cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
d-Amino Acids Do Not Inhibit Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus Aureus

Bacteria can either exist in the planktonic (free floating) state or in the biofilm (encased within an organic framework) state. Bacteria biofilms cause industrial concerns and medical complications and there has been a great deal of interest in the discovery of small molecule agents that can inhibit the formation of biofilms or disperse existing structures. Herein we show that, contrary to previously published reports, d-amino acids do not inhibit biofilm formation of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Staphylococcus epidermis (S. epidermis) at millimolar concentrations. We evaluated a diverse set of natural and unnatural d-amino acids and observed no activity from these compounds in inhibiting biofilm formation.
Modeling and experimental study of birefringence in injection molding of semicrystalline polymers

The prediction of birefringence developed in injection moldings is very important in order to satisfy required specification of molded products. A novel approach for the numerical simulation of the flow-induced crystallization and frozen-in birefringence in moldings of semicrystalline polymers was proposed. The approach was based on the calculation of elastic recovery that becomes frozen when the flow-induced crystallization occurred. The flow effect on the equilibrium melting temperature elevation due to the entropy reduction between the oriented and unoriented melts was incorporated to model crystallization. To find the entropy reduction and the frozen-in elastic recovery during crystallization, a non-linear viscoelastic constitutive equation was used. From the ultimate elastic recovery the crystalline orientation function was calculated. The crystalline and amorphous contributions to the overall birefringence were obtained from the crystalline orientation function and the flow birefringence, respectively. The birefringence profiles were measured and predicted in moldings of polypropylenes of different molecular weights obtained at various melt temperatures, injection speeds, holding times and mold temperatures. The resulting predictions were in fair agreement with corresponding experimental data.
Efficient, numerically stabilized rank-one eigenstructure updating (signal processing)

Rank-one eigenvalue decomposition (EVD) updating is well suited to the problem of tracking time-varying subspaces. Previously published rank-one EVD updating algorithms suffer from a linear buildup of roundoff error, which makes them impractical for a large number of recursive updates. In the present work, the authors develop a numerical stabilization technique, which eliminates the error buildup problem in a computationally efficient manner and makes the rank-one EVD update a practical numerical tool for online computation. A simplified eigenvalue iteration is also given. It reduces the complexity of the algorithm somewhat as well as the computation time. Simulations are presented to illustrate numerical performance. >
Ileorectal anastomosis for inflammatory disease of the colon.

We have reported long-term results in the cases of 42 patients following total colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis for inflammatory bowel disease. In this group, 35 patients had Crohn's disease and seven had ulcerative colitis. Five of those seven patients with ulcerative colitis had carcinoma of the colon at the time of colectomy. A diverting loop ileostomy was constructed in 14 of the 35 patients who had Crohn's colitis at the time of operation, and none of these patients had any anastomotic leakage either before or after the ileostomy was closed. However, there were three patients with Crohn's colitis in whom anastomotic leaks developed postoperatively; all three patients died. In the group with ulcerative colitis, one patient had an anastomotic leak but there was no operative mortality. Of the 29 patients with Crohn's disease followed for one to 18 years, 12 (41 per cent) developed recurrences in the ileum and/or rectum, and seven of these patients had to have their anastomoses taken down.
Surface effects on the piezoelectricity of ZnO nanowires

Abstract We utilize classical molecular dynamics to study surface effects on the piezoelectric properties of ZnO nanowires as calculated under uniaxial loading. An important point to our work is that we have utilized two types of surface treatments, those of charge compensation and surface passivation, to eliminate the polarization divergence that otherwise occurs due to the polar (0001) surfaces of ZnO. In doing so, we find that if appropriate surface treatments are utilized, the elastic modulus and the piezoelectric properties for ZnO nanowires having a variety of axial and surface orientations are all reduced as compared to the bulk value as a result of polarization reduction in the polar [0001] direction. The reduction in effective piezoelectric constant is found to be independent of the expansion or contraction of the polar (0001) surface in response to surface stresses. Instead, the surface polarization and thus effective piezoelectric constant is substantially reduced due to a reduction in the bond length of the Zn–O dimer closest to the polar (0001) surface. Furthermore, depending on the nanowire axial orientation, we find in the absence of surface treatment that the piezoelectric properties of ZnO are either effectively lost due to unphysical transformations from the wurtzite to non-piezoelectric d-BCT phases, or also become smaller with decreasing nanowire size. The overall implication of this study is that if enhancement of the piezoelectric properties of ZnO is desired, then continued miniaturization of square or nearly square cross-section ZnO wires to the nanometer scale is not likely to achieve this result.
Redox Reactions of the α-Synuclein-Cu2+ Complex and Their Effects on Neuronal Cell Viability

α-Synuclein (α-syn), a presynaptic protein believed to play an important role in neuropathology in Parkinson's disease (PD), is known to bind Cu(2+). Cu(2+) has been shown to accelerate the aggregation of α-syn to form various toxic aggregates in vitro. Copper is also a redox-active metal whose complexes with amyloidogenic proteins/peptides have been linked to oxidative stress in major neurodegenerative diseases. In this work, the formation of the Cu(2+) complex with α-syn or with an N-terminal peptide, α-syn(1-19), was confirmed with electrospray-mass spectrometry (ES-MS). The redox potentials of the Cu(2+) complex with α-syn (α-syn-Cu(2+)) and α-syn(1-19) were determined to be 0.018 and 0.053 V, respectively. Furthermore, the Cu(2+) center(s) can be readily reduced to Cu(+), and possible reactions of α-syn-Cu(2+) with cellular species (e.g., O(2), ascorbic acid, and dopamine) were investigated. The occurrence of a redox reaction can be rationalized by comparing the redox potential of the α-syn-Cu(2+) complex to that of the specific cellular species. For example, ascorbic acid can directly reduce α-syn-Cu(2+) to α-syn-Cu(+), setting up a redox cycle in which O(2) is reduced to H(2)O(2) and cellular redox species is continuously exhausted. In addition, the H(2)O(2) generated was demonstrated to reduce viability of the neuroblastoma SY-HY5Y cells. Although our results ruled out the direct oxidation of dopamine by α-syn-Cu(2+), the H(2)O(2) generated in the presence of α-syn-Cu(2+) can oxidize dopamine. Our results suggest that oxidative stress is at least partially responsible for the loss of dopaminergic cells in PD brain and reveal the multifaceted role of the α-syn-Cu(2+) complex in oxidative stress associated with PD symptoms.
Tumor lysis syndrome associated with reduced immunosuppression in a lung transplant recipient.

Tumor lysis syndrome usually occurs after initiation of chemotherapy or radiation therapy in cancer patients with a moderate to high tumor burden. To our knowledge, the occurrence of this syndrome after discontinuation or reduction of an immunosuppressive regimen has not been reported in the literature. We describe a patient who had undergone lung transplantation and who was receiving immunosuppression and experienced an episode of acute pancreatitis. During the course of the work-up, the patient was found to have a B-cell lymphoma (posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disease). His tacrolimus dosage was decreased, and azathioprine was discontinued. The patient subsequently developed tumor lysis syndrome. Other than the decrease in immunosuppression, we found no other factor that could have accounted for this syndrome.
α-Smooth muscle actin is constitutively expressed in the lens epithelial cells of several species

Lens epithelial cells are said to “transdifferentiate” into myofibroblasts by a process that includes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Myofibroblast formation often occurs in response to an injury to the lens epithelium. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is commonly used as a marker of myofibroblast formation (Nagamoto et al., 2000). Cataract surgery, which is a major injury to epithelial cells, leads to myofibroblast formation and these “transdifferentiated” lens epithelial cells can form secondary cataracts (for review see Wormstone, 2002). We noted that α-SMA transcripts were detected on microarrays probed with mRNA from freshly-isolated rat lens epithelial cells (not shown). Further studies revealed that α-SMA is normally present in the lens epithelia of several species.
Bulimia nervosa: treatment and short-term outcome

Fifty-six bulimia nervosa patients were treated by means of a behavioural approach and followed for at least one year after completion or dropping out of treatment. Outcome was encouraging in about half of the patients and several psychiatric indicators, such as duration of illness and response to treatment, were identified. The significance of the findings and unresolved methodological issues are discussed.
A Note on Evaluating the Overflow Probability Using the Infinite Queue

This note evaluates the approximation of overflow probability put forward by Sakasegawa et al in a paper published recently in Management Science [5], and its level of accuracy when applied to traffic generated by bursty sources.
eHealthSmart®: Designing personalized e‐technology to reduce health disparities on urban adult populations

This interdisciplinary study (information science, nursing, business, engineering, and gerontology) focuses on the design and development of personalized eHealthSmart®, an information system specific to smoking cessation, health diet, and exercise. In designing and developing eHealthSmart® we adopted theoretical frameworks of Kolb Learning-Style Inventory and Davis Technology Acceptance Model. The system was built using ColdFusion scripting language, MySQL database, running at the Linux platform. It is clear from our pilot test that urban older adults have access, are comfortable, and willing to participate in educational programs that use personalized eHealth programs.
Luminescent polymers with discrete emitter units

Optical absorption and photo-luminescence measurements were performed on a series of semiconducting polymers, based upon phenylene linkages, that have discrete emitter units. In these polymers, broken conjugation has been achieved in two ways: by introducing metalinkages between various numbers of para-connected aromatic groups or by severe steric distortion of a fully conjugated main chain. In either case, electronic states are localized on relatively small units, resulting in a large (π, π*) band gap. The band gap decreases with increasing emitter unit conjugation, as expected. Blue light emission was observed from these materials, with the peak emission wavelength red shifted (by greater than 1 eV on average) from the peak absorption. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Temporal Expression Patterns and Corresponding Protein Inductions of Early Responsive Genes in Rabbit Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Under Cyclic Compressive Loading

Our recent study suggested that cyclic compressive loading may promote chondrogenesis of rabbit bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in agarose cultures through the transforming growth factor (TGF)–β signaling pathway. It has been shown that the activating protein 1 (AP-1) (Jun-Fos) complex mediated autoinduction of TGF-β1 and its binding activity was essential for promoting chondrogenesis of mesenchymal cells, whereas Sox9 was identified as an essential transcription factor for chondrogenesis of embryonic mesenchymal cells. The objective of this study was to examine temporal expression patterns of early responsive genes (Sox9, c-Fos, c-Jun, and TGF-β type I and II receptors) and induction of their corresponding proteins in agarose culture of rabbit BM-MSCs subjected to cyclic compressive loading. The rabbit BM-MSCs were obtained from the tibias and femurs of New Zealand White rabbits. Cell-agarose constructs were made by suspending BM-MSCs in 2% agarose gel (107 cells/ml) for cyclic, unconfined compression tests performed in a custom-made bioreactor. In the loading experiment, specimens were subjected to sinusoidal loading with a magnitude of 15% strain at a frequency of 1 hertz for 4 hours per day. Experiments were conducted for 2 consecutive days. This study showed that cyclic compressive loading promoted gene expressions of Sox9, c-Jun, and both TGF-β receptors and productions of their corresponding proteins, whereas those gene expressions exhibited different temporal expression patterns among genes and between 2 days of testing. The gene expression of c-Fos was detected only in the samples subjected to1-hour dynamic compressive loading. These findings suggest that the TGF-β signal transduction and activities of AP-1 and Sox9 are involved in the early stage of BM-MSC chondrogenesis promoted by dynamic compressive loading.
Complexity of Interferon-γ Interactions with HSV-1.

The intricacies involving herpesvirus persistence are complex. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) uses a variety of receptors to enter cells, and is transported to and from the host cell nucleus over the microtubule railroad via retrograde and antiretrograde transport. Factors leading to the decision for a replicative virus lytic cycle or latency in the trigeminal ganglion occur on histone 3 (H3) involve the effects of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) produced by NK cells and noncytolytic CD8+T cells, suppressors of cytokine signaling 1 and 3 (SOCS1 and SOCS3), and M2 anti-inflammatory microglia/macrophages maintained by inhibitory interleukin 10 (IL-10). Both M2 microglia and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells produce IL-10. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are epigenetic regulators maintaining chromatin in an inactive state necessary for transcription of IFN- γ-activated genes and their antiviral effect. Following the inhibition of HDACs by stressors such as ultraviolet light, SOCS1 and SOCS3 are acetylated, and chromatin is relaxed and available for virus replication. SOCS1 prevents expression of MHC class 1 molecules on neuronal cells and SOCS3 attenuates cytokine-induced inflammation in the area. A model is presented to unify the effects of IFN-, SOCS1, SOCS3, and HSV-1 on H3 and chromatin structure in virus latency or reactivation. HSV-1 latency in the trigeminal ganglion is viewed as an active ongoing process involving maintenance of microglia in an M2 anti-inflammatory state by IL-10 produced in an autocrine manner by the M2 microglia/macrophages and by virus-specific CD4+Foxp3+ Treg cells interacting with virus-specific noncytolytic CD8+ T cells.
Factorial optimization for flows in the hall electrolytic conductivity detector

Abstract Statistical optimization of flows is carried out for a Hall electrolytic conductivity detector (HECD). Yates' method was used to quickly estimate main factors affecting HECD response to organochlorine. Also, more detailed evaluation of variations of HECD response for three flow variables was performed via central composite design factorial experiments. Corresponding three-factor, three-level factorial experiments provided data for least-squares regression analyses. The resulting fitted-polynomial yielded an appropriate mathematical model of the HECD response surface for the corresponding three dimensions in flow-space. Optimum values for three detector flows are thereby selected from the response surface to provide maximum HECD sensitivity, i.e. , response to organochlorine in the halogen mode. Supplemental data then allow for flow optimization with respect to other criteria, e.g. , signal-to-noise ratios and resolution of eluates.
Patterns of afferent projections to the dentate gyrus studied in organotypic co-cultures

Cholinergic axons originating from the septum form a characteristic layer of preterminal axons and apparent termination in the molecular layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. The present study explored the specificity of this characteristic axonal pattern, through the use of organotypic slice co-cultures. Slices of hippocampus were co-cultured with a slice from one of a variety of other potential sources of afferents, and the afferent axons were labeled histochemically or immunocytochemically to determine which afferents distribute within the dentate molecular layer in a pattern similar to that formed by septal cholinergic projections. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry demonstrated that cholinergic axons from septum, substantia innominata, and striatum all consistently targeted the inner molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. AChE-labeled cholinergic axons from dorsal lateral pontine tegmentum and from spinal cord sometimes formed this pattern, while axons from the habenula failed to extend into the dentate gyrus. Immunocytochemically identified monoaminergic axons from the substantia nigra, locus coeruleus, and raphe extended into co-cultured hippocampus; each of these afferent systems displayed a prominent axonal plexus within the hilus of the dentate, but only the raphe axons projected prominently to the molecular layer. These data demonstrate that the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus provides an attractive target zone for some cholinergic and monoaminergic afferents, but not all. Commonalities between neuronal populations that preferentially project to the molecular layer in vitro may offer clues regarding the axon guidance mechanisms that normally direct cholinergic axons to target sites in the dentate gyrus molecular layer.
A Model for Conceptualizing Variation in Staff-Resident Behavior

The author presents a model that defines the relationship of treatment philosophy to the group behavior of the residential population, concluding that treatment philosophy can help determine group behavior patterns. The interrelatedness of the bi-dimensional characteristics of staff and youth behavior are also examined.
Comparison of co-occurrence structure of temperate forest herb-layer communities in 1949 and 2000

Abstract When species presence–absence data are analyzed across a range of sites, many communities show a “checkerboard distribution” in which two or more species do not co-occur despite sharing geographic ranges and habitat requirements. It is not clear how the loss of native species might shift the underlying checkerboard structure. I tracked changes in the incidence of 175 vascular plant species across 59 sites in northern Wisconsin that have declined in species density between 1950 and 2000. Based on C -scores and the number of perfect checkerboard distributions, there was significant co-occurrence structure in both time periods. The nature of that structure depended on the particular null model was constructed. When only row values are fixed, plant species showed greater degrees of co-occurrence than the null model predicted, while fixing both rows and columns yielded less co-occurrence than found in the null model. Changes in species density did not strongly influence co-occurrence patterns, reflecting relative stability of co-occurrence patterns over a 50-year interval. This suggests that minor losses of species will not necessarily lead to fundamental changes in co-occurrence structure.
The isolation of a low molecular weight inhibitor of [3H]TdR incorporation into hepatic DNA

Abstract An inhibitor of [ 3 H]TdR incorporation into rat liver DNA has been partially purified from bovine and rat livers and from bovine serum. The material isolated does not contain TdR: it is species non-specific, tissue-specific, and non-cytotoxic, and may contain a hepatic chalone.
An overview of the hybrid MM/Green's function method in electromagnetics

An overview is presented of a hybrid technique for solving electromagnetic radiation and scattering problems by combining the method of moments (MM) with a special Green's function. The method, referred to as an MM/Green's function solution, combines the ability of MM solutions to treat geometrically complex bodies with the accuracy and computational efficiency of Green's function solutions. Compared to a standard MM solution, the MM/Green's function solution reduces the number of unknowns and thus the computer storage requirements. In most cases the CPU time for the MM/Green's function solution is considerably less than that for a standard MM solution. An example problem of TM scattering by a semicircular strip in the presence of a circular cylinder is solved by the MM, and by the MM/Green's function technique with a matrix, exact eigenfunction, and high-frequency Green's function. >
The metabolic effects in man of bovine growth hormone digested with trypsin.

Abstract Purified bovine growth hormone was subjected to controlled tryptic proteolysis, the reaction being terminated with soybean trypsin inhibitor. The extent of hydrolysis, as determined by alkali uptake on a pH-stat and change in zone electrophoretic pattern, has been correlated with growth-promoting activity in the rat. Nearly complete disappearance of the electrophoretic components present in untreated bovine growth hormone occurred after 10 min. of tryptic digestion, accompanied by an alkali uptake of 5 to 6 moles/mole of protein. The 10 min. digests, although containing a series of intermediate, faster migrating components, retained growth promoting activities in the rat as high as 1 USP unit/mg. or more. Digestion for 60 minutes increased the alkali uptake to over 13 moles/mole of protein and produced a mixture of yet faster moving components containing activity of only 0.1 unit/mg. Under conditions of complete metabolic balance, 19 studies were performed in 10 hypophysectomized and one hypopituitary patient injected with tryptic digests of bovine growth hormone, undigested bovine growth hormone or human growth hormone. In studies employing tryptic digests of bovine growth hormone, responses were noted among diabetic patients of aggravated hyperglycemia and glycosuria, decreased carbohydrate tolerance, and production of ketonuria. Such digests also produced increased insulin resistance. In other studies, the digests promoted retention of nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium and potassium, increased urinary calcium, and caused depression of blood urea nitrogen and elevation of serum inorganic phosphorus. Instances were also noted of increased urinary hydroxyproline and decreased urinary creatine. In 3 of 4 studies, typical metabolic responses to human growth hormone occurred but not to undigested bovine growth hormone administered to one patient. No correlation was readily apparent between the electrophoretic components present in the digests and the metabolic responses resulting from their administration.
Experienced workers exhibit distinct torso kinematics/kinetics and patterns of task dependency during repetitive lifts and lowers

Individual differences in work methods may be related to the risk of injury during manual material handling tasks, yet existing evidence comparing experienced workers and novices is mixed. This study assessed torso kinematics and kinetics among six experienced workers and six novices during repetitive lifts/lowers under different task configurations (symmetric vs. asymmetric and lift vs. lower). Several important potential confounding effects were controlled. Peak kinematic and kinetic measures were typically higher among experienced workers and suggestive of exposure to higher levels of low back injury risk, though overall exposure levels were moderate. Work methods used by experienced workers were modified between task conditions, whereas novice behaviours were more consistent. Control of torso kinematics/kinetics may thus not be a primary factor in determining experienced worker's work methods, and future investigation is needed to establish if, or under what conditions, these methods are protective an...
The “individual” in Johann Friedrich Overbeck’s and Franz Liszt’s Seven Sacraments

In the preface to his Septem sacramenta (1878–1884), Franz Liszt acknowledged its stimulus — drawings completed in 1862 by the German painter J. F. Overbeck (1789–1869). This essay explores what Liszt likely meant by his and Overbeck’s “diametrically opposed” approaches and speculates on why the composer nonetheless acknowledged the artist’s work. Each man adopted an individualized treatment of the sacraments, neither in line with the Church’s neo-Thomistic philosophy. Whereas the Church insisted on the sanctifying effects of the sacraments’ graces, Overbeck emphasized the sacraments as a means for moral edification, and Liszt expressed their emotional effects on the receiver. Furthermore, Overbeck embedded within his work an overt polemical message in response to the contested position of the pope in the latter half of the nineteenth century. For many in Catholic circles, he went too far. Both works experienced a problematic reception. Yet, despite their works’ reception, both Overbeck and Liszt believed...
A Field Experiment on the Effects of Negative Campaign Mail on Voter Turnout in a Municipal Election

This field experiment is used to expose a random sample of voters in a 2003 mayoral race to various pieces of negative direct mail advertising. Exposure to the negative advertising stimulus improved turnout overall about 6 percent over that of the control group. Results show that different topics and amounts of negative advertising had different effects on turnout. The results suggest that alarm bells sounded by some previous research and by public officials may be overheated, because the effects of campaign negativity may not be monolithic, and it would appear political negativity can have a positive effect on turnout.
The blood level determinations of PAS and isoniazid with vanillin.

A relatively simple spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of PAS and isoniazid blood levels. The method is based upon the formation of soluble yellow compounds resulting from the addition of vanillin solution to a solution of PAS or isoniazid at a controlled pH. Recoveries of known quantities added to plasma demonstrate that the method is accurate to ±0.9 per cent for PAS and ±0.4 per cent for isoniazid.
Structures of the Antigenic O-Polysaccharides of Lipopolysaccharides Produced by Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Serotypes a, c, d and e

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative capnophilic coccobacillus that has been implicated in the etiology of certain forms of early-onset periodontitis as well as non-oral infections, mostly bacterial endocarditis. Five distinct serotypes of A. actinomycetemcomitans have been described. Although the O-polysaccharide (O-PS) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been shown to define the serologic specificity for this species. only the structure of the O-PS of serotype b has been characterized. The focus of the current study was to define the structures of the O-PS of A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes a, c, d and e. Structure determination was accomplished through the use of methylation, periodate oxidation, and one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR methods. The O-PS of A. actinomycetemcomitans (OMZ-542) serotype d had [α]D+15° and was composed of D-glucose, D-mannose and L-rhamnose (L-Rha) in a molar ratio of 1:2:1. Methylation, periodate oxidation, and two-dimensional 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR studies showed that the antigenic O-PS was a high-molecular-mass polymer composed of repeating tetrasaccharide units with the structure: The O-PS of the LPS produced by A. actinomycetemcomitans (ATCC 29523) serotype a had [α]D+ 150° and was found to contain 6-deoxy-D-talose (6dTalp) and O -acetyl (2:1) and was a high-molecular-mass polymer composed of O -acetyl–substituted repeating disaccharide units with the structure: The O-PS of the LPS of A. actinomycetemcomitans (SUNY 67) serotype c had [α]D -170° and was composed of 6-deoxy-L-talose and O -acetyl (2:1). Structural analysis showed that the O-PS was a high-molecular-mass polymer of repeating disaccharide units with the structure: The O-PS of the LPS of A. actinomycetemcomitans (OMZ 534) serotype e had [4aL]D+57° and was composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose and L-rhamnose (1:1) and by chemical and NMR analysis was found to be a polymer of repeating disaccharide units with the structure:
Application of neural networks to predict ice jam occurrence

Abstract Artificial neural networks show potential for modeling the behavior of complex nonlinear processes, such as those involved in the occurrence of breakup ice jams. Because breakup ice jams and related flooding occur suddenly, ice jam prediction methods are desirable to provide early warning and to allow rapid, effective ice jam mitigation. Unlike open-water flooding, however, an analytical description of all the complex physical processes involved is not available. As a result, breakup ice jam prediction models have historically been limited to classical empirical single-variable threshold-type analyses to statistical methods such as logistic regression and discriminant function analysis. A neural network is shown to improve the error rates of ice jam prediction at Oil City, PA. The neural network input vector is determined and the methods used to appropriately account for the relatively low occurrence of jams are addressed. The neural network prediction proves to be more accurate than the current method used at this site, with a false positive error rate of 5.9% and a false negative error rate of 7.4%.
MATERNAL ISOIMMUNISATION RESULTING IN COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY AND FATAL GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE IN AN INFANT

Isoimmunisation to platelet and lymphocyte antigens occurred during a woman's seven pregnancies and resulted in congenital thrombocytopenia and lymphocytopenia in the last two offspring. The youngest baby died aged 16 days of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) with maternal graft-versus-host disease. The other affected child, however, recovered fully from thrombocytopenia and lymphocytopenia after exchange transfusion for presumed sepsis. The clinical courses indicated that an isoimmune process had caused both the thrombocytopenia and the lymphocytopenia. In accord with this conclusion, maternal titres of IgG antibodies against paternal platelets fell continuously in serial blood samples taken after the last pregnancy. Cytotoxicity studies of the maternal serum towards lymphocytes from the other siblings and from unrelated donors showed that the paternal antigen involved was a non-HLA determinant. It is postulated that isoimmune lymphocytopenia with subsequent immunological suppression is a potential mechanism for SCID and intrauterine engraftment of maternal lymphocytes.
Recent femtoscopy results from NA49: evidence for a non-Gaussian tail in the 3-dimensional two-pion emission source at SPS

The NA49 experiment at CERN SPS has acquired a huge data set of Pb+Pb events over a broad range of energy and centrality during the last several years. This high statistics data set, coupled with a state-of-the-art analysis technique, allows for the first model-independent extraction and energy scan of 3D emission sources for pion pairs at SPS energies. These 3D two-pion emission sources provide new insights into the nature of a long-range source previously reported by PHENIX at RHIC. The new results indicate that the two-pion source function is essentially Gaussian from 20 AGeV to 80 AGeV but it displays significant non-Gaussian tails at 158 AGeV.
Recognizing Contextual Polarity in Phrase-Level Sentiment Analysis

This paper presents a new approach to phrase-level sentiment analysis that first determines whether an expression is neutral or polar and then disambiguates the polarity of the polar expressions. With this approach, the system is able to automatically identify the contextual polarity for a large subset of sentiment expressions, achieving results that are significantly better than baseline.
Nickel–zinc accordion-fold batteries with microfibrous electrodes using a papermaking process

Abstract Thin microfibrous substrates were built using a low cost, high speed, wet lay papermaking process with nickel and copper microfibers. High quality microfiber sheets with designed thickness and void volumes were fabricated at the Center for Microfibrous Materials Manufacturing at Auburn University. Products include thin microfibrous nickel and copper substrates with or without suitable expanded metal meshes, either sandwiched inside or on the backside. An improved method for fabrication of zinc electrodes was accomplished by electro-depositing active zinc material on 6 and/or 9 μm diameter microfibrous copper substrates. These zinc electrodes with various additives were examined for shape change and tested for performance. A new structure of electrode design was employed using an accordion-fold cell. By using five individual segments sintered onto an expanded metal mesh, an accordion-fold cell (670 mAh rated capacity) was assembled and had 98.0% coulomb efficiency, 88.6% energy efficiency at 72% depth-of-discharge (DOD) and 73.2% state-of-recharge (SOR) in the 79th cycle. A Ni–Zn cell consisting of one thick nickel and one thick zinc electrode was tested for rate performance in comparison with the 670 mAh accordion-fold cell. The accordion-fold cell (1279 mAh rated capacity) was scaled-up and tested for 835 cycles at 38% DOD at a 0.3 C charge and discharge rates, and continuously operated at 38% DOD until the 1050th cycle was finished at 0.16 C charge/discharge rates. A 7115 mAh accordion-fold demonstration cell was tested at 0.28 C charge and discharge rates for 608 cycles and still had a 4.7 Ah capacity at a 0.08 C discharge rate.
Modeling and performance of a single-electron-beam two-FEL system

Abstract The use of a single electron beam to power a master oscillator and power amplifier was demonstrated in the Rocketdyne/Stanford experiment. This article concentrates on the performance of the downstream element under the assumption of higher performance upstream elements such as might be possible for the high-brightness systems being developed in the Los Alamos and Rocketdyne/Duke programs. The modeling covers the performance of the initial high-extraction efficiency system, the filtering, transport, and refocusing of electrons into a second wiggler, and the performance of the second system. The Rocketdyne 3D simulation code FELOPT was used in the FEL calculations.
De otio religioso : Petrarch and the Laicization of Western Monastic Asceticism

Three of Petrarch's major prose works in Latin— De otio religioso, De vita solitaria , and Secretum —are treatises dedicated to the topic of solitude as an escape from the negotium of worldly life. An inquiry into Petrarch's understanding of solitude will show, however, that far from representing an idealized withdrawal from engagement in the world, ascesis is a technique employed by Petrarch to construct his own ideal of the public intellectual, disengaged and resistant to structures of coercive authority and power. His reshaping of an ascetic lineage, which puts early Christian authors side by side with writers from the ancient Latin Stoic tradition, may be seen as an attempt to delineate a new, laicized form of monasticism and the ascetic life. In turning to a closer examination of De otio religioso , this paper will emphasize two areas of interest, which seek to support the thesis that Petrarch's pursuit of contemplative life was strategic for the shaping of an uncompromised, intellectual, Christian identity: the presence of an absence, represented by Bruno, founder of the Carthusian order, as a model of ascetic dissent; and the absence of a presence, evoked by a radical reading of the Latin verb vacare with its more kenotic implications.
Perspectives in mutagenesis.

I would first like to thank the Environmental Mutagen Society for honoring me with its 1980 award; I also would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have worked with me and helped me since I started my work in mutagenesis in 1953. I feel especially indebted to my wife, Martha, whose support has been absolutely essential for my career. I would now like to explore some important problems in environmental mutagenesis. Obviously, I cannot touch upon new developments in all aspects of environmental mutagenesis - a field that has become increasingly broad in recent years. As in the past, there continue to be major advances in understanding mechanisms of mutagenesis, developing short-term tests, characterizing mutations, elucidating the relationship between mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, understanding the metabolism of mutagens, and many other areas. Many of these advances are reflected in the contents of the papers, symposia, and poster sessions of this meeting. In the years that I have been involved in mutation research and environmental mutagenesis, my interests and research activity have spanned a number of these areas; and I am pleased by the recent progress that I see taking place in them. In this talk, however, I would like to direct my comments toward a rather new dimension in environmental mutagenesis in which I have become increasingly interested: The monitoring of mutations in the human population. In the monitoring of the human population there are two choices: We can monitor the progeny of an exposed population or we can consider exposed persons as populations of cells and measure the mutant frequency in individual cells in these persons. Technical developments are advancing rapidly in both of these approaches. The pioneering work of James Neel in measuring germinal effects of mutagens in the human population is well known [Neel, 1970]. Methods for measuring mutation frequencies in single cells in vivo also are beginning to be available. For instance, Strauss and Albertini [1979] are developing a system to detect HGPRT mutants in human lymphocytes. Of course, there are still difficult problems to be resolved in this system; and we do not know with certainty.
Silicon Raman Laser

We review the recently developed silicon Raman laser and demonstrate its tunability for the first time. Lasing from 1667nm to 1698nm is observed along with coherent anti-Stokes emission from 1421 nm to 1443 nm.
Influence of breathing-zone ammonia on human exposures to acid aerosol pollution.

(1995). Influence of Breathing-Zone Ammonia on Human Exposures to Acid Aerosol Pollution. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association: Vol. 45, No. 11, pp. 923-925.
202 ONTOGENY OF CANINE CARDIAC BETA-ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS

Age differences in cardiac chronotropic and inotropic responsiveness to adrenergic agonists and antagonists have been reported. These developmental differences were evaluated at the molecular level by characterizing myocardial beta adrenergic receptors in puppies(1-3 wks old) and adult mongrel dogs. Partially purified cardiac plasma membranes (10,000-30,000xg) were obtained by differential centrifugation techniques. Beta adrenergic receptors were identified using the beta adrenergic antagonist 3H-dihydroalprenolol according to the method of Alexander et al(Proc Nat Acad Sci. 72:1546, 1975). Saturable binding sites were quantified using increasing concentrations of the labelled ligand in the presence of 10−5 M l-propranolol. Specific binding was 55% in puppies (n=20) and 80% in adult dogs (n=6). Scatchard plot analyses showed a greater number of receptors(p<0. 05) in the adult than in puppies:0. 3275±0. 0143 vs 0. 2151±0. 0105 pM/mg protein. Dissociation constant for the puppies was greater(p=0. 05) than adults: 10. 7112±1. 25 vs 4. 0224±0. 6746. These data suggest that the maturation of adrenergic responsiveness of the myocardium may be due to developmental changes in beta adrenergic receptor affinity and number.
In situ visualization of glycosphingolipids on thin-layer chromatograms using lectin-peroxidase conjugates

Abstract A technique is described for direct detection by lectins conjugated to horse-radish peroxidase of the oligosaccharides of glycosphingolipids on thin-layer chromatograms. Final visualization is accomplished using a substrate medium consisting of hydrogen peroxide and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine. The procedure is rapid, specific, sensitive and highly reproducible, and staining patterns are stable for years. In addition to providing preliminary structural information, this technique can be employed in combination with other methods, such as autoradiographic detection of tritium-labeled glycosphingolipids in the same chromatogram.
Genetic variants in microRNAs and breast cancer risk in African American and European American women

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an integral part of the post-transcriptional machinery of gene expression and have been implicated in the carcinogenic cascade. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs and risk of breast cancer have been evaluated in populations of European or Asian ancestry, but not among women of African ancestry. Here we examined 145 SNPs in six miRNA processing genes and in 78 miRNAs which target genes known to be important in breast cancer among 906 African American (AA) and 653 European American (EA) cases and controls enrolled in the Women’s Circle of Health Study. Allele frequencies of most SNPs (87 %) differed significantly by race. We found a number of SNPs in miRNAs and processing genes in association with breast cancer overall or stratified by estrogen receptor (ER) status. Several associations were significantly different by race, with none of the associations being significant in both races. Using a polygenic risk score to combine the effects of multiple SNPs, we found significant associations with the score in each subgroup analysis. For ER-positive cancer, each unit increment of the risk score was associated with a 51 % increased risk in AAs (OR = 1.51, 95 % CI = 1.30–1.74, p = 3.3 × 10−8) and a 73 % increased risk in EAs (OR = 1.73, 95 % CI = 1.45–2.06, p = 1.4 × 10−9). These data show, for the first time, that miRNA-related genetic variations may underlie the etiology of breast cancer in both populations of African and European ancestries. Future studies are needed to validate our findings and to explore the underlying mechanisms.
Building more realistic reservoir optimization models using data mining – A case study of Shelbyville Reservoir

Abstract In this paper, we promote a novel approach to develop reservoir operation routines by learning from historical hydrologic information and reservoir operations. The proposed framework involves a knowledge discovery step to learn the real drivers of reservoir decision making and to subsequently build a more realistic (enhanced) model formulation using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP). The enhanced SDP model is compared to two classic SDP formulations using Lake Shelbyville, a reservoir on the Kaskaskia River in Illinois, as a case study. From a data mining procedure with monthly data, the past month’s inflow (Qt−1), current month’s inflow (Qt), past month’s release (Rt−1), and past month’s Palmer drought severity index (PDSIt−1) are identified as important state variables in the enhanced SDP model for Shelbyville Reservoir. When compared to a weekly enhanced SDP model of the same case study, a different set of state variables and constraints are extracted. Thus different time scales for the model require different information. We demonstrate that adding additional state variables improves the solution by shifting the Pareto front as expected while using new constraints and the correct objective function can significantly reduce the difference between derived policies and historical practices. The study indicates that the monthly enhanced SDP model resembles historical records more closely and yet provides lower expected average annual costs than either of the two classic formulations (25.4% and 4.5% reductions, respectively). The weekly enhanced SDP model is compared to the monthly enhanced SDP, and it shows that acquiring the correct temporal scale is crucial to model reservoir operation for particular objectives.
Is there a viral or immune dysfunction etiology to schizophrenia? Re-evaluation a decade later ☆

Proponents of viral and immune theories gathered together at a symposium on the neurovirology and neuroimmunology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Baltimore, November 2-3, 1995, sponsored by The Theodore and Vada Stanley Foundation, and organized by Drs. Robert Yolken and E. Fuller Torrey. This was the first of what will be a continued annual effort on the part of the organizers to evaluate current advances in this field. The following is a summary and critique of the results presented at this meeting, focusing specifically on studies pertaining to schizophrenia. The focus and opinions expressed are solely those of the present author and should be viewed as such. Abstracts of the presentations are in press in The Journal of Neuroimmunology (1996) so that others may decide on their significance independently.
Being entrepreneurial and market driven: implications for company performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the interaction between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and market orientation and its effect on performance in both high and low technology industries.Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes that being entrepreneurial and market‐driven stem from two distinct organizational capabilities that interact to influence subsequent firm performance.Findings – Data from 457 manufacturing firms show that the interaction effect is significant only in high technology industries.Research limitations/implications – The results encourage future research on the nexus of opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial behavior in established firms embedded in organizational routines.Originality/value – The paper shows that managers in high technology industries would benefit from developing capabilities and implementing systems that augment their firms' market orientation. Market orientation provides an important means to harness the firm's EO, an importa...
Insulin-like growth factor I induces migration and invasion of human multiple myeloma cells

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable form of cancer characterized by accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. During the course of this disease, tumor cells cross endothelial barriers and home to the bone marrow. In latter stages, myeloma cells extravasate through blood vessels and may seed a variety of organs. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is one of several growth factors shown to promote the growth of MM cells. In the current study, we have assessed the ability of IGF-I to serve additionally as a chemotactic factor affecting the mobility and invasive properties of these cells. Results indicate that IGF-I promotes transmigration through vascular endothelial cells and bone marrow stromal cell lines. Analysis of endogenous signaling pathways revealed that protein kinase D/protein kinase C (PKD/ PKC) and RhoA were both activated in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K)– dependent manner. Inhibition of PI-3K, PKCs, or Rho-associated kinase by pharmacologic inhibitors abrogated migration, whereas mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Akt, and p70S6 kinase inhibitors had no effect. These results suggest that IGF-I promotes myeloma cell migration by activation of PI-3K/PKC and PI-3K/RhoA pathways independent of Akt. The identification of IGF-I as both a proliferative and migratory factor provides a rational basis for the development of targeted therapeutic strategies directed at IGF-I in the treatment of MM. (Blood. 2004;103:301-308)