cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lung-reduction surgery: 5 years on

Lung-reduction surgery (LVRS) for patients disabled by emphysema is based on a concept proposed by Brantigan ' 40 years ago that dyspnoea in emphysemic patients might be improved by a reduction in the size of the hyperinflated lung. This proposal has proved to be essentially correct. LVRS, or the resection of functionless areas of the lung, improves dyspnoea by restoration of elastic recoil, which in turn stabilises intraparenchymal airways; by restoration to normal of the position of the diaphragm and rib cage, which improves respiratory mechanics and muscle function; by a decrease in dynamic hyperinflation and intrinsic positive end-expiratory [ pressure; and by a reduction in respiratory drive. When LVRS was introduced it was recognised to be a palliative procedure applicable to a small Cordova12 minority of patients with DanieF emphysema. The duration Date16 Kotlof-P s of benefit following LVRS McKenna 1° was uncertain in view of Miller11 the natural history of Snell~3 progressive deterioration of severe emphysema. Furthermore, the impact on survival could not be anticipated, given the risk of major pulmonary surgery in this group of patients. Now, 5 years after we reported our initial experience with LVRS for patients disabled hy emphysema, ~ some perspective can be cast on the role and value of the procedure. Of the original 20 patients, one has died from hepatic cancer. In the remaining 19, the initial benefit achieved has gradually declined but, on objective and subjective criteria, most of them continue to be better than they were pre-operatively. Reference Year n Surgery Mean increase in FEV1
Horse cDNA clones encoding two MHC class I genes

Two full-length clones encoding MHC class I genes were isolated by screening a horse cDNA library, using a probe encoding in human HLA-A2.2Y allele. The library was made in the pcDNA1 vector (Invitrogen, San Diego, CA), using mRNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from a Thoroughbred stallion (No. 0834) homozygous for a common horse MHC haplotype (ELA-A2, -B2, -D2; Antczak et al. 1984; Donaldson et al. 1988). The clones were sequenced, using SP6 and T7 universal primers and horse-specific oligonucleotides designed to extend previously determined sequences.
Molecular Genetics of Mitochondrial Disorders.

Mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) disorders (RCDs) are a group of genetically and clinically heterogeneous diseases because of the fact that protein components of the RC are encoded by both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes and are essential in all cells. In addition, the biogenesis, structure, and function of mitochondria, including DNA replication, transcription, and translation, all require nuclear-encoded genes. In this review, primary molecular defects in the mitochondrial genome and major classes of nuclear genes causing mitochondrial RCDs, including genes underlying mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion syndrome, as well as genes encoding RC subunits, complex assembly genes, and translation factors, are described. Diagnostic methodologies used to detect common point mutations, large deletions, and unknown point mutations in the mtDNA and to quantify mutation heteroplasmy are also discussed. Finally, the selection of nuclear genes for gold standard sequence analysis, application of novel technologies including oligonucleotide array comparative genomic hybridization, and massive parallel sequencing of target genes are reviewed.
DANIEL DRUCKMAN: INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT'S LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER, 2003

In this issue, IJCM begins what we hope will become a regular practice: publishing an article based on the address given by the recipient of the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM) Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is currently given every other year to someone whose work over many years achieves scope and impact of the first order. In a year when the lifetime award is to be given, a committee consisting of IACM's current president, past president, and president‐elect solicits and evaluates nominees, and recommends a recipient to the association's board of directors. Although IACM is a relatively young professional society (it was founded in 1984), the roster of past Lifetime Achievement Award recipients is an outstanding group of thinkers and scholars in the field of conflict.
A New Look at Shunt Compensation

This paper introduces the concept that the surge impedance of a transmission line can be rapidly controlled by shunt compensation to make the corresponding surge impedance loading always equal to the actual loading. So doing prevents normal-frequency overvoltages and limits undervoltages. On a double- circuit line it permits the compensation to be employed on either circuit when the other circuit is disabled.
Semiotic silence in intimate relationships: Much silence makes a powerful noise – African Proverb

Abstract The theoretical and empirical research on the use of communicative silence in human interaction reveals sustained scholarly interest in the topic. Yet, very little research attention has focused on how married couples use this phenomenon in their relationships. Thus, we have a superficial understanding of, for example, the functional uses of silence as conflict management tactic in such relationships. This paper attempts to broaden further our understanding of how participants, in a previous study, used silence to negotiate some of the conflicts that arose in their relationships. From this perspective, the paper elaborates on prior identified themes as well as discusses an additional theme that was found in the interview data. The overall aim of the paper then, is to engender interest into this domain of silence usage.
Psychosocial Correlates of Dual Methods for Contraception and STI Protection in Urban Adolescents

Purpose. To identify correlates of combined hormonal contraception and condom use (dual method use) compared with no methods, condoms only or hormonal contraception only. Data are from a baseline assessment of 335 youth (52% female) enrolled in an intervention trial. Multinomial logistic regression identified theory-based factors associated with dual method use. At last intercourse 47% of respondents used dual methods, 29% condom only, 14% hormonal contraception only, and 10% no methods. No method users were less likely than dual-method users to feel “dirty” about pregnancy, to have ask about historical condom use, to have more than two partners, to view condom use as normative for boys and more likely to perceive pregnancy risk as remote. Hormonal-contraception-only users were more likely to have sex weekly and perceive sex as pleasurable for girls, and less likely to view condom use as normative for boys and to ask a partner to use a condom. Condom-only users were more likely to perceive pregnancy chance as remote, and less likely to have more than two partners and to want peers to think they were virgins. Interventions should include benefits of dual methods while counseling about the negative impact of STI and unplanned teen pregnancy.
The AV junction region of the heart: a comprehensive study correlating gross anatomy and direct three-dimensional analysis. Part II. Morphology and cytoarchitecture

This “Part II morphology and cytoarchitecture” study is based on paraffin-embedded specimens in which the extracellular and intracellular matrix are preserved; single parallel, perpendicular, and t...
Kinetic Modeling of Hydrocarbon Processing and the Effect of Catalyst Deactivation by Coke Formation

Previously derived fundamental rate equations for coke formation and catalyst deactivation are applied to the modeling of a number of commercial processes: steam reforming of natural gas, styrene production from ethylbenzene, catalytic cracking of heavy oil fractions, methanol‐to‐olefins on SAPO 34, and solid acid alkylation on a Y zeolite. The modeling accounts in great detail for the chemistry of the process, including the formation of the deactivating agent, commonly called coke. It is shown that the deactivating agent is not an inert substance but is involved in reactions, sometimes of the same type as those leading to the main products of the process.
When identical functional groups are not identical: A DFT study of the effects of molecular environment on sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectra

Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations have been used to elucidate differences in the sulfur K-edge spectra of three pairs of related compounds: methionine and S ( Me ) 3 + , cystine and (±)6-thioctic amide, and (Me)2SO3 and (CH2)2SO3. TD-DFT is shown to accurately reproduce all the experimental XAS spectra. The 2 eV energy difference in the sulfur K-edge rising edge position between methionine and trimethylsulfonium is shown to derive from changes in bonding rather than the increase in effective nuclear charge. A similar insensitivity to effective nuclear charge is found in the XAS spectra of cystine and (±)6-thioctic amide. These surprising results are traced back to the fact that XAS spectra reflect orbital energy differences, rather than a measure of the atomic potential. The change in atomic potential following oxidation or reduction affects the core and valence orbitals almost equally. In all cases DFT calculations showed that the dramatic differences in sulfur K-edge spectra found between functional groups in alternative molecular environments derive from the variations in orbital mixing and energies following from bonding. However, XAS rising-edge energy positions have a near linear correlation with oxidation state. This is attributed to the fact that bond strength typically increases with oxidation state. Therefore, although XAS rising-edge energies are an approximate measure of the oxidation state of the absorbing atom, it is important to recognize that the correlation of XAS edge energy with effective nuclear charge is not direct. This result is finally applied to the question of quantitative sulfur speciation in complex materials of chemical, biological, or geological origin.
Le Cid: 1637–1937

SITERARY historians are hampered at times by reverence for tradition, at other times by a mania for novel interpretations. After three hundred years both of these tendencies can be illustrated by discussions of the Cid. Let us take up the questions of its date and of the dramatic struggle that continues to give it life. In the seventeenth century no one seems to have concerned himself about the date of its first performance. In the eighteenth, Maupoint (1733) asserted that it was first acted in 1637. He was followed by the Bibliothkque du theIatrefranqois (1768), but, before this compilation appeared, the freres Parfaict (1745) had listed the play under the year 1636, although they produced no evidence, and had stated (vi, 92) the following year that it was first acted near the end of November. Their date, 1636, repeated by Mouhy (1752), Leris (1763), and others, was accepted by Marty-Laveaux, who knew the facts, but who did not dare depart from the ruling of the freres Parfaict except mildly to suggest that late December seemed more reasonable than late November. More modern writers usually follow him in giving 1636, though some admit the possibility of 1637, or are even bold enough to prefer it. Now, as a matter of fact, the only document that indicates in which of the two years the Cid was first played is Chapelain's well-known letter of January 22, 1637, in which he declared that "depuis quinze jours le public a ete diverti du Cid." This means that it was first performed on or about January 8, 1637. Chapelain may, of course, have been mistaken, or he may have misdated his letter, but, until some such error is shown to have been made, the date of first performance should, if a single year is indicated, be given as 1637. "But," once objected a friend of mine, "it is so much more convenient to teach that the Academy dates from 1635, the Cid from 1636, and the Discours de la m"thode from 1637." Evidently the frbres Parfaict were more considerate of modern students than was Chapelain! Whenever the play may first have been acted, acted it was, edited it was, and actors, teachers, and scholars proceeded to interpret it. Usually it was held that it contained a struggle between honor and love. Indeed, this was said so often that one feels sympathy for those who have endeavored to find in the Cid something more novel. The most complete revolt against the older interpretation is that expressed by Professor Klemperer in his Pierre Corneille (Munich, 1933), where he goes so far as to say (p. 194) that "Jener alte Konflikt zwischen Liebe und Ehre liegt gar nicht vor," a phrase echoed by Mr. W. G. Moore (MLR, xxx [1935], 102), "Neither Rodrigue nor Chimne is really faced with such a conflict. They
Astronomy: Supernovae brought to light

The existing catalogue of Galactic supernova remnants contains only a small fraction of the true number of these stellar explosions. A different observational technique is being employed to find the missing ones.
Production scale PLZT powder preparation

Abstract PLZT powder may be prepared by suspending PbO in a mixture of Zr(OBu)4 and Ti(OBu)4 by rapid stirring, and hydrolyzing the butoxides with an aqueous solution of La(Ac)3. Hydrolysis is completed and the PbO partially dissolved by addition of glacial acetic acid. The resulting suspension is dried, calcined, and rendered homogeneous by ball milling.
Asymmetry in Scattering of 150-Mev Polarized Protons in Nuclear Emulsions

A stack of 600-micron Ilford G-5 emulsion pellicules was exposed to an integrated flux of 3 x 10/sup 3/ protons/cm/sup 2/ from the Harvard Cyclotron. The protons, of initial energy 149 plus or minus 3 Mev, emerged from the cyclotron after scattering through 15 by an interval carbon target and had an initial polarization of 72 plus or minus 3%. Results to date include a new technique for polarization measurements using nuclear emulsions, evidence on the nuclear spinorbit potential, and polarization in small-angle scattering. (W.D.M.)
Effects of mutual coupling and channel mismatch on space-time adaptive processing algorithms

The paper discusses the impact of mutual coupling on space-time adaptive processing (STAP) algorithms. To do so, simulations are used to illustrate the impact on the structure of the covariance matrix. Examples using multi-channel airborne radar measured data illustrate the effects of mutual coupling and channel mismatch.
Decreased Osteoclastogenesis and High Bone Mass in Mice with Impaired Insulin Clearance Due to Liver-Specific Inactivation to CEACAM1

Type 2 diabetes is associated with normal-to-higher bone mineral density (BMD) and increased rate of fracture. Hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia may affect bone mass and quality in the diabetic skeleton. In order to dissect the effect of hyperinsulinemia from the hyperglycemic impact on bone homeostasis, we have analyzed L-SACC1 mice, a murine model of impaired insulin clearance in liver causing hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance without fasting hyperglycemia. Adult L-SACC1 mice exhibit significantly higher trabecular and cortical bone mass, attenuated bone formation as measured by dynamic histomorphometry, and reduced number of osteoclasts. Serum levels of bone formation (BALP) and bone resorption markers (TRAP5b and CTX) are decreased by approximately 50%. The L-SACC1 mutation in the liver affects myeloid cell lineage allocation in the bone marrow: the (CD3(-)CD11b(-)CD45R(-)) population of osteoclast progenitors is decreased by 40% and the number of (CD3(-)CD11b(-)CD45R(+)) B-cell progenitors is increased by 60%. L-SACC1 osteoclasts express lower levels of c-fos and RANK and their differentiation is impaired. In vitro analysis corroborated a negative effect of insulin on osteoclast recruitment, maturation and the expression levels of c-fos and RANK transcripts. Although bone formation is decreased in L-SACC1 mice, the differentiation potential and expression of the osteoblast-specific gene markers in L-SACC1-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) remain unchanged as compared to the WT. Interestingly, however, MSC from L-SACC1 mice exhibit increased PPARgamma2 and decreased IGF-1 transcript levels. These data suggest that high bone mass in L-SACC1 animals results, at least in part, from a negative regulatory effect of insulin on bone resorption and formation, which leads to decreased bone turnover. Because low bone turnover contributes to decreased bone quality and an increased incidence of fractures, studies on L-SACC1 mice may advance our understanding of altered bone homeostasis in type 2 diabetes.
Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry.

Objective: To examine breakfast consumption in subjects maintaining a weight loss in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). Research Methods and Procedures: A cross-sectional study in which 2959 subjects in the NWCR completed demographic and weight history questionnaires as well as questions about their current breakfast consumption. All subjects had maintained a weight loss of at least 13.6 kg (30 lb) for at least 1 year; on average these subjects had lost 32 kg and kept it off for 6 years. Results: A large proportion of NWCR subjects (2313 or 78%) reported regularly eating breakfast every day of the week. Only 114 subjects (4%) reported never eating breakfast. There was no difference in reported energy intake between breakfast eaters and non-eaters, but breakfast eaters reported slightly more physical activity than non-breakfast eaters (p = 0.05). Discussion: Eating breakfast is a characteristic common to successful weight loss maintainers and may be a factor in their success.
An Extended Service Oriented Architecture forWebServices Adoption through Economic Incentives

This paper proposes and researches mechanisms which on the one hand support and stimulate the large scale adoption of Web services as a means for publishing software components, and on the other hand enable the dynamic creation and execution of Internet-scale distributed software systems built on top of this Web services environment. The proposed solution is to extend the service-oriented architecture (SoA) design pattern by adding a transparent middleware layer that restricts and controls the access of the applications to the needed Web services by means of requiring successful participation in auctions associated with those Web services. This proposal has several benefits: an efficient pricing mechanism for digital services, the introduction of incentives that would drive the development and offering of Web services, and a healthy, supply-demand based mechanism that enables the evolution both of the published Web services and of the systems built on these services. Finally, systems built on our extended architecture are capable of autonomously evolving in terms of choice of the needed services and function efficiently in terms of costs associated with their execution. The current paper uncovers this new research field and focuses on the rationale for our extension, the research problems generated by it; it also describes the middleware supporting the auction mechanisms, and looks into initial practical considerations of auctions mechanisms for Web services and strategies for building auction-enhanced SoA systems
Role of Glucocorticoids in the Maturation of Renal Cortical Na+, K+-ATPase During Fetal Life in Sheep 295

In sheep and humans, circulating glucocorticoid levels increase at the time of birth coincident with an increased ability of the kidney to reabsorb sodium. Proximal tubule Na+/H+ exchanger activity and mRNA abundance as well as basolateral Na,K-ATPase activity and abundance increase at this time. We have previously shown that cortisol induces a maturation of proximal tubule apical membrane Na+/H+ exchanger activity and mRNA levels in near-term fetal sheep. The regulation of Na,K-ATPase at birth is poorly understood. Therefore, we have studied the effects of this cortisol treatment on third trimester fetal sheep renal cortical Na,K-ATPase activity, mRNA levels and protein abundance. Nine pairs of twin fetal sheep were chronically instrumented at 127 days gestation (term is 145 days). After 72 hr recovery, one twin was given a continuous intraperitoneal infusion of cortisol at 3 mg/hr for 48 hr, the second twin received nothing. At the end of the infusion, both twins were sacrificed and their renal cortices were excised and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Na,K-ATPase activity (μmol PO4/mg protein/30 min) increased from 0.60±0.09 in controls to 1.22±0.11 (p< 0.005) in treated fetuses. Treated animals had levels of Na,K-ATPase activity equal to those of untreated 140 days gestation fetal sheep. Northern blots were probed for the α1 and β1 subunits of Na,K-ATPase; α1 mRNA abundance increased by 60±11% (p< 0.005), β1 abundance increased by 56±17% (p<0.005) with cortisol treatment. Immunoblots were probed with sheep-specific antisera to the α1 and β1 subunits; subunit protein abundances increased by 24±4% (p< 0.005) and 34±4% (p< 0.005) respectively with cortisol treatment. In summary, Na,K-ATPase activity increased to a greater degree than did subunit mRNA or protein levels. We conclude that cortisol may increase Na,K-ATPase activity in fetal sheep kidney by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. A substantial part of this cortisol effect may result from an activation of preexisting Na,K-ATPase.
Preemergence Herbicides Affect Hybrid Bermudagrass Nutrient Content

Preemergence (PRE) herbicides negatively impacting turfgrass root growth may compromise macro- and micronutrient accumulation in foliar tissue. Research was conducted to determine the effects of indaziflam (35 and 52.5 g ha−1), prodiamine (0.84 kg ha−1), oxadiazon (3.36 kg ha−1), and isoxaben (1.12 kg ha−1) applications in hydroponic culture on hybrid bermudagrass [C. dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] tissue nutrient content. Prodiamine, indaziflam, and isoxaben reduced visual root mass relative to non-treated plants. Consequently, these herbicides reduced phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and potassium (K) content in turf foliar tissue. Treatment with indaziflam reduced magnesium (Mg) and manganese (Mn) content in turf foliar tissue compared to non-treated plants. This response was not observed with prodiamine and could explain the significant foliar injury (>70%) observed with both rates of indaziflam. Data in the current study illustrate that PRE herbicide applications affect hybrid bermuda...
Towards a Material Allegory: Allegory and Urban Space in Hoccleve, Langland, and Gower

This essay seeks to revise our sense of late medieval allegory by examining the representation of crowds and urban space in Hoccleve, Langland, and Gower. I begin by looking at Walter Benjamin’s treatment of the flâneur, with a specific eye towards his sense that allegory is born in the hermeneutic challenge of making meaning out of the unknown faces in a city crowd. I then turn to readings of Hoccleve’s “La Male Regle,” Langland’s Piers Plowman, and the initial Visio in Gower’s Vox Clamantis to establish both the surprising frequency with which late medieval English allegory turned to depictions of crowds as well as the particular narrative structures generated out of the attempts to represent urban space in these three poets.
Effect of sediment-associated pyrethroids, fipronil, and metabolites on Chironomus tentans growth rate, body mass, condition index, immobilization, and survival

Pyrethroids and fipronil insecticides partition to sediment and organic matter in aquatic systems and may pose a risk to organisms that use these matrices. It has been suggested that bioavailability of sediment-sorbed pesticides is reduced, but data on toxicity of sediment-associated pesticides for pyrethroids and fipronil are limited. In the current study, 10-d sediment exposures were conducted with larval Chironomus tentans for bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin, fipronil, fipronil-sulfide, and fipronil- sulfone, the last two being common fipronil metabolites. Sublethal endpoints included immobilization, instantaneous growth rate (IGR), body condition index, and growth estimated by ash-free dry mass (AFDM). Pyrethroid lethal concentrations to 50% of the population (LC50s) were 6.2, 2.8, and 24.5 g/g of organic carbon (OC) for bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, and permethrin, respectively; with the former two lower than previously published estimates. Fipronil, fipronil-sulfide, and fipronil-sulfone LC50 values were 0.13, 0.16, and 0.12 g/g of OC, respectively. Ratios of LC50s to sublethal endpoints (immobilization, IGR, and AFDM) ranged from 0.90 to 9.03. The effects on growth observed in the present study are important because of the unique dipteran life cycle involving pupation and emergence events. Growth inhibition would likely lead to ecological impacts similar to mortality (no emergence and thus not reproductively viable) but at concentrations up to 4.3 times lower than the LC50 for some compounds. In addition, C. tentans was highly sensitive to fipronil and metabolites, suggesting that dipterans may be important for estimating risk and understanding effects of phenylpyrazole-class insecticides on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. Keywords—Chironomus tentans Fipronil Pyrethroids Sediment toxicity Sublethal responses
Intramyocardial injection of allogenic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells without immunosuppression preserves cardiac function in a porcine model of myocardial infarction.

Background: We investigated the efficacy of directly injected allogenic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in improving left ventricular function in a porcine model of myocardial infarction.Methods: Left ventricular infarction was created in 16 adult Yorkshire pigs by coil embolization and thrombotic occlusion distal to the second diagonal artery. One month after myocardial infarction was induced, the animals were randomized to either direct injection of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells or sham treatment (culture medium). Allogenic bromodeoxyuridine-labeled mesenchymal stem cells (2 ± 0.1 × 108) were directly injected into the infarct and peri-infarct areas during an open chest procedure. No immunosuppressive therapy was used. The left ventricular function was measured using serial biplane left ventricular angiography at baseline, 30, 60, and 90 days before sacrifice. Mesenchymal stem cells were localized using bromodeoxyuridine, and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells was assessed by confoc...
Frequency and time domain characterization of microstrip-ridge structures

Microstrip-ridge structures, i.e., conducting strips which are mounted on ridges and are in the close proximity of other conductors on other ridges, are found in submillimeter/terahertz monolithic circuits in conjunction with layered, ridged dielectric waveguides; in millimeter-wave monolithic circuits as microslab lines; in microwave monolithic circuits as integrated traveling-wave optical modulators; and in VLSI circuits as interconnects. A hybrid full-wave frequency domain technique which uniquely synthesizes well-known integral equation and mode-matching methods is shown to be applicable to the study of microstrip-ridge structures. Unlike most other integral equation techniques, the integral equation-mode matching (IEMM) technique is capable of characterizing a wide variety of nonplanar structures. Time domain results are obtained by utilizing a Fourier transform and an equivalent circuit model to evaluate the response at each frequency point. To introduce this method, several two-dimensional structures-specifically, coupled microstrips on ridges, coupled microstrip with an etched groove, and an electrooptic modulator-are examined. >
Income Inequality and Happiness

Using General Social Survey data from 1972 to 2008, we found that Americans were on average happier in the years with less national income inequality than in the years with more national income inequality. We further demonstrated that this inverse relation between income inequality and happiness was explained by perceived fairness and general trust. That is, Americans trusted other people less and perceived other people to be less fair in the years with more national income inequality than in the years with less national income inequality. The negative association between income inequality and happiness held for lower-income respondents, but not for higher-income respondents. Most important, we found that the negative link between income inequality and the happiness of lower-income respondents was explained not by lower household income, but by perceived unfairness and lack of trust.
Eye-State Action Unit Detection by Gabor Wavelets

Eyes play important roles in emotion and paralinguistic communications. Detection of eye state is necessaryfor applications such as driver awareness systems. In this paper, we develop an automatic system to detect eye-state action units (AU) based on Facial Action Coding System (FACS) by use of Gabor wavelets in a nearly frontal-viewed image sequence. Three eye-state AU (AU 41, AU42, and AU43) are detected. After tracking the eye corners in the whole sequence, the eye appearance information is extracted at three points of each eye (i.e., inner corner, outer corner, and the point between the inner corner and the outer corner) as a set of multi-scale and multi-orientation Gabor coefficients. Then, the normalized Gabor coefficients are fed into a neural-network-based eye-state AU detector. An average recognition rate of 83% is obtained for 112 images from 17 image sequences of 12 subjects.
IMMUNOLOGIC SEQUELAE OF THERMAL INJURY

Summary 1) Thermal injury induces a marked inhibition in the ability of tuberculin-sensitive guinea pigs to respond to intradermal challenge with tuberculin. The effect is most marked during the first and second weeks after burning, but may persist as long as five weeks. 2) Thoracic duct lymph samples obtained from severely burned rats contain a hemagglutinin specific for rat erythrocytes. This hemagglutinating factor has been identified as a 7S gamma globulin, and may constitute an immune response to altered autologous tissues.
Functional and genetic analysis of choroid plexus development in zebrafish

The choroid plexus, an epithelial-based structure localized in the brain ventricle, is the major component of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. The choroid plexus produces the cerebrospinal fluid and regulates the components of the cerebrospinal fluid. Abnormal choroid plexus function is associated with neurodegenerative diseases, tumor formation in the choroid plexus epithelium, and hydrocephaly. In this study, we used zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system to understand the genetic components of choroid plexus development. We generated an enhancer trap line, Et(cp:EGFP)sj2, that expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in the choroid plexus epithelium. Using immunohistochemistry and fluorescent tracers, we demonstrated that the zebrafish choroid plexus possesses brain barrier properties such as tight junctions and transporter activity. Thus, we have established zebrafish as a functionally relevant model to study choroid plexus development. Using an unbiased approach, we performed a forward genetic dissection of the choroid plexus to identify genes essential for its formation and function. Using Et(cp:EGFP)sj2, we isolated 10 recessive mutant lines with choroid plexus abnormalities, which were grouped into five classes based on GFP intensity, epithelial localization, and overall choroid plexus morphology. We also mapped the mutation for two mutant lines to chromosomes 4 and 21, respectively. The mutants generated in this study can be used to elucidate specific genes and signaling pathways essential for choroid plexus development, function, and/or maintenance and will provide important insights into how these genetic mutations contribute to disease.
A Passive Solution to the CPU Resource Discovery Problem in Cluster Grid Networks

We present the details of a novel method for passive resource discovery in cluster grid environments, where resources constantly utilize internode communication. Our method offers the ability to nonintrusively identify resources that have available CPU cycles; this is critical for lowering queue wait times in large cluster grid networks. The benefits include: 1) low message complexity, which facilitates low latency in distributed networks, 2) scalability, which provides support for very large networks, and 3) low maintainability, since no additional software is needed on compute resources. Using a 50-node (multicore) test bed (DETERlab), we demonstrate the feasibility of our method with experiments utilizing TCP, UDP, and ICMP network traffic. We use a simple but powerful technique that monitors the frequency of network packets emitted from the Network Interface Card (NIC) of local resources. We observed the correlation between CPU load and the timely response of network traffic. A highly utilized CPU will have numerous, active processes which require context switching. The latency associated with numerous context switches manifests as a delay signature within the packet transmission process. Our method detects that delay signature to determine the utilization of network resources. Results show that our method can consistently and accurately identify nodes with available CPU cycles (<;70 percent CPU utilization) through analysis of existing network traffic, including network traffic that has passed through a switch (noncongested). Also, in situations where there is no existing network traffic for nodes, ICMP ping replies can be used to ascertain this resource information.
Insights into erythromycin action from studies of its activity as inducer of resistance.

Appreciation of the inducibility of erythromycin resistance began as an observation in the clinical bacteriology laboratory during susceptibility testing of erythromycin-resistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. It was noted that inhibition zones surrounding spiramycin, lincomycin, and pristinamycin I (streptogramin B family) test disks placed close to an erythromycin test disk deviated from the expected circular shape and assumed a distorted ‘‘D’’ shape instead. Such observations suggested a possible antagonistic interaction between erythromycin, on the one hand, and spiramycin, lincomycin, or pristinamycin I, on the other (5, 7). The interaction turned out to be a functional rather than a physical antagonism, and out of these observations grew the notion of erythromycin-inducible resistance toward erythromycin, initially (41, 55), and then, more generally, toward all the macrolide, lincosamide, and streptogramin type B (MLS) antibiotics (57). Vazquez (50) and Vazquez and Monro (52) showed that antibiotics belonging to each subclass of the MLS antibiotics competed with chloramphenicol for uptake by intact cells. Competition for binding to purified 50S ribosome subunits was shown only for macrolides and lincosamides but not for streptogramin type B antibiotics. Collectively, these observations suggested that an alteration of 50S subunit function was involved in resistant cells. In a study of the time and concentration dependence of induction, Weisblum et al. (58) showed that (i) the optimal erythromycin concentration for induction was between 10 and 100 ng/ml, the threshold of its inhibitory action, (ii) at the optimal inducing concentration of erythromycin cells became phenotypically resistant within 40 min, and (iii) ribosomes from induced cells apparently bound labeled erythromycin and lincomycin with a reduced affinity. By mixing ribosome preparations from susceptible and resistant cells and noting no loss of expected antibiotic binding activity, it was possible to exclude the alteration of the antibiotic by modifying enzymes present as contaminants in the ribosome preparation. Consistent with this picture, Allen (1) showed that cell extracts of resistant S. aureus carried out erythromycin-resistant protein synthesis in vitro, suggesting that a component of the protein-synthesizing machinery had been altered. A posttranscriptional methylation of a single adenine residue in 23S rRNA, comprising the induced biochemical alteration (30, 31), was located at Escherichia coli coordinate 2058 (A-2058) (47), and translational attenuation (16, 24), the mechanism for its regulation, was proposed. As discussed below, this unusual mechanism of gene regulation requires no repressor proteins but, instead, is based on the conformational isomerization of the ermC message to a translationally active form. How might this be achieved?
Is the obesity epidemic a national security issue around the globe

Purpose of reviewTo understand how obesity affects national security by focusing on three case study countries – the USA, China, and Mexico.Recent findingsWhereas in the USA and Mexico, over two-thirds of adults are overweight and obese compared to about 29% of Chinese, large increases in the preval
Unauthorized Minds: How “Theory of Mind” Theory Misrepresents Autism

Abstract Recent representations of autism frequently include an assumption that autism is the result of a “theory of mind” deficit (i.e., an inability to understand others' mental states). This not...
Calcium, vitamin D, milk consumption, and hip fractures: a prospective study among postmenopausal women

Background: Short trials of calcium supplementation show that it reduces loss of bone density in postmenopausal women; longer observational studies do not generally find a lower risk of hip fracture with higher-calcium diets. Fewer studies have focused on vitamin D in preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis or fractures. Objective: We assessed relations between postmenopausal hip fracture risk and calcium, vitamin D, and milk consumption. Design: In an 18-y prospective analysis in 72 337 postmenopausal women, dietary intake and nutritional supplement use were assessed at baseline in 1980 and updated several times during follow-up. We identified 603 incident hip fractures resulting from low or moderate trauma. Relative risks (RRs) from proportional hazards models were controlled for other dietary and nondietary factors. Results: Women consuming ≥ 12.5 � g vitamin D/d from food plus supplements had a 37% lower risk of hip fracture (RR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42, 0.94) than did women consuming < 3.5 � g/d. Total calcium intake was not associated with hip fracture risk (RR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.34 for ≥ 1200 compared with < 600 mg/d). Milk consumption was also not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture (P for trend = 0.21). Conclusions: An adequate vitamin D intake is associated with a lower risk of osteoporotic hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Neither milk nor a high-calcium diet appears to reduce risk. Because women commonly consume less than the recommended intake of vitamin D, supplement use or dark fish consumption may be prudent. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:504‐11.
Design to Improve Visibility Impact of Corridor Width and Unit Shape

Objective:This study analyzes 10 intensive care units (ICUs) to understand the associations between design features of space layout and nurse-to-patient visibility parameters.Background:Previous studies have explored how different hospital units vary in their visibility relations and how such varied visibility relations result in different nurse behaviors toward patients. However, more limited research has examined the specific design attributes of the layouts that determine the varied visibility relations in the unit. Changes in size, geometry, or other attributes of design elements in nursing units, which might affect patient observation opportunities, require more research.Methods:This article reviews the literature to indicate evidence for the impact of hospital unit design on nurse/patient visibility relations and to identify design parameters shown to affect visibility. It further focuses on 10 ICUs to investigate how different layouts diverge regarding their visibility relations using a set of metr...
Infective endocarditis: prognostic stratification and indications for valve surgery.

Abstract Significant advances have been made in the management of infective endocarditis with the advent of antimicrobial therapy, surgery and transesophageal echocardiography, bringing hope to patients suffering from this once uniformly fatal illness. However, recent studies show that the mortality from infective endocarditis is still in the order of 20-30%. The prognostic determinants for adverse outcomes and the indications for surgical therapy in patients with infective endocarditis have recently received renewed attention. Our current understanding of these controversial issues will be reviewed in this paper.
Oral Contraceptives: An Update on Health Benefits and Risks

Objective To review the health benefits and risks of oral contraceptives, with an emphasis on emerging noncontraceptive benefits and the pharmacist's role in promoting safe and effective use of these widely prescribed medications. Data Sources Published articles identified through MEDLINE (1995-2001) using the search terms oral contraception, neoplasms, cardiovascular disease, menstrual cycle, and other pertinent subject headings. Additional articles and books were identified from the bibliographies of the retrieved articles. Data Synthesis Combined oral contraceptives (COCs), which contain synthetic estrogen and progestin, are the second most common form of birth control for women after sterilization. When taken properly, COCs are highly effective, with a pregnancy rate of 1% among perfect users. Also, a growing body of evidence points to multiple noncontraceptive benefits of COCs, including protection from several types of cancer and a variety of gynecologic benefits, such as reduced menstrual bleeding irregularities and fewer ectopic pregnancies. COCs are one of the most studied classes of medications, and they have been found to have an excellent safety profile in nonsmoking healthy women. They may be used continuously until menopause. For women with coexisting medical conditions or other special circumstances, the risks and benefits of COCs must be carefully evaluated before use. Conclusion More than 40 years after their introduction, COCs remain the leading form of hormonal contraception. By assessing patients' contraceptive needs, evaluating their risk factors, and providing sensitive and thorough counseling, pharmacists can help ensure the safe and effective use of these medications.
Spatial Voting Models for the French Fifth Republic

In this study formal spatial models are applied to cross-sectional analysis of district results on the second ballot of French legislative elections. A model of probabilistic spatial voting better accounts for the data than either standard “ecological” models or a model of deterministic spatial voting. There are three substantive findings concerning voter behavior. First, the adjustment of voters to external information can be largely viewed as a shift in the spatial (Left-Right) distribution of voters. This shift, plus decisions by parties and candidates as to which districts parties will contest, determines the first ballot outcome. In arriving at second ballot choices, voters then appear to utilize decision rules that have a substantial degree of temporal stability. A second and related finding is that the second ballot can be reasonably accounted for by a single Left-Right dimension. Third, in those districts with three or more candidates on the second ballot, there may be substantial strategic voting with voters switching from candidates close to their ideal points but unlikely to win to more distant candidates who are more likely to win. The existence of strategic voting is suggested by the finding that models based solely on spatial preferences perform well for two-candidate districts, but less well for three- or four-candidate districts.
Effect of asphyxia on blood coagulation in dogs.

ConclusionIt could not be demonstrated that severe asphyxia has any effect on the clotting properties of the blood of the dog.
Resection of inferior vena cava tumor thrombi from renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is an unusual cancer with the propensity to invade not only the renal vein but to propagate into the inferior vena cava (IVC) as a tumor thrombus. Experience has recently confirmed that MRI will be valuable in evaluating the extent of the tumor thrombus. The surgical techniques used to remove the thrombus are dependent on the extent of the cancer. For lesions involving the infrahepatic IVC, only proximal and distal control of the IVC are necessary. For a thrombus involving the intrahepatic IVC, isolation of the suprahepatic IVC, hepatic circulation, and infrahepatic IVC or cardiopulmonary bypass can be used. For the large thrombus in the supradiaphragmatic IVC or atrium, cardiopulmonary bypass either with or without deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is appropriate. In a review of 48 cases with renal cell carcinoma with IVC tumor thrombi, the tumor thrombus was removed intact in 58 per cent and in multiple fragments ("piece-meal") in 42 per cent of the patients. Cardiac bypass has been used in 26 cases with 22 undergoing deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. The postoperative mortality of 48 cases between 1965 and 1987 was 4 per cent. Removal of the most complicated and extensive renal cell carcinoma tumor thrombi is now technically feasible. In patients with large tumor thrombi, however, the ultimate outlook remains poor in the absence of effective systemic adjuvant therapy.
Exchange coupled ferrite nanocomposites through chemical synthesis

Exchange coupling between magnetically hard and soft phases has the potential to yield a large gain in the energy product. In this work, we present a scalable chemical synthetic route to produce magnetic iron oxide based nanocomposites, consisting of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and strontium ferrite (SrFe12O19) components.
‘Swanning back in’? Foreign fighters and the long arm of the state

AbstractAs foreign fighters have flocked to conflicts in Syria and elsewhere, their home governments have often claimed a right not only to criminalise their doing so, but also to deprive them of the right to return. This article challenges some problematic assumptions about the intersection among political allegiance, extraterritorial jurisdiction and the right of abode. It traces the origins of today’s conventional wisdom to a particular modern experience of state–society relations, including the rise of administrative ambitions that outrun the original bounds of the territorial state. In contrast, it argues for an ‘unbundling’ of state authority, prepolitical membership in society, and cross-border political action. This position would chasten overreaching views about states’ ownership of their citizens, while still leaving other ways to deal with jihadist violence.
Useful Web Resources.

An increasing number of web resources are available for aiding in proteomics research. Databases contain repositories of proteins and associated information. A recent article by Chen et al. (Genomics Proteomics Bioinformatics 13(1):36–39, 2015) evaluates a number of MS-based proteomics repositories containing MS and expression data, including repositories devoted to cataloguing high confidence post-translational modifications. Many sites have tools developed by research labs that are shared with the community and online tutorials and videos for learning how to use the tools. This chapter contains a selection of web sites useful for proteomics analyses but is by no means comprehensive. Using a search engine such as Google is the easiest way to find the sites using the name given below.