cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Utility of Ventricular Repolarization Dispersion for Real-Time Detection of Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Emergency Departments.

Background A specific electrocardiographic (ECG) marker of ischemia would greatly improve the speed and accuracy of detecting and treating non‐ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). We hypothesize that ischemia induces ventricular repolarization dispersion (VRD), altering the T‐wave before any ST segment deviation. We sought to evaluate the clinical utility of VRD to (1) detect NSTEMI cases in the emergency department (ED) and (2) identify NSTEMI cases at high risk for in‐hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Methods and Results We continuously recorded 12‐lead Holter ECGs from chest pain patients upon their arrival to the ED. VRD was quantified using principal component analysis of the 12‐lead ECG to compute a T‐wave complexity ratio (ie, ratio of second to first eigenvectors of repolarization). Clinical outcomes were obtained from hospital records . The sample was composed mainly of older males (n=369; ages 63±12 years; 63% males), and 92 (25%) had NSTEMI and 26 (7%) had MACEs. Baseline T‐wave complexity ratio modestly correlated with peak troponin levels ( r =0.41; P <0.001) and was a good classifier of NSTEMI events (area under the curve=0.70). An increased T‐wave complexity ratio on the presenting ECG was strongly associated with NSTEMI (odds ratio [OR]=3.8 [2.1 to 5.8]) and in‐hospital MACE (OR=8.2 [3.1 to 21.5]). Conclusions A simple measure of global VRD on the presenting 12‐lead ECG correlates with ischemic myocardial injury and can discriminate NSTEMI cases very early during evaluation. Prospective studies should validate these findings and test whether VRD can guide therapy.
PMSM nonlinear robust control for temperature compensation

This paper presents a nonlinear robust speed control for dealing with variations of the permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) stator resistance due to temperature changes. The change in resistance has a large impact on the slotless surface PMSM control performance due to its relatively large stator resistance in comparison with its inductance impedance. Nonlinear robust control eliminates the need for temperature sensing and is a suitable control approach for the frequently starting and stopping operation motor control. The controller takes into account the system nonlinearities and makes no requirements on the variation of the resistance. Therefore, it is full range operational. The Lyapunov stability proof is given in detail. The designed controller is shown to be efficient and robust with the simulation.
Education Program Improves Knowledge of Maternity Staff Regarding Breastfeeding

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Louisiana (LA) breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the United States, and associated infant mortality and morbidity rates are among the highest. To increase the knowledge of maternity nursing staff regarding breastfeeding and improve attitudes towards implementing evidence‐based maternity practices that facilitate breastfeeding, a six contact‐hour program promoting LA's breastfeeding initiative, The Guided Infant Feeding Techniques (GIFT) was developed. The 10 steps of GIFT are based on the Baby Friendly USA Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding with maternity nursing staff education identified as a critical component. Proposed Change To increase staff knowledge and improve attitudes and self‐efficacy of nurses in implementing the criteria for GIFT hospital certification, which is a stepping stone to Baby Friendly designation. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation The GIFT nursing staff program “Promoting Evidence‐Based Breastfeeding Support in Louisiana: The GIFT” was presented to 1086 participants in 35 hospitals across LA from November 2008 to February 2012. Pretests and identical posttests were provided. Posttest scores were significantly higher after each session in each program ( p Implications for Nursing Practice Program strengths, as reported by participants, include convenience and minimal expense in time and money. Programs repeated in each region allow increased same‐hospital staff attendance. The development of webinar programs and train‐the‐trainer programs are being explored as future options. Breastfeeding programs such as the GIFT nursing staff education program will potentially increase knowledge, intention, and advocacy for increased implementation of evidence‐based maternity practices that increase breastfeeding rates to improve outcomes for infants and women.
Performance Analysis of a Slotted Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) Network

A performance model of a multihop Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) Spread Spectrum Network is presented. Time is divided into slots and the network nodes are synchronized such that fixed length messages will only be sent at the beginning of slots. The message generation processes at the nodes are assumed to be independent Bernoulli processes. A node may transmit or receive in a slot, but not both. Each transmission is preceded by a preamble used by the receiver for acquisition purposes. Both the preamble and the message are encoded in the PN code which is unique to the particular receiver. Steady state results for the throughput versus offered traffic, and the delay versus throughput were obtained. This model will be illustrated by examples.
Mediating Mechanisms in a School-Based Drug Prevention Program: First-Year Effects of the Midwestern Prevention Project

Describes (a) the effects of a social-influences-based drug prevention program (the Midwestern Prevention Project) on the mediating variables it was designed to change and (b) the process by which the effects on mediating variables changed use of drugs (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana). Students in 42 middle schools and junior high schools in Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas, were measured in the fall of 1984 (N = 5,065) and again 1 year later (N = 5,008) after 24 of the schools had been through the program. Compared to students in control schools, students in program schools became less likely to express belief in the positive consequences of drug use, less likely to indicate that they would use such drugs in the future, more likely to report that their friends were less tolerant of drug use, and more likely to believe that they were better able to communicate with their friends about drug or school problems. Change in perceptions of friends' tolerance of drug use was the most substantial mediator of program effects on drug use. There was evidence that intentions to use and beliefs about the positive consequences of use may also mediate program effects on drug use.
Selective solubilization of proteins and phospholipids from red blood cell membranes by nonionic detergents

Treatment of isolated human erythrocyte membranes with Triton X-100 at ionic strength ⋍0.04 preferentially released all the glycerolipid and glycoprotein species. At low ionic strength, certain nonglycosylated polypeptides were also selectively solubilized. The liberated polypeptides were free of lipids, but some behaved as if associated into specific oligomeric complexes. Each detergent-insoluble ghost residue appeared by electron microscopy to be a filamentous reticulum with adherent lipoid sheets and vesicles. The residues contained most of the membrane sphingolipids and the nonglycosylated proteins. The polypeptide elution profile obtained with nonionic detergents is therefore nearly reciprocal to that previously seen with a variety of agents which perturb proteins. These data afford further evidence that the externally-oriented glycoproteins penetrate the membrane core where they are anchored hydrophobically, whereas the nonglycosylated polypeptides are, in general, bound by polar associations at the inner membrane surface. The filamentous meshwork of inner surface polypeptides may constitute a discrete, self-associated continuum which provides rather than derives structural support from the membrance.
Public-private wage comparison: A case study of Taiwan

Abstract This paper rigorously examines the public-private wage differential. Two novelties: it deals with a newly industrialized economy-Taiwan, and an attempt is made to isolate out any alleged “favorable” industry/occupation job distribution that may exist for the public sector. Significant wage advantages were found to exists for both genders in the public sector. Both the absolute magnitude of this advantage premium and the relative size between genders were comparable to the estimates for the U.S and for Canada. The often alleged superior industry/occupation distribution of public sector jobs were verified and found to account for a significant portion of the observed sectoral wage differential.
On the information content of 2D and 3D descriptors for QSAR

To gain better understanding on the information content of two-dimensional (2D) vs. three-dimensional (3D) descriptor systems, we analyzed principal component analysis scores derived from 87 2D descriptors and 798 3D (ALMOND) variables on a set of 5998 compounds of medicinal chemistry interest. The information overlap between ALMOND and 2D-based descriptors, as modeled by the fraction of explained variance (r2) and by seven-groups cross-validation (q2) in a two PLS components model was 40%. Individual component analysis indicates that the first and second principal components from the 2D-descriptors are related to the first and third dimensions from the ALMOND PCA model. The first ALMOND component is explained (61%) by size-related descriptors, whereas the third component is marginally explained (25%) by hydrophobicity-related descriptors. Surprisingly, 2D-based hydrogen-bonding descriptors did not contribute significantly in this analysis. These results do not a priori justify the choice of one methodology over the other, when performing QSAR studies.
AN ORGAN CULTURE MODEL FOR THE STUDY OF FETAL LUNG MATURATION

We have developed an organ culture model for the study of biochemical and morphological maturation in late gestation fetal rat lung. Lungs from 18 or 19 day fetal rats are chopped into cubes with 0.8 mm sides using a McIlwain tissue chopper. The explants are placed on a millipore filter supported on a stainless steel grid and cultured in F12 medium in 95%O2, 5%CO2 at 37'C. Use of an air and CO2 environment resulted in areas of central necrosis. Morphologic maturation continues in culture with the progressive development of larger and more numerous alveoli, flatter alveolar lining cells and less stromal tissue. There is a progressive decrease in type II cell glycogen content and an increase in the number of lamellar bodies. Vascular elements are less well preserved. Biochemical findings after varying periods in culture are tabulated below. Values are expressed as a percentage of those obtained with fresh lung tissue from 18 or 19 day fetuses. This data indicates that fetal lung remains viable in short term organ culture, a useful model for the study of hormonal influences on lung development. Supported by HL19752.
Representing periodic waveforms with nonorthogonal basis functions

The representation of periodic functions in a basis function expansion, f(x) \sim \sum_{k=1}^_{\infty} A_{k}g_{1}(kx)+ B_{k}g_{2}(kx) is straightforward when the basis functions g_{1}(kx) and g_{2}(lx) are mutually orthogonal for all k, l . The prototype is g_{1}(x) = \cos (x), g_{2}(x) = \sin (x) . Presented here for the first time is the method for using nonorthogonal basis functions in representing periodic waveforms f(x) . The first of a planned series of papers, this paper presents the fundamental techniques to form the representation. Conditions are given such that the coefficients A_{k} and B_{k} can be found and also that the infinite summation converges to f(x) . Minimum mean-square error finite representations are examined. Each of these aspects of function representation is of critical importance and the methods for dealing with these concerns have always, in the past, required orthogonality. By relaxing this orthogonality condition, a much wider range of basis functions can be used in signal representation. Tailor-made basis functions g_{1} and g_{2} can be used for specific purposes. Fundamental proofs of the basic properties of the representation are examined along with examples illustrating the techniques.
Airborne multispectral and thermal remote sensing for detecting the onset of crop stress caused by multiple factors

Remote sensing technology has been developed and applied to provide spatiotemporal information on crop stress for precision management. A series of multispectral images over a field planted cotton, corn and soybean were obtained by a Geospatial Systems MS4100 camera mounted on an Air Tractor 402B airplane equipped with Camera Link in a Magma converter box triggered by Terraverde Dragonfly® flight navigation and imaging control software. The field crops were intentionally stressed by applying glyphosate herbicide via aircraft and allowing it to drift near-field. Aerial multispectral images in the visible and near-infrared bands were manipulated to produce vegetation indices, which were used to quantify the onset of herbicide induced crop stress. The vegetation indices normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) showed the ability to monitor crop response to herbicide-induced injury by revealing stress at different phenological stages. Two other fields were managed with irrigated versus nonirrigated treatments, and those fields were imaged with both the multispectral system and an Electrophysics PV-320T thermal imaging camera on board an Air Tractor 402B aircraft. Thermal imagery indicated water stress due to deficits in soil moisture, and a proposed method of determining crop cover percentage using thermal imagery was compared with a multispectral imaging method. Development of an image fusion scheme may be necessary to provide synergy and improve overall water stress detection ability.
Capacity of T4 DNA to serve as template for purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase

The dependence of in vitro RNA synthesis, catalyzed by purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, on the concentration and secondary structure of T4 DNA templates in the reaction mixture has been studied by means of kinetic and sedimentation experiments. The following results were obtained. (1) If the weight ratio of DNA to polymerase in the reaction mixture is low, then the rate of RNA synthesis is proportional to the DNA concentration and nearly independent of the polymerase concentration (saturation of DNA with polymerase). If that ratio is high, then the rate of RNA synthesis is proportional to the polymerase concentration and nearly independent of the DNA concentration (saturation of polymerase with DNA). For intermediate ratios, the ensuing rate of RNA synthesis in the reaction mixture can be increased by addition of either more polymerase or more DNA, suggesting that both polymerase and starting sites for polymerase on the DNA are heterogeneous with respect to their mutual binding affinities. (2) The rate of chain growth of the RNA is independent of the DNA concentration; accordingly, at limiting DNA concentration and fixed polymerase concentration, only the number of polymerase molecules becoming active is increased with increasing DNA concentration. (3) The maximum number of long RNA molecules that can be synthesized simultaneously, and thus the maximum number of polymerase molecules that can be fully active per native T4 DNA unit, is estimated to be 180. (4) On heat-denatured T4 DNA, the maximum number of RNA molecules that can be synthesized per unit weight of DNA is several times higher than on native T4 DNA. To account for these results, a model is proposed which assumes a limited number of specific starting sites for RNA polymerase on the native T4 DNA molecule.
ISI law enforcement research

The Advanced System Division of ISI is engaged in a number of projects focused on using commercial technologies to produce a low-cost system with extensive capability for reconfiguration and experimentation. Low-cost platforms for mobile computing and communications enable experimental approaches to determining requirements for law enforcement and military field applications. Unfortunately, flexible COTS hardware is generally unavailable, forcing experiments to make use of costly special-purpose hardware.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy Study on Dynamics of the Free Surface in Entangled Polystyrene Melt Films

The dynamics of polymer chains near the surface of a melt and within thin films remains a subject of inquiry along with the nature of the glass transition in these systems. Recent studies show that the properties of the free surface region are crucial in determining the anomalous glass transition temperature (Tg) reduction of polymer thin films. In this study, by embedding dilute gold nanoparticles in polystyrene (PS) thin films as markers, we could successfully probe the diffusive Brownian motion which tracks the local viscosity both at the free surface and within the rest of the single PS thin film far above bulk Tg. The technique used was X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy with resonance-enhanced X-rays that allows us to independently measure the motion in the regions of interest at the nanometer scale. We found the presence of the surface reduced viscosity layer in entangled PS thin films at T>>Tg.
STUDIES WITH MELPHALAN (PAM) IN PEDIATRIC CANCER CELLS

We have given marrow (BM) - ablative doses of PAM followed by BM autografting to children with neuroblastoma (NBL), Ewing's sarcoma (ES) and osteosarcoma (OS). To examine in vitro effects of this drug, we exposed fresh and cultured NBL (6 pts), ES (4), OS (5) and normal BM (9) cell colonies (CPU) to PAM in concentrations (cone) from 10−1 to 10−7 molar in a 14 day clonigenic assay. The T/2 of PAM measured by high pressure liquid chromatography was about 45 minutes. All CFU showed linear responses to PAM, correlating with both increasing drug cone and exposure duration (up to 8 hours). Fresh cells were significantly more sensitive than cultured cells. NBL-CFU were most sensitive, followed by OS, BM and ES in decreasing order. Repeat dosing up to 4 doses of PAM further inhibited CFU formation. We conclude: (1) NBL and OS CPU are more sensitive to PAM than normal BM or ES CFU; (2) PAM breakdown products apparently remain cytotoxic to tumor cells; (3) prolonged or repeated exposure may increase in vivo efficacy of PAM. We are currently correlating in vitro and in vivo cone of the parent drug and its metabolites with their cytotoxic effects.
Nanoparticles Targeting Dendritic Cell Surface Molecules Effectively Block T Cell Conjugation and Shift Response

Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent professional antigen presenting cells (APC) that activate naive T cells. Interaction of ICAM-1 and LFA-1 molecules on each cell is required for T cell conjugation to DCs, which leads to naive CD4+ T cell activation and proliferation. Nanoparticles capable of blocking LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction were studied as inhibitors of T cell conjugation to DCs. Primary DCs were primed with ovalbumin, then treated with a peptide that binds ICAM-1 (LABL), a peptide that binds LFA-1 (cIBR), or the same peptides covalently linked to the surface of poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (NPs). LABL-NPs and cIBR-NPs rapidly bound to DCs and inhibited T cell conjugation to DCs to a greater extent than the free peptides, unconjugated nanoparticles (NPs), anti-ICAM-1 antibodies, and anti-LFA-1 antibodies. In addition, DCs treated with NPs or with cIBR-NPs stimulated the proliferation of T cells, but DCs treated with LABL-NPs did not stimulate T cell proliferation. Nanoparticles targeting...
Density functional theory study of an all ferrous 4Fe-4S cluster.

The all-ferrous, carbene-capped Fe4S4 cluster, synthesized by Deng and Holm (DH complex), has been studied with density functional theory (DFT). The geometry of the complex was optimized for several electronic configurations. The lowest energy was obtained for the broken-symmetry (BS) configuration derived from the ferromagnetic state by reversing the spin projection of one of the high spin (Si = 2) irons. The optimized geometry of the latter configuration contains one unique and three equivalent iron sites, which are both structurally and electronically clearly distinguishable. For example, a distinctive feature of the unique iron site is the diagonal Fe···S distance, which is 0.3 A longer than for the equivalent irons. The calculated 57Fe hyperfine parameters show the same 1:3 pattern as observed in the Mossbauer spectra and are in good agreement with experiment. BS analysis of the exchange interactions in the optimized geometry for the 1:3, MS = 4, BS configuration confirms the prediction of an earlier...
Satellite cell depletion does not inhibit adult skeletal muscle regrowth following unloading-induced atrophy.

Resident muscle stem cells, known as satellite cells, are thought to be the main mediators of skeletal muscle plasticity. Satellite cells are activated, replicate, and fuse into existing muscle fibers in response to both muscle injury and mechanical load. It is generally well-accepted that satellite cells participate in postnatal growth, hypertrophy, and muscle regeneration following injury; however, their role in muscle regrowth following an atrophic stimulus remains equivocal. The current study employed a genetic mouse model (Pax7-DTA) that allowed for the effective depletion of >90% of satellite cells in adult muscle upon the administration of tamoxifen. Vehicle and tamoxifen-treated young adult female mice were either hindlimb suspended for 14 days to induce muscle atrophy or hindlimb suspended for 14 days followed by 14 days of reloading to allow regrowth, or they remained ambulatory for the duration of the experimental protocol. Additionally, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to the drinking water to track cell proliferation. Soleus muscle atrophy, as measured by whole muscle wet weight, fiber cross-sectional area, and single-fiber width, occurred in response to suspension and did not differ between satellite cell-depleted and control muscles. Furthermore, the depletion of satellite cells did not attenuate muscle mass or force recovery during the 14-day reloading period, suggesting that satellite cells are not required for muscle regrowth. Myonuclear number was not altered during either the suspension or the reloading period in soleus muscle fibers from vehicle-treated or satellite cell-depleted animals. Thus, myonuclear domain size was reduced following suspension due to decreased cytoplasmic volume and was completely restored following reloading, independent of the presence of satellite cells. These results provide convincing evidence that satellite cells are not required for muscle regrowth following atrophy and that, instead, the myonuclear domain size changes as myofibers adapt.
Detection, determination, and metabolism in vitro of gangliosides in mammalian sympathetic ganglia.

— Sympathetic ganglia of the rat and cat were examined for the occurrence and distribution of gangliosides. Each rat superior cervical ganglion contained 0.3 nmol of ganglioside-sialic acid. Extracts of cat superior cervical and nodose ganglia were chromatographed on silica gel thin-layer plates. The resulting patterns suggested that similar distributions of multiple forms of gangliosides occur in these two tissues, with the fast-moving gangliosides predominating. The metabolic activity of gangliosides was also investigated in rat superior cervical ganglia in vitro. Evidence was obtained that 14C from [U-14C]glucose, [U-14C]pyruvate, and [U-14C]glucosamine was incorporated into the gangliosides.
Korteweg-de Vries Soliton in a Slowly Varying Medium

We derive an approximate solution to the Korteweg-de Vries equation with slowly varying coefficients for a soliton initial condition. Expressions are given for the amplitude, position, and velocity, and it is shown that the soliton experiences an irreversible loss of energy whenever it travels in a slowly varying medium. These results are applied to an ion acoustic soliton in a nonuniform plasma and are confirmed by comparison with the results of numerical integration of the differential equation.
Computed tomography of hamartoma of the epiglottis

We present the computed tomography (CT) findings of a hamartoma of the epiglottis occurring in a 58-year-old man. Although hamartomas are particularly uncommon in this site. CT identification of fat within the complex mass facilitated diagnosis without recourse to an invasive biopsy.
Relationships between defoliation, leaf area index, canopy reflectance, and forage yield in the alfalfa-leaf spot pathosystem

Field experiments were conducted to quantify the relationships between defoliation, leaf area index (LAI), canopy reflectance, and alfalfa yield. A range of disease levels was achieved by varying the frequency and type of fungicides used at two locations in Iowa (Ames and Nashua). Canopy reflectance (810 nm) was measured weekly using a hand-held, multispectral radiometer. Percentage defoliation was also obtained weekly by destructively sampling alfalfa stems from each plot and then visually counting the presence or absence of the primary leaf at each node of the main stem. LAI was measured with a leaf area meter by destructively sampling three 0.48 m diameter circles from each of 24 (1998) or 32 (1999) plots. Significant relationships between canopy reflectance (810 nm), percentage defoliation, yield, and LAI were detected using linear regression. Percentage reflectance (810 nm) models explained 15 and 12% more of the variation in yield and LAI, respectively, than models using percentage defoliation as the independent variable average over all the models. This study demonstrated that percentage reflectance measurements had a better relationship with alfalfa yield and LAI than visual percentage defoliation assessments, and that percentage reflectance (810 nm) can be used to quantitatively (and non-destructively) estimate yield and LAI in alfalfa.
Polarization and coherence properties of a beam formed by superposition of a pair of stochastic electromagnetic beams

General expressions are derived for the spectral degree of polarization and for the spectral degree of coherence of a beam generated by the superposition of two stochastic electromagnetic beams. A method to calculate the mutual cross-spectral density matrix of the superposed beam is discussed, as well as experiments to determine it.
Classical and channel-like urate transporters in rabbit renal brush border membranes.

Classical and channel-like urate transporters in rabbit renal brush border membranes. The precise mechanism by which urate is transported across rabbit renal proximal tubule luminal membranes has not been defined. To determine whether urate flux across this membrane represents simple diffusion or transport on specific carriers, urate uptake was examined in brush border membrane vesicles that were prepared by a Mg ++ -aggregation technique and then exposed to CuCl 2 . Na + -independent, voltage sensitive urate transport was demonstrated in these Cu ++ -exposed vesicles. Transport was trans-stimulated by urate and cis inhibited by pyrazinoic acid and oxonate. A small fraction of transported urate and urate in the extravesicular fluid was oxidized to allantoin. Kinetic analysis revealed the presence of two kinetically distinct transporters; a channel-like carrier that was inhibited by pyrazinoic acid and oxonate, and a high-affinity, classical, saturable carrier that was inhibited by higher concentrations of oxonate. These studies provide the first direct evidence for carrier-mediated urate transport in rabbit renal brush-border membranes and demonstrate that the rabbit transporter(s) share a number of properties with the urate uniporter in rat proximal tubule cell membranes.
A novel CsrA titration mechanism regulates fimbrial gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium

A hierarchical control of fimbrial gene expression limits laboratory grown cultures of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) to the production of type I fimbriae encoded by the fimAICDHF operon. Here we show that an unlikely culprit, namely the 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of a messenger (m)RNA, coordinated the regulation. Binding of CsrA to the 5′-UTR of the pefACDEF transcript was required for expression of plasmid-encoded fimbriae. The 5′-UTR of the fimAICDHF transcript cooperated with two small untranslated RNAs, termed CsrB and CsrC, in antagonizing the activity of the RNA binding protein CsrA. Through this post-transcriptional mechanism, the 5′-UTR of the fimAICDHF transcript prevented production of PefA, the major structural subunit of plasmid-encoded fimbriae. This regulatory mechanism limits the costly expression of plasmid-encoded fimbriae to host environments in a mouse model. Collectively, our data suggest that the 5′-UTR of an mRNA coordinates a hierarchical control of fimbrial gene expression in S. typhimurium.
Cross-sensitization and cross-tolerance between exogenous cannabinoid antinociception and endocannabinoid-mediated stress-induced analgesia.

Footshock stress induces both endocannabinoid mobilization and antinociception. The present studies investigated behavioral plasticity in cannabinoid antinociceptive mechanisms following repeated activation using the tail-flick test. A secondary objective was to ascertain whether blockade of stress antinociception by the CB1 antagonist rimonabant could be attributed to changes in locomotor activity. The cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 induced hypoactivity in the open field relative to vehicle-treated controls. By contrast, rimonabant, administered at a dose that virtually eliminated endocannabinoid-mediated stress antinociception, failed to alter locomotor behavior (i.e. time resting, ambulatory counts, distance traveled) in rats subjected to the same stressor. Rats exposed acutely to footshock were hypersensitive to the antinociceptive effects of WIN55,212-2 and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). The converse was also true; acute Δ9-THC and WIN55,212-2 administration potentiated stress antinociception, suggesting a bidirectional sensitization between endocannabinoid-mediated stress antinociception and exogenous cannabinoid antinociception. Stress antinociception was also attenuated following chronic relative to acute treatment with WIN55,212-2 or Δ9-THC. Repeated exposure to footshock (3 min/day for 15 days), however, failed to attenuate antinociception induced by either footshock stress or WIN55,212-2. Our results demonstrate that endocannabinoid-mediated stress antinociception cannot be attributed to motor suppression. Our results further identify a functional plasticity of the cannabinoid system in response to repeated activation. The existence of cross-sensitization between endocannabinoid-mediated stress antinociception and exogenous cannabinoid antinociception suggests that these phenomena are mediated by a common mechanism. The observation of stress-induced hypersensitivity to effects of exogenous cannabinoids may have clinical implications for understanding marijuana abuse liability in humans.
Measurement of user performance and attitudes assists the initial design of a computer user display and orientation method.

Objective. The objective of our study was to assess the acceptability of a proposed user interface to visually interfaced computer-assisted anesthesia record (VISI-CAARE), before the application was begun. The user interface was defined as the user display and its user orientation methods. Methods. We designed methods to measure user performance and attitude toward two different anesthesia record procedures: (1) the traditional pen and paper anesthetic record procedure of our hospital, and (2) VISI-CAARE. Performance measurements included the reaction speed (identifying the type and time of an event) and completion speed (describing the event). Performance also included accuracy of the recorded time of the event and accuracy of the description. User attitude was measured by (1) the physician’s rating on a scale of 0 to 9 of the potential usefulness of computers in anesthesia care; (2) willingness to use the future application in the clinical environment; and (3) user suggestions for change. These measurements were used in a randomized trial of 21 physicians, of which data from 20 were available.Results. After exposure to VISI-CAARE, the experimental subjects’ ranking of computer usefulness in anesthesia care improved significantly (4.2 ± 1.1 to 7.6 ± 1.5, p = 0.0001), as did controls’ (5.2 ± 2.6 to 8 ± 1.5, p = 0.0019). All the volunteers were willing to try the proposed prototype clinically, when it was ready. VISI-CAARE exposure was associated with faster and more accurate reaction to events over the traditional pen and paper machine, and slower and more accuratedescription of events in an artificial mock setting. VISI-CAARE 1.1 demonstrated significant improvements in both reaction speed and completion speed over VISI-CAARE 1.0, after changes were made to the user display and orientation methods.Conclusion. With graphic user interface prototyping environments, one can obtain preliminary user attitude and performance data, even before application programming is begun. This may be helpful in revising initial display and orientation methods, while obtaining user interest and commitment before actual programming and clinical testing.
From bad to good: Fitness reversals and the ascent of deleterious mutations.

Deleterious mutations are considered a major impediment to adaptation, and there are straightforward expectations for the rate at which they accumulate as a function of population size and mutation rate. In a simulation model of an evolving population of asexually replicating RNA molecules, initially deleterious mutations accumulated at rates nearly equal to that of initially beneficial mutations, without impeding evolutionary progress. As the mutation rate was increased within a moderate range, deleterious mutation accumulation and mean fitness improvement both increased. The fixation rates were higher than predicted by many population-genetic models. This seemingly paradoxical result was resolved in part by the observation that, during the time to fixation, the selection coefficient (s) of initially deleterious mutations reversed to confer a selective advantage. Significantly, more than half of the fixations of initially deleterious mutations involved fitness reversals. These fitness reversals had a substantial effect on the total fitness of the genome and thus contributed to its success in the population. Despite the relative importance of fitness reversals, however, the probabilities of fixation for both initially beneficial and initially deleterious mutations were exceedingly small (on the order of 10−5 of all mutations).
Fine structure of syzygial articulations before and after arm autotomy in florometra serratissima (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

About 1 s after appropriate stimulation, arms of Florometra serratissima break at articulations called syzygies that are specialized for autotomy. The fine structure of unreacted and of newly broken syzygies is described. The unreacted syzygy includes (1) ligament fibers consisting of collagen fibrils interconnected by interfibrillar strands and (2) axons filled with presumed neurosecretory granules. The newly broken syzygy includes (1) ruptured ligament fibers consisting of swollen collagen fibrils associated with interfibrillar globules and (2) axons containing few presumed neurosecretory granules, some of which are fixed in the act of exocytosis; moreover, the calcareous skeleton adjacent to the broken syzygy is partly eroded. The observations before and after breaking suggest that the autotomy mechanism may comprise the following sequence of events: rapid neural transmission from stimulation site to syzygy triggers a massive exocytosis of granules from presumed neurosecretory axons; the released neurosecretions (which could include chelating agents, strong acids, proteolytic enzymes or enzyme activators) etch the skeleton and lower the tensile strength of the ligament fibers by weakening the collagen fibrils and/or the interfibrillar material; breakage of the ligament fibers, the major connective tissue of the articulation, is quickly followed by rupture of all the other tissues at the syzygy.
Proliferative Response of Bronchoalveolar Lymphocytes to Beryllium: A Test for Chronic Beryllium Disease

STUDY OBJECTIVE to ascertain whether measuring the proliferative response of bronchoalveolar lymphocytes to beryllium salts is useful for diagnosing chronic beryllium disease. DESIGN prospective case series compared to normal volunteers and patients with sarcoidosis. SETTING university referral center. PATIENTS twenty-three consecutive beryllium workers were evaluated. Fourteen had chronic beryllium disease diagnosed on the basis of histologic evidence of a progressive pulmonary granulomatosis. Four had biopsy evidence of non-beryllium disease. Three had probable chronic beryllium disease but did not have lung biopsies. Two did not have biopsies and had basilar fibrosis on chest roentgenogram suggestive of non-beryllium lung disease. These patients were compared with 6 normal volunteers and 16 patients with sarcoidosis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS bronchoalveolar lavage was done and the proliferative response of the lung cells to two beryllium salts was tested. A positive proliferative test was defined as a stimulation index of more than five on two determinations. The sensitivity of this test was 100% in the 14 patients with definite chronic beryllium disease. The specificity of the test was also 100% among the normal volunteers and the 16 patients with sarcoidosis. The test was positive in none of the four patients with biopsy evidence of non-beryllium disease, none out of two patients with lower lobe fibrosis suggestive of non-beryllium disease, and all of three patients with probable chronic beryllium lung disease. CONCLUSIONS the proliferative response of bronchoalveolar lymphocytes to beryllium appears to be a useful test for chronic beryllium disease.
Thermodynamic and ab initio calculations of chemisorption energies of ions

Abstract We have performed thermodynamic calculations of the heats of adsorption of H − and H + and quantum mechanical (relativistic effective core potential (RECP) Hartree-Fock + electron correlation) calculations of the zero coverage limit binding energies of hydrogen cation and anion on cluster models of the Ag(111) surface of varying size in order to determine the demands placed on the theory by the ionic adsorbates. The thermodynamic discussion has implications for the results of the quantum mechanical calculations. The binding energies derived from thermodynamic data are employed as reference values for comparison purposes. In general we find that larger clusters are required for ionic adsorbates than neutral adsorbates. Our larger cluster SCF calculations give binding energies in the ranges of 245–249 and 124–130 kcal/mol for H + and H − , respectively, which agree well with the thermodynamic values of 255 and 142 kcal/mol. The MP2 correlation contributions to the binding energies were small and sometimes negative. On the larger cluster models of the Ag(111) surface the cation and anion adsorbates were observed to be indistinguishable from neutral hydrogen.
A brief history of the International Symposia on Mathematical Programming

This article briefly recounts the history of the International Symposia on Mathematical Programming from the 0th in 1949 to the 19th in 2006. Included in the summary are the dates, locations, organizers, sponsors, award winners, and special characteristics of each Symposium.
Note on the Measurement of Transformer Turns-Ratio

This note shows that in many important cases the turns-ratio of iron-core transformers is given by the simple relation N 1 /N 2 = √X sc1 /X sc2 , in which X sc1 and X sc2 are the reactive components of the short-circuit primary and secondary impedance of the windings concerned. The measurements are conveniently made with an impedance or inductance bridge. This equation also gives the turns-ratio of certain air-core transformers.
Relevant spatial frequency information in the texture segmentation of night-vision imagery

We investigated the type of spatial structure present in nighttime imagery that is perceptually relevant for human observers to be able to perform texture-based segmentation of real world scenes. Three psychophysical tasks were developed to evaluate performance of the nighttime imagery. The test imagery consisted of scenes obtained via an image-intensified low=light CCD, a long-wave infrared sensor and monochrome sensor-fusion. For one task, performance was best with the fused imagery, but for two tasks, performance with fused imagery was not improved (compared to performance with ir imagery). Spatial filtering of the scenes and further testing revealed that the mid spatial frequencies (1-4 cpd) were more critical in determining performance than either the low or high frequencies. Fourier analysis of the scenes revealed a strong relationship between power and performance, where scenes with more power (especially at the middle frequencies) supported better performance. Implications of this research are that performance depends on power at the middle frequencies for those low-level visual tasks and that fusion algorithms may be improved if this is taken under consideration.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An intracellular HRP study of the rat globus pallidus. I. Responses and light microscopic analysis

A study of the intracellularly recorded responses of rat globus pallidus neurons to activation of striopallidal fibers was combined with light microscopic examination of the morphology of these same neurons using intracellular horseradish peroxidase. The response to stimulation of caudate-putamen is an inhibitory post-synaptic potential with observed latencies ranging from 5.1 to 9.8 msec. These values correspond to conduction velocities of 0.4 to 0.8 m/second for striopallidal fibers. Comparison with extracellular controls shows no excitatory component to the response. All recovered and analyzed neurons (n = 11) were of the large type of pallidal neuron known from Golgi studies but with the addition that two subtypes could be recognized. Large neurons located medially in the nucleus had dendritic fields with large dorsoventral extent (ca. 1 mm) when compared to their mediolateral and rostrocaudal dimensions (ca. 0.4 mm) and these neurons emitted no axon collaterals. Large neurons located laterally in the nucleus had disklike dendritic fields with both dorsoventral and rostrocaudal dimensions being on the order of 1 mm but with a minor axis of approximately 100 μm. The axons of these neurons possessed collaterals. As a consequence of their disk-shaped dendritic field, neurons belonging to the laterally placed subgroup and occupying the narrow (ca. 100 μm thick) striopallidal border zone known to receive a distinct input from neostriatum have dendrites restricted to that zone.
Vapor-transport equilibrated near-stoichiometric lithium tantalate for frequency-conversion applications

Near-stoichiometric lithium tantalate (SLT) crystals were produced from congruent lithium tantalate by a vapor-transport equilibration process. Because of the resultant increase in photoconductivity and reduction in photogalvanism, the crystals showed no observable photorefractive damage at 514.5 nm up to the highest intensity used, 2 MW/cm2. The crystals also exhibited low green-induced infrared absorption, a Curie temperature of 693 degrees C, and a coercive field of 80 V/mm. The SLT samples were periodically poled with an 8-microm-period grating, permitting first-order quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation of 532-nm radiation at 43 degrees C. A 17-mm-long sample generated 1.6 W of continuous-wave output power at 532 nm for 50 h. With 150-ns pulses at a 100-kHz repetition rate in the same sample, 5-W average-power, 532-nm radiation was generated for 1000 h. No damage to the crystal and no aging effects were observed during these experiments.
Antigen‐specific proliferation of porcine CD8αα cells to an extracellular bacterial pathogen

A vaccine inducing protective immunity to a spirochaete-induced colitis of pigs predominantly stimulates expansion of CD8+ cells in vivo and in antigen-stimulated lymphocyte cultures. CD8+ cells, however, are rarely considered necessary for protection against extracellular bacterial pathogens. In the present study, pigs recovering from colitis resulting from experimental infection with Brachyspira (Serpulina) hyodysenteriae had increased percentages of peripheral blood CD4– CD8+ (αα-expressing) cells compared with non-infected pigs. CD8αα+ cells proliferated in antigen-stimulated cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from B. hyodysenteriae-vaccinated pigs. Proliferating CD8αα+ cells consisted of CD4–, CD4+ and γδ T-cell receptor-positive cells. CD4– CD8αβ+ cells from vaccinated or infected pigs did not proliferate upon in vitro antigen stimulation. Of the CD8αα cells that had proliferated, flow cytometric analysis indicated that the majority of the CD4+ CD8+ cells were large (i.e. lymphoblasts) whereas the CD4– CD8+ cells were predominantly small. Addition of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) specific for either porcine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or class II antigens diminished B. hyodysenteriae-specific proliferative responses whereas addition of mAb to porcine MHC II, but not porcine MHC I, reduced the CD8αα response. In vitro depletion of CD4+ cells by flow cytometric cell sorting diminished, but did not completely abrogate, the proliferative response of cells from vaccinated pigs to B. hyodysenteriae antigen stimulation. These results suggest that CD8αα cells are involved in recovery and possibly protection from a spirochaete-induced colitis of pigs; yet, this response appears to be partially dependent upon CD4+ cells.
The γ-globin gene promoter progressively demethylates as the hematopoietic stem progenitor cells differentiate along the erythroid lineage in baboon fetal liver and adult bone marrow

Objective To determine whether the difference in γ-globin gene promoter methylation in terminal erythroblasts at the fetal and adult stages of development is a result of fetal stage-specific demethylation or adult stage-specific de novo methylation during erythropoiesis. Materials and Methods Fetal liver- (FL, n=2) and adult bone marrow- (ABM, n=3) derived hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and mature erythroblasts were purified by passage through a Miltenyi Magnetic Column followed by fluorescein-activated cell sorting (FACS) into subpopulations, defined by expression of CD34 and CD36 antigens. CD34 + CD36 − , CD34 + CD36 + , and CD34 − CD36 + subpopulations were purified by FACS and their degree of differentiation verified using the colony-forming cell assay. The methylation pattern of 5 CpG sites in the γ-globin promoter region of these purified cell populations was determined using bisulfite sequencing. Results The γ-globin promoter was highly methylated in the earliest stage of hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (CD34 + CD36 − ) and methylation progressively decreased as erythroid differentiation progressed in FL and appears so in ABM as well. Conclusions These data support a model in which differences in the methylation pattern of the γ-globin gene in differentiating erythroblasts at different stages of development is the result of fetal stage-specific demethylation associated with transcriptional activation, rather than de novo methylation in the adults. The difference in the extent of γ-globin gene demethylation in FL and ABM is correlated with the difference in γ-globin expression at these developmental stages.