cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obstruction of the inferior vena cava in childhood. Report of a case.

FORTY-THREE cases of obstruction of the inferior vena cava in childhood have been found in a search of the English literature, more than one-half of them collected by Pleasants in 1911 (Table I). Of the total cases, 13 survived the disease; 9 of these were congenital in origin. Only three had demonstration of the obstruction by venography; of these, two were congenital and did not reveal any deep collateral circulation. The most common factors in the etiology were infection, congenital obliteration of the inferior vena cava with anomalous drainage, and thrombus or invasion of the vessel by a malignant tumor (Table II). Sequelae varied with the particular etiology of the obstruction, the acuteness of onset, the location, and the rapidity of its progression (Table III). CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS The most common symptoms of this condition are found to be inconstant pain generally referred to the lumbar area, edema of the legs when the iliac veins are also obstructed, and the presence of superficial collateral circulation. Ascites, jaundice hemorrhoids and splenomegaly are uncommon and dilated superficial veins do not appear unless other deep veins are also obstructed. Marked albuminuria or oliguria which was not present previously may suggest the progression of the process to involve the renal vein. Almost complete anuria may supervene before adequate collateral circulatory adjustment takes place. When the lower third of the inferior vena cava is obstructed, collateral circulation is usually evident in the groin, abdomen and flank. Albuminuria is rare, edema of the abdominal wall is unusual, and edema of the legs is usually absent unless there is concomitant obstruction of the iliac vein.
Break Out: urogenital schistosomiasis and Schistosoma haematobium infection in the post-genomic era.

Paul J. Brindley, PhD, is a Deputy Editor of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. He is a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC. He is also the Scientific Director of the Research Center for Neglected Diseases of Poverty at George Washington University. Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, is Co-Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. He is President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Professor and Head of the Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, United States of America.
Delay of the stimulated emission in GaAs laser diodes near room temperature

Abstract Specific experiments were conducted to investigate the validity of various models designed to explain the long time delay between the application of a current pulse and the generation of coherent oscillations in certain GaAs junction lasers near room temperature. A particular model is developed which leads to good quantitative agreement with a number of different experiments performed in the temperature range between 200 and 300°K. It is found that all facets of the delay can be explained by assuming that a moderate number of optical absorbing centers (> 10 16 cm -3 ) causes optical losses which are sufficient to prevent the diode from lasing until these centers are filled by electrons injected into the p -side of the junction. It is postulated that the relatively long filling time of these traps is caused by a coulomb barrier such as is displayed by double acceptors in II–VI compounds.
The Evolution of Adopted Values for Precession

A survey of values of the speed of general precession in longitude is presented from the time of Bessel to the adoption of the new value by the IAU in 1976 for use in the FK5 and the J2000 reference system. The important contributions of Walter Fricke to this area of fundamental astronomy are outlined.
The demand for fossil fuels by electric utilities in the United States

Abstract There exists the possibility of interfuel substitution in the generation of electrical energy. The responsiveness of the demand for various fossil fuels by electric utilities, given this economic fact, is investigated. Using aggregate time series data, the results indicate that the responsiveness of the demand for coal, oil, and natural gas by electric utilities to relative price changes is significant. As expected, the demand for fossil fuel increases as the level of generation expands, with the impact being proportionally spread over the fossil fuels. A most interesting result is the negative response of the demand for natural gas by electric utilities to changes in weather conditions. The probable reason for this is that electric utilities, based on current regulatory practices, are among the first to be curtailed should any supply short-fall occur.
Effect of Viewing Angle on Luminance and Contrast for a Five-Million-Pixel Monochrome Display and a Nine-Million-Pixel Color Liquid Crystal Display

Digital imaging systems used in radiology rely on electronic display devices to present images to human observers. Active-matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) continue to improve and are beginning to be considered for diagnostic image display. In spite of recent progress, AMLCDs are characterized by a change in luminance and contrast response with changes in viewing direction. In this article, we characterize high pixel density AMLCDs (a five-million-pixel monochrome display and a nine-million-pixel color display) in terms of the effect of viewing angle on their luminance and contrast response. We measured angular luminance profiles using a custom-made computer-controlled goniometric instrument and a conoscopic Fourier-optics instrument. We show the angular luminance response as a function of viewing angle, as well as the departure of the measured contrast from the desired response. Our findings indicate small differences between the five-million-pixel (5 MP) and the nine-million-pixel (9 MP) AMLCDs. The 9 MP shows lower variance in contrast with changes in viewing angle, whereas the 5 MP provides a slightly better GSDF compliance for off-normal viewing.
The Soviet and post‐Soviet allocation of land rent

This paper attempts to analyze the mechanism of land rent distribution under the Soviet and post‐Soviet conditions. The subject is examined from a purely theoretical point of view. The procedure is as follows: first, the socioeconomic meaning of the word “Soviet” is defined. Second, the difference between land rent production and land rent distribution is examined. Finally, Soviet land rent distribution is investigated. Also, changes which the collapse of the Soviet system brought to the process of land rent distribution during the post‐Soviet period are examined. Within this framework, the role of Soviet turnover taxes versus post‐Soviet value‐added taxes is discussed.
Stability properties of a Purkinje fiber model.

Abstract A clincially useful theory of cardiac excitability must be based on an understanding of excitability in the single pacemaker cell. The electrical behavior of these cells is sufficiently complex to demand digital computer simulation as a basic research tool. The most widely used model is that of Noble, which successfully reproduces most of the important intrabeat characteristics. Excitability is also an interbeat phenomenon, though, and the purpose of this investigation is to establish whether this model can serve as the basis for excitability studies. It is found that the limit cycle stability is much too strong to reproduce the experimentally discovered accommodative pattern of post-pacing suppression. By bounding the characteristic multipliers, a quantitative measure of stability is derived which conclusively indicates that this model must be extensively altered to include accommodative mechanisms crucial to excitability studies. One direction for such model improvement is suggested.
A proposal for a reference standard preparation for the hypothalamic thyrotrophic hormone releasing factor.

ANY programme which proposes to purify and isolate a biologically active material for which there is no specific physico-chemical mode of identification is on solid ground when it has at its disposal a bioassay and some reference standard preparation. The bioassay must be specific, reliable (reproducible), preferably sensitive, and able to demonstrate a linear increment of the measured meta-meter as a function of the log of the dose of the biological material injected. A reference standard preparation must be an isologous material which will give responses as a function of the doses injected, varying with slopes of that function identical to those observed when comparing the responses obtained with injection of purified materials along the course of the isolation procedure.
Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in vertical, inverse and double-crossing gradients of soluble polymers.

The presence of soluble dextrans, methylcellulose and polyethylene glycol polymers incorporated into vertical sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide slabs during electrophoresis can have a pronounced effect on protein separations. The effects of various standard and inverse gradients of polymers on the electrophoretic mobility of marker proteins in 10%T, 2.66%C Laemmli-style SDS gels, and the effects of simultaneous pore size and polymer gradients were investigated. These experiments demonstrate that the inclusion of polymers is a new, additional parameter that can be useful in resolving complex mixtures of proteins.
fMRI reveals that involuntary visual deviance processing is resource limited.

Abstract Previous studies suggest that involuntary auditory attention evoked by unattended auditory stimuli is not influenced by the primary focus of attention. However, prior studies from our laboratory have found that processing of unattended auditory deviant tones in the auditory and frontal regions is modulated by top-down attentional demands and resource availability. Whether processing of unattended visual deviant stimuli is altered by the availability of attentional resources has not been established. The goal of the current study was to examine the automaticity of these activations, their modulation by attentional capacity, and the neuroanatomical distribution of any attentional effects upon visual deviance detection. We designed an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study during which subjects performed a continuous perceptual–motor–visual tracking task whose difficulty was modulated by changing the control dynamics of a joystick. Changes in the anatomical localization, spatial distribution, and intensity of the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response associated with unattended infrequent visual changes were examined during low- and high-difficulty tracking conditions of the primary visual task. Results revealed that the unattended deviants elicited BOLD activation in the visual, fusiform, and parietal regions. In these regions, the intensity and extent of the activation evoked by the deviants decreased as a function of the demands of the primary visual task. These findings suggest that processing of unattended visual deviant stimuli is restricted by the attentional demands of a primary task, as previously demonstrated for unattended auditory deviant tones.
Pharmacologic prevention of venous thromboembolism in obese patients

Venous thromboembolism, a collective term for pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis accounts for a large amount of mortality and morbidity in hospitalized patients. Obesity has been considered as an important risk factor for the development of venous thromboembolism. Anticoagulation with fixed doses of low molecular weight heparin, anti-factor Xa inhibitors and unfractionated heparin is widely used in hospitals and has shown to be an effective measure in prevention of venous thromboembolism in multiple major randomized, double-blind controlled trials. Appropriate dosing of anticoagulation in obese patients is still controversial, since obese and morbidly obese population of patients is consistently underrepresented or often excluded from most clinical trials, raising a concern for adequacy of standard dosing in this high risk population.
Promoting historical thinking using the explicit reasoning text

Abstract Current trends in history education emphasize using disciplined inquiry to teach history. Scholars and teachers promote historical thinking as a classroom practice, arguing that teachers should help students “do history.” However, history textbooks, which are the most widely used instructional material in history classrooms, stand in sharp contrast to the emphasis on historical inquiry because of the use of an omniscient voice and a didactic tone that is characteristic of the genre. This study reconsiders the value of textbook narratives as vehicles to promote and encourage historical thinking and suggests an innovative way of developing texts that would serve the instructional purpose of improving students' historical thinking. Drawing from the scholarship on considerate and voiced texts, this study presents a new model for textbook narrative that embeds historians' reasoning into the narrative, Explicit Reasoning Text (ERT). Based on interviews with 12 high school students, this study argues the effectiveness of the ERT to engage students in historical investigation.
Cervical and anal HPV infection and dysplasia in HIV-infected women

Methods We performed a pilot, prospective, observational study on 100 HIV-infected women presenting for routine HIV care. Subjects were interviewed and underwent cervical and anal testing with cytology and HPV with Hybrid Capture 2 assay (Digene Corporation, Gaithersburg, MD). High resolution anoscopy (HRA) or colposcopy were performed if indicated and subjects with high grade dysplasia were referred for treatment. Secondary analyses were performed to assess for associated risk factors for abnormal cervical or anal cytology or HPV infection such as CD4 Tcell count using SPSS for Windows, version 15.0.
Spontaneous mobility of GABAA receptor M2 extracellular half relative to noncompetitive antagonist action.

The γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor β3 homopentamer is spontaneously open and highly sensitive to many noncompetitive antagonists(NCAs) and Zn2+.OurearlierstudyoftheM2cytoplasmic half (-1′ to 10′) established a model in which NCAs bind at porelining residues Ala2′, Thr6′, and Leu9′. To further define transmembrane 2 (M2) structure relative to NCA action, we extended the Cys scanning to the extra cellular half of the β3 homopentamer (11′ to 20′). Spontaneous disulfides formed with T13′C, L18′C, and E20′C from M2/M2 cross-linking and with I14′C (weak), H17′C, and R19′Con bridging M2/M3 intersubunits, based on single (M2 Cys only) and dual (M2 Cys plus M3 C289S) mutations. Induced disulfides also formed with T16′C, but there were few or none with M11′C, T12′C, and N15′C. These findings show conformational flexibility/mobility in the M2 extracellular half 17′ to 20′ region interpreted as a deformed β-like conformation in the open channel. The NCA radioligands used were [3H]1-(4-ethynylphenyl)-4-n-propyl-2,6,7-trioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane ([3H]EBOB) and [3H]3,3-bis-trifluoromethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,2-dicarbonitrile with essentially the same results. NCA binding was disrupted by individual Cys substitutions at 13′,14′,16′,17′, and 19′. The inactivity of T13′C/T13′S may have been due to disturbance of the channel gate; I14′S and T16′S showed much better binding activity than their Cys counterparts, and the low activities of H17′C and R19′C were reversed by dithiothreitol. Zn2+ potency for inhibition of [3H]EBOB binding was lowered 346-fold by the mutation H17′A. We propose that NCAs enter their binding site both directly, through the channel pore, and indirectly, through the water cavity of adjacent subunits.
Reintegrating the Study of Accuracy Into Social Cognition Research

Understanding the contents of other minds is a vital and ubiquitous task that humans perform with impressive skill. As such, it is surprising that the majority of social cognition research—whether behavioral or neuroscientific—focuses on the processes people use when attempting to understand each other while ignoring how well those attempts fare. Here we review historical reasons for the contemporary dominance of process-oriented research as well as the resurgence in the last decades of new approaches to studying interpersonal accuracy. Although in principle both the accuracy-oriented and process-oriented approaches study related aspects of the same phenomena, in practice they have made strikingly little contact with each other. We argue that integrating these approaches could expand our understanding of social cognition, both by suggesting new ways to synthesize extant data and generate novel predictions and lines of research, and by providing a framework for accomplishing such an integration. This integ...
Ancient Egyptian Medical Texts: A Rhetorical Analysis of Two of the Oldest Papyri

The Edwin Smith Surgery Manual and the Ebers Manual are two of the oldest technical texts available for analysis; both illustrate the complex rhetorical dynamics characteristic of ancient Egypt. In...
Cyclophilin Inhibitors as a Novel HCV Therapy

A critical role of Cyclophilins, mostly Cyclophilin A (CyPA), in the replication of HCV is supported by a growing body of in vitro and in vivo evidence. CyPA probably interacts directly with nonstructural protein 5A to exert its effect, through its peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity, on maintaining the proper structure and function of the HCV replicase. The major proline substrates are located in domain II of NS5A, centered around a “DY” dipeptide motif that regulates CyPA dependence and CsA resistance. Importantly, Cyclosporine A derivatives that lack immunosuppressive function efficiently block the CyPA-NS5A interaction and inhibit HCV in cell culture, an animal model, and human trials. Given the high genetic barrier to development of resistance and the distinctness of their mechanism from that of either the current standard of care or any specifically targeted antiviral therapy for HCV (STAT-C), CyP inhibitors hold promise as a novel class of anti-HCV therapy.
Overnight urethral stenting after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty for distal hypospadias.

Objectives The duration of urethral stenting after tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty for hypospadias varies among surgeons. Typically the catheter is left for up to 7 days with the goal of minimizing post-operative complications. We describe our experience with overnight stenting for distal TIP hypospadias repair.
Implications of Seidl's paper for child care practice

The idea of communi ty oriented residential care programs, as presented by Seidl, involves total institutional staff participation and therefore has tremendous implications for child care workers. In general, the lay image of the child care worker is that of babysitter. Too often even the most commonly used communi ty resources, such as schools, tend to view child care workers as custodians only; seldom is the child care staff contacted regarding schoolrelated problems. Clearly the school administration bypasses the child care staff in favor of someone they think is better equipped to handle the problem. Community oriented residential care programs would provide the much needed recognition of child care workers as essential members of the t reatment staff. Not only would they be used more effectively, but the work would also be more rewarding. Furthermore, as they participate in inst i tut ion-community cooperative programs, their image would take on professional status, which in turn would attract better-qualified individuals to the field of child care practice. This is a shift in the overall view of the role of the child care worker, but in keeping with the thrust toward professionalization. It is important to remember that the concept of using community resources is a diagnostic decision geared to an individual child's needs and used in addition to regular casework services. Obviously, considerable sophistication on the part of the staff is necessary; it is not the kind of work just anyone can do. Therefore it requires child care workers with particular skills and knowledge in selecting the appropriate services for a particular child. Foremost, staff must have a true sense of self-confidence, particularly in functioning independently outside the structure of the institution with various other disciplines. In addition, they must be articulate in matters of institutional policies and procedures; they must be able to evaluate social situations objectively, make judgments, and define and handle crisis situations.
The effect of labor on maternal and fetal vitamins C and E

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted to compare maternal and fetal plasma, amniotic fluid, and chorioamnion levels of vitamins C and E in term (>38 weeks' gestation) subjects undergoing elective repeat cesarean section (CS) without labor with values of subjects of similar gestational age and dietary intake undergoing labor and vaginal delivery (VD). Study Design: Healthy women undergoing elective repeat CS (n = 5) or uncomplicated VD (n = 5) at term (>38 weeks' gestation) were studied. For CS patients, maternal and fetal (cord) blood, amniotic fluid, and chorioamnion samples were collected at time of surgery. For VD patients, maternal blood and amniotic fluid were obtained at 5 cm cervical dilation and fetal cord blood and chorioamnion were collected at delivery. Each patient completed a nutritional questionnaire. Plasma and membrane vitamin E concentrations were determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and standardized to cholesterol or membrane protein, respectively. Vitamin C was determined with the use of the 2,4-DNPH method. Results: Dietary intakes for vitamins C and E as well as maternal and fetal vitamin E plasma concentrations were similar for CS and VD patients. In both groups, maternal levels were higher than fetal levels( P Conclusion: During labor in healthy women at term, uterine contractile activity may generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the process of repetitive ischemia and reperfusion. With the significant depletion of vitamin C during labor, we speculate that water-soluble vitamin C scavenges ROS in the aqueous phase and recycles lipid-soluble vitamin E to combat ROS-induced tissue damage. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;187:1179-83.)
Categorical Dimensions of Human Odor Descriptor Space Revealed by Non-Negative Matrix Factorization

In contrast to most other sensory modalities, the basic perceptual dimensions of olfaction remain unclear. Here, we use non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) – a dimensionality reduction technique – to uncover structure in a panel of odor profiles, with each odor defined as a point in multi-dimensional descriptor space. The properties of NMF are favorable for the analysis of such lexical and perceptual data, and lead to a high-dimensional account of odor space. We further provide evidence that odor dimensions apply categorically. That is, odor space is not occupied homogenously, but rather in a discrete and intrinsically clustered manner. We discuss the potential implications of these results for the neural coding of odors, as well as for developing classifiers on larger datasets that may be useful for predicting perceptual qualities from chemical structures.
The overprotection of Mars

Planetary protection policies aim to guard Solar System bodies from biological contamination from spacecraft. Costly efforts to sterilize Mars spacecraft need to be re-evaluated, as they are unnecessarily inhibiting a more ambitious agenda to search for extant life on Mars.
A comprehensive method to train residents in robotic hysterectomy techniques

Training residents to perform robotic surgery poses several challenges. We describe a comprehensive method, beginning with a dry lab, and progressing through bedside assisting, then segmental involvement, to full participation, for residents to train and obtain credentials in robotic hysterectomy. From August 1, 2006 through July 31, 2009 a training method was developed at the University of South Alabama on the Gynecologic Oncology service. A dry lab which closely simulates specific tasks performed in a robotic hysterectomy was accompanied by resident observation of robotic surgery, and followed with progressive involvement in the robotic console. This culminated in their completion of dozens of complete robotic hysterectomies. Sixteen residents completed the dry lab and 228 robotic cases were performed, 190 of which were hysterectomy; 161/190 (84.7%) included resident participation, 103/190 (54.2%) included resident participation in the console, and in 65/190 (34.2%) residents completed the hysterectomy procedure. The mean time for resident robotic hysterectomy was 45.08 min (range = 13–92 min), and the mean time to tie a single figure-of-eight suture in the vaginal cuff was 4.41 min (range = 2.25–9.25). Complications were similar for resident and attending surgeon cases. Using a dry lab as well as graded introduction to robotic surgery which begins with observation, progresses through bedside assisting, and culminates in complete hysterectomy by residents, we have demonstrated a method to train and credential Ob/Gyn residents in robotic hysterectomy
Clinical indications of the use of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in the evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease at an Academic Medical Center.

Background: Serological markers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody (ASCA), have a high specificity and positive predictive value in diagnosing IBD. However, neither indication nor use in clinical practice has been clearly established. This study aimed to determine the clinical impact of ANCA/ASCA testing by evaluating how these tests were used in an academic referral center. Methods: Retrospective chart review to classify the indications for testing and effect on diagnosis or management. Results: Seventy-six patients had serological tests for IBD. Indications included differentiating ulcerative colitis (UC) from Crohn's disease (CD) in established patients with IBD (13%); establishing a diagnosis in patients with atypical signs of inflammation as detected by endoscopy, histology, or radiology (50%); evaluation of chronic diarrhea (22%); evaluation of a family history of IBD (4%); and differentiating pouchitis from CD (4%). Review of the subsequent course indicated that serologic testing had an important role in diagnosis in 28% of patients, a supportive role in 26%, and was not helpful in 46%. Serologic testing clarified the clinical presentation in 61% of those presenting with atypical inflammatory changes. It proved valuable in establishing a diagnosis of UC or CD in a subset of middle-aged patients with inflammatory changes in the sigmoid colon. For patients with chronic diarrhea, the yield was lower: 36% had a significant effect on diagnosis, but test results changed immediate treatment in only 1 (6%). In patients being considered for operative management (n = 8), serologic testing was valuable in clarifying the diagnosis in 75% of patients and had an impact on the operative plan in 62% of patients. Conclusion: Serological testing for ANCA/ASCA may have a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment in individuals presenting with sigmoid inflammation or atypical inflammation but was less useful in those with chronic diarrhea.
Ultra‐slow tails of sprite‐associated lightning flashes

We describe the terrestrial excitation of horizontal magnetic field variations in the Pc1 frequency range (0.2–5.0 Hz) by tropospheric, sprite-associated lightning flashes, measured ∼1900 km west from the source. These variations, which we call ultra-slow tails, exhibit amplitudes on the order of tens of pT, they have a duration of ∼3 seconds, and they occur immediately following the initial pulse of the sprite-associated lightning flash. The ultra-slow tails exhibit two peaks in the frequency domain at 0.67 Hz and 1.67 Hz. The mean polarization ellipses at these two frequencies are oriented ∼45° clockwise from geographic north and exhibit right-hand and left-hand polarization respectively with a weak ellipticity of ∼0.1. The horizontal magnetic intensity of the initial pulse is related to the horizontal magnetic intensity of the ultra-slow tail, in agreement with the interpretation of ultra-slow tails as ionospheric Alfven resonances.
Temporal multiplexing for economical measurement of power versus time on NIF

The researchers have designed an economical device to measure the power time history in the National Ignition Facility`s (NIF) 192 beam laser. The heart of the system is a commercial, high-speed, four-channel digitizer with a 15,000 point record length. Samples of several beams are taken with fiberoptic pickoffs, separated in time with appropriate fiberoptic delays and presented to high-speed vacuum photodiodes, which convert the samples to electrical signals for the digitizer. Amplitude and time multiplexing are used to cover the required dynamic range and to record 12 samples on the digitizer, making the cost per sample competitive with alternative approaches. Forty-eight digitizers can record the required three samples from each of the 192 beams. An additional similar but lower bandwidth system is used to record the backreflected light from the main laser amplifiers and elsewhere. The recording electronics are discussed in detail.
Conditional trimerization and lytic activity of HIV-1 gp41 variants containing the membrane-associated segments.

Fusion of host and viral membranes is a critical step during infection by membrane-bound viruses. The HIV-1 glycoproteins gp120 (surface subunit) and gp41 (fusion subunit) represent the prototypic system for studying this process; in the prevailing model, the gp41 ectodomain forms a trimeric six-helix bundle that constitutes a critical intermediate and provides the energetic driving force for overcoming barriers associated with membrane fusion. However, most structural studies of gp41 variants have been performed either on ectodomain constructs lacking one or more of the membrane-associated segments (the fusion peptide, FP, the membrane-proximal external region, MPER, and the transmembrane domain, TM) or on variants consisting of these isolated segments alone without the ectodomain. Several recent reports have suggested that the HIV-1 ectodomain, as well as larger construct containing the membrane-bound segments, dissociates from a trimer to a monomer in detergent micelles. Here we compare the properties ...
Psychophysical lifting capabilities for overreach heights.

Overreach height, in this study, is defined as the maximum reach height of individuals measured to the top of the cut-out box-handles while subjects stand with their heels raised. Since such postures are inherently unstable, knowing how much weight individuals are willing to lift across overreach lifting heights is important. Ten young adult male students (mean age 25·9 years, mean weight 70·8 kg and mean height 175 cm) voluntarily participated in a study designed to investigate the effect of lifting heights above reach height on the maximum acceptable weights of lift. The weight was lifted using a ‘free-style’ technique in the mid-sagittal plane from the floor, knuckle and shoulder heights to overreach heights (individuals stand with their heels raised to deposit the load). The maximum acceptable weight of lift, on the average, declined by approximately 14%, compared with the maximum acceptable weight of lift for reach heights, when the box was lifted to overreach heights. The magnitude of decline in the...
Editorial: Characterization of Inflammation and Fibrosis in Crohn’s Disease Lesions by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Editorial: Characterization of Inflammation and Fibrosis in Crohn’s Disease Lesions by Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Solving an asset pricing model with hybrid internal and external habits, and autocorrelated Gaussian shocks

We derive an explicit formula for the price-dividend ratio of a generalized version of Abel’s asset pricing model. This model is generalized in two ways: first, consumption (dividend) growth is assumed to be an AR(1) process subject to Gaussian random shocks, and second, the investor’s preferences are allowed to be a convex combination of internal and external habits. With an internal habit weight, 50%, and a coefficient of risk aversion, 3.25, simulation results match the historic US equity premium and risk free interest rate.
A process definition language for Internet of things

In Internet of things, lots of instruments and sensors will connect into Internet and can be controlled through Internet to achieve Smart Planet. One of the key challenges is to integrate instruments and sensors into business process. SOA is an ideal infrastructure for business process management and lots of business process definition languages are now available for process orchestration. Instruments functions are encapsulate to web services and can be organized with other web services equally. But these device-oriented web services are different from common web services because devices can't be controlled by more than one client at the same time. This feature can't be supported in traditional process definition languages. In this paper, a new process definition langue for Internet of Things is provided. It is an XML-based language; the structure of the language includes 3 sections: services, sequence and vars. Services section is used to describe service information. Device-oriented web services and common web services are described in this section. Sequence section is the main body of the process, which includes the specific business process of the IoT application. Sequence is used to enable executing several commands in order.
Intermodal image-based recognition of planar kinematic mechanisms

We present a data-driven exploratory study to investigate whether trained object detectors generalize well to test images from a different modality. We focus on the domain of planar kinematic mechanisms, which can be viewed as a set of rigid bodies connected by joints, and use textbook graphics and images of hand-drawn sketches as input modalities. The goal of our algorithm is to automatically recognize the underlying mechanical structure shown in an input image by leveraging well-known computer vision methods for object recognition with the optimizing power of multiobjective evolutionary algorithms. Taking a raw image as input, we detect pin joints using local feature descriptors in a support vector machine framework. Improving upon previous work, detection confidence depends on multiple context-based classifiers of varying image patch size and greedy foreground extraction. The likelihood of rigid body connections is approximated using normalized geodesic time, and NSGA-II is used to evolve optimal mechanisms using this data. The present work is motivated by the observation that textbook diagrams and hand-drawn sketches of mechanisms exhibit similar object structure, yet have different visual characteristics. We apply our method using various combinations of images for training and testing, and the results demonstrate a trade-off between solvability and accuracy. We describe a system that automatically recognizes mechanical structures from images.Contextual features and foreground extraction enhance previous detection results.We extend the recognition pipeline to include hand-drawn sketches as input.Trained object detectors can perform well on images from a different modality.
Obesity induces neuroinflammation mediated by altered expression of the renin-angiotensin system in mouse forebrain nuclei.

Abstract Obesity is a widespread health concern that is associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Both obesity and hypertension have independently been associated with increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and immune cells within specific brain regions, as well as increased activity of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS). To test the hypothesis that high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity leads to an angiotensin-II (Ang-II)-dependent increase in inflammatory cells within specific forebrain regions that are important for cardiovascular regulation, we first assessed microglial activation, astrocyte activation, inflammation and RAS component gene expression within selected metabolic and cardiovascular control centers of the forebrain in adult male C57BL/6 mice given either a HFD or a low-fat diet (LFD) for 8 weeks. Subsequently, we assessed the necessity of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) angiotensin type-1a (AT1a) receptor for these responses by using the Cre/lox system in mice to selectively delete the AT1a receptor from the PVN. These studies reveal that in addition to the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC), the PVN and the subfornical organ (SFO), two brain regions that are known to regulate blood pressure and energy balance, also initiate proinflammatory responses after the consumption of a diet high in fat. They further indicate that some, but not all, of these responses are reversed upon deletion of AT1a specifically within the PVN.
Analysis of Surgical Participation in the Advanced Trauma Life Support Course: What Are the Goals and Are We Meeting Them?

• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course records spanning 4 years were examined and American College of Surgeons members in Washington State surveyed to gain further information on ATLS course participants, skills utilization, and hospital credentialing. Thirty-seven (9.7%) of 382 course participants were trained general surgeons, 56 (14.7%) were surgical residents, and 12 (3.1%) were surgical specialists. One hundred thirty-six (35.6%) of the participants were primary care physicians and 115 (30.1%) were emergency physicians. Surgical residents, primary care physicians, and emergency physicians tended to be overrepresented in ATLS courses in comparison with their general distribution. Fully trained surgeons and surgical specialists were underrepresented. Course participants represented 3.8% of all physicians involved in patient care in the state. Only 6.4% of all active general surgeons in the state were participants, while 39% of active emergency physicians participated. The successful completion rate was 94% (98% for surgeons and 92% for nonsurgical physicians). Thirty-one percent of all American College of Surgeons survey respondents (31% of urban practitioners and 21% of rural practitioners) reported current ATLS qualification. Advanced Trauma Life Support qualification was reported by 31% of respondents as a requirement for taking trauma/emergency department call. Surgeons with a preference not to treat patients with trauma were less likely to have ATLS qualification. More than half of those who reported ATLS qualification had not performed a tracheal intubation, cricothyroidotomy, pericardiocentesis, or emergency department thoracotomy in the previous year. Participation of surgeons in ATLS courses is low, particularly among rural practitioners. Impetus for participation appears related to requirements for hospital staff credentialing and preferences for treating patients with trauma. Performance of procedures taught in the course is rare. Strategies to increase participation need to be formulated and implemented. ( Arch Surg . 1992;127:721-726)
Effects of Enalapril on Exercise and End Systolic Ventricular Wall Stress in The Fontan Patient. † 218

Effects of Enalapril on Exercise and End Systolic Ventricular Wall Stress in The Fontan Patient. † 218
The growth of respiratory syncytial virus in organ cultures of bovine foetal trachea.

Respiratory syncytial (RS) virus grown in organ cultures of bovine foetal trachea at 37° C and pH 7.2 reached maximum titres of up to 1 × 105 PFU/ml between 11 and 21 days after inoculation. Virus yield was increased three fold by incubation at 33° C, but depressed by the addition of RS virus antiserum, with or without bovine complement, or by the addition of alveolar macrophages. Variation in pH or the concentration of foetal calf serum and magnesium chloride did not affect the virus yield. Virus growth did not affect ciliary activity of the cultures. Histological changes involved slight flattening of the epithelium and the appearance of phloxinophilic inclusion bodies.
Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae carbohydrate specificity assessment by glycomics

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major pathogen in adult periodontitis. Fimbriae play an important role in the initial interaction between the bacteria and the host. Our earlier studies suggested that the oligosaccharide moiety of lactoferrin is involved in the interaction with fimbriae. Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbriae bound strongly to albumin-fucosylamide (albumin-1-amido-1-deoxy-l-fucose) and to a lesser extent to albumin- N -acetyl-d-galactosamine (albumin-p-aminophenyl- N -acetyl-β-d-galactosaminide, but failed to bind bovine serum albumin. In this study we explored the glycan array to determine the carbohydrate-binding specificity of P. gingivalis fimbriae. Purified fimbriae bind to glycans which have a Lewisx, Galβ1-4(Fucα1-3) GlcNAcβ structure in common. Interestingly, all glycans have a terminal fucose moiety and if fucose is removed, the fimbriae fail to bind. This is the first study that suggests that fucose is important for P. gingivalis fimbriae binding.
Absorption of Cholesterol-4-C14 in Rats Fed Mixed Soybean Sterols and β-Sitosterol.

Summary1. The effect of plant sterols on cholesterol absorption was studied. Ring-labeled cholesterol was fed by stomach tube to rats into whose thoracic ducts cannulae had been inserted. 2. Simultaneous feeding of mixed soy sterols or of β-sitosterol with labeled cholesterol resulted in a pronounced reduction in the C14 recoveries in thoracic duct lymph. 3. Approximately 50% of C14-cholesterol in lymph was esterified when the test meal contained only labeled cholesterol and cottonseed oil. Less of lymph's C14-cholesterol was esterified when mixed soy sterols or β-sitosterol were added to test meal.
Consumer acceptance of irradiated food: A study of symbolic adoption

Previous research reveals mixed signals regarding the potential for consumer acceptance of irradiated food. Consumer acceptance seems to depend upon the nature and amount of information provided about irradiation. Survey research finds that only about 20–30% of respondents initially express favourable opinions of irradiation with some cautionary signals concerning consumer suspicion of the process and its benefits to the public. Some laboratory experiments and market tests, on the other hand, indicate a willingness of the consumer to accept a high quality, government-approved product, especially when irradiation is placed within the context of alternative pest and bacteria control treatments. However, these studies fail to provide the consumer with negative information about irradiation. This study examines the relative impact of social persuasion and both favourable and unfavourable information on consumer acceptance of food irradiation. The study takes the approach that consumer acceptance is a social process, wherein acceptance becomes subject to societal approval through word-of-mouth conversations. Previous literature suggests that social persuasion, particularly negative social persuasion, should outweigh favourable information on consumer acceptance of a new technology. This proposition is supported by the results of our study, which indicates that responses that were initially favourable to irradiation, especially those opinions formed in the absence of unfavourable information, should be interpreted with caution. The study supports previous research, therefore, suggesting that industry and governmental agencies would benefit from close inspection of societal attitudes towards the food irradiation process.
Transverse and temporal characteristics of a high-gain free-electron laser in the saturation regime

Abstract The transverse and the temporal characteristics of a high-gain free-electron laser are governed by refractive guiding and sideband instability, respectively. Using the self-consistent Vlasov–Maxwell equations, we explicitly determine the effective index of refraction and the guided radiation mode for an electron beam with arbitrary transverse size. Electrons trapped by the guided radiation execute synchrotron oscillation and hence are susceptible to the sideband instability. We explain the spectral evolution and determine the sideband growth rate. These theoretical predictions agree well with GINGER simulation results.
Recovering social and cultural dynamics from plaster floors: chemical analyses at ancient Chunchucmil, Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract Phosphate analysis and trace metals analysis were used to determine activities that took place on plaster floors in domestic contexts at the ancient Maya site of Chunchucmil, Yucatan. Research on activities and the use of space contributes to an understanding of social relations within household groups as well as unforeseen patterns that structure refuse discard. The floors analyzed in this paper pertain to three structures in two neighboring houselots dating to the Early Classic (300–600 A.D.) period. Data from the chemical analyses were utilized in conjunction with associated architectural features and artifacts found on the floors. These three lines of information were interpreted with the help of models developed from ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological research. The results demonstrated functional differentiation of rooms within elaborate residences and suggested that front rooms were used to host visitors. The results also suggested that different types of debris were managed differently. Finally, chemical analyses suggest that non-elite Maya occasionally enacted rituals often restricted to elites.
Three-dimensional constitutive relations for granular materials based on the dilatant double shearing mechanism and the concept of fabric

Abstract An extension of a three-dimensional model proposed by Anand and Gu (2000) for amorphous granular materials to include the effects of initial and induced anisotropy is presented in this paper. The proposed model can also be considered as a three-dimensional generalization of a model recently developed by Zhu et al. (2005) for the planar deformation of granular materials. The main ingredients of the model include the dilatant double shearing mechanism ( Spencer, 1964; Mehrabadi and Cowin, 1978 ), the concept of fabric ( Oda, 1972 ), and an extension of the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion ( Shield, 1955; Spencer, 1982 ) to three dimensions. The constitutive equations are implemented in the finite element program ABAQUS/Explicit ( ABAQUS, 2001 ) by developing a user-material subroutine to conduct numerical triaxial compression tests for samples of granular materials with different initial anisotropy. The numerical results agree with the observed behavior and show that the extended constitutive model is capable of capturing the strength anisotropy of granular materials. Employing the anisotropic model developed here, we have also repeated the numerical simulation of the stress state in a static conical sand pile conducted earlier by Anand and Gu (2000) . We find that fabric has little or no influence on the vertical stress distribution except at the base of the sand pile where the peak value of this stress is slightly higher than that predicted by the model of Anand and Gu (2000) which does not include the effects of fabric. We also find that the direction of the principal compressive stress changes from vertical at points away from the center of the pile to almost horizontal at points close to the center of the pile. This result provides a possible explanation for the observed dip in the vertical stress distribution in sand piles.