cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examination of the relationships between environmental exposures to volatile organic compounds and biochemical liver tests: application of canonical correlation analysis.

This study was to explore the relationships between personal exposure to ten volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biochemical liver tests with the application of canonical correlation analysis. Data from a subsample of the 1999–2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. Serum albumin, total bilirubin (TB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) served as the outcome variables. Personal exposures to benzene, chloroform, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethene, toluene, trichloroethene, o-xylene, m-, p-xylene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) were assessed through the use of passive exposure monitors worn by study participants. The first two canonical correlations were 0.3218 and 0.2575, suggesting a positive correlation mainly between the six VOCs (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, o-xylene, m-, p-xylene, and MTBE) and the three biochemical liver tests (albumin, ALP, and GGT) and a positive correlation mainly between the two VOCs (1,4-dichlorobenzene and tetrachloroethene) and the two biochemical liver tests (LDH and TB). Subsequent multiple linear regressions show that exposure to benzene, toluene, or MTBE was associated with serum albumin, while exposure to tetrachloroethene was associated with LDH and total bilirubin. In conclusion, exposure to certain VOCs as a group or individually may influence certain biochemical liver test results in the general population.
Introduction of new reinforcement for cementitious materials—Calcia/alumina (CA) fibers formed by the inviscid melt-spinning (IMS) process

Abstract Vitreous calcia-alumina inviscid melt spun (CA IMS) fibers of eutectic composition (46.5 wt% calcia/53.5 wt% alumina) were explored as candidates for reinforcement in portland cement due to their inherent chemical basicity. Composites of Type I portland cement and approximately 14 vol. % of CA IMS fibers were molded into compressive test specimens (1 × 1 × 0.5 in3). Considerable enhancement of compressive strength of the composite (over twice that of the matrix alone) was observed, depending upon the surface condition of the CA IMS fibers and their arrangement. The presence of a carbon sheath on the fibers from the IMS fibers appeared to affect the overall strength of the composite.
Prototype structure of Pb5Ge3O11

Abstract The prototypic structure of the optically active ferroelectric Pb 5 Ge 3 O 11 has been deduced from packing considerations and refined from single-crystal diffractometer data. Interleaving segments of the apatite and nasonite structures in layers perpendicular to c gives the lead germanate structure. The space group of the prototype is P 6 , with a = 10.190, c = 10.624 A, and Z = 3. Atomic coordinates were refined to give an R -factor of 0.093 using 463 X-ray reflections. The structure contains tetrahedral GeO 4 groups and double tetrahedral Ge 2 O 7 groups in equal numbers. Lead is found in both trigonal pyramid and trigonal prism configurations.
Chemoenzymatic iterative synthesis of difficult linkages of oligosaccharides on soluble polymeric supports

[reaction: see text]. A trisaccharide donor containing a cis-Galpalpha(1-->4)Galp linkage was prepared using a synthetic strategy based on chemoenzymatic oligosaccharide synthesis on a soluble polymeric support. Significantly, only retaining glycosyltransferases gave complete reactions, whereas inverting enzymes showed little or no activity with poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG)-bound lactose as an acceptor. The MPEG-attached trisaccharide was shown to bind to Verotoxin-1 by transfer NOE studies through the Galpalpha(1-->4)Galp portion of the molecule.
T time for point centromeres.

The diverse nature of eukaryotic centromere structure has led to a prevailing view that the kinetochore–chromatin interface is fundamentally different in distinct species. Two studies now challenge this dogma with the identification of budding yeast homologues of the vertebrate centromere DNA-binding proteins CENP-T and CENP-W.
Construction of matched verbal and design continuous paired associate tests.

Abstract We developed verbal and figural continuous paired associate tests (CPAT) that are matched on internal consistency and on the distributional properties of mean item difficulty, variance, and skewness. The Verbal CPAT is composed of high frequency nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Selection of the designs was guided by literature on the effects of right-hemisphere damage on memory for designs. One hundred subjects were given 80 items from the verbal CPAT and 80 items from the designs CPAT. Twenty subjects at these five ranges of Wechsler Memory Quotient were evaluated: ≪ 79, 80–89, 90–99, 100–109, ≫ 109. The final 40-item version of the Verbal CPAT had a mean of 26.72, a SD of 7.03, and an α of. 859. The Designs CPAT had a mean of 26.42, a SD of 7.75, and an α of 886. Neither test was significantly skewed. These matched tests should be useful in making inferences about differences between verbal and figural memory that are not confounded with the problem of differential test sensitivity.
Combined modality therapy with TRAIL or agonistic death receptor antibodies

Molecularly targeted therapies, such as antibodies and small molecule inhibitors have emerged as an important breakthrough in the treatment of many human cancers. One targeted therapy under develop...
A comparison of men and women managers' and nonmanagers' perceptions of success

This study examined the importance attached to six dimensions of life success by 756 U.S. managerial and nonmanagerial women and men. Among managers, women attached more importance than did men to personal fulfillment and security. Among nonmanagers, women scored higher than men on the importance of family relationships and personal fulfillment, but lower than men in status/wealth. A comparison of managers and nonmanagers showed differences in only two life success dimensions: status/wealth and professional fulfillment were more important to managerial than to nonmanagerial women. Men respondents at both levels reported no significant differences. Implications are directed to those responsible for organizational reward systems.
Evidence for a Spectroscopic Sequence among Type Ia Supernovae

In this Letter we present evidence for a spectral sequence among Type Ia supernovae (SN Ia's). The sequence is based on the systematic variation of several features seen in the near-maximum light spectrum. This sequence is analogous to the recently noted photometric sequence among SN Ia's which shows a relationship between the peak brightness of a SN Ia and the shape of its light curve. In addition to the observational evidence we present a partial theoretical explanation for the sequence. This has been achieved by producing a series of non-LTE synthetic spectra in which only the effective temperature is varied. The synthetic sequence nicely reproduces most of the differences seen in the observed one and presumably corresponds to the amount of 56Ni produced in the explosion.
Steady state gas absorption with exothermic reaction in a thin liquid film—fast reactions

Complement a un article de Nielsen et Villadsen, ibid., 1983, 38, 1439-1454. On montre qu'il est possible d'avoir une solution algebrique de l'elevation de temperature de la surface du film et de la vitesse d'absorption, pour les grandes valeurs du module de Tbiele (>3), ce qui evite un travail numerique complique
Monomeric complexes of 1,8- bis (isonicotinyloxy)anthracene-9,10-dione

Condensation of two equivalents of isonicotinic acid with 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone forms 1,8-bis(isonicotinyloxy)anthracene-9,10-dione (1), a potential bridging diester ligand. Complexation reactions between 1 and Co(II) and Ni(II) perchlorate hexahydrate salts produce 2 : 1 ligand : metal monomeric complexes. One nicotinic nitrogen is bonded to a metal center while the second ‘free’ isonicotinic nitrogen is hydrogen bonded to water molecules, present from the hydrated salts used in the synthesis, ligated to the same metal center.
An Assessment of the Role of Quenched Randomness in the Stereochemical Sequences of Atactic Vinyl Polymers

The influence of the quenched randomness in the stereochemical sequences of atactic chains on the mean-square unperturbed end-to-end distance, 〈r2〉0, is assessed. The method uses a rotational isomeric state (RIS) model based on virtual bonds between the centers of mass of the C6 rings in polystyrene. This virtual bond model is derived from a conventional RIS model expressed in terms of the C−C bonds in the main chain. The zeroth-approximation virtual bond model, which retains only the most probable conformations of each tetrad, correctly finds 〈r2〉0 ∼ n in the limit as n → ∞ if the probability for a meso diad, pm, is 0 < pm < 1, although the same zeroth-approximation model yields 〈r2〉0 ∼ n2 if pm is either 0 or 1. The values of 〈r2〉0 at intermediate pm are surprisingly close to the ones deduced from a full, C−C bond based RIS model. This achievement of the zeroth-approximation model demonstrates the important role of the quenched randomness of the stereochemical sequences in determining the unperturbed di...
Adaptive identification and model tracking by a flexible spacecraft

A rigid-flexible spacecraft structure subject to bounded uncertainty in structural parameters and payload, with large articulation angles, is modelled by a hybrid multidimensional system with high (untruncated) geometric nonlinearity and Coriolis forces. It is to be controlled adaptively to track a rigid body reference model with desired dynamics. To this aim the system is replaced by a nonlinear adaptive, state and parameter identifier with considerably reduced number of DOF and made exactly integrable, i.e. with solutions in closed form. The technique used is that of nonlinear extension to MRAC introduced by the author a few years ago. The results lie in obtaining feedback signal adaptive controller in analytic form and exactly integrable adaptive laws, both the controller and the laws based on the state information supplied by the identifier, thus robust to uncertainty.
Seizures in children treated for a primary brain tumor: risk factors, evaluation and management

ABSTRACT Seizures may be a presenting symptom of a brain tumor in childhood or can occur as a complication of treatment or subsequent effect occurring years after completion of therapy. Seizures create a number of therapeutic challenges and represent a significant comorbidity that results in decreased quality of life. Treatment options may be limited by interactions with chemotherapy and/or increased susceptibility to side effects. Moreover, seizures in this patient population may be less responsive to the traditional therapies typically effective for nontumor related epilepsy. While the pathophysiology of tumor-related epilepsy remains unclear, advances are being made in our understanding of the possible mechanisms involved. Newer anticonvulsants and improved diagnostic tools with refined surgical techniques show promise for future treatment approaches.
Combining environmental information. II: Environmental epidemiology and toxicology

An increasingly important concern in epidemiological and toxicological studies of environmental exposures is the need to combine information from diverse sources that relate to a common endpoint. This is clearly a statistical activity, but statistical techniques for data combination are still only developmental. Herein, we illustrate some current applications of combining information in environmental epidemiology and toxicology, with emphasis on the burgeoning use of meta-analyses for environmental settings. Our goal is to inform readers about modern statistical techniques useful for combining environmental information, with emphasis on more recently developed approaches.
Glycine Decarboxylation: The Free Radical Mechanism

Radiation chemical methods were used to investigate the reactions of glycine anions, H2NCH2CO2- (Gly-), with •OH, (CH3)2C•OH, and •CH3 radicals. A major and most significant product from all of these processes is CO2. Pulse-radiolysis revealed that the initial step in the •OH-induced mechanism is oxidation of the amino group, producing +H2N•-CH2-CO2- and HN•-CH2-CO2- with yields of 63% and 37%, respectively. The amino radical cation, +H2N•-CH2-CO2-, suffers fast (≤100 ns) fragmentation into CO2 + •CH2NH2. The other primary radical, HN•-CH2-CO2-, can also be converted into the decarboxylating +H2N•-CH2-CO2- by reaction with proton donors such as phosphate (H2PO4-/k = 7.4 × 107 M-1 s-1, and HPO42-/k = 2.5 × 105 M-1 s-1) or the glycine zwitterion, Gly± (k = 3.9 × 105 M-1 s-1), but only on a much longer (typically μs to ms) time scale (k ≈ 4 × 105 M-1 s-1). Competitively, the HN•-CH2-CO2- transforms into a carbon-centered radical H2N-C•H-CO2- either by an intramolecular 1,2-H-atom shift (k = (1.2 ± 1.0) × 103...
The Population of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1636—1736

T he village of Dedham in the colony of Massachusetts Bay was founded by a tiny band of settlers in the year I636. Situated in the northern part of a vast tract of wilderness granted it by the General Court of the colony, the village grew in area and in population throughout the next hundred years. Though only some nine miles from the commercial activity of Boston, it was an agricultural community from the moment of its foundation until well into the nineteenth century.1 In its foundation, growth and economic structure Dedham was typical of the scores of inland villages established by English Puritans in America villages in which lived the great majority of the inhabitants of their 'New England'. Of the nature of the population in this or in any of its companion villages we have virtually no idea. Whether conditions here duplicated conditions in the Old World, we do not know. Growth and agriculture are broad characteristics readily agreed upon by American historians. But these do not exhaust the list of characteristics into which the historian, and in particular the European historian more accustomed to sophisticated local analyses, might wish to inquire. For these reasons an account of the historical demography of the first century of this one village can reveal a great deal. It can reveal not only the population trends of a single village, but also those of this part of America in general as they compare with what is known of similar trends in Europe. Finally, it can expose the problems which confront a scholar who seeks to investigate the demography of early America.
Errata to ‘Transitivity and invariant measures for the geometric model of the Lorenz equations’

All the theorems stated in [2] are true. In particular, theorem B, on the existence of an invariant measure, is true. However, in the proof of theorem B, it is necessary to use the result of G. Keller [1] on the existence of an invariant measure for a C 1+α function. The attempt, in § 4 of this paper, to modify the proof of S. Wong so that it applies to this general case of a C 1+α function, is faulty. These calculations do not overcome the real difficulties involved in the proof and leave major gaps in the estimates needed.
E-commerce interoperability with IBM's WebSphere commerce products

With the growth of the Internet, business-to-business procurement and other processes are being moved to the World Wide Web, for increased efficiency and reach. Procurement systems from different vendors use various protocols, and additional protocols are being defined by several industry consortia. As a consequence, suppliers are faced with the difficult task of supporting a large number of protocols in order to interoperate with various procurement systems and private marketplaces. In this paper, we outline the connectivity requirements for suppliers and private marketplaces, and we describe how suppliers and marketplaces based on IBM's WebSphere® Commerce Business Edition and WebSphere Commerce Suite, Marketplace Edition can interoperate with diverse procurement systems and electronic marketplaces. We first describe simple connectivity based on punchout processes for fixed and contract-based pricing. We then describe how asynchronous processes, such as requests for quote, auctions, and exchanges can be distributed for interoperability across suppliers and marketplaces. Finally, we describe B2B/M2M Protocol Exchange, a prototype we have implemented that maps between different, but analogous, protocols used in procurement systems, and thus alleviates some of the interoperability difficulties.
Intestinal Calcium Absorption in Patients with Hyperthyroidism

Intestinal 47Ca absorption was measured at 2 and 24 h after isotope ingestion in six patients with hyperthyroidism and seven normal subjects. Although 47Ca absorption was not different at 2 h, it was significantly lower (P < 0.01) after 24 h in the patients with hyperthyroidism. Factors related to the effects of thyroid hormone on intestinal function, in addition to abnormalities of vitamin D metabolism, are probably responsible for the defect.
Chemosterilant and insecticidal activity of mixed aflatoxins against Anthonomus grandis (Coleoptera).

Abstract A mixture of the four major aflatoxins at 0.06 ppm in food supplied to adult boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis , was an effective chemosterilant.
Cytoskeletal Cross-linking and Bundling in Motor-Independent Contraction

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells use cytoskeletal proteins to regulate and modify cell shape. During cytokinesis or eukaryotic cell crawling, contractile forces are generated inside the cell to constrict the division site or to haul the rear of the cell forward, respectively. In many cases, these forces have been attributed to the activity of molecular motors, such as myosin II, which, by pulling on actin filaments, can produce contraction of the actin cytoskeleton. However, prokaryotic division is driven by the tubulin-like protein FtsZ and does not seem to require additional molecular motors to constrict the division site. Likewise, Dictyostelium discoideum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae can perform cytokinesis under motor-free conditions. In addition, many crawling cells can translocate when myosin is inhibited or absent. In this review, we point out another force-generation mechanism that can play a significant role in driving these processes in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This mechanism is mediated by cross-linking and bundling proteins that form effective interactions between cytoskeletal filaments. Some recent studies in this area are reviewed and the physical underpinnings of this force-generation mechanism are explained.
The effect of electrolytes on the ultracentrifugal stability of emulsions

Abstract The rate of separation of oil from 50 volume per cent Nujol-50 volume per cent water emulsions stabilized with either 0.2% or 0.4% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the basis of the aqueous phase was determined on ultracentrifugation at 113,200 g over a range of concentrations of sodium chloride from zero to 0.1 M. The oil-water interfacial area of these emulsions and the effect of added salt on the adsorption of SDS at the interface were also determined. At equilibrium concentrations of SDS in the aqueous phase both larger and smaller than the critical micelle concentration (cmc) the rate of separation of oil varies inversely as the logarithm of the total concentration of sodium ion supplied by the added sodium chloride and the SDS. Adsorption of dodecyl sulfate at the oil-water interface increases directly with the logarithm of the total concentration of sodium ion. Both with and without added salt the rate of separation of oil decreases linearly with increasing fractional saturation of the interface with adsorbed dodecyl sulfate, thus indicating that under ultracentrifugal conditions the rate of coalescence is directly proportional to the area of “bare” oil-water interface. The functional dependence of the rate of separation of oil on the concentration of added salt does not appear to be consistent with rate of drainage of water from the emulsion, or rate of sedimentation or diffusion of micellar SDS, as rate-determining steps in the coalescence process under ultracentrifugal conditions.
Architectures for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks

In this paper we justify the need for a common architecture for heterogeneous wireless sensor networks. We briefly review various proposed protocols in sensor networks, aggregate them into different groups, which we classify into different layers of the protocol stack i.e. application, networking, medium access control (MAC) and physical layer hardware. This protocol stack also includes cross-layer entities such as power management and security, because they need to be addressed at all layers of the stack. We introduce the concept of protocol stack tree (PST) that is a subset of protocols in different layers to satisfy a given class of application requirements. For example, a QoS, traffic intensive application and routing protocol would not work well with a MAC layer protocol such as S-MAC, whose primary concern is to save energy. We also propose our own solutions for a set of network layer protocols to be part of the new common sensor network architecture. Our solutions offer a wide and scalable tradeoff space between QoS and energy consumption. Our proposal would lead to flexible protocol stack trees on a compact and robust architecture
VersaCount: customizable manual tally software for cell counting

The manual counting of cells by microscopy is a commonly used technique across biological disciplines. Traditionally, hand tally counters have been used to track event counts. Although this method is adequate, there are a number of inefficiencies which arise when managing large numbers of samples or large sample sizes. We describe software that mimics a traditional multi-register tally counter. Full customizability allows operation on any computer with minimal hardware requirements. The efficiency of counting large numbers of samples and/or large sample sizes is improved through the use of a "multi-count" register that allows single keystrokes to correspond to multiple events. Automatically updated multi-parameter values are implemented as user-specified equations, reducing errors and time required for manual calculations. The user interface was optimized for use with a touch screen and numeric keypad, eliminating the need for a full keyboard and mouse. Our software provides an inexpensive, flexible, and productivity-enhancing alternative to manual hand tally counters.
Impact of sequencing depth in ChIP-seq experiments

In a chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiment, an important consideration in experimental design is the minimum number of sequenced reads required to obtain statistically significant results. We present an extensive evaluation of the impact of sequencing depth on identification of enriched regions for key histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K36me3, H3K27me3 and H3K9me2/me3) using deep-sequenced datasets in human and fly. We propose to define sufficient sequencing depth as the number of reads at which detected enrichment regions increase <1% for an additional million reads. Although the required depth depends on the nature of the mark and the state of the cell in each experiment, we observe that sufficient depth is often reached at <20 million reads for fly. For human, there are no clear saturation points for the examined datasets, but our analysis suggests 40-50 million reads as a practical minimum for most marks. We also devise a mathematical model to estimate the sufficient depth and total genomic coverage of a mark. Lastly, we find that the five algorithms tested do not agree well for broad enrichment profiles, especially at lower depths. Our findings suggest that sufficient sequencing depth and an appropriate peak-calling algorithm are essential for ensuring robustness of conclusions derived from ChIP-seq data.
Delayed intraparenchymal hemorrhage following pipeline embolization device treatment for a giant recanalized ophthalmic aneurysm

The pipeline embolization device has demonstrated clinical success in the management of complex intracranial aneurysms arising along the anterior intracranial circulation with a relatively low complication profile. A case report is presented which describes a novel complication of delayed intraparenchymal hemorrhage following deployment of a pipeline embolization device for the treatment of a previously ruptured partially thrombosed ophthalmic segment aneurysm.
Crime and Punishment Examining Customers’ Responses to Service Organizations’ Penalties

Service organizations often use various types of penalties without fully understanding the effects on customers’ evaluations. Because customers’ responses to penalties are usually negative, it is i...
The Preference for Potential

When people seek to impress others, they often do so by highlighting individual achievements. Despite the intuitive appeal of this strategy, we demonstrate that people often prefer potential rather than achievement when evaluating others. Indeed, compared with references to achievement (e.g., "this person has won an award for his work"), references to potential (e.g., "this person could win an award for his work") appear to stimulate greater interest and processing, which can translate into more favorable reactions. This tendency creates a phenomenon whereby the potential to be good at something can be preferred over actually being good at that very same thing. We document this preference for potential in laboratory and field experiments, using targets ranging from athletes to comedians to graduate school applicants and measures ranging from salary allocations to online ad clicks to admission decisions.
A Retention Model of Man-Made Vitreous Fibers (MMVFs) Inhaled by Rats

ABSTRACT A general model has been developed to describe the deposition and clearance processes of man-made vitreous fibers (MMVFs) in the rat lung at chronic exposure. Fiber removal from the lung by macrophage-mediated mechanical clearance, fiber dissolution, and breakage were considered in the model, and the rates for these mechanisms were determined from the experimental data. It was found that the breakage of long fibers (lf > 20 μm) into short segments and subsequent removal of short segments by macrophages is principally responsible for the fast clearance of long fibers as observed in the experiment. The breakage rate was found to increase with the fiber solubility and decrease with lung burden. An expression for the breakage rate as a function of the fiber in-vitro dissolution rate and lung burden is proposed.
Renal cell carcinoma complicating long-term dialysis: computed tomography-guided aspiration cytology.

Abstract The diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma was established by computed tomography-guided aspiration in two small solid lesions occurring in end-stage kidneys. This represents a safe means of providing more specific information about the various lesions that frequently develop in chronic hemodialysis patients: complex cysts, adenoma, and renal cell carcinoma. The proposed conservative approach of simple observation of these lesions may be altered if a precise diagnosis is obtained. Computed tomography is considered the most reliable imaging modality for evaluation and guided aspiration.
Cooperative Control of Multiple Nonholonomic Mobile Agents

This paper considers two cooperative control problems for nonholonomic mobile agents. In the first problem, we discuss the design of cooperative control laws such that a group of nonholonomic mobile agents cooperatively converges to some stationary point under various communication scenarios. Dynamic control laws for each agent are proposed with the aid of sigma-processes and results from graph theory. In the second problem, we discuss the design of cooperative control laws such that a group of mobile agents converges to and tracks a target point which moves along a desired trajectory under various communication scenarios. By introducing suitable variable transformations, cooperative control laws are proposed. Since communication delay is inevitable in cooperative control, in each of the above cooperative control problems, we analyze the effect of delayed communication on the proposed controllers. As applications of the proposed results, formation control of wheeled mobile robots is discussed. It is shown that our results can be successfully used to solve formation control problem. To show effectiveness of the proposed approach, simulation results are included.
Novel Mathematics-Inspired Algorithms for Self-Adaptive Peer-to-Peer Computing

This paper describes, and evaluates benefits of, a design methodology to translate certain mathematical models into the design of novel, self-adaptive, peer-to-peer (p2p) distributed computing algorithms ("protocols"). This methodology is potentially a good vehicle for translating natural phenomena, representable via mathematical models, into practical p2p protocols. Concretely, our first contribution is a set of techniques to translate certain discrete "sequence equations" rigorously into new p2p protocols called "sequence protocols". Sequence protocols are self-adaptive, scalable, and fault-tolerant, with applicability in p2p settings like grids. A sequence protocol is a set of probabilistic local and message-passing actions for each process. These actions are translated from terms in a set of source sequence equations. Without having each process simulate the source sequence equations, the emergent behavior of a sequence protocol in a p2p system is equivalent to, and predicted by, its source sequence equations. This paper's second contribution is a new self-adaptive grid computing protocol called "HoneyAdapt". HoneyAdapt is derived from sequence equations modeling adaptive bee foraging behavior in nature. HoneyAdapt is intended for grid applications that allow grid clients, at run-time, a choice of algorithms for executing chunks of the application's dataset. HoneyAdapt tells each grid client how to adaptively select at run-time, for each chunk it receives, a "good" algorithm for computing the chunk - this selection is based on continuous feedback from other clients. We present analysis, large-scale simulation results, and deployment results.
Phospholipase and lysophospholipase activity of rat eosinophil leukocytes.

Abstract Previous studies have shown the high lysophospholipase activity of rat eosinophilic leukocytes and used this enzyme to measure the rise in eosinophilic population of peripheral tissues caused by parasitic infections. This report details the methods and results of an investigation showing the presence in the same cells of high phospholipase (PLA) activity. Unfractionated and metrizamide-purified peritoneal eosinophil preparations were assayed using a mixed micelle substrate (6/15 mM lecithin/Triton X-100) at experimentally determined pH (6.4) and ionic strength ( I =0.2) optima: the attendant reaction products included free fatty acids and organic P in a 2/1 molar proportion with a correspondent loss in the initial phospholipid concentration. The organic P fragment was further characterized as GPC (glycerylphosphorylcholine) by quantitative precipitation and acid hydrolysis. Estimates of PLA activity averaged 5 μmol/h /10 6 unfractionated eosinophils and metrizamide-purified eosinophil preparations. Paired tests for PLA and LysoPLA on unfractionated and enriched cell preparations, cytosolic extracts, and chromatographic fractions yielded similar activity ratios, supporting the inference of a close association of the two activities which could also be confirmed for the major tissues of eosinophil production and distribution.
People of the Lakes: Stories of Our Van Tat Gwich’in Elders/Googwandak Nakhwach’ànjòo Van Tat Gwich’in

The name Gwich’in means “people of the land.” The Gwich’in are the northernmost First Nations people, who currently live in small villages extending across vast areas including northeast Alaska, th...
Economic statistical design of adaptive control schemes for monitoring the mean and variance: An application to analyzers

Several individuals control chart schemes are contrasted for the problem of monitoring the mean and variance of a normal process variable, with special consideration given to monitoring process analyzers, such as electrochemical devices, chromatographs, potentiometers, refractometers, and spectrometers. The combination of the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) chart and the Shewhart X chart that uses a variable sampling interval (VSI) policy is shown to be very effective for this problem. We develop a comprehensive economic model for the design of control schemes based on this chart combination. The economic model expresses the long-run cost per time unit of operating the combined VSI EWMA and VSI X chart scheme as a function of its design parameters, the parameters that describe the behavior of the process, and the cost parameters associated with the operation of the scheme. This economic model can be used to quantify the cost reduction that can be achieved by using the combined VSI scheme instead of traditional control schemes that use fixed sampling rates. We show that the reduction in cost as well as gains in performance are substantial.
Trends in Practice Patterns and Perspectives of Colorado Certified Nurse-Midwives

Healthcare resources are stretched perilously thin and the demand for primary healthcare services has never been greater. Despite this demand for service, relatively little is known about the practice environment of primary healthcare providers, particularly certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), where workforce surveys frequently include these specialists within the broader nurse practitioner category. A distinct professional discipline, nurse-midwives are one type of primary care provider recommended to enhance access to services. The objective of this study was to understand the nature of the nurse-midwifery practice environment in the state of Colorado. Online survey of Colorado CNMs (N = 328) found little ethnic/racial diversity and an aging workforce, with most providing care in an urban, hospital/medical center environment. Several key legislative issues were identified though respondents felt ill prepared to engage in legislative change. Overall, CNMs were optimistic about the future of midwifery and were largely satisfied with their practice.
Testing an Intentional Naming Scheme Using Genetic Algorithms

Various attempts have been made to use genetic algorithms (GAs) for software testing, a problem that consumes a large amount of time and effort in software development. We demonstrate the use of GAs in automating testing of complex data structures and methods for manipulating them, which to our knowledge has not been successfully displayed before on non-trivial software structures. We evaluate the effectiveness of our GA-based test suite generation technique by applying it to test the design and implementation of the Intentional Naming System (INS), a new scheme for resource discovery and service location in a dynamic networked environment. Our analysis using GAs reveals serious problems with both the design of INS and its inventors' implementation.
Efficacy of Type 1C Antiarrhythmic Agents for Treatment of Resistant Atrial Fibrillation

In order to determine the efficacy of type 1C agents (flecainide, encainide, propafenone) in patients with atrial fibrillation who have failed to maintain sinus rhythm with type 1A agents (quinidine, procainamide, disopyramide), 147 patients, that were admitted into the John Dempsey Hospital with new or recurrent atrial fibrillation between 1987-1991, were studied retrospectively. Out of the total, 29 patients converted spontaneously to sinus rhythm, 14 patients were left in atrial fibrillation, and 104 patients were given a type 1A antiarrhythmic. Sixty-five of these patients remained in sinus rhythm (54% converted on drug alone, 46% required electrical cardioversion) for at least 6 months. Of the remaining 39 patients, 28 were given a type 1C antiarrhythmic; 13 were successfully converted (61% chemical, 39% electrical) to and remained in sinus rhythm for at least 6 months; the remaining 15 either failed to convert or reverted to atrial fibrillation. New onset atrial fibrillation had a significantly lower incidence of congestive heart failure (10%) than recurrent atrial fibrillation (33%; P < 0.01). No differences in digoxin, beta blocker use, or other clinical characteristics were seen either between type 1A or type 1C successes or failures. Similarly, echocardiographic dimensions did not predict success or failure with either class of agent. In conclusion, type 1C antiarrhythmics for suppression of recurrent atrial fibrillation represent a reasonable therapeutic alternative for suppression of atrial fibrillation in patients who have failed type 1A agents. Prognostic factors predicting success or failure remain undetermined.
Stimulus Encoding and Feature Extraction by Multiple Sensory Neurons

Neighboring cells in topographical sensory maps may transmit similar information to the next higher level of processing. How information transmission by groups of nearby neurons compares with the performance of single cells is a very important question for understanding the functioning of the nervous system. To tackle this problem, we quantified stimulus-encoding and feature extraction performance by pairs of simultaneously recorded electrosensory pyramidal cells in the hindbrain of weakly electric fish. These cells constitute the output neurons of the first central nervous stage of electrosensory processing. Using random amplitude modulations (RAMs) of a mimic of the fish’s own electric field within behaviorally relevant frequency bands, we found that pyramidal cells with overlapping receptive fields exhibit strong stimulus-induced correlations. To quantify the encoding of the RAM time course, we estimated the stimuli from simultaneously recorded spike trains and found significant improvements over single spike trains. The quality of stimulus reconstruction, however, was still inferior to the one measured for single primary sensory afferents. In an analysis of feature extraction, we found that spikes of pyramidal cell pairs coinciding within a time window of a few milliseconds performed significantly better at detecting upstrokes and downstrokes of the stimulus compared with isolated spikes and even spike bursts of single cells. Coincident spikes can thus be considered “distributed bursts.” Our results suggest that stimulus encoding by primary sensory afferents is transformed into feature extraction at the next processing stage. There, stimulus-induced coincident activity can improve the extraction of behaviorally relevant features from the stimulus.
Restoration of a defective Lactococcus lactis xylose isomerase.

ABSTRACT The genes (xylA) encoding xylose isomerase (XI) from two Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains, 210 (Xyl−) and IO-1 (Xyl+), were cloned, and the activities of their expressed proteins in recombinant strains of Escherichia coli were investigated. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence homologies between the xylA genes were 98.4 and 98.6%, respectively, and only six amino acid residues differed between the two XIs. The purified IO-1 XI was soluble with Km and kcat being 2.25 mM and 184/s, respectively, while the 210 XI was insoluble and inactive. Site-directed mutagenesis on 210 xylA showed that a triple mutant possessing R202M/Y218D/V275A mutations regained XI activity and was soluble. The Km and kcat of this mutant were 4.15 mM and 141/s, respectively. One of the IO-1 XI mutants, S388T, was insoluble and showed negligible activity similar to that of 210 XI. The introduction of a K407E mutation to the IO-1 S388T XI mutant restored its activity and solubility. The dissolution of XI activity in L. lactis subsp. lactis involves a series of mutations that collectively eliminate enzyme activity by reducing the solubility of the enzyme.
Static forces and torques in mechanisms with plane joints, with application to the Tracta coupling

AbstractThe force and torque components acting on revolute and plane joints are partitioned in a novel way so that the equations of static equilibrium can be written in a standard form, applicable to a single-loop mechanism with any number of links and any kinds of joints, with particular attention given to the plane joint which consists of two flat surfaces held in contact to permit one rotational and two translational degrees of freedom. The analysis utilizes the 3 × 3 dual-number coordinate-transformation matrix to model joints and links and expresses force and torque as a two-component dual force, which formulates the results in a compact form amenable for object-oriented programming to calculate the static loads. Particular attention is given to the Tracta coupling, an RRERR mechanism (rotation-rotation-plane-rotation-rotation joints) which has been used as a constant-velocity shaft coupling and features a plane joint. The formulation allows force and torque components to be expressed so to correspon...
What Can Vampires Teach Us about Immunology

Speculative fiction examines the leading edge of science and can be used to introduce ideas into the classroom. For example, most students are already familiar with the fictional infectious diseases responsible for vampire and zombie outbreaks. The disease dynamics of these imaginary ailments follow the same rules we see for real diseases and can be used to remind students that they already understand the basic rules of disease ecology and immunology. By engaging writers of this sort of fiction in an effort to solve problems in immunology we may be able to perform a directed evolution experiment where we follow the evolution of plots rather than genetic traits.
Host and distributional records for the tick Amblyomma inornatum (Banks) (Acarina: Ixodidae), with descriptions of the immature stages.

New host and locality records for adult Amblyomma inornatum are given and published records reviewed. The previously unknown larval and nymphal stages are described. Immature ticks of this species were recovered in Cameron County, Texas, during the period of May 1960 to August 1964 from the Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon hispidus ; Mexican Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus mexicanus ; Roadrunnner, Geococcyx californianus ; Curve-billed Thrasher, Toxostoma curvirostre ; and Ninebanded Armadillo, Dasypus Novemcinctus . Breeding occurred throughout the year.
Determination of Anions in Cooling Tower Wastewater from Coal Gasification by Ion Chromatography

La chromatographie ionique permet le dosage simultane de plusieurs anions en quelques minutes alors que les methodes chimiques par voie humide demandent des heures
Menus and motives.

A psychologist who has had an opportunity to work with dietitians and their helpers comments on some of the basic problems in interpersonal relations in dietetics.
Methods used for detection and recovery of Escherichia coli O157:H7 associated with a food-borne disease outbreak

The current Food Safety and Inspection Service method for detection and recovery of Escherichia coli O157 :H7, (including modified EC broth with novobiocin (mEC+n) and a direct blot ELISA), was used to analyze beef and environmental samples during an investigation of a food-borne disease outbreak attributed to consumption of undercooked hamburger patties. Double-modified trypticase soy broth (dmTSB) and a commercially available dipstick immunoassay were also used to improve detection/recovery of E. coli O157 :H7. A total of 1,115 beef and environmental samples was screened with the direct blot ELISA and the dipstick immunoassay ; 178 presumptive-positive samples (by either or both of the screening methods) were subjected to recovery/isolation procedures. Toxigenic E. coli O157 :H7 was recovered from 45 samples : 40 hamburger-patty samples produced on the epidemiologically identified date, 3 hamburger-patty samples produced on another date, and 2 beef briskets. The organism was not recovered from environmental samples. Limited quantitative analyses indicated that contaminated hamburger patties contained fewer than 4.3 CFU of E. coli 0157 :H7 per g. Atypical, toxigenic ornithine decarboxylase-negative E. coli O157 :H7 and nontoxigenic sorbitol-positive E. coli O157 :H29 were also recovered. Both enrichment broths gave strong positive reactions with the two immunoassay screening methods, but E. coli O157 :H7 was recovered more often from mEC+n broth than from dmTSB. Both screening methods gave positive results for 44 of the 45 beef samples found to contain E. coli O157 :H7. False-positive results were frequently observed with both screening methods.
A Symmetry Interpretation of Thermodynamics

An interpretation of the conceptual basis of thermodynamics is advanced. This interpretation is meant to identify the essential origins of thermodynamics, to clarify its character, and to indicate the plausible directions of its potential generalisations. It is suggested that thermodynamics can be viewed as the study of those properties of macroscopic matter which follow from the symmetry properties of physical laws, mediated through the statistics of large systems.
Abstract 5125: Immunomodulatory activity of bitter melon extract in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer and leading cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. Despite the advancement in treatment procedures the overall survival rate of patients has not considerably enhanced in the past few decades. Therefore, new strategies to achieve a favorable response for the improvement in the prognosis of HNSCC are urgently needed. In this study we examined the immune modulatory activity of bitter melon extract (BME) in HNSCC tumor microenvironment. For this, mouse head and neck cancer (SCCVII) cells were subcutaneously injected into the flanks of C3H mice. BME was fed orally, and tumor growth was evaluated. We observed that BME treatment significantly inhibits the tumor growth in BME fed mice as compared to control group. Flow cytometry data showed that BME treatment not only decreases the infiltrating T regulatory (Treg) cells in the tumor but also in splenocytes. Additionally, BME treatment reduces Th17 cell population in the tumor and augments in the spleen. However, BME treatment did not alter Th1 and Th2 populations. Further study suggested that BME inhibits cell proliferation as evident from low expression of PCNA and c-Myc in the tumors of BME fed mice as compared to that of control group. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing BME exerts immunomodulatory effect in regressing HNSCC tumor growth in preclinical model. Citation Format: Sourav Bhattacharya, Robert Steele, Naoshad Muhammad, Guangyong Peng, Ratna B. Ray. Immunomodulatory activity of bitter melon extract in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 5125.
Evaluation of apramycin activity against carbapenem-resistant and -susceptible strains of Enterobacteriaceae

We evaluated activity of apramycin, a non-ototoxic/non-nephrotoxic aminocyclitol against 141 clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates, 51% of which were non-susceptible to carbapenems (CRE). Among CRE, 70.8% were apramycin susceptible, which compared favorably to aminoglycosides in current clinical use. Our data suggest that apramycin deserves further investigation as a repurposed, anti-CRE therapeutic.