cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serum 17β-estradiol and progesterone associated with mating behavior during early pregnancy in female rhesus monkeys

Abstract The phenomenon of postconception mating behavior was examined in a social group of rhesus monkeys living in an outdoor compound. Periodic blood samples and daily vaginal swabs were obtained from nine females beginning several weeks prior to conception and continuing through 6 weeks of pregnancy to permit an assessment of ovarian hormonal events associated with mating during early pregnancy. Each of the females showed a discrete period of copulatory activity during the periovulatory period which ceased within several days after the 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) ovulatory peak. In agreement with earlier reports, only a percentage of subjects (44%) exhibited a period of postconception mating, with copulatory activity beginning 19.8 (± 1.9) days following the E 2 peak and continuing for 9.5 (± 1.3 days). Implantation bleeding was detected in all of the subjects with the onset 19.5 (± 0.68) days after the E 2 peak. The interval between the E 2 peak and the onset of implantation bleeding was similar for all females. However, the duration of implantation bleeding was significantly shorter in females who exhibited postconception mating. The females who displayed postconception copulatory activity had significantly lower mean serum progesterone concentrations (2.33 ± 0.24 ng/ml vs. 3.64 ± 0.37 ng/ml) during the period associated with implantation bleeding and copulatory behavior. Although both groups had elevated concentrations of serum E 2 during this period, levels in the females who displayed postconception mating were significantly lower (173.8 ± 19.2 pg/ml vs 223.9 ± 28.8 pg/ml). These data demonstrate that the occurrence of postconception mating behavior in this environment is associated with a distinct pattern of ovarian hormonal events, and analysis suggests that differences in steroid concentrations probably account for the observed differences in implantation bleeding and copulatory behavior during pregnancy.
Microbial hydrocarbon degradation—bioremediation of oil spills

Bioremediation has become a major method employed in restoration of oil-polluted environments that makes use of natural microbial biodegradative activities. Bioremediation of petroleum pollutants overcomes the factors limiting rates of microbial hydrocarbon biodegradation. Often this involves using the enzymatic capabilities of the indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations and modifying environmental factors, particularly concentrations of molecular oxygen, fixed forms of nitrogen, and phosphate to achieve enhanced rates of hydrocarbon biodegradation. Biodegradation of oily sludges and bioremediation of oil-contaminated sites has been achieved by oxygen addition—e.g., by tilling soils in landfarming and by adding hydrogen peroxide or pumping oxygen into oiled aquifers along with addition of nitrogen- and phosphorous-containing fertilizers. The success of seeding oil spills with microbial preparations is ambiguous. Successful bioremediation of a major marine oil spill has been achieved based upon addition of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers.
Optimal thresholding for color images

Color image thresholding is a special case of color clustering which is commonly used for tasks such as object detection, region segmentation, enhancement, and target tracking. As compared to the three-dimensional (3-D) color clustering, thresholding is computationally more efficient for computer implementation and pipelined hardware realization. Traditionally, this method operates on a particular color component whose distribution possesses more prominent peaks than the other two color histograms. In this operation, it is expected that the histogram peaks represent meaningful object areas. However, the color component thresholding results are less reliable than those of 3-D clustering because the valuable information in the other two color components are ignored in region acceptance process. To improve the performance of thresholding, we describe a method that thresholds an input image three times on three different color components independently. The best thresholds are selected by optimizing the within-group variance or directed divergence measure for red, green, and blue distributions separately. The resultant three binary images are combined by means of a predicate logic function that makes use of a 3-input, 1-output majority logic gate. This enables 1-D thresholding mechanism to incorporate the information on all the color components in region acceptance process.
Rupture characterization and aftershock relocations for the 1994 and 2006 tsunami earthquakes in the Java subduction zone

[1] Two tsunami earthquakes occurred in the Java subduction zone within the last 12 years, providing multiple well-recorded tsunami events for analysis. The June 2, 1994 Mw = 7.8 and July 17, 2006 Mw = 7.7 reverse mechanism earthquakes produced tsunami with locally large (>8 m) runups, were deficient in high frequency energy relative to long period radiation, had primarily normal faulting aftershocks, and occurred near subducting seamounts. Previous models of the 1994 event and aftershocks suggested extension in the outer rise due to slip at depth at a subducted seamount. Here we relocate aftershocks for the 1994 and 2006 events and compare to slip distributions and bathymetry. Most 1994 aftershocks occurred within the slab updip of the mainshock, consistent with the extensional hypothesis, but the 2006 aftershocks have a more complex pattern. Regional subducting features as asperities and barriers may influence both events, but in different ways.
Experimental design in chemometrics

Chemometrics is defined as the application of mathematical and statistical methods to chemical systems. Systems theory is seen to be useful for organizing and categorizing the inputs to and outputs from chemical systems. Advances in measurement science in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in analytical chemistry, created a need for a multivariate approach to data analysis. Early chemometrics emphasized the use of structure-finding methods for existing data sets. In many instances, data sets can be obtained from designed experiments. Such data sets are more likely to contain the desired information and the data can usually be acquired at less cost. Renewed interest in statistical process control will provide many new, more robust data sets in the future.
Hemangioma of the right ventricular outflow tract

Obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract by a primary cardiac tumor is rare. Six cases of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction by a primary cardiac hemangioma have been reported; all but one were detected before the age of 25 years. In this report, we review the literature and describe what we believe to be only the second reported case of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction produced by a cardiac hemangioma that presented in late adulthood.
Multiple Methods for Determining Stability of Attenuating MTBE Groundwater Plume

A gasoline release site at the Dept. of Defense Housing Facility (DODHF) in Novato, Calif., resulted in dissolved methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in a shallow, thin, heterogeneous aquifer. Multiple methods were used to evaluate the stability of the MTBE plume, including concentration versus time plots, isoconcentration contour maps, total dissolved MTBE mass and center of mass (COM) estimates, total plume extent changes, and parametric and nonparametric statistical techniques. The COM evaluation revealed a small upgradient shift in COM relative to both total plume extent and total MTBE mass reduction over the period examined. The total mass removal received substantial contributions from both the southern and northern portions of the plume, and the only removal mechanisms active in the northern plume were natural attenuation mechanisms. The results indicate that there exists at DODHF Novato a dissolved MTBE plume at the approximate balancing point between groundwater advection, which is carrying MTBE d...
Current Practice in Psychopharmacology for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a complex group of neurodevelopmental conditions that develop in early childhood and involve a range of impairments in core areas of social interaction, communication, and restricted behavior and interests. Associated behavioral problems such as tantrums, aggression, and self-injury frequently compound the core deficits and can significantly reduce the efficacy of first-line therapeutic behavioral and educational interventions. Although the etiology remains unclear and curative treatments are not presently available, psychopharmacologic interventions can reduce the severity of some of the symptoms of ASDs. This article reviews the medications most frequently used in the treatment of ASDs, both U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and off-label, as well as the current evidence base on efficacy of these medications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Left atrial dissection after mitral valve replacement

An 80-year-old gentleman was referred for two vessel coronary artery disease and severe mitral regurgitation due to myxomatous P2 prolapse. The patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve repair, which despite multiple attempts and due to highly fragile tissue, required mitral valve replacement during the same operation. A bioprosthetic …
An examination of various aspects of auditory processing in clutterers

This study examined auditory processing ability in three school-aged male clutterers who presented concomitant diagnoses of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and three age- and sex-matched normal-speaking control subjects. Subjects underwent a brief central auditory processing (CAP) and auditory event-related potential (AEP) battery. All three clutterers performed below normal test-established performance criteria on at least two of the four CAP measures and exhibited abnormal AEP waveform morphology. All control subjects performed within normal test-established performance criteria on all measures.
Problems With the Norms of the Comprehensive System for the Rorschach: Methodological and Conceptual Considerations

In “The Misperception of Psychopathology: Problems with the Norms of the Comprehensive System for the Rorschach,” we reviewed results from 32 studies and concluded that the norms of the Comprehensive System (CS) are inaccurate and tend to make nonpatient Americans appear psychologically disordered. Hunsley and Di Giulio, Widiger, and Aronow all agree that our review uncovered serious problems with the CS norms. However, CS proponents Exner and Meyer disagree. In this reply we address criticisms and express the hope that CS proponents will eventually acknowledge the importance of the research findings and develop more accurate norms.
Will we ever have a theory of everything

2000 years of rational inquiry may be approaching their crowning glory. Just one more push could be enough…
Synthesis of Polyethylene Glycol-Like Films from Capacitively Coupled Plasma of Diethylene Glycol Dimethyl Ether Monomer

Capacitively coupled plasma of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme) monomer was used to deposit films chemically similar to polyethylene glycol (PEG) on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and Si(100) substrates pretreated with Ar plasma. The topography, thickness, chemical characteristics, and compositions of films synthesized under different plasma conditions were examined by atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, goniometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The effect of the substrate pretreatment conditions on the wettability and thickness of the films deposited on LDPE was found to be significant, while that of the diglyme plasma treatment time on the film composition was shown to be secondary. Film chemical functionalities demonstrated a dependence on both diglyme plasma power and substrate material. Activation of the LDPE surface by bombarding Ar+ ions and subsequent low-power treatment with diglyme plasma was particularly conducive to the formation o...
Psychosocial concerns of women with breast cancer

Abstract Women with breast cancer not only face cancer-related taboos but also face issues related to changes in sexuality, femininity, and fertility. Although increased emphasis on the woman’s participation in the medical decision-making process has afforded her more treatment options, it also gives her more responsibility in determining her course of treatment through the continuum of cancer care. In addition, although early detection has resulted in improved prognosis for breast cancer, repeated screening exams could be associated with increased anxiety.
Probing the oxyferrous and catalytically active ferryl states of Amphitrite ornata dehaloperoxidase by cryoreduction and EPR/ENDOR spectroscopy. Detection of compound I.

Dehaloperoxidase (DHP) from Amphitrite ornata is a heme protein that can function both as a hemoglobin and as a peroxidase. This report describes the use of 77 K cryoreduction EPR/ENDOR techniques to study both functions of DHP. Cryoreduced oxyferrous [Fe(II)-O2] DHP exhibits two EPR signals characteristic of a peroxoferric [Fe(III)-O22−] heme species, reflecting the presence of conformational substates in the oxyferrous precursor. 1H ENDOR spectroscopy of the cryogenerated substates shows that H-bonding interactions between His NeH and heme-bound O2 in these conformers are similar to those in the β-chain of oxyferrous hemoglobin A (HbA) and oxyferrous myoglobin, respectively. Decay of cryogenerated peroxoferric heme DHP intermediates upon annealing at temperatures above 180 K is accompanied by the appearance of a new paramagnetic species with an axial EPR signal with g⊥ = 3.75 and g∥ = 1.96, characteristic of an S = 3/2 spin state. This species is assigned to Compound I (Cpd I), in which a porphyrin π-ca...
Measurement of endogenous leukosis virus nucleotide sequences in the DNA of normal avian embryos by RNA-DNA hybridization

Abstract Rous associated virus type O (RAV-O) is a subgroup E avian leukosis virus selected as an example of “endogenous” leukosis viruses which are associated with normal avian embryo cells. DNA sequences complementary to RAV-O 60–70S RNA genome were detected and quantitated in DNA from normal avian embryos by the technique of RNA-DNA hybridization with DNA excess. DNA from “leukosis free” white leghorn chicken embryos, as well as from line 7 chicken embryos, contained sequences related to at least 70%, if not all, of RAV-O RNA sequences. A tentative estimate of gene frequency is low, in the range of two to four copies of RAV-O per cell genome. Some difficulties in precisely calculating gene frequency by this method are discussed. Embryos of ring-necked pheasant contain only about 10% of the RAV-O genome. These findings are not affected by the presence or absence of viral group specific (gs) antigen in chicken or pheasant embryos. Embryos of Japanese quail, a species which lacks a known leukosis virus and does not synthesize avian gs antigen, contained DNA sequences specifically related to no more than 4% of the RAV-O genome. The data document the specificity and sensitivity of this hybridization technique and provide additional firm support for the proposition that normal avian cells carry endogenous avian leukosis virus in the form of DNA proviruses.
A novel use of gentamicin in the ROS-mediated sensitization of NCI-H460 lung cancer cells to various anticancer agents

Aminoglycosides are broad-spectrum antibiotics that are used for the treatment of severe Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial infections. While bactericidal effects of aminoglycosides are due to binding to the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, aminoglycosides can affect protein synthesis, intracellular calcium levels, and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in eukaryotic cells. While aminoglycosides can be cytotoxic at high concentrations, our results show that at much lower doses, gentamicin can be implemented as a sensitizing agent for the NSCLC cell line NCI-H460, increasing the efficacy of camptothecin, digitoxin, and vinblastine in vitro. We have also established that this sensitization is reliant on the ROS response generated by gentamicin.
Gideon Mantell's inaugural publication

The Sussex-born scientific genius, Gideon Mantell (1790–1852), who died 150 years ago, gained fame as the discoverer of Iguanodon and other dinosaurian fossils, but it is a little-known fact that his very first appearance in print related to archaeology rather than geology.
Some stochastic features of bacterial constant growth apparatus

Stochastic models for bacterial constant growth apparatus such as the chemostat are posed and studied. Approximations are given for the mean and variance of the size of the bacterial population when the population is in steady state. Procedures for stimulating a chemostat are developed and the approximate moments are compared with simulated values. The distribution is derived for the waiting time until the occurrence of a population change-over to a faster growing strain.
DISCUSSION OF: Subordinates as the First Line of Defense against Biased Financial Reporting

I appreciate the invitation to comment on this paper by S. Jane Jollineau, Tom Vance, and Alan Webb (Jollineau et al. 2012). It is an interesting piece of research, and reading it brought several (somewhat disparate) issues to mind. These issues include the role of intuitive theory in experimental research, the limits of experimental research for examining effect sizes, and the values that our community holds with regard to deception in experimentation. In choosing these particular issues, I will admit to being somewhat opportunistic in that I have chosen issues about which I have strong opinions. Thus, I will use this paper as a jumping-off point, and freely stray away from the details of this paper and toward these larger issues. Whereas most of my attention will be dedicated to addressing these issues, I will arrive at them in due course, following a standard outline of review. That is, I will first summarize the primary strengths of the paper, and then move on to summarize my interpretations, concerns, and thoughts (both with regard to theory and predictions and experimental methods). Finally, I will discuss briefly some potential extensions.
Trace-element distributions in fractionated oceanic rocks, 2. Gabbros and related rocks

Abstract Gabbroic rocks from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge exhibit compositional and mineralogical changes resulting from fractional crystallization and differentiation in a slow-cooling tholeiitic magma. They range from troctolites through olivine gabbros, clinopyroxene-hornblende gabbros and high-iron (18% FeOb7), high titanium (9% TiO 2 ) clinopyroxene-hornblende-titanomagnetite gabbros to diorites and aplites in the late stages. The trace-element composition of 19 gabbros and a related aplite from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 24°N are given in addition to other oceanic gabbros, basalts and diorites and 3 plagioclase phenocrysts: the differentiation trends are similar to those observed in the Skaegaard Intrusion, East Greenland. Co, Cr and Ni show 1–3 orders of magnitude range in concentration and decrease in concentration with increasing fractionation. V and Mo show 5 to 10-fold enrichment in the high-iron stages of differentiation. Y and Zr show increasing concentrations, 5 to 10-fold, with increasing differentiation. B, Li and Pb show little or no variation throughout the sequence. Cu shows a wide range in concentration (2–120 p.p.m.) but no systematic variation with differentiation. Ba and Ga only show enrichment (2 to 10-fold) in the very last stages of differentiation.
Objectivity Without Egoism: Toward Balance in Business Ethics

Business ethics is a major concern in business schools, in businesses themselves, and among the public. Many writers and teachers in the field are working to strengthen ethical decision making in business. Some writers in business ethics believe that Ayn Rand's “objectivism” is the only sound ethical view. I critically respond to a sustained case by Locke (2006) supporting Rand's view. In appraising this case, I indicate important problems that Rand's approach raises, clarify some central terms needed for assessing these problems, and suggest directions of inquiry that may help in solving them.
Minor groove recognition of the conserved G.U pair at the Tetrahymena ribozyme reaction site.

The guanine-uracil (G.U) base pair that helps to define the 5'-splice site of group I introns is phylogenetically highly conserved. In such a wobble base pair, G makes two hydrogen bonds with U in a geometry shifted from that of a canonical Watson-Crick pair. The contribution made by individual functional groups of the G.U pair in the context of the Tetrahymena ribozyme was examined by replacement of the G.U pair with synthetic base pairs that maintain a wobble configuration, but that systematically alter functional groups in the major and minor grooves of the duplex. The substitutions demonstrate that the exocyclic amine of G, when presented on the minor groove surface by the wobble base pair conformation, contributes substantially (2 kilocalories.mole-1) to binding by making a tertiary interaction with the ribozyme active site. It contributes additionally to transition state stabilization. The ribozyme active site also makes tertiary contacts with a tripod of 2'-hydroxyls on the minor groove surface of the splice site helix. This suggests that the ribozyme binds the duplex primarily in the minor groove. The alanyl aminoacyl transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase recognizes the exocyclic amine of an invariant G.U pair and contacts a similar array of 2'-hydroxyls when binding the tRNA(Ala) acceptor stem, providing an unanticipated parallel between protein-RNA and RNA-RNA interactions.
Characterization of devH, a gene encoding a putative DNA binding protein required for heterocyst function in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.

The devH gene was identified in a screen for Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 sequences whose transcripts increase in abundance during a heterocyst development time course. The product of devH contains a helixturn-helix motif similar to the DNA binding domain of members of the cyclic AMP receptor protein family, and the protein is most closely related to the cyanobacterial transcriptional activator NtcA. devH transcripts are barely detectable in vegetative cells and are induced approximately fivefold after nitrogen starvation. This induction is absent in the two developmental mutants hetR and ntcA. The gene is expressed as monocistronic transcripts with multiple 5* termini, and the ;500-bp region 5* to devH was shown to have promoter activity in vivo. The devH gene was insertionally inactivated by the integration of plasmid sequences within the open reading frame. Nitrogen starvation of the devH mutant induces heterocysts of wild-type morphology, but the mutant is inviable in the absence of fixed nitrogen and unable to reduce acetylene aerobically. The cyanobacteria are a diverse group of prokaryotes that perform oxygenic photosynthesis. A subset of the cyanobacteria are capable of nitrogen fixation, a process that is inhibited by oxygen. These diazotropic cyanobacteria have unique problems, as they not only live aerobically but produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. The solution for some of the filamentous cyanobacteria such as Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 is the differentiation of the heterocyst, a cell designed for and devoted to nitrogen fixation. Heterocyst development is induced by starvation for fixed nitrogen. Within about 12 h after nitrogen deprivation, approximately every 10th cell of the filament has become morphologically distinct and committed to the differentiation pathway. Heterocyst maturation is complete by 36 to 48 h after nitrogen step-down, and the cell is terminally differentiated and ceases cell division (reviewed in reference 26). The development of a vegetative cell into a heterocyst includes a large number of morphological and biochemical alterations that facilitate nitrogen fixation (26). Although our knowledge of heterocyst differentiation has increased dramatically during the past decade, many gaps remain in our understanding of the developmental pathway. In particular, very little is known about how genes are regulated during this process. As an example, virtually nothing is known about how nitrogen fixation genes are activated within the heterocyst cell. Our laboratory is interested in how genes are regulated at the level of transcription during heterocyst differentiation. As a means to identify new genes important to development, as well as to expand our collection of genes for transcriptional studies, we conducted a screen for genomic sequences whose transcripts increase in abundance during differentiation (S. E. Cur
Urban Neighborhood Research Its Development and Current Focus

Recent decades have witnessed the growth of urban America and the transformation of the neighborhood, its smallest form of community. This article is an assessment of the literature on urban neighb...
Satellite DNA sequences in Drosophila virilis

Abstract The DNA of Drosophila virilis contains three highly repetitive density satellites that constitute approximately half the genome. Complementary RNA was synthesized enzymatically from the separated strands of the purified satellite DNAs. By sequencing the transcripts we have shown that the satellites are repeating heptanucleotides related to each other by simple base-pair changes. The sequences are: I, poly d(A-C-A-A-A-C-T): poly d(A-G-T-T-T-G-T); II, poly d(A-T-A-A-A-C-T): poly d(A-G-T-T-T-A-T); III, poly d(A-C-A-A-A-T-T): poly d(A-A-T-T-T-G-T). Thus, despite different physical properties (buoyant density and T m ), the three satellite DNAs of this species constitute a family of related sequences. The major satellite in another species, D. americana americana , was shown to be identical to satellite I of D. virilis . The evolution of satellite DNAs in Drosophila requires a mechanism that maintains homogeneity of repeated sequences over many thousands of generations while permitting the origin of new satellites with single base-pair changes in each repeating unit.
Differential effects of chlorpromazine and phenobarbital on EEG sleep patterns.

Abstract The effects of repeated (up to 5 nights) administration of chlorpromazine (CPZ) and phenobarbital (PB) on EEG sleep patterns were studied in three severely ill chronic schizophrenic patients and three patients with sociopathic character disorders. PB reduced awakenings, delayed REM onset, and reduced the eye-movement activity of REM sleep to a greater extent than CPZ. CPZ reduced muscle artifact during sleep (an indicator of partial arousal) to a greater extent than PB. The two drugs had opposite effects on stage 4 EEG, this variable being increased above baseline levels by CPZ and being reduced below these levels by PB. These observations suggest new hypotheses regarding the mechanisms involved in the therapeutic action of CPZ and the neurophysiological changes which underlie drug-withdrawal delirium.
Design and analysis of buffered crossbars and banyans with cut-through switching

The design and approximate analyses of discrete time buffered crossbar and banyans with cut-through switching are presented. The crossbar switches can contain either (1) input FIFO queueing, (2) input “bypass” queueing where the FIFO discipline is relaxed, (3) a novel scheme called “restricted output queueing” where the number of simultaneous arrivals to an output queue is upper bounded, or (4) a novel combination of input FIFO and restricted output queueing. An analysis for the delay distribution of a packet leaving the network is presented. It is shown that restricted output queueing (or combined input and restricted output queueing) can rival the performance of pure output queueing, while requiring far less hardware; typically, limiting the number of simultaneous arrivals to an output queue to 2 or 3 is sufficient to ensure near optimal performance. It is shown that for light to moderate loads, cut-through switching offers significant improvement since most buffers are empty and cut-through occurs often. A comparison indicates that cut-through switching offers larger performance improvements when newer pin-limited GaAs Integrated circuits are used, rather than conventional CMOS or ECL, due to the similarity to bit-serial transmission in the newer and faster ICs with fewer pins.
The oxygen free radical system: A fundamental mechanism in the production of myocardial necrosis

0 XIDATION/REDUCTION reactions are fundamental reactions in both physical and organic chemistry that have been extensively studied. However, it was not until 193 1 that the basis for oxidation/reduction reactions involving oxygen in biologic systems was first described by Haber and Willstatter’ when they discovered that the univalent reduction of molecular oxygen resulted in the production of a reduced oxygen intermediate, the superoxide anion. In 1935, Haber and Weiss* found that the sequential trivalent reduction of molecular oxygen, in combination with an iron catalyst, resulted in the production of a highly reactive oxygen intermediate that was an extremely strong oxidizing species. The biologic importance of this discovery had to wait until 1969 when McCord and Fridovich3 identified the enzyme superoxide dismutase that catalyzed the production of hydrogen peroxide from superoxide anion. They further observed that all mammalian cells contain this unique enzyme. These basic observations defined the new field of oxygen metabolism in biologic systems and a potential role of oxidation/reduction reactions in both physiologic and pathologic conditions.
Building an efficient surgical team using a bench model simulation: construct validity of the Legacy Inanimate System for Endoscopic Team Training (LISETT).

Complex laparoscopic tasks require collaboration of surgeons as a surgical team. Conventionally, surgical teams are formed shortly before the start of the surgery, and team skills are built during the surgery. There is a need to establish a training simulation to improve surgical team skills without jeopardizing the safety of surgery. The Legacy Inanimate System for Laparoscopic Team Training (LISETT) is a bench simulation designed to enhance surgical team skills. The reported project tested the construct validity of LISETT. The research question was whether the LISETT scores show progressive improvement correlating with the level of surgical training and laparoscopic team experience or not. With LISETT, two surgeons are required to work closely to perform two laparoscopic tasks: peg transportation and suturing. A total of 44 surgical dyad teams were recruited, composed of medical students, residents, laparoscopic fellows, and experienced surgeons. The LISETT scores were calculated according to the speed and accuracy of the movements. The LISETT scores were positively correlated with surgical experience, and the results can be generalized confidently to surgical teams (Pearson’s coefficient, 0.73; p = 0.001). To analyze the influences of individual skill and team dynamics on LISETT performance, team quality was rated by team members using communication and cooperation characters after each practice. The LISETT scores are positively correlated with self-rated team quality scores (Pearson’s coefficient, 0.39; p = 0.008). The findings proved LISETT to be a valid system for assessing cooperative skills of a surgical team. By increasing practice time, LISETT provides an opportunity to build surgical team skills, which include effective communication and cooperation.
Image Guided Geometry Inference

We introduce a new method for filling holes in geometry obtained from 3D range scanners. Our method makes use of 2D images of the areas where geometric data is missing. The 2D images guide the filling using the relationship between the images and geometry learned from the existing 3D scanned data. Our method builds on existing techniques for using scanned geometry and for estimating shape from shaded images. Rather than creating plausibly filled holes, we attempt to approximate the missing geometry. We present results for scanned data from both triangulation and time-of-flight scanners for various types of materials. To quantitatively validate our proposed method, we also compare the filled areas with ground-truth data.
PULMONARY FUNCTION STUDIES FOLLOWING BILATERAL LUNG LAVAGE IN PREMATURE LAMBS

The effect of bilateral lung lavage with FC-80 fluorocarbon on pulmonary function was studied in 7 premature lambs, 134 days gestation. The lambs were mechanically ventilated (FIO2 = 1.0)and had arterial and venous catheters. Measurements of transpulmonary pressure, air flow, tidal volume, and functional residual capacity (FRC) enabled calculations of lung compliance (CL,), specific compliance (CS), inspiratory (RI) and expiratory (RE) resistance, and work of breathing (W). Following baseline measurements the lambs were lavaged with warm (39°C) FC-80 liquid (PO2>500 mm Hg). The liquid was removed by postural draining, and pulmonary function was monitored for 1 hour. Mean control measurements were as follows: CL - 0.89±0.18 SE ml/cm H2O/Kg; CS = 0.044±0.009 SE ml/ cm H2O/FRC; FRC = 23.0±4.3 SE ml/Kg; RI = 44.5±8.3 SE cm H2O/1/sec; RE = 105.1±17.4 SE cm H2O/l/sec; W = 78,000±32,000 SE erg/%; PaO2 = 317±45 SE mm Hg; PaCO2 = 26±7 SE mm Hg; pH - 7.46±0.07 SE. Immediately post-lavage, CL, decreased significantly by 43% from control values and RI, RE, W, PaCO2 and pH did not change significantly from pre-lavage values. These data indicate that adequate PaO2 levels can be maintained in premature lambs during and after bilateral FC-80 lavage with relatively small changes in lung mechanics. Pulmonary lavage with FC-80 may prove feasible as a method for alveolar debridements such as in aspiration syndromes. (Supported by USPHS Grants #HL 19402 and #HL 15061)
Pseudopotential inversion scheme

A method is described for deriving all-electron valence wave functions, having the correct nodal behavior, from the knowledge of the self-consistent nodeless pseudo-wave-functions. The method is tested for several atoms throughout the Periodic Table. The resulting ``inverted'' wave functions compare closely with the corresponding all-electron frozen-core wave functions, with deviations less than 1%. The method can be extended for use in molecular and solid calculations.
A 14-year experience with kidney transplantation.

Between November, 1962 and August, 1975, 668 kidney transplants were done in 556 consecutive patients at Denver, Colorado. The Denver experience has been divided into 7 periods of time, according to the conditions of care during each period. The results in related transplantation have changed little during the decade beginning in 1966. The results in unrelated transplantation have not materially changed since 1968. The long-term patient survival after related transplantation has been better than after cadaver transplantation. The results of transplantation in 57 children ages 3 to 18 years have been slightly better than the results of adult transplantation. The outcome of kidney transplantation and the feasibility of improving this therapy with present techniques are limited by our inability to accurately match each patient with the immunologically best donor and by our inability to precisely control the immune system of the recipient. Rejection is still the main reason for graft loss, and sepsis remains the main cause of patient mortality. More specific and less toxic means of achieving graft acceptance are needed before a higher level of patient service can be realized. However, even with the tools now available, thousands of recipients throughout the world have been returned to useful lives.
Microflora of the Cervix during Normal Labor and the Puerperium

The normal flora of the cervix was studied in 50 healthy women in labor and on the third day postpartum. Aerobic bacteria were the exclusvie isolates in 25% of these women, and 75% had anaerobic bacteria in addition to aerobes. Anaerobes were always found in association with aerobes. The most frequent isolate of Bacteroides was Bacteroides melaninogenicus, found in 20% of the women during labor and 14% during the puerperium. Bacteroides fragilis was distinctly absent during labor but was found in 6.8% of the women during the puerperium. Clostridia were found in 1% but histotoxic clostridia were not found. None had gram-negative diplococci (Neisseria or Veillonella). Gram-negative diplococci and spore-bearing bacilli visible by gram strain and B. fragilis demonstrated by culture, if present in the cervical specimens obtaineduring labor, should be considered abnormal.
The feasibility of recruiting hospitalized patients with diabetes for a smoking cessation program.

The aims of this study were to identify hospitalized smokers with diabetes, assess the severity of their physical condition, and determine their willingness to participate in a postdischarge smoking cessation program. Hospitalized smokers with diabetes were identified through referrals from the Dietetics Department. Smoking status was determined via medical charts, healthcare staff, and patient self-report. Among all patients with diabetes who were identified (n=314), smoking status was routinely recorded only for those with a primary cardiac diagnosis (41%). Smokers (n=59) were significantly younger and reported multiple but fewer concomitant diagnoses than nonsmokers. Ninety-one percent of the smokers who were contacted refused to participate in a postdischarge smoking cessation program. We conclude that accurate methods are needed for identifying all smokers to facilitate cessation efforts. The severity and chronicity of the physical condition of hospitalized smokers with diabetes may limit willingness...
On the role of sexual selection in ecological divergence: a test of body‐size assortative mating in the eastern newt Notophthalmus viridescens

Speciation processes initiated by divergent selection often fail to complete; yet, how sexual selection is involved in the progress of ecological speciation is rarely understood. Intraspecific body-size variation affects mate preference and male–male competition, which can consequently lead to assortative mating based on body size. In the present study, we tested the importance of body size difference in the potential of assortative mating between the two eastern newt subspecies, larger Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens and smaller Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis. Through differential expression of life-cycle polyphenism, these two subspecies are adapted to contrasting environments, which has likely led to the subspecific body-size difference. We found that males of both subspecies preferred larger females of N. v. viridescens as mates presumably because of the fecundity advantage of larger females. On the other hand, no evidence of female choice was found. Larger males of N. v. viridescens exhibited greater competitive ability and gained primary access to larger females of their own kind. However, smaller males were able to overcome their inferior competitive ability by interfering with larger males' spermatophore transfer and sneakily mating with larger females. Thus, the subspecific body-size difference importantly affected sexual selection processes, resulting in nonrandom but not completely assortative mating patterns between the larger and smaller subspecies. Although life-cycle polyphenism facilitates the intraspecific ecological divergence within N. v. viridescens sexual selection processes, namely smaller males' mate preference for larger females and sexual interference during spermatophore transfer, may be halting completion of the ecological speciation. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101, 884–897.
Ordinal Analysis by Transformations

The technique of using innitary rules in an ordinal analysis has been one of the most productive developments in ordinal analysis. Unfortunately, one of the most advanced variants, the Buchholz -rule, does not apply to systems much stronger than 1 -comprehension. In this paper, we propose a new extension of the rule using game-theoretic quantiers. We apply this to a system of inductive denitions with the strength of a recursively inaccessible ordinal.
Primary immune surveillance : some like it hot

The thermal element of fever has been found to be beneficial in models of infectious disease. The contributions of fever-range temperatures to the efficacy of the adaptive immune response have only begun to be delineated. There is accumulating evidence that fever-range thermal stress bolsters primary immune surveillance of lymph nodes and Peyer patches by augmenting lymphocyte extravasation across specialized vessels termed high endothelial venules. Molecular mechanisms have recently come to light by which the thermal component of fever alone may promote lymphocyte trafficking, and thereby the probability of mounting a defense against microbial infection. Acquired knowledge of the molecular changes associated with thermal stress may allow for the development of novel therapies for a variety of disease processes.
Clustering beat-chroma patterns in a large music database

A musical style or genre implies a set of common conventions and patterns combined and deployed in different ways to make individual musical pieces; for instance, most would agree that contemporary pop music is assembled from a relatively small palette of harmonic and melodic patterns. The purpose of this paper is to use a database of tens of thousands of songs in combination with a compact representation of melodic-harmonic content (the beatsynchronous chromagram) and data-mining tools (clustering) to attempt to explicitly catalog this palette ‐ at least within the limitations of the beat-chroma representation. We use online k-means clustering to summarize 3.7 million 4-beat bars in a codebook of a few hundred prototypes. By measuring how accurately such a quantized codebook can reconstruct the original data, we can quantify the degree of diversity (distortion as a function of codebook size) and temporal structure (i.e. the advantage gained by joint quantizing multiple frames) in this music. The most popular codewords themselves reveal the common chords used in the music. Finally, the quantized representation of music can be used for music retrieval tasks such as artist and genre classification, and identifying songs that are similar in terms of their melodic-harmonic content.
A proposal for bandwidth allocation in autonetworks

Quality of service is becoming a critical criteria of network performance. Network utilization is also another critical criterion. Network providers often have to choose favoring one in the expense of the other. In this paper, we propose a bandwidth allocation technology (BAT) for autonetworks which is able to promote both quality of service (QoS) and high bandwidth utilization. BAT is easy to understand and, if properly implemented, may be simple or even automatic to administer.
MacroH2A1.2 binds the nuclear protein Spop

X-chromosome inactivation is a phenomenon by which one of the two X chromosomes in somatic cells of female mammals is inactivated for life. The inactivated X chromosomes are covered with Xist (X-inactive specific transcript) RNA, and also enriched with the histone H2A variant, macroH2A1.2.The N-terminal one-third of macroH2A1.2 is homologous to core histone H2A, but the function of the C-terminal two-thirds, which contains a basic, putative leucine zipper domain, remains unknown.In this study, we tried analyzing protein–protein interaction with a yeast two-hybrid system to interact with the nonhistone region of mouse macroH2A1.2. The results showed that macroH2A1.2 interacts with mouse nuclear speckled type protein Spop. The Spop protein has a unique composition: an N-terminal MATH, and a C-terminal BTB/POZ domain. Further binding domain mapping in a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down experiment revealed that macroH2A1.2 binds the MATH domain of Spop, which in turn binds to the putative leucine zipper domain of macroH2A1.2. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Dendritic transport: quantitative analysis of the time course of somatodendritic transport of recently synthesized RNA

We have previously reported that recently synthesized RNA is selectively transported into the dendrites of hippocampal neurons grown in culture (Davis et al., 1987). The present study provides further details about this transport process, focusing especially on the velocity of transport, by comparing the velocity of dendritic transport of RNA in neurons of different ages and in the branched and unbranched dendrites of individual neurons. In our previous study, we recognized that calculations of transport velocity could be compromised because transport was being evaluated in a population of dendrites of varying lengths. The present study uses a mathematical modeling approach to determine how the morphology of the population of dendrites would affect the analysis of transport velocity. Focusing first on a simple model, we compared the distribution of transported material at various times when all dendrites were of the same length and when the population included dendrites of different lengths. We found that the distance of labeling increased linearly over time when all dendrites were of the same length, but increased with a negatively accelerating curve when dendrites were of different lengths. We then determined the actual distribution of dendritic lengths in cultured hippocampal neurons, based on immunostaining with an antibody directed against the selective dendritic marker, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2). Using a computer model, we calculated the mean distance of transport as a function of time in this population of dendrites, assuming different velocities of transport. The velocity that best fit the measured distances of RNA transport in both 7- and 15-d-old neurons was 11 microns/hr (0.26 mm/d). However, for the dendrites exhibiting the longest distance of labeling, the best-fitting curve assumed a velocity of 21 microns/hr in both 7- and 15-d-old neurons (0.50 mm/d). Comparisons of transport in branched and unbranched dendrites revealed that the distance of labeling over branched dendrites was consistently longer than over unbranched dendrites of individual neurons. However, neurons with a larger proportion of branched dendrites did not exhibit a greater mean distance of transport. The density of silver grains was higher over branched than over unbranched dendrites, suggesting that a greater amount of recently synthesized RNA may be transported into branched dendrites. Taken together, these results suggest that RNA transport into dendrites is regulated differentially in the dendrites of individual neurons.