cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Lipid Membrane Properties for Tunable Electroporation

Lipid bilayers form nanopores on the application of an electric field. This process of electroporation can be utilized in different applications ranging from targeted drug delivery in cells to nano-gating membrane for engineering applications. However, the ease of electroporation is dependent on the surface energy of the lipid layers and thus directly related to the packing structure of the lipid molecules. 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) lipid monolayers were deposited on a mica substrate using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique at different packing densities and analyzed using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The wetting behavior of these monolayers was investigated by contact angle measurement and molecular dynamics simulations. It was found that an equilibrium packing density of liquid-condensed (LC) phase DPPC likely exists and that water molecules can penetrate the monolayer displacing the lipid molecules. The surface tension of the monolayer in air and water was obtained along with its breakthrough force.© 2012 ASME
Human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell culture and differentiation in 3-D collagen hydrogels for cell-based biosensing

Cell-based three-dimensional systems are desirable in the field of high throughput screening assays due to their potential similarity to in vivo environment. We have used SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells cultured in 3-D collagen hydrogel, confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence staining, to assess the merit of the system as a functional, cell-based biosensor. Our results show differences between 2-D and 3-D resting membrane potential development profile upon differentiation. There was no statistically significant difference in SH-SY5Y proliferation rate between 2-D monolayer and 3-D collagen culture formats. A large percentage of cells (2-D, 91.30% and 3-D, 84.93%) did not develop resting membrane potential value equal to or lower than -40 mV; instead cells exhibited a heterogeneous resting membrane potential distribution. In response to high K(+) (50 mM) depolarization, 3-D cells were less responsive in terms of increase in intracellular Ca(2+), in comparison to 2-D cells, supporting the hypothesis that 2-D cell calcium dynamics may be exaggerated. L-Type Ca(2+) expression levels based on staining results was inconsistent with Bay K 8644 channel activation results, strongly suggesting that either the majority of the channels were non-functional or could not be activated by Bay K 8644. In general, the results in this study confirm the depolarization-induced differences in intracellular calcium release when cultured using a 2-D versus a 3-D matrix.
Comparative Efficacy of the β-Blockers for the Prevention of Increased Intraocular Pressure After Cataract Extraction

We conducted a randomized, double-masked study of intraocular pressure in 80 patients treated with betaxolol, levobunolol, timolol, or placebo after extracapsular cataract extraction. Intraocular pressures were measured preoperatively and early (four to seven hours) and late (20 to 24 hours) postoperatively. There was a significant mean increase in pressure from the preoperative period to the early postoperative period for the placebo group (5.35 mm Hg), betaxolol group (6.73 mm Hg), and the timolol group (3.83 mm Hg). However, the levobunolol group had a mean decrease in pressure (0.43 mm Hg). There was no significant difference between preoperative and late postoperative pressures for any of the groups. One-way analysis of covariance of the changes in pressure from the preoperative to early postoperative period showed a significant increase for the placebo and betaxolol groups compared to the levobunolol group, without significant difference between the levobunolol and timolol groups. Overall, levobunolol proved most effective in preventing an increase in intraocular pressure after extracapsular cataract extraction; timolol was partially effective.
New Tool to Understand Value-for-Money Analysis Concepts in Evaluating Public-Private Partnership Options

This paper presents a new public-private partnership (PPP) financial evaluation tool, PPP-VALUE (Public-Private Partnership Value-for-Money Analysis to Learn and Understand Evaluation). The tool is intended to help states learn how to assess quantitatively whether a PPP is appropriate for specific projects and to understand the relative impacts of the key drivers of value for money. The tool is focused on decisions about infrastructure delivery options to achieve the best value for the public. PPP-VALUE helps states learn how to assess the procuring agency's costs for providing a project through the PPP procurement model and to compare that result with conventional procurement costs. The tool guides state officials in their efforts to understand better the impacts of project risk, revenue, and financing on public agency costs and helps them better understand the key financial variables in making a procurement decision. This paper demonstrates the use of PPP-VALUE with a simplified hypothetical project to ...
Determinants of Loaded Shortening in Cardiac Myocytes

Ventricular performance is dictated by stroke volume, which ultimately depends on the extent of myocyte shortening during loaded contractions. We propose that the extent of loaded shortening is determined by the balance between two processes: (i) Ca2+-cross-bridge-induced cooperative activation of the thin filament and (ii) shortening-induced cooperative deactivation of the thin filament. Accordingly, any modulator that augments contractility (i.e., stroke volume) should favor process (i) and diminish process (ii). Since β-adrenergic stimulation is known to increase contractility, we tested whether PKA (the myofibrillar ligand of β-adrenergic signaling) would increase cooperative activation and diminish shortening-induced deactivation in rat permeabilized cardiac myocytes during submaximal Ca2+ activations. Regarding cooperative activation, PKA increased the slope of tension-pCa relationships (nH = 3.85 ± 0.09 before versus nH = 5.03 ± 0.71 after PKA). PKA also slowed rates of force redevelopment, increased the transient force overshoot after a slack-restretch maneuver, and increased the rate and amplitude of spontaneous oscillatory contractions (SPOCs); all of which are consistent with greater cooperative activation of the thin filament. Regarding cooperative deactivation, PKA increased the curvature of myocyte length traces during lightly loaded shortening (kshortening = 6.41 ± 0.28 before versus kshortening = 9.45 ± 0.53 after PKA) and steepened sarcomere length-tension relationships; both of which implicate enhanced (rather than diminished) shortening-induced cooperative deactivation. Taken together, PKA-induced myofibrillar phosphorylation appears to augment both Ca2+-cross-bridge-induced cooperative activation of the thin filament and (ii) shortening-induced cooperative deactivation. Greater cooperative activation should lead to more cycling cross-bridges, which would speed loaded shortening against a given afterload. On the other hand, greater shortening-induced cooperative deactivation may be necessary to help accelerate relaxation and assist diastolic filling in the face of shorter systolic and diastolic times in the presence of higher heart rates induced by β-adrenergic stimulation.
Infant day care and children's social competence

Although children enrolled in infant day care during their first year have sometimes been characterized as aggressive with their peers and more noncompliant with adults, they have been characterized as more sociable with their peers as well. Few studies have examined individual differences in day care children's social competence nor have studies examined multiple influences on the nature of toddlers' social interactions in day care. In this investigation, socioeconomic status, family relations, temperament, and day care quantity and quality were examined as predictors of toddlers' social interactions using a sample of 36 children who had been enrolled in either a high- or low-quality day care center sometime during their first year. Quality of care served as a compensatory factor in decreasing the likelihood of social difficulties for temperamentally vulnerable children. Multiple-regression models revealed that day care quality was a consistent predictor of children's nonsocial play and positive interactions with caregivers, whereas day care experience was not.
Cockpit Lighting Compatibility With Image Intensification Night Imaging Systems: Issues And Answers

Night imaging systems based on image intensification (I 2 ) tubes are a major factor in the night operation capability of U.S. Army rotary-wing aircraft. A major problem associated with the use of these systems is the detrimental effect caused by internal cockpit lighting. Instrument lamps, caution lamps, utility lights, and other light sources inside the cockpit activate the bright source protection control circuits of the intensification tubes, thereby reducing their sensitivity to external natural and artificial illumination. In 1986, a Tri-Service specification, MIL-L-85762, "Lighting, aircraft, interior, night vision imaging system compatible," was adopted to resolve the cockpit lighting problems. MIL-L-85762 defines the measurement instrumentation and techniques required to certify lighting components as "ANVIS compatible." The specification does not address compatibility problems associated with AN/PVS-5 usage. Ongoing efforts related to MIL-L-85762 include characterization of lighting incompatibilities in current U.S. Army aircraft, implementation of programs to modify the lighting in incompatible cockpits, and certification of proposed lighting components for future aircraft systems. Additional work has been done to provide "near compatible" solutions to lighting problems associated with the use of AN/PVS-5 systems.
Discrimination of Single Base Substitutions in a DNA Strand Immobilized in a Biological Nanopore

Nanopores have been explored as highly sensitive sensors for detection and rapid sequencing of single molecules of DNA. To sequence DNA with a nanopore requires that adenine (A), cytosine (C), thymine (T), and guanine (G) produce distinct current signals as they traverse the pore. Recently, we demonstrated that homopolymers of adenine, cytosine, and thymine immobilized in the nanopore protein α-hemolysin (αHL) produced distinct current blockades dependent on their chemical orientation. To probe the detection limit of αHL, we examined immobilized single strands of T40 DNA (polyT) with single base substitutions of A, C, and G at 12 positions on the strand occupying the stem region of αHL. We find blockade currents sensitive to base identity over most of these positions with the most sensitive region near the pore constriction. Adenine substitutions increase the measured blockade current to values intermediate to the polyT and polyA currents at a number of positions, while C substitutions increase the curren...
Attracting, Motivating and Retaining Executives: Lessons From Years as an HR Executive

The impact of the five pay elements (salary, employee benefits, perquisites, short-term incentives and long-term incentives) on attracting, motivating and retaining executives is described along wi...
Endocytosis is required for the mitogenic effect of basic calcium phosphate crystals in fibroblasts.

Basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals stimulate mitosis of cultured fibroblasts and synoviocytesin vitro. Although intimate crystal-cell contact is required for mitogenesis, and lysosomotropic agents such as chloroquine and ammonium chloride block the mitogenic effect of crystals, the requirement of endocytosis has not been demonstrated. Synthetic BCP crystals, uniformly trace-labeled with45Ca, were added to cultured, quiescent confluent human foreskin fibroblasts in the presence or absence of ammonium chloride. After 4 or 24 hours, cultures were pulsed with3H thymidine. The cells were, then released with EDTA and trypsin, and fractionated on preformed Percoll density gradients. Fractions were analyzed for incorporation of45Ca and [3H]thymidine and cell number. The cells containing45Ca crystals also were heavily labeled with thymidine. Ammonium chloride decreased the amount of crystals endocytosed, and inhibited mitogenesis. These data suggets, that mitogenosis induced by BCP crystals is preceded by endocytosis and dissolution in the acidic environment of phagolysosomes.
Improving web accessibility through an enhanced open-source browser

The accessibilityWorks project provides software enhancements to the MozillaTM, Web browser and allows users to control their browsing environment. Although Web accessibility standards specify markup that must be incorporated for Web pages to be accessible, these standards do not ensure a good experience for all Web users. This paper discusses user controls that facilitate a number of adaptations that can greatly increase the usability of Web pages for a diverse population of users. In addition to transformations that change page presentation, innovations are discussed that enable mouse and keyboard input correction as well as vision-based control for users unable to use their hands for computer input.
Design and calibration of a dual-band imaging system

A prototype portable multispectral imaging system, in terms of design, fabrication, compactness, and cost effectiveness was developed for real-time contaminant detection in poultry processing plants. The prototype system developed in this research was a dual-band spectral imaging system that acquired two different spectral images simultaneously. This was accomplished by using a two-port imaging system that consisted of two identical monochrome cameras, optical components, and two interchangeable optical filters. Spectral reflectance from an object was collimated by lenses and split identically in two directions by a beamsplitter. Focusing lenses behind a beamsplitter projected each image on its respective sensor. Two optical bandpass filters determined the spectral characteristics of each image and are easily interchangeable. In order to co-register two-band images, a system-specific calibration algorithm was developed that corrected lens distortions and lens-sensor geometric misalignments. The prototype imaging system and the system calibration algorithm were tested for image registration accuracy. The imaging system acquired two-band images of 3D object with less than 8.1 μm error in terms of the position of the sensor. The prototype system was able to effectively detect feces (duodenum, cecum, colon) and ingesta on the surface of poultry carcasses.
A new OS/8 SKED

A new SKED run-time system and compiler have been designed for use under the OS8 operating system. OS8 is a set of programs designed by DEC for the PDP8 computer with 8K or more core memory locations and a mass-storage device (disk, or DEC-tape). The advantages of OS8 include operator convenience, device independent input-output, standard file formats, and convenient program chaining as well as a set of standard data analysis programs. The new compiler, OSCOMP, differs from the previous version in two ways. The first new feature is the ability to process named input and output files on any OS8 compatible peripheral. The second feature is the utilization of 8K of core, permitting compilation of longer state tables than could be processed with the earlier version. Furthermore, with a disk as the OS8 peripheral, the compilation process is essentially instantaneous, for state tables previously requiring from 3–30 min with paper tape devices. The new run-time system, OSRTS8, contains a variety of new features. The most important improvements are the abilities to record data on the OS8 peripheral as well as to read state tables stored as files on the mass-storage device. Other new features include chaining of state tables, automatic start, automatic output file specification, and capability for as many as 12 simultaneous stations.
Axonal transport and metabolism of glycoproteins in rat sciatic nerve.

: The axonal transport and metabolism of glycoproteins in sciatic nerve sensory axons were examined from 2 h to 7 weeks following injection of [3H]fucose into the 5th lumbar dorsal root ganglion of adult rats. Incorporation of fucose into glycoproteins was prolonged; only half of the 3H label in the ganglion was acid-insoluble after 4 h, and maximal labeling did not occur until approximately 24 h after injection. [3H]Glycoproteins were transported distally at a rate of approximately 310 mm per day after a synthesis and/or processing lag of approximately 40 min. Gel electrophoresis demonstrated that many glycoproteins were transported, including prominent labeled species having apparent M.W. of approximately 49,000, 90,000, 118,000, and 132,000. With increasing time after injection, a peak with an apparent M.W. of 49,000 accounted for an increasing proportion of the total label in the nerve. The accumulation of this glycoprotein (possibly a subunit of Na+,K+-ATPase, an enzyme known to be present in axolemma) was due in part to its preferential deposition in the axons, while other glycoproteins passed through the axons directly to the nerve terminals. Radioactivity in another labeled glycoprotein, with an apparent M.W. of 30,000, also increased preferentially in the nerve relative to other labeled glycoproteins. This was shown to be the myelin P0 protein. This protein was not transported from the ganglion; rather, its increased prominence with time in the nerve was due both to a decrease in amounts of other labeled species and to an absolute increase in labeling of the P0 protein, possibly due to reutilization by the Schwann cells of fucose released during turnover of labeled glycoproteins delivered to the axons by axonal transport.
Significant life Events and PTSD in Elderly World War II Veterans.

The authors reviewed clinic records of 20 WWII veterans referred for evaluation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twelve patients qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD, and eight reported several symptoms of PTSD. The most frequent symptoms were insomnia (80%), nightmares (75%), and irritability (65%). Fourteen veterans had an exacerbation of symptoms occurring with life stresses, including retirement, deteriorating health, or death of a loved one. The authors conclude that elderly WWII combat veterans should be monitored for changes in PTSD symptoms when significant stressful life events occur.
Longitudinal Study of Daily Hassles in Adolescents in Arab Muslim Immigrant Families

This study investigated which daily hassles (i.e., parent, school, peer, neighborhood, and resource) were perceived by Arab Muslim immigrant adolescents as most stressful over a three-year time period and according to child’s gender and mother’s immigration status (i.e., refugee or non refugee). Data were collected at three time points during adolescence and analyzed using doubly multivariate analysis of covariance with linear and quadratic trends. School and parent hassles were greater than other hassles at every time point. Main effects of time, immigration status, and father’s employment, but not child’s gender, were statistically significant. School and parent hassles increased while peer and resource hassles decreased over time. Adolescents with refugee mothers reported greater school and neighborhood and fewer parent hassles than those with non refugee mothers. Adolescents with unemployed fathers reported significantly more school and neighborhood hassles. Study findings identify two at risk subgroups: those adolescents with refugee mothers and/or those adolescents with unemployed fathers; and pinpoint problematic daily hassles. Additional research is needed to explore vicarious trauma effects as a potential underlying reason for the pattern of daily hassles noted in adolescents with refugee mothers.
A fine structural and histochemical study of the Leydig cell in the testis of the teleost, Oryzias latipes (Cyprinidontiformes)

Abstract The testis of the cyprinidontiform teleost, Oryzias latipes , was studied by electron microscopy and histochemically by light microscopy. Interstitial cells, believed to be the homolog of mammalian Leydig cells, are located between seminiferous cysts and branches of efferent ducts. The fine structural organization of these cells is described in detail. The endoplasmic reticulum consists of loosely stacked, flattened cisternae which are coated with ribosomes; it is not agranular as is usual in steroidogenic cells. Mitochondria are rod-shaped with tubular cristae or pleomorphic with globular inclusions. These teleost Leydig cells give negative histochemical reactions for Sudan black B and Schultz staining, as well as for 3-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity. The fine structural and histochemical status of these cells is compared with findings in steroidogenic cells of mammals and of lower vertebrates, especially of other teleosts. In Oryzias latipes the ultrastructural appearance of the Leydig cell provides evidence of steroidogenesis in the absence of histochemical evidence.
Rotational ablation of chronic coronary occlusions

Rotational ablation was performed successfully in three chronic coronary occlusions. At 3 months follow-up, two of the three lesions were patent. These cases illustrate the overall advantages and unique technical aspects of this device.
Quantum communications: Present status and future prospects

Quantum communication entails transmission of quantum information over a classical or quantum channel, in free space or in optical fiber. This talk will focus on development of resources for efficiently implementing quantum optical communications over the standard telecom infrastructure.
ADHD and stuttering: A tutorial

Abstract The purpose of this tutorial is twofold. The first is to provide a brief description of some of the key diagnostic features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for speech–language pathologists who might not be knowledgeable about this disorder. The second purpose is to provide information and suggestions about treating children who stutter and who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Specific information is provided regarding medication used to treat ADHD symptoms as well as the minimal documented evidence of its impact on stuttering. Suggestions for educational, behavioral, and cognitive management of children who stutter and have ADHD also are discussed. Educational objectives: The reader will learn about and be able to: (1) identify diagnostic criteria for children with ADHD; (2) differentiate pharmacological, environmental, and behavioral interventions for children with ADHD; and (3) examine effective instructional techniques for children who stutter and have ADHD.
Major histocompatibility complex genes and susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus

Susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC)--encoded genes. We have used nucleotide sequence analysis to better define the disease-associated MHC alleles. HLA-DR2, DQw1, and especially the rare allele DQ beta 1. AZH confer high relative risk (RR = 14) for lupus nephritis in a Caucasian population of patients. Pilot studies using historical controls suggest that these genes also confer a high risk in non-Caucasian ethnic groups (RR = 24-78). We have found that DR4 is significantly decreased in patients with lupus nephritis. Fifty percent of the patients with lupus nephritis had either the DQ beta 1.1, the DQ beta 1.AZH, or the DQ beta 1.9 alleles. These alleles share amino acid residues that have been predicted to be the contact points for antigen and the T cell receptor. These HLA alleles appear to have a direct role in the predisposition to lupus nephritis, whereas DR4 may have a "protective" effect.
When is meaning making unhealthy for the self? The roles of neuroticism, implicit theories, and memory telling in trauma and transgression memories

The aim of this study was to examine how three factors—neuroticism, implicit theories of personality, and memory telling—relate to patterns of healthy and unhealthy meaning making in two kinds of negative memories: traumas and transgressions. Healthy meaning making was defined as self-growth, whereas unhealthy meaning making was defined as viewing the self as damaged in traumas (damaged self) and as a bad person in transgressions (bad self). A total of 85 adult participants completed survey measures of personality and memory telling (retrospective reports of extent to which memory was shared with others) and wrote a narrative of a trauma and a transgression which were coded for specific forms of meaning making. Results revealed distinct patterns of associations for trauma and transgression memories. The combination of low neuroticism and an incremental theory (belief that personality can change) predicted self-growth in traumas, whereas memory telling was predictive of self-growth in transgressions, espec...
Emphasizing Thinking Strategies in Basic Fact Instruction

Research and writings by mathematics educators emphasize the importance of thinking strategies in facilitating the teaching and learning of basic facts. Thiele (1938) and Swenson (1949) found convincing evidence that teaching children different thinking strategies helped the learning and retention of the basic addition facts as well as the transfer of that knowledge to other problems. Rathmell (1978), working with young primary school children, found a positive correlation between high achievement scores on addition fact tests and the use of more mature strategies for finding addition sums. Many of the strategies used by the students in his study paralleled those singled out in the Thiele and Swenson studies, such as counting on, using doubles, thinking one more or one less than a known fact, using ten, and recognizing the commutative idea. Interviews conducted by Myers and Thornton (1977) with regular and special class students supported Rathmell's findings for all operations. Children who were successful with the facts tended to discover and use relationships among facts and other techniques as a help for memorizing them, but left to their own resources, slower learners and LD students did not. Rathmell (1978) proposed that if children are to learn more mature and efficient methods of solving basic facts, these methods must be explicitly taught. Ashlock (1971) and Hall and Trafton (1974) have suggested that helping children develop thinking strategies is a necessary middle step between concept development for the operations and drill for mastery of facts. Unfortunately, such development is not always common practice in mathematics classrooms. School visitations and a review of current mathe-
Memory and the syntagmatic-paradigmatic shift: A developmental study of priming effects

The relationship of the syntagmatic-paradigmatic shift to recall was examined in college-aged adults and young children. Forced experience (priming) with taxonomic or functional modes of categorization produced modest effects on children’s recall and powerful effects on their style of recall, as measured by taxonomic and functional intrusions. No comparable effects were observed with adults, demonstrating a developmental inequivalency based on experience with different conceptual modes. Phenomena associated with the syntagmatic-paradigmatic shift are thus shown to result from differences of experience between age groups, rather than from endogenous developmental differences.
A subscription-based authoring tool for mobile citizen science campaigns

Across HCI and social computing platforms we have seen the rapid emergence and adoption of mobile applications to empower non-experts to explore, measure, and share data about their world from blooming flowers to air quality. However, the creation of mobile citizen science applications with the type and method of data collected remains under the control of the developers and accompanying infrastructure of each citizen science effort. In this paper we present a flexible subscription-based web tool for non-experts to create and manage citizen science campaigns. Using our system, people can author their own campaigns with no programming skills and development infrastructure. We evaluated a functional prototype of our system with three groups having genuine needs to develop and deploy their own mobile citizen science applications. We hope that our system can help flourish citizen science activities and increase everyday people's participation in the citizen science data collection activities.
The platelet thrombopoietin receptor number and function are markedly decreased in patients with essential thrombocythaemia

Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) is a relatively common myeloproliferative disorder characterized by an elevated platelet count. As thrombopoietin (TPO) and the TPO receptor (c-mpl) regulate platelet production in normal physiology, their role in ET was investigated. A well-characterized cohort of 23 ET patients was evaluated and followed for 3 years. The TPO levels in these ET patients (189 +/- 131 pg/ml) were the same as in normal subjects (179 +/- 112 pg/ml) and TPO was not produced by ET platelets. There were 5.6 +/- 5.5 TPO binding sites/ET platelet vs. 56 +/- 17 TPO binding sites/normal platelet and this was associated in ET patients with normal-sized platelet c-mpl protein and mRNA, but a 10-fold reduction in platelet c-mpl mRNA. The K(d) for the TPO receptor on ET platelets was 66 +/- 30 pmol/l vs. 163 +/- 31 pmol/l on normal platelets, but the c-mpl cDNA had a normal nucleic acid sequence. The decreased number of ET platelet TPO receptors resulted in a fourfold decrease in the platelet-dependent TPO clearance (0.30 +/- 0.14 ml/h/10(9) ET platelets vs. 1.24 +/- 0.38 ml/h/10(9) normal platelets) at a time when the platelet count in ET patients was 2.7-fold above normal. The fourfold decrease in the TPO clearance, elevated platelet mass and resulting normal total TPO clearance explain the normal TPO levels. These results also suggest that the thrombocytosis in ET may be attributed to an alteration of the normal feedback interaction between TPO and its receptor and not as a result of any defect in the structure of TPO or c-mpl.
Adipocere: What is known after over two centuries of research

This paper reviews over two centuries of research focusing on various issues relating to adipocere. Adipocere is a crumbly, soap-like postmortem product that forms from soft tissue in a variety of environments. The timing of the formation and degradation of adipocere depends largely on the environmental circumstances. Once formed, adipocere can persist for hundreds of years, acting as a preservative. In this way, some define it as a process of mummification. This type of persistence can be useful in a forensic context as it can preserve evidence. Sustained interest in adipocere prompted many investigations into the composition and conditions of formation. More recent investigations, aided by technological advances, build upon the knowledge gained from prior studies as well as delve into the chemical composition of adipocere. This in turn provides new information on detection and documentation of constituent substances.
Digital perfusion of handball players Effects of repeated ball impact on structures of the hand

The effect of repeated ball impacts on the handball player's hands was studied by using thermography and routine roent genography to determine evidence of altered perfusion or other tissue changes. Seventeen of 22 players had multiple areas of decreased perfusion, 12 of these 17 were symptomatic and 8 showed definite correlation between symptoms and thermo graphic findings. No skeletal or articular changes were noted. Players with more than 200 hr of accumulated playing time had increased risk of developing symptomatic, although nonpro gressive, alterations in perfusion of their hands but did not have evident skeletal changes.
Quantitative analyses of variations in the injury of endothelial cells elicited by 11 isolates of Rickettsia rickettsii.

Eleven isolates of spotted fever group rickettsiae from the blood of patients or ixodid ticks from North and South America were characterized. All isolates were identified as Rickettsia rickettsii using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of a 532-bp rOmpA gene fragment obtained by PCR. The ability of the R. rickettsii isolates to elicit cytopathic effects and parameters of oxidative injury were examined in cultured human EA.hy 926 endothelial cells. Cytopathic effects were determined by direct observation of infected cultures, by measuring the release of cytoplasmic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and by determination of intracellular pools of peroxide and reduced glutathione. Four biotypes of R. rickettsii were defined. Group I included two highly cytopathic isolates from Montana, Bitterroot and Sheila Smith, and three isolates from Maryland, North Carolina, and Brazil. These isolates rapidly damaged cells, released large amounts of cytoplasmic LDH, caused accumulation of intracellular peroxide, and depleted intracellular pools of reduced glutathione. Group II contained three isolates, two from Montana, Hlp#2 and Lost Horse Canyon, and an isolate from Colombia, which were similar to group I but caused either lower responses in LDH release or smaller changes in intracellular peroxide levels. The group III isolates, Sawtooth from Montana and 84JG from North Carolina, caused lower cellular injury by all measures. Group IV isolate Price T from Montana was the least cytopathic and caused minimal alterations of all parameters measured. Understanding the molecular basis for the varied cellular injury caused by different isolates of R. rickettsii may contribute to improved treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and to the rapid identification of those isolates which are more likely to cause fulminant disease.
Creating Effective User Interfaces

A succession of models for the software development process have been popular over the years, ranging from the simple stage model to the waterfall model-and more recently to such sophisticated models as the spiral.1,2 Over time, two of the key changes in how the process is conceptualized have been the addition of prototyping and specifying how the results of that prototyping influence changes to the software. John Gould and Clayton Lewis summarized the modifications to this process that are most fundamental to achieving usable software.3 The initial design must reflect a deep understanding of the users, what they want to accomplish with the software, and how they will be using it. Users should be involved in the design process to improve the mapping of their goals to the design. Now that prototypes are being introduced more frequently to improve software quality, users should be tested using them in realistic ways and situations. The results of such testing should then be fed back into the process, along with other lessons from the prototyping activity, to modify design.
An Administration Model for RBAC Using Hierarchical Structure

The ARBAC97 and Crampton-Loizou models make an important contribution to the understanding and modeling of administration of role-based access control. However, there are several features of both models which we believe could be improved. In this paper, the concept of administrative scope is introduced and is used to manage RBAC model. A new administration model for RBAC using hierarchical structure is proposed. The new model has some significant advantages over both models.
Total gastrectomy is not necessary for proximal gastric cancer

Abstract Background: Although there is an increasing incidence of proximal gastric cancers in the United States, the appropriate extent of resection for proximal gastric cancer is not known. This study addresses whether the type of operation (total gastrectomy [TG] vs proximal gastrectomy [PG]) affects outcome for proximal gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods: Review of the prospective gastric database at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center from July 1985 to August 1995 identified 391 patients with proximal gastric cancer. Of those patients, 98 underwent curative TG or PG through an exclusively abdominal approach. Patients undergoing esophagogastrectomy (n = 293) were excluded from analysis. Data are expressed as medians and ranges. Results: The length of hospital stay was the same for patients undergoing resection for PG (16.5 days [range 8 to 55]) and for TG (18 days [range 8 to 48]). In addition, hospital mortality rates for PG (6.0%) were similar to those for TG (3.0%). There was no significant difference in tumor differentiation and overall stage between the groups that underwent TG and those that underwent PG. There was no significant difference in time to recurrence between the two operative groups (PG, 15.7 months, versus TG, 18 months). In addition, there was no association between first site of recurrence and type of procedure. The overall 5-year survival rate for proximal gastric cancer was 43% (median survival 46 months), whereas the 5-year survival rate for TG was 41% (median survival 51 months; difference not significant). Conclusions: The extent of resection for proximal gastric cancer does not affect long-term outcome. TG and PG have similar overall survival rates and time and rate of recurrence, and both procedures can be accomplished safely. (Surgery 1998;123:127-30.)
High-Speed Flex-Circuit Chip-to-Chip Interconnects

High-speed chip-to-chip interconnect utilizing flex-circuit technology is investigated for extending the lifetime of copper-based system-level channels. Proper construction of the flex ribbon is shown to improve the raw bandwidth over standard FR-4 boards by about three times. Active testing results from a 130-nm CMOS test vehicle show the potential of up to two times higher data rates. The next-generation test vehicle with 90-nm CMOS circuits gives improved voltage and timing margins at 20 Gb/s. In an interconnect limited case a channel with 36 in (91.4 cm) of flex runs at 18.2 Gb/s data rate at a bit-error ratio (BER) of better than 10-12. The channel includes two 90-nm CMOS test chips, two organic flip-chip package substrates, and two flex connectors; crosstalk is not included in this experiment. High-speed connector solutions, including results from a ldquosplit socketrdquo assembly test vehicle, are discussed in detail. The characterization of two top-side flex connector prototypes demonstrates their basic durability and good high-frequency performance. Samples survive 100 mating cycles at an average contact resistance of less than 30 mOmega, adequate for high-speed signaling. Measured differential insertion loss is less than 1.5 dB up to 10 GHz and less than 3.5 dB up to 20 GHz. Near-end and far-end crosstalk measurements indicate that the connectors exceed crosstalk specifications.
Biophysical regulation of stem cell behavior within the niche

Stem cells reside within most tissues throughout the lifetimes of mammalian organisms. To maintain their capacities for division and differentiation and thereby build, maintain, and regenerate organ structure and function, these cells require extensive and precise regulation, and a critical facet of this control is the local environment or niche surrounding the cell. It is well known that soluble biochemical signals play important roles within such niches, and a number of biophysical aspects of the microenvironment, including mechanical cues and spatiotemporally varying biochemical signals, have also been increasingly recognized to contribute to the repertoire of stimuli that regulate various stem cells in various tissues of both vertebrates and invertebrates. For example, biochemical factors immobilized to the extracellular matrix or the surface of neighboring cells can be spatially organized in their placement. Furthermore, the extracellular matrix provides mechanical support and regulatory information, such as its elastic modulus and interfacial topography, which modulate key aspects of stem cell behavior. Numerous examples of each of these modes of regulation indicate that biophysical aspects of the niche must be appreciated and studied in conjunction with its biochemical properties.
Characterization of cpsF and its product CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase, a group B streptococcal enzyme that can function in K1 capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis in Escherichia coli

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the foremost cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in the United States. A major virulence factor for GBS is its capsular polysaccharide, a high molecular weight polymer of branched oligosaccharide subunits. N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac or sialic acid), at the end of the polysaccharide side chains, is critical to the virulence function of the capsular polysaccharide. Neu5Ac must be activated by CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase before it is incorporated into the polymer. We showed previously that a transposon mutant of a serotype III GBS strain which had no detectable capsular Neu5Ac was deficient in CMP-Neu5Ac-synthetase activity (Wessels et al., 1992). In this paper, we report the identification and characterization of cpsF, a gene interrupted by transposon insertion in the previously described Neu5Ac-deficient mutant. The predicted amino acid sequence of the cpsF gene product shares 57% similarity and 37% identity with CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase encoded by the Escherichia coli K1 gene, neuA. The enzymatic function of the protein encoded by cpsF was established by cloning the gene in E. coli under the control of the T7 polymerase/promoter. Lysates of E. coli in which the cpsF gene product was expressed, catalysed the condensation of CTP with Neu5Ac to form CMP-Neu5Ac. In addition, when a CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase-deficient mutant of E. coli K1 was transformed with cpsF, K1 antigen expression was restored. We conclude that cpsF encodes CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase in type III GBS, and that the GBS enzyme can function in the capsule-synthesis of a heterologous bacterial species.
Effect of acid concentration on pore size in polymer-templated mesoporous alumina

Ordered mesoporous alumina and alumina-titania composites can be prepared in a facile and reproducible manner by mixing metal precursors, acid, solvent and polymer template in one-pot and performing evaporation induced self assembly followed by removal of the template. Structural characteristics, particularly pore size, of these materials can be tailored by controlling the acid concentration in the synthesis mixture. The optimal range for alumina materials with a large range of pore widths (4.0–10.5 nm), high surface areas (up to 467 m2 g−1) and significant pore volumes (up to 0.74 cm3 g−1) was found to be within the range of 1.2 and 3.0 moles of nitric acid per mole of metal. For well ordered, thermally stable titania-alumina samples the range over which nitric acid concentration produces high surface area (431 m2 g−1), large pore volume (0.79 cm3 g−1) and significant pore widths (up to 15.5 nm) is 1.2 to 3.0 moles of nitric acid to metal. The effect of acid concentration on the pore width is likely due to the combination of a salt-like effect from the increased concentration of H+ and NO3− ions, the effect of increased water concentration in the synthesis mixture and the direct relationship between the metal alkoxide hydrolysis rate and acid concentration.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Size-Dependent Structural and Thermal Properties of Polymer Nanofibers

We present the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of amorphous polymer nanofibers to study their size-dependent properties. The fibers consist of chains that mimic the prototypical polymer polyethylene, with chain lengths ranging between 50 and 300 carbons (C50 to C300). These nanofibers have diameters in the range 1.9 to 23.0 nm. We analyzed these nanofibers for signatures of emergent behavior in their structural and thermal properties as a function of diameter. The mass density at the center of all fibers is constant and comparable to that of the bulk polymer. The surface layer thickness ranges from 0.78 to 1.39 nm for all fibers and increases slightly with fiber size. The calculated interfacial excess energy is 0.022 ± 0.002 J/m2 for all of the nanofibers simulated. The chains at the surface are more confined compared to the chains at the center of the nanofiber; the latter acquire unperturbed dimensions in sufficiently large nanofibers. Consistent with experiments and simulations of amorph...
Maintenance Dialysis Population Dynamics: Current Trends and Long-Term Implications

Despite a general recognition that treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has become a large-scale undertaking, the size of the treated population and the associated costs are not well quantified. This report combines data available from a variety of sources and places the current (midyear 2001) estimated global maintenance dialysis population at just over 1.1 million patients. The size of this population has been expanding at a rate of 7% per year. Total therapy cost per patient per year in the United States is approximately 66,000 dollars. Assuming that this figure is a reasonable global average, the annual worldwide cost of maintenance ESRD therapy in the year 2001, excluding renal transplantation, will be between 70 and 75 billion US dollars. If current trends in ESRD prevalence continue, as seems probable, the ESRD population will exceed 2 million patients by the year 2010. The care of this group represents a major societal commitment: the aggregate cost of treating ESRD during the coming decade will exceed 1 trillion dollars, a thought-provoking sum by any economic metric.
Correlation between Osmolarity and Luminescence of Symbiotic Vibrio fischeri Strain ES114

Vibrio fischeri isolates from Euprymna scolopes are dim in culture but bright in the host. We found the luminescence of V. fischeri to be correlated with external osmolarity both in culture and in this symbiosis. Luminescence enhancement by osmolarity was independent of the lux promoter and unaffected by autoinducers or the level of lux expression, but the addition of an aldehyde substrate for luciferase raised the luminescence of cells grown at high and low osmolarities to the same high level. V. fischeri culture media have lower osmolarities than are typical in seawater or in cephalopods, partially accounting for the bacterium's low light output in culture.
Designing Conferences to Improve Resource Utilization and Participant Satisfaction

We look at a conference scheduling problem with the objective of maximizing the ability of participants to attend sessions of interest. This problem was addressed in an article by Eglese and Rand; conference scheduling has otherwise received little attention in management science literature. Related problems of class- and exam-scheduling have been extensively studied and published, yet few cases consider participant (e.g. student) preferences. Our formulation, which a variation of that used by Eglese and Rand, includes prioritized preferences for conference sessions, as well as schedule resource constraints. The purpose of this paper is to extend the previous work by exploring the impact of various scheduling decisions on participant satisfaction (measured by enrollment in desired sessions). We use a previously published algorithm to look at issues such as conference length and make general observations that may aid the conference-scheduling decision maker.