cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uniform duality in semi-infinite convex optimization

We study infinite sets of convex functional constraints, with possibly a set constraint, under general background hypotheses which require closed functions and a closed set, but otherwise do not require a Slater point. For example, when the set constraint is not present, only the consistency of the conditions is needed. We provide hypotheses, which are necessary as well as sufficient, for the overall set of constraints to have the property that there is no gap in Lagrangean duality for every convex objective function defined on ℝn. The sums considered for our Lagrangean dual are those involving only finitely many nonzero multipliers. In particular, we recover the usual sufficient condition when only finitely many functional constraints are present. We show that a certain compactness condition in function space plays the role of finiteness, when there are an infinite number of functional constraints.
Photosynthetic acclimation of young sweet orange trees to elevated growth CO2 and temperature

Summary Two-year old trees of ‘Ambersweet’ orange, a hybrid of ‘Clementine’ tangerine (Citrus reticulata Blanco) and ‘Orlando’ tangelo (C. paradisi Macf. × C. reticulata), were grown for twenty-nine months under two daytime [CO2] of 360 (ambient) and 720 (elevated) μmol mol−1, and at two temperatures of 1.5 and 6.0 °C above ambient temperature. The objectives were to characterize the physiology and biochemistry of citrus photosynthesis in response to both elevated [CO2] and temperature, and to test if the photosynthetic capacity of sweet orange, in terms of rubisco activity and protein concentration, was down-regulated under long-term elevated growth [CO2]. Both mature (old) and expanding (new) leaves of trees grown under elevated [CO2] had higher photosynthetic rates, lower transpiration and conductance, and higher water-use efficiency (WUE), compared to those grown under ambient [CO2]. Although leaf WUE was reduced by high temperature, elevated [CO2] compensated for adverse effect of high temperature on leaf WUE. Activity and protein concentration of rubisco were down-regulated in both new and old leaves at elevated [CO2]. In contrast, the amount of total leaf soluble protein was not affected by elevated [CO2] and high temperature. Down-regulation of photosynthetic capacity was greater for the old leaves, although activity and protein concentration of rubisco in the new leaves were higher. Contents of soluble sugars and starch in all leaves sampled, which were higher under elevated [CO2], were generally not affected by high temperature. Within each specific CO2-temperature treatment and leaf type, total soluble sugars remained relatively unchanged throughout the day, as did the starch content of early morning and midday samples, and only a moderate increase in starch for the old leaves at late afternoon sampling was observed. In contrast, starch content in the new leaves increased substantially at late afternoon. Activities of sucrose-P synthase and adenosine 5′-diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase were reduced at elevated [CO2] in the old leaves, but not in the new leaves. The photosynthetic acclimation of Ambersweet orange leaves at elevated [CO2] allowed an optimization of nitrogen use by reallocation/redistribution of the nitrogen resources away from rubisco. Thus, in the absence of other environmental stresses, citrus photosynthesis would perform well under rising atmospheric [CO2] and temperature as predicted for this century.
Propagating segmented regions during a camera saccade

In this paper, we present a method for propagating segmentation information across a saccade for a foveating camera. In particular, we take a region of interest from a wide-angle, low-fidelity image and propagate its segmentation information to a zoomed, high-fidelity image containing that region. Our method uses normalized greyscale templates to estimate the change in translation and magnification required to transform the segmented region. This process is particularly useful for systems whose segmentation methods rely on prior images, such as motion or difference segmentation, because the segmentation methods cannot be simply be rerun to obtain a segmentation in the high-fidelity images.
Redemption or Rehabilitation? Charitable Choice and Criminal Justice:

Partnerships between government and religious social service providers have long been a feature of government social service provision. Most such partnerships present relatively few constitutional problems. In the criminal justice arena, however, Charitable Choice raises thorny issues, because many drug rehabilitation programs and prison ministries are more than “faith based”—they are faith-infused. This article considers challenges faced by public administrators working in these sensitive areas.
The motor units of cat medial gastrocnemius: Speed-size relations and their significance for the recruitment order of motor units

Summary The interrelationships between axonal conduction velocity, tetanic tension, twitch contraction time and rate of force development during a tetanus have been studied in 126 motor units from 12 cat medial gastrocnemius muscles. While the range of axonal conduction velocities for slow- (contraction time > 45 msec) and fast-twitch units overlapped, the mean conduction velocity for the slow-twitch group was significantly lower. No difference could be found between the axonal conduction velocities of the fast non-fatiguing and fast fatiguing units. Within individual experiments, few significant correlations were found between conduction velocity and tetanic tension or contraction time for the fast- and slow-twitch units. Some correlations did appear when data from these populations were pooled, but such results are shown to be misleading. Some weak correlations were found between motor unit contraction strength and twitch contraction time. The rate of rise of isometric force development was found to be most strongly related to tetanic tension and only weakly related to contraction time. The ordering of motor units according to contraction strength reveals the association of motor unit mechanical properties to be ideally suited for the dual role of medial gastrocnemius as a postural and powerful phasic muscle.
Dual-Task Performance and Visual Attention Switching:

Four factors were manipulated to assess the possible performance decrements caused by concurrent performance of a visual and an auditory task. For the visual task, memory load and the degree of attentional switching were manipulated. The nature of the memoric information and the intelligibility of the speech signal in the auditory task were also manipulated. The level of single-task performance was compared with the performance of the same task under dual-task conditions to determine which factor lead to the greatest dual-task decrement. The results demonstrate that memory load and the nature of the memory representation had little effect on the performance of a concurrent task. Visual attention switching had a large effect on the amount of dual-task decrement.
Comments on "Lumped parameter electromechanics of electret transducers"

Certain statements in the above paper are argued and equations governing the slot effect transducers are discussed.
Estimating Corridor Travel Time by Using Transit Vehicles as Probes

A corridor approach to travel-time estimates by using transit vehicles as probes is presented. These estimates increase the information density along the corridor, compared with use of only probe information at specified points. Speed estimates are provided that track the significant changes identified in inductance-loop data, but the estimate of the speed appears to be conservative. Comparison of instantaneous travel times, often used for real-time applications, and travel time computed by using a corridor speed surface indicates that the instantaneous travel times have a delay in tracking changes in the corridor and have higher maximum travel time.
Accelerator mass spectrometry solutions to semiconductor problems

Abstract A 2.5 MV Tandetron based accelerator mass spectrometry system has been used to measure several impurities (B, Cr, P, Ge, As, Sb and Au) in Si, GaAs and/or HgCdTe semiconductor samples. Modifications of the Cs ion source and sample holder have been made to reduce the introduction of impurities into the system, and this has allowed detection limits of 0.1 parts per billion atomic to be reached in some cases. Depth profiles of simple semiconductor structures have also been performed. A comparison of this method to more conventional analytical techniques such as SIMS is discussed.
More than shelter: activism and community in San Francisco public housing

In the 1980s and 1990s, seminal studies by scholars such as Lawrence Vale, Arnold Hirsch, Kenneth Jackson, and Tom Sugrue demonstrated the role of public housing in profoundly segregated American c...
Lactate as a Hemodynamic Marker in the Critically Ill

Purpose of reviewAn early quantitative resuscitation strategy improves outcome in critically ill patients. The hemodynamic endpoints of such a strategy have been a topic of debate in the literature. This review focuses on the use of lactate as a marker for risk stratification, lactate clearance as a
The action of leucogenenol on human lymphoblastoid and murine leukemic cells in tissue culture.

SummaryIt has been found that the addition of leucogenenol to a medium in which lymphoblastoid or leukemic cells of mice are growing increases the respiratory quotient and the rate of replication of the cells. It would appear therefore that leucogenenol's known activity in the animal is due to a direct action of leucogenenol on the blood cells.The fact that leucogenenol is normally present in liver tissue suggests that leucogenenol plays a role in the normal growth and regulation of blood cells in the body.
Findings on brain MRI from research studies of occupational exposure to known neurotoxicants

OBJECTIVE. The expanding use of MRI in large-scale epidemiologic studies of CNS outcomes has led to increasing concern for the consistent handling of incidental findings. Our purpose is to identify the prevalence of incidental neuroradiologic abnormalities in an adult population with past occupational exposure to lead who underwent brain MRI as part of a large, longitudinal cohort study.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Structural MR images obtained for the research study were reviewed by a neuroradiologist on an ongoing basis for findings of clinical concern. The subjects were recruited as part of a longitudinal research study designed to examine the effects of past lead exposure on CNS structures. The cohort examined consisted of 589 men who previously worked at an organolead manufacturing facility and had a wide range of lead exposure durations and intensities. MR images were also reviewed from 67 population-based control subjects from the same study who had no history of occupational lead exposure.RESULTS. Incid...
Effects of external reward on paired associate learning in a group setting

Abstract A study was conducted to determine the effects of external reward in the form of prizes on the performance of college students in a paired-associate learning task in which subjects were asked to recall a real word associated with a nonsense word. Two groups, one of whom was offered a prize, received the S-R pairs with no aid (no mediators); and two groups, one of whom was offered a prize, received the S-R pairs with a sentence-pictorial aid mediator. Results of two-way ANOVA supported the hypothesis that the No Prize/Aided and No Prize/NonAided groups would exhibit performance of higher quality than the groups offered prizes. The dependent measure was number of correct responses over six trials.
Studying low-literate consumers through experimental methods: Implications for subsistence marketplaces

Abstract This paper examines the challenges involved in the design and administration of experiments with low-literate adults in business research, and derives implications for subsistence marketplaces. A brief review of the research methods used for studying low-literate adults in business, as well as other fields such as anthropology, sociology, behavioral economics, education, and health, suggests the lack of experimental approaches. Traditional experiments that employ literate adults are compared with those that employ low-literate adults. Using this review and authors' experiences spanning over a decade, the paper develops insights for using experimental methods to study subsistence marketplaces.
Reference collections, reference services, and the change from text to technology

The transition from printed to digital versions of reference works has important consequences not only for those materials as collections of resources, but also for the ways in which libraries select and use those materials. Users are attracted by the benefits of online tools: remote access, around the clock access, access to multiple copies, and improved searching features. Librarians are aware of the drawbacks: the absence of some content, technical complexity, higher costs, and risks that arise when leased access replaces ownership. Database purchasing decisions may bypass the expertise of subject bibliographers, while aggregators, consortia and grant‐makers play new roles in defining the content of library collections. The technical and mechanical problems associated with databases present new challenges to reference desk staff, and introduce systems staff as partners. Successful engagement with change includes an appreciation of users’ expectations, and a positive attitude.
Redefining Diversity: Political Responses to the Post-PICS Environment.

This article examines the federal and local political response to the Parents Involved decision. At the federal level, developments suggest a reaction to Parents Involved that, since President Obama has taken office, has been largely supportive of voluntary efforts to promote racial diversity. The administration has also been seeking to enforce more traditional race-based civil rights cases. Locally, even though reactions to the decision are as varied as the districts themselves, three broad categories of political responses emerge from our review of post–Parents Involved student assignment policies. They are the adoption of multifactor student assignment plans, the adoption of class-based (e.g., race-neutral) student assignments, and the elimination of efforts to pursue diversity. This article is particularly interested in examining the first two categories of responses. In doing so, we argue that some school districts are pursuing a redefined conceptualization of diversity in a challenging legal and pol...
The neurobiology of anhedonia and other reward-related deficits

Anhedonia, or markedly diminished interest or pleasure, is a hallmark symptom of major depression, schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Over the past three decades, the clinical definition of anhedonia has remained relatively unchanged, although cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience have expanded our understanding of other reward-related processes. Here, we review the neural bases of the construct of anhedonia that reflects deficits in hedonic capacity and also closely linked to the constructs of reward valuation, decision-making, anticipation and motivation. The neural circuits subserving these reward-related processes include the ventral striatum, prefrontal cortical regions, and afferent and efferent projections. An understanding of anhedonia and other reward-related constructs will facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of disorders that include reward deficits as key symptoms.
Immunity to latent viral infection: many skirmishes but few fatalities.

Abstract During early childhood, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) can establish a latent infection in sensory neurons, which then serves as a reservoir of the virus during recurrent disease. Accordingly, recurrent herpetic disease appears to result primarily from the reactivation of latent virus and its transport down nerve axons to the periphery, rather than from exogenous re-infection. Eradicating latent HSV-1 from sensory neurons is not currently feasible but recent findings implicating host immunity in maintaining HSV-1 in a latent state provide promise for immunological intervention in recurrent herpetic disease. We propose, and provide supporting evidence, for the concept that CD8 + T cells regulate HSV-1 gene expression during latency.
Energy based approach for crack initiation and propagation in viscoelastic solid

Abstract The development of simple and computationally efficient analytical models for predicting the time-dependent initiation and propagation of cracks in linear viscoelastic materials is of paramount importance in practical structural design using polymeric materials. A crack tip model similar to that of Schapery is adapted (R. A. Schapery, A theory of crack initiation and growth in viscoelastic media I. Theoretical development. International Journal of Fracture, 1975, 11(1), 141–159), in which the failure zone is assumed to be of highly-damaged material preceding the physical crack tip. In the spirit of Wnuk's total energy release formulation of elasto-plastic solid (M. P. Wnuk, Subcritical growth of fracture (inelastic fatigue). International Journal of Fracture Mechanics, 1971, 7(4), 383–407), the theoretical expression for the total energy release rate of viscoelastic materials has been derived through the application of the correspondence principle. The derived theory has been applied to three specific case studies: (i) an infinite plate with central crack subjected to remote tension, (ii) an edge crack in a semi-infinite plate subjected to a pair of equal and opposite concentrated forces, and (iii) a pre-notched three-point bending beam. The significance of the influence of the plastic energy dissipation (due to viscoelasticity) on the crack initiation and propagation in these three cases has been examined and discussed in this paper.
274: Cumulative Incidence and Pattern of Adverse Events in the First 60 Days Post Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

this might guide VAD selection in bridge-to-transplant (BTT) patients. Methods and Materials: Thirty-four patients implanted between 2001 and 2007 had both preand post-VAD PRA data available. We compared sensitization rates between pulsatile and CF devices. Sensitization was defined as either an absolute PRA or an increase in PRA 10% by cytotoxicity or class I or II flow cytometry. One Heartmate II, four VentrAssist, and fifteen Jarvik 2000 patients comprised the CF group. The pulsatile group included two Heartmate XVE, seven Novacor, and five Thoratec pVAD patients. Groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Patients in each group had similar rates of pre-VAD sensitization. Sensitization rates post-VAD did not differ significantly between pulsatile and CF VADs. Gender did not impact preor post-VAD sensitization. In BTT patients, the average time to cardiac transplant was significantly shorter for the CF VADs (mean 81 61d, n 16) as compared to the pulsatile VADs (mean 205 119d, n 8, p 0.007). Conclusions: Sensitization rates were similar in patients with pulsatile and CF VADs. Despite this, CF VADs were associated with a significantly shorter average time to cardiac transplant. Our data suggest that sensitization should not be a deciding factor in selecting a pulsatile or a CF device. Factors other than sensitization may contribute to decreased time to transplant in CF VAD patients, which may improve post-transplant outcomes.
The Utilization of Wheat and Wheat By-Products in Feeding Young Chickens V. Protein Supplements for Ground Wheat

Abstract ACCORDING to the work of McCollum, et al (1916), the wheat kernel contains protein of suitable quality to promote nearly normal growth in rats, when supplemented with adequate salts and the fat-soluble vitamin, although reproduction was not normal until the protein was modified by the addition of casein. Osborne and Mendel (1919) concluded that, for maintenance, the proteins of the wheat kernel are nearly as good as casein or edestin, and are superior to gliadin, which is deficient in certain essential amino acids, but they are supplemented by glutenin. Gliadin and glutenin are the two principal proteins of wheat, which also contains small amounts of globulin, albumin, and proteose. Osborne and Mendel confirmed the findings of McCollum, that the entire protein of wheat is adequate for normal growth in rats, if eaten in sufficient amounts (whole wheat 92 percent or 10 percent wheat protein in the ration); but according to . . .
TH‐D‐332‐02: Semi‐Automatic Medical Image Segmentation with Adaptive Local Statistics in Conditional Random Field Framework

Purpose: We report on a semi‐automatic method of CTimage segmentation to improve productivity and consistency in delineating normal dose‐limitingtissues for radiation treatment planning. Method and Materials: The approach combines interactive expert user guidance through a probabilistic framework and a fast graph partition algorithm for volumetric image segmentation. With an intuitive graphical interface, the user indicates samples of object and background tissue by loosely drawing a few brush strokes on the image, which provide statistical input for a Conditional Random Field (CRF) based segmentation. We show that boundary statistics provided on a few 2D slices can be propagated through the entire 3D stack of images without using the geometric correspondence between images. In addition, CRF based segmentation can be formulated as a graph partition problem which has a solution that is both globally optimal and fast. We compare our proposed method and other segmentation methods in analytical phantom and with manual expert segmentations (ground truth) in a clinical liver case. Results: The phantom study shows the method to be less sensitive to imagenoise and requiring less human input than previous graph partition methods. In liver, our method achieves 98% precision (=TP/(TP+FP) where TP (true positive) is the number of segmented liver voxels in ground truth liver, and FP=false positive) and 90% recall rate (sensitivity) compared to 90% precision and 90% recall rate using level‐sets and 96% precision and 89% recall using region growing. Average computation time per slice is 6 seconds. Conclusion: The liveranalysis shows that boundary statistics from a single slice can be reused for the entire image stack without retraining to achieve high accuracy. Compared to the earlier graph cut method, time required for manual interaction is significantly reduced. This is clinically important particularly for fast and accurate segmentation of large anatomic volumes.
Judgmental Error in Intensive Care Practice

Clinical judgment and its sources of error are inves tigated by studying the clinician's use of mental strate gies, heuristics, and biases. I review these findings, which have been obtained by analyzing medical judg ment in nonintensive care settings, with emphasis on appropriate applications for the intensivist. Particularly important in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting are sources of judgmental error introduced by using hy pothesis-driven reasoning and by attempting to intu itively mimic probabilistic reasoning. Such mental short- cuts are intended to aid the clinician, but are potential hindrances if misused. During ICU decision making, cer tain tendencies toward error are accentuated and must be recognized and guarded against. Conversely the in tensivist's valid judgments can best be defended if the context and constraints of ICU decision making are well understood. I analyze those tendencies and contexts shown to be important to intensive care and review opportunities to improve both the practic...
Gonadal steroids and salivary IgA in healthy young women and men.

Empirical evidence from clinical, nonhuman animal, and in vitro studies point to links between immune function and gonadal steroids, including potential androgenic immunosuppression and estrogenic immunoenhancement. This study was designed to test links between steroids and one marker of mucosal humoral immunity—immunoglobulin A (IgA) in healthy individuals, to facilitate comparisons with other species and clinical populations, as there are few existing studies with healthy humans that also allow gender/sex investigations. Participants (86 women, 91 men) provided a saliva sample for measurement of testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and IgA. Results showed that E2 was significantly and positively correlated with IgA in women, and group analyses by E2 quartile showed that this association was linear. No significant correlations or nonlinear associations were seen between T and IgA in men or women, or E2 and IgA in men. Evidence from this study indicates that IgA and E2 are significantly associated in healthy premenopausal women. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Attribute-Based Access Control Models and Beyond

This talk will provide a perspective on attribute-based access control (ABAC). The ongoing authorization leap from rights to attributes offers numerous compelling benefits. Decisions about user, subject, object and context attributes can be made relatively independently and with suitable decentralization appropriate for each attribute. Policies can be formulated by security architects to translate from attributes to rights. Dynamic elements can be built into these policies so the outcomes of access control decisions automatically adapt to changing local and global circumstances. On the benefits side this leap is a maturation of authorization matching the needs of emerging cyber technologies and systems. On the risks side devolving attribute management may lead to attributes of questionable provenance and value, with attendant possibility of new channels for social engineering and malware attacks. We argue that the potential benefits will lead to pervasive deployment of attribute-based access control, and more generally attribute-based security. The cyber security research community has a responsibility to develop models, theories and systems which enable safe and chaos-free deployment of ABAC. This is a current grand challenge.
Career Quest: An Innovative Student Organization Designed to Meet the Needs of "Deciding" Students

The Career Quest organization was created in response to the large number of students who are unsure about their academic major and career goals. The state of being a "deciding" student, previously known as "undecided," has yet to be truly understood and is often overlooked as a significant issue. As Career Center employees, we have personally experienced the prevalence of and the considerable needs of "deciding" students on campus. More concrete evidence was provided by the recent mailing we received with names of 1800 students on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus who have an undeclared major. This did not include the many students who have declared a major, yet are undecided about their goals. A recent study found that over 77 percent of all freshmen and sophomores are undecided (Rayman, 1993). These students often feel as though they are alone, yet research and statistics demonstrate that they are the majority. Students may receive pressure from parents, college advisors, counselors, teachers, peers and themselves to make a decision about their major and career goals upon entering college (Grites, 1981). They often perceive being "undecided" as negative, viewing themselves as inadequate compared to their peers who "know exactly what they are going to do with the rest of their lives" (Grites, 1981, p. 43). Research has found some personality characteristic correlates to "undecided" status including anxiety, lack of identity, external locus of control
Hydrolysis effects on the molecular weight degradation of condensation polymers as estimated from their prior drying condition

A simple model has been developed to evaluate the potential random degradation of hydrolyzable polymers as a function of water remaining after drying but prior to processing. Molecular weight retention was found to be dependent on the initial molecular weight of the polymer as well as the hydrolysis efficiency, but independent of polymer crystallinity. At the same water content and hydrolysis efficiency, the model indicated that higher molecular weight polymers would be expected to yield a more significant molecular weight reduction. The potential degradation of hydrolyzable condensation polymers was also estimated from drying conditions recommended by producer companies. The results calculated from the hydrolysis model were in most instances consistent with producer company recommended drying conditions. A review of the literature also found that while the sensitivity of nylons to hydrolysis decreases with moisture content, nylon 6/6 specifically can sometimes increase in brittleness and viscosity to an unacceptable level after drying below a critical moisture content. Thus nylon 6/6 was found to have a preferred range of moisture content for optimum processing. The need for a test method to evaluate hydrolysis efficiency for hydrolyzable polymers was also discussed. Such a standard could be important in the practical evaluation of new materials developed to minimize hydrolysis susceptibility.
Pediatric and adult thoracic trauma: Age-related impact on presentation and outcome

Abstract To assess the impact of age on presentation and outcome, 2,415 cases involving blunt and penetrating thoracic trauma over an 8-year period were reviewed retrospectively from a single level I trauma center. Of the 2,073 patients alive on arrival, 79 were 12 years of age or less (children), 137 were 13 to 17 years of age (adolescent), 1,742 were 18 to 59 years of age (adults), and 115 were 60 years of age or more (elderly). Chi-square analysis was performed relative to presentation (blunt versus penetrating), need for thoracotomy, and hospital mortality. Although blunt thoracic trauma comprised 64 / 79 of children (81%) and 90 / 115 of the elderly (78%), penetrating thoracic trauma was more common for adolescents 79 / 137 (58%) and adults 1013 / 1742 (58%) ( p p
Van der Waals and Capillary Adhesion of Microelectromechanical Systems

Interfacial adhesion is an important factor in determining the performance and reliability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Van der Waals dispersion forces are the dominant adhesion mechanism in the low relative humidity (RH) regime. At small roughness values, adhesion is mainly due to van der Waals dispersion forces acting across extensive non-contacting areas and is related to 1/Dave 2 , where Dave is the average surface separation. These contributions must be considered due to the close proximity of the surfaces, which is a result of the planar deposition technology. At large roughness values, van der Waals forces at contacting asperities become the dominating contributor to the adhesion. Capillary condensation of water has a significant effect on rough surface adhesion in the moderate to high RH regime. Above a threshold RH, which is a function of the surface roughness, the adhesion jumps due to meniscus formation at the interface and increases rapidly towards the upper limit of Γ=2 γcos θ=144 mJ/m2 , where γ is the liquid surface energy and θ is the contact angle.© 2006 ASME
Threats to Life in Residential Structure Fires

Introduction. Firefighters are taught that heat, oxygen deprivation, andcarbon monoxide (CO) are the primary threats to life in residential structure fires, andthey are taught to search for victims on the fire floor first, andthen floors above. The objective of this study was to gather data regarding oxygen, CO, andheat conditions inside a realistic house fire, to examine the validity of these teachings. Methods. During six live-burn training evolutions in a two-story wood-frame house, metering for oxygen levels, CO levels, andtemperature was conducted. Except where noted, all readings were taken 24 inches off the floor, to simulate the location of a crawling victim or firefighter. Readings were hand-recorded on a convenience basis by firefighters stationed outside the building, near the meters. Results. Of the 35 oxygen levels recorded, the lowest was 18.2%, with only 12 readings below 20%. Three of 16 first-floor readings were below 20%, whereas nine of 19 second-floor readings were below 20% (p = 0.07)...
Rifaximin versus Other Antibiotics in the Primary Treatment and Retreatment of Bacterial Overgrowth in IBS

Purpose Previous studies demonstrate improvement in IBS after antibiotic therapy, with the greatest efficacy seen with the antibiotic, rifaximin. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of rifaximin in both the treatment and retreatment of IBS.
Scintillator characterization using the LBL pulsed X-ray facility

Abstract We have developed a bench-top pulsed X-ray system for measuring scintillation properties of compounds in crystalline or powdered form. The source is a light-excited X-ray tube that produces 40 X-ray photons (mean energy 18.5 keV) per steradian in each 100 pps fwhm pulse. The repetition rate is adjustable from 0 to 107 pulses per second. The fluorescent emanations from the X-ray excited samples are detected with either a sapphire-windowed microchannel plate photomultiplier tube (spectral range 150–650 nm, transit time jitter 40 ps fwhm) or a quartz-windowed GaAs(Cs) photomultiplier tube (spectral range 160–930 nm, transit time jitter 4 ns fwhm). Decay curves are acquired using a TDC having 40 ps fwhm resolution over an 84 ms dynamic range. A computer controlled monochromator can be inserted into the optical path to measure the emission spectrum or wavelength resolved decay time. A computer-controlled sample changer allows up to 64 samples to be measured without intervention.
A fast computer algorithm for finding the permanent of adjacency matrices

A fast computer algorithm is described which brings computation of the permanents of sparse matrices, specifically, chemical adjacency matrices, within the reach of a desktop computer. Examples and results are presented, along with a discussion of the relationship of the permanent to the Kekule structure count. Also presented is a C-language implementation which was deliberately written for ease of translation into other high-level languages.
Glutathione-dependent metabolism of the antitumor agent sulofenur. Evidence for the formation of p-chlorophenyl isocyanate as a reactive intermediate.

The antitumor agent sulofenur (LY186641), which has shown promising activity against a wide range of cancers, causes hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia at dose-limiting toxicities. The antitumor and toxicological mechanism(s) of action of the drug is (are) not well understood, but unlike other antineoplastic agents, sulofenur does not interfere with DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis, or with polynucleotide function. In the present study, we evaluated the hypothesis that sulofenur undergoes bioactivation in vivo to generate p-chlorophenyl isocyanate (CPIC), which could carbamoylate biological macromolecules directly or form a conjugate with glutathione (GSH) which would serve as a latent form of CPIC. The objectives of this study, therefore, were to determine if the GSH and N-acetylcysteine conjugates of CPIC were excreted into bile and urine, respectively, after an i.p. dose of sulofenur to rats. In addition, the chemical stability and thiol exchange properties of these S-linked conjugates were determined. The results of this study indicate that sulofenur does undergo metabolism in vivo to yield the GSH conjugate of CPIC, and that this conjugation reaction is reversible and subject to thiol exchange in buffered aqueous solution (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C). In contrast, sulofenur itself was stable under these same conditions, even in the presence of GSH and glutathione-S-transferase (GST), thus raising the possibility that bioactivation of sulofenur is necessary for liberation of CPIC. These findings suggest that the generation of this isocyanate in vivo and subsequent carbamoylation of biological macromolecules may play a role in the toxicity and/or antitumor activity of sulofenur and related diarylsulfonylureas.
Receptor Signaling Lymphocyte-activation Molecule Family 1 (Slamf1) Regulates Membrane Fusion and NADPH Oxidase 2 (NOX2) Activity by Recruiting a Beclin-1/Vps34/Ultraviolet Radiation Resistance-associated Gene (UVRAG) Complex

Phagocytosis is a pivotal process by which macrophages eliminate microorganisms upon recognition by pathogen sensors. Surprisingly, the self-ligand cell surface receptor Slamf1 functions not only as a co-stimulatory molecule but also as a microbial sensor of several Gram-negative bacteria. Upon entering the phagosome of macrophages Slamf1 induces production of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, which positively regulates the activity of the NOX2 enzyme and phagolysosomal maturation. Here, we report that in Escherichia coli-containing phagosomes of mouse macrophages, Slamf1 interacts with the class III PI3K Vps34 in a complex with Beclin-1 and UVRAG. Upon phagocytosis of bacteria the NOX2 activity was reduced in macrophages isolated from Beclin-1(+/-) mice compared with wild-type mice. This Slamf1/Beclin-1/Vps34/UVRAG protein complex is formed in intracellular membrane compartments as it is found without inducing phagocytosis in macrophages, human chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells, and transfectant HEK293 cells. Elimination of its cytoplasmic tail abolished the interaction of Slamf1 with the complex, but deletion or mutation of the two ITAM motifs did not. Both the BD and CCD domains of Beclin-1 were required for efficient binding to Slamf1. Because Slamf1 did not interact with Atg14L or Rubicon, which can also form a complex with Vps34 and Beclin-1, we conclude that Slamf1 recruits a subset of Vps34-associated proteins, which is involved in membrane fusion and NOX2 regulation.
Duplication and triplication of der(21)t(8;21)(q22;q22) in acute myeloid leukemia

We report on two patients with complicons resulting in duplication der(21)t(8;21)(q22;q22), triplication in the form of isochromosome of der(21)t(8;21), and four copies of ETO-AML1 fusion. Duplication of der(21) was present at diagnosis as a minor cell population in one patient, while the presence of isoderivative (21)t(8;21) characterized the relapse cells of the second patient. Due to the rarity of these cases, literature search of other reported cases of complicons may be taken as evidence that duplication and triplication of ETO-AML1 may be a poor prognostic indicator, regardless of whether it is present at diagnosis or relapse.
Adaptive noise cancellation in neuromagnetic measurement systems

The noise spectrum of a superconducting second-derivative gradiometer has been investigated in an urban environment. Data have been acquired from the gradiometer with three orthogonal accelerometers and a triaxial fluxgate magnetometer attached to the dewar. These data have been analyzed by using signal processing techniques, primarily an adaptive noise canceller, to reduce noise in the gradiometer data. Results shown here indicate that the environmental noise and/or the dewar motion noise can be reduced as much as 40 dB in noise power. It is also shown, in the case of poor signal-to-noise ratio (S/N∼1), that a 10 Hz sine wave can be extracted. This technique not only shows promise for noise reduction, but also aids in the identification of noise signals which might be misconstrued as part of the evoked response. Analysis of data containing evoked response is now underway.
INITIAL RESULTS FROM THE POLAR MAGNETIC FIELDS INVESTIGATION

Abstract The POLAR magnetic field investigation was designed to provide a high temporal resolution and high sensitivity measurement of the magnetic field along the POLAR orbit from perigee at 2 R E to apogee at 9 R E . The objectives of the investigation include probing the field aligned currents that couple the solar wind interaction and the tail dynamics to the auroral ionosphere. The launch of the spacecraft on February 24, 1966 was nominal and the turn on of the instruments very successful. Comparisons with Tsyganenko's 1995 model of the external current systems show that at quiet times it reproduces the field well. POLAR is clearly observing the field aligned current systems and the ring current. On one occasion when the IMF was strongly northward and the solar wind dynamic pressure stronger than usual the high altitude, high latitude magnetosphere became filled with magnetosheath type plasma. This event was probably an encounter with the polar cusp near the cusp-magnetosheath interface.
EPA-1372 – Neuroplastic changes in bipolar disorder

Background It is increasingly recognised that brain structure and function show experience dependent modification throughout our lifespan. The current presentation summarizes four lines of evidence regarding brain plasticity in bipolar Disorder. Methods We present data on brain plasticity changes in BD inferred from behavioural, cognitive and neuroimaging data. Results (a) We defined the first empirically derived staging classification of BD based on two underlying dimensions, one for illness severity and another for cognitive function. We identified a good and poor functional outcome groups defined by the degree of impairment in inhibitory control, density of episodes and level of residual depressive symptoms; (b) We derived a cognitive typology of patients with BD which was robustly replicated in three independent patient samples. Patients could be classified in three groups with poor (20–30% of the samples), normal (50% of the samples) and higher (20–30%) cognitive performance across multiple domains, (c) We are developing diagnostic tools for the assessment of individual patients based on their structural and functional neuroimaging data. This work is still in development but our initial results suggest that we can achieve diagnostic accuracy of approximately 80%, (d) We have analysed longitudinal data from a sample of 2200 Dutch youth assessed at aged 11, 13,16 and 19 and we have mapped individual trajectories to disease expression in BD based on the CBCL-MS new scale for the identification of subclinical manic symptoms. Conclusions Our data demonstrate a range of approaches that can be used to examine brain plasticity in BD.
Case Report Pasteurella multocida empyema: case report and review of the literature

A case report and review of 13 cases of Pasteurella multocida empyema in the English literature demonstrate the apparent increased pathogenicity of this organism in patients with chronic lung disease. The infections were marked by their indolence, minimal febrility, blood-tinged pleural fluid, and predilection for the elderly. The was no characteristic roentgenographic pattern. Animal exposure commonly preceded the illnesses. It is postulated that the disease occurs in patients with impaired pulmonary defenses who acquire the organism via the inhalation of infectious droplets aerosolized from the oropharynx of animals where P multocida is part of the normal flora. Although most isolates were penicillin sensitive, there was significant mortality.
Indeterminate fine-needle aspiration of the breast. Image analysis-assisted diagnosis.

BACKGROUND. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the breast, although effective for the diagnosis of breast carcinoma, has a significant drawback. A minority of cases cannot be classified as benign or malignant. These FNAs are assigned an inconclusive diagnosis, often prompting surgical biopsy. Surgery is justified in some of these cases, but many of these lesions are benign. If these inconclusive FNAs could be accurately diagnosed as benign or malignant, many of these patients might avoid having to undergo surgical biopsy. METHODS. An image analysis and an automated learning system that was developed at the University of Wisconsin (Xcyt) was used to categorize 56 (37 benign and 19 malignant) breast FNAs diagnosed as indeterminate and the computer diagnosis compared with the surgical biopsy. For each case, an operator chose a group of cells within a single field on the FNA slide and digitized this image using a video camera. The outline of each nucleus was manually outlined, and the exact border was delineated by the computer. Based on the analysis of three nuclear features (area, texture, and smoothness), the Xcyt system computed a benign or malignant diagnosis and a corresponding probability of malignancy for each case. RESULTS. Probabilities of malignancy for the respective cases ranged from 0.0-1.0. Benign cases were defined as those having probabilities of malignancy < 0.3; those with probabilities above this limit were considered malignant. Using these criteria, the computer identified 33 cases as benign and 23 cases as malignant. When compared with the surgical biopsy, 42 of the cases (75%) were correctly classified with a sensitivity and specificity of 73.7% and 75.7%, respectively. There were only 5 false-negative cases with a false-negative rate of 13.5% and a predictive value of a negative test of 84.8%. CONCLUSIONS. When faced with inconclusive diagnoses on FNAs of breast masses, the authors believe that image analysis may be used as an aid in the further classification of such lesions, thereby providing a more appropriate triage for surgical biopsy.
Chemical Equilibrium and Critical Phenomena: The Solubilities of Iron(III) Oxide and Cobalt(II,III) Oxide in Isobutyric Acid + Water Near the Consolute Point

The solubilities of iron(III) oxide, formula Fe2O3, and cobalt(II,III) oxide, formula Co3O4, have been determined in the liquid mixture, isobutyric acid + water, along the critical isopleth at temperatures above the upper critical solution temperature near 299 K. When plotted in van’t Hoff form with ln s versus 1/T, the measurements of solubility, s, lie on a straight line for values of the temperature, T, in kelvin, which are sufficiently in excess of the critical solution temperature, Tc. The sign of the slope, (∂ ln s/∂(1/T)), indicates that in the case of both oxides, the dissolution reaction is endothermic. When the temperature is within 1K of Tc, however, the slope departs from its constant value and appears to diverge toward negative infinity. The principle of critical-point universality predicts that a divergence in (∂ ln s/∂(1/T)) is to be expected for T near Tc in those cases where the stoichiometry of the dissolution reaction involves both components of the solvent; moreover, the Gibbs–Helmholtz equation predicts that, if the heat of solution is endothermic, the sign of the divergence should be negative. Both of these predictions are confirmed by the solubilities of Fe2O3 and Co3O4 measured as a function of temperature along the critical isopleth of isobutyric acid + water.
Abnormal sexual development in transgenic mice chronically expressing müllerian inhibiting substance.

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS), also known as anti-Mullerian hormone, is a glycoprotein normally secreted by the Sertoli cells of the fetal and adult testis and by granulosa cells of the postnatal ovary. The production of MIS in the male fetus brings about the regression of the Mullerian ducts, the anlagen of the uterus, oviducts, and upper vagina. In addition, purified MIS induces the formation of seminiferous cord-like structures in fetal rat ovaries cultured in vitro, suggesting that MIS may influence testicular differentiation. We have produced transgenic mice chronically expressing human MIS under the control of the mouse metallothionein-1 promoter to investigate its role during sexual development. In females, chronic expression led to the inhibition of Mullerian duct differentiation, resulting in a blind vagina and no uterus or oviducts. At birth the ovaries had fewer germ cells than normal; during the next two weeks germ cells were lost and the somatic cells became organized into structures resembling seminiferous tubules. Apparently, these structures degenerate as they are undetectable in adult females. The majority of transgenic males developed normally. But in two lines with the highest levels of MIS expression, some males showed feminization of the external genitalia, impairment of Wolffian duct development, and undescended testes. These results suggest that MIS has several distinct roles in mammalian sexual development.