cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Newly diagnosed epilepsy in children: presentation at diagnosis.

Summary: Purpose: The current understanding of epilepsy has changed significantly in the past 2 decades. This report presents a description of newly diagnosed childhood-onset epilepsy, with a special emphasis on epilepsy syndromes, in a large, prospectively ascertained community-based cohort evaluated and diagnosed in the mid-1990s. Methods: Children, aged 0 through 15 years at the time of the first seizure, were prospectively identified at the time of diagnosis of epilepsy through the practices of 16 of the 17 child neurologists in Connecticut as well as five adult neurologists and seven pediatricians from January 1993 through December 1997. Parents were interviewed, and all relevant medical records were reviewed. Classification of seizures and of epilepsy syndromes was done for each child by each of three pediatric neurologists, Discrepancies were resolved in conference. Results: A total of 613 children was recruited into the study. The median age at time of the first seizure was 5.3 years. Half the cohort was boys. Eighteen percent had a remote symptomatic etiology. Epilepsy syndromes were classifiable in all but four children, although some syndromes are, by definition, relatively nonspecific. In this childhood-onset cohort, 58.6% of the syndromes were localization related, 29.0% generalized, and 12.4% undetermined as to whether focal or generalized. Benign rolandic epilepsy occurred in 10% of the cohort. Primarily generalized syndromes accounted for 20.6%, with childhood absence being the single most common syndrome in this subgroup (12.1% of the cohort). Secondarily generalized syndromes accounted for 8.5% of the total, with infantile spasms being the most common in this grouping (3.9% of the cohort). Conclusions: This study presents a description of childhood-and adolescent-onset epilepsy as it is diagnosed and evaluated in the 1990s in one state in the United State and based on current classification guidelines. The results should be generalizable to the rest of the country. The prognostic value of early identification of epilepsy syndromes will be determined through subsequent follow-up of this cohort.
Female substance abuse Characteristics and correlates in a sample of inpatient clients

This article reports on a study of 64 female substance abusers in residential treatment for chemical dependency. This study was conducted with the purpose of describing the associations between: (a) demographic characteristics, (b) presence and severity of addiction, (c) depression, and (d) self-esteem. All participants were drawn from inpatient females, and were administered questionnaires that included the following instruments: (a) Screening/Intake Assessment, (b) the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, (c) the Addiction Presence and Severity Index, (d) the Provision of Social Relations Scale, (e) the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and (f) the Costello-Comrey Depression Scale. Multivariate analyses revealed that levels of self-esteem were related to detoxification status and social support. Depression levels were associated with social support, and severity of addiction was more pronounced for White clients than Black clients in this study. Implications for program development are discussed.
LEAFS determination and concentration of metals in Great Lakes ecosystem.

A Laser-Excited Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometric (LEAFS) method for Tl determination has been extended to investigate the direct determination (without preconcentration nor acid digestion) of total Pb, for which the method validation was successfully achieved by using a standard reference material as well as many spike recoveries of digested and undigested unfiltered water samples. The method was applied to study total and dissolved Pb in many water columns collected from different stations in Lake Ontario. Dissolved Pb was found to be about twice as much as dissolved Tl, and total Pb about seven times higher than total Tl. Seventy five percent of Pb is in particulate form versus 11% for Tl. Also, a simple cold dissolution procedure using HNO3 and HF (not a hot acid digestion) is proposed to “liquefy” sediments in a form suitable for LEAFS analysis and was used to analyze a sediment core, where pore water samples were also collected. The interaction dynamics of Tl within the natural environment of a water/pore water/sediment system from Lake Erie was assessed. The calculations of fluxes suggest a strong similarity between Tl and Cd geochemical transport. The paper also presents for the first time a genuine sediment pore water profile of Tl concentration, which ranged from sub- to 40 ng/l and which was directly determined by LEAFS.
Mycobacterium malmoense infection: An unusual cause of wrist swelling

We report a case of non-tuberculous tenosynovitis of the wrist caused by Mycobacterium malmoense. The patient presented with a ganglion-like swelling on the flexor aspect of the wrist. The diagnosis was confirmed by fine needle aspiration biopsy. A satisfactory resolution was obtained by antibiotic therapy alone, indicating that radical synovectomy may not be necessary in all cases of M. malmoense infection.
Plasma lactic dehydrogenase electrophoretic patterns of long-term vitamin E-deficient rats

Abstract Weanling male Sprague Dawley rats were fed a vitamin E-deficient basal diet with or without supplementation of 100 IU vitamin E per kg. diet for 12 months. Plasma total activity of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) was significantly higher in the vitamin E-deficient group than the control group. Isoenzymes of LDH in plasma were separated by electrophoresis, and quantitated. The results showed the presence of five isozymes (LDH 1 — LHD 5 ) in the vitamin E-deficient plasma as compared with three isozymes (LDH 1 , LDH 4 and LDH 5 ) in the control plasma. The LDH 1 , LDH 4 and LDH 5 isozymes were significantly elevated in the vitamin E-deficient group when compared with the control group. The LDH 2 and LDH 3 isozymes, which were not observed in the electrophorogram of the control plasma, appeared in the electrophorogram of vitamin E-deficient plasma. The electrophorogram of LDH isozymes, combined with the results of a previous tissue enzymatic and histopathological study, suggests the tissue sources of LDH leakage into the blood in vitamin E deficiency are mainly heart (LDH 1 , LDH 2 , and LDH 3 ) and skeletal muscle (LDH 4 and LDH 5 ).
Preparing for the First Breath: Genetic and Cellular Mechanisms in Lung Development

The mammalian respiratory system—the trachea and the lungs—arises from the anterior foregut through a sequence of morphogenetic events involving reciprocal endodermal-mesodermal interactions. The lung itself consists of two highly branched, tree-like systems—the airways and the vasculature—that develop in a coordinated way from the primary bud stage to the generation of millions of alveolar gas exchange units. We are beginning to understand some of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie critical processes such as branching morphogenesis, vascular development, and the differentiation of multipotent progenitor populations. Nevertheless, many gaps remain in our knowledge, the filling of which is essential for understanding respiratory disorders, congenital defects in human neonates, and how the disruption of morphogenetic programs early in lung development can lead to deficiencies that persist throughout life.
The pointwise ergodic theorem in subsystems of second-order arithmetic

The pointwise ergodic theorem is nonconstructive. In this paper, we examine origins of this non-constructivity, and determine the logical strength of the theorem and of the auxiliary statements used to prove it. We discuss properties of integrable functions and of measure preserving transformations and give three proofs of the theorem, though mostly focusing on the one derived from the mean ergodic theorem. All the proofs can be carried out in ACA 0 ; moreover, the pointwise ergodic theorem is equivalent to ( ACA ) over the base theory RCA 0 .
Assessment of children's social skills: A review of methods

Social skills of children is a topic receiving increasing attention, particularly from clinical researchers. The present paper reviews methods that have been used to assess children's social skills. Four methods are identified and described: sociometric instruments, behavioral observations, teacher reports, and child self-reports. Their relationships to one another are examined in terms of predictive, concurrent, and construct validity. It appears that the social skills construct is in need of basic development if it is to have any clinical utility. It is suggested that future research utilize knowledge from fields closely related to clinical psychology (e.g., developmental and social psychology) and methods of assessment from traditional test theory.
Structure and regulation of the senescence marker protein 2 gene promoter

The liver-specific expression of the senescence marker protein 2 (SMP-2) in the male rat is markedly reduced during the androgen-sensitive state of young adulthood, whereas it is up-regulated during the androgen-insensitive phases of prepuberty and senescence. Nuclear runoff studies show that the age-dependent changes in SMP-2 expression are due to transcriptional regulation of the gene. In order to explore the mechanism of the regulatory process, we have cloned the upstream flanking regions of two distinct SMP-2 genes (SMP-2A and SMP-2B) and established their nucleotide sequence. These clones contain approximately 2.2 kb of the 5'-flanking sequence, exons 1 and 2, the first intron, and a portion of the second intron. The SMP-2 genes, as well as the upstream sequences, contain the sequence motifs for a number of cis-acting regulatory elements, such as the hepatocyte-specific element (HP1) and the androgen response element (ARE). S1 nuclease and primer extension analyses have established the transcription initiation sites for these genes. For functional analysis of the upstream sequences, we have constructed a hybrid plasmid containing the SMP-2A gene sequence (-1970 to +38 bases) fused to the structural gene for chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase (CAT). Upon transfection into rat hepatoma cells (FT02B), this construct was able to drive expression of the CAT gene. The same construct, however, failed to function in fibroblast-derived L cells, indicating tissue-specific regulation of the construct promoter.
Overview of trauma management for primary and young permanent teeth

This overview covers diagnosis and management of the most common dental injuries in children and identifies those children at greatest risk. Crown fractures and luxation injuries in both the primary and permanent dentition are discussed and treatment options based on current international guidelines are detailed.
AB INITIO THEORETICAL STUDY OF DIPOLE-BOUND ANIONS OF MOLECULAR COMPLEXES : FORMALDEHYDE DIMER ANION

Abstract Theoretical ab initio calculations reveal that when two formaldehyde molecules form a cluster with a collinear orientation of their dipoles and a perpendicular orientation of their planes, an excess electron can attach to the system forming a dipole-bound anion. This configuration is a local minimum on the anion potential energy surface (PES) and the vertical electron detachment energy of the anion at this point is predicted to be 20 meV. However, calculations of the PES near the minimum revealed that it does not support the zero-point vibration corresponding to the bending mode of the complex.
Bradykinin modulates arginine vasopressin-induced calcium influx in vascular myocytes

Abstract We investigated direct, endothelium-independent effects of bradykinin on arginine vasopressin-induced calcium influx in vascular smooth muscle cells. We studied cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells by using the whole-cell voltage-clamp and calcium fluorescence imaging methods. Exposing cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (A7r5 cell line) to arginine vasopressin (100 nM) produced a transient increase in [Ca 2+ ] i , followed by a sustained increase in [Ca 2+ ] i . This was readily reversible ( n =28). At a holding potential of −40 to −60 mV, arginine vasopressin induced a sustained inward current correlated with a sustained increase in [Ca 2+ ] i . Bradykinin (30 nM to 30 μM) had no effect on arginine vasopressin-induced [Ca 2+ ] i transients. However, during the sustained phase of increased [Ca 2+ ] i , bradykinin reversibly attenuated relative fluorescence and inward current in the presence of arginine vasopressin ( n =14). This was concentration dependent and inhibited by [d-Phe 7 ]-bradykinin (30 μM), a kinin receptor antagonist. Also, sustained arginine vasopressin-mediated increases in [Ca 2+ ] i and inward current were attenuated by Ca 2+ -free or La 3+ -supplemented perfusate but not by nifedipine ( n =5). Conclusions: (1) Bradykinin can attenuate arginine vasopressin-induced and sustained Ca 2+ influx and sustained inward current through a novel endothelium-independent process. (2) The direct effect of bradykinin on arginine vasopressin-induced increases in [Ca 2+ ] i sustained Ca 2+ influx in vascular smooth muscle cells is concentration dependent and kinin-receptor mediated. (3) Arginine vasopressin-induced sustained [Ca 2+ ] i elevation correlates with the activation of a dihydropyridine-insensitive, Ca 2+ -conducting inward current.
Silicosis and fibrogenesis: Fact and artifact

Although the pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations of silicosis in humans have been extensively documented, the mechanisms by which the fibrogenic effects of silica are manifested remain obscure. In this review, both in vitro and in vivo models of silicosis are discussed, with emphasis on the potential methodological pitfalls of each. In animal models, for example, species variability, silica type and route of administration all effect the results obtained. Tissue culture work has provided evidence that the fibroblast-macrophage interaction is a key event in fibrogenesis. However, critical variables in experimental design make it difficult to compare the often conflicting results of different workers. Experimental conditions that directly affect collagen chain biosynthesis and subsequent hydroxylation of proline appear to be of particular importance. It is concluded that, in part because of methodological difficulties, there are insufficient data to draw firm conclusions regarding the effect of silica-exposed macrophages on collagen biosynthesis by fibroblasts in vitro; there are few, if any, data concerning the role of the macrophage that has ingested silica in human or animal models of silicosis.
161 The Recent Spread of an Invasive Kelp, Undaria Pinnatifida, in California: How Similar is This Invasion to Other Undaria Invasions Worldwide?

Invasive algal species have the potential to change the structure and ecology of native algal communities. One well-known invader, the large Japanese kelp Undaria pinnatifida, has recently become established at several locations along the central and southern California coast (Monterey, Santa Barbara, Catalina, and others). Previous to its introduction in the northeastern Pacific, Undaria has become established along the coastlines of several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, England, and France. However, the seasonal population dynamics, rate of spread, and impact on local communities at each invasion site varies. Undaria in the Santa Barbara, CA harbor exhibits two distinct recruitment pulses per year (fall, late winter), with nonoverlapping generations of adult individuals. Individuals can grow rapidly and become reproductive a month after appearing as recruits (2–3 cm long), indicating a potential for rapid spread. However, Undaria may be effectively controlled by grazing via natural recruitment of the kelp crab Pugettia producta. However, Undaria invasions in other California invasions have not been controlled by herbivory, and Undaria populations in these areas have the potential to compete with a wide diversity of native California kelp species for habitat space and light.
The commodore 64 and an interface system for controlling operant chambers

This article describes the interfacing of a Commodore 64 computer with an operant chamber. Advantages of the Commodore 64 over the VIC-20 as a controller are listed, and a sample program using dual response levers is given.
SU‐D‐BRCD‐05: Evaluation of New Exit Detector Based Transit Dosimetry Software for TomoTherapy Treatments

Purpose: The prospect of 3D transit dosimetry to verify treatment delivery is a novel and emerging technology in TomoTherapy. Math Resolutions, LLC, has expanded their Dosimetry Check (DC) quality controlsoftware to include transit dosimetry calculations for TomoTherapy treatments. The data recorded by the MVCT detectors during patient treatment is used in conjunction with the planning CT to calculate the delivered dose to the patient from each fraction. This study presents a summation of our experiences at the University of Virginia in collaboration with Math Resolutions in verifying and implementing the transit‐dose calculation aspects of this new TomoTherapy specific product. Methods: Low and high modulation cheese phantom plans and clinical plans (prostate, GYN, pituitary, and thoracic vertebra) were used to evaluate the DC transit dosimetrysoftware. The TomoTherapy planning CT, structure set, plan, and dose for each plan were imported into the DC software. The fluence maps were reconstructed from the exit detector data by correcting for patient attenuation and used to compute the delivered dose. The resulting dose distribution is compared with the TPS planned dose using isodose line comparison and gamma index. Results: The percent difference between the planned and DC calculated doses ranged between 0.63% for a low modulation cheese phantom plan to 5.94% for a prostate plan. Using criteria of 3%, 3mm, the gamma index passing rate for the tested plans ranged from 94.7% to 99.1% <1 for the overall patient area and from 88% to 96.4% for the treatment area receiving at least 80% of the prescribed dose. Conclusions: The results from our evaluation of Math Resolutions’ DC look promising and generally within an acceptable range for portal dosimetry programs. Further investigations will include developments to improve the DC algorithm and determine how it can best be implemented in a typical TomoTherapy clinical workflow. Research Grant from Math Resolutions LLC 01/12/2012‐01/11/2013 Math Resolutions™ Dosimetry Checksoftware was given to UVa to assist with evaluating the precision of the product in reconstructing dose from the TomoTherapy exit detector data.
Origin of dielectric tunability in DNA-CTMA film at microwave frequencies

DNA-CTMA is an attractive material to explore for reconfigurable optical and electronic devices. Its dielectric constant at microwave frequencies can be tuned by applying a DC electric field. In this work, the origin of dielectric tunability and other ferroelectric-like behavior observed in DNA-CTMA films is investigated. Results suggest that the dominant polarization mechanism is ionic in nature and is caused by intentionally retaining excess ions in the DNA-CTMA precipitate during processing.
PROSTATE CANCER DETECTION IN BLACK AND WHITE MEN WITH ABNORMAL DIGITAL RECTAL EXAMINATION AND PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN LESS THAN 4 NG./ML.

Purpose: Prostate cancer is more common in black than in white American men. Experience in a longitudinal prostate cancer screening program implies that cancer detection is greater in black than in white men with an abnormal digital rectal examination and prostate specific antigen (PSA) less than 4 ng./ml. We investigated potential racial differences in cancer detection in men treated in clinical practice who had an abnormal digital rectal examination and PSA less than 4 ng./ml.Materials and Methods: Between January 1992 and December 1999 prostate biopsy was done at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 179 black and 357 white men with an abnormal digital rectal examination, PSA less than 4 ng./ml. and no history of prostate surgery. Significant racial differences in demographic and clinical parameters were limited to PSA, which was higher in black men (p = 0.01).Results: Cancer was detected in 38 black (21%) and 65 white (18%) men (p = 0.42). There were no significant racial differences in the PSA adjuste...
A 3-fold "butterfly valve" in command of the encapsulation's kinetic stability. Molecular baskets at work.

Molecular basket 1, composed of a semirigid tris-norbornadiene framework and three revolving pyridine-based gates at the rim, has been built to “dynamically” enclose space and as such regulate molecular encapsulation. The gates were shown to fold via intramolecular hydrogen bonding and thereby form a C3v symmetrical receptor: the 1H NMR resonance for the amide N−H protons of the pyridine gates appeared downfield (δ = 10.98 ppm), and the N−H vibrational stretch (IR) was observed at 3176 cm−1. Accordingly, density functional theory (DFT, B3LYP) investigations revealed for the closed conformers of 1 to be energetically the most stable and dominant. The gearing of the pyridine “gates”, about their axis, led to the interconversion of two dynamic enantiomers 1A and 1B comprising the clockwise and counterclockwise seam of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Dynamic 1H NMR spectroscopic measurements and line-shape simulations suggested that the energy barrier of 10.0 kcal/mol (ΔG⧧A/B, 298 K) is required for the 1A/B i...
Attachment and relationships: Milestones and future directions:

Adult attachment researchers have made important strides during the past 25 years in testing and applying attachment theory to multiple personal and interpersonal domains. We highlight some of the major milestones and then propose several directions for future research. Some of the most important and promising directions include testing additional normative processes implied by attachment theory, developing and testing critical connections between attachment theory and other major interpersonal theories, and identifying pathways between attachment processes and long-term health outcomes.
Reaction rate studies of atomic germanium (3P0,1) and silicon (3PJ) with various oxidizers

Abstract The gas phase reactions of Ge(3P0,1) and Si(3PJ) with O2, NO and N2O have been studied in a flow tube system at 350 K. Atomic Ge and Si were produced by flowing GeH4 and SiH4 through a hollow cathode discharge. The subsequent disappearance of the Ge and Si atoms was followed with atomic absorption spectroscopy. Rate constants were determined for the reactions at 4 and 5 torr pressures.
Migration Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Family—a Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Analysis

Each refugee community experiences specific migration experiences. The migration journey of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are marked by exposure to multiple pre- and post-migration traumatic events. A two-group, cross-sectional design was used to identify the relationship among migration stressors, family presence, and number of children based on refugee theory. The results of the study indicate that refugees in India have higher psychological distress than refugees in Canada, and the number of children had a positive relationship with psychological distress. Findings from the study will help in the adaptation of culturally and contextually relevant settlement programs to improve the quality of life for refugees and to reduce the cost of settlement programs provided by host countries.
Effects of coronary artery bypass grafting on resting and exercise hemodynamics in patients with stable angina pectoris: a prospective, randomized study.

In this prospective randomized study, resting and exercise hemodynamics were determined in the nonmedicated state before ("entry") and 1 year after coronary bypass surgery in 38 patients, and at entry and 1 year in 40 patients treated medically. The surgical group showed a significant decrease in mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure during exercise (entry 23.5 +/- 6.1 [standard error of the mean] mm Hg, 1 year 18.9 +/- 1.0, P less than 0.02); an increase in cardiac index during exercise (entry 4.3 +/- 0.1 liter/min per m2, 1 year 4.6 +/- 0.1, P less than 0.05); an increase in resting mean arterial pressure (entry 94.5 +/- 2.2 mm Hg, 1 year 100.2 +/- 2.2, P less than 0.02); and an increase in resting heart rate (entry 68.5 +/- 1.9 beats/min, 1 year: 76.0 +/- 2.0, P less than 0.01). Maximal treadmill exercise performance also improved significantly in the surgical group of patients (entry 285 +/- 24 seconds, 1 year 382 +/- 24, P less than 0.002). There were no significant changes in these variables in the medically treated "control" group. The improvement in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure during exercise and in maximal treadmill exercise time in the surgical group as a whole was due to striking improvement in these variables in a subgroup of 16 surgical patients who had a more than 10 mm Hg increase in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure during exercise in their entry study. In this subgoup, considered to contain those patients with marked "ischemicdysfunction," pulmonary arterial wedge pressure during exercise fell from 31.4 +/- 1.5 mm Hg (entry) to 19.l +/- 1.8 (1 year) (P less than 0.0001) and treadmill time increased from 217 +/- 24 seconds (entry) to 357 +/- 37 (1 year) (P less than 0.001). Thus, hemodynamic evidence of ischemic left ventricular dysfunction during stress may identify those patients who will show objective improvement in ventricular performance after bypass graft surgery.
Alternate processing of Flt1 transcripts is directed by conserved cis -elements within an intronic region of FLT1 that reciprocally regulates splicing and polyadenylation

The vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, Flt1 is a transmembrane receptor co-expressed with an alternate transcript encoding a secreted form, sFlt1, that functions as a competitive inhibitor of Flt1. Despite shared transcription start sites and upstream regulatory elements, sFlt1 is in far greater excess of Flt1 in the human placenta. Phorbol myristic acid and dimethyloxalylglycine differentially stimulate sFlt1 compared to Flt1 expression in vascular endothelial cells and in cytotrophoblasts. An FLT1 minigene construct containing exon 13, 14 and the intervening region, recapitulates mRNA processing when transfected into COS-7, with chimeric intronic sFlt1 transcripts arising by intronic polyadenylation and other Flt1/sFlt1 transcripts by alternate splicing. Inclusion of exon 15 but not 14 had a modest stimulatory effect on the abundance of sFlt1. The intronic region containing the distal poly(A) signal sequences, when transferred to a heterologous minigene construct, inhibited splicing but only when cloned in sense orientation, consistent with the presence of a directional cis-element. Serial deletional and targeted mutational analysis of cis-elements within intron 13 identified intronic poly(A) signal sequences and adjacent cis-elements as the principal determinants of the relative ratio of intronic sFlt1 and spliced Flt1. We conclude that intronic signals reciprocally regulate splicing and polyadenylation and control sFlt1 expression.
The Lovely and the Probable

[Introduction] Peter Lipton's Inference to the Best Explanation was first published in 1991. It provides a sustained defense of inference to the best explanation (IBE for short) that is both lively and engaging. It is now out in a second edition with new material (Lipton 2004). Since many readers will be familiar with the material that is carried over from the first edition, and since my reactions to at least some of this material are already recorded in the published record (see e.g. Hitchcock (1999), Hitchcock and Sober (2004)), I will focus my discussion on the material that is new to second edition. Nonetheless, I will begin with two general remarks, one positive and one critical.
Protection of Lassa virus-infected Guinea pigs with Lassa-immune plasma of Guinea pig, primate, and human origin

Abstract : Lassa virus-immune plasma has been used to treat human Lassa fever patients; however, criteria for plasma selection were based arbitrarily on available serologic tools and protective efficacy was never directly assessed. To test the validity of plasma therapy for Lassa virus infections in an animal model, and to develop biologically relevant criteria for selection of protective immune plasma, inbred, strain 13 guinea pigs were infected with a lethal dose of Lassa virus and treated with various Lassa-immune plasmas obtained from guinea pigs, primates, and convalescent human patients. Neutralizing antibody titers were determined in a virus dilution, plaque reduction test, and were expressed as a log plaque-forming units (PFU) neutralization index (LNI). All guinea pigs treated with immune plasma 6 ml/kg/treatment on days 0, 3, and 6 after virus inoculation were protected, provided the LNI exceeded 2.0. Plasmas obtained from donors in early convalescence (32-45 days) had low titers of N-antibody (LNI 2) and failed to confer protection, despite high titers of Lassa antibody measured in the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test. Higher doses of marginally titered plasma conferred increased protection. The degree of protection and suppression of viremia was closely associated with LNI and not IFA titers. Administration of low-titered plasma did not result in immune enhancement. A high dose of human plasma from Liberia (12 ml/kg/treatment) was required to confer complete protection to guinea pigs infected with a virus strain from Sierra Leone (LNI = 1.6), while a lower dose (3 ml/kg/treatment) was sufficient for protection against a Liberian strain (LNI = 2.8), suggesting that a geographic matching of immune plasma and Lassa virus strain origin may increase treatment success. These studies support the concept of plasma therapy for Lassa infection and suggest that the plaque reduction neutralization test is more appropriate than the IFA test for predicting...
Turbulence structure for plane Poiseuille–Couette flow and implications for drag reduction over surfaces with slip

Direct numerical simulations were used to simulate plane channel and plane Poiseuille–Couette flows. For Poiseuille–Couette flow, the walls of the channel were moving with a specified velocity. This is equivalent to forcing a slip velocity at the wall of the channel, and such flow behaviour can be viewed as the effect due to an ultra-hydrophobic wall. It was found that the location of the zero Reynolds stress value shifted towards the wall moving in the streamwise direction. The near-wall eddies were found to be longer and weaker than for the plane-Poiseuille channel flow. It appears that such an eddy structure can lead to turbulence drag reduction. On a utilise des simulations numeriques directes afin de simuler l'ecoulement en canal plan et l'ecoulement en canal plan Poiseuille-Couette. Pour l'ecoulement de Poiseuille-Couette, les parois du canal se deplacent avec une vitesse specifiee. Cela revient a forcer une vitesse de glissement a la paroi du canal, et un tel comportement d'ecoulement peut etre vu comme etant l'effet de la paroi ultra-hydrophobe. On a trouve que l'emplacement de la valeur nulle de la contrainte de Reynolds se deplacait vers la paroi dans le sens du courant. On a trouve que les tourbillons pres des parois etaient plus longs et plus faibles que dans le cas de l'ecoulement a canal plan de Poiseuille. Il semble qu'une telle structure tourbillonnaire puisse mener a la reduction de la trainee turbulente.
Exploring Mechanisms of Aging Retardation by Caloric Restriction: Studies in Model Organisms and Mammals

There has been expanding interest in research on aging and in the identification of underlying mechanisms of the aging process. The promise that by understanding aging we may also understand the factors that lead to age-associated disease has been held for some time and now, through the use of model organisms, this potential is being realized. A key subgroup within this gamut are investigations that seek to understand the impact of nutrition and diet on aging, and foremost among these are studies of caloric restriction (CR). Herein, we discuss a number of commonly used laboratory organisms, describe the methodology employed to study aging and the impact of nutrition, briefly discuss the main findings from these studies and present candidate factors emerging from these studies that may play a mechanistic role in the retardation of aging by CR.
Cognitive, visual, auditory, and emotional factors that affect participation in older adults.

cognition disorders depression hearing disorders home care services human activities mass screening vision disorders OBJECTIVE. To determine whether changes in hearing, cognition, depression, and vision affect daily life participation and whether screening tests that identify problems could be used in the home. METHOD. Interviewers assessed presence of medical conditions, social class, distance acuity, cognition, hearing, depression, and participation using valid screening tools. Participation scores were subgrouped according to negative or positive results. Multiple regression analysis determined association of screening tests with participation. RESULTS. Eighty-eight older adults, ages 62�90, participated. Positive screening tests were found in 43% of participants for distance acuity, 9% for cognitive problems, 8% for depression, and 15% for hearing loss. Relationships were found among age, cognition, depression, and vision and participation. CONCLUSION. Mild levels of decreased vision, depression, and decreased cognition are associated with lower participation. These conditions can be screened by occupational therapists and managed to help older adults remain active and maintain their health
The Convergence Technique: A Method for the Planning and Programming of Research Efforts

The difficulties encountered in attempts to apply directly some of the standard network analysis techniques to the planning of research programs are discussed. The particularized requirements for a planning system suitable for research efforts are identified, and a technique developed specifically for the planning and programming of research efforts is described. Basically, the technique involves the formulation of a series of flows and arrays depicting major program elements and individual projects, sequentially ordered on the basis of research logic, and graphically represented by a matrix which relates research performance to resources required including personnel, materials, equipment and facilities, and funds. Because of the nature of research, the technique was developed to avoid the formulation of tight networks with sharp time-to-completion estimates for each project. The application of this technique to two biomedical research programs of the National Cancer Institute is discussed.
Algorithm 665: Machar: a subroutine to dynamically determined machine parameters

Numerical software written in high-level languages often relies on machine-dependent parameters to improve portability. MACHAR is an evolving FORTRAN subroutine for dynamically determining thirteen fundamental parameters associated with a floating-point arithmetic system. The version presented here operates correctly on a large number of different floating-point systems, including those implementing the new IEEE Floating-Point Standard.
Dietary fat and hypercholesteremia in the Cebus monkey. II. Esterification and disappearance of cholesterol-4-C14.

A series of studies of cholesterol metabolism in the Cebus monkey were carried out in an attempt to understand the mechanisms responsible for the great differences in serum cholesterol levels when different dietary fats were used. Three groups of monkeys, one fed diets including 45 per cent of calories as corn oil, a second corn oil plus cholesterol (0.1 gm./100 calories), and a third lard plus cholesterol for 5 months (mean serum cholesterol values were 237, 268, and 601 mg. per cent, respectively) were injected with emulsions of cholesterol-4-C14. The mean biological half-lives for the disappearance of serum radiocholesterol were 8.8, 8.4, and 6.6 days respectively. Esterification of radiocholesterol as measured by equilibration of specific activities of serum-free cholesterol and total cholesterol was delayed in the monkeys fed lard plus cholesterol. When cholesterol-4-C-14-stearate was given intravenously to a series of monkeys, an erratic non-exponential biological decay curve resulted. Specific activity for free serum cholesterol was greater than that for total cholesterol within 1 hour after the injection. After 7 months on experimental diets including corn oil with added cholesterol and lard with added cholesterol the levels of lipides in most tissues were not different for the two dietary groups, nor were they appreciably elevated above previous control figures for monkeys not fed cholesterol. Total lipide levels in the adrenals of monkeys fed corn oil were twice those of monkeys fed lard. Monkeys were fasted before and after intragastric administration of cholesterol-4-C14 in small formula meals including various fats and fatty acids. The disappearance of total cholesterol from the serum consisted of a rapid followed by a slow exponential function. The type of fat and fatty acid appeared to influence the rate of disappearance of radiocholesterol. There was a broad range of apparent activity of the different fats and fatty acids in promoting cholesterol absorption.
Biochemical function and ecological significance of novel bacterial lipids in deep-sea procaryotes.

The fatty acid composition of the membrane lipids in 11 deep-sea bacterial isolates was determined. The fatty acids observed were typical of marine vibrios except for the presence of large amounts of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). These long-chain PUFAs were previously thought to be absent in procaryotes, with the notable exception of a single marine Flexibacter sp. In three barophilic strains tested at 2°C, there was a general increase in the relative amount of PUFAs as pressure was increased from a low growth pressure towards the optimal growth pressure. In Vibrio marinus MP-1, a psychrophilic strain, PUFAs were found to increase as a function of decreasing temperature at constant atmospheric pressure. These results suggest the involvement of PUFAs in the maintenance of optimal membrane fluidity and function over environmentally relevant temperatures and pressures. Furthermore, since these lipids are essential nutrients for higher taxa and are found in large amounts in the lipids of deep-sea vertebrates and invertebrates, an important, specific role for deep-sea bacteria in abyssal food webs is implicated.
A comparison of the Dodo, EST, and ATI factors among comorbid stimulant-dependent, depressed patients

Describes pilot findings from a treatment development study aimed at improving treatment for comorbid depressed and chemically-dependent patients. A comparison of standard RCT analyses with Hierarchical Multiple Regression (HLM) procedures revealed the latter to be more sensitive to the relative effects of patient, treatment, and patient–treatment matching variables among a small sample of (N = 40) depressed, stimulant-abusing patients. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatments, a standard Cognitive Therapy for Drug Abuse (CT), a contrasting Cognitive-Narrative Therapy (NT), and a Prescriptive Therapy (PT), the latter of which selectively applied procedures from both of the other two treatments following an Aptitude × Treatment Interaction (ATI) model. The results supported a multiple factor view of psychotherapy effects, including the hypothesis that patient, treatment, relationship, and patient-therapy matching variables add independent power to the prediction of treatment outcome, especially during follow-up. ATI effect sizes were stronger than those associated with specific treatments. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Financing of vaccines.

This article discusses the need to increase the financial assistance for vaccine development. A health situation was cited to present the intolerable impact of the shortfall in funding for vaccines. This situation on the other hand has awakened the world community to respond by forming organizations and projects that will help eliminate this kind of problem in the future. However this renewed interest in vaccine development would be impossible if there is no adequate funding and political commitment. Furthermore the research and development to conduct and achieve highly effective vaccines will require a hundred to a hundred million US dollars in annual combined public and private research expenditures. To help solve this problem one suggested solution is the development of a global fund to support production and distribution of new vaccines. Aside from that other alternatives being looked into are the mechanisms used in other sectors that generated successful funding. This leads to the idea of creating a new treaty which will provide the flexibility to gain support from new constituencies to strengthen institutions and to create adequately strong budgetary commitments.
The nuclear envelope environment and its cancer connections.

Aberrant nuclear morphology is already used as a diagnostic criterion for cancer, but why is the nucleus deformed in cancer cells? This Review discusses how components of the nuclear envelope and the adjoining lamina are deregulated in cancer cells and the consequences of this change in cell morphology.
Googling considered harmful

Virtually every Internet user on the planet uses the powerful free tools offered by a handful of information service providers in many aspects of their personal and professional lives. As a result, users and organizations are freely providing unprecedented amounts of sensitive information in return for such services as Internet search, email, mapping, blog hosting, instant messaging and language translation. Traditional security measures, such as cryptography and network firewalls, are largely ineffective because of the implicit trust paradigm with the service provider. In this paper, we directly address this problem by providing a threat analysis framework of information disclosure vectors, including fingerprinting of individuals and groups based on their online activities, examine the effectiveness of existing privacy countermeasures and clearly outline the critical future work required to protect our corporate, organizational and individual privacy when using these services.
Harmonizable processes and inference: unbiased prediction for stochastic flows

Abstract This paper considers prediction and estimation problems based on the covariance structure of stochastic flows generated by linear time-dependent differential equations driven by certain harmonizable or ortho- gonal increment noise processes. A solution of the unbiased linear least-squares prediction of a signal process in the presence of a noise of the above type is given. This is shown to depend on the solution of a system of linear integral equations of Fredholm type combined with certian Lagrange multipliers. An extension of these results for a more general class are obtained by simple modifications, and these are also indicated. Statistical estimation of the spectral distributions of these processes with “periodogram-type estimators” that are asymptotically unbiased are proposed. Other asymptotic properties of such estimators as well as some open problems arising from this study are pointed out.
Digital Intuition: Applying Common Sense Using Dimensionality Reduction

Understanding the world we live in requires access to a large amount of background knowledge: the commonsense knowledge that most people have and most computer systems don't. Many of the limitations of artificial intelligence today relate to the problem of acquiring and understanding common sense. The Open Mind Common Sense project began to collect common sense from volunteers on the Internet starting in 2000. The collected information is converted to a semantic network called ConceptNet. Reducing the dimensionality of ConceptNet's graph structure gives a matrix representation called AnalogySpace, which reveals large-scale patterns in the data, smoothes over noise, and predicts new knowledge. Extending this work, we have created a method that uses singular value decomposition to aid in the integration of systems or representations. This technique, called blending, can be harnessed to find and exploit correlations between different resources, enabling commonsense reasoning over a broader domain.
Imaging, Diagnosis, and Staging of Bone Tumors: A Primer

HE DIAGNOSIS OF a focal bone lesion is a common event for most radiologists. Although primary bone tumors are relatively rare, focal bone lesions are common. Most bone lesions can be safely disregarded as incidental benign processes of no clinical significance, but a few will require further examination and possibly treatment. This article explains the factors that can be used to reach an appropriate diagnostic conclusion. Primary musculoskeletal malignancies account for less than 1% of all cancers, and they are overshadowed by the more common lung, breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Roughly 2,500 new primary bone malignancies and 6,400 primary connective tissue malignancies are reported each year within the United States. 1-3 A bone lesion is more likely to represent a metastasis or multiple myeloma than a primary bone tumor. Only a few tumor types account for the majority of primary bone tumors (Table 1). Often these lesions are incidentally found on radiographs performed for other reasons, such as trauma or pain. In these situations, the radiologist may be the first to notice the bony abnormality and bring it to the clinician’s attention. If the bony lesion is left to progress until it presents clinically, the patient’s prognosis will suffer. In general, early detection and treatment are essential for a good outcome. Bone tumors can be benign or malignant. The radiologist’s and the clinician’s challenge is to distinguish between these 2 categories. This pathological distinction is blurred somewhat because some benign tumors can have “malignant” behavior, with mass effect on adjacent critical structures or pathologic fractures. The radiographic appearance of a bone lesion is typically classified as being benign or aggressive. 4-7 Aggressive lesions are often malignant, and benign appearing lesions are usually benign. This association between the radiographic appearance and pathology is not perfect because some benign lesions, such as giant cell tumors, can appear aggressive, and likewise, a malignant lesion may appear benign. This article reviews the key parameters useful to radiologists in the evaluation of benign and aggressive tumors. Biopsy should never be the first step in the diagnostic process but rather the last. In fact, biopsy should be avoided in certain benign lesions
Stalking among young adults: A review of the preliminary research

The experience of being stalked is markedly higher among college students than in the general population. A clear understanding of stalking in this population will guide prevention and intervention efforts for both perpetrators and victims. Specifically, this article reviews the literature on the prevalence of stalking behaviors among young adults, the psychological effects on young victims, how these victims cope with being stalked, and possible reasons for this behavior. In order to provide context for data on young adults, comparisons with the adult literature will be provided where possible. At the conclusion of this review, we address topics in need of further research.