cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Defining the non-sensitized patient: a comparison of HLA antibody screening and identification methods

Aim Luminex Single Antigen beads (SAB) are widely used to identify HLA specificities and assign avoid antigens for kidney transplantation. However in our centers, “non-sensitized” waitlist patients are monitored using less sensitive screening kits. To confirm the lack of HLA sensitization, we evaluated sera by SAB. In this study, we compared several antibody screening and identification kits to uncover test discrepancies and investigate possible false reactions. Methods During initial evaluation and listing, patients were defined as “non-sensitized” when the Class I/II FlowPRA screening beads (One Lambda) were negative. Presumed non-sensitized waitlist patients are screened monthly by the Lifecodes Lifescreen kit (Immunocor) and screened yearly by FlowPRA screening beads. To ensure that no HLA antibodies were missed by this protocol, 116 patient samples were tested by One Lambda Class I/II Labscreen Single Antigen beads (1000 MFI cutoff). When discrepancies between the three assays were identified, sera were tested by the Immunocor ID assay and/or One Lambda Labscreen PRA beads. Additional analyses by surrogate crossmatches are ongoing. Results Of the 116 samples tested from non-sensitized patients, 22% were positive by the Labscreen Class I SAB and 33% were positive by the Labscreen Class II SAB but negative by the screening kits. The positive specificities spanned all HLA loci, but there were some beads that were positive more than expected. Most notably, the DRB1∗04:04 bead was positive in 10% of cases (12/116) with a range of 1080–2524 MFI, and in three cases the patient’s HLA type was DR4. Other specificities observed three or more times included: A80, B45, B76, Cw15, DR18, DP1, DP11, bead DQA1∗01:04/DQB1∗06:04. In four cases, patients presented with new UNet unacceptable antigens (⩾3000 MFI), and in three cases this led to a positive cPRA (4–17%). Conclusions Unexpected positive specificities were detected by the Labscreen SAB assay in otherwise non-sensitized kidney waitlist patients. Our data are consistent with other studies that compared multiple test assays to interrogate false reactions. Unexpected SAB reactions should be investigated with additional screening assays and/or surrogate crossmatches. In some cases, common false positive beads can be ignored during test interpretation.
Dissipation of Elastic Wave Energy in Granular Soils

The dissipation of wave energy in the soil beneath a footing results from (a) dispersion of wave energy outward from the footing and (b) damping by energy losses within the soil. Following a brief illustration of a method for evaluating dispersion damping, the paper is primarily directed toward establishing numerical values of internal damping in granular soils. Laboratory tests using the vibration decay method permitted evaluation of the effects of confining pressure, amplitude of vibration, degree of saturation, and grain characteristics for four granular materials. The values of logarithmic decrement varies from 0.02 to approximately 0.20 for the various materials and test conditions used. It was found that the variation of logarithmic decrement with amplitude of vibration was appreciably affected by the degree of saturation and the grain characteristics of the material. The test results for a fine-grained quartz showed a marked dependence on time of loading and stress history, with the added complication that higher vibration amplitudes seemed to shake out the beneficial effects of prestress.
Trajectory optimization for an asymmetric launch vehicle

A numerical optimization technique is used to fully automate the trajectory design process for an symmetric configuration of the proposed Advanced Launch System (ALS). The objective of the ALS trajectory design process is the maximization of the vehicle mass when it reaches the desired orbit. The trajectories used were based on a simple shape that could be described by a small set of parameters. The use of a simple trajectory model can significantly reduce the computation time required for trajectory optimization. A predictive simulation was developed to determine the on-orbit mass given an initial vehicle state, wind information, and a set of trajectory parameters. This simulation utilizes an idealized control system to speed computation by increasing the integration time step. The conjugate gradient method is used for the numerical optimization of on-orbit mass. The method requires only the evaluation of the on-orbit mass function using the predictive simulation, and the gradient of the on-orbit mass function with respect to the trajectory parameters. The gradient is approximated with finite differencing. Prelaunch trajectory designs were carried out using the optimization procedure. The predictive simulation is used in flight to redesign the trajectory to account for trajectory deviations produced by off-nominal conditions, e.g., stronger than expected head winds.
The New Politics of Abortion: An Equality Analysis of Woman-Protective Abortion Restrictions

With the abortion debate in stalemate over the last several decades, the antiabortion movement has become increasingly concerned to speak to voters concerned about protecting women as well as the unborn. Prohibiting abortion, the movement now emphasizes, protects women's health and choices as mothers. The abortion ban defeated in South Dakota last November reflected this shift from fetal-focused to gender-based justifications for abortion restrictions. Woman-protective antiabortion argument now plays an important part in legislation and litigation across the nation. Drawing on the South Dakota record, this lecture offers a first constitutional analysis of the new woman-protective justification for restricting abortion. This lecture analyzes the state interest in protecting women from abortion asserted in the South Dakota statute and legislative history, and shows that the state's reasoning rests on gender stereotypes about women's capacity and women's roles. An abortion ban differs in structure from laws struck down in many of the classic sex discrimination cases, but South Dakota illustrates that an abortion ban can reflect and enforce many of the same gender stereotypes. Under these equal protection cases, government cannot require a woman seeking an abortion to become a mother for the reason that state knows a pregnant woman's nature, desires, and needs better than the pregnant woman herself. An abortion ban reflecting and enforcing this understanding of sex roles violates the Equal Protection Clause - and is unconstitutional sex-based state action, even if the Court limits or overrules Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe. Exploring alternative constitutional limitations on the regulation of abortion sheds new light on the familiar constitutional framework set forth in Casey and Roe. The lecture's account of the equal protection limitations on the regulation of abortion identifies a concern for liberty at the heart of constitutional protection of women's equality, and a concern about sex equality at the heart of constitutional protection of women's choice.
Phosphorylated acetate kinase. Its isolation and reactivity.

Abstract Acetate kinase (ATP:acetate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.1) can be phosphorylated with ATP or with acetyl phosphate. The degree of phosphorylation increases with the relative concentration of phosphorylating agent. The isolated phosphoenzyme reacts quantitatively with ADP to form ATP, and with acetate to form acetyl phosphate in 70 to 80% yield. The pH stability profile of the phosphoenzyme at 37° has a U shape characteristic of acyl phosphates. Neutral hydroxylamine at 26° reacts rapidly (10 min) with the phosphoenzyme to effect the quantitative release of orthophosphate. These properties intimate that the phosphoryl group of the phosphoenzyme is linked covalently to a carboxyl function of the enzyme.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase in neutrophils and endothelium contributes to ischemic brain injury in mice

NO produced by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) contributes to ischemic brain injury, but the cell types expressing iNOS and mediating tissue damage have not been elucidated. To examine the relative contribution of iNOS in resident brain cells and peripheral leukocytes infiltrating the ischemic brain, we used bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice in which the middle cerebral artery was occluded and infarct volume was determined 3 d later. iNOS−/− mice engrafted with iNOS+/+ BM exhibited larger infarcts (44 ± 2 mm3; n = 13; mean ± SE) compared with autologous transplanted iNOS−/− mice (24 ± 3 mm3; n = 10; p < 0.01), implicating blood-borne leukocytes in the damage. Furthermore, iNOS+/+ mice transplanted with iNOS−/− BM had large infarcts (39 ± 6 mm3; n = 13), similar to those of autologous transplanted iNOS+/+ mice (39 ± 4 mm3; n = 14), indicating the resident brain cells also play a role. Flow cytometry and cell sorting revealed that iNOS is highly expressed in neutrophils and endothelium but not microglia. Surprisingly, postischemic iNOS expression was enhanced in the endothelium of iNOS+/+ mice transplanted with iNOS−/− BM and in leukocytes of iNOS−/− mice with iNOS+/+ BM, suggesting that endothelial iNOS suppresses iNOS expression in leukocytes and vice versa. To provide independent evidence that neutrophils mediate brain injury, neutrophils were isolated and transferred to mice 24 h after stroke. Consistent with the result in chimeric mice, transfer of iNOS+/+, but not iNOS−/−, neutrophils into iNOS−/− mice increased infarct volume. The findings establish that iNOS in both neutrophils and endothelium mediates tissue damage and identify these cell types as putative therapeutic targets for stroke injury.
hp discontinuous Galerkin methods for the vertical extent of the water column in coastal settings part I

In this article, we present novel, high-order, discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods for the vertical extent of the water column in coastal settings. We examine the shallow water equations (SWE) in the context of DG spatial discretizations coupled with explicit Runge-Kutta (RK) time stepping. All the primary variables, including the free surface elevation, are discretized using discontinuous polynomial spaces of arbitrary order. The difficulty of mismatched lateral boundary faces that accompanies the use of a discontinuous free surface is overcome through the use of a so-called sigma-coordinate system in the vertical, which transforms the bottom boundary and free surface into coordinate surfaces. We develop high-order methods for the SWE that exhibit optimal orders of convergence for all the primary variables via two distinct paths: the first involves the use of a convolution kernel made up of B-splines to filter out errors in the DG discretization of the surface elevation and the corresponding pressure flux. The second involves a method that evaluates the discrete depth-integrated velocity exactly, eliminating the need to solve the depth-integrated momentum equation altogether. The result is a simple and efficient high-order scheme that can be extended to the full three-dimensional SWE.
Optimal Surface Smoothing as Filter Design

Smooth surfaces are approximated by polyhedral surfaces for a number of computational purposes. An inherent problem of these approximation algorithms is that the resulting polyhedral surfaces appear faceted. Within a recently introduced signal processing approach to solving this problem [7, 8], surface smoothing corresponds to low-pass filtering. In this paper we look at the filter design problem in more detail. We analyze the stability properties of the low-pass filter described in [7, 8], and show how to minimize its running time. We show that most classical techniques used to design finite impulse response (FIR) digital filters can also be used to design significantly faster surface smoothing filters. Finally, we describe an algorithm to estimate the power spectrum of a signal, and use it to evaluate the performance of the different filter design techniques described in the paper.
Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of a nucleotide-based thrombin inhibitor in rats.

Purpose. To characterize the pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution profiles of a nucleotide-based thrombin inhibitor (GS522, phosphodiester oligonucleotide, GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG) following intravenous administration to rats.
Neutron resonance spectroscopy: Argon

Results are presented of the high resolution measurements of the neutron total cross section of natural argon to 580 keV. Of the 24 levels observed in $^{40}\mathrm{Ar}$, 6 are assigned to be $l=0, \mathrm{and} 18$ to be $l=1$. Resonance parameters were obtained using area and $R$-matrix analyses for $s$ levels, and area analysis including the Doppler broadening effect for $p$ levels. The $s$ and $p$ strength functions and average level spacings for $^{40}\mathrm{Ar}$ were $10^{4}S_{0}={0.91}_{\ensuremath{-}0.37}^{+0.77}$, $10^{4}S_{1}={0.33}_{\ensuremath{-}0.09}^{+0.14}$, $〈{D}_{0}〉=({87}_{\ensuremath{-}11}^{+13})$ keV, and $〈{D}_{1}〉=({24}_{\ensuremath{-}4}^{+5})$ keV.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{40}\mathrm{Ar}(n, n)$, ($n, \ensuremath{\gamma}$), $E=1\ensuremath{-}580$ keV; measured ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{t}(E)$; deduced ${E}_{0}$, $g{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{n}$, $l$, $J$, ${S}_{0}$, ${S}_{1}$, $〈{D}_{0}〉$, $〈{D}_{1}〉$.
Efficacy of Cold‐Pressed Terpeneless Valencia Oil and Its Primary Components on Inhibition of Listeria Species by Direct Contact and Exposure to Vapors

: This study used disk diffusion assays to evaluate the effectiveness of cold-pressed terpeneless Valencia oil (CPTVO) and its primary components (linalool, citral, and decanal) at inhibiting Listeria via direct contact or exposure to vapors. In general, all Listeria strains tested responded similarly to CPTVO and its components. Direct contact with linalool produced zones of inhibition that were significantly smaller (P < 0.0001) than those associated with all other antimicrobials tested. Zones of inhibition for sealed plates were significantly larger (P < 0.0001) than those observed for unsealed plates, although the method for sealing the plates was insignificant. Exposure to CPTVO vapors resulted in zones of inhibition that were significantly smaller than those resulting from decanal vapors (P < 0.0001). The difference observed between the zones of inhibition produced by antimicrobial exposure via vapors or direct contact was only slightly significant (P = 0.02). Antimicrobial essential oil (EO) vapors may be an effective alternative to direct contact EOs to safely and effectively inhibit microorganisms while minimizing undesired organoleptic changes sometimes associated with EO contact. CPTVO and its primary components, decanal and citral, may have potential in the food industry as all natural, generally recognized as safe antimicrobials used in modified atmosphere packaging designed to inhibit Listeria without requiring direct contact with food products.
Mnemonic neuronal activity in somatosensory cortex

Abstract Single-unit activity was recorded from the hand areas of the somatosensory cortex of monkeys trained to perform a haptic delayed matching to sample task with objects of identical dimensions but different surface features. During the memory retention period of the task (delay), many units showed sustained firing frequency change, either excitation or inhibition. In some cases, firing during that period was significantly higher after one sample object than after another. These observations indicate the participation of somatosensory neurons not only in the perception but in the short-term memory of tactile stimuli. Neurons most directly implicated in tactile memory are (i) those with object-selective delay activity, (ii) those with nondifferential delay activity but without activity related to preparation for movement, and (iii) those with delay activity in the haptic-haptic delayed matching task but no such activity in a control visuo-haptic delayed matching task. The results indicate that cells in early stages of cortical somatosensory processing participate in haptic short-term memory.
Drug Abuse Treatment as HIV Prevention: Changes in Social Drug Use Patterns Might Also Reduce Risk

Summary Fifty one individuals (37 male and 14 female) were asked to report on the social and behavioral circumstances related to their opiate drug use prior to and during a 90-day methadone detoxification treatment. Data were collected by means of a weekly structured interview. Questions were asked about each occasion of opiate use in the previous week with respect to time, source, cost, social circumstance, etc. Monitored urine samples were tested X3/week to verify verbal reports. The study demonstrated beneficial effects of the detoxification treatment by showing dramatic decreases in rates and amounts of opiate drug use during treatment. Of perhaps greater significance, large scale changes were also noted in the frequency of use with others. This decline in use with others was most dramatic with respect to strangers and acquaintances. Implications of these observations for HIV transmission are discussed.
Agenda-building in the corporate sphere: Analyzing influence in the 2008 Yahoo!–Icahn proxy contest

Abstract This study further extends agenda-building theory into the corporate sphere. This investigation tested for agenda-building relationships between the issues emphasized in corporate candidate-controlled information subsidies and financial news media coverage during the 2008 Yahoo! Inc.–Carl Icahn proxy contest for control of Yahoo!’s board of directors. Solid support was found for issue agenda-building associations. Cross-lagged correlation analyses revealed that both Yahoo!’s and Icahn's information subsidies enjoyed some success in shaping media coverage during the proxy fight. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
The unexpected consequences of a noisy environment

Abstract A recent study found that the functional organization of auditory cortex was disrupted when rats were exposed to a moderate level of continuous noise during early development. However, this detrimental effect on auditory cortex could be remedied later by stimulating the noise-reared rats with structured sounds. These findings suggest that the endpoint of the ‘critical period' could be extended well into adult life, which has significant implications for our understanding of cortical plasticity.
Older adults are mobile too!Identifying the barriers and facilitators to older adults' use of mHealth for pain management.

Background Mobile health (mHealth) is a rapidly emerging field with the potential to assist older adults in the management of chronic pain (CP) through enhanced communication with providers, monitoring treatment-related side effects and pain levels, and increased access to pain care resources. Little is currently known, however, about older adults’ attitudes and perceptions of mHealth or perceived barriers and facilitators to using mHealth tools to improve pain management.
"GET OVER IT": PERSPECTIVES ON DIVORCE FROM YOUNG CHILDREN*

Young children’s perspectives on divorce were examined using a multimethod assessment. Forty-one children ages 3.5 to 7.5 were recruited from a preventive intervention program for divorcing parents. Most children gave simple but accurate descriptions of divorce processes. Play themes centered on wishes for parental reunion, concerns for security, and complexities of having two homes. Despite the prevalence of fantasy reunion play, most children drew parents as apart in the family drawing, suggesting realistic shifts in family schemas. Intervention group children exhibited clearer, more balanced views of their fathers and displayed more coherent and less affectively disrupted play sequences.
Intersubband approach to silicon based lasers—circumventing the indirect bandgap limitation

Silicon-based lasers have long been sought, since they will permit monolithic integration of photonics with high-speed silicon electronics and thereby significantly broaden the reach of silicon technology. Among the various approaches that are currently being pursued to overcome the intrinsic limitations of Si as an efficient light source, intersubband transitions in Si-based quantum well structures offer a rather feasible alternative that conveniently circumvents the indirect-band nature of Si. Various approaches for achieving lasing action based on intersubband transitions within the group-IV materials are reviewed. Relevant theories are presented in detail. Challenges facing the valence band approach, which has not so far been successful, are analyzed, and proposals that bring the intersubband process to the conduction band are discussed.
Distinct activities of exonuclease 1 and flap endonuclease 1 at telomeric g4 DNA.

Background Exonuclease 1 (EXO1) and Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) are members of the RAD2 family of structure-specific nucleases. Genetic analysis has identified roles for EXO1 and FEN1 in replication, recombination, DNA repair and maintenance of telomeres. Telomeres are composed of G-rich repeats that readily form G4 DNA. We recently showed that human EXO1 and FEN1 exhibit distinct activities on G4 DNA substrates representative of intermediates in immunoglobulin class switch recombination. Methodology/Principal Findings We have now compared activities of these enzymes on telomeric substrates bearing G4 DNA, identifying non-overlapping functions that provide mechanistic insight into the distinct telomeric phenotypes caused by their deficiencies. We show that hFEN1 but not hEXO1 cleaves substrates bearing telomeric G4 DNA 5′-flaps, consistent with the requirement for FEN1 in telomeric lagging strand replication. Both hEXO1 and hFEN1 are active on substrates bearing telomeric G4 DNA tails, resembling uncapped telomeres. Notably, hEXO1 but not hFEN1 is active on transcribed telomeric G-loops. Conclusion/Significance Our results suggest that EXO1 may act at transcription-induced telomeric structures to promote telomere recombination while FEN1 has a dominant role in lagging strand replication at telomeres. Both enzymes can create ssDNA at uncapped telomere ends thereby contributing to recombination.
Acute herpetic neuralgia and postherpetic neuralgia in the head and neck: response to gabapentin in five cases.

Abstract Background and Objectives. The clinical presentations and pharmacologic management of three patients with acute herpetic neuralgia (AHN) and two patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), confined to the head and neck region, are described. Methods. Two patients had pain in the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve, two had pain confined to the C2C4 dermatomes, and one patient had C2 pain with radiating and referred pain to the second and third divisions of the trigeminal nerve. Results. Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant drug, was effective in treating these patients, including the two cases of AHN. All patients reported complete pain relief after titration with gabapentin up to 1,800 mg/d. The patients noted a dose-dependent decrease in pain almost immediately after starting gabapentin. Specifically, reduction in the frequency and intensity of allodynia, burning pain, shooting pain, and throbbing pain were noted. None of the patients experienced side effects from the drug. Conclusions. In view of the results in these patients, blinded, controlled studies are needed to determine the efficacy of gabapentin for treating AHN and PHN.
Regional variation in queen and worker aggression in incipient colonies of the desert ant Messor pergandei

The fate of queen foundress associations in ants varies across taxa: in some, lethal fighting results in survival of a single queen, while in others, queens coexist long term. One hypothesis for this difference is that selection favors fighting when group sizes are small and tolerance when groups are large. In an experiment with the ant Messor pergandei, we formed small, medium, and large groups with newly mated queens from field populations that have different mean group sizes and differ in whether multiple queens occur in older established colonies. We found that whether queens are eliminated by fighting depends upon region of origin and not group size: regardless of co-foundress number, queens from sites with single-queen adult field colonies displayed agonistic behaviors and their colonies reduced to a single queen, while queens from sites with multiple-queen colonies did not fight and co-foundresses coexisted long term. Worker aggression towards and elimination of queens were also correlated with region of origin. Where fighting occurred, queens were as likely to be killed by workers as by other queens. An aggressive display was the most common form of agonistic interaction among queens, while fighting was relatively rare. We hypothesize that queen displays evolved in response to worker attacks because they increase the probability that workers will eliminate competitor queens. Our results suggest that the evolutionary interests of workers, as well as queens, could be important in determining the evolution and maintenance of queen elimination in foundress associations.
Immunohistochemical detection of growth hormone-releasing factor in brain

The concept of a hypothalamic neurohumoral control for anterior pituitary secretion postulates the existence of a growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) of neuronal origin that stimulates the pituitary gland to release growth hormone (GH). Such a compound has not yet been isolated and characterized from the brain, although there is extensive physiological and biochemical evidence for its existence (reviewed in ref. 2). However, a 44-amino-acid amidated peptide having the physiological properties of GRF as well as chemical similarities was recently isolated from a human pancreatic tumour that had caused acromegaly. Two shorter biologically active fragments of 40 and 37 residues were also isolated. The synthetic replicates of these human pancreas GRF (hpGRF) peptides specifically stimulate GH release in vitro and in vivo. Assuming similarity or identity between the putative hypothalamic GRF and the tumour-derived hpGRF, we have used immunohistochemistry to search for hpGRF-like immunoreactivity in the brain. We report here that antisera against the hpGRF1-40 peptide specifically stain neuronal cell bodies in the arcuate nucleus of the primate hypothalamus, with fibres projecting to the median eminence and ending in contact with portal vessels. This topography is characteristic of a neuronal system elaborating a releasing factor. These results provide evidence that hypothalamic GRF is very similar, if not identical, to hpGRF.
Formation of ATP-insensitive weakly-binding crossbridges in single rabbit psoas fibers by treatment with phenylmaleimide or para-phenylenedimaleimide

Chaen et al. (1986. J. Biol. Chem. 261:13632–13636) showed that treatment of relaxed single muscle fibers with para-phenylenedimaleimide (pPDM) results in inhibition of a fiber's ability to generate active force and a diminished ATPase activity. They postulated that the inhibition of force production was due to pPDM's ability to prevent crossbridges from participating in the normal ATP hydrolysis cycle. We find that the crossbridges produced by pPDM treatment of relaxed muscle cannot bind strongly to the actin filaments in rigor, but do bind weakly to the actin filaments in the presence and also absence of ATP. After pPDM treatment, fiber stiffness, as measured using ramp stretches of varying duration, is ATP-insensitive and identical to that of untreated relaxed fibers (both at high [165 mM] and low [40 mM] ionic strength). These results suggest that the pPDM-treated crossbridges, in both the presence and absence of ATP, are locked in a state that resembles the weakly-binding myosin ATP state of normal crossbridges. Their resemblance to the ATP-crossbridges of relaxed untreated fibers is quite strong; both bind to actin about equally tightly and have similar attachment and detachment rate constants. We also found that crossbridges are locked in a weakly-binding state after treatment with N-phenylmaleimide (NPM). In muscle fibers, this method of producing weakly-binding crossbridges appears preferable to pPDM treatment because, unlike treatment with pPDM, it does not increase the fiber's resting tension and stiffness and it does not disrupt the titin band seen on SDS-PAGE.
Detection of corona in oil at very high voltages

CORONA is a manifestation of ionization in an insulating medium. Under many conditions corona is detrimental to insulation and consequently should be avoided in electric equipments. Among the various means of detecting corona, such as visual, audible, electrical, etc., the electrical means of detection has been considered most sensitive and has been in use for a number of years.
A fiber tract model of auditory brain-stem responses

The hypothesis that auditory brain-stem responses (ABRs) are generated by action potentials in fiber tracts was tested by recording from frog sciatic nerves in a volume conductor. Far-field recording of the sciatic nerve action potentials confirmed the rule that the initial response of the electrode toward which the action potentials are traveling is positive with respect to the electrode from which they are retreating. This rule explained the initial polarity of response for transverse and longitudinal recordings in humans, and why right and left ear clicks evoke responses of opposite polarity for transverse recording, but the same polarity for longitudinal recording. This result was true for all of the waves evoked, up to 8 msec latency. A later myogenic potential known as the postauricular response did not invert with the ear stimulated. The possibility of a dendritic contribution to the ABR was discussed. It was concluded that the components of the ABR are more satisfactorily explained by action potentials than by somatic or dendritic synaptic activity.
Effects of resettlement on nutritional status of mothers and children in lowland Papua New Guinea.

Nutritional status of three ethnic groups living at Gavien, a rubber resettlement project in lowland Papua New Guinea, was compared with that of people living in the home areas: Grass Country (hunter‐gatherers); Wosera (agriculturalists); Middle Sepik (hunter‐gatherers with limited agriculture). Anthropometry of mothers (n=115) and children (n=115) was completed during wet and dry seasons. Blood samples were collected to identify anemia and malarial infection. Grass Country children in Gavien were higher in weight‐for‐age and weight‐for‐height than their home area counterparts. Wosera children at Gavien were taller than their counterparts. In contrast, Middle Sepik children showed no improvement in Gavien. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were generally lower among mothers and children in the home areas and malarial parasite rates were higher. The group that benefited most from resettlement was agriculturalists, who were crowded at home and had cultivation skills necessary for growing food and cash crops. Resett...
A Few New Children Postinstitutionalized Children of Intercountry Adoption

Research regarding children of intercountry adoption is limited, and most children of intercountry adoption have complex histories that may place them at risk for difficulty or failure in the classroom. Although the performances of some children from orphanage environments approximate those of chronological-age peers 2 to 4 years postadoption, duration of deprivation is consistently related, both historically and currently, to the cognitive delays and behavioral difficulties displayed by many postinstitutionalized children. Research regarding children of intercountry adoption is reviewed, and recommendations for future research are offered.
Prognostic value of troponin I levels for predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes in postmenopausal women undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background Adverse cardiac events that follow cardiac surgery are an important source of perioperative morbidity and mortality for women. Troponin I provides a sensitive measure of cardiac injury, but the levels after cardiac surgery may vary between sexes. Our purpose in this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of troponin I levels for predicting cardiovascular complications in postmenopausal women undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods The cohort of this study were women enrolled in a previously reported clinical trial evaluating the neuroprotective potential of 17beta-estradiol in elderly women. In that study, 175 postmenopausal women not receiving estrogen replacement therapy and scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass graft (with or without valve surgery) were prospectively randomized to receive 17beta-estradiol or placebo in a double-blind manner beginning the day before surgery and continuing for 5 days postoperatively. Serial 12-lead electrocardiograms were performed and serum troponin I concentrations were measured before surgery, after surgery on arrival in the intensive care unit, and for the first four postoperative days. The primary end-point of the present study was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as a Q-wave myocardial infarction, low cardiac output state or death within 30 days of surgery. The diagnosis of Q-wave myocardial infarction was made independently by two physicians blinded to treatment and patient outcomes with the final diagnosis requiring consensus. Low cardiac output state was defined as cardiac index 8 h regardless of treatment. Results Troponin I levels on postoperative day 1 were predictive of MACE (area under the receiver operator curve = 0.862). A cutoff point for troponin I of >7.6 ng/mL (95% confidence interval, 6.4-10.8) provided the optimal sensitivity and specificity for identifying patients at risk for MACE. The negative predictive value of a troponin I level for identifying a patient with a composite cardiovascular outcome was high (96%) and the positive predictive value moderate (40%). Postoperative troponin I levels were not different between women receiving perioperative 17beta-estradiol treatment compared with placebo and the frequency of MACE was not influenced by 17beta-estradiol treatment. Conclusions In postmenopausal women, elevated troponin I levels on postoperative day 1 are predictive of MACE. Monitoring of perioperative troponin I levels might provide a means for stratifying patients at risk for adverse cardiovascular events.
Computer simulations of global memory models.

Computer simulation models of memory—including the so-called global memory models—have had and continue to have a profound impact on current memory research and theory. Unfortunately, no memory textbooks published before 1998 present these models to students. The arguments for and against these types of models are summarized along with reasons why the models should be taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A set of freely available computer programs that can facilitate classroom presentation is then briefly described.
Using GIS Data to Build Informed Virtual Geographic Environments (IVGE)

In this paper, we propose a novel approach to automatically building Informed Virtual Geographic Environments (IVGE) using data provided by Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The obtained IVGE provides 2D and 3D geographic information for visualization and simulation purposes. Conventional VGE approaches are generally built upon a grid-based representation, raising the well-known problems of the lack of accuracy of the localized data and the difficulty to merge data with multiple semantics. On the contrary, our approach uses a topological model and provides an exact representation of GIS data, allowing an accurate geometrical exploitation. Moreover, our model can merge semantic information, even if spatially overlapping. In addition, the proposed IVGE contains spatial information which can be enhanced thanks to a geometric abstraction method. We illustrate this model with an application which automatically extracts the required data from standard GIS files and allows a user to navigate and retrieve information from the computed IVGE.
FINE STRUCTURE OF THE MUCOCYSTS OF COLACIUM CALVUM (EUGLENOPHYCEAE)

The characteristic stalk of Colacium calvum Stein is formed from carbohydrate extruded by granules in the anterior portion of the cell. These granules exhibit the characteristics of mucocysts and their contents have two electron densities. A narrow extension of each granule extends past neighboring muciferous bodies to attachment sites in the posterior notch of the pellicle strip. The granule contains neutral polysaccharide which resembles that in the peripheral cisternae of the Golgi apparatus. The attachment site is structurally complex.
Expression of HGF mRNA in human rejecting kidney as evidenced by in situ hybridization

In situ hybridization was performed to demonstrate hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mRNA in two patients with normal kidney and in 23 patients with allograft nephrectomy. In situ hybridization was combined with immunohistochemistry to identify HGF-producing cells. In the two patients with normal kdieny, no HGF mRNA was obtainable. In 15 of the 23 allograft patients, signals of HGF mRNA were detectable. In six of these 15 patients, the signals were present mainly at the medullocortex junction, and in the other nine patients at the cortex and/or medulla. Strong and frequent signals were present in gland-like structures in 15 cases. Some scattered signals were also present in the fibrosed glomeruli in five cases, in the thickened intimas of large arteries in three cases, and in the arterial muscle coats in two cases. Combined immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization showed that HGF mRNA-positive cells in gland-like arrangements were also positive for cytokeratin and negative for factor VIII. Cells with HGF mRNA signal and located in the arterial media were also positive for actin. These findings suggest that HGF mRNA is transcribed both in the urinary tubular epithelium and in the mesenchymal cells (fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells in chronic vascular rejection and endothelial cells and/or mesangial cells in transplant glomerulopathy) in human rejecting kidney.
Learning from the Katrina Crisis: A Global and International Perspective with Implications for Future Crisis Management

The study of crisis and emergency management—or mismanagement—during Hurricane Katrina will continue to proliferate in the near future. This article presents a global and international perspective on Katrina as a case of “grand failure” in crisis and emergency management, with lessons and implications for future crisis management. Benefiting from empirical data collected from international interviews, the essay presents a theoretical analysis of emergency governance and crisis management, discusses a detailed global perspective on Katrina crisis management as “management and leadership crisis,” offers a number of key lessons learned from Katrina, and draws policy and administrative recommendations for future crisis and emergency management through a theory of “surprise management” that is adaptive, collaborative, and citizen engaging and draws on chaos and complexity theories to cope with hyper-uncertainties and unknowns.
Basic aspects of and general problems in surgical infections

Antibiotics are important in the prophylaxis and treatment of surgical infections as well as in the management of nosocomial infections acquired postoperatively in surgical patients. Surgeons encounter a range of infectious conditions, including established single-pathogen infections of soft tissues, polymicrobial intra-abdominal infections, and resistant gram-negative nosocomial infections such as ventilator-associated and aspiration pneumonia. Preoperative antibiotic administration has been shown to reduce the risk of surgical site infections and is now an accepted part of the standard care for most surgical patients. In patients with established single-pathogen or polymicrobial infections requiring surgery, studies have shown appropriate empiric antibiotic therapy to be an important adjunct to surgical intervention and general supportive measures in improving patient outcome. Antibiotics are also essential for those who develop postoperative nosocomial infections. Empiric coverage of the most likely causative organisms, especially in synergistic polymicrobial mixed infections, is one of the keys to successful prophylaxis and treatment of surgical infections.
Intestinal Rehabilitation and the Short Bowel Syndrome: Part 2

The management of patients with intestinal failure due to short bowel syndrome is complex, requiring a comprehensive approach that frequently necessitates long-term, if not life-long, use of parenteral nutrition. Despite tremendous advances in the provision of parenteral nutrition over the past three decades, which have allowed significant improvements in the survival and quality of life of these patients, this mode of nutritional support carries with it significant risks to the patient, is very costly, and ultimately, does not attempt to improve the function of the remaining bowel. Intestinal rehabilitation refers to the process of restoring enteral autonomy, and thus, allowing freedom from parenteral nutrition, usually by means of dietary, medical, and occasionally, surgical strategies. While recent investigations have focused on the use of trophic substances to increase the absorptive function of the remaining gut, whether intestinal rehabilitation occurs as a consequence of enhanced bowel adaptation or is simply a result of an optimized, comprehensive approach to the care of these patients remains unclear. In Part 1 of this review, we provided an overview of short bowel syndrome and pathophysiological considerations related to the remaining bowel anatomy in these patients. We also reviewed intestinal adaptation and factors that may enhance the adaptive process, focusing on evidence derived from animal studies. In Part 2, relevant data on the development of intestinal adaptation in humans are reviewed as is the general management of short bowel syndrome. Lastly, the potential benefits of a multidisciplinary intestinal rehabilitation program in the care of these patients are also discussed.
Efferent projections of the suprachiasmatic nucleus: I. Studies using anterograde transport of Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin in the rat

The efferent projections of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCh) in the rat hypothalamus have been reexamined with the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L), which displays labeled axons with the clarity of a Golgi impregnation. Fibers from the SCh can be divided into six pathways for descriptive purposes. By far the densest terminal field arising from cells in the SCh ends in a roughly comma-shaped zone between the SCh and paraventricular nucleus on the one hand and the periventricular nucleus and anterior hypothalamic area on the other. A few axons continue dorsally from this "subparaventricular zone" to pass through parvicellular parts of the paraventricular nucleus and the overlying midline thalamic nuclei to end in midrostrocaudal parts of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, and a larger number continue caudally to end in the dorsomedial nucleus, dorsal parts of the cell-sparse zone surrounding the ventromedial nucleus, and the posterior hypothalamic area. The other five pathways all consist of relatively small numbers of fibers and give rise to relatively sparse terminal fields. The second pathway consists of rostrally directed fibers that end in ventral parts of the medial preoptic area and anteroventral periventricular nucleus. The third consists of anterodorsally oriented fibers that pass through the medial preoptic nucleus and adjacent regions to end ventrally in the intermediate lateral septal nucleus. The fourth consists of fibers just caudal to the third group that end in the preoptic continuation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, as well as in the parataenial nucleus and rostral part of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. The fifth consists of laterally directed fibers that course over the optic tract to end in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. And the sixth consists of fibers that course posteriorally through the anterior hypothalamic and retrochiasmatic areas to end in the cell-sparse zone between the arcuate nucleus and ventral parts of the ventromedial nucleus, as well as in adjacent parts of the lateral hypothalamic area. The distribution of projections labeled following PHA-L injections centered in the subparaventricular zone was also examined and was confirmed with retrograde tracer experiments (Watts and Swanson: J. Comp. Neurol. 258:230-252, '87). The results indicate that the subparaventricular zone projects to essentially the same regions as the SCh, only much more densely, and also sends fibers back to the SCh.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Shift of the high-performance liquid chromatographic retention times of metabolites in relation to the original drug on an RP8 column with acidic mobile phase.

Abstract The effect of the structural change in the metabolization of drugs on the HPLC retention time with an RP8 column with an acetonitrile–phosphate buffer (pH 2.3) as the mobile phase was investigated at model compound pairs of 29 functionalization reactions. A more or less typical region for TM=log(k′M/k′D) was found for each of these reactions (with k′M and k′D being the capacity factors of the metabolite and the drug, respectively), which can be explained by an increase or a decrease of the hydrophilic properties caused by the structural change. This effect is superimposed by an essential influence of the unchanged part of the molecule and in some cases by special intramolecular interactions like the hydrogen bond. Despite the more complicated structure of real drugs the results obtained at the model compound pairs were confirmed for most of the 55 metabolite/drug pairs. The practical use of the TM values as a support to distinguish between different metabolites in the HPLC-DAD analysis of intoxications is demonstrated with cases of poisoning with diphenhydramine, propafenone and methaqualone.
Propagation of 2-ps solitons through 100 km of standard fiber with temporal and spectral compensation by NOLMs and optical filters

We demonstrate propagation of 2-ps solitons through 100 km of standard fiber with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) positioned every 25 km, recovering the input pulse width and spectral characteristics. We find that periodically placed optical bandpass filters and nonlinear optical loop mirrors (NOLMs) compensate for soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS), reject the accumulated dispersive wave, and self-time-gate the solitons.
Dynamics of bi-periodic structures

In order to gain insight into the dynamics of biperiodic aerospace structures, a variety of one- and two-dimensional biperiodic structures are considered. It is shown that bands in which natural frequencies lie for periodic structures are further subdivided as a consequence of the biperiodicity. Analytical solutions for the modes and frequencies of finite-length one-dimensional biperiodic structures are obtained for general boundary conditions. A transmission method is developed to simplify the application of boundary conditions. Some modes are found to occur at frequencies outside the frequency bands predicted for biperiodic structures. Two-dimensional biperiodic crossed beam grillage and truss structures are considered in the present study.