cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differences in warfarin dosing decisions based on international normalized ratio measurements with two point-of-care testing devices and a reference laboratory measurement.

Study Objectives. To assess the accuracy of warfarin dosing decisions and the degree of numeric bias between two point-of-care devices using a local reference laboratory's international normalized ratio (INR) as the standard measure, and to determine the relationship between dosing decisions and INR values obtained with the pointof-care devices. Design. Prospective study. Setting. Outpatient anticoagulation clinic. Subjects. Two hundred two patients taking oral warfarin and 10 control subjects. Interventions. For the two point-of-care devices, AvoSure and ProTime, the finger-stick method was used to collect capillary blood samples in each subject. At the same visit, one venous blood sample was collected from each subject for the laboratory analysis. Measurements and Main Results. Dosing agreement was assessed as the proportion of agreement between each device and the laboratory in terms of maintenance dosage adjustments (increase, decrease, or no change). The level of agreement between each device and the laboratory was evaluated by dosing agreement analysis, bias analysis, and concordance coefficient analysis. In the dosing agreement analysis, 78% of INR values from the AvoSure device would have resulted in the same dosing decision as that with the laboratory INR values compared with 66% from the ProTime device (p<0.001). The mean bias for the ProTime device (0.5 ± 0.4 INR units) was significantly higher (p=0.005) than that for the AvoSure device (0.4 ± 0.5 INR units). The ProTime device overestimated low INR values to a greater extent than did the AvoSure device. Concordance between the laboratory measurement and each device was similar (pc = 0.82 for ProTime, pc = 0.76 for AvoSure). Conclusions. Assessing dosing decisions yielded distinct, useful clinical information. The AvoSure device is associated with less systematic bias and a higher degree of clinical agreement with our reference laboratory measurement than those of the ProTime device.
A variational inequality approach for the determination of oligopolistic market equilibrium

This paper presents an alternative approach to that by Murphy, Sherali and Soyster [13] for computing market equilibria with mathematical programming methods. This approach is based upon a variational inequality representation of the problem and the use of a diagonalization/relaxation algorithm.
Finite state residual vector quantization with neural network state prediction

The major problems with finite state vector quantization (FSVQ) are the lack of accurate prediction of the current state, the state codebook design, and the amount of memory required to store all state codebooks. This paper presents a new FSVQ scheme called finite-state residual vector quantization (FSRVQ), in which a neural network based state prediction is used. Furthermore, a novel tree-structured competitive neural network is used to jointly design the next-state and the state codebooks for the proposed FSRVQ. The proposed FSRVQ scheme differs from the conventional FSVQ in that the state codebooks encode the residual vectors instead of the original vectors. The neural network predictor predicts the current block based on the four previously encoded blocks. The index of the codevector closest to the predicted vector (in the Euclidean distance sense) represents the current state. The residual vector obtained by subtracting the predicted vector from the original vector is then encoded using the current state codebook. The neural network predictor is trained using the back propagation learning algorithm. The next-state codebook and the corresponding state codebooks are jointly designed using the tree-structured competitive neural network. This joint optimization eliminates the large number of unnecessary states which in turn reduces the memory requirement by several order of magnitude when compared to the ordinary FSVQ.
Interleukin-3-Deficient Mice Have Increased Resistance to Blood-Stage Malaria

The contribution of interleukin-3 (IL-3), a hematopoietic growth factor and immunoregulatory cytokine, to resistance to blood-stage malaria was investigated by infecting IL-3-deficient (knockout [KO]) mice with Plasmodium berghei NK65. Male IL-3 KO mice, but not female mice, were more resistant to infection than wild-type (WT) mice, as evidenced by lower peak parasitemia and prolonged survival. Both male and female IL-3 KO mice had increased splenomegaly and were more anemic than corresponding WT mice. Anemia was compensated for by an increase in bone marrow and splenic erythropoiesis in IL-3 KO mice, as evidenced by higher levels of erythroid progenitors. Plasma levels of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and CXCL9 (monokine induced by IFN-γ [MIG]) were found to be significantly reduced in IL-3 KO mice during early stages of infection. In contrast, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) levels were significantly higher, and the percentage of peripheral blood neutrophils lower, in infected IL-3 KO mice than in WT counterparts. Overall, our results indicate that IL-3 plays a critical role in suppressing protective immunity to P. berghei NK65 infection and that it is involved in inhibiting the development of splenomegaly, anemia, and erythropoiesis. IL-3 also influences IFN-γ, CXCL9, and G-CSF production in response to infection. The abnormal responses seen in infected IL-3 KO mice may be due to the lack of IL-3 during development, to the lack of IL-3 in the infected mature mice, or to both.
Property‐Porosity Relationships for Polymer‐Impregnated Superconducting Ceramic Composite

A thermoplastic polymer, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), was used to improve the flexural properties of the high-temperature superconducting ceramic (YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}}). Ceramic specimens with different porosities were prepared by dry compacting 12.5-mm-diameter disk specimens at various uniaxial pressures. Density-pressure relationships have been developed for before- and after-sintering conditions. The PMMA polymer was impregnated into the porous ceramic at room temperature. The mechanical properties were evaluated by concentrically loading simply supported disk specimens. The load-displacement responses were analyzed using the finite-element method. Impregnation of PMMA polymer at room temperature increased the flexural strength and modulus of the superconducting ceramic without affecting its electrical properties. The flexural properties depended on the porosity of the ceramics, and, hence, linear and nonlinear property-porosity relationships have been used to characterize the behavior of superconducting ceramic with an without the polymer.
Polymer oxidation downstream from oxygen microwave plasmas

Abstract Dry films of commercially available aromatic polymers, including several polyimides, were modified downstream of an oxygen microwave plasma. The extent of surface modification for various treatment durations and O atom concentrations in the plasma was measured by advancing deionized water contact angle. Wettability was improved with treatment time in a fashion that suggested at least two distinct reaction regimes with different rate constants. Water rinsing following treatment produced a reduction in wettability, the degree of which was dependent on the chemical structure of the polymer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine surface changes introduced by the various plasma treatments and subsequent water rinses. In all cases, the plasma treatments produced a higher concentration of imide carboxylates and non-imide carbonyls associated with aromatic ring breakage, and more highly oxidized species. Surface modification was found to be limited to the top 3 nm. Water rinsing produced a surface with decreased levels of each of these oxygenated groups, resembling films that had received a mild treatment. Water rinsing is believed to remove most of the modified surface layer as opposed to macromolecular reorientation or diffusion of the modified layer into the bulk. The effects of substrate temperature and addition of nitrogen to the oxygen gas feed were also investigated.
Induction of preprotachykinin-I and neurokinin-1 by adrenocorticotropin and prolactin. Implication for neuroendocrine-immune-hematopoietic axis

We studied the complex interactions within the neuroendocrine-immune-hematopoietic axis by determining a possible link among ACTH, PRL, PPT-I and the receptors for its peptides, NK-1 and NK-2. Indeed, ACTH and PRL induced the expression of PPT-I and NK-1 in human bone marrow stroma with no effect on NK-2. Consistent with a role for PPT-I in regulating the development of myeloid and erythroid progenitors, we found that ACTH and PRL, through NK-1 stimulated the proliferation of both types of progenitors. Induction of PPT-I was regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. The results showed that ACTH and PRL stimulated the proliferation of bone marrow progenitors, partly through PPT-I and NK-1 induction.
Chemoselective cross-linking and functionalization of alginate via Staudinger ligation

In this study, we demonstrate the applicability of functionalized alginate to serve as a platform for the covalent cross-linking or immobilization of complementary phosphine functionalized groups via the chemoselective Staudinger ligation scheme. Azide groups were covalently linked to alginate through a heterobifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) linker and carbodiimide. Degree of azide functionalization was varied as a function of carbodiimide concentration and determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) and infrared spectroscopy. Spontaneous and covalently cross-linked alginate-PEG gels were generated via the Staudinger ligation scheme upon incubation of the azide functionalized alginate with PEG chains having 1-methyl-2-diphenylphosphino-terephthalate (MDT) as end groups. Modulation of the MDT to N(3) ratio resulted in variability of gel characteristics. In addition, azide functionalized alginate retained its capacity to instantaneously form hydrogels via electrostatic interaction with multivalent cations such as Ca(2+) and Ba(2+). Subsequently, covalent linkage of phosphine functionalized agents postgelation of the alginate was feasible, as illustrated via linkage of MDT-PEG-carboxyfluorescein. Capitalization of the chemoselective and cell compatible Staudinger ligation scheme for covalent cross-linking of alginate hydrogels may enhance the utility of this polymer for the stable encapsulation of various cell types, in addition to their use in the immobilization of labeling agents, proteins, and other bioactive molecules.
Generation of reactive oxygen species by xanthine derivatives in MDA‐MB‐231 human breast cancer cells

Theophylline reduces cell number in MDA-MB-231 cells through mechanisms over and above phosphodiesterase inhibition. In the current study, we used an intracellular fluorescent dye to show that theophylline and, to a much greater extent, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, evoke the generation of reactive oxygen species and also sensitize the cells to insult by other oxidants. Xanthine derivatives may therefore offer novel strategies for antitumor therapeutics.
Efimov states embedded in the three-body continuum

We present analytical solutions for the three-body problem with multichannel interactions and identify a class of quasibound Efimov states that can be viewed as three-body Fano-Feshbach resonances. Our method employs a multichannel generalization of the Fermi pseudopotential to model low-energy atom-atom interactions near a magnetically tunable Fano-Feshbach resonance. We discuss the conditions under which quasibound Efimov states may be supported and identify the interaction parameters that limit the lifetimes of these states. We speculate that it may be possible to observe these states using spectroscopic methods, perhaps allowing for the measurement of multiple Efimov resonances.
The effect of set on encoding and rehearsal processes in memory

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of manipulating S’s preparation for what he will see on a given trial on his ability to mentally keep track of the number of occurrences of each of several different stimuli in a sequence. It was found that, when the same stimuli were used from trial to trial, performance was significantly better than when different stimuli were used. Foreknowledge of the specific stimuli to be used on a given trial did little to improve performance per se, but it did reduce labeling errors. The results were discussed in terms of the “spatial window” model of keeping-track performance.
Dangerous and expensive screening and treatment for rare childhood diseases: the case of Krabbe disease

Public policy surrounding newborn screening is in flux. New technology allows more screening for more diseases at lower cost. Traditional criteria for target diseases have been criticized by leading health policymakers. The example of newborn screening for Krabbe disease highlights many of the dilemmas associated with population-based screening programs. Krabbe is difficult to diagnose, variable in its natural history, and does not always respond to treatment. The only available treatment is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which is expensive, risky, and of uncertain efficacy. This article analyzes the debate about Krabbe as an example of the sorts of debates that will likely arise for many more diseases over the next decade. I conclude that pilot programs in pioneer states should be carefully evaluated before testing for Krabbe is universalized.
Model-based biclustering of clickstream data

Navigation patterns expressed by sequences of visited web-sites or categories can characterize the behavior and habits of users. Such web-page routes taken by individuals are commonly called clickstreams. Clustering clickstream sequences is a recent yet challenging problem with many applications. The main difficulty is related to the fact that one needs to group categorical data sequences rather than vectors and the majority of traditional clustering algorithms are not applicable in this setting. The time-related character of data suggests that dynamic models have a better promise than static ones. Model-based clustering relying on the mixture of first order Markov models will be considered. Since the number of distinct web-pages, and therefore the number of states in a Markov process, can be very high, such a mixture model involves a large number of parameters. Thus, grouping states by their similarity to reduce the number of parameters in the model is also proposed. Then, states are clustered along with users providing a biclustering framework. The developed methodology is illustrated on synthetic and real datasets with good results.
Reduction of Microbial Counts at a Commercial Beef Koshering Facility

Effectiveness of a water soaking, salting, and water rinsing (koshering) process in reducing microbial counts was examined. Beef briskets (30) were sampled at four stages in the plant, viz. prewashing, postwashing, after 24 h chilling, and after koshering. Quantitative aerobic plate, coliforms, and Escherichia coli counts, and qualitative analysis for Salmonella were determined. PROC MIXED and GLM procedures were applied to determine statistical differences among least square means (LSM) at p 0.05. Microbial counts did not always decrease from prewashing to postwashing, after 24 h chilling, or after koshering but koshering reduced APC, coliforms, and E. coli from initial counts. Salmonella were also reduced.
Resistance to Bacterial Spot in Bell Pepper Induced by Acibenzolar-S-Methyl

Bell pepper plants sprayed with the chemical acibenzolar-S-methyl (ABM, Actigard 50 WG) showed resistance to subsequent infections with the bacterial spot agent Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria. Induction of resistance was independent of the cultivar used, and was expressed as early as 3 days after treatment and continued for at least 2 weeks. In the field, applications of ABM every 2 weeks, alone or in combination with copper, resulted in disease control similar to the standard treatment of copper plus maneb. Yield response was variable, with certain combinations of chemical treatments and cultivars producing yields as large as the copper plus maneb treatment. In contrast, weekly applications during the entire crop season had a negative impact on yield. In plots maintained free of bacterial spot, applications of ABM every 2 weeks caused a reduction in yield for one cultivar of six tested. The use of chemical inducers for the control of bacterial spot on bell pepper, while generally promising, may result in an unpredictable loss in fruit yield.
Attraction of insects to potato plants through use of artificial honeydews and aphid juice

Three field experiments were conducted to determine the attractiveness of artificial honeydews and aphid juice to insects. Honeydew mixtures were composed of molasses, honey and tryptophane alone or combined with Feed-Wheast®, (produced by culturing the yeastKluyveromyces fragilisJorgensen on cottage cheese whey). Potato plants,Solanum tuberosum L., treated with sprays of these mixtures attracted the following predatory insects: green lacewings,Chrysopa carneaStephens; ladybird beetlesHippodamia spp.,Coccinella transversoguttataBrown,Scymnus postpinctusCasey; andGeocoris pallensStal.Lygus hesperusKnight, a phytophagous species was also attracted. Honey and tryptophane were the most attractive to all species. Aphid juice was attractive to several predators but not to lygus bugs. Orientation through olfactory response was indicated for ladybird beetles and lygus bugs. The predatory species attracted are important in the natural control of potato insects. The attraction ofL. hesperus to artificial honeydews may be useful in the control of this pest.
Diplasmenylcholine−Folate Liposomes: An Efficient Vehicle for Intracellular Drug Delivery†

Most pharmaceutical and gene therapy applications of targeted liposomes presently suffer from inefficient contents delivery to the cytoplasm of target cells. We report a plasma-stable liposome, composed of synthetic, naturally occurring diplasmenylcholine (1,2-di-O-(Z-1‘-hexadecenyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; DPPlsC), that rapidly and efficiently releases its contents at endosomal pHs. Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of these liposomes produces glycerophosphocholine and fatty aldehydes, leading to greatly enhanced liposome permeability (t50% release ≅ 1−4 h between pH 4.5−5.5) when >20% of the vinyl ether lipid has been hydrolyzed. Plasma stability of nonhydrolyzed 9:1 DPPlsC/dihydrocholesterol liposomes exceeds 48 h at 37 °C, pH 7.4 in 50% serum; pure DPPlsC liposomes remain stable in 10% serum under the same conditions. Fluorescence assays of KB cells treated with 99.5:0.5 DPPlsC/DSPE−PEG3350−folate liposomes containing encapsulated propidium iodide (PI) indicate that 83% of the PI escapes the endosomal co...
Entanglement-induced population trapping by Schrödinger's cat

Abstract We propose an experiment that is a variation of the Schrodinger's cat ′paradox' wherein the entanglement between a microscopic system and a macroscopic system is of primary interest. The experiment involves tunable entanglement and serves as a model for controllable decoherence in the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics where atoms interact dispersively with a cavity field initially in a coherent state. The interaction produces an entanglement between the atom and the field, and the degree of entanglement can be probed by subjecting the atom to resonant classical radiation after it leaves the cavity. The amplitude of the resulting Rabi oscillations reflects the degree of the entanglement, there being no Rabi oscillations when the entanglement is maximum. We show that the cavity damping does not affect the experiment.
PANCREATIC ENZYMES PARTICIPATE IN THE DEGRADATION OF INTESTINAL SUCRASE-ISOMALTASE

The pancreatic ducts were by-passed with a catheter placed within the common bile duct in order to prevent the entry of pancreatic enzymes into the duodenum without interrupting bile flow. For eight days, rats were fed a diet (peptones, sucrose, coconut oil, vitamins and minerals) that could be digested without pancreatic enzymes. Control animals were sham operated and pair fed with the same diet. Relative rates of synthesis and degradation were estimated by pulse labelling and double labelling respectively, for sucrase and for total protein, in total intestinal mucosa and along the gradient of cells collected from the tip of the villus to the bottom of the crypt. The rate of degradation of sucrase was 1.7 times higher than that of total protein in controls, whereas in experimental animals it was equal to that of total protein. This change in rate of degradation produced a proportional increase of sucrase activity in experimental animals. The effect of pancreatic enzymes on sucrase was apparent along the entire length of the villus but not in the crypt. These data support the hypothesis that pancreatic proteases release sucrase-isomaltase from the brush-border membrane, resulting in the observed increase of the rate of degradation. Electrophoretic separation of immunoprecipitated sucrase-isomaltase showed that the intact pro-sucrase-isomaltase observed in operated animals is split into two subunits (sucrase and isomaltase) by the action of pancreatic proteases in control animals. Supported in part by grant # 1 T32 HD 07266-01 NIH
Ligand Selectivity of the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α†

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR α, β, and γ) are nuclear hormone receptors that play critical roles in regulating lipid metabolism. It is well established that PPARs are the targets for the hypolipidemic synthetic compounds known as peroxisome proliferators, and it has been proposed that various long-chain fatty acids and metabolites of arachidonic acid serve as the physiological ligands that activate these receptors in vivo. However, a persistent problem is that reported values of the equilibrium dissociation constants (Kds) of complexes of PPARs with these ligands are in the micromolar range, at least an order of magnitude higher than the physiological concentrations of the ligands. Thus, the identity of the endogenous ligands for PPAR remains unclear. Here we report on a fluorescence-based method for investigating the interactions of PPAR with ligands. It is shown that the synthetic fluorescent long-chain fatty acid trans-parinaric acid binds to PPARα with high affinity and can be use...
Classification des crises épileptiques. Comparaison entre deux systèmes

Resume Malgre son utilisation quasi-universelle, la classification internationale des crises epileptiques souffre de certains inconvenients. Les distinctions fondamentales, d'une part entre crises partielles et generalisees, d'autre part entre crises partielles simples et complexes, ne sont pas toujours pratiques ni meme souhaitables. La terminologie est souvent lourde, et ne contient pas la semeiologie localisatrice essentielle. Enfin, la classification precise des crises est parfois dependante de l'EEG. Nous proposons une classification differente, qui repond a ces inconvenients, et est utilisee depuis plusieurs annees dans l'un des grands centres d'epilepsie. Cette classification est basee exclusivement sur la serneiologie critique clinique et ne prend en compte aucun autre test, en accord avec les conceptions de Bancaud (1976) . Ce systeme parait etre plus pratique, et plus adapte aux centres qui mettent l'accent sur un traitement chirurgical des epilepsies.
1.3.3 Hybrid System Dynamic, Petri Net, and Agent‐Based Modeling of the Air and Space Operations Center

In an earlier paper, an existing Air and Space Operations Center (AOC) process model (i.e., Petri net) and new global and mission models for the environment in which the AOC operates (i.e., System Dynamics) were linked (federated). The focus of this paper is the development of an operator-environment model (i.e., Agent-Based Model). An existing systems framework for attention allocation of operators within the AOC has been implemented that supports multiple modeling paradigms. The results for linking the Petri net and System Dynamics models are summarized, and new results for the Agent-Based Model are presented based on a pilot-down scenario. It has been observed that many AOC operators can become distracted by a pilot-down critical event, even if the operator is not able to directly assist in the rescue. Furthermore, this distraction has been hypothesized to have a detrimental effect on the activities the non-involved operators are currently handling.
Sustainability and emerging issues in scholarly (self-)publishing

In American academic circles, peer-reviewed hard-copy book publishing remains a crucial part of the tenure and promotion process as well as a method of bestowing prestige upon authors accepted by university presses and other mainstream venues. Although a few respected individuals self-published as early as the seventeenth century, the emergence of desktop publishing during the 1980s led to hard-copy and virtual (self-)publishing venues of several kinds, including PDF formatting and the establishment of POD (print on demand) firms. Online, PDF, POD printing, and other challenges to traditional academic publishing can save money and improve efficiency as well as help sustain our forests and other natural resources.
Two uracil molecules connected by an excess electron

In this work we considered a new form of the uracil dimer anion (U 2 -). In this system the excess electron is suspended between two uracil molecules and provides sufficient bonding between them to stabilize the dimer in alocal minimum on its potential energy surface. Ab initio calculations are employed to describe the system. Anions of the nucleic acid bases of this kind can be formed in two steps. First a dipole-bound anion is formed by a molecule of one of the bases. Then a molecule of the second base attaches to the diffuse dipole-bound electron at the opposite side with respect to the first base. Removal of the excess electron leads to a significant change of the structure of the complex. Its geometry optimization initiated with the anion geometry converges to a conventional hydrogen-bonded dimer with a total energy lower than the energy of the anion. Thus the two uracils connected by a suspended excess electron in the middle are a metastable system.
Amplitude Modulation of de Haas-van Alphen Waveforms

We report detailed experimental measurements and calculations of the amplitude modulation (AM) of a high-frequency de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) quantum-oscillation waveform, due to magnetic interaction with a low-frequency dHvA oscillation. Experiments were carried out using a pure Au single crystal with $H$ parallel to the 111g direction, at 36.1 kG and 2.0 K. Two new mechanisms by which AM can arise are described in detail: (i) AM can arise in conjunction with the frequency modulation (FM) due to magnetic interaction, through modulation of the Bessel-function arguments which appear in using the field-modulation technique. This FM-AM effect is an unavoidable consequence of using the field-modulation technique in the presence of magnetic interaction. The resulting AM waveforms can be totally different in appearance at different detection harmonics. (ii) AM can also arise via magnetic interaction and phase smearing in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The observed AM, as a function of a linear magnetic field gradient, is in good qualitative agreement with the prediction of Hornfeldt, Ketterson, and Windmiller. Possible applications of AM effects are briefly discussed.
Efficacy of Triclosan as an Antimicrobial Hand Soap and Its Potential Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance: A Focused Review

Triclosan is a synthetic biocide found in many household products, including antimicrobial hand soap. Levels of triclosan have been found throughout the environment and in human urine, blood, and even breast milk. Increasing levels of exposure to triclosan have led to concerns over the development of resistance to triclosan and cross-resistance to other antimicrobials. We performed a literature search to assess whether the widespread use of triclosan displays a favorable benefit: risk ratio, defined by evaluation of triclosan's efficacy as an antimicrobial hand soap and its potential effect on the development of antimicrobial resistance. Data from laboratory-based studies regarding the efficacy of triclosan are conflicting, although well-designed studies suggest no significant difference in efficacy over nonantimicrobial soap. In addition, when triclosan was introduced in a community setting, no beneficial effects were observed on the reduction of infections over nonantimicrobial soap. Resistance to triclosan and cross-resistance to antimicrobials have been consistently demonstrated in laboratory settings, although overall resistance rates and cross-resistance rates in the community setting are low. Based on the available evidence, the risk of potential antimicrobial resistance outweighs the benefit of widespread triclosan use in antimicrobial soaps.
Reflections on the Economics of Climate Change

A lbert Einstein's reaction to quantum mechanics was "God does not play dice with the universe." Yet mankind is playing dice with the natural environment through a multitude of interventions-injecting into the atmosphere trace gases like the greenhouse gases or ozone-depleting chemicals, engineering massive land-use changes such as deforestation, depleting multitudes of species in their natural habitats even while creating transgenic ones in the laboratory, and accumulating sufficient nuclear weapons to destroy human civilizations. As natural or social scientists, we need to understand the human sources of these global changes, the potential damage they cause to natural and economic systems, and the most efficient ways of alleviating or removing the dangers. Just as towns in times past decided on the management of their grazing or water resources, so must we today and in the future learn to use wisely and to protect economically our common geophysical and biological resources. This task of understanding and controlling interventions on a global scale can be called managing the global commons. The issue analyzed in this symposium is the threat of greenhouse warming. Climatologists and other scientists warn that the accumulation of carbon diox
Optimum Nitrogen Concentration Supporting Maximum Crude Oil Biodegradation in Microcosms

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the minimum nitrogen concentration needed by microorganisms to biodegrade crude oil hydrocarbons attached to sand particles in a microcosm simula...
Neon Isotope Fractionation During Transient Permeation

Fractionation of neon-20 with respect to neon-22 during a single-stage transient permeation process results in as much as 45-percent enrichment of neon-20. The observed fractionations agree with those calculated from simple diffusion theory.
Assessing Fault Sensitivity in MPI Applications

Today, clusters built from commodity PCs dominate high-performance computing, with systems containing thousands of processors now being deployed. As node counts for multi-teraflop systems grow to thousands and with proposed petaflop system likely to contain tens of thousands of nodes, the standard assumption that system hardware and software are fully reliable becomes much less credible. Concomitantly, understanding application sensitivity to system failures is critical to establishing confidence in the outputs of large-scale applications. Using software fault injection, we simulated single bit memory errors, register file upsets and MPI message payload corruption and measured the behavioral responses for a suite of MPI applications. These experiments showed that most applications are very sensitive to even single errors. Perhaps most worrisome, the errors were often undetected, yielding erroneous output with no user indicators. Encouragingly, even minimal internal application error checking and program assertions can detect some of the faults we injected.
Leukocyte chemosensory migration on vascular prosthetic biomaterial is mediated by an integrin β2 receptor chain

Abstract The ability of adherent activated leukocytes to migrate on implanted prosthetic biomaterial surfaces may be an early rate-limiting step in eliminating periprosthetic infection. The goal of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism governing leukocyte migration on the implantable cardiovascular prosthetic biomaterial, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), in response to stimulation by the soluble chemokine, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). We used a population level migration assay to study the migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) on ePTFE, overlaid by a gelatin/agar composite. A theoretical random walk model was applied to describe fMLP-induced PMN migration on ePTFE in terms of an objective random cell migration coefficient, μ. Our results show that following stimulation with 0–10−7 m fMLP, the value of μ ranged from 5.43×10−9 to 1.08×10−7 cm2/s, with a maximum value obtained at 10−8 m fMLP. We probed the expression levels of various β2 integrin receptor subunits and their contribution to the migratory function of ePTFE-adherent PMN over a wide range of fMLP concentration. We found that the expression of the integrin β-chain, CD18, was also maximized at 10−8 m fMLP, along with only slight changes in the expression of integrin α-chains (CD11a,b,c). We report that treatment with antibodies against either β or combined α chains, but not individual α chains, inhibited PMN attachment to ePTFE at 10−8 m fMLP, suggesting the likely role of combined β2 receptor subunits in early adhesion events following stimulation. However, treatment with only anti-CD18 significantly lowered PMN migration on ePTFE (μ=5.98×10−9 cm2/s), and this degree of inhibition was much greater than that elicited by the combined treatment with antibodies recognizing all possible α-chains. Overall, we conclude that migratory behavior of chemokinetically stimulated PMN on ePTFE is mediated by the integrin β chain pool, and is only weakly regulated by the integrin α chain.
Budget deficits and long-term interest rates: 1973–91

This study investigates the relationship between nominal long-term interest rates and central government budget deficits during the post-Bretton Woods era in Italy. The analysis is based in an open-economy, loanable-funds framework. The cointegration results indicate, among other things, the existence of a long-term positive relationship between the long-term interest rate and the deficit.
Providing On-Site Consultation to Promote Quality in Integrated Child Care Programs

Recent legislation has supported the right of young children with special needs to receive the specialized services they need within the most natural setting possible. For an increasing number of f...
Analysis of Radiologists' Imaging Workload Trends by Place of Service

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine what proportion of noninvasive diagnostic imaging (NDI) work done by radiologists occurred in each of the 4 primary places of service where imaging is conducted. Methods Medicare's Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files for 2000 to 2011 were the data source. Specialty codes were used to identify radiologists, and place-of-service codes identified studies done in hospital outpatient facilities, hospital inpatient facilities, private offices, and emergency departments (EDs). The applicable total professional component relative value units (RVUs) were assigned to each NDI Current Procedural Terminology code, and RVU rates per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries were calculated. RVU rates reflect workload and costs and are therefore a better metric than utilization rates based on volume. Results From 2000 to 2006, radiologists' RVU rates per 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries increased in each of the 4 primary venues. However, from 2006 to 2011, rates remained essentially flat in hospital outpatient and inpatient facilities and offices but continued to increase in EDs. Absolute RVU rate increases from 2000 through 2011 were 289 in hospital outpatient facilities, 218 in EDs, 194 in private offices, and 99 in inpatient facilities. In 2011, 19% of radiologists' workload occurred in offices; the remainder was conducted in the 3 hospital settings. Twice as much elective outpatient NDI work by radiologists was done in hospital outpatient facilities as in radiologists' private offices. Conclusions Radiologists' workload in hospital outpatient and inpatient facilities and offices grew from 2000 through 2006, but no further growth occurred thereafter. EDs were the only venue where growth continued. The vast proportion of radiology NDI RVUs (81% in 2011) are produced in hospital settings.
Minimizing or maximizing the expected time to reach zero

We treat the following control problems: the process $X_1 (t)$ with Values in the interval $( { - \infty ,0} ]$ (or $[ {0,\infty } )$) is given by the stochastic differential equation \[dX_1 (t) = \mu (t)dt + \sigma (t)dW_t ,\quad X_1 (0) = x_1 \] where the nonanticipative controls $\mu $ and $\sigma $ are to be chosen so that $(\mu (t),\sigma (t))$ remains in a given set $\mathcal{S}$ and the object is to minimize (or maximize) the expected time to reach the origin. The minimization problem had been dicussed earlier by Heath, Pestien,and Sudderth under various restrictions on the set $\mathcal{S}$. Here an improved verification lemma is established which is used to solve the minimization and maximization problems for any $\mathcal{S}$. An application to a portfolio problem is discussed.
Effect of a variable prosthetic neck-shaft angle and the surgical technique on replication of normal humeral anatomy

Background: Replicating the normal anatomy of the shoulder is an important principle in the design of prosthetic devices and the development of surgical techniques. In this study, we used a three-dimensional surgical simulation to compare the abilities of an adjustable neck-shaft angle prosthesis and a fixed neck-shaft angle prosthesis to restore the normal geometry of the proximal part of the humerus. Methods: A total of 2058 cadaveric humeri were measured to define the normal distribution of neck-shaft angles. Thirty-six humeri were selected to represent a wide variation in neck-shaft angles, and computed tomographic scans with three-dimensional reconstruction were made of these specimens. With use of a three-dimensional computer surgical simulator, the humeral head was then cut at the anatomic neck to replicate a normal neck-shaft angle and version or it was cut at a fixed 135° angle with anatomic version. The anatomy of an adjustable-angle prosthesis and that of a fixed-angle prosthesis of the same design were both compared with native humeral anatomy in three dimensions. Results: The average neck-shaft angle of the 2058 humeri was 134.7° (range, 115° to 148°), and the angle was between 130° and 140° in 77.84% of the humeri. In the setting of a high varus or valgus neck-shaft angle, an adjustable-angle prosthesis allowed optimal reconstruction when the humeral head was cut along the anatomic neck and allowed a standard and consistent surgical technique with use of anatomic landmarks. A fixed-angle prosthesis also replicated the anatomic center of rotation, tuberosity-head height, and head volume if the surgical procedure was altered to adapt to variations in humeral anatomy. There was no significant difference in anatomic parameters between the two types of prostheses, except that in all cases the head thickness was decreased when a fixed-135°-angle prosthesis was used in a humerus with a high valgus or high varus neck-shaft angle, resulting in a smaller articular arc and percent articular surface match. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the ability of both an adjustable and a fixed neck-shaft angle prosthesis to replicate humeral anatomy. However, the fixed-angle device requires specific modifications of the surgical technique to accommodate the specific prosthetic design and optimize the surgeon's ability to replicate normal anatomic parameters in humeri with an extreme neck-shaft angle. Clinical Relevance: This information can be used to optimize humeral component placement intraoperatively.
Effects of flow releases on macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Indian and Hudson Rivers in the Adirondack Mountains of Northern New York

The effects of flow releases (daily during spring and four times weekly during summer) from a small impoundment on macroinvertebrate assemblages in the lower Indian River and upper Hudson River of northern New York were assessed during the summers of 2005 and 2006. Community indices, feeding guilds, dominant species and Bray–Curtis similarities at three sites on the Indian River, below a regulated impoundment, were compared with those at four control sites on the Cedar River, below a run-of-the-river impoundment of comparable size. The same indices at four less-likely affected sites on the Hudson River, below the mouth of the Indian River, were compared with those at an upstream control site on the Hudson River. Results show that the function and apparent health of macroinvertebrate communities were generally unaffected by atypical flow regimes and/or altered water quality at study reaches downstream from both dams in the Indian, Cedar and Hudson Rivers. The lentic nature of releases from both impoundments, however, produced significant changes in the structure of assemblages at Indian and Cedar River sites immediately downstream from both dams, moderate effects at two Indian River sites 2.4 and 4.0 km downstream from its dam, little or no effect at three Cedar River sites 7.2–34.2 km downstream from its dam, and no effect at any Hudson River site. Bray–Curtis similarities indicate that assemblages did not differ significantly among sites within similar impact categories. The paucity of scrapers at all Indian River sites, and the predominance of filter-feeding Simulium gouldingi and Pisidium compressum immediately below Abanakee dam, show that only minor differences in dominant species and trophic structure of macroinvertebrate communities occurred at affected sites in the Indian River compared to the Cedar River. Thus, flow releases had only a small, localized effect on macroinvertebrate communities in the Indian River. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Insights into α-Κ Toxin Specificity for K+ Channels Revealed through Mutations in Noxiustoxin†

Noxiustoxin (NxTX) displays an extraordinary ability to discriminate between large conductance, calcium-activated potassium (maxi-K) channels and voltage-gated potassium (Kv1.3) channels. To identify features that contribute to this specificity, we constructed several NxTX mutants and examined their effects on whole cell current through Kv1.3 channels and on current through single maxi-K channels. Recombinant NxTX and the site-specific mutants (P10S, S14W, A25R, A25Δ) all inhibited Kv1.3 channels with Kd values of 6, 30, 0.6, 112, and 166 nM, respectively. In contrast, these same NxTX mutants had no effect on maxi-K channel activity with estimated Kd values exceeding 1 mM. To examine the role of the α-carbon backbone in binding specificity, we constructed four NxTX chimeras, which altered the backbone length and the α/β turn. For each of these chimeras, six amino acids comprising the α/β turn in iberiotoxin (IbTX) replaced the corresponding seven amino acids in NxTX (NxTX-YGSSAGA21-27-FGVDRG21-26). The ch...
An ion-scattering spectrometric study of cuprous sulphide

Analyses qualitatives, par spectrometrie de diffusion d'ion, de la composition de surface d'echantillons de sulfures cuivreux prepares par 2 techniques differentes. Deduction, a partir des profils de chaque echantillon, de l'etendue de l'oxydation de Cu 2 S sous diverses pressions d'oxygene et de vapeur d'eau
RIG-ging Biomarkers for Therapeutic Response

Liver cancer—hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)—is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, particularly in China and Africa. HCCs are most often associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and are more common in men than in women. However, women with HCC tend to survive longer than men, suggesting that gender-specific differences influence therapeutic response. The most common treatments for HCC include surgery, liver transplantation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies, including immunotherapy with interferon-α (IFN-α). The response to IFN-α treatment is modest in unselected patient populations but may be effective in specific subsets of patients. Determining which patients will benefit from IFN-α treatment could significantly improve patient outcome. Now, Hou and colleagues show that expression of retinoic acid–inducible gene-I ( RIG-I ) strongly correlates with survival and response to IFN-α treatment. The RIG-I protein is a human sensor of viral RNA that normally functions to prevent infection. In cell culture and mouse models of HCC, RIG-I knockdown conferred resistance to IFN-α treatment, whereas RIG-I knockout enhanced HCC tumorigenesis in both male and female mice. These results show that HCC gender disparity was abolished in the context of RIG-I deficiency, suggesting that RIG-I may be responsible for the sex-specific differences in HCC incidence and therapeutic response. Consistent with this hypothesis, RIG-I levels were lower in male as compared with female liver tissue in both mice and humans. These findings suggest that RIG-I expression may be an effective biomarker to select patients that will benefit from IFN-α treatment. Going forward, it will be important to determine the level of RIG-I positivity required for a significant response to IFN-α. Because the patient population in this study included a high frequency of HBV infections, it remains to be determined whether RIG-I will influence IFN-α response in non–HBV - associated HCCs or other diseases treated with IFN-α. Nevertheless, RIG-I appears to be a much-needed harbinger for therapeutic benefit in HCC. J. Hou et al. , Hepatic RIG-I predicts survival and interferon-α therapeutic response in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Cell 25 , 1–15 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/abstract/S1535-6108(13)00496-0%20
The pharmacology of cocaethylene in humans following cocaine and ethanol administration

Abstract Background: Concurrent use of cocaine and alcohol results in formation of a cocaine homolog and metabolite—cocaethylene. Methods: To characterize cocaethylene pharmacology, ten paid volunteer subjects were given deuterium-labeled (d 5 ) cocaine (0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 mg/kg and cocaine placebo) by a 15-min constant rate intravenous injection 1 h after a single oral dose of ethanol (1 g/kg) or ethanol and cocaine placebo using a double-blind, crossover design. Six of the same volunteers subsequently received a 1.2 mg/kg dose of cocaine alone. A small (7.5 mg) nonpharmacologically active dose of deuterium-labeled cocaethylene-d 3 was concurrently administered with the cocaine to enable calculation of absolute cocaethylene formation and clearance. Plasma and urine cocaine, cocaethylene, and benzoylecgonine concentrations, physiologic and subjective effects were measured. Results: When co-administered with ethanol, 17±6% (mean±S.D.) of the cocaine was converted to cocaethylene. Cocaethylene peak plasma concentrations and AUC increased proportionally to the cocaine dose. Ethanol ingestion prior to cocaine administration decreased urine benzoylecgonine levels by 48% and increased urinary cocaethylene and ecgonine ethyl ester levels. Subjects liked and experienced more total intoxication after the combination of cocaine and ethanol than after either drug alone. Conclusions: In the presence of ethanol, the altered biotransformation of cocaine resulted in 17% of an intravenous cocaine dose being converted to cocaethylene and relatively lower urinary concentrations of benzoylecgonine.