cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of Malignancy and Preoperative Embolization in the Management of Carotid Body Tumors

The purpose of this retrospective study is to present our approach to the management of patients with carotid body tumors (CBTs), emphasizing the role of malignancy and preoperative embolization. Between 1975 and 1998 a series of 18 patients with CBTs were treated, and 16 of them underwent successful excision of the tumor. According to the Shamblin classification, six of the tumors were type I, six type II, and six type III. In three of these patients (two with type II tumors and one with type III) in whom preoperative embolization had been performed, mean intraoperative blood loss was 400 ml, whereas in the remaining 13 cases this loss was 700 ml. Two patients with intracranial tumor spread underwent only radiotherapy. Neither postoperative deaths nor strokes occurred. Temporary cranial nerve injury occurred in four cases (25%). Local lymph node invasion was found in two patients, establishing the diagnosis of malignancy. One of these patients developed distal metastases 3 years after the operation and was treated with radiotherapy and octreotide. Follow-up ranging from 30 months to 23 years (mean 5 years) revealed no local recurrence except for the two patients who were treated with radiotherapy only. In conclusion, surgical excision remains the treatment of choice for CBTs and can be performed without major risks and with low morbidity and mortality. Preoperative embolization is helpful by diminishing intraoperative bleeding, and malignancy, though rare justifies early management.
The impact of prior knowledge from participant instructions in a mock crime P300 Concealed Information Test.

In P300-Concealed Information Tests used with mock crime scenarios, the amount of detail revealed to a participant prior to the commission of the mock crime can have a serious impact on a study's validity. We predicted that exposure to crime details through instructions would bias detection rates toward enhanced sensitivity. In a 2 × 2 factorial design, participants were either informed (through mock crime instructions) or naive as to the identity of a to-be-stolen item, and then either committed (guilty) or did not commit (innocent) the crime. Results showed that prior knowledge of the stolen item was sufficient to cause 69% of innocent-informed participants to be incorrectly classified as guilty. Further, we found a trend toward enhanced detection rate for guilty-informed participants over guilty-naive participants. Results suggest that revealing details to participants through instructions biases detection rates in the P300-CIT toward enhanced sensitivity.
Lagrangian measurements of inertial particle accelerations in a turbulent boundary layer

Two-dimensional Lagrangian acceleration statistics of inertial particles in a turbulent boundary layer with free-stream turbulence are determined by means of a particle tracking technique using a high-speed camera moving along the side of the wind tunnel at the mean flow speed. The boundary layer is formed above a flat plate placed horizontally in the tunnel, and water droplets are fed into the flow using two different methods: sprays placed downstream from an active grid, and tubes fed into the boundary layer from humidifiers. For the flow conditions studied, the sprays produce Stokes numbers varying from 0.47 to 1.2, and the humidifiers produce Stokes numbers varying from 0.035 to 0.25, where the low and high values refer to the outer boundary layer edge and the near-wall region, respectively. The Froude number is approximately 1.0 for the sprays and 0.25 for the humidifiers, with a small variation within the boundary layer. The free-stream turbulence is varied by operating the grid in the active mode as well as a passive mode (the latter behaves as a conventional grid). The boundary layer momentum-thickness Reynolds numbers are 840 and 725 for the active and passive grid respectively. At the outer edge of the boundary layer, where the shear is weak, the acceleration probability density functions are similar to those previously observed in isotropic turbulence for inertial particles. As the boundary layer plate is approached, the tails of the probability density functions narrow, become negatively skewed, and their peak occurs at negative accelerations (decelerations in the streamwise direction). The mean deceleration and its root mean square (r.m.s.) increase to large values close to the plate. These effects are more pronounced at higher Stokes number. In the vertical direction, there is a slight downward mean deceleration and its r.m.s., which is lower in magnitude than that of the streamwise component, peaks in the buffer region. Although there are free-stream turbulence effects, and the complex boundary layer structure plays an important role, a simple model suggests that the acceleration behaviour is dominated by shear, gravity and inertia. The results are contrasted with inertial particles in isotropic turbulence and with fluid particle acceleration statistics in a boundary layer. The background velocity field is documented by means of hot-wire anemometry and laser Doppler velocimetry measurements. These appear to be the first Lagrangian acceleration measurements of inertial particles in a shear flow.
Force protection using composite sandwich structures

Abstract In the recent past, advances have been made in the attempt to utilize composite materials as components in protective structures such as those employed by the Air Force to secure critical military assets. In such applications, where lightweight materials that exhibit large levels of energy absorption and high strength/stiffness characteristics are desirable, composite sandwich constructions offer an attractive solution. In an attempt to evaluate the suitability of certain sandwich structures for use in force protection applications, several sandwich constructions with somewhat novel core materials were identified. A group of thermoplastic core materials have been developed that possess features of both a dense elastic solid and a foam type material. This class of core materials incorporates sloping cell walls, rather than the traditional parallel cell wall structure present in, say, a regular aluminum honeycomb. This feature, along with the increased surface area connectivity present between cells (produced by the forming process used to create the core materials) integrates surrounding cells into what may be described as an enhanced hexagonal single unit cell structure. To develop a preliminary understanding of the response of these enhanced cellular materials to the various loading regimes that could be encountered in a protective structure, a series of static and dynamic tests were conducted at Tyndall Air Force Base. A complete description of the novel core materials, as well as the results of the static and dynamic tests, will be presented in this paper.
Role of oximeter error in the diagnosis of shunts

We have analyzed the role that instrument error plays in the oximetric diagnosis of shunts. First, we review the accuracy specifications of instruments currently available for measuring oxyhemoglobin saturation during cardiac catheterization. Then we derive a mathematical model of a left-to-right shunt and illustrate the relationships between the magnitude of shunts and the saturation step-ups they generate. Using the shunt model and statistical methods, we show how oximeter error affects the likelihood of success in detecting shunts of a given magnitude. By computing the probabilities of false negative and false positive diagnoses, the model can be used to determine how the likelihood of successful shunt detection is influenced by factors such as shunt flow, the minimum saturation step-up considered indicative of a shunt, oximeter error, hemoglobin concentration, and the number of blood samples. A spreadsheet is included for those who wish to analyze the diagnostic capabilities of their own instrumentation and clinical methods. Conclusions. (1) Modern instruments for use during cardiac catheterization analyze blood samples with a measurement error ranging from 2.5 to 1% saturation or better. (2) Until more information is available regarding the accuracy of such devices in measuring oxygen content, the detection of shunts should be made on the basis of step-ups in saturation rather than oxygen content (even though step-ups in oxygen content have the potential advantage of being independent of the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood). (3) Averaging the analyses of two or more blood samples from each site and using an oximeter with 1% error greatly improve the probability of reaching the correct diagnosis. (4) Oximeter error of 2.5% or greater is unacceptable by today's standards. (5) With the instrumentation currently available, oximetry can potentially detect saturation step-ups as small as 3.6% and still keep both false negative and false positive diagnoses below 10% if venous blood is adequately mixed.
Scaling-efficient in-situ training of CMOL CrossNet classifiers

CMOL CrossNets, hybrid CMOS/nanoelectronic neuromorphic circuits, may open up exciting opportunities to build artificial intelligence similar to the brain. However, limited functionality of nanodevices used in CMOL circuits causes significant challenges to train CrossNets with the usual algorithms. In order to overcome these challenges, we developed an in-situ variety of the error backpropagation method for supervised training of CrossNet-based pattern classifiers. Although this algorithm successfully trained CrossNets to perform simple benchmark classification tasks in Proben1, we found that it did not scale up to larger problems such as the MNIST dataset. Therefore, we propose an alternative in-situ method, combining training with the hidden layer build-up. Simulated results suggest that our new in-situ approach is appropriate to train CrossNets to perform classification on practical problems.
Localization and characterization of pectic polysaccharides in roots and root nodules ofCeanothus spp. during intercellular infection byFrankia

During early stages of nodule development inCeanothus spp., theFrankia infection pathway is characterized by a distinctive host-derived extracellular matrix. In the present study, a major component of the host interface is shown to consist of pectic polysaccharides. The distribution of these pectic polysaccharides in developing nodules has been delineated in root and nodule tissue. The levels of polygalacturonic acid detected were extremely high in the root mucilage and in the intercellular infection matrix in the root cortex, as detected by indirect immunogold localization with an antibody, and with fluorescein-conjugated alginate and pectate probes. Polygalacturonans in the intercellular matrix and in nodule tissue were predominantly esterified. The non-esterified polygalacturonans were located in cell junctions. Within the infected nodule cortical cells, (poly)galacturonate content of the interfacial encapsulation surrounding theFrankia endosymbiont was very high, while the cell walls were not labeled above background, suggesting that the encapsulation is a specialized wall layer.
Dualizing chordal graphs

Although chordal graphs may seem at first to be a poor choice to approach using cycle/cutset graph duality, portions of chordal graph theory can be successfully dualized within the context of nonseparable 3-edge-connected graphs. A simple recognition algorithm for such 'dual-chordal graphs' involves the further restriction to 3-connected (necessarily cubic) graphs. There is also a natural notion of strongly dual-chordal graphs, with a simple description for the planar case.
Multiple stimulus discrimination learning. III. What is learned

Rats were given a multiple stimulus discrimination, with either a constant positive stimulus combined with several negative stimuli or a constant negative stimulus combined with several positive st...
The effect of low versus high tidal volume ventilation on inflammatory markers in healthy individuals undergoing posterior spine fusion in the prone position: a randomized controlled trial.

Study Objective To evaluate the effect of ventilation strategy on markers of inflammation in patients undergoing spine surgery in the prone position.
The fate of bacterial spores ingested by adult honey bees

Abstract Adults of American foulbrood susceptible (Van Scoy) and resistant (Brown) lines of honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) were starved, then fed measured doses of spores of Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus cereus , or Bacillus larvae . After time intervals of 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes, the bees were killed, the digestive tract of each was removed, and the number of viable spores remaining in each of three intestinal segments was determined. The Brown line was more efficient than the Van Scoy line in spore removal, although the differences between lines were not large. Removal of spores was more rapid in the foregut than in the other two sections. B. larvae spores were removed or destroyed more rapidly than spores of B. thuringiensis (at least in the foregut), while spores of B. cereus were removed rather slowly.
“Remembering” emotional words is based on response bias, not recollection

Recent studies have demonstrated that emotional stimuli result in a higher proportion of recognized items that are “remembered” (e.g., Kensinger & Corkin, 2003; Ochsner, 2000), leading to greater estimates of recollection by the dual-process model (Yonelinas, 1994). This result suggests that recognition judgments to emotional stimuli depend on a recollection process. We challenge this conclusion with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve data from two experiments. In both experiments, subjects studied neutral and emotional words. During the recognition test, subjects made old-new confidence ratings as well as remember-know judgments. Four models of remember-know judgments were fit to individual subjects’ data: two versions of a one-dimensional signaldetection-based model (Donaldson, 1996; Wixted & Stretch, 2004), the dual-process model (Yonelinas, 1994), and the two-dimensional signal-detection-based model known as STREAK (Rotello, Macmillan, & Reeder, 2004). Consistent with the literature, we found that emotion increases subjective reports of “remembering.” However, our ROC analyses and modeling work reveal that the effect is due to response bias differences rather than sensitivity change or use of a high-threshold recollection process.
Trace element concentrations in the major rivers entering the Humber estuary, NE England

Abstract Measurements of trace element concentrations in the major rivers discharging into the Humber estuary, NE England, show a broad separation between the southern rivers draining urban and industrial areas and northern rivers draining predominantly rural, mineralised catchments. An evaluation of the dissolved and acid available particulate phases has been made. The results show that the trace elements can be classified into two groups: (1) elements with a significant acid available particulate component (Al, As, Ba, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni and Zn) and (2) elements predominantly in dissolved form (B, Li, Mo, Rb, Sc and Sr). The relationships between concentrations and flow are used to evaluate sources of trace elements. In the rural, mineralised northern catchments, concentrations of dissolved Al and most transition metals show a positive relationship with flow, indicating diffuse sources derived from near-surface runoff. Concentrations of dissolved B, Ba, Li, Sc and Sr show a negative relationship with flow and appear to be derived from groundwater sources. Within the southern rivers draining urban and industrial catchments, most elements in the dissolved phase exhibit negative relationships with flow, indicating that point-source discharges provide the major source of trace elements to the rivers. The exceptions to this relationship are Al and Ba, which exhibit a positive relationship with flow, indicating predominantly diffuse near-surface sources of these elements. For the acid available particulate fraction, concentrations increase with increasing flow as would be anticipated owing to the increase in suspended load at high flow. The trace element concentrations in the rivers draining the southern industrial urban catchments, although significantly higher than background levels, are low compared with other major industrial rivers of Europe (e.g. the Rhine), with the exception of iron and manganese, and meet UK Environmental Quality Standards for dissolved trace elements set for sensitive fish species, such as sahnonids.
Spectrochemical determination of thorium in monazite by the powder-d.c. arc technique

Abstract Thorium in monazite is determined by a d.c. carbon-arc technique using zirconium as the internal standard. The analytical curve for Th II 2870.413 A/Zr II 2844-579 A is established by means of synthetic standards containing graduated amounts of thoria and 0.500 per cent zirconia in pegmatite base (60 parts quartz, 40 parts microchne, and 1 part ferric oxide). Monazite samples are diluted 14-fold with pegmatite base that contains 0.538 per cent ZrO2, so that the zirconia content of the resulting mixture is also 0.500 per cent. In addition, both the standards and the diluted monazites are mixed with one-half their weight of powdered graphite. Approximately 25 mg of the prepared samples are arced to completion at 15.5 to 17.5 amperes. With the 14-fold dilution employed, the accurate range of the method is 3 to 20 per cent thoria in the original monazite. The coefficient of variation for a single determination is 4 per cent at the 7 per cent thoria level. Tests with synthetic unknowns and chemically analyzed monazites show a maximum error of ±10 per cent of the thoria content. If niobium is substituted for zirconium as the internal standard, there is a loss of precision. Platinum as the internal standard gives results of good precision but introduces a marked sensitivity to matrix effects.
Paul W. Schroeder's Balance of Power: Stability or Anarchy?

(1994). Paul W. Schroeder's Balance of Power: Stability or Anarchy? The International History Review: Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 681-700.
EFFECTS OF MAMMALIAN CORTICOTROPIN AND CHICKEN ADENOHYPOPHYSIAL EXTRACTS ON STEROIDOGENESIS BY CHICKEN ADRENAL TISSUE IN VITRO.

ACTH-like activity is present in the adenohypophysis of the chicken pituitary. Mammalian ACTH or acid extracts of the chicken adenohypophysis increase significantly the secretion of corticosterone and aldosterone by chicken adrenal tissue in vitro. A dose-response relationship exists between the level of mammalian ACTH or chicken adenohypophysial extracts added to the incubation medium and the production of corticosterone and aldosterone.
The development of directives among Norwegian and Hungarian children: An example of communicative style in culture

A great deal of interest has developed in the last few years in studying children's linguistic routines in interaction as a means toward understanding child cognitive development (see for example Mitchell-Kernan & Ervin-Tripp 1977). In this study we hope to extend the parameters of this line of research to include cross- cultural investigation. We also hope to shift the focus of investigation away from concentration on children's routinized usage of linguistic form to concentration on children's strategies in their total communicative behavior, both linguistic and non-linguistic.
The role of lung perfusion imaging in predicting the direction of radiation-induced changes in pulmonary function tests.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine whether preradiation (pre-RT) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) lung perfusion scans can be used to predict RT–induced changes in pulmonary function tests (PFTs). METHODS Ninety-four patients irradiated for thoracic tumors had pre-RT SPECT lung perfusion scans. The presence of SPECT hypoperfusion distal to a central mediastinal tumor was qualitatively assessed visually without knowledge of PFT changes. Patients were grouped based on whether the diffusion capacity (DLCO) ever increased post-RT. Comparisons of patient groups were performed using 1-tailed Fisher exact tests. Patient follow-up was 6–56 months (mean, 30 months). To assess SPECT hypoperfusion objectively, the average dose to the computed tomography (CT)–defined lung was compared with the weighted-average dose (based on relative perfusion) to the SPECT-defined lung. The ratio between the CT- and SPECT-defined mean lung dose provided a quantitative assessment of hypoperfusion. The mean ratio for patients with central tumor and adjacent hypoperfusion was compared with that of the others (Wilcoxon rank-sum one-sided test). RESULTS In patients with central tumors, 41% (9 of 22) with adjacent hypoperfusion had improvements in DLCO following radiation, versus 18% (3 of 17) of those without hypoperfusion (P = 0.11). In patients with lung carcinoma, the corresponding ratios were 40% (8 of 20) and 10% (1 of 10), respectively (P = 0.10). The mean ratio of CT dose to SPECT dose was 1.35 for patients with central tumors and adjacent hypoperfusion versus 1.16 for others (P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS The presence of SPECT hypoperfusion adjacent to a central mediastinal mass may identify patients likely to have improved PFTs following RT. Thus, SPECT imaging may be useful in models for predicting radiation-induced changes in PFTs. Cancer 2000;88:2135–41. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
Inferring Unseen Views of People

We pose unseen view synthesis as a probabilistic tensor completion problem. Given images of people organized by their rough viewpoint, we form a 3D appearance tensor indexed by images (pose examples), viewpoints, and image positions. After discovering the low-dimensional latent factors that approximate that tensor, we can impute its missing entries. In this way, we generate novel synthetic views of people -- even when they are observed from just one camera viewpoint. We show that the inferred views are both visually and quantitatively accurate. Furthermore, we demonstrate their value for recognizing actions in unseen views and estimating viewpoint in novel images. While existing methods are often forced to choose between data that is either realistic or multi-view, our virtual views offer both, thereby allowing greater robustness to viewpoint in novel images.
SErum Amyloid a Protein in Amyloidosis, Rheumatic, and Neoplastic Diseases

Serum levels of amyloid protein A (SAA) have been shown to be elevated in different types of amyloidosis and in rheumatic diseases by radioimmunoassay using 125 iodine labeled AA and anti-AA. SAA levels were elevated in both primary and secondary amyloidosis, but there were highly significant differences between these levels. In heredofamilial amyloid, SAA levels were within normal limits. While the mean SAA level was elevated in persons over 70 years, the fact that some persons in this age group had normal levels suggested that marked elevation after age 70 may be due to occult inflammatory or neoplastic disease. High SAA levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis correlated, in most cases, with physician evaluation of disease activity and Westergren ESR. SAA levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were lower than those in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and most patients with degenerative joint disease had normal levels. Very high levels of SAA were found in patients with neoplastic diseases. Patients with carcinoma of the lung and bowel had much higher levels than patients with carcinoma of the breast. Determination of SAA levels may be of value in evaluating different forms of systemic amyloidosis, assessing the activity of rheumatic disease, and screening for occult inflammatory or neoplastic disease.
Transport of Quercetin and Its Glucosides across Human Intestinal Epithelial Caco-2 Cells

There is mounting evidence from human epidemiological, animal in vivo, and in vitro studies to suggest beneficial effects related to the consumption of quercetin and its glucosides. However, there is limited knowledge on the oral bioavailability of these natural products. This study examined the intestinal epithelial membrane transport of quercetin, quercetin 4'-glucoside, and quercetin 3,4'-diglucoside, using the Caco-2 human colonic cell line, a model of human intestinal absorption. The apparent permeability (Papp) of each agent was measured in both apical to basal and basal to apical directions. The apical to basolateral flux of quercetin, Papp 5.8 +/- 1.1 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1) (mean +/- SEM), was more than 10-fold higher than for the paracellular transport marker mannitol, 0.48 +/- 0.09 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1) (P < 0.01). Under identical conditions, the Papp for the transcellular marker propranolol was about 5-fold higher than for quercetin (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the reverse, basolateral to apical, flux of quercetin (Papp 11.1 +/- 1.2 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1)) was almost 2-fold higher than the apical to basolateral flux (P < 0.001). In similar experiments, quercetin 4'-glucoside demonstrated no absorption, Papp < 0.02 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1) in the apical to basal direction, but did demonstrate basal to apical flux, Papp 1.6 +/- 0.2 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1). Quercetin 3,4'-diglucoside showed a low apical to basolateral transport (Papp 0.09 +/- 0.03 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1)); its reverse, basolateral to apical, transport was, however, 4-fold higher (P < 0.05). In these cells, glucose was actively transported with an apical to basolateral Papp of 36.8 +/- 1.1 x 10(-6) cm x sec(-1). These observations suggest facile absorption of quercetin through the human intestinal epithelium, but contrary to a previous proposal, they do not support an active transport process for quercetin glucosides.
Recording properties and biocompatibility of chronically implanted polymer-based intrafascicular electrodes.

We implanted polymer-based longitudinal intrafascicular electrodes (polyLIFEs) in feline dorsal rootlets acutely and for periods of two to six months to evaluate their electrical properties and biocompatibility. A total of 38 implanted electrodes were analyzed. Some 25 of the 38 electrodes were implanted with an insulative flexible polymer cuff, which was required for recording of afferent activity in situ. Electrode impedances remained stable for the duration of the experiments. The distributions of axons were measured at three levels of the implanted rootlets: the implant level, 1–2 mm proximal to the implant with respect to the cell body, and 1–2 mm distal to the implant with respect to the cell body. Similar measurements were made in five samples of fascicles neighboring an implant and six samples of control tissue from animals in which no implants were placed. The polyLIFEs demonstrated a high degree of biocompatibility, as no adverse effects on axon size were observed in either the implanted fascicle or neighboring neural tissue. However, the insulative cuffs were found to be a source of compression, resulting in necrosis of the neural tissue. © 1998 Biomedical Engineering Society.
A meta-analytic review of the relationship between adolescent risky sexual behavior and impulsivity across gender, age, and race.

Abstract Background Impulsivity is frequently included as a risk factor in models of adolescent sexual risk-taking; however, findings on the magnitude of association between impulsivity and risky sexual behavior are variable across studies. The aims of the current meta-analysis were to examine (1) how specific impulsivity traits relate to specific risky sexual behaviors in adolescents, and (2) how the impulsivity–risky sex relationship might differ across gender, age, and race. Method Eighty-one studies were meta-analyzed using a random effects model to examine the overall impulsivity–risky sex relationship and relationships among specific impulsivity traits and risky sexual behaviors. Results Overall, results revealed a significant, yet small, association between impulsivity and adolescent risky sexual behavior (r = 0.19, p Conclusions Adolescent samples with more females showed a larger impulsivity–risky sex relationship, suggesting that impulsivity may be a more important risk factor for risky sex among adolescent females. Research and treatment should consider gender differences when investigating the role of impulsivity in adolescent sexual risk-taking.
Leader cognition under threat: “Just the Facts”

Abstract It has been argued that leader cognition is a particularly important influence on team performance under conditions of crisis or threat. The goal of the present effort was to assess the merits of processing performance information, as opposed to processing social information, for leader performance in terms of creativity of solutions and the quality of solutions with respect to domain specific performance variables. Undergraduates were asked to assume the role of a leader in a marketing firm and provide solutions to three marketing problems. It was found that providing training in strategies for working with performance information (e.g., causes, resources, restrictions, and contingencies) resulted in higher levels of performance than providing training in strategies for working with social information (e.g., actors, affect, goals, and social systems). Moreover, training in strategies for working with performance information proved especially beneficial when more elements of the problem situation were under leader control. The implications of these findings for understanding leader cognition and leader performance are discussed.
Voltage-dependent conductance for alamethicin in phospholipid vesicles. A test for the mechanism of gating

The ion currents induced by alamethicin were investigated in unilamellar vesicles using electron paramagnetic resonance probe techniques. The peptide induced currents were examined as a function of the membrane bound peptide concentration, and as a function of the transmembrane electrical potential. Because of the favorable partitioning of alamethicin to membranes and the large membrane area to aqueous volume in vesicle suspensions, these measurements could be carried out under conditions where all the alamethicin was membrane bound. Over the concentration range examined, the peptide induced conductances increased approximately with the fourth power of the membrane bound peptide concentration, indicating a channel molecularity of four. When the alamethicin induced currents were examined as a function of voltage, they exhibited a superlinear behavior similar to that seen in planar bilayers. Evidence for the voltage-dependent conduction of alamethicin was also observed in the time dependence of vesicle depolarization. These observations indicate that the voltage-dependent behavior of alamethicin can occur in the absence of a voltage-dependent phase partitioning. That is, a voltage-dependent conformational rearrangement for membrane bound alamethicin leads to a voltage-dependent activity.
Integrin-mediated long-term B cell retention in the splenic marginal zone.

The mechanisms that control localization of marginal zone (MZ) B cells are poorly understood. Here we show that MZ B cells express elevated levels of the integrins LFA-1 (αLβ2) and α4β1 and that they bind to the ligands ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. These ligands are expressed within the MZ in a lymphotoxin-dependent manner. Combined inhibition of LFA-1 and α4β1 causes a rapid and selective release of B cells from the MZ. Furthermore, lipopolysaccharide-triggered MZ B cell relocalization involves down-regulation of integrin-mediated adhesion. These studies identify key requirements for MZ B cell localization and establish a role for integrins in peripheral lymphoid tissue compartmentalization.
Limited flexibility in the temporal caste system of the honey bee

Caste theory predicts that social insect colonies are organized into stable groups of workers specialized on particular task sets. Alternative concepts of organization of work suggest that colonies are composed of extremely flexible workers able to perform any task as demand necessitates. I explored the flexibility of workers in temporal castes of the honey bee Apis mellifera by determining the ability of colonies to reorganize labor after a major demographic disturbance. I evaluated the flexibility of temporal castes by comparing the foraging rates of colonies having just lost their foragers with colonies having also lost their foragers but having been given a week to reorganize. The population sizes and contents of the colonies in each group were equalized and foraging rates were recorded for one week. Colonies given a week’s initial recovery time after the loss of their foragers were found to forage at significantly higher rates than those colonies given no initial recovery time. This result was consistent for nectar and pollen foraging. These results suggest that honeybee workers lack sufficient flexibility to reorganize labor without compromising foraging. This finding is consistent with the caste concept model of organization of work in insect societies.
Efficacy of reducing sugar and phenol–sulfuric acid assays for analysis of soluble carbohydrates in feedstuffs

Abstract Reducing sugar (RSA) and phenol–sulfuric acid (PSA) assays are commonly used to analyze water-soluble carbohydrates. However, questions have arisen as to their accuracy for measurements of feedstuffs with diverse carbohydrate profiles. This study evaluated the efficacy of RSA and PSA as they would commonly be applied in feed analysis laboratories in measuring a variety of purified carbohydrates. Carbohydrates analyzed were glucose (Glc), fructose (Fru), galactose (Gal), sucrose (Suc), maltose (Mal), lactose (Lac), raffinose (Raf), and inulin (Inu). Variations on the methods used were PSA using Suc (PSA-Suc) or Glc (PSA-Glc) as standard sugars, and RSA with a 50:50 Glc:Fru blend as the standard with four hydrolysis methods: acid hydrolysis with 0.037 M sulfuric acid (RSA-H2SO4) or 0.5 M hydrochloric acid (RSA-HCl), or enzymatic hydrolysis with invertase (RSA-Inv) or an enzyme blend including sucrase, α-glucosidase, and β-galactosidase (RSA-EnzBl). Recovery of carbohydrate was calculated on a dry matter (DM) basis as (carbohydrate detected g/kg DM)/(carbohydrate present kg/kg DM), with ‘close to’ complete recovery defined as values falling within the range of 920–1080 g/kg. Monosaccharide recovery did not differ between unhydrolyzed vs. hydrolyzed samples in RSA indicating no destruction of carbohydrate by hydrolysis method. For RSA, recoveries of Glc, Fru, and Gal were 979, 1042, and 706 g/kg, respectively. Such response differences among monosaccharides are inherent to RSA, and can affect carbohydrate recovery values. Methods that provided close to complete recovery by carbohydrate were: PSA-Suc and all RSA for Suc; PSA-Glc and RSA-EnzBl for Mal and Lac; PSA-Suc, RSA-H2SO4, RSA-HCl, and RSA-Inv for Raf; and RSA-H2SO4 and RS-HCl for Inu. None of the assays gave complete recovery of the diverse set of purified carbohydrates. Allowing a range of 920–1080 g/kg for recoveries on individual carbohydrates, RSA-H2SO4 and RSA-HCl would give the closest to complete recovery values for feeds such as forage and soybean in which Suc, Raf, and Inu were important, whereas RSA-EnzBl would be useful in feeds such as forages or dairy products when Suc, Mal, and Lac are of interest. The allowed 920–1080 g/kg range of acceptable recoveries addresses the point that given very diverse carbohydrate complements of feeds, these assays will not be extremely precise, but may still be serviceable for diet formulation. The most accurate measurements will be achieved by selection of detection method, hydrolysis method, and carbohydrate standard to give greatest recovery of predominant carbohydrates in feedstuffs.
NMR solution structure of a DNA dodecamer containing single G·T mismatches

The three-dimensional solution structure of the self-complementary DNA dodecamer (CGT_GACGT_TACG above GCAT_TGCAG_TGC] which contains the thermodynamically destabilizing [TG_A above AT_T] motif was determined using two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and simulated annealing protocols. Relaxation matrix analysis methods were used to yield accurate NOE derived distance restraints. Scalar coupling constants for the sugar protons were determined by quantitative simulations of DQF-COSY cross-peaks and used to determine sugar pucker populations. Twenty refined structures starting from random geometries converged to an average pairwise root mean square deviation of 0.49 A. Back calculated NOEs give Rc and Rx factors of 0.38 and 0.088, respectively. The final structure shows that each of the single G@T mismatches form a wobble pair with two hydrogen bonds where the guanine projects into the minor groove and the thymine projects into the major groove. The incorporation of the destabilizing [TG_A above AT_T] motif has little effect on the backbone torsion angles and helical parameters compared to standard B-form duplexes, which may explain why G.T mismatches are among the most commonly observed in DNA. The structure shows that perturbations caused by a G.T mismatch extend only to its neighboring Watson-Crick base pair, thus providing a structural basis for the applicability of the nearest-neighbor model to the thermodynamics of internal G.T mismatches.
Heroin Mismatch in the Motor City: Addiction, Segregation and the Geography of Opportunity

In this article, the authors used data from economic and ethnographic interviews with heroin users from Detroit, Michigan, as well as other sources, to illustrate the relationship between heroin users' mobility patterns and urban and suburban environments, especially in terms of drug acquisition and the geography of opportunity. The authors found that although geographic location and social networks associated with segregation provided central city residents and African Americans with a strategic advantage over White suburbanites in locating and purchasing heroin easily and efficiently, this same segregation effectively focuses the negative externalities of heroin markets in central city neighborhoods. Finally, the authors consider how the heroin trade reflects and reproduces the segregated post-industrial landscape and discuss directions for future research about the relationship between ethnic and economic ghettos and regional drug markets.
Durability studies on concrete columns encased in PVC–FRP composite tubes

Abstract A new hybrid concrete column was developed for new construction. The proposed hybrid column, cast in place, consists of an exterior PVC–fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) shell with a concrete core. The exterior shell is commercially available cylindrical PVC pipe externally reinforced with impregnated continuous fiber in the form of hoops at different spacing. The proposed system (PVC–FRP) uses less fibers than current FRP confining methods but has similar strength and toughness characteristics. This paper present the results of an experimental study on the performance of hybrid concrete columns subjected to different environmental conditions such as room temperature, freeze and thaw, wet and dry conditions. Test variables included the type of fiber (carbon, aramid and glass), the spacing between the FRP hoops and the environmental exposure conditions. The specimens were subjected to 200 and 400 freeze/thaw and wet/dry cycles. At the end of each exposure, the specimens were instrumented and tested under a uniaxial compressive test load. The stress–strain behavior was used to evaluate the effect of exposure conditions on the strength, stress–strain behavior and ductility of the confined specimens. Test results show that the external confinement of concrete columns by PVC–FRP tubes results in enhancing compressive strength, ductility and energy absorption capacity. Durability tests show that the PVC–CFRP confined specimens performed quite well under the severe exposures used in this study, whereas the PVC–GFRP and PVC–AFRP confined specimens experienced reductions in both strength and ductility.
Spectroscopic and shadowgraphic analysis of laser induced plasmas in the orthogonal double pulse pre-ablation configuration

Abstract This work focuses on the study of the plumes obtained in the double pulse orthogonal Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in the pre-ablation configuration using both spectroscopic and shadowgraphic approaches. Single and double pulse LIBS experiments were carried out on a brass sample in air. Both the distance of the air plasma from the target surface and the interpulse delay were varied (respectively in the range 0.1–4.2 mm and up to 50 μs) revealing a significant variation of the plasma emission and of the plume-shock wave dynamical expansion in different cases. The intensity of both atomic and ionized zinc lines was measured in all the cases, allowing the calculation of the spatially averaged temperature and electron density and an estimation of the ablated mass. The line intensities and the thermodynamic parameters obtained by the spectroscopic measurements were discussed bearing in mind the dynamical expansion characteristics obtained from the shadowgraphic approach. All the data seem to be consistent with the model previously proposed for the double pulse collinear configuration where the line enhancement is mainly attributed to the ambient gas rarefaction produced by the first laser pulse, which causes a less effective shielding of the second laser pulse.
Use of Local Linear Regression Model for Short-Term Traffic Forecasting

The traffic-forecasting model, when considered as a system with inputs of historical and current data and outputs of future data, behaves in a nonlinear fashion and varies with time of day. Traffic data are found to change abruptly during the transition times of entering and leaving peak periods. Accurate and real-time models are needed to approximate the nonlinear time-variant functions between system inputs and outputs from a continuous stream of training data. A proposed local linear regression model was applied to short-term traffic prediction. The performance of the model was compared with previous results of nonparametric approaches that are based on local constant regression, such as the k-nearest neighbor and kernel methods, by using 32-day traffic-speed data collected on US-290, in Houston, Texas, at 5-min intervals. It was found that the local linear methods consistently showed better performance than the k-nearest neighbor and kernel smoothing methods.
Analog parallel processor hardware for high speed pattern recognition

A VLSI-based analog processor for fully parallel, associative, high-speed pattern matching is reported. The processor consists of two main components: an analog memory matrix for storage of a library of patterns, and a winner-take-all (WTA) circuit for selection of the stored pattern that best matches an input pattern. An inner product is generated between the input vector and each of the stored memories. The resulting values are applied to a WTA network for determination of the closest match. Patterns with up to 22 percent overlap are successfully classified with a WTA settling time of less than 10 microsec. Applications such as star pattern recognition and mineral classification with bounded overlap patterns have been successfully demonstrated. This architecture has a potential for an overall pattern matching speed in excess of 10 exp 9 bits per second for a large memory.
Movement-dependent and movement-independent changes in hippocampal RSA in cats.

Abstract FREDERICKSON, C. J., C. S. SMYLIE, G. A. HOWELL AND R. B. LENIG. Movement-dependent and movement-independent changes in hippocampal RSA in cats. BRAIN RES. BULL. 3 (5)559–562, 1978.— EEG was recorded from the dorsal hippocampus of cats during walking in situations intended to elicit a minimum of orienting or attentional behavior. The situations included walking in an alley for food after prolonged overtraining, and ad lib walking in an observation chamber after 24 hours habituation. In virtually all (82–100%) cases of sustained walking RSA was present in the dorsal hippocampus; however, the amplitude of the RSA during walking was quite variable and in many cases quite small. The results suggest that in the cat motoric factors may influence the occurrence of RSA and non-motoric factors may influence the amplitude of RSA.
Impact of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on cutaneous wound healing

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a representative of a large group of polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons that are widespread environmental contaminants. Administration of TCDD to laboratory animals or cultured cells results in a number of adverse effects that are well documented. For example, the effects of TCDD observed in developing organisms indicate that exposure to this class of environmental contaminants significantly alters embryo morphogenesis. However, it is not clear whether tissue regeneration in adult animals may be similarly affected. With this in mind, we examined the impact of TCDD exposure on wound healing using a murine cutaneous wound healing model. Our results indicate that TCDD exposure did not significantly alter the time needed for wound closure. However, in the TCDD-treated mice, a significant decrease in tensile strength in the healed wounds was observed which is indicative of an aberrantly healed wound. Immunostaining revealed that exposure to TCDD increased the population of macrophages detected within the wounded tissue at the latter stages of wound healing. Our findings support the idea that exposure to environmental contaminants such as TCDD is proinflammatory in the wounded tissue, disrupts normal healing and ultimately produces in a poorly healed wound.
Characteristics of Hard X-Ray Spectra of Impulsive Solar Flares

The typical characteristics of the hard X-ray emission of impulsive solar flares are examined. At times of hard X-ray peaks, spectra that break downward are the rule rather than the exception. The break energy is typically at about 100 keV and rarely exceed 150 keV. There is little or no dependence of spectral slopes or of the break energy on the hard X-ray fluxes. During the burst decay phases, there is a strong tendency for the spectra to evolve to either a single power law or to cross over to one that breaks upward. The break energy is usually lower after the crossover, but in about 30 percent of the cases it is higher. During the rise phase of many fast bursts, the rise in flux at high energies occurs later than that at lower energies. In most cases the high-energy flux catches up by the time of the burst peak and the lag is rarely or never observed in bursts whose rise time is more than about 10 s.
Differential Injury Responses in Oral Mucosal and Cutaneous Wounds

Oral mucosa heals faster than does skin, yet few studies have compared the repair at oral mucosal and cutaneous sites. To determine whether the privileged healing of oral injuries involves a differential inflammatory phase, we compared the inflammatory cell infiltrate and cytokine production in wounds of equivalent size in oral mucosa and skin. Significantly lower levels of macrophage, neutrophil, and T-cell infiltration were observed in oral vs. dermal wounds. RT-PCR analysis of inflammatory cytokine production demonstrated that oral wounds contained significantly less IL-6 and KC than did skin wounds. Similarly, the level of the pro-fibrotic cytokine TGF-b1 was lower in mucosal than in skin wounds. No significant differences between skin and mucosal wounds were observed for the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and the TGF-β1 modulators, fibromodulin and LTBP-1. These findings demonstrate that diminished inflammation is a key feature of the privileged repair of oral mucosa.