cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States.

Abstract Background Approximately 1000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occur each day in the United States. Although sex differences exist for other cardiovascular conditions such as stroke and acute myocardial infarction, they are less well understood for OHCA. Specifically, the extent to which neurological and survival outcomes after OHCA differ between men and women remains poorly characterized in the U.S. Methods and results Within the national Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) registry, we identified 326,138 adults with an OHCA from 2013 to 2019. Using multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated for sex differences in rates of survival to hospital admission, survival to hospital discharge, and favorable neurological survival (i.e., without severe neurological disability), adjusted for demographics, cardiac arrest characteristics and bystander interventions. Overall, 117,281 (36%) patients were women. Median age was 62 and 65 years for men and women, respectively. An initial shockable rhythm (25.1% vs 14.7%, standardized difference of 0.26) and an arrest in a public location (22.2% vs. 11.3%; standardized difference of 0.30) were more common in men, but there were no meaningful sex differences in rates of witnessed arrests, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intra-venous access, or use of mechanical devices for delivering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Overall, the unadjusted rates of all survival outcomes were similar between men and women: survival to hospital admission (27.0% for men vs. 27.9% for women, standardized difference of −0.02), survival to hospital discharge (10.5% for men vs. 8.6% for women, standardized difference of 0.07), and favorable neurological survival (9.0% for men vs. 6.6% for women, standardized difference of 0.09). After multivariable adjustment, however, men were less likely to survive to hospital admission (adjusted OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.77), survive to hospital discharge (adjusted OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.85), or have favorable neurological survival (adjusted OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.85, 0.91). Conclusions Compared to women, men with OHCA have more favorable cardiac arrest characteristics but were less likely to survive to hospital admission, survive to discharge, nor have favorable neurological survival.
Criteria for Selecting Instructors of English for Academic Purposes Courses: What Do Students Look for?

Seeking to provide insight into the role that English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses play in China’s growing number of joint-venture universities (JVUs), this article reports on a study of the factors that motivate students’ selection of instructors for such courses. The study reports on three stages of the investigation: (1) a preliminary, online tapping of learners’ motives in EAP instructor selection, (2) a survey, based on the findings of Stage 1, in which past EAP students ranked qualities most and least desired of EAP instructors, (3) focus-group discussions (FGDs), based on the survey of Stage 2, in which past EAP students commented on the qualities that they most and least desired of EAP instructors. Survey results are grouped into the top three, bottom three, and middle three; survey results are analyzed in light of FGDs, with discrepancies between the two being acknowledged and interpreted. Three overarching pedagogical implications are presented: (1) the need of a sense of community in EAP courses, (2) the need of transparency in EAP courses, and (3) the perception of EAP instructors as first and foremost classroom teachers. Limitations of the study are duly noted.
S. pombe wtf genes use dual transcriptional regulation and selective protein exclusion from spores to cause meiotic drive

Abstract Meiotic drivers bias gametogenesis to ensure their transmission into more than half the offspring of a heterozygote. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, wtf meiotic drivers destroy the meiotic products (spores) that do not inherit the driver from a heterozygote, thereby reducing fertility. wtf drivers encode both a Wtfpoison protein and a Wtfantidote protein using alternative transcriptional start sites. Here, we analyze how the expression and localization of the Wtf proteins are regulated to achieve drive. We show that transcriptional timing and selective protein exclusion from developing spores ensure that all spores are exposed to Wtf4poison, but only the spores that inherit wtf4 receive a dose of Wtf4antidote sufficient for survival. In addition, we show that the Mei4 transcription factor, a master regulator of meiosis, controls the expression of the wtf4poison transcript. This dual transcriptional regulation, which includes the use of a critical meiotic transcription factor, likely complicates the universal suppression of wtf genes without concomitantly disrupting spore viability. We propose that these features contribute to the evolutionary success of the wtf drivers. Author Summary Killer meiotic drivers are one type of selfish DNA sequence. When only one copy of a killer meiotic driver is found in a genome, the driver is expected to be transmitted to only half of the gametes (e.g. eggs or sperm). Killer meiotic drivers, however, kill developing gametes that do not inherit them, giving the driver a transmission advantage into the next generation. The molecular mechanisms used by these killers are not well understood. In this work, we analyzed how one killer meiotic driver, wtf4 from fission yeast, ensures targeted gamete (spore) killing. Previous work showed that wtf meiotic drivers encode a poison protein that is transmitted to all spores and an antidote protein that rescues only spores that inherit the locus. Here, we show that different timing of the expression of the two proteins, combined with differential inclusion of the proteins in developing spores, both contribute to targeted spore killing. We also demonstrate that wtf4 exploits an essential gene expression pathway, making it difficult for the genome to prevent this locus from being expressed and killing. This extends our knowledge both of how these genetic parasites act and how they are equipped to evade host suppression mechanisms.
Technical communication, hospice documents, and the ethic of care: an analysis of the technical communicator's role in dealing with issues related to terminal illness

In this study, the relationship between the ethic of care and hospice documents is explored. This project includes an in-depth discussion of the nature of documents designed for the hospice situation. Specifically, it focuses on hospice documents as a way to study the effectiveness of feminist ethics to connect with a specific audience. Feminist ethics are significant to study within hospice documents because, as the act of hospice is rooted within the ethic of care, hospice documents provide an excellent forum for implementing feminist ethics into technical writing. This project studies how "caring for" people is expressed in technical writing and how docimients and subsequent training can be vehicles for feminist ethics. Usiiig surveys and interview methods, this thesis identifies major themes present in hospice documents and among hospice workers. These themes are then outlined and discussed in light of Mary Raugust's theory of the ethic of care: a distinct and particular other, interdependence, and a non-linear, accepting approach to processes. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the way in which hospice documents function and ways in which improving docimients could, in turn, improve technical commurucation, technical communication pedagogy, and, most importantly, the hospice experience for patients and families. CHAPTER
Protein Filaments Caught in the Act

Advances in electron microscopy have allowed bacterial DNA-segregating protein filaments to be visualized.
Wayback: a user-level versioning file system for linux

In a typical file system, only the current version of a file (or directory) is available. In Wayback, a user can also access any previous version, all the way back to the file's creation time. Versioning is done automatically at the write level: each write to the file creates a new version. Wayback implements versioning using an undo log structure, exploiting the massive space available on modern disks to provide its very useful functionality. Wayback is a user-level file system built on the FUSE framework that relies on an underlying file system for access to the disk. In addition to simplifying Wayback, this also allows it to extend any existing file system with versioning: after being mounted, the file system can be mounted a second time with versioning. We describe the implementation of Wayback, and evaluate its performance using several benchmarks.
Attribution Retraining: Implications for Its Integration Into Prescriptive Social Skills Training

The purposes of this article are to (a) describe the general components of attribution theory as it applies to social motivation and behavior in children, (b) describe research on social attributio...
Development and testing of a 180-volt dc electronic circuit breaker with a 335-ampere carry and 1200-ampere interrupt rating

NASA Lewis Research Center and associated contractors have conducted a program to assess the potential requirements for a high-current switch to conceptually design a switch using the best existing technology, and to build and demonstrate a breadboard which meets the requirements. The result is the high current remote bus isolator (HRBI). The HRBI is rated at 180 V dc, 335 A continuous with a 1200 A interrupt rating. It also incorporates remote-control and protective features called for by the Space Station Freedom PMAD dc test bed design. Two breadboard 335 A circuit breakers were built and tested that demonstrate a promising concept of paralleled current-limiting modules. The units incorporated all control and protective features required by advanced aerospace power systems. Component stresses in each unit were determined by design, and are consistent with a life of many thousands of fault operations.
DNA splicing by an active site mutant of Flp recombinase. Possible catalytic cooperativity between the inactive protein and its DNA substrate.

Abstract Each strand transfer catalyzed by the Flp recombinase is the composite of two transesterification reactions. The active nucleophilic species in the two reactions are the catalytic site tyrosine (Tyr-343) of Flp and the 5'-hydroxyl from the Flp-nicked DNA substrate, respectively. A "half recombination site" is capable of undergoing this pair of transesterifications in the presence of Flp. When the substrate is a half-site containing a chiral phosphorothioate at the exchange point, the Flp reaction yields a product in which the phosphate chirality is retained. A mutant of Flp that lacks the active site tyrosine, Flp(Y343F), is incapable of mediating strand transfer in a full-recombination site but can execute strand transfer in a half-site. The efficiency of this reaction is about 2% of that of the wild type reaction. The activity of Flp(Y343F) is critically dependent on the length of the half-site spacer. Furthermore, in this reaction, the strand cleavage and strand exchange steps cannot be uncoupled. These results strongly suggest a direct attack by the 5'-hydroxyl of the half-site spacer on the phosphodiester at the normal strand transfer point.
Global communication optimization for tensor contraction expressions under memory constraints

The accurate modeling of the electronic structure of atoms and molecules involves computationally intensive tensor contractions involving large multi-dimensional arrays. The efficient computation of complex tensor contractions usually requires the generation of temporary intermediate arrays. These intermediates could be extremely large, but they can often be generated and used in batches through appropriate loop fusion transformations. To optimize the performance of such computations on parallel computers, the total amount of inter-processor communication must be minimized, subject to the available memory on each processor In this paper we address the memory-constrained communication minimization problem in the context of this class of computations. Based on a framework that models the relationship between loop fusion and memory usage, we develop an approach to identify the best combination of loop fusion and data partitioning that minimizes inter-processor communication cost without exceeding the per-processor memory limit. The effectiveness of the developed optimization approach is demonstrated on a computation representative of a component used in quantum chemistry suites.
Characteristics of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerase Isolated from Spores of Rhizopus stolonifer

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-dependent DNA polymerase was purified several hundredfold from germinated and ungerminated spores of the fungus Rhizopus stolonifer. The partially purified enzymes from both spore stages exhibited identical characteristics; incorporation of [3H]deoxythymidine monophosphate into DNA required Mg2+, DNA, a reducing agent, and the simultaneous presence of deoxyguanosine triphosphate, deoxycytidine triphosphate, and deoxyadenosine triphosphate. Heat-denatured and activated DNAs were better templates than were native DNAs. The buoyant density of the radioactive product of the reaction was similar to that of the template DNA. The enzyme is probably composed of a single polypeptide chain with an S value of 5.12 and an estimated molecular weight of 70,000 to 75,000. During the early stages of purification, the enzyme fraction from ungerminated spores required exogenous DNA for maximum activity, whereas the corresponding enzyme fraction from germinated spores did not require added DNA. Apparently DNA polymerase from germinated spores was more tightly bound to endogenous DNA than was the enzyme from ungerminated spores.
Differences in Preferences for Models of Consent for Biobanks Between Black and White Women

Biobanks are essential resources, and participation by individuals from diverse groups is needed. Various models of consent have been proposed for secondary research use of biospecimens, differing in level of donor control and information received. Data are needed regarding participant preferences for models of consent, particularly among minorities. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 60 women to examine their attitudes about different models of consent. Recruitment was stratified by race (Black/White) and prior biobank participation (yes/no). Two coders independently coded interview transcripts. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo 10. The majority of Black and White participants preferred “broad” consent (i.e., blanket permission for secondary research use of biospecimens), and the second most preferred model for both groups was “study-specific” consent (i.e., consent for each future research study). The qualitative analysis showed that participants selected their most preferred model for 3 major reasons: having enough information, having control over their sample, and being asked for permission. Least preferred was notice model (i.e., participants notified that biospecimens may be used in future research). Attitudes toward models of consent differed somewhat by race and prior biobank participation. Participants preferred models of consent for secondary research use of biospecimens that provided them with both specific and general information, control over their biospecimens, and asked them to give permission for use. Our findings suggest that it will be important for researchers to provide information about future uses of biospecimens to the extent possible and have an explicit permission step for secondary research use.
Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury Induces Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1α Expression in Immature Rat Brain

Background and Purpose— Macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α is a well-characterized monocyte chemoattractant; its role in regulating monocyte and microglial recruitment and activation in the injured neonatal brain is unknown. We evaluated the impact of acute hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury on the expression of MIP-1α in neonatal rat brain. Methods— To elicit forebrain ischemic injury, 7-day-old (P7) rats underwent right carotid ligation, followed by 2.5 hours of 8% oxygen exposure. We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry to detect MIP-1α; double-labeling immunofluorescence assays were analyzed with confocal microscopy to identify cellular sources of MIP-1α. Immunocytochemistry assays were also used to detect 2 MIP-1α receptors, CCR1 and CCR5. Results— We found marked increases in tissue concentrations of MIP-1α in the HI cerebral hemisphere, peaking from 8 to 72 hours after lesioning. Immunocytochemistry assays revealed that MIP-1α was constitutively expressed in phys...
Polarization Oxygen Sensor: a Template for a Class of Fluorescence-Based Sensors

We describe a novel oxygen polarization sensor based on a single molecule that changes the observed anisotropy of its emission with variation of the oxygen concentration. The approach is demonstrated both in solution and in solid films. A simple mathematical description of the sensor is included and experimentally verified. The technique demonstrated here creates opportunity for development of a new class of polarization-based dyes and sensors.
Perspectives of Chronic Pain: An Evaluative Comparison of Restrictive and Comprehensive Models

The authors compare theoretical perspectives of chronic pain using a restrictive comprehensive categorization. Four of the perspectives (mind-body dualism, psychological, radical operant--behavioral, and radical cognitive) are categorized as restrictive. The other 4 perspectives (International Association for the Study of Pain, gate control, nonradical operant--behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral) that incorporate multiple facets are categorized as comprehensive. On the basis of empirical support, practical application, and issues concerning potential research design problems, the restrictive perspectives could be rejected for not providing a model in which chronic pain can be thoroughly investigated. The comprehensive perspectives, however, demonstrate greater potential for serving that role. Nonetheless, the need for additional theory development by the comprehensive perspectives is noted.
Berthelot's anti-atomism: A ‘matter of taste’?

Summary The influential French chemist Marcelin Berthelot spoke against the use of Dalton's atomic theory and Avogadro's hypothesis in the second half of the nineteenth century. This paper argues that Berthelot conceded that atomism might be acceptable as a system of conventions, but he feared the power of such conventions in constructing a realistic picture of atoms which was not warranted empirically. Equally, Berthelot's anti-atomism was a last-ditch effort to assert the place of chemistry within the tradition of natural history and to deny the possible reduction of chemical science to the laws of nineteenth-century physics.
Metastability effects in bootstrap percolation

Bootstrap percolation models, or equivalently certain types of cellular automata, exhibit interesting finite-volume effects. These are studied at a rigorous level. The authors find that for an initial configuration obtained by placing particles independently with probability p or=2), the density of the 'bootstrapped' (final) configurations in the sequence of cubes (-L/2, L/2)d typically undergoes an abrupt transition, as L is increased, from being close to 0 to the value 1. With L fixed at a large value, the mean final density as a function of p changes from 0 to 1 around a value which varies only slowly with L-the pertinent parameter being lambda =p1(d-1)/ln L. The driving mechanism is the capture of a 'critical droplet'. This behaviour is analogous to the decay of a metastable state near a first-order phase transition, for which the analysis offers some suggestive ideas.
Near infrared investigation of interamide hydrogen bonds in hydrogen-bonding solvents

Abstract The interaction of amide groups through hydrogen bonding in the solvents methanol, ethylene glycol, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride has been investigated by methods of near-infrared absorption spectroscopy. δ-Valerolactam was used as a model compound. The results are compared with earlier measurements in aqueous solution and in dioxane solution. All obtained data can be consistently interpreted in terms of dimerization of amide groups. Dimerization involves the formation of two NHOC hydrogen bonds. The magnitude of the overall enthalpy change in monofunctional solvents is greatly reduced as compared with inert media. The values obtained in carbon tetrachloride, chloroform and dioxane are − 7, −3, and ±0 kcal per mole, respectively. Dimerization of amide groups in hydroxyl-containing solvents involves changes in solute-solvent, solute-solute, and solvent-solvent interactions. Overall enthalpy values from −5 to −6 kcal per mole were obtained, in good agreement with previous work in aqueous solution.
Reduced verapamil inhibition of endothelin-1-constricted rabbit basilar artery due to enhanced non L-type Ca2+-channel-dependent constriction

Abstract This study tested whether (1) L-type Ca 2+ channel blockade and extracellular Ca 2+ removal prior to endothelin-1, as compared to during the endothelin-1 constriction, resulted in lesser inhibition, and (2) the reduced inhibition due to prior L-type Ca 2+ channel blockade resulted from enhanced non L-type Ca 2+ -channel-dependent constriction. Pretreatment of rabbit basilar artery in vitro with 1 μM verapamil, an L-type Ca 2+ channel blocker, inhibited 3, 10, 30, and 100 nM endothelin-1 constrictions to a lesser extent than verapamil addition during the plateau endothelin-1 constriction. Ni 2+ (0.03 and 0.1 mM), a nonselective cation channel blocker, relaxed the plateau endothelin-1 constrictions in vessels pretreated with verapamil to greater magnitudes than vessels unexposed to verapamil. Extracellular Ca 2+ removal prior to 10, 30, and 100 nM endothelin-1 also inhibited the endothelin-1 constrictions to smaller magnitudes than Ca 2+ removal during the plateau endothelin-1 constrictions. These results suggest that the reduced inhibition of the endothelin-1 constriction following pretreatment with L-type Ca 2+ channel blocker or Ca 2+ -free solution, as compared to addition of these agents during the endothelin-1 constriction, is the result of non L-type Ca 2+ channel opening and enhanced Ca 2+ -independent constriction, respectively.
Detectors for the MINOS long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment

The MINOS long-baseline experiment will use an intense neutrino beam, generated by Fermilab`s Main Injector accelerator, and 730 km flight path to search for neutrino oscillations. The 10,000 ton MINOS far detector will utilize toroidally magnetized steel plates interleaved with track chambers to reconstruct event topologies and to measure the energies of the muons, hadrons and electromagnetic showers produced by neutrino interactions. The MINOS collaboration is currently developing three alternative technologies for the track chambers: `Iarocci` tubes (operated in either limited streamer or saturated proportional mode), RPC`s (with either glass or ABS plates), and scintillator (either liquid or plastic) with wavelength shifting fiber readout. The technology choice will be made in mid 1997 based on the projected performance and cost of the 32,000 m{sup 2} active detector system.
Development of a Finite Element Model Framework for Studying Growth of Cartilage Anlage

Growth and remodeling are fundamental processes in the development of tissues in normal and pathological conditions. Mechanical quantities such as stress, strain or strain energy in the tissue can modulate its growth and remodeling; however, it is not clear yet which mechanical quantity takes this role. Experimental data can be found to support both. Furthermore, the driving-mechanism may be tissue-dependent and therefore, a universal growth law may not exist [7,8]. This field has been an important research topic in biomechanics over the recent decades. The review articles by Humphrey [4] and Taber [8] contain numerous related references. An important contribution was made by Rodriguez et al. [7] to the area of volumetric growth of soft elastic tissue which allowed for the coupling between stress and finite growth through multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into elastic and growth parts. This theory has been followed in our study. Our goal is to model growth of the hind foot cartilage anlagen in newborn infants, and explore effect of congenital anomalies on the otherwise normal development.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Model for vortex pinning in a two-dimensional inhomogeneous d-wave superconductor

We study a model for the pinning of vortices in a two-dimensional, inhomogeneous, type-II superconductor in its mixed state. The model is based on a Ginzburg-Landau (GL) free energy functional whose coefficients are determined by the mean-field transition temperature ${T}_{c0}$ and the zero-temperature penetration depth $\ensuremath{\lambda}(0)$. We find that if (i) ${T}_{c0}$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}(0)$ are functions of position and (ii) ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{2}(0)\ensuremath{\propto}{T}_{c0}^{y}$ with $yg0$, then vortices tend to be pinned by regions where ${T}_{c0}$ and therefore the magnitude of the superconducting order parameter $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ are large. This behavior is in contrast to the usual picture of pinning in type-II superconductors, where pinning occurs in the small-gap regions. We also compute the local density of states of a model BCS Hamiltonian with $d$-wave symmetry, in which the pairing field $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ is obtained from the Monte Carlo simulations of a GL free energy. Several features observed in scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements on $\mathrm{Y}{\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6+x}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}\mathrm{Ca}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8+x}$ are well reproduced by our model: far from vortex cores, the local density of states spectra have a small gap and sharp coherence peaks, while near the vortex cores, they have a larger gap with low, broad peaks. Additionally, also in agreement with experiment, the spectra near the core do not exhibit a zero-energy peak which is, however, observed in other theoretical studies.
Molecular Modeling Of The Aldose Reductase-Inhibitor Complex Based On The X-Ray Crystal Structure And Studies With Single-Site- Directed Mutants

Aldose reductase (AR) has been implicated in the etiology of the secondary complications of diabetes. This enzyme catalyzes the reduction of glucose to sorbitol using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate as an essential cofactor. AR has been localized at the sites of tissue damage, and inhibitors of this enzyme prevent the development of neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, and cataract formation in animal models of diabetes. The crystal structure of AR complexed with zopolrestat, a potent inhibitor of AR, has been described. (1) We have generated a model of the AR-inhibitor complex based on the reported C alpha coordinates of the protein and results of a structure-activity relationship study using four structurally distinct classes of inhibitors, recombinant human AR, and four single-site-directed mutants of this enzyme. The effects of the site-directed mutations on residues within the active site of the enzyme were evaluated by average interaction energy calculations and by calculations of carbon atom surface area changes. These values correlated well with the IC50 values for zopolrestat with the wildtype and mutant enzymes, validating the model. On the basis of the zopolrestat-binding model, we have proposed binding models for 10 other AR inhibitors. Our models have enabled us to gain a qualitative understanding of the binding domains of the enzyme and how different inhibitors impact the size and shape of the binding site.
A remote upstream element regulates tissue-specific expression of the rat aggrecan gene.

The regulation of chondrogenesis and of the genes expressed as markers of chondrocyte differentiation is poorly understood. The hyaluronan-binding proteoglycan aggrecan is an essential and specific component of cartilage, but the aggrecan proximal promoter is expressed in an unregulated fashion in vitro. DNA comprising the rat aggrecan gene (83 kb including the 30-kb first intron) was surveyed for active elements, which would impart selective expression to the aggrecan promoter in transfection assays in vitro. A 4.7-kb DNA fragment (P3) with cell-specific enhancer activity was discovered ∼12 kb upstream of the transcription start site; this active DNA fragment is position- and orientation-independent, and strongly stimulates aggrecan promoter expression in chondrocytes, while weakly suppressing transcription in fibroblasts. Most of this activity has been localized to P3–7, a 2.3-kb internal fragment of P3. Another enhancer element (A23), which is not tissue-specific, was discovered about 70 kb downstream of the transcription start site. Several lines of transgenic mice were created using combinations of these DNA elements to drive the lacZreporter gene. Neither a short (900 bp) nor a long (3.7 kb) promoter alone showed detectable expression in 14.5-day embryos, whereas placing the P3 tissue-specific enhancer together with P0 gave strong expression restricted to embryonic cartilage of transgenic mice. The A23 downstream enhancer in conjunction with P0 did not confer expression. This is the first report of a gene control region which confers authentic tissue-specific regulation of aggrecan in vitroor in vivo and should greatly facilitate understanding the coordinate regulation of chondrocytic genes.
Critical study: Joseph Levine's purple haze

Cook discovered Cook's Strait. And Joe Levine discovered Levine's Gap, the now famous “explanatory gap” that yawns between all of science and the felt qualitative characters of our sensations. Levi...
Sterility Testing of Fat Emulsions Using Membrane Filtration and Dimethyl Sulfoxide

A method was described for sterility testing of 10% fat emulsions, which consisted of solubilizing the emulsion in dimethyl sulfoxide and filtering the mixture using a polyester membrane. The procedure was rapid and avoided the problems of turbidity and plugging of the membrane filter encountered with other methods.
The role of Epstein-Barr virus and elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor in determining prognosis in Asian peripheral T-cell lymphomas

Evidence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in patients continues to be associated with the development of various lymphomas, and EBV genomic regions are detected in some lymphoma cells. Its role in causality and progression of disease versus the role of a passenger continues to be debated. Several reports of Asian T-cell lymphomas have also associated these diseases with evidence of EBV infections. Asian T-cell lymphomas are clinically distinct from Western T-cell lymphoma, and are also associated with increased levels of cytokine production, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The current study reports correlations of EBV + T-cell lymphoma with higher levels of TNF, and suggests some prognostic correlations.
Modeling blood flow heterogeneity

It has been known for some time that regional blood flows within an organ are not uniform. Useful measures of heterogeneity of regional blood flows are the standard deviation and coefficient of variation or relative dispersion of the probability density function (PDF) of regional flows obtained from the regional concentrations of tracers that are deposited in proportion to blood flow. When a mathematical model is used to analyze dilution curves after tracer solute administration, for many solutes it is important to account for flow heterogeneity and the wide range of transit times through multiple pathways in parallel. Failure to do so leads to bias in the estimates of volumes of distribution and membrane conductances. Since in practice the number of paths used should be relatively small, the analysis is sensitive to the choice of the individual elements used to approximate the distribution of flows or transit times. Presented here is a method for modeling heterogeneous flow through an organ using a scheme that covers both the high flow and long transit time extremes of the flow distribution. With this method, numerical experiments are performed to determine the errors made in estimating parameters when flow heterogeneity is ignored, in both the absence and presence of noise. The magnitude of the errors in the estimates depends upon the system parameters, the amount of flow heterogeneity present, and whether the shape of the input function is known. In some cases, some parameters may be estimated to within 10% when heterogeneity is ignored (homogeneous model), but errors of 15-20% may result, even when the level of heterogeneity is modest. In repeated trials in the presence of 5% noise, the mean of the estimates was always closer to the true value with the heterogeneous model than when heterogeneity was ignored, but the distributions of the estimates from the homogeneous and heterogeneous models overlapped for some parameters when outflow dilution curves were analyzed. The separation between the distributions was further reduced when tissue content curves were analyzed. It is concluded that multipath models accounting for flow heterogeneity are a vehicle for assessing the effects of flow heterogeneity under the conditions applicable to specific laboratory protocols, that efforts should be made to assess the actual level of flow heterogeneity in the organ being studied, and that the errors in parameter estimates are generally smaller when the input function is known rather than estimated by deconvolution.
Psychotherapy Supervision Since 1909: Some Friendly Observations About its First Century

Now a century old, psychotherapy supervision occupies a place of increasing prominence across all mental health disciplines and appears to generally be regarded as a (if not the) sine qua non for the teaching and learning of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy supervision has emerged as our “signature pedagogy.” In this paper, I take a look back at supervision’s last century and consider some (but by no means all) of the salient issues and themes that have defined its science and practice. The reviewed supervision issues and themes include the following: (1) the beginnings and evolution of supervision and supervision theory; (2) our evolving perspective about the supervision matrix; (3) methodological pluralism and diversity; (4) “good” and “bad” supervisor behaviors and the working alliance; (5) measurement; (6) effectiveness; (7) diversity; and (8) education. I use this “look back” to (1) give voice to where we have been and where we are now in psychotherapy supervision and (2) shine a light on some of what seems to lie ahead for supervision’s second century.
Use of pharmaceuticals and pesticides to constrain nutrient sources in coastal groundwater of northwestern Long Island, New York, USA

In developed, non-agricultural, unsewered areas, septic systems and fertilizer application to lawns and gardens represent two major sources of nitrogen to coastal groundwater, in addition to atmospheric input. This study was designed to distinguish between these two possible nitrogen sources by analyzing groundwater samples for pharmaceutical residuals, because fertilizers do not contain any of these pharmaceuticals, but domestic wastewater commonly does. In addition, several herbicides and insecticides used in lawn treatment were analyzed as indicators of nitrogen delivery to groundwater from fertilizers. Groundwater samples were taken through piezometres at shoreline sites in unsewered areas surrounding Northport Harbor and in sewered areas adjacent to Manhasset Bay (hereafter referred to as “Northport” and “Manhasset”, respectively), both in northwestern Long Island, USA. Excessive nitrogen loading has led to reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations in Long Island Sound, and the groundwater contribution to the nitrogen budget is poorly constrained. The frequent detection of the anticonvulsant compound carbamazepine in groundwater samples of the Northport Harbor area (unsewered), together with the fact that few pesticides associated with lawn applications were detected, suggests that wastewater input and atmospheric input are the likely sources of nitrogen in the Northport groundwater. High concentrations of nitrogen were also detected in the Manhasset (sewered) groundwater. The low detection frequency and concentration of carbamazepine, however, suggest that the sewer system effectively intercepts nitrogen from wastewater there. The likely sources of nitrogen in the Manhasset groundwater are atmospheric deposition and lawn fertilizers, as this area is densely populated.
Relative hydrophobicity and lipophilicity of β-blockers and related compounds as measured by aqueous two-phase partitioning, octanol–buffer partitioning, and HPLC

Partitioning of 15 beta-blockers and structurally related compounds was examined in aqueous dextran-PEG two-phase systems and octanol-buffer systems at pH from 2.0 up to 12.5. The same compounds were examined by gradient RP-HPLC at pH 2.0, 7.4, and 11.0. The differences between the hydrophobic character of the phases in all three systems at different pH values were characterized using a homologous series of dinitrophenyl-amino acids by measuring the free energy of transfer of a methylene group. Estimates of the relative hydrophobicity, N(CH(2)), and lipophilicity, logD, of the compounds obtained by the three techniques employed were compared. The data indicate that while similar pH profiles for a given compound were established by all these techniques, the information provided is different. It is suggested that the combination of the two descriptors, logD and N(CH(2)), may be useful for quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of the biological activities involving distribution and/or transport of chemical compounds in biological systems.
The dimensions of stimulus complexity and the visually evoked potential.

Abstract The relationships between five dimensions of complex stimuli and the latency, waveform, and amplitude of the visually evoked potential (VEP) were investigated in three experiments. One stimulus variable, contour density, emerged as the most consistent predictor of VEP amplitude. Contrary to earlier reports, changes in either latency or waveform were not observed, and linearity was the most frequent form of the relationship between the stimuli and amplitude measures.
Fluorescence molecular imaging system with a novel mouse surface extraction method and a rotary scanning scheme

We have developed a new fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) imaging system, in which we utilized a phase shifting method to extract the mouse surface geometry optically and a rotary laser scanning approach to excite fluorescence molecules and acquire fluorescent measurements on the whole mouse body. Nine fringe patterns with a phase shifting of 2π/9 are projected onto the mouse surface by a projector. The fringe patterns are captured using a webcam to calculate a phase map that is converted to the geometry of the mouse surface with our algorithms. We used a DigiWarp approach to warp a finite element mesh of a standard digital mouse to the measured mouse surface thus the tedious and time-consuming procedure from a point cloud to mesh is avoided. Experimental results indicated that the proposed method is accurate with errors less than 0.5 mm. In the FMT imaging system, the mouse is placed inside a conical mirror and scanned with a line pattern laser that is mounted on a rotation stage. After being reflected by the conical mirror, the emitted fluorescence photons travel through central hole of the rotation stage and the band pass filters in a motorized filter wheel, and are collected by a CCD camera. Phantom experimental results of the proposed new FMT imaging system can reconstruct the target accurately.
The influence of damping and source terms on solutions of nonlinear wave equations

We discuss in this paper some recent development in the study of nonlinear wave equations. In particular, we focus on those results that deal with wave equations that feature two competing forces. One force is a damping term and the other is a strong source. Our central interest here is to analyze the influence of these forces on the long-time behavior of solutions
Accelerated iterative strategy for the divergent synthesis of dendritic macromolecules using a combination of living radical polymerization and an irreversible terminator multifunctional initiator

Our laboratory has reported the elaboration of an iterative strategy for the synthesis of dendritic macromolecules from conventional monomers. This synthetic method involves a combination of self-regulated metal-catalyzed living radical polymerization initiated from arenesulfonyl chlorides and an irreversible terminator multifunctional initiator (TERMINI). The previous TERMINI, (1,1-dimethylethyl)[[1-[3,5-bis(S-phenyl-4-N,N′ diethylthiocarbamate)phenyl]ethenyl]oxy]dimethylsilane, was prepared in nine reaction steps. The replacement of the previous TERMINI with one that requires only three steps for its synthesis, diethylthiocarbamic acid S-{3-[1-(tert-butyl-dimethyl-silanyloxy)-vinyl]-5-diethylcarbamoylsulfanyl-phenyl} ester, and the use of the more reactive Cu2S/2,2′-bipyridine rather than the Cu2O/2,2′-bipyridine self-regulated catalyst have generated an accelerated method for the synthesis of dendritic macromolecules. This method provides rational design strategies for the synthesis of dendritic macromolecules with different compaction by the use of a single monomer. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4894–4906, 2005
Applied technique for increasing calicivirus detection in shellfish extracts.

Aims: Optimal detection of enteric RNA viruses in clinical, environmental, and food products using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) when inhibitory substances in extracted sample materials are present. Methods and Results: We adapted a device for detection of RNA viruses in plant tissues and insects to detect a calicivirus strain (San Miguel sea lion virus, serotype 17) in water and oyster tissue extracts. This single, compartmentalized tube-within-a-tube (TWT) device for RT-PCR-nested PCR was compared to a conventional protocol of RT-PCR-nested PCR. In the presence of 100 mg of shellfish tissue extract equivalent, this TWT device decreases the calicivirus assay detection limit 10-fold over that of conventional RT-PCR-nested PCR while maintaining an identical detection limit of viral nucleic acid suspended in water. Both the conventional and TWT methods estimated the total particle-to-infectious particle ratio for this strain of calicivirus at approximately 40 : 1. Conclusions: We believe that the TWT device with appropriate RT-PCR primers will decrease the detection limit for other calicivirus strains and RNA viruses in shellfish tissue extracts. Significance and Impact of the Study: We believe that the TWT approach is applicable to other situations where RT and/or PCR inhibitory materials are present or nucleic acid targets of bacteria or viruses are at low levels in extracts of food products or clinical specimens.
PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF COGNITIVE SOCIAL LEARNING THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

. This paper sketches an alternative answer to James Jones's recent attempt to explore the implications of cognitive social learning theories of personality for issues in epistemology, philosophy of science, and religious studies. Since the 1960s, two cognitive revolutions have taken place in scientific psychology: the first made cognition central to theories of perception, memory, problem solving, and so on; the second made cognition central to theories of learning and behavior, among others. Cognitive social learning theories find their place in the latter revolution. Because of an ongoing naturalistic revolution in philosophy, these cognitive revolutions in psychology are having a profound effect on both descriptive and normative issues in epistemology and philosophy of science. From the naturalistic perspective, philosophy cannot adequately pursue its goals without the contributions of the empirical sciences, including psychology. The author concludes that the cognitive revolutions in psychology and the naturalistic revolution in philosophy have similar descriptive and normative import for the study of religion.
Holograms And Holographic Stereomodels: Their Mensuration And Mapping

The relative ease with which three-dimensional images are reconstructed from single hologram plates makes them an attractive alternative to the photogrammetrist for mensuration and mapping of close-range objects. For accurate metric work, the reconstruction geometry must be recovered to with-in fine tolerances, the values of which are given. A simple scheme for extracting positional information from holograms, as well as performing graphic and digital mapping, is explained and sample results included. To extend the capability to topographic terrain applications from aerial photography, the concept of the Holographic Stereomodel (HS), both fresnel and focused image types, is explained and relative advantages and disadvantages enumerated. The photogrammetric and geometric problems involved in the production of HS are expounded upon. Mensuration and mapping considerations from HS together with results obtained to-date are given.© (1974) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Routine testing of magnetic field homogeneity on clinical MRI systems

Poor main magnetic field (B0) homogeneity (H(B)) leads to artifacts and signal losses in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The American College of Radiology's MRI quality control manual mandates annual checks of H(B), suggesting tests using spectral linewidth and phase-difference (delta phi) maps. A new method, the bandwidth-difference (deltaBW) method, which compares the distortion for small and large BW acquisitions to determine the HB, is proposed. The deltaBW method has the advantage that it can be used to measure multiple diameters of spherical volumes (DSV) in a single phantom. A phantom has been developed to exploit this method and results obtained with it are compared to those using three standard methods. Small receiver BW in the presence of poor H(B) leads to geometric distortions because gradients are reduced to the level of the B0 inhomogeneities. Data were acquired using seven MRI systems from different manufacturers, ranging in field strength from 0.2 to 3.0 T. Fast gradient echo pulse sequences were scanned twice using small and large BWs. H(B) was measured from the shift of landmarks between the two BW acquisitions. Results were compared with data from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) method, the delta phi method and one manufacturer's resonant frequency mapping data. The FWHM method was available on two systems and the detla phi method was available on one. The deltaBW method could be performed in all scanners investigated. The H(B) measured ranged 0.11-0.32 ppm to 6.7-12.9 ppm for DSV of 13-22.6 cm. Direct comparisons of the data obtained using the deltaBW method showed good agreement with data obtained using the FWHM method. Data obtained using the deltaBW method compared favorably with the manufacturer's resonant frequency map. The deltaBW method produces measurements of H(B) at various DSV values that can be obtained from a single set of phantom images. The accuracy of deltaBW B0 homogeneity measurements are comparable to the other methods tested.