cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrophysiological mapping and radiofrequency catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia in a patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy.

VT Ablation in a Patient with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy A 38-year-old female with prior failed endocardial ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) was referred for further treatment. She had been diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy 7 years before and had persistent left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 20%. Epicardial voltage mapping showed extensive epicardial scar despite absence of endocardial scar. Five distinct VT morphologies were induced. Ablation was aided by electrogram characteristics, pace mapping, entrainment mapping, and establishing electrical inexcitability along areas of epicardial scar. After epicardial ablation no sustained VT was induced. She had been doing well without VT occurrence but died 1 year later unexpectedly at home.
Liver Choline Dehydrogenase and Kidney Betaine-Homocysteine Methyltransferase Expression Are Not Affected by Methionine or Choline Intake in Growing Rats

Choline dehydrogenase (CHDH) and betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT) are 2 enzymes involved in choline oxidation. BHMT is expressed at high levels in rat liver and its expression is regulated by dietary Met and choline. BHMT is also found in rat kidney, albeit in substantially lower amounts, but it is not known whether kidney BHMT expression is regulated by dietary Met or choline. Similarly, CHDH activity is highest in the liver and kidney, but the regulation of its expression by diet has not been thoroughly investigated. Sprague Dawley rats (∼50 g) were fed, for 9 d in 2 x 3 factorial design (n = 8), an L-amino acid-defined diet varying in L-Met (0.125, 0.3, or 0.8%) and choline (0 or 25 mmol/kg diet). Liver and kidney BHMT and CHDH were assessed using enzymatic, Western blot, and real-time PCR analyses. Liver samples were also fixed for histological analysis. Liver BHMT activity was 1.3-fold higher in rats fed the Met deficient diet containing choline, which was reflected in corresponding increases in mRNA content and immunodetectable protein. Independent of dietary choline, supplemental Met increased hepatic BHMT activity ∼30%. Kidney BHMT and liver CHDH expression were refractory to these diets. Some degree of fatty liver developed in all rats fed a choline-devoid diet, indicating that supplemental Met cannot completely compensate for the lack of dietary choline in growing rats. J. Nutr. 136: 2279-2283, 2006.
Levator ani trigger point injections: An underutilized treatment for chronic pelvic pain

Aims We conducted this study to examine the role of trigger point injections in females with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) of at least 6 months duration and specific levator ani trigger points. Methods This prospective study included 18 consecutive female patients with CPP and specific palpable levator ani trigger points. Pain was evaluated before and after trigger point injection on a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Patient global satisfaction (PGS) and cure rates (PGC) were also measured by a VAS on a scale of 0–100%. The trigger points were identified manually by intravaginal palpation of the levator ani bilaterally. A mixture of 10 cc of 0.25% bupivacaine, 10 cc of 2% lidocaine and 1 cc (40 mg) of triamcinolone was used for injection of 5 cc per trigger point. A 5.5″ Iowa trumpet pudendal needle guide was used for injection. All but one injection were performed in the office setting without sedation. Pelvic floor muscle exercises were taught for use after injection. Success was defined as a decrease in pain as measured by a VAS of 50% or more, as well as PGS and PGC scores of 60% or greater. There was a mean follow up of 3 months after trigger point injection. Results Thirteen of 18 women improved with the first trigger point injection resulting in a comprehensive success rate of 72%. Six (33%) of 18 women were completely pain free. Conclusion In the management of CPP, a non-surgical office-based therapy such as trigger point injections can be effective in selected patients. Neurourol. Urodynam. 26:59–62, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Immunoperoxidase staining of bone marrow sections

Paraffin-embedded sections of bone marrow from 131 patients were studied. The specificity of the immunoperoxidase technique for detecting intracellular kand Λ light chains of immunoglobulins was first evaluated in 34 cases of typical multiple myeloma or macroglobulinemia. The monoclonal light chain detected in the bone marrow myeloma cell was identical to the result of immunoelectrophoresis of serum or urine. By use of the same method, 97 cases in which the diagnosis was difficult were examined; cases included those of bone marrow plasmacytosis, lymphocytosis, and morphologically unusual cells. All marrow cells with monoclonal immunoglobulin detected by immunoperoxidase stain eventually proved to be a B-cell neoplastic or potentially neoplastic process. This study confirms the specificity of the immunoperoxidase stain and demonstrates its value in solving clinical diagnostic problems, that is, the diagnosis of nonsecretory myeloma and myeloma with unusual morphology, differentiating the monoclonal plasmaproliferative disorders from reactive plasmacytosis or lymphoma from lymphocytosis.
Transparency and toughness characterization of epoxy resins modified with liquid chloroprene rubber

Transparent epoxy resins modified with liquid chloroprene rubber (LCR), containing in a category of rubber-toughened resin were found. Transparency and toughness characterization of the modified epoxy resins were investigated as a function of LCR content. Epoxy resins modified with 0–10 vol % LCR showed complete phase-separation microstructure. However, these modified resins were transparent, because the refractive index of LCR was compatible with that of the epoxy resin matrix at room temperature. On the other hand, it was observed that above 10 vol % LCR, a certain amount of LCR dissolved into the epoxy matrix. In this case, the glass transition temperature decreased with increasing LCR content. It was also found that the critical stress intensity factor, Kc, of the modified epoxy resins exhibited a maximum between 10 and 15 vol % LCR.
Identification of novel pharmacological activities of an antifungal agent, nystatin, to promote dendritic cell maturation.

As an unbiased functional screen to identify agents activating dendritic cells (DCs), we recently developed a DC-based biosensor system, in which a stable murine DC line XS106 was engineered to express the yellow fluorescent protein ( YFP ) gene under the control of the IL-1 β promoter. Here we report that nystatin (NYT), an antifungal drug of the family of polyene macrolide antibiotics, elevated YFP expression by the resulting XS106-pIL1-YFP DC biosensor clone in a dose-dependent fashion. With respect to the underlying mechanisms, NYT activated the NF κ B p65 and c-Rel subunits in the parental XS106 DC line. Moreover, NYT dose-dependently increased the surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II (MHC II), CD40, CD54, CD80, and CD86 by murine bone marrow-derived DCs and triggered their robust production of IL-1 β , IL-6, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor α , and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 α . Our results document previously unrecognized pharmacological activities of the most commonly used antifungal drug to promote DC maturation.
The photoelectron spectra of gaseous alkali halides

Abstract The He I photoelectron spectra of the gaseous forms of CsF, NaCl, KCl, RbCl, CsCl, LiBr, NaBr, KBr, RbBr, CsBr, NaI, KI, RbI, and CsI have been obtaine using a high-temperature spectrometer equipped with an internally-located, laser-beam heated sample oven. The spectral bands have been assigned molecul origins by use of MO calculations, spin—orbital splitting considerations, band intensity relations, polymer formation tendencies, and mass spectromet
DeltaDB: A Scalable Database Design for Time-Varying Schema-Free Data

DeltaDB is a model for a database consisting of records with no fixed schema whose entire history is captured over time. It is designed to support efficient queries against the current state of the database, any point in the history of the database, and historical data aggregations over time. In this paper, we present the DeltaDB data model, the associated query algebra, and highlight the fundamental query optimization concerns. To gain experience with the DeltaDB model, we have created a single-node implementation of the database and used it to collect one year's worth of monitoring data from a distributed software system, reducing over 5TB of snapshots into 11GB of log data. We give examples of novel types of queries that exploit the time-varying nature of the data and evaluate their performance. We conclude with a discussion of how the single-node implementation will serve as the building block for a future distributed implementation.
Resolution in near-field optical imaging

A quantitative formulation of the resolution of optical imaging systems is discussed in regard to both conventional far-field optics and near-field scanning optical microscopy. A simple near-field model is introduced, followed by a discussion on the refmements of this model. Experimental results are compared to a more rigorous theory with excellent agreement
School-based social-skills interventions demonstrate minimally effective results for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder1

1 Abstracted from: Bellini, S., Peters, J. K., Brenner, L., & Hopf, A. (2007). A meta-analysis of school-based social skills interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 28, 153–162. Source of funding: The review was supported by the US Department of Education
Wisconsinan Late‐glacial environmental change on the southeast Baffin shelf, southeast Baffin Island and northern Labrador

The importance of the Baffin-Labrador region is explained in terms of the channelling through this area of the mass flux of meltwater from the Laurentide Ice Sheet and the probable effects of this on the thermohaline circulation of the North Atlantic. The chronology of glaciation and deglaciation in the region is summarised. Reference is made to recent marine records from the Baffin Shelf. Isotopic changes recorded in foraminiferal assemblages obtained from marine sediments in the Baffin Shelf-Labrador Sea area indicate the timing and possible magnitude of meltwater fluxes during the period 14.0-11.0 ka BP.
Near field of a coaxial jet with and without axial excitation

An experimental study was undertaken to determine the effect of an annular jet on the near-field vortex structure and dynamics of an incompressible axisymmetric jet issuing into a quiescent ambient fluid. The effect of varying the velocity ratio between the two streams was investigated for a single nozzle exit area ratio, a single core flow Reynolds number, and uniform density. A thin laser sheet was used to illuminate the flow for instantaneous photographs of natural and axially excited flow. Natural jet evolution results indicated the initial vortex development in the shear lagers occurred independently, but the large-scale structures in the outer layer ultimately controlled the core flow
Comment on ‘Atomistic simulation of cross-slip processes in model fee structures’

Abstract Recently Rao et al. (1999, Phil. Mag. A, 79, 1167) claimed reasonable agreement between their results for cross-slip activation energies (CSAEs) in Ni (from atomistic simulation) and in Cu (from scaling of the Ni result) and experimental results. Furthermore, the atomistic result for Cu by Rasmussen et al. (1997, Phys. Rev. B, 56, 2977) was described as deviating ‘significantly’ from theirs. This comment demonstrates that Rao et al.'s scaling approach is too simple and that it is possible to obtain good agreement between atomistic estimates of CSAES with a more accurate, yet still approximate, scaling approach. It is noted that no experimentally derived value for the CSAE in Ni has been published.
Reinventing the Wheel—Again

There is a great deal of talk inscience education about the problemof constantly reinventing the wheel,that is, individual teachers or curricu-lum development projects often seemto be doing the same thing over andover again, coming up with new ideasthat aren’t very new at all, that arejust slight variations on ideas that havebeen around for a long time. Thisseems to be a waste of time, just asthe project of reinventing the wheelwould be. If a solution to a problemhas already been found by one teacheror one project, why not just make useof it, instead of starting from scratchyet again.
The relationship between plasma membrane lipid composition and physical-chemical properties. III. Detailed physical and biochemical analysis of fatty acid-substituted EL4 plasma membranes

Murine leukemia EL4 cells were modified by supplementation of culture media with fatty acids for 24 h. A plasma membrane-enriched fraction was prepared from substituted and normal cells. Analyses were performed to determine fatty acyl composition, phospholipid headgroup composition and cholesterol content. The two major membrane phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were isolated by thin-layer chromatography and ESR measurements were done on liposomes prepared from these lipids as well as on the intact plasma membrane preparations. Slight perturbations in overall plasma membrane lipid composition were observed when EL4 cells were supplemented with a single exogenous fatty acid. This may be consistent with the idea that the incorporation of exogenous fatty acid induces compensatory changes in membrane lipid composition. On the other hand, we observed no significant difference in two ESR motional parameters between the unsubstituted control and various fatty acid-substituted plasma membranes. ESR measurements carried out on PE and PC liposomes derived from 17:0- and 18:2c-substituted membranes also failed to detect major differences between these liposomes and those made from normal EL4 phospholipids. In the case of liposomes prepared from 18:2t,-substituted membranes, the order parameter was significantly changed from the normal. However, the change was in opposite directions in PE and PC, perhaps accounting for the fact that no change parameter is seen in intact 18:2t-substituted plasma membrane. Measurements of order parameter (S) in mixed lipid vesicles showed that at up to 50 mol% mixture of a synthetic PC with plasma membrane PC, the value of S was only marginally different from that of the plasma membrane PC vesicles. We interpret these data as an indication that the two ESR parameters used are not sufficiently sensitive to detect changes due to modifications of the acyl chain composition of a complex biological membrane.
Therapeutic uses of MAbs directed against CD20.

Background There are two main classes of Abs directed against the CD20 Ag that have been developed for therapeutic intent: unconjugated and radiolabeled Abs. Methods The clinical results available from the large clinical trials utilizing both the unconjugated and radiolabelled Abs are summarized in this article. Discussion Both of these classes of agents have shown promise in clinical trials both alone and in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy or highdose chemotherapy and transplantation. Ongoing research with these agents will provide further evidence of the place in clinical practice for these agents.
Dynamics analysis of linear elastic planar mechanisms

This paper presents a formulation for the dynamics analysis of an elastic mechanism and integrating a stiff system using efficient numerical methods. Because all the elastic degrees of freedom are included in the vector of generalized variables, the size of the equations is much larger than that obtained using either the assumed mode or the distributed parameter finite element approach. However, the resulting system matrix is sparse and the elastic coordinates are absent from the system matrix, and these are useful properties for subsequent numerical analysis. Techniques for solving a system of linear time-variant equations are applied to the dynamics equations, assuming that the system matrix is slow-changing, and thus, may be approximated by a series of piecewise constant matrices. It is argued that the problem of determining the integration time step is transformed into the problem of computing the exponential of the system matrix with automatic time scaling. A numerical example is given to show that the behavior of the rigid coordinates converges to that of an all-rigid-body model by artificially increasing the Young’s modulus of the elastic components, despite the very-high-frequency vibrations of the elastic coordinates induced by the increment of the stiffness.
Uncertainty and communication strategy formation

Abstract Managers may affect the consumer information search and acquisition process and, thus, consumer preference by designing communications and selecting information channels that are responsive to consumers' uncertainty-associated information needs. However, measures of uncertainty that would be appropriate for general use in measuring product-attribute associated uncertainty have not been developed and assessed. In this paper, two methodologies that may be appropriate are presented and evaluated. Comparison of the methods shows both approaches to be about equal when evaluated with respect to convergent and face validity, test-retest reliability, and the ability of each measure to predict preference. Possible uses of product-attribute uncertainty measures in assisting managers to formulate communications strategy are discussed.
The role of practical wisdom in nurse manager practice: why experience matters.

Aim To illustrate through the interpretation of one representative nurse manager's narrative how the methodology of practice articulation gives language to the ways practical wisdom develops in leadership practice and facilitates learning. Background Patricia Benner's corpus of research has demonstrated that reflection on clinical narratives comes closer than other pedagogical methods to replicating and enhancing the experiential learning required for the development of practical wisdom. Method Using Benner's methodology of practice articulation, 91 nurse managers wrote and read to a peer group a narrative of their lived experience in the role. The groups interpreted the narratives to extract the skilled knowledge and ethics embedded in the practice of the nurse manager authors. One narrative was chosen for this paper because it is a particularly clear exemplar of how practical wisdom develops in nurse manager practice. Results Articulating and reflecting on experiential learning led to an understanding of how practical wisdom developed in one nurse manager's practice. Conclusion Interpretation of the narrative of one nurse manager illustrated how reflection on a complex ethical dilemma was a source of character development for the individual and the peer group. Implications for nursing management Describing and interpreting how practical wisdom develops for individual nurse managers can be a source of learning for the narrative author and other role incumbents who need to make sound decisions and take prudent action in ethically challenging situations.
A novel running annuloplasty suture technique for robotically assisted mitral valve repair.

FIGURE 1. Schematic diagram of running annuloplasty suture technique. A, Fir at the mid-portion of the annulus and the tail is tied to the first suture. C, Second s tied to the second suture. From the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Disclosures: Dr Mihaljevic is a consultant for Intuitive Surgical Inc (Sunnyvale, Calif), St Jude Medical Inc (St Paul, Minn), and Edwards Lifesciences (Irvine, Calif). Dr Gillinov is a consultant for Edwards Lifesciences and St Jude Medical, receives research support from St Jude Medical and Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minn), and has equity in Viacor (Wilmington, Mass). Received for publication Nov 24, 2009; accepted for publication Dec 7, 2009; available ahead of print March 2, 2010. Address for reprints: Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44125 (E-mail: mihaljt@ccf.org). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2010;139:1343-4 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2010 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2009.12.023
The transcription factors Ets1 and Sox10 interact during murine melanocyte development

Melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells, arise from multipotent neural crest (NC) cells during embryogenesis. Many genes required for melanocyte development were identified using mouse pigmentation mutants. The variable spotting mouse pigmentation mutant arose spontaneously at the Jackson Laboratory. We identified a G-to-A nucleotide transition in exon 3 of the Ets1 gene in variable spotting, which results in a missense G102E mutation. Homozygous variable spotting mice exhibit sporadic white spotting. Similarly, mice carrying a targeted deletion of Ets1 exhibit hypopigmentation; nevertheless, the function of Ets1 in melanocyte development is unknown. The transcription factor Ets1 is widely expressed in developing organs and tissues, including the NC. In the chick, Ets1 is required for the expression of Sox10, a transcription factor critical for the development of various NC derivatives, including melanocytes. We show that Ets1 is required early for murine NC cell and melanocyte precursor survival in vivo. Given the importance of Ets1 for Sox10 expression in the chick, we investigated a potential genetic interaction between these genes by comparing the hypopigmentation phenotypes of single and double heterozygous mice. The incidence of hypopigmentation in double heterozygotes was significantly greater than in single heterozygotes. The area of hypopigmentation in double heterozygotes was significantly larger than would be expected from the addition of the areas of hypopigmentation of single heterozygotes, suggesting that Ets1 and Sox10 interact synergistically in melanocyte development. Since Sox10 is also essential for enteric ganglia development, we examined the distal colons of Ets1 null mutants and found a significant decrease in enteric innervation, which was exacerbated by Sox10 heterozygosity. At the molecular level, Ets1 was found to activate an enhancer critical for Sox10 expression in NC-derived structures. Furthermore, enhancer activation was significantly inhibited by the variable spotting mutation. Together, these results suggest that Ets1 and Sox10 interact to promote proper melanocyte and enteric ganglia development from the NC.
The Soviet Union in the GATT? A plea for reform

(1989). The Soviet Union in the GATT? A plea for reform. The International Spectator: Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 72-93.
Effects of hemicholinium-3 on the pigmented rabbit retina and pigment epithelium.

Hemicholinium-3 effects on the albino rabbit neural retina have been described, but effects on the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have not been closely examined. We have studied retinal morphology and function in Dutch belted (pigmented) rabbits after single intravitreal injections of Hemicholinium-3 or saline. DC electroretinogram recordings show a decrease in a, b, and c-wave amplitudes, with the c-wave affected first. Experiments with sodium iodate show that the early decrease in the c-wave results from a loss of the RPE component of the c-wave, rather than the retinal Slow PIII component. After two days, ophthalmoscopic abnormalities of the fundus are severe in a large area with pigmentary changes. A sharp boundary appears between normally pigmented and depigmented fundus, indicative of a critical threshold for damage. The RPE contains clumped melanin. Pigmented cells are seen away from the basement membrane, an early histological observation temporally correlated with a loss of barrier function see...
Experience with the audiologic assessment of infants and toddlers.

Abstract Experience with the behavioral assessment of hearing sensitivity is reported for 211 babies and toddlers aged 6–24 months. The visually reinforced head-turn procedure, visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA), was utilized to obtain threshold estimates for infants evaluated for both research and clinical purposes. At the initial test session, 90% of the infants and toddlers provided useful audiometric threshold data for air-conducted tonal signals; 84% could be assessed using standard earphones. The equipment arrangement described allows a single audiologist to complete the VRA assessment. The behavioral test technique offers the clinician a simple, efficient procedure for the routine audiometric assessment of the vast majority of very young children.
Effect of oscillating fluid shear on solute transport in cortical bone

The consequences of an oscillatory fluid shear mechanism on nutrient transport in bone during physical activity and ultrasonic therapy are discussed. During movement, periodic stress on bone creates transient pressure gradients that circulate interstitial fluid through calcified bone. A transport model derived from oscillatory Taylor-Aris dispersion phenomena was used to predict a ratio of effective-to-molecular diffusivity, K/D, for solutes of varying sizes up to 50 nm in diameter, in pores filled with interstitial fluid and pericellular matrix. The magnitude of the estimated transport enhancement depended on the molecular size, pore dimension, applied frequency and the displacement of the fluid during pressurization. For oscillation frequencies and amplitudes corresponding to those experienced during normal human activity, transport enhancements of up to 100 fold are expected for molecules larger than 5 nm in diameter. Enhancements of up to one order of magnitude, due to ultrasound stimulations in the MHz frequency range, are also expected for 7-nm-sized solutes. No effects are anticipated for ions, whose molecular diffusion time is too fast relative to the oscillation frequency. This model is expected to be useful for understanding differences in bone growth as a function of type of movement or to develop new physical therapies.
In situ modification of microporous membranes

Under proper conditions, in situ polymerizations of acrylic acid monomer solutions were performed within the microporous structures of a hydrophobic membrane, Celgard ® 2500. poly(acrylic acid) modified pores have been characterized to be permanently wettable by aqueous solutions, to be capable of gelling water to withstand increased transmembrane pressure gradients, and also to possess a higher transmembrane electrical resistance. In cases of less concentrated acrylic acid monomer solutions, a cross-linker was employed to facilitate polymer permanency within the infrastructure of the hydrophobic membranes. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Toll-like receptors: function and roles in lung disease

Toll-like receptor (TLR) proteins have been shown to play a pivotal role in both innate and adaptive immune responses in higher vertebrates. TLR proteins enable the host to recognize a large number of pathogen-associated molecular patterns such as bacterial lipopolysaccharides, viral RNA, CpG-containing DNA, and flagellin, among others. Engagement of TLR proteins leads to the upregulation of costimulatory molecules and proinflammatory cytokines, as well as reactive nitrogen and oxygen products. The role of TLR proteins in lung-associated pathologies such as airway hyperreactivity, allergic asthma, and tuberculosis is being intensively studied. This review summarizes many of the findings made to date on the roles of TLR proteins in a variety of lung diseases. Generally, TLR proteins serve a protective role in infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis. The progression of chronic inflammatory lung diseases, such as allergic asthma, can also be influenced by TLR-dependent responses.
Rates of Hydrous Ferric Oxide Crystallization and the Influence on Coprecipitated Arsenate

Arsenate coprecipitated with hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) was stabilized against dissolution during transformation of HFO to more crystalline iron (hydr)oxides. The rate of arsenate stabilization approximately coincided with the rate of HFO transformation at pH 6 and 40 °C. Comparison of extraction data and X-ray diffraction results confirmed that hematite and goethite were the primary transformation products. HFO transformation was significantly retarded at or above an arsenate solid loading of 29 455 mg As/kg HFO. However, HFO transformation proceeded at a significant rate for arsenate solid loadings of 4208 and 8416 mg As/kg HFO. At a solid loading of 8416 mg As/kg HFO, XRD results suggested arsenate primarily partitioned to hematite. Comparison of HFO transformation rates observed in this research to rates obtained from the literature at pH 6 and temperatures ranging from 24 to 70 °C suggests that arsenate stabilization could be realized in oxic environments with a significant fraction of iron (hydr)oxi...
'Self' tolerance in a parent-->F1 radiation chimera.

Abstract The extent to which T cell immune tolerance to self tissue antigens is acquired during intrathymic development, or also may occur elsewhere in the animal, remains unclear. Experiments have been designed to explore this using allogeneic hematopoietic radiation chimeras in which thymectomized CB6F 1 (H-2 b/d ) host mice were engrafted with day 16 C57BL/6 (H-2 b ) fetal thymus tissues, irradiated with 950 rad 3 weeks later, and reconstituted with day 14 C57BL/6 fetal liver cells. Chimeras constructed in this manner had thymus grafts which developed with normal structure and cellularity as determined from histological sections, and had normal proportions of CD4 + 8 − and CD4 − 8 + peripheral T cells of donor H-2 b origin. Mice showed no signs of acute or chronic GVHD when followed for six months and, although T cells from chimeras were non-reactive to donor (H-2 b ) or host (H-2 d ) MHC, they responded to third party (H-2 k ) alloantigens in primary mixed-lymphocyte reactions. To determine whether tolerance might have been induced by radioresistant host hematopoietic cells, mice were treated with anti-I-A d monoclonal antibody after irradiation and fetal liver cell transfer. The pattern of alloreactivity of T cells from those animals closely resembled that of non-antibody treated mice, suggesting that tolerance to MHC expressed within the host probably was not due to radioresistant class-II-bearing cells in chimeras. These findings imply that immune tolerance to self antigens can be controlled at sites outside the thymus, and they provide further evidence that allogeneic chimeras can be constructed when elimination of mature T cells from the donor hematopoietic pool has been effectively achieved.
Roles of Armadillo, a Drosophila catenin, during central nervous system development.

Abstract Background: Neural development requires that neurons communicate and co-operate with one another and with other cell types in their environment. Drosophila Armadillo and its vertebrate homolog β -catenin have dual roles in epithelial cells: transducing signals from the Wingless/Wnt family of proteins and working with cadherins to mediate cell adhesion. Wingless/Wnt signaling also directs certain cell fates in the central nervous system (CNS), and cadherins and catenins are thought to function together during neural development. Results: We identified and analyzed the biochemical properties of a second armadillo isoform, with a truncated carboxyl terminus generated by alternative splicing. This isoform was found to accumulate in differentiating neurons. Using armadillo alleles that selectively inactivate the cell adhesion or the Wingless signaling functions of Armadillo, we found that Armadillo had two sequential roles in neural development. Armadillo function in Wingless signal transduction was required early in development for determination of neuroblast fate. Later in development, disruption of the cell–cell adhesion function of Armadillo resulted in subtle defects in the construction of the axonal scaffold. Mutations in the gene encoding the Drosophila tyrosine kinase Abelson substantially enhanced the severity of the CNS phenotype of armadillo mutations, consistent with these proteins functioning co-operatively at adherens junctions in both the CNS and the epidermis. Conclusions: This is one of the first demonstrations of a role for the cadherin–catenin system in the normal development of the CNS. The genetic interactions between armadillo and abelson point to a possible role for the tyrosine kinase Abelson in cell–cell adhesive junctions in both the CNS and the epidermis.
A theoretical study of neural adaptation and transient responses due to inhibitory feedback.

Adaptation of repetitively firing sensory neurons and nerve models is correlated with specific inhibitory feedback phenomena—an electrogenic sodium pump, and post synaptic self inhibition. The quality of the adaptive responses depends on the excitation properties of the neuron in the interspike interval, or the description of these properties by the underlying impulse encoder model. THis model dependence is demonstrated by comparisons of the behavior of two classes of models; the “leaky integrator models” which assume a passive neural membrane, and the “variable-γ models”, for which the neural state of excitation varies according to first order differential equations. The complexity inherent in the variable-γ models is effectively boiled down to mathematically simple relationships which are derived from studies of the neural- and model frequency responses to small amplitude sinusoidal stimuli. It is argued, and supported with examples, that these relationships hold for impulse frequency transients resulting from more general stimulus conditions. Expressions are then derived which permit feedback parameters to be determined from impulse frequency data. In this connection, recent studies of neural dynamics are brought to bear to resolve ambiguities in data interpretation.
Fabrication and characterization of TEOS-based silica aerogels prepared using rapid supercritical extraction

Silica aerogels were prepared using the precursor tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) via a rapid supercritical extraction (RSCE) method. Multiple consistent batches of monolithic TEOS-based aerogels were fabricated via an 8-h RSCE process. Fabricating TEOS-based aerogels with an RSCE method offers some distinct advantages. One advantage is the relative simplicity of the RSCE approach: liquid precursors are mixed and poured into a metal mold in a hydraulic hot-press, where gelation, aging and extraction of liquid from the pores occur. The precursor recipe employs TEOS, ethanol, water, oxalic acid to catalyze hydrolysis, and ammonia to catalyze the subsequent polycondensation reactions. Another advantage is that reaction of TEOS to form sol gels yields ethanol as a byproduct. A process that releases ethanol, rather than methanol (as in tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS)-based aerogels) may be more appealing for commercial applications, involving scale-up of the process. The significantly lower cost of TEOS, compared to TMOS, is a considerable advantage. The TEOS-based RSCE aerogels are mesoporous and optically translucent, have bulk densities of 0.099(±0.003) g/cm3 and surface areas of 460(±10) m2/g. Signals observed in infrared and Raman spectra of the aerogels are consistent with Si–O framework bonds. Using scanning electron microscopy imaging, the surface morphology of the aerogel samples was imaged at magnifications up to 150 kX.
On archimedes' burning glass.

This editorial is from the 6 November 1972 edition of The New York Times. ® 1972 by The New York Times Company. Reprinted by permission. Dr. Eiseley is Benjamin Franklin professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Unraveling the ordering in persistent chat: a new message ordering feature

A common problem in chat is that the chat display only reveals the temporal order of the conversation. A better user interface is desired that reveals the logical order of the messages. The existing tree model groups messages that share the topic together. However, it does not reveal the temporal order of the messages. The temporal order is an important feature for a chat interface, as it is intuitive and similar to face-to-face conversation where people discuss issues following a sequential order. In this paper, we introduce a new message ordering chat feature that addresses the problem of logical ordering while keeping the temporal order of the chat. The trade offs of the new feature are discussed.
Predictors of Milk Consumption in a Population of 17- to 35-Year-Old Military Personnel

Abstract Objective The purpose of this investigation was to survey an entire population of Air Force recruits (N=32,144) regarding milk consumption and demographic and health-related factors that may predict milk consumption. Design All subjects were required to fill out a 53-item health survey at the start of basic military training. Subjects/setting All recruits who entered the US Air Force from August 1995 to August 1996 participated in this study (N=32,144). Statistical analyses performed Potential correlates of milk intake were analyzed using Spearman rank order correlations and multiple linear regression. Variables were removed if they did not make a meaningful contribution to variance in milk intake. Because of skewed distributions, several variables were dichotomized (eg, age: 17 to 24 vs 25 to 35 years). Results In terms of milk consumption, 51.7% of the respondents reported intake of fewer than 1 serving per day; only 17.9% reported intake of 3 servings or more per day. Milk intake was positively associated with body weight and fruit/vegetable intake and negatively associated with age, education level, reported milk-related gastric distress, physical activity level, dieting frequency, and concern about weight. Gender (women reported lower intake) and ethnicity (minorities reported lower intake) were independently related to milk consumption. Of all respondents, 16.1% reported themselves to have milk-related gastric distress, but rates varied depending on age, gender, and ethnicity (ranging from 10.2% for younger non-Hispanic white men to 60.4% for older Asian men). Applications/conclusions Despite the efforts of large, costly campaigns designed to increase milk consumption, self-reported milk consumption in young adults is extremely low. Given the importance of dairy products as a major source of calcium in the American diet, dietetics practitioners should assess milk consumption among young adults to ensure sufficient calcium intake to maximize peak bone mass in this group. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99:821–826 .
Uptake, tissue distribution and excretion of domoic acid after oral exposure in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch).

Domoic acid (DA) is a potent neurotoxin naturally produced by some pennate diatom species of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia. It is well known that during harmful algal blooms fish can accumulate DA in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and act as vectors of the toxin to higher trophic level piscivores, often with severe neurotoxic consequences to the predators. Although neurotoxicity and mass mortality have been observed in vertebrates (i.e. marine mammals and sea birds) feeding on contaminated fish, to date there has been no evidence of neurobehavioral toxicity in the fish vectors themselves. It has been hypothesized that fish may not absorb DA from the digestive tract, thus making them insensitive to dietary consumption of DA. To test this hypothesis, we performed oral gavage exposures followed by a time series of tissue dissections to characterize uptake, depuration, and tissue distribution of DA in fish. Intracoelomic (IC) injection exposures (which bypass the GI tract) were also performed to determine if coho neurons are neurologically susceptible to DA. Excitotoxic symptoms were observed in fish via IC injection at similar toxin levels that have been reported to induce excitotoxic symptoms in intraperitoneal (IP) exposures with mammalian models such as mice, suggesting that fish neurons have a similar sensitivity to DA as other vertebrates. Surprisingly, after oral gavage with ecologically relevant doses of DA, the toxin was detected in plasma collected from the dorsal aorta via a permanent intraarterial catheter within 15 min, yet excitotoxic symptoms were not observed. Additionally, DA was detected in liver, heart, spleen, kidney, muscle, brain and bile. These data indicate that although DA is absorbed from the gut, fish do not exhibit neuroexcitatory effects at maximum ecologically relevant oral doses of DA. Tissue distribution and DA uptake and depuration patterns suggest that a majority of the absorbed toxin is excreted via the kidneys and bile, thereby preventing toxic levels of DA from reaching sensitive nervous tissue. Additionally, greater than 20% of total IC administered DA doses were sequestered in bile within 1 h of injection in five symptomatic fish, providing evidence for biliary sequestration of the toxin from blood. Here, we comprehensively describe the uptake, depuration, and tissue distribution patterns of DA and propose that renal and biliary processes may serve as primary routes of toxin clearance in fish.
Large margin transductive transfer learning

Recently there has been increasing interest in the problem of transfer learning, in which the typical assumption that training and testing data are drawn from identical distributions is relaxed. We specifically address the problem of transductive transfer learning in which we have access to labeled training data and unlabeled testing data potentially drawn from different, yet related distributions, and the goal is to leverage the labeled training data to learn a classifier to correctly predict data from the testing distribution. We have derived efficient algorithms for transductive transfer learning based on a novel viewpoint and the Support Vector Machine (SVM) paradigm, of a large margin hyperplane classifier in a feature space. We show that our method can out-perform some recent state-of-the-art approaches for transfer learning on several data sets, with the added benefits of model and data separation and the potential to leverage existing work on support vector machines.
Comparative evaluation of sliding mode fuzzy controller and PID controller for a boost converter

Nonlinear controllers such as fuzzy controllers and sliding mode controllers have been applied to boost converters because of their nonlinear properties. Although both fuzzy and sliding mode controllers have desirable characteristics, they have disadvantages in practice when applied individually. A sliding mode fuzzy controller is proposed to control boost converters. The sliding mode fuzzy controller combines the advantages of both fuzzy controllers and sliding mode controllers. It also has advantages of its own that are well suited for digital control design and implementation. A sliding mode fuzzy controller is designed and verified with experimental results using a prototype boost converter with a DSP-based digital controller. Experimental results of the boost converter using sliding mode fuzzy control are evaluated in comparison with experimental results using a linear PID and PI controller. The comparison indicates that the sliding mode fuzzy controller is able to obtain the desired transient response under varying operating points without chattering. The startup response using sliding mode fuzzy control is superior to the response using PID and PI control, while the load transient response shows no obvious advantage.
Non-uniqueness of gauge-field potentials

Abstract Two sets of phenomena peculiar to non-Abelian gauge theories are illustrated. The first concerns the existence of nonsingular potentials which generate the same field strength without being gauge-equivalent; a necessary condition for this ambiguity is obtained. The second exhibits the insufficiency of the cyclic identity in determining field strength-potential relations.
Cortical representation of swallowing: a modified dual task paradigm.

It is unclear whether the cortical representation of swallowing is lateralized to the left cerebral hemisphere, right hemisphere, or bilaterally represented. As dysphagia is common in acute stroke, it is important to elucidate swallowing lateralization to facilitate earlier detection of stroke patients who may be at greater risk for dysphagia and aspiration. In this study, a modified dual task paradigm was designed to study laterality of swallowing in a group of 14 healthy, young, right-handed, male adults. The subjects were studied at baseline and with interference. Baseline conditions, performed separately, were continuous swallowing, finger tapping using the right and left index fingers, and word repetition. Interference tasks, including tapping with the right index finger, tapping with the left index finger, and word repetition, were completed with and without swallowing. Finger-tapping rate was measured, and x-ray samples of the swallowing task were taped to measure swallowing rate and volume swallow...
Seismic codas on the Earth and the Moon: a comparison

The seismic codas, representing that part of the seismogram following the arrival of the surface waves or the direct S waves, characteristic of the earth and moon are compared with regard to the implications of coda characteristics for scattering and attenuation. Scattering models based on single S-S scatter theory, in which seismic energy in the coda is assumed to be S waves that have undergone only one scattering without conversion, and on diffusion theory, which assumed that energy in the coda has been scattered many times, are examined, and situations where the single-scattering and multiple-scattering theories are applicable are distinguished by the ratio of attenuation distance to the scattering mean free path. Values of the attenuation distance and the mean free path derived from coda studies for the earth and moon are compared, and it is found that for the frequency range 0.5-10 Hz, diffusion scattering is important in lunar codas, while at frequencies from 1 to 25 Hz single scattering is important in terrestrial codas. It is pointed out that attenuation acts to eliminate scattering paths much longer than the attenuation length. The observed differences between terrestrial and lunar codas are thus attributed to lesser attenuation and greater scattering on the moon.
Optimization of Spectroscopic and Electrophoretic Properties of Energy Transfer Primers

We have synthesized and characterized the spectroscopic properties of 56 energy transfer (ET) fluorescent dye-labeled primers differing in (i) the spacing between the donor and acceptor, (ii) the nature of the spacer (either oligonucleotide or polydideoxyribose phosphate), (iii) the primer sequence (M13 (-40), M13 (-21), M13 reverse, SP6, T3, and T7 priming sequences), and (iv) the dyes chosen as the donor (6-carboxyfluorescein, F; or 3-(epsilon-carboxypentyl)-3'-ethyl-5,5'-dimethyloxacarbocyanine, C) and acceptor (F; 5 & 6-carboxyrhodamine-110, R110; 6-carboxyrhodamine-6G, G; N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-6-carboxyrhodamine, T; and 6-carboxy-X-rhodamine, R) chromophores. This study led to the development of two significantly improved ET primer sets for multiple-color analyses. These primers are named using the convention D-N-A, where D is the donor, A is the acceptor, and N is the number of nucleotides between the donor and the acceptor. The primer set C4R110, C4G, C4T, and C4R provides acceptor emissions of high spectral purity with donor:acceptor emission ratios of < 0.002 for C4G, < 0.004 for C4T, and < 0.005 for C4R and excellent matching in the electrophoretic mobilities of single-base extension DNA fragments. The C4R110, C4G, C4T, and C4R set is valuable for diagnostic applications where minimization of crosstalk between different labels is of particular importance. The set C10R110, C10G, C10T, and C10R, which uses only rhodamine dyes as acceptors, shows significantly improved matching in the electrophoretic mobilities of single-base extension DNA fragments over the previously described set C10F, C10G, C10T, and C10R and is the best available for sequencing.