cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Matelea s. l. (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) in the West Indies

The last treatment of Gonolobinae (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) in the West Indies is over a hundred years old and a number of new species have been described since. Although Fischeria and Gonolobus s. s. were revised recently, a complementary, comprehensive, recent regional treatment of Matelea s. l. is lacking. Considering the rarity of taxa of Matelea s. l. in the West Indies, thirty-three of thirty-six taxa are endemic to a single island each, and that nearly half of the known species have been described since Schlechter's treatment of 1899, the objective of the present study is to provide a synopsis of the genus in the area to facilitate field recognition and future collections. The treatment is based on critical study of ca. 250 specimens of the fifty-some known species in Caribbean Gonolobinae, fieldwork in the region, and molecular analyses. In addition to a comprehensive key and descriptions, illustrations of the complex gynostegial coronas are provided here for the first time for numerous taxa. A new combination is made in Matelea for Gonolobus haitiensis: Matelea haitiensis.
Volatile Amidoalane Compounds for Chemical Vapor Deposition of Aluminum

H2Al{N(Et)C2H4NMe2} (DMEEDA), H2Al{N(Me)C2H4NMe2} (TRMEDA), and H2Al{N(Et)C2H4NEt2} (TREEDA) were synthesized and proposed as new precursors for the deposition of Al films. These amidoalane complexes are thermally stable and isolated as volatile liquids or low-melting solids. The thermal stability of these complexes was so high that no thermal decomposition was detected from the gas-phase IR spectra, even at 220 °C. They deposit high-purity Al films on TiN substrates at temperatures as low as 70 °C, while no deposition was observed on SiO2 at 250 °C. A SEM image shows remarkably smooth surface morphology of the Al film deposited on a patterned TiN/Si wafer using DMEEDA.
Flame Retardant Applications in Camping Tents and Potential Exposure

Concern has mounted over health effects caused by exposure to flame retardant additives used in consumer products. Significant research efforts have focused particularly on exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) used in furniture and electronic applications. However, little attention has focused on applications in textiles, particularly textiles meeting a flammability standard known as CPAI-84. In this study, we investigated flame retardant applications in camping tents that met CPAI-84 standards by analyzing 11 samples of tent fabrics for chemical flame retardant additives. Furthermore, we investigated potential exposure by collecting paired samples of tent wipes and hand wipes from 27 individuals after tent setup. Of the 11 fabric samples analyzed, 10 contained flame retardant additives, which included tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP), decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), triphenyl phosphate, and tetrabromobisphenol-A. Flame retardant concentrations were discovered to be as high a...
Structural phase inversions in the siliceous constituent of clay materials calcined at 1300–1600°C

A partir de la separation chimique de la mullite et du traitement mathematique des spectres IR sur microordinateur, on etudie les modifications de phases structurales en relation avec la temperature de cuisson et la composition des materiaux d'origine
Development of a fluorescent optical potassium-selective ion sensor with ratiometric response for intracellular applications

Abstract A small, fluorescent fiber-optic potassium sensor is described with a working range which covers both intracellular cytosolic and blood levels of potassium at the respective physiological pH values. The highly potassium-selective ionophore, BME-44, is retained in a plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) film which is placed on the end of an optical fiber. Three optode configurations are given, employing different lipophilic, fluorescent pH chromoionophores (Nile Blue derivatives), demonstrating the ability to improve the detection limit and tune the dynamic range to the desired region of interest. These optodes also have excellent selectivity over sodium, calcium and magnesium. Use of fluorescence (in contrast to absorbance) provides a means to reduce the sensor size dramatically while retaining the same signal-to-noise ratio. These optodes measure the sample's potassium activity (rather than concentration) provided that the sample's pH is measured simultaneously by another sensor, such as a glass pH electrode.
Sibling Conflict: Contributions of the Siblings Themselves, the Parent-Sibling Relationship, and the Broader Family System.

Summary To understand why they fight, we have been videotaping sibling fights so that we can belter develop clinical strategies to reduce sibling conflict. Based on previous research, we have developed a theoretical framework covering the factors that are likely to contribute to sibling conflict which we are testing. These factors include: temperamental characteristics of the siblings themselves., characteristics of the parent-sibling relationship, characteristics of the broader family system, and the interactions among these factors. We propose a multifaccied approach to reducing sibling conflict that lakes into account all of these factors and their interactions.
Solar-radiation-based calibration of an airborne radiometer for vicarious calibration of earth observing sensors

Airborne radiometric instruments are often used to collect radiance data, whether for producing remote sensing imagery, for use in vicarious calibration, or for atmospheric correction. Reflected radiance from a test site is detected by an Exotech model 100BX radiometer that contains four different spectral filters which coincide with the first four bands of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). These filters can be interchanged with filters that correspond to the first three multispectral bands of SPOT. Typically these radiometers are calibrated in a laboratory environment with incandescent radiance sources whose spectral outputs are known by some established standard. In the field, the radiometers are used with a different source than that used for the laboratory calibration, namely the sun. The solar radiation based calibration (SRBC) has been demonstrated to be an accurate calibration method for these instruments. The major advantage of this method is that the source for the calibration is the same source used in acquiring field measurements. In this work, solar radiation based calibration is compared to laboratory radiometric calibration done with a spherical integrating source (SIS) and a lamp source in the Remote Sensing Group (RSG) blacklab for airborne radiometers. Results of measurements taken over Ivanpah Playa on 6 July 2000 and 4 June 2000 by an Exotech model 100BX calibrated with these methods are presented and biases in the three different calibration methods are discussed.
Case report: Malrotation and midgut volvulus presenting as malabsorption

Volvulus of the midgut associated with intestinal malrotation classically presents in early life with complete, or intermittent, high intestinal obstruction. We describe the case of a boy presenting at 16 months of age with a history of malabsorption and failure to thrive. The importance of considering this rare diagnosis in such cases is discussed.
State of the Art Surveys: Our Own State of the Art

With this issue of RSR we present the first of our annual subject surveys of new reference publications. Each survey is by a librarian who is actively involved in the selection and interpretation of reference materials in his subject field and thus is conversant with recent trends in publishing, pertinent bibliographic data bases, and emerging networks. Each is especially qualified to analyze these trends and to judge which reference books of the year past are outstanding. Mr. Balachandran, a reference librarian in the Commerce Library, University of Illinois, is primarily responsible for selecting reference materials and other monographic publications. He holds a master's degree in economics and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois. Jimmie Hoover, in addition to being Document Librarian at Louisiana State University since 1967, has edited recent editions of Bookman's Guide to Americana. In his survey of Documents reference he was assisted by Nancy demons, a colleague at LSU in the Documents Dep...
Simplified method for evaluating seismic stability of steep slopes

Steep slopes composed of weakly cemented granular soils are common along the Pacific Coast of North America. These slopes, standing at angles of 30° to near vertical, are observed to be prone to seismically induced failures. The steep topography of these slopes makes them particularly susceptible to amplification of seismic waves, and the brittle nature of these materials make deformation-based stability analyses inappropriate. In this paper, a simplified method is presented for assessing the seismic stability of these slopes, utilizing average seismic coefficients to account for the effect of topography. This procedure is based on a review of field and laboratory observations, as well as analyses carried out using generalized consistent transmitting boundaries. The results of the analyses indicate that the amplification due to the soil column in the free field behind the crest dominates the response. The amplification due to topography, on the other hand, shows little variability, and is on the order of 50%. The proposed procedure presented herein gives practicing engineers a method to conduct stability analyses that better represents the actual field conditions for these steep, brittle slopes.
Patient-provider communication about sexual health among unmarried middle-aged and older women.

BACKGROUND Although past studies have highlighted the importance of patient–provider communication about sexual health and intimate relationships (SHIR), much of the research has focused on young women’s or married women’s experiences when discussing SHIR with their providers.
Extending XQuery for analytics

XQuery is a query language under development by the W3C XML Query Working Group. The language contains constructs for navigating, searching, and restructuring XML data. With XML gaining importance as the standard for representing business data, XQuery must support the types of queries that are common in business analytics. One such class of queries is OLAP-style aggregation queries. Although these queries are expressible in XQuery Version 1, the lack of explicit grouping constructs makes the construction of these queries non-intuitive and places a burden on the XQuery engine to recognize and optimize the implicit grouping constructs. Furthermore, although the flexibility of the XML data model provides an opportunity for advanced forms of grouping that are not easily represented in relational systems, these queries are difficult to express using the current XQuery syntax. In this paper, we provide a proposal for extending the XQuery FLWOR expression with explicit syntax for grouping and for numbering of results. We show that these new XQuery constructs not only simplify the construction and evaluation of queries requiring grouping and ranking but also enable complex analytic queries such as moving-window aggregation and rollups along dynamic hierarchies to be expressed without additional language extensions.
Magnetic field and remanent magnetization effects of basin-forming impacts on the Moon

Maps of the distribution of lunar surface magnetic fields produced by the electron reflection method have shown that the largest observed concentrations of lunar crustal magnetization occur antipodal (diametrically opposite) to four relatively young large impact basins: Imbrium, Orientale, Serenitatis, and Crisium. A model is proposed here for the formation of these magnetization concentrations (or 'magcons') in which the partially ionized vapor cloud produced in a hypervelocity (greater than 10 km/s) basin-forming impact expands around the moon forcing a preexisting ambient magnetic field to be concentrated for a brief (less than 1 day) time period in the antipodal zone. Acquisition of magnetic remanence during the period of compressed field amplification may occur by one of several mechanisms, such as shock remanence by impact of solid secondaries ejected from the basin-forming event. The model implies that basin-forming impacts have played a major role in determining the large-scale distribution of crustal magnetization detectable from lunar orbit.
Relative effects of high saturated fatty acid levels in meat, dairy products, and tropical oils on serum lipoproteins and low-density lipoprotein degradation by mononuclear cells in healthy males

To determine the effects of three saturated fatty acid combinations on lipoprotein metabolism, we fed 18 21- to 32-year-old men three diets in a crossover design for 28-day periods separated by washout periods of 4 to 6 weeks. The men self-selected a prescribed diet at home emphasizing saturated fat as the visible fat for 1 week. Then, they ate experimental diets providing 40%, 15%, 17%, and 7% of food energy, respectively, as total, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, levels representing amounts available in the US diet. Different test fatty acid combinations, given at 4 to 6 energy% (en%) each, were incorporated into food products: 12:0 + 14:0, 14:0 + 16:0, and 16:0 + 18:0. Test fatty acids were equalized by giving free myristic acid (14:0) with palm kernel oil or butter and sheanut butter (high in 18:0) with lard. The diet highest in 12:0 + 14:0 also provided 4.2 en% 16:0, the most common saturated fatty acid in the US diet. Mean apparent absorption of all fatty acids was at least 90%. The three diets produced similar concentrations of serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein (apo) B-100 regardless of the apo E phenotype of the subjects. Compared with baseline, the experimental diets affected serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations (P < .06), with the highest values occurring on diet 12:0 + 14:0. When the change from baseline in receptor-mediated degradation of 125I-LDL in freshly isolated mononuclear cells (MNC) was stratified by apo E phenotype, diet 16:0 + 18:0 produced a 30% increase, compared with a 9% decrease on diet 12:0 + 14:0 and a 6% increase on diet 14:0 + 16:0 in subjects with the apo E3/3 phenotype. These results suggested that different saturated fatty acid combinations, consumed at levels typical of availability in the United States and with diets providing ample unsaturated fat, had similar cholesterolemic properties in healthy males despite some subtly different effects on lipoprotein metabolism.
Biological expressions of lymphocyte activation : I. Effects of phytomitogens on antibody synthesis in vitro.

The effects of nonspecific phytomitogens on primary plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses of mouse spleen cells to heterologous erythrocytes in vitro were studied. Spleen cell cultures treated with concanavalin A or phytohemagglutinin in vitro or established with spleen cells derived from mice injected with concanavalin A 24 h previously were similarly affected. In both cases, submitogenic doses resulted in substantial enhancement of PFC responses, whereas 10-fold larger doses were profoundly inhibitory. In contrast to the suppressive effects of mitogenic doses of phytomitogens added at culture initiation, addition of these same doses to cultures 48 h later resulted in increased PFC responses. This enhancement could be observed within 1 h after treatment and consequently could not be ascribed only to mitotic expansion of the antibody-synthesizing clone. Activation of spleen cells with specific antigen before mitogen treatment was not required for expression of the enhancing or suppressing effects on PFC responses. IgM and IgG PFC responses were similarly affected. Studies of cell interactions revealed that as few as 10(5) spleen cells obtained from mice treated with concanavalin A in vivo synergistically enhanced the PFC responses of 10(7) normal spleen cells. This enhancement was mediated by mitogen-activated T lymphocytes which were resistant to 2000 R irradiation 24 h after activation. The relevance of these observations to emerging concepts of helper and suppressor T cell activity is discussed.
Estimation of a mean template from spike-train data

Computing the template, or the mean, of a set of spike trains is a novel and important task in neural coding. Due to the random nature of spike trains taken from experimental recordings, probabilistic and statistical methods have gained prominence in examining underlying firing patterns. However, these methods focus on modeling neural activity at each given time and therefore their results depend heavily on model assumptions. Taking a model-free and metric-based approach, we analyze the space of spike trains directly and reach algorithms for estimating statistical summaries, such as the mean spike train, of a given set. In our data-driven approach the mean is defined directly in a function space in which the spike trains are viewed as individual points. Here we develop an efficient and convergence-proven algorithm to compute the mean spike train in a general scenario. Experimental result from a neural recoding in primate motor cortex indicates that the estimated means successfully capture the typical patterns in spike trains. In addition, these mean spike trains provide an accurate and efficient performance in decoding motor behaviors.
Catastrophic gastrointestinal injury due to battery acid ingestion.

Abstract Background: Acids account for 20% of all chemical exposures through various routes. Caustic acids such as hydrochloric and sulfuric acid are common ingredients in many household and industrial products. Due to the corrosive properties of these substances, tissue injury caused by oral exposure can lead to severe esophageal and gastrointestinal burns. Case Report: We report a case of a patient presenting with severe acidosis, who required multiple laparoscopic evaluations to assess various gastrointestinal tract injuries and who ultimately underwent total gastrectomy. The diagnosis was made primarily based on the arterial blood gas and esophagogastroduodenoscopy findings, as well as the pathological examinations of various biopsied and resected tissues showing hemorrhagic necrosis of the esophagus, stomach, and small bowel. This patient eventually admitted to having ingested an unspecified amount of battery acid. Conclusions: Collaborative efforts by Emergency Medicine, Pathology, and General Surgery services are required for timely diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients after caustic acid exposures.
Time reversal and charge echo in an electron gas

Apart from subtle violations of CP symmetry by the weak interactions, the basic laws of physics are time-reversal invariant. Nevertheless, in the macroscopic world, time has a very definite direction, or arrow. Given that the dynamics of a closed system are time-reversal invariant, the arrow of time is introduced through boundary or initial conditions. In this Letter it is argued that if the Hamiltonian for a system, H, has the property THT(-1)=-H for a unitary transformation T, then the system can, in principle, be made to evolve backward in time. The prototype of this sort of behavior is the spin echo. Calculations for a single-band tight-binding model suggest that it may be possible to observe the electronic counterpart, or charge echo.
Ammonia Emissions from Twelve U.S. Broiler Chicken Houses

Twelve commercial broiler houses in the U.S. were each monitored for at least thirteen 48 h periods over the course of one year to obtain ammonia emission data. Paired repetition of houses on four farms represents current construction with variety in litter management (built-up or new litter each flock) and climate conditions (cold or mixed-humid). Ammonia concentration was determined using portable electrochemical sensors incorporating a fresh air purge cycle. Ventilation rate was determined via in-situ measurement of fan capacity, fan on-off times, and house static pressure difference. There were seasonal trends in exhaust ammonia concentration (highest in cold weather) and ventilation rates (highest in warm weather) but not for emission rate. Flocks with at least three monitoring periods (13 of 22 flocks) demonstrated similar emission rates at a given bird age among the four study farms and across the seasons. An analysis of emissions from all houses on the three farms using built-up litter resulted in predicted regression slopes of 0.028, 0.034, and 0.038 g NH3 bird-1 d-1 per day of age; the fourth farm, managed with new litter, had the lowest emission rate at 0.024 g NH3 bird-1 d-1. The intercept of these composite relationships was influenced by litter conditions, with flocks on new litter having essentially no emissions for about six days while built-up litter flocks had emissions starting at flock placement. Data from all four farms and all flocks provided a regression slope of 0.031(±0.001 std error) g NH3 bird-1 d-1 per day of age. Emission rate per animal unit for built-up litter flocks indicated very high emissions for the youngest birds (under 14 days of age), after which time the emissions decreased exponentially and were then relatively steady for the balance of the flock cycle.
Novel rab GAP-like protein, CIP85, interacts with connexin43 and induces its degradation

Gap junctions play critical roles in tissue function and homeostasis. Connexin43 (Cx43) is a major gap junction protein expressed in the mammalian heart and other tissues and may be regulated by it...
Johnson and de Gaulle: American Diplomacy Sotto Voce

(1987). Johnson and de Gaulle: American Diplomacy Sotto Voce. The Historian: Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 478-493.
On Hazan's Algorithm for Symmetric Programming Problems

We describe the generalization of Hazan's algorithm for symmetric programming problems. It is shown that the crucial low-rank approximation property to an optimal solution is preserved in this setting. Moreover, this setting is natural for preserving this property. It is explicitly shown how to use the decomposition of a symmetric cone into a direct sum of its irreducible components to reduce the computational complexity of the algorithm.
Spatiotemporal analysis of brain electrical fields

Psychological studies with reaction time methodology show that there is meaningful variability in the performance of cognitive operations when responses are measured in milliseconds. Temporal precision is also required to reveal the rapid neurophysiological events in cortical networks. Sampling the brain's electrical activity at the scalp surface characterizes regional brain function with millisecond temporal resolution. The problem with electroencephalographic (EEG) data is localizing the areas of the cortex that generate the observed scalp fields. Although the eventual goal will be to specify the neural generators of the EEG, we propose that an important first step for functional studies is to examine accurate, time-dynamic maps of the brain's electrical fields at the head surface. Given an adequate spatial sampling of the surface potentials, accurate electrical studies require measures that are independent of the location of the reference sensor. The 2D Laplacian of the potential field may be used to define the local features of the scalp current flow. Because the electrical fields are dynamic, brain mapping with electrical data requires animations rather than static images. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A polarization theory for the scattering of sound at imperfect interfaces

In a recent article the author gave a general theory of scattering by thin layers included in a continuous matrix. Such layers may be thought of as plates, shells, coatings, or interface layers depending on the particular physical context. It was shown that, in the general case, the scattering may be described in terms of the stress and momentum polarizations in the layer and that when the latter is thin compared with the wavelength of the incident sound, the through-thickness average polarizations satisfy certain boundary integral equations. In this article we develop the theory in the context of imperfect interfaces such as those which may occur in adhesive and diffusion bonds. The advantage of this approach is that it can account for general inhomogeneities and interfacial roughness provided that the root mean square thickness is small compared with the wavelength.
mRNA stability and plasmid copy number effects on gene expression from an inducible promoter system.

The effects of mRNA stability and plasmid copy number on gene expression in Escherichia coli were evaluated by constructing multicopy (pMB1-based) and low-copy (F-based) plasmids containing an arabinose-inducible promoter system, the lacZ reporter gene, and mRNA-stabilizing 5′ hairpin structures. Product formation and cell growth were evaluated under a number of inducer concentrations. The introduction of a 5′ hairpin into the untranslated region of the mRNA resulted in significantly higher gene expression from the multicopy plasmids at low inducer concentrations and increased gene expression from the low-copy plasmids across all inducer concentrations investigated. With high inducer concentrations, expression from high-copy plasmids significantly slowed cell growth, whereas expression from the low-copy plasmids had little effect on growth rate. At inducer concentrations between 1 × 10−4 and 4 × 10−4%, the productivity of low-copy plasmids containing the 5′-hairpin was equal to or greater than that from multicopy plasmids. Together, these two gene expression strategies may find important use in metabolic engineering and heterologous gene expression. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 59:666–672, 1998.
CON: Specific pediatric accreditation is not critical for integrated pediatric and adult sleep medicine programs.

There is no doubt that the ability to summon extraordinary eloquence during a debate provides a compelling tendency for endorsement of any reasonably valid argument in which opposite and contradictory opinions on certain details are discussed. Furthermore, we routinely tend to side with the “underdog,” and will more willingly support minority opinions, especially when such opinions deal with a sector of our population for whom we are genetically and evolutionarily conditioned to protect, namely our children. In their rendering of an opinion on integrated sleep centers, Owens et al. demonstrate in a superlative manner the persuasive nature of such skills and circumstances. However, in spite of an almost relentless inner drive to cede to my esteemed colleagues, I will try to delineate some of the drawbacks of the proposal they so eloquently formulate. Access to Care Under the auspices of the most recent consensus focused on indications for PSG in children with respiratory symptoms, 1 and similar guidelines originating from different countries and medical disciplines over the last decade, 2-9 and with the ever increasing awareness among pediatricians and primary care physicians on the importance of healthy sleep in children’s well-being, it is indeed predictable that a progressive increase in the utilization of sleep services will occur in the pediatric age range. The major problems with this proposition are that access to pediatric sleep specialists is quite limited in the US, and even further restricted in other countries around the world. As such, the access to care will be further compromised particularly
Reduction of lateral phosphorus diffusion in CMOS n-wells

It is shown that it is possible to control lateral diffusion of phosphorus during an n-well drive-in through appropriate choices of surface thin-film and drive-in conditions. This permits reduced design rules with no change in lithography. The n-well drive-in process takes advantage of vacancy supersaturation caused by SiO formation. In an n-well structure, vacancies are injected only outside the well region, from the thin oxide, and virtually no vacancies are injected from the thick SiO/sub 2/-Si interface. Therefore, while normal P diffusion in the vertical direction in the well is still expected, lateral diffusion of P into the region under the thin oxide can be retarded. >
Appearance of 50,000- and 52,000-dalton cAMP receptor proteins in the nucleoli of regressing MCF-7 human breast cancer upon estrogen withdrawal.

Abstract Affinity purified antibodies to type I and type II regulatory subunits (R I and R II , respectively) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase were utilized to identify and localize the cAMP receptor proteins in growing vs regressing MCF-7 tumors in nude mice. In the nuclear extracts of growing tumors the R I antibody immuno-precipitated cAMP receptor protein of 47,000 daltons, whereas the R II antibody precipitated 44,000- and 34,000-dalton cAMP receptor proteins. Following estrogen withdrawal, new species of cAMP receptor proteins with molecular weights of 50,000 and 52,000 appeared in the nuclei of regressing tumors. The 50,000- and 52,000-dalton proteins were specifically precipitated by the R II antibody but not by R I antibody. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed that during regression of MCF-7 tumors, the intensity of immunofluorescence of R II antibody crossreacting cAMP binding proteins dramatically increased in the nucleoli whereas the immunofluorescence of R I remained the same. These results suggest a regulatory role of R II in mammary cancer regression.
Physical and Functional Interaction between the XPF/ERCC1 Endonuclease and hRad52

The XPF/ERCC1 heterodimer is a DNA structure-specific endonuclease that participates in nucleotide excision repair and homology-dependent recombination reactions, including DNA single strand annealing and gene targeting. Here we show that XPF/ERCC1 is stably associated with hRad52, a recombinational repair protein, in human cell-free extracts and that these factors interact directly via the N-terminal domain of hRad52 and the XPF protein. Complex formation between hRad52 and XPF/ERCC1 concomitantly stimulates the DNA structure-specific endonuclease activity of XPF/ERCC1 and attenuates the DNA strand annealing activity of hRad52. Our results reveal a novel role for hRad52 as a subunit of a DNA structure-specific endonuclease and are congruent with evidence implicating both hRad52 and XPF/ERCC1 in a number of homologous recombination reactions. We propose that the ternary complex of hRad52 and XPF/ERCC1 is the active species that processes recombination intermediates generated during the repair of DNA double strand breaks and in homology-dependent gene targeting events.
Recognition of NY-ESO-1+ tumor cells by engineered lymphocytes is enhanced by improved vector design and epigenetic modulation of tumor antigen expression

The therapeutic use of T cell receptor (TCR)-transduced peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) targeting tumor-associated antigens is emerging as a promising investigational treatment for patients with cancer. Initial response rates to therapy were low, suggesting the need to improve the function of TCR-transduced PBL. We constructed standard bicistronic retroviral vectors using an internal promoter or internal ribosomal entry site element as well as vectors incorporating coding sequences for 2A linker peptides between coding sequences for α and β chains targeting the cancer-testis (CT) antigen, NY-ESO-1. Incorporation of coding sequences for 2A linker peptides in the bicistronic TCR expression cassette resulted in up to a fourfold increase in TCR expression and a significant improvement in effector function as measured by interferon-gamma release following co-culture with peptide-pulsed targets and NY-ESO-1+ tumors. We also sought to enhance reactivity of TCR-transduced PBL against tumor targets by modulation of tumor antigen expression on target cells. Induction of NY-ESO-1 expression on tumor targets using the demethylating agent 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (alone or in combination with the histone deacetylase inhibitor depsipeptide) resulted in enhanced interferon-gamma secretion by the TCR-transduced PBL on culture with treated targets. Taken together, these results indicate that design of TCR-based vectors incorporating 2A linker peptides improves TCR expression and effector function of transduced PBL. Furthermore, induction of CT antigen expression through treatment of tumor targets with chromatin-remodeling agents may augment TCR-based immunotherapy targeting these antigens. These results have relevance for TCR-based gene therapies targeting common epithelial malignancies.
O& M : A new look at one of the older professions

Any evaluation of O&M should be based on the constraints of its “real world” problem-solving environment, as well as the character of techniques of data collection and project analysis. The demands of several conflicting roles, time pressures, and internal and external conflicts all influence, even bias, the problem-solving process. Traditional scientific management methods and techniques of social science research are used, but both have serious problems either of logic or of applicability to OU's needs. Given the circumstances and problems, O&M analysts can only “satisfice”, relying heavily on informed insight based on the best available methods. Recognizing that O&M is not research or scientific, improvement must come by concern for selecting techniques better suited to Om's needs, better project planning, and more flexible study execution.
Thermomechanical Wrinkling in Composite Sandwich Structures

A new approach to the solution of the problem of wrinkling in sandwich structures subject to a combination of compressive stresses and uniform elevated temperature is presented. The solution is based on the assumption that both facings wrinkle simultaneously, that is, wrinkling of one of the facings triggers wrinkling of the opposite facing. This approach eliminates shortcomings of several previously developed models where the effect of wrinkling on the opposite facing was disregarded. The solution for the stresses in the core is obtained based on the theory of elasticity. Subsequently, the combination of wrinkling loads, including thermal contributions, is determined either by the energy method or from the equations of equilibrium of the facings. It is shown that in the particular case of a thick and compliant core, the present method yields the results that are almost identical to the well-known Plantema solution. As follows from the numerical analysis, the wrinkling stress increases with the facing-to-core thickness ratio. Elevated temperature results in a decrease of the applied mechanical stress corresponding to wrinkling. In the representative examples, this decrease was almost proportional to temperature.
Anomalies of hypersound velocity and attenuation in ferroelectric tris-sarcosine calcium chloride (TSCC) for small-angle and right-angle Brillouin scattering and Brillouin backscattering.

The Brillouin spectra of ferroelectric tris-sarcosine calcium chloride have been observed using small-angle and right-angle scattering and also backscattering. For different-frequency phonons along the same direction, analogous anomalies in the sound velocity and the attenuation are seen. The smallest angle we have achieved is 7.48\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The temperature and frequency dependences of the sound velocity are discussed. The fact that the linewidth maximum for [001] phonons occurs somewhat below ${T}_{c}$ seems to indicate that the anomalies are due to piezoelectric coupling induced by spontaneous polarization below ${T}_{c}$. For [010] phonons the elementary relaxation times which relate to the energy are estimated as ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{0}^{E}$=5.25\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}13}$ sec above ${T}_{c}$ and ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{0}^{E}$=3.32\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}12}$ sec below ${T}_{c}$. The phonon attenuations are also estimated and compared with the observed ones. For the [001] phonons the elementary relaxation time is estimated as ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{0}$=5.25\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}14}$ sec, in good agreement with the value obtained from right-angle Brillouin scattering.
Making failure the mother of success

Do students really welcome failure, the mother of success? This paper reports the implementation of a trial-and-failure learning strategy, in both entry and senior level computer science classes. The idea is simple: given a sophisticated course project, let students try project submissions as many times as they want before the project deadline. For each submission, a thorough inspection is performed by an automated grading system called APOGEE. A student project has to accomplish not only the functional requirements but also many desired quality attributes such as robustness and security. In 2009, the trial-and-failure strategy has been adopted by four universities in five class sections. We report some interesting observations from student survey results, e.g., one can find out if factors like students' positive experiences of programming, choice of programming language, years of working experience, and instructors are predictive variables for positive attitudes toward the trial-and-failure learning experience as a whole.
The role of DDE and polychlorinated biphenyl levels in preterm birth

Maternal serum levels of DDE and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and their congeners were compared for 20 women who had a spontaneous preterm delivery and 20 matched women who had delivered at term at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York between October 1990 and August 1993. Since no substantial case-control differences were evident, these findings do not indicate that increased DDE or PCB levels are associated with spontaneous preterm birth.
An in vitro assay for K-papovavirus of mice

Abstract Primary cultures of mouse embryu cells were inoculated with K virus, a murine papovavirus, and were examined for cytopathic effect (CPE) or for the development of fluorescent antibody staining specific for K virus V antigen. CPE was not observed. However, numerous cells in infected cultures exhibited positive nuclear fluorescence, and the presence of papovavirus virions was demonstrated by electron microscopy. Extracts from infected cultures produced typical K virus pneumonia in newborn mice. Inoculation of cultures with serial dilutions of virus demonstrated that these cells provide a fluorescent antibody assay for K virus equal in sensitivity to animal inoculation methods. Although specific K virus fluorescence was also detected in cultures of fetal mouse endocardial cells, livers, placentas, and brains, positive cells were much less abundant in these cultures than in cultures of mouse embryo cells. The mouse embryo culture assay described in the present paper represents the first method of measuring K virus infectivity in vitro.
Differential effects of helper proteins encoded by the cry2A and cry11A operons on the formation of Cry2A inclusions in Bacillus thuringiensis

To compare the differential effects of cry2A operon orf2 (29-kDa protein gene) and Cry11A operon orf3 (20-kDa protein gene) on Cry2A synthesis and inclusion formation, we expressed the cry2A gene along with either the 29-kDa gene, 20-kDa gene, or both genes. Constructs containing 20-kDa, in the presence or absence of 29-kDa, produced more Cry2A than constructs which lacked this gene. Cry2A synthesis was also higher when the 29-kDa gene was included with 20-kDa in the construct. However, even in the presence of increased Cry2A synthesis facilitated by the 20-kDa gene, typical Cry2A crystals did not form if the 29-kDa gene was not included in the construct. These results suggest that the 29-kDa and 20-kDa proteins have different functions, with the 20-kDa protein acting like a molecular chaperone to enhance net Cry2A synthesis, and the 29-kDa protein likely serving as a template for the stabilization of Cry2A molecules and their organization into the rectangular inclusion characteristic of wild-type Cry2A crystals.
A NEW DIRECTION IN WORLD BANK URBAN LENDING TO LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES

The urban development loans of the World Bank are acquiring a regional rather than a city-specific orientation in several countries, especially in Latin America. These broader operations often dovetail national trends of decentralization in the political, administrative and fiscal structures. Given the current constraints of the central governments in meeting the growing demands of urbanization through incremental top-down grants, these operations aim at a gradual substitution of unrequited transfers with long-term loans to regional and local governments. The paper reviews the implications of this approach in terms of distribution and efficiency and suggests that it may be more suitable in countries undergoing economic adjustment. The objective is to sustain motivation in fiscal effort and resource mobilization at the city level, and possibly establish a different rationale for external credit supporting local infrastructure and service improvements.
Proteus mirabilis fimbriae : identification, isolation, and characterization of a new ambient-temperature fimbria

Urinary tract infections involving Proteus mirabilis may lead to complications including bladder and kidney stones, acute pyelonephritis, and bacteremia. This bacterium produces a number of fimbriae, two of which, MR/P fimbria and P. mirabilis fimbria, have been shown to contribute to the ability of this pathogen to colonize the bladder and kidney. We have now purified and characterized a previously undescribed fimbria of P. mirabilis, named ambient-temperature fimbria (ATF). Electron microscopy of a pure preparation and immunogold labeling of cells demonstrated that ATF was fimbrial in nature. The major fimbrial subunit of ATF has an apparent molecular weight of 24,000. The N-terminal amino acid sequence, E-X-T-G-T-P-A-P-T-E-V-T-V-D-G-G-T-I-D-F, did not show significant similarity to that of any previously described fimbrial protein. ATF was expressed by all eight P. mirabilis strains examined. Culture conditions affected expression of ATF, with optimal expression observed in static broth cultures at 23 degrees C. This fimbria was not produced by cells grown at 42 degrees C or on solid medium. Expression of ATF did not correlate with mannose-resistant/Proteus-like (MR/P) or mannose-resistant/Klebsiella-like (MR/K) hemagglutination and represents a novel fimbria of P. mirabilis.
Occupant Comfort and Satisfaction in Green Healthcare Environments: A Survey Study Focusing on Healthcare Staff

Since the US Green Building Council introduced green building design strategies and measurement indicators as the name of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in 2000, different rating systems for various types of facilities have been developed. LEED for Healthcare that was initiated to improve healthcare buildings’ energy efficiency and sustainability is one of them. Yet, there is still a strong debate over whether LEED certified hospitals provide more comfortable environments for the staff to work in than the counterparts. The purpose of this study was to identify effective factors influencing healthcare occupants’ comfort and satisfactions through comparing the perceptions of the healthcare staff from green hospitals with those from conventional hospitals. The study mainly targeted nursing staff because they spend about eight hours daily in such environment to improve patients’ health outcomes. By comparing the perceptions of the healthcare staff from green hospital (or LEED-certified hospitals) and conventional non-LEED-certified hospitals, the results from this study showed significant differences between two types of hospitals studied. This study additionally reviewed these effective elements, examined if they were indoor environmental quality elements or interior design elements, and discussed if green healthcare environments actually contributed toward improving occupant’s comfort and satisfaction.
Screening of genomic DNA to identify mutations in the gene for Bruton's tyrosine kinase

Mutations in the gene for Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) are responsible for X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA). Thus far, mutations in this gene have been identified based on alterations in Southern or Northern blot analysis or cDNA sequence. To permit detection of mutations in genomic DNA, we designed PCR primers to flank each of the 19 exons of Btk with splice sites. Two overlapping PCR products were employed for exons longer than 230 base pairs. Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was used to screen PCR products from 30 unrelated families presumed to carry a Btk mutation. It was possible to amplify DNA in every reaction from every patient, indicating that large deletions in Btk are uncommon. Twenty three different mutations were found in 25 unrelated families, including one family in whom DNA was available from a carrier but not an affected patient. Seven mutations were single base pair substitutions resulting in premature stop codons scattered throughout the gene. Small insertions or deletions causing frameshifts and secondary premature stop codons constituted an additional seven mutations. One patient had a point mutation in the start codon and one patient had a mutation in a splice donor site. Point mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions were seen in nine patients. Northern blot analysis of RNA from three patients with premature stop codons showed an absence of Btk transcript whereas four patients with amino acid substitutions had normal amounts of transcript of normal size. These studies document the considerable variability in the Btk mutations causing XLA and they demonstrate an approach that will be useful for carrier detection as well as mutation identification.
An experimental study on multi-channel multi-radio multi-hop wireless networks

In this paper, we present experimental studies on Multi-channel Multi-radio Multi-hop (M3) wireless networks. The interference of multiple channels and multiple radios is studied. The result may help to understand effect of multi-channel and multi-radio in real system and is useful as reference for network performance optimization. We evaluate the coexistence of real-time traffic and best-effort traffic in multi-hop wireless networks. Our experiments show that coordination among wireless nodes is critical for optimal network performance, especially in the scenarios with quality of service (QoS) requirements. To perform the experiments, an M3 testbed with 32 nodes is built. The testbed is based on Windows operating system and provides convenient programming interface and management tools. The architecture and key modules of the testbed design are described.
Feasibility Study to Increase the Available TAMVEC Proton and Deuteron Energies

These studies show: 1) that with reasonable modifications to the panels in the RF cavity and the addition of a driven RF oscillator TAMVEC's maximum proton energy can be increased from 50 MeV to 70 MeV, 2) that re-wiring the trim and valley coils external to the cyclotron would facilitate increasing the maximum deuteron energy from 60 MeV to 70 MeV and, 3) that combining the above two modifications would further increase the proton energy to 80 MeV.
A light-weight, collaborative temporary file system for clustered Web servers

Previous studies indicate that I/O could become a performance bottleneck in commodity PC-based cluster Web servers. Current local native file systems do not work well for expensive file I/Os while specialized file systems have a limitation on portability. In this paper, we present a lightweight, collaborative temporary file system (CTFS) to improve disk I/O performance for clustered Web servers. CTFS employs several techniques to achieve high-performance, good scalability and portability: (1) a lightweight local temporal file system at each node, (2) using Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) to improve intra-cluster communication performance, and (3) a location-aware summary cache for scalable file-to-server lookup. Comprehensive trace-driven simulation experiments conclude that CTFS achieves up to a 37% better system throughput and reduces up to 47% total disk I/O latency than a local asynchronous FFS solution.