companies in China to influence the popular dissemination of information in online social networks.
Recordings from arterial pressure-sensitive units in the awake dog

Abstract Recordings were made from units in or near nucleus ambiguus (NA) in the awake, drug-free dog while arterial pressure (AP) was increased and decreased nonpharmacologically by inflating occlusion cuffs that had been placed around the descending aorta and inferior vena cava, respectively. Units were recorded differentially through floating fine-wire electrodes that extended from vertically movable cannulas in a chronically implanted microdrive. Fifty-three percent of units recorded in or near NA were excited by increased AP, but were unresponsive to decreased AP. The remaining units were unresponsive to increased or decreased AP. About 25% of AP-sensitive units had activity patterns related to the cardiac cycle. AP-sensitive, cardiac cycle related units located in NA displayed several of the properties previously demonstrated for antidromically indentified preganglionic parasympathetic cardiac motoneurons involved in baroreflex control of heart rate and rhythm. Recording from such neurons in the awake, neurologically intact, drug-free dog permits the fullest and most natural expression of neuro-cardiologic interactions and will allow the investigation of behavioral influences on autonomic and cardiovascular function.
HEAVY LEPTON SIGNALS AT THE SSC

Some signals for heavy leptons at the SSC are discussed. For the first time, a signal that can be extracted from the background was demonstrated. The signal involves isolated leptons and jets and does not require measurement of missing transverse momenta. The prospects for detection of a heavy lepton at hadron colliders are limited by the available luminosity rather than by the background.
An automated climbing apparatus to measure chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster.

We have developed a novel model system in Drosophila melanogaster to study chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity in adult flies. Neurological deficits were measured using a manual geotactic climbing assay. The manual assay is commonly used; however, it is laborious, time-consuming, subject to human error and limited to observing one sample at a time. We have designed and built a new automated fly-counting apparatus that uses a “video capture-particle counting technology” to automatically measure 10 samples at a time, with 20 flies per sample. Climbing behavior was assessed manually, as in our previous studies, and with the automated apparatus within the same experiment yielding statistically similar results. Both climbing endpoints as well as the climbing rate can be measured in the apparatus, giving the assay more versatility than the manual assay. Automation of our climbing assay reduces variability, increases productivity and enables high throughput drug screens for neurotoxicity.
Power-law kinetics of tracer washout from physiological systems

Recent studies suggest that the tail of the washout of tracer-labeled substances from physiological systems can exhibit power-law behavior. In this work we develop a theoretical interpretation of the power-law behavior of the flow-limited washout of tracer-labeled water from the myocardium. Using minimal assumptions concerning the complicated structure of the coronary network we show that the washout from a heterogeneous flow system is given by h(t) ≃ A · p1(V/t)−β, where β is close to 3, p1 is the probability density of flows through the system, V is a constant volume associated with each pathway, and A is a constant. This prediction fits observed power-law washout behavior of tracer water in the heart. This theory is general enough to lead us to speculate that close examination of transport in other heterogeneity-perfused systems is likely to reveal similar power-law behavior. © 1998 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC98: 8745-k, 8722Fy
The effects of experience on agonistic responding: an expectancy theory interpretation

Some findings are presented which raise questions about the adequacy of traditional reinforcement interpretations of the effects of victory and defeat on future agonistic responsiveness. In this study, experiencing complete victory (reinforcement) did not alter future aggressiveness, whereas experiencing incomplete victory (minimal or nonreinforcement) led to increases in future aggressiveness. Experiential effects on agonistic responding are reinterpreted according to an extension of Expectancy Theory.
Survey of adaptive control using Liapunov design

A survey was made of the literature devoted to the synthesis of model-tracking adaptive systems based on application of Liapunov's second method. The basic synthesis procedure is introduced and a critical review of extensions made to the theory since 1966 is made. The extensions relate to design for relative stability, reduction of order techniques, design with disturbance, design with time variable parameters, multivariable systems, identification, and an adaptive observer.
Effect of dry‐heat sterilization on chemical properties of Puerto Rican soils

Abstract Few references explain the effects of dry‐heat sterilization on soil chemical properties. Yet dry heating at 121°C for 2 hours is the prescribed USDA Animal, Plant, and Health Inspection Service basic treatment for soils entering United States ports of entry. This study concerns the effects of air drying and dryheat sterilization on chemical properties of Puerto Rican soils, chiefly macronutrients and micronutrients, found after extracting with Mehlich‐1 and Olsen solutions. Results for dry heating are compared with reported results for other sterilization procedures. Dry heating did not significantly alter soil N, organic matter content, or soil bases. Depending on the extractant used, changes in P concentrations were significant. Results for micronutrient determinations were more variable and also depended on the extractant used after sterilization. Concentrations of Mn and Fe extracted from dry‐heated soils were significantly greater than concentrations extracted from air‐dried soils. Effects ...
Plasma Chemistries of Nitrite Stressed Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar

Plasma chemistries were measured in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) exposed to elevated nitrite concentrations in an attempt to identify those parameters of potential value as early predictors of nitrite stress in a water-reuse system. The most notable finding was a decrease in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity with increasing time of exposure to elevated nitrite concentrations. Chloride was found to have a protective effect against nitrite toxicity as indicated by higher ALP activities and lower percent methemoglobin in fish exposed to elevated nitrite concentrations at the higher of two chloride concentrations.
Decreased Frequency of Functional Natural Interferon-Producing Cells in Peripheral Blood of Patients with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Abstract Deficient in vitro production of interferon-α (IFN-α) in response to herpes simplex virus (HSV) occurs in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with the most deficient responses associated with opportunistic infections (OI). The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) which produce IFN-α in response to HSV are light density, HLA-DR + cells lacking any unique surface markers and have been termed "natural interferon-producing cells" (NIPC). In this study, IFN-α responses were measured and the ELISpot assay was utilized to determine the frequency of NIPC in response to HSV. As expected, HIV-infected patients had depressed IFN-α production. In the ELISpot assay, healthy controls had a mean frequency of 1:703 NIPC among PBMC; each NIPC made approximately 2 international units (IU) of IFN-α. HIV-infected patients on average had fourfold less NIPC than controls and produced 1 IU IFN-α/NIPC; the plaque size for patient samples was often smaller than that for controls. NIPC frequency and IFN-α production were lowest in patients with a history of OI. In conclusion, deficient IFN-α production by AIDS patients results from reductions in both the frequency and the activity of NIPC, probably reflecting a gradual turning off of IFN-α production.
TRMM Validation Program

The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Validation Program has established, participates in and supports a broad range of complementary activities, including instrument development, algorithm development, research on data assimilation techniques, modeling studies, field experiments and international cooperative arrangements, all aimed at providing the most accurate rainfall measurements possible at a number of representative sites around the tropics in order to validate estimates of rainfall from the space-borne instrument complement that will orbit Earth aboard the TRMM satellite. The Program also includes ground-based measurements of the vertical structure of precipitation systems, physical process and modeling studies to better understand the relation between vertical structure and latent heat release, development of airborne sensing technology for instantaneous validation and/or calibration of TRMM: over oceans, investigations of multiparameter radar techniques for improved accuracies, and determination of pre-mission climatologies for the refinement of sampling error analyses. The TRMM validation strategy also includes establishment of one or more world-class facilities for rain measurement research and calibration of both new and existing rainfall measuring instruments, including ocean techniques. Given the difficulties of measuring rain intensity because of its extreme variability in time and space, it is recognized that a consistent rain measurement/estimation scheme for calibrating and validating space measurements will necessarily involve a hybrid system of observations that, with appropriate climatologically-dependent algorithms and analysis schemes, will ensure data of uniform quality and reliability. >
Using the Atlas Planning Engine to Drive an Intelligent Tutoring System: CIRCSIM-Tutor Version 3

CIRCSIM-Tutor Version 3 includes a reactive planner, APE - the Atlas Planning Engine. By using this planner, we are able to effectively respond to dynamic changes in the environment of tutoring students to solve problems in cardiovascular physiology dealing with the regulation of blood pressure. Use of the reactive planner allows us to adapt to student initiatives or unpredictable answers to questions by replacing the planner's responses with newly computed better reactions and allows us to specify new goals to the ITS and have it alter its reaction so as to achieve these new goals. The result is a more cohesive dialog with the student.
Tailored low-dose fluoroscopic voiding cystourethrography for the reevaluation of vesicoureteral reflux in girls.

Radionuclide voiding cystography is generally advocated for the reevaluation of proved vesicoureteral reflux. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of tailored low-dose fluoroscopic voiding cystourethrography for this purpose.Forty-five girls (2 years 9 months to 19 years 7 months old; mean, 7.4 years) who had proved reflux were examined with tailored low-dose voiding cystourethrography. The technique used a low-dose fluoroscopic system and a computer-based video frame grabber that produced frame-averaged digital video fluoroscopic hard copies. A tailored voiding cystourethrographic protocol was designed to minimize ovarian radiation dose. Digital images were compared with standard 105-mm spot films in a similar group of 25 children.The tailored low-dose fluoroscopic technique produced diagnostically adequate images in all patients that were comparable in quality to standard spot films. The ovarian dose was 1.7-5.2 mrad (0.017-0.052 mGy) with a mean of 2.9 mrad (0.029 mGy). This compared fa...
A comparison of coronary angioplasty and coronary artery bypass grafting outcomes in chronic dialysis patients

The objective of this study was to compare the outcomes of angina, myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac death, and all-cause death following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The study design was based on retrospective, nonrandomized analysis and was set in referral teaching hospitals and community hospitals. Eighty-four chronic dialysis patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease without prior revascularization were included in the study. Twenty-four patients underwent PTCA of one or more vessels, and 60 patients underwent CABG. Recurrence of angina, MI, cardiac death, and all-cause death following revascularization as well as the number of inpatient days preprocedure and postprocedure were recorded. The two patient groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, history of MI, left ventricular mass and function, and angina severity. Diabetes mellitus was more prevalent in the PTCA group. The CABG group had more severe coronary artery disease. The 2-year survival rate of the CABG patients (66%; 95% confidence interval = 53.79) did not differ from that of the PTCA patients (51%; 95% confidence interval = 27.65). Thirteen PTCA patients were restudied 106 +/- 108 days after recurrence of angina; nine (69%) of these patients were found to have angiographic restenosis. The postprocedure risk of angina and the combined endpoints of angina, MI, and cardiovascular death were significantly greater following PTCA than CABG. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was the only consistent predictor of outcomes; the adjusted relative risks (compared with CABG) of postprocedure angina and combined endpoints were 16.4 and 10.2, respectively, and were several-fold higher than the unadjusted risks. We conclude that in chronic dialysis patients with symptomatic coronary disease, patients undergoing PTCA have a higher risk of subsequent angina and combined angina, MI, and cardiovascular death than those undergoing CABG. The optimal approach to coronary revascularization in this patient population remains to be determined.
A Strong-Minded Woman: The Life of Mary A. Livermore – By Wendy Hamand Venet

Mary A. Livermore is one of those prominent nineteenth‐century women who faded into obscurity. Wendy Hamand Venet has made a significant contribution by rescuing this forgotten woman in this well‐w...