cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Systemic Absorption of Antibiotics From Antibiotic-Loaded Cement Spacers for the Treatment of Periprosthetic Joint Infection.

Abstract Background Two-stage treatment of periprosthetic joint infections involves placement of high-dose antibiotic-loaded cement spacers (ACSs). Reports of ACS-induced nephrotoxicity have raised concern regarding systemic absorption of antibiotics after ACS placement. We sought to characterize the serum concentrations of antibiotics that occur after ACS placement. Methods We performed a prospective study of patients with an infected primary total hip (THA) or knee arthroplasty (TKA) treated with standardized ACSs with vancomycin, gentamicin, and tobramycin. Serum antibiotic levels were collected weekly for 8 weeks. Results Twenty-one patients (10 THA, 11 TKA) were included. Mean serum gentamicin levels ranged between 0.275±0.046 and 0.364±0.163 mg/L; mean serum tobramycin levels ranged from 0.313±0.207 to 0.527±0.424 mg/L; and mean serum vancomycin levels ranged from 5.46±6.6 to 15.34±9.6 mg/L. Serum antibiotic levels were detectable throughout the 8-week duration of ACS treatment. Regression analysis found that diabetes (coefficient 6.73, 95% CI 0.92-12.54, P Conclusion Systemic absorption of antibiotics from high-dose ACS persists for at least 8 weeks. Patients should be monitored closely for complications related to systemic absorption of antibiotics from ACS treatment.
Know thy eHealth user: Development of biopsychosocial personas from a study of older adults with heart failure.

Abstract Background Personas are a canonical user-centered design method increasingly used in health informatics research. Personas—empirically-derived user archetypes—can be used by eHealth designers to gain a robust understanding of their target end users such as patients. Objective To develop biopsychosocial personas of older patients with heart failure using quantitative analysis of survey data. Method Data were collected using standardized surveys and medical record abstraction from 32 older adults with heart failure recently hospitalized for acute heart failure exacerbation. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on a final dataset of n = 30. Nonparametric analyses were used to identify differences between clusters on 30 clustering variables and seven outcome variables. Results Six clusters were produced, ranging in size from two to eight patients per cluster. Clusters differed significantly on these biopsychosocial domains and subdomains: demographics (age, sex); medical status (comorbid diabetes); functional status (exhaustion, household work ability, hygiene care ability, physical ability); psychological status (depression, health literacy, numeracy); technology (Internet availability); healthcare system (visit by home healthcare, trust in providers); social context (informal caregiver support, cohabitation, marital status); and economic context (employment status). Tabular and narrative persona descriptions provide an easy reference guide for informatics designers. Discussion Personas development using approaches such as clustering of structured survey data is an important tool for health informatics professionals. We describe insights from our study of patients with heart failure, then recommend a generic ten-step personas development process. Methods strengths and limitations of the study and of personas development generally are discussed.
Cdc42 activation couples fluid shear stress to apical endocytosis in proximal tubule cells

Abstract Cells lining the kidney proximal tubule (PT) respond to acute changes in glomerular filtration rate and the accompanying fluid shear stress (FSS) to regulate reabsorption of ions, glucose, and other filtered molecules and maintain glomerulotubular balance. Recently, we discovered that exposure of PT cells to FSS also stimulates an increase in apical endocytic capacity (Raghavan et al. PNAS, 111:8506–8511, 2014). We found that FSS triggered an increase in intracellular Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ) that required release of extracellular ATP and the presence of primary cilia. In this study, we elucidate steps downstream of the increase in [Ca 2+ ] i that link FSS‐induced calcium increase to increased apical endocytic capacity. Using an intramolecular FRET probe, we show that activation of Cdc42 is a necessary step in the FSS‐stimulated apical endocytosis cascade. Cdc42 activation requires the primary cilia and the FSS‐mediated increase in [Ca 2+ ] i . Moreover, Cdc42 activity and FSS‐stimulated endocytosis are coordinately modulated by activators and inhibitors of calmodulin. Together, these data suggest a mechanism by which PT cell exposure to FSS is translated into enhanced endocytic uptake of filtered molecules.
Contraceptive method use among HIV-positive women in a US urban outpatient clinic: an exploratory cross-sectional study.

Abstract Objective(s) Effective contraceptive method use is important for HIV-positive women to meet fertility goals, prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce risk of vertical HIV transmission. Our objective was to evaluate factors associated with HIV-positive women’s contraceptive method use at last coitus defined as more effective [Tier 1 and 2 methods (T1/2)] versus less effective [Tier 3 or no method (T3/none)] by the US Medical Eligibility Criteria for contraception use. Study design HIV-positive women, recruited from an HIV clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, between 2013 and 2014, completed a survey of demographic, clinical and reproductive health characteristics surrounding contraception. We examined the relationship between survey responses and contraceptive method use at last coitus using χ2 tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results Thirty-one percent of this HIV-positive and predominantly African–American (90%) cohort reported usage of T1/2 methods. T1/2 methods use was higher among younger women [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=.90, p=.008] and those in noncommitted relationships (aOR =.32, p=.027). Only 21% reported dual method use at last intercourse. Fifty-three percent and 31% reported having heard of the intrauterine device and implant, respectively. Misconceptions about contraception were common. Conclusions The use of T1/2 methods was more common in this cohort than in the general African–American population, but overall use and dual method use can still be improved, particularly among older women and those in noncommitted relationships. Implications As this population had low awareness and usage of T1/2 methods and expressed many misconceptions, reoccurring contraceptive counseling may be helpful. Providers should address patient-level barriers, pregnancy intentions, and the importance of dual method and T1/2 method use.
Hands on with jetstream: tutorial presentation

Jetstream is the 1st production cloud facility for research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). As part of the NSF eXtreme Digital (XD) program, Jetstream's goals are to: • Aid researchers across the United States with modest amounts of interactive computing power, • Increase the disciplinary diversity of the XD ecosystem, • Reach non-traditional researchers that may have HPC needs but have barriers to usage, and • Extend the XD program to a community of users that have previously not used an NSF XD resource, including communities and universities that have limited cyberinfrastructure resources.
CRISPR Shields: Fending Off Diverse Cas Nucleases with Nucleus-like Structures

Two recent studies have uncovered a novel means by which bacteriophages thwart host immunity. Mendoza et al. (2020) and Malone et al. (2020) demonstrate that a nucleus-like proteinaceous structure shields phage DNA from CRISPR-associated nucleases encompassing Cascade-Cas3, Cas9, and Cas12.
Incorrect Provider Directories Associated With Out-Of-Network Mental Health Care And Outpatient Surprise Bills.

Mental health services are up to six times more likely than general medical services to be delivered by an out-of-network provider, in part because many psychiatrists do not accept commercial insur...
Preparation and Characterization of Ginger Lipid-derived Nanoparticles for Colon-targeted siRNA Delivery

Synthetic nanoparticle-based drug delivery system is widely known for its ability to increase the efficacy and specificity of loaded drugs, but it often suffers from relatively higher immunotoxicity and higher costs as compared to traditional drug formulations. Contrarily, plant-derived nanoparticles appear to be free from these limitations of synthetic nanoparticles; they are naturally occurring biocompatible vesicles that do not generate immunotoxicity and are easy to obtain. Additionally, lipids isolated from plant-derived nanoparticles have shown the capability of assembling themselves to spherical nano-sized liposomal particles. Herein, we employ lipids extracted from ginger-derived nanoparticles and load them with therapeutic siRNA (CD98-siRNA) to create CD98-siRNA/ginger-lipid nanoparticles. Characterization of the CD98-siRNA/ginger-lipid nanoparticles showed that they present a spherical shape, with a diameter of around 189.5 nm. The surface zeta potential of the nanoparticles varies from -18.1 to -18.4 mV. Furthermore, in recent research, the CD98-siRNA/ginger-lipid nanoparticles have shown specific colon targeting capability and excellent anti-inflammatory efficacy in a Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS) induced mouse model of colitis.
Silver diamine fluoride treatment of active root caries lesions in older adults: A case series.

Abstract Objective The authors conducted a case series to determine arrest of root surface caries lesions in older adults when teeth were treated topically with 38 % silver diamine fluoride (SDF). Methods The study was a prospective, single center case series. The patients were 62 older adults (age ≥55 years) who sought treatment at a dental school clinic. To be included, a patient needed to have at least one active root caries lesion. Lesions were rinsed and then dried with air, isolated, and then 38 % SDF was applied for two minutes with a microbrush. Treated lesions were re-evaluated at 2–3 weeks. Treatment was repeated every six months. Survival analysis methods for clustered data were used to estimate the caries lesion arrest probability over time separately for root surfaces and at crown margins. Results Fifty-five participants returned for follow-up (44 % female, mean age (SD) 79.8 (7.4)). The probability of a lesion arresting with treatment ranged from 82.9 to 91.6%. Arrest rates at 18 months were slightly higher in root surfaces than around crown margins, 91.6 % (95 % CI 69.1–97.1) versus 89.8 % (95 % CI 71.6–96.3). All furcal lesions (n = 7) were arrested by 6 months, 100 % (95 % CI 59–100). Conclusion and Clinical Significance Repeated application of 38 % SDF at 6-month intervals was effective in arresting decay of root surface lesions and lesions around crowns in older adults. Study outcomes support SDF treatment for older adult patients who are frail and residing in nursing homes or dependent living facilities.
Temporal correlations robustly reveal regulatory coherence upon environmental perturbation

Abstract Transcriptional Regulatory Networks (TRNs) orchestrate the timing, magnitude, and rate of organismal response to many environmental perturbations. Regulatory interactions in TRNs are context-dependent, affording the opportunity to detect responsive links upon environmental perturbation. To measure the transition between regulatory status directly, one powerful approach is chromatin immuno-precipitation binding, ChIP-Seq. However, genome-wide ChIP-Seq is costly and currently inaccessible for many transcription factors (TFs) across multiple conditions in most organisms. Seeking to exploit the abundance of RNASequencing data now available, many past studies have relied upon population-level statistics from cross-sectional studies, generating pairwise gene co-expression, to capture transient regulatory activity. Here, we employ a minimal stochastic model of transcriptional regulation and demonstrate that population correlations from cross-sectional studies may fail to capture transient regulatory activities. To characterize network rewiring in response to environmental perturbations, we use the dynamic correlation between time-series gene expression profiles in Oryza sativa in a network prior. Overall, stronger regulatory interactions are observed following environmental perturbation, which we term regulatory coherence. Previously known regulators with changing regulatory activities are reliably identified with our method. Exploiting dynamic correlations has the potential to prioritize stress-responsive regulators, affording greater detection power as compared to traditional differential expression approaches.
Process matters: Teachers benefit their classrooms and students when they deliver an identity-based motivation intervention with fidelity

Abstract Students value school success but often experience classroom norms implying that learning is easy and succeeding in school is not difficult. Applying an identity-based motivation (IBM) lens highlights three ways succeed-with-ease-not-effort norms can undermine students’ grades and increase their risk of course failure. Succeed-with-ease-not-effort norms reduce the likelihood that students experience school as relevant to their future goals, experience right now as the time to get going, and difficulties as signals of schoolwork's importance, not its impossibility. To support student academic outcomes, we examine Pathways-to-Success, a classroom-level intervention operationalizing IBM theory in a 3-cycle, 3-year development design (N = 1142 8th-graders, 87% low-income families, 64% Latinx, 20% African American). We document that Pathways-to-Success can be sustainable; our middle school teachers implemented and taught other teachers to implement Pathways-to-Success. We use structural equation models to show that effects are due to the theorized process; teachers who implemented with more signal clarity supported academic success by bolstering their students' identity-based motivation. We operationalized signal clarity as a mean of five fidelity components (dosage, adherence, quality, responsiveness, receipt). Signal clarity matters; students experiencing Pathways-to-Success with a clearer signal have a higher identity-based motivation score. Higher identity-based motivation yields better school outcomes.
Incorporating sustainability in material science education: Adapting computer aid programs in teaching materials sustainability

The dilemma of sustaining civilization's continued growth while improving the quality of life becomes increasingly pressing as the population rises and its demands and aspirations expand. Engineers are needed worldwide to find ways to put knowledge into practice in order to solve the problem of sustainability. Even if their curriculum is already overburdened, it is critical to introduce sustainability themes into material science lectures. This paper focuses on how easy it is to teach materials sustainability in material science classrooms using the sustainability component of SolidWorks, a computer-aided design program. The study presents the software capabilities and the settings that have to be done for sustainability analysis and the results shown by the software.
Probability Approximations and Inequalities for Sequential Tests

In this article accurate inequalities for tail probabilities of stopping times of sequential tests will be discussed. These inequalities will be utilized to derive approximations for the overall significance level, power function, expected number and the variance of observations needed to implement the test, the P-value and the approximate confidence interval for the parameter tested. Numerical results for the triangular boundary test for normal observations are presented. Applications to reliability theory are briefly mentioned.
A Systematic Review of Screw- versus Cement-Retained Implant-Supported Fixed Restorations

Purpose: To systematically evaluate the survival and success of screw- versus cement-retained implant crowns. Materials and Methods: The authors performed an electronic search of nine databases using identical MeSH phrases. Systematic evaluation and data extraction of the articles from 1966 through 2007 were completed by three reviewers and two clinical academicians. The major outcome variable was implant or crown loss, and the minor outcome variables were screw loosening, decementation, and porcelain fracture. Random effects Poisson models were used to analyze the failure and complication rates. Results: The initial search produced 26,582 articles. Of these, 577 titles and subsequently 295 abstracts were available for evaluation, with 81 full texts meeting the criteria for review. Data were extracted from 23 level one and two research studies. Fleiss’ kappa interevaluator agreement ranged from almost perfect to moderate. Major failures included 0.71 screw-retained and 0.87 cement-retained failures per 100 years. Minor failures included 3.66 screw loosenings, 2.54 decementations, and 0.46 porcelain fractures per 100 years. Conclusion: There is no significant difference between cement- and screw-retained restorations for major and minor outcomes with regard to implant survival or crown loss. This is important data, as clinicians use both methods of restoration, and neither is a form of inferior care. The early modern era of endosseous implant therapy was dominated by the screw-retained restoration. Such rehabilitations, which were initially intended for the edentulous patient, were mostly of a full-arch nature. The initial “ad modem Branemark” protocol called for an edentulous patient to be treated with four to six 3.75 mm external hex implants placed in the anterior mandible. The anterior mandible was selected for several reasons. As the lower anterior teeth are usually the last to be lost, a greater volume of bone exists in this area. This increased volume allows for the use of longer implants, ultimately providing more bicortical stabilization. The intraforaminal placement of the implants in the anterior mandible also avoids the inferior alveolar nerve in addition to reducing the effects of mandibular flexion, which occurs mostly in the posterior mandible up to a magnitude of 800 µm upon opening. 1 The implants were covered for 4 to 6 months, and subsequently restored with a screwretained gold bar overlaid with pink acrylic and denture teeth.
A generalized formulation of minimum shift keying modulation

The modulator structure consisting of a single-input two-output sequential transducer whose output sequences control the modulated signal in the manner s(t) = x(i)p(t) + y(i)q(t) is considered. Here, iT is less than or equal to t, which is less than iT + T, where T is the modulation bit duration and where x(i) and y(i) take values in /+1, -1, 0/. The behavior of a sequential transducer is characterized by means of a 'trellis'. It is shown that, provided only that the 'carriers' p(t) and q(t) have the same energy in every bit interval, the optimum demodulator for the additive white Gaussian noise channel need process the received signal over only two bit intervals in making each data bit decision. It is demonstrated that particular choices of the sequential transducer yield differential minimum shift keying and differential staggered quadriphase shift keying. Possible generalizations of this approach are discussed.
Digital Discernment: An E-Commerce Web Site Evaluation Tool.

Students entering the business workforce today may well share some responsibility for developing, revising, or evaluating their company's Web site. They may lack the experience, however, to critique their employer's Web presence effectively. The purpose of developing Digital Discernment, an e-commerce Web site evaluation tool, was to prepare students for this work. The tool provides them with a listing of criteria with which to assess e-commerce sites, lets them evaluate pre-selected sites qualitatively and quantitatively, and allows them to compare their evaluations with their peers. In this article, we discuss and examine the effectiveness of this tool and consider the ways in which it can help students in their future business careers.
Ribonucleic Acid Polymerase Reactions with Methylated Polycytidylic Acid Templates

Abstract Partially methylated polycytidylic acids were used as templates in an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase reaction with enzyme isolated from Micrococcus lysodeikticus. The presence of methylated cytidylic acid residues in the template led to the formation of a copolymer of uridylic and guanylic acids. The composition of this product copolymer was dependent on the extent of methylation of the polycytidylic acid template.
Handling, Storage and Postharvest Physiology of Muscadine Grapes: A Review

Abstract General principles pertaining to the regulation of temperature, relative humidity, and modified or controlled atmosphere conditions for maintaining the quality of fruits and vegetables during storage and transit can be applied to muscadine grapes. Muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifoliaMichx.) are grown primarily in the southern United States and differ from other grape species and hybrids in that their berries are borne in small clusters of 3 to 10 berries and detach from their pedicels when ripe. In general high quality muscadines are free of injury, decay, and sunscald, appear and feel turgid, have a dry stem scar, and are fully bronze or black in color.
E2F mediates dihydrofolate reductase promoter activation and multiprotein complex formation in human cytomegalovirus infection.

Abstract The adenovirus immediate-early protein E1A activates the adenovirus E2 promoter and several cellular gene promoters through transcription factor E2F. The immediate-early proteins of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can complement an E1A-deficient adenovirus mutant and activate the adenovirus E2 promoter. HCMV also has been shown to activate the adenovirus E2 promoter. On the basis of these findings, we have investigated whether HCMV can activate the promoter of the cellular dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene, which requires E2F binding for maximal promoter activity. We show that HCMV activates the DHFR promoter and that products of the HCMV major immediate-early gene region mediate the activation of the promoter specifically through the E2F site. We used gel mobility shift assays to search for potential molecular mechanisms for this activation and found an "infection-specific" multimeric complex that bound to the E2F sites in the DHFR and E2 promoters in extracts from HCMV-infected cells but not in extracts from uninfected cells. Several antibodies against HCMV immediate-early gene products had no effect on this infection-specific complex. Subsequently, the complex was found to contain E2F, cyclin A, p33cdk2, and p107 and to be similar to S-phase-specific complexes that recently have been identified in several cell types. A functional role for the binding of the cyclin A-p33cdk2 complex to cellular gene promoters has yet to be demonstrated; however, HCMV infection causes the induction of both cellular DNA replication and transcription of growth-related genes containing E2F sites in their promoters. The findings described above therefore may relate to both of these effects of HCMV infection. We also provide evidence that some of the molecular events associated with adenovirus infection are different from those associated with HCMV infection.
Simulation as a tool for improving acquisition of neonatal resuscitation skills for obstetric residents.

AbstractObjective: Our goal was to compare the confidence, knowledge, and performance of obstetric residents taught initial neonatal resuscitation steps in a simulation-based versus lecture-based format.Methods: Our study was a prospective randomized controlled trial of 33 obstetric residents. Baseline confidence, knowledge, and clinical skills assessments were performed. Subjects were randomized to traditional lecture (n = 14) or simulation-based (n = 19) neonatal resuscitation curriculum with a focus on initial steps. Follow-up assessments were performed at 3 and 6 months. Total confidence, knowledge, and clinical performance scores and change from baseline in these scores were calculated and compared between groups.Results: Both the lecture-based and simulated-based groups demonstrated significant improvement in confidence, knowledge, and performance over time. However, compared with the lecture group, the magnitude of the mean change from baseline in performance scores was significantly greater in the...
Characteristics of clockwise and counterclockwise spiral galaxies

We compared measurements of 126 501 spiral galaxies to test whether the photometry of galaxies that rotate clockwise is different from the photometry of galaxies that rotate counterclockwise for the purpose of testing whether there is a link between photometry and spin direction of galaxies. The rotation directionality of the galaxies was determined by converting the galaxy image to its radial intensity plot, and then the galaxies in each 30° RA sector were separated into clockwise and counterclockwise rotating galaxies. The mean and standard deviation of SDSS DR7 photometric attributes of clockwise and counterclockwise rotating galaxies were then compared. The results show no significant difference between galaxies that rotate clockwise and galaxies that rotate counterclockwise. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
062 Application of gene therapy to tendon healing: modification of tenocytes with exogeneous pdgf and vegf genes to promote collagen production

Purpose: Gene therapy provides a useful method to enhance wound healing, but it has not been attempted in healing of wounds in flexor tendons in the hands, which inherently lack sufficient intrinsic healing capacity. To explore the potential of application of gene therapy to tendon wound healing, we genetically modified tenocytes with the platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B) and the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene and investigated the expression of the genes for collagen production in an in vitro model of the proliferating tenocytes. Method: Tenocytes were obtained from cultures of rat intrasynovial tendons and randomly distributed to 34 dishes. The tenocytes in dishes in two experimental groups (n = 9, each group) were treated for 12 hours with the plasmid containing the PDGF-B cDNA or the VEGF cDNA and were then cultured for 5 days; tenocytes in the other eight dished received sham vector and the tenocytes in the control dishes (n = 8) did not receive the exogenous gene. Efficiency of the gene transfer was evaluated by detection of the presence of the transgene in the tenocytes by reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR). Levels of expression of type I and III collagen, and TGF-β genes were determined by quantitative analysis of the products of RT-PCR. Results: Expression of the type I collagen gene was significantly increased by transfer of the exogenous PFDGF gene to the tenocytes (p < 0.001). Transfer of the PDGF-B gene did not affect the expression of TGF-β and the type III collagen genes significantly. Expression of TGF-β gene increased significantly in the cells treated with exogenous VEGF cDNA (p = 0.039). Expression of type I and III collagen genes by tenocytes was minimally affected by transfer of the VEGF gene to the tenocytes and was significantly weaker than that stimulated by PDGF-B gene therapy (p = 0.001). Efficient gene transfer was confirmed by the presence of the PDGF-B gene or the VEGF gene in the tenocytes receiving the transferred genes. Conclusions: Transfer of exogenous PDGF-B gene significantly enhances expression of the type I collagen gene of the tenocytes. Transfer of exogenous VEGF gene has very limited effects on promotion of collagen production in the proliferating tenocytes. In contrast, transfer of the VEGF gene significantly increases expression of the TGF-β gene. This study suggests that transfer of the PDGF-B gene may offer a novel way of effectively promoting healing of intrasynovial flexor tendons. VEGF gene therapy is not as beneficial as PDGF-B gene therapy to tendon healing and may increase activities of TGF-β that are associated with adhesion formations.
Thrombospondin says no to NO

[Comment on Isenberg et al, page 1945][1]Isenberg and colleagues report that thrombospondin-1 (TSP1) acts as an antagonist of nitric oxide (NO)–induced vascular relaxation and limits ischemic tissue survival. This finding identifies a new modulator of vascular contraction and expands the
Hypogastrinemia in streptozotocin diabetes with islet transplantation-reconstitution

Gastrin is present in normal mammalian pancreatic islets, as well as in the antrum and duodenum. Serum gastrin levels are responsive to many physiologic and pharmacologic factors including hyperglycemia, somatostatin, and glucagon. To evaluate the effects of streptozotocin diabetes and islet transplantation on gastrin homeostasis, young, adult, male Lewis rats underwent streptozotocin diabetes alone (N = 14), diabetes plus intraperitoneal islet isografts (N = 22), or sham operation alone (N = 18). Streptozotocin reduced fasting gastrin immunoreactivity (107 pg/ml ± 26 mean ± SEM) compared to controls (256 pg/ml ± 31) (P < 0.001). Islet isotransplantation resulted in restoration of fasting gastrin immunoreactivity (230 pg/ml ± 19) to levels significantly greater than diabetics (P < 0.001) and comparable to control animals (P = NS). Normalization of serum gastrin levels occurred within one month of transplantation and persisted for up to 14 months. In addition, media from cultures of 47 dispersed neonatal rat pancreas cultures contained gastrin immunoreactivity. Streptozotocin diabetes produces hypogastrinemia; intraperitoneal islet isotransplantation normalizes fasting gastrin immunoreactivity. Rat islet culture medium contains gastrin-like immunoreactivity. Pancreatic islets would appear to produce or control a portion of circulating gastrin immunoreactivity.
Double labeling of transferrin: tritium labeling of sialic acid and 125I or 59Fe labeling of the protein moiety

Abstract A method is described in which the glycoprotein transferrin was double labeled. Its sialic acid residues were labeled with 3H through a consecutive oxidation-reduction technique utilizing tritiated NaBH4. Its protein moiety was labeled with either 125I or 59Fe. Incubation of this doublelabeled molecule at 4°C with K562 cells gave overlapping curves, indicating identical patterns of binding for all labels. At 37°C, 3H and 125I demonstrated identical patterns while 59Fe was cummulatively retained. This method can be used to follow the fate of other glycoproteins and their possible desialation in vivo.
Test of the Fishbein and Ajzen models as predictors of health care workers' glove use

The aim of this study was to identify predictors of health care workers' glove use when there is a potential for blood exposure. The study hypothesis was that an extension of the theory of planned behavior would explain more of the variance in glove use behavior than the theory of reasoned action or theory of planned behavior. A random sample of nurses and laboratory workers (N = 527) completed a 26-item questionnaire with acceptable content validity and reliability estimates. Using structural equation modeling techniques, intention, attitude, and perceived risk were significant predictors of behavior. Perceived control and attitude were the significant determinants of intention. The theory of reasoned action was the most parsimonious model, explaining 70% of the variance in glove use behavior. The theory of planned behavior extension was a viable model to study behavior related to glove use and reducing workers' risks to bloodborne diseases.
Household Archaeology in the Andes

Data from domestic contexts can be used to address significant anthropological research questions. Archaeological investigations in the Andes (areas once incorporated into the Inka empire, including northwestern Argentina, highland Bolivia, northern Chile, Ecuador, and Peru), like many parts of the world, rely on ethnohistory and ethnography to interpret the archaeological remains of domestic areas and make inferences about households. In this review I describe the ideas about Andean households that archaeologists are using and how domestic remains are being examined to infer social, economic, and political processes. Household archaeology in the Andes requires ethnoarchaeology and theory-building in order to understand the complex social dynamics at the foundation of ancient Andean societies.
National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer (NAST-I)

An airborne fourier transform interferometric sounder is being developed to perform atmospheric measurements for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System. The interferometer is designed to provide high spectral resolution, low noise data from the NASA ER-2 aircraft suitable for synthesizing and comparing data of potential future satellite-borne sounding instruments, such as AIRS, IMAS, ITS or IASI. The collection and scanning optics provide a 7.5 degree field of view over a cross-track field of regard of +/- 48.2 degrees. The interferometer operates with +/- 2.0 cm optical path difference (OPD) over the spectral range from 3.6-16.1 micrometers . Dynamic alignment is performed using a concentric HeNe laser. Three separate filter/lens/detector assemblies are cooled to 65K using integral rotary stirling coolers. Most of the optical instrumentation is contained within a pressurized N2 enclosure to minimize the effects of descent condensation. The instrument processor/controller is based on a 133 MHz Pentium CPU supporting a dedicated digital signal processor for real-time x16 data decimation. Noise performance referred to a 250 K scene is estimated to be 0.10 K at 14.9 micrometers , 0.15 K at 8.7 micrometers and 0.2 K at 4.7 micrometers .
Review of the Eptesicus Brasiliensis Complex in Middle America with the Description of a New Subspecies from Costa Rica

Study of the types of Vesperus propinquus Peters and Vesperus ( Marsipolaemus ) albigularis Peters, both of which are allegedly from Central America and currently referred to the genus Eptesicus , reveals that both are representatives of previously named Old World species. V. propinquus is a synonym of Eptesicus nilssonii , and V. albigularis is a synonym of Vespertilio murinus. Eptesicus gaumeri (J. A. Allen) is considered the valid name for the lowlands population of small short-haired Eptesicus in Middle America. A population of somewhat larger short-haired Eptesicus in Costa Rica and western Panama is described as new. The small long-haired Eptesicus occupying the highlands of Middle America, described and named Eptesicus chirquinus by Thomas, appears to be identical with Eptesicus andinus J. A. Allen from the highlands of Colombia. A synoptic key to New World Eptesicus is presented.
An Alternate Proof of the De Branges Theorem on Canonical Systems

The aim of this paper is to show that, in the limit circle case, the defect index of a symmetric relation induced by canonical systems, is constant on . This provides an alternative proof of the De Branges theorem that the canonical systems with imply the limit point case. To this end, we discuss the spectral theory of a linear relation induced by a canonical system.
Propagation of chaos for particle systems associated with discrete Boltzmann equation

Abstract We study a class of one-dimentional lattice gas models associated with discrete Boltzmann equations. In these models particles travel as independent random walks and collide stochastically. In Rezakhanlou (1996) we derived a Boltzmann type equation for the macroscopic particle density. In this article we determine the asymptotic law of each particle in the model.
Effect of arachidonic acid on some inhibitors of the human platelet release reaction.

Abstract The inhibitory action of many agents on platelet aggregation and 5-hydroxy-tryptamine release inducible by epinephrine, comprising several non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAA)—indomethacin, acetylsalicylic acid, sodium salicylate, phenylbutazone and sulfinpyrazone—and other non-anti-inflammatory agents (NAA)—prostaglandin E 1 , adenosine, dipyridamole, methysergide and cyproheptadine—can be prevented, and under special circumstanees reversed, by the prior addition to human platelet rich plasma of the essential fatty acid, 5,8,11,14 eicosatetraenoic (arachidonic) acid. Although this agent, and only its all cis stereosiomeric form, can per se induce aggregation and release, its protective action against the platelet-toxic drugs is attributed to its role as the key substance essential for prostaglandin enzymatic biosynthesis. the mechanism of NSAA action is evidently different from that of the non-anti-inflammatory agents.
Fine structure of machined surfaces

Abstract Generating a surface by any common machining prcoesses leads to significant alteration in properties (designated surface damage) of the material at and close to the surface, the nature and severity of which is a function of the surface generating process. Common failure modes of engineering components (e.g., fatigue and stress corrosion) are strongly dependent on the surface quality of the fabricated component and, therefore, the surface generating technique employed. Both scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques can be used to critically examine machined surfaces. Common defects can be identified and their salient features traced to variables associated with a particular process. Basic electron microscopy techniques employed to examine surfaces are reviewed. The “sandwich method” for double stage replication is introduced. Replication, as employed in scanning electron microscopy studies, is explained and results of various techniques are compared.
On extracting physical information from mathematical models of chaotic and complex systems

Abstract The paper describes a multi-structural approach to the problem indicated in the title. In analogy with quantum mechanics, at the core of the approach are two notions: states and (generalized) observables. This motivates us to distinguish between mathematical and physical dynamical systems. The first class deals with mathematical models and states (solutions) only. The second one adds physical realizations and observables, i.e. all methods of extracting useful information. Observables include: renormalization, optimal gauging, covering–coloring, discretization, tensorial measures of chaos, etc. The corresponding algorithms are correlated to Kolmogorov complexity and are intrinsic parts of observables, and thus of physical systems. The approach is illustrated by examples.
Playing hide-and-seek with correlations

We present a method for very high-dimensional correlation analysis. The method relies equally on rigorous search strategies and on human interaction. At each step, the method conservatively "shaves off" a fraction of the database tuples and attributes, so that most of the correlations present in the data are not affected by the decomposition. Instead, the correlations become more obvious to the user, because they are hidden in a much smaller portion of the database. This process can be repeated iteratively and interactively, until only the most important correlations remain.The main technical difficulty of the approach is figuring out how to "shave off" part of the database so as to preserve most correlations. We develop an algorithm for this problem that has a polynomial running time and guarantees result quality.
Morphine modulation of GABA- and glutamate-induced changes of ventral pallidal neuronal activity.

Microiontophoresis was used to investigate the influence of morphine on the GABA- and glutamate-evoked responses of ventral pallidal neurons recorded extracellularly from chloral hydrate-anesthetized rats. Of the GABA-sensitive neurons (50 of 69 tested) in the ventral pallidum, all displayed a decreased firing rate when GABA was applied, whereas all of the glutamate-sensitive neurons (29 of 40 tested) increased neuronal activity in the presence of glutamate. The majority of ventral pallidal cells tested (65 of 83) were sensitive to iontophoretically applied morphine, and both increases and decreases in neuronal activity were observed. The ability of morphine to alter the ratio between amino acid-evoked activity ("signal") and spontaneous firing ("noise") was used as an indicator of morphine modulation. A morphine subthreshold ejection current, i.e. one that did not change spontaneous firing rate, and a morphine ejection current that produced approximately 50% of the maximum opioid-induced neuronal response were chosen for this evaluation. When morphine was co-iontophoresed with GABA or glutamate, attenuation of the amino acid signal-to-noise ratio was generally seen, though some potentiations were observed. These changes were independent of the direction of morphine-induced changes in spontaneous firing rate. Both sub- and suprathreshold ejection currents were capable of affecting GABA- and glutamate-evoked responses. These data suggest that morphine is a robust ventral pallidal neuromodulator. As ventral pallidal amino acid activity is important in the integration of sensorimotor information, opioid modulation of amino acid transmission in the ventral pallidum may have a profound effect on this integration.
Identity of human platelet fibrinogen.

Summary The controversy on the identity of fibrinogen of human blood platelets is largely due to a lack of proper definition. The fibrinogen fraction isolated directly from platelet granules shows properties which are different from those of plasma fibrinogen.
Accelerating MapReduce on a coupled CPU-GPU architecture

The work presented here is driven by two observations. First, heterogeneous architectures that integrate a CPU and a GPU on the same chip are emerging, and hold much promise for supporting power-efficient and scalable high performance computing. Second, MapReduce has emerged as a suitable framework for simplified parallel application development for many classes of applications, including data mining and machine learning applications that benefit from accelerators. This paper focuses on the challenge of scaling a MapReduce application using the CPU and GPU together in an integrated architecture. We develop different methods for dividing the work, which are the map-dividing scheme, where map tasks are divided between both devices, and the pipelining scheme, which pipelines the map and the reduce stages on different devices. We develop dynamic work distribution schemes for both the approaches. To achieve high load balance while keeping scheduling costs low, we use a runtime tuning method to adjust task block sizes for the map-dividing scheme. Our implementation of MapReduce is based on a continuous reduction method, which avoids the memory overheads of storing key-value pairs. We have evaluated the different design decisions using 5 popular MapReduce applications. For 4 of the applications, our system achieves 1.21 to 2.1 speedup over the better of the CPU-only and GPU-only versions. The speedups over a single CPU core execution range from 3.25 to 28.68. The runtime tuning method we have developed achieves very low load imbalance, while keeping scheduling overheads low. Though our current work is specific to MapReduce, many underlying ideas are also applicable towards intra-node acceleration of other applications on integrated CPU-GPU nodes.
GINQUAL: A cotton processing quality model

Abstract Mathematical relationships for each seed cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum ) cleaning machine type used in the cotton ginning process were developed to predict changes in foreign matter content and moisture levels as a function of the condition of the cotton entering the machine, the environmental conditions and the operating parameters for each machine. These relationships were combined, along with other functions found in the literature for tower driers, ginstands and lint cleaners into a digital simulation model, GINQUAL, for stripper harvested cotton. GINQUAL predicts grade and value as a function of foreign matter content and color levels of ginned lint. Selected processing rates, initial moisture contents and operating parameters can be specified in the model. Cotton quality, quantity and moisture content are tracked for each machine type in the gin processing system, which can include various combinations of the following: an airline cleaner, a drier, an inclined cleaner, a stick machine, a bur machine, a combination stick and bur machine, an extractor-feeder-cleaner, a ginstand and multiple lint cleaners. The model was validated by using a wide range of cotton types with varying amounts of foreign matter, moisture and gin machinery arrangements. The predicted trash content values at the feeder apron, and the predicted nonlint content after two lint cleaners, were not significantly different from the observed values in the historical validation data set, indicating that the model can be used to examine different processing sequences and operating parameters for potential improvement in quality.
Water and energy balance of a forested Appalachian watershed

This study focuses on the water and energy balance of a central Appalachian watershed with an area of 39.2 ha, with upland oaks and cove hardwoods, 80 years old, located near Parsons, West Virginia (39°20'N, 79°40'W). For 40 hydrologic years (May–April, 1951–1990) the average yearly sum of precipitation (P) was 145.5 cm, streamflow (R) was 63.8 cm, and evapotranspiration (Et = P − R) was 81.7 cm. Neglecting the energy used in photosynthesis, the yearly sum of net radiation of the watershed (Rn) equals latent heat of evapotranspiration (Et) plus sensible heat exchange with the atmosphere (H). Rn was computed for 432 terrain segments covering the whole watershed area. Its average value was 2.2 GJ m−2 year−1. From the balance LEt = 2.02 GJ m−2 year−1, where L is the latent heat of evaporation of water. The sensible heat exchange (H = Rn − Et) was 0.18 GJ m−2 year−1 or 8% of Rn.
Severe reversible pulmonary hypertension in smoldering multiple myeloma: two cases and review of the literature

An association between pulmonary hypertension (PH) and POEMS syndrome (characterized by polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes) as well as other plasma cell dyscrasias, including multiple myeloma (MM), has been shown to exist. Recent case reports have identified a reversible form of PH that occurs outside of previously identified etiologies. We report two cases of PH in the setting of smoldering MM (SMM) that resolved with chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Although other features were individualized among the cases (dermatomyositis, scleromyxedema), treatment of MM and SMM resulted in a normalization of right ventricular systolic pressure and improvement in right ventricular dysfunction that was previously unresponsive to PH therapies. The magnitude and sustained nature of reversibility in these four cases could offer clues about the pathophysiology and treatment of PH.
"Walking" in the Newborn

Brief daily exercise of the walking and placing reflexes in the newborn leads to a high rate of responding by 8 weeks and to an earlier onset of walking alone. There appears to be a critical period during which the walking response can be transformed intac from a reflexive to an instrumental action.
The specific release of sialyltransferase activity by human hepatoma cell lines

Abstract Sialyltransferase (EC 2.4.99.1) is released in large amounts by two hepatoma cell lines (SK-H-MA and CLH) established from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatoma). This release requires protein synthesis and glycoprotein synthesis, but not cell division. In contrast, Sialyltransferase is released in minimal amounts by a cell line derived from normal human liver (Chang). The hepatoma cells also contain more surface and cellular Sialyltransferase activity than Chang cells. Hepatoma Sialyltransferase has properties similar to other sialyltransferases. Using a calibrated Sephadex G-200 column, it is resolved into two forms with molecular weights of 65 000 and 80 000.