cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short- and long-term outcomes of standardized EMR of nonpolypoid (flat and depressed) colorectal lesions ≥1 cm (with video)

Background Nonpolypoid (flat and depressed) colorectal lesions are increasingly recognized. Their endoscopic removal requires specialized EMR techniques, which are more complex to perform. Outcomes data on EMR of nonpolypoid neoplasms in the United States is needed. Objective To determine the safety and efficacy of EMR in the resection of nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms ≥1 cm. Design Retrospective analysis. Setting Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Patients Over a 5-year period, patients who underwent EMR for nonpolypoid colorectal lesions ≥1 cm. Intervention A standardized approach that included lesion assessment, classification, inject-and-cut EMR technique, reassessment, and treatment of residual tissue. Main Outcome Measurements Complete resection, bleeding, perforation, development of advanced cancer, and death. Results A total of 100 patients (125 lesions: 117 flat and 8 depressed) met inclusion criteria. Mean size was 16.7 ± 7 mm (range, 10-50 mm). Histology included 5 submucosal invasive cancers, 5 carcinomas in situ, and 91 adenomas. Thirty-eight patients (48 lesions) did not receive surveillance colonoscopy: 8 had surgery, 16 had hyperplastic pathology, and 14 did not undergo repeat examination. Surveillance colonoscopy was performed on 62 patients (77 lesions). Complete resection was achieved in 100% of these patients after 1 to 3 surveillance colonoscopies. All patients received follow-up (mean [standard deviation] = 4.5 ± 1.4 years); none developed colorectal cancer or metastasis. Limitations Single endoscopist, retrospective study. Conclusions A standardized EMR (inject-and-cut) technique is a safe and curative treatment option in nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms (≥1 cm) in the United States.
Cryopreservation of granulocytes for transfusion: studies on human granulocyte isolation, the effect of glycerol on lysosomes, kinetics of glycerol uptake and cryopreservation with dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol.

Abstract Existing methods for the cryopreservation of granulocytes employ primarily dimethyl sulfoxide (Me 2 SO) rather than glycerol as the cryoprotective additive of choice. Although Me 2 SO has been demonstrated to be an effective cryoprotective additive for granulocyte preservation to yield viable cells (dye exclusion, phagocytosis, etc.), the inherent toxicity and clinical objections of Me 2 SO as a cryoprotective additive for granulocyte preservation preclude its extensive and routine use in patients. Therefore, glycerol, with its important advantage of nontoxicity, has been investigated for its potential usefulness as a cryoprotective additive for preserving human granulocytes for transfusion. Granulocyte preparations were isolated from impure leukocyte concentrates obtained from the buffy coats of human whole blood. Studies on the isolation and purification of the granulocytes involved separation by sedimentation with dextran, removal of red cells by hypotonic shock with water, resuspension with Plasmatein and further purification by centrifugation. Intact viable granulocytes were obtained with a purity in excess of 90%. Lysosomes were studied as indicators of cryoinjury in granulocytes using β-glucuronidase as the key marker enzyme. This enzyme has been characterized as a sensitive indicator of damage to lysosomes and a direct linear relationship has been established between damage to granulocytes by freezing and amount of lysosomal enzyme released. Addition or presence of the cryoprotectant, glycerol, did not appear to have any adverse effect on lysosomes of intact granulocytes. Studies on the permeation kinetics of glycerol in granulocytes indicated that the additive was freely permeable and did not cause any potentially damaging osmotic changes in cell volume. Granulocytes in various concentrations of glycerol were then frozen at slow, moderate, and rapid cooling rates. Based on the small amount of β-glucuronidase released, good preservation of granulocyte lysosomes has been obtained with a slow cooling rate of 5 °C/min and a concentration of 15% glycerol. Further studies now are necessary to define those conditions of cooling rate and glycerol concentration required to develop a simple method for optimal preservation of granulocytes based on additional functional criteria of viability.
Seeing beyond: Issues of creative awareness and social responsibility

Abstract: How do we keep our eyes open to deal with the dangers threatening our world? This article looks at four types of potential blindness limiting us—as a species—from full awareness. These include difficulty seeing hazardous but slow changes, seeing heretofore unimagined dangers, seeing past our delimited reference groups to the needs of our species, and use of massive psychological defense to avoid the discomfort of awareness. Creative persons may have an edge in addressing these limitations because of their sustained cognitive‐affective awareness, creative courage and resilience, and capacity for universal perspective‐taking. Yet these capabilities do not guarantee the motivation for moral responsibility, nor its underlying reasoning and sustaining passion. A relational style of moral responsibility, growing out of everyday empathetic concerns, and expanding to embrace universal principles, provides the strongest framework for this, while helping to eliminate the distortions of a pseudo‐morality. ...
Bladder cancer: superiority of preoperative irradiation and cystectomy in clinical stages B2 and C.

60Cobalt gamma rays or 22 MeV x-rays were used in the radiotherapeutic management of 724 patients treated for bladder cancer at the M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute between 1954 and 1970. Cystoscopy and bimanual palpation for clinical stage classification during anesthesia were routinely the joint effort of urologist and radiotherapist. All living patients have been followed at least 5 years; for all who have expired at least the date of death has been established. For patients managed with radiotherapy alone, postoperative irradiation, or with preoperative irradiation and cystectomy, respective major complication rates were: 14%, 25% and 48%; local failure rates 45%, 33% and 16%; 10-year all-stage survival rates 8%, 14% and 20%. Five-year survival rates had only limited prognostic value when management was with radiotherapy alone or with postoperative irradiation, because in these two groups loss rates between the fifth and tenth post radiation years were high; late attrition was due in important part to failure to control cancer within the irradiated tissue volume, a type of failure not yet apparent in the group managed with preoperative irradiation and cystectomy. Among patients managed with radiotherapy alone, there was valid evidence that with increasing dose the incidence of local failure decreased. In the same group, rectal complications increased with higher doses, but the rate of bladder complications was independent of dose within the range studied, suggesting that still higher doses may safely be tolerable if surrounding normal structures can adequately be protected. Because of the higher complication rate (despite a dose smaller than that for radiotherapy alone), the dose for postoperative irradiation probably should be lowered to 5000 rad/25 fractions/5 weeks. Preoperative irradiation (at the 5000 rad level) followed in 6 weeks by cystectomy (node dissection not included, operative mortality rate 3.3%) was clearly superior to radiotherapy alone for clinical Stages B2 and C. A randomized prospective study resulted in 5-year survival of 46% of such patients managed with the combined modality (53% if patients who failed to undergo the intended cystectomy were excluded) as against 16% for patients managed with radiotherapy alone. For the preoperative group as a whole, there was no demonstrable residual tumor in 29% of the cystectomy specimens, and of the 26 patients in this category (Stage B2 in 12, Stage C in 14) 54% survived 5 years.
Ecotypes of Plants

IN Hereditas, Bd. vi. (1925), which has just come to hand, there is an extremely interesting paper by Gote Turesson on “Plant Species in Relation to Habitat and Climate.” This author has grown in Sweden upwards of 10,000 cultures of various types and races of certain widely distributed plants, in order to ascertain the precise nature of the forms inhabiting different environments. Particulars are given concerning about fifteen species, with numerous illustrations.
Identification of λ-Casein as Plasmin-Derived Fragments of Bovine αs1 -Casein

Abstract Crude λ -casein, prepared by extraction of whole casein with N,N-di-methylformamide, produced an electrophoretic pattern at pH 9.6 in 4M urea containing numerous bands with mobilities identical to peptides formed during incubation of α s1 -casein with plasmin at 37°C for 10min. Peptides from two electrophoretic bands were extracted from λ -casein and were radioiodinated as well as two peptides with identical electrophoretic mobilities from the plasmin digest of α sl -casein. Autoradiograms of tryptic peptide maps from the two peptides extracted from λ -casein matched peptide maps generated by the corresponding fragments of α s1 -casein produced by incubation with plasmin. Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoretic patterns obtained for the two peptides extracted from λ -casein were also identical with corresponding peptides extracted after plasmin digestion of α s1 -casein. Molecular weights of 5,500 and 6,000 were obtained for the two peptides. The λ -casein fraction consists predominantly of fragments of α s1 -caseins which can be generated in vitro by incubation with bovine plasmin.
Nut-yield variations and yield-diameter relationships in open-canopy black walnut trees in southern USA

Many landowners in the United States have little knowledge of the potential economic returns from agroforestry practices. Economic simulators for temperate agroforestry practices have been generated; yet, there are few data sets on yields of timber and other products to validate and refine such models. The objectives of this study were to characterize variations in nut yields among open canopy eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) trees and apply this information to the development of predictive equations between tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and nut yields. Three data sets were analyzed that included results from Tennessee; Chetopa, Kansas; and Mt Vernon, Missouri. Tree-to-tree variation in nut yields was high within each data set, with coefficients of variation for nut yields typically exceeding 50%. Averaging nut yields over several consecutive years reduced coefficients of variation. Nearly half of the high nut producing trees exhibited an alternate, biennial nut bearing pattern. Trees with low average nut yields had either sporadic or irregular patterns of nut bearing. The regression coefficients for equations relating stem diameter and nut yields varied considerably. Averaging nut yields over consecutive years, and averaging stem diameter and nut yields over a number of trees increased regression coefficients of such equations. These results indicate that predicting nut yields of a tree stand over a several year-period will be easier than predicting yields for a specific tree in a specific year.
Demonstration of membrane estrogen binding proteins in rat brain by ligand blotting using a 17β-estradiol-[125I]bovine serum albumin conjugate

Abstract This paper describes a ligand blotting procedure to visualize membrane estrogen receptors/binding proteins immobilized on nitrocellulose membranes. Using 17β-estradiol covalently linked with [ 125 I]bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the C-6 position (17β-E-6-[ 125 I]BSA) as a ligand, three major binding proteins with molecular masses of approximately 23, 28, and 32 kDa were identified from crude synaptosomal fractions (P2) of female rat brains. The binding of 17β-E-6-[ 125 I]BSA to these proteins is selective for 17β-estradiol because BSA had no effect, and 17α-E-6-BSA was at least two orders of magnitude less potent than 17β-E-6-BSA in displacing the binding. In addition, [ 125 I]BSA and 17α-E-6-[ 125 I]BSA at similar concentrations did not bind to these proteins. Competition and saturation assays indicate that the binding affinity of 17β-E-6-[ 125 I]BSA for these proteins was in the range of 1–10 nM. These proteins are not contaminants from cytosolic or serum estrogen binding proteins since no corresponding protein bands were found in cytosolic fractions. Three additional protein bands with molecular masses of approximately 18, 40, and 130 kDa were also detected, although inconsistently. The 23 and 40 kDa proteins seem to be concentrated in mitochondrial fractions (mP2), whereas the 28 and 32 kDa proteins are enriched in microsomal fractions (P3). Application of digitonin-solubilized P2 fractions to 17β-estradiol-coupled affinity columns resulted in significant purification of the 23 kDa protein as shown by ligand blotting. This protein was later identified as oligomycin-sensitivity conferring protein (OSCP), as reported previously. These data indicate that specific estrogen binding proteins different from classical nuclear estrogen receptor (66 kDa) are present in the cellular membranes of the female rat brain. The ligand blotting technique described here would also be applicable for the identification of other membrane steroid binding proteins/receptors using similar radiolabelled steroid-BSA conjugates.
Nutrient acquisition and limitation for the photoautotrophic growth of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 as a renewable biomass source

Photoautotrophic microorganisms (cyanobacteria and algae) offer high promise as a source of biomass for renewable energy due to their rapid growth rates and high biomass yields. To provide a framework for evaluating the feasibility of growing phototrophic microorganisms with high biomass production rates, we operated a bench-scale photobioreactor using Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and with light conditions imitating actual day-night light irradiance (LI). During the time of peak LI, PCC6803's specific growth rate (1.7 day⁻¹) and the nitrate uptake rate (0.46 g N/g DW day) were high compared to past reports. Analysis employing the stoichiometry of photosynthesis of PCC6803 and ionic speciation showed that bicarbonate and phosphate were driven to very low concentrations for the high-LI conditions. In particular, the systematic evaluation of rate-limiting factors identified when the CO₂-C(i) supply rate needed to be increased to mitigate HCO₃⁻ depletion and a large pH increase. It also showed that the traditional BG-11 medium needs to be augmented with phosphate to avoid severe P depletion. This work exploits quantitative understanding the stoichiometry and kinetics of cyanobacteria for the high-rate production of a renewable biomass.
Centralized Control of System Operation

This paper considers the application of centralized control of system operation of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company in New Jersey. A brief history of events leading to the installation of supervisory system operation is given, with a detailed description of the apparatus and the methods used to carry out the indications, together with a statement as to what is being accomplished in improving the service.
A practicable model of a carbon nanotube-based ionic sensor

Abstract We introduce a model for using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as selective room temperature aqueous ionic sensors and present calculations of how the current–voltage characteristics change as a function of ion adsorption. We were able to predict how changes in the band-structure of the CNTs manifest themselves in measurable external electrical parameters, such as conductivity. The mechanism by which the electronic properties are modified is by radial distortion of the nanotube caused by the mutual repulsion of the ions that have been adsorbed onto a thin insulating ligand shell. Depending on the chirality of the nanotube, the radial distortion is found to cause very different types of changes to the current–voltage behavior. For the case of zigzag nanotubes, at fixed bias, the current is found be modulated as a function of amount of adsorbed charge.
The Preoperative Anesthesia Evaluation

Thorough and timely anesthesia preoperative evaluation is essential for good patient outcomes. Perioperative care is becoming more complex and comprehensive, while older and sicker patients are being considered for major thoracic surgery. In addition to pulmonary and wound care, prevention of cardiac complications with beta-blocker therapy, multimodal pain control, tighter glycemic control, nutritional support, and prevention of thromboembolism are important perioperative goals. Early identification of significant medical and nonmedical issues allows for complete evaluation and planning and decreases the likelihood of delays, cancellations, and complications. Good communication and preparation benefit everyone. The implementation of an anesthesia preoperative assessment program or clinic can help achieve these important goals.
A measure of progress in fold recognition

We present a retrospective analysis of CASP3 threading predictions, applying evaluation and assessment criteria used at CASP2. Our purpose is twofold. First, we wish to ask whether measures of model accuracy are comparable between CASP3 and CASP2, even though they have been calculated differently. We find that these quantities are effectively the same, and that either may be used to compare model accuracy. Secondly, we wish to assess progress in fold recognition by comparing the numbers of CASP2 and CASP3 models that cross specific accuracy thresholds. We find that the number of accurate models at CASP3 drops sharply as the targets become more difficult, with less extensive similarity to known structures, exactly the pattern seen at CASP2. CASP3 teams do not seem to have predicted accurate models for targets of greater difficulty, and for a given difficulty range the best CASP3 models seem no more accurate than the best models at CASP2. At CASP3, however, we find greater numbers of accurate models for medium-difficulty targets, with extensive similarity to a known structure but no shared sequence motifs. Threading methods would appear to have become more reliable for modeling based on remote evolutionary relationships. Proteins Suppl 1999;3:218–225. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Role of Model Fidelity in Model Predictive Control Based Hazard Avoidance in Unmanned Ground Vehicles Using Lidar Sensors

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are gaining importance and finding increased utility in both military and commercial applications. Although earlier UGV platforms were typically exclusively small ground robots, recent efforts started targeting passenger vehicle and larger size platforms. Due to their size and speed, these platforms have significantly different dynamics than small robots, and therefore the existing hazard avoidance algorithms, which were developed for small robots, may not deliver the desired performance. The goal of this paper is to present the first steps towards a model predictive control (MPC) based hazard avoidance algorithm for large UGVs that accounts for the vehicle dynamics through high fidelity models and uses only local information about the environment as provided by the onboard sensors. Specifically, the paper presents the MPC formulation for hazard avoidance using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor and applies it to a case study to investigate the impact of model fidelity on the performance of the algorithm, where performance is measured mainly by the time to reach the target point. Towards this end, the case study compares a 2 degrees-of-freedom (DoF) vehicle dynamics representation to a 14 DoF representation as the model used in MPC. The results show that the 2 DoF model can perform comparable to the 14 DoF model if the safe steering range is established using the 14 DoF model rather than the 2 DoF model itself. The conclusion is that high fidelity models * Corresponding author. a re needed to push autonomous vehicles to their limits to increas e their performance, but simulating the high fidelity models online within the MPC may not be as critical as using them to establish the safe control input limits.
Importance of the duration of inadequate coronary perfusion pressure on resuscitation from cardiac arrest

The effect of the duration of inadequate coronary perfusion pressure on resuscitation from cardiac arrest was examined in 32 mongrel dogs with a mean weight of 22 ± 5 kg. In all dogs, the heart was electrically fibrillated and closed chest compression with assisted ventilation was performed for 15 minutes. At this time, all dogs had an inadequate coronary perfusion pressure (mean 7 ± 9 mm Hg) and were randomized to a control group (group 1) with continued closed chest compression or to one of the three groups with open chest cardiac massage. These three groups differed only in the duration of continued closed chest compression before initiation of open chest massage (15, 20 and 25 minutes, respectively, in groups 2, 3 and 4). The control group (group 1) had no significant increase in coronary perfusion pressure, and only one of the eight dogs could be resuscitated. The three groups with open chest cardiac massage had a significant increase in coronary perfusion pressure (from 5 ± 9 to 51 ± 26 mm Hg, p These findings indicate that techniques that improve coronary perfusion pressure during cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be applied before extensive myocardial cellular dysfunction occurs if the probability of successful resuscitation is to be improved.
Salt-dependent bacteriophage infecting Halobacterium cutirubrum and H. halobium.

MOST molecular genetic mechanisms are sensitive to ionic strength. The isolation of phage for Halobacterium allows a study of genetic adaptation in the extremes of ionic strength. The usual requirement for low ion concentrations is reversed in Halobacterium which maintains intracellular KC1 near saturation1. As a result, macromolecular structure may be altered sufficiently to favour genetic mechanisms that occur rarely or not at all in other organisms. The presence of a unique DNA density distribution2 and RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase3 in Halobacterium suggests that such alterations occur.
Control of sp2/sp3 carbon ratio and surface chemistry of nanodiamond powders by selective oxidation in air.

The presence of large amounts of nondiamond carbon in detonation-synthesized nanodiamond (ND) severely limits applications of this exciting nanomaterial. We report on a simple and environmentally friendly route involving oxidation in air to selectively remove sp2-bonded carbon from ND. Thermogravimetric analysis and in situ Raman spectroscopy shows that sp2 and sp3 carbon species oxidize with different rates at 375−450 °C and reveals a narrow temperature range of 400−430 °C in which the oxidation of sp2-bonded carbon occurs with no or minimal loss of diamond. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy detects an increase of up to 2 orders of magnitude in the sp3/sp2 ratio after oxidation. The content of up to 96% of sp3-bonded carbon in the oxidized samples is comparable to that found in microcrystalline diamond and is unprecedented for ND powders. Transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies show high purity 5-nm ND particles covered by oxygen-containing sur...
Kinetics of Crude-Oil Coke Combustion

Coke is a solid or semiliquid material that deposits on the sand-grain surface area and is eventually burned as a fuel during an in-situ combustion process. Its combustion is the main source of energy to sustain the fire front. This study investigates the effects of different variables - such as specific surface area, oxygen partial pressure, and oil content - on the coke combustion by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Each variable was varied while the others were kept constant. The TGA and the derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) curves were subjected to kinetic analysis. The rate equation produced indicated that the rate of coke combustion was proportional to the coke content yet to be burned, oxygen partial pressure, and sand-grain specific surface area. The rate constant followed an Arrhenius-type equation for the temperature dependency. The rate equation was tested for the range of specific surface areas of 0.126 to 24.3 m/sup 2//g (615 to 119,000 ft/sup 2//lbm), oil content of 10 to 58 wt%, and oxygen partial pressure of 5 to 50 kPa (0.05 to 0.50 atm). The model's validity was tested for various crude oils from different geographical locations in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.
Continental weathering of germanium: Ge/Si in the global river discharge

Abstract Rivers display Ge Si ratios ranging from 0.3 to 1.2 × 10−6, significantly lower than the average continental crustal composition ( Ge Si = 1.3 × 10 −6 ) and do not, in general, display Ge Si ratios reflecting that of the mineralogy in their drainage basins. In addition, seasonal changes in dissolved Ge Si ratios are dramatic (a factor of 3). These observations suggest the operation of a bulk fractionation process(es) during weathering and transport of dissolved Ge and Si to the oceans which discriminates against soluble Ge. Buffering of Ge and Si by sorption onto riverine clays and surficial iron hydroxides may be important in controlling dissoved Ge and Si concentrations at Ge Si ratios lower than crustal averages. The natural dissolved germanium to silicon ratio carried to the sea by rivers averages about 0.6 × 10−6 ± 10%.
A model for ferromagnetic shape memory thin film actuators

The last decade has witnessed the discovery of materials combining shape memory behavior with ferromagnetic properties (FSMAs), see James & Wuttig1, James et al.2, Ullakko et al.3. These materials feature the so-called giant magnetostrain effect, which, in contrast to conventional magnetostriction is due motion of martensite twins. This effect has motivated the development of a new class of active materials transducers, which combine intrinsic sensing capabilities with superior actuation speed and improved efficiency when compared to conventional shape memory alloys. Currently, thin film technology is being developed intensively in order to pave the way for applications in micro- and nanotechnology. As an example, Kohl et al., recently proposed a novel actuation mechanism based on NiMnGa thin film technology, which makes use of both the ferromagnetic transition and the martensitic transformation allowing the realization of an almost perfect antagonism in a single component part. The implementation of the mechanism led to the award-winning development of an optical microscanner. Possible applications in nanotechnology arise, e.g., by combination of smart NiMnGa actuators with scanning probe technologies. The key aspect of Kohl's device is the fact that it employs electric heating for actuation, which requires a thermo-magneto-mechanical model for analysis. The research presented in this paper aims at the development of a model that simulates this particular material behavior. It is based on ideas originally developed for conventional shape memory alloy behavior, (Mueller & Achenbach, Achenbach, Seelecke, Seelecke & Mueller) and couples it with a simple expression for the nonlinear temperature- and position-dependent effective magnetic force. This early and strongly simplified version does not account for a full coupling between SMA behavior and ferromagnetism yet, and does not incorporate the hysteretic character of the magnetization phenomena either. It can however be used to explain the basic actuation mechanism and highlight the role of coupled magnetic and martensitic transformation with respect to the actuator performance. In particular will we be able to develop guidelines for desirable alloy compositions, such that the resulting transition temperatures guarantee optimized actuator performance.
Alopecia induced by inhalation exposure to phenyl glycidyl ether.

Rats and dogs were exposed to heated phenyl glycidyl ether (310°C) vapor at average levels of 1.3, 5.0, and 11.8 ppm (v/v) for 6 hr/day, 5 days/wk, for 90 days. No adverse effects were observed in the dogs and rats other than alopecia in rats at the dose levels of 5.0 and 11.8 ppm. Microscopically, the skin lesions revealed slight acanthosis, hyperkeratosis, and occasional patchy parakeratosis in the epidermis. Follicular keratin plugs were observed with hyperkeratosis of epithelium in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Inflammatory reaction was mainly confined to the perifollicular region and affected the hair follicles, resulting in atrophy. The number of hair follicles in the resting stage appeared to increase. The hair shafts revealed impairment of keratinization and fragmentation. Extracted hairs showed an increase in the number of dystrophic follicles and constricted or broken hair shafts.
Holographic Video Microscopy for Biology

We present the use of holographic video microscopy for extracting quantitative data from digitized video holograms of colloidal suspensions in biological sample. Holographic video microscopy offers both multiple particles three-dimensions tracking and particle characterization concurrently.
Masked long-term potentiation in kitten visual cortex in vitro.

In slices from the visual cortex of kittens maintained in vitro, long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission following high frequency stimuli (10 Hz, 2 min) delivered at low to medium stimulus intensities (80 to 200 μA), is accompanied by changes of certain electrophysiological measures recorded intracellularly, such as long-lasting depolarization of membrane potential and decreased threshold to elicitation of an action potential. These parameters have never before been shown to be altered following high frequency stimulation in other systems widely used in studying synaptic plasticity, such as in hippocampal neurons. Another important difference between results from these two systems is that the amplitude of the excitatory post-synaptic potential is enhanced after high frequency stimulation in hippocampal neurons, whereas in striate cortex from young kittens, we observed a decrease. We demonstrate here that this decrease can be reversed to show enhancement from the original amplitude, upon clamp of membrane potential back to the voltage observed prior to stimulation. Thus, what appears to be “long-term depression” of synaptic transmission, as recorded extracellularly and represented by diminished flow of synaptic current, can be reversed by stepping membrane voltage back to the pre-high frequency stimulation level, to produce responses that then become consistent with long-term potentiation.
Integrated Geologic and Engineering Determination of Oil-Reserve-Growth Potential in Carbonate Reservoirs

Leonardian restricted-platform carbonate reservoirs in the Permian Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico exhibit abnormally low recovery efficiencies. Cumulative production form these mature reservoirs is only 18% of the original oil in place (OOIP), or about one-half the average recovery efficiency of Permian Basin carbonate reservoirs. Low recovery efficiency is directly related to high degrees of vertical and lateral facies heterogeneity caused by high-frequency, cyclic sedimentation in low-energy, carbonate platform environments and by equally complex postdepositional diagenesis. This paper reports that because of their geologic complexity, these reservoirs have high reserve-growth potential.
Fronto-ethmoid sinus mucocele: a case report

Abstract Background Mucoceles are epithelium-lined cavities in the paranasal sinuses filled with mucus. They develop because of scarring and obstruction of the sinus ostium, whether from chronic sinusitis, trauma, or surgery. They commonly erode the bony sinus wall and can have serious complications of brain and orbital invasion, with potential for abscess and rupture. Case report A 39-year-old woman had diplopia in left gaze and a hard nodule above the right eye for 1 year. She recently noted a bulging right eye, nasal congestion, and occasional headaches. She was 9 years post–sinus surgery. All aspects of the afferent optic nerve function were intact. Right-sided proptosis was evident as was a right adduction and supraduction deficit, prompting immediate imaging, both with a computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging of the orbits. These results showed a large right ethmoid sinus mucocele, with bony erosion and orbital invasion, prompting an immediate surgical referral. Conclusion Mucoceles may arise from any of the paranasal sinuses and, because of the close proximity of these spaces to the orbit, may initially manifest with visual and ocular signs and symptoms. Therefore, eye care providers need to be aware of this entity and the need for immediate referral or workup if a mucocele is suspected.
Rail Rapid Transit Investment and CBD Revitalisation: Methodology and Results:

A $450 million light rapid rail transit (LRRT) system is currently under construction in Buffalo, New York. This project represents a large public investment for a transportation system for which user benefits are not the sole or even a major consideration. Anticipated increases in service employment, retail activity and land development, mainly in the declining CBD area, are viewed as the major benefits. This paper describes the methodological framework used for the analysis of these impacts. Based on the empirical results from this methodology, the paper then evaluates the overall potential of the project to promote CBD revitalisation.
The two faces of the 'good' cholesterol.

Although a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is a useful clinical predictor of coronary heart disease, raising the HDL cholesterol level does not necessarily lower this risk. Part of the explanation for this paradox may be that, under certain conditions, HDL either can be less functional as an antioxidant or can even enhance the oxidation and inflammation associated with atherosclerotic plaque. Thus, the functional properties of HDL—not simply the level—may need to be considered and optimized.
Altering the DSM-III criteria for pathological gambling

Following a critique and revision of the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling in DSM-III, a field trial of the revised criteria was conducted. Four groups of individuals (762 in all) were surveyed: Gamblers Anonymous members, college students, hospital employees, and outpatients in treatment for pathological gambling. The revised criteria were found to discriminate effectively between pathological gamblers and others. In order to refine the cutoff point, the results on the DSM-III revision were compared to the South Oaks Gambling Screen, a valid, reliable instrument for screening pathological gamblers (Lesieur & Blume, 1987). A cutoff point of four or more items was found to be optimal in diagnosing pathological gamblers.
Lithographically Fabricated 10-Micron Scale Autonomous Motors

Self-propulsion and directed movement of nano- and micro-particles can in principle provide novel components for applications in microrobotics and MEMS. Our research involves the design of catalytic propulsion systems and the control of colloidal movement based on this principle. We have designed autonomous nanomotors that mimic biological motors by using catalytic reactions to generate forces derived from chemical gradients. Through architectural control of bimetallic catalytic particles, we have recently developed systems that undergo more complex movement. For example, we have constructed 10-micron scale rotary motors by contact lithography. In these chiral motors, bimetallic Au-Pt patterns are free-standing and move in the pattern predicted by theory. These studies demonstrate that by designing the proper architecture, one can tailor the pattern of movement to specific applications, such as changing from translational to rotational movement. The potential for elaboration of these designs to more complex micro-machine assemblies is discussed.
Information management in an enterprise-wide networked environment

Management of information to ensure that it is current and available when and where needed in appropriate combinations is a challenging problem in information management. Enterprise-wide computer networks have contributed greatly to the solution of this problem. However, systematic methodologies are lacking for integrating information based on the context and need, and the creation and maintenance of distributed databases in which interesting and useful relationships are identified, encoded, and maintained to keep pace with the rapid changes across the entire enterprise. In this paper, we outline the conceptual background of our research concerned with the semantics and timeliness of information, and the development and use of interfaces that depend on the context. A framework to help analyze and integrate information for specific sets of tasks and functions in a timely manner, and present in a form most suitable for the task at hand is under development. A prototype for the information system is being built.
The ontogeny of color: developmental origins of divergent pigmentation in Drosophila americana and D. novamexicana

Pigmentation is a model trait for evolutionary and developmental analysis that is particularly amenable to molecular investigation in the genus Drosophila. To better understand how this phenotype evolves, we examined divergent pigmentation and gene expression over developmental time in the dark-bodied D. americana and its light-bodied sister species D. novamexicana. Prior genetic analysis implicated two enzyme-encoding genes, tan and ebony, in pigmentation divergence between these species, but questions remain about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we describe stages of pupal development in both species and use this staging to determine when pigmentation develops and diverges between D. americana and D. novamexicana. For the developmental stages encompassing pigment divergence, we compare mRNA expression of tan and ebony over time and between species. Finally, we use allele-specific expression assays to determine whether interspecific differences in mRNA abundance have a cis-regulatory basis and find evidence of cis-regulatory divergence for both tan and ebony. cis-regulatory divergence affecting tan had a small effect on mRNA abundance and was limited to a few developmental stages, yet previous data suggests that this divergence is likely to be biologically meaningful. Our study suggests that small and developmentally transient expression changes may contribute to phenotypic diversification more often than commonly appreciated. Recognizing the potential phenotypic impact of such changes is important for a scientific community increasingly focused on dissecting quantitative variation, but detecting these types of changes will be a major challenge to elucidating the molecular basis of complex traits.
Bayesian smoothing algorithms in pairwise and triplet markov chains

An important problem in signal processing consists in estimating an unobservable process x={xn}nisinN from an observed process y={yn}nisinN. In linear Gaussian hidden Markov chains (LGHMC), recursive solutions are given by Kalman-like Bayesian restoration algorithms. In this paper, we consider the more general framework of linear Gaussian triplet Markov chains (LGTMC), i.e. of models in which the triplet (x, r, y) (where r={rn }nisinN is some additional process) is Markovian and Gaussian. We address fixed-interval smoothing algorithms, and we extend to LGTMC the RTS algorithm by Rauch, Tung and Striebel, as well as the two-filter algorithm by Mayne and Fraser and Potter
The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Alters the Circadian Rhythms, Quiescence, and Expression of Clock Genes in Murine Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist, has been identified as a potent immunohematopoietic toxicant with the ability to alter the number of Lin(-) Sca-1(+) cKit(+) (LSK) bone marrow cells, a population enriched for murine hematopoietic stem cells. The biology of these cells is governed by circadian rhythms and TCDD has been shown to disrupt circadian rhythms of other biological endpoints. We investigated the effect of TCDD on the circadian rhythms of hematopoietic precursors. Female C57BL/6 mice were treated with a single oral dose of 10 mug/kg TCDD. Five days later, bone marrow was harvested every 4 h for 24 h and stained for specific hematopoietic populations using fluorescently labeled antibodies. In addition, cells were placed into semisolid culture to measure different functionally defined populations. Activation of the AhR by TCDD elicited disruptions in the rhythms of LSK cell numbers and phenotypically defined myeloid and erythroid precursors. Simultaneous DNA and RNA staining revealed an abnormal in vivo rhythm of percentage of total number of LSK cells in G(0) phase of the cell cycle, suggesting disruption of stem cell quiescence. Finally, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that expression of AhR and Arnt mRNA within enriched hematopoietic precursors oscillates with a circadian period. Modest changes in the 24-h expression of mPer1 and mPer2 mRNA and increased AhR repressor mRNA after TCDD exposure suggest a direct effect on the molecular machinery responsible for these rhythms. Together, these data demonstrate that activation of the AhR by TCDD disrupts the circadian rhythms associated with murine hematopoietic precursors.
Jury Reform: An Analysis of Juror Perceptions of the Criminal Court System:

Little empirical evidence exists to suggest that jurors may develop negative perceptions of the court system which may affect an objective finding of guilt or innocence. This present study examined a number of attributes of jurors, including juror demographic characteristics, time expended in jury selection and deliberation, and juror perceptions of the defense attorney and the prosecuting attorney. A questionnaire was mailed to 462 randomly selected individuals who had served as criminal court jurors during 1983 and 1984. The questionnaire elicited demographic information (e.g., age, sex, race, etc.); general details about the court case the juror had served; and attitudinal responses about the court system; the defense attorney, and the prosecuting attorney. These attributes were then examined with respect to the extent they affected jury decision outcomes.
Lung Carcinoma-Reactive Antibodies Isolated From Tumor Tissues and Pleural Effusions of Lung Cancer Patients

Low pH elution techniques were used on lung cancer tissues and pleural effusions of lung cancer patients to dissociate antigen-antibody complexes. The immunoglobulins obtained were assayed by indirect immunofluorescence against tissue cultures and fresh cell suspensions of various target cells; they reacted positively, in significant titers, with cells of squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung but not with cells of normal adult and fetal lung or of nonpulmonary tumors. Immunoglobulins, similarly dissociated from tumor effusions of other organs, showed no reactivity in indirect immunofluorescence tests against lung carcinoma cells.
Efficacy of two insecticides for protecting loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) from subcortical beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae and Cerambycidae).

Tests were conducted on two insecticides (carbaryl and bifenthrin) for excluding subcortical beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae and Cerambycidae) from loblolly pine trees (Pinus taeda L.). Two trap designs (single- and double-pane windows) and two trapping heights (1.5 and 4m) were also evaluated for maximizing beetle catches.
Towards Representation Independence in PAC Learning

In the recent development of various models of learning inspired by the PAC learning model (introduced by Valiant) there has been a trend towards models which are as representation independent as possible. We review this development and discuss the advantages of representation independence. Motivated by the research in learning, we propose a framework for studying the combinatorial properties of representations.
Generating a fault-tolerant global clock using high-speed control signals for the MetaNet architecture

Describes a new technique, based on exchanging control signals between neighboring nodes, for constructing a stable and fault-tolerant global clock in a distributed system with an arbitrary topology. It is shown that it is possible to construct a global clock reference with a time step that is much smaller than the propagation delay over the network's links. The synchronization algorithm ensures that the global clock "tick" has a stable periodicity, and therefore, it is possible to tolerate failures of links and clocks that operate faster and/or slower than nominally specified, as well as hard failures. The approach taken is to generate a global clock from the ensemble of the local transmission clocks and not to directly synchronize these high-speed clocks. The steady-state algorithm, which generates the global clock, is executed in hardware by the network interface of each node. At the network interface, it is possible to measure accurately the propagation delay between neighboring nodes with a small error or uncertainty and thereby to achieve global synchronization that is proportional to these error measurements. It is shown that the local clock drift (or rate uncertainty) has only a secondary effect on the maximum global clock rate. The synchronization algorithm can tolerate any physical failure. It will continue to operate correctly on any connected segment of the network, i.e., it can tolerate any number of link and node failures, as long as the network remains connected. >
PORTFOLIO MODELS WITH STOCHASTIC CASH DEMAND, BORROWING AND FIXED TRANSFER COSTS

Portfolio models of the Markowitz-Tobin type implicitly assume that the investor does not have to liquidate any part of his portfolio to meet some exogenous cash demand. Since liquidity needs can be an important factor in portfolio management, Chen, Jen, and Zionts [3] in a recent paper developed a model assuming stochastic demand for cash and the possibility of meeting the cash demand by liquidating one or more assets. However, borrowing is an important alternative to liquidating assets. This paper considers that possibility. Unlike Chen, Jen, and Zionts, this paper also considers the more difficult question of liquidation costs being partly fixed and partly variable. In order to make the consideration of borrowing and fixed transfer costs mathematically tractable, the problem is first cast in a framework different from that of [3].
Tuberculosis in Pregnant and Postpartum Women: Epidemiology, Management, and Research Gaps

Tuberculosis is most common during a woman's reproductive years and is a major cause of maternal-child mortality. National guidelines for screening and management vary widely owing to insufficient data. In this article, we review the available data on (1) the global burden of tuberculosis in women of reproductive age; (2) how pregnancy and the postpartum period affect the course of tuberculosis; (3) how to screen and diagnose pregnant and postpartum women for active and latent tuberculosis; (4) the management of active and latent tuberculosis in pregnancy and the postpartum period, including the safety of tuberculosis medications; and (5) infant outcomes. We also include data on HIV/tuberculosis coinfection and drug-resistant tuberculosis. Finally, we highlight research gaps in tuberculosis in pregnant and postpartum women.