cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recovery of the capacity for cytotoxic T cell generation in cyclophosphamide-treated mice by the addition of Lyt-1+2− helper cells

Abstract Spleen cells from mice treated with cyclophosphamide (150 mg/kg) and cultured at suboptimal concentrations do not generate cytotoxic T lymphocytes to allogeneic tumor cells. The reduced response of spleen cells from cyclophosphamide-treated mice is not due to the elimination of cytotoxic T cell precursors because normal responses are obtained by the addition of Lyt-1 + 2 − T helper cells to the culture system. These results indicate that helper cells, required for the development of cytotoxic T cells responses to tumor alloantigens, are eliminated by cyclophosphamide in the absence of evident toxicity to cytotoxic T cell precursors.
In Situ Bioreclamation: A Cost-Effective Technology to Remediate Subsurface Organic Contamination

In situ bioreclamation is a proven technology that cost-effectively treats organic contamination in subsurface environments. As a remediation strategy, it reduces both the contamination dissolved in ground water, as well as residual soil-bound contamination. To maximize biodegradation, the technology is applied after conducting laboratory studies. Application of the technology involves infiltrating necessary nutrients to the contaminated subsurface. Results of a specific case study indicate excellent performance with rapid cleanup of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination from soils and ground water. Costs associated with in situ bioreclamation technology showed a savings of approximately 50 percent over simple pump-and-treat technology. Time frame for cleanup was shown to be approximately 30 percent of the projected time frame of simple pump-and-treat technology.
Impact of FDA Black Box Warning on Psychotropic Drug Use in Noninstitutionalized Elderly Patients Diagnosed With Dementia: A Retrospective Study

Background:The study seeks to investigate the impact of Food and Drug Administration's black box warning (BBW) on the use of atypical antipsychotics (AAP) and nonantipsychotic psychotropic alternat...
Gene expression differences over a critical period of afferent-dependent neuron survival in the mouse auditory brainstem.

Deprivation of auditory nerve input in young mice results in dramatic neuron death in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (CN), while the same manipulation performed in older mice does not result in significant neuronal loss. The molecular basis underlying this critical period of susceptibility to loss of afferent input remains largely unknown. One possibility is that developmental differences in baseline mRNA expression of specific genes could predispose CN neurons to either death or survival after deafferentation. We used two microarray platforms to identify differentially expressed genes in the CN during and after this critical period. Results across platforms were also compared to each other. Three ages were examined; during the critical period (postnatal day (P)7), at the closing of the critical period (P14), and 1 week after the critical period (P21). Of all the genes surveyed (22,690 or 15,247), 1,082 were identified as significantly changed in expression during the critical period relative to after. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry confirmed and extended the microarray results for a subset of these genes. Further analysis of genes related to apoptotic pathways showed 6 out of 7 differentially expressed known pro-apoptotic genes had higher expression during the critical period. In contrast, 9 out of 11 differentially expressed known pro-survival genes increased after the critical period when CN neurons survive deprivation. This finding supports the concept that multiple neuroprotective mechanisms increase and pro-apoptotic factors decrease over development to protect mature neurons from stressful insults, making them less dependent on afferent input for survival. J. Comp. Neurol. 493:460 – 474, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Indexing terms: microarray; critical period; cochlear nucleus; deafferentation; apoptosis; gene expression
The dramatisation of emotions in practice and theory: emotion work and emotion roles in a therapeutic community.

It is suggested that feelings, both as inner sensation and as external display, should be viewed as socially constructed objects. Just as reality and the self are constructed and reconstructed through a process of social interaction, so feelings are understood through interpretive frames, influenced by biography and cultural meaning systems, as well as situational and interactional factors. Therapeutic organisations, typically focused on emotions. provide a setting for the analysis of these processes. In particular, the concept of catharsis demonstrates the culturally constituted roles guiding the experience and the display of feeling, and the role of others in the construction of emotion. Three therapy sessions in a holistic therapeutic community for schizophrenics are examined, in which catharsis was expected yet different emotion performances were given. By combining a cultural and dramaturgical perspective, a typology of emotion roles is developed, and the way in which feelings create and maintain the social order is demonstrated.
Efficacy of image-guided action is controlled by perception

to be published in the Journal of Vision Researchers on human perception have devised a number of methods for measuring perceived location and using it to assess perceptually guided action. Such work has primarily been performed in space accessible by reaching and walking. Here we use the same approach to assess perceptually guided action in very near space, specifically, in the applied context of ultrasound-guided surgical manipulation. Our approach measured the ultrasound user’s perception of the location of a target independently from assessing the action employed to reach it. Experiments were conducted with the Sonic Flashlight (SF), a visualization device that creates a virtual in situ image, and conventional ultrasound (CUS), which displays the image on a screen displaced from the target. Two studies determined subjects’ perception of target location with a triangulation-by-pointing task. Depth perception with the SF was comparable to direct vision, while the CUS caused considerable underestimation of target depth. Binocular depth information in the SF was shown to significantly contribute to its superiority. A third experiment tested subjects in an ultrasound-guided needle insertion task. With direct visualization of the target, subjects performed insertions faster and more accurately by using the SF rather than CUS. Furthermore, the trajectory analysis showed that insertions with the SF generally went directly to the target along the desired path, while the CUS led to an arc-shaped deviation from the ideal path, as predicted by the previously measured underestimation of target depth. Ongoing research is further examining the time-course of learning with the two devices, measuring precise trajectories for needle insertion. This work extends the demonstration of the perception/action linkage to near space and provides a very practical application for such research. In particular, different image methods, which lead to different percepts, will lead to actions with differential efficacy.
Pediatric nephrolithiasis: does treatment affect renal growth?

OBJECTIVES The long-term effects of shock wave lithotripsy on the growth of pediatric kidneys are not well defined. Likewise, no long-term data regarding renal growth after ureteroscopy or percutaneous nephrolithotomy have been published. We studied the effect of urolithiasis on renal growth in our pediatric patient population. METHODS A total of 165 children were treated for urolithiasis at St. Louis Children's Hospital from March 1993 to December 2003. Of these 165 children, 74 were available for long-term follow-up. Four groups were evaluated: those who underwent shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, or percutaneous nephrolithotomy, and those who received no intervention. The expected renal length was calculated using Chen's nomogram, and the observed renal length was measured using renal ultrasonography. All measurements were performed by one pediatric radiologist. The expected and observed renal growth was determined by subtracting the renal length at baseline from the length at follow-up, divided by the number of months of follow-up. Statistical analysis used paired data for each treatment group, and comparisons were made on a nonparametric single-rank method. RESULTS Of the 74 children, 39 were boys and 35 were girls, with a mean age at treatment of 9 years (range 9 months to 14 years) and a mean follow-up of 6.2 years (range 1.3 to 13.1). In all groups, the comparison between the treated side and nontreated side for expected and actual kidney size and growth was calculated as described. None of the groups had statistically significant differences in the observed or predicted renal growth rates. CONCLUSIONS Shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopic stone extraction, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy do not appear to impair renal growth.
Effects of Sample Solvent Strength and Injection Volume on Band Broadening and Throughput in Reversed Phase Prep Scale HPLC

Abstract Sample solvents of weaker eluent strength than the mobile phase reduce band broadening induced by simultaneous mass and volume overload; but increase elution times of the sample components. As a result, better throughput is obtained when sample solubility allows for introduction of the sample in a small volume of the chromatographic mobile phase. However, under the constraint that a large injection volume must be employed to introduce the sample (frequently the case in reversed phase separations), the reduced bandwidths obtained in weaker sample solvents may offset the extended run time to provide better throughput.
Incidence of Various Types of Retinal Vein Occlusion and Their Recurrence and Demographic Characteristics

We analyzed data on 1,108 patients (1,229 eyes) with various types of retinal vein occlusion. Retinal vein occlusion was classified into six distinct clinical types: (I) nonischemic and (II) ischemic central retinal vein occlusion, (III) nonischemic and (IV) ischemic hemicentral retinal vein occlusion, and (V) major and (VI) macular branch retinal vein occlusion. Retinal vein occlusion occurred more often in men than women. The age range of patients was between 14 and 92 years, with 570 of 1,108 patients (51%) 65 years or older; however, 99 of 620 (16%), 15 of 154 (10%), and 17 of 375 (5%) of the patients with central, hemicentral, and branch retinal vein occlusion, respectively, were younger than 45 years. The cumulative probability of developing a second episode of the same or a different type of retinal vein occlusion in the same eye was 0.9% within two years and 2.5% within four years, and in the fellow eye was 7.7% and 11.9%, respectively. The cumulative probability of conversion of nonischemic to ischemic central retinal vein occlusion at six months and 18 months was 13.2% and 18.6%, respectively, in persons 65 years of age or older and 6.7% and 8.1%, respectively, in persons 45 to 64 years of age.
Cultivar maturity and potential yield of soybean

Abstract Soybean ( Glycine max (L.) Merrill) cultivars from maturity groups 00, I, III, and V were grown in the field to evaluate the relationship between the length of total growth cycle and potential yield. Cultivars from maturity group 00 and I were grown in narrow rows (0.38 m) to obtain maximum insolation interception. The length of the vegetative growth period increased by 35 days from maturity group 00 to V. Plant size (total nodes per plant and maximum vegetative mass in g m −2 ) also increased with increasing maturity group. All cultivars reached maximum insolation interception soon after initial flowering. The crop growth rate of control plots (measured between growth stages R1 and R5) was not related to plant size. Shade (30 and 63%) from growth stage R1 to R7 was used to create variation in crop growth rate within a cultivar. For each cultivar, the number of seeds m −2 increased linearly with increasing crop growth rate. After adjusting for cultivar differences in individual seed growth rate, there were no cultivar differences in seeds m −2 at a constant crop growth rate. Thus, seeds m −2 was related to crop growth rate, not to the size of the plant. The maturity growth 00 cultivar tended to have a shorter seed-filling period but there were no consistent differences among the others. These data suggest that the longer vegetative growth period of later-maturing cultivars does not provide a higher yield potential and that shorter-season cultivars may have equal yield potential if exposed to a similar environment.
A 3-D navigation mechanism for autonomous biped robots to travel in the obstacle-filled world

Abstract A 3-D navigation mechanism for autonomous biped robots is developed in this paper. Extensive work has previously been conducted on 2-D navigation for autonomous wheeled robots. This paper describes the design of algorithms which plan paths through a 3-D environment for an autonomous biped robot. Navigation for legged robots can generate paths which require stepping over or onto certain obstacles based on the physical dimensions of the obstacle and the stepping capabilities of the robot. Similar path planning algorithms are developed to determine the stride and final foot placement for each step the robot takes along a path.
Cerebral Carbohydrate Metabolism during Severe Ischemia in Fetal Sheep

The effect of cephalic hypotension on brain metabolism was studied in 10 unanesthetized, normoxic (PaO2 greater than 17 mm Hg), late-gestation fetal lambs. Perfusion pressure (cephalic arterial minus sagittal venous pressure) was 40 +/- 1 mm Hg (SEM) during control and was reduced to 10 +/- 1 by occlusion of the Grachio-cephalic artery. Cerebral blood flow was measured with microspheres, and arterial and sagittal vein blood samples were analyzed for oxygen content, glucose, and lactate. During the occlusion, oxygen consumption decreased from 125 +/- 8 to 95 +/- 4 (p less than 0.05) (all values mumol 100 g-1 min-1), and glucose uptake increased from 20 +/- 3 to 25 +/- 1 (p less than 0.05). During the control period, there was no net lactate flux; during the occlusion, lactate excretion was 5.7 +/- 1.4 (p less than 0.005). The control glucose and oxygen uptakes demonstrated a normal 6:1 molar ratio; however, during the occlusion, 9.4 mumol 100 g-1 glucose min-1 were taken up in excess of expected aerobic glucose metabolism. If all of this glucose were anaerobically metabolized to lactate, three times the measured efflux would be produced. The transport properties of the fetal blood-brain barrier may be important factors in perinatal brain injury.
Genetic Linkage of the Phytophthora Resistance Gene Rps2 and the Nodulation Response Gene Rj2 in Soybean

Genome mapping of the agronomically important genes in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., is as yet in a primitive stage. In this study we tested the Rps2 locus controlling resistance to phytophthora root rot (induced by Phytophthora megasperma Drechs. f. sp. glycinea T. Kuan & D.C. Erwin) for genetic linkage to the Rj2 locus controlling ineffective nodulation with certain strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum. The line BARC-4 (Rj2) carrying the Rj2 and Rps2 alleles was hybridized with Clark 63 carrying the rj2 and rps2 alleles. The F 2 plants were characterized for the Rj2 vs. rj2 phenotypes by inoculating seeds in growth-tray culture with a strain (USDA 7) defining for the Rj2 locus (...)
Enhanced Decision Modeling Using Multiagent System Simulation

Modeling and simulation is being used more and more to capture our physical world in a computational form. However, simulating the mental processes that go on within the mind is a complex task that has met with far less success. To improve on this situation, the author developed a computational model of the decision process used by experienced decision makers. This model has, as its basis, the cognitive decision theory entitled naturalistic decision making and its specific implementation, called recognition primed decision (RPD) making. Specifically, this research developed a model that mimicked the decision process of a senior military commander at the operational level of warfare. The model, called RPDAgent, was validated against decisions made by actual military officers. RPDAgent produced decisions that were equivalent to its human counterparts—they were not optimum decisions, but they reflected the variability inherent in those made by humans in an operational military environment.
Judicial Policy Making and Habeas Corpus Reform

After Chief Justice William Rehnquist failed in his efforts to persuade Congress to reform habeas corpus procedures, a majority of justices on the Rehnquist Court used judicial decisions to reshape habeas procedures in a manner that made it more difficult for convicted offenders to have their cases successfully reviewed by federal judges. A purported justification for habeas corpus reform is to reduce the workload burden imposed by these cases on the federal district courts. A survey of U.S. magistrate judges, who bear primary responsibility for habeas cases in many district courts, reveals that judicially-initiated habeas reforms have not reduced workloads and, in fact, have increased the work required to process prisoners' petitions in many courts. Like judicial policy makers in other contexts, the Rehnquist Court justices failed to anticipate accurately the consequences of their habeas reform decisions, even though they were affecting policies within their own branch of government.
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis: age and time of day effects on pheromone production and response.

Abstract Females of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis produced little pheromone and males were essentially unresponsive to the female pheromone until after the final larval molt at about 5 days after infection in mice. After the fifth day, female pheromone production decreased steadily with increasing age, possibly as a result of host immune reaction. Male responsiveness remained high from the fifth day through the ninth day, then their response diminished. Females at various ages ranging from 4 to 13 days after infection responded at low levels to pheromone produced by males of the same age. No time of day influence was found within the 24-hr cycle on male or female production of pheromone or response to the opposite sex's pheromone.
Direct enantiomeric resolution of monoterpene hydrocarbons via reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with an α-cyclodextrin bonded stationary phase

Abstract Chiral recognition in liquid chromatography (LC) generally requires relatively strong interactions between the analyte and the chiral stationary phase, often in combination with steric interactions. Hence most LC enantiomeric separations favor compounds that have hydrogen bonding groups, aromatic rings, strong dipoles, possibilities for π-π or charge transfer interactions, etc. Compounds with little or no functionality are usually difficult to resolve by LC methods. Conversely gas chromatography (GC) has been very useful in resolving compounds with limited functionality, including hydrocarbons. In this sense GC has been very complementary to LC methodologies. In this work the enantiomeric separation of hydrocarbons by reversed-phase LC is described. It appears that chiral recognition results largely from “shape-selectivity” (i.e., the tight fit of a hydrophobic moiety into a hydrophobic cavity) with few other substantial contributing interactions. Small amounts of methyl tert.-butyl ether greatly enhanced the separation efficiency. All commercial samples contain significant quantities of enantiomeric impurities.
Plasma disappearance and urinary excretion of reserpine (serpasil) in the unanesthetized dog.

La reserpine administree par voie intraveineuse chez le chien a dose de 1,5 mg/kg de poids du corps disparait rapidement du sang arteriel. Les quantites de reserpine retrouvees sont de 1,5 µg/ml au bout de 90 s. Il n'y a pas de correlation entre les quantites de reserpine contenues dans le sang et le debut ou la duree de la sedation produite. Au bout de 48 h, moins de 2% de la dose injectee est retrouvee dans l'urine. Etant donne la rapidite avec laquelle la drogue disparait dans du sang, on ne s'explique pas l'hypersensibilite du chien a son egard. L'excretion renale negligeable de la drogue chez le chien ne permet pas d'esperer que des etudes de clairance renale eclaircissent le mecanisme d'action de la reserpine chez cet animal.
An improved univariate global optimization algorithm with improved linear lower bounding functions

Recently linear lower bounding functions (LLBF's) were proposed and used to find e-global minima. Basically an LLBF over an interval is a linear function which lies below a given function over the interval and matches the function value at one end point. By comparing it with the best function value found, it can be used to eliminate subregions which do not contain e-global minima. To develop a more efficient LLBF algorithm, two important issues need to be addressed: how to construct a better LLBF and how to use it efficiently. In this paper, an improved LLBF for factorable functions overn-dimensional boxes is derived, in the sense that the new LLBF is always better than those in [3] for continuously differentiable functions. Exploration of the properties of the LLBF enables us to develop a new LLBF-based univariate global optimization algorithm, which is again better than those in [3]. Numerical results on some standard test functions indicate the high potential of our algorithm.
A Numerical Test of the Quasi-Equilibrium Approximation for Stellar Silicon Burning

A measure of the range of the validity of the nuclear quasi-equilibrium approximation, employed byBodansky, Clayton andFowler (1968) for the treatment of stellar silicon burning, is obtained by comparison of the predicted abundances with the results of a numerical solution of the equations for the time rates of change of the nuclear abundances. The results of these calculations, performed for a temperatureT=3×109K, are compared with those obtained by Bodanskyet al. for a temperatureT=5×109K. The time required for the realization of the quasi-equilibrium condition at high temperatures is found to comprise a more substantial fraction of the silicon burning lifetime. This behavior is found to be attributable to the relative temperature sensitivities of the nuclear photodisintegration rates which determine the silicon burning lifetime and the charged particle reaction rates (largely Ti44(α,p) V47) which determine the rate of buildup of iron peak nuclei.
Review of "Management information systems (MIS) quarterly by Dickson, Gary W. (Ed.)." Manage. Inf. Syst. Q.

The Society for Management Information Systems and the Management Information Systems Research Center of the University of Minnesota, 269 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55455. Vol. 1, I (Mar. 1977). Nonmember annual subscription: $25.
Measuring positive, negative, and null impacts of forest disturbances: a case study using dwarf mistletoe on Douglas fir.

Not all disease activity causes an impact. Not all impacts are negative. The aim of this study was to examine a method that could conceptually specify when impacts occur and that could quantify both negative and positive disease impacts. For this study, dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium douglasi) of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in southwestern Oregon was used as a case study. The method uses six variables for forest growth, mortality, and stand structure, and six categorical disease severity scores. The impact model displays stands as points in multidimensional scaling space, where relative position is determined by values of the six stand variables. Positions in this two-dimensional space change when stand characteristics change. Differences associated with disease severity could be traced as trajectories, and impact was quantified using the length and direction of these trajectories. This multivariate impact assessment method was contrasted to impact assessments based on single variables. Methods based on multiple variables offer a useful way of characterizing impact on multiple objectives. The model indicates that dwarf mistletoe has positive, negative, and neutral impacts and that these could be illustrated and quantified using this method.
Treg cells to the rescue

In this issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, Kong and colleagues report that collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), can be effectively treated by systemic injection of Treg cells (1). These results raise several questions: Are there defects in Treg cell numbers or function in RA? How should Treg cells be collected, generated, or expanded for use in the treatment of immune-mediated diseases? What are the risks of using Treg cells in human rheumatic diseases? Would such an approach be practical? And can we correct Treg cell dysfunction in vivo using other approaches that do not require direct infusion of these cells? Immune responses are regulated at multiple levels The adaptive immune response is mediated by T and B lymphocytes that possess clonal specificity for peptide or nonpeptide antigens, both foreign and self. Negative selection (death) of highly autoreactive T cells occurs during the development and maturation of these cells in the thymus, but the process is incomplete, and autoreactivity persists in the repertoire of T cells that are found in normal lymphoid organs and in the circulation. A system of checks and balances is needed not only to limit the potential for this persistent autoreactivity to evolve into autoimmune disease, but also to calibrate the degree and duration of immune responses to foreign antigens, so that successful host defense does not lead to excessive chronic inflammation. Table 1 lists some of the cells of the immune system that have roles in regulating T lymphocyte responses. Thus, Treg cells do not function in isolation, but instead in the context of (and often in concert with) other cells, such as Breg cells (2), dendritic cells, natural killer T cells, CD8 T cells (known long ago as suppressor T cells), and others.
Electron microscopic studies of planarian regeneration. III. Degeneration and differentiation of muscles

Planarians were surgically decapitated, and morphological changes in their muscles during regeneration were studied with the electron microscope. Many damaged muscles were found in the vicinity of the wound surface immediately following decapitation. These stain darker than normal muscle and show degenerative changes in organelles as early as 1 hour. Some damaged muscles were observed to fall of f the cut surface into the external medium during the first 16 hours, but most were phagocytized by reticular cells mobilized to the wound area during this period. These were the only fates observed for damaged muscle in the vicinity of the wound. Detailed searches of large areas of wound region, at various times from 1 to 72 hours following decapitation, revealed no evidence of de- and redifferentiation of preexisting muscle cells. Newly differentiating muscle cells, identifiable by small nascent myofibril bundles in the cytoplasm close to the nuclear envelope or rough endoplasmic reticulum, are first discernible in the cellular aggregate of the new regeneration blastema on the third day. Vestiges of nuclear satellite material in the perinuclear cytoplasm of such cells indicate their derivation from neoblasts. Further histogenesis involved migration of these newly formed muscle cells to the apical perimeter of the blastema 4 to 6 days after decapitation. Neuromuscular junctions were observed to form during these later stages.
Conjecture concerning the fractional Hall hierarchy

We present numerical evidence in support of a conjecture concerning the hierarchy of incompressible states that are responsible for the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). We propose that for filling factors in the range 1/3\ensuremath{\le}\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\le} 2) / 3 , the FQHE occurs only when \ensuremath{\nu}=${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathit{n}}$=n/(2n+1) (or when \ensuremath{\nu}=1-${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathit{n}}$) and at no other fractional filling factors with odd denominators. If correct, this conjecture would imply that important qualitative features of the hierarchy physics of the FQHE are not understood.
On the design of an educational infrastructure for the blind and visually impaired in computer science

The blind and visually impaired community is significantly underrepresented in computer science. Students who wish to enter the discipline must overcome significant technological and educational barriers to succeed. In an attempt to help this population, we are engaged in a three-year research project to build an educational infrastructure for blind and visually impaired middle and high school students. Our primary research goal is to begin forging a multi-sensory educational infrastructure for the blind across the United States. We present here two preliminary results from this research: 1) a new auditory programming environment called Sodbeans, a programming language called Hop, and a multi-sensory (sound and touch) curriculum, and 2) an empirical study of our first summer workshop with the blind students. Results show that students reported a significant increase in programming self-efficacy after participating in our camp.
Mind the gap: bringing our theories in line with the empirical data – a response to commentaries

We greatly appreciated the thoughtful commentaries (Kok & Ruiter, 2013; Rhodes, 2013; Schwarzer, 2013) written in response to our health behaviour theory article (Head & Noar, 2013). The commentato...
The atomistic simulation of the gas permeability of poly(organophosphazenes). Part 1. Poly(dibutoxyphosphazenes)

Abstract Self-diffusion and solubility coefficients of six gas molecules (He, Ne, O2, N2, CH4, and CO2) in two poly(dibutoxyphosphazenes)—poly[bis(n-butoxy)phosphazene] (PnBuP) and poly[bis(sec-butoxy)phosphazene] (PsBuP)—have been investigated by means of molecular simulation using the COMPASS molecular mechanics force field. Diffusion coefficients were obtained from molecular dynamics (NVT ensemble) using up to 3 ns simulation time. Solubility coefficients were obtained by means of a Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) method. Results of both simulations were in generally good agreement with experimental data with the exception of the simulation results for gas solubility in PsBuP where differences from the data may be attributed to microcrystallinity of the experimental sample. In the case of diffusivity, diffusion coefficients correlated well with the square of the effective diameter of the diffusing gas. Similarly a good correlation was found between the solubility coefficients obtained by GCMC simulation of sorption isotherms and the Lennard-Jones potential well depth parameter, ϵ/k. The transition-state model of Gusev and Suter was used to determine free volume and free volume distribution for PnBuP, PsBuP, and poly[bis(iso-butoxy)phosphazene] (PiBuP). The diffusion coefficient for a given gas in each polyphosphazene was found to correlate exponentially with its accessible free volume fraction. A model for the distribution of accessible free volume, derived from the Cohen–Turnbull theory for the self diffusion of a liquid of hard spheres, was found to provide excellent fit with the simulation results.
An Evaluation of Selective Feeding by Three Age-Groups of the Rainbow Mussel Villosa iris

Abstract A tri-algal diet was fed to three age-groups of the rainbow mussel Villosa iris: ages 2–3 d, 50–53 d, and 3–6 years. Changes in the relative abundance of each algal species were determined in 5-h feeding trials from feeding chambers and by gut content analyses. All age-groups rejected Scenedesmus quadricauda and preferentially selected Nannochloropsis oculata and Selenastrum capricornutum, principally on the basis of size. Changes in the relative abundance of algae in feeding chambers did not differ significantly among age-groups. Observed differences in the ingested quantities of the similar-sized N. oculata and S. capricornutum were attributed to other particle-related characteristics. Results indicate that the rainbow mussel can be fed similar-sized algae at all ages in captive propagation facilities. When developing a suitable algal diet for rearing juvenile mussels, one probably need not investigate different species at each stage of development if the algae used are in the 2.8–8.5-μm size r...
Effect of macrodiversity on average-error probabilities in a Rician fading channel with correlated lognormal shadowing

The effect of correlated lognormal shadowing on the average probability of error performance of narrow-band mobile communication systems with micro- and macrodiversity reception in a Rician fading channel is studied by considering a constant correlation model for the shadowed signals at the base stations. The performance degradation due to correlated shadowing is illustrated by considering both coherent and differentially coherent binary phase-shift keying schemes. Numerical results presented show that when the base stations in a cellular system are very closely spaced, the effect of correlated shadowing on system performance cannot be ignored.
Biomarkers for pediatric sepsis and septic shock

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome defined by physiologic changes indicative of systemic inflammation, which are likely attributable to documented or suspected infection. Septic shock is the progression of those physiologic changes to the extent that delivery of oxygen and metabolic substrate to tissues is compromised. Biomarkers have the potential to diagnose, monitor, stratify and predict outcome in these syndromes. C-reactive protein is elevated in inflammatory and infectious conditions and has long been used as a biomarker indicating infection. Procalcitonin has more recently been shown to better distinguish infection from inflammation. Newer candidate biomarkers for infection include IL-18 and CD64. Lactate facilitates the diagnosis of septic shock and the monitoring of its progression. Multiple stratification biomarkers based on genome-wide expression profiling are under active investigation and present exciting future possibilities.
Sudden cardiac death in infants, children, and adolescents.

Although uncommon, sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children and adolescents is a devastating entity that raises anxiety and concerns within the general community. Its specter is heightened by the recent deaths of some elite athletes who were ostensibly healthy and without any risk factors. This article enumerates those entities associated with SCD in children and adolescents and, more importantly, advises general pediatricians and family practitioners as to how children at risk can be identified. Each of the entities and some of the treatment modalities are discussed, when appropriate. Many of the factors associated with SCD are discussed in more detail elsewhere in this issue.
Half-day workshop on "the value of corporate Wikis"

Corporate wikis have been an essential component of organizational knowledge management initiatives for a while. Nonetheless quantifying and evaluating the value of corporate wikis is still a terra incognita.
Identification of genetic loci in a rhizosphere-inhabiting, species of Pseudomonas involved in expression of a phytoparasitic nematode ovicidal factor

Pseudomonas sp. BG33R was isolated from peach orchard soil suppressive to the phytoparasitic ring nematode, Mesocriconema xenoplax. Tn5 transposon mutagenesis was utilized to generate five BG33R mutants 246, 1122, 1233, 1397, and 1917, which lacked ovicidal activity and also exhibited altered fluorescent siderophore and protease production. Southern blot analysis revealed that each of the five mutants contained a single unique Tn5 insertion. Mobilization of selected BG33R genomic cosmid clones into mutants 246 and 1917 restored egg-kill activity and restored normal protease and siderophore production. Furthermore, a genomic cosmid clone hybridizing to the Tn5 insertion site in 1122 also complemented mutant 1917. Site-directed mutagenesis of BG33R using the cloned Tn5 insertion site from mutant 1397 resulted in the loss of ovicidal activity and restoration of the hyperfluorescence phenotype. Sequence analysis was performed on the genetic regions flanking the Tn5 insertion site in all five egg-kill-negative mutants. Open reading frame analysis and amino acid comparative database searches of the Tn5 insertion sites in the five mutants revealed a high degree of homology to the vgrG gene, the two-component sensor kinase protein, rtpA (gacS analog), a UDP-glucose 4-epimerase gene, a siderophore receptor protein, and the 50S ribosomal protein, L21. The involvement of these genes in the production of the egg-kill factor is discussed.
Effect of labor on lymphocyte subsets in full-term neonates.

PROBLEM: To determine the effect of labor on lymphocyte subsets in full-term neonates. Method of Study. Cord blood obtained at delivery from full-term neonates, six born vaginally and six born by elective Cesarean section, was analyzed for lymphocyte subsets. Monoclonal antibodies, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry were utilized to determine the lymphocyte phenotype frequencies in these neonates. These frequencies were compared by mode of delivery and to adult peripheral blood reference ranges using a two-tailed Student's t-test,P<0.05. RESULTS: A profile of significantly elevated T (CD2, CD3) and helper cells (CD4) and depressed Natural Killer cells (CD16, CD56) is characteristic of term Cesarean section neonates. Significantly depressed frequency of T cells (CD2, CD3) and helper T cells (CD4) and elevated Natural Killer cells (CD16, CD56) is characteristic of vaginally delivered neonates CONCLUSIONS: The mode of delivery affects the lymphocyte subset frequencies in full-term neonates.
Functional Analysis of the RdxA and RdxB Nitroreductases of Campylobacter jejuni Reveals that Mutations in rdxA Confer Metronidazole Resistance

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of gastroenteritis in humans and a commensal bacterium of the intestinal tracts of many wild and agriculturally significant animals. We identified and characterized a locus, which we annotated as rdxAB, encoding two nitroreductases. RdxA was found to be responsible for sensitivity to metronidazole (Mtz), a common therapeutic agent for another epsilonproteobacterium, Helicobacter pylori. Multiple, independently derived mutations in rdxA but not rdxB resulted in resistance to Mtz (Mtz r ), suggesting that, unlike the case in H. pylori, Mtz r might not be a polygenic trait. Similarly, Mtz r C. jejuni was isolated after both in vitro and in vivo growth in the absence of selection that contained frameshift, point, insertion, or deletion mutations within rdxA, possibly revealing genetic variability of this trait in C. jejuni due to spontaneous DNA replication errors occurring during normal growth of the bacterium. Similar to previous findings with H. pylori RdxA, biochemical analysis of C. jejuni RdxA showed strong oxidase activity, with reduction of Mtz occurring only under anaerobic conditions. RdxB showed similar characteristics but at levels lower than those for RdxA. Genetic analysis confirmed that rdxA and rdxB are cotranscribed and induced during in vivo growth in the chick intestinal tract, but an absence of these genes did not strongly impair C. jejuni for commensal colonization. Further studies indicate that rdxA is a convenient locus for complementation of mutants in cis. Our work contributes to the growing knowledge of determinants contributing to susceptibility to Mtz (Mtz s ) and supports previous observations of the fundamental differences in the activities of nitroreductases from epsilonproteobacteria.
DDD Temporary Pacemaker Rescue of a Patient With Cardiovascular Collapse Following Repeat Aortic Valve Replacement

I NSTITUTION OF temporary external pacing via epicardial leads is a frequent necessity in the post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) period. The choice of external pulse generators traditionally has been between either a single chamber or an atrioventricular (A-V) sequential device. These generators usually are limited to manipulations in their frequency rate, current output, demand sensitivity, and, in the case of the dual-chamber devices, their A-V interval. Recent advances, however, have placed some of the same technologic features present in the current generation of implantable pacemakers into temporary pulse generators, while preserving their overall compact, operating room-compatible size. A case is described in which the patient’s compromised heart could not be paced with either a conventional single chamber or A-V sequential external pacemaker while separating from CPB after repeat aortic valve replacement (AVR). The patient was successfully paced with a DDD temporary pulse generator.
Teaching the Concept of Limit by Using Conceptual Conflict Strategy and Desmos Graphing Calculator

Although the mathematics community has long accepted the concept of limit as the foundation of modern Calculus, the concept of limit itself has been marginalized in undergraduate Calculus education. In this paper, I analyze the strategy of conceptual conflict to teach the concept of limit with the aid of an online tool – Desmos graphing calculator. I also provide examples of how to use the strategy of conceptual conflict. This graphing calculator provides an interactive, dynamic, and persuasive approach of teaching limit. I focus on applying the conceptual conflict idea to the concept of limit in the situation where approaches infinity. This strategy can be applied to the limit of a function when approaches a fixed number.
Perceptions of Punishment How Registered Sex Offenders View Registries

Sex offender registries (SORs) are a societal response to serious and presumably dangerous criminal offenders. Existing research on registries has focused on demographic overviews of registrants, assessments of registrants' recidivism, accuracy and completeness of listed information, and collateral consequences for registrants. The present research assesses the perceptions of registrants regarding the value of SORs as a tool to enhance community awareness and promote public safety. In addition, this study examines offenders' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of registry format and structure and suggestions for improvement. Results show that registrants see significant potential for registries but seriously question the efficacy and efficiency of how registries are currently constructed and used.
Magneto-/Electroencephalography with Space-Time Sparse Priors

We examine the performance of "Space-Time Sparsity" (STS) penalized reconstruction of brain activity from magneto-/electroencephalographic (MEG/EEG) recordings. We propose two STS priors, both of which favor activation of a few localized areas of cortex over a limited time duration and bandwidth via appropriate basis functions. This provides a reasonable model of true brain activity which minimizes the impact of the inherently ill-conditioned, low SNR, spatial inverse problem. We use an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to solve the STS penalized least-squares cost function. The solution localizes brain activity in space and time, providing support for a refined signal estimate (e.g. minimum norm least-squares). We illustrate the approach on both simulated and real data and provide preliminary theoretical analysis of performance.
Cleft-palate lateral synechia syndrome: insight into the phenotypic spectrum of Fryns syndrome?

BACKGROUND In 1972, Fuhrmann et al. (Humangenetik 1972;14:196–203) described a novel syndrome consisting of cleft palate (CP) and lateral synechiae (LS) between the palate and the floor of the mouth. This constellation of malformations, since denoted as cleft-palate lateral synechiae syndrome (CPLS), is a rare syndrome; only five cases have been reported since the original description. Because of the paucity of recognized cases, little is known regarding the phenotypic spectrum of this presumably autosomal dominant condition. CASES We report two unrelated patients who presented with remarkably similar phenotypic features, including multiple intraoral synechiae (filiforme intraalveolar bands), cleft palate, micrognathia, and redundant lower lip tissue. Their phenotypic findings indicate a diagnosis of CPLS; however, case 3 (the monozygotic twin of case 2) had classic phenotypic features of Fryns syndrome. CONCLUSIONS This report presents two new cases of CPLS, and suggests that the CPLS phenotype may represent the mild end of the Fryns syndrome phenotypic spectrum. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the Birth Defects Research (Part A) website (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1542-0752/suppmat/67/fig5.xls) Birth Defects Research (Part A) 67:460–466, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Crossing the interdisciplinary barrier: a baccalaureate computer science option in bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is a new and rapidly evolving discipline that has emerged from the fields of experimental molecular biology and biochemistry, and from the artificial intelligence, database, pattern recognition, and algorithms disciplines of computer science. Largely because of the inherently interdisciplinary nature of bioinformatics research, academia has been slow to respond to strong industry and government demands for trained scientists to develop and apply novel bioinformatic techniques to the rapidly growing freely available repositories of genetic and proteomic data. While some institutions are responding to this demand by establishing graduate programs in bioinformatics, the entrance barriers for these programs are high, largely because of the significant amount of prerequisite knowledge in the disparate fields of biochemistry and computer science required for sophisticated new approaches to the analysis and interpretation of bioinformatics data. The authors present an undergraduate-level bioinformatics curriculum in computer science designed for the baccalaureate student. This program is designed to be tailored easily to the needs and resources of a variety of institutions.
Real-time support of continuous and variable bit rate traffic on an ATM network

There is growing interest in using switched network technology such as asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) to support both continuous bit rate multimedia data and variable bit rate burst traffic for distributed computing. Most previous work and studies have focused only on the real-time support imposed by the isochronous requirements of the video or audio sources. This paper reports the results of our early study on how ATM can support real-time and prioritized traffic. We describe some basic approaches in handling real-time quality of service parameters within the context of ATM, and observe from simulation experiments that simple priority-based scheduling approaches at the virtual circuit level provides improvement in the deadline guarantee for all real-time traffic, especially the burst traffic. We believe that additional techniques such as deadline-based scheduling will be necessary to provide better real-time support. >
P3A-3 Further Investigation of Ring Resonance in Estimation of Local Elasticity of Arteries

Increased stiffness of arteries has recently gained acceptance as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is widely used for estimating the stiffness of an artery. However, PWV is an average indicator of artery stiffness between two measuring points, and therefore does not identify local stiffness. We have found that some ring resonant frequencies can be used for measuring local arterial elasticity. We hypothesize that some ring resonant modes exhibit much less vibration in the radial direction of arteries and therefore, they are independent of the interior blood and exterior surrounding tissues. In this paper, a ring resonant frequency of a latex tube is measured. It is found that the ring resonant frequency is similar for the tube with and without gelatin.