cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of several oximes as reactivators of unaged soman-inhibited whole blood acetylcholinesterase in rabbits.

Abstract The antidotal benefit of oximes against organophosphorus (OP) anticholinesterase intoxication is thought to be due to reactivation of the OP-inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE). This study was conducted to determine whether the antidotal efficacy against soman by the oximes 2-hydroxyiminomethyl-3-methyl-1-[2-(3-methyl-3-nitrobutyl o Cl (ICD 467) and 1,1′-methylenebis[4-(hydroxyiminomethyl) pyridinium] di-Cl (MMB-4) resulted, in part, from reactivation of the inhibited AChE. These oximes were tested in parallel with pralidoxime Cl (2-PAM) and 1-(2-hydroxyiminomethyl-1-pyridinio-3-(4-carbamoyl-1-pyridinio)-2-oxapropane di-Cl (HI-6). Rabbits were atropinized (8 mg/kg, i.m.) and intoxicated with soman (13 μg/kg, i.V.; 1.2 × ld 50) 5 min later. Three minutes after soman, animals were treated with oxime (50, 100 or 150 μmol/kg, i.m.). Whole blood was collected from a catheter in the central artery of the ear just before soman, at 2 min after soman and at 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min after oxime or vehicle for determination of AChE activity. Shortly thereafter, animals were anesthetized and exsanguinated with immediate flushing using heparinized saline. AChE activity was also determined on the cortex, medulla-pons and diaphragm to assess central and peripheral reactivation. Treatment with HI-6 or MMB-4 (50 μmol/kg, i.m.) resulted in significant (P
Phosphoglycolate phosphatase: purification and preparation of antibodies

Phosphoglycolate phosphatase was partially purified from leaves of Nicotiana rustica using ion exchange and chromatofocusing columns. The native molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to be about 58 kD from Ferguson plots, with a subunit size of about 32 kD. The native enzyme is thus likely to be a dimer. A polyclonal antibody prepared against the LDS denatured enzyme cross reacted with proteins from Nicotiana tabacum, Glycine max, Spinacea oleracea and Arabidopsis thaniana. There was little or no reaction with an Arabidopsis mutant lacking phosphoglycolate phosphatase activity, indicating a much reduced level of phosphoglycolate phosphatase protein in the mutant.
Reduced Surfactant Protein C Expression in Full-Term Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome • 1776

Reduced Surfactant Protein C Expression in Full-Term Infants with Respiratory Distress Syndrome • 1776
Best practices in white-collar downsizing: managing contradictions

Executive Overview It is no secret that U.S. industry, once the most productive in the world, is now lagging behind its global competitors. What is not well known is that blue-collar productivity is not necessarily the problem. Between 1978 and 1986, for example, the number of production workers declilned by six percent while real output rose 15 percent. White-collar productivity decreased six percent while the number of workers increased by twenty-one percent. Downsizing, which involves reducing the workforce, but also eliminates functions and redesigns systems and policies to contain costs, is becoming more common in U.S. companies. Despite its pervasiveness, however, downsizing has rarely been investigated by organization and management researchers. This article seeks to identify the processes used in effective downsizing as well as the consequences that result. The authors studied organizational downsizing and redesign for four years in thirty organizations in the automobile industry. Six general stra...
The ribosomes of the simian malaria Plasmodium knowlesi--II. A cell-free protein synthesizing system.

Abstract 1. 1. Optimal incorporation of radioactive amino acids into protein with the Plasmodium knowlesi (simian malaria) ribosome system required: pH 5 enzymes, magnesium ions and an energy generating system. In the system directed by endogenous messenger the optimum concentration of magnesium was 6–8 mM. 2. 2. Incorporation of radioactive phenylalanine, stimulated by the addition of the synthetic messenger poly(U), was maximal with 10 mM magnesium. 3. 3. Ribosomes isolated from erythrocyte-free plasmodia were a mixed population of polysomes and monosomes with the latter in preponderance; it is suggested that this was due to nuclease activity as well as the nature of the source material. 4. 4. The poly(U)-directed synthesis of polyphenylalanine was inhibited (> 95%) by 1 × 10 −4 M puromycin, cycloheximide, nucleocidin, chlortetracycline, ethidium and berenil; 5 × 10 −4 M emetine was strongly inhibitory. 5. 5. Atebrine, quinine and streptomycin inhibited incorporation by ≈ 50% at a concentration of 5 × 10 −4 M . Proguanil, chloroquine, primaquine, dapsone, cordycepin, mepharside, pyrimethamine and chloramphenicol were without effect.
Effect of cyanide on nitrovasodilator-induced relaxation, cyclic GMP accumulation and guanylate cyclase activation in rat aorta

The effects of sodium cyanide on relaxation, increases in cyclic GMP accumulation and guanylate cyclase activation induced by sodium nitroprusside and other nitrovasodilators were examined in rat thoracic aorta. Cyanide abolished nitroprusside-induced relaxation and the associated increase in cyclic GMP levels. Basal levels of cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP were also depressed. Reversal of nitroprusside-induced relaxation by cyanide was independent of the tissue level of cyclic GMP prior to addition of cyanide. Incubation of nitroprusside with cyanide prior to addition to aortic strips did not alter the relaxant effect of nitroprusside. Sodium azide-, hydroxylamine-, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanide-, nitroglycerin- and acetylcholine-induced relaxations and increased levels of cyclic GMP were also inhibited by cyanide. Relaxations induced by nitric oxide were also inhibited by cyanide, although the relaxation with the low concentration of nitric oxide employed was not accompanied by detectable increases in cyclic GMP. Relaxation to 8-bromo-cyclic GMP was essentially unaltered by cyanide; however, isoproterenol-induced relaxation was inhibited. Guanylate cyclase in soluble and particulate fractions of aorta homogenates was activated by nitroprusside and the activation was prevented by cyanide. The present results suggest that cyanide inhibits nitrovasodilator-induced relaxation through inhibition of guanylate cyclase activation; however, cyanide may also have nonspecific effects which inhibit relaxation.
Design, fabrication, and characterization of polymeric bioMEMS for the detection of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)

This project comprises the development of a novel polymeric BioMEMS device capable of rapidly detecting FIV in a minimally invasive manner. FIV severely inhibits the infected feline from mounting an immune response, and causes susceptibility to other types of diseases. Vaccines against FIV do exist, but have some strong limitations to their effectiveness; so early detection is the best method to combat the spread of the disease. Current testing methods look for antibodies to the FIV protein p24 in feline blood using established Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) protocols. The focus of this research is to design and construct a device that can detect antibodies to p24 in a salivary sample by non-intrusive electrochemical means. The device is constructed upon a silicon substrate with gold microelectrodes coated with polypyrrole (PPy), an electrically conducting and biocompatible polymer. In the current phase of the research, the PPy deposition process has been optimized with regards to film thickness, uniformity and conductivity. Microfluidic channels have been fabricated using SU-8, an epoxy based polymer that enables the test sample and other solutions to pass freely through the device. The PPy will be coated with anti-FIV p24 antibodies that can capture FIV p24 antigens present in a salivary sample. Future research will involve the analysis of PPy/antibody interaction and its effect on functionality. The capture of such antigens will interfere with a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction in a subsequently added ionic solution. This interference will change the characteristic resistance of the solution yielding a qualitative test for the presence of the viral antigens in the sample and hence determining the occurrence of infection.
MOLECULAR WEIGHT AND ELECTROPHORESIS OF CRYSTALLINE RIBONUCLEASE.

Electrophoretic studies on purified crystalline ribonuclease showed the absence of any impurities differing in mobility from the bulk of material. The isoelectric point of ribonuclease was found by electrophoresis to be at about pH 7.8. Ultracentrifuge studies indicated fair homogeneity of ribonuclease in solution. Only one moving component has been observed. The molecular weight of ribonuclease was found to be 12,700 from rate of sedimentation ( S 25 = 1.85 x 10–13 in 0.5 M (NH4)2SO4) and diffusion measurement ( D = 1.36 x 10–6 in 0.5 M (NH4)2SO4), in good agreement with the average value of 13,000 found from equilibrium measurements. This low value for the molecular weight of a protein would seem to discredit the value 17,600 as representing a universal unit weight for proteins in general.
A local versus non-local t-matrix in the 14N(p, 2p)13C reaction at 46 MeV

Abstract The angular distributions for the 14 N(p, 2p) 13 C reactions at 46 MeV incident proton energy are calculated in the distorted wave t -matrix approximation (DWTA) where approximate optical-model waves are used. A comparison is made between the calculation using a local t -matrix to that of a non-local t -matrix. The (p, 2p) angular distribution is smaller in magnitude where a non-local t -matrix is employed compared to the calculation using a local t -matrix which implies that there is an overall enhancement of absorption associated with the non-local t -matrix. This also implies that differences between the local and non-local off-energy-shell effects can be significant. Parameter studies were undertaken for the distorted waves and bound state wave function and the effects on the angular distributions were similar in the local and non-local cases. The distortion effect due to the final-state focus phase dramatically changes the shape of the angular distribution. The calculations are considered to be a test of the off-energy-shell effects due to non-local interaction. This calculation is also a test of the approximate distorted waves at 46 MeV and the comparison to the 14 N(p, 2p) 13 C data indicates that the distortion is reasonably well described.
Extending the Time Window for Thrombolysis: Evidence from Acute Stroke Trials

Data from intravenous tissue plasminogen activator studies have shown rapidly diminishing clinical benefit beyond 3 hours when noncontrast CT is used for treatment triage. Newer trials, such as the Desmoteplase in Acute Ischemic Stroke trial, have now successfully pushed the time window out to 9 hours using the concept of penumbral imaging and treatment of the perfusion-diffusion mismatch. Advanced imaging with CT or MR imaging protocols is providing a means for rational physiologic selection and outcomes assessment in stroke treatment.
Tracing historical trends of Hg in the Mississippi River using Hg concentrations and Hg isotopic compositions in a lake sediment core, Lake Whittington, Mississippi, USA

Abstract Concentrations and isotopic compositions of mercury (Hg) in a sediment core collected from Lake Whittington, an oxbow lake on the Lower Mississippi River, were used to evaluate historical sources of Hg in the Mississippi River basin. Sediment Hg concentrations in the Lake Whittington core have a large 10–15 y peak centered on the 1960s, with a maximum enrichment factor relative to Hg in the core of 4.8 in 1966. The Hg concentration profile indicates a different Hg source history than seen in most historical reconstructions of Hg loading. The timing of the peak is consistent with large releases of Hg from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), primarily in the late 1950s and 1960s. Mercury was used in a lithium isotope separation process by ORNL and an estimated 128 Mg (megagrams) of Hg was discharged to a local stream that flows into the Tennessee River and, eventually, the Mississippi River. Mass balance analyses of Hg concentrations and isotopic compositions in the Lake Whittington core fit a binary mixing model with a Hg-rich upstream source contributing about 70% of the Hg to Lake Whittington at the height of the Hg peak in 1966. This upstream Hg source is isotopically similar to Hg isotope compositions of stream sediment collected downstream near ORNL. It is estimated that about one-half of the Hg released from the ORNL potentially reached the Lower Mississippi River basin in the 1960s, suggesting considerable downstream transport of Hg. It is also possible that upstream urban and industrial sources contributed some proportion of Hg to Lake Whittington in the 1960s and 1970s.
Beyond induction variables: detecting and classifying sequences using a demand-driven SSA form

Linear induction variable detection is usually associated with the strength reduction optimization. For restructuring compilers, effective data dependence analysis requires that the compiler detect and accurately describe linear and nonlinear induction variables as well as more general sequences. In this article we present a practical technique for detecting a broader class of linear induction variables than is usually recognized, as well as several other sequence forms, including periodic, polynomial, geometric, monotonic, and wrap-around variables. Our method is based on Factored Use-Def (FUD) chains, a demand-driven representation of the popular Static Single Assignment (SSA) form. In this form, strongly connected components of the associated SSA graph correspond to sequences in the source program: we describe a simple yet efficient algorithm for detecting and classifying these sequences. We have implemented this algorithm in Nascent, our restructuring Fortran 90+ compiler, and we present some results showing the effectiveness of our approach.
An ion scattering study of the interaction of oxygen with Si(111): surface roughening and oxide growth

Abstract High-resolution medium energy ion scattering (MEIS) has been used to examine the initial oxidation of Si(111) at elevated temperatures (870–1170 K) and low oxygen pressures (5 × 10−8–10−5 Torr). These oxidation parameters cover three different parts of the (p,T) phase space: the oxide growth regime (passive oxidation), the surface etching regime (active oxidation), and a transition (“roughening”) regime. We show that in the passive oxidation regime, a non-stoichiometric oxide grows initially only in the surface layer. This stage is followed by “bulk” (3D) oxidation. Our results demonstrate that under certain conditions, the initial oxidation may be accompanied by roughening of the surface. During active oxidation, Si leaves the surface as SiO. Vacancies are formed stochastically, and the vacancies can form vacancy islands. At relatively low temperatures, the vacancy island formation occurs much faster than step flow can smooth the surface, leading to a roughened surface. Finally, our experiments also support the existence of a transition regime between “passive” and “active” oxidation. We obtain direct evidence for the presence of oxygen on the surface in this regime. In addition, both silicon and oxygen spectra show clear evidence of roughening. Our interpretation, consistent with that of others, is that the surface is partially covered by passive surface oxide islands with the remaining area free of oxygen. Continuous etching of the bare silicon areas results in the surface developing a vertical roughness as high as 20–30 A.
Effect of exercise on glycolytic enzymes of zucker fatty rats

The effect of fatigue (running to exhaustion) on the Vmax activity of the key glycolytic enzymes measured at saturating substrate concentrations in muscles, liver and brain of sedentary and trained (running on a treadmill one h/day at 20 m/min, five days/week for six months) female Zucker fatty rats and their lean littermates was investigated. In the sedentary rats, fatigue increased the activity of phosphofructokinase (PFK) in the red vastus muscle by 82% in lean, and 120% in obese rats. In the trained rats, fatigue increased PFK activity by 28% in the white vastus muscle of lean rats. In the lean animals, hexokinase (HK) activity was decreased by 26% in the red vastus of sedentary rats, and by 29% in the white vastus of trained rats upon fatiguing. Pyruvate kinase (PK) activity was also decreased by 29% in the white vastus of fatigued lean animals. Training by itself had no effect on the activity of glycolytic enzymes, except PK activity which was increased by 27% in the cortex of the lean animals. It is concluded that in the Zucker rat, these glycolytic enzymes may play a differential role in regulating glycolysis during exercise and fatigue; the extent of their involvement differs depending upon the type of tissue studied and exercise. In view of the reported short half-life (7–17 h) of PFK and its covalent modification, it is suggested that the total content and/or phosphorylation status of the enzyme may be affected in animals subjected to long-term fatigue.
Evaluation of Models of Border Irrigation Recession

Abstract Recession characteristics play an important role in the design of border irrigation systems. This is particularly true of those borders which have closed downstream ends where surface storage is large even after the cessation of inflow. This paper examines some of the existing models of border irrigation recession. Using experimental data these models are evaluated and compared with each other in regard to their ability to predict recession flow.
A high-resolution modeling study of the 24 May 2002 dryline case during IHOP. part I: Numerical simulation and general evolution of the dryline and convection

Abstract Results from a high-resolution numerical simulation of the 24 May 2002 dryline convective initiation (CI) case are presented. The simulation uses a 400 km × 700 km domain with a 1-km horizontal resolution grid nested inside a 3-km domain and starts from an assimilated initial condition at 1800 UTC. Routine as well as special upper-air and surface observations collected during the International H2O Project (IHOP_2002) are assimilated into the initial condition. The initiation of convective storms at around 2015 UTC along a section of the dryline south of the Texas panhandle is correctly predicted, as is the noninitiation of convection at a cold-front–dryline intersection (triple point) located farther north. The timing and location of predicted CI are accurate to within 20 min and 25 km, respectively. The general evolution of the predicted convective line up to 6 h of model time also verifies well. Mesoscale convergence associated with the confluent flow around the dryline is shown to produce an u...
Isotopic exchange of bromide ligands in platinum(II)

Abstract The kinetics of the replacement of the bromide ligands for cis -Pt(NH 3 ) 2 Br 2 by H 2 O and by 82 Br − in water at 25° and 35° have been studied. An ion exchange procedure to remove Br − was utilized although the conditions had to be rigorously controlled to prevent excessive removal of Pt(NH 3 ) 2 Br 2 . The first aquation occurs with a first order rate constant of 3.0 × 10 −5 sec −1 at 25°, ΔH * = 18 kcal/mole. In addition, a direct second order bromide exchange for cis -Pt(NH 3 ) 2 Br 2 is measurable, K Br = 3.3 × 10 −4 M −1 sec −1 at 25°; ΔH * = 18 kcal/mole. The equilibrium quotients for the replacement of the first and second Br-ligands are K 1 = 9.6±.8 × 10 −4 M and K 2 = 9±2 × 10 −5 M, respectively.
Identification using feedforward networks

This paper is concerned with the identification of an unknown nonlinear dynamic system when only the inputs and outputs are accessible for measurement. Specifically we investigate the use of feedforward neural networks as models for the input-output behavior of such systems. Relying on the approximation capabilities of feedforward neural networks and under mild assumptions regarding the properties of the underlying nonlinear system, it is shown that there exists a feedforward network that for almost all inputs (an open and dense set) will display the input-output behavior of the system.
Astrophysics: A fossil record for exoplanets

Stars that host planets experience more mixing of their internal elements than do stars that lack such companions. This correlation may serve as a useful diagnostic in the search for planets around stars other than the Sun.
Architecture Support for Dynamic Integrity Checking

A trusted platform module (TPM) enhances the security of general purpose computer systems by authenticating the platform at boot time. Security can often be compromised due to the presence of vulnerabilities in the trusted software that is executed on the system. Existing TPM architectures do not support runtime integrity checking and this allows attackers to exploit these vulnerabilities to modify the program after it has been verified (at time of check or TOC) but before the time of its use (at time of use or TOU) to trigger unintended program behavior, such as the execution of malicious code or the leaking of sensitive data. In this paper, we present a dynamic integrity checker (DIC) to improve security by thwarting TOCTOU attacks. The paper makes four contributions. First, we show how to integrate the integrity checker module with a superscalar pipeline. Second, we present an architecture for dynamic integrity checking by monitoring the dynamic execution traces of the program. Third, we present several optimizations to reduce performance impact without compromising the security of the system. Finally, we evaluate the proposed scheme using a cycle-accurate simulator. Results indicate that the proposed technique enhances security against the TOCTOU attacks with 8% performance overhead and 2.52% area overhead over a baseline processor.
Axial myopia associated with dense vitreous hemorrhage of the neonate.

Abstract Background: Various forms of visual deprivation during infancy have been shown to cause axial myopia. Although infantile vitreous hemorrhage is associated with myopic progression, it is unknown whether this aberrant development is refractive or axial. The primary objectives of this study were to investigate this abnormal myopic development and to determine what duration of dense vitreous hemorrhage is sufficient to cause significant amblyopia in neonates. Methods: Four infants with dense unilateral vitreous hemorrhages in the first weeks of life underwent serial evaluations of the posterior segment, refractive error, and A-scan ultrasonography. Results: Three of the 4 infants underwent successful lens-sparing vitrectomy between 3 and 6 weeks after the onset of the hemorrhage, and all 3 developed axial myopia and dense amblyopia during a mean follow-up of 29.7 months (range, 16 to 38 months). At the most recent follow-up examination, the mean myopic error of the 3 eyes that required surgery was −11.42 D with a mean ocular axial length difference of 3.45 mm between the affected and the unaffected eyes. The fourth child had a dense hemorrhage soon after birth that cleared by 11 days of age. Although this patient developed amblyopia and a mild myopic error of the involved eye, there was no significant increase in axial length. Conclusions: Dense hemorrhages persisting in the neonatal vitreous for 4 weeks or longer appear to cause axial myopia and severe amblyopia. Surgical intervention before this time should be considered to avert deprivation amblyopia and to retard axial myopia. (J AAPOS 2002;6:348-53)
Geometrical control of the active site electronic structure of pyranopterin enzymes by metal-dithiolate folding: aldehyde oxidase.

Density functional calculations on geometry-optimized oxidized (Mo(VI)) and reduced (Mo(IV)) analogues of the isolated active site of aldehyde oxidase (MOP), a member of the xanthine oxidase family of pyranopterindithiolate enzymes, show that fold angle changes of the dithiolate ligand modulate the relative metal and dithiolate contributions to the frontier redox orbitals. Proton abstraction from the equatorial aqua ligand of the oxidized Mo(VI) site also flattens the metal dithiolate fold angle. It is proposed that static and/or dynamic changes in the structure of the protein surrounding the active site can induce changes in the dithiolate fold angle and thereby provide a mechanism for electronic buffering of the redox orbital, for fine-tuning the nucleophilicity of the equatorial aqua/hydroxide ligand, and for modulating the electron-transfer regeneration of the active sites of molybdenum and tungsten enzymes via a “dithiolate folding effect”.
Improving Steganographic Security by Synchronizing the Selection Channel

This paper describes a general method for increasing the security of additive steganographic schemes for digital images represented in the spatial domain. Additive embedding schemes first assign costs to individual pixels and then embed the desired payload by minimizing the sum of costs of all changed pixels. The proposed framework can be applied to any such scheme -- it starts with the cost assignment and forms a non-additive distortion function that forces adjacent embedding changes to synchronize. Since the distortion function is purposely designed as a sum of locally supported potentials, one can use the Gibbs construction to realize the embedding in practice. The beneficial impact of synchronizing the embedding changes is linked to the fact that modern steganalysis detectors use higher-order statistics of noise residuals obtained by filters with sign-changing kernels and to the fundamental difficulty of accurately estimating the selection channel of a non-additive embedding scheme implemented with several Gibbs sweeps. Both decrease the accuracy of detectors built using rich media models, including their selection-channel-aware versions.
Does the National School Lunch Program Improve Children’s Dietary Outcomes?

The National School Lunch Program's effect on children's diets has been extensively studied. Results have tended to be inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of the program. Utilizing more specific treatment groups, we find that participants in the National School Lunch Program do not consume a higher-quality diet at lunch than children choosing not to participate, even though the program is offered--but rather consume a higher quantity of foods while consuming similar amounts at other meals. Furthermore, children attending schools not participating in the National School Lunch Program have dietary outcomes that are not significantly different from program participants. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.
Asymptomatic Carriage of Group A Streptococcus Is Associated with Elimination of Capsule Production

Humans commonly carry pathogenic bacteria asymptomatically, but despite decades of study, the underlying molecular contributors remain poorly understood. Here, we show that a group A streptococcus carriage strain contains a frameshift mutation in the hasA gene resulting in loss of hyaluronic acid capsule biosynthesis. This mutation was repaired by allelic replacement, resulting in restoration of capsule production in the isogenic derivative strain. The “repaired” isogenic strain was significantly more virulent than the carriage strain in a mouse model of necrotizing fasciitis and had enhanced growth ex vivo in human blood. Importantly, the repaired isogenic strain colonized the mouse oropharynx with significantly greater bacterial burden and had significantly reduced ability to internalize into cultured epithelial cells than the acapsular carriage strain. We conducted full-genome sequencing of 81 strains cultured serially from 19 epidemiologically unrelated human subjects and discovered the common theme that mutations negatively affecting capsule biosynthesis arise in vivo in the has operon. The significantly decreased capsule production is a key factor contributing to the molecular detente between pathogen and host. Our discoveries suggest a general model for bacterial pathogens in which mutations that downregulate or ablate virulence factor production contribute to carriage.
Teaching evidence-based medicine to surgical subspecialty residents

Abstract Background Curricula for the teaching of evidence-based medicine to residents have been the subject of reports, analyses, and commentary. Specific programs for teaching evidence-based medicine principles to surgical subspecialty residents have not been identified by the authors. The objective of this article is to report our experience in establishing a teaching program in the principles of evidence-based medicine to surgical subspecialty residents. Study design We established a teaching program in the principles of evidence-based medicine for neurosurgical residents in a busy neurosurgical training program. Two hours were set aside every other week, replacing traditional professors' rounds with sessions led jointly by a neurosurgeon and an epidemiologist, but based on case presentations from patients currently being treated. From these presentations, searchable clinical questions were developed, and the literature was searched, critically analyzed, and summarized. Results of several cycles on this process are reported. Results The group developed a repository of Internet-based resources for evidence-based education and practice. Using these resources, the group analyzed six topics in the first 2 years of the program. These included the "best" way to clinically grade patients after subarachnoid hemmorhage, considerations in the biopsy and treatment of enhancing intracerebral mass lesions in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, the use of prophylactic anticonvulsants in patients with primary brain tumors, the identification of cervical spine injuries in the emergency department, the grading of the fractures of the odontoid process, and the value of removing retained bullets from the spinal canal. The outcomes ranged from finding insufficient evidence to reach a conclusion, through the identification of well-conducted and well-reported critical syntheses of the topic already available in literature, to the development of the detailed algorithm for cervical spine clearance that was accepted by the institution's emergency department. Conclusions By dedicating some specific time and using resources readily available in most academic health centers, it is possible to incorporate the teaching of the principles of evidence-based practice into the ongoing education of residents on a busy surgical subspecialty service.
Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) reduces ethylene and protein biosynthesis in excised discs of mature-green tomato pericarp tissue

Application of an aqueous solution of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) ([S]-trans-2-amino-4-(2-aminoethoxy)-3-butenoic acid hydrochloride) to the locular surface of excised 1 cm diameter × 4 mm thick pericarp discs of pre-climacteric, maturegreen tomato (Lycopersicon esculentumMill., cv. Castlemart) fruit significantly reduced both ethylene and protein biosynthesis in a log-linear fashion. Exposure to 1.0 LL −1 1-MCP (SmartFresh TM ) increased ethylene production by about 30% at each AVG concentration. Incorporation of H 3 -leucine into protein in tomato pericarp discs was reduced 65%, 76%, and 93% by the application of 20L of 0.1, 3.0, and 10 mM AVG, respectively. In comparison, ethylene production was reduced 57%, 73%, and 89% by 20L 0.1, 3.0, and 10 mM AVG, respectively. Application of similar AVG concentrations had no significant effect on CO2 production by the tissue. A tissue concentration of 6 M AVG (16-fold dilution of the 0.1 mM applied concentration: 20L in 0.3 g of tissue) significantly reduced both ethylene and protein biosynthesis. The ability of AVG to reduce ethylene production was highly correlated (R 2 = 0.98) to its ability to reduce protein synthesis in both air and 1-MCP treated pre-climacteric tomato fruit tissue. Some of the physiological effect of AVG may be dependent on it ability to alter protein synthesis.
Play it again Sam: Repeated exposure to emotionally evocative music polarises liking and smiling responses, and influences other affective reports, facial EMG, and heart rate

This study assessed exposure effects on liking, self-reported affect, and physiology in response to music. Music stimuli varied in valence (positive or negative) and arousal (high or low), in a 2×2 within-subjects design (N=67). Six quasi-randomly ordered, counterbalanced exposures to music produced response polarisation. With exposure, negative music was liked even less, whereas positive music was liked even more. Zygomatic (smile) EMG also showed response polarisation: with exposure, participants smiled most during positive arousing music, and least during negative arousing music. Heart rate, corrugator (brow) and orbicularis oculi (under the eye) EMG reactivity patterns were consistent with possible increased fluency in processing the music with exposure. We address theoretical accounts of exposure and response polarisation and suggest directions for future research.
Teaching local area networking in a secure virtual environment

Space, cost, and security are major concerns associated with the local area network teaching/learning process. Teaching even the most basic networking techniques requires a minimum of two computers per student with additional systems for more involved experiments. The overhead and space requirements become quite staggering for large class sizes. The students, just learning and unaware, can furthermore be susceptible to outside intrusion or cause accidental adverse affects upon the network to which they attach. Teaching local area networking in a virtual environment can reduce space, cost, and security concerns. This article addresses the setup of a virtual environment, managing multiple student environments, properly securing virtual machines, and laboratory experiments in virtual environments. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 18: 547–554, 2010; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20228
Assay Configuration and Analytic Specificity May Have Major Effects on Prediction of Clinical Outcomes— Implications for Reference Standards

In this month’s issue of Clinical Chemistry , Anborgh et al. demonstrate that differences in assay configuration can produce major differences in the association of plasma osteopontin measurements with survival in prostate cancer (1). Prediction of survival was found to be significantly better with assays that have a monoclonal antibody targeted to a specific epitope on the osteopontin molecule. This linkage between assay configuration and clinical utility may have major implications on the way reference materials and reference methods are formulated, because, as this report shows, the reference standards may need to focus on specific forms of the analyte. Various national and international organizations are working to develop reference standards to help harmonize diagnostic assays. The European Union In Vitro Diagnostics Directive (98/79/EC) requires manufacturers marketing in the European Union to provide evidence that the values assigned to calibrators and control materials are traceable, through available reference measurement procedures and reference materials (when available), to standards of a higher metrological order (2)(3). The Joint Committee on Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM)1 has helped guide the logistics of traceability with the use of European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards (4). ISO document 17511 distinguishes 2 broad categories of measurands: type A analytes, which are traceable to International System (SI) units, and type …
Reliable system design: models, metrics and design techniques

Design of reliable systems meeting stringent quality, reliability, and availability requirements is becoming increasingly difficult in advanced technologies. The current design paradigm, which assumes that no gate or interconnect will ever operate incorrectly within the lifetime of a product, must change to cope with this situation. Future systems must be designed with built-in mechanisms for failure tolerance, prediction, detection and recovery during normal system operation. This tutorial will focus on models and metrics for designing reliable systems, algorithms and tools for modeling and evaluating such systems, will discuss a broad spectrum of techniques for building such systems with support for concurrent error detection, failure prediction, error correction, recovery, and self-repair. Complex interplay between power, performance and reliability requirements in future systems, and associated constraints will also be discussed.
Higher-order test generation

Symbolic reasoning about large programs is bound to be imprecise. How to deal with this imprecision is a fundamental problem in program analysis. Imprecision forces approximation. Traditional static program verification builds "may" over-approximations of the program behaviors to check universal "for-all-paths" properties, while automatic test generation requires "must" under-approximations to check existential "for-some-path" properties.In this paper, we introduce a new approach to test generation where tests are derived from validity proofs of first-order logic formulas, rather than satisfying assignments of quantifier-free first-order logic formulas as usual. Two key ingredients of this higher-order test generation are to (1) represent complex/unknown program functions/instructions causing imprecision in symbolic execution by uninterpreted functions, and (2) record uninterpreted function samples capturing input-output pairs observed at execution time for those functions. We show that higher-order test generation generalizes and is more precise than simplifying complex symbolic expressions using their concrete runtime values. We present several program examples where our approach can exercise program paths and find bugs missed by previous techniques. We discuss the implementability and applications of this approach. We also explain in what sense dynamic test generation is more powerful than static test generation.
Analytical treatment of the deformation behavior of extreme-ultraviolet-lithography masks during electrostatic chucking

A new analytical approach is presented to predict mask deformation during electrostatic chucking in next-generation extreme- ultraviolet-lithography. Given an arbitrary profile measurement of the mask and chuck nonflatness, this method has been developed as an alter- native to time-consuming finite element simulations for overlay error cor- rection algorithms. We consider the feature transfer of each harmonic component in the profile shapes via linear elasticity theory and demon- strate analytically how high spatial frequencies are filtered. The method is compared to presumably more accurate finite element simulations and has been tested successfully in an overlay error compensation experi- ment, where the residual error y-component could be reduced by a factor of 2. As a side outcome, the formulation provides a tool to estimate the critical pin-size and -pitch such that the distortion on the mask front- side remains within given tolerances. We find for a numerical example that pin-pitches of less than 5 mm will result in a mask pattern distortion of less than 1 nm if the chucking pressure is below 30 kPa. © 2012 Society of
A Cell Phone–Based Microphotometric System for Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing:

This study demonstrates a low-cost, portable diagnostic system for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing in resourcelimited settings. To determine the antimicrobial resistance phenotypically, the growth of pathogens in microwell arrays is detected under different antibiotic conditions. The use of a colorimetric cell viability reagent is shown to significantly improve the sensitivity of the assay compared with standard absorbance spectroscopy. Gas-permeable microwell arrays are incorporated for facilitating rapid bacterial growth and eliminating the requirement of bulky supporting equipment. Antibiotics can also be precoated in the microwell array to simplify the assay protocol toward point-of-care applications. Furthermore, a low-cost cell phone–based microphotometric system is developed for detecting the bacterial growth in the microwell array. By optimizing the operating conditions, the system allows antimicrobial susceptibility testing for samples with initial concentrations from 10 1 to 10 6 cfu/mL. Using urinary tract infection as the model system, we demonstrate rapid antimicrobial resistance profiling for uropathogens in both culture media and urine. With its simplicity and costeffectiveness, the cell phone–based microphotometric system is anticipated to have broad applicability in resource-limited settings toward the management of infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Approximate formulae for certain prolate spheroidal wave functions valid for large values of both order and band-limit

We construct asymptotic formulae for the approximation of certain prolate spheroidal wave functions and of the corresponding eigenvalues. We investigate two regimes: when the ratio c/m decays, and when both c and m grow, but the ratio c/m stays bounded. Both the regions of validity and the accuracies of the obtained expansions are illustrated with numerical examples.
The energetic viability of an unexpected skeletal rearrangement in cyclooctatin biosynthesis

Results of density functional theory calculations on possible mechanisms for formation of the diterpenoid cyclooctatin are described. These results are consistent with the involvement of an unexpected 1,3-alkyl shift that interconverts two cyclopropylcarbinyl carbocations and interchanges the positions of two carbon atoms in an 8-membered ring. Predictions for future experiments to provide further support of this mechanism also are described.
Screening via CT angiogram after traumatic cervical spine fractures: narrowing imaging to improve cost effectiveness. Experience of a Level I trauma center.

OBJECT Screening for vertebral artery injury (VAI) following cervical spine fractures is routinely performed across trauma centers in North America. From 2002 to 2007, the total number of neck CT angiography (CTA) studies performed in the Medicare population after trauma increased from 9796 to 115,021. In the era of cost-effective medical care, the authors aimed to evaluate the utility of CTA screening in detecting VAI and reduce chances of posterior circulation strokes after traumatic cervical spine fractures. METHODS A retrospective review of all patients presenting with cervical spine fractures to Northeast Ohio’s Level I trauma institution from 2002 to 2012 was performed. RESULTS There was a total of 1717 cervical spine fractures in patients presenting to Northeast Ohio’s Level I trauma institution between 2002 and 2012. CTA screening was performed in 732 patients, and 51 patients (0.7%) were found to have a VAI. Fracture patterns with increased odds of VAI were C-1 and C-2 combined fractures, transve...
New Guest Worker Regimes

This chapter asks whether guest-worker policies in the twenty-first century can be considered as regimes. In doing so, it assesses the state of guest-worker policies (or temporary migrant worker programmes – TMWPs) at the level of the European Union, and in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Resting loosely on a social transformation perspective, it argues that there is evidence of neo-gastarbeiter policies that can be distinguished from the gasterbeiter policies of Fordist years on several grounds: first, there is the wide range of skills required, including the recruitment of ‘medium-skilled’ migrants such as nurses into European health systems; second, and relatedly, the diversity of skills produced and called for by changing political economies, are refracted through complex forms of administration that we might associate with ‘migration management’, which are vastly different from the laissez faire and poorly administered guest worker policies of the post-war period. Third, they may be distinguished through the effects of EU institutional programme design. In other words, the Blue Card and the seasonal migrant worker directive (SMWD) suggest that TWMPs are slowly shaping member state TWMPs both at the ‘low end’ and the ‘high end’ of the skill spectrum. In this respect, the Blue Card and the SMWD might even represent a nascent guest worker regime in the twenty-first century. Nonetheless, we could hardly refer to national TMWPs or guest worker policies as regimes, but rather must regard them as a set of ever-shifting policies and programmes in response to changing political economies.
Immunoinformatics: The Next Step in Vaccine Design

T cells have come to be recognized as critical mediators of competent and lasting responses elicited by vaccines. This recognition catalyzed the development of computer-driven (immunoinformatics) methods for defining T-cell epitopes directly from protein sequences. Subsequently, investigations into the role of effector and regulatory T cells have leapfrogged directly from genome and protein sequences to the leading edge of immunology and vaccine research. Although immunoinformatics tools have been available for over a decade, recent technological advances have led to significant improvements in the tools, raising their level of accuracy and increasing their utility in the design of effective T-cell epitope-driven vaccines. Additional technical advances in the field of vaccine delivery and adjuvants have led to significant success at the preclinical level of vaccine design. These advances have the potential to reduce the lead time for vaccines to enter the clinic. Epitope-based vaccines have significant advantages in terms of their safety profile since they are composed of antigen specific sequences. The vaccine contains fewer cross-reactive epitopes than the whole pathogen would, which lowers regulatory hurdles and hastens approval by regulatory agencies. In this chapter, we review recent advances that will accelerate T-cell epitope-driven vaccine development, and provide three examples of successful preclinical epitope-driven vaccine studies: (1) a vaccine that eradicates Helicobacter pylori infection, (2) a candidate smallpox vaccine that affords protection against vaccinia, and (3) a vaccine against tularemia. Owing to recent improvements in vaccine design and delivery systems, now few obstacles remain in the path of a new generation of T-cell epitope-driven vaccines.
A Model Genetically Engineered Pesticide: Cloning and Expression of the Bacillus Thuringiensis Subsp. Kurstaki δ-Endotoxin into Pseudomonas Fluorescens

It is rare for a naturally occurring biological control agent to process all of the traits required for its practical use in crop systems. Genetic engineering is a potentially excellent tool for the enhancement of the effectiveness of selective biological control agents. Through the “component” approach which genetic engineering allows, one may be able to combine the best attributes of various naturally occurring organisms to produce a rationally designed biological control agent tailor made to a specific agronomic application. Conceptually, one could isolate the most effective and highly target selective pesticidal activities from a “donor” organism and move these active principles into a second organism which possesses more effective and environmentally satisfactory traits as a “delivery” system. If successful, the new organism could retain the desirable traits of both systems while effectively extending practical effectiveness, host range or both.