cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Challenges and recommendations for blinding in behavioral interventions illustrated using a case study of a behavioral intervention to lower blood pressure.

Abstract Objective To describe the challenges to blinding in behavioral interventions, specifically those for asymptomatic medical conditions, where the intervention is through counseling, and to provide recommendations for achieving blinding in behavioral randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods This paper reviews the challenges of preserving blinding in behavioral RCTs with a focus on interventions for asymptomatic medical conditions. This is illustrated using a case study of an ongoing behavioral intervention to improve hypertension control. Results In contrast to easily keeping study investigators and participants masked to treatment assignment through the use of identical pills or sham treatments, the need to have differing levels of blinding among study personnel and participants in randomized behavioral intervention trials is presented. Recommendations for achieving this are provided. Conclusions Despite the challenges inherent in behavioral interventions, it is possible to achieve differing levels of blinding across study personnel and participants to minimize bias and generate valid data in RCTs that test interventions for asymptomatic medical conditions such as hypertension. Modifications may be needed for RCTs in symptomatic medical conditions. Practice implications Researchers designing behavioral RCTs should be aware of the challenges to blinding all staff and study participants, and plan to have procedures in place to standardize outcome data collection and intervention delivery without compromising the varying levels of blinding. The challenges and recommendations described may need modifications in behavioral intervention studies for symptomatic conditions.
Efficient optical interconnections for data-center computing systems

Within the past decade, the semiconductor computing industry has developed multicore and multithreaded core processors to overcome the challenges and shrinking benefits of traditional technology scaling. Multichip systems built using these components will require immense amount of off-chip bandwidth and low latency chip-to-chip links at the lowest energy cost possible. Wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) silicon photonics have the potential to provide a solution for this immense interconnect problem. At Oracle, we are aggressively building a portfolio of active and passive nanophotonic devices, circuits, and multichip packaging with the aim to achieve sub-picojoule per bit communication links between computing elements in a large array “Macrochip”. To achieve ultralow energy consumption will certainly require integrating best-in-breed photonic devices with electronic circuits. While the juxtaposition of silicon photonic devices and VLSI circuits on the same silicon substrate represents the most intimate integration of electronic and photonic technologies, achieving this will require an immense amount of sophistication in design and process integration. Instead, hybrid integration of aggressive components, built on individually optimized technology platforms, is a pragmatic approach to achieving peak performance. Such “photonic bridge” chip components may be used as units in a larger transmitter or receiver array or as drop-in communication physical layer elements in a multi-chip computing node.
Geldanamycin, an inhibitor of Hsp90, Blocks cytoplasmic retention of progesterone receptors and glucocorticoid receptors via their respective ligand binding domains

Steroid hormone receptors (SHRs), such as glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and progesterone receptors (PR), are shuttling proteins that undergo continuous nuclear import and export. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the localization of SHRs. It has been suggested that the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of SHRs is important in determining the subcellular localization. We have studied the localization of GR-LBD and PR-LBD alone, as well as of full-length GR and PR in the presence of geldanamycin (GA), a benzoquinoid ansamycin that specifically inhibits heat shock protection (Hsp90), using transient transfections and fluorescent microscopy. Our studies have indicated that GR-LBD and PR-LBD are retained in the cytoplasm via interaction with Hsp90. It was observed that in the unliganded state, treatment with GA translocates these LBDs to the nucleus. Similar results were obtained for full-length PR and GR. Additionally, it was found that after ligand induction, GA accelerated reexport of SHRs after ligand washout, implicating Hsp90 in nuclear retention of SHRs in the washout state. We also propose that a recently found “export” signal present in the LBD of SHRs is involved in interactions with Hsp90 and hence cytoplasmic retention of these receptors. After ligand induction, Hsp90 also may play a role in nuclear retention of SHRs following hormone washout.
COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON RESPIRATION : XXIV. THE EFFECTS OF CHLOROFORM ON THE RESPIRATION OF DEAD AND OF LIVING TISSUE.

1. Chloroform in low concentration (0.25 per cent) causes an increase in the rate of production of CO(2) in Ulva; this is followed by a decrease. In higher concentration (0.5 per cent) only a decrease is observed. 2. Assuming that the normal oxidation depends on the action of peroxide and peroxidase, experiments were made by placing Ulva in 1.0 per cent H(2)O(2) and in Fe(2)(SO(4))(3) (which acts like a peroxidase). The former diminishes the rate, the latter increases and subsequently decreases it. 3. When Ulva is killed in such a manner as to destroy the oxidizing enzymes, no CO(2) is produced unless H(2)O(2) and Fe(2)(SO(4))(3) are present. If to this mixture chloroform is added, the effect depends on the concentration of the iron. If the concentration is low there is an increase in the production of CO(2) followed by a decrease. If the concentration is high the rate appears to decrease from the start.
Inability to self-report pain after a stroke: a population-based study.

The frequency of not being able to self-report pain after a stroke has not been previously assessed in a population-based sample. We studied the epidemiology of this problem using a cohort of patients hospitalized after a stroke in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from June 1, 2008, to June 1, 2012. Overall, 52 of 388 (13.4%) individuals were unable to provide a meaningful response to either a Faces Pain Scale or Numerical Rating Scale on admission. Inability to self-report pain was associated with measures of stroke severity (P < .0001), aphasia severity (P < .0001), and level of consciousness (P < .0001). Inability to self-report pain on admission was further associated with either subsequent death during the hospitalization (P < .0001) or an inability to provide self-report on dismissal (P < .0001). Our study further defines the epidemiology of the inability to self-report pain after a stroke as being less common than previously thought. Attempts to validate observational pain scales for poststroke patients should focus on those individuals with aphasia and/or depressed levels of consciousness.
Epistemology and Social Order

The rise of the nations of Asia and, as one ought to add, Africa, and the invention of atomic weapons are two developments which threaten to shake the way of life the Western World has developed. Is there a way to ban these dangers and to provide for the world an harmonious order? These are the momentous questions to which the author of The Meeting of East and West has addressed himself in his new book. Although of the thirty-two chapters of this work, thirty are adaptations of articles published at earlier dates, the book constitutes a coherent whole and an impressive testimony to the consistency of the thought of the author as it has developed during his incumbency of the philosopher's chair at the Yale Law School. As the title of the book indicates, the author is concerned with human experience, i.e. epistemology in general, and more particularly, the relations between epistemology and man's ways of social order as expressed in ethics and law.
Differential gene expression and regulation of renal angiotensin II receptor subtypes (AT1 and AT2) during fetal life in sheep.

ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown that angiotensin II subtype 2 (AT2) receptors appear early during renal embryonic development. Factors involved in the regulation of AT2 receptors during renal development, however, have not been investigated. The present study was designed 1) to characterize the ontogeny of renal AT2 gene expression during the last half of gestation in fetal sheep and newborn lambs, 2) to compare changes in AT1 and AT2 gene expression during renal development, 3) to determine the influence of AII in modulating renal AT1 and AT2 gene expression during fetal life, and 4) to characterize the role of cortisol in modulating renal AT2 gene expression during the last trimester of gestation in fetal sheep. To perform these studies, we first isolated and cloned a polymerase chain reaction product that has 92 and 90% homology with the cDNA encoding the human and rat AT2 receptors, respectively. Using this sheep AT2 cDNA probe, we demonstrated that the sheep AT2 gene was encoded in a single locus. In addition, we showed that renal AT2 mRNA expression was high early during fetal life (60–90-d gestation) and decreased rapidly thereafter. In contrast, the expression of renal AT1 receptor gene was low at 60-d gestation and increased during the last trimester of gestation. We found that a continuous i.v. infusion (I mL/h) of AII (9.5 nM/h) for 24 h, which raised plasma AII levels from 84 ± 9 pg/mL to 210 ± 21 pg/mL, decreased the expression of both renal AT1 and AT2 genes in third trimester fetal sheep. On the other hand, we observed that cortisol, known to decrease AT1 gene expression in the fetus, had no effect on AT2 gene expression. In summary, this study demonstrates that AII, but not glucocorticoids, contributes to the regulation of renal AT2 gene expression during development and that there is differential regulation of AT1 and AT2 receptors.
The limits of policy: Rural children and work in the United States and New Zealand, 1870–1920

This article uses public documents and first-hand accounts of late 19th and early 20th centuries child life to examine attempts by public policymakers in the United States and New Zealand to change the quality of rural child life in those countries through compulsory schooling and other related measures. These attempts, however, largely failed due to the demands of the farming economy and the unwillingness of public officials to go to extraordinary lengths on behalf of farm children, as opposed to urban children. Rural children's lives would be changed, not by policy, but by technological developments and the vagaries of the farm economy.
Lorentz invariance in chiral kinetic theory.

A kinetic theory, with explicit Lorentz invariance, is derived for chiral fermions in an external electromagnetic field. This theory provides the correct form for the chiral vortical effect --- the appearance of a current in a system undergoing rotation.
The measurement of human oral forces

This paper reviews the types of instruments used and problems encountered in the measurement of human biting forces. A new instrument, developed for this purpose, which employs strain gauges mounted on a cantilever bridge bite element is described. Associated circuitry, which includes a Wheatstone bridge, amplifier, and integrator, is described. The integrator enables the investigator to record accumulative force over time. Biting force values recorded at five different areas of the mouth are presented from 11 male and 8 female Ss.
THE SLEEP OF OLDER SUBJECTS FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

The EEG sleep of 5 subjects originally recorded in their early 50s was recorded 15 yr. later in their mid-60s. Increased within-sleep awakenings were present and shorter sleep stages. A modified slow wave scoring system resulted in an increased amount rather than the previously established decline in slow wave sleep with aging. Interpretive cautions necessary in extended-time studies are noted. Reliability of awakening measures across time was seen.
A Meta-Analysis of Effects of Bt Cotton and Maize on Nontarget Invertebrates

Although scores of experiments have examined the ecological consequences of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops, debates continue regarding the nontarget impacts of this technology. Quantitative reviews of existing studies are crucial for better gauging risks and improving future risk assessments. To encourage evidence-based risk analyses, we constructed a searchable database for nontarget effects of Bt crops. A meta-analysis of 42 field experiments indicates that nontarget invertebrates are generally more abundant in Bt cotton and Bt maize fields than in nontransgenic fields managed with insecticides. However, in comparison with insecticide-free control fields, certain nontarget taxa are less abundant in Bt fields.
Perceptual analysis of cancers missed in mammography screening

Mammography screening is recommended for a large population of women, aiming at detecting the initial signs of breast cancer. However, due to the complexity of the breast parenchyma and to the low prevalence of cancer in the screening population, among other factors, a significant fraction of cancers are not initially reported, being only found in retrospect. Fault visual search, that is, not examining the area where the cancer is located, is responsible for a third of these misses, but all other unreported cancers attract some amount of visual attention, as indicated by the duration of visual gaze in the location of the lesion. Thus, perceptual and decision making mechanisms must be understood, in order to aid radiologists in detection cancer at earlier stages. We have been working on modeling these mechanisms by using spatial frequency analysis, in a process that is inspired by the one performed by the eye-brain system. In this paper we compare the spatial frequency representation of areas that contain reported cancers and that of the same area on the previous mammogram, where the cancer was either not reported or it was reported as a benign lesion. In addition, we contrast the representation of these areas containing cancerous lesions with the representation of the corresponding area in the cancer-free contra-lateral breast.
News distortion as a function of organizational communication

An Analysis of the operation of CBS News’ political coverage from the perspective of organizational communication theory explains much of the distortion of network television news. Aspects of the control system responsible for the distortion are revealed.
Role of norepinephrine in the interaction between the lateral reticular nucleus and the nucleus raphe magnus: an electrophysiological and behavioral study.

We have previously demonstrated that the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) sends a predominantly inhibitory projection to the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN); however, the pharmacology of this pathway is not known. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of norepinephrine in the NRM-LRN system using both electrophysiological and behavioral techniques. Sixty-nine LRN cells were recorded extracellularly. Cells were tested for their response to noxious and innocuous peripheral stimulation applied to the dorsal body surface. The majority of cells were classified as wide dynamic range, with inhibition being the predominant response; receptive fields were located primarily on the tail and hind limbs. The effect of excitatory amino acid glutamate (GLU) administration into NRM (GLU-NRM) was tested on all 69 cells. GLU-NRM inhibited 55 of 69 LRN cells tested; 7 cells were excited and 7 cells did not respond. Thirty-nine LRN cells were tested for their response to norepinephrine (NE) iontophoretically applied in LRN (NE-LRN). Two distinct types of effects were noted. In 9 cells, both NE-LRN and GLU-NRM produced a strong inhibition, with the magnitude of effect between the 2 drugs significantly correlated. In a second group of cells (n = 12), GLU-NRM produced an inhibitory effect while NE-LRN had no effect on the cells' baseline firing rate. However, when the 2 drugs were applied simultaneously, NE-LRN blocked the inhibitory effects of NRM stimulation. The effect of the α2-receptor antagonist yohimbine (YOH) on NRM-evoked responses was tested in 30 LRN cells. The majority of these cells were inhibited by GLU-NRM. Similar to the dichotomous effect noted by NE-LRN, YOH applied iontophoretically in LRN (YOH-LRN) had two predominant effects on NRM-produced inhibition. In 14 of 27 cells, YOH-LRN significantly potentiated the inhibitory effects of NRM stimulation by increasing the duration of the inhibitory epoch an average of 100 sec. In 7 of 27 cells, YOH directly applied in LRN partially antagonized NRM-evoked inhibition. In a second series of experiments, microinjection cannulas were placed within NRM and LRN in order to determine the effect of blocking α2-receptor activity within LRN on NRM stimulation-produced analgesia in an intact animal. Administration of d,l-homocysteic acid in NRM resulted in a significant increase in baseline tail-flick latency of approximately 140%. Pretreatment with YOH (3 μg in 0.5 μl) in LRN resulted in a significant potentiation of this analgesic effect. These results indicate that NRM sends a predominantly inhibitory projection to the LRN that involves noradrenaline and that this pathway is functionally active in an awake, behaving animal.
A Method for Evaluating Laser Potentialities of Crystals

In order to evaluate the laser potentialities of various crystals or to compare one crystal with another of changed composition, concentration, etc., optical measurements of a figure of merit with reference to a particular pumping device are described which can be performed on slabs without laser end faces. Such measurements can be carried out by irradiation with white light in which the fluorescence wavelength under study has been suppressed. If optical apparatus for this selective band suppression is not available, the evaluation of the figure of merit is shown for monochromatic irradiation.
Artificial Tutoring Systems: What Computers Can and Can't Know

After more than four decades, development of artificially intelligent tutoring systems has been constrained by two interrelated problems: knowledge representation and natural language understanding. G. S. Maccia's epistemology of intelligent natural systems implies that computer systems will need to develop qualitative intelligence before these problems can be solved. Recent research on how human nervous systems develop provides evidence for the significance of qualitative intelligence. Qualitative intelligence is required for understanding of culturally bound meanings of signs used in communication among intelligent natural systems. S. I. Greenspan provides neurological and clinical evidence that emotion and sensation are vital to the growth of mind—capabilities that computer systems do not currently possess. Therefore, we must view computers in education as media through which a multitude of teachers can convey their messages. This does not mean that the role of classroom teachers is diminished. Teacher...
Discrimination between striated patterns of different orientation in the rabbit.

Abstract Discrimination between striations of different orientation was studied in the rabbit. Discrimination between striations at 45° and 135° to the horizontal was found to be as readily performed as that between vertical vs. horizontal striations. It was shown that this discrimination is not due to the overall pattern formed by the two patterns together, but a combination of a positive reaction to the rewarded pattern and a negative reaction to the unrewarded pattern. Discrimination was performed equally well after covering one eye.
Molecular cloning and functional characterization of the canine prostaglandin E2 receptor EP4 subtype.

Abstract Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an important mediator of diverse biologic functions in many tissues and binds with high affinity to four cell surface, seven-transmembrane domain, G protein-coupled receptors (EP1-EP4). The EP4 receptor subtype has a long intracellular carboxy-terminal region and is functionally coupled to adenylate cyclase, resulting in elevated intracellular cyclic adenosine 5′ monophosphate (cAMP) levels upon activation. To further study EP4 receptor subtype function, a canine kidney cDNA library was screened and three clones were isolated and sequenced. The longest clone was 3103 bp and contained a single open reading frame of 1476 bp, potentially encoding a protein of 492 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 53.4 kDa. Sequence analysis of this open reading frame reveals 89% identity to the human EP4 protein coding region at the nucleotide level and 90% identity when the putative canine and human protein sequences are compared. Northern blot analysis showed relatively high levels of canine EP4 expression in heart, lung and kidney, while Southern blot analysis of canine genomic DNA suggests the presence of a single copy gene. Following transfection of canine EP4 into CHO-K1 cells, Scatchard analysis revealed a dissociation constant of 24 nM for PGE2, while competition binding studies using 3H-PGE2 as ligand demonstrated specific displacement by PGE2, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), and prostaglandin A3 (PGA3). Treatment with PGE2 also resulted in increased levels of cAMP in transfected, but not in parental, CHO-K1 cells. In contrast, butaprost, an EP2 selective ligand, and sulprostone, an EP1/EP3 selective ligand, did not bind to this receptor at the maximal concentration used (320 nM). To further investigate secondary signaling, the canine EP4 cDNA was truncated to produce an 1117 bp fragment encoding a 356 amino acid protein lacking the intracellular carboxy-terminus. When transfected, this truncated cDNA produced a protein with a dissociation constant of 11 nM for PGE2 and a binding and cAMP accumulation profile similar to that of the full-length protein. Both full-length and truncated canine EP4 underwent short term PGE2-induced desensitization as shown by a lack of continuing cAMP accumulation after the initial PGE2 stimulation, suggesting no involvement of the C-terminal intracellular tail. This result is in contrast to that reported for the human EP4 receptor, where residues within the C-terminal intracellular tail were shown to mediate short term, ligand induced desensitization.
Some Results of Recent Research on Fan and Jet Noise

Large low-speed fan for low noise production, testing performance on suppression effects of acoustic treatment and exhaust jet noise
Principles and the search for moral certainty

In medical ethics, principles have an important but frequently overextended role. The need for exact answers and moral formulae sometimes leads to the misuse of principles, such that they usurp the central place of persons and become ends in themselves. The Baby Jane Doe case is discussed as a prominent instance of both the proper uses and abuses of principles. A more fitting role for principles is described and illustrated, stressing the use of principles as tools of moral discernment and the time-laden character of moral judgments.
Improved CdTe Solar-Cell Performance by Plasma Cleaning the TCO Layer

A hollow-cathode plasma-cleaning source, designed for uniformity, was added to the load-lock region of an existing single-vacuum CdTe-cell fabrication system. This plasma source cleans the transparent-conductive-oxide layer of the cell prior to the deposition of the CdS and CdTe layers. This plasma exposure enables both thinner CdS layers and enhanced cell voltage. The net result is a reduction in CdS thickness by approximately 20 nm, while maintaining the same cell voltage or, equivalently, an increase in voltage of as much as 80 mV for the same thickness of CdS. Maps that are generated by electroluminescence and light-beam-induced current show modest uniformity improvement with plasma-cleaning treatment.
New insights into resistance protein-mediated signaling against turnip crinkle virus in Arabidopsis

The Arabidopsis-turnip crinkle virus (TCV) system is one of the few tractable plant-virus systems that allow simultaneous characterization of host components required for basal- and/or resistance (R) protein-mediated defenses. Another unique feature is that hypersensitive response (HR) and resistance can be studied as two distinct phenotypes in this pathosytem. The R protein HRT confers HR to TCV but requires a recessive locus rrt to confer resistance. The pathways leading to HR and resistance are mutually exclusive. HRT interacts with EDS1, which potentiates HR to TCV and is also required for resistance signaling. HRT-mediated signaling is also dependent on the EDS1-interacting proteins PAD4 and SAG101, which form binary and ternary complexes with EDS1. HRT-mediated resistance is also dependent on light and more specifically on the blue-light photoreceptors, cryptochromes (CRY) and phototropins (PHOT). Of these, CRY2 and PHOT2 are required for the stability of HRT. HRT is degraded in a proteasome-dependent manner, which correlates with its interaction with the E3 ubiquitin ligase, COP1. Together, these results suggest that components of light signaling modulate plant defense against TCV by regulating the stability of, and signaling mediated by, the R protein HRT.
Selective immunoprecipitate identification using monoclonal anti-rabbit IgG.

A monoclonal mouse antibody directed against rabbit IgG has been conjugated with horseradish peroxidase and used to identify immunoprecipitates which contain rabbit antibodies. By combining a specific rabbit antisera with a general antiserum from another species (e.g., goat antiserum against human serum), immunoprecipitates containing the antigen(s) recognized by the rabbit antibodies have been selectively identified by colorimetric development of peroxidase activity. Since the monoclonal antibody is specific for rabbit IgG and nonprecipitating, the peroxidase conjugate can be included in the agarose with the primary antisera.
Lessons from a great developmental biologist

The announcement that Sir John Gurdon had been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology was received with great joy by developmental biologists. It was a very special occasion because of his total dedication to science and turning the Golden Rule of western civilization – love your neighbor as yourself – into a reality in our field. This essay attempts to explain how John became such a great scientific benefactor, and to review some of his discoveries that are less well known than the nuclear transplantation experiments. A few personal anecdotes are also included to illustrate the profound goodness of this unique man of science.
Representations and algorithms for finite-state bisimulations of linear discrete-time control systems

While a large amount of research over the past two decades has focused on discrete abstractions of infinite-state dynamical systems, many structural and algorithmic details of these abstractions remain unknown. To clarify the computational resources needed to perform discrete abstractions, this paper examines the algorithmic properties of an existing method for deriving finite-state systems that are bisimilar to linear discrete-time control systems. We explicitly find the structure of the finite-state system, show that it can be enormous compared to the original linear system, and give conditions to guarantee that the finite-state system is reasonably sized and efficiently computable. Though constructing the finite-state system is generally impractical, we see that special cases could be amenable to satisfiability based verification techniques.
Break Dancing and Breaking Out: Anglos, Utes, and Navajos in a Border Reservation High School

This study presents an analysis of one event—break dancing—in an ongoing three-year study of social identification and interactions between Ute, Navajo, and Anglo students, their communities, and their high school. It presents one social group or clique, break dancers, in a larger, intertwined set of social interactions in the school and community. In response to continual academic failure and social isolation, these Indian students turn to break dancing to express their uniqueness, facilitate intragroup communication, create group identity, and achieve a kind of success in an otherwise indifferent or negative school and community environment.
Expression of the chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR7 and disease progression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/ small lymphocytic lymphoma.

Objective To assess the clinical relevance of chemokine receptor expression on the progression of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Patients and Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 45 patients with B-CLL were purified and compared with lymph node samples collected from 17 of these patients. Also compared were B cells obtained from peripheral blood samples from 5 healthy controls and B cells from reactive lymph nodes from 3 otherwise healthy persons. The patients were treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, between January 15, 1991, and February 7, 2003. Mononuclear cells were stained by a 2-color (fluorescein isothiocyanate/phycoerythrin) flow cytometric assay using antibodies to the chemokine receptors (CXCR1, CXCR2, CXCR3, CXCR4, CXCR5, CCR2, CCR4, CCR5, CCR6, and CCR7) and also to CD19. Results Of the 45 patients in this study, 20 had Rai stage 0 disease, 12 had stage I disease, 3 had stage II disease, 2 had stage III disease, and 8 had stage IV disease. The mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of the chemokine receptor expression on B-CLL cells was compared with normal controls and was not significantly different, except for an increase in the median expression of CXCR3 ( P =.003) and CCR7 ( P =.001) on B-CLL cells. We also found a significant increase in the expression of CXCR4 and CCR7 in B-CLL cells from patients with stage IV compared with stage 0 disease ( P =.001 and P =.02, respectively). Furthermore, circulating B-CLL cells showed significantly higher expression of CXCR4 and CCR7 when compared with B lymphocytes in lymph nodes ( P =.003 and P Conclusion The expression of CXCR4 and CCR7 on B-CLL cells correlates with Rai stage. Also, these chemokine receptors may be down-regulated once malignant B cells enter the lymph nodes. To our knowledge, this is the first published report that shows the strong association of Rai stage with CXCR4 and CCR7 expression levels in B-CLL cells.
The 1996 New York blizzard: Impact on noninjury emergency visits

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the January 1996 New York blizzard on emergency visits to 12 Suffolk County hospitals for 10 noninjury health conditions. Emergency charts from the blizzard week (January 7–11) and a nonblizzard week (January 21–25) were reviewed and information was abstracted from the records meeting the criteria. Blizzard conditions were associated with increased visits for myocardial infarction/angina, primarily shoveling-related, and with decreased visits for asthma. Diagnoses for the other noninjury conditions did not differ significantly between time periods. The decrease in asthma visits possibly resulted from asthmatics avoiding exposure to blizzard conditions. An unexpected finding was that most patients with shoveling-related myocardial infarction/angina did not report pre-existing heart disease. Also of interest was that one quarter of myocardial infarction/angina visits by women were reportedly shoveling-related. This suggests that health warnings may be less effective at decreasing shoveling-induced myocardial infarction if they are directed primarily at men and at people with heart disease.
Interview with Donald E. Michel, 1921-2010

This interview was conducted in June, 2009, and is presented as a retrospective on the life of Donald E. Michel, who passed away on December 19, 2010. Several themes emerged as our dialog unfolded and are presented below, including music, clinical practice, service, teaching, and music & medicine.
Variables That Affect Assays for Plasma Cytokines and Soluble Activation Markers

Cytokines and soluble immune activation markers that reflect cytokine activities in vivo are increasingly being measured in plasma, serum, and other body fluids. They provide useful diagnostic and prognostic information as well as insight into disease pathogenesis. Assays of neopterin, β2-microglobulin, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type II as well as of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) were evaluated by using serum and plasma samples of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative subjects. Many factors were found to influence the outcomes of these assays. Substantial differences in apparent levels of analytes were frequently found when enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits from different manufacturers were used. In some cases, differences were found in the standards provided by separate manufacturers. Furthermore, the analytic results from different lots of ELISA kits supplied by single manufacturers differed by as much as 50%. The need for uniformity in the standards for quantitative assays was clearly illustrated. International reference standards are available for cytokines but not for soluble cytokine receptors or soluble activation markers. Marker levels in serum or in plasma were similar except those for IFN-γ. Most of the analytes were stable under several storage conditions. Thus, batch testing of frozen stored samples is feasible. The findings indicate that for longitudinal studies, the levels of cytokines and immune activation markers in plasma or serum should be measured by using preverified reagents from one manufacturer. The quality of laboratory performance can have an impact on clinical relevance. Proficiency testing and external quality assurance programs can help to develop the needed consensus.
/hide: The aesthetics of group and solo play

In this essay, I examine differences between individual and social play and, in particular, the differences between individual and social play within digital media forms designed to promote both: massively multi-player online computer games (MMOGs). The analysis considers in most depth differences between group and solo play within the NCSoft’s and Cryptic Studios’ MMOG, City of Heroes. Based on over 1000 hours of play within City of Heroes, observation of online forums and other texts devoted to social activities within City of Heroes, and conversations with City of Heroes players inside and outside of the game context, the essay describes an antithetical relationship between group and solo computer game play. Conclusions present a semiotic model of play in which game designs promoting social play are ineffective in significantly altering individual play forms and functions.
Characteristics of lymphoid cells that adoptively transfer immunity to Rickettsia mooseri infection in mice

The capacity of adoptively transferred immune lymphoid cells or passively transferred immune serum to alter the course of an established Rickettsia mooseri (R. typhi) infection in the spleen was evaluated in BALB/c mice. Immune cells, but not immune serum, controlled the established infection. An effective lymphocyte was a T-cell which had to possess a capacity to divide.
Research on Capability Deployment of ASW Systems

In anti-submarine war systems of system (ASW-SOS), each operational node has a variety of combat capabilities, which play different roles in anti-submarine actions, and these abilities have their own range. Therefore, after definition and description of ability of operational node, calculation of comprehensive ability index, and built of weighted voronoi diagram (WVD), the analysis approach of operational ability of ASW-SOS is formed. After generating various capabilities WVD, this paper analyzes impact of change brought by global dynamic deployment, and puts forward adaptive optimization solution. The simulation results show that, by using the technology of WVD, the ability of static distribution and dynamic change process can be demonstrated clearly and precisely, and this method has strong practicality
Optical Properties of Calcium Silicate Phosphors

Calcium silicate phosphors activated with varying amounts of manganese luminesce yellow to orange under cathode-ray excitation, but are not excited by ultraviolet λ2537. If a small amount of lead is added with the manganese, the resulting material responds to λ2537 to give the same color as that produced by cathode rays, and in addition to the visible luminescence, there is an ultraviolet band at λ3400. The spectral distribution in the visible is dependent upon manganese concentration and on temperature.If lead alone is used as an activator, the product gives emission entirely in the ultraviolet. Three emission bands are evident at approximately 3000A, 3340A, and 3500A, any one of which may be predominant, depending upon the conditions of preparation. The excitation spectrum also varies widely, having several maxima between 2000A and 3000A. When the phosphor is excited by 2288A line from a low pressure cadmium arc, a fourth broad band appears in the emission, which peaks about 3850A and extends far enough to the longer wave-lengths to be easily observed visually.X-ray analysis with a Philips Geiger counter spectrometer demonstrates that the emission band at 3000A is due to the α-metasilicate, the one at 3500A to the β-metasilicate, while the 3340A band is due to the β-orthosilicate. During the firing process the orthosilicate is formed first by the reaction between the calcium oxide and silica in equi-molar proportions, and it reacts thereafter with additional silica to form metasilicate.
Primary motor cortex of the parkinsonian monkey: altered encoding of active movement

Abnormalities in the movement-related activation of the primary motor cortex (M1) are thought to be a major contributor to the motor signs of Parkinson's disease. The existing evidence, however, variably indicates that M1 is under-activated with movement, overactivated (due to a loss of functional specificity) or activated with abnormal timing. In addition, few models consider the possibility that distinct cortical neuron subtypes may be affected differently. Those gaps in knowledge were addressed by studying the extracellular activity of antidromically-identified lamina 5b pyramidal-tract type neurons (n = 153) and intratelencephalic-type corticostriatal neurons (n = 126) in the M1 of two monkeys as they performed a step-tracking arm movement task. We compared movement-related discharge before and after the induction of parkinsonism by administration of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) and quantified the spike rate encoding of specific kinematic parameters of movement using a generalized linear model. The fraction of M1 neurons with movement-related activity declined following MPTP but only marginally. The strength of neuronal encoding of parameters of movement was reduced markedly (mean 29% reduction in the coefficients from the generalized linear model). This relative decoupling of M1 activity from kinematics was attributable to reductions in the coefficients that estimated the spike rate encoding of movement direction (-22%), speed (-40%), acceleration (-49%) and hand position (-33%). After controlling for MPTP-induced changes in motor performance, M1 activity related to movement itself was reduced markedly (mean 36% hypoactivation). This reduced activation was strong in pyramidal tract-type neurons (-50%) but essentially absent in corticostriatal neurons. The timing of M1 activation was also abnormal, with earlier onset times, prolonged response durations, and a 43% reduction in the prevalence of movement-related changes beginning in the 150-ms period that immediately preceded movement. Overall, the results are consistent with proposals that under-activation and abnormal timing of movement-related activity in M1 contribute to parkinsonian motor signs but are not consistent with the idea that a loss of functional specificity plays an important role. Given that pyramidal tract-type neurons form the primary efferent pathway that conveys motor commands to the spinal cord, the dysfunction of movement-related activity in pyramidal tract-type neurons is likely to be a central factor in the pathophysiology of parkinsonian motor signs.
Airway Reactivity and Exercise in Healthy Subjects

The interaction of exercise, methacholine challenge, and β-adrenergic blockade was investigated in eight healthy subjects. We measured the response to increasing doses of aerosolized methacholine, examining maximum expiratory flow rates. These responses were compared with those obtained on separate days when each methacholine challenge followed submaximal exercise or submaximal exercise in the presence of β-blockade. The possible independent effect of increased ventilation (20 ± 6.7 L/min) was also studied during methacholine challenge. Methacholine-induced bronchospasm was not augmented by exercise alone or by exercise in the presence of β-blockade, nor was this response significantly altered by hyperventilation during methacholine aerosol challenge. These findings suggest that airway hyperreactivity cannot be induced in healthy subjects by levels of exercise that commonly provoke exercise-induced bronchospasm in asthmatic patients.
Reproducing Inequality: Spirit Cults and Labor Relations in Colonial Eastern India

UNDERSTANDING how unequal relations are reproduced over time is as significant as comprehending inequality itself. For unequal relations exist only in human practices that reproduce them. More than a play on words, the coupling of production with reproduction in recent anthropological studies highlights processes that provide the basis for production.1 The necessity of reconstructing practices that reproduce social relations is perhaps nowhere more neglected than in the study of South Asian history. When it comes to explaining how unequal relations between social groups were maintained, the caste system is the perennial favorite. This is particularly so where relations between landlords and landless laborers are concerned. Thus, evenJan Breman's sophisticated and rich study of dependent laborers in South Gujarat points to the jajmani system, the institutional form of caste relations in the agrarian context, as the basis for relations between laborers and landlords in the past.2 While his study illuminates how bonded labor relations can be This essay draws heavily from my unpublished dissertation entitled 'Production and the Reproduction of Bondage: Kamias and Maliks in South Bihar, c. 1300 to I930s.' University of Pennsylvania, I984. The research was carried out in 1981-82 and was supported by grants from the American Institute of Indian Studies and the Social Science Research Council and the American Council of Learned Societies. Discussions with David Ludden, Arjun Appadurai, Carol A. Breckenridge, David Rudner, and Lee Cassanelli have helped greatly in clarifying my arguments. 1 Claude Meillasoux, in particular, has stressed the pivotal role of reproduction in production. See his 'From reproduction to production,' Economy and Society, I, I (I972). Jack Goody's Production and Reproduction: A Comparative Study of the Domestic Domain (Cambridge, I976) draws correlations between the organization of domestic units and mode of agriculture without drawing the tight relationship that Meillasoux develops between the social reproduction of the production unit and the production organization. While these anthropologists tend to deal with those strategies of reproduction that relate to kin relations, this essay is concerned with the reproduction of relations between classes.
An Enhanced Dynamic and Distributed Domain-Based Handoff Scheme for Mobile IPv6

IETF proposed mobile IPv6 to address the IP mobility problem in the next generation Internet protocol (IPv6) by which mobile nodes are reachable while roaming in the Internet. Despite many advantages it offers in comparison to mobile IPv4, handover management still remains an issue for Mobile IPv6. For real-time connections, the handover latency and signaling overhead incurred by the protocol may become significant. In this paper, we present an enhanced dynamic and distributed domain-based handoff scheme for MIPv6 where the signaling burden is evenly distributed and the regional network boundary is dynamically adjusted according to the up-to-date mobility of each terminal. We describe the basic protocol operations and examine the performance improvement of our mobility management over the previous mobile IP mobility management method by using simulations. We show that the dynamic approach provides the optimal mobility solution for MIPv6 and the distributed approach can decentralize the network load.
Static and Cyclic Fatigue Behavior of a Polycrystalline Alumina

The fatigue behavior of a polycrystalline alumina was investigated. Stress conditions consisted of a static tensile stress and a static tensile stress with superposed sinusoidal cyclic stress. The alumina exhibited the expected static fatigue behavior; a cyclic fatigue effect characterized by a frequency and amplitude dependence was also observed. Possible mechanisms of cyclic fatigue in brittle materials are discussed.
Crystallization of DNA-capped gold nanoparticles in high-concentration, divalent salt environments.

The multiparametric nature of nanoparticle self-assembly makes it challenging to circumvent the instabilities that lead to aggregation and achieve crystallization under extreme conditions. By using non-base-pairing DNA as a model ligand instead of the typical base-pairing design for programmability, long-range 2D DNA–gold nanoparticle crystals can be obtained at extremely high salt concentrations and in a divalent salt environment. The interparticle spacings in these 2D nanoparticle crystals can be engineered and further tuned based on an empirical model incorporating the parameters of ligand length and ionic strength.
A piecewise-closed form algorithm for a family of minmax and vector criteria problems

This short paper describes the theory and a new algorithm for computing the parameterized solution to a family of minmax problems (MMP):\min{u\in U} \max{i\in I} J_{i}(u,z), z\inZ . The fact that MMP may be solved indirectly by looking for the saddle point of \sum_{i\in I}c_{i}J_{i} (u,z) enables an important special class of MMP to be reduced by analytic manipulation into a family of inequality constrained programming problems. Over partitioning subsets of Z , the solution ω to this latter family of problems may be found by solving appropriate equality constrained problems. Two important new results are established: one concerns the continuity of the solution ω in Z and the other concerns linearity of the interset boundaries separating the partitioning subsets of Z . These results are incorporated into the new algorithm which proves to be excellent for obtaining the parameterized solution of certain types of families of minmax problems.