cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Colorectal Cancer Screening in Women: An Underutilized Lifesaver

OBJECTIVE. Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the third most common cancer diagnosed and a major cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Despite strong evidence that early screening decreases colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates, colorectal cancer screening rates in women still lag significantly behind screening rates for breast and cervical cancers. Additionally, women have been found to be less likely than men to undergo CRC screening. This is despite the fact that the overall lifetime risk for the development of colorectal carcinoma is similar in both sexes. Barriers to screening have been found to be different for women compared with men. Screening adherence in women also appears to be associated with various social and demographic factors.CONCLUSION. CT colonography (CTC) is an accurate, minimally invasive, and well-tolerated examination that is newly endorsed by the American Cancer Society, U.S. Multisociety Task Force, and the American College of Radiology. Improved screening compliance...
Aggregate- and Disaggregate-Based Travel Time Estimations: Comparison of Applications to Sustainability Analysis and Advanced Traveler Information Systems

Travel time estimation is important for a wide range of applications, including advanced traveler information systems (ATIS), sustainability analysis, and discrete choice modeling. Approaches to travel time estimation traditionally have been based on aggregate data sets that examine travel times over a number of days or travel times in previous time intervals. Automatic vehicle identification data make it possible to analyze travel time data at a totally disaggregate or individual commuter level. It is postulated in this research that the capability of modeling travel characteristics on a disaggregate level can improve the accuracy with which performance measures are quantified. The test beds examined are a 22-km section of the I-10 corridor and a 21-km section of the US-290 corridor in Houston, Texas. It was found that aggregation across days, which does not consider the effect of individual days, is 63 percent less accurate than aggregation by days, which does consider the effect of individual days. Eve...
Household Products Database

This column is an overview of the Household Products Database, a free resource available online from the National Library of Medicine (NLM). Search strategies, overall layout, and supportive information are detailed. The database covers products commonly found in or around the home, including cosmetics, cleaning substances, and other maintenance items.
Optimization of intracellular cytokine staining for the quantitation of antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses in rhesus macaques

Standard proliferation assays used for analysis of CD4+ T cell function have significant shortcomings, including limited sensitivity, lack of truly quantitative readouts and significant variability. We have optimized an intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) assay in rhesus macaques which allows us to identify virus-specific CD4+ T cells at the single-cell level with high sensitivity while reducing background staining to a minimum. A variety of parameters were tested to determine the optimal experimental conditions necessary for the detection of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in macaques. Central to our optimized protocol was the addition of cross-linked costimulatory anti-CD28 and anti-CD49d Mabs, a modification which resulted in up to threefold enhancement of the frequency of TNF-alpha-secreting CD4+ T cells following superantigen- or antigen-specific stimulation. The ICS protocol was also optimized with respect to antigen concentration and duration of antigenic stimulation. These modifications resulted in a convenient and highly reproducible assay with intra- and inter-assay variability of less than 10%. Although cryopreservation of PBMC generally led to a 40% to 80% decrease in the frequency of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells detected by ICS using stimulation with viral proteins, the use of overlapping peptide pools minimized the effects of cryopreservation on ICS responses. The use of more sensitive techniques such as ICS permits delineation of antigen-specific cells at the single cell level and should provide new insights into pathogen-specific immune responses in the rhesus macaque model.
Superresolution in microscopy and the Abbe resolution limit.

It is now well established in principle that superresolving optical systems can be made. Such systems, when viewing objects of finite extent, can resolve detail finer than the normal diffraction limit. This has obvious attractions for microscopy, but we may wonder whether the ultimate diffraction limit for a lens of large numerical aperture, the limit which counts in microscopy, can be beaten. Can detail smaller than one half the wavelength of light really be made visible? It can be, but only in specialized and probably limited applications.
Deuterium oxide alters pupal diapause response in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis.

. Deuterium oxide averts pupal diapause in the flesh fly Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart when fed to larvae or when applied topically to photosensitive embryos exposed to short daylength. Deuterium oxide was not effective in promoting diapause when presented to embryos or larvae reared at long daylength. The effect of deuterium oxide appears to be cumulative in the larval state: increasing exposure time progressively reduces diapause response. If flies reared on deuterium oxide are exposed to continuous darkness, the diapause response remains high, thus implying that the physiological capacity for diapause is not disrupted. We suggest that deuterium oxide exerts its effect on the circadian rhythm controlling diapause induction.
An environmental assessment of mold concentrations and potential mycotoxin exposures in the greater Southeast Texas area.

Abstract An assessment of indoor air quality in homes from the greater Houston and Southeast Texas area was sampled over a three-month period to ascertain the potential toxic exposure to molds and mycotoxins. In 2001 Houston experienced widespread flooding due to Tropical Storm Allison. The slow receding waters allowed molds to proliferate to great levels and affected many homes and businesses in and around the Houston area. Source (air) and surface (swab, tape, and bulk) samples were taken in fungal contaminated residences to measure the amounts of airborne and surface contaminants. Indoor airborne counts of fungal spores that were identified to be 80% or more of the outside counts of similar fungal genera were classified as indoor air contaminants. This study identified species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Cladosporium at levels ranging from 80% to 20 times greater than the corresponding outdoor readings in the greater Southeast Texas area. Aspergillus and Penicillium species are considered potentia...
Approximation of discrete-time LQG compensators for distributed systems with boundary input and unbounded measurement

The approximation of optimal discrete-time linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) compensators for distributed parameter control systems with boundary input and unbounded measurement is considered. The approach applies to a wide range of problems that can be formulated in a state space on which both the discrete-time input and output operators are continuous. Approximating compensators are obtained via application of the LQG theory and associated approximation results for infinite dimensional discrete-time control systems with bounded input and output. Numerical results for spline and modal based approximation schemes used to compute optimal compensators for a one dimensional heat equation with either Neumann or Dirichlet boundary control and pointwise measurement of temperature are presented and discussed.
AFWL hydrocode development parallel techniques: fluid dynamics (abstract)

The methods employed in solving the fluid dynamic equations are especially amenable to parallel techniques. In fact, one of the major forces behind the development of ILLIAC IV was the solution of hydrodynamic problems. During the early phases of ILLIAC IV development, (mid 1970 to 1971), the Air Force Weapons Lab expended several manyears of effort in converting its hydrocodes to the ILLIAC IV architecture. This has been reported in AFWLTR 72-33 "Shell for the ILLIAC IV". The experience has carried over into the codes presently used at AFWL which have many characteristics necessary for parallel processing. Applications of the parallel philosophy to serial machines has decreased running times by a factor of 2 or more. Our original single material hydrocode ran at the rate of approximately 1.5ms/zone/cycle on the CDC6600. The present version runs at about 0.5ms/zone/cycle.
Improved dose distribution with a universal acrylic breast compensator

Abstract Wedge filters frequently do not provide optimal distribution in the chest wall, lung, and areolarnipple complex because they extend through the entire width of tangential radiation fields for breast cancer. In addition, medial wedge filters increase dose to the contralateral breast. In order to overcome these shortcomings, a new method of acrylic compensation was investigated. A universal acrylic breast compensator (ABC) was designed, with patient data, to extend anteriorly from the central axis. To accurately display build-up data, the ABC was entered into the treatment planning system as a wedge filter. Dose homogeneity within the compensated breast, chest wall, and lung volumes was assessed using 3-D planning and dose volume histograms. Dose to the contralateral breast was evaluated using thermoluminescent dosimetry in a polystyrene phantom. Opened, wedged, and compensated conditions were irradiated using the above described techniques. Due to lack of extension of the ABC posteriorly to the central axis (allowing lung inhomogeneity to correct for increased patient thickness), ABCs reduced the high dose regions in the chest wall and lung as compared to wedge filters. ABCs reduced hot spot in the areolar-nipple complex more efficiently as compared to wedge filters. ABCs also reduced dose to the contralateral breast by more than 20% relative to wedge filters. Wedge filters can be inefficient because of lung transmission and contour topography. Excessive dose to the chest wall, lung, and areolar-nipple complex, and contralateral breast can be alleviated with the use of a universal acrylic breast compensator. Its convenience and dosimetric advantages both in treatment planning and daily application offer a useful tool in the management of breast cancer.
The Radiologic Significance of the Left Pulmonary Ligament: Experience with 26 Patients

Pathologic processes confined to or by the left pulmonary ligament present a confusing radiographic appearance. Such processes may simulate pleural scarring, parenchymal scarring, or even left lower lobe collapse. Radiologic awareness of this structure is limited because in the normal state, it is not visualized on either posteroanterior or lateral chest x-ray films. The absence of secondary signs of left lower lobe collapse, together with a process which may extend above the level of the left hilum, is valuable in confirming that such a triangular density seen behind the left cardiac border is disease in or confined by the pulmonary ligament, rather than left lower lobe collapse.
Effect of calcium chelation by L-phenylalanine on (Na+ + K+)-stimulated ATPase of chick brain microsomes

Previous work from this laboratory has revealed that chicks showed a reversible narcosis when injected with 1.62 nmole of L-phenylalanine [ 1 ] . After 4 hr, the brain phenylalanine level was as high as 3.8 pmole/g tissue [2]. It has been shown that some amino acids are chelators of divalent cations [3-61. Since membrane-bound Ca2+ is essential for the maintenance of cellular and axonal membrane excitability and low Ca2+ leads to depolarization, spontaneous electrical discharges and eventually suppression of membrane excitability [7151, it was of interest to test the hypothesis that high concentrations of L-phenylalanine (up to 5 mM) might compete for Ca2+ and displace it from the membrane surface. This displacement, in vim, would lead to reduction (and ultimate blockage) of the action potential. This communication reports studies of the effect of L-phenylalanine on membrane-bound (Na+ + K+)ATPase as compared with the effects of strong chelators such as EDTA and EGTA on the same system.
Coexistence of bovine pancreatic polypeptide-like immunoreactivity and catecholamine in neurons of the ventral aminergic pathway of the rat brain

Abstract The coexistence of bovine pancreatic polypeptide (BPP) within the cell bodies and axons of noradrenergic neurons of the rat brain was studied. Adjacent hindbrain sections stained by the indirect immunofluorescence technique for either BPP or dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) revealed A1 and A2 cell bodies containing both antigens. Following bilateral knife cuts of the ventral noradrenergic bundle (VB), the localization of BPP, DBH and catecholamine within the VB and terminal fields of the hypothalamus was determined. An axoplasmic buildup of BPP immunofluorescent material was observed caudal to the knifecut together in the same axonal fields as catecholamine and DBH-containing axons. In the hypothalamus there was a marked decrease in the number of catecholamine-containing nerve fibers. However, there was no obvious decrease in the number of BPP fibers. The influence of high intraventricular doses of 6-hydroxydopamine on BPP and DBH-containing nerves in the hypothalamus was studied. While there was a marked reduction in DBH immunoreactive fibers, BPP fibers appeared relatively unchanged. These results suggest that BPP coexists within some hindbrain catecholamine neurons and their axons. It is suggested that BPP and catecholamine coexist in terminal fields within the hypothalamus. Failure to reveal a decrease in the BPP-fibers in these fields suggests that sprouting of arcuate nucleus derived non-aminergic BPP-containing fibers has occurred.
REMIPEDIA, A NEW CLASS OF CRUSTACEA FROM A MARINE CAVE IN THE BAHAMAS

ABSTRACT Speleonectes lucayensis, new genus and species of cavernicolous crustacean from the Bahamas, is described. It possesses characteristics indicating that it represents a new class of Crustacea.
Paris and the Origins of Rayonnant Gothic Architecture Down to 1240

Bythe middle of the thirteenth century Paris had become the leading foyer of a new phase of Gothic architecture. The work undertaken in the 1240's at such sites as St. Denis and the Ste. Chapelle formed the first comprehensive statement of Rayonnant design, and from Paris it spread far and wide, to Beauvais, Strasbourg and Troyes as well as to Burgundy, the Rhone Valley and Languedoc. Created within the framework established at Chartres in 1194, Rayonnant represented first and foremost a refinement of High Gothic, the development of a very light skeletal structure with enormous, all-pervading windows and a unified treatment of the sculptural effects of the masonry.1 But Rayonnant also went beyond High Gothic in several ways. It speculated on elegance of scale rather than on the immensity or the configurations of space, it was precise but not always forthright and it appealed to the intellect through subtlety and sometimes even surprise rather than through clarity and balance. The work of Pierre de Montreu...
Design of isolated buildings with S-FBI system subjected to near-fault earthquakes using NSGA-II algorithm

This study investigates the optimum design parameters of a superelastic friction base isolator (S-FBI) system through a multi-objective genetic algorithm and performance-based evaluation approach. The S-FBI system consists of a flat steel- PTFE sliding bearing and a superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) device. Sliding bearing limits the transfer of shear across the isolation interface and provides damping from sliding friction. SMA device provides restoring force capability to the isolation system together with additional damping characteristics. A three-story building is modeled with S-FBI isolation system. Multiple-objective numerical optimization that simultaneously minimizes isolation-level displacements and superstructure response is carried out with a genetic algorithm (GA) in order to optimize S-FBI system. Nonlinear time history analyses of the building with S-FBI system are performed. A set of 20 near-field ground motion records are used in numerical simulations. Results show that S-FBI system successfully control response of the buildings against near-fault earthquakes without sacrificing in isolation efficacy and producing large isolation-level deformations.
Analysis of CD8+ T cell-mediated anti-viral responses in mice with targeted deletions of the M1 or M5 muscarinic cholinergic receptors.

A number of studies have demonstrated that non-neuronal acetylcholine can play a role in the regulation of T cell function. Recently, we reported that CD8+ T cells, from mice with a targeted deletion of the M1 muscarinic receptor, had a defect in differentiating into cytolytic T lymphocytes when stimulated in vitro. In the current report, we analyze the in vivo function of CD8+ T cells from mice with targeted deletions of either M1 or M5 muscarinic receptors. M1 or M5 knockout mice were infected with either lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus or vesicular stomatitis virus. Expansion of anti-viral CD8+ T cells was monitored by staining with tetramer reagents specific for the immunodominant peptides of the viruses. No defect in expansion of CD8+ T cells was observed in either M1 or M5 knockout mice. The extent to which one can draw a generalized conclusion that M1 and M5 are not involved in anti-viral immunity depends upon issues of antigen strength, genetic background, induction of redundant receptors, and the potential for qualitative defects in the expanded CD8+ T cells.
Maximal dose glyburide therapy in markedly symptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes: a new use for an old friend

No consensus exists as to the best approach for treating markedly symptomatic patients with new-onset (or diet-treated) type 2 diabetes. Therefore, based on the experience of one successful case, further studies were undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of maximal dose glyburide (10 mg, twice daily, in patients or = 65 yr of age) for treating these patients. Fifty-five patients with polyuria, polydipsia, nocturia, involuntary weight loss, and blood glucose concentrations of 300 mg/dL or greater were treated following protocols that used maximal dose ( or = 65 yr of age) sulfonylurea agent therapy. Data were collected retrospectively in 30 patients and prospectively in 25. Patients in the prospective group differed only in that more laboratory measurements were obtained, and less strict guidelines for using insulin were adopted. Data were collected in both groups at baseline and 1 week and 4 mo...
A Case Study of Nondelamination Glass Dissolution Resulting in Visible Particles: Implications for Neutral pH Formulations

Visible particles were unexpectedly observed in a neutral-pH placebo formulation stored in glass vials but were not observed in the same formulation composition that contained protein. The particles were identified as silica gel (SiO2) and polysorbate 20, suggesting dissolution of the glass vial. Time course studies were performed to assess the effect of variables such as pH, excipients, storage temperature, and duration on particle formation. Data suggest that glass dissolution occurred during the storage in the liquid state, as shown by increased Si levels in solution. Upon freezing, the samples underwent freeze concentration and likely became supersaturated, which resulted in the appearance of visible silica particles upon thawing. The glass degradation described here is unique and differs from the more commonly reported delamination, defined by the presence of reflective, shard-like glass flakes in solution that are often termed lamellae. This case study underscores the importance of an early assessment (during formulation development) of potential incompatibility of the formulation with the primary container. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 103:1104–1114, 2014
Single-center North American Experience With Wolf Piezolith 3000 in Management of Urinary Calculi

OBJECTIVES To review our experience with the newest generation piezoelectric lithotripter, the Piezolith 3000, in adult patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for solitary urinary calculi. METHODS We identified 139 shock wave lithotripsy procedures that had used the Piezolith 3000 from February 2005 to July 2007. All procedures were performed under intravenous sedation. Retrospective chart review was used to obtain the pertinent information. Stone-free status was defined as the absence of any fragments, and success as the absence of stone fragments >4 mm, on follow-up imaging after a single treatment. RESULTS The stone-free and success rate 1 month after a single shock wave lithotripsy session was 45% and 64%, respectively. Only stone size correlated with the overall success rate (P = .004). The overall complication rate was 15% and included a 5.8% major complication rate requiring intervention or admission. The median time in the procedure room was 33 minutes. The adjunctive procedure rate was 1.4%, and the secondary retreatment rate was 10%. CONCLUSIONS The Piezolith 3000 provides modest, but acceptable, single-treatment stone-free and success rates, with a reasonable safety profile, and offers rapid and convenient lithotripsy requiring only intravenous sedation.
Adolescents' access to their own prescription medications in the home.

Abstract Purpose The objective of this descriptive study was to determine adolescents' access to their own medications at home, specifically prescription pain, stimulant, antianxiety, and sedative medications. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with a cohort of 501 adolescents from two southeastern Michigan school districts. Participants were asked what medications had been prescribed to them during the previous 6 months; if they had received prescription medications, they were asked in-depth questions about them, including how medications were stored and supervised at home. Results The sample was comprised of adolescents in the 8th and 9th grades, and 50.9% were male. Participants were primarily white (72.9%, n = 365) or African-American (21.6%, n = 108). Slightly less than half of the adolescents (45.9%, n = 230) reported having been prescribed medications in the previous 6 months. Of this group, 14.3% (n = 33) had been prescribed pain medications, 9.6% (n = 22) stimulants, 1.7% (n = 4) antianxiety medications, and .9% (n = 2) sedatives. In total, 57 adolescents were prescribed medications in the pain, stimulant, antianxiety, or sedative categories (including controlled medications), and the majority (73.7%, n = 42) reported that they had unsupervised access to medications with abuse potential. Conclusions The majority of adolescents who were prescribed medications in the pain, stimulant, antianxiety, or sedative categories during the previous 6 months had unsupervised access to them at home. It is critical that clinicians educate parents and patients about the importance of proper storage and disposal of medications, particularly those with abuse potential.
Edema and Edema-Forming States

Edema occurs when the volume of fluid in the tissue space is increased from normal. It may be the consequence of numerous diseases which can affect the kidneys, the cardiovascular system, the liver, or the endocrine system, or it may result from the administration of certain drugs or a variety of other disorders (Table I). Edema may be localized to a very circumscribed area of the body, to one limb or to one region of the body such as the lungs. More often, it is generalized. Even generalized edema may not be detected by the patient or the physician if it is modest in amount. However, when interstitial fluid volume is increased by approximately 15%, or 2 liters in a 70-kg man, the edema becomes clinically apparent. Because, as is discussed below, intracapillary hydrostatic pressure and tissue pressure are two of the important factors which regulate interstitial fluid volume, generalized edema usually presents in areas where venous pressure is the highest or tissue pressure is the lowest. Thus, it may be seen first in the ankles if the patient has been upright for any length of time, over the sacrum if the patient has been supine or around the eyes or in the scrotum or labia where skin is lax. Alternately, generalized edema may present as pulmonary edema because of the marked symptoms which result from fluid retention in the lungs. If generalized edema is massive in amount, it is referred to as anasarca.
Everybody Hurts: Addiction, Drama, and the Family in the Reality Television Show Intervention

This article employs the literature on reality television as well as empirical studies on addiction to analyze Intervention’s narrative. We look at the narrative structure of the Intervention’s first six seasons (2005–2009), its repeated emphases on the causes of addiction, and the show’s purported success rate. Highlighting disturbing discrepancies between the show’s representations and assertions versus empirical research, Intervention’s notions of what constitutes effective remedies are those treatments generally available only to the financially affluent, and the program’s depictions of addiction and intervention practices reinforce a popular culture, rather than a science-based understanding, of the family and of addiction itself.
Protocol: High-throughput and quantitative assays of auxin and auxin precursors from minute tissue samples

The plant hormone auxin, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), plays important roles in plant growth and development. The signaling response to IAA is largely dependent on the local concentration of IAA, and this concentration is regulated by multiple mechanisms in plants. Therefore, the precise quantification of local IAA concentration provides insights into the regulation of IAA and its biological roles. Meanwhile, pathways and genes involved in IAA biosynthesis are not fully understood, so it is necessary to analyze the production of IAA at the metabolite level for unbiased studies of IAA biosynthesis. We have developed high-throughput methods to quantify plant endogenous IAA and its biosynthetic precursors including indole, tryptophan, indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPyA), and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The protocol starts with homogenizing plant tissues with stable-labeled internal standards added, followed by analyte purification using solid phase extraction (SPE) tips and analyte derivatization. The derivatized analytes are finally analyzed by selected reaction monitoring on a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS) to determine the precise abundance of analytes. The amount of plant tissue required for the assay is small (typically 2–10 mg fresh weight), and the use of SPE tips is simple and convenient, which allows preparation of large sets of samples within reasonable time periods. The SPE tips and GC-MS/MS based method enables high-throughput and accurate quantification of IAA and its biosynthetic precursors from minute plant tissue samples. The protocol can be used for measurement of these endogenous compounds using isotope dilution, and it can also be applied to analyze IAA biosynthesis and biosynthetic pathways using stable isotope labeling. The method will potentially advance knowledge of the role and regulation of IAA.
Unstable Identity Compatibility How Gender Rejection Sensitivity Undermines the Success of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields

Although the perceived compatibility between one's gender and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identities (gender-STEM compatibility) has been linked to women's success in STEM fields, no work to date has examined how the stability of identity over time contributes to subjective and objective STEM success. In the present study, 146 undergraduate female STEM majors rated their gender-STEM compatibility weekly during their freshman spring semester. STEM women higher in gender rejection sensitivity, or gender RS, a social-cognitive measure assessing the tendency to perceive social-identity threat, experienced larger fluctuations in gender-STEM compatibility across their second semester of college. Fluctuations in compatibility predicted impaired outcomes the following school year, including lower STEM engagement and lower academic performance in STEM (but not non-STEM) classes, and significantly mediated the relationship between gender RS and STEM engagement and achievement in the 2nd year of college. The week-to-week changes in gender-STEM compatibility occurred in response to negative academic (but not social) experiences.
Di(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium(II) bis(phosphine) complexes

Reactive di(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium(II) bis-(phosphine) complexes were prepared by phosphine ligand-induced reductive elimination from [(η5-C5H5)2-Zr(H)R], R = alkyl.
Protective role of magnesium in the neutralization by antibodies of Chlamydia trachomatis infectivity.

Neutralization of the infectivity of Chlamydia trachomatis was assessed by using polyclonal antisera and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Polyclonal antisera and a species-reactive MAb as well as a subspecies-specific MAb, both of which were directed toward the major outer membrane protein of C. trachomatis, reduced the number of chlamydial inclusion-forming units in an in vitro assay. Neutralization was dependent on the presence of complement. The species-specific MAb reacted with all 15 serovars by a microimmunofluorescence assay and a dot blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with heat-treated elementary bodies. On the other hand, this same MAb reacted with all serovars, except those in the C complex, by the dot blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with viable organisms and neutralized in vitro all 10 serovars tested, except those in the C complex. When neutralization assays were performed in a solution containing Mg2+, neutralization by both polyclonal antisera and MAbs was significantly reduced. A dose response to Mg2+ supplied as MgSO4 revealed that all concentrations tested from 50 to 800 microM had some effect. Concentrations of greater than or equal to 400 microM MgSO4 completely abolished neutralization at the lowest dilution of polyclonal antisera and species-reactive MAb tested. Although Mg2+ also blocked the neutralization effect of the subspecies-specific MAb, this neutralization was not as complete as that observed with the species-reactive MAb. Addition of Mg2+ to the assay over the initial 45 min of incubation of C. trachomatis with MAb and complement showed that the organisms could be rescued to some extent over the first 30 min of incubation, after which time neutralization of infectivity could not be reversed. C. trachomatis treated with Mg2+, the species-reactive MAb, and complement were lethal to mice in an in vivo toxicity and infectivity assay, whereas mice injected with organisms incubated with the same MAb and complement without Mg2+ survived. Images
Optimization of procedures for separation of motile and nonmotile bull and rabbit spermatozoa with bovine serum albumin gradients

The effect of equipment design, separatory media, and time and temperature of separation were studied. Discontinuous 4%/10% bovine serum albumin (BSA) gradients were used to isolate highly motile spermatozoa in rabbit and bull semen. For all conditions tested, motility of spermatozoa collected from the 4% BSA gradient layer (top) was less than or equal to the motility of the unseparated controls. Fractions collected from the 10% BSA gradient layer contained highly motile spermatozoa. In experiment 1, washed bull spermatozoa were diluted with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 2% BSA or 4% BSA before being fractionated on BSA columns contained in test tubes. Inclusion of BSA in PBS tended to reduce loss of motility during washing, but the proportion of sperm recovered was highest in PBS. In experiment 2, motility and recovery of buck spermatozoa collected from the 10% BSA gradient region tended to be higher when fractionation temperature was 30°C as compared to 35°C, and motility was significantly higher when incubation time was 30 min as compared to 1 hr. The proportion of sperm recovered was unaffected by incubation time. In experiments 1 and 2, 41 of 48 separations resulted in at least one fraction containing spermatozoa with motility greater than or equal to 90%. In the third experiment, the surface area on which bull and buck spermatozoa were layered was increased by forming the 4%/10% BSA gradients in conical supports. Separation of sperm on conically shaped columns was not as effective as on cylinders. The use of cylinders to support the BSA gradients and a separation time of 30 min at 30°C is recommended.
On the effectiveness of the test-first approach to programming

Test-driven development (TDD) is based on formalizing a piece of functionality as a test, implementing the functionality such that the test passes, and iterating the process. This paper describes a controlled experiment for evaluating an important aspect of TDD: in TDD, programmers write functional tests before the corresponding implementation code. The experiment was conducted with undergraduate students. While the experiment group applied a test-first strategy, the control group applied a more conventional development technique, writing tests after the implementation. Both groups followed an incremental process, adding new features one at a time and regression testing them. We found that test-first students on average wrote more tests and, in turn, students who wrote more tests tended to be more productive. We also observed that the minimum quality increased linearly with the number of programmer tests, independent of the development strategy employed.
Characterization of human adenovirus 35 and derivation of complex vectors

Background: Replication-deficient recombinant adenoviral vectors based on human serotype 35 (Ad35) are desirable due to the relatively low prevalence of neutralizing antibodies in the human population. The structure of the viral genome and life cycle of Ad35 differs from the better characterized Ad5 and these differences require differences in the strategies for the generation of vectors for gene delivery. Results: Sequences essential for E1 and E4 function were identified and removed and the effects of the deletions on viral gene transcription were determined. In addition, the non-essential E3 region was deleted from rAd35 vectors and a sequence was found that did not have an effect on viability but reduced viral fitness. The packaging capacity of rAd35 was dependent on pIX and vectors were generated with stable genome sizes of up to 104% of the wild type genome size. These data were used to make an E1-, E3-, E4-deleted rAd35 vector. This rAd35 vector with multiple gene deletions has the advantages of multiple blocks to viral replication (i.e., E1 and E4 deletions) and a transgene packaging capacity of 7.6 Kb, comparable to rAd5 vectors. Conclusions: The results reported here allow the generation of larger capacity rAd35 vectors and will guide the derivation of adenovirus vectors from other serotypes.
Nonplanar VLSI arrays with high fault-tolerance capabilities

VLSI architectures for improved fault tolerance are proposed and analyzed. The architectures include structures with two planar layers of processing elements as well as extended cubic designs. The analyses for arrays with various redundancy levels show remarkable improvement in both array yield and processor use over those exhibited conventional two-dimensional structures. This improvement can be attributed to the benefits of the third dimension to increase the flexibility in spares allocation. The architectures can readily substitute arrays based on mesh or four-nearest-neighbor interconnections. From the fault-tolerance viewpoint the cubic structures offer no appreciable performance improvement over the simpler two-layer structures. >
Vibration suppression of advanced space cryocoolers: an overview

Mechanical cryocoolers represent a significant enabling technology for precision space instruments by providing cryogenic temperatures for sensitive infrared, gamma-ray, and x-ray detectors. However, the vibration generated by the cryocooler's refrigeration compressor has long been identified as a critical integration issue. The key sensitivity is the extent to which the cooler's vibration harmonics excite spacecraft resonances and prevent on-board sensors from achieving their operational goals with respect to resolution and pointing accuracy. To reduce the cryocooler's vibration signature to acceptable levels, a variety of active vibration suppression technologies have been developed and implemented over the past 15 years. At this point, nearly all space cryocoolers have active vibration suppression systems built into their drive electronics that reduce the peak unbalanced forces to less than 1% of their original levels. Typical systems of today individually control the vibration in each of the cryocoolers lowest drive harmonics, with some controlling as many as 16 harmonics. A second vibration issue associated with cryocoolers is surviving launch. Here the same pistons and coldfingers that generate vibration during operation are often the most critical elements in terms of surviving high input acceleration levels. Since electrical power is generally not available during launch, passive vibration suppression technologies have been developed. Common vibration damping techniques include electrodynamic braking via shorted motor coils and the use of particle dampers on sensitive cryogenic elements. This paper provides an overview of the vibration characteristics of typical linear-drive space cryocoolers, outlines their history of development, and presents typical performance of the various active and passive vibration suppression systems being used.
Second Thoughts on Living Wills

Advance directives such as living wills are attractive in that they give us a sense of control over our futures. But they also tend to obscure conflicts between a patient's competent wishes and later, incompetent interests. They allow caregivers to avoid evaluating quality of life in assessing the best interests of incompetent patients.
Using magnetic resonance to diagnose breast cancer and predict therapeutic response

Neoplastic tissue contains elevated levels of choline-containing metabolites (tCho) [1,2]. The purpose of this study is to determine whether magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be a noninvasive technique for determining whether a breast abnormality is benign or malignant and to monitor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT).
RE-READING ‘THE WILL TO BELIEVE’

Since its first publication one hundred years ago, William James's essay 'The Will to Believe' has been criticized as providing 'an unrestricted license for wishful thinking' in religious matters. The criticism is based on the assumption that James is attempting to justify belief in traditional theism. A careful reading of this essay, and other works by James in which he addresses the issue of religious faith, reveals that the religious question for him is not whether a theistic God exists, but whether the universe offers us possibilities of meaning and fulfilment, whether life is worth living. James's argument is that we have a right to believe that this is so-an argument that is more cogent and convincing than it is often thought to be.
Building Factories Without Bosses: The Movement of Worker-Managed Factories in Argentina

In the 1990s and 2000s, Argentina suffered one of the quickest and most extreme processes of neoliberal state reforms in the world, leading to the closure of numerous factories. To resist the increased unemployment produced by neoliberalism, workers started to organize in a movement aimed at defending their only source of income: their labor. In this article, I analyze the main characteristics of the movement of worker-managed factories in Argentina by exploring how factories were occupied, what motivated the workers' decision to create co-operatives, what made the factories economically viable, how they were legitimated by the community, which legal reforms workers achieved to support their struggle, and how they manage their factories.
A 20Gb/s triple-mode (PAM-2, PAM-4, and duobinary) transmitter

Increasing data rates over electrical channels with significant frequency dependent loss is difficult due to excessive inter-symbol interference (ISI). In order to achieve sufficient link margins at high rates, I/O system designers implement equalization in the transmitters and are motivated to consider more spectrally-efficient modulation formats relative to the common PAM2 scheme, such as PAM4 and duobinary. This paper reviews when to consider PAM4 and duobinary formats, as the modulation scheme which yields the highest system margins at a given data rate is a function of the channel loss profile. A 20Gb/s triple-mode transmitter capable of efficiently implementing these three common modulation schemes and three-tap feed-forward equalization is presented. A power efficient quarter-rate duobinary precoder circuit is proposed which provides significant timing margin improvement relative to full-rate precoders. Simulation results in a 90nm CMOS technology compare the different modulation schemes over three backplane channels with different loss profiles.
Photosensitized inactivation of DNA by monochromatic 334-nm radiation in the presence of 2-thiouracil: genetic activity and backbone breaks.

AbstractMonochromatic 334-nm radiation delivered under aerobic conditions inactivates the genetic activity (ability to transform auxotrophic recipient cells to nutritional prototrophy) of isolated transforming Bacillus subtilis DNA. The presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and mannitol reduces the 334-nm inactivation. The rate of inactivation of the genetic activity by 334-nm radiation is enhanced fivefold by the sensitizer 2-thiouracil (s2Ura). This enhancement is substantially reversed when the irradiations are performed in the presence of mannitol, and, to a lesser extent, SOD. Catalase slightly reduces the s2Ura enhancement of 334-nm inactivation of transforming activity. Backbone breaks induced in the same DNA by aerobic 334-nm radiation were also enhanced markedly by the presence of s2Ura; this enhancement was reversed by the presence of mannitol and, to a lesser extent, SOD during irradiation. Catalase had no effect upon s2Ura-enhanced, 334-nm-induced SSBs. Whereas DNA breakage may be responsible for a portion of the inactivation of the DNA by the photosensitized reaction between s2-Ura and 334-nm radiation, it is not the only inactivating lesion, because the yield of SSBs per lethal hit per unit length of DNA is not constant for all the irradiation conditions studied. The results support a complex role for active oxygen species in inactivation of transforming activity and DNA breakage by s2Ura-enhanced 334-nm radiation. They are also consistent with the formation of superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and possibly also singlet molecular oxygen, generated from ground-state molecular oxygen by reactive s2Ura in both Type I and II reactions.
Power supply clamp for multi-domain mixed-signal SiGe BiCMOS applications

An active power supply clamp for precision high speed SiGe BiCMOS applications is introduced. The clamp architecture includes functional blocks for transient stress detection, stress-adapted activation feedback and mistriggering control. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) robustness is demonstrated in high speed/high voltage BiCMOS SiGe applications operating at supply voltages beyond the breakdown voltage constraint in the bipolar signal processing blocks during ESD stress.
German via the Airweaves: A Goreign Language Experiment That Worked!

Shortwave amateur radio contacts have provided an opportunity for the foreign language student to speak on a one-to-one, personalized level with other speakers of the target language, whether they be native speakers or other students. A recently designed course in conversational German via amateur radio contacts between students at Georgia Tech and the University of Louisville has been developed and implemented by the authors. This article describes the development of the course, its actual on-the-air material, the language development of the students enrolled in the course, and the critique of the course by the students. In addition, projected courses are described, with an invitation for other schools to participate.
On the savings wedge in international capital flows

Abstract I explore the determinants of the savings wedge in international capital flows computed in a sample of 68 developing countries in Gourinchas and Jeanne (2013). I show that size (rather than allocation) of net capital flows in the data is the major cause of the negative correlation between the calibrated savings wedge and productivity growth.
Cognitive-behavioral group treatment for veterans diagnosed with PTSD: Design of a hybrid efficacy-effectiveness clinical trial

Despite significant advances in individual treatment approaches for PTSD, knowledge of group approaches has lagged behind. Much of the reason knowledge about group treatment for PTSD has been limited is due to the complexity of conducting randomized controlled trials in the group treatment context. This limited empirical knowledge is unfortunate given the frequency with which group treatment for PTSD is used in clinical settings, including the Department of Veteran Affairs. The goal of this study is to examine the efficacy of a group cognitive-behavioral treatment (GCBT) for PTSD relative to group supportive counseling approach (i.e. group present centered treatment; GPCT). The sample consists of 196 veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are randomly assigned to either GCBT (n=98) or GPCT (n=98). Both treatments are administered by two therapists over the course of 14 sessions. Assessments take place at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure is the PTSD symptom severity assessed with a semi-structured diagnostic instrument. Given the substantial rise of veterans presenting for PTSD treatment services, identifying an efficacious group treatment approach is invaluable.
LONG-TERM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT REVISITED: ACCOMMODATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

The Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) debacle of 1998 created serious problems for a number of major financial institutions worldwide. The fund was run by some of the most illustrious scholars in economics and finance. Before 1998, stellar returns kept the investors happy and not questioning the lack of transparency in accounting statements and inability to withdraw funds. The fund refunded capital to the shareholders in 1997. This among other actions involving misreading of risk left LTCM in a precarious position. By September 1998, losses were reported and a bailout occurred by the end of the month. Thirteen of the fourteen banks participating in the bailout are included in this study. Since non U.S. banks are included for the first time, methodology is adjusted for changes in time, foreign exchange, and financial markets. The purpose is to determine the effects of non U.S. bank stock returns on the results and how non U.S banks fared in the bailout. Results are similar for U.S. financial institutions indication a global robustness of methodology.
Chemoreception In Sleep

Wakefulness has a significant influence on ventilatory control. We have examined some aspects of this wakefulness influence by investigating the effects of sleep: a) on CO 2 retention and respiratory muscle function; and b) on periodic breathing.