cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drug-eluting stents are not indicated for patients with acute coronary syndrome – should drug-eluting stents be indicated for patients with acute coronary syndrome? (Con) –.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have been proven to reduce the rate of restenosis by marked inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia, but unusual vessel responses to DES, such as substantially impaired arterial healing characterized by incomplete endothelialization and persistent inflammatory response, have been recognized. The culprit sites in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially acute myocardial infarction, have large necrotic cores with a paucity of smooth muscle cells. In these lesions, penetration of the stent struts into the necrotic core is frequently observed after stent implantation. Pathologic observations have revealed that the lesions stented with DES frequently show greater delay in arterial healing than those treated with bare-metal stents. Thus, ACS culprit sites could be at persistent risk for thrombosis after DES implantation. (Circ J 2010; 74: 2232-2238)
Temporal and quantitative correlations between nuclear androgen binding and stimulation of rna polymerase II activity in Sertoli cells.

The nuclear accumulation of 3H-androgen has been correlated with the effects of this steroid on nuclear RNA polymerase activity in the Sertoli cell under identical experimental conditions. The synthetic androgen methyltrienolone (R1831) was chosen to avoid ambiguities caused by metabolism of the radioligand. Nuclear accumulation of specifically bound 3H-R1881 was apparent after 5 min and preceded RNA polymerase II activation. RNA polymerase II activity was significantly increased by 10 rain after administration of R1881, and the response was maximal at 15 min. Although nuclear binding of 3H-R1881 continued to increase over this interval, the enzyme activity declined to basal levels by 20 min. Saturation of nuclear binding sites required concentrations of R1881 that were approximately one order of magnitude higher than those required for maximal polymerase II activation at 15 min. The results indicate that occupancy of only a small fraction of the specific nuclear binding sites by androgen is required to e...
A comparison of endogenous and exogenous substrates of the flavin-containing monooxygenases in aquatic organisms

Abstract Choline-derived trimethylamine (TMA) is a ubiquitous chemical found in aquatic and terrestrial organisms. The oxygenation of TMA to TMA N-oxide has been shown to be catalyzed by one or more forms of the enzyme flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) (EC 1.4.13.8). TMA N-oxide appears to play an important role in osmoregulation especially in aquatic organisms. Although once thought to occur only in ‘higher’ vertebrates, FMO activity has been observed in numerous marine invertebrates as well as fishes and has been shown to oxygenate various anthropogenic xenobiotics. It is postulated that the ‘original function’ of FMO may have been that of osmoregulation and then subsequently became an enzyme responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics.
Validation of a Receptor–Dispersion Model Coupled with a Genetic Algorithm Using Synthetic Data

Abstract A methodology for characterizing emission sources is presented that couples a dispersion and transport model with a pollution receptor model. This coupling allows the use of the backward (receptor) model to calibrate the forward (dispersion) model, potentially across a wide range of meteorological conditions. Moreover, by using a receptor model one can calibrate from observations taken in a multisource setting. This approach offers practical advantages over calibrating via single-source artificial release experiments. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the source calibration factors that couple the two models. The ability of the genetic algorithm to correctly couple these two models is demonstrated for two separate source–receptor configurations using synthetic meteorological and receptor data. The calibration factors underlying the synthetic data are successfully reconstructed by this optimization process. A Monte Carlo technique is used to compute error bounds for the resulting estimates o...
Design, Synthesis, and Validation of a β-Turn Mimetic Library Targeting Protein–Protein and Peptide–Receptor Interactions

The design and synthesis of a β-turn mimetic library as a key component of a small-molecule library targeting the major recognition motifs involved in protein–protein interactions is described. Ana...
Effects of oil inlet pressure and inlet position of axially grooved infinitely long journal bearings. Part I: Analytical solutions and static performance

Abstract This paper presents analytical expressions for the dynamic pressure and dynamic fluid force in axially grooved long journal bearings with consideration of oil inlet pressure and inlet position. The effects of oil inlet pressure (in the range of 0 ⩽ p ¯ i ⩽ 1 , where the dimensionless oil inlet pressure p ¯ i = C 2 / ( μ ω R 2 ) p i ) and oil inlet position (in the range of 0⩽Θi⩽90°) on the static oil film configuration, pressure distribution, and steady state journal position in axially grooved journal bearings are discussed. In this paper, Reynolds–Floberg–Jakobsson boundary conditions are assumed to account for the appropriate starting position of the cavitation, the reformation of oil film at the end of caviation, and the effect of oil inlet pressure and inlet position.
Interactions Between Calcium and cAMP Signaling

The calcium ion is quite possibly the single most pervasive signaling molecule used by living organisms for the purpose of communicating internal and external states. It differs from other messengers in that it is neither created nor destroyed, but just moved around inside and outside the cell via transporters, pumps and channels to alter its concentration in specific cellular locations. These changes in free [Ca(2+)] are then detected by a wide array of Ca(2+)-binding effector proteins whose affinities are appropriately tuned to respond to a particular type of [Ca(2+)] change. This deceptively simple paradigm dominates the function of many cell types, for example in driving contraction of muscle, action potential generation in nerves, fluid, hormone, and enzyme secretion in secretory cells, and certain immune responses. However, the Ca(2+) signal does not work in strict isolation, but rather is fine-tuned by many other signals, not the least of which is the other major second messenger, cyclic AMP (cAMP). Conversely, the cAMP pathway is subject to modification by the calcium signal and its various effectors at many different levels. These two fundamental second messengers, used throughout eukaryotes and even prokaryotes, are thus inextricably intertwined. The purpose of the present article is to provide an update on some of the recently described forms of reciprocal regulation between Ca(2+) and cAMP signaling circuits, with emphasis on interactions that take place in localized domains of the cell.
Uterine choriocarcinoma with negative specific serum radioimmunoassay for human chorionic gonadotropins

Abstract A case of uterine choriocarcinoma complicating gestational trophoblastic disease is presented. Following chemotherapy, there seemed to be an apparent cure as indicated by follow-up monitoring of the beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (B-HCG assay) when the assay demonstrated three consecutive weekly negative results. At the same period when the assays were negative, the patient was manifesting irregular vaginal bleeding for which diagnostic D&C was done revealing persistant disease which was not detected by measurement with the sensitive quantitiative B-HCG assay. The case is discussed to confirm the fact that clinical assessment is necessary for the follow-up of trophoblastic disease in addition to quantitative B-HCG.
On the possibility of high‐level transient coronal mass ejection–induced ionospheric current coupling to electric power grids

[1] Short-time (<10 s) ionospheric current fluctuations are hypothesized to occur due to a coronal mass ejection that can induce high-level transient voltages on long overhead power transmission lines. This hypothesis is first supported by reviewing published literature and recent magnetometer measurements, both of which indicate the existence of such rapid ionospheric current fluctuations. Then results are reported of a new full-vector three-dimensional Maxwell's equations finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) model of the global Earth-ionosphere system during a solar storm. This model naturally treats transient electromagnetic fields and waves unlike previous quasi-DC steady state or sinusoidal steady state analyses. Furthermore, this model accounts for the geometrical and electrical properties of the entire global Earth-ionosphere system, including details of the global topography and bathymetry, rather than focusing upon a particular continental region as for previous analyses. The FDTD modeling results provide new and useful information, such as that the lithosphere conductivity has almost no impact on the induced transient (short timescale) surface geoelectric fields resulting from capacitive or electric field coupling mechanisms. This is counter to the previously analyzed magnetic field coupling mechanisms involving the (long timescale) induction of geomagnetically induced currents, which heavily depend on the lithosphere conductivity structure. The modeling results presented herein are sufficiently significant to warrant measurements of rapid ionospheric current fluctuations at timescales much shorter than considered at present, even less than 1 s.
A molecular thermodynamic approach to predict the secondary structure of homopolypeptides in aqueous systems.

Under physiological conditions, many polypeptide chains spontaneously fold into discrete and tightly packed three-dimensional structures. The folded polypeptide chain conformation is believed to represent a minimum Gibbs energy of the system, governed by the weak interactions that operate between the amino acid residues and between the residues and the solvent. A semiempirical molecular thermodynamic model is proposed to represent the Gibbs energy of folding of aqueous homopolypeptide systems. The model takes into consideration both the entropy contribution and the enthalpy contribution of folding homopolypeptide chains in aqueous solutions. The entropy contribution is derived from the Flory-Huggins expression for the entropy of mixing. It accounts for the entropy loss in folding a random-coiled polypeptide chain into a specific polypeptide conformation. The enthalpy contribution is derived from a molecular segment-based Non-Random Two Liquid (NRTL) local composition model [H. Renon and J. M. Prausnitz (1968) AIChE J., Vol. 14, pp. 135–142; C.-C. Chen and L. B. Evans (1986) AIChE J., Vol. 32, pp. 444–454], which takes into consideration of the residue-residue, residue-solvent, and solvent-solvent binary physical interactions along with the local compositions of amino acid residues in aqueous homo-polypeptides. The UNIFAC group contribution method [A. Fredenslund, R. L. Jones, and J. M. Prausnitz (1975) AIChE J., 21, 1086–1099; A. Fredenslund, J. Gmehling, and P. Rasmussen (1977) Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium Using UNIFAC, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam], developed originally to estimate the excess Gibbs energy of solutions of small molecules, was used to estimate the NRTL binary interaction parameters. The model yields a hydrophobicity scale for the 20 amino acid side chains, which compares favorably with established scales [Y. Nozaki and C. Tanford (1971) Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 46, pp. 2211–2217; E. B. Leodidis and T. A. Hatton (1990) Journal of Physical Chemistry, Vol. 94, pp. 6411–6420]. In addition, the model generates qualitatively correct thermodynamic constants and it accurately predicts thermodynamically favorable folding of a number of aqueous homopolypeptides from random-coiled states into α-helices. The model further facilitates estimation of the Zimm-Bragg helix growth parameter s and the nucleation parameter s for amino acid residues [B. H. Zimm and J. K. Bragg (1959) Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 31, pp. 526–535]. The calculated values of the two parameters fall into the ranges suggested by Zimm and Bragg. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Improving reliability and energy efficiency using packet splitting based on CRT forwarding technique and Kalman filter in wireless sensor networks

This paper deals with a novel forwarding scheme for wireless sensor networks aimed at combining low computational complexity and high performance in terms of energy efficiency and reliability. The proposed approach relies on a packet-splitting algorithm based on the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT) and is characterized by a simple modular division between integers and a Kalman filter is used to reduce the noise in the receiving end. An analytical model for estimating the energy efficiency of the scheme is presented, and several practical issues such as the effect of unreliable channels, topology changes and MAC overhead are discussed. The Simulation is done through MATLAB which show that the proposed algorithm outperforms traditional approaches in terms of power saving, simplicity and fair distribution of energy consumption among all nodes in the network and reduces the noise in the receiver end.
The influence of crystallinity on the beta‐transition in poly(vinyl chloride)

The effect of changes in crystallinity on the β-transition in poly(vinyl chloride) was studied by dynamic mechanical measurements of loss tangent (tan δ) and storage modulus (E′) over the temperature range −160° to 85°C. Four frequencies were covered, 3.5, 11, 35, and 110 Hz. The data presented demonstrate that crystallinity has a significant influence on the relaxation processes involved in the β-transition. The restrictions on segmental mobility imposed by crystallinity are most pronounced in the region between Tβ and Tg, with Tβ tending to shift to lower temperatures, Tg shifting to slightly higher temperatures, the magnitude of tan δ decreasing, and engineering tensile strength increasing. Our data also show that individual PVC resins have mechanical and physical properties which differ enough so that comparisons which are often made between them may be inconclusive. Moreover, the properties of one resin may be more sensitive to thermal treatment than those of another. We are continuing this study to establish correlations between the observed trends and other important mechanical properties such as impact strength, toughness, tensile, and compressive strength.
Becoming "Syrian" in America: A Global Geography of Ethnicity and Nation

Khater contends that the historiography of the Middle East remains constrained by insufficiently examined geographical categories. The Middle East remains tethered and landlocked into a state of “Otherness” because of essentialized, static narratives that neglect the movement of people across its boundaries. Immigration, diaspora, and transnational experiences are, with rare exceptions, footnotes in histories of the Middle East; Khater’s essay presents the experience of early Arab immigration from the Eastern Mediterranean as a counterpoint to those tendencies. He explores how the idea and identification of being “Syrian” was articulated by several hundred thousand peasants immigrating from Mount Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine to the Americas and explores how their religious identities were mapped unto the racial identities prevalent in the United States (as well as in Australia and South Africa) to construct an ethnicity out of “Syrianness.” Khater uses the concept and practices of diasporic transnationalism as a first step toward providing a globalized history and geography of the Middle East; at the same time, this case study from the turn of the twentieth century provides a longer genealogy of transnationalism, endowing it with a historical dimension that is too often lacking in similar accounts.
Low noise programmable current source for the NIST-3 and NIST-4 watt balance

We give a brief description of a low noise, high resolution programmable current source that was designed for the NIST-3 watt balance to determine the Planck constant h and will be used for the NIST-4 watt balance. The current source is used to control the induction coil position in the magnetic field. It features bipolar operation to ±20 mA, high resistance isolation to ground, and low power consumption.
Missing: Critical and Skeptical Perspectives on Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.

The author read with interest, and concern, the January 2011 issue of the American Psychologist. The Special Issue on Comprehensive Soldier Fitness addressed a hugely consequential national issue and offered a vision for psychological resilience along with an elaborate set of supporting articles, concluding with some comments on "Objections" to psychologists working with the military. While a bold vision was offered and a game plan presented, no data or evidence are yet available (it is far too early in the process), and that should concern us all. The author hopes the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychologist offer skeptical and critical views in future issues on the issue of the psychological health of our military and as evidence emerges regarding the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.
Consumption of simulated acid mine water by sheep.

Water consumption by sheep in 48-h periods was measured in three replicated experiments. Intake was expressed as ml X kg body weight-.73 X d and treatments were compared with intake of tap water or distilled water in no-choice situations. Neutralizing two acid mine drainage (AMD) polluted waters having pH values of 2.4 and 2.8, with Ca(OH)2 did not make either as acceptable to sheep as unpolluted water. Simulating AMD with sources of H , HSO4 , SO4=, Fe , Al , Mn , Zn or Na revealed several significant differences in acceptance. The ferric ion at 2.6 mM was rejected when presented as Fe2(SO4)3 but not as equimolar FeCl3. Moreover, SO4= at 3.9 mM was not rejected when presented as Na2SO4 or ZnSO4. Neither AlSO4 nor MnSO4 at levels found in the two sources of AMD was rejected. Effects of prolonged consumption of the various components have not been determined.
Dynamics and orientation of glycolipid headgroups by 2H-NMR: gentiobiose.

Abstract Deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance has been used to investigate the dynamics and determined the orientation of the headgroup of the glycolipid 1,2- di -O- tetradecyl -3-O-(6-O-β- d -glucopyranosyl )-sn- glycerol (β-DTDGL), in aqueous multilamellar dispersions. In addition, its anomeric analog, having an α glucose-glycerol linkage, was prepared and examined. The lipids were labelled with deuterium at specific positions in the dissccharide moiety. Analysis of the deuterium quadrupolar splittings for the first glucose ring (glycerol-linked) gave segmental order parameters of 0.43 and 0.35 for the β and α isomers, respectively. Both isomers had similar orientations of the sugar ring relative to the bilayer surface, as determined for lipid in the liquid-crystalline phase. 2H-NMR results for the lipid labelled at C-6′ are consistent with a single conformation about the C-5′–C-6′ bond of the first glucose residue, with a dihedral angle (O-5′C-5′C-6′O-6′) of −17°. The results obtained for the second sugar ring suggest that two conformers may be present, which are in slow exchange on the 2H-NMR timescale. Measurements of longitudinal relaxation times, T1z, gave similar values for both sugar moieties in the headgroup, suggesting that the disaccharide does not exhibit the flexibility expected about the 1 → 6 linkage. Since T1z for 2H in these compounds decreases with increasing temperature and increases with magnetic field strength, the motion(s) dominating relaxation is in the long-correlation-time regime ((ω0τc)2 > 1). Thus, the gentiobiosyl headgroup undergoes the slowest motion of the glycolipid headgroups studied to date.
Transgene expression after rep-mediated site-specific integration into chromosome 19.

We have used a plasmid-based transfection model of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) Rep-mediated site-specific integration (RMSSI) pathway to characterize the stability and expression of a site-specifically integrated transgene (either green fluorescent protein [GFP] or chloramphenicol acetyltransferase [CAT]). Three plasmids containing the AAV p5 integration efficiency element (p5IEE) have been used to study integration and transgene expression in HeLa cells: (1) pRepGFP(itr+) contains both AAV ITRs, rep, and p5IEE and can be used as either a plasmid or rAAV vehicle for integration; (2) pRepGFP(itr-) contains the AAV rep gene and the p5IEE; (3) pAd-p5CAT contains only the 138-bp p5IEE of AAV. The data presented demonstrate that in the absence of drug selection, all three constructs undergo site-specific integration (efficiencies of between 10 and 40% of transduced cell lines). At 6 weeks posttransfection most cell lines that underwent RMSSI also expressed the appropriate transgene product. By 18 weeks po...
Relational trustworthiness: how status affects intra-organizational inequality in job autonomy.

Abstract Recent accounts of trustworthiness have moved away from treating it as a stable, individual-level attribute toward viewing it as a variable situated in a relational context, but have not been formalized or supported empirically. We extend status characteristics theory (SCT) to develop formal propositions about relational trustworthiness. We posit that members of task- and collectively oriented groups (non-consciously) infer three qualities from their relative status that are commonly used to determine an individual’s trustworthiness: ability, benevolence, and integrity. We apply our formalization to clarify ambiguities regarding intra-organizational job autonomy inequality, thereby linking SCT to broader disparities rooted in job autonomy. We analyze data from a vignette experiment and the General Social Survey to test incrementally how well our propositions generalize across different settings and populations. Results generally support our proposed links between status and intra-organizational job autonomy. We discuss implications for SCT in understanding broader patterns of inequalities.
Function-sparing Surgery for Desmoid Tumors and Other Low-grade Fibrosarcomas Involving the Brachial Plexus

OBJECTIVE: Low-grade fibrosarcomas and desmoid tumors present a surgical challenge in that they have a strong tendency for local invasion, surgical margins are poorly delineated, and complete resections are difficult. Nowhere is this more evident than in those lesions involving the brachial plexus. We review our experience with these difficult lesions. METHODS: From a prospective database of 2900 patients admitted for treatment of sarcoma between 1982 and 1996, we identified 15 patients with involvement of the brachial plexus by a low-grade fibrosarcoma or desmoid tumor. All patients underwent resection, with 13 of 15 receiving adjuvant radiotherapy. The 15 patients had a mean age at initial operation of 47 years. The male-to-female ratio was 8:7. The mean follow-up period was 65 months (median, 53 mo). RESULTS: Gross total resection was achieved in 12 patients (80%), although 11 of these patients had positive surgical margins. Overall, 64% of the tumors have recurred locally. There were no distant metastases, and no patients died as a result of their disease. One patient died as a result of unrelated cancer. An assessment of the functional outcomes revealed seven patients with normal function or mild neurological deficits and eight who were suffering from significant weakness, debilitation, or chronic pain. One patient required forequarter amputation. CONCLUSION: Surgical resection plus postoperative radiotherapy is the treatment of choice for low-grade fibrosarcomas and desmoid tumors involving the brachial plexus. However, aggressive surgical management with the goal of achieving a gross total resection with negative histological margins can produce unnecessary morbidity. Preserving function should be a primary goal of the operations, although this will be associated with residual disease and will risk local recurrence but rarely death resulting from the disease.
A mixed integer mathematical programming model solution using branch and bound techniques (abstract only)

An optimal allocation of work release and labor assignments on a paced assembly line using the objective criterion of minimal standard hours has been formulated as a mixed integer mathematical programming model. The results of our research lead to the development of an algorithm which solves the mathematical model formulation and a computer implementation demonstrates its use in an actual operating environment. The algorithm developed for solving the problem uses a branch and bound approach as its basic solution technique.Basically, the ingredients of a branch and bound algorithm are a lower bounding strategy, a branching strategy (which partitions the set of feasible solutions into subsets), and a search strategy (which determines the order in which the subsets are investigated). The algorithm presented here uses the method of relaxing difficult constraints as a lower bounding strategy. The lower constraints are those which contain integer variables. This approach results in an ordinary linear programming problem model formulation which is used for computing lower bounds. The branching strategy is a binary partitioning in which a particular assembly mode is either in the solution subset, or not. The search strategy used is the backtracking procedure in which the branching variables are heuristically preordered.The mixed integer mathematical model follows: The objective function is V(X) = CX where C is (l x n) vector and X is a (n x 1) vector subject to AX = d where A is a (m x n) vector d is a (m x 1) vector HX ≤ h where H is a (1 x n) vector h is a (1 x 1) vector BX-DS ≤ O where B is a (r x n) matrix D is a (r x n) matrix S is a (r x 1) vector BX-PS ≥ O where R is a (s x n) matrix Os ≤ e where O is a (t x n) matrix e is a (t x 1) vectorAll variable are non-negative, the elements of the vector x arise from a continuous function, and the elements of the vector S are (0,1) integer values.The computer software used for solving the above model consists of two Fortran IV modules under the command of a language processor. Both software packages can be operated either interactively or under a batch processing mode. One of the computer software packages is labeled the “Initialization program” which is used to generate the coefficient vectors and matrices, i.e., C, A, d, H, h, B, D, R, O, and e presented in the above model. The other is labeled the “Action program” which is used to obtain an “optimal” solution for the problem. The computer software packages have been executed on a Xerox-560 computer in a limited fashion.In conclusion, there is an important by-product from our research so far; a way to find alternative optimal solutions. The branch and bound algorithm which we utilize is a partial enumeration technique in which subsets of feasible solutions are eliminated from consideration by comparing a lower bound on the objective function value (for a given subset) to the best solution obtained up to that point. Theoretically, alternative optimal solutions may be among those subsets of feasible solutions.
On the Mechanisms of T Cell Silencing by IL-10 DNA: Direct and Indirect Inhibition of T Cell Functions

Previously we reported that mucosal IL-10 DNA administration resulted in long-term suppression of virus-induced inflammatory responses by silencing Th1-type CD4+ T cell functions. However, the mechanism by which IL-10 silences the activity of CD4+ T cells was not clear. The present report has shown that mucosal IL-10 DNA administration led to the reduction of reactivity of T cells following TCR stimulation. IL-10 DNA also downregulated APC functions to stimulate T cells but the effect was temporary. Bystander suppression, including that of IL-10 producing regulatory cells, appeared not to be directly involved in the inhibition of T cell reactivity because both anti-IL-10 and anti-IL-10R could not block the suppression of T cell functions. This silenced state could be maintained following adoptive transfer to untreated animals. The nature of the silencing appears to be a reversible anergic state since Ag stimulation in the presence of exogenous IL-2 restored T cell reactivity. Furthermore, IL-10-induced silenced T cells could be induced in vitro by culturing the T cells with rIL-10 in the presence or the absence of antigen stimulation. This state persisted in the absence of rIL-10 and persisted for at least 3 days. A more notable effect, however, was observed when the T cells were incubated with IL-10 in the presence of APC and Ag. These results indicate that IL-10 induced a long-term silenced state in T cells by direct and indirect inhibition of T cell functions.
Design and Validation of ureC-based Primers for Groundwater Detection of Urea-Hydrolyzing Bacteria

Polymerase chain reaction primers based on the ureC gene are described for use in detecting diverse groundwater urea-hydrolyzing bacteria. Six degenerate primers were designed and evaluated for their ability to detect the gene encoding the large catalytic subunit of urease, ureC. Five combinations of these primers were tested pair-wise and displayed an overlapping detection range for bacterial isolates. Pair L2F/L2R exhibited the greatest detection range for described bacterial species and for bacterial isolates from groundwater samples belonging to the bacterial divisions Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and the α , β , and γ subdivisions of Proteobacteria. Primers L2F/L2R exhibited a greater detection range than previously described ureC-specific primers, and amplified novel ureC sequences from groundwater isolates in the genera Hydrogenophaga, Acidovorax, Janthinobacterium, and Arthrobacter. A comparative phylogenetic analysis of ureC and 16S rRNA genes was performed to determine the utility of groundwater ...
Dynamics of field-amplified sample stacking

Field-amplified sample stacking (FASS) uses conductivity gradients and resulting non-uniform electromigration fluxes to effect concentration increases of analyte ions. For cases where the initial sample concentration is much smaller than the background electrolyte (BGE) concentration, the ideal maximum concentration enhancement is equal to , the ratio of conductivity of the sample solution to that of the BGE. However, in practice both molecular diffusion and convective dispersion limit concentration enhancement. We present a theoretical and experimental study of concentration enhancement using FASS. We model the FASS process as electromigration, diffusion, and advection of two background electrolyte ions and multiple sample species across a known initial concentration gradient. Regular perturbation methods and a generalized Taylor dispersion analysis are used to derive area-averaged species conservation and electric field equations. The model predicts the spatial and temporal development of background electrolyte concentration field, electric field, and sample-ion distribution of the FASS process. We have validated this model using on-chip FASS experiments. We use an acidified poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) coating to minimize dispersion due to electro-osmotic flow (EOF), and thereby evaluate the low- (but finite) dispersion regime of most interest. We have used CCD-based quantitative epifliuorescence imaging to quantify unsteady concentration fields and validate the model. This experimentally validated model is useful in developing optimal designs of sample stacking assay devices.
Failure Feedback for User Obligation Systems

In recent years, several researchers have proposed techniques for providing users with assistance in understanding and overcoming authorization denials. The incorporation of environmental factors into authorization decisions has made this particularly important and challenging. An environmental factor that has not previously been considered in this effort to provide such assistance to users arises in systems where obligations can depend on and affect authorizations. In these systems, it is desirable to ensure that users will have the authorizations they require to fulfill their obligations, and prior work has proposed denying requests to perform non-obligatory actions that would cause this property to become violated, whether the violation is a direct result of the requested action or due to obligations that would be incurred as a result of it. Because of privacy concerns, as well as the intricate interactions between actions and pending obligations, the current work focuses on helping users find means of overcoming their denials, rather than focusing on explanation of the cause for denial. We show that in general this problem is PSPACE-hard. We then develop an approach based on an AI-planning tool and evaluate its effectiveness empirically. We find that this tool can often be quite helpful in medium sized problem instances, particularly when the number of steps that must be taken to enable the desired action is relatively small.
Exogenous modulation of intrinsic optic nerve neuroprotective activity

To characterize the molecular and functional status of the rat retina and optic nerve after acute elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP). Retinal ischemia was induced in rats by increasing the IOP (110 mmHg/60 minutes). Microarray analysis, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to characterize retinal tissue. PLGA microspheres containing neurotrophic factors (BDNF, GDNF, or CNTF) or empty microspheres were injected into the vitreous of operated animals 1 day after elevation of IOP. Pupil light reflex (PLR) parameters and electroretinograms (ERG) were monitored at multiple time points during the 60-day postoperative recovery period. Molecular analysis showed a significant intrinsic up-regulation of CNTF at 10 and 25 days after induction of the acute ocular hypertension (p = 0.0067). Molecular tissue analysis of GDNF and its receptors (GDNFR1, GDNFR2), and BDNF and its receptor (trkB) showed no change in expression. Animals that received CNTF microspheres had no significant functional recovery compared to animals which received blank microspheres (p > 0.05). Animals that received GDNF or BDNF microspheres showed significant PLR recovery (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001 respectively) compared to non-treated animals. Continuous release of neurotrophic growth factors (NGFs) significantly protects optic nerve function in the experimental model of retinal ischemia observed by PLR analysis.
A hypothetical mechanism for the stimulation of osteonal remodelling by fatigue damage

This paper presents a theory describing mechanisms by which repetitive stress initiates remodelling in compact bone. The theory is based on the observation that the lamellar structure of osteons arrests and traps microcracks produced by cyclic loading. Debonding of an osteon by a crack may produce changes in the Haversian canal wall adjacent to the crack which initiate a new secondary osteon. The repair of damaged areas by secondary osteons prevents the accumulation of microdamage due to repetitive loading and protects compact bone from fatigue failure.
Ultrasonographic diagnosis of choroidal malignant melanoma

During the past two decades, improvements in the resolution and reliability of instrumentation and techniques have allowed A- and B-scan ultrasonography to join direct visualization, fluorescein angiography, and radioactive phosphorus testing as primary diagnostic modalities in the evaluation of intraocular neoplasms. Because overlying opacities have no effect on the examining ultrasonographic frequencies, ultrasound has the unique ability to depict the nature of intraocular pathology when the media are optically opaque. Physics, history, instrumentation and techniques are described, and criteria for diagnosis of uveal malignant melanomas by standardized A-scan and B-scan methods are discussed and illustrated.
On pattern description by languages

This paper starts with a brief review of the syntactic (linguistic) approach to pattern recognition. One-dimensional and high dimensional languages for pattern description and recognition are domenstated by application examples. Several problems motivated by practical applications of syntactic pattern recognition are discussed. In applying syntactic approach to pattern recognition problems, abstract pattern primitives are often required. A sentence structure representing a pattern can then be analyzed with respect to the given pattern grammers. Pattern matching or/and syntax analysis (parsing) is in general used as a recognition procedure. In practical applications, noise and distortion involving in the pattern measurements are unavoidable. A perfect recognition of primitives and the relations among them would be very difficult, even with excessive proprocessing and sophisticated recognition techniques. Consequently, ambiguity often occurs. Also, at the present, patterns grammars are primarily constructed by the designer. The quality of a heuristically constructed grammar in terms of its pattern descriptive capability is difficult to evaluate. Such a grammer may generate sentences representing unwanted patterns or it may not be able to describe the patterns in the same class which have not occurred before. There is a need to have systematic learning or inference procedures which will learn (with generalization) a pattern grammer from a set of training patterns. With these practical considerations in mind the following topics and their potential applications are then discussed: (1) transformational grammers, (2) stochastic grammers and languages, (3) syntax analysis in the presence of errors and (4) grammatical inference.
Early effects of PP60v-src kinase activation on caveolae

Members of the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase family appear to be targeted to caveolae membrane. We have used a Rat-1 cell expressing a temperature sensitive pp60v-src kinase to assess the initial changes that take place in caveolae after kinase activation. Within 24–48 h after cells were shifted to the permissive temperature, a set of caveolae-specific proteins became phosphorylated on tyrosine. During this period there was a decline in the caveolae marker protein, caveolin-1, a loss of invaginated caveolae, and a 70% decline in the sphingomyelin content of the cell. One of the phosphorylated proteins was caveolin-1 but it was associated in coimmunoprecipitation assays with both a 30 kDa and a 27 kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated protein. Finally, the cells changed from having a typical fibroblast morphology to a rounded shape lacking polarity. In light of the recent evidence that diverse signaling events originate from caveolae, pp60v-src kinase appears to cause global changes to this membrane domain that might directly contribute to the transformed phenotype. J. Cell. Biochem. 71:524–535, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A 10b 75ns CMOS Scanning-Display-Driver System for QVGA LCDs

This paper presents a high-speed display driver system fabricated in a standard 0.35 mum CMOS technology that operates from a single 3V battery for a 3.0-in. QVGA (320 times RGB times 240) panel. A new amplifier topology, which provides a slew current 100 times the quiescent current, is discussed. The DAC architecture uses COM as a reference to improve the pixel DC accuracy between different panels.
A sensitive and reproducible assay for the quantitation of the MIF correlate of delayed hypersensitivity in man.

An improved migration inhibitory factor (MIF) assay procedure is described which was developed for the study of tumor patient immunocompetence testing both on the clinical level and as an adjunct to basic studies of tumor immunology and the transfer of immunological capacity through immuno-genic RNA. A detailed description of a new migration chamber in which as many as eight capillaries can be simultaneously subjected to identical environmental conditions is presented, This feature reduces the variation among replicate tests to the point where significance can be ascribed to migration differences of ten percent or less. This chamber, along with the use of a cultured human lymphoblastoid tumor cell as the indicator cell, results in a very flexible, convenient, and sensitive direct or indirect assay for the detection of human migration inhibitory factor.
The Relationship between Nerve Fiber Layer and Perimetry Measurements

Purpose Losses of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma are the cause of visual field defects and thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), but methods of correlating these events have not been developed. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between standard automated perimetry (SAP) measures of RGCs and optical coherence tomography (OCT) measures of the ganglion cell axons entering the optic nerve from corresponding visual field locations. Methods SAP and OCT data from normal monkeys were used to develop methods for estimating neuron counts and mapping SAP visual field locations onto the optic nerve head (ONH). The procedures developed for normal eyes were applied to monkeys with experimental glaucoma. Results The number of neurons derived from SAP and OCT data for normal eyes were in close agreement. The estimates of the number of RGCs in retinal areas of the Humphrey Field Analyzer 24-2 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA) visual field and the axons entering the ONH were both approximately 1.5 million. The neural losses derived from subjective and objective measurements in monkeys with early experimental glaucoma correlated highly, with a mean +/- SD difference of 0.6% +/- 22% between the two estimates in control eyes and 3% +/- 24% in laser-treated eyes. Conclusions SAP measures of visual field defects and OCT measures of RNFL defects are correlated measures of glaucomatous neuropathy. The normal intersubject variability and the dynamic ranges of the measurements suggest that RNFL thickness may be a more sensitive measurement for early stages and perimetry a better measure for moderate to advanced stages of glaucoma.
The Czochralski growth of large-diameter La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14 crystals along different orientations

Abstract La 3 Ga 5 SiO 14 , La 3 Ga 5.5 Ta 0.5 O 14 and La 3 Ga 5.5 Nb 0.5 O 14 crystals exhibit outstanding piezoelectric properties. They are of considerable interest for high-precision resonators. Although the synthesis of these crystals has been actively pursued over the past years, there are still some setbacks slowing down industrial applications. We report on the growth of La 3 Ga 5.5 Ta 0.5 O 14 (LGT) crystals by the Czochralski growth along 〈0 0 1〉, 〈1 0 0〉 and 〈1 2 0〉. These crystals were characterized by different techniques, including X-ray synchrotron topography. LGT crystals show a facet structure which determines the overall 3D distribution of other defects and strain. The relationship between faceting and crystal imperfections such as striations, dislocations, and inclusions will be discussed. After optimization of growth conditions, inclusions-free, colorless transparent single crystals with a diameter of 2′′ were obtained. These crystals were processed into Y-cut plano-convex resonators, and the Qf product measured from fundamental to ninth overtone. Values exceeding the limit of AT- and SC-cut quartz were obtained.
Microbiology for the masses: teaching concepts and skills for a general audience

Microbes are extraordinarily talented and diverse: they can perform a multitude of tasks and live in a variety of situations. The impact of diverse microbes upon society and the environment can be used to teach students critical skills for a variety of careers.
Erythema chronicum migrans and Lyme arthritis: cryoimmunoglobulins and clinical activity of skin and joints

We report the presence of serum cryoimmunoglobulins in patients with attacks of a newly described epidemic arthritis--Lyme arthritis--and in some patients with a characteristic skin lesion--erythema chronicum migrans--that sometimes precedes the onset of the arthritis. Seven patients who had cryoimmunoglobulins at the time of the skin lesion have developed arthritis; four patients without them have not. The cryoglobulins in patients with the skin lesion consisted primarily of immunoglobulin M (IgM); those in patients with arthritis often included both IgM and IgG. These findings support the hypothesis that a common origin exists for the skin and joint lesions and suggest that circulating immune complexes may have a pathogenetic role in Lyme arthritis.
Wnt7b regulates mesenchymal proliferation and vascular development in the lung

Although the Wnt signaling pathway regulates inductive interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells, little is known of the role that this pathway plays during lung development. Wnt7b is expressed in the airway epithelium, suggesting a possible role for Wnt-mediated signaling in the regulation of lung development. To test this hypothesis, we have mutated Wnt7b in the germline of mice by replacement of the first exon with the lacZ -coding region. Wnt7b lacZ–/– mice exhibit perinatal death due to respiratory failure. Defects in early mesenchymal proliferation leading to lung hypoplasia are observed in Wnt7b lacZ–/– embryos. In addition, Wnt7b lacZ–/– embryos and newborn mice exhibit severe defects in the smooth muscle component of the major pulmonary vessels. These defects lead to rupture of the major vessels and hemorrhage in the lungs after birth. These results demonstrate that Wnt7b signaling is required for proper lung mesenchymal growth and vascular development.
Work In Progress: Integrated Design Engineering and Activity- Based Learning

Norfolk State University with the support of an NSF and Department of Education grant is developing an integrated curriculum for the freshman students in the engineering program. The Integrated Design Engineering and Activity-based Learning (IDEAL) Program has identified a core faculty who will be offering paired courses to freshmen students that will allow the students to successfully complete the gateway courses in calculus, physics, chemistry, English and the introductory engineering courses by the end of their freshman year. The goal is to have at least an 80% retention rate with an expected graduation rate of these students from the engineering program within 4.5 years, which is the national average. Extensive data analysis will be completed on the cohort of participating students in the IDEAL Program and compared to other students enrolled in engineering as well as other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula. New pedagogies including team teaching and coaching, integration of laboratories into the lectures in a just-in-time manner and peer mentoring and teaching in order to ensure the anticipated goal will be implemented. This paper will provide a progress report and a design for the assessment of this project.
Giant biliary cystadenoma

Biliary cystadenoma (BCA) is a rare cystic tumor which originates from intrahepatic or extrahepatic biliary ducts. Intrahepatic BCAs are more common, demonstrate a female predominance, and generally asymptomatic. Radiographic evaluation assists in the preoperative differentiation of these tumors from other cystic liver masses while resection remains the only means for definitive diagnosis. We report a case of massive mucinous intrahepatic BCA initially diagnosed as a nonresectable malignancy presenting in a female patient with progressively increasing abdominal pain and girth. Enucleation of the mass with non-anatomic resection was employed for surgical management of this intrahepatic BCA.