cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D and Lung Development in Early Life

Lung morphogenesis is characterized by a complex sequence of cell–cell interactions culminating in the mature airways and alveolar structure of the lung orchestrated by a complex array of spatiotemporally specific transcription factors, growth factors, and physical forces. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) produced by the alveolar epithelium induces adepithelial fibroblast differentiation by stimulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), which inhibits Wnt stimulation of smooth muscle actin, the cellular hallmark of asthma, causing lipofibroblast differentiation. The mature lipofibroblast produces leptin, stimulating epithelial type II cell differentiation, culminating in alveolar homeostasis. These underlying cell–molecular mechanisms provide a functional genomic model for lung development and homeostasis, and how they can be affected by vitamin D obtained both from the diet and by the action of ultraviolet B light on 7-dehydrocholesterol. We review human and animal data showing how vitamin D plays a role in lung cell–molecular development and how its deficiency may alter lung structural and functional development, leading to an asthma phenotype. Even deeper insights to the etiology of asthma come from the evolutionary overlap between PTHrP/PPARγ, Wnt signaling, and environmental factors, offering a mechanistic framework for considering the roles of a variety of vitamin D-related effects on platelet-derived growth factor, late gestation lung 1, vitamin D-upregulated protein, and transforming growth factor-beta 1. Such molecular data for vitamin D deficiency affecting lung development experimentally, combined with evidence for an association between vitamin D deficiency and asthma in preterm infants, are considered in light of the currently recommended but untested daily required doses for vitamin D in term and preterm healthy and sick infants.
The Natural History of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a very common but poorly understood disorder. The first description of BPH dates back several thousand years, and in spite of our best efforts, BPH remains a significant problem throughout the world today. An estimated $3–4 billion health care dollars are spent on the surgical correction of this problem each year in the United States alone (Cotton 1991). As the elderly population continues to expand, it is likely that the scope of this problem will continue to increase.
A Feasibility Evaluation of a Thermal Plasma Fuel Reformer for Supplemental Hydrogen Addition to Internal Combustion Engines

This paper reports on a mass and energy balance model that has been developed to evaluate the overall system efficiencies of a thermal reformer-heat exchanger system capable of delivering hydrogen to the air intake of a gasoline engine. The mass and energy balance model is utilized to evaluate the conditions where energy losses associated with fuel reformation may be offset by increases in engine efficiencies.
Molecular Genotyping of Hydatidiform Moles: Analytic Validation of a Multiplex Short Tandem Repeat Assay

Distinction of hydatidiform moles from non-molar (NM) specimens, as well as their subclassification as complete (CHM) versus partial hydatidiform moles (PHM), is important for clinical management and accurate risk assessment for persistent gestational trophoblastic disease. Because diagnosis of hydatidiform moles based solely on morphology suffers from poor interobserver reproducibility, a variety of ancillary techniques have been developed to improve diagnosis. Immunohistochemical assessment of the paternally imprinted, maternally expressed p57 gene can identify CHMs (androgenetic diploidy) by their lack of p57 expression, but cannot distinguish PHMs (diandric monogynic triploidy) from NMs (biparental diploidy). Short tandem repeat genotyping can identify the parental source of polymorphic alleles and thus discern androgenetic diploidy, diandric triploidy, and biparental diploidy, which allows for specific diagnosis of CHMs, PHMs, and NMs, respectively. In this study, a retrospectively collected set of morphologically typical CHMs (n = 8), PHMs (n = 10), and NMs (n = 12) was subjected to an analytic validation study of both short tandem repeat genotyping and p57 immunohistochemistry. Several technical and biological problems resulted in data that were difficult to interpret. To avoid these pitfalls, we have developed an algorithm with quantitative guidelines for the interpretation of short tandem repeat genotyping data.
On ridge estimation in rank deficient models

The ridge estimator, is studied without the usual assumption that x is of full rank (and hence admits an unbiased estimator). The estimator previously derived in other contexts as satisfying certain optimal properties, is viewed as the limit of ridge estimators as By defining results on ridg regression are readily extended to linear models of arbitrary rank.
Educating tomorrow's RF/microwave engineer: a new undergraduate laboratory uniting circuit and system concepts

This paper describes recent advancements made at the University of South Florida for educating undergraduate electrical engineering students in the fields of wireless circuits and systems. The foundation for the program is an innovative lecture/laboratory course which guides students through wireless component and subsystem analysis and design using a case-study approach. While providing a broad exposure to the wireless arena, students also gain hands-on experience with state-of-the-art instrumentation and computer-aided engineering software.
Drosophila Neurobiology: No Escape from ‘Big Data’ Science

Combining a variety of large-scale, data-intensive techniques, a recent study has unraveled the neural pathways involved in Drosophila larval escape from a parasitoid wasp invasion.
AQUATICS Reconstruction Software: The Design of a Diagnostic Tool Based on Computer Vision Algorithms

Computer vision methods can be applied to a variety of medical and surgical applications, and many techniques and algorithms are available that can be used to recover 3D shapes and information from images range and volume data. Complex practical applications, however, are rarely approachable with a single technique, and require detailed analysis on how they can be subdivided in subtasks that are computationally treatable and that, at the same time, allow for the appropriate level of user-interaction. In this paper we show an example of a complex application where, following criteria of efficiency, reliability and user friendliness, several computer vision techniques have been selected and customized to build a system able to support diagnosis and endovascular treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. The system reconstructs the geometrical representation of four different structures related to the aorta (vessel lumen, thrombus, calcifications and skeleton) from CT angiography data. In this way it supports the three dimensional measurements required for a careful geometrical evaluation of the vessel, that is fundamental to decide if the treatment is necessary and to perform, in this case, its planning. The system has been realized within the European trial AQUATICS (IST-1999-20226 EUTIST-M WP 12), and it has been widely tested on clinical data.
Intracellular pH modulates quinary structure

NMR spectroscopy can provide information about proteins in living cells. pH is an important characteristic of the intracellular environment because it modulates key protein properties such as net charge and stability. Here, we show that pH modulates quinary interactions, the weak, ubiquitous interactions between proteins and other cellular macromolecules. We use the K10H variant of the B domain of protein G (GB1, 6.2 kDa) as a pH reporter in Escherichia coli cells. By controlling the intracellular pH, we show that quinary interactions influence the quality of in-cell (15) N-(1) H HSQC NMR spectra. At low pH, the quality is degraded because the increase in attractive interactions between E. coli proteins and GB1 slows GB1 tumbling and broadens its crosspeaks. The results demonstrate the importance of quinary interactions for furthering our understanding of protein chemistry in living cells.
Experimental Study of Effects of Interfacial Properties on Nucleate Pool Boiling in Water

Saturated, nucleate pool boiling on a horizontal, cylindrical heater in aqueous solutions of a fluorosurfactant (FS-50) is experimentally investigated. FS-50 is a long chain molecule of fluorinated carbon atoms, and it produces very low dynamic surface tension (varying from 72.5 mN/m to 17.4 mN/m with surface age and concentration) in aqueous solutions. Boiling curves (given by the variation of heat flux with wall superheat) and photographic records of the ebullient behavior are presented, along with a detailed characterization of the interfacial tension of the solutions. It is seen that nucleate pool boiling behavior of water is significantly altered by the addition of FS-50, and the heat transfer is increased. The enhancement in boiling is seen to stem from the substantial changes in the interfacial properties. A rather complex interplay of dynamic interfacial tension and surface wetting due to varying surfactant concentrations is seen to affect the phase change ebullient dynamics and associated heat transfer.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Comparison of regulatory sequences and enhancer activities of SV40 variants isolated from patients with neurological diseases

The genomic regulatory regions of human isolates of SV40 were compared by nucleotide sequencing and by biological assays of their transcriptional enhancers. SVAST is a defective genome and SVMEN an infectious genome molecularly cloned from human astrocytoma and meningioma, respectively (Krieg and Scherer, 1984). SVPML is an isolate from a case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (Weiner et al., 1972). SVAST contains a duplication of the regulatory region. One copy is virtually identical to that of SV40; the other bears a deletion of the minimal enhancer and is associated with an insertion of early/late sequences derived from the terminus of replication. The latter copy, together with its insertion, is inserted at nucleotide 4966 (SV40 number). SVMEN has an almost exact deletion of one of the 72-base-pair repeats of the natural SV40 enhancer. The regulatory sequences of SVPML were reported earlier (Martin, 1989). The enhancer activity in CV-1 cells of the lytic virus, SVPML, is 36% that of SV40. In contrast, the SVAST and SVMEN enhancers are more effective, being equal to or 64% that of SV40, respectively. The possibility that SVPML and SVAST/SVMEN originated from different variants of SV40 is discussed.
The Effect of Vapour Pressure Deficit on Carbon Isotope Discrimination in the Desert Shrub Larrea tridentata(Creosote Bush)

Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) seedlings were subjected to three regimens of atmospheric humidity in a growth chamber experiment. Relative humidity was varied to achieve daytime vapour pressure deficits (VPD) during growth of 2-9, 4-8 and 7-7 kPa. Photosynthetic gas exchange, carbon isotope composition and biomass production were measured after 8-10 weeks of treatment. Whereas stomatal conductance (gj declined linearly with increasing ambient VPD, C02 assimilation rate (A) was not measurably affected by changes in ambient VPD. This resulted in a decrease in intrinsic water use efficiency (ratio of C02 assimilation to stomatal conductance; A/gs) with increasing VPD. Leaf carbon isotope discrimination (A) was negatively correlated (r2 = 0-88) with A/gs ratios. Carbon isotope discrimination also correlated positively with ratios of internal (ci) to ambient (ca) C02 levels determined by gas exchange measurements (ci/ca). The ratio of ci to ca was lower at higher VPD levels. Leaf biomass decreased with increasing ambient VPD and correlated positively with A. Root to leaf biomass ratio increased at higher VPD levels and correlated negatively with A.
Crustal-scale, en echelon P-shear tensional bridges: A possible solution to the batholithic room problem

The apparent paradox of voluminous granitoid emplacement in an overall compressional magmatic are has been somewhat alleviated by the idea of pluton emplacement in tension cracks and dilational jogs within arc-parallel, strike-slip fault systems. As an alternative hypothesis, we propose that an en echelon P-shear array provides a continuous, batholith-scale zone of dilation along the trend of active magmatism and that it is favored by transpressional tectonics. In the Sierra Nevada, California, the Late Cretaceous granitoids of the Cathedral Range intrusive epoch are consistent with emplacement into bridges between P shears because (1) they are elongated oblique to the magmatic trend, consistent with P-shear orientation within a dextral system; (2) they were all emplaced within 5-10 m.y. along a 300 km trend, resulting in a displacement rate of ∼1 cm/yr across the arc; and (3) syn- to late-magmatic, dextral shear zones bound and crosscut the plutons, as in a P-shear tensional bridge.
Simultaneous viscous-inviscid interaction calculation procedure for transonic turbulent flows

A new simultaneous viscous-inviscid interaction scheme has been developed for the analysis of steady turbulent transonic separated flows. The viscous and inviscid solutions are coupled through the displacement concept using a transpiration velocity. The local solutions of the full potential and boundary-layer equations are treated simultaneously using the finite-difference method. The displacement thickness is treated as an unknown and is obtained as a part of the solution through a global iteration procedure of the space marching scheme. The Cebeci-Smith and Johnson-King models are used to simulate the turbulence. The computational examples showed that the simultaneous method is more efficient and robust than the semi-inverse method for transonic flows with a strong interaction.
In vitro studies of the abortogenic potential of antiserum to alpha-fetoprotein.

Abstract In vitro smooth-muscle contraction (Schultz-Dale reaction) induced by antibodies to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was studied in isolated uteri from pregnant mice. The classical Schultz-Dale response was readily demonstrable by sensitization with rabbit anti-AFP and challenge with amniotic fluid containing AFP. Uteri from pregnant mice could also be sensitized in vivo by intraperitoneal injection of anti-AFP serum 18 h prior to in vitro challenge with AFP. Addition of the antibody incubation bath to the tissue chamber enhanced the contractile response to subsequent antigen challenge. Uteri taken from pregnant mice and pre-incubated with antigen could be contracted in a modified Schultz-Dale reaction. Immune complexes in antigen.excess were capable of eliciting muscle contraction after sensitization by either antibody or antigen. These findings support our hypothesis that the cause of abortion induced in pregnant mice by anti-AFP serum is an anaphylactic contraction of the uterus. It was apparent from these studies that breakage of immune tolerance to AFP during pregnancy is potentially hazardous.
Hoarding behavior of the honey bee: effects of empty comb, comb color, and genotype.

Honey bees, Apis mellifera L., from 5 colonies, were placed in laboratory cages supplied with either 46.75 or 140.25 cm2 of comb surface area (CSA) that was either dark-brown brood comb or light-yellow comb. A 3-way analysis of variance showed that bees hoarded more in the presence of greater CSA ( P < 0.005). Overall, bees did not hoard more in the presence of either color of comb. Bees from different colonies hoarded at different rates ( P < 0.005). Hoarding responses for bees from different colonies interacted with responses to different colors of comb ( P < 0.025). This interaction opens the possibility for the genetic selection of stock that would produce maximum amounts of honey when supplied with light storage combs.
Protein model assessment using extented fuzzy decision tree with spatial neighborhood features

Automatic prediction of protein three dimensional structures from its amino acid sequence has become one of the most important and researched fields in bioinformatics We attempt to solve this problem using machine learning technique and information from both sequence and structure of the protein. Information like amino acid substitution matrix, polarity, secondary structure information and relative distance between alpha carbon atoms etc is collected through spatial traversing of the 3D structure to form training vectors. This guarantees that the properties of alpha carbon atoms that are close together in 3D space and thus interacting are used in vector formation. The goal is to generate a machine that understands structures from PDB and when given a new model, predicts whether it belongs to the same class as the PDB structures (correct or incorrect protein models). Improved fuzzy decision tree algorithm is used to build the machine, for the rules generated and high prediction accuracy it is favored over other machine learning techniques. Different subsets of PDB are considered for evaluating the prediction potential of the machine learning methods. With the use of machine learning technique, fuzzy decision tree, we obtained a training accuracy around 90%. There is significant improvement compared to previous encoding technique in prediction accuracy and execution time. This outcome motivates to continue to explore effective machine learning algorithms for accurate protein model quality assessment.
Thinking like a lawyer: Gender differences in the production of professional knowledge

Accounts of law schools often report that women find law school a hostile atmosphere, although most studies do not compare male and female reactions. In this study of thirtyseven students at an elite law school, the author finds that the impact of a “women's” voice on professional knowledge is more complicated than a strict dichotomy between male and female reasoning proposes. While the process of “learning to think like a lawyer” retains traditionally male attributes, women students clearly learn this cognitive style competently. Many women do find the law school experience distancing and problematic, and are more likely to point out the inadequacies of legal thinking. Men, though far from universally positive about law school experiences, are more likely to describe the process as a game or a puzzle. Men and women's reactions are not essentialized, however; a few women thrive on the masculine style, while some men clearly do not like it.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF SYNAPTOSOMAL OXIDATIVE ENZYMES AFTER EXPOSURE TO DEOXYCHOLATE1,2

— The distributions of NADH2 dehydrogenase, NADH, cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome oxidase have been determined utilizing synaptosomal isolation techniques. Deoxycholate was used to determine compartmentation and/or ‘latency’ of these activities. NADPH, dehydrogenase proved to be a soluble and mitochondrial enzyme and the activity of this enzyme was not appreciably changed by deoxycholate treatment. NADHg cytochrome c reductase proved to be a mitochondrial enzyme with considerable activity in microsomal fractions. Deoxycholate treatment increased activity in the synaptosomal fraction 8.3-fold. A bimodal activation pattern was observed with synaptosomal and mitochondrial NADH, cyrochrome c reductase upon exposure to increasing concentrations of deoxycholate, with enhancement of activity at 0.25 % (w/v) and 0.50 % (w/v) deoxycholate. The enzyme was stable at concentrations of deoxycholate less than 0.25% (w/v) but was irreversibly inactivated at concentrations higher than 0.25% (w/v). The mechanism of this activation pattern appeared to be a combination of enzyme release and inactivation. Similar results were not observed in liver mitochondria. Cytochrome oxidase, a known mitochondrial marker, exhibited a 17-fold increase in synaptosomal activity with deoxycholate treatment. The synaptosomal cytochrome oxidase activity after deoxycholate treatment approached the activity in the free mitochondrial fraction. The percentage of mitochondrial protein in synaptosomal fractions was estimated to be about 30 per cent from a comparison of the respective total (deoxycholate-treated) activities. On the basis of these data we suggest that the synaptosomal fraction possesses a relatively sizable energy-producing potential which may be of significance in vivo.
Social network analysis on data diffusion in delay tolerant networks

Different from existing mobility-assisted data access techniques, we propose to use data diffusion to reduce the query delay in DTNs. We use social network analysis to classify and study four diffusion schemes based on the "homophily" phenomenon in social network. Theoretical models are further developed to analyze the data diffusion process and compare the performance of the four proposed diffusion schemes in terms of diffusion speed and query delay.
Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes in queso fresco cheese by a combination of listericidal and listeriostatic GRAS antimicrobials

Single and combined effects of three GRAS (generally recognized as safe) antimicrobials including, bacteriophage P100 (phage P100), lauric arginate (LAE), and potassium lactate-sodium diacetate mixture (PL-SD) were evaluated against Listeria monocytogenes cold growth in queso fresco cheese (QFC). The fate of phage P100 when exposed to LAE (200 ppm) or PL-SD (2.8% PL and 0.2% SD) was determined at 4°C and 30°C in a broth model. Phage P100 was found to be stable in the presence of these antimicrobial agents as plaque forming units (PFU) did not vary between control, LAE or PL-SD treatments. When 9 log CFU/ml of stationary phase cells of L. monocytogenes was exposed to these antimicrobials in tryptic soy broth, there was a 3 to 5 log CFU/ml reduction with phage P100 and a complete 9 log CFU/ml reduction with LAE but no measurable reduction with PL-SD after 24h at 4°C or 30°C. In QFC, the L. monocytogenes populations increased from the initial 3.5 log CFU/cm(2) to 7.7 log CFU/cm(2) in 28 days at 4°C. Treatment with 7.8 log PFU/cm(2) of phage P100 or 200 ppm of LAE showed strong listericidal effect initially by reducing L. monocytogenes counts by 2 to 3.5-4 log CFU/cm(2) while there was a subsequent regrowth of L. monocytogenes at 4°C. Treatment with PL-SD showed strong listeriostatic effect without decreasing L. monocytogenes counts but growth was prevented for 28 days at 4°C. Only the combined treatment of listericidal phage P100 or LAE with listeriostatic PL-SD reduced the initial L. monocytogenes counts by 2-4 log CFU/cm(2) and also kept the L. monocytogenes counts at that reduced level in QFC for 28 days at 4°C.
Exudation of amino acids by intact and damaged roots of wheat and peas

Wheat and pea seedlings were grown aseptically in solution-culture and the total free amino nitrogen released by the roots was determined by a quantitative ninhydrin test. Amino nitrogen from wheat plants after 14 days growth was not detected by the test, indicating the release of less than 3 µg of amino nitrogen from a culture of 15 plants. Pea plants of the same age released from 2 to 7 µg per plant. Paper chromatograms of highly concentrated undisturbed solution-cultures revealed up to 13 amino compounds from wheat and 11 from pea. The pattern of amino acids in exudates was similar to that in crushed roots, except for an unidentified amino compound which was detected only in exuded material. The total amino nitrogen and relative proportions of several amino acids in the root exudates of sand-grown peas was influenced by several ratios of oxygen and carbon dioxide supplied to the root zone. Roots, experimentally damaged by swirling and rinsing in sand, released in 1 hour amino nitrogen of from 73 to 120 per cent of that released by ‘normal’ exudation over a 2-week period. Our findings suggest that experimental and environmental root damage may be responsible for a large proportion of organic materials released by growing plant roots.
Beyond contradiction and consistency: A design for a dialectical policy system

It is only within the last ten years that the necessary technical machinery has been developed that enables us to construct models that even begin to approach the complexity of dialectical reasoning. This paper shows both the diversity and the complexity of the concepts that must be woven together in order to construct a dialectic ‘process logic’, i.e., a logic that unfolds over time. It utilizes such concepts as Rescher's and Manor's plausibility calculus, Toulmin's framework for argumentation, and Markov chains. The result is the essence of a design for a computer based dialectical policy system.
MLL rearrangements in infant leukemia: Is there a higher frequency in females?

Unlike childhood leukemia diagnosed at later ages, where there is an excess risk in males, there is a notable female predominance in infant leukemia. Since abnormalities involving the MLL gene are frequent in infants with leukemia, we asked whether there are gender differences with respect to MLL gene status. Data were combined from seven published molecular studies that examined MLL abnormalities in infants with leukemia. Of 239 cases with conclusive information, there was a female predominance in cases with an MLL abnormality (female:male ratio 1.3); this was in marked contrast to cases with normal germline MLL (female:male ratio, 0.7). These potential gender-dependent MLL frequencies should be explored in large populations of infant leukemia and, if confirmed, future investigations could be directed toward potential etiologic mechanisms.
Modeling and control of directly connected and inverter interfaced sources in a microgrid

There has been a keen interest on Distributed Generation (DG) due to their restricted goals of meeting local loads and improving reliability of the overall system. Microgrids (MGs) are connected to the main grid through a Point of Common Coupling which separates the former from the latter. At the time of an intentional islanding or fault at the grid level, a microgrid is able to disconnect itself from the rest of the grid and operate by itself. A microgrid may contain both directly connected and inverter interfaced sources with different control configurations. When disconnected or islanded from the main grid there are various approaches to share the load, one of them being master-slave control where a storage device may become the reference DG to set the nominal voltage and frequency. When the main grid is brought back to normal operation, the microgrid is able to resynchronize itself to the main grid only when it meets certain conditions so as to avoid transients. All the microsources, power electronics and their control with power management were developed in Matlab/Simulink.
WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE FAILURES OF SUSTAINABLE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

This paper examines who and what is to blame for the failures of sustainable disaster reconstruction. In the classic, nonsociological tradition, people involved in sustainable reconstruction generally blame individuals. Alternatively, using a sociological perspective, this research suggests that strong social structural forces beyond the individual keep people and communities from embracing sustainable actions. Such forces include energy and auto subsidies, historical changes in social and institutional structure, and the cultural assumptions and vernacular differences between claimsmakers and local citizens.
A methodology for qualitative modeling of crop production systems

Abstract This paper presents the inference algorithm for a qualitative modeling program called QTIP (Qualitative Temporal Inference Program). This program was developed for use in crop management decision support systems. The algorithm presented here is used to diagnose possible disorders leading to abnormal values in data collected as a part of the crop management process. QTIP employs rules representing cause and effect relationships to generate qualitative dynamic scenarios. Its diagnostic algorithm is a hypothetical reasoning scheme consisting of alternating applications of abduction, to identify possible causes of observed conditions, and deduction, to maintain internal consistency. The algorithm is illustrated through application to a simple model for a hypothetical small grain crop.
ProViNet -- An Open Platform for Programmable Virtual Network Management

The disheartening and thorny path followed while deploying new solutions in the core of current computer networks, culminates in a low rate of emergence of innovation. Several researches proposed applying Software Defined Networks (SDN) and the Network Virtualization (NV) concepts to reverse this rate. However, many gaps and open challenges were observed in the application of these concepts together. In this paper, we propose the ProViNet platform, which merge the SDN and NV concepts to provide a fast and safe deployment of innovations in the existing network infrastructure. ProViNet advance the state-of-art introducing the concept of Network Programming as a Service, in which applications are built simply by composing control plane services. Such approach encourages End-Users to develop and share novel network solutions, fostering innovation. To prove concept and technical feasibility, we evaluate ProViNet with a prototype that allowed demonstrating virtual network infrastructure provisioning and programming.
The Yin and Yang of Convective Cooling in Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation

Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a mainstay in the treatment of a variety of symptomatic arrhythmias. It has proved to be safe and effective in this application. Heating of tissue with radiofrequency energy in the intracardiac environment leads to interesting thermodynamic phenomena. Most of these are favorable, some are not, but they are frequently not recognized, and sometimes misunderstood. Article see p 838 The mechanism of tissue injury in response to radiofrequency energy ablation is thermal.1–3 During catheter ablation, radiofrequency electric current passes into tissue and results in resistive heating of that tissue, in a manner similar to the heating of a filament in an incandescent light bulb. This direct resistive tissue heating (also referred to as “volume heating”) is proportional to power density and, therefore, falls off rapidly with increasing distance from the electrode source (1/r4).4,5 Most tissue heating, in turn, is not due to direct resistive heating, but rather is a result of conducted heat from the narrow rim of resistive heating into deeper tissue layers. If the depth of resistive heating can be increased, the depth of conductive heating increases proportionally, and the lesion size and volume are increased. Unfortunately, the maximum power that can be delivered to the catheter tip is limited by the risk of overheating at the electrode-tissue interface. If 100°C is exceeded, then boiling of blood will occur, with protein denaturation, and the formation of coagulum and char. …
The transcendence degree of a coordinatization of a combinatorial geometry

Abstract We have established in previous papers that coordinatizations of a combinatorial geometry G correspond to prime ideals in the bracket ring B G . We now show that the coheight of a prime in Spec B G is equal to the transcendence degree of the corresponding coordinatization. Thus the Krull dimension of B G is the maximum transcendence degree of a coordinatization. We then consider chain conditions in Spec B G and relate them to conditions on the partially ordered set of geometries ordered by weak maps. Finally we give an example of a geometry G for which B G is not Cohen-Macaulay.
Perturbation of conjugation in internally solvated allylic lithium compounds: variation of ligand structure. NMR and X-ray crystallography.

Several allyic lithium compounds were prepared with different potential ligands tethered at C2. These are with CH3OCH2CH2NCH3CH2-, 5 and 1-TMS 6, with (CH3)2NCH2CH2NCH3CH2-, 1-TMS 7, and with ((CH3)2NCH2CH2)2NCH2-, 8 and 1-TMS 9. In all these compounds Li is fully coordinated to the pendant ligand and is sited off the axis perpendicular to the allyl plane at one of the allyl termini as indicated by a combination of X-ray crystallography and NMR spectra. Compounds 5 and 8 are Li-bridged dimers as shown by X-ray crystallography and also dimeric in benzene solution as determined from freezing point determinations. Compounds 6, 7, and 9 are monomeric in THF-d8 or diethyl ether-d10 solution and exhibit one bond 13C1,6Li scalar coupling at low temperature. Taken together the crystallographic and NMR data indicate that all of these compounds incorporate partially delocalized allylic moieties. Compounds 5 and 8 undergo fast 1,3-Li-sigmatropic shifts that are proposed to take place within low concentrations of mon...
On the inference of semi-coherent structures from data

In this paper, we consider an unknown semi-coherent structure function. Our main focus is the inductive inference problem, that is, how to learn the structure function from data which partially defines the function. We develop a set of algorithms and simulate their success in learning an arbitrary 10-component function, and conclude that the algorithms are feasible.
High resolution analysis of hemoglobins: polyacrylamide isoelectric focusing.

Abstract For the analysis of hemoglobins, polyacrylamide isoelectric focusing has significant advantages. Unlike standard clinical methods, this method clearly separates hemoglobins F from A, and D from S. Compared to starch gel electrophoresis, this method provides higher resolution, greater reproducibility, readier quantification, higher sensitivity, and greater convenience. Hemoglobin A 2 quantitation is readily provided by gel scanning at two wavelengths.
It's Time to Get Another Horse

Initially, the title of Peter Roos's article (this issue, pp. 15) surprised me. His idea of “getting back on the horse” caused me to wonder who had fallen off and when. After reading further, I rea...
The international medical graduate in the US surgical training system: perspectives of an aging warrior.

The United States (US) surgical residency training system is arguably the best in the world and is certainly one desired by many medical graduates but with access to few. A long-standing problem is the desire of talented foreign-educated medical graduates (FMGs) to gain access to a training program that can provide education not available in their country of origin. Historically, this problem has been addressed by the young foreign graduate gaining access to a US laboratory in a department of surgery or medical school and, after 2 years of research, proving that he or she is worthy of consideration for a post in a surgical training program. This clinical residency may be at the institution at which the research is done, almost always an academic medical center, or at a program not identified with the research component. This requires a willingness to accept the young graduate based on recommendations of the laboratory mentor. Regardless of how access to the training program is obtained, it has almost always been a “trial by immersion.” The young graduate from the research program is immediately thrown in unprepared but expected to survive. If he or she survives and excels, then there is a possibility, but no certainty, that they may finish the program. When that occurs in a premier training program and an academic medical center, such trainees often receive 2 years at a junior level in the academic center, but are then required to finish their residency at a less prestigious training program. This has the impact of providing a “diamond-shaped” residency train-
Intervention for medical students: Effective infection control

Abstract Needlestick injuries, which lead to the transmission of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and the AIDS virus, are a potentially serious threat to students during their clinical experiences. Exposure to infectious diseases, blood, and hazardous body fluids is one of the most frequently reported injury events by medical students at a health science center in the southwestern region of the United States. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a customized intervention about infection control for second-year medical students (N = 200). Preparation for the intervention included a needs assessment, which included both qualitative and quantitative research methods that incorporated input from fourth-year medical students, medical staff members, and local hospital infection control specialists. The intervention included a pretest, a lecture, a demonstration of standard precautions and infection control procedures with 2 clinical scenarios, an exercise on proper handwashing, and a posttest. The evaluation of the intervention demonstrated a significant increase in posttest knowledge scores about infection control (from 12.6 ± 2.1 pretest to 16.5 ± 1.8 posttest, P
The connective real K-theory of Brown-Gitler spectra

We calculate the connective real K-theory homology of the mod 2 Brown-Gitler spectra. We use this calculation and the theory of Dieudonne rings and Hopf rings to determine the mod 2 homology of the spaces in the connective -spectrum for topological real K-theory. 55T25; 55P42 Zp . He showed that the Dieudonne functor D. / from Hopf rings to Dieudonne rings was symmetric monoidal, thereby establishing an equivalence of categories and, consequently, an isomorphism between any Hopf ring H.E / and its associated Dieudonne ring D.H.E //. Building on his earlier work with Lannes and Morel (11), Goerss also showed there is a surjective map from the E -homology of Brown-Gitler spectra E.B. // to the Dieudonne ring D.H.E // that is periodically an isomorphism. When the mod p (co)homology of the spectrum E is known, the E -homology of the Brown-Gitler spectra E.B. // can be calculated via an Adams spectral sequence. Thus, it is often possible to calculate the Hopf ring H.E / via the Adams spectral sequence for E.B. //. Calculating the Hopf ring H.E / using an Adams spectral sequence for E.B. // is remarkable for several reasons. First, this method for calculating the homology of the spaces E is done using only the (co)homology of the spectrum E and the Brown-Gitler spectra B. / as input to the Adams spectral sequence. Second, this approach can be used even when the spaces E have not been identified in terms of already-known spaces. Third, unlike the bar spectral sequence, which computes H.Ek/ inductively on k (ie, one space Ek at a time), this method computes Hn.E / inductively on n (ie, across all spaces E at once), and as a result it does well
Temporal effects on biodiversity and composition of arthropod communities along an urban–rural gradient

Global urbanization is rapidly increasing, yet the prevalence of single order and time point studies likely miss important temporal effects of urbanization on entire communities. We studied three sites along a rural–urban gradient in the Seattle metropolitan area with three sampling periods from 2009–2011 to examine how arthropod communities respond to increasing levels of urbanization in a similar habitat type through time. Consistent with previous studies, urban areas contained altered environmental conditions relevant for litter arthropods, and arthropod biodiversity decreased with urbanization. However, urban arthropod biodiversity was not influenced by environmental measures, supporting the idea of an “urban-filter”. Urbanization was not a factor influencing how communities responded to the effect of time, suggesting that other factors (e.g. disturbance) may ultimately be more important for determining patterns of biodiversity through time in urban areas. Finally, our study illustrates urbanization forces can structuring entire arthropod communities similarly through time, having important consequences for our understanding of urbanization’s temporal effects and indirect influence on community interactions and ecosystem processes. As the effects of urbanization will inevitably vary through time, we suggest that multiple time point studies are required to increase our ability to accurately describe arthropod community responses to increasing urbanization.
Homoclinic waves in a contaminant transport model

A contaminant transport model is studied with nonlinear sorption. Using the Melnikov method, it is shown that homoclinic concentration waves exist under certain conditions. We obtain the analytical form of such a concentration wave.
Stimulation of human sperm capacitation by purified lipid transfer protein

Lipid Transfer Protein I is recognized as a key component involved in high density lipoprotein metabolism. We have been studying lipid transfer in relation to sperm capacitation, a complex series of cell surface events required for the acrosome reaction and fertilization. We have previously shown that Lipid Transfer Protein I is present and active in the female reproductive tract. In the present study, we show that purified Lipid Transfer Protein I directly stimulates human sperm capacitation, but not the acrosome reaction, in the absence of other biological effectors. These results provide strong evidence for a novel role for Lipid Transfer Protein I and reveal, for the first time, a potent activator of capacitation, prior to the acrosome reaction. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hydrogel microspheres for encapsulation of lipophilic components: Optimization of fabrication & performance

Abstract Filled hydrogel microspheres consisting of small oil droplets trapped within biopolymer matrices are useful for encapsulating and delivering lipophilic bioactive agents. The aim of this study was to improve the current method of microsphere fabrication by increasing lipid loading capacity and microsphere yields, reducing the number of processing steps involved in fabrication, and creating microspheres that resist gravitational separation during storage. Filled hydrogel microspheres were fabricated from a phase separated mixture of pectin, caseinate, and emulsified oil to form an oil-in-water-in-water (O/W1/W2) emulsion. This system was then acidified and the resulting microspheres were cross-linked with transglutaminase. The order in which the biopolymer phases (W1 and W2) and oil droplets (O) were mixed together did not impact the lipid loading capacity. Decreasing the proportion of the continuous biopolymer phase (W2) used in the preparation procedure increased microsphere yields; however too low proportions (60–70%) caused excessive foaming and protein coagulation. Alternative methods of fabricating filled hydrogel particles using free oil (rather than emulsified oil) proved unsuccessful, resulting in the formation of large non-encapsulated oil droplets (d ∼ 10 μm). Hydrogel microspheres (d 32 ∼ 3 μm) with high stability to gravitational separation could be produced by fabricating microspheres with an oil-to-biopolymer ratio of ∼2.6, since this ratio formed particles with a density that nearly matched the surrounding aqueous phase.
Modified cloze: The intraiocking guide

Abstract The author proposes an alternative to the traditional forms of interlocking and noninterlocking study guides as originally developed by Herber and Cunningham and Shab‐lock. The new form is based on modifications of the cloze technique and utilizes selective deletion patterns. Three different types of this “intralocking” study guide are illustrated with actual content material from student textbooks. Specific examples include the content guide, the structure guide, and the concept guide. The author's rationale underlying these instructional devices accompanies a detailed explanation of their construction and implementation.
Boys Versus Girls: T Lymphocytes in Hypertension

An overactive immune system contributes to hypertension, a chronic disease of high blood pressure that afflicts one-third of the population in the United States. Recently, researchers have found that a particular immune cell, the T lymphocyte, promotes hypertension—but differently in males and females. To explore how gender-specific hormones might affect T cells’ contribution to hypertension, Pollow et al. compared male and female mice with induced hypertension. They found that T cells were more effective in driving hypertension in males than in females. Pollow et al. used mice of both sexes that lacked both T and B cells. Before any treatments, male and female mice had the same blood pressure. The authors infused the mice with T lymphocytes and then, 3 weeks later, gave the mice the vascular-constricting hormone angiotensin II so as to induce hypertension. The male mice exhibited a more vigorous systolic blood pressure response than did the female mice (an increase of 37.7 mmHg versus 13.7 mmHg). Males also showed considerably more infiltrating lymphocytes in their kidneys than did the females. This robust lymphocyte infiltration was accompanied by renal expression of tumor necrosis factor–α, monocyte chemotactic protein–1, and interleukin-2, cytokines that are elevated in human hypertension. The investigators concluded that T cells contribute to hypertension significantly more in male than in female mice. If researchers find a similar contribution of T lymphocytes to hypertension in humans, these immune cells may become an unexpected, druggable target in the ongoing fight against the morbidity and mortality of hypertension. D. P. Pollow et al. , Sex differences in T-lymphocyte tissue infiltration and development of angiotensin II hypertension. Hypertension 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.03581 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/06/02/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.03581.reprint
Effect of fractal silver electrodes on charge collection and light distribution in semiconducting organic polymer films

Living organisms use fractal structures to optimize material and energy transport across regions of differing size scales. Here we test the effect of fractal silver electrodes on light distribution and charge collection in organic semiconducting polymer films made of P3HT and PCBM. The semiconducting polymers were deposited onto electrochemically grown fractal silver structures (5000 nm × 500 nm; fractal dimension of 1.71) with PEDOT:PSS as hole-selective interlayer. The fractal silver electrodes appear black due to increased horizontal light scattering, which is shown to improve light absorption in the polymer. According to surface photovoltage spectroscopy, fractal silver electrodes outperform the flat electrodes when the BHJ film thickness is large (>400 nm, 0.4 V photovoltage). Photocurrents of up to 200 microamperes cm−2 are generated from the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photoelectrodes under 435 nm LED (10–20 mW cm−2) illumination in acetonitrile solution containing 0.005 M ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate as the electron acceptor. The low IPCE values (0.3–0.7%) are due to slow electron transfer to ferrocenium ion and due to shunting along the large metal–polymer interface. Overall, this work provides an initial assessment of the potential of fractal electrodes for organic photovoltaic cells.
Geoarchaeological Evidence from Peru for a 5000 Years B.P. Onset of El Niño

For the tropical west coast of South America, where El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is most pronounced, archaeological and associated paleontological deposits in northern Peru revealed a major climate change at about 5000 years before the present (yr B.P.). The data implied the presence of stable, warm tropical water as far south as 10°S during the early mid-Holocene (about 8000 to 5000 yr B.P.). These data suggest that ENSO did not occur for some millennia preceding 5000 yr B.P., when global and regional climate was warmer than today.