cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetics of resistance to the African trypanosomes. V. Qualitative and quantitative differences in interferon production among susceptible and resistant mouse strains.

The induction of interferon (IFN) was examined in different inbred mouse strains infected with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Relatively susceptible C3HeB/FeJ mice that do not exhibit variant-specific immunity or control parasitemia did not exhibit detectable IFN throughout the infection. Relatively resistant B10.BR mice that exhibit variant-specific immunity and control the first peak of parasitemia exhibited detectable IFN at two intervals. The appearance of IFN in B10.BR serum first coincided with the onset of the parasitemia 4 days after infection and then disappeared; this IFN peak was predominantly IFN-alpha/beta. The second time of appearance coincided with high titers of antibody and remission of the parasitemia. This IFN was predominantly IFN-gamma. Intermediately susceptible CBA/J mice also exhibited two detectable peaks of IFN; the first IFN-alpha/beta peak coincided with the onset of the parasitemia as in B10.BR mice. The second peak of IFN in the serum of CBA mice, however, was delayed in appearance and lower in concentration compared with B10.BR mice. This peak was characterized as being predominantly IFN alpha/beta. BALB/c mice (also intermediately susceptible) did not exhibit a first peak of IFN-alpha/beta production, but the second peak of IFN-alpha/beta production was similar to that seen in CBA mice. In contrast to infected mice, IFN was induced in both susceptible (C3H) and resistant (B10.BR) mice after immunization with glutaraldehyde-fixed trypanosomes or after chemotherapy of infection. We conclude that both the levels of IFN as well as the type of IFN induced during infection with T. b. rhodesiense depend upon the genetic background of the mouse strain infected. The induction of IFN-gamma in mice of the C57BL background may be linked functionally to more effective parasite control and to the presence of an effective immune response to T. b. rhodesiense.
Responsiveness of autoimmune and normal mice to nucleic acid antigens.

To test the possibility that anti-DNA antibody formation in autoimmune disease is related to an exceptional responsiveness to nucleic acid immunogens, we examined the ability of normal and autoimmune strains of mice to produce antibodies after immunization with DNA and synthetic helical DNA analogues. Autoimmune mice (MRL/++) did not respond significantly to denatured DNA-methylated BSA in adjuvant (in comparison with adjuvant alone). They did, however, respond to helical structures that differed from B-DNA, including poly-(dG) . poly(dC), poly(dT-dG) . poly(dC-dA), and left-handed Z-DNA. Normal mice (C57BL/6) responded to denatured DNA and, after immunization with the other polymers, produced antibodies of equal or higher titer than those of MRL/++ animals. Neither strain responded to native DNA. The induced anti-nucleic acid antibodies were highly selective and reacted only with the immunogen. In contrast, both lupus autoantibodies and antisera from normal animals that received adjuvant alone cross-reacted with multiple nucleic acid antigens. This result, and the finding that MRL/++ mice were poor responders to nucleic acid immunogens, suggest that different clones and pathways are involved in nucleic acid-induced and spontaneous anti-DNA antibody formation.
Abstract 11648: Mitigation of Variability of 3D Echo-Derived Regional Strain Acquired by Multiple Ultrasound Systems Using Vendor Independent Analysis

Introduction: Three-Dimensional Echocardiography (3DE) based quantitative evaluation of left ventricular (LV) cardiac mechanics has been shown to lack reproducibility among ultrasound systems. Hypothesis: 3DE-derived longitudinal strain values acquired from, and analyzed by, different vendors will demonstrate variability which is reduced by using a vendor-independent analysis package. Methods: Fresh porcine heart phantoms were passively driven with a rotation of 5° and compaction of 10mm to simulate normal cardiac function. Stroke volume ranged from 30-70ml. Full-volume image data were acquired using three different ultrasound systems. The data were analyzed by three separate observers on vendor specific software prior to analysis with a vendor independent program. Results: Good linear relationships were observed for each vendor specific analysis package for strain with Pearson Correlation Coefficients (r) of 0.86-0.89. Comparable linear regressions were observed for results determined by a vendor indepen...
Modulating cognitive deficits and tau accumulation in a mouse model of aging Down syndrome through neonatal implantation of neural progenitor cells

Abstract Although Down syndrome (DS) is primarily considered as a pediatric disorder, all DS patients incur Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology and about 60% develop an additional AD-like dementia by 30–40 years of age. Cognitive and neuroanatomical changes in DS are least compromised perinatally, indicating there may be an opportunity to modulate their cognitive and neuroanatomical development during aging, preventing or postponing the onset of AD. To this end, neural progenitor cells (NPC) or saline were implanted into the hippocampus of neonatal DS-modeling (trisomic Ts65Dn) mice and non-DS (disomic Ts65Dn) age-matched mice. Twelve months later, implanted and unimplanted mice were assessed for long-term survival of NPC, for cognitive function, hippocampal cell density, and the presence of extracellular tau accumulation. Implantation of NPC in trisomic mice improved learning and memory as assessed by conditioned taste aversion testing, but not on the novel object recognition task. Trisomic mice given saline control injections improved performance on both cognitive tasks compared to unimplanted trisomic mice. In contrast, disomic mice, implanted with either saline or NPC, were impaired in both tasks. Long-term surviving NPC were found in 7 out of 11 disomic brains and 4 out of 5 trisomic brains, with an average survival rate of 3.1% and 5.9% respectively. Extracellular tau aggregations were elevated in trisomic mice, but implantation with NPC was associated with significantly fewer aggregations. This was also seen in disomic mice. Saline injections significantly elevated tau presence in both karyotypes. Based on these results, we conclude that the modest effects of a few surviving NPC cannot be distinguished from those induced by the implant procedure. However, the changes prompted by neonatal treatment were detectable in aged animals. Collectively, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that neonatal therapeutic intervention in DS has the potential to exert positive lasting effects in the later stages of life but that NPC or the implantation approach may not be the most effective strategy and alternative stem cell types or delivery systems merit further investigation.
Inter-generational transfers and common values in a society

Abstract We present a model in which inter-generational transfers are interpreted as a cooperative agreement across generations. Cooperation is obtained by allowing each generation to share ‘common principles’, defined as a set of strategies which answer the question: if an inter-generational transfer was to be designed, which one would be chosen under the premise that each generation shares with the next generations not only the outcome of the process, but also the ‘reasoning’ that leads to this outcome.
Longitudinal changes in bone density in children and adolescents with moderate to severe cerebral palsy.

Objective To assess the natural history of “growth” in bone mineral density (BMD) in children and adolescents with moderate to severe cerebral palsy (CP). Study design A prospective, longitudinal, observational study of BMD in 69 subjects with moderate to severe spastic CP ages 2.0 to 17.7 years. Fifty-five subjects were observed for more than 2 years and 40 subjects for more than 3 years. Each evaluation also included assessments of growth, nutritional status, Tanner stage, general health, and various clinical features of CP. Results Lower BMD z-scores at the initial evaluation were associated with greater severity of CP as judged by gross motor function and feeding difficulty, and with poorer growth and nutrition as judged by weight z-scores. BMD increased an average of 2% to 5%/y in the distal femur and lumbar spine, but ranged widely from +42%/y to −31%. In spite of increases in BMD, distal femur BMD z-scores decrease with age in this population. Conclusions Children with severe CP develop over the course of their lives clinically significant osteopenia. Unlike elderly adults, this is not primarily from true losses in bone mineral, but from a rate of growth in bone mineral that is diminished relative to healthy children. The efficacy of interventions to increase BMD can truly be assessed only with a clear understanding of the expected changes in BMD without intervention.
A Finite Volume Analysis of the Thermohydrodynamic Performance of Finite Journal Bearings

A rigorous thermohydrodynamic (THD) analysis of finite journal bearings has been developed. THD analysis not only allows a more accurate prediction of the bearing performance characteristics, but it also provides the temperature distribution in the bearing. It involves the simultaneous solution of the Reynolds and energy equations and can handle a wide variety of flow situations, including reverse flow, recirculating flow and cavitation
Accurate recovery of 4D left ventricular deformations using volumetric B-splines incorporating phase based displacement estimates

In this paper, an improved framework for estimation of 3-D left-ventricular deformations from tagged MRI is presented. Contiguous short- and long-axis tagged MR images are collected and are used within a 4-D B-Spline based deformable model to determine 4-D displacements and strains. An initial 4-D B-spline model fitted to sparse tag line data is first constructed by minimizing a 4-D Chamfer distance potential-based energy function for aligning isoparametric planes of the model with tag line locations; subsequently, dense virtual tag lines based on 2-D phase-based displacement estimates and the initial model are created. A final 4-D B-spline model with increased knots is fitted to the virtual tag lines. From the final model, we can extract accurate 3-D myocardial deformation fields and corresponding strain maps which are local measures of non-rigid deformation. Lagrangian strains in simulated data are derived which show improvement over our previous work. The method is also applied to 3-D tagged MRI data collected in a canine.
Properties of the dark and signaling states of photoactive yellow protein probed by solution phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass spectrometry.

The perturbations on conversion from the dark state to the signaling state in photoactive yellow protein have been determined by solution-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass spectrometry. Both the wild type and M100A mutant are used in this study, with the mutant providing over 90% conversion to the bleached state under steady-state illumination. We found perturbations in both the wild type and the mutant on illumination, consistent with a more flexible structure in the long-lived signaling (I2‘) state. In the case of the wild type, the conformational changes detected are mainly around the chromophore region. With the M100A mutant, differences in H/D exchange between the light and dark are more extensive as compared to wild type; not only are the chromophore surroundings affected, but significant increases in deuterium uptake in the N-terminus and central β-sheet are observed as well. On the basis of the data obtained from this study and previous findings, a sequence of events that leads to the per...
Histopathological and Radiological Validation of Continuous Wave (CW) Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Recordings During Cerebral Intravascular Manipulations

An experimental model of stroke in Bonnet Macaques, complicated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, was monitored using CW-NIRS DOT. Comparison of results with histopathology and radiology findings demonstrate the utility of CW-NIRS for functional imaging and monitoring.
TESTOSTERONE TREATMENT IN ADOLESCENTS WITH DELAYED PUBERTY: EFFECTS ON LEAN BODY MASS, INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND INSULIN CLEARANCE. † 490

TESTOSTERONE TREATMENT IN ADOLESCENTS WITH DELAYED PUBERTY: EFFECTS ON LEAN BODY MASS, INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND INSULIN CLEARANCE. † 490
Teaching elementary concepts in quantum mechanics with computer graphics

Abstract Students in a beginning quantum mechanics course worked with interactive computer graphics before being introduced to the formal structure of the subject. The computer programs and their use in teaching different concepts are described.
How much medicine do spine surgeons need to know to better select and care for patients

BACKGROUND Although we routinely utilize medical consultants for preoperative clearance and postoperative patient follow-up, we as spine surgeons need to know more medicine to better select and care for our patients. METHODS This study provides additional medical knowledge to facilitate surgeons' "cross-talk" with medical colleagues who are concerned about how multiple comorbid risk factors affect their preoperative clearance, and impact patients' postoperative outcomes. RESULTS Within 6 months of an acute myocardial infarction (MI), patients undergoing urological surgery encountered a 40% mortality rate: similar rates may likely apply to patients undergoing spinal surgery. Within 6 weeks to 2 months of placing uncoated cardiac, carotid, or other stents, endothelialization is typically complete; as anti-platelet therapy may often be discontinued, spinal surgery can then be more safely performed. Coated stents, however, usually require 6 months to 1 year for endothelialization to occur; thus spinal surgery is often delayed as anti-platelet therapy must typically be continued to avoid thrombotic complications (e.g., stroke/MI). Diabetes and morbid obesity both increase the risk of postoperative infection, and poor wound healing, while the latter increases the risk of phlebitis/pulmonary embolism. Both hypercoagluation and hypocoagulation syndromes may require special preoperative testing/medications and/or transfusions of specific hematological factors. Pulmonary disease, neurological disorders, and major psychiatric pathology may also require further evaluations/therapy, and may even preclude successful surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS Although we as spinal surgeons utilize medical consultants for preoperative clearance and postoperative care, we need to know more medicine to better select and care for our patients.
Evaluation of chemicals for immunomodulatory effects using an in vitro antibody-producing assay.

Abstract Several chemicals were examined for immunomodulatory effects using the Mishell — Dutton in vitro antibody-producing assay. The chemicals studied were either of environmental concern and/or of special interest to the food industry. A number of these compounds have been shown by others to be immunosuppressive in whole animal exposure studies, at least in certain species and in relatively high doses. Azathioprine (Imuran) (0.5 μg/culture), gallic acid (7 μg/culture), dextran sulfate (100 μg/culture), methyl paraben (100 μg/culture), and vanillin (200 μg/culture) were all found to directly suppress the in vitro anti-sheep red blood cell (SRBC) antibody response at noncytotoxic doses. All of these chemicals appeared to interrupt an early phase of the immune response, and had no effect on the actual release of specific anti-SRBC antibody. The Mishell — Dutton in vitro antibody-producing assay was found to be a sensitive detection system for direct-acting immunosuppressive chemicals. Chemicals that require activation to immunosuppressive intermediates are not detectable in this assay.
Micropropagation of western white pine (Pinus monticola) starting with mature embryos

As part of a program to develop micropropagation protocols for western white pine, the production of adventitious shoots from mature embryos was investigated. Litvay's medium proved to be the best of the six media formulations tried. The optimum concentration of N6-benzyladenine was 30 μM for 21 days. BiTek agar which had an optimum at 8 g/L produced significantly more shoots than GelGro gellan gum which had an optimum at 5 g/L. There was no significant difference in the shoot production between three different seed lots, two from interior British Columbia and one from coastal British Columbia, with this protocol. Harvested adventitious shoots survived best on the medium of Gresshoff and Doy at half-strength. Using the protocol described here, it was possible to obtain 500 to 600 shoots for every 100 embryos explanted. Up to 80 percent of the shoots continued to grow three months after excision from the explants.
Phosphorous, nitrogen co‐doped carbon from spent coffee grounds for fuel cell applications

Spent coffee grounds, which represents the vast solid residual matter generated from consumed coffee beans, requires proper reutilization. This work represents the production of an alternate material from spent coffee grounds to replace expensive metal based catalysts currently used as electrodes in fuel cells. A novel microwave assisted technique which is easy, rapid, and economical is utilized for the synthesis of Phosphorous, Nitrogen co-doped carbon (PNDC) from spent coffee grounds and ammonium polyphosphate. SEM analysis revealed that PNDC is composed of distinct, spherical shaped particles. PNDC has a BET surface area of ∼507 m2 g−1 and is predominantly mesoporous. XPS reveals that PNDC contains about 1.90% N and 3.02% P besides C and O. PNDC exhibits good O2 reduction response in 0.1M KOH, which was found to be comparable to that of 20% Pt/C. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41948.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Chronic Refractory Osteomyelitis of the Sternum

This report describes a 32-year-old woman with chronic refractory osteomyelitis of the sternum after multiple surgical procedures including a sternotomy with underlying colonic interposition that was successfully managed with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The clinical course is reviewed, and the complexities of this diagnosis are then discussed, including a brief review of the mechanisms of management with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Fatigue Behavior of Welded Aluminum Light Pole Support Details

A study of the behavior of two types of welded aluminum light pole support details was conducted. Twenty nine full-scale samples were tested to determine fatigue life, and included 19 poles with cast shoe base socket connections along with 10 through plate socket connection details. The primary objective of this investigation was to compare the test results with current fatigue design provisions, and to determine the applicable design category or develop new lower bound stress-life (S-N) curve(s), as appropriate. To augment the tests, parametric studies of both detail types were conducted using the finite-element method. Parametric studies included the effect of the light pole tube radius to thickness ratio, base plate thickness, and fillet weld dimensions on the local stresses adjacent to the weld toe area. Residual stresses, determined through the application of the hole drilling technique, assisted in the understanding of the fatigue test results.
Channel member conflict and performance: a proposed model and research agenda

Empirical research to date has failed to uncover the most appropriate model specification of the functional relationship between conflict and performance in marketing channels. This paper reviews the literature on conflict, performance, and their relationships (theoretical and empirical). A modified model of the conflict-performance assumption is proposed which offers insights and premises for future testing. The conclusions include recommendations for future research in this area.
Parametric modulation of neural activity during face emotion processing in unaffected youth at familial risk for bipolar disorder

Objectives Both patients with pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) and unaffected youth at familial risk (AR) for the illness show impairments in face emotion labeling. Few studies, however, have examined brain regions engaged in AR youth when processing emotional faces. Moreover, studies have yet to explore neural responsiveness to subtle changes in face emotion in AR youth.
EVOLVING (SEMI)-AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Autonomous behavior implies the ability of a fleet of vehicles to adapt to changes in surroundings, mission goals, or internal system state. Adaptation includes manipulation of priorities to maintain performance levels in the presence of uncertainty. Vehicle adaptation must also be responsive to human directives - hence, (semi) autonomous behavior. We propose a framework for evolving semi autonomous vehicle behavior based on simulated evolution which uses "survival of the fittest" to reach a natural balance between overall mission objectives and the influence of the environment. This framework is applied to the path planning segment of the general system management problem. The resulting architecture includes the system goals directly into the search while providing a natural framework for interfacing with human management. Through simple mathematical interpretation of natural language goals, this framework provides "optimalizing" solutions to complex problems. This agility is demonstrated through simulation of a single vehicle adapting to changing environments, moving obstacles and objective re-prioritization. Extension of the framework to multiple vehicle systems is also explored.
Structure of epitaxed copper deposited by evaporation onto a clean (00.1) face of a titanium crystal

Abstract The titanium crystal was cleaned by heating, ion-bombardment, and annealing in high vacuum. Low-energy electron diffraction was used to determine that the surface was essentially free of contamination and to make structure determinations. The copper deposits varied in average thickness from 0.5 to 25 atomic layers. The copper formed at nucleation centers in the form of discrete oriented crystallites with a lattice spacing parallel to the substrate which was the same as that of the (111) plane in bulk copper, and with the (110) azimuth of copper parallel to the (11.0) azimuth of titanium. No variation of lattice spacing with thickness was detected. Deposition of copper on a titanium surface, covered with a chemisorbed layer of oxygen, resulted in the formation of disoriented deposits at nucleation centers.
High-pressure investigations of cytochrome P-450 spin and substrate binding equilibria.

Abstract The effects of high pressure (1–2000 bar) on the spin state and substrate binding equilibria in cytochrome P-450 have been determined. The high-spin ( S = 5 2 ) to low spin ( S = 1 2 ) transition of the ferric hemoprotein was monitored by uv-visible spectroscopy at various substrate concentrations. Increasing hydrostatic pressure on a sample of substrate-bound cytochrome P-450 resulted in a decrease in the high-spin fraction as monitored by a Soret maxima at 391 nm and an increase in the low-spin 417-nm region of the spectrum. These pressure-induced optical changes were totally reversible for all pressures below 800 bar and were found to correspond to simple substrate dissociation from the enzyme. High levels of the normally metabolized substrate, d-camphor, corresponding to a 99.9% saturation of the hemoprotein active site (50 m m Tris-Cl, 100 m m KCl, pH 7.2) completely prevented the pressure-induced high-spin to low-spin transition that is observed at less than saturating substrate concentrations. A gradual increase in the formation of the inactive P-420 form of the cytochrome was noted if the pressure of the sample was increased above 800 bar. These pressure-linked spectral changes were used to determine the microscopic volume change accompanying substrate binding, which was found to be −47.0 ± 2 ml/mol (pH 7.2) which represents a substantial change for a ligand dissociation reaction. The observed volume change for camphor binding decreases to -30.6 ± 2 ml/mol at pH 6.0, suggesting the involvement of a linked proton equilibrium. Various substrate analogs of camphor induce varying degrees of low-spin to high-spin shift upon binding to ferric cytochrome P-450 (3). The volume changes for the dissociation of these substrates were very similar to those obtained with camphor. The conformational changes associated with a shift from high- to low-spin ferric iron appear to be small in comparison to the overall macroscopic changes in volume accompanying substrate binding to the enzyme.
Effect of temperature and sperm supply on the reproductive potential ofTetranychus evansi (Acari: Tetranychidae)

The biology ofTetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard was studied at five different temperatures on excised leaves ofSolanum douglasii Dunal. The theoretical lower threshold temperature of development was ca. 13°C. The combined immature stages required ca. 148 day-degrees for completion. Progressively later initiation of mating resulted in higher peak proportions of females produced, up to an 8-day period between emergence and mating at 30°C. The proportion of male offspring always increased towards the end of the oviposition period, apparently because of sperm depletion. The calculated intrinsic rate of increase was highest (0.432) at 35°C, the highest temperature tested. At that same temperature, daily oviposition rate and net reproductive rate were maximum (9.5 and 111.77, respectively), and mean generation time and doubling time were minimum (10.92 and 1.6 days, respectively).
Solid and hazardous waste disposal site selection using digital geographic information system techniques

Abstract To identify potential sites for the storage of industrial wastes it is necessary to specify the industrial location constraint criteria, collect the required data, and model this information. This paper first summarizes the type of industrial location constraint criteria that might be imposed. Examples then demonstrate how the required in situ and remotely sensed data can be placed in a geographic information system (GIS) to model and identify candidate waste sites. A case study based on an industrial activity in the southeastern United States is used to demonstrate the utility of using GIS technology.
Hydrodynamic Direct Carbon Fuel Cell

There are many possibilities for the direct carbon fuel cell approach including hydroxide and molten carbonate electrolytes, solid oxides capable of consuming dry carbon, and hybrids of solid oxide and molten carbonate technologies. The challenges in fabricating this type of fuel cell are many including how to transport the dry solids into the reactant chamber and how to transport the spent fuel (ash) out of the chamber for continuous operation[1]. We accomplish ash removal by utilizing a hydrodynamic approach, where inert gas or steam is injected into the anode chamber causing the carbon particles to circulate. This provides a means of moving the particles to a location where they can be separated or removed from the system. The graphic below illustrates how we segregate the spent fuel from the fresh fuel by creating multiple chambers. Each sequential chamber will have a reduced performance until the fuel is fully spent. At that point, the electrolyte/ash mixture can be removed from the cell area and cleaned for recycling or discarded.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Acceptability of reductive interventions for the control of inappropriate child behavior

Teacher attitudes about the acceptability of classroom intervention strategies were evaluated in two experiments. In both, teachers read descriptions of an intervention that was applied to a child with a behavior problem. In Experiment 1, an evaluation of six interventions for reducing inappropriate behavior suggested that one was highly acceptable (DRO), one was highly unacceptable (corporal punishment), and four ranged from mildly acceptable to mildly unacceptable (DRL, reprimands, time-out, and staying after school). In Experiment 2, the acceptability of the same intervention (staying after school) was evaluated as a function of who implemented it (teacher vs. principal). Analyses suggested that the teacher-implemented intervention was perceived as more acceptable. In both experiments, interventions were rated as less acceptable by highly experienced teachers versus those newer to the teaching profession. In addition, there was a trend for the acceptability of an intervention to vary as a function of the severity of the behavior problem to which it was applied.
Beyond Open Source: The Touch Develop Cloud-Based Integrated Development Environment

Software engineering tools and environments are migrating to the cloud, enabling more people to participate in programming from many more devices. To study this phenomenon in detail, we designed, implemented and deployed Touch Develop (url www.touchdevelop.com), a cloud-based integrated development environment (CIDE), which has been online for the past three years. Touch Develop combines a cross-platform browser-based IDE for the creation of mobile cloud apps, an online programmer/user community, and an app store. A central feature of Touch Develop is to track all program edits, versions, runtime information, bugs, as well user comments, questions and feedback in a single cloud-based repository that is available publicly via Web APIs. In this paper, we examine a key feature of Touch Develop that should be relevant to others creating CIDEs, namely the seamless integration of replicated workspaces, simplified version control and app publishing. An analysis of the Touch Develop repository shows that this combination of capabilities allows users to easily create new versions of apps from existing apps, make changes to other users' apps, and share their results from a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets and traditional PCs.
Does Use of a Powered Ankle-foot Prosthesis Restore Whole-body Angular Momentum During Walking at Different Speeds?

Background Whole-body angular momentum (H) influences fall risk, is tightly regulated during walking, and is primarily controlled by muscle force generation. People with transtibial amputations using passive-elastic prostheses typically have greater H compared with nonamputees.
Cyclic Alternating Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (CAROMP). Rapid Access to Functionalized Cyclic Polymers

Catalysis of alternating ROMP with (H2IMes)Cl2Ru═CHPh(OiPr), the second generation Hoveyda−Grubbs catalyst, provided an entirely cyclic alternating polymer. Conditions for the cyclic AROMP were used to prepare a polymer in which one of the repeat units bore a primary alkyl chloride that was used for further elaboration.
Scheduling parallelizable tasks: putting it all on the shelf

In this paper we formulate the following natural multiprocessor scheduling problem: Consider a parallel system with P processors. Suppose that there are Ntasks to be scheduled on this system, and that the execution time of each task j e {1,…,N} is a nonincreasing function tj(βj) of the number of processors βj e {1,…,P} allotted to it. The goal is to find, for each task j, an allotment of processors βj, and, overall, a schedule assigning the tasks to the processors which minimizes the makespan, or latest task completion time. The so-called shelf strategy is commonly used for orthogonal rectangle packing, a related and classic optimization problem. The prime difference between the orthogonal rectangle problem and our own is that in our case the rectangles are, in some sense, malleable: The height of each rectangle is a nonincreasing function of its width. In this paper, we solve our multiprocessor scheduling problem exactly in the context of a shelf-based paradigm. The algorithm we give uses techniques from resource allocation theory and employs a variety of other combinatorial optimization techniques.
Formation and characterization of precise eucaryotic transcription complexes using a semisynthetic DNA template and specific oligoribonucleotide primers

Abstract An artificial template of defined sequence which supports specific in vitro initiation and elongation by yeast RNA polymerase II has been constructed. This template is a pBR322 derivative which contains a synthetic oligonucleotide inserted into the BamHI cloning site. The sequence of this oligonucleotide is such that when the plasmid is restricted with SacI the two ends obtained are identical. The addition of an oligodeoxycytidylate chain to the 3′ hydroxy termini produces a DNA template, (poly dC-p+22), with the sequence: 3′(C)nTCGA- G AGTCTCCTA.… The underlined position denotes the beginning of the duplex region. When initiation is primed with the diribonucleotide GpC the predicted sequence of the transcript obtained is: 5′GCUCUCAGAGGAU.… Kinetic and product analyses indicate that a ternary complex containing a precise length of transcript can be produced which is subsequently resistant to heparin inactivation. Initiation can also be directed to a specific position dictated by a tri or tetraribonucleotide primer.
The Egg Production of Daughters in Relation to the Hatchability of Their Dams

Abstract BECAUSE of the economic importance of high egg production there is widespread effort among poultrymen to develop profitable laying strains by the selection of breeding stock possessing desirable characters for high egg production. From the standpoint of the reproduction of the flock from year to year it is desirable that the selected breeding stock produce eggs of the highest possible hatching quality. Therefore, the progressive poultry breeder selects his breeding stock for high egg production and for high hatchability. Although it has been demonstrated that hatchability and various egg laying characters are inherited, no results have been published, so far as known, concerning the hatchability of the eggs of dams and the egg production of their daughters. Results have been published, however, showing that high egg production prior to the breeding season does not adversely affect the hatchability of the eggs laid by the same birds. These results have been . . .
AI and CAD for earthquake damage evaluation

Abstract Lessons learned from destructive earthquakes are recorded in numerous documents, many of which are not readily available to practicing engineers and designers. In order to maximize the utility of the valuable knowledge which has been learned from destructive earthquakes, a new approach is proposed for presenting the performance evaluation and behaviour of buildings stressed or damaged during earthquakes using the expert system paradigm and computer graphics. A prototype knowledge-based expert system, called EXQUAKE2, has been developed for earthquake damage evaluation and knowledge of performance of a common class of buildings in California earthquakes. The knowledge base of EXQUAKE2 contains lessons learned from earthquakes. EXQUAKE2 has been developed on an IBM personal computer using the expert system shell EXSYS Professional. EXQUAKE2 has a graphics interface, developed in Turbo Pascal, for displaying various building configurations and structural details.
Drugs Causing Muscle Disease

Many drugs can cause myopathies, and such myopathies may range widely from asymptomatic elevations in the serum creatine phosphokinase levels to severe myalgias, cramps, exercise intolerance, muscle weakness, and even rhabdomyolysis. In this article, some of the commonly used drugs that may induce myopathies, as well as the clinical phenotypes, diagnosis, and management of these syndromes are reviewed.
ON THE FLOW AROUND SPILL CLEANUP DEVICES

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the implications of testing oil booms and skimmers in a tank of finite size. Scaling considerations, test conditions, and bottom effects are treated. General descriptions of the gross flow patterns around booms and skimmers are presented, and the significance of these patterns to containment and recovery is discussed. Tank tests are compared with full-scale field conditions, and flow patterns and problems in the field are discussed. It is shown that tests done at small scales may be scaled up readily in most cases, because the gross flow patterns about objects are the same over a wide range of scales. The primary features of the gross flow patterns are cavities, or circulation zones, in front of and behind the object and vortex sheets along lengths of boom parallel to the flow. The flow in the cavities will be strongly affected when the ratio of boom draft to water depth exceeds ⅙. Boom or skimmer performance may be worse in very shallow water than in deep water because of th...
Friction Study of Long-Term Pavement Performance Special Pavement Study 9A Sections in Connecticut

Pavement surface friction is one of the most important contributing factors in highway safety. It is a function of a pavement's micro- and macrotexture. Therefore, tracking changes in pavement surface friction and texture depth during a pavement's service life is critical for maintaining driving safety and comfort. As part of FHWA's Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) study, many state highway agencies have been collecting friction data to track these changes on designated test sections. In Connecticut, six LTPP sections were constructed in 1997 to serve as Special Pavement Study 9A sites for the characterization of Superpave® asphalt mixtures. This paper presents an analysis of pavement friction and texture data collected by the Connecticut Department of Transportation on these sections. Friction numbers were obtained with an ASTM E274 locked-wheel pavement friction tester by using smooth (ASTM E524) and ribbed (ASTM E501) tires and a GripTester fixed-slip pavement friction tester. Estimated texture de...
Inferring time-varying network topologies from gene expression data

Most current methods for gene regulatory network identification lead to the inference of steady-state networks, that is, networks prevalent over all times, a hypothesis which has been challenged. There has been a need to infer and represent networks in a dynamic, that is, time-varying fashion, in order to account for different cellular states affecting the interactions amongst genes. In this work, we present an approach, regime-SSM, to understand gene regulatory networks within such a dynamic setting. The approach uses a clustering method based on these underlying dynamics, followed by system identification using a state-space model for each learnt cluster--to infer a network adjacency matrix. We finally indicate our results on the mouse embryonic kidney dataset as well as the T-cell activation-based expression dataset and demonstrate conformity with reported experimental evidence.
Viridans-group streptococcal infections in immunocompromised hosts

Viridans streptococci, a diverse group of streptococcal species, are important causes of sepsis and pneumonia in the neutropenic host and sepsis and meningitis in the neonate. The oral mucosa is the most common portal of entry. Among the factors that predispose to development of viridans streptococcal sepsis are: profound neutropenia; mucositis, especially oral mucositis; cytarabine (Ara-C) therapy, which seems to have an effect beyond its association with mucositis; young age; and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole or quinolone administration. Fever is usually more than 39 degrees C and prolonged for several days even though blood cultures are typically negative after 24 h of therapy. The majority of patients recover uneventfully if appropriate therapy is initiated early. However, fulminant septic shock may occasional occur at onset. Delayed shock 2 or 3 days after presentation may also occur despite administration of microbiologically effective antibiotics. In severe cases, adult respiratory distress syndrome may be manifested two or three days after the initial bacteremia. There is considerable variability among institutions, but the median death rate associated with viridans streptococcal sepsis is about 10%. Local susceptibility patterns should be used to guide initial therapy for suspected viridans streptococcal infections. Some isolates of viridans streptococci are resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins, in which case vancomycin is preferred. Recurrence during subsequent neutropenic episodes is not unusual.
Hierarchical control of internal superstructure, diameter, and stability of supramolecular and macromolecular columns generated from tapered monodendritic building blocks

The synthesis of the first generation AB3 monodendrons 3,4,5-tris[6-alkyloxy-2-methylnaphthyloxy]benzoic acid (with decyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, and hexadecyl alkyl groups), 3,4,5-tris[4-(4‘-dodecyloxyphenyl)benzyloxy]benzoic acid, their ω-hydroxy(tetraethylene glycol) esters, and the corresponding methacrylates and poly(methacrylate)s is described. All monodendrons and the corresponding polymers self-assemble into supramolecular columns that self-organize in a columnar hexagonal (Φh) thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) phase. The characterization of their Φh phase by a combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal optical polarized microscopy, and X-ray diffraction experiments demonstrated an intracolumnar microsegregated model for these supramolecular structures. The role and the contribution of the aliphatic, aromatic, oligooxyethylenic, and polymethacrylate fragments to the formation and the control of the external diameter, the internal structure, and the stability of these supramol...
Convection-enhanced delivery and systemic mannitol increase gene product distribution of AAV vectors 5, 8, and 9 and increase gene product in the adult mouse brain

The use of recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors as a means of gene delivery to the central nervous system has emerged as a potentially viable method for the treatment of several types of degenerative brain diseases. However, a limitation of typical intracranial injections into the adult brain parenchyma is the relatively restricted distribution of the delivered gene to large brain regions such as the cortex, presumably due to confined dispersion of the injected particles. Optimizing the administration techniques to maximize gene distribution and gene expression is an important step in developing gene therapy studies. Here, we have found additive increases in distribution when 3 methods to increase brain distribution of rAAV were combined. The convection enhanced delivery (CED) method with the step-design cannula was used to deliver rAAV vector serotypes 5, 8 and 9 encoding GFP into the hippocampus of the mouse brain. While the CED method improved distribution of all 3 serotypes, the combination of rAAV9 and CED was particularly effective. Systemic mannitol administration, which reduces intracranial pressure, also further expanded distribution of GFP expression, in particular, increased expression on the contralateral hippocampi. These data suggest that combining advanced injection techniques with newer rAAV serotypes greatly improves viral vector distribution, which could have significant benefits for implementation of gene therapy strategies.
Ocular rigidity in tonography.

Measurement of resistance of the eyeball to distension by combined applanation and Schiotz tonometry may be seriously contaminated by expulsion of blood. The facility calculation of Moses & Becker (1958) is strongly affected by underestimate of distension resistance. Measurement of ocular distension resistance by the method of Friedenwald (1937, 1957) is less affected by blood expulsion and is more appropriate to tonography. A method is proposed to reduce the effect of initial blood expulsion on tonographic calculation. The results of tonography calculated by the present method are similar to those obtained by the method of Grant (1950).
Medical and social perspectives of PGD for single gene disorders and human leukocyte antigen typing

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for single gene disorders combined with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing has recently emerged as a therapeutic tool. For couples who are at risk of passing on a genetic disease to their offspring, preimplantation embryos can be selected according to their genetic status as well as a possible HLA matching with the affected sibling. Stem cells from the resulting baby's umbilical cord blood have, therefore, a great therapeutic value for haematopoietic and other life threatening diseases, as stem cells in the cord blood from a HLA-compatible newborn can be used for transplantation without graft rejection, thus saving an affected child's life. However, apart from being a valuable treatment option, there exist several medical and social aspects that should be evaluated and discussed. From the ethical and the social aspects, although PGD for single gene disorders is well defined and accepted, application of PGD combined with HLA typing is less obvious and under extensive debate. This article is aimed at summarizing the current results and limitations of PGD with HLA typing that are related to the successful medical outcome. It further discusses the ethical and social issues that have recently been raised on the application of this technique.
Prediction of the extent of thermal damage in the cornea during conductive keratoplasty

Abstract Conductive keratoplasty (CK) is a sub-ablative thermal therapy used to treat hyperopia and presbyopia. In this study, a 3-D finite element model of the cornea was developed to predict the transient temperature distributions and the resultant thermal damage fields in the cornea during simulated CK procedures. The model incorporated collagen denaturation and vaporization of water as well as ablation-induced thermal/electrical contact loss. The effects of the radiofrequency power applied on the electrode and the duration of the treatment on the extent of thermal damage in the tissue were examined and compared with the previously published experimental results on human cornea. It was shown that with clinical settings (60% power and 0.6 s treatment duration), the temperature maximum near the tip of the radiofrequency probe exceeded the temperature for vaporization. The results also indicated that the increase in the treatment duration had a much more significant effect on the size of the thermally modified region than increased radiofrequency power (as verified by the experimental results). The model predictions matched the experimental results well and showed the feasibility of using simulations to optimize thermal treatment of the cornea.
Review of Classification Criteria for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The American College of Rheumatology classification criteria were devised in 1982. In 1997, the immunologic disorder criterion was revised by a committee (without validation). All 11 criteria in the American College of Rheumatology criteria set have limitations. One of the most important laboratory tests, hypocomplementemia, was excluded entirely. Other classification criteria, emphasizing weighting or recursive partitioning, exist, but they are more cumbersome. Revised criteria are needed, not just for systemic lupus erythematosus, but also for chronic cutaneous lupus.
Sample-dependent properties of the superconductors UBe13 and UPt3

Abstract The study of heavy-fermion superconductors continues in order to explore unconventional superconductivity. Problems remain with variations among samples and with conflicting results. Microstructures must be included in sample characterization.