cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Light-Driven Regeneration of Cone Visual Pigments through a Mechanism Involving RGR Opsin in Müller Glial Cells.

While rods in the mammalian retina regenerate rhodopsin through a well-characterized pathway in cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), cone visual pigments are thought to regenerate in part through an additional pathway in Muller cells of the neural retina. The proteins comprising this intrinsic retinal visual cycle are unknown. Here, we show that RGR opsin and retinol dehydrogenase-10 (Rdh10) convert all-trans-retinol to 11-cis-retinol during exposure to visible light. Isolated retinas from Rgr+/+ and Rgr-/- mice were exposed to continuous light, and cone photoresponses were recorded. Cones in Rgr-/- retinas lost sensitivity at a faster rate than cones in Rgr+/+ retinas. A similar effect was seen in Rgr+/+ retinas following treatment with the glial cell toxin, α-aminoadipic acid. These results show that RGR opsin is a critical component of the Muller cell visual cycle and that regeneration of cone visual pigment can be driven by light.
Toward Affordance Detection and Ranking on Novel Objects for Real-World Robotic Manipulation

This letter presents a framework to detect and rank affordances of novel objects to assist with robotic manipulation tasks. The framework segments the affordance map of unseen objects using region-based affordance segmentation. Detected affordances define an initial state from which to generate action primitives for manipulation via the planning domain definition language (PDDL). The proposed category-agnostic affordance segmentation approach generalizes learned affordances to unseen objects by utilizing binary classification on proposed instance masks. The predicted pixel-wise level affordances are ranked by KL-divergence, augmenting the available affordance choices for manipulation tasks with non-primary affordances of an object. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance on affordance segmentation of novel objects, and outperforms baselines on affordance ranking. Actual robotic manipulation scenarios demonstrate the use of affordance detection with PDDL-generated action primitives for task execution. Prediction of ranked affordances on unseen objects provides flexibility to accomplish goal-oriented tasks.
Workplace Capitalization: The Consequences of Sharing Good News at Work

Capitalization–the process of sharing a personal positive event with others–provides disclosers with many advantages such as increased self-esteem, relationship quality, and relationship trust. How...
Knowing when to stand down and when to stand up

Kip Hodges We live in an era when important policy decisions are increasingly made in haste and without due consideration of consequence. Many such decisions prove to be poor later on, but few are likely to be as immediately catastrophic as a decision to start a nuclear war. Unlike the days of the Cold War when a very small number of countries were capable of starting a nuclear war, nine countries now have a total of nearly 14,000 nuclear warheads according to the Federation of American Scientists. It has long been understood that nuclear war between Russia and the United States—the two …
Revitalizing Federalism: A Brownsonian Prescription for Preserving National Unity Amidst Growing Diversity

Historically, the United States has achieved a relatively high degree of political stability. The reason: the Federal Constitution provides a complex architecture that checks and divides political ...
Weight Outcomes With Empagliflozin as Compared With Liraglutide in Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background:Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are associated with weight loss and improved cardiovascular outcomes, and are increasingly used in pharmaco...
Slow Neutron Resonances in U 235

The total and fission cross sections of ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$ have been measured in the energy range 0.1 to 10 ev on the BNL crystal spectrometer. The capture cross section is derived by combining these data with published scattering cross section data. Analysis of the low-energy resonance structure depends strongly on the interpretation of the "background" cross section which dominates the low-energy region. This "background" cannot be accounted for in terms of observed resonances; however, if it is attributed to the presence of a bound level, approximate parameters for such a level can be obtained. It is seen that the strength ${{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{n}}^{0}$ of the hypothetical bound level is anomalously large.The capture component of the resonances is found to be symmetrical, i.e., of Breit-Wigner shape. However, the fission component of the same resonances is asymmetrical, which indicates that a multilevel formula is necessary for fitting the resonances in the fission cross section. A good but not perfect fit to the data between 0 and 2 ev has been achieved using a multilevel formula which applies to the case of a single fission channel and many capture channels. The remaining small discrepancies in fitting the data indicate that the assumption of a single fission channel is too restrictive, and that one or more additional channels contribute weakly to slow neutron fission in ${\mathrm{U}}^{235}$.
Ethnoprimatology: Assessing How the Interface Between Humans and Monkeys Influences Infectious Agent Transmission

In this chapter, I provide an overview of ethnoprimatological approaches as a theoretical and methodological context with the potential to create an opening for One Health to more fully engage with anthropological and primatological complexities at the interface of humans and monkeys. I present overviews of the human–macaque interface at two sites, Padangtegal, Bali, Indonesia and Gibraltar, UK, where the contrasting local cultural contexts and ecological patterns of interaction between humans and macaques demonstrate the importance of an ethnoprimatological and niche-constructive perspective when attempting to assess pathogen risk and management for human–macaque interactions.
Curriculum content for innovation and entrepreneurship education in US pharmacy programs

For many decades, the healthcare sector has been playing catchup with other industries in terms of innovation, primarily due to the low number of healthcare professionals with innovation and entrep...
From whole organism to ultrastructure: progress in axonal imaging for decoding circuit development.

Since the pioneering work of Ramon y Cajal, scientists have sought to unravel the complexities of axon development underlying neural circuit formation. Micrometer-scale axonal growth cones navigate to targets that are often centimeters away. To reach their targets, growth cones react to dynamic environmental cues that change in the order of seconds to days. Proper axon growth and guidance are essential to circuit formation, and progress in imaging has been integral to studying these processes. In particular, advances in high- and super-resolution microscopy provide the spatial and temporal resolution required for studying developing axons. In this Review, we describe how improved microscopy has revolutionized our understanding of axonal development. We discuss how novel technologies, specifically light-sheet and super-resolution microscopy, led to new discoveries at the cellular scale by imaging axon outgrowth and circuit wiring with extreme precision. We next examine how advanced microscopy broadened our understanding of the subcellular dynamics driving axon growth and guidance. We finally assess the current challenges that the field of axonal biology still faces for imaging axons, and examine how future technology could meet these needs.
Genetic mapping of a QTL controlling source–sink size and heading date in rice

Source size, sink size and heading date (HD) are three important classes of traits that determine the productivity of rice. In this study, a set of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross between an elite indica line Big Grain1 (BG1) and a japonica line Xiaolijing (XLJ) were used to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for source-sink size and heading date. Totally, thirty-one QTLs for source size, twenty-two for sink size, four for heading date and seven QTL clusters which included QTLs for multiple traits were identified in three environmental trials. Thirty QTLs could be consistently detected in at least two trials and generally located in the clusters. Using a set of BC4F2 lines, the QTL cluster in C5-1-C5-2 on chromosome 5 was validated to be a major QTL pleiotropically affecting heading date, source size (flag leaf area) and panicle type (neck length of panicle, primary branching number and the ratio of secondary branching number to primary branching number), and was narrowed down to a 309.52Kb region. QTL clusters described above have a large effect on source-sink size and/or heading date, therefore they should be good resources to improve the adaptability and high yield potential of cultivars genetically.
Enzymatic phosphorylation of streptomycin by extracts of streptomycin-producing strains of Streptomyces.

Extracts of post-exponential phase mycelia of Streptomyces bikiniensis ATCC 11062, and other streptomycin-producers, catalyze phosphorylation of streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin with adenosine-5′-triphosphate. The phosphate is esterified with an —OH group of the streptidine moiety. It is suggested that O-phosphoryl-streptomycin might serve as an intracellular precursor of extracellular streptomycin or as a detoxification product of streptomycin or that it might serve an unknown physiological function in the producing organism.
Law, development and the socio-economic rights of Chinese women

How has the complex interaction of markets, law and development added or subtracted to the well-being of ordinary Chinese citizen? Specifically, this article examines how the development of a private market and accompanying legal structure resulted in Chinese women’s greater sense of rights entitlement and rights assertion. But abstract rights and the implementation of legal codes do not always mean rights adoption and neither does formal equality always translate into substantive equality. Through an analysis of 64 questionaires collected from legal aid litigants collected between the fall of 2002 and spring of 2003. The questionnaires unravel the complicated legal attitudes and the gender differences between those litigants who are facing these market changes and who chose to use the legal system.
Towards finite-sample convergence of direct reinforcement learning

While direct, model-free reinforcement learning often performs better than model-based approaches in practice, only the latter have yet supported theoretical guarantees for finite-sample convergence. A major difficulty in analyzing the direct approach in an online setting is the absence of a definitive exploration strategy. We extend the notion of admissibility to direct reinforcement learning and show that standard Q-learning with optimistic initial values and constant learning rate is admissible. The notion justifies the use of a greedy strategy that we believe performs very well in practice and holds theoretical significance in deriving finite-sample convergence for direct reinforcement learning. We present empirical evidence that supports our idea.
The presence and expression of RNA tumor virus genes in normal and infected cells: detection by molecular hybridization.

Three molecular probes have been used to detect genes of the Rous sarcoma virus and mouse mammary tumor virus in normal and infected cells: the 70S ribonucleic acid (RNA) of the viral genomes, and the single- and double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) transcribed from viral RNA by RNA-directed DNA polymerase. The findings indicate that multiple copies of viral genes may be present in the DNA of ostensibly normal cells. However, infection and transformation of mammalian (mouse and rat) cells by Rous sarcoma virus is accompanied by the appearance of virus-specific nucleotide sequences in nuclear DNA of the host cells. The expression of Rous sarcoma virus and mouse mammary tumor virus genes in normal and infected cells has been measured by RNA–DNA hybridization. Virus-specific RNA is present in both normal and transformed cells which produce neither virus nor detectable viral proteins. These data present the possibility that the expression of viral genes is not controlled exclusively by regulation of transcripton.
Long-term supports and services: Toward definition, clarification, and implications for the future

This article provides an introduction to the issues surrounding the provision of long-term services and supports. The provision of supports beyond vocational rehabilitation case closure has played an important role in the success of supported employment. The attention that we focus on the up-front services involved in creating a successful supported employment placement has left us little time or energy to focus on the parameters and issues surrounding long-term services and supports. This article attempts to define the parameters of long-term services and supports. Additionally, issues such as increasing long-term support caseloads, training and staff development, interagency cooperation, and funding mechanisms are reviewed. Finally, this article discusses changes and innovations that this field will need to consider in order to improve long-term services and supports.
Descartes’s Defense of the Metaphysical Certainty of Empirical Knowledge

Descartes quite consciously set out to defend not only the objectivity but even the “metaphysical” certainty of knowledge against classical skepticism, claiming that ancient doubts about mathematics would have been allayed had the ancients done what they could well have done, namely, to recognize the existence of God.1 Though he doesn’t explicitly identify classical skepticism as his target in the Meditations, in the Replies and elsewhere he refers to “skeptics” and to “Pyrrhonians”,2 and he describes his injunction to rely only on clear and distinct ideas as a rule for searching after truth and as a “criterion” of truth.3 These remarks are not just afterthoughts, for the Cartesian program does respond to Sextus’s challenges—even if it cannot meet them.4 Sextus’s challenges come roughly to three: positive knowledge claims cannot avoid the dilemma of being either circular or dogmatic; for any positive claim made, an equiplausible, incompatible alternative is available; and once a distinction between appearance and reality is made, there is no legitimate way of discriminating between veridical and non-veridical appearances. Although it has become a veritable industry among commentators to clear Descartes of the charge of circularity, I will argue that taken at his philosophically most penetrating, Descartes is guilty of circularity, that clearing him of this charge can only be achieved at the expense of desiccating the interest of his epistemology (for he is rendered naively dogmatic), and that he fails to elude the Pyrrhonist equiposition of a counterpoised view.
High Multiplicity Infection by HIV-1 in Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Elucidating virus-host interactions responsible for HIV-1 transmission is important for advancing HIV-1 prevention strategies. To this end, single genome amplification (SGA) and sequencing of HIV-1 within the context of a model of random virus evolution has made possible for the first time an unambiguous identification of transmitted/founder viruses and a precise estimation of their numbers. Here, we applied this approach to HIV-1 env analyses in a cohort of acutely infected men who have sex with men (MSM) and found that a high proportion (10 of 28; 36%) had been productively infected by more than one virus. In subjects with multivariant transmission, the minimum number of transmitted viruses ranged from 2 to 10 with viral recombination leading to rapid and extensive genetic shuffling among virus lineages. A combined analysis of these results, together with recently published findings based on identical SGA methods in largely heterosexual (HSX) cohorts, revealed a significantly higher frequency of multivariant transmission in MSM than in HSX [19 of 50 subjects (38%) versus 34 of 175 subjects (19%); Fisher’s exact p=0.008]. To further evaluate the SGA strategy for identifying transmitted/founder viruses, we analyzed 239 overlapping 59 and 39 half genome or env-only sequences from plasma viral RNA (vRNA) and blood mononuclear cell DNA in an MSM subject who had a particularly well-documented virus exposure history 3–6 days before symptom onset and 14–17 days before peak plasma viremia (47,600,000 vRNA molecules/ml). All 239 sequences coalesced to a single transmitted/founder virus genome in a time frame consistent with the clinical history, and a molecular clone of this genome encoded replication competent virus in accord with model predictions. Higher multiplicity of HIV-1 infection in MSM compared with HSX is consistent with the demonstrably higher epidemiological risk of virus acquisition in MSM and could indicate a greater challenge for HIV-1 vaccines than previously recognized.
Fungal laryngotracheobronchitis in an immunocompromised child: A case of atypical croup

Abstract Fungal laryngotracheobronchitis due to Curvularia species is rare. We present a case of an immunocompromised 8-year old girl who developed symptoms of croup. Microlaryngobronchoscopy showed white plaques and ulceration of the subglottis; and fungal deposits along the tracheobronchial tree. Subglottic ulcer biopsies showed presence of fungal organisms. Bronchial tissue cultures yielded Curvularia species. She was treated with a course of intravenous amphotericin B followed by oral voriconazole and intravenous caspofungin. Despite aggressive antifungal therapy, she eventually passed away from overwhelming sepsis.
Unraveling the Geometry Dependence of In-Nozzle Cavitation in High-Pressure Injectors

Cavitation is an intricate multiphase phenomenon that interplays with turbulence in fluid flows. It exhibits clear duality in characteristics, being both destructive and beneficial in our daily lives and industrial processes. Despite the multitude of occurrences of this phenomenon, highly dynamic and multiphase cavitating flows have not been fundamentally well understood in guiding the effort to harness the transient and localized power generated by this process. In a microscale, multiphase flow liquid injection system, we synergistically combined experiments using time-resolved x-radiography and a novel simulation method to reveal the relationship between the injector geometry and the in-nozzle cavitation quantitatively. We demonstrate that a slight alteration of the geometry on the micrometer scale can induce distinct laminar-like or cavitating flows, validating the multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation. Furthermore, the simulation identifies a critical geometric parameter with which the high-speed flow undergoes an intriguing transition from non-cavitating to cavitating.
Imaging Features that Discriminate between Foci Induced by High- and Low-LET Radiation in Human Fibroblasts

Abstract Costes, S. V., Boissiere, A., Ravani, S., Romano, R., Parvin, B. and Barcellos-Hoff, M. H. Imaging Features that Discriminate between Foci Induced by High- and Low-LET Radiation in Human Fibroblasts. Radiat. Res. 165, 505–515 (2006). In this study, we investigated the formation of radiation-induced foci in normal human fibroblasts exposed to X rays or 130 keV/μm nitrogen ions using antibodies to phosphorylated protein kinase ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATMp) and histone H2AX (γ-H2AX). High-content automatic image analysis was used to quantify the immunofluorescence of radiation-induced foci. The size of radiation-induced foci increased for both proteins over a 2-h period after nitrogen-ion irradiation, while the size of radiation-induced foci did not change after exposure to low-LET radiation. The number of radiation-induced ATMp foci showed a more rapid rise and greater frequency after X-ray exposure and was resolved more rapidly such that the frequency of radiation-induced foci decreased by ...
Emulsification properties of polyesters and sucrose ester blends I: Carbohydrate fatty acid polyesters

A number of carbohydrate fatty acid polyesters, potential fat substitutes, were screened for their ability to reduce surface and interfacial tensions alone or as blends with commercial emulsifiers. Commercial sucrose ester emulsifiers (Ryoto, Mitsubishi-Kasei Food Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) were evaluated alone or blended with other sucrose esters or with other carbohydrate fatty acid polyesters, and their surfactant properties were examined in terms of their ability to reduce surface and interfacial tensions at different concentrations and to stabilize oil-in-water (o/w) and water-in-oil (w/o) food emulsions at room and refrigeration temperatures, respectively.
Linear Ethylene−Vinyl Ether Copolymers: Synthesis and Thermal Characterization

Linear ethylene-co-vinyl ether copolymers were synthesized via a metathesis polymerization−hydrogenation reaction sequence producing a family of well-defined ethylene-based materials. Six high molecular weight macromolecules with desired vinyl ether incorporation levels are reported having methoxy or ethoxy pendant functionality on every 11th, 15th, and 21st carbons in the polymer backbone, and structural characterization of isolated materials via NMR and FT-IR indicates excellent control over copolymer microstructure. Thermal characterization via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) suggests semicrystallinity for every material under dynamic scanning conditions except one highly functionalized material where subsequent annealing treatments isolated a peak melting temperature deviating from melting trends established by other materials in the study. Variations of physical and spectral properties are discussed as a function of pendant group spacing and overall level of ether incorporation.
EFFECTS OF THE EMULSIFIER IN COPPER EXTRACTION BY LIX64N-SPAN 80 LIQUID SURFACTANT MEMBRANES

Span 80-LIX65N-LIX63 liquid surfactant membranes (LSMs) were used to extract copper from sulfate solutions at a pH of 2.0. The physico-chemical effects of Span 80 (sorbitan monooleate) were investigated with the aid of measurements of emulsion stability (as determined by leakage of K ions from the internal to the external phase), membrane phase viscosity, emulsion viscosity, and inter-facial tension. As the concentration of Span 80 was increased, copper extraction rate at first increased, rose through a maximum, and then decreased. The initial increase corresponded to a significant improvement in the stability of emulsion globules. Inter-facial tension measurements indicated that in order to achieve stable emulsion globules, a high adsorption density of the emulsi-fier at the emulsion interfaces in a LSM system was needed. It was further shown that a bulk phase emulsifier-extractant interaction at high extractant concentrations had an adverse effect on the stability of emulsion globules by removing emulsi...
Temporary brittle bone disease versus suspected non-accidental skeletal injury

Temporary brittle bone disease has been proposed again as an alternative explanation for suspected non-accidental injury. This is still not considered a real entity by mainstream opinion. The recent publications remind us to look carefully for alternative explanations and to investigate for predisposing bone disorders thoroughly. When a child presents with unexplained skeletal injury, the age, history of presentation and level of mobility of the child is important. The absence of a clear history to explain an injury raises the issue of non-accidental skeletal injury (NASI). It is also important to consider any underlying bone disorder that might predispose a bone fracturing with normal handling force. NASI has medicolegal implications for children and parents. In the UK, experts must provide balanced and impartial evidence to assist the court. Lawyers are instructed by the various parties but the expert is independent. Against this background the judge balances contrary medical expert evidence and opinion. Many alternative explanations have to be considered. Courts are faced with issues of scientific hypothesis, leading edge research and epidemiological data but court is not the best arena for scientific discussion. Paterson first proposed the concept of temporary brittle bone disease (TBBD) in 1993.1 He described a personal series of 39 children who had unexplained fractures in the first year of life. He proposed TBBD as a transient predisposition to fracture with normal handling force, without any bruising, proven medical diagnosis or biochemical abnormality. They suggested this was due to temporary immaturity or fragility of collagen related to trace element deficiency (eg, copper) or transient osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). They provided no specific test to confirm TBBD. There was no complete data table on their 39 cases and there was a lack of comprehensive bone biochemistry results. TBBD presented a theoretical and attractively benign explanation for suspected NASI …
The effects of a web-based intervention on the physical outcomes associated with diabetes among adults age 60 and older: a randomized trial.

Background: The emergence of the World Wide Web in the last decade has made it feasible for the Internet to be a vehicle for chronic disease management. Methods: A randomized controlled trial ( n = 62) testing the effects of a 6-month web-based intervention plus usual care, compared with usual care alone, among adults 60 years of age and older with diabetes. The outcomes were hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Results: A multivariate analysis of covariance controlling for all baseline outcome variables, age, gender, and number of years with diabetes showed significant ( P = 0.001) reductions in HbA1c, weight, and cholesterol level and significant improvement in HDL levels in the intervention versus the control group. Conclusions: Findings show a web-based intervention was effective in improving HbA1c, weight, cholesterol, and HDL levels at a 6-month follow-up. Future research is needed to investigate the long-term effectiveness of web-ba...
Temperature Effects in Rhodamine B Dyes and Improvement in CW DyeLaser Performance

The effect of cooling the laser medium on the lasing characteristics of an organic cw dye laser, Rhodamine B in ethylene glycol, pumped by an Argon laser was examined. Significant improvements in the performance of this dye laser were achieved as the solvent temperature was reduced below room temperature, namely: a significant reduction in the threshold power requirements and a considerable increase in the attainable output power. The results obtained may be understood in terms of increased quantum yield of the RhB dye as the temperature is reduced. This effect overrides possible negative effects that are normally expected due to intermolecular relaxation processes and which are normally observed for other dye lasers which already have high quantum yields at room temperature.
Measuring the positive side of the work-family interface: Development and validation of a work-family enrichment scale.

Abstract Based on current conceptualizations of enrichment, or the positive side of the work–family interface, a multi-dimensional measure of work–family enrichment is developed and validated using five samples. The final 18 item measure consists of three dimensions from the work to family direction (development, affect, and capital) and three dimensions from the family to work direction (development, affect, and efficiency). The validity of the scale was established by assessing the content adequacy, dimensionality, reliability, factor structure invariance, convergent validity, divergent validity, and its relationship to work and family correlates.
Kinetics and rate oscillations of the oxidation of propylene oxide on polycrystalline silver

Abstract The oxidation of propylene oxide on porous polycrystalline Ag films supported on stabilized zirconia was studied in a CSTR at temperatures between 250 and 400 °C and atmospheric total pressure. The technique of solid electrolyte potentiometry (SEP) was used to monitor the chemical potential of oxygen adsorbed on the silver catalyst. The steady state kinetic and potentiometric results are consistent with a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. However over a wide range of temperature and gaseous composition both the reaction rate and the surface oxygen activity were found to exhibit self-sustained isothermal oscillatory behavior. Oxidation of propylene, ethylene, and ethylene oxide on the same surface under similar conditions does not produce oscillations. A possible cause for this phenomenon will be discussed.
Comparing Visitors' Conceptions of Evolution: Examining Understanding Outside the United States

ABSTRACT In contrast to the United States, other predominantly English-speaking countries generally have higher acceptance rates of evolutionary theory. This article explores whether natural history museum audiences in these regions also have fewer misconceptions about the underlying processes of evolution. Museum visitors in Great Britain, Canada, and Australia were asked to explain how evolution worked, as well as whether or not they believed that the theory was valid. Although findings suggest that these visitors were significantly less likely to reject evolution (compared with a recent investigation conducted at natural history museums across the United States), they were just as likely to harbor misconceptions as their American counterparts.
The effect of amphetamine on food intake in rats with hypothalamic hyperphagia.

Amphetamin vermindert die Nahrungsaufnahme von durch beidseitige Zerstorung des ventromedialen Nucleus des Hypothalamus hyperphagisch gemachten Ratten. Es scheint den Appetit durch die Hemmung des lateralen Nahrungsaufnahmezentrums, nicht aber durch Reizung des medialen Sattigungszentrums herabzusetzen.
Use of emergency medical services by children with special health care needs.

Objective. This study describes emergency medical services (EMS) responses for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in an urban area over a one-year period. Methods. A prospective surveillance system was established to identify EMS responses for children, 21 years of age or younger, with a congenital or acquired condition or a chronic physical or mental illness. Responses related to the special health care needs of the child were compared with unrelated responses. Results. During a one-year period, 924 responses were identified. Fewer than half of the responses were related to the child's special health care need. Younger children were significantly more likely to have a response related to their special needs than older children. Among related responses, seizure disorder was the most common diagnosis, while asthma was more common for unrelated responses. Almost 58% of the responses resulted in transport of the child to a hospital. Conclusions. Emergency medical services responses related to a ...
The antigenicity and allergenicity of microparticulated proteins: Simplesse®

New technologies are allowing the food industry to develop products from standard foods which may not be recognized in its modified form by food allergic patients. One such product, Simplesse, has been formulated by microparticulation of egg white and/or cows' milk proteins and is used as a fat substitute in many fat-laden foods. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the process of microparticulation altered the allergenicity/antigenicity of egg white and cows' milk proteins compared to the starting materials. Soluble protein fractions of Simplesse and its respective starting materials were compared to egg white, cows' milk protein, an ultra-filtered egg white/condensed milk mixture, and/or a whey concentrate by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition, sera from 16 patients with documented egg and/or cows' milk hypersensitivity and two controls who were not allergic to egg or milk were used to assess potential allergenicity/antigenicity of these products by immunoblot (Western blot) analysis. There were heterogeneous IgE and IgG binding patterns to the food fractions among these food allergic patients suggesting differing sensitivity patterns among the individuals tested. However, utilizing both SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analyses, the major allergens in the microparticulated products were the same as those found in the starting materials, egg and cows' milk. In addition, there was no evidence of 'novel' protein fractions in the Simplesse test materials compared to the starting materials.
Comparison of the clinical success and quality-of-life impact of brimonidine 0.2% and betaxolol 0.25% suspension in patients with elevated intraocular pressure

Abstract Background: Brimonidine tartrate 0.2%, a selective alpha 2 —adrenergic receptor agonist, and betaxolol 0.25% suspension, a cardioselective beta 1 —adrenergic receptor antagonist, are used in the treatment of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Objective: This study compared the clinical success and quality-of-life impact of 4 weeks of treatment with brimonidine 0.2% BID compared with those of 4 weeks of treatment with betaxolol 0.25% suspension BID in patients with elevated IOP. Methods: This was a multisite, double-masked, comparative clinical trial in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either brimonidine or betaxolol BID. Morning IOP was measured at baseline and at weeks 1 and 4 using Goldmann applanation. Efficacy was determined by reduction in IOP from baseline. Patients experiencing a ≥20% reduction in IOP were considered to have a successful IOP-lowering response. The Glaucoma Disability Index questionnaire was administered at week 4 to assess quality-of-life factors and the incidence of adverse events. Opthalmic examinations were conducted at each visit. Results: One hundred fifty-nine patients were randomized to treatment and completed the study, 81 receiving brimonidine and 78 receiving betaxolol. The majority were white (77.4%) and female (61.6%), and had a diagnosis of open-angle glaucoma (56.0%). After 4 weeks of treatment, both brimonidine and betaxolol effectively lowered IOP from baseline (mean IOP reductions: brimonidine, 5.96 mm Hg; betaxolol, 5.07 mm Hg; P = NS). However, a significantly higher percentage of brimonidine patients (52/81 [64.2%]) than betaxolol patients (37/78 [47.4%]) had a ≥20% reduction in IOP ( P = 0.033). No serious adverse events were reported with either study medication. On the quality-of-life assessments, more betaxolol patients reported hyperemia ( P = 0.011), and the reported hyperemia was significantly more severe in betaxolol patients ( P = 0.009). Conclusions: After 4 weeks of treatment, brimonidine 0.2% BID was clinically successful in significantly more patients and was better tolerated than 4 weeks of treatment with betaxolol 0.25% BID in this population.
Stratospheric clouds over England

Aerosol measurements from the Halogen Occultation Experiment show stratospheric clouds over England on March 3 and 4, 1996. The measured cloud volume density profiles were compared to equilibrium volumes computed for nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) and liquid ternary H2SO4-H2O-HNO3 aerosols. The measurements on March 4 are confidently identified as NAT, and isentropic back-trajectories show that conditions were favorable for ice formation roughly 11 hours upwind of the observed cloud. These results support the suggestion that ice formation could be a necessary precursor to NAT nucleation.
Spherulitic recrystallization of metamict polycrase.

Spherulites occur in the metamict matrix of the rare earth AB 2 A 6- type niobium-tantalum-titanium oxide, polycrase. Microprobe analyses show that the spherulites are similar in composition to the metamict polycrase except for a fivefold increase in calcium oxide. X-ray examination suggests that the spherulites are a titanium-rich rare earth fersmite.
Rapid increases in parasitemia following red cell exchange for malaria

Exchange transfusion is frequently used as an adjunctive treatment of severe malaria, although the efficacy of exchange transfusion as therapy for severe malaria remains controversial. The major perceived benefit of exchange transfusion is the rapid reduction of parasite load. However, no previous report has shown the dynamic change in parasitemia shortly following an acute load reduction. We report a 20-year-female who developed cerebral malaria and 30% parasitemia after traveling to Africa. In addition to antimalarial treatment, red cell exchange (RCX) was begun emergently with an automated blood-cell separator. Parasitemia dropped from 30 to 15% immediately after the procedure but rapidly increased to 25% after 50 min. The second procedure was performed 12 h after the first procedure. Her neurologic status returned to baseline on Day 2, and she was discharged on Day 6. Rapid increases in parasitemia can be observed after mechanical load reduction following RCX.
The Relationship between Computer Languages and Problem-Solving Style

This study investigated the influence of prior computer experience on writing computer programs in natural English. A multiple regression analysis revealed that knowing more computer languages predicted more total number of words in the English programs. It was also found that subjects who knew both PASCAL and BASIC used more loops in their English programs than subjects who knew BASIC but not PASCAL. Types of loops used and the implications of loop structure for problem-solving style are discussed.
Plastic and viscoplastic analysis of axisymmetric shells

Abstract A general formulation of large deformation analysis of plastic and viscoplastic problems is presented first. The equilibrium equations are derived from an incremental variational formulation using the Lagrangian mode of description of motion. The symmetric Piola-Kirchhoff stress and Lagrangian strain are used in all the constitutive relations. Using degenerate isoparametric elements, permitting relaxation of the Kirchhoff-Love hypothesis, the procedure is specialized for the finite element analysis of shells of revolution subjected to axisymmetric loading. A modified incremental method, which applies an equilibrium correction at each step, is used for the solution of the linearized incremental equilibrium equations. Two approaches are presented for adapting the viscoplasticity formulation to provide inviscid plasticity solutions- one involving the extrapolation of results as the viscosity coefficient tends to infinity, and the other in which plasticity solutions are obtained by using time as an artifice in the viscoplastic analysis until equilibrium states are achieved at each succeeding load level. A detailed study of the nonlinear behavior of a torispherical pressure vessel is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the numerical techniques.
Measuring operator anticipatory inputs in response to time-delay for teleoperated human-robot interfaces

Many tasks call for efficient user interaction under time delay-controlling space instruments, piloting remote aircraft and operating search and rescue robots. In this paper we identify an underexplored design opportunity for building robotic teleoperation user interfaces following an evaluation of operator performance during a time-delayed robotic arm block-stacking task in twenty-two participants. More delay resulted in greater operator hesitation and a decreased ratio of active to inactive input. This ratio can serve as a useful proxy for measuring an operator's ability to anticipate the outcome of their control inputs before receiving delayed visual feedback. High anticipatory input ratio (AIR) scores indicate times when robot operators enter commands before waiting for visual feedback. Low AIR scores highlight when operators must wait for visual feedback before continuing. We used this measurement to help us identify particular sub-tasks where operators would likely benefit from additional support.
Free and esterified necines in Heliotropium species from mexico and texas

Abstract Fourteen species of Heliotropium from Mexico and Texas contained 3-7 necines per species. In most cases there were no qualitative differences in th
The new United States Pharmacopeia (XVII) and National Formulary (XII): new and vital changes for children.

T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S Pharmacope ia 1 (U.S.P.) and the National Formulary -~ (N.F.) provide for standardization of essential and therapeutically effective drugs in general use. In order to keep these standards current, interim revisions are issued when needed. Complete new editions are printed every 5 years, and new editions of each became official on Sept. 1, 1965. Drugs considered essential for modern medical practice are listed in these books. Both U.S.P. and N.F. are financed almost entirely from the sale of the books. Each is produced by an organization which is independent of financial support or domination of the government (unique to the United States) and the pharmaceutical industry. However, the standards established by U.S.P. and N.F. are accepted by the Congress of the United States in designating drugs "official." These official standards are then enforced by the federal government. The responsibility for establishing standards for new drugs not yet official rests with the Food and Drug Administration and with manufacturers. A total of 404 new official drugs, 156 in
Some differences between three on‐line systems: impact on search results

With the growth in multiple on‐line search systems providing access to bibliographic data bases, exclusive availability of data bases is quickly disappearing. The searcher equally familiar with more than one system providing access to the same data base needs to apply some objective criteria in choosing a particular search system. Comparing three major search systems, we emphasize system differences in file structure, data fields and search features, and discuss how these differences influence search strategy and results. Results obtained from the CACondensates, ERIC, INFORM and NTIS data bases serve as examples for discussing the differences among the three search systems. Differences in postings among the systems are most often explained in terms of expected differences due to file structures, data fields and search features. Some unexpected differences between the systems are described and are assumed to be attributable to problems encountered during the preprocessing of the tape.
A translation system for enabling data mining applications on GPUs

Modern GPUs offer much computing power at a very modest cost. Even though CUDA and other related recent developments are accelerating the use of GPUs for general purpose applications, several challenges still remain in programming the GPUs. Thus, it is clearly desirable to be able to program GPUs using a higher-level interface.In this paper, we offer a solution that targets a specific class of applications, which are the data mining and scientific data analysis applications. Our work is driven by the observation that a common processing structure, that of generalized reductions, fits a large number of popular data mining algorithms. In our solution, the programmers simply need to specify the sequential reduction loop(s) with some additional information about the parameters. We use program analysis and code generation to map the applications to a GPU. Several additional optimizations are also performed by the system.We have evaluated our system using three popular data mining applications, k-means clustering, EM clustering, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The main observations from our experiments are as follows. The speedup that each of these applications achieve over a sequential CPU version ranges between 20 and 50. The automatically generated version did not have any noticeable overheads compared to hand written codes. Finally, the optimizations performed in the system resulted in significant performance improvements.
Penile reconstruction combined with bladder closure in the management of classic bladder exstrophy: illustration of technique.

Abstract Objectives. Interest has increased in combining procedures during reconstruction of bladder exstrophy in an effort to reduce the number of procedures required for reconstruction and to improve results. This study illustrates our technique of reconstruction and summarizes our current experience with the combination of epispadias repair and bladder closure during initial reconstruction or following prior failed bladder closure. Methods. Twenty-four boys with classic bladder exstrophy underwent combined bladder closure and epispadias repair. The mean patient age was 20 months, and 18 boys had a prior failed closure. Osteotomies were performed in all patients. Results. No instances of bladder prolapse or dehiscence were noted on follow-up. Urethrocutaneous fistula developed in 7 patients. Eventual bladder neck reconstruction has been performed in 11 boys (6 boys are dry day and night, 3 are dry during the day with occasional wet episodes at night, 2 have required follow-up bladder augmentation and continent diversion for persistent incontinence), and 1 boy had augmentation at the same time as bladder neck reconstruction. Twelve boys are awaiting adequate capacity for bladder neck reconstruction, and 1 is awaiting bladder augmentation and continent stoma construction. Conclusions. Epispadias closure can be safely combined with bladder closure in select patients with classic bladder exstrophy. Complication rates and cosmesis approximate that achieved with staging the two procedures. This achievement represents strict patient selection and attentive follow-up.
Triple-axis spectroscopy with sub-μeV resolution without use of polarized neutrons

Abstract We propose a new method that allows for a drastic increase of the resolution of triple-axis spectrometers, up to μeV/sub-μeV region. In contrast to neutron spin-echo (NSE)-based methods, the proposed method principally does not require the use of polarized neutrons and is free from problems connected with the mutual influence of the magnetic field of precession coils or with the influence of scattered magnetic fields from the sample environment. Featuring the decoupling of the neutron polarization and energy resolution, the proposed method opens new possibilities for the study of magnetic phenomena in solids, especially by combining the polarization analysis with high-resolution spectroscopy. The proposed method also allows for an easy implementation of the principle of the NSE focusing, when the resolution ellipse is aligned along a dispersion curve.