cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Butyltin compounds in river otters (Lutra canadensis) from the northwestern United States.

Butyltin compounds, including mono-, di-, and tributyltin (MBT, DBT, and TBT) were measured in livers of 40 adult river otters (Lutra canadensis) collected from rivers and coastal bays in Washington and Oregon, USA. Butyltins were found in all the river otters, at a concentration range of 8.5–2,610 ng/g, WW. The greatest concentration of total butyltins of 2,610 ng/g, WW, was found in a river otter collected in Puget Sound from Fort Ward, Washington. River otters collected near areas with major shipping activities, such as the Puget Sound, contained significantly greater concentrations (geometric mean: 367 ng/g, WW) of butyltins than those from rivers. Among butyltin compounds, MBT and DBT predominated in livers. The concentrations of butyltins in river otters ranged from comparable (Puget Sound) to less (rivers) than what was found in coastal cetaceans.
Second-Order Vertical Diffraction Forces on Truncated Cylinders

A number of parametric studies were performed on a series of single, truncated cylinders in deep water using second-order potential theory. The cylinders were subjected to a monochromatic incident wave field. Second-order vertical diffraction force components were computed and plotted to illustrate their variation with cylinder aspect ratio and incident wave frequency. These plots make it possible to obtain rough estimates of vertical second-order diffraction force quantities on cylindrical components without having to perform second-order diffraction theory computations. The double-frequency heave response amplitude operator RAO(2) for a freely floating truncated cylinder is presented as a function of cylinder aspect ratio and incident wave frequency. Calculations of the RAO(2) were made using the total double-frequency diffraction force and the first-order radiation coefficients evaluated at the double-frequency.
Binding of the cationic fluorophore Auramine-0 to neutral and charged poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) in water

The cationic fluorophore Auramine-0 strongly interacts with poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6), a polymer which in water behaves as a typical polysoap. The intrinsic binding constant at 25°C was found to be 2.2 × 104 M−1. The binding can be modified by adding crown ether-complexable cations such as K+ or Cs+. Complexation converts the neutral polycrown ether into a polycation causing repulsion of the cationic fluorophore and a decrease in the observed fluorescence. There is some indication that the cation of the dye specifically interacts with a crown ligand.
Knowledge-based systems for power management

NASA-Marshall's Electrical Power Branch has undertaken the development of expert systems in support of further advancements in electrical power system automation. Attention is given to the features (1) of the Fault Recovery and Management Expert System, (2) a resource scheduler or Master of Automated Expert Scheduling Through Resource Orchestration, and (3) an adaptive load-priority manager, or Load Priority List Management System. The characteristics of an advisory battery manager for the Hubble Space Telescope, designated the 'nickel-hydrogen expert system', are also noted.
A technique for displaying the entire nerve branching pattern of a whole muscle: Results in 10 canine posterior cricoarytenoid muscles

There is anatomical and histological evidence for three functionally distinct muscle bellies in the canine posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscle. This study attempted to define the exact nerve branching pattern to each muscle belly in 10 dogs using a modification of Sihler's neural staining technique. The results are presented here as photographs and schematic nerve maps which illustrate the following points. 1. the final terminal branches within the PCA do correspond to the three bellies of the PCA; 2. the initial nerve branch to the PCA is usually composed of multiple fascicles which rearrange before their final branching to the three bellies
Variability in interventions with pulmonary artery catheter data

To determine if intensivists given PAC data from critically ill patients make uniform management choices. Cross-sectional survey of board-certified intensivists. Medical intensive care unit. Board-certified intensivists who are members of the American College of Chest Physicians and Society of Critical Care Medicine. A survey questionnaire containing three medical intensive care clinical vignettes was mailed to critical care physicians. Each vignette contained PAC data and one-half of the surveys contained echocardiographic (Echo) information. Every respondent was asked to select one of six interventions for each vignette. There were 126 evaluable surveys returned. In vignette 1 an intervention (none of the above) was selected by more than 50% of respondents. In vignettes 2 and 3, the most frequent selection was chosen only 44 and 37% of the times, respectively. There was a significant difference in the distribution of management choices between the Echo and the non-Echo subgroups. There is significant heterogeneity in selecting an intervention based on PAC data among intensivists. The presence of Echo information may change the intervention selected but does not reduce heterogeneity. Any randomized trial evaluating efficacy of PACs will have to have strict treatment protocols.
Serological immune responses to influenza vaccine in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background The immune responses to influenza vaccination in patients with colorectal cancer on surveillance or active chemotherapy have not been previously reported. We conducted a prospective influenza vaccination study to determine the serological immune response rate in patients with colorectal cancer.
From Diving Boards to Pole Vaults: Gendered Athlete Portrayals in the “Big Four” Sports at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics

Analysis of 70 prime-time hours of host and reporter commentary in NBC's 2004 Athens Summer Olympic telecast was undertaken to determine if announcer commentary in the sports of gymnastics, track and field, swimming, and diving each contained gender biases. Results indicated that gymnastics was the most gender-marked of the four major Olympic sports, with men and women athletes being covered in starkly different ways. NBC's diving coverage also was found to contain differential treatment of men and women athletes, while track and field and swimming yielded far fewer gender differences within NBC announcer dialogue. As such, events with subjective assessment (judges) appear to contain more gender biases than sports with objective assessments (speed and distance). Given that gendered assessments occur within everyday interpersonal, organizational, and group interactions, this finding regarding media attributions of gendered performance suggests significant ramifications for gender and assessment within comm...
Kinetics of hydrogen desorption from Si(100) and Si(111) surfaces following chemisorption of disilane and trisilane

Abstract The kinetics of hydrogen desorption from Si(100) and Si(111) surfaces during epitaxial silicon thin film growth from disilane and trisilane was investigated using differential surface reflectance. For both source molecules, first-order hydrogen desorption was observed from Si(100), and an intermediate reaction order was found on Si(111).
The effect of cationic surfactant films on the electrochemical oxidation of inorganic anions

Abstract Arsenite, sulfide, iodide, thiosulfate and bromide, which gave no anodic voltammetric curves on platinum electrodes in 2 M NaOH, were observed to give anodic curves when Hyamine 2389 (predominantly methyldodecylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride) was added to the solution because an oxidized film of surfactant was formed on the platinum, excluding water from the electrode surface. The film was indicated to be formed by adsorption of the anions accompanied by ion pairing of the quaternary salt. It was postulated that the surfactant oxidation proceeded through the phenyl group forming a less labile film, probably by cross-linking. The film was made still less labile by addition of ammonia. Iodide oxidation produced iodate. It was concluded that oxidation of iodide proceeded by anodic oxidation of Hyamine in two steps followed by chemical oxidation of the iodide. Increasing the concentration of Hyamine causes an alternating increase and decrease in the height of the iodide anodic current peak. It was concluded that as a monolayer film with the non-polar end exposed to solution was formed, the current increased reaching a maximum on completion of the monolayer; the current then decreased as the second layer covered the first exposing the polar end to solution. This alternation was shown to repeat through the fifth layer.
BDES: A bridge design expert system

The expert system described here designs superstructures for small to medium span highway bridges. The system addresses a domain within the engineering design consultation paradigm. It is installed in a personal microcomputer environment. This paper examines the nature of the bridge design domain as practiced in the United States and its suitability for expert system application. The architecture, the context structure, the knowledge base, the control module, and the implementation of the expert system are presented.
The politics of urban informality in Philadelphia's recovery house movement.

There are some 60 000 vacant properties in the city of Philadelphia, 30 000 of which are abandoned row houses. In the neighbourhood of Kensington, street-level entrepreneurs have reconfigured hundr...
Sequences of cDNAs encoding calmodulin, and partial structures of calmodulin kinase, and a calcium channel of kdr-resistant and -susceptible German cockroaches, Blattella germanica

Complementary DNA sequences of genes encoding calmodulin, partial structures of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) and an L-type-like calcium channel al subunit (IVS5-IVS6-EF hand region) were identified and compared between susceptible and kdr strains of German cockroach, Blattella germanica. For this purpose, polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were used to obtain their sequences using cDNA from poly(A) + RNA isolated from their heads and thoraces. No mutation differences were found in all three sequences of calcium-regulating proteins between susceptible and strain. Northern blot analysis, however, showed reduced expressions of CaM-kinase II mRNA in two kdr strains. Western blot analysis with an antibody preparation against CaM-kinase II on protein levels confirmed the above strain difference in the titer of this enzyme. In contrast, the levels of calmodulin as well as that of an L-type-like calcium channel gene expression were not different between susceptible and kdr strains.
Using medical objects: their structure, transmission, storage and usage

The medical community has traditionally utilized a common set of materials for diagnosis, documentation, and communicating about patients. These materials tend to be independently created, separately analyzed, but are used by medical personnel as an integrated set to deal with a particular patient. Included in such materials are patient history, problem symptoms, diagnostic imaging (X-Rays, MRI, PET, bone scans), patient logs, hospital specialist analysis, and consulting physician conclusions, treatments and results. Further records, such as hospital equipment used, drugs and materials used, facilities and personnel used, are all elements to be itemized and bills, insurance records, and forms are required for payment. Each of these medical elements can be created and captured as a separate object instance which can then be arrayed in a hierarchy in direct association with a particular patient.The advantage of employing objects to represent, display, store and transmit medical information is that objects encapsulate into a single entity all the elements required to use this medical information. An object contains the required data whether it be a document or an image. The object also contains information about the document such as who created it, who is authorized to use it, how big it is, and what special formats or data types are used. The most powerful thing about an object is that the program or method which operates against the data or document is encapsulated within the object along with the data to be processed. Therefore one need not acquire and run a special program to process the object since the required program is enclosed in the object. Finally, a messaging program is enclosed in the object as well to send messages to other objects if their assistance is required. Thus an object is a self contained entity. A physician, researcher, technician, or nurse can retrieve an object and merely execute it. One need not load a program, then download data, and finally run the program against the data. The data and the program are encapsulated as a unit and executed as a unit. One retrieves the object and executes it. For further references on objects, there is Grady Booch's Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Benjamin Cummings, 1994, and Won Kim's Introduction to Object Oriented Databases, MIT Press, 1990.
Academic missions of division chiefs in pediatric departments. I. The division chief as an administrator.

Division leaders in academic medicine today must have many of the preferred requirements for chief executive officers of large corporations. As academic departments struggle to compete in an increasingly competitive world business climate, many leaders in America are turning to words of wisdom from coaches, some of our most exalted leaders, who truly understand competition.1A stimulating article in theArchives of Internal Medicine, entitled "Triple Threat or Double Fake,"2documents the current difficulty in making individuals or divisions "triple threaters" in efforts to develop excellence in education, teaching, or research, the three missions in academic medicine. Vince Lombardi1offered outstanding advice for our young academic leaders when he stated that "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." This message has particular merit for academic section leaders. Since medical schools and departments depend
Organizational structure and logistics service innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how organizational structural factors (namely decentralization, formalization, and specialization) influence a firm's logistics service innovation capability and firm performance.Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model is proposed combining the Strategy‐Structure‐Performance framework and the Resource‐Based View of the firm. Empirical survey data were collected in the Chinese electronics manufacturing industry, and structural equation modeling is performed to assess measures and test the hypothesized relationships.Findings – In the current research context, both decentralization and formalization were found to be positively related to a firm's logistics service innovation capability, although the formalization was originally proposed to have negative impact on logistics service innovation capability. However, specialization was not a significant predictor according to our results. A positive relationship between logistics service innovation capabi...
Burn severity mapping in Australia 2009

In 2009, the Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment estimated approximately 430,000 hectares of Victoria Australia were burned by numerous bushfires. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams from the United States were deployed to Victoria to assist local fire managers. The U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (USGS/EROS) and U.S. Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (USFS/RSAC) aided the support effort by providing satellite-derived "soil burn severity " maps for over 280,000 burned hectares. In the United States, BAER teams are assembled to make rapid assessments of burned lands to identify potential hazards to public health and property. An early step in the assessment process is the creation of a soil burn severity map used to identify hazard areas and prioritize treatment locations. These maps are developed primarily using Landsat satellite imagery and the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) algorithm.
Pollen dispersal in Yucca filamentosa (Agavaceae): the paradox of self-pollination behavior by Tegeticula yuccasella (Prodoxidae)

We investigated pollen dispersal in an obligate pollination mutualism between Yucca filamentosaand Tegeticula yuccasella. Yucca moths are the only documented pollinator of yuccas, and moth larvae feed solely on developing yucca seeds. The quality of pollination by a female moth affects larval survival because flowers receiving small amounts of pollen or self-pollen have a high abscission probability, and larvae die in abscised flowers. We tested the prediction that yucca moths primarily perform outcross pollinations by using fluorescent dye to track pollen dispersal in five populations of Y. filamentosa. Dye transfers within plants were common in all populations (mean 6 1 SE, 55 6 3.0%), indicating that moths frequently deposit self-pollen. Distance of dye transfers ranged from 0 to 50 m, and the mean number of flowering plants between the pollen donor and recipient was 5 (median 5 0), suggesting that most pollen was transferred among near neighbors. A multilocus genetic estimate of outcrossing based on seedlings matured from open-pollinated fruits at one site was 94 6 6% (mean 6 1 SD). We discuss why moths frequently deposit self-pollen to the detriment of their offspring and compare the yucca‐yucca moth interaction with other obligate pollinator mutualisms in which neither pollinator nor plant benefit from self-pollination.
Effect of female sex hormone supplementation and withdrawal on gastrointestinal and colonic transit in postmenopausal women.

Abstract Females are disproportionately affected by constipation, which is often aggravated during pregnancy. Bowel function also changes during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The aim was to compare the effects of acute administration of female sex steroids on gastric emptying, small bowel transit and colonic transit in healthy postmenopausal subjects. A second aim was to determine whether withdrawal of the hormones was associated with a change in transit. Forty-nine postmenopausal females were randomized to receive for 7 days 400 mg day−1 micronized progesterone, 0.2 mg day−1 oestradiol, combination of the two, or placebo. Treatment groups were balanced on age. Participants underwent whole gut transit measurement by scintigraphy using a 99m-labeled technetium-egg meal and 111-labeled indium-charcoal via a delayed-release capsule. Transit measurement was repeated after withdrawal of the study medications. The primary endpoints were ascending colon (AC) emptying half-life time (t1/2) and colonic geometric centre (GC) at 24 h. Secondary analysis variables were GC at 4 and 48 h, gastric emptying t1/2 and colonic filling at 6 h. There was a significant overall effect of progesterone on colonic transit with shorter AC emptying t1/2 and significantly greater colonic GC at 48 h. No transit endpoints were altered by oestradiol or combined hormonal treatment relative to placebo. Oestradiol and progesterone resulted in looser stool consistency. Withdrawal of the hormone supplement was not associated with significant alteration in transit. Micronized progesterone does not retard colonic transit in postmenopausal females.
NMR Measurements On Western Gas Sands Core

Proton longitudinal relaxation (T/sub 1/) measurements have been made on several Western Gas Sands core samples. These water-saturated specimens show a distributed relaxation time reflecting the distribution of pore sizes in the sandstone matrix. Mercury porosimeter determinations of the pore-size distributions correlate well with the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurements, and in addition show a correlation between bulk porosity and pore size. The NMR signal strength is shown to be related to porosity and water saturation, in all but one case.
On the structure of the hypothalamic luteinizing releasing hormone. Evidence for the presence of arginine, tyrosine, and tryptophan by inactivation.

Abstract Structural data on bovine and porcine luteinizing releasing hormone (LRH) of the hypothalamus were obtained by chemical and enzymic inactivations and bioassays. Trypsin and phenylglyoxal inactivated bovine LRH indicating an Arg moiety. Tyrosinase and tetranitromethane inactivated bovine LRH indicating a Tyr moiety. N-Ethylmaleimide and Raney nickel did not inactivate bovine LRH indicating the absence of -SH and S, respectively. 2-Hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide and its dimethyl sulfonium salt inactivated bovine and porcine LRH indicating a Trp moiety in contrast to previous negative data for Trp. LRH now appears to be a decapeptide rather than a nonapeptide as reported by others.
Sonography of the brain in infants: role in evaluating neurologic abnormalities

Three primary imaging techniques are currently available for evaluating CNS disease in the infant: sonography, CT, and MR imaging. No one technique is optimal in all situations. An integrated approach may be the most appropriate and cost-effective. Sonography plays a role in screening for and following up intracranial hemorrhage in premature infants, in diagnosing congenital malformations of the brain, and in the initial diagnosis and follow-up of infants with hydrocephalus. Sonography can be used to diagnose periventricular leukomalacia and hypoxic/ischemic injury, but it is relatively insensitive in the acute phase. Doppler sonography plays a role in determining if a structure is vascular, such as vein of Galen aneurysm, and in assessing embolization of a vascular malformation. Doppler sonography also can be used at the bedside to diagnose suspected thrombosis of intracranial vessels. The purpose of this essay is to review the role of sonography in the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of these conditions.
Intestinal mucosal disaccharidases in chronic pancreatitis.

Intestinal mucosal disaccharidase activity was measured in a group of patients with chronic pancreatitis and in a control group. A significant increase in activities of sucrase and maltase was found in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Since these patients also had mild carbohydrate intolerance, patients with diabetes mellitus were also studied to rule out the possibility that diabetes rather than the pancreatic disease accounted for our results; the diabetic patients had normal disaccharidase activity. Since nearly all of our patients had pancreatic insufficiency, we suggest that a decrease in intraluminal concentration of pancreatic enzymes may lead to a lessened rate of sucrase and maltase degradation in patients with chronic pancreatitis, allowing these enzymes to accumulate in the brush border membrane.
Adolescent Drug Use and Delinquency: A Research Note

(1979). Adolescent Drug Use and Delinquency: A Research Note. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 313-316.
The Soul at Work: From Alienation to Autonomy

Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi (2009) The Soul at Work: From Alienation to Autonomy, trans.Francesca Cadel and Giuseppina Mecchia;preface by Jason Smith (Los Angeles Semiotext(e)), ISBN 1584350768, ISBN-13 ...
Consistent cytogenetic aberrations in hepatoblastoma: A common pathway of genetic alterations in embryonal liver and skeletal muscle malignancies?

Cytogenetic analyses of four consecutive hepatobiastomas revealed near-diploid stemline karyotypes with relatively simple chromosome aberrations. Cytogenetic abnormalities shared by each tumor included trisomy for all of part of chromosome 2 and trisomy for chromosome 20. In two cases, partial trisomy for chromosome 2 resulted from direct duplication of long arm material with the shortest region of overlap being 2q23-2q35. In one tumor, each metaphase also contained a variable number of double minute chromosomes found not to derive from NMYC amplification. Interestingly, trisomy for 2q and trisomy 20 are also characteristic events in pediatric embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas. Furthermore, others have reported loss of heterozygosity for the short arm of chromosome 11 in both hepatoblastoma and childhood embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, and both these malignant diseases are associated with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. These cytogenetic and molecular findings suggest a parallel pathway of genetic steps in the initiation and/or progression of tumors of embryonal liver and skeletal muscle.
Adolescent Depression and Future Smoking Behavior: A Prospective Study

The aim of the study was to examine the associations between depressive symptoms and smoking, concurrently and prospectively, in adolescents in America, the evaluation of depressive symptoms according to different group’s smoking status, and the assessed associations between concurrent depressive level and success in smoking cessation. The participants were 2,735 boys and 2,890 girls from the Add Health data set. The prospective analysis indicated that participants with higher depressive symptoms in Wave I were more likely to start smoking and become regular smokers in Wave II. Moreover, regression analysis found that depressive symptoms in both Waves I and II predicted current smoking status. Findings are discussed within the context of the empirical and theoretical review and implications for social work practice are considered.
Liquid Hydrocarbon Detonation Branching in a Pulse Detonation Engine

Abstract : Pulse detonation engines operate on a fill-detonate-exhaust cycle with thrust directly proportional to the cycle frequency. That is, a decrease in cycle time results in increased thrust. This paper shows that the detonate portion of the cycle can he shortened by using a branched detonation as the ignition source as opposed to a spark plug type of ignition. The combustion energy from a branched detonation allows ignition and deflagration-to-detonation transition to occur more quickly, shortening overall cycle time. Further, while detonation branching has been previously accomplished using gaseous hydrogen fuel, this paper reports the first application of detonation branching using liquid hydrocarbon fuel. For this application, a pressurized heating system was designed to vaporize the fuel and mix it with an airstream to stoichiometric conditions.
Performance recovery under output feedback for input nonaffine nonlinear systems

In this paper we propose a new method for the design of an output feedback controller for a minimum-phase, uncertain, input-nonaffine, nonlinear system. By combining dynamic inversion control together with extended high-gain observer, our output feedback controller is able to bring the trajectories of the closed-loop system arbitrarily close to that of a given target system. Stability analysis of the closed-loop system is presented along with simulation results of trajectory tracking.
Predicting Understory Species Richness from Stand and Management Characteristics Using Regression Trees

Managing forests for multiple ecosystem services such as timber, carbon, and biodiversity requires information on ecosystem structure and management characteristics. National forest inventory data are increasingly being used to quantify ecosystem services, but they mostly provide timber management and overstory data, while data on understory shrub and herbaceous diversity are limited. We obtained species richness and stand management data from relevant literature to develop a regression tree model that can be used to predict understory species richness from forest inventory data. Our model explained 57% of the variation in herbaceous species richness in the coastal plain pine forests of the southeastern USA. Results were verified using field data, and important predictors of herbaceous richness included stand age, forest type, time since fire, and time since herbicide-fertilizer application. This approach can make use of available forest inventories to rapidly and cost-effectively estimate understory species richness for subtropical pine forests.
Generalized Computational Time Correlation Function Approach: Quantifying Quadrupole Contributions to Vibrationally Resonant Second-Order Interface-Specific Optical Spectroscopies†

Second-order optical measurements are interface specific (vanishing in isotropic media) in the dipole approximation. Given this approximation, there has been debate, and it is of much interest, to determine the quantitative contribution of bulk media to the second-order optical spectra. Simple estimates and extant experiments have clearly demonstrated that quadrupole contributions can be on the order of dipole contributions for some liquids. However, no definitive set of criteria exists to determine when this will be the case. To this end, a computationally tractable time correlation function formalism is developed that goes beyond the dipole approximation, accounting for dipole, dipole−quadrupole, and pure quadrupole contributions. This theory generalizes an earlier description by both avoiding the rotating wave approximation and including higher order quadrupole contributions. It is, therefore, capable of also describing sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) spectra at low and intermediate frequ...
Dental caries in the Syrian hamster. IX.

Abstract Streptomycin-resistant streptococci were developed from parent cariogenic strains isolated from a carious lesion in a hamster. These so-called “labelled” streptoccci are also cariogenic and are readily recovered and identified on selective culture media containing streptomycin, but they induce caries considerably more slowly than the parent strains or natural infection. To enhance caries activity and still have the advantages of labelled cariogenic organisms, attempts were made to implant a streptomycin resistant mutant strain (HSR-6) into the mouths of hamsters which harboured other cariogenic organisms. Recoveries, however, were only sporadically successful. This result has been attributed, at least in part, to competition between closely related strains for establishment within the oral microbial ecology. Yet, in a few cases the streptomycin-resistant mutant strain successfully established itself in association with other cariogenic forms, and several females which maintained the labelled streptococci passed them to succeeding generations. In addition this report shows again that caries can be induced in albino hamsters by the inoculation of pure cultures of certain streptococci, or by a flora passed from dam to offspring, or by direct transmission from cage mates. Many caries assays require not only a study of the activity of the disease but also a method for assessing associated microbiological conditions. These studies point the way toward more refined microbic evaluations in conventionally maintained laboratory animals.
cMYC Expression in Infiltrating Gliomas: Associations with IDH1 Mutations, Clinicopathologic Features and Outcome

Gliomas are among the most frequent adult primary brain tumors. Mutations in IDH1, a metabolic enzyme, strongly correlate with secondary glioblastomas and increased survival. cMYC is an oncogene also implicated in aberrant metabolism, but its prognostic impact remains unclear. Recent genotyping studies also showed SNP variants near the cMYC gene locus, associate with an increased risk for development of IDH1/2 mutant gliomas suggesting a possible interaction between cMYC and IDH1. We evaluated nuclear cMYC protein levels and IDH1 (R132H) by immunohistochemistry in patients with oligodendroglioma/oligoastrocytomas (n = 20), astrocytomas (grade II) (n = 19), anaplastic astrocytomas (n = 21) or glioblastomas (n = 111). Of 158 tumors with sufficient tissue, 110 (70 %) showed nuclear cMYC immunopositivity—most frequent (95 %, χ2 p = 0.0248) and intense (mean 1.33, ANOVA p = 0.0179) in anaplastic astrocytomas versus glioblastomas (63 %) or low grade gliomas (74 %). cMYC expression associated with younger age as well as p53 immunopositivity (OR = 3.6, p = 0.0332) and mutant IDH1 (R132H) (OR = 7.4, p = 0.06) among malignant gliomas in our cohort. Independent analysis of the publically available TCGA glioblastoma dataset confirmed our strong association between cMYC and mutant IDH1 expression. Both IDH1 (R132H) and cMYC protein expression were associated with improved overall survival by univariate analysis. However, cMYC co-expression associated with shortened time to malignant transformation and overall survival among IDH1 (R132H) mutants in both univariate and multivariate analyses. In summary, our findings suggest that cMYC may be associated with a unique clinicopathologic and biologic group of infiltrating gliomas and help mediate the malignant transformation of IDH1 mutant gliomas.
Comment on: Safety and Efficacy of a Fish-Oil-Based Fat Emulsion in the Treatment of Parenteral Nutrition-Associated Liver Disease

Background: Parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease can be a progressive and fatal entity in children with short-bowel syndrome. Soybean-fat emulsions provided as part of standard parenteral nutrition may contribute to its pathophysiology. Methods: The authors compared safety and efficacy outcomes of a fish-oil-based fat emulsion in 18 infants with short-bowel syndrome who developed cholestasis (serum direct bilirubin level of >2 mg/dL) while receiving soybean emulsions with those from a historical cohort of 21 infants with short-bowel syndrome who also developed cholestasis while receiving soybean emulsions. The primary end point was time to reversal of cholestasis (3 consecutive measurements of serum direct bilirubin level of >2 mg/dL). Results: Among survivors, the median time to reversal of cholestasis was 9.4 and 44.1 weeks in the fish-oil and historical cohorts, respectively. Subjects who received fish-oil-based emulsion experienced reversal of cholestasis 4.8 times faster than those who recei...
Reactivation of alkylphosphate inhibited acetylcholinesterase by bis quaternary derivatives of 2-PAM and 4-PAM

Abstract Symmetrical and unsymmetrical bis-quaternary derivatives of 2-PAM and 4-PAM were synthesized and studied as reactivators in vitro of acetylcholinesterase inhibited by TEPP and DFP. Certain of the 2-PAM-derivatives and all of the 4-PAM-derivatives were far superior to the parent compound in the sense of producing reactivations at lower concentrations. Despite the fact that 2-PAM is much more active than 4-PAM, the bis-quaternary derivatives of the latter were considerably more active in regard to DFP inhibition, but only slightly more active in regard to TEPP inhibition. The best compound with regard to DFP inhibition was the unsymmetrical bisquaternary salt of 4-PAM and pyridine with a pentamethylene linking chain. In general, the addition of extra binding features in these series produced better reactivators.
Optimum Number Density of Blocks Released in Fluidic Self-Assembly of Microelectronics

An experimental study was conducted to demonstrate the existence and estimate the value of an optimum number density of silicon plates (blocks) in a fluidic self-assembly process used for parallel assembling of microelectronics. Blocks ranging in size from 350 to 1050 microns were released under water over an inclined substrate and allowed to move gravitationally to fill indentations (receptors) of matching shape. The performance of the process was evaluated in terms of the time necessary to achieve filling. Results indicate that there is an optimum block density for which the filling time is minimum. If the density is too high, blocks in contact with each other form agglomerations that reduce the mobility of individual blocks and prevent them from aligning properly with the receptors to fill them. The optimum area fraction covered by blocks was relatively similar for the three sizes of blocks considered. The findings amend a common belief that the FSA performance increases indefinitely with the density of blocks released. Economic advantages of a limited block density at industrial scale are discussed.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Characteristics of Excellent Trainers: A Psychological and Interpersonal Profile

Little information exists regarding the psychological and personal makeup of excellent private sector trainers. The purpose of this study was to identify the personality traits associated with excellent trainers. Managers from 500 large companies were asked to describe, by completing a standardized instrument (Adult Personality Inventory), the best trainer in their organization. Four major points were indicated. First, the personal characteristics of excellent trainers are different from the general population on all psychological variables except extroversion. Second, both males and females possess the traits necessary to be excellent trainers. In contrast to the general population, excellent female trainers were rated as more competitive than male trainers, but confounding factors may play a role. Third, excellent trainers possess the traits describing people who are warm, open, outgoing, and positive as well as being humanistic managers and team players. Fourth, while both young and mature trainers are excellent in their own ways, they differ in that young trainers are more aggressive. As with the general population, aggressive behavior declines with age.
Restriction Mapping the Genome of Halobacterium halobium Strain NRC-1

Summary To study DNA rearrangements in H. halobium , the complete genome of strain NRC-1 is being restriction mapped. As a first step, we have used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and enzymes that cut infrequently. Pmel cuts the genome into six fragments. Two of these fragments correspond to the plasmid pNRC100 characterized previously. NRC-1 also has a 400 Kbp plasmid, pNRC200, which is closely related to pNRC100 but is uncut by PmeI. This leaves four PmeI fragments of total size 1,800 Kbp which constitute the chromosome. The chromosome is being mapped by three enzymes which cut infrequently, AflII, AseI and DraI. Southern blotting with junction clones and purified restriction fragments was of limited value because the ubiquitous ISH elements resulted in hybridization to many fragments not necessarily related. Blotting with anonymous unique probes was more helpful. But most information has been obtained from 2D gel electrophoresis using pairs of the enzymes. On the basis of these data, four contigs have been assembled which represent most of the chromosome. Their relationship is being determined.
Src Family Kinases Promote Vessel Stability by Antagonizing the Rho/ROCK Pathway

Src family kinases (SFKs) are one of the signaling enzymes that contribute to angiogenesis, but their precise input to the various phases of the angiogenic program has not been defined. Using an in vitro model system, we discovered that SFKs promoted the formation of tubes and prevented their regression. They suppressed regression by activating the ERK pathway that antagonized the Rho/ROCK pathway, which was essential for regression. These studies reveal that SFKs contribute to several phases of the angiogenic program and identify the downstream effectors by which SFKs stabilize tubes.
Bioluminescent toxicity assay of synfuel by-product waters

A Microtox assay on 8 whole waters and their hydrophilic and organophilic fractions, derived from oil shale, coal, and tar sand recovery processes is presented. Of the whole water examined, the coal water exerted the greatest toxicity, and tar sand waters the least. Simplicity, speed, small volume of toxicant required, statistical benefit and cost-effectiveness are the advantages of the Microtox assay.
Arthroscopic-Assisted Core Decompression for Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head

The management of pre-collapse osteonecrosis of the femoral head is controversial. Core decompression is a technique that theoretically decreases the intraosseous pressure of the femoral head, resulting in a local vascularized healing response. Its efficacy has been shown in delaying early subchondral collapse. We describe the technique of arthroscopic-assisted core decompression of the femoral head for osteonecrosis. The advantages of this technique include evaluation of the presence or absence of articular cartilage injury, subchondral collapse, and guidance during reaming and curettage. It also allows the ability to address any concomitant soft-tissue or bony pathology associated with or in addition to the osteonecrotic lesion.
A microwave powered injectable neural stimulator

An unexpectedly simple implantable device that can achieve wireless neurostimulation consists of a short 1 cm long dipole platinum wire antenna, a Schottky diode, and a pulsed microwave transmitter. Fabricated into a 1 cm long by polyimide tubing, the implant can have a sub-millimeter diameter form factor suited to introduction into tissue by injection. Experiments that chronically implant the device next to a rat sciatic nerve show that a 915 MHz microwave transmitter emitting an average power of 0.5 watts has an ability to stimulate motor events when spaced up to 7 cm from the body surface. Tissue models consisting of saline filled tanks show the possibility of delivering milliampere pulsed current to neurosimulators though 5 centimeters or more of tissue. Such a neurostimulation system driven by microwave energy is limited in functional tissue depth by microwave SAR exposure. This report discusses some of the advantages and limitations of such a neurostimulation approach.
Activation of T84 cell chloride channels by carbachol involves a phosphoinositide-coupled muscarinic M3 receptor.

Abstract Muscarinic agonists stimulate Cl secretion across monolayers of the colon tumor epithelial cell line, T84. The muscarinic receptor has been characterized in T84 cell homogenates by radioligand binding using [3H]N-methylscopolamine ([3H]NMS). [3H]NMS bound to a single population of sites at 25°C in 100 mM NaCl, 20 mM HEPES. 10 mM MgCl2, pH 7.4 buffer, with calculated Kd = 278 (± 44) pM and Bmax = 40 (±6) fmol/mg protein (n = 4). Binding was reversible ( diss. t 1 2 = 18± 3 min ) and stereoselective (dexetimide Ki = 0.3 nM) ⪢ levetimide (Ki = 8300 nM). Antagonist exhibited the following rank order of potencies and Ki values (nM): atropine (0.54) > 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpipieridine methobromide (4-DAMP) (0.84) > dicyclomide (14)= hexahydrosiladifenidol (18) > pirenzipine (136) > AF-DX 116 (3610). The same sequence was observed for inhibition of carbachol-induced 125I efflux from T84 monolayers. This is indicative of an M3 ‘glandular’ muscarinic receptor. Coupling to second messenger systems was examined by labelling monolayers with [14C]arachidonic acid (AA) or [3H]inositol. Carbachol (0.3 mM) did not release [14C]AA from labelled lipids, but ionomycin produced a dose-dependent increase in media [14C]AA. Carbachol (0.3 mM) elevated inositol monophosphate 14-fold. The results suggest that muscarinic agonists ttimulate Cl− secretion by interacting with an M3 receptor coupled to inositide lipid hydrolysis.
Bioclimatic orientation method for buildings

The desirable orientation of buildings is the direction which performs the best throughout the year in relation to human comfort conditions. Those situations can be evaluated with the use of the Bioclimatic Chart. From the radiation vectors occurring during the underheated and overheated periods the most heat balanced orientation direction can be calculated. The method is varified by model experiments. The results indicate that in the New York-New Jersey area the optimum exposure is 18 degrees East of South.
Trust modelling for online transactions: a phishing scenario

Trust is an important component of online transactions. The increasing amount and sophistication of spam, phishing, and other semantic attacks increase users' uncertainty about the consequences of their actions and their distrust towards other online parties. In this paper, we highlight some key characteristics of a model that we are developing to represent and compare the online trust decision processes of "expert" and "non-expert" computer users. We also report on preliminary data we are gathering to validate, refine, and apply our model. This research is part of a broader project that aims at developing tools and training modules to help online users make good trust decisions.
Improved isolation of undersampled bacteriophages: finding of distant terminase genes

Isolation and characterization of new environmental bacteriophages are performed for (1) analyzing microbial evolution and ecology and (2) delivering biological therapy. The sampling of environmental bacteriophages appears, however, to be limited by the procedure (usually liquid enrichment culture) used to propagate them. An alternative, less competitive procedure is developed here for the purpose of isolating new bacteriophages. This procedure involves extraction directly into and then propagation in a dilute agarose gel. Adaptations of this procedure are used to avoid repeated isolation of the same bacteriophage. Some newly isolated bacteriophages grow so poorly that they appear inaccessible to liquid enrichment culture. Four comparatively high titer bacteriophages were isolated and characterized by a genomic sequence survey. Some had genomes with extremely distant relationships to those of other bacteriophages, based on a tree built from the large terminase genes. These methods find novel genomes by rapidly isolating and screening diverse bacteriophages.
Reversible block of axonal conduction by curare after treatment with cobra venom

Abstract After treatment of squid giant axon with cobra venom (CV), cetyltrimethyl-ammonium chloride (CTA) or a combination of the two, d -tubocurarine (curare) caused reversible block of conduction at concentrations as low as 5 × 10 −4 M. On control axons, 1.4 × 10 −2 M curare had little effect on electrical activity. Other compounds rendered active by the treatment included chlorisondamine and protamine; the actions of physostigmine and di iso propylfluorophosphate were potentiated. Several quaternary ammonium compounds, among them prostigmine and acetylcholine, were not rendered active after pretreatment. Most tertiary amines affected the untreated squid axon action potential in almost the same concentrations that affect the synapses of the single electroplax. In contrast to lipid-insoluble quaternary ammonium compounds, which did not significantly alter the action potential of the untreated axon, three lipid-soluble quaternary compounds were as effective on the axon as on other conducting membranes. The results indicate that a strong lipid barrier surrounds the squid axon. A mechanism for the breakdown of this barrier by CV and CTA is discussed. Possible explanations are presented for the inability of this treatment to permit effects of some lipid insoluble quaternary compounds.
CRACK GROWTH ANALYSIS OF THE LANDING GEAR PULL ROD OF THE FIGHTER JET AIRCRAFT

This paper describes the problem of searching for the causes of damage in the form of rupture of a strength member of the main landing gear. There have been two incidents noted which both occurred during hangar storage. It should be pointed out that the two occurrences mentioned concern a particular aircraft currently in operation, and that these incidents occurred a few days after the last flight. This article presents part of the investigation process needed to determine the causes of cracks in the test item. The crack growth analysis of the pull rod was performed using the NASGRO software. In order to perform the calculations, the information was gathered during previously conducted material studies and flight tests.