cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The sentinel role of peptidoglycan recycling in the β-lactam resistance of the Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The peptidoglycan is the structural polymer of the bacterial cell envelope. In contrast to an expectation of a structural stasis for this polymer, during the growth of the Gram-negative bacterium this polymer is in a constant state of remodeling and extension. Our current understanding of this peptidoglycan “turnover” intertwines with the deeply related phenomena of the liberation of small peptidoglycan segments (muropeptides) during turnover, the presence of dedicated recycling pathways for reuse of these muropeptides, β-lactam inactivation of specific penicillin-binding proteins as a mechanism for the perturbation of the muropeptide pool, and this perturbation as a controlling mechanism for signal transduction leading to the expression of β-lactamase(s) as a key resistance mechanism against the β-lactam antibiotics. The nexus for many of these events is the control of the AmpR transcription factor by the composition of the muropeptide pool generated during peptidoglycan recycling. In this review we connect the seminal observations of the past decades to new observations that resolve some, but certainly not all, of the key structures and mechanisms that connect to AmpR.
An unusual case of low α1 antichymotrypsin in a burned patient

Abstract Measurement of the level of serum α 1 antitrypsin ( α 1 AT) and α 1 antichymotrypsin ( α 1 ACT) in a 31-year-old male with a 35 per cent body surface area burn showed the patient to have low levels of α 1 ACT on admission to the Wessex Regional Burns Centre. The rise in the level of this protein was depressed by comparison with other patients sustaining comparable injuries and the level of the protein returned to about 50 per cent of the normal value. The α 1 AT level was also depressed and it is possible that this patient has a genetic deficiency of both α 1 AT and α 1 ACT.
Analysis of stability of a planar solid-liquid interface in a dilute binary alloy

The question of stability of a planar solid-liquid interface in undercooled pure and alloy melts has been reconsidered without the restrictive assumption of no heat flow in the solid made in earlier works. The modified analysis indicates that provided the thermal gradient on the solid side of the interface, Gs, is positive, stability can be achieved in an undercooled alloy melt for growth rates R>Ra, whereas a recent analysis by Trivedi and Kurz, which assumes Gs = 0, suggests that stability is possible only if R>Ra + Rat. Here Ra is the familiar absolute stability limit of Mullins and Sekerka and Rat, is the absolute stability limit in an undercooled pure melt, as identified by Trivedi and Kurz. The absolute stability criterion for steady-state planar growth in an undercooled alloy melt is thus the same as derived earlier by Mullins and Sekerka for directional solidification. Relaxing the restrictive assumption of Gs = 0 also reveals that there is a regime of stability for low growth rates and low supercoolings. Stability is possible under these conditions if Gs>0, and the bath undercooling ΔTb Ra + Rat.
Fulminant Clostridium septicum Aortitis

An 87-year-old man was admitted to our cardiothoracic surgical service complaining of epigastric and interscapular pain of 3 days’ duration. His temperature was 101°F; white blood cell count, 19 100/mm3; and hemoglobin, 11.3 gm/dL. An ECG and serial cardiac enzyme measurements were negative for myocardial ischemia. An echocardiogram demonstrated normal left ventricular function, mild aortic stenosis, and mild biatrial enlargement. Mediastinal enlargement on chest film prompted a CT scan of the chest and abdomen. A gas collection dissecting the outer layer of the aortic wall was identified from the level of the left subclavian artery all the way down to the intra-abdominal …
Specification and synthesis of communicating processes using an extended temporal logic: (preliminary version)

We apply an Extended Propositional Temporal Logic (EPTL) to the specification and synthesis of the synchronization part of communicating processes. To specify a process, we give an EPTL formula that describes its sequence of communications. The synthesis is done by constructing a model of the given specifications using a tableau-like satisfiability algorithm for the extended temporal logic. This model can then be interpreted as a program.
Intravenous Thrombolysis in a Stroke Patient Taking Dabigatran

We describe the use of intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV-rtPA) in a patient with concomitant dabigatran use. A 64-year-old man with a history of coronary artery disease, pacemaker placement, and atrial fibrillation developed acute right arm/face weakness and dysarthria. He was unable to list his home medications. His platelet count was 167 × 10 9 /L (normal 150-399 × 10 9 /L), and his activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was 37.6 seconds (normal 24.0-33.0 seconds). His international normalized ratio (INR) was 1.1. He received IV-rtPA at 3 hours and 25 minutes after the onset of symptoms. After IV-rtPA was administered, it was discovered that the patient had been taking dabigatran for 2 months. After IV-rtPA, the patient developed severe superficial left arm ecchymoses but remained without cerebral complications. On poststroke day 1, his fibrinogen level was low at 63 mg % (normal 190-395 mg %), his aPTT was normal at 33, and his INR was elevated at 1.72 but decreased to 1.18 on the following day. Repeat computed tomographic imaging of his brain confirmed a left middle cerebral artery ischemic cortical infarct. We report a case of an acute stroke patient taking dabigatran who received IV-rtPA. In the acute stroke setting, clinicians should be aware of the increasing use of dabigatran in patients with atrial fibrillation when considering IV-rtPA. Although aPTT does not provide a linear response to dabigatran therapy, the presence of a completely normal PTT may exclude therapeutic dabigatran anticoagulation.
A Chondral Modeling Theory Revisited

The mechanical environment of limb joints constantly changes during growth due to growth-related changes in muscle and tendon lengths, long bone dimensions, and body mass. The size and shape of limb joint surfaces must therefore also change throughout post-natal development in order to maintain normal joint function. Frost's (1979, 1999) chondral modeling theory proposed that joint congruence is maintained in mammalian limbs throughout postnatal ontogeny because cartilage growth in articular regions is regulated in part by mechanical load. This paper incorporates recent findings concerning the distribution of stress in developing articular units, the response of chondrocytes to mechanically induced deformation, and the development of articular cartilage in order to expand upon Frost's chondral modeling theory. The theory presented here assumes that muscular contraction during post-natal locomotor development produces regional fluctuating, intermittent hydrostatic pressure within the articular cartilage of limb joints. The model also predicts that peak levels of hydrostatic pressure in articular cartilage increase between birth and adulthood. Finally, the chondral modeling theory proposes that the cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions within immature articular cartilage resulting from mechanically induced changes in hydrostatic pressure regulate the metabolic activity of chondrocytes. Site-specific rates of articular cartilage growth are therefore regulated in part by the magnitude, frequency, and orientation of prevailing loading vectors. The chondral modeling response maintains a normal kinematic pathway as the magnitude and direction of joint loads change throughout ontogeny. The chondral modeling theory also explains ontogenetic scaling patterns of limb joint curvature observed in mammals. The chondral modeling response is therefore an important physiological mechanism that maintains the match between skeletal structure, function, and locomotor performance throughout mammalian ontogeny and phylogeny.
Patchy Landscapes and Animal Movements: Do Beetles Percolate?

Simple neutral percolation models of ecological landscapes predict a critical threshold of landscape connectivity at ca 60% coverage of cells that are permeable to movement. Using such models as an inspiration, we conducted a field experiment in which we employed an experimental model system of tenebrionid beetles (Eleodes obsoleta) moving through mosaics of grass and bare ground in which grass coverage was systematically varied from 0% to 80% in a random pattern. Three parameters of beetle movement pathways (mean step length, mean vector length, and net displacement rate) all showed a sharp reduction between 0% and 20% grass cover and no differences over further 20% coverage increments; the mean fractal dimension of pathways (which could not be derived for the 0% coverage treatment) also did not differ with increasing grass coverage from 20% to 80%. The proportion of time spent by beetles in grass patches did not increase with increasing grass coverage, although individuals spent significantly more time steps in grass in the 20% grass-cover treatment than would be expected by chance. The distance moved per time step was greater when beetles moved over bare ground than in grass, but the mean step length while on grass was significantly lower when grass constituted only 20% of the experimental landscape than when more grass was present, perhaps because beetles stopped more frequently on grass when little of it was present. The threshold in beetle movement through the experimental landscapes differed markedly from that predicted by simple neutral percolation models, probably because, in contrast to the models, both cover types were permeable to beetle movements and individuals moved nonrandomly. The results of this experiment indicate that definitions of landscape connectivity depend on both the spatial pattern of the landscape and how individuals move within and among patches. Moreover, it appears that movement patterns within a particular patch may be contingent on the characteristics of the surrounding landscape. As a consequence, a land-cover map alone may not predict whether, to a particular kind of organism, a landscape is fragmented or connected, and the spatial distribution of individuals in a population may not map closely onto the distribution of suitable habitat patches. This finding suggests that assessments of metapopulation structure must consider both overall landscape patterns and the nonlinear responses of organisms to such patterns.
Chapter 1. They Sort Out Like Nuts and Bolts: A Scientific Biography of Guy G. Musser

‘‘They sort out like nuts and bolts,’’ or similar wording, was an assertion that regularly arose in my conversations or correspondence with Guy over the past 40 years. The ‘‘they’’ in this statement are species of IndoAustralian rodents (Muroidea: Muridae: Murinae), a diverse and taxonomically complex Old World group that would dominate his research contributions and secure his professional reputation as one of the foremost systematic mammalogists of his generation. The statement carried an implicit comparative context: it referenced Guy’s formative experiences with a comparably complex group of New World rodents, deer mice of the genus Peromyscus (Muroidea: Cricetidae: Neotominae), research that comprised some of his earliest taxonomic works. The subtle features consulted to distinguish Peromyscus species served to sharpen his eye for specific discrimination whenever applied to other muroid genera investigated thereafter, particularly Rattus and kin.
On the relative utility of infrared (IR) versus terahertz (THz) for optical sensors

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has active programs investigating the optical absorption strengths of several types of molecules including toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), microbiological threats such as bacteria, as well as explosives such as RDX, PETN and TNT. While most of our work has centered on the mid-infrared domain (600 to 6,500 cm-1), more recent work has also included work in the far-infrared, also called the terahertz (THz) region (500 to ~8 cm-1). Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, we have been able to compare the relative, and in some cases absolute, IR/THz cross sections of a number of species in the solid and liquid phases. The relative band strengths of a number of species of interest are discussed in terms of both experimental and computational results.
Assessing International Evaluations An Example From USAID’s Democracy and Governance Program

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in international and bilateral aid programs to assist developing countries in expanding democratic governance. Evaluating these efforts’ effectiveness is important given the vast needs of the client population. This article reviews a sample of evaluations of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) democracy and governance (DG) programming. The authors devise a standardized template to assess the quality of evaluations and find that the evaluations commissioned by USAID need major improvement. They find a lack of methodological accuracy and inadequate coverage of important information about the impact of assistance interventions. Given the importance of the substantive issue, high-quality evaluations are needed to provide reliable information for future programs and policies. The authors consider obstacles to obtaining high-quality international evaluations and provide recommendations for improvements. Although their focus is USA...
An upwind, kinetic flux-vector splitting method for flows in chemical and thermal non-equilibrium

We have developed new upwind kinetic difference schemes for flows with non-equilibrium thermodynamics and chemistry. These schemes are derived from the Boltzmann equation with the resulting Euler schemes developed as moments of the discretized Boltzmann scheme with a locally Maxwellian velocity distribution. Splitting the velocity distribution at the Boltzmann level is seen to result in a flux-split Euler scheme and is called Kinetic Flux Vector Splitting (KFVS). Extensions to flows with finite-rate chemistry and vibrational relaxation is accomplished utilizing nonequilibrium kinetic theory. Computational examples are presented comparing KFVS with the schemes of Van Leer and Roe for a quasi-one-dimensional flow through a supersonic diffuser, inviscid flow through two-dimensional inlet, and viscous flow over a cone at zero angle-of-attack. Calculations are also shown for the transonic flow over a bump in a channel and the transonic flow over an NACA 0012 airfoil. The results show that even though the KFVS scheme is a Riemann solver at the kinetic level, its behavior at the Euler level is more similar to the existing flux-vector splitting algorithms than to the flux-difference splitting scheme of Roe.
The role of CD154 in organ transplant rejection and acceptance

CD154 plays a critical role in determining the outcome of a transplanted organ. This simple statement is amply supported by experimental evidence demonstrating that anti-CD154 antibodies are potent inhibitors of allograft rejection in many rigorous transplant models. Unfortunately, despite intensive investigation over the past ten years, the precise mechanisms by which antibodies against CD154 exert their anti-rejection effects have remained less obvious. Though originally classified with reference to B-cell function, CD154-CD40 interactions have also been shown to be important in T cell-antigen-presenting cell interactions. Accordingly, CD154 has been classified as a T-cell co-stimulatory molecule. However, mounting data suggest that treatment with anti-CD154 antibodies does not simply block costimulatory signals, but rather that the antibodies appear to induce signalling in receptor-bearing T cells. Other data suggest that anti-CD154 effects may be mediated by endothelial cells and possibly even platelets. In fact, the current literature suggests that CD154 can either stimulate or attenuate an immune response, depending upon the model system under study. CD154 has secured a fundamental place in transplant biology and general immunology that will no doubt be the source of considerable investigation and therapeutic manipulation in the coming decade.
A dose-finding and pharmacodynamic study of bortezomib in combination with weekly paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors

Purpose A phase I study to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of bortezomib (B) when combined with weekly paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors.
Automated PET/CT Cardiac Registration for Accurate Attenuation Correction

Alignment of PET and CT images is essential for accurate measurements of cardiac perfusion. Misalignment can produce an erroneous attenuation map that projects lung attenuation parameters onto the heart wall, thereby underestimating the attenuation, and creating artifactual areas of hypoperfusion which may be misinterpreted as myocardial ischemia or infarction. The main cause of misregistration between CT and PET images is the respiratory motion of the patient. In this paper, an automated cardiac software alignment method is proposed to overcome this motion artifact. In this approach, the heart is extracted from the PET data through windowing and c-mean clustering, and the CT scans are segmented to obtain the corresponding heart geometry. From this processed data, the heart geometries are registered, and a motion correction vector is calculated such that the alignment error of the two modalities is minimized. Results of this optimization procedure have been evaluated on 24 patient PET/CT cardiac data sets producing accurate cardiac alignment which eliminated PET/CT misregistration attenuation correction artifact.
Novel synthesis of triblock PDMS‐PS‐PDMS copolymers

Benzyl 6-(2'-pentamethyldisiloxanyl ethyl)-ortho-tolyl ketone (I) was prepared by a ruthenium-catalyzed Murai reaction of benzyl ortho-tolyl ketone with vinyl pentamethyldisiloxane. The reaction of I with a mixture of styrene and a catalytic amount of picoline Cu(II) acetate yielded the telechelic polystyrene α,ω-bis(2-pentamethyl-disiloxanyl ethyl)polystyrene (III). The acid-catalyzed equilibration polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane into the Si-O-Si bonds of telechelic III yielded the polydimethylsiloxane-polystyrene-polydimethylsiloxane triblock soft-hard-soft copolymer. The molecular weights of the copolymers were studied by 1 H NMR end-group analysis and gel permeation chromatography. The thermal properties and morphology of IV were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
SU-E-J-89: Motion Effects On Organ Dose in Respiratory Gated Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Purpose: Existing reports on gated radiation therapy focus mainly on optimizing dose delivery to the target structure. This work investigates the motion effects on radiation dose delivered to organs at risk (OAR) in respiratory gated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). A new algorithmic tool of dose analysis is developed to evaluate the optimality of gating phase for dose sparing on OARs while ensuring adequate target coverage. Methods: Eight patients with pancreatic cancer were treated on a phase I prospective study employing 4DCT-based SBRT. For each patient, 4DCT scans are acquired and sorted into 10 respiratory phases (inhale-exhale- inhale). Treatment planning is performed on the average CT image. The average CT is spatially registered to other phases. The resultant displacement field is then applied on the plan dose map to estimate the actual dose map for each phase. Dose values of each voxel are fitted to a sinusoidal function. Fitting parameters of dose variation, mean delivered dose and optimal gating phase for each voxel over respiration cycle are mapped on the dose volume. Results: The sinusoidal function accurately models the dose change during respiratory motion (mean fitting error 4.6%). In the eight patients, mean dose variation is 3.3 Gy on OARs with maximum of 13.7 Gy. Two patients have about 100cm3 volumes covered by more than 5 Gy deviation. The mean delivered dose maps are similar to plan dose with slight deformation. The optimal gating phase highly varies across the patient, with phase 5 or 6 on about 60% of the volume, and phase 0 on most of the rest. Conclusion: A new algorithmic tool is developed to conveniently quantify dose deviation on OARs from plan dose during the respiratory cycle. The proposed software facilitates the treatment planning process by providing the optimal respiratory gating phase for dose sparing on each OAR.
Strategic considerations of the EC 1992 plan for small exporters

i If smaller bus nesses want to maintain or expand their presence in European markets, they must make preparations now. p W ~ he European I Community's plan to eliminate the remaining internal barriers to trade has been receiving a great deal of publicity while creating a certain amount of fear and anxiety among non-EC trading partners. There is little certainty as to the nature and magnitude of the plan's impact on various economies, industries, and products. However, based on the lessons from the original Treaty of Rome and its implementation, as well as the events that have taken place since the European Commission--the executive body of the EC--published the White Paper on "Completing the Internal Market" in June 1985, certain trends are clear and promise to create major shifts in the way interand intra-EC trade will take place in the post-1992 EC. The purpose of this article is to examine how the proposed changes in the 1992 Plan are likely to influence the ability of small exporters to remain competitive in the EC market. Export activities of small firms are vital to improving the balance of trade. Since large firms already account for a large proportion of U.S. exports, greater results can be achieved from export promotion expenditure on mediumand small-sized firms (Reid 1983). Furthermore, small firms have the greatest untapped potential for expanding in export markets ("A Survey of Business Needs" 1978). Information for this study was gathered through a series of personal interviews with division heads and other officials of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the European Conference of the Ministries of Transport (ECMT) in Europe. Questions asked during these interviews were exploratory in nature and open-ended. The objective was to collect relevant data on current trends and expected changes in post-1992 Europe, with particular reference to small exporting firms. In addition, a mail survey was conducted in the U.S. to assess export pricing practices and the relative competitive position of small firms.
Role of protein kinase C in chick embryo skeletal myoblast fusion

Abstract The involvement of Ca2+ and PGE1 in myoblast fusion has been well documented. Extracellular Ca2+ is essential for myoblast adhesion, alignment, and fusion. There is an obligatory increase in Ca2+ influx immediately preceding fusion and the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 promotes precocious fusion. PGE1 receptors appear just prior to fusion, and an antagonist of PGE1 binding to cell surface receptors blocks fusion when added prior to the Ca2+ influx. Finally, exogenous PGE1 induces precocious fusion. The present study was an initial test of the hypothesis that membrane protein phosphorylation by protein kinase C (PKC) links PGE1 receptor occupancy and the increase in Ca2+ influx. Our conclusion that PKC is an essential component in the regulation of myoblast fusion is based in part on the following evidence: (1) an activator of PKC, the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), at low concentration and for a brief exposure period, induces precocious fusion and stimulates Ca2+ influx; (2) 4α-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, an inactive analog of TPA, has no discernible effect on fusion or Ca2+ influx; (3) 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl glycerol, an analog of endogenous diacylglycerol (DAG) which activates PKC, promotes precocious fusion, as does the DAG kinase inhibitor R59022 (6-[2-[4-[(4-fluorophenyl)phenylmethylene]-1-piperidinyl]ethyl]-7-methyl-5H-thiazole-[3,2α]-pyrimidin-5-one) which raises the level of endogenous DAG by inhibiting its catabolism; (4) 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7), a highly potent PKC inhibitor, reversibly blocks myogenesis at a point between alignment and fusion; and (5) H-7 also blocks the normal increase in Ca2+ influx preceding fusion.
A sensor management protocol for tracking with diverse sensors

We develop a sensor management protocol that a vehicle may use to track other vehicles and objects in its neighborhood using a sensor-suite, an individual element of which gives either periodic cluttered updates or a periodic uncluttered updates. We outline how to combine the joint probabilistic data association filter with stochastic Kalman filters for the state estimation process. However, since such an algorithm is sensitive to modeling errors, we discuss the use of data-driven optimization algorithms to increase robustness. Finally, we discuss extensions of previously developed covariance control sensor management algorithms.
Facilitating collaboration between pharmacists and physicians using an iterative interview process

OBJECTIVE To elicit and describe mutually agreed upon common problems and subsequent solutions resulting from a facilitated face-to-face meeting between pharmacists and physicians. DESIGN Descriptive, exploratory, nonexperimental study. SETTING Wisconsin from October to December 2011. PARTICIPANTS Physicians and community pharmacists. INTERVENTION Face-to-face semistructured interviews with pharmacists and physicians from the same community, informed by previous individual interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Methods to enhance collaboration and barriers to implementing collaboration between pharmacists and physicians. RESULTS Physicians and pharmacists generated ideas in which collaboration could improve patient care, including controlled substance monitoring, medication adherence, collaborative practice agreements for point-of-service issues, and a mechanism for urgent communication. Methods on how to collaborate on these issues also were discussed. CONCLUSION Bringing physicians and pharmacists together for a face-to-face interaction that was informed by information gained in previous individual interviews successfully stimulated conversation on ways in which each profession could help the other provide optimal patient care. This interaction appeared to dispel assumptions and build trust. The results of this project may provide pharmacists with the confidence to reach out to their physician colleagues.
Optimizing the time cost of multiple groups of parallel processes within a parallel structure

In a shared-memory parallel processing environment, shared variables facilitate communication between processes. To protect the shared variables from nondetermination, which can result from concurrent access by more than one process at a time, they are placed within a critical section. In previous work the authors introduced scheduling methods to optimize the time cost of a parallel structure when processes within the parallel structure must access the same critical section. Here, they extend the model and assume that there can be more than one group of parallel processes and that each group has one critical section. Assuming that each critical section is stored in a different memory module, they present methods of optimizing the time cost of the parallel structure under two different scenarios. The first scenario assumes that memory modules exist to accommodate all the groups; the second scenario assumes that these are not enough memory modules to accommodate all the groups. >
Restructuring the curriculum: Designing an optimal electronics engineering technology program

In order to determine what is the best possible university problem in applied electronics engineering, the EET (electronics engineering technology) faculty at BYU (Brigham Young University) participated in exercise to re-evaluate the BYU EET program. The highlight of this process was a two-day continuous retreat. All participants, consisting of the EET faculty plus a selected group of students, alumni, and industrial advisors, retreated to a location outside the university. Prior to the retreat every course was outlined, employers and students were polled and philosophies of technology and teaching were shared and debated. Then at the retreat an intensive study of the elements necessary to make an optimal curriculum was conducted. The culmination of the retreat is an outline of the optimal program. >
Nursing education and social constraints: an indepth analysis

Abstract This paper summarizes the results of a study analyzing the social, economic and political factors affecting the nursing education system in the Federal Republic of Germany (F.R.G.). Using a hermeneutic-dialectical approach the researcher examined the circumstances surrounding the conceptualization, implementation and non-continuation of an experimental program for the university education of nurse instructors in the F.R.G.—the first university program in nursing in the country. Paulo Freire's model of oppressed group behavior was found to be useful in making sense of the data and was drawn on to outline the characteristics of a nursing education that is ‘freeing', that is, which which leads to the development of critical consciousness in nurses.
Characterization of early pathogenic effects after experimental infection of calves with bovine immunodeficiency-like virus.

Abstract The early pathogenic effects of bovine immunodeficiency-like virus (BIV) were studied in calves experimentally inoculated with BIV. All animals inoculated with BIV R29-infected cells seroconverted by 6 weeks postinoculation, and BIV was recoverable from each animal at 2 weeks postinoculation. However, levels of BIV replication in vivo appeared to be low. In situ hybridization studies indicated that during peak periods of viral replication in vivo, less than 0.03% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were expressing detectable levels of viral RNA. Moreover, the levels of viral RNA in these cells in vivo were less than 1/10 the levels observed in persistently infected cells in vitro. BIV-inoculated calves had significantly higher numbers of circulating lymphocytes, and follicular hyperplasia was observed in lymph nodes, hemal nodes, and spleen. The histopathological changes observed in BIV-infected calves were similar to changes found early after infection with the immunosuppressive lentiviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
Photophysical Properties of Tin Ethyl Etiopurpurin I (SnET2) and Tin Octaethylbenzochlorin (SnOEBC) in Solution and Bound to Albumin

— The photophysical characteristics of two second-generation PDT photosensitizers, tin ethyl etiopurpurin I (SnET2) and tin octaethylbenzochlorin (SnOEBC), have been measured in homogeneous solution and when bound to bovine serum albumin (BSA). The ground state and triplet state absorption spectra have been characterized, as have triplet lifetimes and quantum yields for intersys-tem crossing, singlet oxygen formation and photobleaching. In total, these parameters provide a complete set of data that can be used to quantitatively compare the photosensitizing efficiencies of these molecules. The photo-bleaching quantum yield of SnET2 is increased dramatically when it is bound to BSA, thus limiting the production of singlet oxygen at incident fluences above 1 J/cm2. In contrast, the quantum yield of photobleaching of SnOEBC is at least an order of magnitude lower than that of SnET2 under these conditions and does not significantly limit the photosensitization process for typical in vivo or in vitro fluences. This difference is expected to play a significant role in determining the relative photosensitizing ability of these compounds in vivo.
Additive coloration of MgF2

A study of the additive coloration of MgF2 single crystals has been made. It is possible to introduce F aggregate centers by this method and to destroy these aggregates by radiation to produce an optical absorption band at 265 nm which has been attributed to F centers. A comparison of additive coloration of MgF2 and CaF2 indicates that CaF2 colors more readily. Es wurde die additive Verfarbung von MgF2-Einkristallen untersucht. Es ist moglich F-Aggregat-Zentren zu erzeugen und die Aggregate durch Bestrahlung zu zerstoren, wobei eine optische Absorptionsbande bei 265 nm erzeugt wird, die F-Zentren zugeordnet wird. Ein Vergleich der additiven Verfarbung von MgF2 und CaF2 zeigt, das sich CaF2 leichter verfarbt.
Task allocation in fault-tolerant distributed systems

This paper examines task allocation in fault-tolerant distributed systems. The problem is formulated as a constrained sum of squares minimization problem. The computational complexity of this problem prompts us to consider an efficient approximation algorithm. We show that the ratio of the performance of the approximation algorithm to that of the optimal solution is bounded by 9m/(8m?r+1)), wherem is the number of processors to be allocated andr is the number of times each task is to be replicated. Experience with the algorithm suggests that even better performance ratios can be expected.
Language disabilities of adolescents: implications for diagnosis and remediation.

SummaryThe present paper reviews and integrates the results of investigations of the language abilities of learning-disabled adolescents by the author and her associates. The findings indicate that adolescents with specific learning disorders may demonstrate (1) cognitive-semantic and linguistic processing deficits characterized by delays in the acquisition of linguistic rules and syntactic maturity and in cognitive and logical growth or (2) dysnomia characterized by verbal paraphasias and reduced speed and accuracy of retrieval of verbal labels, verbal associations and syntactic structures. Tests are discussed which may be used to assess the language processing and production abilities of adolescents. The tests focus on the evaluation of (a) cognitive-semantic processing, (b) linguistic processing, (c) productive control of linguistic structures, and (d) convergent and divergent semantic production. The implications of the findings for remedial intervention are discussed. The current data suggest that in...
Modified flip-flop architecture to reduce hold buffers and peak power during scan shift operation

Hold timing closure and scan power are major concerns for any design. Hold closure for scan shift operation generally causes addition of buffers in the data path between flip-flops. This results in increased gate count that will toggle during the functional mode of operation thereby resulting in an increase in functional power. Scan operation also causes higher switching activity due to high toggling in a given test cycle. There are two components of power i.e. peak power and average power. Peak power increases IR-drop in the design, thereby reducing the voltage across the transistor and can lead to failure. In this paper we will present a modified flip-flop architecture that will serve two purposes i.e. enabling hold timing closure across process, voltage, temperature and reducing peak power during scan shift operation with minimal impact to functional timing and area. The modified flip-flop will introduce a half cycle delay in the data path invariant of process, voltage, temperature thereby easing hold closure. Test time and coverage are not impacted by the same. Existing ATPG tool generated pattern can be applied with this scheme. This approach reduces peak power close to 50% and reduces hold buffer area close to 40% in a given design.
That impish TIMP: the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3

untrammeled digestion does not destroy critical tissues. Most MMPs are made only upon demand and in low levels; they are secreted as proenzymes in which a cysteine residue of the propeptide binds to and inactivates the active-site zinc. Most importantly, there is a group of five TIMPs (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases) that are each capable of inhibiting almost every member of the MMP family. The TIMPs are small proteins of about 21,000 Da that contain two domains: N-terminal and C-terminal. Each domain contains three disulfide bridges, making the TIMPs quite stable. Most of the biological functions discovered so far reside in the N-terminal domain of about 125 residues (5). Normally, the TIMPs are in delicate balance with the MMPs and matrix is digested in a highly regulated fashion. However, there are many disease processes in which MMP levels are elevated without a concomitant increase in TIMPs, leading to an imbalance and the resultant destruction of tissues. Some wellknown examples include the loss of cartilage matrix in osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, the rupture of the plaque cap in atherosclerosis, and the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells (6). A surprising feature of the TIMPs is
Feedback interactions between cell-cell adherens junctions and cytoskeletal dynamics in newt lung epithelial cells.

To test how cell–cell contacts regulate microtubule (MT) and actin cytoskeletal dynamics, we examined dynamics in cells that were contacted on all sides with neighboring cells in an epithelial cell...
Cancer stem cells, tumor dormancy, and metastasis

Tumor cells can persist undetectably for an extended period of time in primary tumors and in disseminated cancer cells. Very little is known about why and how these tumors persist for extended periods of time and then evolve to malignancy. The discovery of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in human tumors challenges our current understanding of tumor recurrence, drug resistance, and metastasis, and opens up new research directions on how cancer cells are capable of switching from dormancy to malignancy. Although overlapping molecules and pathways have been reported to regulate the stem-like phenotype of CSCs and metastasis, accumulated evidence has suggested additional clonal diversity within the stem-like cancer cell subpopulation. This review will describe the current hypothesis linking CSCs and metastasis and summarize mechanisms important for metastatic CSCs to re-initiate tumors in the secondary sites. A better understanding of CSCs’ contribution to clinical tumor dormancy and metastasis will provide new therapeutic revenues to eradicate metastatic tumors and significantly reduce the mortality of cancer patients.
Fast Construction of k-Nearest Neighbor Graphs for Point Clouds

We present a parallel algorithm for k-nearest neighbor graph construction that uses Morton ordering. Experiments show that our approach has the following advantages over existing methods: 1) faster construction of k-nearest neighbor graphs in practice on multicore machines, 2) less space usage, 3) better cache efficiency, 4) ability to handle large data sets, and 5) ease of parallelization and implementation. If the point set has a bounded expansion constant, our algorithm requires one-comparison-based parallel sort of points, according to Morton order plus near-linear additional steps to output the k-nearest neighbor graph.
Vulvar Lobular Capillary Hemangioma (Pyogenic Granuloma)

Summary Objective Pyogenic granuloma is a relatively common skin growth. The skin of the head, neck, upper trunk, and hands and feet and the oral mucosa and gingiva are the most common sites, but it seldom appears on the female genitalia. Case Report A 52-year-old woman presented with a lobulated lesion on the right labia majora. The surface of the lesion was reddish and bled occasionally. The lesion was excised and histopathology revealed features suggestive of lobular capillary hemangioma (pyogenic granuloma). Conclusion Pyogenic granuloma is considered a reactive hyperproliferative vascular response to trauma or other stimuli. The name “pyogenic granuloma” is a misnomer since the condition is not associated with pus and does not represent a granuloma histologically. There are a few cases of lobular capillary hemangioma of the glans penis but it is rare on the female genitalia. We present this case to help physicians become aware that lobular capillary hemangiomas may occur at this site.
Ferroelectrically active acoustic wave propagation

The ferroelectrically active acoustic wave equation including electrostriction effects is derived from nonlinear constitutive equations of stress and electric displacement for ferroelectric materials exhibiting significant electrostrictive strain. Electrically controllable acoustic wave propagation is predicted by solving the equation as a function of various acoustic variables, e.g., wave excitation, polarization, dc bias, etc. As examples, the elastic, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric acoustic waves and the electromechanical coupling factors are computed as a function of wave propagation in the [100]-[010] plane of BaTiO3 under thickness excitation mode.
Yawning and thermoregulation

We review a growing body of medical and physiological evidence indicating that yawning may be a thermoregulatory mechanism, providing compensatory cooling when other provisions fail to operate favorably. Conditions such as multiple sclerosis, migraine headaches, epilepsy, stress and anxiety, and schizophrenia have all be linked to thermoregulatory dysfunction and are often associated with instances of atypical yawning. Excessive yawning appears to be symptomatic of conditions that increase brain and/or core temperature, such as central nervous system damage, sleep deprivation and specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Yawning is also associated with drowsiness, and subjective ratings of sleepiness are correlated with increases in body temperature. This view of yawning has widespread application for the basic physiological understanding of thermoregulation as well as for the improved diagnosis and treatment of diseases associated with abnormal thermoregulation.
Computer Vision for Mobile Augmented Reality

Mobile augmented reality (AR) employs computer vision capabilities in order to properly integrate the real and the virtual, whether that integration involves the user’s location, object-based interaction, 2D or 3D annotations, or precise alignment of image overlays. Real-time vision technologies vital for the AR context include tracking, object and scene recognition, localization, and scene model construction. For mobile AR, which has limited computational resources compared with static computing environments, efficient processing is critical, as are consideration of power consumption (i.e., battery life), processing and memory limitations, lag, and the processing and display requirements of the foreground application. On the other hand, additional sensors (such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers) are typically available in the mobile context, and, unlike many traditional computer vision applications, user interaction is often available for user feedback and disambiguation. In this chapter, we discuss the use of computer vision for mobile augmented reality and present work on a vision-based AR application (mobile sign detection and translation), a vision-supplied AR resource (indoor localization and post estimation), and a low-level correspondence tracking and model estimation approach to increase accuracy and efficiency of computer vision methods in augmented reality.
Spinal Cord Neurofibrillary Pathology in Alzheimer Disease and Guam Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex

We examined spinal cords of neurodegenerative disease patients and controls living on the Island of Guam and in the continental United States. These patients had pathologically confirmed parkinsonism dementia-complex (PDC) with or without amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Alzheimer disease (AD), respectively. Nearly all of the spinal cords examined from both groups of patients contained neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). The immunohistochemical profile of these NFTs indicates that they are composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein like their counterparts in the brains of these patients. Western blot analysis confirmed this by revealing that sarcosyl insoluble tau in spinal cord extracts from patients with NFTs exhibited the presence of all 6 tau isoforms similar to that from AD and ALS/PDC cortical gray matter.
Coronary Blood Flow After Acute MI: Alternative Truths.

Rarely do editorialists have the opportunity to address a technically nearly perfect paper on human coronary physiology, particularly, when alternative truths leap out of superb data viewed without preconceptions of what data “should show.” Such data have their own power and their own purity
Hazards of CAPD: Interleukin-1 Production

Evidence has been presented to suggest that the peritoneal macrophage is continuously stimulated during CAPD. Stimulants include pyrogen capable of making the macrophage produce interleukin-1 which in its turn will stimulate prostaglandin and fibroblast formation. Other stimulants exist and remain to be defined. The consequences of this stimulation may well be loss of ultrafiltration followed by sclerosing peritonitis in some cases.
The human fecal streptococci

Ever since the discovery of the typhoid bacillus by Eberth in 1880, gastro-intestinal bacteriology has concerned itself largely with the study of various organisms that have been thought to have a possible bearing on the etiology of specific diseases. It is not surprising, therefore, that among the large number of organisms isolated from the intestinal tract and studied, the streptococcus has come in for its share of attention as a possible inciter of certain of the diarrheal diseases as well as local gastro-intestinal disturbances in infants and adults.
An Experimental Study on the Cooling Effect of Die Casting Die Insert Cooling Devices

Water is usually introduced into a die insert in die casting through a water line to reduce the temperature of the die insert and thus prevent its cracking. In many cases, a drilled waterline circuit is not possible due to confinement of the space. Bubblers or baffles then become typical water passage systems for die insert cooling. This paper presents an experimental study of the relative effectiveness of bubbler and baffle in die insert cooling. An internally channeled steel cylinder was designed as a die insert, with the blind channel drilled for water-cooling. Commercially available bubblers and baffles were inserted in the channel and water was introduced to cool the specimen when it was either heated in an air furnace or cyclically dipped into a molten aluminum bath. Thermocouples were mounted inside the wall of the cylinder to monitor the variation of the insert temperature under various cooling conditions. Experimental results indicate that both the bubbler and baffle can effectively lower the surface temperature of a die insert, with a bubbler being more suitable to cool a specific “hot spot” than a baffle. For a given cooling channel, within the experimental range, the bubbler with a smaller inner diameter has a better cooling effect to a “hot spot” than a bubbler with a larger inner diameter. Increasing the water flow rate always enhances the heat transfer between the cooling water and the sidewall of the cooling channel.© 2003 ASME
The limitations of the reverse-engineering approach to cognitive modeling.

Frost's critique reveals the limitations of the reverse-engineering approach to cognitive modeling – the style of psychological explanation in which a stipulated internal organization (in the form of a computational mechanism) explains a relatively narrow set of phenomena. An alternative is to view organization as both the explanation for some phenomena and a phenomenon to be explained. This move poses new and interesting theoretical challenges for theories of word reading.