cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement of adenosine and inosine in heart samples by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Abstract Adenosine and inosine are sensitive indicators of myocardial hypoxia. Previously reported methods for measurement of the low concentrations of these nucleosides have either been cumbersome or require dual wavelength spectrophotometry. With our method concentrations in samples of heart were determined by ultraviolet absorbance following separation by reverse phase high pressure liquid chromatography. Trichloroacetic acid extracts of a minimum of 15 mg of tissue were treated with a strong anion exchange resin (Dowex-1) and then injected directly onto the column. The initial solvent was 4 m m KH2PO4 (pH 7.3) and the nucleosides were sequentially eluted using a linear gradient consisting of 80% CH3OH: 20% H2O against the initial solvent. Absorbance was measured at 260 nm. The nucleosides were quantitated by relating the areas under the peaks to an AMP standard peak of known concentration. This technique combines high nucleoside recovery (> 90% for adenosine and inosine), high sensitivity (20 pmol), and high reproducibility with rapid separation and detection (
Attitude Similarity and Attraction: The Predictability of a Stranger's Attitudes

Summary Attribution theory raises the possibility that findings of a direct linear relationship between attitude similarity and interpersonal attraction are mediated by the predictability of the other's attitudes and behaviors. In a nonexperimental study, 288 subjects predicted the attitudes of a stranger and compared his attitudes to their own. Findings showed that attitude similarity was directly related to attraction only when subjects were unable to predict the stranger's attitudes. At high levels of predictive accuracy, however, attitude similarity was inversely related to attraction. It is suggested that theoretical statements which link attitude similarity to interpersonal attraction have failed to specify necessary mediating conditions, and that exchange of attitudes and other sentiments permits individuals partially to predict and control social interaction.
Latex agglutination for rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus recovered from selective media.

The accuracy of combining latex agglutination with selective media for the identification of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was determined. Test strains were identified by latex agglutination on blood agar, the heat-stable thermonuclease test and broth microdilution MICs of oxacillin and included 97 MRSA, 56 methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus aureus, 52 methicillin resistant, and 49 methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus species. Isolates were grown on trypticase-soy agar with 5 % sheep red blood cells (TSAB), Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA), mannitol-salt agar (MSA), and four media designed for the selective growth of MRSA: TSAB with clindamycin and gentamicin, MHA with oxacillin, MSA with oxacillin, and lipovitellin-salt-mannitol agar (LVSM) with 1 µg oxacillin disks applied. The mean sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for the combination of latex agglutination with selective media for the identification of MRSA was 96 %, 99 % and 98 % respectively.
Apparent fracture toughness of all-ceramic crown systems

Abstract This study measured apparent fracture toughness (K c ) and elastic modulusto-hardness ratio (E/H) of dental restorations made with five all-ceramic crown systems. An indentation technique was used whereby K c was calculated from the length of radial cracks formed on the release of a Vickers Diamond. Twenty-four crowns were made by using five different crown systems: Cerestore, DICOR, Hi-Ceram, Renaissance, and Vitadur-N. After the crowns were fired and glazed, they were embedded, polished, gold-coated, and indented under oil. In addition Knoop indentations were made for E/H calculation. Cerestore had a mean K c of 1.79MPa · m 1/2 and E/H of 13.9, DICOR 2.10 and 26.8, Hi-Ceram 1.96 and 17.8, Renaissance 2.02 and 24.2, and Vitadur-N 1.96 and 22.3. Statistically significant differences ( p 0.05) were found between DICOR and Cerestore materials for K c and between DICOR, Renaissance, and Cerestore materials for E/H. For comparison, previous work found Vita VMK metal ceramic crowns to have a mean K c of 1.91MPa · m 1/2 and E/H of 20.2
E. Joseph Shoben, Jr.: Synthesizer in an Age of Specialization.

E. Joseph Shoben, Jr., a pioneer in the development of counseling, was interviewed about his intellectual and career development, his views of the present and future of counseling, his ideas about several issues in psychotherapy, and his reflections about himself and his career. In addition, several others who know Shoben were interviewed about him.
Constrained network model for predicting densification behavior of composite powders

Inert particles that do not contribute to the densification of a composite powder compact are visualized as located on network sites; the network is defined by the distribution of the particles in the powder matrix. Because the distances between neighboring network sites are not identical, the strain produced by the sintering powder between all inert particle pairs cannot be the same as that for the powder compact without the inert particles. The constrained network model is based on the hypothesis that the densification of the composite will be constrained by the network and will mimic that of the network. The shrinkage of the network, and thus the densification of the composite, is estimated with a periodic network. A distance between the minimum and maximum site pairs within the unit cell defines the distance between site pairs in the random network where the powder between the particles densifies in the same manner as that for the powder without the inert particle. When the particles form a continuous touching network, composite shrinkage and densification is nil. The chosen lattice must also conform to this condition. A simple relation was developed relating the densification behavior of the composite to that of the matrix without the inert particles and the parameter associated with the chosen lattice. By choosing the lattice formed by the tetrakaidecahedron unit cell (volume fraction of particles for a touching network = 0.277), remarkable agreement was achieved for the experimental data concerning the densification behavior of the ZnO/SiC composite system reported by De Jonghe et al. [L. C. De Jonghe, M. N. Rahaman, and C. H. Hsueh, Acta Metall. 34, 1467 (1986)]. The universal nature of this lattice for other composites is discussed with respect to site percolation theory. The application of this concept to powder compacts containing either whiskers or agglomerates is briefly discussed.
A cross-country analysis of divisia variances of quantities and budget shares

Abstract Divisia variances of quantities consumed and budget shares for 105 pairs of countries are analyzed in terms of real-income, relative-price, and residual effects. One result is that luxuries tend to be more expensive relative to necessities in richer countries. The relatively low price of food in rich countries is an important factor for this result.
Surgical management for cardiovascular lesions in Kawasaki disease

Summary Myocardial revascularization is now an accepted therapeutic modality for severe coronary arterial obstructive disease produced by Kawasaki disease which is amenable to usual medical treatment. The mortality rate of myocardial infarction is surprisingly high in this setting, and surgery may be able to prevent many of these deaths. This article focuses on current issues in surgical treatment of ischemic heart disease in children secondary to Kawasaki disease. Coronary arterial obstructive disease is, apparently, a leading problem followed by valvar and myocardial involvements. Introduction of bypass grafting using the internal thoracic artery in children was a major recent advance, because this graft has an excellent capability to adapt to the increments of increased flow and growth of the patient. The saphenous vein is less satisfactory when used as a graft in terms of its long-term patency, particularly in young children less than 8 years old. Although longer follow-up is certainly required, the current results of surgery have been excellent in improving myocardial perfusion, in ameliorating symptoms, and improving the quality of life.
A combinatorial proof of the effective Nullstellensatz

Abstract Let I be an ideal in the affine multi-variate polynomial ring A = K[x1,…,xn]. Beginning with the work of Brownawell, there has been renewed interest in recent years in using the degrees of polynomials which generate I to bound the degree D such that: g ϵ I ⇒ g D ϵ I . This paper will prove the degree bound D using only counting arguments for the ideal I. This provides the first combinatorial proof of the effective Nullstellensatz.
Modeling of the monotonic and cyclic Swift effects using an isotropic, finite viscoplasticity theory based on overstress (FVBO)

The simulation of free-end torsion effects of a tubular specimen using isotropic, FVBO is presented. The limited capability of isotropic formulations to model deformation induced anisotropy is demonstrated. The logarithmic, the Jaumann and the modified Jaumann co-rotational rates are chosen as objective rates. Stress-like state variables should have the same non-zero components as the Cauchy stress to satisfy stress-boundary conditions once equilibrium is reached. This method will be called Case B. However, this is not always practiced. Some papers use different non-zero components. This method will be called Case A. In this paper, two methods are employed to investigate their influence on the free-end torsion behavior. It turns out that numerical experiments according to Method A can only reproduce the loading behavior. Method B can reproduce the cyclic Swift effect qualitatively. The newly introduced logarithmic spin [Acta Mech. 124 (1997) 124 89] had a positive influence on the shape of the curves.
The orbital elements of R Aquarii

Radial velocity information has been collected on R Aquarii since 1946. Various stellar radiating systems have been used to determine the velocity centroid of the long-period variable. These velocity values have been combined and analyzed in an attempt to extract the orbital parameters of the binary star system. The analysis produced an orbital period of 34.6 ± 1.2 yr, an eccentricity of 0.52 ± 0.08, and a projected semimajor axis of 3.5 ± 0.4 AU. If accurate, these values would indicate a Roche lobe overflow at periastron and significant effects on the mass transfer of the system. The accuracy of these results is suspect due to inconsistencies with other parameters of the system.
Ubiquitin ligase activity of TFIIH and the transcriptional response to DNA damage

Core transcription factor (TF) IIH purified from yeast possesses an E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase activity, which resides, at least in part, in a RING finger (RNF) domain of the Ssl1 subunit. Yeast strains mutated in the Ssl1 RNF domain are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light and to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). This increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents does not reflect a deficiency in nucleotide excision repair. Rather, it correlates with reduced transcriptional induction of genes involved in DNA repair, suggesting that the E3 Ub ligase activity of TFIIH mediates the transcriptional response to DNA damage.
Interaction of rising frazil with suspended particles: tank experiments with applications to nature

Abstract Widespread occurrence of sediment-laden (turbid) sea ice and high concentrations of diatoms and foraminifers in ice have recently been reported from both polar regions. Many possible mechanisms of particle entrainment into ice have been postulated, among which scavenging by rising frazil ice and nucleation or adhesion of ice onto suspended particles appear to be the most likely ones. No reliable experimental data on the mechanisms, however, are available. Because of the importance of turbid ice for sediment transport, tanks for laboratory-scale experiments were constructed, in which frazil crystals produced at the base were monitored rising through water column laden with various types of particulate matter, including plankton. Observations made in salt water are reported here. Over a distance of 1.5 m, frazil
Place-Based Income Inequality Clusters in the Rural North Central Region, 1979–2009

This analysis identifies and describes clusters of persistently low and high income inequality for N = 7,353 non-metropolitan block-groups in the western part of the North Central Region. Analysis finds more low inequality than high inequality places in the region, but there are also large numbers of rising inequality places. Lower inequality places are found to have poorer demographic and economic outcomes than higher inequality places, contrary to what is found in the literature. Lower inequality places are also found to be more specialized in traditional agricultural and industrial sectors, while higher inequality places are more specialized in higher skilled services industries.
Some biological properties of desoxycorticosterone glucoside.

The glucoside of desoxycorticosterone (DCG) has been prepared by Miescher, Fischer and Meystre (1942, 1943) and is of considerable interest and possible usefulness because of its water solubility. Such a substance can be given intravenously or if given by other means a faster absorption should be expected than with the commonly used desoxycorticosterone acetate in oil (DCA). DCG is soluble to the extent of 1 per cent under proper temperature conditions in an aqueous solution of 10 per cent acetamide and 10 per cent glucose. We have made and report here semi-quantitative studies on the activity of DCG in rats under various conditions in which DCA is known to be effective. Other work with the compound has appeared (Meier, Gysel and Mueller, 1944; Laszt, 1946; Greep and Deane, 1947; Gross, 1946, 1948; Herrold, et al, 1948; Cosmos, Duell and Gaunt, 1948; Ravault, Pont and Fraisse, 1949). SCOPE AND METHOD OF EXPERIMENTS
Alteration of a nonconserved active site residue in the chemotaxis response regulator CheY affects phosphorylation and interaction with CheZ.

Abstract CheY is a response regulator in the well studied two-component system that mediates bacterial chemotaxis. Phosphorylation of CheY at Asp57 enhances its interaction with the flagellar motor. Asn59 is located near the phosphorylation site, and possible roles this residue may play in CheY function were explored by mutagenesis. Cells containing CheY59NR or CheY59NH exhibited hyperactive phenotypes (clockwise flagellar rotation), and CheY59NR was characterized biochemically. A continuous enzyme-linked spectroscopic assay that monitors Pi concentration was the primary method for kinetic analysis of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. CheY59NR autodephosphorylated at the same rate as wild-type CheY and phosphorylated similarly to wild type with acetyl phosphate and faster (4–14×) with phosphoramidate and monophosphoimidazole. CheY59NR was extremely resistant to CheZ, requiring at least 250 times more CheZ than wild-type CheY to achieve the same dephosphorylation rate enhancement, whereas CheY59NA was CheZ-sensitive. However, several independent approaches demonstrated that CheY59NR bound tightly to CheZ. A submicromolar K d for CheZ binding to CheY59NR-P or CheY·BeF was inferred from fluorescence anisotropy measurements of fluoresceinated-CheZ. A complex between CheY59NR-P and CheZ was isolated by analytical gel filtration, and the elution position from the column was indistinguishable from that of the CheZ dimer. Therefore, we were not able to detect large CheY-P·CheZ complexes that have been inferred using other methods. Possible structural explanations for the specific inhibition of CheZ activity as a result of the arginyl substitution at CheY position 59 are discussed.
The type 8 adenylyl cyclase is critical for Ca2+ stimulation of cAMP accumulation in mouse parotid acini.

Capacitative Ca2+ entry stimulates cAMP synthesis in mouse parotid acini, suggesting that one of the Ca2+-sensitive adenylyl cyclases (AC1 or AC8) may play an important role in the regulation of parotid function (Watson, E. L., Wu, Z., Jacobson, K. L., Storm, D. R., Singh, J. C., and Ott, S. M. (1998) Am. J. Physiol.274, C557–C565). To evaluate the role of AC1 and AC8 in Ca2+ stimulation of cAMP synthesis in parotid cells, acini were isolated from AC1 mutant (AC1-KO) and AC8 mutant (AC8-KO) mice and analyzed for Ca2+ stimulation of intracellular cAMP levels. Although Ca2+ stimulation of intracellular cAMP levels in acini from AC1-KO mice was indistinguishable from wild type mice, acini from AC8-KO mice showed no Ca2+-stimulated cAMP accumulation. This indicates that AC8, but not AC1, plays a major role in coupling Ca2+ signals to cAMP synthesis in parotid acini. Interestingly, treatment of acini from AC8-KO mice with agents,i.e. carbachol and thapsigargin that increase intracellular Ca2+, lowered cAMP levels. This decrease was dependent upon Ca2+ influx and independent of phosphodiesterase activation. Immunoblot analysis revealed that AC5/6 and AC3 are expressed in parotid glands. Inhibition of calmodulin (CaM) kinase II with KN-62, or inclusion of the CaM inhibitor, calmidazolium, did not prevent agonist-induced inhibition of stimulated cAMP accumulation.In vitro studies revealed that Ca2+, independently of CaM, inhibited isoproterenol-stimulated AC. Data suggest that agonist augmentation of stimulated cAMP levels is due to activation of AC8 in mouse parotid acini, and strongly support a role for AC5/6 in the inhibition of stimulated cAMP levels.
Microporosity prediction in aluminum alloy castings

A comprehensive methodology that takes into account solidification, shrinkage-driven interdendritic fluid flow, hydrogen precipitation, and porosity evolution has been developed for the prediction of the microporosity fraction and distribution in aluminum alloy castings. The approach may be used to determine the extent of gas and shrinkage porosity, i.e., the resultant microporosity which occurs due to gas precipitation and that which occurs when solidification shrinkage cannot be compensated for by the interdendritic fluid flow. A solution algorithm in which the local pressure and microporosity are coupled is presented, and details of the implementation methodology are provided. The models are implemented in a computational framework consistent with that of commonly used algorithms for fluid dynamics, allowing a straightforward incorporation into existing commercial software. The results show that the effect of microporosity on the interdendritic fluid flow cannot be neglected. The predictions of porosity profiles are validated by comparison with independent experimental measurements by other researchers on aluminum A356 alloy test castings designed to capture a variety of solidification conditions. The numerical results reproduce the characteristic microporosity profiles observed in the experimental results and also agree quantitatively with the experimentally measured porosity levels. The approach provides an enhanced capability for the design of structural castings.
Improved approximation algorithms for the freeze-tag problem

In the Freeze-Tag Problem, the objective is to awaken a set of "asleep" robots, starting with only one "awake" robot. A robot awakens a sleeping robot by moving to the sleeping robot's position. When a robot awakens, it is available to assist in awakening other slumbering robots. The objective is to compute an optimal awakening schedule/ such that all robots are awake by time t*, for the smallest possible value of t*. Because of its resemblance to the children's game of freeze-tag, this problem has been called Freeze-Tag Problem (FTP).A particularly intriguing aspect of the FTP is that any algorithm that is not purposely unproductive yields an O(log n)-approximation, while no o(log n)-approximation algorithms are known for general metric spaces.This paper presents an O(1)-approximation algorithm for the FTP in unweighted graphs, in which there is one asleep robot at each node. We show that this version of the FTP is NP-hard.We generalize our methods to the case in which there are multiple robots at each node and edges are unweighted; we obtain a θ(∗log n)-approximation in this case. In the case of weighted edges, our methods yield an O((L/d)log n)-approximation algorithm, where L is the length of the longest edge and d is the diameter of the graph.
Intermarriage and ethnicity among European Americans

Increasing intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles is taking place at a time when marriage across lines defined by European ancestry has risen sharply. This paper examines the prevalence and social significance of intermarriage in the white population. Census data are used to establish the extent of intermarriage, and survey data to explore its potential significance. In particular, the paper considers the relationship of marriage to the ethnic identities of the partners and to the desire that children identify in ethnic terms. The findings are argued to reveal significant aspects of the contemporary state of European ethnicity in the U.S. The growth of intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles in America is taking place at a time when marriage across lines defined by European ethnic ancestry has risen sharply. Considerable research effort has been expended on the determinants and consequences of Jewish-Gentile intermarriage, while other kinds of intermarriage have received less attention. Yet if intermarriage among Jews is part of a more general phenomenon, it is doubtful if its implications can be fully comprehended without taking into account the significance of intermarriage in the larger population. In this paper, I seek to address some of the issues concerning intermarriage among Americans of European ancestry, using U.S. census and other national data to establish the prevalence of intermarriage, and survey data collected in the region around Albany, New York to investigate its significance for its participants.
Assessing the Risk of T-cell Malignancies in Mouse Models of SCID-X1

It has long been recognized that severe combined immunodeficiency disorders (SCIDs) are favorable settings for the application of stem cell gene therapy. This genetically heterogeneous group of disorders includes adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency and X-linked SCID (SCID-X1),1 the latter caused by mutations in the common gamma chain (γc) gene, which is required for a broad range of cell signaling events in lymphocytes and their precursors. The strong selective advantage for genetically corrected cells during development circumvents the requirement for high levels of transduction and engraftment, which remains a significant barrier for other blood diseases that lack an in vivo selection mechanism for transduced cells. Pioneering gene therapy trials for SCID-X1 have taken place in France,2,3 the United Kingdom,4 and—for ADA deficiency—Italy5; these have clearly demonstrated the curative potential of this approach. Retroviral vectors derived from the murine leukemia virus (MLV) were used to transfer a normal copy of the diseased gene to autologous CD34+ cells from the infant patient’s bone marrow. After reinfusion of these modified cells, most of the more than 30 treated patients have had full reconstitution of T-cell–mediated immunity, with restoration of B-cell function in fewer, but significant numbers of, cases. However, in both SCID-X1 trials, some patients developed T-cell malignancies that were clearly related to insertional mutagenesis from the integrated vector.6,7,8
Electronic levels and collective excitations in a two-dimensional system with a spatial magnetic field modulation

We investigate the collective excitations of a two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of a periodic and unidirectional spatial modulation of magnetic field. Both frequency and strength of the excitations are obtained via calculating the retarded electron density-density correlation function. The collective excitation spectrum is shown to undergo a dimensional crossover, as either the uniform component of the magnetic field or the modulation amplitude is changed. This crossover should be observable in far-infrared spectroscopy experiments.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The words of Benjamin Franklin have passed the test of time. Several authors have reported an increase in respiratory morbidity in respiratory therapists (RTs) after they enter the profession.[1][1]–[4][2] RTs are exposed to infectious and other aerosols while performing their daily tasks. A few
Reversible Indicators For Alkali Metal Ion Optical Sensors

An indicator system that responds reversibly to alkali metal ion concentrations has been developed. The components of the indicator system include the Cu(II) complex of aqueous polyethylenimine, an anionic fluorophor, and a neutral ionophore immobilized by adsorption on silica particles. In the absence of alkali metal ion, the anionic fluorophor binds to the Cu(II)-polyethylenimine complex where the presence of the paramagnetic Cu(II) ion causes quenching. When an alkali metal ion is present, it complexes with the ionophore forming a hydrophobic cation which binds to some of the anionic fluorophor rendering it fluorescent. The fluorescence of the indicator can be measured through optical fiber resulting in a reversible sensor for alkali metal ions.
Congenital uterine anomalies and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Objective We sought to estimate whether the presence of a maternal uterine anomaly is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Study Design This retrospective cohort study included singleton pregnancies undergoing routine anatomic survey from 1990 through 2008 at a major tertiary care medical center. Pregnancies with a diagnosis of uterine anomaly (uterine septum, unicornuate uterus, bicornuate uterus, uterine didelphys) were compared to those with normal anatomy. Primary outcomes of interest were spontaneous preterm birth (PTB), breech presentation, and cesarean delivery. Results The presence of an anomaly was associated with PTB P P P P P Conclusion Women with a uterine anomaly are at risk for PTB, highlighting an at-risk population that needs additional study for possible interventions for PTB prevention.
Lost in binarization: query-adaptive ranking for similar image search with compact codes

With the proliferation of images on the Web, fast search of visually similar images has attracted significant attention. State-of-the-art techniques often embed high-dimensional visual features into low-dimensional Hamming space, where search can be performed in real-time based on Hamming distance of compact binary codes. Unlike traditional metrics (e.g., Euclidean) of raw image features that produce continuous distance, the Hamming distances are discrete integer values. In practice, there are often a large number of images sharing equal Hamming distances to a query, resulting in a critical issue for image search where ranking is very important. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that facilitates query-adaptive ranking for the images with equal Hamming distance. We achieve this goal by firstly offline learning bit weights of the binary codes for a diverse set of predefined semantic concept classes. The weight learning process is formulated as a quadratic programming problem that minimizes intra-class distance while preserving interclass relationship in the original raw image feature space. Query-adaptive weights are then rapidly computed by evaluating the proximity between a query and the concept categories. With the adaptive bit weights, the returned images can be ordered by weighted Hamming distance at a finer-grained binary code level rather than at the original integer Hamming distance level. Experimental results on a Flickr image dataset show clear improvements from our query-adaptive ranking approach.
Dentists, Allied Professionals with AIDS

With about a million people in the United States infected with HIV, health care providers increasingly will encounter infected patients. To minimize transmission in the workplace, recommended infection control measures, including universal precautions, should be followed strictly.
Dynamic Reconfiguration of Two-Level Caches in Soft Real-Time Embedded Systems

Cache reconfiguration is a promising optimization technique for reducing memory hierarchy energy consumption with little or no impact on overall system performance. While cache reconfiguration is successful in desktop-based systems, it is not directly applicable in real-time systems due to timing constraints. Existing scheduling-aware cache reconfiguration techniques consider only one-level cache. It is a major challenge to dynamically tune multi-level caches since the exploration space is prohibitively large. This paper efficiently integrates cache reconfiguration in soft real-time systems with a unified two-level cache hierarchy. We utilize a set of exploration heuristics during our static analysis which effectively decreases the exploration time while keeps the generated profile results beneficial to be leveraged during runtime. Our experimental results have demonstrated 32 - 49% energy savings with minor impact on performance.
Surrogate Markers of Cardiovascular Disease in CKD: What's Under the Hood?

Although clinical cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack, stroke, and sudden cardiac death, have a dramatic onset, they result from prolonged exposure to an ever-growing array of risk factors. Several noninvasive procedures are available to assess the cumulative effect of these exposures with the goal of more precisely estimating a person's cardiovascular risk. These include ankle-brachial index, which provides an estimation of obstruction in major-vessel lumen caliber; carotid ultrasound, which evaluates carotid intima-media thickness and plaque, visibly quantifying atherosclerotic burden; aortic pulse wave velocity, which provides a measure of large-artery stiffness; and echocardiography, which measures left ventricular mass, providing a measure of subclinical hypertensive heart disease. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of each of these measures, with a particular emphasis on patients with chronic kidney disease.
The Isolation of Antennal Mutants and their use in Drosophila Olfactory Genetics

A genetic approach to investigation of the Drosophila olfactory system, based on the use of mutations affecting antennal morphology, is discussed We describe a convenient means of screening for mutants with antennal defects, and we describe the isolation of three such mutants. A new X-linked recessive mutant, eab (extra antennal bristles), is found to exhibit characteristics suggestive of a homeotic transformation of antennae towards legs.
Maturing neurons are selectively sensitive to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 exposure in differentiating human neuroepithelial progenitor cell cultures

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of the brain is associated with neuronal injury manifested by dendritic pruning, aberrant neurofilament metabolism, and decreased synaptic density. The central nervous system (CNS) responds to neuronal injury by differentiating new neurons and astrocytes from resident populations of multipotent neuroepithelial progenitor cells (NEP) located in regions such as the subventricular zone or hippocampus. In vitro studies have demonstrated that the HIV-1 virion or envelope glycoprotein gp120 can injure differentiated human neurons and astrocytes, suggesting that HIV-1 proteins could similarly injure NEP or NEP-derived glial and neuronal lineage-committed precursor cells. To answer this question, human fetal brain-derived “neurospheres” containing NEP and NEP-derived precursor cells were cultured in low serum differentiation medium containing lymphotropic HIV-1(SF2), macrophage-tropic HIV-1(SF128A), or recombinant gp120SF2 from HIV-1(SF2). These experiments in...
Power spectral density of binary digital pulse streams in the presence of independent uniform timing jitter

The spectral occupancy and composition of a chosen digital signaling technique when the data pulse stream is nonideal, due for instance to implementation imperfections, are important considerations in the design of a practical communication system. One source of imperfection is timing jitter where the rising and falling transitions do not occur at the nominal data transition time instants, nevertheless, the time instants are offset by random amounts relative to the nominal one. The amount of timing shift per transmission interval is random and is typically characterized by a discrete stationary random process (independent of the data sequence). The purpose of this paper is to characterize the power spectral density (PSD) of baseband binary data streams in the presence of uniform timing jitter. Examples of uncorrelated data pulse stream, and i.i.d. data stream are given. Interesting results emerge when the generating sequence {a/sub n/} is uncorrelated. For generating sequences {a/sub n/} that are non-zero mean, timing jitter has the effect of widening the main lobe of the spectrum and increasing the sidelobes. When the generating sequence is zero mean and uncorrelated, a rather surprising result is that the timing jitter does not effect the PSD. Simulation results are also presented to verify the analysis.
Software-automated counting of Ki-67 proliferation index correlates with pathologic grade and disease progression of follicular lymphomas.

Objectives: To examine the accuracy of software-assisted measurement of the Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) and its correlation with the grade and clinical progression of follicular lymphoma (FL). Methods: High-power field equivalents were extracted from H&E- and Ki-67–immunostained slides of FL, and a nuclear quantitation algorithm was used to calculate a PI. Representative fields were manually counted for validation with close agreement. Results: The PI was significantly higher in World Health Organization grade 3 FL than grade 1 to 2 FL. Disease progression, as defined by subsequent treatment with radiation or cytotoxic chemotherapy, was also significantly associated with elevated PI but not pathologic grade. Conclusions: These data show that software-automated quantitation of Ki-67 can provide both a useful adjunct to pathologic grade in FL and improved prognostic information for patients.
“DOING” RACIALIZED AND GENDERED AGE TO ORGANIZE PEER RELATIONS: Observing Kids in Summer Camp

Using an interactionist approach, this study compares the ways that older preadolescents established and negotiated peer relations by engaging in racialized and gendered age processes at two summer day camps. The camps differed in their racial compositions, their organization of activities by age and gender, and their rules delineating camper behavior. Campers in both settings used notions of modesty and relations of dominance over younger children similarly in organizing their peer relations. They differed, though, in how they used a stance uncooperative toward adults and a stance of being “just kids” together to create racialized, aged, and gendered boundaries. Thus, campers created peer cultures with variably hierarchical cliques using inclusive and exclusionary dynamics that held each other accountable to emergent and racialized conceptions of gender and age in ways that actively and creatively used the adult cultures around them.
Strain rates at high temporal resolution from curved inclusion trails in garnet, Passo del Sole, Central Swiss Alps

Quantitative strain rates at outcrop scale are very difficult to obtain, but they may be estimated from crystals with curved inclusion trails by calculating rotation rates from growth rates and corresponding deflections of the internal foliation. Garnet in a quartzose pelite at Passo del Sole in the central Swiss Alps is extraordinarily valuable for calculation of strain rates during Alpine orogenesis, because the unusual zoning patterns clearly define the kinetics of its nucleation and growth. Complex concentric zoning patterns can be correlated from one crystal to another in a hand sample, based on compositional and microstructural similarities; the ubiquity of these features demonstrates that all garnet crystals nucleated at nearly the same time. Compositional bands whose radial widths are proportional to crystal size provide evidence for growth governed by the kinetics of intergranular diffusion of locally sourced nutrients. Together, these constraints increase the reliability of estimates of rates of garnet growth, and the strain-rate calculations that depend on them. To obtain growth rates, P-T conditions during garnet crystallization were modelled in a series of pseudosections, and compositional evolution was connected to rates of garnet growth by means of an independently determined heating rate. These growth rates, combined with measured amounts of curvature of inclusion trails, indicate that the time-averaged strain rate at Passo del Sole during Alpine metamorphism was on the order of 10 )14 s )1 . Strain rates calculated using rotational v. non-rotational models are similar in magnitude. The constraints on crystallization kinetics also allow direct calculation of strain rates during individual stages of garnet growth, revealing short-term increases to values on the order of 10 )13 s )1 . These higher strain rates are correlated with the growth of concentric high-Ca or high-Mn zones in garnet, which implies that strain softening associated with the transient passage of fluids is responsible for acceleration of deformation during these intervals.
Secure friend discovery in mobile social networks

Mobile social networks extend social networks in the cyberspace into the real world by allowing mobile users to discover and interact with existing and potential friends who happen to be in their physical vicinity. Despite their promise to enable many exciting applications, serious security and privacy concerns have hindered wide adoption of these networks. To address these concerns, in this paper we develop novel techniques and protocols to compute social proximity between two users to discover potential friends, which is an essential task for mobile social networks.We make three major contributions. First, we identify a range of potential attacks against friend discovery by analyzing real traces. Second, we develop a novel solution for secure proximity estimation, which allows users to identify potential friends by computing social proximity in a privacy-preserving manner. A distinctive feature of our solution is that it provides both privacy and verifiability, which are frequently at odds in secure multiparty computation. Third, we demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our approaches using real implementation on smartphones and show it is efficient in terms of both computation time and power consumption.
Inconsistent Reconstitution of Cytomegalovirus-Specific Cell-Mediated Immunity in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients Receiving Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-immune recovery was characterized in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. CMV lymphocyte proliferation (LP), responder-cell frequency (RCF), and interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2 secretion were studied in CMV-seropositive HIV-infected patients and in CMV-seropositive HIV-uninfected control subjects. HIV-infected patients and control subjects had similar proportions of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, but levels were lower in HIV-infected patients. LP and RCF were significantly less frequent and of lower magnitude in HIV-infected patients. The measures of CMV cell-mediated immunity were correlated in HIV-uninfected but not in HIV-infected subjects. To investigate this, IL-2, IL-12, anti-CD28 plus anti-CD49d, or anti-IL-10 was added in vitro, with no effect on LP. However, CD8 cell depletion of mononuclear cells from HIV-infected patients increased LP responses to levels similar to those of uninfected control subjects; before depletion, only RCF correlated with CD4 cell counts, but after depletion, LP also correlated with CD4 cell counts.
Characterizing dual atrioventricular nodal physiology in pediatric patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia.

Dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal physiology, defined as an AH jump ≥50 msec with a 10 msec decrease in A1A2, is the substrate for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and yet it is present in a minority of pediatric patients with AVNRT. Our objective was to characterize dual AV nodal physiology as it pertains to a pediatric population. Methods/Results: We retrospectively reviewed invasive electrophysiology studies in 92 patients with AVNRT (age12.1 ± 3.7 yrs) and in 46 controls without AVNRT (age 13.3 ± 3.7 yrs). Diagnoses in controls: syncope (N = 31), palpitations (N = 6), atrial flutter (N = 3), history of atrial tachycardia with no inducible arrhythmia (N = 3), and ventricular tachycardia (N = 3). General anesthesia was used in 49% of AVNRT and 52% of controls, P = 0.86. There were no differences in PR, AH, HV, or AV block cycle length. With A1A2 atrial stimulation, AVNRT patients had a significantly longer maximum AH achieved (324 ± 104 msec vs 255 ± 67 msec, P = 0.001), and a shorter AVNERP (276 ± 49 msec vs 313 ± 68 msec P = 0.0005). An AH jump ≥50 msec was found in 42% of AVNRT versus 30% of controls (P = 0.2). Using a ROC graph we found that an AH jump of any size is a poor predictor of AVNRT. With atrial overdrive pacing, PR ≥ RR was seen more commonly in AVNRT versus controls, (55/91(60%) vs 6/46 (13%) P = 0.000). Conclusions: Neither the common definition of dual AV nodes or redefining an AH jump as some value <50 msec are reliable methods to define dual AV nodes or to predict AVNRT in pediatric patients. PR ≥ RR is a relatively good predictor of AVNRT. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 17, pp. 638-644, June 2006)
SRM-buffer: an OS buffer management technique to prevent last level cache from thrashing in multicores

Buffer caches in operating systems keep active file blocks in memory to reduce disk accesses. Related studies have been focused on how to minimize buffer misses and the caused performance degradation. However, the side effects and performance implications of accessing the data in buffer caches (i.e. buffer cache hits) have not been paid attention. In this paper, we show that accessing buffer caches can cause serious performance degradation on multicores, particularly with shared last level caches (LLCs). There are two reasons for this problem. First, data in files normally have weaker localities than data objects in virtual memory spaces. Second, due to the shared structure of LLCs on multicore processors, an application accessing the data in a buffer cache may flush the to-be-reused data of its co-running applications from the shared LLC and significantly slow down these applications.The paper proposes a buffer cache design called Selected Region Mapping Buffer (SRM-buffer) for multicore systems to effectively address the cache pollution problem caused by OS buffer. SRM-buffer improves existing OS buffer management with an enhanced page allocation policy that carefully selects mapping physical pages upon buffer misses. For a sequence of blocks accessed by an application, SRM-buffer allocates physical pages that are mapped to a selected region consisting of a small portion of sets in LLC. Thus, when these blocks are accessed, cache pollution is effectively limited within the small cache region. We have implemented a prototype of SRM-buffer into Linux kernel, and tested it with extensive workloads. Performance evaluation shows SRM-buffer can improve system performance and decrease the execution times of workloads by up to 36%.
Community Social Support for Cuban Refugees in Texas

Social support has been linked to positive health outcomes for many populations across multiple health issues. The interactional approach defines social support as a complex, transactional process between the person and his or her social environment. Being part of a community enhances the likelihood of social bonding, leading to increased perceived support. In this study, the authors describe recently arrived adult Cuban refugees' perceptions of community-level support in Texas. Practical and emotional support needs included jobs and companionship away from everyday problems. The two major sources of practical support were resettlement agencies and other Cubans. The two major sources of emotional support were other Cubans and English-speaking friends. There were no local Cuban clubs or associations where Cubans could meet. Besides receiving support, many Cubans were also supporting other Cubans locally and in Cuba, and some experienced discrimination.
Synthesis of Several Disubstituted Sydnones

A number of new 3,4-dialkylsydnones have been prepared to compare their pharmacological properties with those of a series of 3-alkylsydnones. Both series were similar in their central convulsive activity. The CD 50 and partition coefficient values of both series were compared. The CD 50 values for the 3,4-dialkylsydnones were significantly lower than for the 3-alkylsydnones. In addition, the CD 50 values for the 3,4-dialkylsydnones were close to one another and were independent of the partition coefficient.
7 Things You Need to Know About: Employment Discrimination (Presentation Slides)

These slides cover the most important areas of employment discrimination law such as Title VII, the ADEA and the ADA. Other topics include discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age and disability. Sexual harassment and the Equal Pay Act are also introduced. Employer defenses such as BFOQ, Business Necessity and After-Acquired Evidence are also discussed. The slides conclude with the Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action.
Looking Under the Hood of Third-Party Punishment Reveals Design for Personal Benefit

Third-party intervention, such as when a crowd stops a mugger, is common. Yet it seems irrational because it has real costs but may provide no personal benefits. In a laboratory analogue, the third-party-punishment game, third parties (“punishers”) will often spend real money to anonymously punish bad behavior directed at other people. A common explanation is that third-party punishment exists to maintain a cooperative society. We tested a different explanation: Third-party punishment results from a deterrence psychology for defending personal interests. Because humans evolved in small-scale, face-to-face social worlds, the mind infers that mistreatment of a third party predicts later mistreatment of oneself. We showed that when punishers do not have information about how they personally will be treated, they infer that mistreatment of other people predicts mistreatment of themselves, and these inferences predict punishment. But when information about personal mistreatment is available, it drives punishme...
Biochemical studies on livers of chicks receiving graded levels of pteroylglutamic acid.

SummaryDeterminations of desoxypentose nucleic acid and pentose nucleic acid, pteroylglutamic acid (PGA), and conjugase have been made on the livers of chicks receiving 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 200, and 1000 pg of PGA per 100 g of diet and on controls receiving a commercial diet. Desoxypentose nucleic acid was found to be somewhat low in the livers of the negative control group of chicks but differences between all other groups uere of doubtful significance.The liver conjugase levels of the various groups, whether determined at pH 4.5 or at pH 7.0, were found to be unrelated to the dietary intake of PGA and to the nucleic acid content of the livers.The liver PGA freed by autolysis was approximately the same as that determinable after treatment with either chick pancreas conjugase or hog kidney conjugase. The levels of PGA found in the chick livers indicate that storage of excess vitamin did not take place until the dietary level exceeded 40 μg per 100 g.The bearing that the findings have on the mode of actio...