cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
One Thousand Bedside Percutaneous Tracheostomies in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit: Time to Change the Gold Standard

Background Bedside percutaneous tracheostomy (BPT) is a cost-effective alternative to open tracheostomy. Small series have consistently documented minimal morbidity, but BPT has yet to be embraced as the standard of care. Because this has been our preferred technique in the surgical ICU for more than 20 years, we reviewed our experience to ascertain its safety. We hypothesize that BPT has acceptably minimal morbidity, even in high-risk patients. Study Design Patients undergoing BPT from January 1998 to June 2008 were reviewed. High-risk patients were defined as those with cervical collar or halo, cervical spine injuries, systemic heparinization, positive end-expiratory pressure >10 cm H 2 O or fraction of inspired oxygen > 50%. Results During the study period, 1,000 patients underwent BPT (74% men; mean ± SEM age 46 ± 0.6 years; 70% trauma). BPT was performed 8.9 ± 0.2 days (mean ± SEM) after admission. Patients remained ventilator dependent for an additional 9.7 ± 0.4 days (mean ± SEM). There were 482 (48%) patients undergoing BPT who were considered high-risk: 1 risk category, 273 patients; 2 risk categories, 139 patients; 3 risk categories, 56 patients; 4 risk categories, 12 patients; 5 risk categories, 2 patients. Complications occurred in 14 (1.4%) patients. Early complications included tracheostomy tube misplacement requiring revision (n = 4), bleeding requiring intervention (n = 2), infection (n = 1), and procedure failure requiring cricothyroidotomy (n = 1). Late complications included persistent stoma requiring operative closure (n = 4) and subglottic stenosis (n = 2). There were 6 complications (1.2%) in normal risk and 8 complications (1.7%) in high-risk patients. There were no deaths related to BPT. Conclusions BPT in the surgical intensive care unit is a safe procedure, even in high-risk patients. We believe BPT is the new gold standard for patients requiring tracheostomy for mechanical ventilation.
New Insights into the Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Hypercalciuria

Idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH) is the most common metabolic abnormality in patients with calcium kidney stones. It is characterized by normocalcemia, absence of diseases that cause increased urine calcium, and calcium excretion that is greater than 250 mg/d in women and 300 mg/d in men. Subjects with IH have a generalized increase in calcium turnover, which includes increased gut calcium absorption, decreased renal calcium reabsorption, and a tendency to lose calcium from bone. Despite the increase in intestinal calcium absorption, a negative calcium balance is seen commonly in balance studies, especially on a low-calcium diet. The mediator of decreased renal calcium reabsorption is not clear; it is not associated with either an increase in filtered load of calcium or altered parathyroid hormone levels. There is an increased incidence of hypercalciuria in first-degree relatives of those with IH, but IH appears to be a complex polygenic trait with a large contribution from diet to expression of increased calcium excretion. Increased tissue vitamin D response may be responsible for the manifestations of IH in at least some patients.
Multiple-choice learning of line-drawn facial features: II. Sex differences

This report adds data to complement those in a prior report (Marx, 1979) in which retention and transfer were found to be inhibited, for male but not for female subjects, when the subjects serving as observers were required to score their paired partners’ responses in acquisition. The new data were obtained from two high school classes who first learned names for full line-drawn faces and then were given interpolated transfer tests on the individual features from those faces (reversing the procedure used in the first experiment). Few reliable main effects were found in these two sets of data, analyzed separately, but there were a large number of reliable interactions. The major result was that female subjects were clearly superior on transfer tests after they had observed in acquisition, whereas males were equally proficient after observation and performance.
Splenic trauma following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a safe diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. Splenic injury after ERCP is extremely rare and only two cases have been reported in the English literature. A subscapsular splenic hematoma is reported after ERCP and the mechanism of injury and possible preventive measures are discussed.
Optimal Control of Plug-in HEVs for Fuel Economy Under Various Travel Distances

Abstract Control of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) poses a different challenge from that of the conventional Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) due to the fact that the battery energy is depleted throughout the drive cycle. In particular, when the travel distance exceeds the All Electric Range (AER) of a PHEV, control of the PHEV is no longer trivial. In this paper, we develop a method for the synthesis of the supervisory powertrain controller (SPC) that achieves near-optimal performance under known travel distances. We first find the globally optimal solution using the dynamic programming (DP) technique, which serves as a benchmark of achievable performance. By analyzing the DP results, a variable Energy-to-Distance Ratio (EDR), θ, is introduced to quantify the level of battery state-of-charge (SOC) with respect to the remaining distance. This variable was found to play an important role in the energy management of PHEVs, and an adaptive SPC that adjusts engine on/off and gear-shift strategies under a wide range of θ conditions was proposed using a comprehensive extraction method. Simulation results confirm that the proposed adaptive SPC achieves near-optimal (
Gas separation properties of polysulfone membranes treated with molecular bromine

Gas separation membranes can be physically or chemically modified to improve their separation characteristics. The ability of bromine to form charge-transfer complexes with unpaired electrons along a polymer backbone was utilized to tailor the gas separation properties of a polysulfone membrane. It was hypothesized that the bromine molecules would alter the free volume distribution in such a way as to hinder the transport of large gas molecules without a significant reduction in the flux of the more permeable gas. Bromine was sorbed into the polymer from an aqueous solution at pH 2. The treated membranes developed a characteristic orange color, indicative of charge-transfer complex formation, which remained after aqueous rinsing and vacuum drying. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) permeability coefficients of the treated membranes were measured to determine the selectivity. After bromine treatment, the selectivity of a polysulfone membrane for CO2 over CH4 was increased over 100% at 10 atm upstream pressure with only a 36% reduction in CO2 permeability. Membrane stability was inconsistent with only one film appearing visually stable up to one year after treatment.
Patents and quality growth in OLG economy

Abstract This paper shows how heterogeneity in patent ownership across generations and lifecycle saving considerations qualitatively change the conventional implications of patent policy for quality growth. We study a close Overlapping Generations economy that grows through sequential quality improvements (“quality-ladder”), to show that for plausible values of the Inter-temporal Elasticity of Substitution (a) shorter patent length enhances growth (b) under exogenous innovation size loosening patent breadth protection spurs R&D investment and quality growth and (c) the effect of loosening lagging breadth protection on R&D investment and quality growth under endogenous innovation size depends on patents length. Our findings explore a new channel through which strong patents may hinder innovation and emphasize the importance of coordination in patent-policy across the different dimensions of the patents system.
The expression of differentiation by chick embryo thyroid in cell culture. I. Functional and fine structural stability in mass and clonal culture.

The stability of glandular epithelial cells has been investigated utilizing the techniques of cell culture. Embryonic chick thyroid was chosen as a representative cell type and methods were developed for the successful clonal culture of thyroid follicular cells. Thyroid cells were found to be morphologically and functionally stable while undergoing rapid division in both dense (monolayer) and dilute (clonal) cell culture. Differentiated features were retained for a minimum of 32 days of primary clonal culture (approximately 17 generations under clonal conditions). During the culture period, the cells retained their epithelial morphology, retained their cytoplasmic rough endoplasmic reticulum, and continued to produce chromatographically detectable thyroid hormones. Hormone production in culture was a specific thyroid characteristic since control cultures of embryonic heart and liver did not contain the hormones.
Dynamics of Plate Generated by Moving Harmonic Loads

A thin plate resting on a Winkler elastic foundation subject to a moving harmonic load can be used as the model for highway and airport pavement under moving vehicle load and many other applications. The study of dynamic response of the plate thus becomes very important. In this paper we study the dynamic displacement of a plate caused by a moving harmonic line and point load. The solution is represented by the convolution of dynamic Green's function of plate. An approximate relationship between critical load velocity and critical frequency is established analytically. It is found that the maximum displacement response occurs at the center of the moving load and travels at the same speed with the load.
Aggregation in a Thermophilic Oscillatoria

Oscillatoria terebriformis (Ag.) Gom., isolated from Hunter's Hot Springs, Lakeview, Oregon, shows both gliding and flexional movements of individual trichomes. Laboratory clone populations of trichomes, when dispersed by agitation, rapidly aggregate in still liquid medium. If the population density is high enough aggregation produces a single dense ball or clump. The clump may be redispersed by swirling or shaking. Fig. 1 demonstrates the rapidity of the aggregation phenomenon at an optimal temperature of 47° C. Growth in an unagitated flask takes place with essentially all of the trichomes in a single ball. At Hunter's Hot Springs and other Oregon hot springs this species forms dark brown mats up to about 2 mm in thickness from 53° C to about 47° C, which corresponds closely to the optimal growth temperature range in the laboratory. Growth medium consisted of the following (1 l. of distilled water): 0.1 g of nitrilotriacetic acid; 1.0 ml. of trace element solution (1 l. of water, 0.5 ml. of concentrated sulphuric acid, 2.28 g of manganese sulphate, 0.5 g of zinc sulphate, 0.5 g of boric acid, 0.025 g of copper sulphate, 0.025 g of sodium molybdate, 0.045 g of cobalt chloride); 0.2 mg of ferric chloride; 0.06 g of calcium sulphate; 0.1 g of magnesium sulphate; 0.008 g of sodium chloride, 0.103 g of potassium nitrate, 0.689 g of sodium nitrate; and 0.111 g of sodium phosphate. The pH was adjusted to 8.2 with sodium hydroxide, and was about 7.5 after autoclaving. Field material, when removed by suction and dispersed in a vessel, also aggregates rapidly, as in the laboratory cultures.
Laparoscopic Repair of Ventral Incisional Hernias: Pros and Cons

Abdominal wall hernias are a familiar surgical problem. Millions of patients are affected each year, presenting most commonly with primary ventral, incisional, and inguinal hernias. Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, hernias commonly cause pain or are aesthetically distressing to patients. These concerns, coupled with the risk of incarceration, are the most common reasons patients seek surgical repair of hernias. This article focuses on incisional hernias, reported to develop in 3% to 29% of laparotomy incisions.
Collabio: a game for annotating people within social networks

We present Collabio, a social tagging game within an online social network that encourages friends to tag one another. Collabio's approach of incentivizing members of the social network to generate information about each other produces personalizing information about its users. We report usage log analysis, survey data, and a rating exercise demonstrating that Collabio tags are accurate and augment information that could have been scraped online.
Drug targeting and retrometabolic drug design approaches Introduction

Abstract Traditional methods for drug design have relied on optimization of drug activity with little regard for drug safety. Such manipulation often produces highly potent derivatives with equally elevated toxicities giving rise to no or disadvantageous changes in the therapeutic index of the derivatives. Inclusion of metabolic and toxicological concerns in the drug design process is embodied in the retrometabolic approach. This systematic methodology employs several schemas to provide for the safe targeting of drugs to defined sites or tissues in the body. The retrometabolic approach can be subdivided into soft drug technologies, which provide for agents that are readily and safely deactivated subsequent to exerting their biological effects, and the chemical delivery systems which through multiple enzymatic conversions provide for site-selective delivery. Examples of these chemical techniques to improved drug design are given including a soft steroid for treating ocular inflammation and a brain-targeting chemical delivery system for peptides.
Acoustic characterization of sediments after Paraffin migration

Experiments were performed to measure the acoustic response of a water saturated synthetic sediment before and after a fixed volume of molten paraffin was flowed through the sample. To characterize the acoustic response of the samples preand post-paraffin migration, time-of-flight acoustic tomography was performed to reconstruct the differential attenuation in the sediments cross-sections. The sediment was sectioned into sub-volumes and the amount of paraffin in each sub-volume was determined. Correlations between the residual paraffin concentration and attenuation were observed. A high concentration of paraffin residue was found to correspond to regions with lower attenuation, and conversely, a lower concentration of residue was found to correspond to regions with higher attenuation. Two competing effects were found to account for the acoustic signature of the sediments after paraffin flowed: the distribution of paraffin residue and air bubble content. The time-dependent changes in the acoustic behavior resulted from air bubbles coalescing and migrating over time. After the air bubbles have migrated to the surface of sample, the effect of paraffin distribution dominates. Two patterns of paraffin distribution were observed: (a) paraffin bridges at the grain contacts that stiffen the grain contacts and increase the bulk module of the frame, and (b) uneven distributed tiny patches of paraffin on the surfaces of the grains which increased the grain surface roughness and increased attenuation.
Strategies for Kinetic Control in Organic Solar Cells

Designing organic solar cell materials based on energy level matching sacrifices photovoltage for photocurrent. We demonstrate an alternative strategy of controlling kinetics. We use spectroscopy and x-ray scattering to relate efficiency improvements to materials properties.
Semantics-preserving implementation of multirate mixed-criticality synchronous programs

Model-based design methodologies such as Simulink/ State-flow, that are based on the synchrony assumption, are widely used in many safety-critical application domains including avionics and automotive systems. The synchrony assumption asserts that actions (such as the execution of code) occur instantaneously. However, actual platforms obviously do not satisfy the synchrony assumption. This paper considers the problem of obtaining resource-efficient implementations of programs that are written under the synchrony assumption on actual platforms, such that these implementations execute in a manner that is semantically consistent with the execution sequences that would occur if the synchrony assumption were to hold.
A design method for two-dimensional recursive digital filters

A method for designing two-dimensional, symmetric half-plane recursive digital filters is presented: a filter is first designed as a parametrized family of one-dimensional filters; a simple approximation is then used to find a rational, stable, two-dimensional filter. Some advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed, and several examples are given.
Mental rotation within linguistic and non-linguistic domains in users of American sign language.

American sign language (ASL) uses space itself to encode spatial information. Spatial scenes are most often described from the perspective of the person signing (the 'narrator'), such that the viewer must perform what amounts to a 180 degrees mental rotation to correctly comprehend the description. But scenes can also be described, non-canonically, from the viewer's perspective, in which case no rotation is required. Is mental rotation during sign language processing difficult for ASL signers? Are there differences between linguistic and non-linguistic mental rotation? Experiment 1 required subjects to decide whether a signed description matched a room presented on videotape. Deaf ASL signers were more accurate when viewing scenes described from the narrator's perspective (even though rotation is required) than from the viewer's perspective (no rotation required). In Experiment 2, deaf signers and hearing non-signers viewed videotapes of objects appearing briefly and sequentially on a board marked with an entrance. This board either matched an identical board in front of the subject or was rotated 180 degrees. Subjects were asked to place objects on their board in the orientation and location shown on the video, making the appropriate rotation when required. All subjects were significantly less accurate when rotation was required, but ASL signers performed significantly better than hearing non-signers under rotation. ASL signers were also more accurate in remembering object orientation. Signers then viewed a video in which the same scenes were signed from the two perspectives (i.e. rotation required or no rotation required). In contrast to their performance with real objects, signers did not show the typical mental rotation effect. Males outperformed females on the rotation task with objects, but the superiority disappeared in the linguistic condition. We discuss the nature of the ASL mental rotation transformation, and we conclude that habitual use of ASL can enhance non-linguistic cognitive processes thus providing evidence for (a form of) the linguistic relativity hypothesis.
Hybrid High-Temperature Nanostructured Magnets

The hysteretic behavior of two-phase permanent magnets for high-temperature applications is examined. A variety of systems have been synthesized and investigated, including Sm-Co-Cu-Ti bulk magnets, SmCo5:Cu-Ti thin-film materials, and mechanically milled Sm-CoZr magnets. The hybrid character of the material leads to very high room-temperature coercivities, between 30.2 and 43.6 kOe, and to the survival of a comparatively large part of the coercivity at high temperatures (12.3 kOe at 500 °C for SmCo 6.5Cu0.8Ti0.3). The coercivity reflects the structure and chemical composition of the material. When ferromagnetic grains are separated by a ferromagnetic boundary phase, the boundary phase acts as a pinning center, but when the grain-boundary phase has a comparatively low Curie temperature, the high-temperature magnetism of the system is that of a weakly interacting ensemble of magnetic particles. In spite of some residual paramagnetic exchange coupling, which is discussed in this work, this mechanism enhances the coercivity.
Flight Demonstration of Provably Safe Closely Spaced Parallel Approaches

In poor visibility, paired approaches to airports with closely spaced parallel runways are not permitted, thus halving the arrival rate. With Global Positioning System technology, datalinks and cockpit displays, this could be averted. One important problem is ensuring safety during a blundered approach by one aircraft. This is on-going research. A danger zone around the blunderer is required. If the correct danger zone could be calculated, then it would be possible to get 100% of clear-day capacity in poor-visibility days even on 750 foot runways. The danger zones vary signiflcantly (during an approach) and calculating them in real time would be very signiflcant. Approximations (e.g. outer bounds) are not good enough. This paper presents a way to calculate these danger zones in real time for a very broad class of blunder trajectories. The approach in this paper difiers from others in that it guarantees safety for any possible blunder trajectory as long as the speeds and turn rates of the blunder are within certain bounds. In addition, the approach considers all emergency evasive maneuvers whose speeds and turn rates are within certain bounds about a nominal emergency evasive maneuver. For all combinations of these blunder and evasive maneuver trajectories, it guarantees that the evasive maneuver is safe. For more than 1 million simulation runs, the algorithm shows a 100% rate of Successful Alerts and a 0% rate of Collisions Given an Alert. The evaluation of the proposed scheme was demonstrated with two difierent types of test platforms, the Stanford DragonFly unmanned aerial vehicles and the Boeing testbed of F-15 and T-33 aircraft. The experiment involved two aircraft, where one aircraft is assigned as pursuer and the other as evader. The algorithm proved the guaranteed safety (maintaining a minimum separation distance) for every single ∞ight test performed, and demonstrated that it can run in real-time.
Triple diabetes: coexistence of type 1 diabetes mellitus and a novel mutation in the gene responsible for MODY3 in an overweight adolescent

We report an interesting and unique case of an overweight adolescent with a novel mutation of the maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY)3 gene [hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 alpha (HNF-1alpha)] and positive islet cell autoantibodies. The patient is a 17-yr-old Caucasian female, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, treated with metformin and glipizide, with poor control for 18 months prior to being referred to the Endocrinology clinic. Family history was strongly positive for type 2 diabetes (father, paternal aunts, uncles, and grandmother). All were diagnosed at age 40-50 and treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. The patient's body mass index was 36.4 kg/m(2). She had no acanthosis nigricans. Initial hemoglobin A1c was 11.9%, with fasting glucose of 234 mg/dL and fasting insulin 10.7 microU/mL. She was started on insulin therapy (0.6 units/kg/d), resulting in good glycemic control. Oral hypoglycemic agents were discontinued. Immunologic studies showed positive islet cell (29 U/mL, normal <1.0) and glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 (0.9 U/mL, normal <0.5) antibodies. Sequencing for HNF-1alpha gene revealed a nucleotide A to G substitution (ACC to GCC), resulting in a missense mutation, T196A. To our knowledge, T196A has not been previously reported. The coexistence of type 1 diabetes autoimmunity and a mutation in the gene responsible for MODY3 in this overweight patient is intriguing and might explain the early onset of progressive insulinopenia compared with the later age of diabetes onset of the earlier generation in the family.
Indonesia's cocoa boom : hands-off policy encourages smallholder dynamism

This case study of Sulawesi's cocoa market is a counterpoint to investigations of highly regulated markets - agricultural and otherwise. The Indonesian island's rapid expansion surprised the world cocoa market, especially because it came mostly from smallholders. The authors examine the smallholders' production and marketing systems and the government policies implemented for smallholders to identify any policy lessons that might be useful for other countries. Following is a brief description of what they found: 1) the following factors contributed to the rapid expansion: the availability of suitable land, low production costs, a highly competitive marketing system, relatively good transport infrastructure, favorable macroeconomic policies, and the smallholders' entrepreneurship; 2) until the recent imposition of a value-added tax, Indonesia's government left cocoa marketing and distribution freer of government interventions than many other commodities. Other commodities were affected by direct involvement of the National Logistics Agency, price controls, and exclusive trade licensing requirements; 3) as a result of the competitive cocoa marketing system, the farmgate price of cocoa in Indonesia is about 90 percent of the f.o.b price - a much higher share than cocoa produced in other countries and than other commodities produced in Indonesia. This relatively free marketing and distribution system must be maintained for cocoa to develop further; and 4) some general government policies have benefited the cocoa subsector as well as others. Exchange rates have been kept competitive, such as the absence of export tax and the building of basic infrastructure in the outer islands. Several issues must be addressed for cocoa to be further developed: the quality of cocoa, the adding-up problem (export revenues not increasing in proportion to export quantities), the recently imposed value-added tax, the cocoa pod-borer, export marketing, research, retribution, local repressing, environmental problems, and governmental interventions now being discussed for cocoa sector. Government and industry must also resist the natural temptation for current players to become more conservative, to protect their interests.
Resolution limits in signal recovery

Resolution analysis for the problem of signal recovery from finitely many linear measurements is the subject of this paper. The classical Rayleigh limit serves only as a lower bound on resolution since it does not assume any recovery strategy and is based only on observed data. We show that details finer than the Rayleigh limit can be recovered by simple linear processing that incorporates prior information. We first define a measure of resolution based on allowable levels of error that is more appropriate for current signal recovery strategies than the Rayleigh definition. In the practical situation in which only finitely many noisy observations are available, we have to restrict the class of signals in order to make the resolution measure meaningful. We consider the set of bandlimited and essentially timelimited signals since it describes most signals encountered in practice. For this set, we show how to precompute resolution limits from knowledge of measurement functionals, signal-to-noise ratio, passband, energy concentration regions, energy concentration factor, and a prescribed level of error tolerance. In the process, we also derive an algorithm for high-resolution signal recovery. We illustrate the results with examples in one and two dimensions.
Interactions Between Drug and Psychosocial Therapy in Schizophrenia

Research on the interactions between drug and psychosocial interventions in the community management of schizophrenia is related to a stress/vulnerability conception of this disorder. Earlier findings that psychosocial treatments were not efficacious in the community management of schizophrenia are contrasted with promising recent data from psychosocial treatments aimed at reducing environmental stressors and promoting interpersonal competence. Family interventions and social skills training may contribute significantly to the clinical and social outcomes achieved by optimal pharmacotherapy.
Robust hybrid controllers for continuous-time systems with applications to obstacle avoidance and regulation to disconnected set of points

We give an elementary proof of the fact that, for continuous-time systems, it is impossible to use (even discontinuous) pure state feedback to achieve robust global asymptotic stabilization of a disconnected set of points or robust global regulation to a target while avoiding an obstacle. Indeed, we show that arbitrarily small, piecewise constant measurement noise can keep the trajectories away from the target. We give a constructive, Lyapunov-based hybrid state feedback that achieves robust regulation in the above mentioned settings.
Measurement of oxygen partial pressure, its control during hypoxia and hyperoxia, and its effect upon light emission in a bioluminescent elaterid larva.

This study investigates the respiratory physiology of bioluminescent larvae of Pyrearinus termitilluminans in relation to their tolerance to hypoxia and hyperoxia and to the supply of oxygen for bioluminescence. The partial pressure of oxygen (P(O2)) was measured within the bioluminescent prothorax by in vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry following acclimation of larvae to hypoxic, normoxic and hyperoxic (normobaric) atmospheres and during periods of bioluminescence (during normoxia). The P(O2) in the prothorax during exposure to an external P(O2) of 15.2, 160 and 760 mmHg was 10.3+/-2.6, 134+/-0.9 and 725+/-73 mmHg respectively (mean +/- s.d., N=5; 1 mmHg=0.1333 kPa). Oxygen supply to the larvae via gas exchange through the spiracles, measured by determining the rate of water loss, was also studied in the above atmospheres and was found not to be dependent upon P(O2). The data indicated that there is little to no active control of extracellular tissue P(O2) within the prothorax of these larvae. The reduction in prothorax P(O2) observed during either attack-response-provoked bioluminescence or sustained feeding-related bioluminescence in a normoxic atmosphere was variable, but fell within the range 10-25 mmHg. The effect of hypoxic atmospheres on bioluminescence was measured to estimate the intracellular P(O2) within the photocytes of the prothorax. Above a threshold value of 50-80 mmHg, bioluminescence was unaffected by P(O2). Below this threshold, an approximately linear relationship between P(O2) and bioluminescence was observed. Taken together with the extracellular P(O2) measurements, this suggests that control of P(O2) within the photocyte may occur. This work establishes that EPR oximetry is a valuable technique for long-term measurement of tissue P(O2) in insects and can provide valuable insights into their respiratory physiology. It also raises questions regarding the hypothesis that bioluminescence can have a significant antioxidative effect by reduction of prothorax P(O2 )through oxygen consumption.
CT appearance of thoracic aortic graft complications.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to document the spectrum of CT findings and the clinical outcome of thoracic aortic graft complications.CONCLUSION. Aortic graft complications detected with CT may or may not be clinically apparent and/or relevant. CT characterization in combination with clinical findings helps to determine patient treatment.
Hybridoma Formation in Serum-Free Medium

The production of Ig-secreting hybridomas from fusions between mouse myeloma cells and mouse immunized spleen cells in serum-free medium has several practical advantages in monoclonal antibody research in terms of simplification of the process of preliminary screening for biological activities of the monoclonal antibodies as well as their purifications from the culture supernatants (1–3). Several attempts in applying serum-free media which have been developed specifically for the growth of established NS-1 myeloma derived hybridomas (4,5) in the isolation of nascent NS-1 meyloma-derived hybridomas have been unsuccessful (Kawamoto et al, in preparation). This failure leads us to focus our attentions on the conditions which would support the growth of the parent myeloma cell lines, NS-1, which as we anticipated, would also promote the formation and the outgrowth of their derived hybridomas.
Effect of Canavanine from Alfalfa Seeds on the Population Biology of Bacillus cereus

Bacillus cereus UW85 suppresses diseases of alfalfa seedlings, although alfalfa seed exudate inhibits the growth of UW85 in culture (J. L. Milner, S. J. Raffel, B. J. Lethbridge, and J. Handelsman, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 43:685-691, 1995). In this study, we determined the chemical basis for and biological role of the inhibitory activity. All of the alfalfa germ plasm tested included seeds that released inhibitory material. We purified the inhibitory material from one alfalfa cultivar and identified it as canavanine, which was present in the cultivar Iroquois seed exudate at a concentration of 2 mg/g of seeds. Multiple lines of evidence suggested that canavanine activity accounted for all of the inhibitory activity. Both canavanine and seed exudate inhibited the growth of UW85 on minimal medium; growth inhibition by either canavanine or seed exudate was prevented by arginine, histidine, or lysine; and canavanine and crude seed exudate had the same spectrum of activity against B. cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Vibrio cholerae. The B. cereus UW85 populations surrounding canavanine-exuding seeds were up to 100-fold smaller than the populations surrounding non-canavanine-exuding seeds, but canavanine did not affect the growth of UW85 on seed surfaces. The spermosphere populations of canavanine-resistant mutants of UW85 were larger than the spermosphere populations of UW85, but the mutants and UW85 were similar in spermoplane colonization. These results indicate that canavanine exuded from alfalfa seeds affects the population biology of B. cereus.
Arginine methylation controls the subcellular localization and functions of the oncoprotein splicing factor SF2/ASF

Alternative splicing and posttranslational modifications (PTMs) are major sources of protein diversity in eukaryotic proteomes. The SR protein SF2/ASF is an oncoprotein that functions in pre-mRNA splicing, with additional roles in other posttranscriptional and translational events. Functional studies of SR protein PTMs have focused exclusively on the reversible phosphorylation of Ser residues in the C-terminal RS domain. We confirmed that human SF2/ASF is methylated at residues R93, R97, and R109, which were identified in a global proteomic analysis of Arg methylation, and further investigated whether these methylated residues regulate the properties of SF2/ASF. We show that the three arginines additively control the subcellular localization of SF2/ASF and that both the positive charge and the methylation state are important. Mutations that block methylation and remove the positive charge result in the cytoplasmic accumulation of SF2/ASF. The consequent decrease in nuclear SF2/ASF levels prevents it from modulating the alternative splicing of target genes, results in higher translation stimulation, and abrogates the enhancement of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. This study addresses the mechanisms by which Arg methylation and the associated positive charge regulate the activities of SF2/ASF and emphasizes the significance of localization control for an oncoprotein with multiple functions in different cellular compartments.
Assembly of the α-Globin mRNA Stability Complex Reflects Binary Interaction between the Pyrimidine-Rich 3′ Untranslated Region Determinant and Poly(C) Binding Protein αCP

Globin mRNAs accumulate to 95% of total cellular mRNA during terminal erythroid differentiation, reflecting their extraordinary stability. The stability of human alpha-globin mRNA is paralleled by formation of a sequence-specific RNA-protein (RNP) complex at a pyrimidine-rich site within its 3' untranslated region (3'UTR), the alpha-complex. The proteins of the alpha-complex are widely expressed. The alpha-complex or a closely related complex also assembles at pyrimidine-rich 3'UTR segments of other stable mRNAs. These data suggest that the alpha-complex may constitute a general determinant of mRNA stability. One or more alphaCPs, members of a family of hnRNP K-homology domain poly(C) binding proteins, are essential constituents of the alpha-complex. The ability of alphaCPs to homodimerize and their reported association with additional RNA binding proteins such as AU-rich binding factor 1 (AUF1) and hnRNP K have suggested that the alpha-complex is a multisubunit structure. In the present study, we have addressed the composition of the alpha-complex. An RNA titration recruitment assay revealed that alphaCPs were quantitatively incorporated into the alpha-complex in the absence of associated AUF1 and hnRNP K. A high-affinity direct interaction between each of the three major alphaCP isoforms and the alpha-globin 3'UTR was detected, suggesting that each of these proteins might be sufficient for alpha-complex assembly. This sufficiency was further supported by the sequence-specific binding of recombinant alphaCPs to a spectrum of RNA targets. Finally, density sedimentation analysis demonstrated that the alpha-complex could accommodate only a single alphaCP. These data established that a single alphaCP molecule binds directly to the alpha-globin 3'UTR, resulting in a simple binary structure for the alpha-complex.
Analytical particle measurements in an optical microflume

In this work, microscopic particles in a fluid flow are manipulated using forces generated by a high power laser beam. The resulting manipulations on the particles are imaged using a microscope lens connected to a CCD camera. Differential forces on particles of varying physical and chemical composition have been measured. The goal is to measure the optical forces on a diverse range of particles and catalog the associated chemical and physical differences to understand which properties and mechanisms result in the largest force differentials. Using these measurements our aim is to better understand differences between similar microspheres in terms of size, morphology, or chemical composition. Particles of the same size, but different composition show large variations in optical pressure forces and are easily discernable in the present analytical system. In addition, we have demonstrated the ability to differentiate a 70 nm size difference between two NIST precision size standard polystyrene microspheres, corresponding to a 2.0 pN difference in optical force. Lastly, the instrument was used to measure differences between biological samples of similar size, demonstrating the ability to make precise analytical measurements on microorganism samples.
Flight Test Engineering—An Integrated Design/Laboratory Course

Recognizing the need for more design opportunities as well as practical field experience in the undergraduate curriculum, the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Mechanics & Engineering Science at the University of Florida has introduced a course entitled “Flight Test Engineering.” Students are organized into teams which conduct a series of four flight test experiments including one involving an original design project. The course promotes interdisciplinary interaction in our curriculum and is supported by a variety of other courses in our department by contributions of assistance in data analysis, equipment calibration, wind-tunnel testing of equipment mounts, software development, and systems integration. As part of their original design project, students generate written technical documents and drawings and present oral reports to the Federal Aviation Administration to receive approval for installation of their equipment in the aircraft.
An evidence-based approach to the surgical management of resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Randomized prospective trials have addressed various treatment approaches to pancreatic adenocarcinoma in order to improve on the dismal prognosis associated with this disease. We conducted a comprehensive review of prospective randomized clinical trials and summarized the contemporary treatment of resectable pancreatic carcinoma. Study design A literature search strategy identified prospective randomized clinical trials for pancreatic carcinoma using standard medical subject heading terms. The articles were critically reviewed and ranked according to a standardized three-tiered system (Ia, Ib, Ic) by a panel of experts. Results Surgical studies have demonstrated that morbidity and mortality are similar for pylorus-preserving and classic pancreaticoduodenectomy. Extended retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy can be performed with similar mortality but increased morbidity compared with standard pancreaticoduodenectomy but does not prolong survival. Pancreaticogastrostomy and pancreaticojejunostomy appear to be comparable techniques for pancreatic duct reconstruction. Pancreatic-enteric anastomosis is associated with lower rates of pancreatic fistula and endocrine insufficiency than duct occlusion without anastomosis. Intraperitoneal drainage after pancreatic resection is unwarranted and may contribute to intraabdominal complications. Routine use of prophylactic octreotide does not lower the rate of pancreatic fistula; it should be considered for reoperative pancreatic resection or for a soft gland. Early trials found that adjuvant chemoradiation therapy prolongs survival. But in more recent studies chemoradiation after resection has failed to show a survival advantage over surgery alone. Conclusions Surgical resection remains the only potentially curative therapy for adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. There is no clear indication as to a single preferable resection approach.
The rush to judgment: does the evidence support the enthusiasm over three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy and dose escalation in the treatment of prostate cancer?

Abstract Purpose: To discuss the assumptions behind and current clinical evidence on three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and dose escalation in the treatment of prostate cancer. Methods: We first define 3D-CRT in comparison to standard radiation therapy and discuss the assumptions on which the technology of 3D-CRT and dose escalation are based. We then examine the evidence on the benefits and limitations from the current most commonly cited studies on dose-escalation trials to treat prostate cancer. Results: The assumption that 3D-CRT can provide a tighter margin around the tumor area to allow for dose escalation is not yet proven by studies that show continual difficulty in defining the planning treatment volume because of extrinsic and intrinsic difficulties, such as imaging variabilities and patient and organ movement. Current short-term dose-escalation studies on the use of 3D-CRT to treat prostate cancer are limited in their ability to prove that increasing dose improves survival and does not incur potential long-term complications to normal tissue. Conclusion: Although 3D-CRT is a promising technology that many radiation oncologists and clinics are quickly adopting to treat such tumors as prostate cancer, the long-term evidence on the benefits and limitations of this technology is still lacking. Until we have solid long-term evidence on the true clinical potential of this new technology, let us not rush to judgment, but exercise caution, diligence, and thoughtfulness in using this new technology to treat our patients.
Sustainable alfalfa production on Coastal Plain soils of the United States

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is rarely grown on the Coastal Plain of southern United States. Production problems include infertile acid soils, inadequate pest control, and high humidity with frequent rainfall events that preclude adequate alfalfa hay drying conditions in spring. Research to overcome soil fertility problems included evaluation of nitrogen (N) rates over alfalfa row spacings and limestone and boron rates in split plot studies; phosphorus (P) rates using a randomized complete block design on eight soil series; and potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) rates and zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo) rates in central composite, rotatable design studies. Field-scale demonstrations were conducted to verify data from small plot research. Results indicate little need for N fertilization of alfalfa on Coastal Plain soils except possibly under cool or dry surface soil conditions. Increasing the between-row planting distance from 23 to 69 cm lowered alfalfa dry matter yield by 2.1 Mg ha 21 the seedling year. Alfalfa yielded 11 Mg ha 21 at all row spacings in the drought-affected third year. Dry matter yield was maximized at 49 - 73 kg applied Ph a 21 on soils testing below 19 mg P kg 21 by the NH4OAc-EDTA extraction method. The alfalfa stand was lost after one season on plots not fertilized with K. Applied Mg, S, Zn, Mo, and Cu had no significant effect on alfalfa yield. Dry matter increased . 5M g ha 21 as pH was increased from 6.0 to 7.5. Boron applied at 3.4 kg ha 21 increased alfalfa yields 3.9 Mg ha 21 . With improved methods for site selection and adequate fertility, sustainable economic production of alfalfa is possible with rain-fed conditions on selected, limed Coastal Plain soils.
Frequency and Distribution of Extended Diapause in Nebraska Populations of Diabrotica barberi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

ABSTRACT The frequency of extended diapause in populations of the northern corn rootworm, Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), was measured in eastern Nebraska. Adult collections were made during late summer in 2008 and 2009 from eight sites each year (seven sites were consistent over years). Eggs were obtained from 12 to 20 females per site and were held on moist soil under appropriate temperature profiles to facilitate egg survival, diapause development, and diapause termination. Percentage egg hatch was recorded after the first and second year for the 2008 and 2009 collections. Additional extended diapause expression was estimated for the 2008 and 2009 collections by counting remaining live eggs after the second-year egg hatch was completed. These data also were used to estimate each site's maximum egg viability. Results collectively indicate that the extended diapause trait was present in all eastern Nebraska populations; however, significant variation in the frequency of e...
Evaluating a Programme to Enhance Vocabulary Development in Pre-Schoolers

This study was set up to investigate vocabulary development in a population of urban Indian socio-economically impoverished pre-schoolers. Since research has shown that a correlation exists with vocabulary and reading skills, hence better vocabulary would be indicative of fewer reading related problems. The introduction of an oracy programme in a nursery was evaluated and the results compared with those from a similar nursery not exposed to the programme. There was a significant difference in the growth of receptive vocabulary for the experimental group relative to the comparison group but no improvement in the expressive lexicon of either group. Results shed light on vocabulary development and its implications on later literacy progress, as well as changes to nursery practice in India.
A Collaborative Model for the Preparation of Teachers for Students with Visual Impairments

There is a critical national shortage of teachers prepared to work with children who are blind and those with low vision. This article describes two federally funded projects that addressed the needs of school districts and specialized schools that were unable to locate and employ a teacher of students with visual disabilities. In the Collaborative Model 24 teacher-participants attended traditional on-campus programs 2 days per week while working in their local school districts, often hundreds of miles from campus, 3 days per week. Collaboration among educational agencies is described. Evaluations of the model using data from teacher-participants and school administrators is included along with costs for each project. Data indicate that the Collaborative-business Model is a viable, though more costly model for preparing teachers of students with a low incidence disability.