cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute tubular necrosis associated with Lowe's syndrome: possible role of rhabdomyolysis.

Abstract The oculo-cerebral-renal syndrome of Lowe is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by severe mental retardation, congenital cataracts, renal tubular dysfunction, growth retardation, hypotonia, glaucoma, and rickets. Recently, it has been found that serum concentrations of the muscle enzymes are elevated, providing evidence that there is primary muscle involvement in this disorder. The renal functional abnormalities that occur have also been further delineated. Renal tubular dysfunction presents within the first year of life, followed by a serum creatinine level that increases with age. Renal failure generally occurs in the fourth decade of life. We report two patients with Lowe's syndrome who presented with new onset of acute renal failure (ARF). Workup of their ARF established the diagnosis of acute tubular necrosis with evidence of rhabdomyolysis in one case. These patients were treated aggressively with dialysis and had subsequent recovery of renal function to their baseline state. We suggest that patients with Lowe's syndrome who present with an acute change in their renal function should be treated early with vigorous hydration therapy. If dialysis is indicated, it should be initiated. Furthermore, these patients should be promptly evaluated for evidence of rhabdomyolysis with alkalinization of the urine if possible.
Two-photon pumped lasing dyes and their sol-gel glass/polymer composites

A newly synthesized laser dye, trans-4-[P-(N-ethyl-N-hydroxyethylamino)styryl]- N-methylpyridinium tetraphenylborate (dye I), has high thermal- and photo-stability as well as strong two-photon-induced upconversion emission. Utilizing dye I doped bulk polymer rods, two-photo pumped frequency unconverted cavity lacing has been accomplished using a Q- switched Nd:YAG laser as the pump source. The upconversion lacing efficiency was 3.5%, and the cavity lacing lifetime, in terms of pulse numbers, was more than 4 by 104 pulses at 2 Hz repetition rate. By impregnating these dyes into a silica-gel:polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and Vycor-PMMA composite glasses, two-photon cavity lacing properties have also been studied.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Bullous Pemphigoid: End of the Century Overview

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) was first described by Lever in 1953 as a subepidermal blistering disease. Immunohistological features of BP include dermal-epidermal junction separation with an inflammatory cell infiltrate in the upper dermis, and autoantibodies in patients' circulation and bound to the basement membrane zone (BMZ). These autoantibodies show a linear staining at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) and recognize two major hemidesmosomal proteins, the BP230 (BPAG1) and BP180 (BPAG2). An IgG passive transfer mouse model of BP was developed, that recapitulates the key features of human BP. Using this in vivo model system, key cellular and molecular events leading to BP disease phenotype are identified, including IgG binding to its target, complement activation, mast cell degranulation, neutrophil infiltration and activation. Proteinases and reactive oxygen species released by neutrophils work together to damage BMZ, causing DEJ separation. T cells from BP patients show a specific proliferative response to recombinant BP180 NC16A. These NC16A-responding T lymphocytes express alpha/beta T cell receptors and CD4 memory T cell surface markers and exhibited a Th1/Th2 mixed cytokine profile. After almost a half-century of studies, we have learned a great deal about IgG-mediated tissue injury and begin to understand the autoimmune responses leading to pathogenic IgG production in BP.
Corticofugal modulation of directional sensitivity in the midbrain of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus

Abstract In our recent study of corticofugal modulation of collicular amplitude sensitivity of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, we suggested that the corticofugal modulation is based upon the best frequency (BF) differences and the relative amplitude sensitivity difference between collicular (IC) and cortical (AC) neurons but not the absolute amplitude sensitivity of IC and AC neurons. To show that corticofugal modulation is systematic and multiparametric, we studied corticofugal modulation of directional sensitivity in 89 corticofugally inhibited IC neurons in the same bat species under free field stimulation conditions. A neuron’s directional sensitivity was expressed with the azimuthal range (AR) at 50% below the maximum of each directional sensitivity curve and the best azimuth (BAZ) at which the neuron discharged maximally. Cortical electrical stimulation did not affect the directional sensitivity of 40 (45%) neurons with BFIC–AC differences of 7.3 ± 4.4 kHz but sharpened the directional sensitivity of other 49 (55%) neurons with BFIC–AC differences of 2.3 ± 1.8 kHz. Corticofugal modulation sharpened directional sensitivity curves of IC neurons by decreasing the AR and shifting collicular BAZ toward cortical BAZ. The decrease in AR and the shift in BAZ increased significantly with ARIC–AC and BAZIC–AC differences but not with absolute AR and BAZ of IC and AC neurons or BFIC–AC differences. Corticofual modulation also shifted collicular BF toward cortical BF. The shift in BF increased significantly with BFIC–AC differences but not with the BF of IC and AC neurons or BAZ shift. Consonant with our previous study, these data indicate that corticofugal modulation of collicular directional sensitivity is based on topographic projections between the IC and the AC and the difference in directional sensitivity but not the absolute directional sensitivity of IC or AC neurons.
The Impact of Unmediated Document Delivery on Faculty Use of Traditional Interlibrary Loan at Wichita State University

ABSTRACT In these times of growing journal prices and shrinking budgets, alternative methods of information access are a necessity. Document delivery services have become an important alternative to providing information access beyond traditional interlibrary loan services. This article analyzes the effect the “unmediated” EbscoDoc document delivery service had on traditional interlibrary loan in a medium sized academic library. Access to the service was provided to faculty members at Wichita State University for a period of approximately two years. Use of the service varied from faculty members who ordered one article to the “super” users who ordered from 100 to 400 documents. This study indicates that while the few “super” users had a strong impact on document delivery, the presence of the EbscoDoc service did not reduce the use of interlibrary loan as the majority of the registered faculty continued to use traditional interlibrary loan.
Income inequality, volatility, and mobility risk in China and the US

Abstract A unified index of income inequality, volatility, and mobility risk is presented, and measurements based on US and Chinese panel data calculated. China is found to have higher-income volatility than the US in recent data, so that long-run inequality is comparable in the two countries, and short-run inequality overstates long-run inequality more in China than in the US. In both countries volatility and income inequality are increasing over time.
Decreased osmotic fragility in heritable canine myopathy

Osmotic fragility was examined in red blood cells from dogs with a heritable muscle disorder that clinically resembles a muscular dystrophy. Several erythrocyte abnormalities have been reported in patients with certain forms of muscular dystrophy and it is thought that these changes reflect genetically induced alterations in the plasma membrane. It is believed that the examination of erythrocytes may eventually lead to the understanding of membrane involvement in muscle disorders. In this study, the mean osmotic fragility was found to be significantly lower in affected cells than in normal cells. These differences were maintained regardless of changes in incubation temperature (5 degrees, 20 degrees, or 35 degrees C) and pH (6.5, 7.0, 7.5, or 8.0). Quantitative analysis of glycolytic metabolites and adenine nucleotide concentrations revealed little variance between erythrocytes from normal and affected animals. Similarly, the pattern of membrane protein phosphorylation in intact erythrocytes from affected animals did not differ from that observed when erythrocytes from normal animals were examined. Of the red cell indices measured, the erythrocyte count in affected animals was moderately increased, but both the mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin content were significantly reduced. From these data it is concluded that the decrease in osmotic fragility cannot be explained by differences in cell metabolism or energy production. However, the decrease in affected cell mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin content may be correlated with the decrease in osmotic fragility in a manner similar to that observed in the hemolytic disorder of beta-thalassemia.
Buffer Layers for Ferroelectric-Based Infra-Red Detectors on Si Grown by a Novel CVD Method

Ferroelectrics such as PbTiO3 and BaSrTiO3 are promising candidates for pyroelectric infrared detector materials. Integration of ferroelectric thin films on Si will permit fabrication of low-cost infrared detector arrays, but a buffer layer will be required to reduce interactions with the substrate. For this reason we have investigated MOCVD of MgAl2O4 and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) buffer layers on both Si and MgO. A single source molecule, magnesium dialuminum isopropoxide (Mg[Al(OCH(CH3)2)4]2), was used for deposition of the MgAl2O4, the first time to our knowledge that well characterized multi-metal oxide films have been deposited by CVD from a single-source compound. Both EDAX and RBS showed film stoichiometries consistent with the elemental ratio in the source. A novel liquid solution-based flash vaporization technique was used to transport the organometallic sources into the reactor, providing both excellent reproducibility and ease of stoichiometry control and deposition rate. Highly oriented [100] MgAl2O4 was grown on MgO, and [100] YSZ was grown on MgO and Si. Degree of preferred orientation of the YSZ was found to be dependent on oxygen partial pressure, both for the MgO and Si substrates.
Prospective Evaluation of Single and Triple Lumen Catheters in Total Parenteral Nutrition

The recent introduction of triple lumen catheters has facilitated the care of seriously ill patients by providing multipurpose central venous access through a single percutaneous 7 French catheter. This prospective study was performed to examine the complications associated with the use of these catheters in patients receiving long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN).Seventy-five patients undergoing catheterization were randomly separated into two groups: 36 patients underwent placement of a single lumen catheter (SLC), and 39 patients, a triple lumen catheter (TLC). The two groups were comparable with respect to concomitant infections, treatment with antibiotics, and need for intensive care. Patients in the SLC group received TPN for a mean of 9.7 days and in the TLC group, for a mean of 8.5 days (p = 0.427). However, after 5 days of catheterization, there was a marked increase in the number of TLC removed because of skin entry site infections. SLC were more likely to be used for the full duration of T...
Cytidine Deaminase Motifs within the DYW Domain of Two Pentatricopeptide Repeat-containing Proteins Are Required for Site-specific Chloroplast RNA Editing

In angiosperm organelles, cytidines are converted to uridines by a deamination reaction in the process termed RNA editing. The C targets of editing are recognized by members of the pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein family. Although other members of the editosome have begun to be identified, the enzyme that catalyzes the C-U conversion is still unknown. The DYW motif at the C terminus of many PPR editing factors contains residues conserved with known cytidine deaminase active sites; however, some PPR editing factors lack a DYW motif. Furthermore, in many PPR-DYW editing factors, the truncation of the DYW motif does not affect editing efficiency, so the role of the DYW motif in RNA editing is unclear. Here, a chloroplast PPR-DYW editing factor, quintuple editing factor 1 (QED1), was shown to affect five different plastid editing sites, the greatest number of chloroplast C targets known to be affected by a single PPR protein. Loss of editing at the five sites resulted in stunted growth and accumulation of apparent photodamage. Adding a C-terminal protein tag to QED1 was found to severely inhibit editing function. QED1 and RARE1, another plastid PPR-DYW editing factor, were discovered to require their DYW motifs for efficient editing. To identify specific residues critical for editing, conserved deaminase residues in each PPR protein were mutagenized. The mutant PPR proteins, when expressed in qed1 or rare1 mutant protoplasts, could not complement the editing defect. Therefore, the DYW motif, and specifically, the deaminase residues, of QED1 and RARE1 are required for editing efficiency.
Mathematical Modeling Improves Computed Tomography Diagnosis of Traumatic Aortic Injury

Rationale and Objectives Acute traumatic aorta injuries (ATAIs) following blunt thoracic trauma require rapid and accurate diagnosis for institution of lifesaving treatment. The use of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of such injuries continues to improve and has the potential to become the diagnostic modality of choice in many trauma centers. A standardized diagnostic model may contribute to improvements in radiologist interpretation of CT for ATAIs. Materials and Methods The following diagnostic criteria were used to develop a diagnostic model for ATAIs: 11 areas of potential hematoma formation were identified in the mediastinum. Maximum short- and long-axis cross-sectional diameters of the aorta were measured. Qualitative morphologic information (contour change, intimal flap) was recorded. Smoothness of the aorta wall was assessed. These characteristics were quantified and analyzed for statistical significance, allowing for the development of an injury assessment model. Results The diagnostic model was used to score 69 blunt thoracic trauma patient cases. Average weighted kappa was 0.74, showing strong agreement among two observers and reproducibility of the model. The model improved injury assessment by classifying equivocal cases as either positive or negative. The ROC curve calculated from the original radiologist interpretation contained 86.1% area under the curve, while the curve for the new model contained 97.5%. The likelihood ratio increased from 30.06 to 48.67. The degree to which the new measure improved prediction over the original radiologist reading was tested using a nested model and yielded a reliable increment in model fit (χ 2 analysis: Δχ 2 (3) = 20.929, P ≤ .0001). Finally, beta weights calculated from each variable were used to create a quantitative best-fit diagnostic model for future use. Conclusion We have developed a diagnostic tool that may help radiologists better evaluate CT for ATAIs.
The immunological synapse: integrins take the stage

Adhesive interactions play important roles in coordinating T-cell migration and activation, specifically in the formation of the immunological synapse (IS), a specialized cell-cell junction. Recent demonstrations show several molecules implicated in T-cell signaling, including Vav, ADAP, and Rap-1, have major roles in integrin regulation and place adhesion molecules at center stage in addressing the question: what are the signals involved in the formation of the IS and full T-cell activation? This review focuses on the role of integrins as an essential system for both physical adhesion and signaling in T-cell activation. The role of integrins appears to be quite distinct from classical costimulation and has been largely overlooked due to the ubiquitous use of serum in lymphocyte functional assays. Each major signal transduction pathway has branches leading to the nucleus and others that feed back on cytoskeletal and membrane regulation at the IS.
Investigations of moisture ingressions in composites via NDI techniques

Moisture ingression creates huge concerns on fiber reinforced composites because of the reduction in mechanical strengths with the moisture absorption and additional weight gains on the aircraft. If the appropriate techniques are used to predict the moisture ingression in the laminate composite structures, it will be of an immense advantage to detect moisture contents and their effects on the properties of the composites. Mechanisms of moisture influence in the composite structures also need to be thoroughly understood for a better design of new structural composites. This research study aims at investigating the effectiveness of different non-destructive inspection (NDI) techniques to detect moisture absorption. Carbon and glass fiber reinforced composite panels were prepared and used during the moisture ingression tests. Different NDI techniques, including ultrasonic through transmission and pulse echo, phase array, bondmaster and digital tap hammer were chosen to determine the moisture ingression levels. Throughout the tests, initial and final weights of the composite panels were determined using the high accuracy balances. NDI scanning parameters were kept constant for the tests. The effectiveness of each technique was determined and their results were discussed in detail.
The partial reinforcement extinction effect in rats with medial septal lesions

Abstract Rats, which had sustained electrolytic lesions in the medial septal area (disrupting hippocampal theta rhythms) or sham operations either before acquisition or between acquisition and extinction, were given either 50% random partial reinforcement (PR) or continuous reinforcement (CRF) during acquisition of a running response for water reward in a straight alley. The magnitude of the partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) was reduced in animals lesioned prior to acquisition and probably also in animals lesioned between acquisition and extinction. This reduction in the PREE was about equally due to an increase in resistance to extinction after CRF and a decrease in resistance to extinction after PR. The septal lesions disrupted vibrissae movement and also caused PR animals to be particularly disturbed by a change of environment during acquisition.
A Qualitative Study of Staff's Perspectives on Implementing an After School Program Promoting Youth Physical Activity.

Minimal effects found across youth physical activity (PA) interventions, and increased attention to circumstances that impede adequate delivery of program components, has highlighted the importance of learning from staff what is needed to foster staff comprehension and engagement for developing, adopting, and successfully implementing PA-based youth interventions. The purpose of this study is to address this knowledge gap by conducting a qualitative assessment of school staff perspectives on the positive aspects and challenges of implementing the 17-week ACT program, an after-school intervention that integrated motivational and behavioral components to promote PA in underserved adolescents. Interviews were conducted with one school staff member from each participating school for all four trial cohorts (N=12). Transcripts were coded by independent coders (r=.84) and content analyses of themes was performed using QSR NVivo. Themes were organized into five meta-themes: (1) Logistics; (2) Essential Elements; (3) Staff and Child Challenges; (4) Staff Comprehension, Value, and Enjoyment; (5) Spill-Over Effects. Findings indicate that staff can be successful at understanding, valuing, and reaching fidelity in implementing climate-based mediation components. The insight gained from this study lays the foundation for understanding the components needed for establishing well-implemented, effective, and generalizable interventions for increasing youth PA.
Evidence for low-molecular weight antibodies in the serum of a urodele amphibian, Ambystoma mexicanum

Adult axolotls (A. mexicanum) were hyperimmunized with the haptenic determinant, azobenzene-arsonate (ARS). Specific antibodies were isolated from their serum by immune-affinity chromatography on immobilized ARS columns. Analysis of the specific ARS-binding molecules by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) indicated that these animals were capable of producing both high molecular-weight (presumably IgM) and low molecular-weight antibodies to the ARS hapten. The low molecular-weight anti-ARS antibody produced by one inbred colony of axolotls did not show any restricted heterogeneity, as assessed by isoelectric focusing. Our results suggest that regulatory events, not the absence of genetic information, may be responsible for the apparent lack of Ig isotype diversity in this species.
A kinetic study of membrane immunoglobulin capping by flow cytometry

A flow cytometric procedure has been developed for performing kinetic studies on the capping of membrane immunoglobulin (mIg) on B lymphocytes. Mouse B cells were stained with fluorescein-conjugated antimouse-Ig antisera and subjected to pulse-shape (width, peak, and area) analyses prior to, during, and after ligand-induced redistribution of mIg. It was found that ring-stained, patched, and capped cells could be discriminated based on the width of the electronic signal curve generated as the cells passed through the laser beam. Additionally, endocytosis and or shedding of the cap could be correlated with a change in the area under the curve. Using these two parameters (width and area), the effects of temperature, cross-linking, and several pharmacological agents on the capping process were examined. Through the use of flow cytometry, the inhibitory effects of various perturbants could be localized to discrete stages of the capping process.
The role of adult‐child play in language development

In pretend play, parents may teach children something about how to use language to structure the world.
Binding states and decomposition of NO on single crystal planes of Pt

Abstract Nitric oxide desorption and reaction kinetics are compared on the (111), (110),and (100) planes of platinum using temperature programmed desorption mass spectrometry. NO exhibits large crystallographic anisotropies with the (100) plane having stronger bonding and much higher decomposition activity than the (110) or (111) planes. The desorption activation energies for the major tightly bound states are 36, 33.5, and 25 kcal mole−1 on the (100), (110), and (111) planes respectively. Pre-exponential factors for these states on the (110) and (111) planes are 1 × 1016±0.5s−1. The major tightly bound state on the (100) plane dissociates to yield 50% N2 and O2, but all other states all planes desorb without significant decomposition. The fraction decomposed is less than 2% on the Pt(111) surface.
On one-loop effective lagrangians and compactified superstrings

The calculation of one-loop radiative corrections in a cutoff field theory derived from the low-energy limit of compactified superstrings is discussed, and previous work is extended to include terms that would vanish in the limit that the cutoff goes to infinity. The effective potential is found to decrease monotonically as a function of the gravitino mass, and no minimum is found for finite m32. General arguments regarding the effect of noncompact symmetries on scalar masses and the cosmological constant are discussed and compared with the specific results obtained in this model.
The frequency and impact of task interruptions in the ICU

Up to 98,000 patients die annually in U.S. hospitals due to human error. Despite epidemiological studies demonstrating the severity of this problem it is still unclear what the contributing factors to human error are. However, in aviation one contributor to accidents is task interruptions. The present study examined the frequency and impact of task interruptions in the Intensive Care Unit.Observational data were collected in the ICU by shadowing nurses. During the 34 hours of observation, 1138 nurse activities were observed, of which 29.4% were interrupted. Consequences of an interruption for the primary task can be abandoning its completion or omissions of some of the tasks steps. The conditional probability that an interrupted task was abandoned was p(abandoned | interrupted) = .12, where the omission of steps of the primary task had a conditional probability of p(omission | interrupted) = .015. A total of six cases that created patient hazards were observed where in five of these cases an interruption ...
Examining Family Reunification Services: A Process Analysis of a Successful Experiment

This article describes the central elements of a family-based reunification service that was found to be effective in reducing foster care placements in Utah. In addition, the article assesses the ...
Capital regulation and deposit insurance

Abstract A model of deposit insurance in which the bank closure rule can systematically deviate from the economic insolvency condition used in earlier models is developed. Simulation of that model for plausible parameter values suggests that the failure to close banks on a timely basis has a profound effect in increasing the insurer's liability. The implications of these results for capital regulation are discussed.
On Blattner's formula for the discrete series representations of SO(2n, 1)

Blattner's conjecture gives a formula for the multiplicity with which a unitary irreducible representation of the maximal compact subgroup K appears in any discrete series representation of a semisimple Lie group G. We give an elementary derivation of this formula from Harish Chandra's character formula for G ∼- SOe(2n, 1) (n ⩾ 2). The idea is to regularize the character (on the Cartan subgroup), to show that the regularization is unique, and to derive the multiplicities by expanding the resulting distribution in a Fourier series. To prove uniqueness of the regularization one uses a priori constraints on the multiplicities (=Fourier coefficients) that follow from the subquotient theorem.
Climate trends in indices for temperature and precipitation across New York State, 1948–2008

New York State (NYS) is a geographically diverse area susceptible to climate change, but trends in climate extreme indicators have not been extensively studied. Our objectives are to describe temporal and spatial trends in various extreme indicators and their sensitivity to climate change and to demonstrate geographic differences in indicator trends in NYS. We analyzed data from the US Historical Climatology Network for NYS from 1948 to 2008. We assessed trends in 15 temperature and 11 precipitation indicators using linear regression with bootstrapping in SAS and RClimDex software. The indicators showing the most substantial change per decade were frost days (−0.97 days per decade) and diurnal temperature (−0.11°C). For precipitation indicators, the number of heavy precipitation days (+0.99 days), consecutive wet days (+ 0.42 days), the total wet day precipitation (+30.19 mm), and the simple daily intensity index (+0.18 mm/day) showed the most change per decade. The most representative indicators that showed significant trends for more than half of the stations were number of cool nights, diurnal temperature, and number of frost days and increase in total wet day precipitation and simple daily intensity index for precipitation. The most sensitive regions for changes in extreme indicators were the eastern and Great Lakes regions of NYS. In light of these consistent temporal trends of warming and increasing precipitation in NYS with large geographic variation, the indicators that have been identified should be further evaluated and assessed for their health impact. Geographical differences in climate trends may be of use in informing policy and resource allocation for climate change adaptation.
Optimization techniques applied to multiple manipulators for path planning and torque minimization

Abstract This paper presents the formulation and application of a strategy for the determination of an optimal trajectory for a multiple robotic configuration. Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Simulated Annealing (SA) have been used as the optimization techniques and results obtained from them compared. First, the motivation for multiple robot control and the current state-of-art in the field of cooperating robots are briefly given. This is followed by a discussion of energy minimization techniques in the context of robotics, and finally, the principles of using genetic algorithms and simulated annealing as an optimization tool are included. The initial and final positions of the end effector are specified. Two cases, one of a single manipulator, and the other of two cooperating manipulators carrying a common payload illustrate the proposed approach. The GA and SA techniques identify the optimal trajectory based on minimum joint torque requirements. The simulations performed for both the cases show that although both the methods converge to the global minimum, the SA converges to solution faster than the GA.
Electron microscopy encounters with unusual thermophiles helps direct genomic analysis of Aciduliprofundum boonei

Terry Beveridge's enthusiasm about the ingenuity of microorganisms has stimulated many new avenues of microbial research. One example where Terry's observations helped direct the scientific process was in the analysis of the draft genome of the thermoacidophilic archaeum, Aciduliprofundum boonei. This deep-sea vent heterotroph ferments peptides as its primary metabolic pathway, using numerous enzymes encoding for proteolytic or peptidolytic activities. An almost complete modified Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway operates in the gluconeogenic direction. Terry was particularly intrigued by the S-layer and flagellum of A. boonei. Although only putative genes for the S-layer protein could be identified, several genes encoding for glycosyl transferases were located in the draft genome that could glycosylate the S-layer proteins and protect the proteins from the acidic environment. Furthermore, A. boonei possesses a unique organization to its flagellum genes and may represent a third organizational type within the Archaea.
Egg chorion tanning in Aedes aegypti mosquito

The biochemical pathway of egg chorion tanning in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is described and compared with chorion protein crosslinking in Drosophila and silkmoths and the biochemical pathways of cuticular tanning in insects. Phenol oxidase, dopa decarboxylase and tyrosine are critical components involved in egg chorion tanning in A. aegypti. Tanning of the mosquito egg chorion is initiated following activation of phenol oxidase, which then catalyzes the hydroxylation of tyrosine to dopa and further oxidizes dopa and dopamine to their respective o-quinones. Because intramolecular cyclization is much slower in dopaminequinone than dopaquinone, the chance to react with external nucleophiles to participate in protein crosslinking reactions also is much greater in dopaminequinone than dopaquinone. This might partly explain the necessity for the involvement of dopa decarboxylase in mosquito chorion tanning. Intramolecular cyclization of dopaquinone and dopaminequinone to form dopachrome and dopaminechrome, respectively, the structural rearrangement of these aminochromes to produce 5,6-dihydroxyindole, and the subsequent oxidation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole by phenol oxidase also lead to melanin formation during egg chorion tanning.
Prophylactic antibiotics in noncardiac thoracic operations.

Abstract A high incidence of thoracotomy wound infection and empyema in 1972 was associated with inadequate and irregular administration of prophylactic antibiotics. Beginning with 1973, a strict regimen was adopted that combined systemic cephalosporins and two topical antibiotics (cephalothin and kanamycin). Emphasis was placed on preoperative administration of the systemic agent and on use of the topical drugs before the operative field was contaminated. The patient groups for 1972 and 1973 were similar in most respects, but the wound complication rate was 18.4% in 1972 and 4.8% in 1973.
Return to Sender: Meta-Epistolary Reflections of Political Disillusionment in Petrarch's RERUM FAMILIARIUM LIBRI

This article examines the crucial role that Petrarch's epistolary relationship with the Emperor Charles IV plays in the structure of his Rerum Familiarium Libri. In particular, it explores the ways...
Programming paper networks for point of care diagnostics

Lateral flow tests (LFTs) are well-suited for rapid point-of-care testing in low resource settings. The wicking action of the paper strip moves the sample and reagents through the device without a need for pumps, but LFTs are typically limited to tests that can be carried out in a single fluidic step. The materials from LFTs can be reconfigured to create paper networks that automatically carry out multi-step fluidic operations, while retaining the same easy-to-use format as a conventional LFT. Here, we describe basic principles of wicking and system-level behavior of paper networks by analogy to electrical circuits. We describe key design principles for a previously-developed 2D paper network (2DPN) and introduce an alternative linear paper network (Pseudo-1DPN) that takes advantage of system-level behavior to perform clean sequential fluid delivery while reducing device running time.
Superconducting properties and structural phase transformation of Nb2N induced by C+ - and N+-implantation

Abstract Thin films of h.c.p. Nb2N implanted uniformly wilh 25 at.% C+ or N+ ions were found to transform into the f.c.c. Bl structure; film surface temperatures did not exceed 200°C. The resistive superconducting transition sharpened markedly and Tc was found to increase after implantation, presumably due to the structural change. X-Ray diffraction measurements were used to determine crystal structure and lattice parameters. A possible mechanism for the transformation is discussed.
Characterization of virulence-associated determinants in the envelope glycoprotein of Pichinde virus

We use a small animal model, based on guinea pigs infected with a non-pathogenic Pichinde virus (PICV), to understand the virulence mechanisms of arenavirus infections in the hosts. PICV P2 strain causes a mild febrile reaction in guinea pigs, while P18 causes severe disease with clinical and pathological features reminiscent of Lassa hemorrhagic fever in humans. The envelope glycoproteins (GPC) of P2 and P18 viruses differ at positions 119, 140, and 164, all localized to the receptor-binding G1 subunit. We found that lentiviral pseudotyped virions (VLPs) bearing P18 GPC show more efficient cell entry than those with P2 GPC, and that the E140 residue plays a critical role in this process. Infection of guinea pigs with the recombinant viruses containing the E140K change demonstrated that E140 of GPC is a necessary virulence determinant of P18 infections, possibly by enhancing the ability of virus to enter target cells.
Analysis and Prediction of User Editing Patterns in Ontology Development Projects

The development of real-world ontologies is a complex undertaking, commonly involving a group of domain experts with different expertise that work together in a collaborative setting. These ontologies are usually large scale and have complex structures. To assist in the authoring process, ontology tools are key at making the editing process as streamlined as possible. Being able to predict confidently what the users are likely to do next as they edit an ontology will enable us to focus and structure the user interface accordingly and to facilitate more efficient interaction and information discovery. In this paper, we use data mining, specifically the association rule mining, to investigate whether we are able to predict the next editing operation that a user will make based on the change history. We simulated and evaluated continuous prediction across time using sliding window model. We used the association rule mining to generate patterns from the ontology change logs in the training window and tested these patterns on logs in the adjacent testing window. We also evaluated the impact of different training and testing window sizes on the prediction accuracies. At last, we evaluated our prediction accuracies across different user groups and different ontologies. Our results indicate that we can indeed predict the next editing operation a user is likely to make. We will use the discovered editing patterns to develop a recommendation module for our editing tools, and to design user interface components that better fit with the user editing behaviors.
EVCCM: An Efficient VOIP Congestion Control Mechanism

Voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) technology has been widely adopted in communication middleware systems that allow service providers to construct web based applications, such as Web conference systems (WebEx, Gotomeeting), IP based call centers and Web chatting. VOIP is vulnerable to network congestion if too many users access the Web service based VOIP at the same time, especially the services that coordinate with video transmission. VOIP signaling is usually implemented in User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Since UDP cannot verify the packets arrival, the congested network causes IP packets to be lost, delayed or even denial of service and greatly damages the service providers' reputation. We apply mechanism design, an application of game theory, to VOIP middleware management to defend such congested phone calls. Using the proposed model, users play their best options (ex: voice quality and price) to connect to the service. Service providers will provide users' service based on the users' options to maximize service providers' benefits, such as the number of active online users, service fee and system resource usage, to defend the congestion in the network and improve the network performance. In particular, our proposed model is a win-win solution in the way that maximizes both users and service providers' benefits. Finally, empirical results are provided to support our solution.
Sprouting of mossy fibers and presynaptic inhibition by group II metabotropic glutamate receptors in pilocarpine-treated rat hippocampal slice cultures

Abstract Mossy fibre sprouting (MFS) is a phenomenon observed in the epileptic hippocampus. We have studied MFS, in 7, 14 and 21 day in vitro (DIV) organotypic slice cultures, or in slice cultures treated with pilocarpine (0.5 mM) or pilocarpine and atropine (0.1 mM or 0.5 mM) for 48–72 h at 5 DIV and tested at 21 DIV. Acute application of pilocarpine directly activated hilar neurons and elicited epileptic-like discharges in CA3 pyramids and mossy cells of 5–8 DIV cultures, without causing substantial cell death, as assessed by lactate dehydrogenase measurements. Timm staining revealed increases in MFS in chronic pilocarpine-treated cultures, which was prevented by prior application of atropine. Extracellular synaptic responses were recorded in the granule cell layer and elicited by antidromic mossy fibre stimulation. The GABAA antagonist 6-imino-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1(6H)-pyridazinebutanoic acid (1μM) induced a greater increase in the coastline bursting index in pilocarpine-treated cultures than in 21 DIV controls. However, there was no significant increase in the frequency of spontaneous or miniature synaptic events recorded in granule cells from pilocarpine-treated cultures. Granule cells were filled with biocytin and morphometric analysis revealed that the length of axon collaterals in the granule and molecular layer was longer in pilocarpine-treated cultures than in 21 DIV controls. Dual recordings between granule cells and between granule and hilar neurons showed that pilocarpine-treated cultures had a larger proportion of monosynaptic and polysynaptic connections. The group II metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonist LY354740 (0.5 μM) suppressed excitatory but not inhibitory monosynaptic currents. LY354740 also inhibited antidromically evoked action currents in granule cells from pilocarpine- and to a lesser extent in pilocarpine and atropine-treated cultures, suggesting that group II mGluRs can reside along the axon and suppress action potential invasion. We provide direct evidence for the development of functional MFS and suggest a novel, axonal mechanism by which presynaptic group II mGluRs can inhibit selected synapses.
Managing External Dependence

The article discusses an organization's external dependence and basic approaches to managing external elements such as supply chains, bank loans, competition for market share and customers, a major stockholder, and labor markets. Two ways to manage external dependence are: to reduce external demands and increase countervailing power by the choice of a domain or niche market for products or services, expansion through diversification, favorable relations with external elements, and control of operations in the domain; and to minimize the cost of complying with external demands by modifying organizational design to adapt to the external environment.
Household Travel, Household Characteristics, and Land Use: An Empirical Study from the 1994 Portland Activity-Based Travel Survey

How a household's travel behavior is influenced by its socioeconomic and land use factors has been a subject of interest for the development of travel demand forecasting models. This study investigates the relative importance of these factors based on the number of household daily trips and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The travel data used in the study come from the 1994 Portland Activity-Based Travel Survey. In addition to income, vehicle ownership, and household size, other significant factors in household travel have been identified, such as the presence of car phones, dwelling type, home ownership, and even the length of resident's time in the current home. Most important, this study has qualitatively revealed that land use makes a big difference in household VMT, whereas its impact on the number of daily trips is rather limited. After controlling for the land use variables, such as density and land development balance, it appears that there is little difference in household income distribution among three different land use areas. The household life stage/lifestyle appears to be more relevant to the residence location. And the land use development of the residence location imposes the greatest impact on the household daily VMT. The results from this study provide some empirical evidence to the development of travel forecasting models. Especially by examining the relationship between land use and household travel, the results shed light on how to incorporate land use factors into comprehensive travel demand models that can be used by policy makers in evaluation of alternative land use policies. This study serves as a step toward more comprehensive studies on transportation and land use. The results presented represent a preliminary analysis of an extensive data set; considerable additional analysis is already in process.
Race and health disparities in patient refusal of surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer: A SEER cohort study

Introduction Several factors, including race, age, stage, comorbid conditions, social support, and socioeconomic status, have been linked to the likelihood of a patient having surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of the present study is to determine the influence of race and health disparities on refusal of recommended potentially curative surgery.
Automated instructor assistant for ship damage control

The decision making task of ship damage control includes addressing problems such as fire spread, flooding, smoke, equipment failures, and personnel casualties. It is a challenging and highly stressful domain with a limited provision for real-life training. In response to this need, a multimedia interactive damage control simulator system, called DC-Train 2.0 was recently deployed at a Navy officer training school; it provides officers with an immersive environment for damage control training. This paper describes a component of the DC-Train 2.0 system that provides feedback to the user, called the automated instructor assistant. This assistant is based on a blackboard-based expert system called Minerva-DCA, which is capable of solving damage control scenarios at the "expert" level. Its innovative blackboard architecture facilitates various forms of user assistance, including interactive explanation, advising, and critiquing. In a large exercise involving approximately 500 ship crises scenarios, Minerva-DCA showed a 76% improvement over Navy officers by saving 89 more ships.
JHP at Fifty

Our triumphant claim at age 50 is that we have endured. The halcyon days of JHP in its infancy in the early 1960s, despite the vicissitudes that have assailed it, have given way to an established, independent journal with staying power. Interviews with 75 living exponents of humanistic psychology today, however, suggest that, while everyone interviewed somewhere found a niche, that niche will not be inherited by their students, the course of whose own careers have randomly forced them back into the mainstream of managed care, insurance reimbursement, problems of licensure, evidence based methods, the hegemony of cognitive-behavioral interventions, and attempts on all fronts to regulate Humanistic psychology out of the marketplace, despite widespread public interest in more humane forms of treatment. A step toward remedying this situation is proposed in the form of a return to our founders’ emphasis on a person-centered science, instead of an impersonal, object-centered one that now prevails, and attention...
On averaging aspect ratios and distortion parameters over ice crystal population ensembles for estimating effective scattering asymmetry parameters.

AbstractThe use of ensemble-average values of aspect ratio and distortion parameter of hexagonal ice prisms for the estimation of ensemble-average scattering asymmetry parameters is evaluated. Using crystal aspect ratios greater than unity generally leads to ensemble-average values of aspect ratio that are inconsistent with the ensemble-average asymmetry parameters. When a definition of aspect ratio is used that limits the aspect ratio to below unity for both hexagonal plates and columns, the effective asymmetry parameters calculated using ensemble-average aspect ratios are generally consistent with ensemble-average asymmetry parameters, especially if aspect ratios are geometrically averaged. Ensemble-average distortion parameters generally also yield effective asymmetry parameters that are largely consistent with ensemble-average asymmetry parameters. In the case of mixtures of plates and columns, it is recommended to geometrically average the aspect ratios and to subsequently calculate the effective asy...
Decentralized management of common property resources: experiments with a centuries-old institution

For centuries, villages in the Alps employed a special system for managing their common properties. Individual users could inspect other users at their own cost and impose a predetermined sanction (a fine) when a free rider was discovered. The fine was paid to the user who found a violator. Experiments with the institutions demonstrate that this mechanism considerably improves efficiency of resource use. The classical model of identical selfish agents does not capture the data as well as a model with heterogeneous and linear other-regarding preferences. Altruism and especially potentially dysfunctional behavior, such as spite and mistake, play important positive roles.