cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interdelivery interval and the success of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a short interdelivery interval is associated with decreased rate of successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2000, was conducted. Patients with previous cesarean delivery who attempted VBAC were identified. The analysis was limited to patients at term with one prior cesarean. The interdelivery interval was calculated in months between the index pregnancy and prior cesarean delivery. RESULTS: A total of 1516 subjects who attempted VBAC were identified among 24,162 deliveries, with complete data available in 1185 cases. The VBAC success rate was 79.0% for patients with an interdelivery interval less than 19 months compared with 85.5% for patients with an interval delivery greater than or equal to 19 months (P = .12). For patients whose labors were induced, interdelivery intervals of less than 19 months were associated with a decreased rate of VBAC success when compared with longer intervals (P CONCLUSION: Interdelivery intervals of less than 19 months were associated with a decreased rate of VBAC success in patients who underwent induction, a difference not found in those with spontaneous labor.
Ball milling-induced nanocrystal formation in aluminum-based metallic glasses

Various experimental techniques have been used to investigate the effect of mechanical milling on the structural stability of rapidly solidified aluminum-based metallic glasses. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction methods, the formation of nanocrystalline Al particles in some ball-milled Al-rich metallic glasses (such as Al90Fe5Gd5 and Al90Fe5Ce5) is clearly observed. For other compositions with lower Al concentration such as Al85Ni5Y10, no such phase transformation can be detected by TEM or X-ray. However, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements show that the crystallization peaks of the ball-milled Al85Ni5Y10 metallic glass shifted to higher temperatures, while the crystallization enthalpy associated with the first exothermic peak decreased to a lower value, revealing that certain structural changes have taken place as a result of mechanical deformation. The compositional dependence of the structural stability of Al-based metallic glasses against mechanical deformation suggests that the nanocrystal formation induced by a deformation process is different from that caused by a thermal process. The large plastic strain induced atomic displacements and the enhancement of atomic mobility during the deformation process, are the possible mechanisms of mechanical deformation-induced crystallization. Our results demonstrate a new way of obtaining nanophase glassy composite alloy powders which are suitable for engineering applications upon further consolidation processing.
Multivariate allometry of the robust australopithecine zygomatic foramen: Bootstrap approach to confidence limits

The oddly rounded and disproportionate temporal fossa (or zygomatic foramen) in hyper-robust australopithecine fossils has elicited comment. Is this feature a scaled, positively-allometric version of hominoid anatomy in general or a unique adaptation? Multivariate allometry employing log principal component analysis is directed at the question, but confidence limits of the sampling error associated with these estimates are either dependent upon questionable multivariate theory or else unattainable by theory. The bootstrap method is therefore employed to estimate these aspects of dispersion. The size and shape of the hyper-robust australopithecine zygomatic foramen cannot be explained by simple extrapolation of primate interspecific allometries; although the positively and negatively allometric aspects of scaling are similar, the actual coefficients of scaling are significantly larger in the crucial variable in the australopithecines.
Acoustic radiation force acting on absorbing spherical shells

The frequency dependence of the acoustic radiation force function, Yp, for an absorbing spherical shell suspended in a plane incident sound field is analysed, in relation to its thickness and the content of its hollow region. The theory is modified to include the effect of hysteresis type of absorption of compressional and shear waves in the material. The results of numerical calculations are presented for two absorbent materials, with the hollow region filled in water or air. These results show (i) how damping (due to absorption), (ii) change of the interior fluid in the shell's hollow region and (iii) and the exterior fluid surrounding the shell affect the acoustic radiation force.
Review of Models for Thermal Contact Conductance of Metals

Thermal contact conductance is a topic of great relevance to such applications as electronics packaging, satellite thermal control, nuclear reactor cooling, aerodynamic heating of supersonic aircraft and missiles, and turbine and internal combustion engine design. A fundamental problem in this discipline concerns the contact of metals in a vacuum environment for which gap and radiative conductance are negligible and only contact (solid spot) conductance is appreciable. A number of conductance models for metals are compiled and compared to experimental data from the literature. Theoretical models have been developed that accurately predict contact conductance for the two bounding cases of flat, rough surfaces and nonflat (spherical), smooth surfaces. However, these do not agree with most results for arbitrarily nonflat, rough surfaces, those usually obtained from common manufacturing processes. Empirical and semiempirical correlations, although many are developed for nonflat, rough surfaces, also suffer from limited applicability. The few theoretical models for nonflat (spherical), rough surfaces are computationally intensive and are not readily applied to design.
Inflammasome-dependent Pyroptosis and IL-18 Protect against Burkholderia pseudomallei Lung Infection while IL-1β Is Deleterious

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative bacterium that infects macrophages and other cell types and causes melioidosis. The interaction of B. pseudomallei with the inflammasome and the role of pyroptosis, IL-1β, and IL-18 during melioidosis have not been investigated in detail. Here we show that the Nod-like receptors (NLR) NLRP3 and NLRC4 differentially regulate pyroptosis and production of IL-1β and IL-18 and are critical for inflammasome-mediated resistance to melioidosis. In vitro production of IL-1β by macrophages or dendritic cells infected with B. pseudomallei was dependent on NLRC4 and NLRP3 while pyroptosis required only NLRC4. Mice deficient in the inflammasome components ASC, caspase-1, NLRC4, and NLRP3, were dramatically more susceptible to lung infection with B. pseudomallei than WT mice. The heightened susceptibility of Nlrp3-/- mice was due to decreased production of IL-18 and IL-1β. In contrast, Nlrc4-/- mice produced IL-1β and IL-18 in higher amount than WT mice and their high susceptibility was due to decreased pyroptosis and consequently higher bacterial burdens. Analyses of IL-18-deficient mice revealed that IL-18 is essential for survival primarily because of its ability to induce IFNγ production. In contrast, studies using IL-1RI-deficient mice or WT mice treated with either IL-1β or IL-1 receptor agonist revealed that IL-1β has deleterious effects during melioidosis. The detrimental role of IL-1β appeared to be due, in part, to excessive recruitment of neutrophils to the lung. Because neutrophils do not express NLRC4 and therefore fail to undergo pyroptosis, they may be permissive to B. pseudomallei intracellular growth. Administration of neutrophil-recruitment inhibitors IL-1ra or the CXCR2 neutrophil chemokine receptor antagonist antileukinate protected Nlrc4-/- mice from lethal doses of B. pseudomallei and decreased systemic dissemination of bacteria. Thus, the NLRP3 and NLRC4 inflammasomes have non-redundant protective roles in melioidosis: NLRC4 regulates pyroptosis while NLRP3 regulates production of protective IL-18 and deleterious IL-1β.
Optimal policy for a two-facility inventory problem with storage constraints and two freight modes

This paper considers a two-facility supply chain for a single product in which facility 1 orders the product from facility 2 and facility 2 orders the product from a supplier in each period. The orders placed by each facility are delivered in two possible nonnegative integer numbers of periods. The difference between them is one period. Random demands in each period arise only at facility 1. There are physical storage constraints at both facilities in each period. The objective of the supply chain is to find an ordering policy that minimizes the expected cost over a finite horizon and the discounted stationary expected cost over an infinite horizon. We characterize the structure of the minimum expected cost and the optimal ordering policy for both the finite and the discounted stationary infinite horizon problems.
Inhibition of vasopressin secretion when dehydrated rats drink water

The present study determined whether vasopressin (VP) secretion is inhibited by an oropharyngeal signal associated with swallowing fluids when dehydrated rats drink water, as it is when dehydrated ...
Morphogenetic effects of soluble laminin-5 on cultured epithelial cells and tissue explants

The rat cell line 804G assembles an extracellular matrix which induces not only the rapid adhesion and spreading of epithelial cells but also the assembly of a cell-matrix attachment device called the hemidesmosome. The major component of this matrix is laminin-5. We have purified rat laminin-5 from medium conditioned by 804G cells. Epithelial cells which are co-incubated with medium supplemented with soluble laminin-5 adhere and spread rapidly. Furthermore, human carcinoma cells undergo a dramatic morphologic change in the presence of laminin-5 and form orderly arrays resembling epithelial sheets. Soluble rat laminin-5 is selectively incorporated into an insoluble matrix of epithelial cells in vitro, since rat-specific laminin-5 antibodies stain cell-substrate contacts. Addition of medium containing soluble laminin-5 to explanted, human corneal rims induces assembly of hemidesmosomes, important cell-matrix attachment devices. Furthermore, rat-specific laminin-5 antibodies stain areas of contact between corneal epithelium and basement membrane, indicating that rat laminin-5 from the medium is incorporated into basement membrane. We discuss the use of laminin-5 as a medium supplement for the culture of both epithelial cells and epithelial tissue explants.
Inactivation of human T‐cell lymphotropic virus, type III by heat, chemicals, and irradiation

Infectivity of human T-cell lymphotropic virus, Type III (HTLV-III) was inactivated by heat more rapidly if in liquid medium than if lyophilized and more rapidly at 60 degrees than 56 degrees C. When HTLV-III was added to factor VIII suspension, then lyophilized and heated at 60 degrees C for 2 hours or longer there was elimination of 1 X 10(6) in vitro infectious units (IVIU) of virus. Much of the viral inactivation appeared to result from lyophilization. The application of water-saturated chloroform to the lyophilized material containing virus also resulted in elimination of infectivity. HTLV-III was efficiently inactivated by formalin, beta-propiolactone, ethyl ether, detergent, and ultraviolet light plus psoralen. The results are reassuring regarding the potential safety of various biological products.
Lesion mimic associates with adult plant resistance to leaf rust infection in wheat

Lesion mimics (LM) that resemble plant disease symptoms in the absence of plant pathogens may confer enhanced plant disease resistance to a wide range of pathogens. Wheat line Ning7840 has adult plant resistance (APR) to leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) and shows LM symptoms at heading. A recessive gene (lm) was found to be responsible for LM in Ning7840 and located near the proximal region of chromosome 1BL using a population of 179 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from the cross Ning7840/Chokwang. Genomic in situ hybridization showed that Ning7840 carries the short arm of 1R chromosome from rye (Secale cereale L.), on which the race-specific gene Lr26 resides. The RILs were infected with the isolate PRTUS 55, an isolate virulent to Lr26, at anthesis in two greenhouse experiments. The result showed that the lines with LM phenotype had a significantly higher rust resistance than the non-LM lines. Composite interval mapping consistently detected a QTL, Qlr.pser.1BL, for APR on chromosome 1BL. Qlr.pser.1BL peaked at lm and explained up to 60.8% of phenotypic variation for leaf rust resistance in two greenhouse experiments, therefore, lm from Ning7840 may have pleiotropic effects on APR to leaf rust.
Content analyses of title V abstinence-only education programs: Links between program topics and participant responses

To better understand the potential impacts of federal Abstinence-Only Education (AOE) funds in preventing teen pregnancy, the current study measured the specific content of Title V AOE programs, and the relationships between program content and adolescents’ pretest to posttest changes for 11 outcome indicators. Program content areas were coded for number of minutes spent on each of 71 specific topics (e.g., what it means to be a parent, dating behavior, sexual refusal skills) that were collapsed to 14 more general content areas. Both personal characteristics and program elements were significant predictors of participants’ changes from pretest to posttest on the outcome scales. However, personal characteristics accounted for substantially more variability than program elements. Overall, females were more responsive to the variability in AOE program messages than males.
Mirk/dyrk1B Kinase Destabilizes Cyclin D1 by Phosphorylation at Threonine 288

The phosphorylation of cyclin D1 at threonine 286 by glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) has been shown to be required for the ubiquitination and nuclear export of cyclin D1 and its subsequent degradation in the proteasome. The mutation of the nearby residue, threonine 288, to nonphosphorylatable alanine has also been shown to reduce the ubiquitination of cyclin D1, suggesting that phosphorylation at threonine 288 may also lead to degradation of cyclin D1. We now demonstrate that the G(0)/G(1)-active arginine-directed protein kinase Mirk/dyrk1B binds to cyclin D1 and phosphorylates cyclin D1 at threonine 288 in vivo and that the cyclin D1-T288A construct is more stable than wild-type cyclin D1. Transient overexpression of Mirk in nontransformed Mv1Lu lung epithelial cells blocked cells in G(0)/G(1). Depletion of endogenous Mirk by RNA interference increased cyclin D1 protein levels but not mRNA levels, indicating that Mirk destabilizes cyclin D1 protein. Destabilization was confirmed by induction of a stable Mirk transfectant of Mv1Lu cells, which blocked cell migration (Zou, Y., Lim, S., Lee, K., Deng, X., and Friedman, E. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 49573-49581), and caused a decrease in the half-life of endogenous cyclin D1, concomitant with an increase in Mirk expression. In vitro cyclin D1 was phosphorylated in an additive fashion by Mirk and GSK3beta. Mirk-phosphorylated cyclin D1 mutated at the GSK3beta phosphorylation site and was capable of phosphorylating cyclin D1 in the presence of the GSK3beta inhibitor LiCl. Mirk may function together with GSK3beta to assist cell arrest in G(0)/G(1) by destabilizing cyclin D1.
Colonization of Newborn Infants with R-factor Carrying Gram-negative Organisms

Recently, increasing numbers of gram-negative organisms with multiple drug resistance have been cultured from infants. The majority of these cultures were obtained from areas in which a high percentage of infants were being treated with antibiotics, primarily penicillin and kanamycin. A prospective study was done to determine incidence, age of appearance, and predisposing factors to R-factor cayrrying Enterobacteriacease in the nursery. Cultures were obtained from groin, umbilicus, axilla, nose, throat, eyes, and stool at 12-h intervals for the first three days of life and then daily. Ninty percent of the infants in the intensive care nursery were found to have R-factor carrying bacteria during their stay in the nursery. The mean age of acquiring these organisms was 3.8 days with a range of 1–10 days. The incidence was essentially the same for infants regardless of whether they had been treated with penicillin and kanmycin or no antibiotics. Infants in the regular nursery, many of whom stayed 6 days, had a less than 10% incidence of R-factor carrying gram-negative organisms. These organisms were found only sporadically on the fomites and in fecal and vaginal cultures of the mothers, but could be recovered from personnel working in the intensive care nursery. most of these personnel alos worked in the regular nursery and handled babies who had a low incidence of R-factor carrying organisms. It is presumed that the high incident of R-factor carrying Enterobacteriaceae found in the intensive care nursery is related to the use of antibiotics such as kanamycin in this area. Multiple drug resistance should be looked for in clinical situation such as this and treatment adjusted accordingly.
Agent Technologies Designed to Facilitate Interactive Knowledge Construction

During the last decade, interdisciplinary researchers have developed technologies with animated pedagogical agents that interact with the student in language and other communication channels (such as facial expressions and gestures). These pedagogical agents model good learning strategies and coach the students in actively constructing knowledge during learning. This article describes computer technologies that have been developed during the last decade with tutors that attempt to facilitate deep comprehension (e.g., causal explanations, plans, logical justifications), reasoning in natural language, and inquiry (i.e., question asking, question answering, hypothesis testing). These tutors target high school and college students who learn about topics in science and technology. The primary example is AutoTutor, a system on the Internet that helps students compose answers to deep-reasoning questions and solutions to problems by holding a conversation. AutoTutor's dialogue moves include feedback (positive, ne...
Valproic Acid Activates Notch1 Signaling and Induces Apoptosis in Medullary Thyroid Cancer Cells

Objective:To examine the effects of valproic acid (VPA) on Notch1 expression and cancer cell proliferation in medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) cells.Background:Other than surgery, there are no effective treatments for MTC, a neuroendocrine malignancy that frequently metastasizes. We have previously sh
Some problems associated with the analysis of the costs and benefits of pesticides

Abstract The benefits of pesticides may be estimated in terms of avoided crop losses from pests, diseases and weeds. Farm-level costs include the costs of the pesticides, and their application. Both are relatively easy to estimate. However, pesticides also have social costs due to externalities, i.e. those effects outside the market mechanism. A full cost-benefit analysis should include these. There are a number of techniques for estimating the effects of pesticides on both the environment and human health. Environmental economics also provides a range of possible techniques for valuing these effects in economic terms and a range of approaches have been adopted in the literature. All have considerable theoretical and practical problems due to the wide range of effects of pesticides and the difficulties of quantifying them. Given that the effects of pesticides on the environment and human health should be taken into account in assessing their optimum levels of usage by society, alternative approaches may be required which estimate these effects in non-economic terms, and which compare them to the economic benefits of pesticides.
Electron Collision Excitation of Fine-Structure Levels in S IV

Electron collision excitation strengths of inelastic transitions among the 52 fine-structure levels of the ground 3s23p and excited 3s3p2, 3s23d, 3s24s, 3p3, 3s24p, 3s3p3d, 3s24d, 3s24f, and 3s3p4s configurations in S IV are calculated using full Breit-Pauli R-matrix method. The target levels are represented by configuration-interaction wave functions, and the mass, Darwin, and spin-orbit relativistic terms are included in the scattering equations. The collision strengths in the threshold energy regions are dominated by the complicated resonance structures. Our collision strengths are compared with earlier available calculations and significant differences are noted. The collision strengths are integrated over a Maxwellian distribution of electron energies to obtain effective collision strengths over a wide temperature range.
Prefetching in a texture cache architecture

Texture mapping has become so ubiquitous in real-time graphics hardware that many systems are able to perform filtered texturing without any penalty in fill rate. The computation rates available in hardware have been outpacing the memory access rates, and texture systems are becoming constrained by memory bandwidth and latency. Caching in conjunction with prefetching can be used to alleviate this problem. In this paper, WC introduce a prefetching texture cache architecture designed to take advantage of the access characteristics of texture mapping. The structures needed are relatively simple and arc amenable to high clock rates. To quantify the robustness of our architecture, we identify a set of six scenes whose texture locality varies over nearly two orders of magnitude and a set 01 four memory systems with varying bandwidths and latencies. Through the use of a cycle-accurate simulation, we demonstrate that even in the presence of a high-latency memory system, our architecture can attain at least 97% of the performance of a zerolatency memory system. CR
Sonographic diagnosis of a bladder polyp.

Presented is a case of a bladder polyp diagnosed by ultrasound and removed by transurethral resection.
Uncertain role of cytosine arabinoside in varicella infection of compromised hosts

V A R I C E L L A zoster virus infections in compromised hosts can be serious and sometimes lethal. Complications of pr imary infection with this virus (varicella) have been noted in association with leukemia 1 and /o r steroid therapy 2 in childhood. Cytosine arabinoside (1-fl-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, ARA-C, CA) has been shown to have activity in vitro against several D N A viruses. The drug has been used clinically in severe infections by herpes group viruses in infants or hosts impaired by malignancy, chemotherapy, or congenital immune deficiency. A total of ten patients with varicella treated with this drug have been described? -5 In these reports, the authors have concluded that the therapeutic results were favorable. Despite potential hematopoietic drug toxicity, and the absence of any controlled drug trial (or even data in comparable untreated groups), several workers 6,~ have recently stated their belief that controlled studies with this drug in varicella zoster infections would be unethical. This report summarizes our experience with cytosine a'rabinoside in
Attracting Younger Audiences: Examining How Access to Local News Content Influences Perceptions of Credibility on Younger Readers

The researchers conducted a case study to examine the relationship between campus and community newspaper exposure and perceptions of credibility for young adults. In the fall of 2005, the University of Florida partnered with the local paper to provide free copies of its paper on campus. In a 6-month period, two Web surveys (N = 3,400) of those enrolled in a general education class found that these readers view the campus newspaper as more credible than the community newspaper. Exposure and credibility for the community paper declined over time, but no significant changes were noted for the perceptions of credibility of the campus newspaper, although exposure declined for it. Researchers also found positive relationships between changes in credibility and increased exposure. Finally, perception changes for the college newspaper were linked to agreement with the campus newspaper's editorial policies. Implications are discussed.
Optical demultiplexer filtering to increase the uncompensated reach of 10-Gbit/s directly modulated lasers

Significant uncompensated reach extension of highly chirped 10-Gbit∕s directly modulated lasers is demonstrated by use of optical filtering provided by optical demultiplexers at the link end. Narrowband filtering narrows the optical spectrum of the chirped signal to minimize dispersion effects when the filter's center wavelength is appropriately adjusted relative to the laser wavelength. We show that an equivalent reach improvement is obtained with a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) demultiplexer as the filtering agent with optimal filter-laser alignment. Experimental uncompensated reach lengths of greater than 100 km of Corning LEAF® fiber are demonstrated, without the need for forward error correction. This represents a reach improvement of up to 50% in comparison with nominally unfiltered signal transmission. We also examine the correlation of performance with the filter insertion loss derivative.
Effects of dicarboxylic acid coating on the optical properties of soot

Soot is a major component of atmospheric aerosols responsible for absorption of visible solar radiation. Internal mixing of soot with transparent materials can enhance its ability to absorb and scatter light, resulting in a larger role of soot in climate forcing. We have investigated the absorption and scattering of visible light (532 nm) by soot aerosol internally mixed with succinic and glutaric acids using a combination of a cavity ring-down spectrometer and an integrating nephelometer. The measurements were performed for flame-generated soot aerosol with well-characterized morphology and mixing state in the particle size range from 155 to 320 nm. Thin coatings of dicarboxylic acids on soot aggregates (with a mass fraction of 0.1–0.4) enhance significantly light scattering (up to 3.8 fold) and slightly light absorption (less than 1.2 fold). Cycling the coated soot aerosol through high relative humidity (humidified to 90% RH and then dried to 5% RH) promotes further increase in light absorption and scattering for soot internally mixed with glutaric acid, but not for soot mixed with succinic acid. The larger effect of glutaric acid on light absorption and scattering is caused by the irreversible restructuring of soot aggregates induced by the coating material. Our results indicate that the enhancement in the optical properties of soot by transparent coatings is strongly related to the ability of the coating materials to change the morphology of soot aggregates.
Local-field and excitonic effects in the optical spectrum of a covalent crystal

A method of calculating the dielectric response in the time-dependent Hartree-Fock approximation using the Wannier representation is described and applied to the optical spectrum of diamond. The local-field effect reduces the prominent peak in the optical absorption spectrum asymmetrically, more severely on the low-energy side. The electron-hole attraction gives rise to the continuum-exciton effect which tends to enhance the prominent peak in a similarly asymmetric fashion. These results are important for the identification of structures in the experimental optical spectrum with electronic interband transitions, and quite generally for calculating dielectric response in a covalent crystal.
Cost-effective medicine: The financial impact that practice guidelines have on outpatient hospital charges in the emergency department

The objective of this study was to determine whether specific cost-effective guidelines based on a patient's chief complaint can significantly reduce outpatient hospital charges in the ED. A prospective randomized single-blinded clinical trial was conducted in an urban community hospital ED with a 14,000 annual census. The first phase of the study involved preintervention data collection. The second phase focused on development, physician approval, and implementation of 23 specific cost-effective guidelines, as well as general recommendations for diagnostic tests. The third phase involved postintervention data collection. Results showed that the total outpatient hospital charge decreased by 28% per patient. The laboratory hospital charge decreased by 46% per patient. The radiology hospital charge decreased by 20% per patient. The hospital supply charge and pharmacy charge decreased by 31% per patient and 11% per patient, respectively. In conclusion, cost-effective medicine practiced with specific guidelines, based on a patient's chief complaint, significantly reduces unnecessary diagnostic tests and medical treatments ordered by emergency physicians.
Analytical solutions for the relative motion of spacecraft subject to Lorentz-force perturbations

Abstract A spacecraft capable of producing higher-than-natural electrostatic charges may achieve propellantless orbital maneuvering via the Lorentz-force interaction with a planetary magnetic field. Development of maneuver strategies for these propellantless vehicles is complicated by the fact that the perturbative Lorentz force acts along only a single line of action at any instant. Relative-motion dynamical models are developed that lead to approximate analytical solutions for the motion of charged spacecraft subject to the Lorentz force. These solutions indicate that the principal effects of the Lorentz force on a spacecraft in a circular orbit are to change the intrack position and to change the orbit plane. A rendezvous example is presented in which a spacecraft with a specific charge of −3.81 × 10−4 C/kg reaches a target vehicle initially 10 km away (on the same equatorial low-Earth orbit) in 1 day. Fly-around maneuvers may be achieved in low-Earth orbit with specific charges on the order of 0.001 C/kg.
The pulmonary arterial bed in ventricular septal defect. Anatomic features in childhood.

A quantitative, morphological study was undertaken on pulmonary arteries of 45 infants dying with ventricular septal defects; all but one were less than 3¼ years in age at death. All but four had large septal defects and most had evidences of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension. In the first 2 postnatal months, about half of the infants had a near normal mass of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle which correlates with clinical observations of a decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance during this period. Subsequently, almost all had a greatly increased mass of muscle in small pulmonary arteries which was mainly due to hypertrophy of individual smooth muscle cells. This correlates with an increased pulmonary vascular resistance reported in infants with large defects at this age. Finally, infants older than 6 months of age with septal defects had a high incidence of pulmonary arterial thrombi, and intimal proliferative and sclerotic lesions. These latter lesions were probably at an irreversible stage in on...
JNK1/2 regulate Bid by direct phosphorylation at Thr59 in response to ALDH1L1

BH3 interacting-domain death agonist (Bid) is a BH3-only pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins. Its function in apoptosis is associated with the proteolytic cleavage to the truncated form tBid, mainly by caspase-8. tBid translocates to mitochondria and assists Bax and Bak in induction of apoptosis. c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent alternative processing of Bid to jBid was also reported. We have previously shown that the folate stress enzyme 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (ALDH1L1) activates JNK1 and JNK2 in cancer cells as a pro-apoptotic response. Here we report that in PC-3 prostate cancer cells, JNK1/2 phosphorylate Bid at Thr59 within the caspase cleavage site in response to ALDH1L1. In vitro, all three JNK isoforms, JNK 1–3, phosphorylated Thr59 of Bid with JNK1 being the least active. Thr59 phosphorylation protected Bid from cleavage by caspase-8, resulting in strong accumulation of the full-length protein and its translocation to mitochondria. Interestingly, although we did not observe jBid in response to ALDH1L1 in PC-3 cells, transient expression of Bid mutants lacking the caspase-8 cleavage site resulted in strong accumulation of jBid. Of note, a T59D mutant mimicking constitutive phosphorylation revealed more profound cleavage of Bid to jBid. JNK-driven Bid accumulation had a pro-apoptotic effect in our study: small interfering RNA silencing of either JNK1/2 or Bid prevented Bid phosphorylation and accumulation, and rescued ALDH1L1-expressing cells. As full-length Bid is a weaker apoptogen than tBid, we propose that the phosphorylation of Bid by JNKs, followed by the accumulation of the full-length protein, delays attainment of apoptosis, and allows the cell to evaluate the stress and make a decision regarding the response strategy. This mechanism perhaps can be modified by the alternative cleavage of phospho-T59 Bid to jBid at some conditions.
Developing Lunar Landing Vehicle Display Requirements Through Content Analysis of Apollo Lunar Landing Voice Communications

The lengthy period since the Apollo landings limits present-day engineers attempts to draw from the experiences of veteran Apollo engineers and astronauts in the design of a new lunar lander. To circumvent these limitations, content analyses were performed on the voice transcripts of the Apollo lunar landing missions. The analyses highlighted numerous inefficiencies in the design of the Apollo Lunar Module displays, particularly in the substantial use of the cognitive resources of the Lunar Module Pilot in the performance of low-level tasks. The results were used to generate functional and information requirements for the next-generation lunar lander cockpit.
A ketogenic diet reduces long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus of freely behaving rats

Ketogenic diets are very low in carbohydrates and can reduce epileptic seizures significantly. This dietary therapy is particularly effective in pediatric and drug-resistant epilepsy. Hypothesized anticonvulsant mechanisms of ketogenic diets focus on increased inhibition and/or decreased excitability/excitation. Either of these consequences might not only reduce seizures, but also could affect normal brain function and synaptic plasticity. Here, we characterized effects of a ketogenic diet on hippocampal long-term potentiation, a widely studied form of synaptic plasticity. Adult male rats were placed on a control or ketogenic diet for 3 wk before recording. To maintain the most physiological conditions possible, we assessed synaptic transmission and plasticity using chronic in vivo recordings in freely behaving animals. Rats underwent stereotaxic surgery to chronically implant a recording electrode in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and a stimulating electrode in the perforant path; they recovered for 1 wk. After habituation and stable baseline recording, 5-Hz theta-burst stimulation was delivered to induce long-term potentiation. All animals showed successful plasticity, demonstrating that potentiation was not blocked by the ketogenic diet. Compared with rats fed a control diet, rats fed a ketogenic diet demonstrated significantly diminished long-term potentiation. This decreased potentiation lasted for at least 48 h. Reduced potentiation in ketogenic diet-fed rats is consistent with a general increase in neuronal inhibition (or decrease in excitability) and decreased seizure susceptibility. A better understanding of the effects of ketogenic diets on synaptic plasticity and learning is important, as diet-based therapy is often prescribed to children with epilepsy.
Duplication of the POMC gene in the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula): analysis of gamma-MSH, ACTH, and beta-endorphin regions of ray-finned fish POMC.

Abstract The proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene, which encodes the common precursor for MSH-related and β-endorphin-related end products, appeared early in chordate evolution and features a variety of lineage-specific modifications. Key among these has been the apparent degeneration and subsequent deletion of the γ-MSH region during the evolution of POMC in the ray-finned fish. A second area of increasing focus has been the role of gene duplication in the evolution of POMC in particular and the opioid/orphanin gene family in general. The cloning and phylogenetic analysis of two POMC cDNAs from the paddlefish ( Polyodon spathula ) is reported here and biochemical data on their processed end products are presented. Based on conceptual amino acid translations, the paddlefish cDNAs encode all functional domains and, in most cases, the flanking paired-basic amino acid cleavage sites characteristic of gnathostome POMCs (i.e., signal sequence, γ-MSH-like region, ACTH (α-MSH and CLIP), γ-LPH, β-MSH, and β-endorphin). Phylogenetic analysis of the paddlefish POMC sequences in the context of the duplicated POMCs of sturgeon and salmonids suggests that degeneration of the γ-MSH core sequence and its amino-terminal proteolytic cleavage site was initiated prior to divergence of the sturgeon and paddlefish lineages over 150 mya. Finally, a comparison of the relative rates of evolutionary divergence between paralogously related POMC genes within chondrostean and salmonid lineages provides potential support for the hypothesis that some taxa (e.g., the Chondrosteii) represent relic species as a result of an exceptionally slow rate of evolutionary change.
Antiplatelet Therapy in Acute Cerebral Ischemia

Background—Improved recognition of stroke signs and symptoms has paralleled the development of pharmacological strategies that may be examined to reduce stroke mortality and morbidity. Presently, tissue plasminogen activator is the only therapy that significantly improves outcome in acute stroke, with no agent demonstrating a significant reduction in mortality. Summary of Review—Antiplatelet agents are a heterogenous class of drugs that have been successfully used for more than 2 decades in secondary stroke prevention. These agents include aspirin, with or without dipyridamole, and more recently, the adenosine antagonists ticlopidine and clopidogrel. However, studies of the use of antiplatelet agents within 48 hours of the ictus have examined only aspirin. Only 1 study, the Multicentre Acute Stroke Trial–Italy (MAST-I), entered patients within 6 hours of the ictus. These data suggest that an improvement in mortality may be related to the speed of administration. No significant adverse events were noted wi...
Interleukin 2-driven T lymphocyte proliferation is dependent upon a surface antigen distinct from the interleukin 2 receptor: requirements for inhibition of T-cell proliferation by monoclonal antibody 5C3.

Abstract A monoclonal antibody (5C3) to an antigen expressed on activated guinea pig T lymphocytes that did not react with the interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor, but inhibited IL-2-driven proliferative responses has been previously characterized. The present study provides further analysis of the inhibitory capacity of 5C3 for T-cell proliferation and of the relationship between the expression of the antigen defined by 5C3 and the capacity of cells to respond to IL-2. 5C3 inhibited proliferation of T-cell blasts to IL-2-containing fluids when added as late as 8 hr prior to termination of a 26-hr culture. 5C3 pretreatment of the IL-2-responsive blast cells was also sufficient to detect significant inhibition of proliferation. FACS analysis of these blasts indicated that maximal 5C3 binding was required for pretreatment to result in inhibition of IL-2-driven proliferation. Delayed addition of 5C3 to culture or pretreatment with 5C3 of responding cells also resulted in inhibition of proliferation of immune T lymphocytes to antigen-pulsed-presenting cells. Lastly, although modulated 5C3 − blasts failed to proliferate to IL-2, induction of the 5C3-bearing molecule on these 5C3 − blasts correlated with restoration of the ability of these cells to proliferate to IL-2. Collectively, these results further support the hypothesis that monoclonal antibody 5C3 interferes with a critical signal in the IL-2 growth pathway.
Incorporating real world integrated circuit in a liberal arts computer science program

It is important to incorporate an introductory treatment of integrated circuits in the computer science curriculum in a liberal arts university. We use real world problems, such as the relationship between power consumption and circuit levels, to motivate students to learn.
Interactive sound synthesis for large scale environments

We present an interactive approach for generating realistic physically-based sounds from rigid-body dynamic simulations. We use spring-mass systems to model each object's local deformation and vibration, which we demonstrate to be an adequate approximation for capturing physical effects such as magnitude of impact forces, location of impact, and rolling sounds. No assumption is made about the mesh connectivity or topology. Surface meshes used for rigid-body dynamic simulation are utilized for sound simulation without any modifications. We use results in auditory perception and a novel priority-based quality scaling scheme to enable the system to meet variable, stringent time constraints in a real-time application, while ensuring minimal reduction in the perceived sound quality. With this approach, we have observed up to an order of magnitude speed-up compared to an implementation without the acceleration. As a result, we are able to simulate moderately complex simulations with upto hundreds of sounding objects at over 100 frames per second (FPS), making this technique well suited for interactive applications like games and virtual environments. Furthermore, we utilize OpenAL and EAX™ on Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2™ cards for fast hardware-accelerated propagation modeling of the synthesized sound.
Gender Disparities Among Veterans: The High Rate of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Women in the Military

The results of war are not limited to mass physical destruction; war's impact also results in psychological damage to service members, both men and women. Despite the enduring psychological trauma with which soldiers are forced to cope, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains, at best, an undertreated disorder and, at worst, a disorder that is not treated at all. The sequelae of untreated PTSD may be tragic for all soldiers, but PTSD has different impacts between sexes. This article examines disparities of military PTSD between sexes, and the need for gender-specific services for female veterans is addressed.
Radiation-induced reductions in neurogenesis are ameliorated in mice deficient in CuZnSOD or MnSOD

Ionizing irradiation significantly affects hippocampal neurogenesis and is associated with cognitive impairments; these effects may be influenced by an altered microenvironment. Oxidative stress is a factor that has been shown to affect neurogenesis, and one of the protective pathways that deal with such stress involves the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). This study addressed what impact a deficiency in cytoplasmic (SOD1) or mitochondrial (SOD2) SOD has on radiation effects on hippocampal neurogenesis. Wild-type (WT) and SOD1 and SOD2 knockout (KO) mice received a single X-ray dose of 5 Gy, and quantification of the survival and phenotypic fate of newly generated cells in the dentate subgranular zone was performed 2 months later. Radiation exposure reduced neurogenesis in WT mice but had no apparent effect in KO mice, although baseline levels of neurogenesis were reduced in both SOD KO strains before irradiation. Additionally, there were marked and significant differences between WT and both KO strains in how irradiation affected newly generated astrocytes and activated microglia. The mechanism(s) responsible for these effects is not yet known, but a pilot in vitro study suggests a "protective" effect of elevated levels of superoxide. Overall, these data suggest that under conditions of SOD deficiency, there is a common pathway dictating how neurogenesis is affected by ionizing irradiation.
On the joint antieigenvalues of operators in normal subalgebras

We will study the joint antieigenvalues of pairs of operators that belong to the same closed normal subalgebra of B(H). This extends antieigenvalue theory from single normal operators to pairs of commuting normal operators.
Hospital and posthospital survival in patients mechanically ventilated for more than 29 days.

Experience with prolonged mechanical ventilation has improved over recent years. Retrospective analysis of the records of 104 patients older than 16 years of age who were mechanically ventilated for more than 29 days over a 29-month period from May 1986 to October 1988 revealed the following findings. The mean patient age was 66.3 ±15.7 years (SD). The mean number of in-hospital ventilator days was 59.9 ±36.7 days (range, 29 to 247 days). The mean number of days of oral or nasal endotracheal intubation prior to tracheostomy (96 patients) was 21.5 ±14.2 days. The mean length of hospital stay for the 104 patients was 79.9 ±45.4 days. The majority of the 104 patients (82.6 percent) were surgical patients. Nine patients left the hospital receiving extended mechanical ventilation. Mortality was highest in multiple organ system failure and lowest among the trauma patients. The total days of mechanical ventilation did not appear to be related to mortality if patients older than 16 years survived for seven days. Postdischarge survival of the 53 of 60 patients who survived and whom we were able to contact was 67 percent at one year and 56 percent at three years.
Sraffa's critique of Marshall: a reassessment

This paper reviews Piero Sraffa's critique of the Marshallian theory of supply. The dominant interpretations appear to have misread the connection between the critique and Sraffa's later work. This critique was directed at the inability of Alfred Marshall's theory to provide a generally valid explanation of price under competitive conditions but insufficient attention has been paid to Sraffa's concern to find a theory of value that could accommodate increasing returns. There is little evidence, moreover, to support the standard claim that Sraffa adopted the simultaneous equation approach of Production of Commodities in order to resolve the deficiencies of the partial method. (c) 1996 Academic Press Limited Copyright 1996 by Oxford University Press.
Estimating the impact of showroom entertainment on the gaming volumes of Las Vegas hotel-casinos.

Abstract Increases in showroom headcounts are found to increase casino gaming volumes in two Las Vegas Strip casinos. This study examines long-standing assumptions regarding the indirect contribution of investment-intensive showroom entertainment. Such contributions are difficult to measure and the literature contains no rigorously derived estimates of gaming contributions from in-house entertainment venues. Despite the paucity of research, gaming companies are willing to invest staggering sums in showroom entertainment, based in large part on the belief that traffic from these venues will increase gaming volumes. Using estimates produced by time series regression models, the two showrooms produced average gaming win contributions of $11.28 and $19.32, per paid showroom attendee. Based on these estimates alone, extravagant investment in showrooms would have to be justified by other means. Future studies aimed at understanding the showroom contributions to non-gaming profit centers and the role of showrooms in the high-roller's patronage decision are both recommended.