cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acquired Unilateral Night Blindness Associated with a Negative Electroretinogram Waveform

Purpose: The authors performed clinical, electrophysiologic, psychophysical, and immunologic studies in a patient who presented with an acquired night blindness in one eye to better define the clinical and functional changes in this rare disorder. Methods: In addition to an ophthalmologic examination, the patient underwent the measurement of electroretinogram responses, dark-adapted thresholds using a Tubingen perimeter (Oculus, Tubingen, Germany), color vision assessment, kinetic visual-field testing using a Goldmann perimeter, and immunologic testing to determine if the serum contained autoantibodies to retinal bipolar cells. Results: Fundus examination showed no clinically apparent abnormality in either eye. The patient showed a selective reduction in the b-wave amplitude of the rod electroretinogram and an abnormality of the cone electroretinogram ON response in the affected left eye, whereas the rod and cone electroretinograms of the right eye were normal. Rod thresholds in the affected eye were elevated markedly, whereas rod thresholds in the right eye were normal centrally and slightly elevated in the far periphery. Immunologic testing did not show circulating autoantibodies to retinal cells. Conclusion: The patient examined in this study showed phenotypic similarities to patients with congenital stationary night blindness and to patients with an acquired form of night blindness associated with cutaneous melanoma (MAR syndrome). The electroretinogram findings from the patient are consistent with an acquired defect in signal transmission from photoreceptors to ON-type bipolar cells. However, the etiology of this unique form of unilateral night blindness remains obscure.
Optimum Dose Of Lime And Fly Ash For Treatment Of Hexavalent Chromium–Contaminated Soil

The presence of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), in soil is an environmental concern due to its effect on human health. The concern arises from the leaching and the seepage of Cr(VI) from soil to groundwater. In this paper, a stabilization technology to prevent this problem was simulated on an artificial soil contaminated with hexavalent chromium. The process is a physico-chemical treatment in which the toxic pollutant is physically entrapped within a solid matrix formed by the pozzolanic reactions of lime and fly ash to reduce its leachability and, therefore, its toxicity. This paper presents the optimum ratio of fly ash and lime in order to stabilize artificial soils contaminated with 0.4 wt.% of Cr (VI) in a brief term process. The degree of chromium released from the soil was evaluated using a modified Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Overall, experimental results showed reduced leachability of total and hexavalent chromium from soils treated with both fly ash and quicklime, and that leachability reduction was more effective with increasing amount of fly ash and quicklime. Stabilization percentages between 97.3% and 99.7% of the initial chromium content were achieved, with Cr(VI) concentration in the TCLP leachates below the US EPA limit for chromium of 5 mg/l. Adequate treatment was obtained after 1 day of curing with just 25% fly ash and 10% quicklime.
Endovascular Tools Available for the Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease

This article reviews essential neurointerventional tools approved in the United States, including catheters and wires, coils, flow diverters, balloons, stents, and devices for mechanical thrombectomy and thrombolysis. These devices are the result of decades of technical development; this article will also briefly trace the evolution of these devices, with an emphasis on the most influential developments.
Online capacity provisioning for carbon-neutral data center with demand-responsive electricity prices

Due to the huge electricity consumption and carbon emissions, data center operators have been increasingly pressured to reduce their net carbon footprints to zero, i.e., carbon neutrality. In this paper, we propose an efficient online algorithm, called CNDC (optimization for Carbon-Neutral Data Center), to control the number of active servers for minimizing the data center operational cost (defined as a weighted sum of electricity cost and delay cost) while satisfying carbon neutrality without requiring long-term future information. Unlike prior research on carbon neutrality, we explore demand-responsive electricity price enabled by the emerging smart grid technology and demonstrate that it can be incorporated in data center operation to reduce the operational cost. Leveraging the Lyapunov optimization technique, we prove that CNDC achieves a close-to-minimum operational cost compared to the optimal algorithm with future information, while bounding the potential violation of carbon neutrality, in an almost arbitrarily random environment. We also perform trace-based simulation as well as experiment studies to complement the analysis. The results show that CNDC reduces the cost by more than 20% (compared to state-of-the-art prediction-based algorithm) while resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. Moreover, by incorporating demand-response electricity prices, CNDC can further decrease the average cost by approximately 2.5%, translating into hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
Large caliber ballistic fragment within the spinal canal

Gunshot wounds to the spine continue to be a prodigious clinical problem. We report a case of a 28-year-old male US Marine after a high-energy penetrating spinal cord injury, with associated injuries including a left hemopneumothorax and an open left comminuted scapula body fracture. Computed tomography demonstrated a retained highcaliber (7.62 mm) ballistic fragment within the spinal canal at the level of T6–T7 (Figs. 1 and 2). On physical examination, the patient had an incomplete spinal cord injury (American Spinal Injury Association Grade B) with sacral sparing demonstrating normal rectal tone, voluntary rectal squeeze, and bulbocavernosus reflex. The patient had 0/5 motor strength in bilateral lower extremities, normal sensation T6 right/T5 left, intact proprioception in bilateral ankles and toes, and normal strength/sensation in bilateral upper extremities. On Postinjury Day 5, the patient underwent a T6 laminectomy, removal of the bullet, and subsequent repair of a dural defect. This is the first case of a large caliber bullet being lodged in the spinal canal, with only a few reported case series of combat casualties treated for high-velocity ballistic injuries to the spinal column [1,2]. When treating gunshot wounds to the spine, it is of the utmost importance to differentiate between high- and low-energy ballistic injuries as this dictates the appropriate management [3]. Highenergy ballistic injuries are more common in combat casualties compared with civilian trauma patients and are often associated with significantly greater soft-tissue devitalization and a larger zone of injury. Treatment of high-energy ballistic injuries should consist of early broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, aggressive surgical debridement, and, when indicated, decompressive laminectomy with instrumentation at a Level 4 or 5 treatment facility. Fractures of the spine caused by low-velocity bullet wound or ballistic fragmentation are usually stable, and surgical intervention is often unnecessary. Most cases of spine instability and late deformity after penetrating injury have been associated with overly aggressive laminectomy [3,4].
Actual and Perceived Group Performance as a Function of Group Composition: The Moderating Role of the Type A and B Behavior Patterns1

This study examined the moderating influence of the Type A and B behavior patterns on group performance and group functioning. Type As and Bs were assigned to different roles in groups given the task of deciding what items to transfer from a sinking ship to a life raft. Results indicated that groups with Type A leaders in conflict with a Type A group member arrived at relatively poor decisions. Type A leaders, however, also were perceived by their groups to be more competent than were Type B leaders. These results suggested that the Type A behavior pattern can have the paradoxical effects of hindering group problem-solving and of leading others to view Type As as more competent than Type Bs because of their active dynamic style.
Deterministic effects after fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Background Endovascular aortic aneurysm repairs (EVARs) with fenestrated (FEVAR) stent grafts are high radiation dose cases, yet no skin injuries were found retrospectively in our 61 cases with a mean peak skin dose (PSD) of 6.8 Gy. We hypothesize that skin injury is under-reported. This study examined deterministic effects in FEVARs after procedural changes implemented to detect skin injury. Methods All FEVARs during a 6-month period with a radiation dose of 5 Gy reference air kerma (RAK; National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements threshold for substantial radiation dose level [SRDL]) were included. Patients were questioned about skin erythema, epilation, and necrosis, with a physical examination of the back completed daily until discharge and then at 2 and 4 weeks and at 3 and 6 months. PSD distributions were calculated with custom software using input data from fluoroscopic machine logs. These calculations have been validated against Gafchromic (Ashland Inc, Covington, Ky) film measurements. Dose was summed for the subset of patients with multiple procedures ≤6 months of the SRDL event, consistent with the joint commission recommendations. Results Twenty-two patients, 21 FEVARs and one embolization, reached an RAK of 5 Gy. The embolization procedure was excluded from review. The average RAK was 7.6 ± 2.0 Gy (range, 5.1-11.4 Gy), with a mean PSD of 4.8 ± 2.0 Gy (range, 2.3-10.4 Gy). Fifty-two percent of patients had multiple endovascular procedures ≤6 months of the SRDL event. The mean RAK for this subset was 10.0 ± 2.9 Gy (range, 5.5-15.1 Gy), with a mean PSD of 6.6 ± 1.9 Gy (range, 3.4-9.4 Gy). One patient died before the first postoperative visit. No radiation skin injuries were found. Putative risk factors for skin injury were evaluated and included smoking (32%), diabetes (14%), cytotoxic drugs (9%), and fair skin type (91%). No other risk factors were present (hyperthyroidism, collagen vascular disorders). Conclusions Deterministic skin injuries are uncommon after FEVAR, even at high RAK levels, regardless of cumulative dose effects. This study addresses the concern of missed injuries based on the retrospective clinical examination findings that were published in our previous work. Even with more comprehensive postoperative skin examinations and patient questioning, the fact that no skin injuries were found suggests that radiation-induced skin injuries are multifactorial and not solely dose dependent.
EFFECT OF INCISIONAL BIOPSY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL TUMOR METASTASES.

Summary In a controlled study using inbred mice and transplantable tumor systems, incisional biopsy of the tumors was shown to increase the incidence of pulmonary metastases. The difference was statistically significant. It was observed in one tumor system that more animals possessed small foci of tumor in their lungs four weeks after the primary tumor was removed than would be expected to die of pulmonary metastases. These foci were infiltrated with mononuclear cells and cells in mitosis suggesting that the tumor cells were being rejected by the host.
Explorability of noisy scalar fields

We consider mobile sensing agents taking measurements along their trajectories and navigating in a noisy scalar field. Not knowing the field value at its location, each agent decides its motion based on sensor measurements. When an agent changes its position, both the sensor measurement and the field value at its location change. If the change of the field value is not consistent with the change of the measurement, we say the agent performs a false-walk. We establish the notion of local explorability for the noisy scalar field to analyze the tendency that such field will induce false-walks for a sensing agent. We show that, a field being locally explorable is the sufficient and necessary condition for the probability of inducing a false-walk to be less than a certain threshold. We then connect explorability with the noise reduction capability using multiple sensing agents, and compute the minimum number of agents necessary to ensure explorability.
Alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes focus on specific major histocompatibility complex-bound peptides

Alloreactive T cells are often specific for individual peptides that are bound to allogeneic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Other alloreactive T cells are reported to be peptide-independent or to recognize MHC conformational changes that are induced by multiple peptides. We tested 12 anti-HLA-B7 alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones that bind a restricted region of HLA-B7, including three CTL clones that were generated in a protocol designed to stimulate peptide-independent T cells. All 12 CTLs recognized multiple point mutations in the HLA-B7 peptide-binding groove. Eleven of the 12 CTLs recognized specific peptides that eluted in one or two fractions on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). None of the CTLs promiscuously recognized 16 HLA-B7-binding synthetic peptides, although one CTL recognized minor by-products in one synthetic peptide preparation. CTL clone KID-9 cross-reacted with allogeneic HLA-B7 and HLA-B27 molecules and recognized a distinct peptide bound to each MHC molecule. CTL clone KD-11 recognized peptides that eluted in two HPLC fractions and recognized HLA-B7-transfected peptide antigen processing defective T2 cells. These results indicate that CTL allorecognition is peptide-specific whether the allogeneic MHC molecules are expressed on normal cells or antigen processing-deficient cells.
High-Dispersion Spectroscopy of the X-Ray Transient RXTE J0421+560 (=CI Camelopardalis) during Outburst*

We obtained high-dispersion spectroscopy of CI Cam, the optical counterpart of XTE J0421+560, 2 weeks after the peak of its short outburst in 1998 April. The optical counterpart is a supergiant B[e] star that is emitting a two-component wind, a cool, low-velocity wind and a hot, high-velocity wind. The cool wind, which is the source of narrow emission lines of neutral and ionized metals, has a velocity of 32 km s-1 and a temperature near 8000 K. It is dense, roughly spherical, fills the space around the sgB[e] star, and, based on the size of an infrared-emitting dust shell around the system, extends to a radius between 13 and 50 AU. It carries away mass at a high rate, > 10-6 M☉ yr-1. The hot wind has a velocity in excess of 2500 km s-1 and a temperature of 1.7 ± 0.3 × 104 K. From an ultraviolet spectrogram of CI Cam obtained in 2000 March with Hubble Space Telescope, we derive a differential extinction E(B-V) = 0.85 ± 0.05. We show that the distance to CI Cam is greater than 5 kpc. Based on this revised distance, the X-ray luminosity at the peak of the outburst was L(2-25 keV) > 3.0 × 1038 ergs s-1, making CI Cam one of the most luminous X-ray transients. The ratio of quiescent luminosity to peak luminosity in the 2-25 keV band is Lq/Lp < 1.7 × 10-6. The compact star in CI Cam is immersed in the dense circumstellar wind from the sgB[e] star and burrows through the wind, producing little X-ray emission except for rare transient outbursts. This picture, a compact star traveling in a wide orbit through the dense circumstellar envelope of a sgB[e] star, occasionally producing transient X-ray outbursts, makes CI Cam unique among the known X-ray binaries. There is strong circumstantial evidence that the compact object is a black hole, not a neutron star. We speculate that the X-ray outburst was short because the accretion disk around the compact star is fed from a stellar wind and is smaller than disks fed by Roche lobe overflow.
Direction-Of-Arrival Estimation Using A Parametric LSE Modeling Approach

An iterative parametric nonlinear programming procedure for estimating the azimuth and elevation angles of multiple sources incident on an array of sensors is developed. The sources can be perfectly coherent and the array's geometry is unrestricted. Parametric least squares error modeling plays a pivotal role in the estimation procedure.
H1N1 influenza A virus induced atrioventricular block.

H1N1 Influenza A Virus Induced Atrioventricular Block. We report a case of an 18-year-old female who presented with respiratory failure secondary to H1N1 infection, and who subsequently developed high-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. The conduction abnormalities persisted over 2 weeks following complete resolution of respiratory symptoms. A permanent pacemaker was implanted for safety and subsequent pacemaker follow-up suggested reversibility of the conduction abnormality. This case highlights the potential impact of the H1N1 influenza virus on the cardiac conduction system. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 22, pp. 711-713, June 2011)
The use of sequential pattern mining to predict next prescribed medications

Display Omitted We use sequential pattern mining to identify temporal relationships between drugs.Mined stepwise patterns of pharmacologic therapy are consistent with guidelines.Mined patterns are useful for predicting the next drug prescribed for a patient.Accurate predictions can be made using only a few drugs in the patient's history. BackgroundTherapy for certain medical conditions occurs in a stepwise fashion, where one medication is recommended as initial therapy and other medications follow. Sequential pattern mining is a data mining technique used to identify patterns of ordered events. ObjectiveTo determine whether sequential pattern mining is effective for identifying temporal relationships between medications and accurately predicting the next medication likely to be prescribed for a patient. DesignWe obtained claims data from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas for patients prescribed at least one diabetes medication between 2008 and 2011, and divided these into a training set (90% of patients) and test set (10% of patients). We applied the CSPADE algorithm to mine sequential patterns of diabetes medication prescriptions both at the drug class and generic drug level and ranked them by the support statistic. We then evaluated the accuracy of predictions made for which diabetes medication a patient was likely to be prescribed next. ResultsWe identified 161,497 patients who had been prescribed at least one diabetes medication. We were able to mine stepwise patterns of pharmacological therapy that were consistent with guidelines. Within three attempts, we were able to predict the medication prescribed for 90.0% of patients when making predictions by drug class, and for 64.1% when making predictions at the generic drug level. These results were stable under 10-fold cross validation, ranging from 89.1%-90.5% at the drug class level and 63.5-64.9% at the generic drug level. Using 1 or 2 items in the patient's medication history led to more accurate predictions than not using any history, but using the entire history was sometimes worse. ConclusionSequential pattern mining is an effective technique to identify temporal relationships between medications and can be used to predict next steps in a patient's medication regimen. Accurate predictions can be made without using the patient's entire medication history.
Solute−Fluid Coupling and Energy Dissipation in Supercritical Fluids: 9-Cyanoanthracene in C2H6, CO2, and CF3H

We report on the coupling and dissipation of energy between a model fluorescent solute, 9-cyanoanthracene (9CA), and several supercritical fluid solvents. To this end, we have determined experimentally the fluorescence quantum yields and excited-state fluorescence lifetimes for dilute solutions of 9CA in supercritical C2H6, CO2, and CF3H. The 9CA quantum yield is substantially less than unity at lower fluid densities; it approaches unity only at the high-density, liquid-like region. The 9CA excited-state lifetime is also shortened significantly in the low-density region. The radiative (kr) and nonradiative (knr) decay rates for 9CA are found to be strongly density dependent. In the low-density region, the nonradiative rate dominates; however, in the high-density region the 9CA deexcitation follows the radiative pathway. The Strickler−Berg relationship (kr ∝ n2; n = solvent refractive index) holds for 9CA in many normal liquid solvents. However, in supercritical fluids in the low-density regime, the simple...
Structural Survey of Large Protein Complexes in Desulfovibrio Vulgaris

Large protein complexes purified by a tagless strategy have been analyzed for an unbiased survey of the stable, most abundant multi-protein complexes in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH) that are larger than Mr ∼400 k. The quaternary structures were determined for 8 out of 16 complexes by single-particle reconstruction of negatively stained specimens. The success rate of getting structure was about 10 times greater than that of previous “proteomic” screens. For the remaining complexes, the subunit compositions and stoichiometries were analyzed by biochemical methods. Our results show that the structures of large protein complexes vary to a great extent from one microorganism to another. None of the complexes except for GroEL and the ribosome could not be modeled from the previously known homologous structures due to organism dependent variation of quaternary structures. This result indicates that the interaction interfaces within large, macromolecular complexes are much more variable than has generally been appreciated. As a consequence, the quaternary structures for homologous proteins may not be sufficient to understand their role in another cell of interest. The diversity of subunit stoichiometries and quaternary structures of multiprotein complexes that has been observed in our experiments with DvH is relevant to understanding how different bacteria optimize the kinetics and performance of their respective biochemical networks. It is further anticipated that imaging the spatial locations of such complexes, through the analysis of tomographic reconstructions may also be important for accurate computational modeling of such networks. While templates for some multi-protein complexes such as the ribosome or GroEL could be derived from previously determined structures, it is quite clear that single-particle electron microscopy should be used to establish the sizes and shapes of the actual complexes that exist in a new organism of interest to prepare valid templates.
Parallel (D+1)-coloring of constant-degree graphs

Abstract This paper presents parallel algorithms for coloring a constant-degree graph with a maximum degree of Δ using Δ + 1 colors and for finding a maximal independent set in a constant-degree graph. Given a graph with n vertices, the algorithms run in O(lg∗n) time on an EREW PRAM with O(n) processors. The algorithms use only local communication and achieve the same complexity bounds when implemented in a distributed model of parallel computation.
DISPERSION (ELECTROSTATIC/MECHANICAL) AND FUEL PROPERTIES EFFECTS ON SOOT PROPENSITY IN CLUSTERS OF DROPS

Soot propensity is studied numerically for an initially binary size, axisymmetric cluster of evaporating drops by defining it as the propensity for nucleation reactions to occur; the study does not address physical or chemical processes ensuing after soot nucleation, such as soot oxidation effects resulting from the fuel molecular structure. The relative magnitude of the fuel vapor partial density is taken as an indication of the soot nucleation magnitude; thus, the effect of drop dispersion on soot (precursor) formation is isolated from that of soot production resulting from formation/destruction by oxidation. The cluster is embedded in an inviscid vortex and exchanges mass, momentum, species, and energy with its surroundings. The vortical motion disperses the drops and the initial cluster evolves into a cylindrical shell with an inner and an outer boundary. In addition to the forces resulting from the vortical motion, an electrostatic force acts on the cluster when the drops are charged; in this situation, the drops might become small enough to reach the Rayleigh limit. Results are obtained for typical vortical motion times having the same order of magnitude as the drop lifetime. Analysis of the results shows that the motion of uncharged drops is determined primarily by centrifugation, whereas for charged drops the electrostatic dispersion becomes the dominant influence in the outer part of the cluster. In the range of parameters investigated, mechanical dispersion cannot rival electrostatically induced dispersion for decreasing the fuel vapor partial density. An additional feature of drop charging is the maintenance of a finite slip velocity in the outer part of the cluster, thereby compounding the advantage of increased dispersion to enhanced evaporation. The results also show that mechanical dispersion combined with electrostatic dispersion does not have a substantial advantage over electrostatic dispersion alone. For uncharged drops it has been found that the latent heat governs soot propensity at small drop dispersion, whereas the liquid density becomes increasingly important with increasing drop dispersion. Drop charging does not affect the influence of fuel physical properties on soot propensity.
Exacerbations and Progression of Disease in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Exacerbations, characterized by an increase in patients' symptoms above baseline, are characteristic of both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Prevention of exacerbations and their expedient treatment are major goals for reducing the morbidity and cost of both conditions. Exacerbations, however, may also adversely affect the natural history of these disorders, perhaps by contributing to increased rates of lung function decline, systemic effects, and premature mortality. Although the available information is limited, the course of COPD is affected adversely by exacerbations in multiple ways. First, exacerbations likely lead to structural alterations in the lung and to permanently worsened airflow. Second, health status is adversely affected by exacerbations, and although the mechanisms are unclear, the effects are long lasting and may be irreversible. Less is known in asthma about the effect of exacerbations on natural history, but many of the same pathogenetic processes involved in COPD exacerbations likely play a role in some subjects with asthma as well. Future studies of how exacerbation affects the "natural history" of asthma and COPD will require a better understanding of the heterogeneity of exacerbations but promises to identify new therapeutic strategies to treat these disorders.
Consent for genetic research in a general population: the NHANES experience.

Purpose: To determine the sociodemographic factors associated with consent for storage of DNA for future genetic research. Methods: Analysis of the characteristics of consenting individuals participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative survey of the US household population. Results: In 1999, 84% (95% confidence interval 82.4–85.6) of eligible participants consented to have their blood samples included in a national repository for genetic research. In 2000, 85.3% (95% confidence interval 84.0–86.6) consented. Females and black participants in both years were least likely to consent (1999, 82.2% and 73.2%; 2000, 83.6% and 81.3%, respectively). An assessment by logistic regression demonstrated that in both years only non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity was a significant independent predictor for not consenting to future genetic research. Conclusion: Although non-Hispanic black individuals have overall response rates similar to those of the other racial/ethnic groups, they are less likely to agree to have a blood sample saved for future genetic research. In balance, however, these findings demonstrate wide acceptance among survey participants for allowing storage of specimens for future genetic research across many demographic variables.
Comparative effectiveness of treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.

Clinicians need an up-to-date, comprehensive summary of the evidence to help them choose 1 disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) over another or to decide which combinations of DMARDs to con...
Agglutination of mammalian erythrocytes by Newcastle disease virus.

Summary and conclusionsThe ability of NDV to induce agglutination of mammalian erythrocytes of certain species is a character possessed by some but not all strains of the virus. The erythrocytes of certain individuals of such species as the cow, the horse, and the sheep are more susceptible than those of others to agglutination by NDV. Agglutination of mammalian red blood cells, as a rule, may be recorded accurately as the per cent of individuals whose cells are susceptible to the action of a given strain of NDV and not as a uniformly negative or positive result. This percentage of erythrocyte susceptible individuals may range from zero in some species to 100% in others but in most species lies between these extremes so that its consideration is warranted in every instance. It was demonstrated that the pH may affect the agglutination of mammalian red blood cells and, consequently, alter the interpretation of the test. If suitable controls of the variables of the test are included and the source of red blo...
Origin and seed phenotype of maize low phytic acid 1-1 and low phytic acid 2-1

Phytic acid (myo-inositol-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-hexakisphosphate or Ins P(6)) typically represents approximately 75% to 80% of maize (Zea mays) seed total P. Here we describe the origin, inheritance, and seed phenotype of two non-lethal maize low phytic acid mutants, lpa1-1 and lpa2-1. The loci map to two sites on chromosome 1S. Seed phytic acid P is reduced in these mutants by 50% to 66% but seed total P is unaltered. The decrease in phytic acid P in mature lpa1-1 seeds is accompanied by a corresponding increase in inorganic phosphate (P(i)). In mature lpa2-1 seed it is accompanied by increases in P(i) and at least three other myo-inositol (Ins) phosphates (and/or their respective enantiomers): D-Ins(1,2,4,5,6) P(5); D-Ins (1,4,5,6) P(4); and D-Ins(1,2,6) P(3). In both cases the sum of seed P(i) and Ins phosphates (including phytic acid) is constant and similar to that observed in normal seeds. In both mutants P chemistry appears to be perturbed throughout seed development. Homozygosity for either mutant results in a seed dry weight loss, ranging from 4% to 23%. These results indicate that phytic acid metabolism during seed development is not solely responsible for P homeostasis and indicate that the phytic acid concentration typical of a normal maize seed is not essential to seed function.
Critical evaluation of biopsy technics for the diagnosis of gastritides.

1. Chronic hypertrophic gastritis and gastropathy exist as histopathologic entities. The interstitial form is sometimes found in suction biopsies.
High-order finite difference modeling of tsunami generation in a compressible ocean from offshore earthquakes

To study the full seismic, ocean acoustic, and tsunami wavefields generated by subduction zone earthquakes, we have developed a provably stable and accurate finite difference method that couples an elastic solid to a compressible fluid subject to gravitational restoring forces. We introduce a linearized dynamic traction-free boundary condition for the moving sea surface that is valid for small amplitude perturbations about an ocean initially in hydrostatic balance. We derive an energy balance for the continuous problem and then use high-order summation-by-parts finite difference operators and weak enforcement of boundary conditions to derive an equivalent discrete energy balance. The discrete energy balance is used to prove stability of the numerical scheme, and stability and accuracy are verified through convergence tests. The method is applied to study tsunami generation by time-dependent rupture on a thrust fault in an elastic solid beneath a compressible ocean. We compare the sea surface evolution in our model to that predicted by the standard tsunami modeling procedure, which assumes seafloor uplift occurs instantaneously and neglects compressibility of the ocean. We find that the leading shoreward-traveling tsunami wave in our model has a noticeably smaller amplitude than that predicted by the standard approach.
A skin test for infectious hepatitis.

SummaryA skin test antigen for infectious hepatitis (IH) has been prepared from amniotic fluid of chick embryos infected with IH virus. Thus far, it has given apparently specifically positive skin reactions in all the individuals with past histories of spontaneous or induced IH tested. In contrast, the incidence of positive tests among cases of past serum hepatitis was no greater than that found among an adult group chosen at random.
Four- and five-coordinate complexes of NiII with a four-atom-ring chelating diphosphine and their oxidation products

Abstract Nickel(II) halides react under controlled conditions with the diphosphine bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, Ph 2 PCH 2 PPh 2 (dpm), forming the monomeric, four-coordinate, low-spin chelate complexes [NiX 2 (dpm)], where X is Cl, Br, or I. The four-coordinate monomer [NiI 2 (dpm)] can be transformed into a five-coordinate, low-spin iodo-bridged dimer [Ni 2 I 4 (dpm) 2 ], which in turn reverts slowly to the monomer when dissolved in dichloromethane. A similar five-coordinate dimer, stable only in the solid state, is formed by dpm with nickel(II) thiocyanate. The complexes [NiX 2 (dpm)] are remarkably stable both in the solid state and in solution, although the diphosphine forms a highly strained four-atom chelate ring. Above 220°, however, the coordinated diphosphine slowly undergoes air-oxidation resulting chiefly in the formation of nickel(II) complexes of the related diphosphine, dioxide, Ph 2 P(O)CH 2 P(O)Ph 2 (dmpO 2 ). These oxidation products are identical with the complexes [Ni(dpmO 2 ) 3 ] [NiX 4 ] (octahedral tris-chelate cation, tetrahedral anion with X = Cl, Br, or I), obtained directly by reaction of nickel(III) halides with the O-donor chelating dpmO 2 ligand.
PMAP: databases for analyzing proteolytic events and pathways

The Proteolysis MAP (PMAP, http://www.proteolysis.org) is a user-friendly website intended to aid the scientific community in reasoning about proteolytic networks and pathways. PMAP is comprised of five databases, linked together in one environment. The foundation databases, ProteaseDB and SubstrateDB, are driven by an automated annotation pipeline that generates dynamic ‘Molecule Pages’, rich in molecular information. PMAP also contains two community annotated databases focused on function; CutDB has information on more than 5000 proteolytic events, and ProfileDB is dedicated to information of the substrate recognition specificity of proteases. Together, the content within these four databases will ultimately feed PathwayDB, which will be comprised of known pathways whose function can be dynamically modeled in a rule-based manner, and hypothetical pathways suggested by semi-automated culling of the literature. A Protease Toolkit is also available for the analysis of proteases and proteolysis. Here, we describe how the databases of PMAP can be used to foster understanding of proteolytic pathways, and equally as significant, to reason about proteolysis.
Electroactive Polymer (EAP) Actuators for Future Humanlike Robots

Human-like robots are increasingly becoming an engineering reality thanks to recent technology advances. These robots, which are inspired greatly by science fiction, were originated from the desire to reproduce the human appearance, functions and intelligence and they may become our household appliance or even companion. The development of such robots is greatly supported by emerging biologically inspired technologies. Potentially, electroactive polymer (EAP) materials are offering actuation capabilities that allow emulating the action of our natural muscles for making such machines perform lifelike. There are many technical issues related to making such robots including the need for EAP materials that can operate as effective actuators. Beside the technology challenges these robots also raise concerns that need to be addressed prior to forming super capable robots. These include the need to prevent accidents, deliberate harm, or their use in crimes. In this paper, the potential EAP actuators and the challenges that these robots may pose will be reviewed.
Polyharmonic cardinal splines: a minimization property

Abstract Polyharmonic cardinal splines are distributions which are annihilated by iterates of the Laplacian in the complement of a lattice in Euclidean n -space and satisfy certain continuity conditions. Some of the basic properties were recorded in our earlier paper on the subject. Here we show that such splines solve a variational problem analogous to the univariate case considered by I. J. Schoenberg.
Alterations in calcium metabolism in cancer patients treated with 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine.

SummaryTen patients with hypercalcemia and hypercalcuria and 1 patient with normocalcemia and hypercalcuria were treated with 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine alone or in combination with 6-mercaptopurine. Full correction of hypercalcemia with treatment occurred in 8 of 13 instances in these patients. Correction of hypercalcuria was observed in 9 of 14 instances. Various possible mechanisms underlying these observed effects are considered.
Seasonality and abundance of Metamasius callizona (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), an invasive insect herbivore, on two species of Tillandsia (Bromeliaceae) in Florida

Seasonality and abundance of an insect herbivore population are regulated by a complex array of forces from the bottom up, from the top down, and from competition and the environment. This paper examines the effect that two host plants have on an insect herbivore in the absence of top‐down regulation or competition. Metamasius callizona is an invasive bromeliad‐eating weevil in south Florida that has escaped its natural parasitoid in its home range. A 4‐year field study shows the weevil to be present and active year‐round, but to exhibit different patterns of seasonality and abundance on two of its host plants. It is argued that this demographic variability is generated by the differences in leaf type and growth habit that exist between the two host plants.
Attrition of the human Leydig cell population with advancing age.

Existing evidence suggests that the aging human male experiences a gradual decline in testosterone production, a phenomenon that should be reflected in the Leydig cell population of the testis. It has been proposed that Leydig cells diminish in number with increasing age, but conflicting claims characterize reports of this topic. We have reinvestigated this possibility by histometric analysis of perfused testes from 25 men ranging from 18 to 87 years of age. Average single Leydig cell volume (2,943 +/- 623 micrometer 3, X +/- S.D.) did not change significantly with increasing age (r = 0.24, P greater than 0.2), suggesting that surviving cells remain active. Total testis weight (43.5 +/- 13.9 g) also did not change with age (r = 0.04, P greater than 0.5). However, both total Leydig cell volume and the absolute number of Leydig cells per individual decreased significantly as functions of age (r = -0.71, P less than 0.002, and r = -0.61, P less than 0.005, respectively). Analysis of relationship between these two parameters indicates that the total volume of Leydig cell cytoplasm contained within the human testis is determined by the number of cells present. Our results show that a pair of young adult testes endowed with more than 700 million Leydig cells at 20 years of age may be expected to undergo an attrition rate of approximately 80 million cells per subsequent decade of life. Thus, Leydig cell attrition is an important correlate of declining androgen status in aging men.
Communities of Competence New Resources in the Workplace.

Purpose – This paper examines the ways social networks, socialization, self‐organizing systems, and systems thinking have influenced the gradual evolution of communities of practice into Communities of Competence.Design/methodology/approach – Proposes a Community of Competence as a new framework and a methodology to describe, assess, and combine separate strengths and core competencies of individuals, groups, and organizations into a meaningful, goal‐oriented whole.Findings – Decisions to assign people to work groups are seldom based on current, valid, reliable assessments of skills, abilities, and knowledge, or overall competence. Productivity, job satisfaction, and work quality can be improved when competencies and job requirements are closely matched to maximize job fit. Individual selection criteria, like self‐efficacy, achievement motivation, and emotional intelligence, and group process variables, like workload sharing, can enhance job placement. Members of a flexible, cohesive, goal‐driven Communit...
Political geography and grassroots conflict resolution

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is well known and understood within the intricacies and intractability that it possesses. The political geography of the region known as the Holy Land has been debated by elites since before the establishment of the state of Israel. Demographic realities have altered the geopolitical definitions of what is defined as Israel and Palestine. Currently, there is a fresh push by political elites to achieve new political resolutions that will respect the aspirations of both the Israelis and Palestinians. This process has been bogged down by new demographic realities specifically in the West Bank. An alternative mode of negotiations known as the ‘Minds of Peace’ experiment or MOPE uses a grassroots approach to try the overcome stumbling blocks in the current Israeli–Palestinian peace process. The MOPE experiment provided fresh and valuable perspectives on the conflict. This article discusses reflections of the author on this new and innovative approach to peacemaking.
Evidence of Efficacy of Mammographic Screening for Women in Their Forties

Mammography can detect occult invasive cancers in younger women which, if left undetected, would result in grim and early deaths. 3. It is unlikely that mammography will save a higher percentage of breast cancer deaths for women in their forties than for older women. Studies of women in their forties performed to date have in- sufficient power to show such a benefit and, there- fore, do not prove that no benefit exists. 4. It may be possible to show the benefit of mammog- raphy for women in their forties with an enormous clinical trial. Such a trial would be expensive and may well be politically, clinically, and ethically un- feasible. 5. Regardless of whether such a trial is performed, points 1-3 justify screening all women older than age 40. Whether we accept this argument is critically de- pendent on the magnitude of the mortal risk reduc- tion to younger women that will accrue from screening, on the strength of evidence supporting this reduction, and on the risks and costs associated with mammography. It may be helpful to consider the following in making this evaluation.
“Charmingly delicious”: childhood obesity and General Mills’ dilemma

Synopsis In 2010, approximately one‐third of US children and adolescents were classified as at least overweight, with 17 percent classified as obese. In addition to other causes, the marketing and advertising of food directly to children was identified by a Task Force on Childhood Obesity as a contributing factor. As a result, food industries began to self‐regulate. Consumer advocacy organizations developed guidelines for advertising products targeted to children. Cereal companies, such as General Mills (GM), struggled with whether or not to adopt those standards. GM began to change both marketing and product advertising in small ways. The changes were considered steps in the right direction but GM continued to be under scrutiny of advocacy groups. This case addresses the struggle of General Mills to make changes to product nutritional content and/or marketing and to address the societal concern about childhood obesity while also meeting responsibilities to consumers and shareholders. Research methodology...
Control applications of nonlinear convex programming

Since 1984 there has been a concentrated effort to develop efficient interior-point methods for linear programming (LP). In the last few years researchers have begun to appreciate a very important property of these interior-point methods (beyond their efficiency for LP): they extend gracefully to nonlinear convex optimization problems. New interior-point algorithms for problem classes such as semidefinite programming (SDP) or second-order cone programming (SOCP) are now approaching the extreme efficiency of modern linear programming codes. In this paper we discuss three examples of areas of control where our ability to efficiently solve nonlinear convex optimization problems opens up new applications. In the first example we show how SOCP can be used to solve robust open-loop optimal control problems. In the second example, we show how SOCP can be used to simultaneously design the set-point and feedback gains for a controller, and compare this method with the more standard approach. Our final application concerns analysis and synthesis via linear matrix inequalities and SDP.
Prevalence, Complications, and Hospital Charges Associated With Use of Bone-Morphogenetic Proteins in Spinal Fusion Procedures

Context No national data exist to examine use of bone-morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in spinal fusion surgery. Objective To determine the patterns of use and rates of complications and financial charges associated with BMP use in spinal fusion nationally. Design, Setting, and Patients Retrospective cohort study of 328 468 patients undergoing spinal fusion procedures from 2002-2006 identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, a 20% sample of US community hospitals. Main Outcome Measures The rates of use of BMP among patients undergoing spinal fusion procedures are examined along with complications, length of stay, and hospital charges associated with use of this fusion adjunct. Results The nationwide usage of BMP has increased from 0.69% of all fusions in 2002 to 24.89% of all fusions in 2006. Use of BMP varied by patient sex, race, and primary payer with increased use seen in women (56.26% with BMP vs 53.35% without BMP; odds ratio [OR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval, [CI], 1.09-1.16) and Medicare patients (29.62% with BMP vs 27.16% without BMP; OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.31-1.56) and decreased use in nonwhite patients (8.69% with BMP vs 10.23% without BMP; OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.75-0.85). When comparing immediate postoperative, in-hospital rates of complications for the year 2006 among patients undergoing spinal fusion by BMP use status, no differences were seen for lumbar, thoracic, or posterior cervical procedures. On univariate analysis and after multivariable adjustment, the use of BMP in anterior cervical fusion procedures was associated with a higher rate of complication occurrence (7.09% with BMP vs 4.68% without BMP; adjusted OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.12-1.70) with the primary increases seen in wound-related complications (1.22% with BMP vs 0.65% without BMP; adjusted OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.10- 2.53) and dysphagia or hoarseness (4.35% with BMP vs 2.45% without BMP; adjusted OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.30-2.05). Bone-morphogenetic protein use was associated with greater inpatient hospital charges across all categories of fusion. Increases between 11% and 41% of total hospital charges were reported, with the greatest percentage increase seen for anterior cervical fusion. Conclusion Bone-morphogenetic protein was used in approximately 25% of all spinal fusions nationally in 2006, with use associated with more frequent complications for anterior cervical fusions and with greater hospital charges for all categories of fusions.