cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced pretransplant innate immunity predicts rejection in primate vascular allografts: An infectious etiology?

Abstract Introduction. We previously reported that elevated pretransplant serum C-reactive protein (CRP) predicts increased posttransplant vascular rejection in a primate arterial allograft model. In the current study, we examined peritransplant behavior of serum neopterin in these CMV+ primates to determine its reliability as a marker of innate immune responsiveness in a transplant setting. We also investigated a possible link between systemic inflammation, innate immunity, and peritransplant CMV activity. Methods. Allograft recipient serum neopterin was measured weekly for 4 weeks, both before and immediately after transplantation, and compared to serum CRP measured over the same period. Pretransplant levels of both markers were compared to pretransplant oral and genital CMV shedding, as measured by PCR over a 2-month period. Allografts explanted 6 weeks after transplantation were also analyzed by PCR for evidence of CMV. Results. High CRP animals had higher mean levels of pretransplant neopterin then did their low CRP counterparts (6.04 ± 1.93 versus 3.56 ± 1.09 mg/dl, P = 0.030). These high CRP/neopterin animals had more chronic vascular rejection after 6 weeks. While CRP varied widely after transplantation, neopterin remained largely unchanged from pretransplant levels: 6.96 ± 2.54 and 3.48 ± 0.96 mg/dl at 1-week posttransplant, for high and low CRP animals, respectively (P = 0.002). Neither CRP nor neopterin levels correlated with pretransplant CMV shedding; however, evidence of CMV in the allograft was only found in high CRP/neopterin animals. Conclusions. Occult systemic inflammation and innate immune activity correlate in healthy pretransplant primates and may predict risk for rejection after allograft transplantation. While CRP levels appear to be altered significantly by an operative transplant procedure, neopterin levels do not, suggesting that neopterin may still be a reliable marker of innate immune activity even in the early posttransplant period. Pretransplant CMV shedding does not appear to influence systemic inflammation or innate immune responsiveness; however, allografts in high CRP/neopterin recipients may attract CMV.
Lipid studies after burn injury in man

Abstract Changes in the levels of cholesterol, phospholipid and triglyceride have been measured in the serum of 20 patients who had sustained a burn injury. In the group of patients with severe burns, serum triglyceride rose, reaching a peak on days 4–6 post burn, whilst cholesterol and phospholipid fell drastically. We suggest that the changes observed are a reflection of a block in the conversion of very low density lipoprotein to low density lipoprotein.
Atomic bond deficiency as a structural defect in amorphous metals: Relevance to glass transitions

Abstract Atomic bond-deficiency (BD) is considered to be a deviation from the coordination number of the ideal atomic structures caused by chemical and topological short-range ordering (CSRO/TSRO). It is presented as the characteristic structural defect in metallic glasses and deeply undercooled melts. BD defects are treated as thermally inherent and are based on the notion of restricted, rather than free, atomic movement. They are formed under the SRO constraint, and exhibit significantly smaller energy and volume costs when compared with crystal vacancies. Statistical thermodynamics are employed for the analysis of binary systems where the formation of the critical BD defects is related to the bond strengths and atomic sizes. Application to Zr–Cu, Zr–Ni and Zr–Be indicates that the experimentally observed glass transitions occur at temperatures where a critical concentration of BD defects is present. The dependence of BD defect concentration on alloy composition agrees with the experimental glass transition variations.
Phase separation in the itinerant metamagnetic transition of Sr4Ru3O10.

We have investigated the electronic transport properties of the triple-layered ruthenate ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{10}$. We observed surprising anomalous features near its itinerant metamagnetic transition, including ultrasharp magnetoresistivity steps, a nonmetallic temperature dependence in resistivity for upward field sweeps, and a resistivity drop in temperature dependence for downward field sweeps. These features suggest that the metamagnetic transition of ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{4}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{10}$ occurs via an electronic phase separation process with magnetic domain formation.
Applications of a decomposition inX⊗λ Y

A Schauder Decomposition inX⊗λ when Y has a Schauder Decomposition is presented. This decomposition is then used to investigate the Approximation Property. For instance, it is shown that if X has the Approximation Property and Y has a basis thenX⊗λ has the Approximation Property. We also use this to obtain results concerning operators on vector valued continuous function spaces.
Anti-fouling application of air sparging and backflushing for MBR

In membrane processes, fouling remains the main drawback and the toughest challenge at present and in the foreseeable future. The aim of this work was to combine anti-fouling strategies. In a membrane bioreactor (MBR) fed with synthetic wastewater with mixed liquor suspended solids concentrations between 3 and 10 g/L, the solid/liquid separation was achieved by a tubular membrane in side stream. For longer sustainable flux, air sparging was supplied to fight external fouling with the scouring effect of slug flow. Additional to that, backflushing was provided as a technique against internal fouling. The combination of both techniques showed very promising results and was superior to the operation of only one flux enhancement technique, yielding about three times higher fluxes compared to the NON-enhanced application after continuous filtration for 8 days. Backflushing accomplished significant flux increases with minimal product loss. The flux ratio of enhanced flux versus non-enhanced flux increased linearly with filtration time and air injection ratio. A simple model was developed to describe the development of the flux ratio over time for different air injection ratios. At high mixed liquor suspended solids concentrations (MLSS), where a high fouling potential exists, the combination of air sparging and back flushing was particularly effective in increasing the flux compared to non-enhanced filtration. Dimensionless fouling numbers increased with time, especially for lower air injection ratios.
Description of a Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and Related Risk and Increase Positive Parenting among Urban Mothers with Alcohol and Other Drug Problems

The abuse of alcohol and other substances by mothers raising adolescent children has serious adverse effects on family functioning and youth outcomes, and on mothers’ own health and adaptation. Mothers who are also HIV-infected face additional challenges. In the present report, we describe a multi-session intervention conducted in individual sessions for mothers with alcohol and other substance use problems who are raising adolescent children. We outline the primary components of the intervention and include case studies and examples of exercises and tools. We found that engagement with the intervention and high rates of attendance were facilitated by tapping into mothers’ desires to improve their relationships with their adolescent children, the use of a harm reduction approach toward substance use, and intensive outreach. We also discuss lessons learned in the course of implementing and evaluating the intervention.
Dissecting the Gene Dose-Effects of the APOE ε4 and ε2 Alleles on Hippocampal Volumes in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease

Objective To investigate whether there is a specific dose-dependent effect of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 and e2 alleles on hippocampal volume, across the cognitive spectrum, from normal aging to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Materials and Methods We analyzed MR and genetic data on 662 patients from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database–198 cognitively normal controls (CN), 321 mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects, and 143 AD subjects–looking for dose-dependent effects of the e4 and e2 alleles on hippocampal volumes. Volumes were measured using a fully-automated algorithm applied to high resolution T1-weighted MR images. Statistical analysis consisted of a multivariate regression with repeated-measures model. Results There was a dose-dependent effect of the e4 allele on hippocampal volume in AD (p = 0.04) and MCI (p = 0.02)–in both cases, each allele accounted for loss of >150 mm3 (approximately 4%) of hippocampal volume below the mean volume for AD and MCI subjects with no such alleles (Cohen’s d = −0.16 and −0.19 for AD and MCI, respectively). There was also a dose-dependent, main effect of the e2 allele (p<0.0001), suggestive of a moderate protective effect on hippocampal volume–an approximately 20% per allele volume increase as compared to CN with no e2 alleles (Cohen’s d = 0.23). Conclusion Though no effect of e4 was seen in CN subjects, our findings confirm and extend prior data on the opposing effects of the APOE e4 and e2 alleles on hippocampal morphology across the spectrum of cognitive aging.
State-Insensitive Cooling and Trapping of Single Atoms in an Optical Cavity

Single cesium atoms are cooled and trapped inside a small optical cavity by way of a novel far-off-resonance dipole-force trap, with observed lifetimes of 2-3 s. Trapped atoms are observed continuously via transmission of a strongly coupled probe beam, with individual events lasting similar or equal to1 s. The loss of successive atoms from the trap N greater than or equal to 3 → 2 → 1 → 0 is thereby monitored in real time. Trapping, cooling, and interactions with strong coupling are enabled by the trap potential, for which the center-of-mass motion is only weakly dependent on the atom's internal state.
Assessing disability: A six‐nation study of disability pension claim processing and appeals

This article studies disability pension benefit claim processing and appeal procedures in six countries — the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States of America, and Canada. It examines eligibility requirements and programme goals, focusing on how those countries assess a claimant's disability. Among these six countries, there were variations between the burdens on the agency and those on the claimant to compile evidence to support the claim. In addition, the use of agency doctors, or referrals to outside physicians, was often predictive of how this burden was distributed. The countries use similar procedures to make initial disability assessments; however, they differ in how they structure the process: whether it is centralized or decentralized, whether teams or individual decision makers are used, and whether the decision makers have specialized training or rely on experts. The study also notes variations in the appeals process. All countries have considered adopting or discarding an internal administrative review of eligibility decisions; the debate continues on whether an internal review is of any value. With or without it, all six countries allow at least one level of appeal on both factual and legal issues. Some countries use specialized tribunals, while others use courts to hear post-agency appeals. The article concludes with observations and recommendations applicable generally to disability pension benefit claim processing and appeals.
Childbearing and child care in surgery.

Hypothesis The responsibility for childbearing and child care has a major effect on general surgical residency and subsequent surgical practice. Methods A survey of all graduates from a university general surgical training program between 1989 and 2000. Results Twenty-seven women and 44 men completed general surgical training at our university during the period, and 42 (59%) responded to our survey. The age at completion of the residency was 34.0 ± 2.2 years for men and 33.9 ± 2.8 years for women. During residency, 64% (14/22) of the men and 15% (3/20) of the women had children. At the time of the survey, 21 (95%) of the men and 8 (40%) of the women had children. Most residents (24 [57%] of 42) relied on their spouse for child care. During surgical practice, 18 (43%) indicated that they rely on their spouse; 19 (45%) use day care, home care, or both; and (8%) of 26 are unsatisfied with their current child care arrangement. During training, 38% (5/13) of men and 67% (2/3) of women took time off for maternity leave, paternity leave, or child care. Two of 3 surgeons would like to have had more time off during residency; most men (70%, or 7 of 10) recommended a leave of 1 to 3 months, and all women preferred a 3-month maternity or child care leave of absence. During surgical practice, only 12% (2/17) of men but 64% (7/11) of women have taken time off for either childbearing or child care. Half of the respondents (21/42) have a formal leave of absence policy at work, 52% (11/21) of which are paid leave programs. Although the workweek of our practicing graduates is 69 ± 16 hours for men and 64 ± 12 hours for women, 62% (26/42) spend more than 20 hours per week parenting. More than 80% (27/32) would consider a part-time surgical practice for more parenting involvement; one third of the responders suggested that 30 hours a week constitutes a reasonable part-time practice, one third preferred fewer than 30 hours, and one third favored more than 30 hours per week. Data are presented as mean ± SD. Conclusions Childbearing and child care may have an enormous impact on one's decision to pursue a career in surgery. To attract and retain the best candidates for future surgeons, formal policies on the availability of child care services in the residency program and the workplace should be studied and implemented. Furthermore, national studies are needed to define appropriate, acceptable workweeks for part-time or flexible practices and the duration of leaves of absence for childbearing or child care.
Flight performance of the moth, Manduca sexta, at variable gravity

Abstract The tethered and free flight of Manduca sexta were studied during period 1,2, and 0 times normal gravity ( g ) produced in an aeroplane by flying through parabolic trajectories. Moths in tethered flight did not change their aerodynamic output in response to increases or decreases in gravity. Some moths in free flight at 0 g maintained a position in the box by flying against a surface, or into the angle between two surfaces. In the absence of gravity as an orienting stimulus, the positive dorsophotic response to light was dominant. As the period of 0 g continued, moths were increasingly likely to periodically reduce the amplitude of their wingbeat and/or stop flying, for the equivalent of a few wingbeats. Only at 0 g , moths very occasionally spread their wings and floated freely for a few seconds. At 0 g moths retained control of rolling and yawing movements but stability in pitch was greatly reduced or absent.
Value of electrocardiographic leads MCL1, MCL6and other selected leads in the diagnosis of wide QRS complex tachycardia

To compare the modified precordial leads MCL1 and MCL6 with the conventional precordial leads V1 and V6 and assess the diagnostic accuracy of selected leads for continuous bedside electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring, 121 wide QRS complex tachycardias were recorded from 92 patients during cardiac electrophysiologic study. As ascertained from intracardiac recordings, 86 tachycardias were ventricular and 35 were supraventricular with aberrant conduction. Early or late peaking of the predominant QRS deflection in lead MCL6 or V6 proved valuable in diagnosing wide complex tachycardia. An interval of less than or equal to 50 ms from the onset of the QRS complex to the predominant peak (or nadir) indicated supraventricular tachycardia; an interval of greater than or equal to 70 ms indicated ventricular tachycardia. The QRS complexes in leads MCL1 and MCL6 were comparable to those in leads V1 and V6 during sinus rhythm. Significant discrepancies in QRS configuration occurred between the modified and conventional precordial leads during ventricular tachycardia, especially between leads MCL1 and V1; however. these differences did not affect diagnostic accuracy. A single MCL1, V1, MCL6 or V6 lead was equally valuable in the diagnosis of wide complex tachycardia and far superior to a single lead II. A combination of leads (MCL1 + MCL6), (V1 + V6), (V1 + I + aVF) or (V1 + V6 + I + aVF) was superior to a single lead or the routinely monitored lead V1 + II combination.
Petrogenesis of Al-rich chondrules: Evidence from bulk compositions and phase equilibria

We measured major, minor, and trace-element compositions for eleven Al-rich chondrules from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites to investigate the relationships between Al-rich chondrules, ferromagnesian chondrules, Ca-, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs), and amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs). Phase equilibrium considerations show that, for the most part, mineral assemblages in Al-rich chondrules are those expected from melts of the observed compositions. The diversity of mineral assemblages and Al-rich chondrule types arises mainly from the fact that the array of compositions spans both the spinel-saturated anorthite-forsterite reaction curve and a thermal divide defined by where the anorthite-forsterite join crosses the reaction curve. The reaction curve accounts for the two principal varieties of Al-rich chondrule, plagioclase-phyric and olivine-phyric, with or without aluminous spinel. The thermal divide influences the subsequent evolution of each variety. A third variety of Al-rich chondrule contains abundant sodium-rich glass; trace-element fractionation patterns suggest that these glassy Al-rich chondrules could have been derived from the other two by extensive alteration of plagioclase to nepheline followed by remelting. The bulk compositions of Al-rich chondrules (except sodium-rich ones) are intermediate in a volatility sense between ferromagnesian chondrules and type C CAIs. The combined trend of bulk compositions for CAIs, Al-rich chondrules, and ferromagnesian chondrules mirrors, but does not exactly match, the trend predicted from equilibrium condensation at PT ∼ 10-3 atm; the observed trend does not match the trend found for evaporation from a liquid of chondritic composition. We thus infer that the bulk compositions of the precursors to CAIs, Al-rich chondrules, were ferromagnesian chondrules were controlled primarily by vapor-solid reactions (condensation or sublimation) in the solar nebula. Some Al-rich chondrules are consistent with an origin by melting of a compound CAI-ferromagnesian chondrule hybrid; others cannot be so explained. Any hybrid model is restricted by the constraint that the CAI precursor consisted dominantly of pyroxene + plagioclase + spinel; melilite cannot have been a significant component. Amoeboid olivine aggregates also have the inferred mineralogical characteristics of Al-rich chondrule precursors—they are mixtures of olivine with plagioclase-spinel-pyroxene-rich CAIs—but the few measured bulk compositions are more olivine-rich than those of Al-rich chondrules.
Sulfide oxidation in rat tissues.

Abstract 1. 1. Extracts of rat liver and kidney were shown to catalyze the oxidation of sulfide to thiosulfate. The system responsible for this oxidation contained both a heat-stable and heat-labile component, the former non-enzymic and the latter probably enzymic. Some of the dual characteristics and other properties of the system have been described. 2. 2. The presence of blood masked the heat-labile activity in rat-liver tissue. 3. 3. The greater part of oxygen uptake and sulfide disappearance observable in the system could be accounted for by the thiosulfate formed. 4. 4. Sulfide oxidation to thiosulfate, is most closely associated with the mitochondrial fraction of rat-liver cells. Its relative heat-stability has made possible some purification of the system.
Inhibition of lipolysis in hamster epididymal adipocytes by selective α-adrenergic agents Evidence for cyclic AMP-dependent and independent mechanisms

Abstract In this study the role of cyclic AMP in the antilipolytic effect of the α -adrenergic agents methoxamine and phenylephrine in hamster epididymal adipocytes was studied. Both methoxamine and phenylephrine lowered the very high levels of cyclic AMP that were produced by high concentrations of isoproterenol (10 μM) or ACTH (100 mU/mL), and partially inhibited lipolysis. When lower concentrations of isoproterenol were used, the antilipolytic effect of phenylephrine and methoxamine was still evident. Under these conditions methoxamine produced a slight suppression of cyclic AMP levels while phenylephrine increased accumulation of cyclic AMP. Its follows, therefore, that the inhibition of lippolysis by the α agents is mst likely unrelated to changes in cyclic AMP levels. When the stimulus for lipolysis was provided by methylxanthines a different picture emerged. Methoxamine antagonized lipolysis and lowered cyclic AMP levels; in contrast, phenylephrine promoted lipolysis and increased cyclic AMP levels. In the presence of propranolol, phenylephrine lowered cyclic AMP levels and suppressed methylxanthine-accelerated lipolysis. It is suggested that when methyl xanthines provide the stimulus for lipolysis the antilipolytic effect of methoxamine and phenylephrine (in the presence of propranolol) may be mediated by the suppression in cyclic AMP levels.
Statistical mechanics-inspired optimization for sensor field reconfiguration

In a multi-objective optimization scenario (e.g., optimal sensor deployment and sensor field reconfiguration for detection of moving targets), the non-dominated points are usually concentrated within a small region of the large-dimensional decision space. This paper attempts to capture the low-dimensional behavior across the Pareto front by statistical mechanics-inspired optimization tools. A location-dependent energy function has been constructed and evaluated in terms of intensive temperature-like parameters in the sense of statistical mechanics. This low-order representation has been shown to permit rapid optimization of sensor field distribution on a simulation model of undersea operations.
Chemical forces associated with deuterium confinement in palladium

Abstract First-principles and empirical methods are used to study the effective interaction between two deuterons in a palladium lattice. No effects are found to suggest confinement of deuterons at distances much smaller than the gas-phase D2 separation.
The role of archived photographs in Native California archaeology

Archived photographs are discussed as a proven and principal means to understand cultural landscapes and the archaeological sites within. Photographs offer one means to include the voices and oral traditions of Native American descendent communities in an archaeological project by emphasizing the visceral ties between places and the people who created them. As artifacts, archived photographs act as touchstones to generate stories about people and places. They are capable of solidifying ties between people and ancestral territories, and their ability to engage Native Americans and other audiences in interpretive settings suggests their role as teaching devices. These three roles of archived photographs complement an indigenous archaeology by involving and empowering Native American communities, integrating oral traditions, and fostering a sense of site stewardship.
Determination of the vaporization of solutions of mutagenic antineoplastic agents at 23 and 37°C using a desiccator technique

This study evaluated the ability of mutagenic antineoplastic agents to vaporize at room temperature (23 degrees C) and 37 degrees C. A bacterial mutagenicity assay was used to determine the mutagenicity of these agents in the vapor phase. Open plates of bacteria were exposed to varying amounts of drug solutions in sealed glass containers for 24h. The drug solutions were prepared as they would be for patient treatment and were tested at 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 ml of each drug solution per 10 l of air. Following exposure, the plates exposed at 23 degrees C were incubated an additional 48 h at 37 degrees C to allow for expression of mutations. Those exposed at 37 degrees C were incubated for an additional 24h at 37 degrees C. Carmustine, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, thiotepa, and mustargen demonstrated vaporization at 37 degrees C. Carmustine and mustargen also demonstrated significant vaporization at 23 degrees C, while cyclophosphamide demonstrated a 50% increase in revertants at this temperature. In addition, sodium azide, a known mutagen used as a control was also mutagenic as a vapor at both temperatures. Doxorubicin, cisplatin, etoposide, 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin were not detected as vaporizing in this assay. The study found that vaporization of standard solutions of some antineoplastic agents is possible at room temperature and increases as the temperature increases. Therefore, vaporization of spilled antineoplastic agents may present an additional route of exposure to healthcare workers through inhalation.
Plant community composition and biomass in Gulf Coast Chenier Plain marshes: responses to winter burning and structural marsh management.

Many marshes in the Gulf Coast Chenier Plain, USA, are managed through a combination of fall or winter burning and structural marsh management (i.e., levees and water control structures; hereafter SMM). The goals of winter burning and SMM include improvement of waterfowl and furbearer habitat, maintenance of historic isohaline lines, and creation and maintenance of emergent wetlands. Although management practices are intended to influence the plant community, effects of these practices on primary productivity have not been investigated. Marsh processes, such as vertical accretion and nutrient cycles, which depend on primary productivity may be affected directly or indirectly by winter burning or SMM. We compared Chenier Plain plant community characteristics (species composition and above- and belowground biomass) in experimentally burned and unburned control plots within impounded and unimpounded marshes at 7 months (1996), 19 months (1997), and 31 months (1998) after burning. Burning and SMM did not affect number of plant species or species composition in our experiment. For all three years combined, burned plots had higher live above-ground biomass than did unburned plots. Total above-ground and dead above-ground biomasses were reduced in burned plots for two and three years, respectively, compared to those in unburned control plots. During all three years, belowground biomass was lower in impounded than in unimpounded marshes but did not differ between burn treatments. Our results clearly indicate that current marsh management practices influence marsh primary productivity and may impact other marsh processes, such as vertical accretion, that are dependent on organic matter accumulation and decay.
Development of Auxotrophic Agrobacterium tumefaciens for Gene Transfer in Plant Tissue Culture

Auxotrophic strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were generated for use in liquid co-culture with plant tissue for transient gene expression. Twenty-one auxotrophs were recovered from 1,900 tetracycline-resistant insertional mutants generated with a suicide vector transposon mutagenesis system. Twelve of these auxotrophs were characterized on a nutrient matrix. Isolates were screened for growth in plant cell and root culture, and three auxotrophs were identified that had limited growth: adenine (ade-24), leucine (leu-27), and cysteine (cys-32). Ade-24 displayed poor T-DNA delivery in a transient expression test delivering GUS from a binary vector, while cys-32 displayed the best ability to deliver DNA of these three auxotrophs. The growth yield of cys-32 on cysteine was assessed to provide a quantitative basis for co-culture nutrient supplementation. The utility of cys-32 for delivering T-DNA to plant tissues is demonstrated, where an 85-fold enhancement in GUS expression over wild-type A. tumefaciens was achieved.
Vorticity in Helium Film Creep

The viscous drag of the normal-fluid component on moving superfluid vortex-line cores is shown to have two effects: to push the vortex lines toward the film surface and to enhance the film-creep velocity. A class of experiments in the millidegree temperature range is proposed in order to test for the presence of vorticity in helium film creep.
The stochastic dance of early HIV infection

The stochastic nature of early HIV infection is described in a series of models, each of which captures aspects of the dance of HIV during the early stages of infection. It is to this highly variable target that the immune response must respond. The adaptability of the various components of the immune response is an important aspect of the system's operation, as the nature of the pathogens that the response will be required to respond to and the order in which those responses must be made cannot be known beforehand. As HIV infection has direct influence over cells responsible for the immune response, the dance predicts that the immune response will be also in a variable state of readiness and capability for this task of adaptation. The description of the stochastic dance of HIV here will use the tools of stochastic models, and for the most part, simulation. The justification for this approach is that the early stages and the development of HIV diversity require that the model to be able to describe both individual sample path and patient-to-patient variability. In addition, as early viral dynamics are best described using branching processes, the explosive growth of these models both predicts high variability and rapid response of HIV to changes in system parameters. In this paper, a basic viral growth model based on a time dependent continuous-time branching process is used to describe the growth of HIV infected cells in the macrophage and lymphocyte populations. Immigration from the reservoir population is added to the basic model to describe the incubation time distribution. This distribution is deduced directly from the modeling assumptions and the model of viral growth. A system of two branching processes, one in the infected macrophage population and one in the infected lymphocyte population is used to provide a description of the relationship between the development of HIV diversity as it relates to tropism (host cell preference). The role of the immune response to HIV and HIV infected cells is used to describe the movement of the infection from a few infected macrophages to a disease of infected CD4^+ T lymphocytes.
Geomagnetic field distortions and their effects on radiation belt particles

One of the quadrupole terms in the main geomagnetic field is found to contribute to a north-south 'shear distortion' of the particle-drift shells, whereas one of the octupole components causes a longitude-dependent radial deformation and associated 'drift-shell splitting.' The collective action of all higher multipoles on trapped-particle motion is then used to analyze the 'true' anomalies or distortions of the internal geomagnetic field that are independent of the quadrupole-related eccentricity of the main dipole. These 'true' anomalies must originate in upper-mantle or crustal perturbations that lie relatively near the earth's surface on both sides of the mid-Atlantic ridge; they influence trapped-particle drift shells only where the latter have their closest approach to the earth (South Atlantic and South African areas). The quadrupole and octupole perturbations, on the other hand, obviously originate deep in the earth's core. In the final part of this review, we discuss the effects of external magnetospheric currents. A time-dependent symmetric ring current causes drift shells to be displaced radially, with associated particle acceleration; magnetopause currents introduce a day-night asymmetry, causing shell splitting.
Trace and Toxic Metals in Wetlands—A Review

The mobility and plant availability of many trace and toxic metals in wetland soils is often substantially different from upland soils. Oxidation-reduction (redox) and associated pH changes that occur in soils as a result of flooding or drainage can affect the retention and release of metals by clay minerals, organic matter, iron oxides, and, for coastal wetlands, sulfides. Except where a flooded soil or sediment becomes strongly acid upon drainage and oxidation, as sometimes occurs, the processes immobilizing metals tend to be complimentary such that large-scale metal releases from contaminated soils and sediments do not occur with changing redox conditions. Metals tend to be retained more strongly in wetland soils compared with upland soils. 50 refs., 4 tabs.
Response of a thin avalanche detector to simultanous minimum ionizing particles

Abstract A thin multiwire avalanche detector, operating in the saturated mode, has been constructed and tested for its response to 1 and 2 (simultaneous) minimum-ionizing particles. These measurements employed the 19F(p,α)16O reaction to form the Jπ = 0+, Eex = 6.05 MeV level of 16O, which deexcites 100% by nuclear pair emission yielding energetic β+-β− pairs. The result peak detector pulse amplitude is directly proportional to n, the number of particles, for n ≤ 2, whereas the fractional resolution (FWHM/PEAK) is approximately proportional to 1 √n .
Assessing the Structure of Vocational Interests among Bolivian University Students

Abstract Ninety-eight Bolivian university students completed the Spanish version of Holland's Self-Directed Search. The fit of three different structural models of vocational interest (Holland's [1973] circumplex, Gati's [1979] three group partition, and Rounds and Tracey's [in press] three group partition) were fit to the correlations among the RIASEC scales using the randomization test of hypothesized order relations (Hubert & Arabie, 1987). Nonsignificant probabilities and low correspondence indices were obtained for all three models. These results indicate poor model fit, suggesting that none of these models adequately characterize the structure of vocational interests of the Bolivian students sampled. Multidimensional scaling was used to depict the structure of the Bolivian sample's vocational interests in two dimensions.
Grapevine rootstock effects on scion sap phenolic levels, resistance to Xylella fastidiosa infection, and progression of Pierce's disease.

The xylem-limited bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) causes Pierce’s disease (PD), an important disease of grapevine, Vitis vinifera L.. Grapevine rootstocks were developed to provide increased resistance to root disease, but rootstock effects on cane and vine diseases remain unclear. Grapevines that consisted of Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay grafted to 13 different rootstocks were inoculated with Xf and evaluated for PD severity and Xf titer after six months. A subset of six rootstock/scion combinations had xylem sap phenolic levels assessed in non-infected and Xf-infected grapevines. Vigor also was analyzed by measuring root lengths and masses. Cabernet Sauvignon grafted to 101-14MG, 1103P, 420A, or Schwarzmann had reduced PD severity compared to Cabernet Sauvignon grafted to 110R, 5BB, or SO4. Chardonnay grafted to Salt Creek or Freedom had reduced PD severity compared to Chardonnay grafted to RS3 or Schwarzmann. Chardonnay grafted to RS3 had greater Xf titer than Chardonnay grafted to 101-14MG, Freedom, or Salt Creek. No other differences in Xf titer among rootstocks were observed. Of the six scion/rootstock combinations which had xylem sap phenolics analyzed, Chardonnay/ RS3 had the highest levels of most phenolics whereas Cabernet Sauvignon/101-14MG had the lowest phenolic levels. However, Chardonnay/101-14MG, which had mild PD symptoms, had greater sap levels of caftaric acid than other scion/rootstock combinations. Sap levels of caftaric acid, methyl salicylate, a procyanidin trimer, and quinic acid were greater in Xf-infected versus non-infected grapevines. Chardonnay on 101-14MG or Salt Creek had greater root mass than Chardonnay on RS3. Cabernet Sauvignon on 101-14MG had greater root mass than Cabernet Sauvignon on 110R. These results identified rootstocks with the capacity for reducing PD symptom progression. Rootstocks also were shown to affect Xf titer, xylem sap phenolic levels, and plant vigor.
Survival of Swine Vesicular Disease Virus in “Prosciutto di Parma” (Parma Ham)

Abstract Experiments were conducted at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center of the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture and at the Istituto Zooprofilattico, Brescia, Italy, to determine if the processing and curing of the Parma hams would inactivate swine vesicular disease virus. The experimental data indicated that the virus was inactivated between 180 and 300 d postslaughter in the U.S. experiment and between 90 and 182 d post-slaughter in the Italian experiment. The minimal curing period for Parma hams is 365 d, which would assure that the ham is free of infectious swine vesicular disease virus.
Migration and labour supply in New England

Abstract The New England economy has been revitalised. In contrast to the three previous decades, the region's economy in the 1980s is buoyant. The region has had the lowest unemployment rate and the highest rate of job creation throughout the decade. This paper attempts to link the changes that have occurred in regional employment with demographic shifts in the region. During the period of turnaround, New England had a very slow rate of natural population growth. The relatively high rate of growth in jobs coupled with the relatively stable population has produced labour shortages in parts of the region. It is demonstrated that the labour supply has become dependent on migrants from other regions. If the economic expansion continues, the region must significantly increase its net migration gains. If immigration to the region remains sluggish, the revival will be short-lived.
The HR Diagram

The HR diagram is a useful shorthand locating a star in a two-coordinate space. For the astrophysicist, the y-coordinate is bolometric luminosity, M bol , the x-coordinate, effective temperature, T eff . Objects of given chemical composition, age (or evolutionary status) are labeled in the xy plane by mass. For an observer, y may be apparent or absolute magnitude in a certain wavelength region and x may be spectral type or color. The HR diagrams for populations differ because of age, chemical composition and stellar masses present. HR diagrams are often of mixed nature; some involve observables others derived or semi-theoretical quantities. I will display various types of HR diagrams for low-luminosity stars. For galactic or extragalactic studies the HR diagram needs a further dimension, the frequency of stars at an x,y. The mass of the Galaxy, but not its light, may be dominated by M dwarfs. HR diagrams are also interesting for their nearly empty spaces. In Fig. 1 we show as a sample, the basic results of the U.S. Naval Observatory parallax program, in which broad band (B-V) colors define the visual luminosity, My, on the main (MS) and degenerate (WD) sequences.
Scheduling Intervals for Reconfigurable Computing

The use of reconfigurable hardware to accelerate computing intensive part of the applications has long been shown to provide large execution speedups. However, the long configuration latency and the limited amount of reconfigurable hardware resources demands careful arbitration of those resources among the applications in the system. In past efforts, we demonstrated that effective allocation of reconfigurable hardware resources can boost overall system throughput in a multi-tasking system. For that work, we invoked reconfigurable hardware scheduling periodically with a fixed interval. In this work, we further examine the size of the static scheduling interval, and propose two adaptive interval approaches that use a phase tracking technique to reduce overall scheduling overhead by up to 85%.
Head-Mounted Eye Tracking: A New Method to Describe Infant Looking

Despite hundreds of studies describing infants’ visual exploration of experimental stimuli, researchers know little about where infants look during everyday interactions. The current study describes the first method for studying visual behavior during natural interactions in mobile infants. Six 14-month-old infants wore a head-mounted eye-tracker that recorded gaze during free play with mothers. Results revealed that infants’ visual exploration is opportunistic and depends on the availability of information and the constraints of infants’ own bodies. Looks to mothers’ faces were rare following infant-directed utterances but more likely if mothers were sitting at infants’ eye level. Gaze toward the destination of infants’ hand movements was common during manual actions and crawling, but looks toward obstacles during leg movements were less frequent.
Enzyme Activities in the Epidermis of Zinc-deficient Rats

Fifteen enzymes participating in epidermal energy metabolism in zinc- deficient and -supplemented rats were assayed utilizing fluorometric microchemical techniques. In the zinc-deficient group, the activities of six enzymes catalyzing glycolysis decreased by 30 to 50% of the control; the most dramatic decreases were found in phosphofructokinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Zinc deficiency caused a 31% decrease in the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, a 63% decrease in fumarate hydratase, a 46% decrease in glutamate dehydrogenase, and a 30 to 40% decrease in aminotransferases. J. Nutr. A05:1391-1394, 1975.
Needle Aspiration of Neck Abscesses In Children

Needle aspiration of neck abscesses with CT-scan guidance was studied in 17 children with 18 abscesses from 1986 to 1991. Clinical and radiologic findings were analyzed according to treatment outcome. A majority of abscesses (55.6%) resolved after treatment with one to two attempts at needle aspiration and parenteral antibiotics. Unilocular abscesses were more likely than multilocular abscesses to resolve with needle aspiration. In general, abscesses in younger children who presented with smaller neck masses on physical examination and smaller abscess cavities on CT scan resolved with needle aspiration. The data support the use of needle aspiration as an effective initial treatment for pediatric neck abscesses. CT scan was found beneficial in documenting the abscesses and in guiding treatment. A treatment protocol is suggested for the use of needle aspiration in the management of neck abscesses in children.
Vinculin tension distributions of individual stress fibers within cell-matrix adhesions.

Actomyosin stress fibers (SFs) enable cells to exert traction on planar extracellular matrices (ECMs) by tensing focal adhesions (FAs) at the cell–ECM interface. Although it is widely appreciated that the spatial and temporal distribution of these tensile forces play key roles in polarity, motility, fate choice, and other defining cell behaviors, virtually nothing is known about how an individual SF quantitatively contributes to tensile loads borne by specific molecules within associated FAs. We address this key open question by using femtosecond laser ablation to sever single SFs in cells while tracking tension across vinculin using a molecular optical sensor. We show that disruption of a single SF reduces tension across vinculin in FAs located throughout the cell, with enriched vinculin tension reduction in FAs oriented parallel to the targeted SF. Remarkably, however, some subpopulations of FAs exhibit enhanced vinculin tension upon SF irradiation and undergo dramatic, unexpected transitions between tension-enhanced and tension-reduced states. These changes depend strongly on the location of the severed SF, consistent with our earlier finding that different SF pools are regulated by distinct myosin activators. We critically discuss the extent to which these measurements can be interpreted in terms of whole-FA tension and traction and propose a model that relates SF tension to adhesive loads and cell shape stability. These studies represent the most direct and high-resolution intracellular measurements of SF contributions to tension on specific FA proteins to date and offer a new paradigm for investigating regulation of adhesive complexes by cytoskeletal force.
Influence of CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells on Low/High-Avidity CD4+ T Cells following Peptide Vaccination

We have recently reported that NY-ESO-1-specific naive CD4+ T cell precursors exist in most individuals but are suppressed by CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), while memory CD4+ T cell effectors against NY-ESO-1 are found only in cancer patients with spontaneous Ab responses to NY-ESO-1. In this study, we have analyzed mechanisms of CD4+ T cell induction following peptide vaccination in relation to susceptibility to Tregs. Specific HLA-DP4-restricted CD4+ T cell responses were elicited after vaccination with NY-ESO-1(157-170) peptide (emulsified in IFA) in patients with NY-ESO-1-expressing epithelial ovarian cancer. These vaccine-induced CD4+ T cells were detectable from effector/memory populations without requirement for in vitro CD4+CD25+ T cell depletion. However, they were only able to recognize NY-ESO-1(157-170) peptide but not naturally processed NY-ESO-1 protein and had much lower avidity compared with NY-ESO-1-specific pre-existing naive CD4+CD25- T cell precursors or spontaneously induced CD4+ T cell effectors of cancer patients with NY-ESO-1 Ab. We propose that vaccination with NY-ESO-1(157-170) peptide recruits low-avidity T cells with low sensitivity to Tregs and fails to modulate the suppressive effect of Tregs on high-avidity NY-ESO-1-specific T cell precursors.
Epithelial tissue statistics: eliminating bias reveals morphological and morphogenetic features.

Geometric order in quasi-two-dimensional epithelia has been extensively researched in order to identify and classify different tissues to help our understanding of how tissues form (morphogenesis) and how their formation may be influenced (tissue regeneration). However, the significance of published data —such as the distribution of numbers of cell neighbors— has been debatable because of measurement bias. We shown that such bias can be detected and corrected without detailed knowledge of the original samples, using only the biased (measured) distributions. This is true for both of the most important sources of bias: the measurement of apparent four-fold vertices and the selective preference for measuring smaller cells introduced by selecting a finite sampling window. The resulting unbiased data allows for a meaningful comparison of all available data, from different sources, taken with different experimental resolution and methodology. Conclusive evidence is found that the apparent four-fold vertices are neither distributed randomly nor oriented randomly, revealing profound differences in topological correlation between proliferating and remodeling tissues. The method is applied to measurements of Drosophila wing tissue, where it successfully disentangles distributional moments, allowing for an assessment of their relative importance, independence, and significance in tissue identification and classification.
Indexing stories as social advice

This paper reports on an indexing system supporting retrieval of past cases as advice about everyday social problems; it has been implemented in the Abby lovelorn advising system. Two points are emphasized: (1) indices are descriptions of problems and their causes, couched in a vocabulary centered on intentional causality, and (2) indices fit a fixed format that allows reification of identity and thematic relationships as features. Abby answers several of the central questions that any indexing system must address, and has advantages over less restrictive systems.