cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can CT Perfusion Identify Patients Unlikely To Show Improvement Following Intravenous Thrombolysis? (P4.226)

Objective/Background: CT perfusion (CTP) imaging has been performed in AIS patients to help determine eligibility for endovascular treatment, and has shown promise in selecting patients who might benefit from IV-tPA beyond 4.5 hours. We therefore wondered whether CTP could also identify patients who are less likely to benefit from IV-tPA within the thrombolytic window. Design/Methods: Patients with anterior circulation stroke who underwent CTP and received IV-tPA at a single tertiary care institute between 07/2009-12/2012 were included. Improvement was defined as “NIHSS improvement 蠅 4 or change to 0 or 1”. Neurological improvement post IV-tPA was assessed immediately, at 24 hours, and at 7 days (or discharge/death if earlier). CTP parameters including relative Cerebral Blood Volume (rCBV), relative Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF), relative Mean Transit Time (rMTT), and ratio of Penumbral to Ischemic volume (P:I) were correlated with NIHSS at various time points after IV-tPA. Results: A total of 109 patients with median age 74 years (IQR 63-84) and median NIHSS 10 (IQR 6-19) met inclusion criteria. ROC analysis determined ideal thresholds for P:I, rMTT, and rCBV for lack of improvement immediately after IV-tPA (≤0.85, 蠅1.77, ≤1.02); within 24 hours after IV-tPA (≤0.78, 蠅1.55, ≤0.94), and at 7 days or discharge (≤0.83, 蠅1.75, ≤0.87). P:I was significant within 24 hours and at 7 days; rMTT was significant immediately after IV-tPA and at 24 hours; rCBV was significant at 24 hours and at 7 days. Multivariate analysis (adjusting for NIHSS, age and time from onset) found similar results. Conclusions: PCT has potential to identify AIS patients that are less likely to improve with IV-tPA during hospital admission. This may have implications for early determination of resource utilization and care pathways. Further studies are required to determine whether PCT can similarly predict long term outcomes post IV-tPA. Disclosure: Dr. Damania has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kung has nothing to disclose. Dr. Koch has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jain has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jain has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jahromi has nothing to disclose.
Letter to the editor--Early ERCP for gallstone pancreatitis: for whom and when?: Behrns KE, Ashley WS, Hunter JG, Carr-Locke DC, J Gastroenterol Surg 2008;12:629-633.

I read with interest the article recently published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery in which Behrns et al. reported the result of an evidence-based review of the outcomes of early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in acute biliary pancreatitis. The study adds to the slow-growing knowledge of evidence supporting advantages and disadvantages from the use of this procedure, but not much. The study does not provide a careful evidence-based analysis of the data in relation to duration of ampullary obstruction provided in the trials analyzed. In fact, excepting the time of ERCP calculated from admission and, more recently, from the onset of symptoms, no other data have been reported in most publications about this point. Apparently, there is no doubt at present that the time of the onset of symptoms is the time of stone impaction, and consequently, it is also the time of the onset of obstruction. Likewise, the time of ERCP + endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is considered the time of the end of obstruction. However, the fact that 80–90% of the patients with obstructive gallstone pancreatitis pass the stone spontaneously within 48 h from the onset of symptoms makes necessary to find other indicators than ERCP since it is not completely innocuous, and moreover, it is irrelevant once the stone has passed. Our study—one of the studies analyzed by Behrns et al.—reports a noninvasive and accurate method for measuring the duration of ampullary obstruction in that important group of patients who disobstructs spontaneously. It also permits to evaluate the relationship between patient outcome and duration of obstruction regardless of whether the last is due to ES or to the natural history of the disease. The authors stated that our method can be “subjective and open to interpretation.” As the authors noted, our diagnostic test consists of three variables: severe unremitting epigastric pain, bile-free gastric aspirate, and persistent or increasing serum bilirubin level serially determined every 6 h from admission to normalization. Excepting pain, the other two variables are very objective and permit to omit ERCP + ES when they are unnecessary. It has been employed for our group for many years, and its accuracy has been validated in a previous publication (Acosta et al., Am J Gastroenterol 2000;95:122–127). The following unpublished data is part of our study and may illustrate on the calculation used to define the accuracy of our method. Accuracy of the Diagnostic Test Used for Monitoring Ampullary Obstruction in 61 Patients with Acute Biliary Pancreatitis
Comments on the Taxation of Passthrough Entities

This paper is a slightly revised version of comments submitted to the House Committee on Ways & Means concerning four proposals to reform the taxation of passthrough entities. Among other things, the paper urges that passthrough entities be required to recognize gain on distributions of appreciated property to an owner of the entity. Adoption of this single proposal of the committee would be a meaningful step towards achieving the committee’s dual goals of simplification and reform.
Using Computer Aided Interactive Video Technology to Provide Experiential Learning for Mediation Trainees

Participation in experiential learning activities enhances new mediator competence. There are numerous ways to provide such activities in higher education and private training settings. None of the existing modes of experiential learning (e.g., roleplay, case study analysis, or supervise practicum) is without limitation, however. And, no single way mode appeals to every learner or is compatible with his/her learning style. By using a variety of experiential teaching approaches, mediation educators and trainers may maximize the benefit of instruction, thereby improving the performance quality of new practitioners. This article attempts to heighten the readers' awareness of computer aided interactive video (CAIV) technology and its suitability for providing experiential learning opportunities for divorce mediation students and trainees. The process of designing and developing a CAIV instructional program for such use is described. The procedures for, and positive results of, field testing the program are hi...
Does Globalization Affect Multinational Corporation Performance

The global economy is a reality for nearly all industries, companies, and workers in every nation. While multinational corporations (MNCs) from developed countries have long pursued internationaliz...
The paradox of the plankton: oscillations and chaos in multispecies evolution

Two theoretical ecologists have recently discovered that even under the simplest models of competition, three species are sufficient to generate permanent oscillations, and five species can generate chaos (Huisman & Weissing, 2001). We can show that these results carry over into genetic algorithm (GA) resource sharing after making one minor change in the "usual" sharing methods. We also bring together previous, scattered results showing oscillatory and chaotic behavior in the "usual" GA sharing methods themselves. Thus one could argue that oscillations and chaos are fairly easy to generate once individuals are allowed to influence each other, even if such interactions are extremely simple, natural, and indirect, as they are under resource sharing. We suggest that great care be taken before assuming that any particular implementation of resource sharing leads to a unique and stable equilibrium.
Overview of Studies on Experimental Radioimmunotherapy

Experimental radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has significantly contributed to the development of clinical RIT. In this overview, the current status of experimental RIT is reviewed, including general principles of RIT and determinants of RIT effects. Areas of active research are reviewed, and the usefulness of multicell spheroids is compared to animal models. The radiobiology of RIT is discussed, and studies that have compared the relative efficacy of RIT with external beam radiation therapy are summarized. Approaches for increasing the therapeutic index of RIT are reviewed, including improvements in antibodies, labeling/chelation chemistry, selection of radionuclides, delivery, fractionated therapy, clearance of unbound radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies, protection of normal tissues, radiosensitization of tumors, utilization of colony-stimulating factors and bone marrow transplantation, and the use of novel targets for RIT and topoisomerase I inhibitors. RIT is a promising new therapy for a wide variety of malignancies that can best be optimized by continued research in the field of experimental RIT. Important areas of future research are discussed that may ultimately potentiate the efficacy and decrease the toxicity of RIT and help determine how to optimally combine RIT with other therapeutic modalities.
From Urban Prospect to Retrospect

(2008). From Urban Prospect to Retrospect. Journal of Architectural Education: Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 57-63.
Determination of Formation- and Pseudodamage from Well Performance—Identification, Characterization, Evaluation, and Abatement

A review of the practical and theoretical principles involved in the evaluation of effect of formation and completion damage on the well performance is presented. The commonly used well testing and data interpretation techniques, applied for determination of the contribution of the completion and formation damage to the loss of well performance in the field, are explained. The various issues, involving the open-hole, hydraulic fracturing, frac-and-pack, and horizontal wells, as well as full and partial completions, are discussed. The difference between the mechanical skin resulting from formation damage and the pseudoskin resulting from completion damage is delineated. The intricate dependency of the total skin factor to the various skin factors, involving the mechanical, high-velocity, geometric, multiphase, and completion type effects, is explained. The influence of the formation and completion damage on the well performance is formulated mathematically. Parametric investigations are resorted to demonstrate the methodology applied for identification, participation, and quantification the well completion components and features, and the relative contributions of the pertaining skin factors in the total pressure loss. Several examples are provided for the assessment of the formation and completion damage in the field. It is emphasized that such information is of utmost importance in developing optimal strategies to alleviate the loss of well performance by implementing proper remedial actions and/or completion design improvements.
Estimation of the local mean power over Nakagami fading channels

Accurate and fast algorithms for the local mean level estimation axe very important for the successful implementation of many wireless communication enabling techniques such as handoff, power control, and automatic gain control schemes. In this paper, we present maximum likelihood as well as variance unbiased estimators for the local mean signal decibel power. We consider a generalized Nakagami-m fading environment and show that these estimators are asymptotically efficient in the number of samples and in the fading parameter m. Numerical and simulation results confirm that these estimators clearly outperform the sample mean estimators and quickly approach Cramer-Rao lower bounds.
Fire hazard and other safety concerns of PV systems

Photovoltaic modules are usually considered safe and reliable. But in case of grid-connected PV systems that are becoming very popular, the issue of fire safety of PV modules is becoming increasingly important due to the employed high voltages of 600 V to 1000 V. The two main factors i.e. open circuiting of the bypass diode and ground fault that are responsible for the fire in the PV systems have been discussed in detail along with numerous real life examples. Recommendations are provided for preventing the fire hazards such as having at least class C fire rated PV modules, proper bypass and blocking diodes and interestingly, having an ungrounded PV system.
Richard Goldschmidt's “heresies” and the evolutionary synthesis

La reputation scientifique de R. Goldschmidt est principalement fondee sur la contribution qu'il a apportee dans deux domaines : l'etude du determinisme sexuel et l'etude des variations geographiques pour lesquelles il s'oppose aux concepts du neodarwinisme
Crossing Borders: Changing Social Identities in Southern Mexico

Crossing Borders: Changing Social Identities in Southern Mexico. Kimberly M. Crimes .Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1998. xiii. 191 pp., figures, appendix, notes, references, index.
Cancellation and the Thomas-Fermi method

Abstract The valence electrons in a metal are treated with the cancellation theorem and the Thomas-Fermi method to calculate the radius of the atom in a series of metals. The radius of the atomic core is used and defined somewhat unconventionally.
Characterization of a Ca2(+)-ATPase in osteoclast plasma membrane.

The plasma membrane fraction of chicken osteoclasts was purified utilizing 20% continuous Percoll gradients. Biochemical marker enzyme analysis (ouabain-sensitive Na+, K+-ATPase and 5′-nucleotidase) indicated that plasma membrane enrichment was 11.87-fold and 7.25-fold, respectively, and contamination with mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes was low as determined by succinic dehydrogenase, NADH dehydrogenase, and N-acetylglucosaminidase activities, respectively. SDS latency of Na+K+-ATPase and 5′-nucleotidase activities of the isolated plasma membranes revealed that 43-50% of vesicles were sealed, with 10-16% in the inside-out orientation, depending on the membrane fraction used. Electron microscopy confirmed the vesicular nature of the plasma membrane fraction. The plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase had a high-affinity (KCa = 0.22 μM; Kmax = 0.16 μmol/mg per min) and a low-affinity (KCa = 148 μM; Vmax = 0.37 μtmol/mg per min) component. Calmodulin (0.12 μM) had no effect on Ca2+-ATPase activity. However, trifluoperazine (0.1 mM), a calmodulin antagonist, strongly inhibited especially the high-affinity component of the enzyme. Vanadate and lanthanum also caused inhibition. In the presence of CDTA, a potent Ca2+ and Mg2+ chelating agent, high-affinity Ca2+-ATPase activity was abolished, indicating that trace Mg2+ was essential for activity. The Ca2+-ATPase substrate curve using ATP showed a high-affinity (Km = 12.3 μM; Kmax= 0.022 μmol/mg per min) and a low-affinity (Km = 43.8 μM; Vmax = 0.278 μmol/mg per min) component. These results demonstrate that osteoclasts have a plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase with characteristics similar to the enzyme responsible for active calcium extrusion in other cells.
Inorganic chemistry: Confirmation of the improbable

Certain transition-metal complexes are thought to exist only fleetingly, perhaps as intermediates in reactions. So the discovery of one such complex that is stable at room temperature is provocative.
A Head-Mounted 24-Channel Evoked Potential Preamplifier Employing Low-Noise Operational Amplifiers

A simple circuit employing operational amplifiers yields an inexpensive low-noise biological amplifier. Design parameters are discussed and performance measured. When twenty-four of these amplifiers were incorporated in a head-mounted evoked potential preamplifier, noise increased while common mode rejection and stability decreased. These effects are explained and successfully controlled by minimizing source resistance and adding a simple feedback circuit.
PEROXIDASE AND POLYPHENOL OXIDASE ACTIVITIES IN DEVELOPING PEACHES

Peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities were monitored during the development of peach fruit (Prunus persica Batsch w. Redhaven) from shalk split stage to full maturation. Two extraction methods gave a discrepancy in activity for both enzymes. Two peaks of POD activities were observed and they corresponded to the two weight gain periods of the peaches. Polyphenol oxidase activity was very high at early development stage and declined to a constant level after the pit-hardened stage. Hydrophobic chromatography, using Phenyl-Sepha-rose CL-4B resin, provided a rapid partial purification and characterization of peach PPO. Several apparent forms of PPO and constant changes of these forms during development were observed. Upon cold storage of the acetone powder of peaches, an additional PPO isozyme much more tightly bound to the hydrophobic resin was noted. The technique could be very useful in studies of other food enzymes.
Statistical defect-detection analysis of test sets using readily-available tester data

At substantial cost, conventional methods for evaluating test quality apply a specially-generated test set to a large population of manufactured chips. In contrast, a new time-efficient framework for evaluating test quality (FETQ) that uses tester data from normal production has been developed and validated. FETQ estimates the quality of both static and adaptive test metrics, where the latter guides test using the results of statistical data analysis. FETQ is innovative since instead of evaluating a single measure of effectiveness (e.g., number of unique defects detected), it provides a confidence interval of effectiveness based on the analysis of a collection of test sets. FETQ is demonstrated by measuring the chip-detection capability of several static and adaptive test metrics using tester data from actual ICs.
Dependence of the microwave radar cross section on ocean surface variables: Comparison of measurements and theory using data from the Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment

The purpose of this investigation was to study the ability of theoretical radar cross section (RCS) models to predict the absolute magnitude of the ocean radar cross section under a wide variety of sea and atmospheric conditions. The dependence of the RCS on wind stress (as opposed to wind speed) was also studied. An extensive amount of experimental data was acquired during the Frontal Air-Sea Interaction Experiment. Measurements across an ocean front demonstrated that the vertical polarization and horizontal polarization radar cross section were more strongly dependent on wind stress than on wind magnitude. Current theoretical models for the RCS, based on stress, were tested with this data. In situations where the Bragg scattering theory does not agree with the measured radar cross section (magnitude and angle dependence), revisions are hypothesized and evaluated.
Embedding of Weak Markov Systems

= O,..., n, then Z, will be called a (weak) Markov system. A normed (weak) Markov system is a (weak) Markov system Z, for which z0 = 1. Markov systems are also called complete CebySev systems or CT-systems (cf. Karlin & Studden [2]). If every element of Z, is bounded in the intersection of
Network location problems with continuous link demands: p-medians on a chain and 2-medians on a tree

Abstract This paper is concerned with minisum location-allocation problems on undirected networks in which demands can occur on links with uniform probability distributions. Two types of networks are considered. The first type considered is simply a chain graph. It is shown that except for the 1-median case, the problem is generally non-convex. However, for the p -median case, a discrete set of potential optimal facility locations may be identified, and hence it is shown that all local and global minima to the problem may be discovered by solving a series of trivial linear programming problems. This analysis is then extended to prescribe an algorithm for the 2-median location-allocation problem on a tree network involving uniform continuous demands on links. Some localization theorems are presented in the spirit of the work done on discrete nodal demand problems.
4380542 9-hydroxyoctahydrobenzo(c)-quinolines and their pharmaceutical compositions and method of use

1,9-Dihydroxyoctahydrobenzo[c]quinolines (I), 1-hydroxyhexahydrobenzo[c]quinoline-9(8H)-ones (II), and 1-hydroxy-tetrahydrobenzo[c]quinolines (IV) useful as CNS agents, especially as analgesics and tranquilizers, as hypotensives, as agents for the treatment of glaucoma and as diuretics; intermediates therefor (III) and derivatives thereof.
Interanimal memory transfer of a barpress response through brain and liver RNA injections

Interanimal memory transfer of a discriminated operant barpress task resulted in a significantly higher frequency of barpresses from recipients of trained-brain and -liver ribonucleic acid (RNA) extracts. Three were trained to criterion on a light-and-tone and three were trained on a dark-and-tone discriminated operant barpress. Two RNA extracts were taken from these six trained donors’ livers and brains. One extract from each donor’s brain and liver was subjected to ribonuclease (RNase). The 12 brain and liver RNase and 12 brain and liver non-RNasetreated extractions were intraperitoneally injected into separate naive recipients. Those rats receiving “trained” RNA showed significantly (p <.025) greater interanimal memory for task transfer than those animals receiving RNase-treated RNA extracts.
Electrodermal discrimination of familiar and unfamiliar faces: a methodology.

A study is reported which establishes a methodology for investigating the hypothesis that prosopagnosic patients, who have lost the ability to recognize faces, may nonetheless demonstrate electrodermal discrimination of familiar versus unfamiliar facial stimuli. Skin conductance response (SCR) data were recorded while neurologically-intact, college-aged subjects viewed slides of 8 famous, highly familiar faces and 42 unfamiliar faces. The results showed that the familiar faces elicited, on the average, much larger SCRs than the unfamiliar faces. In addition, a second group of subjects rated the familiar faces as more “significant” than the unfamiliar ones, and it is concluded that highly familiar faces are potential signal stimuli. Also, because the paradigm involves few instructions and no overt behavioral response by the subject, this methodology could be readily adapted to investigations of prosopagnosic and other brain-damaged populations in which there is severe amnesia, aphasia, or apraxia.
Use of immunohistochemistry for IgG4 in the distinction of autoimmune pancreatitis from peritumoral pancreatitis

The patients with autoimmune pancreatitis usually present with jaundice and a pancreatic head mass, presumed to have pancreatic cancer, and they often undergo pancreatic resection. Elevated serum IgG4 levels (>135 mg/dL) help to distinguish autoimmune pancreatitis from pancreatic cancer. However, when the biopsy from a pancreatic mass shows dense chronic inflammation and fibrosis and the serum IgG4 level is not available, it presents a diagnostic dilemma whether it represents autoimmune pancreatitis or peritumoral pancreatitis. We performed IgG4 immunohistochemistry on 25 cases of autoimmune pancreatitis-lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis, 7 cases of autoimmune pancreatitis with granulocytic epithelial lesions, 8 cases of nonspecific pancreatitis, 15 cases of pancreatitis associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and 5 biopsies of pancreatic adenocarcinoma with variable inflammation. The distribution of IgG4-positive cells was noted in each case. Eighty-four percent (21/25) of autoimmune pancreatitis-LPSP cases showed diffuse and dense staining for IgG4, with more than 50 positive plasma cells per high-power field (range, 50-150 cells/hpf) in the highest density area. Most (5/7) cases of autoimmune pancreatitis-granulocytic epithelial lesions were negative for IgG4. Thirty-nine percent of nonspecific pancreatitis and peritumoral pancreatitis cases stained positive for IgG4, but the distribution was focal and none of the cases showed more than 50 IgG4-positive cells/hpf in the highest density area of IgG4 staining. IgG4-positive cells in peritumoral pancreatitis and nonspecific pancreatitis cases were closely associated with malignant glands and areas of acute inflammation in some cases. Using a cutoff of 50 IgG4-positive cells/hpf, the sensitivity of IgG4 staining for classical autoimmune pancreatitis-LPSP versus other types of pancreatitis was 84%, the specificity was 100%, and the P value was significant ( 50 positive cells/hpf) for IgG4 is specifically seen in autoimmune pancreatitis-LPSP, and IgG4 staining along with the histologic features and serum IgG4 levels may be very helpful in diagnosing autoimmune pancreatitis.
Nuclear astrophysics with radioactive beams

Abstract Nuclei far from stability play an important role in our understanding of astrophysical scenarios with extreme temperature and density conditions. Among these are nova explosions, accreting neutron stars, supernovae, and the site of the r-process. I will give a brief review of the important open astrophysical questions in these scenarios and discuss the radioactive beam experiments at ISOL-type and at fragmentation-type facilities that are needed to answer them.
Chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of 1-methylnaphthalene in B6C3F1 mice

The carcinogenic potential of 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MN), a compound which exists widely in the environment, was investigated in B6C3F1 mice. Groups of 50 male and 50 female mice were given diets containing 0, 0.075, or 0.15% 1-MN for 81 weeks. Both treatment groups developed pulmonary alveolar proteinosis at high incidence, with 46.0 and 34.7% of females and 46.0 and 38.0% of males, respectively, being affected. Total lipid and phospholipid levels in sera and monocytes in peripheral blood were also significantly increased in 1-MN-treated female and male mice in contrast with control values. The incidences of bronchiolar/alveolar adenomas in the lungs of male mice given both 0.075 or 0.15% 1-MN were 26.0 and 24.0%, respectively, in both cases significantly increased in contrast with the 4.1% observed for control males. However, neither dose dependence nor significant difference in the incidences of bronchiolar/alveolar carcinomas between 1-MN-treated and control male mice was observed. The incidences of other tumors also were similar in both 1-MN-treated and control groups. The results of the present experiment thus suggested a possible weak carcinogenic potential of 1-MN to the lung of male but not female B6C3F1 mice.
Asymmetric effects of monetary policy with or without Quantitative Easing: Empirical evidence for the US

Abstract Several rounds of Quantitative Easing since the financial crisis of 2008 have resulted in very large expansions in the monetary base of the US and other economies. This paper asks whether the effects of Quantitative Easing are subject to the asymmetries that have been established for more conventional monetary policies. Using US quarterly data from the 1950–2011 period, monetary base shocks and their effects on real GDP and industrial production are estimated. First, the paperʼs findings strongly support sign asymmetry: with or without Quantitative Easing, monetary base contractions have larger effects than monetary base expansions (the effects of which are often statistically insignificant). This characterizes both permanent and temporary (four-year) shocks to the monetary base. Second, there is also evidence of size asymmetry: the effectiveness of monetary base shocks declines with their size. Size asymmetry is found for both positive and negative monetary base shocks, but it appears to be stronger for negative shocks.
Visible third molars are associated with an increased risk for abnormal periodontal measures on adjacent second molars.

Original Article Elter JR, Offenbacher S, White RP Jr, Beck JD. Third molars associated with periodontal pathology in older Americans. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2005;63:179-84. Level of Evidence 3 Purpose/Question Among older adults, do subjects with visible third molars (M3s), when compared to those without visible M3s, have an increased risk for periodontal disease on the adjacent second molars (M2s)? Source of Funding Government and Foundation Type of Study/Design Cross-sectional
Microwave-accelerated SPOT-synthesis on cellulose supports.

We demonstrate that microwave irradiation can dramatically accelerate reaction rates for spatially addressable library synthesis on planar membrane supports. The development of a robust support/linker system, microwave-assisted synthesis of small molecule test libraries, and methods for solid-phase scale-up on cellulose are described.
Recombinant adenovirus encoding the HA gene from swine H3N2 influenza virus partially protects mice from challenge with heterologous virus: A/HK/1/68 (H3N2)

Immunization with recombinant adenoviral vaccine that induces potent immunity has been applied to many infectious diseases. We report here developing a recombinant adenoviral vaccine encoding the HA gene from swine H3N2 influenza virus (SIV). Two replication-defective recombinant adenoviruses were generated: (1) rAd-HA: recombinant adenovirus encoding the HA gene from swine H3N2 influenza virus, and (2) rAd-vector: a control recombinant adenovirus containing adenovirus and transfer plasmids without a foreign HA gene. Mice given rAd-HA developed high titers of neutralizing and hemagglutination inhibition antibodies to SIV in comparison to mice inoculated with rAd-vector or PBS as early as 2 weeks after immunization, and these antibodies were substantially increased in the mice given rAd-HA within the next 3 weeks following the first dose. However, these antibodies were not able to neutralize the virus, A/HK/68 (H3N2), used for challenge. Nonetheless mice immunized with one or two doses of rAd-HA were protected from lethal challenge with heterologous virus, A/HK/1/68 (H3N2). A statistically significant (P < 0.03) difference between survival rates of rAd-HA mice vs. rAd-vector or PBS mice was observed.
A Partial Test of the “Contiguity” and “Generalized Imitation” Theories of the Social Modeling Process

Summary Imitative behavior was studied with the use of 36 kindergarten children who were either reinforced or not reinforced for imitative behavior prior to observing a male model exhibit aggressive behaviors. The children were tested for imitative aggressive behaviors in an eight-minute free-play situation, by means of a five-category rating scale. The results revealed that the reinforced group emitted significant more physical, verbal, and nonimitative aggression than the nonreinforced group. A second test examined the retention of the model's aggressive behavior under an incentive condition. The incentive condition diminished the initial differences found in the first test, revealing a nonsignificant difference between the reinforced and nonreinforced groups. Hence, the study provided support for both the “contiguity” and “generalized imitation” theories of social modeling.
Optimal operators for template and shape recognition by nonorthogonal image expansion

This paper presents a novel approach for template recognition by signal expansion into a set of non-orthogonal template-similar basis functions (wavelets). It is shown that expansion matching is a special case of the general non-orthogonal expansion which is equivalent to 'restoration' of undegraded images. Expansion matching also maximizes a new and more practically defined Discriminative signal-to-noise ratio (DSNR). It is proved that maximizing the DSNR is equivalent to minimum squared error restoration by Wiener filters. The widely used matched filtering (also known as correlation matching) maximizes the conventional SNR and generates broad peaks since the SNR imposes no constraint on the sharpness of the filter response to the template itself. In comparison, maximizing our newly defined DSNR ensures that expansion matching yields much sharper peaks, with the ideal response quested being a delta (impulse) function. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that expansion matching outperforms correlation matching by more than 20 dB DSNR. This results in much less spurious responses and a more robust performance in noise and severe occlusion. Since expansion matching is fundamentally a decomposition process, it is also quire suitable for the analysis of superimposed signals, such as sound and radar signals. The filters generated by expansion matching have a multi-pole structure with amplitudes approximately proportional to the curvature of edges in the template. Analytically, they confirm previous conjectures about shape perception.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Computational Modeling and Analysis of Insulin Induced Eukaryotic Translation Initiation

Insulin, the primary hormone regulating the level of glucose in the bloodstream, modulates a variety of cellular and enzymatic processes in normal and diseased cells. Insulin signals are processed by a complex network of biochemical interactions which ultimately induce gene expression programs or other processes such as translation initiation. Surprisingly, despite the wealth of literature on insulin signaling, the relative importance of the components linking insulin with translation initiation remains unclear. We addressed this question by developing and interrogating a family of mathematical models of insulin induced translation initiation. The insulin network was modeled using mass-action kinetics within an ordinary differential equation (ODE) framework. A family of model parameters was estimated, starting from an initial best fit parameter set, using 24 experimental data sets taken from literature. The residual between model simulations and each of the experimental constraints were simultaneously minimized using multiobjective optimization. Interrogation of the model population, using sensitivity and robustness analysis, identified an insulin-dependent switch that controlled translation initiation. Our analysis suggested that without insulin, a balance between the pro-initiation activity of the GTP-binding protein Rheb and anti-initiation activity of PTEN controlled basal initiation. On the other hand, in the presence of insulin a combination of PI3K and Rheb activity controlled inducible initiation, where PI3K was only critical in the presence of insulin. Other well known regulatory mechanisms governing insulin action, for example IRS-1 negative feedback, modulated the relative importance of PI3K and Rheb but did not fundamentally change the signal flow.
New physics from supernova 1987A

Abstract An overview of the significance for physics of the closest visual supernova in 400 years is presented. The supernova occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), ∼50 kpc away. The supernova star was a massive star of ∼20 M ° , but it was blue, not red. It is explained how it is quite reasonable for such a star to explode and the nucleosynthesis contributions of the ejecta are described. The expectations and comparison with observations for the light curve are discussed. In particular the lower than standard luminosity and higher velocities are a natural consequence of the pre-supernova star being a blue rather than red (super)giant. The observations of the characteristic γ-ray lines for 56 Co decay proves that significant heavy element synthesis occured. The expectations for the remnant and its possible associated particle acceleration are discussed. Of particular importance to physicists is the confirmed detection of neutrinos from the event by detectors in the United States and Japan, with possible detections in Italy and the Soviet Union as well. Not only did this establish extra solar system neutrino astronomy, but it also served to confirm the general picture of stellar collapse and to constrain the properties of neutrinos. Some model-independent constraints on neutrino properties are presented, as well as those conclusions which are more dependent on the details of the supernova model. It is shown that the well established Kamioka-IMB neutrino burst experimentally implies an event with about 2 to 4 × 10 53 erg emitted in neutrinos and a temperature, T v e , of between 4 and 4.5 MeV. This event is in excellent agreement with what one would expect from the gravitational core collapse of a massive star, when the effects of neutral currents are included. Detailed collapse models with timescales of seconds and high energy tails above thermal are marginally favored. A neutrino detection such as that reported earlier in Mt. Blanc would require more than the rest mass energy of a neutron star to be converted to neutrinos if it were to have its origin in the LMC. Thus it is probably unrelated to the supernova. The anticipated frequency of collapse events in our Galaxy as implied by SN 1987A is also discussed, with a rate as high as 1 10 year shown to be not unreasonable. This review also briefly discusses the erroneous report of a 0.5 ms pulsar and potential nuclear equation of state implications of pulsars.
A mechanistic model for asymmetric alkylation of chiral dipole stabilized anions

Abstract Stereoselective deprotonation, deuteriation, and alkylation of chiral formamidines are described.
Cytogenetics, hormones and behavior disability: comparison of XYY and XXY syndromes

Two populations of phenotypic males, twelve 47,XYY and twelve 47,XXY patients, when compared for behavior disability, sexual practices, and social interaction, revealed that the XYY males had behavior disability involving a predominance of impulsive acting out and poor long term planning. By contrast, the XXY males manifested a deficiency or inhibition of action. With regard to sexual practices, the XYY males reported a greater frequency and diversity of sexual experience and imagery than did the XXY males, who appear to be sexually inert by comparison. For both XYY and XXY men, being alone took preference over group participation. The XXY men were more characterized by inertia and reclusiveness, while the XYY men were mobile and more likely to intrude on other people and their property.
Enzymic properties and effects of androgen on nuclear histone phosphatase activity of rat ventral prostate

Abstract Nuclei of rat ventral prostate have been demonstrated to possess a protein phosphatase activity utilizing 32 P-labelled, lysine-rich histone (calf thymus) as the phosphoprotein substrate. This phosphatase has a pH optimum of 7.1 and was stimulated by the sulfhydryl protective agents dithiothreitol and 2-mercaptoethanol. This nuclear protein phosphatase did not appear to require divalent cations; rather, small inhibitions of activity were found in the presence of 2.4 mM Mg 2+ , Mn 2+ , and Ca 2+ . Divalent cations such as Zn 2+ or Cu 2+ were found to be much stronger inhibitors, giving about 80% inhibition at 1 mM. Monovalent cations were also found to inhibit the histone phosphatase, e.g., 43% at 200 mM NaCl. Ammonium molybdate did not influence the enzyme activity whereas ADP and ATP reduced it by 72 and 82% respectively at 1 mM. There was no change in activity of the histone phosphatase up to 96 h post-orchiectomy when specific activity was based per unit of nuclear protein. However, a small decrease is noted if specific activity is expressed per unit of nuclear DNA (19% at 48 h and 36% at 96 h orchiectomy). This difference reflects the decreased nuclear protein content of the prostate observed following castration. Our data suggest that the decline in prostatic nuclear histone phosphorylation observed following orchiectomy is not due to increased phosphatase activity.
Cloning of the beta(2a) subunit of the voltage-dependent calcium channel from human heart: cooperative effect of alpha(2)/delta and beta(2a) on the membrane expression of the alpha(1C) subunit.

Expression and membrane localization of an epitope-tagged human Ca(2+) channel alpha(1C) subunit were monitored in Xenopus oocytes by confocal microscopy and electrophysiological recording. When alpha(2)/delta and beta(2a) were separately coexpressed with the alpha(1C) subunit, assessment by confocal microscopy showed an 86 and 225% increase of the channel density, respectively. Simultaneous coexpression of alpha(2)/delta and beta(2a) subunits resulted in a cooperative (470%) increase. Electrophysiological measurements performed in parallel revealed that the current augmentation by the alpha(2)/delta subunit is totally attributable to an increase in channel density, whereas the beta(2a) subunit, in addition to increasing channel density, also facilitates channel opening.
Mate Choice and Spawning Success in the Fighting Fish Betta splendens: the Importance of Body Size, Display Behavior and Nest Size

Courtship displays should be exaggerated enough to attract mates and yet tempered so as not to deter them. We tested this hypothesis in the fighting fish Betta splendens by studying courtship displays and body size and their relationships with male parental quality and female fecundity, as well as the effects of display behavior and body size on mate choice decisions and spawning success. Because of their high degree of parental investment, males are expected to be discriminating in their choice of mates. Males who displayed more frequently built larger nests, a measure of parental quality, but larger males did not. When females were paired with males with high display rates, however, the pair had fewer eggs in their nest, even when accounting for female body mass. In a mate choice test using computer-generated male stimuli that differed only in display behavior, females showed no preferences for displaying males vs. non-displaying males, or for males with higher display rates vs. lower display rates. In similar tests in which the computer-generated males differed only in size, females preferred larger males, but also preferred males that differed with respect to body size (negative assortative mating). Males preferred computer-generated females that performed courtship displays over non-displaying females, but showed no preferences for female body size. Neither a female's body size nor her display behavior was a significant predictor of her fecundity as estimated by the number of eggs released during spawning. Thus, our results suggest that female B. splendens must balance male parental quality (nest size) with the risk of potentially disruptive or dangerous behavior during spawning, and that females may minimize these risks through negative size-assortative mating. Female display behavior, while unrelated to fecundity in our study, may attract males because it indicates reproductive readiness or serves a species-recognition function.
High pressure synthesis of mesoporous stishovite: potential applications in mineral physics

Recently, we have described a successful synthesis route to obtain mesoporous quartz and its high-pressure polymorph coesite by nanocasting at high pressure using periodic mesostructured precursors, such as SBA-16 and FDU-12/carbon composite as starting materials. Periodic mesoporous high-pressure silica polymorphs are of particular interest as they combine transport properties and physical properties such as hardness that potentially enable the industrial use of these materials. In addition, synthesis of mesoporous crystalline silica phases can allow more detailed geology-related studies such as water/mineral interaction, dissolution/crystallization rate and the surface contribution to the associated thermodynamic stability (free energy and enthalpy) of the various polymorphs and their crossover. Here, we present results of synthesis of mesoporous stishovite from cubic large-pore periodic mesoporous silica LP-FDU-12/C composite as precursor with an fcc lattice. We describe the synthesis procedure using multi-anvil apparatus at 9 GPa (about 90,000 atm) and temperature of 500 °C. The synthetic mesoporous stishovite is, then, characterized by wide and small-angle X-ray diffraction, scanning/transmission electron microscopy and gas adsorption. Results show that this new material is characterized by accessible mesopores with wide pore size distribution, surface area of ~45 m2/g and volume of pores of ~0.15 cm3/g. Results from gas adsorption indicate that both porosity and permeability are retained at the high pressures of synthesis but with weak periodic order of the pores.
Partial Characterization of the Active Site Human Platelet cAMP Phosphodiesterase, PDE3A, by Site-Directed Mutagenesis

Phosphodiesterases (PDE) are important for the downregulation of the intracellular level of the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) by hydrolyzing cAMP to 5'AMP. Previous studies from our laboratory suggested that the human platelet PDE3A active site has two essential histidine residues and one cysteine residue. We therefore decided to begin mutating histidines and cysteines in the conserved domain of PDE3A. A truncated but catalytically active recombinant PDE3A protein was expressed in yeast cells. A six-histidine tag was engineered to the carboxyl end to facilitate protein purification by nickel column. This cDNA construct, PDE3ADelta1, was used for the mutant construction. Mutations were introduced by mutant oligonucleotides during PCR or DNA replication and were confirmed by sequencing. The mutant cDNAs were expressed in PDE-deficient yeast host Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain GL62. The expression levels of the recombinant PDE mutant proteins were monitored by Western blotting using a rabbit anti-platelet PDE3A polyclonal antibody. The kcat, KM, and IC50 for cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and IC50 for milrinone were determined for each mutant. Two highly conserved histidines and four conserved cysteines were each mutated to alanine. C816 is present in the 44-amino acid insert unique to PDE3. The mutant C816A is poorly expressed (>2%) and probably is not folded appropriately. H840 is the second histidine in the second motif for metal binding, HDXXH. The mutation H840A, although expressed moderately well, has undetectable activity and is probably responsible for binding a bivalent cation, e.g., Mn2+, essential for catalysis. H869 is a highly conserved amino acid not in a metal-binding motif. H869A is well expressed with a normal kcat. However, the Km for cAMP and the IC50 for cGMP are each fourfold greater in the mutant than those in the wild-type recombinant, suggesting that this histidine is in the inhibitory binding site. Three well-conserved cysteines were mutated, but C942A, C945A, and C1013A all had kinetic values similar to the wild type. The results have identified a histidine at the active site essential for catalysis and a second histidine important for inhibitor binding and have further supported the essential nature of the unique 44-amino acid insert.
Optimized FPGA based implementation of discrete wavelet transform

Development of fast Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) is desired in many real life applications. It provides time-frequency representation which gives a multi-resolution outlook of the signal. It is also used for de-noising the signal. However, the DWT is computationally intensive and requires high speed computing platform. So, it is desirable to implement DWT on FPGAs as they have a capability of offering pipelined and parallel processing architecture to achieve real time performance. In this work, an efficient implementation of the DWT method on FPGA platform is proposed for all its dimensions (1-D, 2-D and 3-D). Experimental results demonstrate that our optimized implementation can significantly outperform an equivalent implementation. Also, it shows superior performance when compared with other implementations on different platforms.