cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Animal Models of Tuberculosis

Testing of drugs or vaccines in animal models prior to studies in the human population are essential to avoid safety problems in the field. In this chapter, the mouse, guinea pig, rabbit, and nonhuman primate models are discussed. Each model has its strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of the most appropriate model for a study depends on a variety of factors, including cost, available housing, and the question being addressed. The mouse model provides an economical and easily manipulated tool with which to determine the role of specific host or bacterial components in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis. The development of a chronic infection is common to most mammals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. One important factor in using the aerosol model to assess the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis is the use of bacterial cultures with high viability. Caseous necrosis in the form of small, spherical tubercles is a hallmark of human tuberculosis; indeed, it is the pathologic entity from which the disease derives its name. Nonhuman primates have been used in tuberculosis research for many decades, although cost and containment requirements have reduced the use of this model substantially in the last 30 years. The increasing sophistication of the animal models will lead the way to new findings of great importance in tuberculosis.
Learning an evolvable genotype-phenotype mapping

We present AutoMap, a pair of methods for automatic generation of evolvable genotype-phenotype mappings. Both use an artificial neural network autoencoder trained on phenotypes harvested from fitness peaks as the basis for a genotype-phenotype mapping. In the first, the decoder segment of a bottlenecked autoencoder serves as the genotype-phenotype mapping. In the second, a denoising autoencoder serves as the genotype-phenotype mapping. Automatic generation of evolvable genotype-phenotype mappings are demonstrated on the n-legged table problem, a toy problem that defines a simple rugged fitness landscape, and the Scrabble string problem, a more complicated problem that serves as a rough model for linear genetic programming. For both problems, the automatically generated genotype-phenotype mappings are found to enhance evolvability.
Parallel cyclic reduction strategies for linear systems that arise in dynamic optimization problems

Dynamic optimization problems are constrained by differential and algebraic equations and are found everywhere in science and engineering. A well-established method to solve these types of problems is direct transcription, where the differential equations are replaced with discretized approximations based on finite-difference or Runge–Kutta schemes. However, for problems with thousands of state variables and discretization points, direct transcription may result in nonlinear optimization problems which are too large for general-purpose optimization solvers to handle. Also, when an interior-point solver is applied, the dominant computational cost is solving the linear systems resulting from the Newton step. For large-scale nonlinear programming problems, these linear systems may become prohibitively expensive to solve. Furthermore, the systems also become too large to formulate and store in memory of a standard computer. On the other hand, direct transcription can exploit sparsity and structure of the linear systems in order to overcome these challenges. In this paper we investigate and compare two parallel linear decomposition algorithms, Cyclic Reduction (CR) and Schur complement decomposition, which take advantage of structure and sparsity. We describe the numerical conditioning of the CR algorithm when applied to the linear systems arising from dynamic optimization problems, and then compare CR with Schur complement decomposition on a number of test problems. Finally, we propose conditions under which each should be used, and describe future research directions.
Dropping Out of High School: The Ideology of School and Work:

This paper explores the tension between prevailing ideologies of the high school dropout as “loser” and data which indicate that many dropouts are highly motivated, intelligent, and critical of edu...
Virtue Ethics for GIS Professionals

The coalescence of the GIS profession in the U.S. became a reality with the establishment of the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) and its formalization of a code of ethics in 2004. Since then, progress has continued, with the crafting of rules of conduct for GIS professionals, and procedures for bringing charges of unethical behavior against GISPs. Development of additional measures to encourage ethical performance by GIS practitioners continues, as case studies are currently in the works. This paper recommends that one more element be added to the ethics suite: virtue ethics. The paper links the idea of virtue ethics to the Weberian concept of professionalism and advocates a formal integration of virtue ethics in the education of GIS professionals.
Effects of gel processing on the properties of humic acid isolated from the alga Pilayella littoralis: A humic acid aerogel

Humic acid in the live alga Pilayellalittoralis was isolated as an aqueous gel by a standard sequential extraction method augmented with removal of alginic acid. Portions of the aqueous gel were (1) vacuum oven dried at 40 °C, (2) freeze freeze dried after cooling in liquid N2, and (3) dried with supercritical fluid CO2 after substitution of water in the gel with acetone. This paper compares the analytical and spectral properties of the products with compost derived HA and reports significant differences in their surface areas, packing densities, water retention, solute sorption and metal binding properties. The results are discussed in terms of different product morphologies determined by scanning electron microscopy. The aerogel obtained by supercritical fluid CO2 drying of an HA gel from Pilayella has the highest surface area (188 m2 g-1) reported for a humic acid.
An Interesting Family of Symmetric Polynomials

We discuss two natural extremal problems for homogeneous polynomials. These problems have simple solutions for polynomials in one or two variables but become interesting for polynomials in three or...
A Linear Algorithm for Minimum Dominator Colorings of Orientations of Paths

In this paper we present an algorithm for finding a minimum dominator coloring of orientations of paths. To date this is the first algorithm for dominator colorings of digraphs in any capacity. We prove that the algorithm always provides a minimum dominator coloring of an oriented path and show that it runs in $\mathcal{O}(n)$ time. The algorithm is available at this https URL.
Effect of nonmalignant accessory cells from the metastatic microenvironment on breast cancer cell resistance to antiestrogens.

11039 Background: To address the role of the local metastatic microenvironment in the antiestrogen (AE) resistance exhibited by disseminated breast cancer (BrCa), we assembled heterotypic in vitro ...
Revealing insights of users’ perception: an approach to evaluate wearable products based on emotions

The wearable product market is growing rapidly and is full of products with similar functions and features. Engaging users at an emotional level may be the key to differentiating a product and encouraging long-term use. While researchers have proposed various design approaches to realize design qualities for wearable devices, emotional needs are often extracted by analysis-heavy methods and disconnected in the design process. To bridge this gap, we developed a new approach that uses a two-axis interactive collage tool for users to compare and evaluate wearable products with targeted emotion-related descriptive words. This approach enabled designers to explore how users perceive products and identify types of emotions that were associated with users’ preferences for and perception of the product’s form and visible characteristics. The example study demonstrated this approach by exploring the relationships between product characteristics and design goals, such as user comfort, user delight, and perceived product usefulness. The results showed that products that resemble clothing were perceived as more delightful and comfortable. The approach can be further used to explore other design concepts or goals.
Operation Outbreak: A Periop 101 Exam Review Escape Room

Background:Perioperative nursing is expected to see a 20% reduction in the workforce due to retirement within five (5) years. To recruit and retain nurses within this specialty, the Association of ...
Molecular Rationale for Partitioning between C-H and C-F Bond Activation in Heme-Dependent Tyrosine Hydroxylase.

The heme-dependent l-tyrosine hydroxylases (TyrHs) in natural product biosynthesis constitute a new enzyme family in contrast to the nonheme iron enzymes for DOPA production. A representative TyrH exhibits dual reactivity of C-H and C-F bond cleavage when challenged with 3-fluoro-l-tyrosine (3-F-Tyr) as a substrate. However, little is known about how the enzyme mediates two distinct reactions. Herein, a new TyrH from the thermophilic bacterium Streptomyces sclerotialus (SsTyrH) was functionally and structurally characterized. A de novo crystal structure of the enzyme-substrate complex at 1.89-A resolution provides the first comprehensive structural study of this hydroxylase. The binding conformation of l-tyrosine indicates that C-H bond hydroxylation is initiated by electron transfer. Mutagenesis studies confirmed that an active site histidine, His88, participates in catalysis. We also obtained a 1.68-A resolution crystal structure in complex with the monofluorinated substrate, 3-F-Tyr, which shows one binding conformation but two orientations of the fluorine atom with a ratio of 7:3, revealing that the primary factor of product distribution is the substrate orientation. During in crystallo reaction, a ferric-hydroperoxo intermediate (compound 0, Fe3+-OOH) was observed with 3-F-Tyr as a substrate based on characteristic spectroscopic features. We determined the crystal structure of this compound 0-type intermediate and refined it to 1.58-A resolution. Collectively, this study provided the first molecular details of the heme-dependent TyrH and determined the primary factor that dictates the partitioning between the dual reactivities of C-H and C-F bond activation.
Lung Transplantation for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: An Analysis of the UNOS Registry

Purpose Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) patients have poor respiratory trajectories and are at increased risk of lung function decline with age. Lung transplantation (LTx) is a possible treatment option for this growing patient population. This study aims to determine the characteristics of BPD patients listed for LTx, and their waitlist and post-transplant outcomes. Methods The UNOS Registry was queried for patients of all ages listed for or who underwent LTx with a diagnosis of BPD between January 1987- March 2020. Descriptive analysis and waitlist outcomes were determined. Post-LTx survival at 1-, 5-, and 10-years was assessed. Post-LTx survival for patients born in the pre-surfactant era (pre-SE, before 1990) and those born afterwards (post-SE) was compared. Results BPD was reported in 64 patients of which 53.1% (n=34) were born in the pre-SE. Median age at listing was 21 years: 30.5 years pre-SE and 5 years post-SE (p 18 years) compared to 22.2% (n=4) of post-SE patients (p=0.007). 61.1% (n=11) of post-SE patients were aged ≤10 years. Post-LTx survival was 90% at 1-year, 73% at 5-years, and 46% at 10-years. Patients born post-SE trended toward better survival than pre-SE at 1-, 5- and 10-year post-LTx (p=0.11) (Figure). Conclusion BPD patients born in pre-SE received LTx as adults, whereas younger children with BPD have undergone LTx in post-SE. Importantly, post-LTx outcomes appear to be acceptable compared to other patient populations in the modern era. Thus, we recommend that patients with BPD with progressive deterioration should be considered for LTx.
Feasibility Study on Biochar-Treated Expansive Soils

Expansive soils distribute extensively in arid and semi-arid regions all over the world, which could cause tremendous damages to infrastructures due to the expansion of soils when water exists. Several types of technologies have been developed to mitigate expansive soils including mechanical methods and chemical methods. In this study, a type of sustainable material, biochar, was adopted to treat expansive soils. Biochar is created from organic biproducts from animal, agricultural, and forestry wastes that undergo pyrolysis, which is cost effective. Considering the strong water absorbability, biochar would limit the contact of water with soil particles to reduce the soil expansion deformation. Three different biochar contents by weight (i.e., 2%, 4%, and 6%) were used in this study and the effectiveness of the biochar treatment was verified by three types of tests including Atterberg limits, free swell index, and expansion index tests. Test results in this study demonstrate (1) the addition of biochar would not change the liquid limit but induce the increase of plastic limit; (2) biochar is effective to restrict the expansion deformation of expansive soils; and (3) there is an optimum biochar content which was 2% in this study.
The Trajectory of Jaan Valsiner’s Thought

Any version of cultural psychology assumes that human mental life is shaped by sociocultural context, and this claim applies as much to researchers as to those they study. As such, this makes a good starting point for understanding Jaan Valsiner as a major figure on the global scene in cultural psychology and social philosophy. Part of Jaan’s sociocultural milieu has been the international network of scholars and practitioners that he himself has helped created, but a broader set of issues are involved, including the forces that shaped him starting in his early years.
Psychotherapy for Functional Neurological (Conversion) Disorder: A Case Bridging Mind, Brain, and Body

Functional neurologic (conversion) disorder (FND) is a core neuropsychiatric condition directly at the intersection of psychiatry and neurology. Over the past several decades, renewed interest in FND has been catalyzed by use of a "rule-in" diagnostic approach leveraging positive clinical signs specific for the diagnosis. In parallel, advances have occurred in identifying mechanisms, etiologic factors, and evidence-based treatments for this population. While "one size fits all" formulations of the "conversion" of psychological distress into physical symptoms are no longer widely accepted, emotion processing and related psychological constructs (eg, alexithymia, dissociation, threat avoidance) remain central to the conceptual understanding of FND. Furthermore, the biopsychosocial model (foundational to psychiatry) is the prevailing model through which to guide longitudinal treatment, with psychotherapy as an emerging first line intervention for FND. Nonetheless, there is a striking dearth of psychotherapists and mental health providers more broadly that feel well versed in the clinical assessment and management of patients with FND. In this article, we seek to address this gap by presenting the psychotherapy treatment narrative of a woman experiencing paroxysmal functional speech and gait disorder symptoms who had a positive clinical outcome. Our goal with this case presentation and related discussion is to increase the proficiency of psychotherapists in providing treatment to patients with FND.
The Unifying Structures of George Perec's Suspended Memoirs

In W ou le souvenir d'enfance (1975), Georges Perec has woven together two narratives, an attempted autobiography and a re-created childhood fantasy, into a rich literary tapestry which has fascinated readers and earned the appreciation of critics as a major literary work. Bernard Pingaud considers it, "l'oeuvre la plus enigmatique de Perec, celle aussi ou il se livre le plus et qui appelle irresistiblement le commentaire." Superficially, the weaving is rather a coarse grafting with obvious seams, for Perec has merely alternated chapters of the two narratives. The oddnumbered chapters tell the story, created when Perec was 13, of the fictional Gaspard Winckler, his missing namesake, and his fascination with an island in the Tierra del Fuego called W, where sport is king; the even-numbered chapters represent Perec's attempt to piece together memories and reminders of his childhood. The final chapter quotes at length David Rousset's L'Univers concentrationnaire to bind together the autobiography and the fantasy. For the athletic hierarchy on W evolves throughout the novel into a "machine enorme dont chaque rouage participe . . . a l'aneantissement systematique des hommes" (p. 218), comparable to the Nazi occupation of France which scarred Perec's childhood and separated him from his mother.
Ion transport and conformational changes in spinach chloroplast grana: I. Osmotic properties and divalent cation-induced volume changes

Abstract Fragments of spinach chloroplasts have been prepared by differential centrifugation of sonic-treated suspensions of isolated chloroplasts. Large fragments, sedimenting below 20,000 g , had lower chlorophyll a b ratios than chloroplasts, and smaller fragments had higher ratios. The fraction sedimenting between 5000 and 10,000 g was shown by electron microscopy to consist primarily of grana. Grana possess osmotic properties since volume changes (1) obeyed the Boyle-vairt Hoff law, (2) resulted from water movements as determined by packed mass measurements, (3) were independent of the nature of the external solute, and (4) were reversible by osmotic means. The salts of various divalent cations did not provide osmotic support but did cause the shrinkage of grana, which reflects a metabolism-independent binding. Electron microscopy of grana confirmed the existence of osmotic shrinkage and of nonosrnotic shrinkage brought about by divalent cations.
Two Receptor Tyrosine Phosphatases of the LAR Family Are Expressed in the Developing Leech by Specific Central Neurons as well as Select Peripheral Neurons, Muscles, and Other Cells

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (rPTPs) are thought to play a crucial role in neuronal development, particularly in pathfinding by growing processes. We have cloned and sequenced two Hirudo medicinalis rPTPs that are homologous to the Drosophila and vertebrate rPTPs of the Leukocyte common antigen-related (LAR) subfamily. These Hirudo rPTPs, HmLAR1 and HmLAR2, are products of different, homologous genes, both containing two tandem intracellular phosphatase domains and ectodomains with three tandem Ig domains and different numbers of tandem fibronectin type III (FIII) domains. They are expressed in distinct patterns during embryogenesis. HmLAR1 mRNA is expressed by a subset of central and peripheral neurons and by several peripheral muscular structures, whereas HmLAR2 mRNA is expressed by a different subset of central neurons and by the peripheral, neuron-like Comb cells. HmLAR1 and HmLAR2 proteins are located on the neurites of central neurons. In addition, HmLAR2 is expressed on the cell body, processes, and growth cones of the Comb cells. Because of their CAM-like ectodomains and homology to proteins known to be involved in pathfinding and because they are expressed by different subsets of neurons, we hypothesize that HmLAR1 and HmLAR2 participate in navigational decisions that distinguish the sets of neurons that express them. Furthermore, we hypothesize that HmLAR2 is also involved in setting up the highly regular array of parallel processes established by the Comb cells. Lastly, we propose that the HmLAR1 ectodomain on peripheral muscle cells plays a role in target recognition via interactions with neuronal receptors, which might include HmLAR1 or HmLAR2.
Cyberethics: Identifying The Moral, Legal And Social Issues Of Cybertechnology In K-12 Classrooms

Two computer viruses that have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage over the past four years are the Melissa and the Sasser virus. In March of 1999, the Melissa virus first appeared on the Internet and spread rapidly throughout computer systems in the United States and Europe. The virus made its way through 1.2 million computers in the United States alone. On December 9, 1999, David Smith pleaded guilty to state and federal charges associated with his creation of the Melissa virus (Vamosi, 2003). Reasons for writing the viruses; “boredom”, “the challenge”, and “that’s what I’m good at, what I like to do. In May, 2004, the Sasser virus was released by an 18 year old in Germany (Williams, 2004). The arrest made on this “script kiddie” was the first which used Microsoft’s $5,000,000 fund, even though millions has been offered for information on other viruses. Unfortunately, young virus creators are unwilling to turn one another in, claiming they write viruses because they have nothing else to do or because they just want to see what happens. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, this paper will describe the extent of Internet/cyber use by American students. Second, this paper will present data from a resent research project showing the large amount of cyber crimes are secondary students are aware of and are participating in. Finally, this paper will present scenarios which might help the reader understand why ethical choices of today’s script kiddies are not as black and white as the reader might think.
A diagonal translation operator for the fast evaluation of two-dimensional transient wave fields

Accurate and efficient techniques for analyzing linear transient wave phenomena are of significant interest to many disciplines. Although integral equation based methods for analyzing two-dimensional (2D) transient phenomena have been studied extensively in the past they all suffer from a high computational complexity, which limits their application to practical problems. To accelerate the integral equation based analysis of three dimensional transient scattering phenomena, our group developed the three-dimensional plane wave time domain (PWTD) algorithm (Ergin et al., 1998). In this paper, we extend our previous work from three to two dimensions and propose a novel 2D PWTD algorithm that relies on a diagonal translation operator for the efficient evaluation of 2D wave fields. When used in conjunction with a marching-on-in-time (MOT) scheme, this algorithm drastically accelerates the integral equation based analysis of 2D transient scattering phenomena.
A meta‐analytic review of the relationship between emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between emotional dissonance and burnout. We collected 57 independent samples that included self-report measures of emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion from 16,165 employees. As predicted, a reliable relationship (r = .34) between the two variables was found, indicating that employees who “fake” their emotions at work also suffer from emotional exhaustion, a key component of job burnout. Moderation analyses indicate that effect sizes strengthen as an increasing function of publication year, and are strongest in police work, compared with other service job types. As predicted from a gender role perspective, effect sizes are more pronounced as the percentage of women increases in a sample. Results suggest that emotional dissonance may be added to the growing list of job stressors that lead to emotional exhaustion.
Covariate-Adjusted Reference Intervals for Diagnostic Data

The analysis of extreme diagnostic measurements in clinical trials relies on reference intervals that help drug developers quickly determine whether a particular value is typical or atypical. The distribution of diagnostic variables is often greatly influenced by various covariates and it is important to properly account for this influence in the analysis of extreme measurements. This paper discusses three approaches to constructing covariate-adjusted reference intervals for quantitative diagnostic data: global quantile smoothing, local quantile smoothing, and stepwise quantile approximations based on recursive partitioning. A detailed review of methods for optimizing the quantile estimation procedures is provided. The paper presents algorithms for selecting the degree of a polynomial approximation in global smoothing, bandwidth parameter in local smoothing, and number of strata in recursive partitioning. The described methods for computing covariate-adjusted reference intervals are applied to the analysis of electrocardiographic data.
Stability of error distributions within tachistoscopic patterns

To investigate possible commonality of mechanisms in tachistoscopic pattern perception and in serial learning, we attempted to produce an isolation effect, frequently found in serial learning, in the perceptual task. Reference markers were placed within binary visual patterns in some exposures, and for particular blocks of exposures reference lines were reproduced on the responding templates. In some exposures special precautions were taken to prevent fixational errors. The distributions of errors among elements never varied. Thus, the perceptual curve was stable in spite of the manipulation of certain external variables. The absence of an isolation effect was attributed to O’s critical lack of foreknowledge about the locus of isolation.
Use of exogenous material to bolster closure of the parenchymal defect following partial nephrectomy

Closure of renal parenchymal defects created by partial nephrectomy can be difficult. We describe a method of using exogenous material to bolster the strength of the parenchymal closure. The horizontal mattress sutures closing the renal parenchyma are less likely to tear through the parenchyma as the result of the application of a more uniform tension across a broad front. This technique is particularly helpful for large and irregular defects. Tying the closure sutures over an exogenous bolster material aids in a rapid, hemostatic, and watertight closure.
Turn-specific differences in the endocochlear potential between albino and pigmented guinea pigs

Recent findings indicate that structural differences exist in the stria vascularis (SV) between albino and pigmented guinea pigs. In the higher cochlear turns, volume density for marginal cells in the albino SV is abnormally large, while that for intermediate cells (melanocytes) is abnormally small. These anatomical variations suggest that functional differences between albino and pigmented inner ears also may be found. To examine this possibility, four strains of guinea pigs were studied, consisting of Hartley albino (N = 9) and NIH outbred pigmented (N = 15) guinea pigs, as well as albino (N = 11) and pigmented (N = 15) guinea pig siblings born to mixed litters. Tracheotomy and carotid artery cannulation were performed. Animals were mechanically ventilated, with periodic samples drawn for arterial blood gas analysis. Blood pressure, heart rate and rectal temperature were monitored. Compound action potentials were measured first to assess cochlear viability. Positive endocochlear potentials (+EP) then were recorded, beginning with the fourth turn, followed by the first, second and third turns. Results showed that the +EP in albinos remained relatively constant across cochlear turns, but decreased significantly from base to apex in the pigmented inner ears. Across all animals, mean +EPs (mV ± S.E.M.) for turns 1–4 in albinos were: 72.5 (2.5), 68.7 (2.3), 59.2 (2.7), 68.1 (3.3); pigmented values were: 72.9 (2.9), 66.9 (2.6), 53.8 (3.0), 57.0 (2.7). One-way ANOVAs did not show a significant difference in albino +EPs between any of the cochlear turns, but did indicate a highly significant difference between turns in the pigmented inner ears (P < 0.000004). Post hoc comparisons demonstrated +EPs in turns 3 and 4 were smaller than in turn 1. Since turn 3 was recorded last in these experiments, and was reduced in value relative to turn 4 in both groups, it is likely that cochlear deterioration contributed to this result more than any other factor. These results, combined with previous anatomical data, indicate that a diminution of melanocyte cell volume in the albino SV is accompanied by an increase in marginal cell volume density and larger +EPs in the higher cochlear turns, at least at resting levels.
Induction of fasting hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in the mouse by pituitary and urinary peptides

Abstract 1. 1. A urinary polypeptide (FI) from the urine of lipoatrophic diabetics and a similar peptide (BPI) from bovine adenohypophysis induced significant fasting hypoglycemia and increased glucose tolerance in the mouse. 2. 2. The effects of FI and BPI on blood sugar levels were absent in mice pretreated with alloxan and D -mannoheptulose. 3. 3. Plasma immunoinsulin was significantly increased after FI and BPI administration and significantly decreased in mice pretreated with D -mannoheptulose. 4. 4. It was concluded that FI and BPI induction of fasting hypoglycemia and enhanced glucose tolerance is mediated by endogenous insulin release.
Bis(alkylamido)phenylborane complexes of zirconium, hafnium, and vanadium.

The coordination chemistry of the bis(tert-butylamido)phenylborane ligand, [tBuN−BPh−NtBu]2-, is developed. The ligand can be delivered to metals of groups 4 and 5 from its dilithio salt. The react...
Arthroscopic removal of a .44 caliber bullet from the hip.

Hip arthroscopy is far less invasive than standard open arthrotomy and offers unparalleled visualization of the acetabulum and femoral head. Diagnostic arthroscopy is becoming increasingly accepted as therapeutic options are still evolving. We report the case of the arthroscopic removal of a .44 caliber bullet from the femoral head of a 45-year-old man. The procedure afforded the opportunity to thoroughly irrigate the joint, debride the articular surface, and remove several loose bodies.
Talonavicular Arthrodesis for Isolated Arthrosis 9.5-Year Results and Gait Analysis∗

Eleven patients who were treated for talonavicular arthrosis with a talonavicular arthrodesis between 1961 and 1979 at the Mayo Clinic have been reviewed. Follow-up from surgery ranged from 2.5 to 21 years with a mean of 9.5 years. Clinical, radiographic, and gait analyses were obtained. All patients had satisfactory pain relief, but all noted difficulty in ambulating on irregular ground. Three patients had roentgenographic evidence of arthrosis affecting other tarsal joints that had not been involved before arthrodesis. Gait analysis revealed decreased terminal stance-phase plantarflexion and pronounced reduction of subtalar motion. Talonavicular arthrodesis does give predictable union and patient satisfaction but results in limitation of subtalar motion and loss of stance-phase plantarflexion.
Examining how overweight adolescents process social information: The significance of friendship quality

Abstract The current study examines the social information processing and coping styles (SIP) of overweight and average weight adolescents, and whether the associations between friendship quality and SIP differ for these two groups (N =156, M age =12.79). On the basis of height and weight assessments, overweight (n = 70) and average weight (n = 86) adolescents were identified. Participants reported on positive and conflictual qualities of their friendships, and their attributions, emotional reactions, and coping strategies in response to hypothetical negative peer events. Results revealed that for overweight adolescents, positive friendship quality was negatively associated with emotion-focused coping, and friendship conflict was positively associated with internal blame attributions, but the associations between these variables were not significant for average weight adolescents. Findings suggest that positive friendships may represent protective factors in the lives of overweight adolescents whereas highly conflictual friendships may increase risk.
Penetrant transport in semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract This paper examines the unsteady transport of liquid methanol, acetone, and dimethylformamide (DMF) in thin films of unoriented, semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Three different semicrystalline fine structures were prepared; one by solvent induced crystallization (SINC) and two by thermal annealing procedures. Penetrant mass uptake and sample dimensional changes were followed during integral sorption experiments at temperatures in the range 25–75°C. Optical cross-sections of partially swollen films and penetrant desorption from equilibrated films were also studied. For films prepared by thermal annealing, the methanol transport is classical, while in SINC films, the process shows some non-classical (non-Fickian) characteristics. For both acetone and DMF, the transport is non-Fickian; the non-Fickian effects are consistent with current phenomenological models. The influence of semicrystalline fine structure on the transport is subtle for methanol, but very strong for acetone and DMF. The profound effect on the non-Fickian transport results from the significant influence of fine structure on the polymer's mechanical properties. The appearance of non-Fickian behaviour is successfully predicted by an appropriate Deborah number correlation.
Metal-mediated electrochemical oxidation of DNA-wrapped carbon nanotubes.

As part of the ongoing effort to describe electron transfer reactions of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), we studied the mediated electrochemical oxidation of CNTs solubilized by wrapping with a T60 deoxyribooligonucleotide. Cyclic voltammetry revealed that the oxidation of this CNT−DNA material by electrogenerated ML33+ mediators completes a catalytic cycle that increases the oxidative current compared to that obtained by voltammetry of the mediator alone (M = Fe(III), Ru(III), or Os(III); L = 2,2′-bipyridine or 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine). We observed a greater increase in current at higher nanotube concentration, slower experimental scan rate, and higher mediator redox potential (E0′). Using computer simulation, these observations were shown to be consistent with CNT oxidation involving the removal of multiple electrons from each CNT−DNA moiety (the T60 oligonucleotide was chosen because it is not oxidized by any of the mediators). The data are well-described by a simulation model based on the classical cat...
Antigens from yeast phase of Histoplasma capsulatum. II. Immunologic properties of protoplasm vs. cell walls.

SummaryA technic, involving the use of the Mickle tissue disintegrator and the electron microscope, was described for the separation of the cell wall and the internal protoplasm from the cells of the yeast phase of Histoplasma capsulatum. The cell wall contained the antigenic activity associated with complement fixation, protection and toxins. Sensitized animals. On the other hand. showed a delayed type of reaction to either fraction. The protoplasm was more active than the cell wall in the hemolysis of guinea pig erythrocytes.
Cytokines, sepsis and immunomodulation

Tissue injury and infection produce significant alterations in host metabolic and immune homoeostasis. It is increasingly clear that many of these changes result from a complex cascade of mononuclear phagocyte-derived endogenous mediators. Among the more important is a group of host proteins called cytokines, which play an integral role in mediating the host response to tissue injury and infection. Of these proteins, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL) types 1 and 6 have received much attention for their pathophysiological roles in infection and trauma. Evidence is reviewed for the involvement of these cytokines in the characteristic alterations in the metabolic and immune responses to such injury. These endogenous mediators initiate an integrated fuel substrate and hormonal adjustment to trauma and sepsis, and help to provide optimal metabolic homoeostasis for systemic host defences. Widespread tissue injury, especially when associated with fulminant sepsis, may, however, precipitate massive release of TNF, IL-1 and IL-6, triggering a series of reactions involving multiple organs, and culminating in the “sepsis syndrome”. New therapies designed to downregulate this aberrant response, either by neutralizing endotoxin directly or by blocking the release or actions of these cytokines, are reviewed. Although these treatments hold much promise for the future management of severely traumatized and infected patients, careful evaluation of both the benefits and complications of therapy is needed before widespread clinical use can be recommended.
Collision Frequencies between Fractal Aggregates and Small Particles in a Turbulently Sheared Fluid

Three groups of aggregates with fractal dimensions of 1.89 ± 0.06, 2.21 ± 0.06, and 2.47 ± 0.10 were generated by coagulation of latex microspheres (2.85 μm) in a Jar-test (paddle-mixing) device. The collision rates between these fractal aggregates (200−1000 μm) and small (1.48 μm) particles were measured in the turbulent shear environ ment of the paddle mixer at mean shear rates of 2.1, 7.3, and 14.7 s-1. Collision frequencies were 5 orders of magnitude higher than predicted by a curvilinear model but 2 orders of magnitude lower than predicted by a rectilinear model. Collision frequencies much higher than predicted by the curvilinear collision kernel were attributed to significant flow through the interior of the fractal aggregates. The fluid shear rate (G) and the aggregate fractal dimension (D) affected the collision frequency function (β) between fractal aggregates and small particles, resulting in β ∼ G1-0.33D. According to this relationship, as D → 0, the ag gregates become infinitely porous and β b...
Determining the availability of activated amino acids for solid phase peptide synthesis

Abstract Data concerning the reaction characteristics of each amino acid are of fundamental importance for providing optimum reaction conditions and high yields during polypeptide synthesis. Loss of activated amino acid as a function of time would have a pronounced effect on the efficiency of synthesis. An assay procedure is described which quantitatively determines the availability of DCC activated amino acids as a function of preincubation time. The assay was employed to follow the inactivation of t-BOC.Leu(DCC) and indicated a significant loss of activated amino acid.
On the digital image additive white Gaussian noise estimation

Digital imaging is widely used in applications such as medical, biometrics, multimedia,…etc. In many cases, images are transmitted through Internet from one point to another. During image acquisition and transmission, factors such as moving objects, sensor quality, and channel interferences may result in additive noise. The presence of noise affects image quality. Image denoising process attempts to reconstruct a noiseless image and improve its quality. Denoising an image with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is a challenging process. Parameters such as noise mean and variance provide noise characteristics of AWGN. This paper compares three different algorithm for noise estimations; ant colony optimization, fuzzy logic, and region merging. It is shown that region merging algorithm provides better results with less resources and minimum computation time.
Rapid Annealing of Frequency Change in Crystal Resonators Following Pulsed X-Irradiation

A transient negative frequency change in AT-cut 125 MHz 5th overtone quartz resonators has been observed following exposure to an intense burst of x-rays. All natural, Z-growth synthetic, and swept Z-growth synthetic resonators suffer a significant initial negative frequency offset. At room temperature, the transient frequency change in natural quartz anneals in approximately ten minutes to a relatively stable negative offset. For the synthetic quartz resonators, appreciable annealing of the initial negative offset continues for a longer period, finally arriving at an offset which may be positive in the case of the Z-growth synthetic but negligibly small for swept Z-growth synthetic. The transient frequency change is attributed to a relaxation process, which anneals above 165°K (Stage I). This annealable relaxation is superposed on a more stable part (Stage II) which is removed only by heating the crystal well above room temperature. The kinetics of Stage I annealing obeys a t-2 relationship and is interpreted in terms of a one-dimensional diffusion limited annealing of uncorrelated defects. In particular, it is proposed that the annealing involves the trapping of monovalent cations, most probably H+, at substitutional aluminum sites in the crystal lattice. The activation energy governing the diffusion of the defect to the trapping center is estimated to be 0.80 ± 0.05 eV.
Cross-layer optimization for routing data traffic in UWB-based sensor networks

Ultra-wideband (UWB) has great potential for wireless communications in emerging applications such as sensor networks. This paper considers UWB-based sensor networks and studies the following problem: given a set of source sensor nodes in the network each generating a certain data rate, is it possible to relay all these rates successfully to the base-station? We follow a cross-layer optimization approach, with joint consideration of link layer scheduling, power control, and network layer routing. The optimization problem is formulated as a non-linear programming problem. For small-sized networks, we develop a powerful approximation solution procedure to this problem based on the branch-and-bound approach and the novel Reformulation-Linearization Technique (RLT). For large-sized networks, we propose an efficient heuristic algorithm by partitioning the sensor network into a core centered around the base-station and an edge that is outside the core. We also provide a closed-form analysis for the maximum rate that a base-station can receive. Simulation results exhibit the efficacy of our proposed optimization solution procedure and demonstrate the importance of the cross-layer approach to UWB-based sensor networks.
Dual Activation of Phospholipase C-ϵ by Rho and Ras GTPases *

Phospholipase C-epsilon (PLC-epsilon) is a highly elaborated PLC required for a diverse set of signaling pathways. Here we use a combination of cellular assays and studies with purified proteins to show that activated RhoA and Ras isoforms directly engage distinct regions of PLC-epsilon to stimulate its phospholipase activity. Purified PLC-epsilon was activated in a guanine nucleotide- and concentration-dependent fashion by purified lipidated K-Ras reconstituted in PtdIns(4,5)P(2)-containing phospholipid vesicles. Whereas mutation of two critical lysine residues within the second Ras-association domain of PLC-epsilon prevented K-Ras-dependent activation of the purified enzyme, guanine nucleotide-dependent activation by RhoA was retained. Deletion of a loop unique to PLC-epsilon eliminated its activation by RhoA but not H-Ras. In contrast, removal of the autoinhibitory X/Y-linker region of the catalytic core of PLC-epsilon markedly activates the enzyme (Hicks, S. N., Jezyk, M. R., Gershburg, S., Seifert, J. P., Harden, T. K., and Sondek, J. (2008) Mol. Cell, 31, 383-394), but PLC-epsilon lacking this regulatory region retained activation by both Rho and Ras GTPases. Additive activation of PLC-epsilon by RhoA and K- or H-Ras was observed in intact cell studies, and this additivity was recapitulated in experiments in which activation of purified PLC-epsilon was quantified with PtdIns(4,5)P(2)-containing phospholipid vesicles reconstituted with purified, isoprenylated GTPases. A maximally effective concentration of activated RhoA also increased the sensitivity of purified PLC-epsilon to activation by K-Ras. These results indicate that PLC-epsilon can be directly and concomitantly activated by both RhoA and individual Ras GTPases resulting in diverse upstream control of signaling cascades downstream of PLC-epsilon.
Increased viable osteoblast density in the presence of nanophase compared to conventional alumina and titania particles.

Abstract In the present in vitro study, osteoblast (bone-forming cells) viability and cell density were investigated when cultured in the presence of nanophase compared to conventional (i.e. micron) alumina and titania particles at various concentrations (from 10,000 to 100 μg/ml of cell culture media) for up to 6 h. Results confirmed previous studies of the detrimental influences of all ceramic particulates on osteoblast viability and cell densities. For the first time, however, results provided evidence of increased apoptotic cell death when cultured in the presence of conventional compared to nanophase alumina and titania particles. Moreover, since material characterization studies revealed that the only difference between respective ceramic particles was nanometer- and conventional-dimensions (specifically, phase and chemical properties were similar between respective nanophase and conventional alumina as well as titania particles), these results indicated that osteoblast viability and densities were influenced solely by particle size. Such nanometer particulate wear debris may result from friction between articulating components of orthopedic implants composed of novel nanophase ceramic materials. Results of a less detrimental effect of nanometer—as compared to conventional-dimensioned particles on the functions of osteoblasts provide additional evidence that nanophase ceramics may become the next generation of bone prosthetic materials with increased efficacy and, thus, deserve further testing.
STORK and PENGUIN: logic programming systems using general clauses and defaults

This paper describes two logic programming systems with the expressive power of full clausal first-order logic and with a nonmonotonic component. They provide a direct generalization of pure Prolog and can be implemented using the same technology as Prolog processors. The inference engine of both systems is based on the weak-model elimination method which, in the case of the second system, is extended to incorporate defaults.
The genetic basis of preference for sweet substances among inbred strains of mice: preference ratio phenotypes and the alleles of the Sac and dpa loci.

Five inbred strains (129/J, BALB/cByJ, C3HeB/FeJ, C57Bl/6J and DBA/2J) were examined with two-bottle (48 h) preference ratio testing across concentrations of sodium saccharin (3 x 10 -4 M, 10 -3 M, 3 x 10 -3 M and 10 -2 M), d-phenylalanine (10 -3 M, 10 -2 M and 10 -1 M), and l-glutamine (10 -2 M, 3 x 10 -2 M, 10 -1 M and 3 x 10 -1 M). Three consistent groupings of strains were observed across substances and concentrations : (1) C57Bl/6J (preference at low and high concentrations) ; (2) BALB/cByJ and C3HeB/FeJ (preference at high concentrations) ; (3) 129/J and DBA/2J (preference at high concentration for sodium saccharin and indifference to d-phenylalanine and l-glutamine). If a single locus (presumably dpa or Sac) determines these phenotypes, there are likely to be three alleles. If two independent loci (presumably dpa and Sac) determine these phenotypes, an allelic assignment of Sac b /dpa +s for the C57Bl/6J strain, Sac b /dpa -s for the BALB/cByJ and C3HeB/FeJ strains, and either Sac d /dpa +s or Sac d /dpa -s for the 129/J and DBA/2J strains is suggested. Chem. Senses 20 : 291-298, 1995.