cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Facebookʼs Latest Attempt To Address Vaccine Misinformation — And Why Itʼs Not Enough

On October 13, 2020 Facebook announced the adoption of a series of measures to promote vaccine trust “while prohibiting ads with misinformation that could harm public health efforts.” In the post written by Kang-Xing Jin (head of health) and Rob Leathern (director of product management), the company explained that the new measures were designed with an emphasis on encouraging widespread use of this yearʼs flu vaccine, as well as in anticipation of potential COVID-19 vaccines becoming available in the near future. The changes focus mainly on the establishment of a multiprong informational campaign about the seasonal flu vaccine, which includes directing users to vaccine-related content from public health organizations and providing sharable vaccination reminders. Moreover, Facebook announced that it was adopting a policy of rejecting ads explicitly “discouraging people from getting vaccinated.” Some vaccine-related ads, specifically those advocating “for or against legislation or government policies around vaccines—including a COVID-19 vaccine—are still allowed.” These types of ads have to be authorized by Facebook and display a label indicating who paid for the ad. Facebookʼs newest set of vaccine-specific measures constitutes an improvement over the status quo, especially by providing an educational campaign tailored to an ongoing seasonal event. However, it leaves the problem of the circulation of vaccine misinformation—the dissemination of inaccurate content—largely untouched and does virtually nothing to remove the well-established sources of vaccine misinformation within the Facebook network. While Facebook is not the only social media platform where levels of vaccine misinformation have escalated dramatically in recent years, it constitutes the most popular social media venue for the sharing and consumption of anti-vaccine and anti-vaccination content. This post explores the vaccine misinformation landscape against which Facebook announced its new policy and explains why this policy is insufficient as a meaningful deterrent to the spread of vaccine misinformation.
Evaluation of a polymeric composite bone filler scaffold for local antibiotic delivery to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infection in a contaminated bone defect

We previously reported the development of an osteogenic bone filler scaffold consisting of degradable polyurethane (dPU), nano-sized hydroxyapatite (nHA), and decellularized bovine bone particles (DBP). In this report we describe the results of studies aimed at evaluating the use of this scaffold as a means of local antibiotic delivery for the prevention of infection in a segmental bone defect contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. We evaluated two different scaffold formulations that contained the same components in the same ratios but differed from each other with respect to overall porosity and therefore surface area. Studies done with vancomycin, daptomycin, and gentamicin confirmed that antibiotic uptake was concentration dependent and that increased porosity was correlated with increased uptake and prolonged release of all three antibiotics. Vancomycin could be passively loaded into either scaffold formulation in an amount sufficient to prevent infection, as evidenced by the complete eradication of viable bacteria from the surgical site of most animals in a rabbit model of a contaminated mid-radial segmental bone defect. Even in those few cases in which complete eradication was not achieved, the number of viable bacteria present in the bone was significantly reduced comparison to untreated controls. There was also no radiographic evidence of osteomyelitis in any rabbit treated with vancomycin-loaded scaffold. Microcomputed tomography (µCT) of bone defects up to 84 days of exposure to scaffolds with and without vancomycin also demonstrated that the addition of vancomycin even in the highest concentration did not significantly diminish the osteogenic properties of either scaffold formulation. Together, these results demonstrate the potential utility of our bone regeneration scaffold for local antibiotic delivery.
Characterization of the dynamics and variability of neuronal subtype responses during growth, degrowth, and regeneration of Nematostella vectensis

The ability to regenerate body parts is a feature of metazoan organisms and the focus of intense research aiming to understand its basis. A number of mechanisms involved in regeneration, such as proliferation and tissue remodeling, affect whole tissues; however, little is known on how distinctively different constituent cell types respond to the dynamics of regenerating tissues. Preliminary studies suggest that a number of organisms alter neuronal numbers to scale with changes in body size. In some species with the ability of whole-body axis regeneration, it has additionally been observed that regenerates are smaller than their pre-amputated parent, but maintain the correct morphological proportionality, suggesting that scaling of tissue and neuronal numbers also occurs. However, the cell dynamics and responses of neuronal subtypes during nervous system regeneration, scaling, and whole-body axis regeneration are not well understood in any system. The cnidarian sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is capable of whole-body axis regeneration, with a number of observations suggesting the ability to alter its size in response to changes in feeding. We took advantage of Nematostella’s transparent and “simple” body plan and the NvLWamide-like mCherry fluorescent reporter transgenic line to probe the response of neuron populations to variations in body size in vivo in adult animals during body scaling and regeneration. We utilized the previously characterized NvLWamide-like::mCherry transgenic reporter line to determine the in vivo response of neuronal subtypes during growth, degrowth, and regeneration. Nematostella alters its size in response to caloric intake, and the nervous system responds by altering neuronal number to scale as the animal changes in size. Neuronal numbers in both the endodermal and ectodermal nerve nets decreased as animals shrunk, increased as they grew, and these changes were reversible. Whole-body axis regeneration resulted in regenerates that were smaller than their pre-amputated size, and the regenerated nerve nets were reduced in neuronal number. Different neuronal subtypes had distinct responses during regeneration, including consistent, not consistent, and conditional increases in number. Conditional responses were regulated, in part, by the size of the remnant fragment and the position of the amputation site. Regenerates and adults with reduced nerve nets displayed normal behaviors, indicating that the nerve net retains functionality as it scales. These data suggest that the Nematostella nerve net is dynamic, capable of scaling with changes in body size, and that neuronal subtypes display differential regenerative responses, which we propose may be linked to the scale state of the regenerating animals.
Surgical oncology operative experience at a high-volume safety-net hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to disruptions in operative and hospital capabilities as the country triaged resources and canceled elective procedures. This study details the operative experience of a safety-net hospital for cancer-related operations during a 3-month period at the height of the pandemic. Methods Patients operated on for or diagnosed with malignancies of the abdomen, breast, skin, or soft-tissue (September 3, 2020-September 6, 2020) were identified from operative/clinic schedules. Sociodemographics, tumor and treatment characteristics, and COVID-19 information was identified through retrospective chart review of a prospectively maintained database. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results Fifty patients evaluated within this window underwent oncologic surgery. Median age was 61 (interquartile range: 53-68), 56% were female, 86% were White, and 66% were Hispanic. The majority (28%) were for colon cancer. Only two patients tested positive for COVID-19 preoperatively or within 30 days of their operation. There were no mortalities during the 1-year study period. Conclusion During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals and operative centers limited interventions to preserve resources, but oncologic procedures continued at many large-volume academic cancer centers. This study underscores the importance of continuing to offer surgery during the pandemic for surgical oncology cases at safety-net hospitals to minimize delays in time-sensitive oncologic treatment.
Pseudodeformations

We study the deformation functor of a reducible pseudocharacter. We show that there is a natural filtration (the complexity filtration) on such a functor, and that this filtration induces a filtration on the tangent space, whose graded pieces can be described in terms of the extension spaces between the irreducible components of the pseudocharacter. We also study the obstruction theory of that deformation problem.
Muscarine and t-LHRH suppress M-current by activating an IAP- insensitive G-protein

The control of M-current by muscarinic ACh receptors and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) receptors was studied in dialyzed frog sympathetic ganglion neurons. M-current was recorded in dialyzed cells without run-down or changes in its biophysical properties and could be reversibly suppressed by muscarine and teleost LHRH (t-LHRH). However, dialysis with internal solutions lacking ATP or substituting with APP(NH)P caused the loss of M-current, suggesting that dephosphorylation suppresses the activity of M-channels. M-current over- recovers after agonist addition and removal to a size 30% larger than control, as if latent channels are activated during the recovery. Dialysis of cells with the G-protein activators GTP gamma S, fluoride, and aluminum fluoride causes loss of M-current. G-protein activation by receptors was confirmed by dialysis with low concentrations of GTP gamma S in competition with GTP. This prevents the rapid loss of M- current, but addition of muscarine or t-LHRH caused irreversible loss of M-current, suggesting that both transmitter receptors do suppress M- current by activating a G-protein. Suppression of M-current was not affected by treatment with 0.1 microgram/ml pertussis toxin (IAP) for 24–48 hr. In addition, based on the lack of IAP-specific labeling of frog sympathetic neuron membrane proteins, no IAP-sensitive G-proteins are present in these cells. These results indicate that an IAP- insensitive G-protein couples muscarinic and LHRH receptors to the suppression of M-current.
Violation of the ΔI = 12 rule in D → ππ decays☆

Abstract A strong violation of the ΔI = 1 2 rule has experimentally been found in the D → ππ decays [CLEO Collab., M. Selen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 71 (1993) 1973]. In this letter we will show that the order of magnitude of this violation can be understood in terms of the pure quantum chromo dynamics corrections to the weak interactions.
Computing Minimum and Maximum Reachability Times in Probabilistic Systems

A Markov decision process is a generalization of a Markov chain in which both probabilistic and nondeterministic choice coexist. Given a Markov decision process with costs associated with the transitions and a set of target states, the stochastic shortest path problem consists in computing the minimum expected cost of a control strategy that guarantees to reach the target. In this paper, we consider the classes of stochastic shortest path problems in which the costs are all non-negative, or all non-positive. Previously, these two classes of problems could be solved only under the assumption that the policies that minimize or maximize the expected cost also lead to the target with probability 1. This assumption does not necessarily hold for Markov decision processes that arise as model for distributed probabilistic systems. We present efficient methods for solving these two classes of problems without relying on additional assumptions. The methods are based on algorithms to transform the original problems into problems that satisfy the required assumptions. The methods lead to the efficient solution of two basic problems in the analysis of the reliability and performance of partially-specified systems: the computation of the minimum (or maximum) probability of reaching a target set, and the computation of the minimum (or maximum) expected time to reach the set.
Long-term influence of enteric infection on jejunal propulsion in guinea pigs

Abstract The intrinsic fluid-propelling behavior of guinea pig jejunal segments was reportedly altered by primary infection with Trichinella spiralis from day 10 to day 20 postinoculation. After that time propulsive behavior returned to normal. The objective in the investigation reported here was to determine if jejunal responsiveness to an infection is influenced by prior exposure to the parasite. Accordingly, jejunal propulsion was examined in guinea pigs reinfected 2 mo after the initial inoculation with the parasite. Propulsive behavior was measured in vitro by attaching oral and aboral ends of jejunal segments to a propulsion evaluation system that imposed input-output conditions of constant capacitance and negligible resistance. Propulsive complexes produced by segments removed from animals 60 days after primary inoculation were generally similar in configuration to those produced by segments from uninfected hosts. The pronounced net aboral propulsive behavior previously observed 10–20 days after primary infection was not observed in segments from animals 60 days postinfection or from uninfected controls. After secondary inoculation the fluid volume expelled per propulsive complex began to increase within 1 day and net aboral propulsive behavior was clearly evident 2 days postinoculation. As net aboral propulsive behavior was induced approximately five times faster after secondary as compared with primary inoculation with T. spiralis , it is evident that the overall intrinsic mechanisms that are responsible for an earlier onset of net aboral propulsive behavior are responsive for at least 2 mo after initial exposure to the parasite.
Intergalactic matter and radiation and its bearing on galaxy formation and evolution

An up-dated review is given of the evidence for the presence of intergalactic matter and radiation in the Universe. It is concluded that the only important constituents which may make a sizable contribution to the total mass-energy are intergalactic gas and condensed objects with a very high mass-to-light ratio. If the QSOs are not at cosmological distances, cold atomic hydrogen may still be the most important constituent and may contribute much more mass than do the galaxies. The X-ray observations still do not unambiguously show that very hot gas is present, though it is very likely on general grounds that some hot gas is present in clusters of galaxies.
Methods for Sample Preparation for Direct Immunoassay Measurement of Analytes in Tissue Homogenates: ELISA Assay of Amyloid β‐Peptides

Use of low abundance analytes in whole tissue homogenates has been realized with the development of assays in which a specific analyte is captured and detected using immunological reagents. One of the many advantages of analyte immunoassay in crude homogenates is its relative simplicity, allowing high throughput analysis of samples. In this unit, some major key determinants in sample and standard preparation and handling are described that have been shown to improve the performance and reliability of these assay systems. The ELISA assay of amyloid peptides from brain tissue is described as an example, since the protocols for this analysis exemplify many of the techniques and problems that are encountered in the development of new assays.
What We Need to Know About Behavioral Health and Psychology in the Patient‐Centered Medical Home

[Clin Psychol Sci Prac 17: 215–217, 2010] As Alexander, Arnkoff, and Glass (2010) suggest, the availability of psychology and behavioral health as part of primary care brings important and complicated issues. Such issues require attention and clinical intervention, with psychological therapy being one element of the complex clinical, organizational, and financial considerations. This commentary outlines some of the issues and offers suggestions to move the venture forward.
Photoproducts of rhodopsin bleaching in the isolated, perfused frog retina.

Abstract Sequential absorption spectra of decaying rhodopsin photoproducts have been recorded in isolated, perfused frog retinas following brief, intense light flashes. Two photoproduct peaks have been observed, with λ max at 387 nm and 462–475 nm. The behavior of these peaks has been studied as a function of pH, temperature, and illumination with near-ultraviolet light. The 387 nm peak consists of metarhodopsin II and free all- trans retinal, while the 462–475 nm peak is pararhodopsin. Photoproduct decay in the frog retina is similar to that previously described in intact rat and rabbit retinas, save that the transformation of metarhodopsin II to pararhodopsin is much faster in the frog at comparable temperatures. Photoproduct transitions in the intact frog retina are less complex than those previously observed in digitonin extracts of rhodopsin, or in suspensions of retinal outer segments in hypertonic sucrose solutions. When isolated, perfused frog retinas are strongly bleached in white light, about 15 per cent of the rhodopsin regenerates over 30–50 min following the bleach. Regeneration is prevented if the ultraviolet spectrum is filtered from the bleaching light. It therefore requires prior photoisomerization of the prosthetic group.
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ibuprofen isomers and acetaminophen in febrile children

The pharmacokinetics of racemic ibuprofen and its stereoisomers have been described in adults, but little has been reported for children. The pharmacodynamics of acetaminophen and ibuprofen have not been well described in either adults or children. Children (N = 39; age range, 11 months to 11 1/2 years) were randomly selected to receive a single dose of either 6 mg/kg of liquid ibuprofen or 10 to 15 mg/kg of liquid acetaminophen (mean +/- dose given, 11.6 +/- 0.7). Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analyses were performed with temperature as the effect parameter and mean acetaminophen, total ibuprofen, and ibuprofen stereoisomer concentrations over time. Time of maximum serum concentrations for ibuprofen was 54.05 minutes versus 27.0 minutes for acetaminophen, time to maximum temperature decrease was 183 minutes for ibuprofen and 133 minutes for acetaminophen. Temperature reduction for the ibuprofen dose was significantly different than that of the acetaminophen dose at later time points (240, 300, 360, 420, and 480 minutes). Further pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic studies with use of individual ibuprofen stereoisomers and other dosing regimens are indicated.
Cerebral energy metabolism measured in vivo by 31P-NMR in middle cerebral artery occlusion in the cat―relation to severity of stroke

The energy metabolism of the brain has been measured in a middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion model in the cat utilizing 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). 31P-NMR spectra were serially obtained during 2 h of ischemia and a subsequent 4-h recovery period. The ratio of creatine phosphate (PCr) to inorganic phosphate (Pi) (PCr/Pi) showed a precipitous decrease in parallel with changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) amplitude in severe strokes during ischemia as well as during recirculation. Animals with mild strokes, as determined by EEG criteria, exhibited a much smaller decrease in PCr/Pi during ischemia. In the severe strokes, there was a splitting and significant shift of the Pi peak immediately after occlusion. In addition, the shifted Pi peak rapidly increased and remained elevated throughout the study. In the mild strokes, Pi also increased, but not as markedly. Intracellular pH determination by chemical shift of the Pi peak revealed a decrease from 7.1 to 6.2-6.3 during ischemia and the subsequent recovery period in the animals with severe strokes, whereas the pH in the animals with mild strokes did not show a significant change. A gradual decrease in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to 57-79% of the control was exhibited in severely stroked animals during both the ischemia and the recovery period, whereas there was no change in ATP in the mild stroked animals. These results suggest that the dynamic process of pathophysiological changes in an MCA occlusion model in the cat leads to significant differences in cerebral metabolism between animals with mild and severe strokes.
State executives' attitudes toward oreganizational mobility

An analysis of state executives' attitudes indicate respondents agree with the public administration literature on the values attributed to organizational mobility. The literature and executive attitudes contain notions that mobility decreases provincialism, encourages innovation, promotes employee development, improves communication, and provides personal rewards. Since executives' perceptions vary according to their experience, mobility, arid education, it is argued that organizational mobility will increase and improve the caliber of the public service.
Uptake of antibiotics in gram-negative bacteria exposed to EDTA-Tris

Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid disodium salt (3.22 mM) and Tris (hydroxymethyl aminomethane) (50 mM) was found to cause potentiation of antibiotic actions and/or increased uptake of antibiotics when assessed by bacterial inhibition kinetic studies and uptake of radiolabeled antibiotics. Solutions of EDTA-Tris potentiate the effect of tetracycline, dihydrostreptomycin and penicillin when reacted with Escherichia coli. A similar effect was observed for tetracycline when incubated with Proteus vulgaris and penicillin, chloramphenicol, dihydrostreptomycin and tetracycline when incubated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These effects were noted by decreasing bacterial counts in the bacterial inhibition kinetic studies and increased uptake of radiolabeled antibiotics.
SU‐E‐I‐78: CT Usage in Adult Patients at An Academic Medical Center: A Snapshot

Purpose: To document the use of CTimaging in adult patients for a typical day in the Radiology department at the Medical University of South Carolina, and estimate the corresponding patient effective doses and use of iodinated contrast. Method: We reviewed the dose summary sheets of all adult patients who underwent CT examinations on six scanners installed at MUSC on one day (13 September 2010). We obtained the total Dose Length Product (DLP), and computed the corresponding DLP weighted average CTDIvol. Dosimetry data for head and neck CT scans pertain to a 16 cm dosimetry phantom and for body scans pertain to a 32 cm dosimetry phantom. Estimates of the effective doses (E) based on ICRP 103 weighting factors were obtained using nominal E/DLP conversion factors (∼ 3 μSv/mGy‐cm in head/neck; ∼ 18 μSv/mGy‐cm in body). Also recorded was whether iodinated contrast was used each patient examination. Results: A total of 120 adult patients underwent CT examinations with a mean age of 51± 17 years. Overall, 30% of the patient examinations involved the head and neck, with a mean CTDIvol of 62 ± 33 mGy and a mean DLP of 1490 ± 1000 mGy‐cm. The remaining 70% were body examinations with a mean CTDIvol 19 ± 11 mGy and a mean DLP of 990 ± 710 mGy‐cm. A total of 46% of patients were scanned with no iodinated contrast, 33% had contrast, and the remaining 21% had scans performed both with and without contrast. Conclusions: Adult patients undergoing CT examinations have effective doses of the order of 4 mSv for head and neck CT examinations, and of the order of 15 mSv for body examinations, and with slightly more than half receiving iodinated contrast.
Weathering: Rock to regolith

The amount of pore space in most unweathered granite is too small to support a plant-based ecosystem. But porosity grows as intact rock interacts with surface waters beneath the soil.
The need to consider ion Bernstein waves as a dissipation channel of solar wind turbulence

[1] Kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) with highly oblique wave vectors, k⊥ ≫ k∥, are believed to form an integral part of the turbulent energy cascade in the solar wind near the proton gyroradius scale k⊥ρi ∼ 1. At wave numbers k⊥ρi > 1, where linear theory predicts kinetic Alfven waves undergo strong Landau damping, mode coupling with ion-Bernstein waves (IBWs) occurs. This mode coupling enables energy exchange between KAWs and IBWs that may be relevant for turbulent dissipation processes in the solar wind and other collisionless plasmas. It is pointed out that for plasmas having Gaussian velocity distributions, also known as Maxwellian plasmas, the dispersion relation of IBWs exhibits a fine structure or splitting into multiple branches that causes the dispersion relation of IBWs to intersect a given branch of the KAW dispersion relation several times, thus providing multiple channels of energy exchange between KAWs and IBWs (for a given angle of wave propagation). It is also shown that the collisionless damping rate of IBWs can exceed that of KAWs in certain regions of parameter space and that IBWs exhibit different ratios of proton to electron heating than KAWs. Consequently, the role of IBWs in the dissipation of solar wind turbulence requires more careful study. Gyrokinetic theory, gyrokinetic simulations, and other physical models of solar wind dissipation processes which ignore the coupling between KAWs and IBWs may be missing important physics.
What's So Essential About Essentialism? A Different Perspective on the Interaction of Perception, Language, and Conceptual Knowledge

Our first reaction to Jones and Smith (1993) reminds us of the classic paper in social psychology, "They Saw a Game: A Case Study," in which Hastorf and Cantril (1954) reported striking differences between Dartmouth and Yale students' perceptions of a hotly contested Dartmouth-Yale football game. The present circumstances are different in that understanding the development of cognition is anything but a game. Furthermore, we had thought that all of us were on the same team! Nonetheless, Jones and Smith see infractions where we see none, and sprinkled among their descriptions that we agree with were statements that made us cry "foul!" We do not imagine, however, that truth can be readily refereed. Therefore, our goal will not be to tally our grievances but rather to outline the different perspectives from which we approach the issue of conceptual development. We begin by underlining points of agreement. Then we shift to our point of view on the work described and criticized by Jones and Smith. Finally, we hope to converge on some critical issues that motivate the research agenda.
2-Connected Dominating Set inWireless Networks (Invited Talk Abstract)

Summary form only given. Wireless ad hoc networks, including wireless sensor networks, can be flexibly and quickly deployed for many applications, both in military and civil. There is no fixed or predefined infrastructure in these networks. Virtual backbone has been proposed as routing infrastructure to alleviate the broadcasting storm problem as well as to reduce the energy consumption in communication. A virtual backbone can be approximated by a connected dominating set (CDS) of a graph representing a network. The problem of finding a minimum CDS is very challenging due to its hardness. More complicated, since the nodes in the virtual backbone need to carry other nodes traffic and node/link failure are inherent in wireless networks, it is desirable that the CDS is fault tolerant. In this talk, the author presents a novel algorithm to construct a 2-connected dominating set, in which for any pair of nodes, there exists at least 2 disjoint paths
Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Radical Cystoprostatectomy: Operative and Pathological Outcomes

Purpose: Recent small case series have now been reported for robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystoprostatectomy. We report our initial experience with robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystoprostatectomy, evaluating the perioperative and pathological outcomes of this novel procedure.Materials and Methods: A total of 20 men underwent robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystoprostatectomy and extracorporeal urinary diversion for clinically localized bladder cancer. Outcome measures evaluated in this series were operative variables, hospital recovery, pathological outcomes and complication rate. Comparisons were made to 24 gender matched men who underwent an open procedure during the same period.Results: Mean patient age was 62.3 years (range 54 to 76). Ten patients underwent ileal conduit diversion and 10 received an orthotopic neobladder. In all cases urinary diversion was performed extracorporeally. Mean operative time for robotic cases was 6.1 hours, including 5.2 hours in the most recent 10 ...
More distant than the antipodes

In a normed space X, 6 denotes the inner metric on the surface d£ of the unit ball. We consider M(X) = sup{6(-p,p): p e d£} , D(X) = sup{6(p,q): p,q e 5E) . Exploding the conjecture that M(X) = D(X) for all X (previously verified in several cases), it is shown that M(X) = 2 , D(X) = 3 for X = CO((O,1]). *This work was supported in part by NSF Grant GP-19126 MORE DISTANT THAN THE ANTIPODES J. J. Schaffer*
Effect of serial transplantation on the growth of neonatal pancreas in the hamster

Neonatal pancrease was implanted in the cheek pouches of cortisone-treated normal and diabetic hamsters. They were permitted to remain in these sites for: 5–6; 13; 15–16; 19–20; 26 and 36 days, at which times small pieces were transferred to the pouches of cortisone-treated secondary hosts. The size of the growth was measured at intervals in both hosts. After a final measurement, 23–25 day after transplant, the graft in the secondary host was removed and prepared for histological study. Growth in the secondary hosts was compared both with that found in a large group of similarly-treated hamsters and with the growth of this same material while it grew in the primary host. In general, except for one or two brief time periods, there was either no significant size difference or the growth in the secondary host was significantly less than in primary hosts. Histological studies of transplants from secondary hosts showed very poor pancreatic differentiation. In no case was recognizable islet tissue found in the pouches of secondary hosts.
Structural and Mechanistic Studies of Oxo-Transfer Reactions of Bis(arylimido)oxorhenium(VII)

Kinetic, spectroscopic, and crystallographic studies have been carried out on products derived from the compound MeRe(NAr)2(O) (1, Ar = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) in reactions with PRn(OR)3-n, abbrevia...
The mechanism(s) of coat protein-mediated resistance against tobacco mosaic virus

Abstract The resistance of transgenic plants express genes encoding viral coat proteins to infection by the viruses from which the genes are derived was termed coat protein-mediated resistance (CP-MR) and has been demonstrated for a variety of virus/host combinations. The mechanism of CP-MR is perhaps best understood in the tobacco/TMV system. CP-MR against TMV requires accumulation of CP and does not seem to involve the induction of plant defense mechanisms. The resistance appears to be mainly based on the inhibition of virion disassembly in transgenic cells although there is evidence that a later step of infection is also affected. CP-MR of tobacco to TMV shares some features with classical cross-protection and with CP-MR in some, but not all other host/virus combinations.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Non-IPR Fullerene Derivative : SC3N@C68[C(COOC2H5 )2]

A non-IPR (isolated pentagon rule) trimetallic nitride endohedral metallofullerene derivative, a diethyl malonate adduct of Sc3N@C68, was synthesized, isolated, and characterized by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The proposed addition site of Sc3N@C68 monoadduct was in good agreement with the experimental and calculated 13C NMR spectra, LUMO electron density study, and UV−vis spectroscopy.
Spatially resolved spectral inhomogeneities in small molecular crystals studied by near-field scanning optical microscopy

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) has been employed to spatially resolve mesoscopic inhomogeneous spectral features in small crystals of the dye 1,1‘-diethyl-2,2‘-cyanine iodide (PIC). The small crystals show strong absorption perpendicular to their long direction of growth and no absorption in either of the two other orthogonal directions. This polarization is seen uniformly throughout the crystals. Topographic images reveal the crystals are composed of platelike single-crystalline domains separated by defect planes. The individual plates share a common orientation that gives the crystal its single polarization. Despite the uniformity of the polarization throughout the crystal, dramatic spatial variation is seen in the fluorescence spectrum. NSOM images and spectra reveal two distinct emission sources in the crystals. Strong self-absorption is seen in the PIC emission, and red-shifted fluorescence is also observed from lower energy emissive traps. These traps are seen to form in distinct regi...
Multilevel residual stress evaluation in laser surface modified alumina ceramic

The type and extent of residual stresses within laser surface modified alumina ceramic were investigated. Macro stresses were predicted with the help of the OOF2 simulation package, developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The software utilizes a meshing technique to discretize the surface microstructure into a mesh suitable for finite-element analysis, which leads to stress determination. Micro stresses were estimated by the prediction of full width at half-maximum of the peaks from the X-ray diffraction patterns of processed samples. Under the present set of laser processing parameters, the ceramic was devoid of any major cracks, making it ideal for several applications. This study provides a tool for rapid evaluation and hence for controlling the stresses through tailoring the laser process parameters to suit a particular application.
Expenditure Pattern for Food Away from Home Consumption in Turkey

ABSTRACT One of the largest recent changes in consumer food purchasing behavior is the trend towards greater consumption of food eaten outside the home. Between 1994 and 2000, the share of total food expenditures spent on food away from home (FAFH) increased from 7 to 15% with an increasing share for fast-food facilities. This study focuses on whether demographic and socioeconomic factors have detectable effects on Turkish FAFH expenditures. This question is of interest because previous studies suggest that increasing household income, education, female labor participation and changing lifestyle especially in developing countries increased household FAFH consumption share but decreased food at home consumption share. However, no study to our knowledge has examined the combined effect of income, education, employment, and family status on Turkish FAFH consumption. The data for this research were obtained from personal interviews of representative sample households of the province of Adana in Turkey. The fi...
Ala-504 is a determinant of substrate binding affinity in the mouse Na(+)/dicarboxylate cotransporter.

The Na+/dicarboxylate cotransporters from mouse (mNaDC1) and rabbit (rbNaDC1) differ in their ability to handle adipate, a six-carbon terminal dicarboxylic acid. The mNaDC1 and rbNaDC1 amino acid sequences are 75% identical. The rbNaDC1 does not transport adipate and only succinate produced inward currents under two-electrode voltage clamp. In contrast, oocytes expressing mNaDC1 had adipate-dependent inward currents that were about 60% of those induced by succinate. In order to identify domains involved in adipate transport, we examined the functional properties of a series of chimeric transporters made between mouse and rabbit NaDC1. We find that multiple transmembrane helices (TM), particularly TM 8, 9, and 10, are involved in adipate transport. In TM 10 there is only one amino acid difference between the two proteins, corresponding to Ala-504 in mouse and Ser-512 in rabbit NaDC1. The mNaDC1-A504S mutant had decreased adipate-dependent currents relative to succinate-dependent currents and an increase in the K0.5 for both succinate and glutarate. We conclude that multiple amino acids from TM 8, 9 and 10 contribute to the transport of adipate in NaDC1. Furthermore, Ala-504 in TM 10 is an important determinant of K0.5 for both adipate and succinate.
68-year-old man with neutropenic fever and upper extremity hematoma

A 68-year-old man was transferred to our institution from an outside hospital because of ongoing daily fevers. His medical history was notable for stage IVB diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), diagnosed 2 months previously. The patient was admitted to the outside hospital 3 days after receiving the second cycle of R-CHOP chemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone). Vital signs were normal with the exception of a temperature of 39.4°C. Physical examination findings were remarkable for a 9×3-cm hematoma on the left upper extremity at the site of intravenous (IV) infiltration from a previous hospitalization and a healing stage II decubitus ulcer. Laboratory studies revealed the following (reference ranges shown parenthetically): hemoglobin, 7.4 g/dL (13.5-17.5 g/dL); leukocyte count, 0.4 × 109/L (3.5-10.5 × 109/L); platelet count, 12 × 109/L (150-450 × 109/L); alkaline phosphatase, 275 U/L (45-115 U/L); creatinine, 0.6 mg/dL (0.8-1.3 mg/dL); lactate dehydrogenous, 229 U/L (122-222 U/L); and normal levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and total bilirubin.
A Practical Way for Computing Approximate Lower and Upper Correlation Bounds

Correlations among variables are typically not free to vary between −1 and 1, with bounds determined by the marginal distributions. Computing upper and lower limits of correlations given the marginal characteristics often raises theoretical and computational challenges. We propose a simple sorting technique that is predicated upon a little-known consequence of a well-established fact from statistical distribution theory to obtain approximate correlation bounds. This approach works regardless of the data type or distribution. We believe that it has practical value in appropriately specifying the correlation structure in simulation studies.
Vibrational trajectories for heavy quarkonia.

We show that {ital vibrational} {ital states} {ital vS} ({ital v}{ge}0) of the heavy mesons provide a special window to the nature of the confining quark potential, extending here the studies of Kang, Schnitzer, and others of the case of linear confinement in the 3+1 dimensions. Linear confinement potentials yield an initial bending, followed by an approximate saturation of the spectroscopic interval {Delta}{sub {ital v}}={ital M}{sub {ital v}}{sup 2}{minus}{ital M}{sub {ital v}{minus}1}{sup 2} as a function of {ital v}, in contrast with many other forms of confinement potentials with their characteristically different forms of {Delta}{sub {ital v}}. This feature of the linear potentials is roughly in accord with the available experimental data, and has some similarities with characteristics of the 't Hooft trajectories occurring in his (1+1)-dimensional theory of mesons.
Characterization of the fracture behavior of epoxy reinforced with nanometer and micrometer sized aluminum particles

Abstract The effects of particle size and silane treatment on the fracture toughness are experimentally evaluated for epoxy reinforced with nanometer and micrometer sized rigid particles. These nano- and micro-composites are fabricated using two different sizes of spherical aluminum particles: 20–100 nm and 3–4.5 μm in diameter. The volume fraction of particles is fixed at 2% and the particles are dispersed using ultrasonication. In order to investigate the effect of particle–matrix adhesion on the failure process, composites are fabricated using both as-received and silane treated aluminum particles. The adhesion properties are controlled by using 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane as an organofunctional coupling agent. Two different methods are employed to carry out the silane treatment process. In a direct approach, the coupling agent is directly added to the epoxy–particle mixture; in a more involved approach, the particles are first coated with the coupling agent and then dispersed in the epoxy resin. The fracture toughness is characterized in terms of the critical values of the mode-I stress intensity factor, K Ic , and also by the work-of-fracture. Additionally, fractured surfaces are observed under a scanning electron microscope to investigate both particle dispersion and evidence of extrinsic toughening mechanisms. It is observed that particle size, dispersion and silane treatment, all play an important role in determining the enhancement of fracture toughness. In general, it is observed that both improved particle dispersion and appropriate silane treatment lead to an increase in toughness. With regards to particle size, the composites with nanometer sized aluminum particles lead to a greater work-of-fracture while the micrometer sized aluminum particles lead to a greater initiation toughness.
Conditions for crack kinking under stress-wave loading

Abstract Kinking of a crack in a prestressed body under the influence of incident stress waves is investigated on the basis of the balance of rates of energies. It is assumed that the crack tip will choose to propagate at a time, in a direction, and at a speed for which the energy flux into the propagating crack tip attains a maximum value with respect to variation of the kinking angle. It is shown that the balance of rates of energies implies that the crack tip speed is zero at the onset of fracture. Consequently, the conditions for the onset of crack kinking and for the computation of the kinking time and kinking angle are completely defined by the elastodynamic field around the original crack tip. Examples of the incidence of step stress waves on a semiinfinite crack in a prestressed body have been investigated. It is shown that for an incident antiplane wave with Mode III fracture, kinking is generally not possible. For an incident inplane wave with mixed Mode I–II fracture, kinking may happen. For that case curves are presented which relate the kinking time and the kinking angle to the state of prestress and to the parameters of the incident wave.
Pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid after mycophenolate mofetil administration in liver transplant patients treated with tacrolimus.

The pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA) was studied after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in 8 liver transplant patients. The mean (± SD) maximum MPA plasma concentration of 10.6 (± 7.5) mg/ml was achieved within 0.5 to 5 hours. The mean (± SD) steady-state area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC0-12) was 40 (± 30.9) mg/ml/h. The mean (± SD) half-life was 5.8 (± 3.8) hours. There was poor correlation between trough blood concentrations of tacrolimus (r = –0.004) or serum creatinine (r = 0.689) with MPA AUC, while the serum bilirubin concentrations correlated (r = 0.743) well with MPA AUC, suggesting impairment in MPA conjugation in patients with liver dysfunction. The mean (± SD) ratio of the AUC of mycophenolic acid glucuronide (MPAG) to MPA was 64 (± 84), which correlated significantly with serum creatinine (r = 0.72) but not with serum bilirubin concentrations (r = 0.309), indicating accumulation of MPAG in patients with renal dysfunction. In 7 primary liver transplant patients on the same dose of MMF, the trough plasma concentrations of MPA during the first week of therapy ranged from < 0.3 to 1.5 µg/ml. The MPA concentrations increased by several folds during the next few weeks, which correlates well with increases in serum albumin concentrations. Changes in albumin appear to partially contribute to the variations in the pharmacokinetics of MPA in liver transplant patients.
Permutation clustering: an approach to on-line storage reorganization

A class of dynamic reorganization algorithms is described which embodies a number of desirable systems properties. Experiments on a trace taken from a large data base application indicate that a member of this class may be used to obtain time-varying or quasistatic organizations that exhibit improved paging performance.
The effect of inhibitors of insulin processing on generation of insulin intermediate products from human fibroblast as detected by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)

To assess the role of various modulators of insulin processing on cell-associated A14-125I-insulin intermediates in human fibroblasts, we have studied the effect of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), chloroquine, bacitracin, dansylcadavarine, and phenylarsine oxide on generation of these intermediate products with the use of HPLC. NEM completely inhibited generation of intermediate peaks or iodotyrosine. Chloroquine inhibited conversion of A14-125I-insulin to iodotyrosine by about 75 percent and the remaining A14-125I-insulin was not susceptible to acid wash. Bacitracin, dansylcadavarine, and phenylarsine oxide, on the other hand, stimulated formation of intermediate products with concomitant inhibition of iodotyrosine formation. We conclude that there are at least three components of insulin degradation in human fibroblasts. These include the sulfhydryl group inhibitor-sensitive, the intracellular chloroquine-sensitive, and membrane site inhibitor-sensitive components.
The effect of the optical isomers of α-Methyl-p-tyrosine upon brain and heart catecholamines in the mouse

Abstract l-α-Methyl-p-tyrosine, an inhibitor of the enzymatic conversion of tyrosine to 3-hydroxytyrosine (DOPA), when injected into mice caused a fall in brain and heart catecholamine concentrations. In the brain, 3,4-dihydroxy-phenethylamine concentrations decreased more rapidly and reached lower levels than did norepinephrine concentrations; norepinephrine was not as readily affected in the heart as in the brain. d-α-Methyl-p-tyrosine, while having no effect on tissue catecholamine concentrations, potentiated not only the l-isomer but also certain catecholamine-depleting agents: e.g. methyldopa, l-α-methyl-m-tyrosine and 6-hydroxydopamine. However, it did not potentiate metaraminol, reserpine, or guanethidine. This activity of the d-isomer is correlated with its ability to promote the accumulation of active compounds in the tissues and is probably related to an effect upon membrane permeability.
Quantum descriptors for biological macromolecules from linear-scaling electronic structure methods

The characterization of electrostatic and chemical properties at the surface of biological macromolecules is of interest in elucidating the fundamental biological structure-function relationships as well as in problems of rational drug design. This paper presents a set of macromolecular quantum descriptors for the characterization of biological macromolecules in solution that can be obtained with modest computational cost from linear-scaling semi-empirical quantum/solvation methods. The descriptors discussed include: solvent-polarized electrostatic surface potential maps, equilibrated atomic charges, Fukui reactivity indices, approximate local hardness maps, and relative proton potentials. These properties are applied to study the conformational dependence of the electrostatic surface potential of the solvated phosphate-binding protein mutant (T141D), the regioselectivity of the zinc finger domains of HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) protein, and the order of pKa values of acidic residues in turkey ovomucoid third domain (OMTKY3) and of the zinc-binding residues in the carboxyl terminal zinc finger of NC. In all cases, insight beyond that obtainable from purely classical models is gained and can be used to rationalize the experimental observations. The macromolecular quantum descriptors presented here greatly extend the arsenal of tools for macromolecular characterization and offer promise in applications to modern structure-based drug design.