cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In vitro evaluation of biocompatibility of experimental titanium alloys for dental restorations.

Abstract Statement of problem. Applications of titanium casting to fixed and removable prostheses have not been satisfactory because of the high melting point of titanium and its great reactivity with mold materials. Low-melting titanium alloys would alleviate many casting problems. At the present time, low-melting titanium alloys are not available for clinical dental use. Purpose. The study evaluated the safety of 2 prototype low-melting titanium casting alloys for their future development for dental restorations. The 2 experimental titanium alloys were titanium-cobalt(Ti 81.4% wt, Co 18.6% wt) and titanium-silver (Ti 75%wt, Ag 25% wt). Commercially pure titanium and a commonly used nickel-chromium–based dental alloy were also included for comparison. Material and method. Assays for evaluating mutagenicity and cytotoxicity were Ames salmonella/microsome mutagenicity spot test, agar diffusion method, and cell attachment assay. Results. The results of Ames test showed that none of the experimental titanium alloys, pure titanium, or nickel-chromium samples were mutagenic. There were no leachable components to cause cellular lysis or decolorization in the agar diffusion assay from the 4 group metals. The results of the cell attachment assay demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the numbers of cells attached to the 4 group metals. However, the mean number of cells attached to nickel-chromium samples was significantly lower than that of the control group. Conclusions. On the basis of the data obtained from this study, it is concluded that the prototype Ti alloys are not mutagenic and imposes minimal risks associated with cytotoxicity. (J Prosthet Dent 1998;80:495-500.)
Attempts to define the risk of elevated blood pressure.

versy was generated by the JNC 8 panel that suggested that elevated blood pressure up to 150 mm Hg systolic need not be treated in patients over 60 years of age. This has generated considerable heated discussion among those who write guidelines, practitioners, and even members of the JNC 8 panel who chose to write a dissenting minority report. 2,3 This issue of JASH contains two papers that address the issue of the point at which BP should be treated in patients over 60 years of age. One paper presented the results of a large 10-year follow-up study that showed that there was a risk over 140 mm Hg. The other paper presented data that appears to support the JNC 8 recommendation. We shall examine each of these papers in greater detail. The study by Mohebi et al 4 was of 1845 subjects over age 60 years of age who were identified in 1999‐2001 as part of a larger study of 15,005 subjects in Tehran, Iran. They were followed for a median of 10 years. They were divided into four groups: Optimal (systolic blood pressure [SBP] 90 mm Hg); Hypertensive (SBP � 150 mm Hg or DBP � 90 mm Hg or taking antihypertensive medications). They were followed closely and outcomes events were carefully defined and analyzed. During the 10 years, 380 cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 305 cases of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) were identified. The prehypertensive group was not different for incident CVD, CHD, or cardiovascular mortality from the Optimal group. Group 3, the one generating the most controversy by the JNC 8 report, was at a significantly higher risk of incident CVD and CHD but not total mortality or CVD mortality. The hypertensive group did have a higher risk for incident CVD, CHD and CVD mortality, and a marginally increased risk of total mortality events. The study was limited in several ways. First, BP was measured twice on the initial visit, and the results were averaged. Second, the study population was derived from a defined area of Tehran that may not even be representative of all of Tehran, let alone Iran or areas outside of the Middle East. For example, only 5.4%‐10.1% of groups 2, 3, and 4 smoked, and they were, in general, not obese or diabetic. The study by Rock et al 5 followed a smaller group of subjects (317) with an average age of 59.2 years who were 81% men and who were followed for a median of 6 years. Over this period, 19 patients had a new coronary artery event, and three had a cerebrovascular event. BP was determined by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. There were 195 patients with SBP <140 mm Hg, 70 between 140 and 150 mm Hg, and 52 were � 150 mm Hg. The investigators did not find a difference in cardiovascular events
Neonatal hypothermia and associated risk factors among newborns of southern Nepal

Neonatal hypothermia is associated with an increased mortality risk for 28 days. There are few community-based data on specific risk factors for neonatal hypothermia. Estimates of association between neonatal hypothermia in the community and risk factors are needed to guide the design of interventions to reduce exposure. A cohort of 23,240 babies in rural southern Nepal was visited at home by field workers who measured axillary temperatures for 28 days (213,316 temperature measurements). The cumulative incidence of hypothermia (defined as 2500 g). Risk varied inversely along the entire weight spectrum: for every 100 g decrement hypothermia risk increased by 7.4%, 13.5% and 31.3%% for babies between 3000 g and 2500 g, 2500 g and 2000 g and < 2000 g, respectively. Preterm babies (< 34 weeks), females, those who had been first breastfed after 24 h and those with hypothermic mothers were at an increased risk. In the hot season the risk disparity between smaller and larger babies increased. Hypothermia was not associated with delayed bathing, hat wearing, room warming or skin-to-skin contact: they may have been practiced reactively and thereby obscured any potential benefit. In addition to season in which the babies were born, weight is an important risk factor for hypothermia. Smaller babies are at higher relative risk of hypothermia during the warm period and do not receive the protective seasonal benefit apparent among larger babies. The need for year-round thermal care, early breastfeeding and maternal thermal care should be emphasized. Further work is needed to quantify the benefits of other simple neonatal thermal care practices.
Choice, preference and utility : a response to sommers

L'A. denonce le feminisme liberal de C. Sommers qui ne tient pas compte des circonstances (reelles ou ideales) en vertu desquelles les femmes ont a faire un choix rationnel. S'inscrivant dans la perspective d'un feminisme utilitariste, l'A. examine les facteurs economiques qui determinent les choix traditionnels de femmes, en particulier leur situation dans la force de travail
Radiation Redux: Reserve Intestinal Stem Cells Miss the Call to Duty

Distinct stem cell populations in intestinal crypts mediate tissue homeostasis and responses to epithelial damage such as radiation. Now in Cell Stem Cell, Metcalfe et al. (2014) demonstrate that homeostatic, proliferative Lrg5+ cells are necessary to regenerate the epithelium after radiation, whereas quiescent Lgr5− reserve stem cells are surprisingly radiosensitive.
Medical Advocacy on Behalf of Detained Immigrants

Detention of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a rapidly growing form of incarceration in the U.S. with almost 400,000 people detained in 2008 (Schriro in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2009, http://www.ice.gov/doclib/091005_ice_detention_report-final.pdf ). ICE detainees are predominantly from Mexico and Latin America and only a small minority of detainees are asylum seekers. Immigrant detainees lack a legal guarantee of medical care (unlike criminal arrestees and prisoners) and face challenges in receiving medical care, particularly those with chronic medical conditions (Venters and Keller in J Health Care Poor Underserved 20:951-957, 2009). Although we and others have long been involved in advocating for detained asylum seekers, few resources are dedicated to medical advocacy for the broader population of ICE detainees. At the NYU Center for Health and Human Rights (CHHR), a program of medical advocacy was initiated in 2007 on behalf of ICE detainees focused on improvement of care in detention and medical parole. Our preliminary efforts reveal a pressing need for more involvement by physicians and other health advocates in this area.
Effects of native grazers on grassland N cycling in Yellowstone National Park

We investigated the effects of native ungulates on grassland N cycling in Yellowstone National Park by examining natural '5N abundance (815N) of soils and plants inside and outside long-term (32-36 yr) exclosures. Across six topographically diverse sites, grazers increased W5N of soil (0-20 cm) by 0.7%o, which was substantial considering that values for ungrazed soil ranged 2.4%o (2.4-4.8%o). The magnitude of grazer '5N en- richment was positively related (r2 = 0.70) to the intensity of herbivore activity during the study, indexed by the amount of dung (g/m2) deposited at the sites. We also found that soil W5N of ungulate urine and dung patches was significantly higher than that of control areas. Grazers probably increased soil W5N by promoting N loss from the soil via leaching, ammonia volatilization, and/or denitrification. Each of these processes results in the removal of '5N depleted products from the soil and, consequently, '5N enrichment of the remaining soil. In contrast to soil results, grazers reduced plant '5N by an average of 0.7%o, probably due to isotopically light, soil N03- (compared to soil NH4+) constituting a more important N source for plants in grazed grassland relative to those in ungrazed grassland. These findings indicate that native grazers increased N loss from this north-temperate grassland as a result of accelerated losses on urine- and dung-affected microsites and, potentially, from elevated N loss throughout the grazed landscape due to grazers promoting N cycling. Furthermore, these results suggest that herbivores increase plant N03- assimi- lation, which may positively affect primary productivity in this grazed ecosystem.
Iridium in stone meteorites by neutron activation analysis

Abstract Chemical and radiometric procedures for the determination of submicrogram amounts of iridium in silicate materials by use of neutron activation have been developed. These procedures were applied to the analyses of six chondrite meteorites, one achondrite meteorite, and standard rock G-1. A cosmic abundance value for iridium based on the chondrite analyses of this work was calculated to be 0·38 (Si = 106). This value is lower than the interpolated iridium abundances of both Suess and Urey and Cameron , but is closer to that of Cameron . Implications of these results are discussed.
Determination of amino acids in selenium-enriched yeast by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after microwave assisted hydrolysis

A simple, rapid microwave digestion procedure for protein hydrolysis preceding the determination of amino acids in yeast using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is described. Protein hydrolysis was performed in a focused microwave using 4M methanesulfonic acid (MAS). Amino acids were derivatized with methyl chlorofomate (MCF) and extracted into chloroform prior to GC-MS analysis. The microwave parameters, including power, temperature and heating time, were optimized. It was found that temperature and heating time were the most influential factors. A total of 17 amino acids were determined in selenium-enriched yeast with use of standard addition calibration. Limits of detection and quantitation (LODs/LOQs) of the amino acids measured were in the sub-nmol range, suitable for monitoring of amino acids in yeast and other food products.
A molecular map of T cell development

Using a sensitive molecular marker for positive selection, the appearance of a particular functional TCR alpha chain sequence in cells from mice bearing a transgenic beta chain, we address several aspects of intrathymic T cell development. First, by examining specific TCR prior to and after maturation, we demonstrate how a restricted TCR repertoire is positively selected from a highly diverse immature TCR repertoire. Second, since this molecular marker is enriched in cells progressing toward the CD4 lineage and depleted in cells progressing toward the CD8 lineage, a map of the developmental pathway of alphabeta thymocytes can be inferred. Third, the first cells that show clear signs of positive intrathymic selection are identified.
Multimedia hearing handicap inventory: reliability and clinical utility.

Purpose This preliminary study evaluated the test–retest reliability, internal-consistency reliability, and listener reactions to the design and functional utility of the Multimedia Hearing Handica...
Parallel Suspension Polymerization for High-Throughput Resin Synthesis

A simple, straightforward approach for parallel suspension polymerization is described. This technique utilizes equipment common to most organic chemistry laboratories and should facilitate the custom synthesis of new polymers.
Characterization of an ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase small subunit gene expressed in developing cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fibers

ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (ADPGp, EC 2.7.7.27) is a tetrameric protein composed of two small and two large subunits that catalyzes the biosynthesis of ADP-glucose from glucose-phosphate which is used to provide the glucose subunits for starch biosynthesis. A second cotton gene encoding an ADPGp small subunit has been cloned and characterized. The gene contains eight introns similar to previously reported potato and cotton ADPGp small subunit genes. The deduced translation of the gene contained a poorly conserved transit peptide and well conserved catalytic and regulatory elements typical of other plant ADPGps. The 5′ end of the mRNA was cloned and sequenced to identify the transcriptional start site (TSS). The promoter region upstream of the TSS did not contain the core promoter sequence in the typical positions indicating this gene may not use a standard core promoter. Other sequence motifs associated with tissue specific expression and phytohormone response were present. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR with gene specific primers identified the sites of expression of this gene. Expression was most abundant in the meristem region, and immature stem and relatively lower in starch accumulating roots demonstrating that this gene has a different pattern of expression than the previously reported cotton ADPGp small subunit gene. Additionally this gene was differentially expressed in cotton fibers. The presence of starch was confirmed in developing cotton fibers suggesting that starch metabolism plays a role in cotton fiber development.
Altered states of consciousness during psychotherapy: a historical and cultural perspective.

This paper reviews the frequent phenomenon of altered states of consciousness in disparate cultural psychotherapeutic contexts. The historical antecedents of contemporary Western psychodynamic psychotherapy are examined and the central importance of altered states in the therapeutic effects of religious institutions such as the Dionysian rite and the Asclepia is illustrated. The continued presence of this phenomenon in Western psychotherapy from Mesmerism to psychoanalysis is shown. The use of trance states in the healing rituals of non-Western societies is examined and further evidence is found for the frequency of this phenomenon in culturally variegated therapeutic settings. The ubiquitous nature of the altered state phenomenon in such widely varied cultural contexts suggests the possibility of its being a universal component of psychotherapy.
In Utero Models of Craniofacial Surgery

Fetal surgery is finding ever-increasing applications. At present, fetal surgical techniques are used only to treat diseases associated with high mortality risk or severe morbidity if left untreated prior to birth. Yet as a discipline, in utero therapy is attractive to plastic surgeons because it affords the potential to (1) provide a scarless repair, (2) correct the primary deformity, (3) prevent secondary deformities, and (4) give the parents a "normal"-appearing child at birth. Each of these potential benefits is particularly important in patients with craniofacial anomalies. This article will both review the animal models that have been used to study the potential for intrauterine plastic surgery and provide a synopsis of the benefits that fetal therapy may provide in the treatment of selected craniofacial anomalies.
Organic cathode materials in sodium batteries

In order to circumvent the corrosion problems prevalent in many existing electrochemical couples using the Na/β″-alumina half cell, a new class of high energy density organic materials was studied as cathode materials. In particular, one material tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), has favourable electrochemical characteristics with a potential >3.0 V against Na+/Na and energy density ∼620 Wh kg−1. Adopting a cell designed to permit sealing the anode half cell, the performance of TCNE was evaluated under various experimental conditions, that is, at different concentrations of TCNE in the catholyte and with different current collectors. The electrochemical behaviour of the TCNE cathode and the kinetics of TCNE reduction were examined. The kinetic parameters, exchange current density and diffusion coefficient, were determined from different a.c. and d.c. electrochemical techniques and evaluated with respect to the changes in TCNE concentrations in the catholyte. A chemical transformation occurring in the cell operating conditions which does not reduce the electrochemical activity of TCNE was identified from FTIR spectra. Finally, possible approaches to the use of TCNE or other organic materials in sodium or lithium rechargeable batteries are outlined.
Bitter treats for better breathing

A new study in mice and human tissue shows that activation of bitter taste receptors in the airways relaxes airway smooth muscle, resulting in bronchodilation (pages 1299–1304 ). Agonists of these receptors seem to be better than current β2-adrenergic bronchodilators in a mouse asthma model, suggesting a new way to ease breathing during asthma.
Abstract 4857: Short overall telomere length and chromosome 17p-specific telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes are associated with increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a deadly cancer. The incidence of EAC has increased dramatically in the United States in the past three decades. The biological mechanisms of EAC development are not fully understood. Telomeres are specialized chromatin structures essential for the maintenance of chromosomal integrity. Telomere shortening in somatic tissues has been shown as an early event during carcinogenesis. Previous studies also suggested that constitutive short telomeres in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) are associated with increased risks of several cancers, including esophageal cancer. In this study, we measured overall telomere length in PBLs using real-time PCR in a large case control study of 805 EAC cases and 805 age and gender-matched controls. Furthermore, we developed a fluorescence in site hybridization (FISH) based method to evaluate several chromosome-specific telomere length with the risk of EAC in a subset of subjects. The mean overall telomere length in cases was significantly shorter than that in controls (p Citation Format: Meng Chen, Jian Gu, Yilei Gong, Jaffer A. Ajani, Xifeng Wu. Short overall telomere length and chromosome 17p-specific telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes are associated with increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4857. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4857
Shyness, Sociability, and Parental Support for the College Transition: Relation to Adolescents’ Adjustment

A path model was tested in an ethnically diverse sample of 350 college students in which shyness, sociability, and parental support for the college transition were related to loneliness and friendship quality. Furthermore, friendship quality and loneliness were related to depression and anxiety. High levels of shyness, low levels of sociability, and low levels of parental support were related to high levels of loneliness. High levels of parental support for the college transition were related to more positive friendship quality. Multiple regression analyses suggested that loneliness, but not friendship quality, were related to adolescents’ anxiety and depression. In addition, the interaction between shyness and sociability was significantly related to anxiety for African-American adolescents such that adolescents who reported low levels of sociability in combination with high levels of shyness reported the highest levels of anxiety. There was also a significant interaction between sociability and parental support for African-American adolescents such that high levels of sociability in combination with low levels of parental support for the college transition were related to high levels of anxiety. For White adolescents, only loneliness was related to anxiety.
Valve strands are strongly associated with systemic embolization: A transesophageal echocardiographic study

Objectives. We attempted to determine the prevalence of strands on native and prosthetic valves, as detected by transesophageal echocardiography, and to assess the relative risk for systemic emboli associated with these strands. Background. Fine threadlike strands, seen on native and prosthetic valves by transesophageal echocardiography, have been implicated in systemic embolization. Methods. During a 2-year period, 1,559 patients underwent transesophageal echocardiography at our center. Of these, 41 patients had strands and no other identifiable source of systemic emboli. They were matched for age, gender, history of hypertension and history of smoking with a control group of 41 patients without strands who also had no identifiable source of emboli. The risk of embolization in the two groups was compared. Results. Of 1,559 patients studied by transesophageal echocardiography, 86 (5.5%) had strands. Strands were far more common on mitral valves than on aortic valves. Of the patients with strands, 38% had had an event consistent with a systemic embolus, whereas 62% had not. Of 597 patients with an embolic event, 63 (10.6%) had strands, whereas only 23 (2.3%) of 962 patients without emboli had strands. In the case-control study, 33 (83%) of the 41 patients with strands without another source of embolism had emboli compared with only 12 (29%) of the 41 control patients without another source (odds ratio 10.0, 95% confidence interval 3.6 to 27.8, p = 0.00001). Conclusions. Valvular strands visualized by transesophageal echocardiography are associated with systemic embolization.
Mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the vagina in a 7-month-old infant simulating sarcoma botryoides successful control with supervoltage radiotherapy

Abstract A case is reported of mesonephric adenocarcinoma of the vagina in a 7-month-old girl. Clinical and radiographic features simulated embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Radiotherapy alone was successfully utilized and the patient is free of evident disease 2 years following diagnosis.
Innovation in the International Financial Markets

New financial techniques and instruments are created when both the demand for and the supply of those instruments become sufficiently large. New financial instruments appear almost always to represent new combinations or packages of a relatively small number of financial services. In the international context these packages are designed to cope with controls on international financial transactions and with the peculiar interest and exchange risks faced by international firms and banks. This approach, when applied to a wide range of new international instruments, seems to explain why some have failed and others have succeeded.
Contributions to the ring oven technique

Suggestions are made for ring to ring separations and for the purification of filter papers for ring oven procedures.
Analytical intercomparison between type I and type II long-pathlength liquid core waveguides for the measurement of chromophoric dissolved organic matter

In the past decade, technological advances in optical sensors have facilitated an increased understanding of the relationship between optical characteristics and biogeochemistry of our oceans. In particular, long-pathlength liquid core waveguide cells (LCWs) are being used to “map” chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), as a biogeochemical tracer, in various coastal and open ocean regions. At present, two LCW cell types are used in the study of marine CDOM, and concerns about discrepancies in data collected with the different cell types and problems with baseline offsets have arisen. We conducted a direct comparison of absorption coefficient spectra of a dissolved spectrophotometric standard, molecular weight standard (MWS), and dilution series of natural seawater obtained in type I and type II LCWs to assess data agreement and potential colloid-mediated biases. Although no statistical difference was observed for the dissolved standard, we found the type I to have a slight bias toward higher absorption coefficient values for MWS 14–150 kDa (within 95% confidence interval) and natural seawater. Seawater CDOM spectral slopes differed significantly between type I and type II LCWs, with a maximum difference in slope of 0.0006 nm−1. Fastidious elimination of microbubbles from the capillary cells greatly reduced baseline offsets and markedly improved CDOM spectral slope precision.
Active fragments and analogs of the insect neuropeptide leucopyrokinin: structure-function studies.

Abstract Evaluation of analogs of the blocked insect myotropic neuropeptide leucopyrokinin (LPK) has demonstrated its relative insensitivity to amino acid substitution in the N-terminal in contrast to the C-terminal region. Truncated analogs of LPK without the first, second, and third N-terminal amino acids retain a significant 144%, 59% and 30% of the activity of the parent octapeptide, respectively. The [2–8]LPK analog is the first fragment of an insect neuropeptide to exhibit greater activity than the parent hormone. In contrast, truncated analgos of the insect myotropin, proctolin, exhibit little or no activity. The pentapeptide fragment Phe-Thr-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2 has been identified as the active core of LPK.
"A star that gathers lustre from the gloom of night": wives, marriage, and gender in early-nineteenth-century American temperance reform.

This article argues that wives occupied a more central place than mothers in the early nineteenth-century American temperance movement, and that temperance literature portrayed them in two ways. First, temperance writers depicted the drunkard’s wife as a pitiable example of the dire effects of male drinking on women and families. Second, they cast wives as potent moral influences on their husbands, capable of preventing the sober from faltering and reclaiming the drunkard. These portrayals coexisted with overtly misogynist views of women within the temperance movement that accused women of making men drunkards through perverted influence and blamed drunkard’s wives for their own predicament. The temperance movement’s depiction of wives’gender both reflected and contributed to the larger ambivalence toward women in American society.
HOME RANGE AND MOVEMENTS OF ROOF RATS (RATTUS RATTUS) IN AN OLD-GROWTH RIPARIAN FOREST, CALIFORNIA

Information on the spatial ecology of nonnative roof rats (Rattus rattus) is important for developing management strategies to reduce their impacts on native wildlife in riparian habitats. We determined home-range size and movement patterns of nonnative roof rats (Rattus rattus) in an old-growth riparian forest in California by radiotracking 12 individuals in August and September 2002. Males had larger home ranges than females. There was considerable overlap of ranges within and between sexes. Rats nested from 2 to 15 m high in trees, and used multiple nests that were sometimes shared simultaneously with other rats. Rats were most active at night, spending most of their time on, or close to the ground, and favoring areas of dense cover of blackberry and grape.
Neural networks for fingerprint recognition

After collecting a data base of fingerprint images, we design a neural network algorithm for fingerprint recognition. When presented with a pair of fingerprint images, the algorithm outputs an estimate of the probability that the two images originate from the same finger. In one experiment, the neural network is trained using a few hundred pairs of images and its performance is subsequently tested using several thousand pairs of images originated from a subset of the database corresponding to 20 individuals. The error rate currently achieved is less than 0.5%. Additional results, extensions, and possible applications are also briefly discussed.
Airborne Pseudolites in a Global Positioning System Degraded Environment

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a continuous, all-weather navigation service that supports precise navigation for authorized military users. As with all satellite navigation systems, GPS is requires the user to maintain direct line-of-sight access to four or more satellites, and therefore performance is degraded or denied when the sky view is obstructed. To minimize this problem, various types of augmentations have been developed and tested. Pseudo-satellites, also called pseudolites, are one such augmentation system in which GPS-like ranging signals from additional transmitters supplement the satellite signals. This paper examines the ability of airborne pseudolites to support precise positioning in an urban environment. The impact of restricted satellite availability due to obstructions is examined for various urban terrain zones. Then the ability of the pseudolite to improve both availability and accuracy is investigated. A comparison of the system performance when relying on GPS only and when using an airborne pseudolite is presented for various positioning scenarios. Simulation results show that required accuracy and availability can be obtained by using an appropriately equipped airborne pseudolite.
A Fitness Function to Find Feasible Sequences of Method Calls for Evolutionary Testing of Object-Oriented Programs

In evolutionary testing of an object-oriented program, the search objective is to find a sequence of method calls that can successfully produce a test object of an interesting state. This is challenging because not all call sequences are feasible; each call of a sequence has to meet the assumption of the called method. The effectiveness of an evolutionary testing thus depends in part on the quality of the so-called fitness function that determines the degree of the fitness of a candidate solution. In this paper, we propose a new fitness function based on assertions such as method preconditions to find feasible sequences of method calls. We show through experiments that to obtain the best search result the fitness function should consider the structures of method call sequences, which are essentially trees of assertions. We also provide a framework for combining multiple fitness values and for analyzing different fitness functions.
Optimal NODUP all-to-all broadcast schemes in distributed computing systems

Broadcast, referring to a process of information dissemination in a distributed system whereby a message originating from a certain node is sent to all other nodes in the system, is a very important issue in distributed computing. All-to-all broadcast means the process by which every node broadcasts its certain piece of information to all other nodes. In this paper, we first develop the optimal all-to-all broadcast scheme for the case of one-port communication, which means that each node can only send out one message in one communication step, and then, extend our results to the case of multi-port communication, i.e., k-port communication, meaning that each node can send out k messages in one communication step. We prove that the proposed schemes are optimal for the model considered in the sense that they not only require the minimal number of communication steps, but also incur the minimal number of messages. >
A Galerkin spectral method for thermo-convection boundary value problems

In the present work we develop a Galerkin spectral technique for solving coupled higher-order boundary value problems arising in continuum mechanics. The set of the so-called beam functions are used as a basis together with the harmonic functions. As a featuring example we treat the convective flow of a viscous liquid in a vertical slot. We show that the rate of convergence of the series is fifth-order algebraic for the different unknown functions. Though algebraic, the fifth order rate of convergence is fully adequate for the generic problems under consideration, which makes the new technique a useful tool in numerical approaches to convective problems. For a limited range of the governing parameters, we derive asymptotic expansions for the sought functions and find these to be in good agreement with our numerical results.
Biphasic thymus response by kittens inoculated with feline immunodeficiency virus during fetal development.

The objective of this study was to assess the response of the feline thymus to fetal infection with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), an animal model for human immunodeficiency virus infection. Thirteen feline embryos from four litters were directly inoculated with FIV during the sixth week postbreeding, a period corresponding to the late second trimester of pregnancy. Thymus tissue was collected and analyzed from randomly selected kittens at 2, 4, and 16 weeks postinoculation (PI) and compared to age-matched control kittens that did not receive fetal inoculations. Of three kittens evaluated at 2 weeks PI (week 8 of gestation), neither thymus: body weight ratio nor histologic structure differed from five age-matched control animals. However, analysis of thymocyte subpopulations by flow cytometry revealed a significant (P = 0.011) reduction in the percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD)4+/CD8+ cells from an average of 66% in control fetuses to 45% in infected fetuses. FIV RNA transcription, assess...
Abscisic acid triggers whole-plant and fruit-specific mechanisms to increase fruit calcium uptake and prevent blossom end rot development in tomato fruit

Calcium (Ca) uptake into fruit and leaves is dependent on xylemic water movement, and hence presumably driven by transpiration and growth. High leaf transpiration is thought to restrict Ca movement to low-transpiring tomato fruit, which may increase fruit susceptibility to the Ca-deficiency disorder, blossom end rot (BER). The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of reduced leaf transpiration in abscisic acid (ABA)-treated plants on fruit and leaf Ca uptake and BER development. Tomato cultivars Ace 55 (Vf) and AB2 were grown in a greenhouse environment under Ca-deficit conditions and plants were treated weekly after pollination with water (control) or 500 mg l 21 ABA. BER incidence was completely prevented in the ABA-treated plants and reached values of 30‐45% in the water-treated controls. ABA-treated plants had higher stem water potential, lower leaf stomatal conductance, and lower wholeplant water loss than water-treated plants. ABA treatment increased total tissue and apoplastic water-soluble Ca concentrations in the fruit, and decreased Ca concentrations in leaves. In ABA-treated plants, fruit had a higher number of Safranin-O-stained xylem vessels at early stages of growth and development. ABA treatment reduced the phloem/xylem ratio of fruit sap uptake. The results indicate that ABA prevents BER development by increasing fruit Ca uptake, possibly by a combination of whole-plant and fruit-specific mechanisms.
Connexin-specific cell-to-cell transfer of short interfering RNA by gap junctions.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether oligonucleotides the size of siRNA are permeable to gap junctions and whether a specific siRNA for DNA polymerase β (pol β) can move from one cell to another via gap junctions, thus allowing one cell to inhibit gene expression in another cell directly. To test this hypothesis, fluorescently labelled oligonucleotides (morpholinos) 12, 16 and 24 nucleotides in length were synthesized and introduced into one cell of a pair using a patch pipette. These probes moved from cell to cell through gap junctions composed of connexin 43 (Cx43). Moreover, the rate of transfer declined with increasing length of the oligonucleotide. To test whether siRNA for pol β was permeable to gap junctions we used three cell lines: (1) NRK cells that endogenously express Cx43; (2) Mβ16tsA cells, which express Cx32 and Cx26 but not Cx43; and (3) connexin-deficient N2A cells. NRK and Mβ16tsA cells were each divided into two groups, one of which was stably transfected to express a small hairpin RNA (shRNA), which gives rise to siRNA that targets pol β. These two pol β knockdown cell lines (NRK-kcdc and Mβ16tsA-kcdc) were co-cultured with labelled wild type, NRK-wt or Mβ16tsA-wt cells or N2A cells. The levels of pol β mRNA and protein were determined by semiquantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Co-culture of Mβ16tsA-kcdc cells with Mβ16tsA-wt, N2A or NRK-wt cells had no effect on pol β levels in these cells. Similarly, co-culture of NRK-kcdc with N2A cells had no effect on pol β levels in the N2A cells. In contrast, co-culture of NRK-kcdc with NRK-wt cells resulted in a significant reduction in pol β in the wt cells. The inability of Mβ16tsA-kcdc cells to transfer siRNA is consistent with the fact that oligonucleotides of the 12 nucleotide length were not permeable to Cx32/Cx26 channels. This suggested that Cx43 but not Cx32/Cx26 channels allowed the cell-to-cell movement of the siRNA. These results support the novel hypothesis that non-hybridized and possible hybridized forms of siRNA can move between mammalian cells through connexin-specific gap junctions.
Systemic toxicity after an ocular exposure to xylazine hydrochloride

There are limited reports of human overdose with the animal tranquilizer, xylazine hydrochloride. The reported effects include hypotension, bradycardia, and respiratory depression. Ocular exposures to xylazine have not been previously reported. A 38-year-old man arrived in the Emergency Department, reporting the accidental irrigation of both eyes with approximately 8 mL of xylazine (100 mg/mL) 30 min before arrival. The patient was asymptomatic. The eyes were copiously irrigated with isotonic crystalloid. Two hours after the exposure, the patient developed sinus bradycardia (40-50 beats/min), hypotension (90/60 mm Hg), and a decreased level of consciousness. The patient was admitted for observation, during which the bradycardia and hypotension were noted to persist. He remained otherwise asymptomatic. The symptoms resolved without intervention, other than i.v. fluids, approximately 25 h after the exposure. The patient was discharged home. This case demonstrates that ocular exposure to xylazine can cause systemic central nervous system and cardiovascular effects.
The maintenance of genetic variability by mutation in a polygenic character with linked loci.

It is assumed that a character under stabilizing selection is determined genetically by n linked, mutable loci with additive effects and a range of many possible allelic effects at each locus. A general qualitative feature of such systems is that the genetic variance for the character is independent of the linkage map of the loci, provided linkage is not very tight. A particular detailed model shows that certain aspects of the genetic system are moulded by stabilizing selection while others are selectively neutral. With reference to experimental data on characters of Drosophila flies, maize, and mice, it is concluded that large amounts of genetic variation can be maintained by mutation in polygenic characters even when there is strong stabilizing selection. The properties of the model are compared with those of heterotic models with linked loci.
Continuous hyperspectral absorption measurements of colored dissolved organic material in aquatic systems

The majority of organic carbon in the oceans is present as dissolved organic matter (DOM); therefore understanding the distribution and dynamics of DOM is central to understanding global carbon cycles. Describing the time-space variability in colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has been difficult, as standard spectrophotometric methods for CDOM determination are laborious and susceptible to methodological biases. Previously, measurements of CDOM absorption in discrete water samples by use of a liquid-waveguide capillary cell (LWCC) compared favorably with measurements made with a benchtop spectrophotometer. Given this, we focused on automating the LWCC technique to improve our spatial and temporal sampling capabilities for CDOM. We found strong correlations between CDOM absorption spectra collected from discrete water samples using standard methods and selected corresponding CDOM spectra collected by the automated LWCC system. The near-continuous measurements by the LWCC system made it possible to map the temporal, spatial, and spectral variability of CDOM absorption along the ship track.
Homologous recognition and triplex formation promoted by RecA protein between duplex oligonucleotides and single-stranded DNA.

RecA protein formed a stable triplex from a 33 bp duplex oligonucleotide and a circular plus strand of M13 DNA when a hairpin connection at the proximal end of the homologous duplex oligonucleotide blocked displacement of the 5' end of its own plus strand. An oligonucleotide with a hairpin connection at the other end yielded five times fewer joints that survived deproteinization, and an ordinary duplex oligonucleotide yielded none. The stability of the three-stranded structure was not attributable to exonucleolytic nibbling of the 3' end of the hairpin oligonucleotide, which could generate a region of stable duplex DNA. In the triplexes, the hairpin duplex became more accessible to copper phenanthroline, exhibited novel sites of cleavage by DNase I, and resisted digestion by Escherichia coli exonuclease I. The enzymatic methylation of only two residues at N-6 adenine and two at N-4 cytosine in the hairpin duplex prior to the pairing reaction lowered the tm of triplexes by 8 deg.C, whereas extensive methylation at N-7 guanine by dimethyl sulfate had no effect. These results are discussed in relation to possible models of triplex DNA.
Hurricane Andrew in Florida: Dynamics of a Disaster

Four meteorological factors aggravated the devastation when Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida: completed replacement of the original eyewall by an outer, concentric eyewall while Andrew was still at sea; storm translation so fast that the eye crossed the populated coastline before the influence of land could weaken it appreciably; extreme wind speed, 82 m s− 1 winds measured by aircraft flying at 2.5 km; and formation of an intense, but nontornadic, convective vortex in the eyewall at the time of landfall. Although Andrew weakened for 12 h during the eyewall replacement, it contained vigorous convection and was reintensifying rapidly as it passed onshore. The Gulf Stream just offshore was warm enough to support a sea level pressure 20–30 hPa lower than the 922 hPa attained, but Andrew hit land before it could reach this potential. The difficult-to-predict mesoscale and vortex-scale phenomena determined the course of events on that windy morning, not a long-term trend toward worse hurricanes.
From Vatican II to speaking in tongues: theology and language policy in a Q’eqchi’-Maya Catholic parish

One of the most far-reaching reforms undertaken by the Catholic Church as part of the Second Vatican Council was the adoption of vernacular languages in the liturgy. The transition from Latin to vernaculars was not unproblematic, however, as it raised several practical and theoretical questions regarding the relationship between local churches and their languages. This paper examines the issues of language choice in the liturgy of an ethnically homogenous Q’eqchi’-Maya parish in Guatemala. While the aims of Vatican II have largely been met in the parish with Q’eqchi’ functioning as its de facto language, within the last decade Charismatic Catholicism has presented a challenge to Q’eqchi’ liturgical monolingualism. Catholic Charismatics’ theological commitment to unmediated experience of the divine is manifested through linguistic practices that subvert Q’eqchi’s status in the parish. Specifically Charismatics’ use of Spanish in their services has become an issue of contention in the parish. Though members of both congregations are equally likely to be functionally bilingual in Spanish and Q’eqchi’, language choice in ritual settings has become a marked and highly charged point of contention between them. In examining the conflict this paper proposes that the congregations’ language practices can be understood as de facto policies authorized by their distinct constructions of the role of language in religion. The paper contextualizes this local debate in light of the historical changes in the Catholic Church’s policies regarding the use of vernaculars in the liturgy.
Net Neutrality: Is Antitrust Law More Effective than Regulation in Protecting Consumers and Innovation?

Hearing on "Net Neutrality: Is Antitrust Law More Effective than Regulation in Protecting Consumers and Innovation?" Testimony of Bruce M. Owen before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC, June 20, 2014.
Harnessing the integrated stress response for the treatment of multiple sclerosis

Summary Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disease of the CNS with no known cure. Although 12 immunomodulatory therapies exist, they have only modest effects on disease progression. The field has therefore focused on the development of alternative treatment strategies, such as enhancement of remyelination and CNS repair. Progress has been made on a third, complementary treatment approach that aims to protect oligodendrocytes—and the myelin they generate and maintain—from inflammation-mediated death by enhancing the integrated stress response. Studies in cells and in mouse models of multiple sclerosis have shown that this innate protective pathway, which maintains proteostasis, can be harnessed effectively to protect oligodendrocytes and myelin during inflammation. With one drug already in clinical development for patients with multiple sclerosis, and several potential therapies under investigation, modulation of the integrated stress response might become an important component of strategies to halt the progression of the disease.
The Medical Ethnobotany of Treating Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly of Northern Thailand

The aim of this study was to identify plant species used by Thai traditional healers to treat cognitive decline and memory impairment in the elderly population. During interviews with traditional healers, the underlying cause of cognitive impairment was identified, herbal remedies in the form of multi-plant formulas, and individual plants were discussed. This chapter provides information on the plants included in these formulas. Only plants that have already been shown to have memory enhancing activity are included in this chapter to protect the intellectual property of the interviewed Thai healers. Most disorders involving the brain and its functions are cause by an imbalance of the wind element. Since the etiology of these disorders is the same, the overlap of shared species in the multi-plant formulas was investigated.