cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHEMICAL SENSITIZATION OF MICE TO RADIATION LETHALITY.

SummaryThiol binding reagents such as N-ethyl maleimide, iodoacetamide, and chloromercuribenzoate are known to potentiate or sensitize the radiation inactivation of bacteria. These agents have been tested for their ability to sensitize mice when injected intraperitoneally immediately before whole-body irradiation. The results have shown that mice given a threshold lethal dose of 525 rad after injection with thiol-binding agents exhibit 30–60 per cent greater mortality than the controls. The sensitizing effect is believed not to be due to drug toxicity, and decreases with increasing dose of radiation. At the higher radiation dose of 810 rad, 50 per cent mortality occurs in 4–6 days, which suggests gastro-intestinal rather than bone-marrow damage as the cause of death. Other chemical agents known to radiosensitize bacteria have been tested in mice: thioglycolic acid and 5-bromouracil were not effective but methyl hydrazine was a potent radiosensitizer.
Spectral Optics Simulation for Rapid Image Systems Prototyping: Ray-tracing, Diffraction and Chromatic Aberration

We describe a software tool that models multicomponent spherical lenses, and calculates the spectral irradiance and depth maps for three-dimensional scenes. Combined with image systems simulations, this tool allows for the rapidly prototyping of imaging systems.
Unique Physics Probes Using e- e-, e- γ and γγ Colliders

We summarize some of the unique physics capabilities of a e- e- collider and its companion facilities for e- γ and γγ collisions.
Detection of point mutations in human DNA by analysis of RNA conformation polymorphism(s)

RNA molecules were found to separate into numerous metastable conformational forms upon non-denaturing gel electrophoresis. The equilibration of the conformations was accelerated by heating or mild denaturing conditions. Single-base substitutions in the sequence of the RNAs caused changes in the conformational patterns, including mobility shifts of major and minor conformations, appearance of new conformations and loss of other conformations. This sequence-dependent RNA conformational polymorphism was used to detect point mutations in p53 and, dihydrofolate reductase genes. Sense and anti-sense RNA strands corresponding to the same segment of the p53 gene gave entirely different conformational patterns. To generate the RNA, short regions of the target genes (up to about 250 bp) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and the resulting DNA segments transcribed to RNA by T7 RNA polymerase. The method is rapid, simple, amenable to non-radioactive visualization and was successful in several cases when DNA single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis (Orita et al. (1989) Genomics 5, 874-879) failed to detect the point mutation.
1993 benchmark tests for the ARPA spoken language program

This paper reports results obtained in benchmark tests conducted within the ARPA Spoken Language program in November and December of 1993. In addition to ARPA contractors, participants included a number of "volunteers", including foreign participants from Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The body of the paper is limited to an outline of the structure of the tests and presents highlights and discussion of selected results. Detailed tabulations of reported "official" results, and additional explanatory text appears in the Appendix.
SDF-1α Regulates HIV-1-gp120-Induced Changes in CD79b Surface Expression and Ig Production in Activated Human B Cells☆

Abstract Binding of HIV-1 glycoprotein (gp120) to activated B cells of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected subjects induces increased cell proliferation, cAMP generation, immunoglobulin (Ig) production and downregulation of the invariant chain, CD79b, of the B-cell receptor. We present evidence that the stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), itself a B-cell stimulant, reversed gp120-driven downregulation of CD79b in CD40- and IL-4-activated purified HIV-1 seronegative human peripheral blood B cells. SDF-1α augmented gp120-induced Ig production, downregulated CXCR4 receptor expression, and alone, exerted no effect on CD79b surface expression, reversed the gp120-induced downregulation of CD79b. These SDF-1α-modulated B-cell responses were specifically abrogated by an anti-SDF-1α antibody. These data suggest that SDF-1α plays an important regulatory role in the altered B-cell responses seen in HIV-1 infection. Further, these findings may enhance the understanding of the pathophysiology of HIV-1 infection and suggest a strategy utilizing SDF-1α or related molecules as an anti-HIV therapy.
Increased density of class I major histocompatibility complex antigens and decreased density of T-cell differentiation antigens in the early stages of T-cell activation

Abstract Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens and T-cell differentiation antigens on activated T cells play a central role in T-cell interactions. In the present study, we have analyzed time courses of both quantity and density of the T-cell differentiation antigens, CD3 (T3), CD4 (T4), and CD8 (T8), as well as MHC antigens, on the cell surface of T cells, and made correlated measurements of DNA content with the surface antigen quantity as well with RNA content and cell size following activation of T cells by phytohemagglutinin. We found that the quantity and density of class I MHC antigens increase within 24 hr following activation and then decrease, while the quantity and density of the T-cell differentiation antigens decrease within 24 hr following activation, which suggests that T-cell recognition involving class I MHC gene products occurs at an early stage of T-cell activation. Class II MHC antigens can be detected on more than 40% of T cells as the expression of the T-cell differentiation antigens increase much later in the response. Cell cycle studies demonstrated that the density of class I MHC, CD3, CD4, and CD8 antigens was greater in G 0 /G 1 phase cells than G 2 phase cells at all times tested during T-cell activation. Our findings suggest that T cells demonstrate a differential regulation in expression of MHC and T-cell differentiation antigens following activation which may reflect their role in cellular interactions.
Comprehending complex concepts

Abstract Recent theories of concepts have raised the issue of how people combine simple concepts (like engine and repair ) to form complex concepts (like engine repair ). This article approaches this issue by asking how people comprehend modified noun phrases of this sort. One explanation of how complex concepts are understood (the feature weighting model) provides a simple mechanism in which the primary feature of the modifying concept is made more salient in the modified concept. nother explanation focuses on how world knowledge directs the combination process. The two explanations are compared in their ability to account for the interpretation of various kinds of noun phrases. Two experiments are reported which evaluate the feature weighting model's predictions for adjective-noun phrases. These contrasts suggest that the combination process does require reference to world knowledge. The consequences of accepting such an account are discussed.
Experimental Intestinal Reovirus Infection of Mice: What We Know, What We Need to Know

Reovirus, a member of the Reoviridae family, is a ubiquitous virus in vertebrate hosts. Although disease caused by reovirus infection is for the most part mild, studies of reovirus have particularly been valuable as a model for understanding the local host response to replicating foreign antigen in intestinal and respiratory sites. In this article, a brief overview is presented of the basic features of reovirus infection, as will the host's humoral and cellular immune response during the infectious cycle. New information regarding the interactions and involvement of immune response molecules during reovirus infection will be presented based on multiple analyte array studies from our laboratory.
Crystallized Water: Internal and External Ice Fragments in Polycyclic Hosts

Two crystal structures of cyclic water hexamers are reported, one with a bicyclic cryptand and the other with a tricyclic host. In the bicycle structure, the water molecules lie between the cryptands. In the tricycle structure, the hexameric water cluster is almost totally encapsulated within the host framework.
Sensitivity of simulated salinities in a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model to vertical mixing of destabilizing surface fluxes

We present simulations performed with a three dimensional global ocean general circulation model which show that simulated salinities and amounts of convective mixing are very sensitive to vertical mixing of surface buoyancy fluxes. If, as usual, surface buoyancy fluxes are placed entirely in the topmost model level, our model produces excessive convective mixing in the Southern Ocean. This results in poor stimulated salinity in the Southern Ocean. In this simulation, we assume, as usual, that both surface buoyancy forcing and vertical mixing are homogeneous within each grid cell. If, on the other hand, destabilizing surface fluxes are instantaneously mixed into the subsurface ocean, the model produces much less convective mixing and much more realistic salinities. The vertical mixing of surface buoyancy fluxes performed in this simulation is equivalent to assuming that those fluxes affect only a small fraction of each grid cell, and cause vertical mixing only in that limited area. Our interpretation of these results is that the usual assumption that both surface buoyancy forcing and vertical mixing are uniform within each grid cell has a detrimental effect on model results; these results could be significantly improved by good parametrizations which treat the horizontal inhomogeneity of surface buoyancy forcing and of vertical mixing.
Evaluating the effects of organic carbon on biological filtration performance in a large scale recirculating aquaculture system

Abstract Studies evaluating the impact of organic carbon on biological filters at the large scale for aquaculture production are lacking. Understanding the performance characteristics of different biofilters under actual production conditions will be the only means by which recirculating system designers may properly select and size biological filters for commercial production use. Previous studies have determined the impact of organic carbon on biofilter performance at the small lab scale often using artificial waste nutrients in the evaluation. Evaluations under actual production conditions using real wastewater produce vastly different results than previous lab scale studies using artificial nutrients. As such, this study is a preliminary step in evaluating the impact of organic carbon on three different commercially available biological filters at the large scale under actual recirculating aquaculture production conditions. The study was conducted at the North Carolina State University Fish Barn—a commercial scale research and demonstration recirculating aquaculture facility operated by the Biological and Agricultural Engineering department. The study was based on a 60 m 3 Tilapia system with average daily feed rates of 45 kg using a 40% protein feed and an average biomass of 6750 kg. The system was dosed with sucrose (C12H22O11) to increase the concentration of biodegradable organic carbon in the system. The effect of elevated organic carbon concentrations on total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) removal rates was evaluated and determined based on biofilter media volume. Variability increased substantially in the volumetric TAN removal rate (VTR) for all three filters. VTR for all three filter types was reduced by approximately 50% as compared to normal production conditions. The results demonstrate the importance of controlling the concentration of biologically available organic carbon in a recirculating aquaculture system.
Long-term ictal monitoring with subdural strip electrodes: prognostic factors for selecting temporal lobectomy candidates

Long-term electrocorticographic (ECoG) monitoring data from subdural strip electrodes are analyzed to determine factors associated with seizure-free outcome from anterior temporal lobectomy. A total of 89 consecutive patients with complex partial seizures, in whom long-term ictal video/scalp electroencephalographic monitoring was insufficient to localize their epileptogenic focus, were subsequently evaluated with long-term ictal ECoG monitoring using subdural strip electrodes. Each patient underwent anterior temporal lobectomy based on the ictal ECoG data and has been followed for at least 1 year. The following parameters were found to be statistically significant in predicting a seizure-free outcome: unilateral onset, electrical onset pattern beginning as fast spike trains, absence of frontal lobe background desynchronization at onset, and an interhemispheric propagation time of greater than 8 seconds. Electrocorticographic criteria that were not associated with seizure outcome included: right- versus left-sided onset, time from electrical to clinical ictal onset, focality of onset (number of strip electrode contacts involved), and stereotypical ECoG onset. When present, the interictal focus was concordant with the ictal focus in most patients (96%), but was falsely lateralizing in 4% of cases. It is suggested that these data should improve patient selection for temporal lobectomy when subdural strip monitoring is used during preoperative evaluation.
Low Serum Citrulline Concentration Correlates With Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections in Children With Intestinal Failure

Background: Serum citrulline concentration is used as a biomarker of enterocyte mass and enteral tolerance, and low serum concentrations are correlated with bacteremia in immunosuppressed adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The authors sought to determine if citrulline was associated with the development of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) in children with intestinal failure. Methods: Data were reviewed from 66 children treated in a multidisciplinary intestinal rehabilitation program, who had serum concentration citrulline measured between January 2007 and August 2009. All patients had a diagnosis of intestinal failure requiring parenteral nutrition (PN) support. Exclusion criteria included central venous catheter in situ <30 days, creatinine clearance <20 mL/minute, or a history of organ transplant/immunosuppression. Results: A total of 15 patients were excluded because of the above criteria. In this cohort of 51 patients, 26 (51%) developed CRBSIs. Both groups were simi...
Adipose tissue‐resident regulatory T cells: phenotypic specialization, functions and therapeutic potential

Foxp3(+) CD4(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells, recognized to be one of the most important defences of the human body against an inappropriate immune response, have recently gained attention from those outside immunology thanks to the compelling evidence for their capability to exert non-canonical immune functions in a variety of tissues in health and disease. The recent discovery of the differences between tissue-resident Treg cells and those derived from lymphoid organs is affecting the mindset of many investigators now questioning the broad applicability of observations originally based on peripheral blood/lymphoid organ cells. So far, the best characterized 'Treg flavour' comes from studies focused on their role in suppressing adipose tissue inflammation and obesity-driven insulin resistance. Adipose tissue derived Treg cells are distinct from their counterparts in lymphoid organs based on their transcriptional profile, T-cell receptor repertoire, and cytokine and chemokine receptor expression pattern. These cells are abundant in visceral adipose tissue of lean mice but their number is greatly reduced in insulin-resistant animal models of obesity. Interestingly, peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ expression by visceral adipose tissue Treg cells is crucial for their accumulation, phenotype and function in the fat and surprisingly necessary for complete restoration of insulin sensitivity in obese mice by the anti-diabetic drug Pioglitazone. This review surveys recent findings relating to the unique phenotype and function of adipose tissue-resident Treg cells, speculates on the nature of their dynamics in lean and obese mouse models, and analyses their potential therapeutic application in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Urinary Catheterization Skills: One Simulated Checkoff Is Not Enough

Abstract Background Skills in aseptic technique are essential competencies for preventing infection; yet, aseptic technique is a difficult concept to master. During urinary catheter insertion, failure to properly adhere to strict aseptic technique has been linked to infections and sepsis. This pilot study used simulation to identify the most common breaches in aseptic technique during urinary catheter insertion. Methods Baccalaureate nursing students with prior documentation of competency were recruited to demonstrate performance of urinary catheterization on a task trainer. The procedure was recorded, and breaches in technique were identified through review of the digital recordings. Results Data were available for 13 participants. Participants ranged in age from 21 to 43 years (mean, 26.6). Ten participants (77%) were female and three (23%) were male. The participants' mean self-rating of confidence was 3.6 on a 5-point scale (range, 3-5), indicating some confidence in performing the skill. Examination of the video recorded data showed that 10 participants (77%) breached aseptic technique in at least one category and in some instances several categories. The most common breach was cleansing the meatus; seven participants (54%) performed it incorrectly. Conclusions One-time competency validation using a simulator is not enough to ensure skill mastery or retention. Urinary catheter insertion is a high-risk skill and therefore should be afforded ample time to practice. Innovative approaches to ensure skill mastery, including urinary catheterization and other skills requiring sterile techniques, are needed.
TU-B-204B-01: A Novel Off-Axis Scanning Method for Improved CBCT FOV and Reconstruction Using Compressed Sensing

Purpose: Current on‐board imaging systems commonly used by modern linear accelerators have a limited field of view (FOV) for a cone‐beam CT(CBCT) scan, which is typically less than 50 cm. Consequently, truncation artifacts often occur for large patients. The goal of this work is to investigate a novel method to increase the FOV for current on‐board CBCT systems. Method: When a large patient is scanned with CBCT, any region outside the FOV is only partially sampled within a short range of projection angles, and at any other angles no x‐ray beams may pass through that region. To increase the sampling rate for the region outside the FOV, we have designed a new source trajectory by shifting the center of rotation during a CBCT scan. This resulted in a reduced sampling rate at the central area and increased sampling rate at the edges. The tradeoff led to a more balanced sampling for an increased FOV. An iterative algorithm was also developed in order to reconstruct the CTimage under the new sampling scheme using a compressed sensing technique. The method was validated by computer simulations for a Varian Trilogy CBCT system. A phantom created from CTimages of a lung patient was used in the simulations. The isocenter movement followed a near‐ellipse trajectory while the x‐ray source/detector rotated around the object. Results: Under the clinical half‐fan settings with FOV of 45 cm, the truncation artifacts were tremendous for the simulated CBCT scanS. With the new scanning method, artifact‐free imageS can be obtained with the FOV as large as 75 cm. Conclusions: A novel CT scanning geometry was designed and tested, which can dramatically increase the FOV without significant compromise of the CBCTimage quality.
The structure of nucleosome assembly protein 1.

Nucleosome assembly protein 1 (NAP-1) is an integral component in the establishment, maintenance, and dynamics of eukaryotic chromatin. It shuttles histones into the nucleus, assembles nucleosomes, and promotes chromatin fluidity, thereby affecting the transcription of many genes. The 3.0 A crystal structure of yeast NAP-1 reveals a previously uncharacterized fold with implications for histone binding and shuttling. A long α-helix is responsible for homodimerization via a previously uncharacterized antiparallel non-coiled-coil, and an α/β domain is implicated in protein–protein interaction. A nuclear export sequence that is embedded in the dimerization helix is almost completely masked by an accessory domain that contains several target sites for casein kinase II. The four-stranded antiparallel β-sheet that characterizes the α/β domain is found in all histone chaperones, despite the absence of homology in sequence, structural context, or quaternary structure. To our knowledge, this is the first structure of a member of the large NAP family of proteins and suggests a mechanism by which the shuttling of histones to and from the nucleus is regulated.
Focal stimulation of the brain by entirely extracranial means: An example of radiation controlled focal pharmacology

Amethod for focal stimulation of the brain by entirely extracranial means is presented. A focal X-ray lesion of cortex was made which reduces the blood brain barrier in that area. Then parenteral peni
The Role of Caring in the Teacher-Student Relationship for At-Risk Students

This study uses information from both teachers and students to explore how the perceptions of each other’s investment in the relationship affects the productivity of the relationship. Using the National Longitudinal Study of 1988 PELS), I analyze the conditions and academic consequences of students’ investment in the relationship with teachers and school. I find that teachers’ perceptions that the student puts forth academic effort and students’ perceptions that teachers are caring are each weakly associated with mathematics achievement for most students. For students who are judged by their teachers as at risk of dropping out of high school, however, the value for math achievement of having teachers who care is substantial and mitigates against the negative effect of having been judged as at risk. The results suggest that social capital, as defined by a relationship that facilitates action, is especially high for at-risk students who feel their teachers are interested, expect them to succeed, listen to them, praise their effort, and care. Little is more tragic in American education than a student with hopes taught by teachers who do not expect success and therefore do not teach curricula necessary for progress. As students make their way through a system in which their opportunities are closed off by not learning material for the next step, many will leave the system, some in middle school and others during high school. Decades of research have underscored the importance of the teacher’s and student’s attitudes toward one another (Carew and Lightfoot 1979; Good and Brophy 1997; fist 1970), yet much less is understood about how the teacherstudent relationship becomes productive. A relationship that facilitates learning involves investment by teacher and student (Muller, Katz, and Dance 1999). The development of the relationship comes about from the factors that encourage each party to invest in the relationship. This study uses information from both teachers and students to explore how the perceptions of the other’s investment affect the productivity of the relationship. It analyzes the conditions and academic consequences of students’ investment in the relationship with teachers and school. For a century and a half following the founding of mass public education, the relationship between teachers and students has elicited general concern, accompanied by the recognition that students and classroom teachers may be
A numerical investigation of the regeneration characteristics of diesel particulate filters under simulated transient exhaust conditions

AbstractParticulate emissions from diesel engines, which have hazardous effects on living beings and environment, can be controlled by employing diesel particulate filters (DPFs). The DPF cleans the exhaust by physical trapping of the particulates. A major challenge in developing a DPF with wider applications is its lower durability. The filter durability may be increased by careful design of regeneration (soot oxidation) strategies, which restrict the peak filter temperature to below 900–1000°C. The regeneration characteristics of a DPF under steady state conditions are well known. However, during a typical driving cycle, a DPF is subjected to various transient conditions owing to changes in driving modes. These transients result in fluctuations of exhaust flowrate, gas composition, and temperature, which strongly influence the DPF performance and regeneration characteristics. The objective of this paper is to investigate the thermal and catalytic fuel additive-assisted regeneration characteristics of a ...
The unfolded protein response: an intracellular signalling pathway with many surprising features

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an intracellular signalling pathway--originating in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and leading to the cell nucleus--that controls transcription of genes encoding ER-resident proteins. Recent developments in this field show that this pathway utilizes unique regulatory mechanisms, including translational attenuation and a regulated mRNA splicing step catalysed by a bifunctional transmembrane kinase/endoribonuclease and tRNA ligase. This review describes the characterization of the UPR signalling pathway, focusing on the novel regulatory mechanisms that it has revealed.
Pierre robin sequence.

Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) is classically described as a triad of micrognathia, glossoptosis, and airway obstruction. Infants frequently present at birth with a hypoplastic mandible and difficulty breathing. The smaller mandible displaces the tongue posteriorly, resulting in obstruction of the airway. Typically, a wide U-shaped cleft palate is also associated with this phenomenon. PRS is not a syndrome in itself, but rather a sequence of disorders, with one abnormality resulting in the next. However, it is related to several other craniofacial anomalies and may appear in conjunction with a syndromic diagnosis, such as velocardiofacial and Stickler syndromes. Infants with PRS should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team to assess the anatomic findings, delineate the source of airway obstruction, and address airway and feeding issues. Positioning will resolve the airway obstruction in ~70% of cases. In the correct position, most children will also be able to feed normally. If the infant continues to show evidence of desaturation, then placement of a nasopharyngeal tube is indicated. Early feeding via a nasogastric tube may also reduce the amount of energy needed and allow for early weight gain. A proportion of PRS infants do not respond to conservative measures and will require further intervention. Prior to considering any surgical procedure, the clinician should first rule out any sources of obstruction below the base of the tongue that would necessitate a tracheostomy. The two most common procedures for treatment, tongue–lip adhesion and distraction osteogenesis of the mandible, are discussed.
Incidental Meckel's diverticulum associated with endometriosis

Abstract Two cases of Meckel's diverticulum with associated endometriosis and intussusception of the appendix are presented. Search of the literature failed to show reports of a similar case. These two instances were encountered in a series of 100 cases of histologically proved pelvic endometriosis, and confirm the given incidence of Meckel's diverticulum as being 2 per cent.
Formal Analysis of Ridge and Channel Patterns in Maturely Eroded Terrain

The ridges delineating the drainage basins of a channel network and its subnetworks form themselves a network. This network spatially penetrates, or interlocks with, the channel network. Under fairly weak axiomatic assumptions, interlocking ridge and channel networks are of equal magnitude, and there exists a one-to-one relationship between their respective paths such that each pair of corresponding ridge and channel paths delineates a contiguous area called a drainage complex. In the limiting case that the link number of the channel path is zero, the complex coincides with the familiar concept of a drainage basin. Data sampled from natural ridge and channel networks indicate that, for a given complex magnitude, the link numbers of the two paths follow an essentially random distribution; in contrast, the sum of the link numbers is closely dependent on the complex magnitude. Thus, while the internal connectivity of any ridge or channel network in the study area seems to be largely a matter of chance, the respective connectivities of interlocking networks exercise tight control over each other. The observed dependency is interpreted as the result of both geometric and geomorphic constraints limiting the minimum and maximum length of drainage area boundaries. © 1988 Taylor & Francis Group All right reserved.
Measurement and Analysis of Reticle and Wafer Level Contributions to Total CD Variation

The impact of reticle critical dimension (CD) variations on wafer level CD performance has been growing with the trend towards sub-wavelength lithography. Reticle manufacturing, CD specifications and qualification procedures must now take into account the details of the wafer fab exposure and process conditions as well as the mask process. The entire pattern transfer procedure, from design to reticle to wafer to electrical results, must be viewed as a system engineering problem. In this paper we show how hardware and software tools, procedures, and analysis techniques are being developed to support the demanding requirements of the pattern transfer process in the era of 0.13 micron lithography.
Catalytic silane alcoholysis based on the C5H5(CO)(PPh3)Fe+ moiety. NMR spectroscopic identification of key intermediates

Abstract The Cp(CO)(PPh 3 )Fe + fragment has been shown to catalyze silane alcoholysis in the presence of the non-coordinating counterion, B Ar′ 4 − (Ar′=3,5-(CF 3 ) 2 C 6 H 3 ). When ethanol is used, catalyst deactivation rapidly occurs. However, when phenol is utilized, catalytic activity continues until all of the phenol has been consumed. In each case, key intermediates in the catalytic cycle, including resting states, have been observed using low temperature NMR spectroscopy. The modes of catalyst deactivation when ethanol is used have also been determined.
Effect of water stress on proline catabolism in tobacco leaves

Abstract Proline-[ 14 C] infiltrated into leaf disks of tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum cv BY-4) in the dark was converted to glutamic acid and then metabolized through the TCA cycle. A smaller amount of proline-[ 14 C] was metabolized when the leaf disks were wilted than when turgid. During a 6 hr period following rehydration, disks converted a larger amount of proline-[ 14 C] to oxidized products than when wilted, although the proline content of rehydrated disks had not declined. These results indicate that proline oxidation is inhibited by water stress.
Automatically assessing resource quality for educational digital libraries

With the rise of community-generated web content, the need for automatic assessment of resource quality has grown. We demonstrate how developing a concrete characterization of quality for web-based resources can make machine learning approaches to automating quality assessment in the realm of educational digital libraries tractable. Using data from several previous studies of quality, we gathered a set of key dimensions and indicators of quality that were commonly identified by educators. We then performed a mixed-method study of digital library quality experts, showing that our characterization of quality captured the subjective processes used by the experts when assessing resource quality. Using key indicators of quality selected from a statistical analysis of our expert study data, we developed a set of annotation guidelines and annotated a corpus of 1000 digital resources for the presence or absence of the key quality indicators. Agreement among annotators was high, and initial machine learning models trained from this corpus were able to identify some indicators of quality with as much as an 18% improvement over the baseline.
Determination of the quaternary phase diagram of the water–ethylene glycol–sucrose–NaCl system and a comparison between two theoretical methods for synthetic phase diagrams

Characterization of the thermodynamic properties of multi-solute aqueous solutions is of critical importance for biological and biochemical research. For example, the phase diagrams of aqueous systems, containing salts, saccharides, and plasma membrane permeating solutes, are indispensible in the field of cryobiology and pharmacology. However, only a few ternary phase diagrams are currently available for these systems. In this study, an auto-sampler differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to determine the quaternary phase diagram of the water-ethylene glycol-sucrose-NaCl system. To improve the accuracy of melting point measurement, a "mass-redemption" method was also applied for the DSC technique. Base on the analyses of these experimental data, a comparison was made between the two practical approaches to generate phase diagrams of multi-solute solutions from those of single-solute solutions: the summation of cubic polynomial melting point equations versus the use of osmotic virial equations with cross coefficients. The calculated values of the model standard deviations suggested that both methods are satisfactory for characterizing this quaternary system.
A note on the Chernoff-Savage theorem

Abstract This note reconsiders the proof of the celebrated Chernoff–Savage (Ann. Math. Statist. 29, 1958) theorem as given in Puri and Sen (Nonparametric Methods in Multivariate Analysis, 1971). While most arguments in the proof presented there remain correct, some serious errors have occurred in the technical content dealing with the asymptotic negligibility of the C2N-component of the remainder (in their notation) terms. The purpose of the present note is to present a short corrected proof that C 2N =O P (N - 1 2 ) as N→∞.
Testosterone stimulation of seminal vesicles in pteroylglutamic acid-deficient rats.

IT HAS been demonstrated by Hertz (1945) and confirmed by Kline and Dorfman (1948) that pteroylglutamic acid (PGA) is essential to estrogen stimulation of the chick oviduct. This vitamin-hormone relationship has been extended to include estrogen-dependent tissues of other species, including the rodent (Hertz, 1948). In view of this relationship between PGA and estrogen it became of interest to investigate whether or not this vitamin is necessary to the biological effectiveness of androgens. Conflicting reports have appeared in the literature concerning the action of testosterone propionate on accessory organs of male rats and mice deficient in PGA. Brendler (1949) found in castrate adult or intact immature male rats that, while α-estradiol inhibition of the prostate was interfered with by treatment with aminopterin, a specific antagonist to PGA, testosterone stimulation of the prostate was not thus interrupted. Brendler, however, has not indicated the basis on which he determines deficiency in PGA,
Online geometric human interaction segmentation and recognition

We address the problem of online temporal segmentation and recognition of human interactions in video sequences. The complexity of the high-dimensional data variability representing interactions is handled by combining kernel methods with linear models, giving rise to kernel regression and kernel state space models. By exploiting the geometry of linear operators in Hilbert space, we show how the concept of parity space, defined for linear models, generalizes to the kernellized extensions. This provides a powerful and flexible framework for online temporal segmentation and recognition. We extensively evaluate the approach on a publicly available dataset, and on a new challenging human interactions dataset that we have collected. The results show that the approach holds the promise to become an effective building block for the analysis in real-time of human behavior.
Update 2000: Changes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting: 1987–1990

Abstract As Originally Published in 1994: Changes in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: 1987–1990 by Dennis L. Disch, MD, Gerald T. O'Connor, PhD, DSc, John D. Birkmeyer, MD, Elaine M. Olmstead, BA, Drew G. Levy, MPH, and Stephen K. Plume, MD, for the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group. Departments of Medicine, Surgery, and Community and Family Medicine, the Program in Medical Information Science, and the Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, Vermont A prospective study of 7,590 consecutive patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting at five medical centers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont between July 1987 and December 1990 assessed changes in patient characteristics over time. Variables included age, sex, surgical priority, ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and left main coronary artery stenosis of 90% or greater. Trends were assessed for each variable and for predicted mortality using linear regression. The mean age increased significantly, whereas ejection fraction decreased. The percentage of urgent cases increased, whereas the elective cases became less frequent. No changes were observed in the percentages of emergent cases, female patients, or patients with severe left main coronary artery disease. The predicted in-hospital mortality rose significantly from 4.2% to 5.2% ( p 0.001). The increase in urgent surgical intervention was the most substantial contributor. Subgroup analyses did not support a systematic misclassification of elective patients into the urgent group. This study demonstrates that the characteristics of the cohort of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting changed substantially from 1987 to 1990. These changes should be considered when interpreting surgical outcomes.
Collating Airborne and Surface Observations of the Microstructure of Precipitating Continental Convective Clouds

Abstract The observational results from sailplane flights into the updrafts of developing cumulus clouds in north-eastern Colorado show some important variations in the microstructure of the cloud droplet and ice particle distributions. Some of these variations are apparently caused by the combined interactions of cloud droplets and precipitation particles with the horizontal and vertical components of the updraft and its horizontal and vertical structure. Data from these observations are introduced into a circulation framework in an attempt to understand how the microphysics and the circulation can interact to give the features observed. The results cast doubt on the validity of the often made assumption that the microphysical properties of a cloud are distributed randomly with respect to each other on the smaller scales, and that this condition exists uniformly throughout the cloud. The observed precipitation shafts with bimodal size distributions in the middle and lower parts of a cloud can be recreate...
Epstein-Barr Virus-associated Smooth Muscle Tumor of the Basal Ganglia in an HIV+ Child: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We describe the clinicopathologic features of an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated smooth muscle tumor arising in the basal ganglia of a 10-year-old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive child. Only a few cases of intracranial smooth muscle tumors are reported in the literature and virtually all of these have been extra-axial, involving the dura or sinuses in HIV+ adults. Our case underscores the need to include an EBV-associated smooth muscle tumor in the differential diagnosis when evaluating intracranial mass lesions in immunodeficient children.
A Review of: “Critical Care Toxicology: Diagnosis and Management of the Critically Poisoned Patient.”

Medical toxicology is a discipline with a remarkable depth and breadth involving an enormous and ever increasing body of information. Medical toxicologists are routinely called upon to consult abou...
Minimal cost per twitch in rattlesnake tail muscle.

SOUND production is one of the most energetically costly activities in animals1. Minimizing contraction costs is one means of achieving the high activation rates necessary for sound production (20–550 Hz) (refs 1–3) without exceeding energy supplies. Rattlesnakes produce a sustained, high-frequency warning sound by extremely rapid contraction of their tailshaker muscles (20–90 Hz) (refs 4,5). The ATP cost per twitch is only 0.015 μmol ATP per g muscle per twitch during rattling, as measured by in vivo magnetic resonance. The reduced volume density of myofibre (32%) in tailshaker muscle is consistent with contraction cost being minimized (crossbridge cycling), in contrast to the contractile costs of vertebrate locomotory and asynchronous insect flight muscle. Thus tailshaker muscle is an example of sound-producing muscle designed for 'high frequency, minimal cost'. The high rates of rattling are achieved by minimizing contractile use of ATP, which reduces the cost per twitch to among the lowest found for striated muscle.
At the End of the Day, I Want to Be Close to Home: Adult Students' Preferences for College Proximity to Work and Home

ABSTRACT Using 10 distinct samples, analyses were conducted to determine whether empirical support could be garnered for the proposition that working adults selecting a college for part-time studies tend to consider the proximity of the school to their home to be more important than the school's proximity to where they work. On a hypothetical task (first 5 samples), a clear preference for home proximity was evident. However, when real-life choices were studied (last 5 samples), the evidence for a preference for proximity to home was much weaker, perhaps because the research was conducted in a metropolitan region with numerous college choices, so that the perceived proximity to home and work were identical in most instances.
The effect of diamide on cyclic AMP levels and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in human peripheral blood lymphocytes

Abstract The effect of diamide (diazene dicarboxylic acid bis[ N , N ′-dimethylamide) on cyclic AMP levels and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in human peripheral blood lymphocytes was examined. In the absence of mitogenic lectins, 5 · 10 −3 −1 · 10 −4 M diamide markedly increased intracellular cyclic AMP with variable effects at higher levels. In the presence of phytohemagglutinin or concanavalin A, 5 · 10 · M or higher diamide concentrations consistently decreased cyclic AMP levels, usually to control levels or below, while 1 · 10 −4 −1 · 10 −5 M diamide augmented the lectin-induced rise in cyclic AMP. When intact lymphocytes were incubated with diamide, phosphodiesterase activity against both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP, assayed in homogenates of these cells, was inhibited at concentrations as low as 1 · 10 −6 M. In contrast, when diamide was incubated with phosphodiesterase extracted from lymphocytes there was a dual effect. At low substrate concentrations and high diamide concentrations diamide was a non-competitive inhibitor of phosphodiesterase with a K i of 1.3–2.5 mM for cyclic AMP and 3.3–10 mM for cyclic GMP. In contrast, at high substrate concentrations diamide was an ‘uncompetitive’ activator of phosphodiesterase activity for both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP. The effects of diamide could be largely or completely blocked by glutathione or dithiothreitol, indicating that sulfhydryl reactivity was involved in diamide's action on lymphocyte phosphodiesterase activity and intracellular cyclic AMP levels. These data demonstrate that diamide is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor both on phosphodiesterase extracted from lymphocytes and when incubated with intact lymphocytes and that diamide may increase or decrease intracellular cyclic AMP levels depending on the concentration of diamide used.
Reuse of disposable sphincterotomes for diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP: a one-year prospective study

Abstract Background: Although previous studies have documented that single-channel sphincterotomes can be sterilized and used up to 10 times, no studies have prospectively evaluated the reuse of disposable sphincterotomes. Methods: Five- and six-French double-channel sphincterotomes marketed as one-time-use only were manually cleaned, sterilized with ethylene oxide, and used up to 10 times. Over a 1-year period, total number of uses as a cannulation or cutting device, reason for sphincterotome dysfunction, possible infectious complications were evaluated, and cost-savings associated with reuse were evaluated. Results: The mean number of times sphincterotomes could be used in our institution was 3.4; a broken or stiff cutting wire was the main reason for discard. There were two infectious complications during the study period. Both were experienced by patients with unrelieved obstruction treated with new sphincterotomes. Contingent on the method used, total savings related to sphincterotome reuse was approximately $66,000. Conclusions: Double-channel sphincterotomes marketed as one-time-use items can be reused safely when properly cleaned. Reuse was associated with significant cost savings in our institution. (Gastrointest Endosc 1999;49:39-42.)
Human embryonic stem cells with biological and epigenetic characteristics similar to those of mouse ESCs

Human and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from blastocyst-stage embryos but have very different biological properties, and molecular analyses suggest that the pluripotent state of human ESCs isolated so far corresponds to that of mouse-derived epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs). Here we rewire the identity of conventional human ESCs into a more immature state that extensively shares defining features with pluripotent mouse ESCs. This was achieved by ectopic induction of Oct4, Klf4, and Klf2 factors combined with LIF and inhibitors of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2) pathway. Forskolin, a protein kinase A pathway agonist which can induce Klf4 and Klf2 expression, transiently substitutes for the requirement for ectopic transgene expression. In contrast to conventional human ESCs, these epigenetically converted cells have growth properties, an X-chromosome activation state (XaXa), a gene expression profile, and a signaling pathway dependence that are highly similar to those of mouse ESCs. Finally, the same growth conditions allow the derivation of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with similar properties as mouse iPS cells. The generation of validated “naive” human ESCs will allow the molecular dissection of a previously undefined pluripotent state in humans and may open up new opportunities for patient-specific, disease-relevant research.
Summer Professional Development in Chemistry for Inservice Teachers Using OWL Quick Prep

Secondary teachers participating in summer professional development chemistry workshops in Texas used an online chemistry tutoring program, OWL Quick Prep (Day et al. in OWL: Online Web-based Learning, Brooks-Cole Cengage Learning, Florence, KY, 1997) as a part of the inservice training. Self-reported demographic data were used to identify factors in preparation and practice that affected pretest and posttest scores. Data from the pretests and posttests indicate that nomenclature and problems requiring calculations were the most challenging topics for the cohort. The participants who correctly completed 90% of the questions in the tutoring modules showed significant improvement in content mastery.
Hamiltonian decomposition of recursive circulant graphs

Abstract The graph G(N,d) has vertex set V={0,1,…,N−1}, with {v,w} an edge if v−w≡±d i ( mod N) for some 0⩽i⩽⌈ log d N⌉−1 . We show that the circulant graph G(cdm,d) is Hamilton decomposable for all positive integers c,d, and m with c