cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flow Cytometric Detection of Prostate Tumor Cells Using Chemoaffinity Labels

BACKGROUND The enzyme-biomarker prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is an emerging target for imaging and therapeutic applications for prostate cancer. However, the use of PSMA for detecting circulating prostate tumor cells remains under-explored. The present study focuses on the specific labeling of PSMA+ prostate cancer cells with a fluorescent PSMA inhibitor and the quantitation of PSMA+ cells in blood by flow cytometry (FC) using a gating strategy to separate labeled PSMA+ cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. METHODS Suspensions of PSMA+ (LNCaP) and PSMA− (DU145) cells were incubated with the fluorescent PSMA inhibitor FAMX-CTT-54. Incubation parameters (time, temperature, and label concentration) were varied to optimize cell labeling. A gating protocol based on double fluorescent labeling of CD45 and PSMA was developed for the quantitiation of LNCaP cells in the presence of white blood cells from bovine blood. Nonfluorescent beads were added to the labeled cell mixture and served as internal standard for precise cellular quantification of LNCaP cells by flow cytometry. RESULTS The fluorescent PSMA inhibitor FAMX-CTT-54 was specific for PSMA+ cells. The minimum time and concentration of FAMX-CTT-54 for effective labeling of PSMA+ cell suspensions at 37°C was 7.5 min and 35 nM, respectively; no labeling was observed on PSMA− cells. Co-incubation or pre-incubation of PSMA+ cells with the unlabeled PSMA inhibitor CTT-54 resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction in fluorescent labeling with FAMX-CTT-54 thereby confirming that the labeling was specific for PSMA. In blood samples in which LNCaP cells were added, an average of five cells were detected in a 115 µl sample of the most dilute sample examined (29 cells/ml); three cells were expected theoretically. The greater loss of labeling of PSMA+ cells with FAMX-CTT-54 when pre-incubated with CTT-54 is consistent with the irreversible mode of binding of CTT-54 to PSMA and subsequent internalization of the PSMA-inhibitor complex. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that fluorescent PSMA inhibitors can be utilized to effectively detect and quantify PSMA+ cells by FC. These results support the use of such compounds in the application of FC to detect, quantify, and characterize circulating prostate tumor cells. Prostate 71: 52–61, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Transparent all-optical packet network using digital header and arbitrary payload

Optical packet networks have the advantages of high efficiency and transparency. It can take care of a heterogeneous mix of traffic. We demonstrated bit-rate and signal-format transparent operations of an all-optical packet-switched network.
THE IONIZATION OF ORGANIC MOLECULAR CRYSTALS BY NEAR U.V. LIGHT

Summary The niechanisms by which near u.v. light cause internal ionization in organic molecular crystals are examined theoretically for the anthracene crystal. Theoretical predictions of the quantum yield for photoionization by the various mechanisms are presented and compared with values recently obtained from studies of photoconduction in anthracene. From this comparison we conclude that: (i) Good agreement between calculated and observed quantum yields suggests that the method used for the calculations is essentially valid. (ii) Provided the energy requirements can be met, quantum yields for photoionization may approach unity. (iii) The lifetimes of excited singlet and triplet states and the rate of intersystem crossing materially influence the quantum yields for photoionization. (iv) An aggregated, but not necessarily ordered, molecular system should be capable of exhibiting quantum yields for photoionization which are as large as those which can be obtained with single crystals. The possible relevance of these results for biological systems is discussed briefly.
Scaling Behavior near Threshold

It is pointed out that the requirement that the leading light-cone singularity be the most important, even at relatively small values of ${q}^{2}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}$ (precocious asymptopia), leads to the introduction of a new scaling variable which is similar but not identical to the variable ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{'}}=\ensuremath{-}{q}^{2}{(2\ensuremath{\nu}+{M}^{2})}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$.
How editing and design changes news graphics

The Times graphics department has won many national and international awards, including the National Design Award for communication design. Learn how graphics editors report, design and edit data visualizations, integrate interactivity with story telling, and explain the news. How do basic ideas from journalism — including the importance of editing — influence the graphics the Times makes?
The Place of the Elements and the Elements of Place: Aristotelian Contributions to Environmental Thought

I examine the ancient and perennial notion of the elements (stoicheia) and its relation to an idea of place proper (topos) and natural place (topos oikeios) in Aristotle's work. Through an exploration of his accounts, I argue that Aristotle develops a robust theory of place that is relevant to current environmental and geographical thought. In the process, he provides a domestic household and home for earth, air, fire and water that offers a supplement or an alternative to more abstract and controversial uses of a conception of ‘nature’ (physis). I identify and elaborate upon environmental aspects of place-based and elemental philosophy.
GAS6/Mer axis regulates the homing and survival of the E2A/PBX1-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the bone marrow niche

Objective Despite improvements in current combinational chemotherapy regimens, the prognosis of the (1;19)(q23;p13) translocation (E2A/PBX1)−positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is poor in pediatric leukemia patients. Materials and Methods In this study, we examined the roles of growth arrest−specific-6 (GAS6)/Mer axis in the interactions between E2A/PBX1-positive B-cell precursor ALL cells and the osteoblastic niche in the bone marrow. Results Data show that primary human osteoblasts secrete GAS6 in response to the Mer-overexpressed E2A/PBX1-positive ALL cells through mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and that leukemia cells migrate toward GAS6 using pathways activated by Mer. Importantly, GAS6 supports survival and prevents apoptosis from chemotherapy of E2A/PBX1-positive ALL cells by inducing dormancy. Conclusions These data suggest that GAS6/Mer axis regulates homing and survival of the E2A/PBX1-positive B-cell precursor ALL in the bone marrow niche.
Breast tomosynthesis reconstruction with a multi-beam x-ray source

As a new three-dimensional breast imaging technique, breast tomosynthesis allows the reconstruction of an arbitrary set of planes in the breast from a limited-angle series of x-ray projection images. The breast tomosynthesis technique has been demonstrated as promising to improve early breast cancer detection. This paper represents a preliminary phantom study and computer simulation results of different breast tomosynthesis reconstruction algorithms with a novel carbon nanotube based multi-beam x-ray source. Five representative tomosynthesis reconstruction algorithms, including back projection (BP), filtered back projection (FBP), matrix inversion tomosynthesis (MITS), maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM), and simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) were investigated. Tomosynthesis projection images of a phantom were acquired with the stationary multi-beam x-ray tomosynthesis system. Reconstruction results from different algorithms were studied. A computer simulation study was further done to investigate the sharpness of reconstructed in-plane structures and to see how effective each algorithm is at removing out-of-plane blur with parallel-imaging geometries. Datasets with 9 and 25 projection images of a defined 3D spherical object were simulated with a total view angle of 50 degrees. Results showed that the multi-beam x-ray system is capable to generate 3D tomosynthesis images with faster speed compared with current commercial prototype systems. With simulated parallel-imaging geometry, MITS and FBP showed edge enhancement in-plane performance. BP, FBP and MLEM performed better at out-of-plane structure removal with larger number of projection images.
Structural characteristics of the Fc′ fragment of human γG-globulin☆

Abstract The Fc′ fragment was isolated from normal human γG-globulin and a γG1(We) myeloma protein. It was shown to be heterogeneous by antigenic analysis, peptide mapping and C-terminal amino acid analysis. It had a molecular weight of 18,000 and contained 1·5 mole of hexose per mole of protein.
Texas Criminal Defense Attorneys’ Perceptions of Crime Victim Involvement in Criminal Prosecutions

The purpose of this study was to test the utility of the Victim Satisfaction Model of the criminal justice system by quantitatively assessing criminal defense attorneys’ perceptions of victims’ involvement in the charging and plea bargaining stages of the criminal process. A cross-section research design was used in this study. Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to defense attorneys who regularly practice criminal law in Texas. The results of this study support the utility of the Victim Satisfaction Model of the criminal justice system and further our understanding of victim involvement in the decision making and have important implications for the American criminal justice system.
Design and synthesis of stereochemically defined novel spirocyclic P2-ligands for HIV-1 protease inhibitors.

The synthesis of a series of stereochemically defined spirocyclic compounds and their use as novel P2-ligands for HIV-1 protease inhibitors are described. The bicyclic core of the ligands was synthesized by an efficient nBu3SnH-promoted radical cyclization of a 1,6-enyne followed by oxidative cleavage. Structure-based design, synthesis of ligands, and biological evaluations of the resulting inhibitors are reported.
Graphene-Orange II composite nanosheets with electroactive functions as label-free aptasensing platform for "signal-on" detection of protein.

Abstract The combination of novel nanomaterials and biomolecule recognition units is promising in developing sensitive biosensors. This paper presents a facile approach for the preparation of water-soluble electroactive dye-Orange II functionalized graphene nanosheets (O-GNs). The successful attachment of Orange II on the surface of graphene nanosheets not only prevents the agglomeration of the as-formed graphene nanocomposite in aqueous media, but also endows graphene nanosheets with excellent electroactive property. Integrating the unique properties of the as-prepared O-GNs (high conductivity, high specific surface area and electroactive function) with high affinity and specificity of aptamer, a new label-free electrochemical biosensing concept is demonstrated for the “signal-on” detection of targets such as thrombin and lysozyme. The present O-GNs-based aptasensor exhibits good current response to the above proteins. The linear ranges for thrombin and lysozyme are 1.0×10−12–4.0×10−10 M and 5.0×10−12–7.0×10−10 M, with the detection limit of 3.5×10−13 M and 1.0×10−12 M, respectively. In contrast to the common laborious and expensive labeling approaches, the present O-GNs based aptasensing process is highly simple, cost-efficient and does not need labeling and modification of aptamers or introduce additional electrochemical probes.
A Comparative Study on the Stability of Software Metric Selection Techniques

In large software projects, software quality prediction is an important aspect of the development cycle to help focus quality assurance efforts on the modules most likely to contain faults. To perform software quality prediction, various software metrics are collected during the software development cycle, and models are built using these metrics. However, not all features (metrics) make the same contribution to the class attribute (e.g., faulty/not faulty). Thus, selecting a subset of metrics that are relevant to the class attribute is a critical step. As many feature selection algorithms exist, it is important to find ones which will produce consistent results even as the underlying data is changed, this quality of producing consistent results is referred to as "stability." In this paper, we investigate the stability of seven feature selection techniques in the context of software quality classification. We compare four approaches for varying the underlying data to evaluate stability: the traditional approach of generating many sub samples of the original data and comparing the features selected from each, an earlier approach developed by our research group which compares the features selected from sub samples of the data with those selected from the original, and two newly-proposed approaches based on comparing two sub samples which are specifically designed to have same number of instances and a specified level of overlap, with one of these new approaches comparing within each pair while the other compares the generated sub samples with the original dataset. The empirical validation is carried out on sixteen software metrics datasets. Our results show that ReliefF is the most stable feature selection technique. Results also show that the level of overlap, degree of perturbation, and feature subset size do affect the stability of feature selection methods. Finally, we find that all four approaches of evaluating stability produce similar results in terms of which feature selection techniques are best under different circumstances.
Diagnosis of chronic lower-extremity ischemia

Abstract The noninvasive vascular laboratory provides critically important objective and cost-effective information to supplement a careful history and physical examination in the evaluation of patients with CLEI. Optimal cost-effective ordering and interpretation of vascular tests will always depend on a sophisticated knowledge of vascular disease and detailed knowledge of the individual patient. A keen awareness of the limitations of each form of testing and potential sources of error is mandatory. Noninvasive vascular testing allows quantitative, physiologic assessment of lower extremity ischemia and provides the scientific basis for our modern therapeutic approaches to the care of patients with arterial occlusive disease. Clearly, the vascular lab provides much of the objective diagnostic data on which the modern practice of vascular surgery is built.
Correlation of nocturnal penile tumescence and daytime affect intensity in depressed men

Although depressed patients have been shown to have diminished nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT), there remains considerable variability of NPT in depression. We hypothesized that affective experience during the day accounts for some of this variability. Forty-five depressed men had assessments of affect intensity and affect balance, NPT, and daytime sexual function, both before and after treatment with Beck's cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Forty-three normal control subjects were studied for comparison. Daytime affect intensity in depressed men, but not in control subjects, correlated significantly and positively with measures of NPT duration and rigidity both before and after treatment, regardless of the adequacy of daytime sexual function. When the effect of daytime affect on REM activity was controlled, the observed correlations became nonsignificant at pretreatment, but remained significant at posttreatment. Neuropharmacologically mediated changes in arousal responsivity associated with depression may underlie the observed relation between daytime affect intensity, rapid eye movement activity, and NPT.
Neuroimaging of central nervous system infections.

During the past decade, advances have been made in the technology used to image the pediatric central nervous system. Although computed tomography (CT) remains the first line of imaging for the sick child admitted to the emergency room with fever and altered mental status, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers superior soft tissue imaging of central nervous system (CNS) infections and advanced techniques. MRI also is the standard of care for imaging spinal infections. CT remains superior for the detection of calcification and bony detail. With the advent of new MRI sequences such as T2-weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), we are able to detect early and subtle abnormalities such as the vasculitis accompanying a meningitis and to identify patterns of signal alteration that can help us be more specific about the diagnosis in lesions with similar appearances.
Incentive Compatible Online Scheduling of Malleable Parallel Jobs with Individual Deadlines

We consider the online scheduling of malleable jobs on parallel systems, such as clusters, symmetric multiprocessing computers, and multi-core processor computers. Malleable jobs is a model of parallel processing in which jobs adapt to the number of processors assigned to them. This model permits the scheduler and resource manager to make more efficient use of the available resources. Each malleable job is characterized by arrival time, deadline, and value. If the job completes by its deadline, the user earns the payoff indicated by the value; otherwise, she earns a payoff of zero. The scheduling objective is to maximize the sum of the values of the jobs that complete by their associated deadlines. Complicating the matter is that users in the real world are rational and they will attempt to manipulate the scheduler by misreporting their jobs' parameters if it benefits them to do so. To mitigate this behavior, we design an incentive compatible online scheduling mechanism. Incentive compatibility assures us that the users will obtain the maximum payoff only if they truthfully report their jobs' parameters to the scheduler. Finally, we simulate and study the mechanism to show the effects of misreports on the cheaters and on the system.
Tear film dynamics with evaporation, wetting, and time-dependent flux boundary condition on an eye-shaped domain

We study tear film dynamics with evaporation on a wettable eye-shaped ocular surface using a lubrication model. The mathematical model has a time-dependent flux boundary condition that models the cycles of tear fluid supply and drainage; it mimics blinks on a stationary eye-shaped domain. We generate computational grids and solve the nonlinear governing equations using the OVERTURE computational framework. In vivo experimental results using fluorescent imaging are used to visualize the influx and redistribution of tears for an open eye. Results from the numerical simulations are compared with the experiment. The model captures the flow around the meniscus and other dynamic features of human tear film observed in vivo.
Democracy, Community, Trust: The Impact of Elections in Rural China

This article systematically investigates the impact of elections in rural China on a basic element of the elite-mass relationship: beliefs of ordinary citizens that their leaders are trustworthy. I...
Discrete Wirtinger and isoperimetric type inequalities

In this paper we give some new types of inequalities which can be regarded as discrete forms of the Wirtinger inequality and several new isoperimetric-type inequalities.
A Simplified Bargaining Model for the n-Person Cooperative Game

The bargaining model I propose to discuss in this paper2 is a simplified and, as I hope, improved version of my bargaining model published in the Princeton Contributions (see [3]). Like my earlier model, this one is also a generalization of the Nash solution for the two-person cooperative game [6, 7] to the n-person cooperative game; and it is at the same time also a generalization of (a somewhat modified form of) the Shapley value [8] from the transferable-utility3 case to the general case.
Action verb comprehension in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have a motor disorder and cognitive difficulties, including difficulty with action verbs. However, the basis for the action verb impairment is unknown. Thirty-six participants with ALS and 22 with Parkinson’s disease (PD) were assessed on a simple, two-alternative forced-choice associativity judgment task, where performance was untimed and did not depend on motor functioning. We probed 120 frequency-matched action verbs, cognition verbs, concrete nouns and abstract nouns. Performance was related to T1 MRI imaging of gray matter atrophy. Patients with ALS were significantly impaired relative to healthy senior control participants only for action verbs. Patients with PD did not differ from controls for all word categories. Regression analyses related action verb performance in ALS to motor-associated cortices, but action verb judgments in PD were not related to cortical atrophy. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that action verb difficulty in ALS is related in part to the degradation of action-related conceptual knowledge represented in motor-associated cortex.
A Systematic Approach to Tourism Policy

Abstract The Middle East is the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of the three major religions practiced today. As such, most countries in the Middle East have a natural competitive advantage in the global tourism industry. However, for many of these countries the potential of this competitive advantage has not been reached. This research is designed to provide policy makers with a systematic approach toward restructuring their tourism strategies. Based on the results of this study, some significant policy implications are identified. While the methodology presented in this study is not without some weakness, it can be easily applied to other countries and regions. In this context, four Middle Eastern countries are used to illustrate the approach proposed in this study.
The performance of a reduced-order adaptive controller when used in multi-antenna hyperthermia treatments with nonlinear temperature-dependent perfusion

In large multi-antenna systems, adaptive controllers can aid in steering the heat focus toward the tumor. However, the large number of sources can greatly increase the steering time. Additionally, controller performance can be degraded due to changes in tissue perfusion which vary non-linearly with temperature, as well as with time and spatial position. The current work investigates whether a reduced-order controller with the assumption of piecewise constant perfusion is robust to temperature-dependent perfusion and achieves steering in a shorter time than required by a full-order controller. The reduced-order controller assumes that the optimal heating setting lies in a subspace spanned by the best heating vectors (virtual sources) of an initial, approximate, patient model. An initial, approximate, reduced-order model is iteratively updated by the controller, using feedback thermal images, until convergence of the heat focus to the tumor. Numerical tests were conducted in a patient model with a right lower leg sarcoma, heated in a 10-antenna cylindrical mini-annual phased array applicator operating at 150 MHz. A half-Gaussian model was used to simulate temperature-dependent perfusion. Simulated magnetic resonance temperature images were used as feedback at each iteration step. Robustness was validated for the controller, starting from four approximate initial models: (1) a 'standard' constant perfusion lower leg model ('standard' implies a model that exactly models the patient with the exception that perfusion is considered constant, i.e., not temperature dependent), (2) a model with electrical and thermal tissue properties varied from 50% higher to 50% lower than the standard model, (3) a simplified constant perfusion pure-muscle lower leg model with +/-50% deviated properties and (4) a standard model with the tumor position in the leg shifted by 1.5 cm. Convergence to the desired focus of heating in the tumor was achieved for all four simulated models. The controller accomplished satisfactory therapeutic outcomes: approximately 80% of the tumor was heated to temperatures 43 degrees C and approximately 93% was maintained at temperatures <41 degrees C. Compared to the controller without model reduction, a approximately 9-25 fold reduction in convergence time was accomplished using approximately 2-3 orthonormal virtual sources. In the situations tested, the controller was robust to the presence of temperature-dependent perfusion. The results of this work can help to lay the foundation for real-time thermal control of multi-antenna hyperthermia systems in clinical situations where perfusion can change rapidly with temperature.
Two years later: wellness councils and healthier vending in a cohort of middle and high schools.

Abstract Purpose To examine the association between school wellness council structure over 2 years and low-nutrient, energy-dense vending fare assessed as a food score (range: 0–7), following enactment of federal legislation. Methods Multivariate linear regression was used to examine 2006/2007 and 2008/2009 data among a cohort of middle (n = 16) and high (n = 38) schools located in a Midwest metropolitan area. Results Schools with district and school councils had a significantly lower mean food score (3.28) than schools with district-only (4.50) and no councils (4.99). Conclusions Wellness councils, particularly a structure that includes both a district and school council, may contribute to decreasing low-nutrient, energy-dense food/beverage availability in middle and high schools.
Forces and frequency shifts in atomic-resolution dynamic-force microscopy

True atomic resolution in vacuum with a force microscope is now obtained routinely by using the frequency shift of an oscillating cantilever as the imaging signal. Here, a calculation is presented that relates the frequency shift to the forces between tip and sample for both large and small oscillation amplitudes. Also, the frequency versus distance data for van der Waals dominated tip-sample interactions is related to the geometry of the tip apex. Published frequency versus distance data are used to show that the apex of tips providing atomic resolution is faceted and not rounded. Further, an extended jump-to-contact criterion for large amplitudes is established.
Russian in Use: An Interactive Approach to Advanced Communicative Competence by ROSENGRANT, SANDRA FREELS

The article reviews the book "Russian in Use: An Interactive Approach to Advanced Communicative Competence," by Sandra Freels Rosengrant.
Semantic properties of Lucid's compute clause and its compilation

Compilation algorithms for a subset of the programming language Lucid are extended so that programs with nested compute clauses can be compiled. The extension is derived from the semantic properties of the compute clause construct, and is applicable to a broad class of compilation algorithms for a subset of Lucid. A correctness proof of the extension is also given.
Increasing p16INK4a expression decreases forebrain progenitors and neurogenesis during ageing

Mammalian ageing is associated with reduced regenerative capacity in tissues that contain stem cells. It has been proposed that this is at least partially caused by the senescence of progenitors with age; however, it has not yet been tested whether genes associated with senescence functionally contribute to physiological declines in progenitor activity. Here we show that progenitor proliferation in the subventricular zone and neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb, as well as multipotent progenitor frequency and self-renewal potential, all decline with age in the mouse forebrain. These declines in progenitor frequency and function correlate with increased expression of p16INK4a, which encodes a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor linked to senescence. Ageing p16INK4a-deficient mice showed a significantly smaller decline in subventricular zone proliferation, olfactory bulb neurogenesis, and the frequency and self-renewal potential of multipotent progenitors. p16INK4a deficiency did not detectably affect progenitor function in the dentate gyrus or enteric nervous system, indicating regional differences in the response of neural progenitors to increased p16INK4a expression during ageing. Declining subventricular zone progenitor function and olfactory bulb neurogenesis during ageing are thus caused partly by increasing p16INK4a expression.
Sphingomyelin regulation of plasma membrane asymmetry, efflux and reverse cholesterol transport

Sphingomyelin (SM) is a major component of the plasma membrane in mammalian cells, and a major component of plasma lipids, which are packaged in lipoprotein particles of varying densities. SM can be synthesized de novo from serine and palmitoyl-CoA, catalyzed by the rate-limiting enzyme serine palmitoyltransferase. The antibiotic myriocin potently inhibits serine palmitoyltransferase and decreases the accumulation of SM and other sphingolipids. Sphingolipid depletion leads to reduced dietary cholesterol absorption and increased reverse cholesterol transport. Recently, we demonstrated that SM depletion increases cholesterol efflux in both ABCA1-dependent and -independent manners, which was accompanied by increased cell surface phosphatidylserine and the reduced inward translocation of phosphatidylserine. This review will discuss SM's role in maintaining plasma membrane asymmetry and lipid raft domains, HDL metabolism, reverse cholesterol transport, and how SM depletion alters plasma membrane structure and ...
Prognostic value of cardiac troponin I elevation after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with chronic renal insufficiency: a 12-month outcome analysis.

Serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a highly specific marker for myocardial damage in patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), unlike creatine kinase myocardial band fraction (CK-MB), which may be elevated in the absence of myocardial injury in patients with CRI. We studied 116 consecutive CRI patients (serum creatinine ≥ 1.8 mg/dL, not on dialysis) with normal baseline cTnI levels who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients were divided into two groups: group 1, elevated postprocedural cTnI (n = 50), and group 2, normal cTnI (n = 66). Patients with elevated cTnI were older and had a higher incidence of postinfarction angina and lower creatinine clearance compared to patients who did not have cTnI elevation. Atheroablative devices (rotational and directional atherectomy and excimer laser coronary angioplasty) were more frequently used in group 1 patients (27.1% vs. 18.5%; P = 0.04). In-hospital mortality, cardiac mortality, and Q-wave myocardial infarction rates did not differ between the two groups. At 12-month follow-up, total mortality rates were significantly higher in group 1 (28.0% vs. 9.9%; P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that cTnI was an independent predictor of late mortality (OR = 2.26; CI = 1.07–4.77; P = 0.03). Thus, in patients with CRI, elevated cTnI levels after successful PCI is an important predictor of poor long-term outcome. Our data suggest that patients with cTnI elevation > 3 times above normal values are particularly at higher risk. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2002;55:174–179. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The NoGo P300 ‘anteriorization’ effect and response inhibition

Abstract Objective The P300 event-related potential shows anterior P300 increases on NoGo tasks (target stimulus=withhold response) relative to Go tasks (target stimulus=commit response). This ‘NoGo anteriorization’ has been hypothesized to reflect response inhibition. However, silent-count tasks show similar P300 anteriorization. The P300 anteriorization on silent-count tasks relative to Go tasks cannot reflect inhibition-related processes, and questions the degree to which anteriorization observed on NoGo trials can be ascribed to response inhibition. Comparison of anteriorization between the silent-count and NoGo tasks is thus essential. P300 topography on NoGo and silent-count tasks has not been previously compared. Methods P300 on Go, NoGo, and silent-count auditory oddball tasks were compared. If the NoGo P300 anteriorization reflects response inhibitory processes, the NoGo P300 should be larger anteriorly than the Go P300 (overt responses) and the silent-count P300s (covert responses). If anteriorization primarily reflects negative voltage Go task motor activity that reduces the normal frontal P300 amplitude, then the Go task P300 should be smaller than both the NoGo and silent-count P300s, which should not differ from one another. Results The Go task elicited a bilaterally reduced frontal P300 and asymmetrical frontal P300 relative to both the NoGo and silent-count tasks. The NoGo task P300 and silent-count task P300 showed similar amplitude and topography. P300 and slow wave on the NoGo task were not asymmetrical. Conclusions The increased frontal P300 in NoGo tasks cannot be attributed solely to a positive-going inhibitory process, but likely reflects negative voltage response execution processes on Go trials. However, the alternative explanation that memory-related processes increase the silent-count P300 anteriorly to the same degree as NoGo inhibitory processes cannot be ruled out.
Impact of Beneficial Insects on Ips spp. (Coleoptera: Scolytidue) Bark Beetles in Felled Loblolly and Slash Pines in Louisiana

Ips calligraphus (Germar) (80.2%), I. avulsus (Eichhoff) (11.2%), and I. grandicollis (Eichhoff) (8.2%) infested felled loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L., and slash pine, P. elliottii (Englemann), in Louisiana. Treatments designed to exclude natural Ips spp. Predators and parasites were applied over time to infested trees. These temporal exclusion treatments revealed that Ips spp. brood survival decreased 30.8%, while the number of insect predators and parasites found in association with the Ips spp. brood increased 3-fold. Ips spp. brood survival was not affected by host tree species, bark thickness, or tree felling date. Twenty-seven species of insect predators, in 13 families, and 10 species of parasites, in 4 families, were associated with the Ips spp. broods. Predators and parasites composed 98.8 and 1.2%, respectively, of the total beneficial insect complex
The evaluation of fresh sweet liquid whey as a protein supplement to maize for growing pigs

Abstract Whey protein, provided by liquid cheddar cheese whey, or a dried protein concentrate was evaluated as a protein supplement to maize-based diets for growing—finishing pigs. In Trials 1 and 2, pigs received either water or fresh liquid whey with a maize-based dry diet, to provide three levels of total dietary crude protein (CP). Liquid whey maintained growth rates at the level of pigs receiving the highest CP level and water, despite a reduction in CP intake of 33%. Liquid consumption by pigs given fresh cheddar whey was 2–3 times that of pigs given water. Whey solids supplied 24.0–58.5% of the total dry matter (DM) consumed by growing—finishing pigs. In Trial 2, pigs given maize supplemented only with vitamins, minerals and fresh cheddar cheese whey ad libitum grew as well as pigs fed on a maize and soya bean meal diet containing 18.1% CP. In Trial 3, dried whey was compared to soya bean meal as a supplement to maize protein, when both provided 50% of the total protein. The daily gain with whey protein as the supplement was 1.36 times that when soya protein was used. Whey protein is shown to be superior to soya as a supplement to maize. Although the dry matter (6%) and protein (0.8%) of liquid whey is low, a high voluntary consumption by pigs make it a good protein supplement in maize-based diets.
Coordinated activation of as-1 -type elements and a tobacco glutathione S -transferase gene by auxins, salicylic acid, methyl-jasmonate and hydrogen peroxide

The molecular mechanism of signal transduction pathways which mediate the action of phytohormones are poorly understood. Recently, we and others have shown that the as -1 type cis-acting elements can respond to auxin and salicylic acid, two well-characterized signaling molecules in plants. In the present work, we have examined a comprehensive set of physiological and abiotic agents and found that auxin, salicylic acid and methyl-jasmonate are three effective inducers of the as-1-type elements in transgenic tobacco. Using a cell suspension culture containing a synthetic promoter-GUS fusion, we demonstrated rapid and sensitive induction of the as-1-type element by these phytohormones. Furthermore, a tobacco glutathione S-transferase gene, GNT35, that contains an as-1-type binding site in its promoter is also inducible by auxin, salicylic acid and methyl-jasmonate with similar kinetics. As Ulmasov et al. have recently reported, we found that the as-1-type elements can also respond to weak/inactive analogues of auxin and salicylic acid. In addition, we show that hydrogen peroxide can also effectively activate the expression of GNT35 as well as the as-1-type element in a cell suspension culture, but not with whole seedlings. These results are discussed with respect to the possible mechanism(s) through which a single cis element may respond to a diverse array of molecules.
The Progressive Origins of Eugenics Critics: Raymond Pearl, Herbert S. Jennings, and the Defense of Scientific Inquiry

In the late 1910s and early 1920s, a succession of popular books decried the impact that “new” immigrants were having on the United States. Fearing that the racial quality of the American people was being eroded by the large number of immigrants that had been arriving in the previous decades, the books clamored for radical restrictions on the number of immigrants the country should admit. These books reflect the pervasiveness of the belief that new immigrants were biologically inferior to older immigrants and native-born Anglo-Saxons. This belief, in turn, was rooted in a theory of permanently fixed racial identities that had been circulating throughout Europe and the United States for decades, despite cautions of professional scientists who argued that these theories were not “proven.” Yet non-scientists like Madison Grant and Lothrop Stoddard were the ones who enjoyed widespread public authority on such complex scientific theories as heredity, genetics, and eugenics because they explained these difficult subjects in easily understandable terms–despite the fact that they grossly over-simplified the theories. Simultaneously, they raised shrill cries that these new arrivals thus threatened the “superior” racial stock of America. The anti-immigrant wave that Grant, Stoddard, and others fanned was based on what Grant described as “the science of race,” which he claimed proved “the immutability of somatological or bodily characters.”
Tracking transaction footprints for non-intrusive end-to-end monitoring

Existing transaction monitoring solutions are either platform-specific or rely on instrumentation techniques, which limit their applicability. Consequently, transaction monitoring in enterprise environments often involves the manual collation of information spread across a variety of infrastructure elements and applications, and is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. To address this problem, we have developed an online, non-intrusive and platform-agnostic solution for transaction monitoring. The solution includes a transaction model discovery component that leverages historical system log files, containing transaction footprints and generates a model of the transaction in terms of valid sequence of steps that a transaction instance may execute and the expected footprint patterns at each step. The online monitoring system, in turn, takes in only (a) online system log files and (b) the transaction model, as inputs and generates a dynamic execution profile of ongoing transaction instances that allows their status to be tracked at individual and aggregate levels, even when transaction footprints do not necessarily carry correlating identifiers as those injected through instrumentation. In this paper, we describe the transaction model discovery and monitoring system including the architecture and algorithms, followed by results from an empirical study, ongoing work on run-time model validation and directions for future research.
Time-frequency spectral representation of the EEG as an aid in the detection of depth of anesthesia.

A time-frequency spectral representation (TFSR) has been used to study the nonstationary information in the EEG as an aid in determining the anesthetic depth. This paper uses a TFSR with an exponential weighting function for the purpose. Raw EEG data were collected from 10 mongrel dogs at various levels of halothane anesthesia. Depth of anesthesia was tested by observing the response to tail clamping, which is considered a supramaximal stimulus in dogs. A positive response was graded as awake (depth 0), and a negative response was graded as asleep (depth 1). The EEG obtained during a period of 30 sec tail clamp was processed into TFSRs. It was observed that at depth 0, the spectrum becomes localized in time and frequency. The percentage of energy in the delta (1–3.5 Hz) and theta (3.5–7.5 Hz) frequency bands increased. At depth 1, the spectrum remained unchanged throughout the period of tail clamp. The performance of the TFSR in detecting the patient’s awareness was also compared with the power spectrum. It was concluded that under certain anesthetic conditions, the TFSR is superior to the power spectrum.
Altered cytosolic calcium homeostasis in rat cardiac myocytes in CRF

Altered cytosolic calcium homeostasis in rat cardiac myocytes in CRF. Chronic renal failure (CRF) is associated with an increase in calcium content of heart. This was attributed to the secondary hyperparathyroidism of CRF, since PTH augments entry of calcium into cardiac myocytes. At present, it is not known whether the increase in calcium content of heart reflects a rise in basal levels of cytosolic calcium ([Ca 2+ ]) of cardiac myocytes. Further, in order for the PTH-induced entry of calcium into cardiac myocytes to raise their basal levels of [Ca 2+ ] i calcium extrusion out of these cells should be impaired as well. The present study examined the effect of CRF with and without excess PTH (PTX) and of the treatment of CRF rats with verapamil on basal levels of [Ca 2+ ] i and ATP content of cardiac myocytes and on the activities of the pumps that are directly (Ca 2+ -ATPase and Na + -Ca 2+ exchanger) and indirectly (Na + -K + ATPase) responsible for calcium extrusion out of these cells. The basal levels of [Ca 2+ ] i of cardiac myocytes increased (P max of Ca 2+ ATPase and Na + -K + ATPase and in Na + -Ca 2+ exchange. These derangements were prevented by prior PTX of the CRF rats or by their treatment with verapamil. The data indicate that (1) CRF is associated with a significant rise in basal levels of [Ca 2+ ] i of cardiac myocytes, (2) this effect is mediated by the state of secondary hyperparathyroidism of CRF, and (3) the pathways through which excess PTH in CRF generates this effect include both increased entry of calcium into cardiac myocytes and decreased exit of this ion out of these cells.
Stereo particle image velocimetry of nonequilibrium turbulence relaxation in a supersonic boundary layer

Measurements using stereo particle image velocimetry are presented for a developing turbulent boundary layer in a wind tunnel with a Mach 2.75 free stream. As the boundary layer exits from the tunnel nozzle and moves through the wave-free test section, small initial departures from equilibrium turbulence relax, and the boundary layer develops toward the equilibrium zero-pressure-gradient form. This relaxation process is quantified by comparison of first and second order mean, fluctuation, and gradient statistics to classical inner and outer layer scalings. Simultaneous measurement of all three instantaneous velocity components enables direct assessment of the complete turbulence anisotropy tensor. Profiles of the turbulence Mach number show that, despite the M = 2.75 free stream, the incompressibility relation among spatial gradients in the velocity fluctuations applies. This result is used in constructing various estimates of the measured-dissipation rate, comparisons among which show only remarkably small differences over most of the boundary layer. The resulting measured-dissipation profiles, together with measured profiles of the turbulence kinetic energy and mean-flow gradients, enable an assessment of how the turbulence anisotropy relaxes toward its equilibrium zero-pressure-gradient state. The results suggest that the relaxation of the initially disturbed turbulence anisotropy profile toward its equilibrium zero-pressure-gradient form begins near the upper edge of the boundary layer and propagates downward through the defect layer.
Development of a Corticotropin-Releasing Factor-Mediated Effect on the Firing Rate of Purkinje Cells in the Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), present in climbing and mossy fiber afferents to the adult mouse cerebellum, acts as a neuromodulator to enhance the spontaneous and amino-acid-induced firing rate of Purkinje cells. CRF also is present during development of the mouse cerebellum, at ages that precede synaptogenesis, which suggests that it may have a different function during development compared to its modulatory role in the adult. The intent of this study was to determine when CRF begins to affect the firing rate of Purkinje cells as well as the time course over which this effect matures. The earliest effect of CRF was elicited at postnatal day (P) 9 at which time a weak enhancement in the amplitude of the firing rate was recorded. However, the amplitude, time to peak, sustainability, and duration of the response were significantly different from that recorded in the older animals or adults. The excitatory effect of CRF became stronger and the duration of the response increased progressively from P9 until it was adult-like by P20. Purkinje cells in the posterior lobe vermis developed a mature response before those in the anterior lobe or hemispheres. Data from previous studies have shown that CRF and its type 1 receptor are present in the cerebellum before birth and that both undergo major reorganization around P10. Taken together, these immunohistochemical observations and the present physiologic data indicate that CRF does not modulate the activity of Purkinje cells until the peptide begins to assume an adult-like distribution in cerebellar afferents.
Why, why, why?: Reason-giving and rumination as predictors of response to activation- and insight-oriented treatment rationales.

This study examines the relationships among the reasons a person offers for depression, the tendency to ruminate in response to depression, and reactions to activation-oriented (AO) or insight-oriented (IO) treatment rationales. Adults from the community (N = 51) completed self-report measures of reason-giving and rumination and rated the credibility of, and personal reactions to, AO and IO rationales presented in written and videotape formats. Participants who gave more reasons for depression also tended to ruminate more in response to depressed mood. Reason-giving and rumination predicted lower credibility ratings and more negative personal reactions to the AO rationale. Although no relationship was found between these variables and response to the IO rationale, specific reasons were associated with different reactions to the two rationales. We discuss the roles of reason-giving and rumination in predicting responses to psychotherapies for depression. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 55: 881–894, 1999.