cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel 4p16.3 microduplication distal to WHSC1 and WHSC2 characterized by oligonucleotide array with new phenotypic features

Larger imbalances on chromosome 4p in the form of deletions associated with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) and duplications of chromosome 4p have a defined clinical phenotype. The critical region for both these clinical disorders has been narrowed based on the genotype-phenotype correlations. However, cryptic rearrangements in this region have been reported infrequently. We report on a male patient with a microduplication of chromosome 4p, who presents with findings of macrocephaly, irregular iris pigmentation-heterochromia, and preserved linear growth in addition to overlapping features of trisomy 4p such as seizures, delayed psychomotor development, and dysmorphic features including prominent glabella, low-set ears, and short neck. Using a high-density oligonucleotide microarray, we have identified a novel submicroscopic duplication involving dosage sensitive genes TACC3, FGFR3, and LETM1. The microduplication did not involve WHSC1 and WHSC2 which are considered in the critical region for WHS and trisomy 4p. This patient's presentation and genomic findings help further delineate clinical significance of re-arrangements in the 4p16 region without the involvement of WHS critical region.
Spin diffusion in 3He-4He solutions under pressure

We have measured the spin diffusion coefficient D for 3He-4He solutions of nominal 3He concentration x = 1.3% and 5.0% at pressures of ~0, 10 and 20 atm, and an x=8.5% solution at 4, 10 and 20 atm. The results are interpreted in terms of the Bardeen-Baym-Pines theory for 3He-4He solutions, and curves for the effective 3He-3He interaction V(k) are presented. We find no evidence for a minimum in V(k) at nonzero k. Weak coupling BCS pairing transition temperatures calculated from the V(k) lie in the range 10−6–10−7 K.
Holocene coseismic and aseismic uplift of Isla Mocha, south-central Chile

Abstract During the past 6000 years Isla Mocha, a 12 km-long island 30 km off the coast of south-central Chile, experienced a 38 m fall of relative sea level caused primarily by rapid tectonic uplift of the island. As many as 18 raised shorelines (strandlines) record this uplift. Historic accounts of uplift during the great earthquakes ( M > 8) of 1835 and 1960 suggest some of the more prominent prehistoric strandlines also emerged during great earthquakes on the interface between the Nazca and South America plates. But the close elevational spacing of strandlines, subdued morphology of strandline beaches, scarcity of exposed bedrock wave-cut platforms, and the extremely high rates of aseismic uplift (ca. 70 mm/yr) of the island since the last great earthquake suggest that many strandlines were raised by aseismic rather than coseismic uplift. Strandline heights and 14 new radiocarbon ages on marine shells show that the present-day uplift rate is more than three times the net rate (ca. 20 mm/yr) of the past 1000 years. The recent high rate probably reflects increased aseismic slip on an inferred thrust fault in the overriding South America plate. Isla Mocha overlies an area of high stress concentration between two major segments of the Chilean subduction zone. The inferred high rate of slip on the thrust fault may be a response to stress changes on the plate interface near the boundary between the segments.
Cerebrospinal fluid cyclic AMP and acid monoamine metabolites following probenecid: studies in psychiatric patients.

At probenecid levels greater than 10 μg/ml, CSF cAMP was independent of CSF probenecid concentration. At these levels of probenecid, cAMP transport out of CSF is probably maximally blocked and cAMP levels reflect cAMP release into CSF. CSF cAMP was significantly higher in RDC-diagnosed schizophrenics than in other psychotics or depressives. A significant decrease in CSF cAMP was found in psychotic patients treated with chlorpromazine. No changes in CSF cAMP were observed in patients treated with tricyclic antidepressants or lithium.
Intrapulmonary inhalation of benzedrine

Abstract Peroral inhalations of volatile benzedrine base have been shown to increase the vital capacities of a small group of normal individuals. Benzedrine inhalations blanch the normal bronchial mucosa visibly. The inflamed bronchial mucosa is blanched and shrunk markedly and aids materially in bronchoscopic inspection. Benzedrine inhalations are useful in the symptomatic relief of a high percentage of mild and moderately severe paroxysms of asthma. When used in conjunction with adrenalin hypodermically or ephedrine by mouth, it seems to be more efficient than either drug alone. Its effects are roughly comparable to those of the inhalation of 1:100 adrenalin vapor. Benzedrine inhalation is not helpful in every case. A typical response, some variations from this typical response, and some of the unpleasant side effects are described. No definite contraindication to benzedrine inhalation was noted in about four hundred inhalations for sixty-nine attacks of asthma. It is hoped that this preliminary presentation of our experience with peroral benzedrine inhalation will stimulate more general studies of the principles involved and that the uses and limitations of this symptomatic remedy will be more quickly established than if the report were withheld for more detailed study.
Making drug and alcohol prevention relevant: adapting evidence-based curricula to unique adolescent cultures.

There is profound value in involving youth in the cultural adaptation of evidence-based drug prevention curricula. Presently, despite the existence of evidence-based programs, few community settings are aware of, utilizing, and following evidence-based curricula in practice. Therefore, to transfer such programs to practice, systematic adaptation procedures should be further developed, utilized, and evaluated. It is recommended that community settings adapt curricula to meet their youths' unique needs to be effective, particularly with diverse cultures. Language: en
Pancreatic Secretion Induced by Stimulation of the Pyloric Gland Area of the Stomach

Pure gastrin I of Gregory and Tracy stimulated secretion not only of gastric acid but also of pancreatic fluid and protein material. Similarly, endogenous release of gastrin from a transplanted pouch of the pyloric gland area of the stomach, initiated by irrigation with solutions of acetylcholine, stimulated gastric acid secretion and pancreatic flow and protein output in dogs with fistulas of both organs. The effect on the pancreas, like that on the stomach, was inhibited by acidification of the acetylcholine solution.
Rocket effluent: Its ice nucleation activity and related properties

To investigate the possibility of inadvertent weather modification from rocket effluent, aerosol samples were collected from an instrumented aircraft subsequent to the Voyager 1 and 2 launches. The aerosol's morphology, concentration, and size distribution were examined with an electron microscope. The elemental compositions of individual particles were analyzed with an X-ray energy spectrometer. Ice nucleus concentration was measured with a thermal diffusion chamber. The particles' physical and chemical properties were related to their ice nucleation activity. A laboratory experiment on rocket propellant exhaust was conducted under controlled conditions. Both laboratory and field experimental results indicated that rocket propellant exhaust can produce active ice nuclei and modify local weather in suitable meteorological conditions.
Current-Induced Intermediate State in Thin-Film Type-I Superconductors: Electrical Resistance and Noise

We have investigated the current-induced resistive state in superconducting strips of lead and indium carrying electrical transport currents with an average density up to ${10}^{6}$ A/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. Following previous high-resolution magneto-optical experiments, we report here measurements of the electrical resistance and the electrical-noise-power spectra. The experiments were performed in zero external magnetic field, using micro-strips 60-300 \ensuremath{\mu}m wide, 0.3-10 \ensuremath{\mu}m thick, and 3-6 mm long. In lead, resistive voltage steps were usually observed during variation of the current resulting in pronounced peaks of the derivative $\frac{\ensuremath{\partial}\mathrm{V}}{\ensuremath{\partial}\mathrm{I}}$. These voltage steps are caused by the abrupt creation of channels of normal phase at distinct levels of the transport current. The abrupt growth of these channels of normal phase apparently results from a magnetic instability similar to the kink instability in magnetohydrodynamics. In indium, a step structure in the resistive voltage has been observed only close to ${T}_{c}$, the voltage steps being usually smeared out by fluctuations in time of the number of current-generated channels of normal phase. From the magnitude of the resistive voltage steps and from the observation of dynamic magnetic coupling between two films of a sandwich structure, we conclude that, in the strips of both Pb and In, the current-induced resistive state can best be described by a dynamic model. In this model, the channels of normal phase consist of arrays of flux tubes moving rapidly from the edges to the center of the strip, where they are annihilated by flux tube arrays of opposite sign. The noise-power spectra in the current-induced resistive state usually show a frequency dependence ranging from ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ to ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ behavior. The electrical-noise data are discussed in terms of a model assuming fluctuations in time of the number of channels of normal phase.
Low-Affinity Nerve Growth Factor Receptor (p75NGFR)- and Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT)- immunoreactive Axons in the Cerebral Cortex and Hippocampus of Adult Macaque Monkeys and Humans

Low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (p75NGFR) was analyzed in the adult monkey and human cerebral cortex and hippocampus by light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry using a mouse monoclonal antibody raised against human p75NGFR. In the monkey only, the morphology and laminar and areal distribution of the p75NGFR-immunoreactive fibers were further compared with distribution of the ACh-synthesizing enzyme ChAT. We found that the p75NGFR fiber distribution is remarkably dense throughout the cerebral neocortex and highly similar in homologous cortical areas of monkey and human. In both species, p75NGFR-immunoreactive fibers are contracted in layers I, II, and the superficial portions of layer III in all frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital areas examined. In the primary visual and somatosensory cortices, dense p75NGFR fiber plexuses are additionally found in layer IV. In the hippocampal formation, this fiber system is most dense in the CA2 and CA3 subfields as well as in the molecular and polymorphic layers of the dentate gyrus. The distribution and characteristics of the p75NGFR-positive fibers in the primates correspond almost exactly to those of the cholinergic fiber system as revealed by ChAT immunohistochemistry in the present study as well as in the literature (Lewis, 1991; Mesulam et al., 1992; Voytko et al., 1992). Electron microscopy revealed that p75NGFR is associated mainly with axonal membranes and portions of the axoplasm in labeled fibers. Although the function of p75NGFR is still a matter of debate, its widespread distribution opens up new questions regarding its physiological role in the large and functionally differentiated cerebral cortex and hippocampus of monkey and human.
Synthesis and evaluation of N-(phenylacetyl)trifluoromethanesulfonamides as anticonvulsant agents.

A series of N-(phenylacetyl)trifluoromethanesulfonamides (3a−g) was prepared according to the Topliss scheme in order to determine if aryl substitutents would influence anticonvulsant activity. In initial (phase I) screening and quantitative (phase II) evaluation, all seven compounds exhibited significant activity against MES- and scMet-induced seizures. N-(Phenylacetyl)trifluoromethanesulfonamide (3a) was then advanced through five additional testing phases (phases III−VII). Compound 3a displayed good oral bioavailability, low toxicity, and a larger protective index in mice than the prototype drugs, phenytoin, phenobarbital, valproate, and ethosuximide. Additionally, 3a exhibited a longer time to peak effect in all tests and a greater 24-h margin of safety (HD50/ED50) than the prototypes. Compound 3a blocked picrotoxin-induced seizures but was ineffective against seizures induced by bicuculline or strychnine. In vitro receptor binding studies revealed that 3a did not displace [3H]-labeled γ-aminobutyric ...
An experiment to measure the pressure dependence of the zero-shear-rate viscosity

Abstract A simple experimental method, based on Stokes' law for falling spheres, has been devised and used to measure the pressure-dependence of the zero-shear-rate viscosity of a polypropylene melt. The experiment was performed by maintaining three thick-walled test cylinders containing the polymer melt and the falling sphere at the same elevated temperature but different pressures for periods of time ranging from 20 to 48 hours. When compared with experiments using high-pressure capillary or rotational viscometers, this experimental method has the advantages that viscous heating is non-existent and the apparatus and data analysis are relatively simple. The principal disadvantage encountered here, thermal degradation at high temperatures, could probably be reduced by molding specimens under vacuum and by shortening the exposure time. Since the falling-sphere experiment provides data at very low shear rates and the capillary and rotational viscometers generate data at high shear rates, the two experimental methods are complementary. The pressure coefficient b [=d(In η0/dp] was determined for Hercules Pro-fax 6523 polypropylene in two series of experiments at different temperatures. For seven experiments at 218.3°C and pressures up to 97.9 MN m 2 (14,200 psi), the average value of b ± 95% confidence limits was found to be 14.8 ( GN m 2 )−1 ± 2.9.The average b was 12.6 ( GN m 2 )−1 ± 1.4 in a series of eight experiments at 232.2°C and pressures up to 123 MN m 2 (17,800 psi).
Abstract: Memory and Parallelism Exploration Using the LULESH Proxy Application

Current and planned computer systems present challenges for scientific programming. Memory capacity and bandwidth are limiting performance as floating point capability increases due to more cores per processor and wider vector units. Effectively using hardware requires finding greater parallelism in programs while using relatively less memory. In this poster, we present how we tuned the Livermore Unstructured Lagrange Explicit Shock Hydrodynamics proxy application for on-node performance resulting in 62% fewer memory reads, a 19% smaller memory footprint, 770% more floating point operations vectorizing and less than 0.1% serial section runtime. Tests show serial code version runtime decreases of up to 57% and parallel runtime reductions of up to 75%. We are also applying these optimizations to GPUs and a subset of ALE3D, from which the proxy application was derived. So far we achieve up to a 1.9x speedup on GPUs, and a 13% runtime reduction in the application for the same problem.
Volatile chemical cues guide host location and host selection by parasitic plants

The importance of plant volatiles in mediating interactions between plant species is much debated. Here, we demonstrate that the parasitic plant Cuscuta pentagona (dodder) uses volatile cues for host location. Cuscuta pentagona seedlings exhibit directed growth toward nearby tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) and toward extracted tomato-plant volatiles presented in the absence of other cues. Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana) and wheat plants (Triticum aestivum) also elicit directed growth. Moreover, seedlings can distinguish tomato and wheat volatiles and preferentially grow toward the former. Several individual compounds from tomato and wheat elicit directed growth by C. pentagona, whereas one compound from wheat is repellent. These findings provide compelling evidence that volatiles mediate important ecological interactions among plant species.
Cellular inflammatory response after spinal cord injury in Sprague-Dawley and Lewis rats.

The distribution of microglia, macrophages, T-lymphocytes, and astrocytes was characterized throughout a spinal contusion lesion in Sprague-Dawley and Lewis rats by using immunohistochemistry. The morphology, spatial localization, and activation state of these inflammatory cells were described both qualitatively and quantitatively at 12 hours, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days after injury. By use of OX42 and ED1 antibodies, peak microglial activation was observed within the lesion epicenter of both rat strains between three and seven days post-injury preceding the bulk of monocyte influx and macrophage activation (seven days). Rostral and caudal to the injury site, microglial activation plateaued between two and four weeks post-injury in the dorsal and lateral funiculi as indicated by morphological transformation and the de-novo expression of major histocompatibility class II (MHC II) molecules. Similar to the timing of microglial reactions, T-lymphocytes maximally infiltrated the lesion epicenter between three and seven days post-injury. Reactive astrocytes, while present in the acute lesion, were more prominent at later survival times (7–28 days). These cells were interspersed with activated microglia but appeared to surround and enclose tissue sites occupied by reactive microglia and phagocytic macrophages. Thus, trauma-induced central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, regardless of strain, occurs rapidly at the site of injury and involves the activation of resident and recruited immune cells. In regions rostral or caudal to the epicenter, prolonged activation of inflammatory cells occurs preferentially in white matter and primarily consists of activated microglia and astrocytes. Differences were observed in the magnitude and duration of macrophage activation between Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Lewis (LEW) rats throughout the lesion. Increased expression of complement type 3 receptors (OX42) and macrophage-activation antigens (ED1) persisted for longer times in LEW rats while expression of MHC class II molecules was attenuated in LEW compared to SD rats at all times examined. Variations in the onset and duration of T-lymphocyte infiltration also were observed between strains with twice as many T-cells present in the lesion epicenter of Lewis rats by 3 days post-injury. These strain-specific findings potentially represent differences in corticosteroid regulation of immunity and may help predict a range of functional neurologic consequences affected by neuroimmune interactions. J. Comp. Neurol. 377:443–464, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Improving image clustering: An unsupervised feature weight learning framework

We address the problem of feature weight learning for image clustering. In practice, before clustering data, we generally normalize all data features between 0 and 1, because we cannot determine which features are more important. In this paper, we provide a feature weight learning framework for clustering which can obtain the feature weights and cluster labels simultaneously. An alternative optimization algorithm is adopted to solve this problem. Empirical studies on the toy data and real image data demonstrate our algorithm's effectiveness in improving the clustering performance.
Academic Performance in African American Undergraduates: Effects of Cultural Mistrust, Educational Value, and Achievement Motivation:

The current study examined achievement motivation, the value of education, cultural mistrust, and academic performance in 202 African American college students attending both Historically Black Col...
Environmental Effects on Deformation and Smoothness Behavior of Early-Age Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements

In this paper, a study of environmental effects on the deformation and smoothness behavior of jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) during its early age is presented. A newly constructed JPCP on US-34 near Burlington, Iowa, was instrumented and monitored during the critical time immediately following construction to identify its early-age behavior regarding temperature variations. The surface profiles were measured in diurnal cycles. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the effect of the early-age curling and warping behavior on the initial smoothness of newly constructed JPCPs. Variations in temperature during these critical periods were monitored by temperature sensors installed within the pavement test sections at the time of construction. The slab deformations associated with environmental loading were quantified, and the smoothness indices (international roughness index and ride number) were computed from measured pavement surface profiles. The changes in smoothness indices at different measurement times were investigated and compared with those obtained with finite-element simulations. On the basis of variations in measured and predicted smoothness indices, it was observed that the initial pavement smoothness might be influenced by curling and warping behavior of JPCPs (during the first 7 days after paving).
Dynamic two-dimensional fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Generalized correlation and experimental factors

Dynamic two-dimensional fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (2D FCS) is presented in the general form. Dynamic 2D FCS evaluates the time correlation function between two wavelength axes when an external perturbation is applied to the sample. It displays the vibronic features with similar time response functions in the synchronous correlation spectrum and the features with different time responses in the asynchronous correlation spectrum. The correlation analysis allows detailed assignments of the vibronic spectra of multicomponent samples. The emission-emission 2D FCS has proven to be able to resolve spectra with substantial overlaps, of species in equilibrium with each other, and of reacting species whose kinetic constants are linked and multiexponential. Similarly, the correlation analysis between excitation wavelengths allows the assignment of the excitation bands to fluorescent components. When a sinusoidal light source is used to excite the sample, the excitation-emission correlation requires the collection of only four spectra, two in-phase and two quadrature. The two-dimensional excitation-emission correlation analysis uncovers the association between the excitation and the emission vibronic features, enabling the complete assignment of the component spectra. The band associations and spectral assignments are facilitated by the two-dimensional phase map that is constructed from the synchronous and asynchronous correlation spectra. Spectral resolution can be optimized by varying the frequency of excitation and is not influenced by the detector phase angle used to collect the spectra. The resolution power of the 2D FCS is demonstrated with the retrieval of the anthracene emission spectrum from a pyrene-anthracene mixture when it contributes only 4% to the total fluorescence intensity.
Amino acid cross resistance in Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Beardsley, Robert E. (Manhattan College, New York, N. Y.). Amino acid cross resistance in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. J. Bacteriol. 84:1237–1240. 1962.—Resistant clones selected on medium supplemented with glycine were also resistant to d-methionine, d-valine, dl-norleucine, and dl-serine. Cross resistance was similarly exhibited by clones selected on d-methionine, d-valine, or dl-norleucine. Two types of resistant organisms were observed. One produced colonies containing normal rods on selection medium. The other produced translucent colonies containing L forms. Both grew as typical rods in unsupplemented medium. Some resistant clones did not produce a temperate phage carried by the parental strain, but these retained immunity to homologous phage. The toxicity of d-methionine and d-valine for nonresistant bacteria is not reversed by the l isomers. The lethal effects of toxic amino acids are additive.
Progressively censored sampling of rock joint traces

A number of sampling problems in geology and engineering geology involve geometric variables, and must deal with the almost pervasive biases that accompany geometric sampling. Among these biases is the fact that not all elements of the sampled population are fully observable. Some members, usually the largest, are censored. Inferences cannot ignore the censored members of the sample, because the censoring is often related to the variable being inferred—for example, the case of sampling for feature size. Inferences from samples are conceptually straightforward, and for the simple case of exponential parent distributions, mathematically tractible. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian results are given for the exponential case, and examples are drawn from joint surveys in rock mechanics.
Kava (Piper methysticum): Growth in Tissue Culture and In Vitro Production of Kavapyrones

As a phytomedicine, Kava (or “Kava Kava”) is receiving considerable worldwide interest in its use as a treatment for anxiety, tension, agitation, and/or insomnia. This phytomedicine is produced from an extract of the root and rhizome of Piper methysticum. Although the term Kava actually refers to a Polynesian term for the intoxicating beverage produced from this tropical shrub, this word is now typically used in Western cultures as the common name for the plant as well.
Parents' Roles in Shaping Early Adolescents' Occupational Aspirations

Relations among dimensions of parenting and adolescents' occupational aspirations were examined in two specific domains: academics and sports. The sample consisted of 444 seventh graders, with approximately equal numbers of African American and European American males and females, from two-parent nondivorced families. Multiple measures were used as indicators of parents' values and behaviors, youths' values and beliefs, positive identification with parents, and adolescents' occupational aspirations. In the academic domain, parents' values predicted youths' values directly rather than indirectly through their behaviors. In contrast, fathers' behaviors mediated the relation between parents' and youths' values in the sports domain. Positive identification was directly related to adolescents' values (especially about academics); however, positive identification did not moderate the transmission of values from parent to child in either domain. Parents' values predicted adolescents' occupational aspirations via both direct and indirect pathways. Similar results were obtained for African American and European American males and females. These findings highlight the potential role of parents as socializers of achievement-related values, and, ultimately, adolescents' occupational visions of themselves in the future.
Cell Survival Responses to Environmental Stresses Via the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE Pathway

Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling plays a significant role in protecting cells from endogenous and exogenous stresses. The development of Nrf2 knockout mice has provided key insights into the toxicological importance of this pathway. These mice are more sensitive to the hepatic, pulmonary, ovarian, and neurotoxic consequences of acute exposures to environmental agents and drugs, inflammatory stresses, as well as chronic exposures to cigarette smoke and other carcinogens. Under quiescent conditions, the transcription factor Nrf2 interacts with the actin-anchored protein Keap1, largely localized in the cytoplasm. This quenching interaction maintains low basal expression of Nrf2-regulated genes. However, upon recognition of chemical signals imparted by oxidative and electrophilic molecules, Nrf2 is released from Keap1, escapes proteasomal degradation, translocates to the nucleus, and transactivates the expression of several dozen cytoprotective genes that enhance cell survival. This review highlights the key elements in this adaptive response to protection against acute and chronic cell injury provoked by environmental stresses.
Costimulatory blockade of CD154-CD40 in combination with T-cell lymphodepletion results in prevention of allogeneic sensitization

Sensitization is a critical unresolved challenge in transplantation. We show for the first time that blockade of CD154 alone or combined with T-cell depletion prevents sensitization. Allogeneic skin grafts were rejected by recipients treated with anti-alphabeta T-cell receptor (TCR), anti-CD154, anti-OX40L, or anti-inducible costimulatory pathway (ICOS) mAb alone with a kinetic similar to untreated recipients. However, the production of anti-donor MHC antibody was prevented in mice treated with anti-CD154 mAb only, suggesting a specific role for the CD154-CD40 pathway in B-cell activation. The impairment of T cell-dependent B-cell responses by blocking CD154 occurs through inhibiting activation of T and B cells and secretion of IFN-gamma and IL-10. Combined treatment with both anti-CD154 and anti-alphabeta TCR abrogated antidonor antibody production and resulted in prolonged skin graft survival, suggesting the induction of both T- and B-cell tolerance with prevention of allogeneic sensitization. In addition, we show that the tolerance induced by combined treatment was nondeletional. Moreover, these sensitization-preventive strategies promote bone marrow engraftment in recipients previously exposed to donor alloantigen. These findings may be clinically relevant to prevent allosensitization with minimal toxicity and point to humoral immunity as playing a dominant role in alloreactivity in sensitized recipients.
A coronary pressure-recording and contrast-delivery system for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty..

A simple, double-transducer, coronary pressure recording and contrast-delivery system is described for use in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with either the Sones or the Judkins technique. The materials are all readily available in most cardiac catheterization laboratories.
Multi-agent adaptive consensus of networked systems on directed graphs

This paper considers adaptive consensus problem on directed graphs of multi-agent systems with unknown control directions. The proposed consensus protocol assumes that each agent receives information about delayed values of state and control signals of respective neighbors. In case of unknown sign of the high-frequency gain of agent dynamics, the proposed algorithm employs Nussbaum-like switching function. The algorithm allows for a designer to select low gain or high gain consensus protocols. Assuming that the underlying graph is strongly connected, it is proved that all agent states converge toward the same value, and the inter-agent coupling parameters are convergent functions. Copyright © 2015John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Underlying Illness Associated with Failure to Thrive in Breastfed Infants

Over a four-year period in a suburban pediatric practice, 38 infants aged six months or less were identified with failure to thrive (FTT) while breast-feeding. In seven cases (18.4%), an associated organic illness was diagnosed. Only 2 of 28 breast-fed neonates (8%) were found to have FTT associated with another illness, as compared to 5 of 10 older infants (50%). Breast-fed infants with FTT, particularly those presenting after the first month of life, should be considered high risk for having other disease. Their clinical evaluation should include an appropriate search for organic illnesses.
Poisson LQR design for asynchronous multirate controllers

We derive the optimal LQR controller for asynchronous multirate digital control. Independent processors operating without synchronization update different components of the control vector at Poisson arrival times. An iterative algorithm to compute the steady-state control law and optimal cost is described and its convergence is demonstrated. >
Fossil opal- phytoliths

We interpret borehole geophysical logs in conjunction with lithology developed from continuous core to produce high-resolution hydro- and geo-stratigraphic profiles for the drillhole CR-622 (Strat 8) in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of North Carolina. The resulting hydrologic and stratigraphic columns show a generalized relation between hydrologic and geologic units. Fresh-water aquifers encountered are the surficial, Yorktown, Pungo River and Castle Hayne. Geologic units present are of the middle and upper Ter- tiary and Quaternary periods, these are the Castle Hayne (Eocene), Pungo River (Miocene), Yorktown (Pliocene), James City and Flanner Beach (Pleistocene), and the topsoil (Holocene). The River Bend Formation (Oligocene) is missing as a distinct unit between the Pungo River Formation and the Castle Hayne Formation. The confining unit underlying the Yorktown Aquifer corresponds to the Yorktown Geologic Unit. The remaining hydrologic units and geologic units are hydrologically transitional and non-coincident. The lower Pungo River Formation serves as the confining unit for the Castle Hayne Aquifer, rather than the River Bend Aquifer, and sepa- rates the Pungo River Aquifer from the upper Castle Hayne Aquifer. All geologic formations were bound by unconformities. All aquifers were confined by the anticipated hydrologic units. We conclude that CR-622 (Strat 8) represents a normal sequence in the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) ORF32 Encodes a Phosphoprotein That Is Posttranslationally Modified by the VZV ORF47 Protein Kinase

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) encodes five gene products that do not have homologs in herpes simplex virus. One of these genes, VZV open reading frame 32 (ORF32), is predicted to encode a protein of 16 kDa. VZV ORF32 protein was shown to be phosphorylated and located in the cytosol of virus-infected cells. Antibody to ORF32 protein immunoprecipitated 16- and 18-kDa phosphoproteins from VZV-infected cells. Since VZV encodes two protein kinases that might phosphorylate ORF32 protein, immunoprecipitations were performed with cells infected with VZV mutants unable to express either of the viral protein kinases. Cells infected with VZV unable to express the ORF66 protein kinase contained both the 16- and 18-kDa ORF32 phosphoproteins; however, cells infected with the VZV ORF47 protein kinase mutant showed only the 16-kDa ORF32 phosphoprotein. Treatment of [ 35 S]methionine-labeled proteins with calf intestine alkaline phosphatase resulted in a decrease in size of the ORF32 proteins from 16 and 18 kDa to 15 and 17 kDa, respectively. VZV unable to express ORF32 protein replicated in human melanoma cells to titers similar to those seen with parental virus; however, VZV unable to express ORF32 was impaired for replication in U20S osteosarcoma cells. Thus, VZV ORF32 protein is posttranslationally modified by the ORF47 protein kinase. Since the VZV ORF47 protein kinase has recently been shown to be critical for replication in human fetal skin and lymphocytes, its ability to modify the ORF32 protein suggests that the latter protein may have a role for VZV replication in human tissues.
Analysis of the successional patterns of insects on carrion in southwest Virginia.

Studies of carrion-insect succession on domestic pig, Sus scrofa L., were conducted in the spring and summer of 2001 and 2002 in Blacksburg, VA, to identify and analyze the successional patterns of the taxa of forensic importance in southwest Virginia. Forty-seven insect taxa were collected in the spring. These were represented by 11 families (Diptera: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Muscidae, Sepsidae, Piophilidae; Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Silphidae, Cleridae, Trogidae, Dermes- tidae, Histeridae). In the summer, 33 taxa were collected that were represented by all of the families collected in the spring, except Trogidae. The most common sies collected were the calliphorids: Phormia regina (Meigen) and Phaenicia coeruleiviridis (Macquart). The most common beetles were Creophilus maxillosus L. (Staphylinidae), Oiceoptoma noveboracense Forster, Necrophila americana L., Necrodes surinamensis (F.) (Silphidae), Euspilotus assimilis (Paykull), and Hister abbreviatus F. (Histeridae). Occurrence matrices were constructed for the successional patterns of insect taxa during 21 sampling intervals in the spring and 8 intervals in the summer studies. Jackknife estimates (mean 95% conÞdence limits) of overall Jaccard similarity in insect taxa among sampling intervals in the occurrence matrices were 0.213 0.081 (spring 2001), 0.194 0.043 (summer 2001), 0.257 0.068 (spring 2002), and 0.274 0.172 (summer 2002). Permutation analyses of the occurrence matrices showed that the patterns of succession of insect taxa were similar between spring 2001 and 2002 (P 0.001) and between summer 2001 and 2002 (P 0.007). The successional patterns seem to be typical for the seasonal periods and provide data on baseline fauna for estimating postmortem interval in cases of human death. This study is the Þrst of its kind for southwest Virginia.
Conditional Melanoma Cancer Survival in the United States

Beyond relative survival, which indicates the likelihood that patients will not die from causes associated with their cancer, conditional relative survival probabilities provide further useful prognostic information to cancer patients, tailored to the time already survived from diagnosis. This study presents conditional relative survival for melanoma patients in the United States, diagnosed during 2000-2008 and followed through 2012. Analyses are based on 62,803 male and 50,261 female cases in population-based cancer registries in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Five-year relative survival estimates are presented for melanoma patients who have already survived one, two, three, four, or five years after the initial diagnosis. Five- and ten-year relative survival decreases with age, stage at diagnosis, and is lower among males, Blacks, and Hispanics. Five-year conditional relative survival improves with each year already survived. The potential for improvement in five-year conditional relative survival is greatest for older age, males, Blacks, Hispanics, and in later staged cases. For local disease, five-year conditional relative survival was significantly lower in ages greater than 65 years and in Blacks. It was significantly higher in females, non-Hispanics, and married individuals. Age had a greater inverse relationship with five-year survival in later staged disease. A similar result occurred for females and married individuals. In contrast, non-Hispanics had better five-year survival if diagnosed with local or regional disease, but not distant disease.
The role of Bruton's tyrosine kinase in autoimmunity and implications for therapy

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) mediates B cell signaling and is also present in innate immune cells but not T cells. BTK propagates B cell receptor (BCR) responses to antigen-engagement as well as to stimulation via CD40, toll-like receptors (TLRs), Fc receptors (FCRs) and chemokine receptors. Importantly, BTK can modulate signaling, acting as a "rheostat" rather than an "on-off" switch; thus, overexpression leads to autoimmunity while decreased levels improve autoimmune disease outcomes. Autoreactive B cells depend upon BTK for survival to a greater degree than normal B cells, reflected as loss of autoantibodies with maintenance of total antibody levels when BTK is absent. This review describes contributions of BTK to immune tolerance, including studies testing BTK-inhibitors for treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Tractable probabilistic knowledge bases with existence uncertainty

A central goal of AI is to reason efficiently in domains that are both complex and uncertain. Most attempts toward this end add probability to a tractable subset of first-order logic, but this results in intractable inference. To address this, Domingos and Webb (2012) introduced tractable Markov logic (TML), the first tractable first-order probabilistic representation. Despite its surprising expressiveness, TML has a number of significant limitations. Chief among these is that it does not explicitly handle existence uncertainty, meaning that all possible worlds contain the same objects and relations. This leads to a number of conceptual problems, such as models that must contain meaningless combinations of attributes (e.g., horses with wheels). Here we propose a new formalism, tractable probabilistic knowledge bases (TPKBs), that overcomes this problem. Like TML, TPKBs use probabilistic class and part hierarchies to ensure tractability, but TPKBs have a much cleaner and user-friendly object-oriented syntax and a well-founded semantics for existence uncertainty. TML is greatly complicated by the use of probabilistic theorem proving, an inference procedure that is much more powerful than necessary. In contrast, we introduce an inference procedure specifically designed for TPKBs, which makes them far more transparent and amenable to analysis and implementation. TPKBs subsume TML and therefore essentially all tractable models, including many high-treewidth ones.
Role of the Family of Ephs and Ephrins in Cell-Cell Communication in Cancer

Modes of intercellular communication that require direct cell membrane-to-membrane interactions do not always involve the formation of junctional structures such as gap or tight junctions. An important example of such communication, involves the large family of proteins called Eph receptors (Erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular carcinoma) and their ligands called Ephrins. In this review, we will introduce these proteins, their structural and functional features as well as their increasingly recognized role in cancer. Rather than providing a comprehensive report of all available data for each of the proteins and their characteristics, we will focus on introducing some key concepts of this protein family such as the fact that both receptors and ligands are membrane-embedded, thus eliciting bidirectional signaling, their dual and antagonistic functions in biological processes, and also their ability to engage in cis and trans interactions. We will also provide literature data to illustrate the genesis and transduction of signaling through Ephs and Ephrins. Finally, an important part of this chapter will be dedicated to integrating the functions of Ephs and Ephrins within the global system of cell-cell communication. These and other concepts will be addressed in view of their importance in understanding cancer progression and shedding light on the therapeutic pertinence of targeting these proteins. The authors apologize for overlooking important data available, because choices had to be made and focus was on illustrative examples rather than global survey of information.
High Anion Conductivity and Low Water Uptake of Phosphonium Containing Diblock Copolymer Membranes

Poly[(styrene)-block-((2-acryloxy)ethyltributylphosphonium bromide)] diblock copolymers (STBP) were synthesized in two steps. First, reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization was used to synthesize the diblock copolymer precursors poly[(styrene)-block-(bromoethyl acrylate)] (SBEA), followed by functionalization with tributylphosphine. Copolymers with overall molecular weights ranging from 31 to 87 kg/mol were synthesized. The volume fraction of the ion-containing monomers in the copolymers was fixed at about 0.57. Self-assembly of these copolymers into ordered morphologies with tunable domain sizes was demonstrated by small-angle X-ray scattering. The effect of morphology on water uptake and bromide ion conductivity was explored in samples equilibrated in liquid water. The use of the pendant tributylphosphonium cations, which have some hydrophobic character, results in low water uptake and high anionic conductivity. The conductivity increases with increasing domain size while water u...
Growth Rates of Marine Bacterial Isolates on Particulate Organic Substrates Solubilized by Freely Released Extracellular Enzymes

Growth rates of marine bacterial isolates on particulate organic substrates were measured using a novel apparatus which restricts bacterial cells to the uptake of hydrolysate produced from particulate substrates only by enzymes that are actively released from the bacterium into the culture medium. Significant, varying growth rates were measured for four different marine bacteria, using three different, ecologically significant particulate organic substrates (preparations of amylopectin, chitin, and animal hide). Growth rates sometimes approached but were usually lower than rates that have been reported in laboratory experiments using dissolved organic growth substrates. These results are consistent with recent model predictions and have important implications for microbial ecology and material cycling in diverse liquid-bathed environments.
Plant-Scale Concentration Column Designs for SHINE Target Solution Utilizing AG 1 Anion Exchange Resin

Argonne is assisting SHINE Medical Technologies (SHINE) in their efforts to develop SHINE, an accelerator-driven process that will utilize a uranyl-sulfate solution for the production of fission product Mo-99. An integral part of the process is the development of a column for the separation and recovery of Mo-99, followed by a concentration column to reduce the product volume from 15-25 L to <1 L. Argonne has collected data from batch studies and breakthrough column experiments to utilize the VERSE (Versatile Reaction Separation) simulation program (Purdue University) to design plant-scale product recovery and concentration processes.
Impact of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment on Dunning Prostate Tumors

Recent studies have shown that directly exposing Dunning tumors to shock waves delayed or inhibited tumor growth. We examined the effects of extracorporeally generated shock waves on Dunning prostate tumor cells in vitro and in vivo using male Copenhagen rats. In two experiments, we subjected both tumor-bearing rats and precloned tumor cells in vitro to three different doses of shock waves (400, 800, and 1,600 shocks at 15 kV). Tumor growth in vivo was followed and measured weekly until tumor necrosis was evident. One-third of tumors subjected to 400 shocks at 15 kV showed significant delay in growth for 41 days after treatment; two-thirds of those subjected to 800 shocks at 15 kV showed delayed tumor growth for 70 to 80 days after treatment; and two-thirds of those subjected to 1,600 shocks at 15 kV showed inhibited growth for 40 to 70 days after treatment.
Image post-processing for optimization of photostimulable phosphor cephalograms

To evaluate 16-bit PSP cephalogram images for orthodontist-perceived quality of cephalometric landmark clarity at baseline and with three different image enhancements (emboss, inverse, and inverse/emboss). This presentation concerns results limited for detection of Porion and Pronasale. These two landmarks were evaluated in view of being extremes in contrast requirements. A Sectagraph (Denar Corporation, CA) was used with the DenOptix storage phosphor system (Dentsply/Gendex, IL). Images from 48 patients (plus 12 repeats) were presented randomly and simultaneously to 10 observers engaged in orthodontics. Each observer independently rated Porion and Pronasale detection (1 = poor; 2 = satisfactory; 3 = excellent). Equal numbers of images having single and double peak histograms were included. Enhancements used in the study were: (1) emboss; (2) inverse; and (3) inverse/emboss.