cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intraneural Lidocaine Uptake Compared With Analgesic Differences Between Pregnant and Nonpregnant Rats

Background and objectives Pregnant patients need less local anesthetic in order to obtain the same quality of functional block as nonpregnant patients. Our goal was to demonstrate a similarly increased functional susceptibility to local anesthetics in the awake pregnant rat during peripheral nerve block and to investigate the pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. Methods Radiolabeled lidocaine uptake was determined in vivo during sciatic nerve block with 0.1ml of 1% lidocaine in the nerves of nine pregnant and five nonpregnant female rats and six male rats at the return of deep pain sensation, assessed by withdrawal of the hindlimb from a brief squeeze of a digit with serrated forceps. During recovery from complete functional block, the time at which deep pain returned and the amount of lidocaine in the nerve at that time were compared among the three groups of rats. Lidocaine content was also determined in vitro after exposure of ensheathed sciatic nerves from pregnant and nonpregnant rats to a 0.2% lidocaine bath for specified times. Results Full block of function developed in all groups within 6 minutes of the lidocaine injection and lasted significantly longer in pregnant rats than in nonpregnant and male rats (49.0 ± 3.3 vs 34.0 ± 3.1 and 32.0 ± 1.3 minutes mean ± SEMI, respectively. At the time of deep pain return, the intraneural lidocaine content of pregnant rats was significantly lower than that of nonpregnant and male rats (2.2 ± 0.25 vs 3.9 ± 0.7 and 3.7 ± 0.6 nmoles/mg of wet nerve, respectively). No difference in lidocaine uptake kinetics between P and NP nerves was observed in vitro. Conclusions Block of peripheral neural function is prolonged in pregnant rats, and lidocaine content in the nerve is lower at a specific stage of neural block. These results are consistent with a pharmacodynamic mechanism for increased susceptibility to lidocaine neural block during pregnancy.
Solar energy storage reactions involving polynuclear rhodium isocyanide complexes. Flash photolysis studies in aqueous sulfuric acid solutions

Results of flash photolysis studies of the complexes Rh/sub 2/(bridge)/sub 4//sup 2 +/ where bridge = 1,3 diisocyanopropane are reported. The decay of the complex was found to obey second-order kinetics, and the product of the charges of the reactants was found to be 8.1. This result suggests that the complex is present in aqueous solutions as a tetranuclear species. The results of the flash photolysis studies can be explained by assuming that the complex is )Rh/sub 2/(bridge)/sub 4//sup 3 +/)/sub n/ where n = 2. Irradiation of solutions of the complex in concentrated halogen acids led to complete conversion to the halogen form of the bridge complex and hydrogen.
Estrogen receptor status: an important variable in predicting response to endocrine therapy in metastatic breast cancer.

Abstract The influence of estrogen receptor status on response rate to endocrine therapy in 85 patients with metastatic breast cancer was determined in a retrospective study. The specific purpose of this study was to assess the role of estrogen receptor determinations in the light of a host of clinical variables known or suspected to influence response rates to endocrine therapy. Thirty-four of 52 patients whose tumors contained significant amounts of estrogen receptor (> 10 fmole/mg cytoplasmic protein) had objective responses to endocrine therapy while only 333 patients whose tumors did not possess estrogen receptor ( 10 fmole/mg cytoplasmic protein) responded ( P 0.0001 ). A quantitative relationship was found between the amount of estrogen receptor and response rate. The quantity of estrogen receptor was not associated with the duration of response. The predictive value of the estrogen receptor assay was not associated with the receptor dissociation constant. Prior treatment with endocrine or chemotherapy did not diminish the ability of estrogen receptor determinations to predict response to subsequent endocrine therapy. Response rate in estrogen receptor positive tumors was not affected by extent of disease, site of involvement with metastatic tumor, or prior therapy. We conclude that these negative prognostic factors are less important in predicting response to endocrine therapy than estrogen receptor values.
Studies in Fractionated Montmorillonite Suspensions

Four natural bentonites, from Texas, Wyoming, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, have been fractionated by use of a super-centrifuge. The fractions have been investigated for base exchange capacity, apparent density, X-ray diffraction character and gel strengths of their suspensions.
Targeted Nanocarriers for Imaging and Therapy of Vascular Inflammation

Vascular inflammation is a common, complex mechanism involved in pathogenesis of a plethora of disease conditions including ischemia-reperfusion, atherosclerosis, restenosis and stroke. Specific targeting of imaging probes and drugs to endothelial cells in inflammation sites holds promise to improve management of these conditions. Nanocarriers of diverse compositions and geometries, targeted with ligands to endothelial adhesion molecules exposed in inflammation foci are devised for this goal. Imaging modalities that employ these nanoparticle probes include radioisotope imaging, MRI and ultrasound that are translatable from animal to human studies, as well as optical imaging modalities that at the present time are more confined to animal studies. Therapeutic cargoes for these drug delivery systems include diverse anti-inflammatory agents, anti-proliferative drugs for prevention of restenosis, and antioxidants. This article reviews recent advances in the area of image-guided translation of targeted nanocarrier diagnostics and therapeutics in nanomedicine.
Measured lamination spaces for surfaces, from the topological viewpoint

Abstract This is an expository paper, developing the basic structure of Thurston's space of measured laminations in a surface.
An in vitro system for the binding of estradiol to rat uterine nuclei.

Abstract A in vitro system has been developed which is capable of specifically binding estradiol to rat uterine nuclei. Evidence is presented for the enzymatic nature of the process and the need for the presence of the supernatant during the incubation.
Reversible dilated cardiomyopathy due to thyrotoxicosis

Whether hyperthyroidism can cause a dilated cardiomyopathy remains controversial. It has been generally accepted that thyrotoxicosis may be associated with high output heart failure and may precipitate ischemia or heart failure in patients with either symptomatic or asymptomatic underlying heart disease. However, evidence for the development of a dilated cardiomyopathy in otherwise normal hearts is confined to animal models and the pediatric population.1 Studies showing a decreased cardiac reserve on exercise by nuclear cardiographic studies are often quoted as evidence of occult myocardial dysfunction in hyperthyroid patients. The number of patients in these studies was small and predominantly female (15 of 19).2,3 The fact that women do not consistently increase their ejection fraction with exercise4 challenges the current interpretation of these results. We present a patient in whom thyrotoxicosis was accompanied by a reversible dilated cardiomyopathy.
Corporate research & development investments international comparisons

Abstract This paper explores the determinants of corporate R&D for U.S., Canadian, British, European, and Japanese firms. We find last year's debt ratio is significantly negatively correlated with current R&D expenditures for U.S. firms, and positively for Japanese firms. Second, we document a significant positive relation between two-year lagged stock return and current R&D expenditures for U.S., European, Japanese, and large-size British firms. Finally, we find a significant positive relation between last year's tax payments and current R&D expenditures for Japanese firms, and a significant negative relation for medium-size and small-size U.S. firms.
Calibration of a constitutive model using genetic algorithms

Abstract Before any constitutive model can be used in a numerical procedure, the model needs to be calibrated using laboratory test results. The traditional calibration techniques use stress and strain levels at certain states that a material undergoes during certain types of laboratory tests. Sometimes this method of calibrating a constitutive model fails to capture the overall behavior of a material, i.e. behavior at every point in stress/strain path. In this paper, we have shown how a random search technique, genetic algorithm (GA), can be used to calibrate constitutive models. The advantages of using GA are that it considers the overall behavior of a material, not the behavior at some specific states as the traditional method does, and it can work with many types of laboratory tests. The concept is applied to calibrate the hierarchical single surface (HiSS) δl model for geologic materials. Three cases have been studied where the difference is in the type of test data used to calibrate the model. These three different test data are: (1) simulated conventional test data, (2) simulated cyclic test data, and (3) real test data. A comparison of two different cross-over schemes, one-point and six-point, has been made.
Calcium Influx Through NMDA Receptors, Chronic Receptor Inhibition by Ethanol and 2‐Amino‐5‐Phosphonopentanoic Acid, and Receptor Protein Expression

Chronic treatment of neurons with either ethanol or competitive and noncompetitive antagonists of NMDA receptors leads to enhanced expression of NMDA receptor density and function in neurons. The signal transduction pathways for such receptor up-regulation are not known. The focus of the present study was on the role of Ca2+ entry into neurons, either through receptor or voltage-gated channels, in the expression of the NMDA receptor subunit NR1 and the 71-kDa glutamate-binding protein (GBP) of a glutamate/NMDA receptor-like complex. Chronic inhibition of NMDA receptors in cortical neurons in primary cultures by either 100 mM ethanol or 100 microM 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (2-AP5) increased the expression of NR1 and GBP. The effect of 2-AP5 on the expression of the two proteins was not additive with that of ethanol when neuronal cultures were treated with both agents at the same time. However, the effects of ethanol on NR1 and GBP expression were blocked by the simultaneous treatment with NMDA (50 microM). Activation or inhibition of other glutamate ionotropic receptors had no effect on the expression of NR1 and GBP. The inhibition of L- or N-type voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels and voltage-gated Na+ channels also had little effect on the expression of either protein; neither did exposure of neurons to elevated extracellular Ca2+ concentrations (3 or 5 mM). On the other hand, treatment of neurons for 48 h with the intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM as well as partial chelation of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA caused an up-regulation in NR1 and GBP expression. The enhanced expression of NR1 in neurons treated for 48 h with either ethanol or EGTA was correlated with increases in the activity of NMDA receptors demonstrated as a doubling of the NMDA-stimulated rise in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration. The effects of chronic administration of EGTA on both NR1 expression as well as NMDA receptor function were probably related to an acute inhibition by EGTA of NMDA-induced Ca2+ influx into neurons. It appears that the expression of both the NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors and the GBP of a receptor-like complex is regulated by intracellular Ca2+, especially that entering through NMDA receptor ion channels.
A hybrid equilibrium model of solute transport in porous media in the presence of colloids

Abstract Groundwater contaminants adhered to colloid surfaces may migrate to greater distances than predicted by using the conventional advective—dispersive transport equation. Owing to various factors such as changes in soil properties or pumping, colloids are released and aqueous phase contaminants are transported by mobile solid particles. A mathematical hybrid equilibrium model is developed to describe the simultaneous transport and fate of a contaminant and colloids in porous media. The problem is represented by a three-phase model with two solid phases, i.e. colloids and a stationary solid matrix, and an aqueous phase. Sorption and migration processes of the contaminant and colloids are formulated by mass balance equations of respective phases and sorption relations. The interaction of colloids with the contaminant and porous matrix is included in the three-phase transport model by employing the local equilibrium assumption for colloid—contaminant mass partitioning and first-order kinetic relations for colloid—matrix mass partition mechanisms. Numerical solutions are obtained by use of a finite difference scheme to provide estimations of the contaminant and colloid concentrations. A significant sensitivity to model parameters, particularly the contaminant equilibrium distribution coefficients with mobile and immobile colloids, is found. This conclusion has practical implications in fine-grained aquifers with low permeability where the flow rate is slower than the rate of sorption.
A Constructivist Approach to Listening

This article develops a constructivist perspective on listening skill. Listening is conceptualized as a process that involves the interpretation of messages that others have intentionally transmitted in the effort to understand those messages and respond to them appropriately. This definition allows listening to be understood both as a mindful (controlled) and a mindless (automatic) process and thus invites a dual-process analysis of listening. Listening is further conceptualized as a type of interpretive or information processing skill on which individuals are likely to differ; the largest individual differences in listening are likely to be evident with regard to contexts where recipients interpret messages systematically. Recent investigations of listener responses to supportive messages provide evidence for this view of listening. In particular, these studies show that individual differences in interpersonal cognitive complexity are associated with the ability to discriminate between better and worse ...
Cloning and characterization of NBS-LRR class resistance-gene candidate sequences in citrus

Numerous disease resistance gene-like DNA sequences were cloned from an intergeneric hybrid of Poncirus and Citrus, using a PCR approach with degenerate primers designed from conserved NBS (nucleotide-binding site) motifs found in a number of plant resistance genes. Most of the cloned genomic sequences could be translated into polypeptides without stop codons, and the sequences contained the characteristic motifs found in the NBS-LRR class of plant disease resistance genes. Pairwise comparisons of these polypeptide sequences indicated that they shared various degrees of amino-acid identity and could be grouped into ten classes (RGC1–RGC10). When the sequences of each class were compared with known resistance-gene sequences, the percentage of amino-acid identity ranged from 18.6% to 48%. To facilitate genetic mapping of these sequences and to assess their potential linkage relationship with disease resistance genes in Poncirus, we developed CAPS markers by designing specific primers based on the cloned DNA sequences and subsequently identifying restriction enzymes that revealed genetic polymorphisms. Three of the amplified DNA fragment markers (designated as 18P33a, Pt9a, and Pt8a) were associated with the citrus tristeza virus resistance gene (Ctv), and one fragment (Pt8a) was associated with the major gene responsible for the citrus nematode resistance (Tyr1); both genes are from Poncirus and of importance to citrus survival and production. These polymorphic fragments were located on two local genetic linkage maps of the chromosome region from Ctv to Tyr1. These results indicate that resistance-gene candidate sequences amplified with the NBS-derived degenerate primers are valuable sources for developing markers in disease resistance-gene tagging, mapping, and cloning.
Presidential address: enduring mission--continuing challenges.

Since its founding more than 57 years ago the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has confronted many challenges, but during the six decades of service to the vascular community this organization always has adhered to its mission. This morning I would like to review with you how your Society has met those many challenges and what we will need to do in the future. As I examined past Presidential Addresses and the minutes of the various SVS executive committees, I was humbled by not only the unique honor that you have bestowed on me but also the great responsibility that is required of the SVS President.
EarSketch: A Web-based Environment for Teaching Introductory Computer Science Through Music Remixing

EarSketch (http://earsketch.gatech.edu) is a free integrated curriculum, software toolset, audio loop library, and social sharing site that teaches computing principles through digital music composition and remixing. EarSketch students write code in either Python or JavaScript to make music, with a focus on popular genres such as hip hop and dubstep, while learning computing concepts such as variables, iteration, conditionals, strings, lists, functions, and recursion. Attendees to this demonstration session will be introduced to a new web-based version of EarSketch that integrates a code editor, digital audio workstation (DAW) music production interface, curriculum browser, and sharing service into a single integrated browser-based learning environment. This demo is of interest to secondary and early post secondary CS educators and to computing education researchers interested in STEAM and/or broadening participation. No prior musical knowledge or experience is expected and no prior programming experience with Python or JavaScript is required.
Replication initiation sites are distributed widely in the amplified CHO dihydrofolate reductase domain

In previous studies, we utilized a neutral/neutral two-dimensional (2-D) gel replicon mapping method to analyze the pattern of DNA synthesis in the amplified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain of CHOC 400 cells. Replication forks appeared to initiate at any of a large number of sites scattered throughout the 55 kb region lysing between the DHFR and 2BE2121 genes, and subsequently to move outward through the two genes. In the present study, we have analyzed this locus in detail by a complementary, neutral/alkaline 2-D gel technique that determines the direction in which replication forks move through a region of interest. In the early S period, forks are observed to travel in both directions through the intergenic region, but only outward through the DHFR gene. Surprisingly, however, replication forks also move in both directions through the 2BE2121 gene. Furthermore, in early S phase, small numbers of replication bubbles can be detected in the 2BE2121 gene on neutral/neutral 2-D gels. In contrast, replication bubbles have never been detected in the DHFR gene. Thus, replication initiates not only in the intergenic region, but also at a lower frequency in the 2BE2121 gene. We further show that only a small fraction of DHFR amplicons sustains an active initiation event, with the rest being replicated passively by forks from distant amplicons. These findings are discussed in light of other experimental approaches that suggest the presence of a much more narrowly circumscribed initiation zone within the intergenic region.
In vivo acoustic contrast enhancement via simultaneous production and injection of microfluidic-produced microbubbles

Microbubble production by microfluidic devices for ultrasound contrast enhancement allows for precise control over microbubble diameter but at the cost of low production rate and poor microbubble stability. In this work, we investigated whether microbubbles produced by a microfluidic device could provide sufficient ultrasound contrast enhancement when directly injected into the mouse tail vein. Microfluidic-produced microbubbles composed of nitrogen gas and stabilized with 10% dextrose and 3% bovine serum albumin were injected for 10 seconds into the tail vein of wild type C57BL/6 mice. Short-axis ultrasound images of the right and left ventricle were acquired at 12.5 MHz and image intensity over time was analyzed. Microbubble production rates ranged between 2.5×105 and 8.3×105 microbubbles/s, and microbubble diameters were between 9.1 and 19 µm. In all cases, microbubbles were observed in both the right and left ventricle, although the average contrast enhancement was approximately 13.5 dB lower in the left ventricle than in the right ventricle. All mice survived the procedure with no observable respiratory or heart rate distress. The results of this work suggest that on-site production and immediate administration to the murine vasculature may eliminate the necessity for high microbubble production rates, long-term stability, or small microbubble diameters.
A critical coiled coil motif in the small terminase, gp16, from bacteriophage T4: insights into DNA packaging initiation and assembly of packaging motor.

Double-stranded DNA packaging in bacteriophages is driven by one of the most powerful force-generating molecular motors reported to date. The phage T4 motor is composed of the small terminase protein, gpl6 (18 kDa), the large terminase protein, gp17 (70 kDa), and the dodecameric portal protein gp20 (61 kDa). gp16, which exists as an oligomer in solution, is involved in the recognition of the viral DNA substrate, the very first step in the DNA packaging pathway, and stimulates the ATPase and packaging activities associated with gp17. Sequence analyses using COILS2 revealed the presence of coiled coil motifs (CCMs) in gp16. Sixteen T4-family and numerous phage small terminases show CCMs in the corresponding region of the protein, suggesting a common structural and functional theme. Biochemical properties such as reversible thermal denaturation and analytical gel filtration data suggest that the central CCM-1 is critical for oligomerization of gp16. Mutations in CCM-1 that change the hydrophobicity of key residues, or pH 6.0, destabilized coiled coil interactions, resulting in a loss of gp16 oligomerization. The gp16 oligomers are in a dynamic equilibrium with lower Mr intermediate species and monomer. Monomeric gp16 is unable to stimulate gp17-ATPase, an activity essential for DNA packaging, while conversion back into oligomeric form restored the activity. These data for the first time defined a CCM that is critical for structure and function of the small terminase. We postulate a packaging model in which the gp16 CCM is implicated in the regulation of packaging initiation and assembly of a supramolecular DNA packaging machine on the viral concatemer.
Recognizing Decline: The Role of Triggers

Existing models of decline and turnaround assume an automatic initiation of a turnaround strategy when decline occurs. However, extended decline over time suggests that the turnaround strategy did not match the causality and severity of the situation. Borrowing from the crisis management literature, this paper argues that a triggering event or events needs to shock incumbent management into realizing that different action is called for. Such triggering events, or triggers, also play a role in the turnaround process by influencing strategies and inducing management changes. Incorporating the need for, and role of, triggers in understanding the decline/turnaround sequence helps explain the iterative and non‐sequential nature of this process.
Effects of Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibition on Systemic and Pulmonary Hemodynamics and Ventricular Function in Patients with Severe Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis

Background—Pressure overload resulting from aortic stenosis causes maladaptive ventricular and vascular remodeling that can lead to pulmonary hypertension, heart failure symptoms, and adverse outcomes. Retarding or reversing this maladaptive remodeling and its unfavorable hemodynamic consequences has the potential to improve morbidity and mortality. Preclinical models of pressure overload have shown that phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibition is beneficial; however, the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in patients with aortic stenosis is controversial because of concerns about vasodilation and hypotension. Methods and Results—We evaluated the safety and hemodynamic response of 20 subjects with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (mean aortic valve area, 0.7±0.2 cm2; ejection fraction, 60±14%) who received a single oral dose of sildenafil (40 or 80 mg). Compared with baseline, after 60 minutes, sildenafil reduced systemic (−12%; P<0.001) and pulmonary (−29%; P=0.002) vascular resistance, mean pulmona...
Measured neutron and gamma spectra from californium-252 in a tissue-equivalent medium

A method of experimentally obtaining both neutron and gamma-ray spectra in a scattering medium is described. The method utilizes a liquid-organic scintillator (NE-213) coupled with a pulse-shape discrimination circuit. This allows the separation of the neutron-induced pulse-height data from the gamma-ray pulse-height data. Using mathematical unfolding techniques, the two sets of pulse-height data were transformed to obtain the neutron and gamma-ray energy spectra. A small spherical detector was designed and constructed to reduce the errors incurred by attempting spectral measurements in a scattering medium. Demonstration of the utility of the system to obtain the neutron and gamma-ray spectra in a scattering medium was performed by characterizing the neutron and gamma-ray spectra at various sites about a 3.7-microgram (1.5 cm active length) californium-252 source in a tissue-equivalent medium.
CURRENT STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

This paper describes the technical issues involved in the development of a feasible solution toward permanent radioactive waste disposal. Recent progress on internationally collaborative research efforts concerning the multibarrier concept, in situ experiments, computer modeling and natural analogues are discussed.
A minimax approach to the implicit programming problem

Abstract Existence results in non-linear analysis and equilibrium models have been unified by the application of Ky Fan's inequality, which is a type of minimax theorem. This inequality is here used to answer the existence question for the implicit programming problem.
Grid coarsening, simulation of transport processes in, and scale-up of heterogeneous media: Application of multiresolution wavelet transformations

Abstract We describe a recently-developed approach to the numerical simulation of transport processes in heterogeneous materials and fluid flow in porous media. The morphology of such materials and media is characterized by broadly-distributed and correlated local conductances or permeabilities, hence necessitating its representation by a highly-resolved computational grid that may contain millions of grid points or blocks. Simulation of flow and transport in such grids is very difficult and time consuming. The new approach is based on the use of wavelet transformations. It computes the wavelet scaling and detail coefficients of the conductance or permeability field in the highly-resolved grid. It then utilizes the coefficients to systematically coarsen the grid’s low-conductance or permeability blocks while retaining its high resolution in the high-permeability or conductance zones, and those zones in which the quantities of interest, such as the temperature or pressure, experience large variations. The coarsening can be static, generating a fixed grid, but may also be dynamic such that the grid structure evolves with the time if, for example, the local conductances are a strong function of the temperature. The method is applied to study transient flow and transport in heterogeneous materials and porous media, and is shown to lead to accurate solution of the problem at greatly reduced (by at least two orders of magnitude) computational cost.
Rac1 modulates cardiomyocyte adhesion during mouse embryonic development

Rac1, a member of the Rho subfamily of small GTPases, is involved in morphogenesis and differentiation of many cell types. Here we define a role of Rac1 in cardiac development by specifically deleting Rac1 in the pre-cardiac mesoderm using the Nkx2.5-Cre transgenic driver line. Rac1-conditional knockout embryos initiate heart development normally until embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5); their cardiac mesoderm is specified, and the heart tube is formed and looped. However, by E12.5-E13.5 the mutant hearts start failing and embryos develop edema and hemorrhage which is probably the cause for the lethality observed soon after. The hearts of Rac1-cKO embryos exhibit disorganized and thin myocardial walls and defects in outflow tract alignment. No significant differences of cardiomyocyte death or proliferation were found between developing control and mutant embryos. To uncover the role of Rac1 in the heart, E11.5 primary heart cells were cultured and analyzed in vitro. Rac1-deficient cardiomyocytes were less spread, round and loosely attached to the substrate and to each other implying that Rac1-mediated signaling is required for appropriate cell-cell and/or cellmatrix adhesion during cardiac development.
Five writing-assistance programs: A review

A variety of written material was evaluated with five writing-assistance software packages. Three of the packages were found to be of limited value; they operated at a superficial level and cost much money. Of the remaining two, one was judged potentially valuable, although it was embedded in a larger system designed to teach writing to college students. The other one was judged a best buy on the basis of helpfulness to writers and minimal cost. Software is still no substitute for a good human editor.
A VIIRS ocean data simulator

One of the roles of the VIIRS Ocean Science Team (VOST) is to assess the performance of the instrument and scientific processing software that generates ocean color parameters such as normalized water-leaving radiances and chlorophyll. A VIIRS data simulator is being developed to help aid in this work. The simulator will create a sufficient set of simulated Sensor Data Records (SDR) so that the ocean component of the VIIRS processing system can be tested. It will also have the ability to study the impact of instrument artifacts on the derived parameter quality. The simulator will use existing resources available to generate the geolocation information and to transform calibrated radiances to geophysical parameters and visa-versa. In addition, the simulator will be able to introduce land features, cloud fields, and expected VIIRS instrument artifacts. The design of the simulator and its progress will be presented.
Attitudes Towards Latent Tuberculosis Among Physicians in Training: The Role of BCG Vaccination

Prior work has demonstrated that international medical graduates physicians are less likely to recommend treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) for themselves or their patients. Our objective was to measure differences in LTBI treatment attitudes among resident physicians when diagnosis is established with a positive tuberculin skin test (TST), as compared with a positive interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), and to determine whether a resident physician’s personal history of Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccination was associated with these attitudes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Internal Medicine resident physicians at two different training sites. Based on the country and year of birth, each respondent was assigned a putative BCG vaccination status based on a query of the BCG World Atlas (bcgworldatlas.org). We then asked whether the respondent agreed or disagreed with offering LTBI treatment in several clinical scenarios. Among their patients with a history of BCG vaccination, we found that resident physicians were least likely to agree with LTBI treatment for a first-ever positive TST, and most likely to agree with treatment for a converted IGRA. Contrary to our hypothesis, a resident physician’s personal history of BCG vaccination was not associated with their LTBI treatment attitudes. Resident physicians broadly disagreed with LTBI treatment guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Educational interventions designed to improve adherence to LTBI treatment recommendations should be broadly implemented, without regard to the educational or cultural backgrounds of physician.
Circumventing a ring oscillator approach to FPGA-based hardware Trojan detection

Ring oscillators are commonly used as a locking mechanism that binds a hardware design to a specific area of silicon within an integrated circuit (IC). This locking mechanism can be used to detect malicious modifications to the hardware design, also known as a hardware Trojan, in situations where such modifications result in a change to the physical placement of the design on the IC. However, careful consideration is needed when designing ring oscillators for such a scenario to guarantee the integrity of the locking mechanism. This paper presents a case study in which flaws discovered in a ring oscillator-based Trojan detection scheme allowed for the circumvention of the security mechanism and the implementation of a large and diverse set of hardware Trojans, limited only by hardware resources.
Rat renal papilla: comparison of two techniques for x-ray analysis.

Rat renal papilla: Comparison of two techniques for x-ray analysis. Major differences in elemental and water content in cells of rat papillae have been reported by investigators using the frozen hydrated/frozen dried method [4] versus that using external standards [1] for x-ray microanalysis. These differences could not be ascribed to either cryosectioning at warmer temperatures or to the analytical algorithm used by either group [7]. In this study, six paired left and right renal papillae were subjected to x-ray analysis. The frozen hydrated/frozen dried method was used on undipped papilla, while both methods were applied simultaneously to contralateral papillae dipped in albumin standard. No significant differences were seen between the physiologic state of the left and right kidneys prior to freezing. Our results demonstrated two major problems with application of an albumin peripheral standard: 1) albumin dipping significantly changed elemental and water content in papillary collecting duct cells, epithelial cells and interstitium, but interstitial cells were not affected; 2) the peripheral albumin standard itself also changed water and elemental content in a direction consistent with movement of Na and Cl from tissue to standard, and water from standard to tissue.
Regulation of fisheries bycatch with common-pool output quotas

Abstract Many fisheries around the world are plagued with the problem of bycatch—the inadvertent harvesting and discard of non-targeted species. Bycatch occurs when targeted and non-targeted species coincide in the same habitat and gear is imperfectly selective. One of the prevailing methods of controlling bycatch is the common-pool quota system. Under this system, biologists set total allowable catches (TACs) for both the targeted and non-targeted species, and the fishing season is closed when one of these TACs binds. We develop a predictive model of a renewable resource that is regulated with this kind of common-pool quota system. The model demonstrates that the equilibrium will generally be characterized by excessive discards, shortened seasons, and foregone target species harvest. These results occur even with very efficient (low bycatch) fishing gear. We examine the sensitivity of our predictions to changes in technological parameters and degrees of spatial correlation of target and non-target species. Finally, we derive the optimal bycatch penalty function and describe its significance in light of various policy options available to regulators.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa revisited.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa previously has been reviewed in “Topics in Clinical Microbiology.” However, the increased importance of this micro-organism in nosocomial infections as well as new information on pathogenic mechanisms is such that this topic should be “revisited.” For example, the ubiquitous presence of this bacterium in nature and its ability to survive in hostile environments has been recently emphasized by episodes of P aeruginosa peritonitis, bacteremia and pseudobacteremia that have been linked to contaminated povidone-iodine. Clearly, P aeruginosa is an important pathogen and is deserving of careful and deliberate consideration.The role of P aeruginosa as a nosocomial pathogen in hospitalized patients with critical illness is rapidly increasing. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have shown that while nosocomial infections from Escherichia coli and Klebsiella have remained relatively constant from 1975 to 1984, the proportion of such infections caused by Pseudomonas has risen from 6.3% in 1975 to 11.4% in 1984. The frightening aspect of this epidemiologic data is the extremely high rate of mortality associated with hospital-acquired Pseudomonas infections. For example, the mortality rate for Pseudomonas bacteremia often ranges from 67% to 90% for neutropenic cancer patients. Among more general hospital patient populations, the mortality rate for Pseudomonas bacteremia can be similar depending on the underlying condition of the host.
On the co-construction of counterfactual reasoning

Abstract Using Japanese data collected following the 1994 Northridge earthquake, I would like to suggest that counterfactual thinking is an essential necessity for human existence. Specifically, a novel account of co-construction presented here provides an important insight into the nature of counterfactual reasoning by ordinary people in everyday life. It will be demonstrated that Japanese speakers spontaneously co-construct the line of reasoning, ‘P [DESIRABLE], because if not P, then not Q [UNDESIRABLE]’, where P and Q stand for FACT (e.g., P = ‘the earthquake occurred at 4:30 a.m.’ and Q = ‘the casualties were very small’). These speakers were total strangers until they met at the data collection site to talk about their own earthquake experiences. By jointly and collaboratively producing elements of counterfactual reasoning, the pairs of speakers are congratulating themselves by conveying the message ‘We are lucky; it could've been so much worse’. There is a striking similarity between Fauconnier's (1985) made up examples in English and the Japanese authentic discourse data, which leads us now toward a universal hypothesis that this line of reasoning is not only a natural one for every human being, it also serves to demonstrate and express sympathy and mutual sharing.
Identification of a deep-sea mooring-cable biter☆

Abstract A deep-sea mooring-cable biter with serate teeth that slash but one side of a cable is identified as the paralepidid Sudis hyalina . This fish is most numerous between 600 and 800 m, and may exceed a meter in length. The probable cause of attack is that fish bite at isolated patches of luminescent animals fouled on the cable. Were the entire cable coated with luminous paint, attacks might diminish. It is doubtful that the large Sudis are important sound-scatterers.
Clinical, Cognitive and Anatomical Evolution from Nonfluent Progressive Aphasia to Corticobasal Syndrome: A Case Report

Abstract Recent clinical and pathological studies have suggested that frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) show clinical and pathological overlap. We present four years of longitudinal clinical, cognitive and anatomical data in the case of a 56-year-old woman, AS, whose clinical picture evolved from FTLD to CBS. For the first three years, AS showed a progressive speech and language disorder compatible with a diagnosis of the nonfluent aphasia variant of FTLD. At year four, 10 years after her first symptom, AS developed the classical clinical signs of CBS, including alien limb phenomenon and dystonia. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) applied to AS's four annual scans showed progression of atrophy from the inferior posterior frontal gyrus, to the left insula and finally to the medial frontal lobe. This case demonstrates the clinical overlap between FTLD and CBS and shows that the two can appear in the same patient at different stages of the disease in relation to the progres...
γδ T Cells Do Not Require Fully Functional Cytotoxic Pathways or the Ability to Recognize Recipient Alloantigens to Prevent Graft Rejection

Abstract γδ T cells are a unique and minor T-cell subset that differs from conventional αβ T cells by virtue of their tissue localization and antigen processing requirements. We have previously shown that ex vivo–activated γδ T cells are able to prevent graft rejection without causing clinically significant graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In the present study, we examined how γδ T cells facilitate alloengraftment and to what extent mechanisms used by conventional αβ T cells are also used by γδ T cells. We observed that, unlike αβ T cells, for which CD8+ T cells are primarily responsible for facilitating engraftment, purified CD8+γδ+ T cells administered at the same fractional dose as for the unseparated activated γδ T-cell population were insufficient to prevent graft rejection. Furthermore, the ability to prevent graft rejection was not affected by the absence of fully functional fas ligand or perforin cytotoxic pathways, nor was it contingent on the ability of γδ T cells to recognize recipient major histocompatibility process alloantigens. Repetitive infusions of a suboptimal dose of γδ T cells however were able to rescue mice from graft rejection, suggesting that the persistence of these cells in vivo was critical in facilitating alloengraftment. These studies demonstrate that γδ T cells do not use mechanisms used by conventional nontolerant αβ T cells to prevent graft rejection. The ability of these cells to promote engraftment without causing GVHD further distinguishes these cells from αβ T cells and may be an attribute that can be exploited in the clinical transplantation setting.
Evidence for a Novel Cardiac-enriched Retinoid X Receptor Partner

Recent studies indicate that retinoid-mediated pathways play a pivotal role in cardiac morphogenesis and function. To identify proteins that serve as interacting partners of the retinoid X receptor α (RXRα) in heart, DNA-protein binding studies were performed with an RXR-responsive element (NRRE-1) derived from the medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene promoter and nuclear protein extracts prepared from adult rat heart. NRRE-1 is a pleiotropic RXR-responsive element comprised of three potential recognition sites for class II members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. Gel mobility shift assays performed with an NRRE-1 probe in the absence or presence of bacterially overproduced RXRα and nuclear protein extracts prepared from adult rat heart, liver, or brain identified a cardiac-specific, RXR-dependent DNA-protein interaction. The NRRE-1-RXR·cardiac-enriched RXR-interacting protein (CERIP) complex exhibited a distinct mobility compared with NRRE-1-RXR·peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NRRE-1-RXR·retinoic acid receptor, or NRRE-1-RXR·thyroid receptor complexes. Mutational analysis demonstrated that two of the three potential binding half-sites of NRRE-1 (an everted repeat separated by an 8-base pair spacer) are required for the NRRE-1-RXR·CERIP interaction. Gel mobility shift assays demonstrated that CERIP interacted with RXRα and RXRγ but not with RXRβ, indicating a receptor subtypespecific binding preference and suggesting an RXR AB region-dependent interaction. The RXR·CERIP complex did not form on NRRE-1 when a mutant GST-RXRα fusion protein lacking the NH2-terminal AB region (but containing the receptor dimerization domain) of RXRα was added in place of the full-length RXRα, confirming a role for the AB region in the RXR·CERIP interaction. DNA-protein cross-linking studies demonstrated that CERIP is a DNA-binding protein of approximately 110 kDa. These results provide evidence for the existence of a cardiac-enriched DNA-binding protein that interacts with RXRα via the AB region and suggest a mechanism whereby cardiac retinoid signaling is controlled in an RXR subtype-specific manner.
Which Setting to Choose: Comparison of Whole-Class vs. Small-Group Computer Simulation Use.

Studies considering whole-class use of computer simulations are limited, despite the increasing interest in this mode of use. The current study explored how a collection of computer simulations was integrated into both whole-class and small-group instructional settings during a high school chemistry unit on atomic structure. Participants included one teacher and all of the students in two of her classes. Descriptive statistics are reported for pre- and post-instruction quantitative assessments of student conceptual understanding. Analytic induction guided analysis of a variety of qualitative data sources, including classroom observations, artifacts and interviews. Findings indicated that, regardless of the setting, computer simulations positively contributed to students’ learning gains. Further, highly collaborative talk, coupled with meaningful teacher–student interactions, was more frequent in the whole-class group. These results suggest that both whole-class and small-group settings are appropriate for using simulations in science. Further, the effective incorporation of simulations into whole-class instruction may provide a solution to the dilemma of technology penetration versus integration in today’s classrooms.
Optical properties of photochromic fluorinated indolylfulgides

Abstract Fluorinated indolylfulgides are a promising class of photochromic organic compounds for optical memory and switches. Absorption spectra, quantum yields, thermal stabilities, and photochemical fatigue resistances have been measured for a series of fluorinated indolylfulgides. The cyclizable form of the heptafluoropropyl-substituted 1,2-dimethylindolylfulgide displays the longest absorbance maxima yet reported for the cyclizable form of a fulgide. Photochemical durability was quantified in both solvent and polymer for the first time, with the trifluoromethyl derivative undergoing more than 2500 photochemical cycles before degrading by 20% in either environment. In addition, the thermal stability of the cyclizable form has been examined for the first time. Although each fulgide showed outstanding resistance to thermal stress in the C -form, the cyclizable form degraded rapidly at 80°C. These studies highlight the many advantageous properties associated with fluorination and identify areas for future improvements.
C-mode acoustic microscopy applied to integrated circuit package inspection

Abstract A C-mode acoustic microscope, or C-AM, is hybrid of a conventional C-scan recorder and the Stanford scanning acoustic microscope (SAM). C-AM is a reflection acoustic technique with precision scanning for microscopic inspection, sophisticated signal analysis and display and a broad-band acoustic transducer with a small numerical aperture for sub-surface imaging. The technique offers significant advantages for the nondestructive inspection of integrated circuit (IC) packages. C-AM provides 3-D information on structures and defects within the IC package. Phase analysis of the echo signal helps in the identification of delaminations and package cracks. The nondestructive nature of C-AM inspection and the sensitivity of the technique to important package defects facilitate the study of the moisture sensitivity problem in surface mount plastic packaging.