cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetics and Diet Regulate Vitamin A Production via the Homeobox Transcription Factor ISX

Low dietary intake of β-carotene is associated with chronic disease and vitamin A deficiency. β-Carotene is converted to vitamin A in the intestine by the enzyme β-carotene-15,15′-monoxygenase (BCMO1) to support vision, reproduction, immune function, and cell differentiation. Considerable variability for this key step in vitamin A metabolism, as reported in the human population, could be related to genetics and individual vitamin A status, but it is unclear how these factors influence β-carotene metabolism and vitamin A homeostasis. Here we show that the intestine-specific transcription factor ISX binds to the Bcmo1 promoter. Moreover, upon induction by the β-carotene derivative retinoic acid, this ISX binding decreased expression of a luciferase reporter gene in human colonic CaCo-2 cells indicating that ISX acts as a transcriptional repressor of BCMO1 expression. Mice deficient for this transcription factor displayed increased intestinal BCMO1 expression and produced significantly higher amounts of vitamin A from supplemental β-carotene. The ISX binding site in the human BCMO1 promoter contains a common single nucleotide polymorphism that is associated with decreased conversion rates and increased fasting blood levels of β-carotene. Thus, our study establishes ISX as a critical regulator of vitamin A production and provides a mechanistic explanation for how both genetics and diet can affect this process.
Exploration of new cymbal design in energy harvesting

ABSTRACT Harvesting wasted energy and converting it into electrical energy to use as needed is an emerging technology area. In this work, a new design of a cymbal energy harvester is developed and tested to validate analytical energy generating performance. Cymbal transducers have been demonstrated to be beneficial as energy harvesters for vibrating systems under modest load and frequency. In this paper a new design is adopted using a unimorph circular piezoelectric disc between the metal end caps to deal with higher loads. Simple analysis for the new cymbal design to predict voltage output was first conducted. The new cymbal design, 25.4 mm diameter and 8.2 mm thickness, was then fabricated and tested on the load frame with up to 324 lb load and 1 Hz frequency to measure output voltages. This device could be used in numerous applications for potentially self sustaining sensors or other electronic devices. By changing the structure between the metal end caps of cymbal harvesters the new design could be extended in higher load applications. Keywords: Cymbal design, Energy harvesting, Piezoelectric, Unimorph disc.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a patient with marginal zone B-cell lymphoma

A 60-year-old woman complained of difficulty reading and sewing. She could only see the end of a line when attempting to read. In addition, she was noted to be driving close to the divider. Neurologic examination was remarkable for an incomplete left lower quadrantanopsia. Her deep tendon reflexes were absent. There was a fiber length-dependent sensory deficit to thermal, tactile, and vibratory stimuli. She had a history of successfully treated nodular sclerosing Hodgkin’s disease (HD) and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL; marginal cell type) diagnosed 29 and 2 years prior to this presentation, respectively. She had received mantle field radiation for HD. The NHL had been treated with rituximab, fludarabine, and ibritumomab tiuxetan (last dose administered 4 months prior to this presentation). She had been leukopenic for a few months but had not suffered from any opportunistic infections. She received cotrimoxazole three times per week and intravenous immunoglobulin infusions for hypogammaglobulinemia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed an area of increased signal in the right parieto-occipital area on T2-weighted sequences [A]. A less prominent similar lesion was seen on the left side. Neither one enhanced after gadolinium administration. The patient’s white blood cell count was 0.9/nl, hemoglobin 11 g/dl, hematocrit 35%, and platelet count 148/nl. Relative lymphocyte count was 10%. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed glucose of 60 mg/dl and protein of 37 mg/dl. There were three nucleated cells/ ll of CSF. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction for JC virus DNA was ‘borderline’ positive. A brain biopsy was deemed necessary for confirmation of diagnosis. Microscopic analysis revealed demyelination and debris-laden macrophages [arrowheads on B, C] in a background of reactive gliosis (asterisks). Enclosed capillaries were lined by thickened activated endothelium with adherent neutrophils and surrounded by scattered mature lymphocytes. The white matter contained numerous grotesquely enlarged round nuclei with magenta colored ground glass chromatin, indicative of viral inclusions (arrows). Electron microscopic examination identified the infected cells as oligodendroglia. The inclusions were composed of round particles ~40 nm in diameter, diagnostic of JC virus [D]. Bars: 100 l [B, C], 1 l [D].
Hypothalamic uptake of [3H]-testosterone in chickens differing in mating frequency.

Abstract The uptake and retention of radioactive testosterone by hypothalamic tissues were measured in lines of chickens selected for high and low cumulative number of completed matings and in the unselected randombred population from which the selected lines originated. Tritiated testosterone was injected into five-week old cockerels in one of two ways: (a) as labelled testosterone in corn oil and (b) as labelled and unlabelled testosterone in corn oil. Birds were then sacrificed at either 30, 60, 120, or 240 min after injection. Radioactive testosterone uptake by blood and hypothalamic tissue expressed in disintegrations per min (dpm) was the measurement criterion. No significant differences were found between hormonal treatments or among lines for blood and hypothalamic dpm. These findings suggest that the behavioral differences among the lines are not due to differences in the ability of hypothalamic tissues to concentrate testosterone.
Resistance of alloxan-diabetic rats to the behavioral activation induced by d-amphetamine: Partial restoration with a high fat/protein diet

Abstract Rats which were diabetic following the subcutaneous injection of alloxan monohydrate have been found to be resistant to the locomotor stimulant and stereotypy inducing actions of d-amphetamine. By using behavioral ratings to assess the effect of amphetamine, the resistance of the diabetic rat has been found modifiable by dietary manipulation. Whereas alloxan-injected rats maintained on a high carbohydrate diet (Purina powder) show predominantly increased forward locomotion and weak stereotyped sniffing following 2.0 mg/kg d-amphetamine sulfate, this same dose typically induces moderately intense stereotyped sniffing in alloxan-injected rats which have ingested a high/fat protein diet for 6 weeks. The strength of the behavioral activation produced by d-amphetamine in non-diabetic control rats (1) is not influenced by whether they ingest a high carbohydrate or high fat/protein diet, and (2) is significantly greater than the behavioral activation seen in diabetics maintained on high carbohydrate diet, but (3) does not differ significantly from the degree of behavioral activation seen in diabetic rats maintained for 6 weeks on a high fat/protein diet. Thus, it appears that the ingestion of a high fat/protein food source largely restores the diabetic rat's behavioral response to this dose of amphetamine. Because the ingestion of a high fat/protein diet ameliorates the hyperglycemia and hyperdipsia and facilitates the weight gain of the diabetic animal, it is suggested that this diet restores the responsiveness of alloxan-injected rats to d-amphetamine by partially correcting the metabolic deficiencies associated with the diabetic state.
Deciphering the fluorescence signature of daunomycin and doxorubicin.

Abstract The fluorescence characteristics of daunomycin (DNM), doxorubicin (DXR), and other anthracycline drugs are often used to monitor localization of the drug within lipid bilayers and liposomal delivery systems and to assess interaction of the drug with DNA and other macromolecules. However, the binding of DNM and DXR to proteins and membrane systems has been observed to exhibit variable effects on the anthracycline's fluorescence. We have delineated the spectroscopic response of DXR and DNM to their surroundings in several systems, including solvents of differing dielectric constant, aqueous solutions of varying pH or fluorophore concentration, and the reverse micellar system of AOT/heptane/water with a range of doxorubicin concentrations. We have observed that the ratio of fluorescence intensities at the two principal λmax values shows a parabolic dependence on solvent dielectric constant, i.e. inverted solvatochromism. This behavior has been overlooked by previous investigators and, together with the appearance of a long-wavelength band near 630 nm in solvents of low dielectric strength (also previously not reported), is key to understanding the partitioning of anthracyclines in membrane systems as well as resolving the conflicting interpretation of data in the literature. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Creating a knowledge-sharing community: if you build it, will they come?

Technology may support a knowledge-sharing environment, but getting users to participate in effective ways is key.
Knowledge, beliefs, and confidence regarding infections and antimicrobial stewardship: A survey of veterans affairs providers who care for older adults

We conducted an anonymous survey of providers who care for older adults from 10 Veterans Affairs long-term-care facilities to assess their knowledge, beliefs, and confidence toward treating infections and antimicrobial stewardship. The average score on 5 questions assessing knowledge was 3.6 out of 5.0 (95% confidence interval, 3.3-3.9), which supports a need for education regarding the care of older adults with infections.
Discriminant analysis of radiation therapy procedures: The patterns of care process survey for carcinoma of the larynx

Discriminant analysis was applied to larynx data from the Patterns of Care Study (PCS) in order to evaluate and classify radiation therapy procedures. Since PCS has recorded information on a large number of separate procedures, a method was needed to treat them coherently. Discriminant analysis provided such a method through a comprehensive score of performance. The particular discriminant score used was calculated from the contrast between facilities with and without radiation therapy resident training programs. Because residents drastically affect the practice of radiation therapy in a facility, this factor provided a foundation for analyzing the procedures themselves. Results of the discriminant analysis were used to derive a condensed list of generalized procedural criteria which contains almost all the discrimination information of the original procedures and which elucidates their relative importance and the relations among them.
Analytic and holistic modes of learning family-resemblance concepts.

Three studies examined how individuals learn concepts structured according to family-resemblance principles. The materials were cartoon faces varying in the attributes of hair, mustache, ears, and nose. In contrast to previous studies purporting to show holistic modes of learning family-resemblance concepts, the present studies indicate that many individuals learn such concepts by an analytic, attribute-plus-exception rule. The attribute-plus-exception rule characterized the learning shown by adults under both intentional (Studies 1 and 2) and incidental (Study 3) learning conditions and by children under intentional learning conditions (Study 2). There was no evidence to indicate that a holistic mode is a more primitive one, since it did not occur more frequently among children or adults under incidental learning conditions. It is suggested that the extent to which holistic or analytic modes of learning are observed will be found to depend on an interaction among stimulus, task, and observer factors.
Actual and stereotyped speech tempos of extraverts and introverts

The study examined the actual speech tempos of extraverts and introverts and stereotyped notions about the tempos of extraverts and introverts. Forty-six female undergraduates were divided on the basis of the Eysenck Extraversion Scale into equal groups of extraverts and introverts. Each was asked to talk in a natural manner about $$ TAT pictures, to talk as if she were an extravert or an introvert, and to speak rapidly or slowly. The results indicate that the actual speech tempo of extraverts is faster than that of introverts and suggest that the stereotypes of the speech rates of extraverts and introverts somewhat exaggerate their actual rates.
CHARACTERIZATION OF PHOTOSYSTEM I‐ASSOCIATED POLYPEPTIDES FROM THE CHLOROPHYLL b‐RICH ALGA TETRASELMIS SPP. (PLEURASTROPHYCEAE) AND OTHER CHLOROPHYTE ALGAE1

The phylogenetic distribution of photosystem I-associated polypeptides was assessed by immunoblotting algal thylakoid membrane polypeptides with antisera generated against the P700-chlorophyll a protein (CC I) and a photosystem I light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein (LHC Ib). Polypeptides cross-reacting with the CC I apoprotein were found in 20 species representing four classes of unicellular algae. Polypeptides sharing antigenicity with spinach LHC Ib were observed only in algal species containing chlorophyll b. Tetraselmis spp. (Pleurastrophyceae), rich in chlorophyll b (Chl a:b 1.2), exhibited marked heterogeneity in the composition of their CC I and LHC Ib cross-reactive polypeptides. When immunoblotted with antisera against CC I, all Tetraselmis clones examined exhibited a 25-kD polypeptide in greater abundance than the 58-kD CC I apoprotein characteristic of higher plants and other green algal thylakoids. Three Tetraselmis clones (RG 6, RG 11, and RG 12) exhibited an 81-kD polypeptide with strong antigenicity toward the LHC Ib antisera, in contrast to the 17- to 24-kD cross-reactive polypeptides found in spinach, green algae, and one Tetraselmis clone (RG 5). Associated with the unique photosystem I polypeptide composition in Tetraselmis spp., Chl: P700 ratios for the group are 2–5 times greater than those observed for higher plants or other green algae. The chlorophyll b enrichment, unusual composition of photosystem I cross-reactive polypeptides, and heterogeneity of these polypeptides within isolates of Tetraselmis might make this genus useful for investigations of the functional organization of chlorophyll b in light-harvesting systems. These features also support the view of an alternative phyletic origin for the Pleurastrophyceae.
INTERNAL CONVERSION COEFFICIENTS FOR M4 TRANSITION IN Te

Internal conversion coefficients for M4 transition in Te, noting gamma energy magnitude, nuclear size effects and eigenvalue results
Implementation and Evaluation of a Novel Operating Room Curriculum for the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship

Objective Primary objective is to estimate the effect of an operating room (OR) curriculum on obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn) students’ clinical knowledge related to the OR. Secondary objective is to estimate the effect of the curriculum on student confidence and satisfaction related to the OR experience. Study Design Prospective cohort study of 6 Ob/Gyn clerkship groups from September 2011 to June 2012. Three control groups received usual teaching and 3 intervention groups received the OR curriculum plus usual teaching. The primary outcome was the measurement of student knowledge using preclerkship and postclerkship questionnaires. Student confidence and satisfaction related to the OR experience were also measured using questionnaires. Standard clerkship evaluations were reviewed to rate the quality of faculty teaching. Between-group scores were compared using Student t test. A total of 26 students per group were needed to detect a 20% difference in between-group change in clinical knowledge (α = 0.05, 80% power). Setting Women and Infants’ Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, a tertiary care teaching hospital for the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Participants Ob/Gyn clerkship students. Results Overall, 70 students were enrolled—68 completed evaluation measures immediately after clerkship and 27 at 6 months after clerkship. More intervention subjects were fourth-year students (p = 0.03) and had completed surgery clerkships (p = 0.003). At baseline, groups demonstrated similar clinical knowledge and confidence (p > 0.05). Although there was no difference between groups in knowledge scores immediately after clerkship, at 6 months, the intervention group had greater retention in clinical knowledge scores (1.2 ± 2.6 vs 3.5 ± 1.8; p = 0.02). At clerkship completion, intervention group was more satisfied with student-faculty interaction (mean sum score = 14.7 ± 3.5 vs 16.9 ± 3.0; p = 0.01). On review of standard clerkship evaluations, intervention subjects gave significantly higher scores for quality of faculty teaching (3.82 ± 1.18 vs 4.39 ± 0.67; p = 0.01). Conclusions Our OR curriculum improved knowledge retention, increased student satisfaction with student-faculty interactions in the OR, and improved faculty teaching evaluation.
Niemann-Pick disease experimental model: sphingomyelinase reduction induced by AY-9944

Organs of rats treated with the drug A Y-9944 for 5 days showed a significant reduction in sphingomyelinase activity. Evidence is presented which suggests that the reduction is due to impaired enzyme synthesis.
High frequencies of elevated alkaline phosphatase activity and rickets exist in extremely low birth weight infants despite current nutritional support

Background Osteopenia and rickets are common among extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW, <1000 g birth weight) despite current practices of vitamin and mineral supplementation. Few data are available evaluating the usual course of markers of mineral status in this population. Our objectives in this study were to determine the relationship between birth weight (BW) and peak serum alkaline phosphatase activity (P-APA) in ELBW infants and evaluate our experience with the diagnosis of rickets in these infants.
Determinants of bank supervisory agencies' power and accountability: a cross-country analysis

This article empirically investigates the recent hypothesis advanced by Demirguc-Kunt et al. (2004) and Barth et al. (2006) that countries' choices regarding bank regulations reflect their historical and political characteristics. Based on a dataset with 151 developed and developing countries, the empirical results verify that banking freedom, constraints on the political power, longer history of institutional evolution and the presence of common law are associated with less powerful and more accountable bank supervisory agencies. Therefore, policy efforts that are directed toward a change in banking regulations should be mindful of countries' historical and political characteristics.
Indirect Calorimetry in Chair-Adapted Primates

This paper describes the construction of an indirect calorimeter for measurement of respiratory gas exchange in the chaired primate. Preliminary determinations of energy expenditure and respiratory quotient in five animals under a variety of dietary conditions suggest that this system will prove useful in the laboratory study of primate nutrition, energy metabolism, and cardiorespiratory physiology. Other possible uses and limitations are discussed.
Gender and age differences in symptom distress and functional disability one year after heart transplant surgery.

Abstract Objective Symptoms and functional status are major concerns for heart transplant (HT) recipients. The study objective was to examine gender and age differences in symptom distress and functional disability 1 year after HT surgery. Methods The sample (N = 237) consisted of 44 female and 193 male patients who were divided into younger (n = 66) and older (n = 171) groups with the breakpoint at age 50 years. Data from chart review and 2 questionnaires (Heart Transplant Symptom Checklist and Sickness Impact Profile) were analyzed with chi-square test, t tests, analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of variance. Results Women reported worse symptom distress (overall, plus cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatologic symptoms) and more functional disability (overall, plus disability in ambulation, mobility, self-care, home management). Older patients reported more disability in ambulation and work. Gender by age interactions showed that older men reported worse genitourinary symptoms and younger women reported worse dermatologic symptoms. Conclusion There were more gender than age differences in symptoms and disability.
An access control model for dynamic client-side content

The focus of access control in client/server environments is on protecting sensitive server resources by determining whether or not a client is authorized to access those resources. The set of resources are usually static, and an access control policy associated with each resource specifies who is authorized to access the resource. In this paper, we turn the traditional client/server access control model on its head, and address how to protect the sensitive content that clients disclose to servers. Since client content is dynamically generated at runtime, the usual approach of associating a policy with the resource (content) a priori does not work. In this paper, we propose an access control model for protecting client-side content that is dynamically generated and disclosed at runtime. Our model identifies sensitive content, maps the sensitive content to an access control policy, and establishes the trustworthiness of the server before disclosing the sensitive content to the server. The model targets open systems, where clients and servers do not have preexisting trust relationships. We have implemented the model within TrustBuilder, an architecture for negotiating trust between strangers based on properties other than identity. The implementation is the first example of content-triggered trust negotiation and currently supports access control for sensitive content disclosed by web and email clients.
Buckling behavior of a superconducting magnet coil

The buckling behavior of a superconducting magnet coil has been investigated for out of plane perturbations. It has been shown that such a coil becomes unstable due to its own magnetic field for out of plane bending at the operating values of electric currents. A technique devised by the author that computes the inductance change due to deformation, has been incorporated in this study. The evaluation shows that although the magnetic fields external to the coil are important and that there is additional structural stiffness provided by the surrounding structure, the effects of the self magnetic field should be evaluated and incorporated in the design of such coils. However, based on previous studies, both analytical and experimental, it has been established that the out-of-plane deformation is the most critical mode from a stability standpoint. Therefore, this mode has been exclusively addressed in this study.
Low-cost Large Aperture Telescopes for Optical Communications

Low-cost, 0.5-1 meter ground apertures are required for near-Earth laser communications. Low-cost ground apertures with equivalent diameters greater than 10 meters are desired for deep-space communications. This presentation focuses on identifying schemes to lower the cost of constructing networks of large apertures while continuing to meet the requirements for laser communications. The primary emphasis here is on the primary mirror. A slumped glass spherical mirror, along with passive secondary mirror corrector and active adaptive optic corrector show promise as a low-cost alternative to large diameter monolithic apertures. To verify the technical performance and cost estimate, development of a 1.5-meter telescope equipped with gimbal and dome is underway.
Thoracoscopic anterior instrumented fusion for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with emphasis on the sagittal plane

Abstract Background context Anterior fusion through an open thoracotomy restores kyphosis more reliably than posterior techniques in patients with thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Video-assisted thoracoscopic spinal fusion and instrumentation (VATS) minimizes the morbidity, from soft tissue and muscle dissection that accompanies traditional open thoracotomy. To our knowledge, there has not been a comprehensive analysis of VATS with respect to radiographic and clinical outcomes in the sagittal plane. Purpose To measure the radiographic and clinical outcomes after VATS with emphasis on the sagittal plane. Study design/setting A retrospective, radiographic review of 26 consecutive patients with Lenke type-I AIS who underwent VATS. Methods Radiographs of 26 consecutive patients with Lenke type-I AIS curves operated by a single surgeon were retrospectively reviewed after VATS. Sagittal and coronal parameters were compared with reported data for open anterior and posterior procedures. Results There was an increase in kyphosis from baseline to final follow-up by 6.6° (25%) from T2 to T12 (p Conclusions Video-assisted thoracoscopic spinal fusion and instrumentation, in agreement with results reported for open anterior instrumentation, reliably restores or increases thoracic kyphosis while preserving junctional alignment in thoracic AIS.
Local anesthetic reduces pain associated with transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy: a meta-analysis.

Abstract Objectives To determine whether local anesthetic decreases the pain associated with transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate needle biopsy. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed of randomized clinical trials of periprostatic local anesthetic for prostate biopsy. The primary outcome was pain as determined by the visual analog scale. The standardized mean differences between groups were estimated using the DerSimonian and Laird random effects models. Results Fourteen trials with a total of 994 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. Pooled data analysis demonstrated significantly decreased pain with the use of local anesthetic. The standardized mean difference in the pain score comparing local anesthetic to placebo or nothing was −1.05 (95% confidence interval −1.40 to −0.71, P P = 0.34) and Egger’s test ( P = 0.50) showed no evidence of significant publication bias. Sensitivity analysis showed only slight changes in the effect estimate with sequential omission of each trial or with repetition of the analysis with subgroups of trials based on likely sources of heterogeneity. Conclusions The results of our analysis have shown that compared with no anesthetic, periprostatic local anesthetic significantly decreases the pain associated with transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate needle biopsy.
Staged Volume Radiosurgery Followed by Microsurgical Resection: A Novel Treatment for Giant Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations: Technical Case Report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We describe the successful treatment of symptomatic giant arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) using staged volume radiosurgery followed by microsurgical resection. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man presented with Spetzler-Martin Grade 5 AVMs, with persistent headaches and seizures. He had previously undergone eight attempts at AVM embolization and a craniotomy for attempted AVM resection; he had suffered four episodes of brain hemorrhaging but had made a good neurological recovery. INTERVENTION: Because of the persistent symptoms of the patient and his history of hemorrhaging, a treatment plan based on staged radiosurgical treatments of different portions of the AVMs (three sessions, spaced 6 mo apart), followed by delayed microsurgical removal of the much-reduced residual AVMs (3 years later), was undertaken. The patient did not suffer any additional hemorrhaging episodes, his AVMs were completely removed, and he has made a good recovery. CONCLUSION: Staged volume radiosurgery followed by microsurgical resection of the residual AVMs represents a novel treatment strategy for the management of Grade 5 AVMs that might be untreatable by any single treatment method used alone.
Social cognition and children's aggressive behavior.

DODGE, KENNETH A. Social Cognition and Children's Aggressive Behavior. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1980, 51, 162-170. Aggressive and nonaggressive boys from grades 2, 4, and 6 were exposed to a frustrating negative outcome which was instigated by an unknown peer who had acted with either a hostile intent, a benign intent, or an ambiguous intent. Videotaped behavioral responses constituted the dependent measures. Contrary to a hypothesis, aggressive boys did not display any failure to integrate intent cues into their behavioral reactions to the negative consequences, nor were there any significant main or interaction effects for age of subject. All groups responded with more aggression in the hostile condition than in the benign condition. Aggressive and nonaggressive subjects differed only in the ambiguous condition. Here aggressive subjects responded as if the peer had acted with a hostile intent. Nonaggressive subjects responded as if the peer had acted with a benign intent. The hypothesis that aggressive children respond to ambiguous-intention-negative-consequence situations with aggression because they infer a hostile intention was supported by a follow-up study using hypothetical episodes as stimuli. Results of this second study reflect the increased significance of the social reputation of the aggressive child with increasing age. The total pattern of results suggests a picture of the aggressive child being caught up in a spiraling cycle of reputation and behavior.
Antifungal Properties of Clavacin.

SummaryUsing 3 species of fungi, the fungistatic and fungicidal actions of clavacin were investigated. The presence of 0.02%, and with some samples 0.01%, of clavacin in the culture medium completely inhibited the growth of Trichophyton gypseum. A concentration of 0.001% of clavacin caused partial inhibition while 0.0001% caused no detectable effect. In contrast, the presence of 0.04% of clavacin had but a slight inhibitory effect on Monilia albicans and Oidium asteroides.A 1% solution of clavacin was fungicidal for T. gypseum in 15 minutes, the shortest exposure time employed, M. albicans in 30 minutes, and O. asteroides in 15 minutes to 1 hour. Solutions containing 0.5% clavacin were fungicidal for T. gypseum in 15 to 45 minutes, to M. albicans in 45 minutes to 3 hours, and for O. asteroides in 1 to 3 hours. The 0.1% solutions killed T. gypseum in 2 to 5 hours but failed to be fungicidal for the other two organisms even after 24 hours.
Computer constructed optical-rose diagrams

Abstract Rose diagrams, a circular plot of relative frequencies, are a convenient method of visualizing directional data. One method of obtaining optical-rose diagrams is by sampling the intensity distribution across the Fourier transform. This transform is produced optically using directional data in pictorial form. High-contrast black-and-white reduced transparencies form the input to the optical system containing a monochromatic laser source and a series of lenses to focus the diffraction pattern on the transform plane. Light intensity, recorded digitally over all directions on the transform plane by a set of photodiodes, is normalized and circularly plotted by computer to produce optical-rose diagrams. By selective filtering, certain directions can be eliminated to enhance the effect of the residual major or minor directional features. Directional filtering is achieved by obstructing the light in the transform plane by a wedge and using another lens. These filtered transforms can be reconstructed to form the image with the desired directions. Optical-rose construction is easy, economical, and fast, in addition to having the flexibility of selective directional filtering and reconstructing the filtered image.
Improved procedures for purification of human and canine creatine kinase isoenzymes.

Abstract Improved, and relatively simple procedures are described for the purification of human and canine creatine kinase isoenzymes with much higher yields (30 to 60%) and purity (450 kU/g) than previously possible. Contaminant albumin was removed from the MB preparation by albumin antibodies attached to Sepharose-4B. All isoenzyme preparations exhibited a single protein band on SDS gel electrophoresis. Using specific antisera to the isoenzymes and albumin the preparations were shown to be immunochemically pure and to give reliable results in a radioimmunoassay.
Author feedback experiment at PAM 2007

This editorial article is put together to disseminate the experience gained through the author feedback experiment, performed at the 2007 Passive and Active Measurement (PAM) conference.
Surface electronic properties of CdSe nanocrystallites

The surface electronic properties of CdSe nanocrystallites have been probed using low temperature and Zeeman spectroscopies. Fluorescence line narrowed spectra show dramatic changes between 1.75 and 10 K and also as a function of applied magnetic field. These effects are attributed to the localization of the photogenerated charge carriers on the surface. A simple model has been constructed to calculate the charge distribution within the nanocrystallite.
Classifying with confidence from incomplete information

We consider the problem of classifying a test sample given incomplete information. This problem arises naturally when data about a test sample is collected over time, or when costs must be incurred to compute the classification features. For example, in a distributed sensor network only a fraction of the sensors may have reported measurements at a certain time, and additional time, power, and bandwidth is needed to collect the complete data to classify. A practical goal is to assign a class label as soon as enough data is available to make a good decision. We formalize this goal through the notion of reliability--the probability that a label assigned given incomplete data would be the same as the label assigned given the complete data, and we propose a method to classify incomplete data only if some reliability threshold is met. Our approach models the complete data as a random variable whose distribution is dependent on the current incomplete data and the (complete) training data. The method differs from standard imputation strategies in that our focus is on determining the reliability of the classification decision, rather than just the class label. We show that the method provides useful reliability estimates of the correctness of the imputed class labels on a set of experiments on time-series data sets, where the goal is to classify the time-series as early as possible while still guaranteeing that the reliability threshold is met.
A Two-Compartment Model Describing the Release and Negative Inotropic Action of Acetylcholine on the Heart

Single-pulse stimulation of the vagus nerve in turtles ( Pseudymys floridana ) produced the well-known negative inotropic effect on the atria. After stimulation, the peak amplitudes of the atrial contractions exhibited an envelope which appeared to be proportional to the concentration of acetylcholine at the receptor sites. Postulating a quantized release of acetylcholine with each stimulus, the envelope was modeled by a two-equal-compartment configuration. In about 63% of the cases this envelope behaved as if it described a critically damped system, in 18% of the cases it behaved as if the system were slightly overdamped, and in the remaining 19% it corresponded to a lightly underdamped system. The average washout time constant per compartment calculated from the single-pulse response was 4.7 ± 0.8 seconds (SD). Repetitive stimulation was provisionally equated with a constant release of acetylcholine; its mathematical description was derived from the time integral of the single-pulse case, i.e., from a direct application of indicator-dilution theory. However, the average time constant obtained from this second type of fit was only 0.84 ± 0.4 seconds. This lower value was interpreted as a dynamic modification (perhaps nonlinear) due to accumulation of acetylcholine and probably associated with an increase in acetylcholine esterase activity.
The Center Wages Kulturpolitik : Conflict in the Marx-Keudell Cabinet of 1927

In descriptions of the political structure of the Weimar Republic, the German Center Party is usually grouped as a party of the “middle,” together with the German Democratic Party and German People's Party, between the left-wing Social Democrats and the right-wing German Nationalists. In the years after 1928, the Center showed an increasing disinclination to work in coalition with the Social Democratic Party and finally, under the leadership of Dr. Ludwig Kaas, the last chairman of the Center Party, broke completely with the Socialists. During the same years Heinrich Bruning, Chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932, made persistent, though futile, attempts to find an acceptable coalition partner for the Center on the Right, hoping, among other possibilities, to encourage a secession movement from the Nationalist Party in 1930. Because of the rapid dwindling of electoral support for the other parties of the middle, very little attention has been paid to the Center's relationship with them. It is the purpose of this article to show that the mutual antipathies between these parties and the Center were as great or greater than its antipathy toward Social Democracy on certain matters which were vital to the Center's existence. By 1928, in fact, coalition with the parties of the middle had become as unsatisfactory to the leaders of the Center as coalition with the party of the Left. The turning-point in this development was the breakup of the Marx-Keudell right-wing cabinet of 1927. The failure of that government to attain the party's goals in the realm of Kulturpolitik , i.e., religion and education, confirmed the Center's disillusionment with the workings of the parliamentary system itself.
Outcomes of open surgical repair for chronic type B aortic dissections.

Objective Open surgical repair (OSR) for chronic type B aortic dissection (CTBAD) has an associated morbidity and mortality. The role of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in CTBAD has not been determined. We analyzed our contemporary experience of CTBAD undergoing OSR to identify high-risk patients who may be considered for TEVAR. Methods From 1999 to 2010, 221 patients had repair of descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms, including 86 patients with CTBADs. We analyzed this cohort for mortality, complications, length of stay, and reinterventions. Results OSR was performed in 25 (29%) and 61 (71%) patients for descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal CTBAD, respectively. Median age was 57.0 years (interquartile range [IQR], 52.0-64.2 years), and median diameter was 6.0 cm (IQR, 5.0-6.9 cm). Fifty-nine patients (69%) were male. Eight (9%) were treated for rupture. Follow-up duration was 4.6 years (IQR, 2.8-6.9 years). Hospital mortality occurred in five patients (5.8%). Cardiopulmonary bypass was used in 83 patients (97%) and deep hypothermic arrest in 36 (42%). Two patients (2.3%) each developed paraplegia, stroke, and renal failure requiring permanent hemodialysis in the postoperative period. Length of stay was 13.5 days (IQR, 10.0-21.0 days). Univariate predictors of hospital death included redo operations and prolonged pump time ( P Conclusions OSR of CTBAD is a durable option with low mortality. Patients requiring redo operations or anticipated prolonged pump time need further evaluation to determine whether conventional OSR or TEVAR, if feasible, is the optimal treatment option.
Design and acceleration of phase-only filter-based optical pattern recognition for fingerprint identification

We present the use of phase-only filter-based correlation for fingerprint pattern identification. The main advantage of this approach is that it is distortion tolerant and can be realized in optical or electronic parallel hardware. Given that real-world fingerprints are almost never perfect, distortion tolerance can prove to be very important for this application. Our results indicate that the algorithm can identify prints with 58% of the data missing on average. With large fingerprint databases, identification can be a computationally challenging task. The high parallelism in the phase-only correlation filter makes it ideally suited to field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based hardware acceleration. We examine the FPGA-based acceleration of the fingerprint algorithm. On a Xilinx Virtex II Pro FPGA, we achieve speedups of about 47 times over an optimized C implementation of the algorithm on a 2.2-GHz AMD Opteron processor. Our FPGA implementation is optimized to allow efficient processing of large databases.
Implicit and Exact Path Delay Fault Grading in Sequential Circuits

The first path implicit and exact non-robust path delay fault grading technique for non-scan sequential circuits is presented. Non enumerative exact coverage is obtained, by allowing any latched error representing a delayed transition to propagate to a primary output with the support of other potentially latched errors. The generalized error propagation is done by symbolic simulation. Appropriate data structures for function manipulation are used. The advantage of the proposed method is demonstrated experimentally with consistent improvement in coverage over an existing pessimistic heuristic despite enforced bounds on the memory requirements.
Making the most of what you've got: Optimizing residual OXPHOS function in mitochondrial diseases

Patients affected by mitochondrial OXPHOS disorders are still faced with a grim lack of therapeutic options. In this Closeup, Carlos Moraes revisits the recent data by Giovanni Manfredi on PKA's functions in the mitochondria and now its modulation can improve respiration and ATP production in COX-defective cells.
Universal Quantum Viscosity in a Unitary Fermi Gas

A Fermi gas of atoms with resonant interactions is predicted to obey universal hydrodynamics, in which the shear viscosity and other transport coefficients are universal functions of the density and temperature. At low temperatures, the viscosity has a universal quantum scale ħ n, where n is the density and ħ is Planck's constant h divided by 2π, whereas at high temperatures the natural scale is p(T)(3)/ħ(2), where p(T) is the thermal momentum. We used breathing mode damping to measure the shear viscosity at low temperature. At high temperature T, we used anisotropic expansion of the cloud to find the viscosity, which exhibits precise T(3/2) scaling. In both experiments, universal hydrodynamic equations including friction and heating were used to extract the viscosity. We estimate the ratio of the shear viscosity to the entropy density and compare it with that of a perfect fluid.
Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vitro Evaluation of a Hydrogel-Based Corneal Onlay

Blindness due to opacity of the cornea is treated by corneal transplantation with donor tissue. Due to the limited supply of suitable donor corneas, the need for synthetic corneal equivalents is clear. Herein we report the design and in vitro characterization of a hydrogel-based implant; this implant will serve as a permanent, transparent, space-filling onlay with a two-layer design that mimics the native corneal stratification to support surface epithelialization and foster integration with the surrounding tissue. The top layer of the implant was composed of a 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate hydrogel containing methacrylic acid as the co-monomer (HEMA-co-MAA) with tunable dimensions and compressive modulus ranging from 700-1000 kPa. The bottom layer, which constitutes the bulk of the implant and is designed to provide integration with the corneal stroma, is a dendrimer hydrogel with high water content and compressive modulus ranging from 500-1200 kPa. Both hydrogels were found to possess optical and diffusion properties similar to those of the human cornea. In addition, composite implants with uniform and structurally sound interfaces were formed when the gels were sequentially injected and cross-linked in the same mold. HEMA-co-MAA hydrogels were covalently modified with type I collagen to enable corneal epithelial cell adhesion and spreading that was dependent upon the collagen coating density but independent of hydrogel stiffness. Similarly, dendrimer hydrogels supported the adhesion and spreading of corneal fibroblasts upon modification with the adhesion ligand arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD). Fibroblast adhesion was not dependent upon dendrimer hydrogel stiffness for the formulations studied and, after in vitro culture for 4 weeks, fibroblasts remained able to adhere to and conformally coat the hydrogel surface. In conclusion, the tunable physical properties and structural integrity of the laminated interface suggests that this design is suitable for further study. The judicious tuning of material properties and inclusion of bioactive moieties is a promising strategy for promotion of implant epithelialization and tissue integration.
Test of Bogartz’s model on binary prediction by children

Sixty-four nursery Ss and 64 kindergarten Ss predicted the next event in sequences that were either predominantly alternating or repeating. There were 100 trials in acquisition. For the 100 transfer trials, the type of sequence was switched for half of the Ss. Bogartz’s model represented the essential features of the data. These findings support his theory, which emphasizes attention and short-term memory processes and assumes the learning of rules rather than probabilities. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that his theory can be extended to situations where children must change rules.
Prediction of sphingosine 1-phosphate-stimulated endothelial cell migration rates using biochemical measurements.

The ability to predict endothelial cell migration rates may aid in the design of biomaterials that endothelialize following implantation. However, the complexity of the signaling response to migration-promoting stimuli such as sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) makes such predictions quite challenging. A number of signaling pathways impact S1P-mediated cell migration, including the Akt and Src pathways, which both affect activation of the small GTPase Rac. Rac activation promotes the formation of lamellipodia, and thus should be intimately linked to cell migration rates. In immortalized endothelial cells, expression of proteins that inhibit Akt, Src, and Rac (PTEN, CSK, and β2-chimaerin, respectively) was decreased using RNA interference, resulting in increases in the basal level of activation of Akt, Src, and Rac. Cells were scrape-wounded and stimulated with 1 μM S1P. The timecourse of Akt, Src, and Rac activation was followed over 2 h in the perturbed cells, while migration into the scrape wound was measured over 6 h. Rac activation at 120 min post-stimulation was highly correlated with the mean migration rate of cells, but only in cells stimulated with S1P. Using partial least squares regression, the migration rate of cells into the scrape wound was found to be highly correlated with the magnitude of the early Akt peak (e.g., 5–15 min post-stimulation). These results demonstrated that biochemical measurements might be useful in predicting rates of endothelial cell migration.