cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
La recepción del pensamiento de Karl Marx en América Latina

Marx ha estado presente en la discusion academica, tanto en la Historia como en las Ciencias Sociales, pero tambien en la orientacion de la vida politica en su conjunto, inspirando diversas corrientes teoricas y politicas que corresponden a la historia de las formas concretas que han hecho su encuentro con Marx. Se trata del estudio de procesos que reclaman la necesidad de establecer una clara distincion entre las condiciones de produccion y las circunstancias de la recepcion de la obra de Marx; de otra manera, entre un "borrador" y una "traduccion"
Convective effects during the physical vapor transport process. I - Thermal convection

The effect of an inert gas on the diffusive-convective physical vapor transport process is investigated for the case when the temperature gradient is stabilizing, and the concentration gradient destabilizing, for a wide parametric range. When an inert gas is present, the thermal and solutal convection oppose each other. The solutal field is destabilizing while the thermal field and the advective-diffusive flux stabilize the flow field. When the pressure of the inert component is increased, the stabilizing effect of the advective-diffusive flux is decreased; thus, convection becomes more vigorous. The nonlinear dynamics of the flow field here show a transition from quasi-periodic to chaotic state. When both stabilizing mechanisms are present, the flow field shows a transition to a steady state. Toward steady state, growth and amalgamation of rolls occur, which result in an overturning motion. This leads to a superposed flow consisting of one roll and a unidirectional flow. However, when the pressure is increased, the advective-diffusive stability mechanism is decreased. and oscillations of the flow field occur. The low gravity environment is effective at eliminating oscillatory behavior of the flow field and results in uniform temperature and concentration gradients.
The Question of Margaret Sanger

In recent decades biographical and historical studies of Margaret Sanger’s birth control outlook and activism have mushroomed, assisted by ambitious archival projects. This burgeoning scholarship features intense controversy over Sanger’s swerves in direction and alliances. Scholars debate the nature of Sanger’s feminism: her decision in the 1920s to court, through a Doctors Only bill, the support of physicians generally hostile to women’s access to contraceptives; and to collaborate with eugenicists, who endorsed sterilization of those presumed unfit to parent. Controversy is no less rife over Sanger’s relationship with other birth control movement pioneers, her role in fostering the development of the Pill, and her interactions with clergy and with African Americans on reproductive rights issues.
Software size estimation techniques

The issue of software size estimation, a key consideration in estimating software costs is discussed. Software sizing models are divided into five categories: analogy models, regression models, expert judgement models, models based on function points, and parametric models. For each category, a brief description is given, one or more examples are presented, and the capabilities and limitations of models of techniques in that category are delineated. >
Temporal modulation transfer functions in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners.

Modulation thresholds for sinusoidally amplitude-modulated broadband noise were obtained from normal-hearing and sensorineural hearing-impaired listeners as a function of modulation frequency. The resulting temporal modulation transfer functions (TMTFs) indicated that the impaired listeners were generally less sensitive than the normals to amplitude modulation and, unlike previously published data from normal-hearing listeners, TMTFs in the impaired listeners were level dependent: sensitivity to modulation, particularly for modulation frequencies greater than 100 Hz, decreased with decreases in level. TMTFs were also obtained with band-limited noise from the normal-hearing listeners: the noise was low-pass filtered at 1.6 kHz after modulation and was generally presented with a 1.6-kHz high-pass masker. The TMTFs in the low-pass condition were similar to the TMTFs obtained with broadband noise from the impaired listeners, suggesting that the impaired temporal processing in the hearing-impaired listeners is...
Identification of the E2A gene products as regulatory targets of the G1 cyclin-dependent kinases.

Abstract The E2A gene products, E12 and E47, are multifunctional transcription factors that as homodimers regulate B cell development, growth, and survival. In this report, the E2A gene products are shown to be targets for regulation by the G1 cyclin-dependent kinases. Two novel G1 cyclin-dependent kinase sites are identified on the N-terminal domain of E12/E47. One site displays homology to a preferential D-type cyclin-dependent kinase site (serine 780) on the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (pRB) and, consistent with this homology, is more efficiently phosphorylated by cyclin D1-CDK4 than by the other cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) that were tested. The second kinase site is phosphorylated by both cyclin D1-CDK4 and cyclin A/E-CDK2 complexes. Mutation studies indicated that phosphorylation of the cyclin D1-CDK4 site, or more potently, of both the cyclin D1-CDK4 and cyclin A/E-CDK2 sites, negatively regulates the growth suppressor function associated with the N-terminal domain of E12/E47. Transient expression studies showed that ectopic expression of cyclin D1 or E negatively regulates sequence-specific activation of gene transcription by E12/E47. Analysis of site mutants, however, indicated that inhibition of E12/E47 transcriptional activity did not require the N-terminal G1cyclin-dependent kinase sites. Together, the results suggest that the growth suppressor and transcriptional activator functions of E12/E47 are targets for regulation by G1cyclin-dependent kinases but that the mechanisms of regulation for each function are distinct.
Functional dissection of the baculovirus late expression factor-8 gene: sequence requirements for late gene promoter activation.

The late expression factor-8 gene (lef-8) of Autographa californica M nucleopolyhedrovirus encodes the largest subunit of the virally encoded DNA-directed RNA polymerase specific for the transcription of late and very late viral genes. The sequence of lef-8 predicts a C-terminal motif of 13 amino acids that is conserved in other polymerases. Detailed mutagenesis throughout lef-8 was performed, including this C-terminal motif, to define sequences required for late promoter activation. It was found that the conserved C-terminal motif was critical for late gene expression. In addition, regions throughout the entire lef-8-encoding sequence were important for optimal function, suggesting complex protein–protein and protein–DNA interrelationships in the late gene-specific viral transcriptosome.
Reconstruction of positron emission tomography images using maximum a posteriori and mean field annealing techniques

In the reconstruction of positron emission tomography images, each slice of the image volume is individually reconstructed from a sinogram, in which the statistics of the data elements are Poisson and the image data is hidden by the mechanism of projection. We propose a method of image reconstruction which incorporates the given data set and also reflects the a prior knowledge that the image consists of smooth noiseless regions that are separated by sharp edges. This method uses both maximum likelihood and maximum a posteriori techniques in a manner that is similar to techniques used by others, but our method incorporates a bounded prior term and adaptive annealing techniques. These advancements prevent excessive smoothing and address the difficulties presented by parameter selection and image convergence.
A modified saddle point method for predicting sound fields above a non-locally reacting porous medium

Abstract This paper examines an asymptotic analysis for predicting sound fields above a rigid-frame porous medium, the so-called non-locally reacting porous medium. Their solutions can be represented by a direct wave term, a reflected wave term and a diffraction wave term. Exact and analytical solutions are available for the direct wave and the reflected wave from a perfectly hard ground. In the contrary, the diffraction wave term can only be cast in an integral form that is amenable to approximate analysis. A modified saddle-point method is explored to evaluate the diffraction integral asymptotically. Three different types of non-locally reacting surfaces, which are an extended reaction, a hard-backed layer, and an impedance-backed layer, were considered. The sound fields above these porous surfaces have the same form but they are different by an augmented diffraction term in the solutions. The analytical formula for the total sound fields, which can be stated in a closed form, offer a physically interpretable solution comprising of a direct wave and ground reflected wave terms. This latter term can further be split into a specularly reflected plane wave and ground wave components. A series of numerical comparisons have been conducted to validate the asymptotic analyses presented in this study. It has been demonstrated that the overall sound fields can be predicted well by the formula for all incidence angles and for a wide range of non-locally reacting porous surfaces.
Lipoxygenase in fish tissue: some properties of the 12-lipoxygenase from trout gill

Analyse de l'activite et de la cinetique de thermoinactivation de cette enzyme responsable de l'oxydation des acides gras polyinsatures. Des groupes thiols seraient impliques dans l'activite de l'enzyme
MEASUREMENTS OF RAPID DENSITY FLUCTUATIONS IN THE SOLAR WIND

The power spectrum of density fluctuations in the solar wind is inferred by tracking small timescale changes in the electron plasma frequency during periods of strong Langmuir wave activity. STEREO electric field waveform data are used to produce time profiles of plasma density from which the density power spectrum is derived. The power spectra obtained by this method extend the observed frequency range by an order of magnitude while remaining consistent with previous results near a few Hertz. Density power spectral indices are found to be organized by the angle between the local magnetic field and the solar wind direction, indicating significant anisotropy in solar wind high-frequency density turbulence.
Transmitter cosynthesis by corticopetal basal forebrain neurons.

The objective was to determine if corticopetal basal forebrain neurons could co-synthesize different transmitters. Histochemical labeling of a molecular marker of connectivity (wheat germ agglutinin lectin-bound horseradish peroxidase [HRP]; axonal uptake and retrograde transport from neocortex) and immunohistochemical labeling of molecular markers of transmitter synthesis (glutamic acid decar☐ylase [GAD]; choline acetyltransferase [ChAT] were combined in adult cats and examined by light microscopy. Adjoining partial profiles of the same neurons in the basal forebrain co-localized GAD + HRP and ChAT + HRP in adjacent faces of serial tissue sections. GAD + ChAT were also co-localized within individual profiles of neurons in the basal forebrain from single tissue sections. The results indicate that infrequent corticopetal neurons in the basal forebrain can produceboth γ-aminobutyric acid and acetylcholine.
Interfacing a programmable electronic calculator with an automatic amino acid analyzer

Abstract The rapid calculation of data from an automatic amino acid analyzer by a programmable electronic calculator is now possible. The programmable electronic calculator offers a less expensive and more flexible alternative to large computers. Typically, data in the form of retention times and peak areas are read from a punched tape and converted into final values with a minimum of data handling. A digital integrator, teletypewriter with tape punch and reader, tape editor and printer also are required. A mathematical program is described that has been devised to convert raw data from a 4-h protein hydrolyzate run into final values. The final printout presents in tabular form each amino acid as a percentage of the sample dry weight and crude protein. The total weight percentage of amino acids and percentage recovery of protein based on Kjeldahl nitrogen are also calculated. Other features of the program include the ability to eliminate up to 20 extraneous peaks from the sample and to correct for sampling errors with the aid of internal standards. Amino acid molecular weights and color constants, which are also calculated, are stored without destruction so as to permit the calculation of an unlimited number of samples from the same set of standards.
Behavioral and physiological studies of non-narcotic analgesia in the rat elicited by certain environmental stimuli

These experiments characterized the analgesia resulting from exposure to certain noxious and/or stressful manipulations. Rats exposed either to electric grid shock (0.35-2.0 mA for 10-30 sec) or to 5 min of presumably non-painful centrifugal rotation (about 7.0 transverse g's) were analgesic as measured by tail-flick, hot plate and responses to applications of a calibrated paw pinch or alligator clip. Analgesia produced by shock (SA) or centrifugal rotation (RA) persisted after termination of these manipulations. Neither SA nor RA were attended by generalized sensory, attentional or motoric deficits. Intraperitoneal injection of hypertonic saline also increased tail-flick latencies. Exposure to brief ether anesthesia or horizontal oscillation, both of which have been reported to increase ACTH secretion (a commonly used indicator of stress), did not produce analgesia as measured by the tail-flick test. The use of classical conditioning procedures to pair shock with environmental stimuli resulted in increased tail-flick latencies. The narcotic antagonist naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p.) did not reduce the tail-flick inhibition produced by shock, rotation, hypertonic saline or classical conditioning. Chlordiazepoxide (5 mg/kg, i.p.) also failed to antagonize the increased tail-flick latencies produced by shock or conditioning. Tail-flick inhibition produced by shock or rotation was markedly reduced by complete spinal cord transection at thoracic levels. These results suggest that: (1) the selective modulation of nociceptive input at the level of the spinal cord can be mediated by a supraspinal system or systems physiologically distinct from those involved in analgesia produced by the administration of opiates; (2) non-narcotic modulation of nociceptive input occurring within the spinal cord can be learned by exposure to classical conditioning procedures; and (3) noxious stimuli are sufficient but not necessary to produce a non-narcotic analgesia; stress alone, however, is not always sufficient to produce this analgesia.
Chromosome-Wide Regulation of Meiotic Crossover Formation in Caenorhabditis elegans Requires Properly Assembled Chromosome Axes

Most sexually reproducing organisms depend on the regulated formation of crossovers, and the consequent chiasmata, to accomplish successful segregation of homologous chromosomes at the meiosis I division. A robust, chromosome-wide crossover control system limits chromosome pairs to one crossover in most meioses in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; this system has been proposed to rely on structural integrity of meiotic chromosome axes. Here, we test this hypothesis using a mutant, him-3(me80), that assembles reduced levels of meiosis-specific axis component HIM-3 along cohesin-containing chromosome axes. Whereas pairing, synapsis, and crossing over are eliminated when HIM-3 is absent, the him-3(me80) mutant supports assembly of synaptonemal complex protein SYP-1 along some paired chromosomes, resulting in partial competence for chiasma formation. We present both genetic and cytological evidence indicating that the him-3(me80) mutation leads to an increased incidence of meiotic products with two crossovers. These results indicate that limiting the amount of a major axis component results in a reduced capacity to communicate the presence of a (nascent) crossover and/or to discourage others in response.
The decision to emigrate: a study in diffusion.

The authors examine the extent to which the decision to emigrate can be thought of as an innovation spreading across time and space. A methodology is developed based on aggregated data and is used to examine nineteenth-century emigration from the Upper Dalarna region of west central Sweden (ANNOTATION)
Transmembrane segment 5 of the Glut1 glucose transporter is an amphipathic helix that forms part of the sugar permeation pathway.

Transmembrane segment 5 of the Glut1 glucose transporter has been proposed to form an amphipathic transmembrane helix that lines the substrate translocation pathway (Mueckler, M., Caruso, C., Baldwin, S. A., Panico, M., Blench, I., Morris, H. R., Allard, W. J., Lienhard, G. E., and Lodish, H. F. (1985) Science 229, 941–945). This hypothesis was tested using cysteine-scanning mutagenesis in conjunction with the membrane-impermeant, sulfhydryl-specific reagent,p-chloromercuribenzenesulfonate (pCMBS). A series of 21 mutants was created from a fully functional, cysteine-less, parental Glut1 molecule by changing each residue within putative transmembrane segment 5 to cysteine. Each mutant was then expressed inXenopus oocytes and its steady-state protein level, 2-deoxyglucose uptake activity, and sensitivity to pCMBS were measured. All 21 mutants exhibited measurable transport activity, although several of the mutants exhibited reduced activity due to a corresponding reduction in steady-state protein. Six of the amino acid side chains within transmembrane segment 5 were clearly accessible to pCMBS in the external medium, as determined by inhibition of transport activity, and a 7th residue showed inhibition that lacked statistical significance because of the extremely low transport activity of the corresponding mutant. All 7 of these residues were clustered along one face of a putative α-helix, proximal to the exoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane. These results comprise the first experimental evidence for the existence of an amphipathic transmembrane α-helix in a glucose transporter molecule and strongly suggest that transmembrane segment 5 of Glut1 forms part of the sugar permeation pathway.
THE NATURE OF BOND ORBITALS AND THE ORIGIN OF POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO INTERNAL ROTATION IN MOLECULES.

Twenty years ago Kemp and Pitzer(1) discovered that the relative rotation of the two methyl groups about the carbon-carbon bond in ethane is not completely free but is restricted by a potential barrier about 3.0 kcal/mole high, with three maxima and three minima in a complete rotation, corresponding to the trigonal symmetry of the methyl groups. It was soon found that rotation about single bonds is restricted in many molecules, and many experimental values for the height of the potential barrier have been obtained by the analysis of thermodynamic quantities (entropy, heat capacity) and especially by the methods of microwave spectroscopy.
Estimation of the Population Scaled Mutation Rate From Microsatellite Data

IN a recent issue of Genetics, [RoyChoudhury and Stephens (2007)][1] showcased a new method for estimating the population scaled mutation rate θ from microsatellite data; θ is equivalent to four times the effective population size times the mutation rate per generation and can also be viewed as
Demyelinating canine distemper encephalomyelitis: measurement of myelin basic protein in cerebrospinal fluid

Abstract Beagle dogs were experimentally infected with the Cornell A75-17 strain of canine distemper virus. At three time points post-infection (PI), immunoreactive myelin basic protein (MBP) was measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Levels were correlated with neuropathological findings, interferon in CSF and virus isolation from the brain. CSF from animals inoculated with Cornell A75-17 strain often showed detectable immunoreactive MBO late in the disease course. As anticipated from earlier morphological studies, CSF drawn around day 20 PI lacked MBP while subsequent samples were positive. Dogs with severe demyelination had elevated values of immunoreactive MBP while dogs with only mild inflammation had little or none. Release of MBP or MBP peptides into CSF of dogs with canine distemper may be a valuable laboratory test in studies of the natural history of this disease and in assessing the response to treatment. Whether an immune response to MBP plays an immunopathogenic role in the chronic, demyelinating phase of canine distemper encephalitis remains to be determined.
Computer modeling of fibrin polymerization kinetics correlated with electron microscope and turbidity observations: clot structure and assembly are kinetically controlled

Although much is known about fibrin polymerization, because it is complex, the effects of various modifications are not intuitively obvious and many experimental observations remain unexplained. A kinetic model presented here that is based on information about mechanisms of assembly accounts for most experimental observations and allows hypotheses about the effects of various factors to be tested. Differential equations describing the kinetics of polymerization were written and then solved numerically. The results have been related to turbidity profiles and electron microscope observations. The concentrations of intermediates in fibrin polymerization, and fiber diameters, fiber and protofibril lengths have been calculated from these models. The simplest model considered has three steps; fibrinopeptide A cleavage, protofibril formation, and lateral aggregation of protofibrils to form fibers. The average number of protofibrils per fiber, which is directly related to turbidity, can be calculated and plotted as a function of time. The lag period observed in turbidity profiles cannot be accurately simulated by such a model, but can be simulated by modifying the model such that oligomers must reach a minimum length before they aggregate. Many observations, reported here and elsewhere, can be accounted for by this model; the basic model may be modified to account for other experimental observations. Modeling predicts effects of changes in the rate of fibrinopeptide cleavage consistent with electron microscope and turbidity observations. Changes only in the rate constants for initiation of fiber growth or for addition of protofibrils to fibers are sufficient to account for a wide variety of other observations, e.g., the effects of ionic strength or fibrinopeptide B removal or thrombospondin. The effects of lateral aggregation of fibers has also been modeled: such behavior has been observed in turbidity curves and electron micrographs of clots formed in the presence of platelet factor 4. Thus, many aspects of clot structure and factors that influence structure are directly related to the rates of these steps of polymerization, even though these effects are often not obvious. Thus, to a large extent, clot structure is kinetically determined.
Artificial neural network for redundant manipulator inverse kinematics computation

A redundant manipulator can be defined as a manipulator that has more degrees of freedom than necessary to determine the position and orientation of the end-effector. Such a manipulator has dexterity, flexibility, and the ability to maneuver in the presence of obstacles. This paper presents a solution to the inverse kinematics problem for redundant manipulator based on artificial neural network (ANN). The ANN used is of the supervised type -- multilayer feedforward neural network with back error propagation (BEP) training algorithm. The training set for the ANN is obtained by sampling the joint space trajectory of the redundant manipulator arm or from the joint angle encoders of the manipulator. These sampled values of the task space trajectory (end-effector coordinates) are used as the command input vectors to the ANN. By presenting the network with these training set cyclically during training time, the BEP algorithm will change the learning parameters of the ANN so that the sum of the squared difference between the actual joint coordinates and the desired output vectors is minimized.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
In vitro anaphylactic response to staphylococcal enterotoxin.

Abstract Purified staphylococcal enterotoxin type B from strain S6 of Staphylococcus aureus is a specific antigen for in vitro anaphylaxis. The anaphylactic reaction is obtained in sensitized uterine horn and lung from the guinea pig and sensitized platelets, represented by whole-blood challenge, from the rabbit. Our results suggest that staphylococcal enterotoxin type B can be detected in the submicrogram range by in vitro anaphylaxis. Other methods of detection do not offer this level of sensitivity.
PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECT OF COUNTER DISCHARGES

Gas discharges in point or parallel plate counters can produce a blackening effect on photographic emulsion layers inserted in such counters. The discharges are localized to points where ionizing radiation enters the counter. Arrangements of this type can be used for image intensifiers. A description of the operation of such counters and a proposed interpretation as to the physical mechanisms involved are presented.
Treatment of adolescent tibia vara with hemiepiphysiodesis: risk factors for failure.

Background: Lateral tibial hemiepiphysiodesis is an accepted surgical treatment for skeletally immature patients with adolescent tibia vara. However, the results of this procedure are unpredictable. This study was conducted to identify the risk factors associated with failure of hemiepiphysiodesis. Methods: We studied patients with adolescent tibia vara who were at least ten years of age, had open physes, had been treated with a lateral hemiepiphysiodesis, and had been followed for at least two years. The mechanical axis deviation, medial proximal tibial angle, and lateral distal femoral angle were measured on radiographs preoperatively, at six months postoperatively, and at the time of final follow-up. Failure was defined as a residual varus deformity requiring osteotomy or a mechanical axis deviation exceeding 40 mm (moderate or severe varus) at the time of final follow-up. Results: Forty-nine patients (forty-six male) with a total of sixty-four involved extremities met the inclusion criteria. The average age was 13.4 years, the average body mass index was 40.7 kg/m2, and the average duration of follow-up was 3.3 years. The lateral hemiepiphysiodesis was unsuccessful in 66% of the patients. In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, the variables associated with a higher risk of failure included an age of fourteen years or more (hazard ratio = 3.9, p = 0.0009) and a body mass index of ≥45 kg/m2 (hazard ratio = 2.8, p = 0.01). Greater deformity at baseline as indicated by a smaller medial proximal tibial angle was also found to be a significant factor in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Lateral hemiepiphysiodesis may be a valuable treatment option for non-morbidly obese patients with less severe adolescent tibia vara, but it is likely to fail in older adolescents with a high body mass index and greater deformity. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Methylation variation at IGF2 differentially methylated regions and maternal folic acid use before and during pregnancy

Folic acid (FA) supplementation before and during pregnancy has been associated with decreased risk of neural tube defects although recent reports suggest it may also increase the risk of other chronic diseases. We evaluated exposure to maternal FA supplementation before and during pregnancy in relation to aberrant DNA methylation at two differentially methylated regions (DMRs) regulating insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) expression in infants. Aberrant methylation at these regions has been associated with IGF2 deregulation and increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases. Using a self-administered questionnaire, we assessed FA intake before and during pregnancy in 438 pregnant women. Pyrosequencing was used to measure methylation at two IGF2 DMRs in umbilical cord blood leukocytes. Mixed models were used to determine relationships between maternal FA supplementation before or during pregnancy and DNA methylation levels at birth. Average methylation at the H19 DMR was 61.2%. Compared to infants born to women reporting no FA intake before or during pregnancy, methylation levels at the H19 DMR decreased with increasing FA intake (2.8%, p = 0.03 and 4.9%, p = 0.04, for intake before and during pregnancy, respectively). This methylation decrease was most pronounced in male infants (p = 0.01). Methylation alterations at the H19 DMR are likely an important mechanism by which FA risks and/or benefits are conferred in utero. Because stable methylation marks at DMRs regulating imprinted genes are acquired before gastrulation, they may serve as archives of early exposures with the potential to improve our understanding of developmental origins of adult disease.
Linking histone acetylation to transcriptional regulation

In eukaryotes, DNA is assembled with histones to form nucleosomes, the basic subunit of chromatin structure. The wrapping of DNA around histone octamers to form nucleosomal filaments and further folding of these filaments are necessary to contain eukaryotic genomes within nuclei. However, the dense packing of chromatin in nuclei and the association of DNA with histones restrict the access of proteins involved in gene transcription to DNA. Abundant biochemical data supports a long-standing correlation between histone acetylation and gene activation, suggesting that histone acetylation acts to enhance the access of transcription-associated proteins to DNA. However, despite this correlation, nuclear enzymes responsible for transcription-associated histone acetylation have been identified only recently. Here we review evidence suggesting that histone acetylation represents a major pathway for transcriptional regulation, and discuss possible roles for transcription-associated histone acetyltransferases in this regulation.
Histopathology of the heart in tetanus

Despite modern intensive care, the mortality rate for systemic tetanus intoxication remains high. The prevention of deaths attributable to respiratory muscle spasm has made apparent a clinical syndrome of cardiovascular instability characterized by labile blood pressure and heart rate and associated elevated plasma catecholamine levels. A 60-year-old man treated at our hospital demonstrated this clinical problem and was shown by echocardiography to have a left ventricular ejection fraction of only 8%. Electrocardiographic abnormalities and elevated creatine phosphokinase were further evidence of myocardial damage. At autopsy, the 430-g heart showed mild concentric left ventricular hypertrophy and minimal coronary atherosclerosis. Microscopically there were interstitial edema, collections of Anitschkow cells, and a diffuse lymphohistiocytic infiltrate with rare plasma cells and granulocytes. Review of all cases of tetanus recorded at the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office since 1955 was undertaken. Of 52 cases, 23 had hematoxylin-eosin-stained glass slides of heart sections; for 10 of these, paraffin blocks were also available. Histopathologic features of cardiac injury included interstitial edema, increased cellularity of the interstitium (lymphocytes, histiocytes, Anitschkow cells, and rare plasma cells and granulocytes), intracellular edema, sarcoplasmic hypereosinophilia, and paradiscal contraction bands. Immunoperoxidase stains revealed that the majority of the lymphocytes in these hearts were T cells. Hypotheses as to the etiology and pathogenesis of these cardiac changes are reviewed.
Kinetics of keratocyte proliferation in response to epithelial debridement.

Over the past 40 years, several groups have shown that epithelial debridement results in the death of keratocytes subjacent to the wound area. More recently this cell death has been shown to involve apoptosis. The purpose of this project was to examine the proliferative response of the normally quiescent keratocytes to repopulate the apoptotic area. Three mm wounds were made in the central cornea of adult rats and allowed to heal 4 hr to 14 days. Cryostat sections were stained with propidium iodide to mark the nuclei of all cells. Actively proliferating cells were identified with anti-Ki67, a marker of the late G1-M phase of the cell cycle. Anti-alpha-smooth muscle actin was used to determine if myofibroblasts were present. In unwounded corneas, keratocytes were uniformly spread throughout the stroma, and less than one proliferating cell per mm was observed. By 4 hr after wounding, the anterior one-half to three-fourths of the stroma subjacent to the wound was devoid of cells. No increase in Ki67-expressing cells was observed in the stroma until 24 hr after wounding (3.9 +/- 0.5 and 6. 3 +/- 0.5 mm(-1)in the wound center and edge, respectively). The number of Ki67-expressing cells steadily increased, peaking 44 hr after debridement (41.2 +/- 1.7 and 39.6 +/- 1.0). These cells were confined to a narrow zone adjacent to the area of cell death. No change in the number of cells expressing Ki67 was observed in the keratocytes distal to the original debridement. Ki67 levels did not return to control levels until 7 days after wounding. No alpha-smooth muscle actin was detected at any time point. This study indicates that epithelial debridement stimulates a synchronous increase in keratocyte proliferation. This stimulation is specific for cells immediately adjacent to the area of cell death. This activation does not involve the transformation of the stromal cells to a myofibroblast phenotype.
Removing Shadows and Ghosts with an Improved Background Mixture Model

We describe an improved background mixture model to detect motion and remove illumination changes, shadows and ghosts. The shadows and ghosts detection processing is fused with updating background subtraction model after the frame is transformed to Hue Saturation Value (HSV) color space from Red Green Blue (RGB) color space in order to reduce the effect of illumination changes, shadows and ghosts. Compared with the traditional background mixture model, the improved method can avoid the bad effect of shadows and ghosts, and it is highly computationally cost-effective.
Fitting in and standing out: increasing the use of alcohol protective behavioral strategies with a deviance regulation intervention

OBJECTIVE: Heavy alcohol use remains a consistent public health concern on college campuses. The current pilot study used deviance regulation theory (DRT) to modify protective behavioral strategies (PBS) among college student drinkers to reduce alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences. METHOD: The sample was comprised of current college student drinkers (n = 76; 53.95% female) ranging in age from 18-24 (M = 19.29, SD = 1.42). Participants were randomly assigned to receive a positively or negatively framed message. They then reported on use of alcohol PBS (via the Protective Behavioral Strategies Scale), alcohol consumption (via the Modified Daily Drinking Questionnaire), and alcohol-related consequences (via the Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire) each week for 6 weeks. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Among drinkers with low PBS use norms, a positively, versus a negatively, framed message resulted in increased PBS use and consequently less alcohol consumption and fewer alcohol-related consequences. Among drinkers with high PBS use norms, a negatively, versus positively, framed message resulted in increased PBS use and consequently lower alcohol consumption and fewer alcohol-related consequences. However, these effects were only relevant among those who strongly believed the DRT frame. FINDINGS suggest assigning drinkers to frames based on perceived PBS use norms and increasing belief in the frame may be 1 approach to increasing responsible drinking patterns among college students. Furthermore, the current data suggests important boundary conditions for norm-based interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
Time-resolved transient absorption ultrasonic microscopy measurements of the ground state recovery time

We have recently developed Transient Absorption Ultrasonic Microscopy (TAUM) as an ultrahigh-resolution photoacoustic microscopy technique. The amplitude of the multiphoton pump-probe interaction is dependent on the interpulse delay between the pump and probe pulses. Measuring the interpulse delay dependent TAUM amplitude maps out the ground state recovery time of the chromophore. The ground state recovery time is a molecular signature that may be used to differentiate multiple chromophores, analogous to fluorescence lifetime. We have used TAUM to measure the ground state recovery time of Rhodamine 6G to be 3.65 ns, which matches well with known literature values. Whole blood is also investigated, with measured ground state recovery times of 3.74 ns for oxygenated blood and 7.9 ns for deoxygenated blood. The distinct difference in lifetimes for the oxidized and reduced forms suggests the feasibility of subcellular SO2 images maps in future iterations of TAUM.
Improving RESTORE for robust diffusion tensor estimation: a simulation study

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) is increasingly used in clinical research and applications for its ability to depict white matter tracts and for its sensitivity to microstructural and architectural features of brain tissue. However, artifacts are common in clinical DT-MRI acquisitions. Signal perturbations produced by such artifacts can be severe and neglecting to account for their contribution can result in erroneous diffusion tensor values. The Robust Estimation of Tensors by Outlier Rejection (RESTORE) has been demonstrated to be an effective method for improving tensor estimation on a voxel-by-voxel basis in the presence of artifactual data points in diffusion weighted images. Despite the very good performance of the RESTORE algorithm, there are some limitations and opportunities for improvement. Instabilities in tensor estimation using RESTORE have been observed in clinical human brain data. Those instabilities can come from the intrinsic high frequency spin inflow effects in non-DWIs or from excluding too many data points from the fitting. This paper proposes several practical constraints to the original RESTORE method. Results from Monte Carlo simulation indicate that the improved RESTORE method reduces the instabilities in tensor estimation observed from the original RESTORE method.
Dynamics of organic matter and nutrient return from litterfall in stands of ten tropical tree plantation species

Abstract We studied the rates and patterns of carbon and nutrient fluxes in litterfall in ten tropical tree plantation species grown at the USDA Forest Service Arboretum in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. The stands were 26-years old and grew under similar climatic and edaphic conditions. Individual plantation species ranked differently in terms of their capacity to return mass and specific nutrients to the forest floor, and with respect to their efficiency of nutrient use. The species that returned the most mass did not return the most P, N, or cations. Moreover, species differed according to the amount of N and P resorption before leaf fall. These differences reflect the variation in the ecophysiological response of each species to edaphic and climatic conditions. The difference between average and minimum resorption values of the species studied indicate that other environmental factors, such as heavy winds or the physical effects of heavy rains, can force the shedding of non-senesced leaves. This higher quality material, although not very much in quantity, can provide a small pulse of available nutrients to the forest floor community. The same holds true for other high nutrient/low mass fractions of litterfall such as reproductive parts and miscellaneous materials. In areas with no prevalent or strongly seasonal water limitations, temporal variations of leaf litter on the forest floor are the combined result of the rate of fall and decomposition of the falling material, and the diverse responses of species to different environmental cues. Leaf fall was inversely correlated to reduced water availability in three of the species studied. Leaf fall of the other species was correlated either to daylight duration or minimum temperatures. The results highlight the importance of understanding species performance relative to nutrient and mass metabolism before selection for plantation use, or for rehabilitation of degraded lands.
Cardiac Resuscitation Following Experimental Arrest by Procaine and Ether

A method of producing experimental cardiac arrest is described, and the characteristics of arrest are reported. The efficacy of epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine and acetyl strophanthidin is compared in the resuscitation of hearts stopped by this method.
Centroid-moment tensor solutions for October-December 1992

Abstract Centroid-moment tensor solutions are presented for 205 earthquakes that occurred during the fourth quarter of 1992. The solutions are obtained using corrections for aspherical Earth structure represented by a whole mantle shear velocity model SH8/U4L8 of Dziewonski and Woodward.
VisualSum: an interactive multi-document summarizationsystem using visualization

Given a collection of documents, most of existing multidocument summarization methods automatically generate a static summary for all the users. However, different users may have different opinions on the documents, thus there is a necessity for improving users' interactions in the summarization process. In this paper, we propose an interactive document summarization system using information visualization techniques.
Legal precedent: Structures of communication between state supreme courts

Abstract In making and justifying choices, state supreme courts rely on many sources of authority, including the precedents of other courts. To the extent that appellate judges borrow, reject, and review each other's decisions, the several state supreme courts from a network for the communication of political information. In this paper I focus on identifying, describing, and explaining the bases of discrete networks among the state supreme courts. More specifically, using all interstate references for all states and the District of Columbia in the calendar year 1975, I rely on clustering techniques to uncover coherent and consistent “networks,” and discriminant analysis to ferret out the essential bases of the groupings of state supreme courts. Do interpretable blocks of state supreme courts emerge? If so, what binds these sets of appellate courts? Do constellations of leaders and followers develop? Do networks go beyond particular regions?
Multi-Phase Defense by the Big-Headed Ant, Pheidole obtusospinosa, Against Raiding Army Ants

Army ants are well known for their destructive raids of other ant colonies. Some known defensive strategies include nest evacuation, modification of nest architecture, blockade of nest entrances using rocks or debris, and direct combat outside the nest. Since army ants highly prefer Pheidole ants as prey in desert habitats, there may be strong selective pressure on Pheidole to evolve defensive strategies to better survive raids. In the case of P. obtusospinosa Pergande (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), the worker caste system includes super majors in addition to smaller majors and minor workers. Interestingly, P. obtusospinosa and the six other New World Pheidole species described to have polymorphic major workers are all found in the desert southwest and adjacent regions of Mexico, all co-occurring with various species of Neivamyrmex army ants. Pheidole obtusospinosa used a multi-phase defensive strategy against army ant raids that involved their largest major workers. During army ant attacks, these super majors were involved in blocking the nest entrance with their enlarged heads. This is the first description of defensive head-blocking by an ant species that lacks highly modified head morphology, such as a truncated or disc-shaped head. P. obtusospinosa super majors switched effectively between passive headblocking at the nest entrance and aggressive combat outside the nest. If this multi-phase strategy is found to be used by other Pheidole species with polymorphic majors in future studies, it is possible that selective pressure by army ant raids may have been partially responsible for the convergent evolution of this extra worker caste.
SERUM LP-X IN INFANTILE CHOLESTATIC JAUNDICE /CJ/

To test the feasibility to differentiate intrahepatic from extrahepatic cholestasis with the test for LP-X/cholestatic serum lipoprotein/, we have initially examined sera from 38 infants with CJ by immunoelectrophoresis. LP-X was absent in 19 with neonatal hepatitis, but present in 16 infants with biliary atresia /BA/and in 3 with severe intrahepatic cholestasis. To further characterize CJ in LP-X positive infants, we attempted to influence serum LP-X with cholestyra-rnine /CSM/, a non-absorbable bile acid binding resin. During a two week /4gm/day/ administration of CSM, LP-X increased /p > 0.1/ in all 13 infants with BA, whereas it decreased /p <0.025/ in all 7 infants with intrahepatic cholestasis. LP-X negative infants /< 7mo/never had BA. The effect of CSM on lowering serum LP-X in infants with patent extrahepatic bile ducts is mediated via a predictable alteration of bile acid metabolism by CSM: increased fecal excretion and increased hepatic synthesis from cholesterol. The ensuing rise of hepatobiliary excretion of bile acids is associated with similarly enhanced excretion of cholesterol and phospholipids. These events lower serum cholesterol and phospholipids, the major constituents of LP-X
X ray based displacement measurement for hostile environments

A new method on noncontacting, high temperature extensometry based on the focus and scanning of x rays is currently under development and shows great promise of overcoming limitations associated with available techniques. The chief advantage is the ability to make undisturbed measurements through stratified or flowing gases, smoke, and flame. The system is based on the ability to focus and scan low energy, hard x rays such as those emanating from copper or molybdenum sources. The x rays are focused into a narrow and intense line image which can be scanned onto targets that fluoresce secondary x ray radiation. The final goal of the system is the ability to conduct macroscopic strain measurements in hostile environments by utilizing two or more fluorescing targets. Current work is limited to displacement measurement of a single target with a resolution of 1.25 micro-m and a target temperature of 1200 C, directly through an open flame. The main advantage of the technique lies in the penetrating nature of x rays which are not affected by the presence of refracting gas layers, smoke, flame, or intense thermal radiation, all of which could render conventional extensometry methods inoperative or greatly compromise their performance.