cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alternative dose for choroidal melanoma treated with an iodine-125 radioactive plaque: a single-institution retrospective study

Purpose The Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) established iodine-125 plaque brachytherapy as an accepted standard treatment for medium-size choroidal melanoma. In the COMS, the prescription dose was 85 Gy. This is a retrospective review of our outcomes in patients treated with lower doses than those used in the COMS. Methods and Materials From 1990 to 2004, 62 patients were treated with iodine-125 plaque brachytherapy for choroidal melanoma. COMS eye plaques were used with dose prescribed to the apex of the tumor. The median and average dose rates at the tumor apex were 63.5 cGy/h and 62.7 cGy/h, respectively. The median and average total doses were 63.0 Gy and 62.5 Gy (range, 56–69 Gy), respectively. The median and mean durations of implant were 100.0 hours and 101.1 hours (range, 71–165 hours). Results Median follow-up time was 58.2 months. The 5-year outcomes including overall survival, disease-free survival, cause-specific survival, local failure, secondary enucleation rate, and visual acuity (VA) Conclusions Our survival and local control outcomes are comparable to those of the COMS. However, VA at 5 years seems to be better. Lower doses of radiation could potentially lead to better visual outcomes.
3-D EM modeling using magnetic field integral equation solution

Summary An approximate, but efficient numerical solution for threedimensional (3-D) electromagnetc (EM) scattering problems is in great demand for practical application to 3-D EM exploration. We have investigated a magnetic field integral equation using Born approximation. It appears that there is an advantage to this approach because magnetic fields vary more smoothly than electric fields if the medium is nonmagnetic. We calculated vertical magnetic fields inside and outside a thin sheet conductor. After a few iterations, the magnetic field approaches the known solution inside and outside the thin sheet conductor. The computing time required for the Born approximation solution is very reasonable. This result shows that magnetic field integral equation solution is effective for 3-D EM modeling for practical use.
Experientially Defeasible A Priori Justification

In his recent book Albert Casullo rejects the claim that if a belief is defeasible by non-experiential evidence then it is defeasible by experiential evidence. This claim is a crucial premise in a simple argument for the experiential defeasibility of a priori justification. I defend the premise against Casullo's objection, the main problem with which is that he does not take into account the evidential role of multiple corroborating sources of testimony. I conclude that the crucial premise is true and that the simple argument is sound; thus many of our a priori justified beliefs are experientially defeasible.
Synaptonemal complex extension from clustered telomeres mediates full-length chromosome pairing in Schmidtea mediterranea

In the 1920s, Jozsef Gelei proposed that chromosome pairing in flatworms resulted from the formation of a telomere bouquet followed by the extension of synapsis from telomeres at the base of the bouquet, thus facilitating homolog pairing in a processive manner. A modern interpretation of Gelei’s model postulates that the synaptonemal complex (SC) is nucleated close to the telomeres and then extends progressively along the full length of chromosome arms. We used the easily visible meiotic chromosomes, a well-characterized genome, and RNAi in the sexual biotype of the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea to test that hypothesis. By identifying and characterizing S. mediterranea homologs of genes encoding synaptonemal complex protein 1 (SYCP1), the topoisomerase-like protein SPO11, and RAD51, a key player in homologous recombination, we confirmed that SC formation begins near the telomeres and progresses along chromosome arms during zygotene. Although distal regions pair at the time of bouquet formation, pairing of a unique interstitial locus is not observed until the formation of full-length SC at pachytene. Moreover, neither full extension of the SC nor homologous pairing is dependent on the formation of double-strand breaks. These findings validate Gelei’s speculation that full-length pairing of homologous chromosomes is mediated by the extension of the SC formed near the telomeres. S. mediterranea thus becomes the first organism described (to our knowledge) that forms a canonical telomere bouquet but does not require double-strand breaks for synapsis between homologous chromosomes. However, the initiation of SC formation at the base of the telomere bouquet, which then is followed by full-length homologous pairing in planarian spermatocytes, is not observed in other species and may not be conserved.
Molecular mechanics (MM4) study of saturated four-membered ring hydrocarbons

Abstract The MM4 force field has been extended to include cyclobutane and related molecules. Twenty-two compounds were examined. In addition to the structures, energy barriers, and heat of formation studies, the vibrational spectra of four molecules were examined and compared with the available data. Ab initio and density functional theory calculations were also carried out to help to resolve some experimental ambiguities. In general, the MM4 force field gives better results than did MM3.
Interaction of the small GTPase Rac3 with NRBP, a protein with a kinase-homology domain

The family of Rac small GTPases including Rac1, Rac2 and Rac3 regulate numerous cellular processes. Since the cellular functions of Rac3 have not been defined, constitutively active V12Rac3 was used to identify targets that transduce its signals. We here identify human NRBP as a Rac family-interacting protein. NRBP formed a complex with activated Rac3. NRBP contains a kinase-homology domain and exhibits an associated kinase activity. NRBP represents a novel family of evolutionarily conserved proteins with homologs in C. elegans, D. melanogaster, mouse and human. Overexpression of NRBP in COS-1 cells failed to activate possible downstream targets of Rac3 including the JNK pathway, the p38 pathway or actin cytoskeletal rearrangements. Also, NRBP failed to co-localize with actin-based stress fibers or microspikes, or with the subcortical actin. However, overexpression of NRBP caused a dramatic redistribution of the Golgi-associated marker p58 to more peripheral locations within the cell, consistent with an impairment of the ER to Golgi transport. Immunocytochemistry showed that NRBP and activated Rac3 co-localized to endomembranes and at the cell periphery in lamellipodia. These results suggest that NRBP functions in subcellular trafficking and may be directed to specific subcellular locations through interaction with small GTPases of the Rho family.
The lateral intraparietal area codes the location of saccade targets and not the dimension of the saccades that will be made to acquire them

Activity in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) represents a priority map that can be used to direct attention and guide eye movements. However, it is not known whether this activity represents the location of saccade targets or the actual eye movement made to acquire them. We recorded single neurons from rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) while they performed memory-guided delayed saccades to characterize the response profiles of LIP cells. We then separated the saccade target from the saccade end point by saccadic adaptation, a method that induces a change in the gain of the oculomotor system. We plotted LIP activity for all three epochs of the memory-guided delayed-response task (visual, delay period, and presaccadic responses) as a function of target location and saccade end point. We found that under saccadic adaptation the response profile for all three epochs was unchanged as a function of target location. We conclude that neurons in LIP reliably represent the locations of saccade targets, not the amplitude of the saccade required to acquire those targets. Although LIP transmits target information to the motor system, that information represents the location of the target and not the amplitude of the saccade that the monkey will make.
Potential versus actual faking of a biodata form: An analysis along several dimensions of item type.

Two studies examined faking of a 25-item biodata questionnaire. The first study investigated potential and actual faking of the form using three groups: a group told to make themselves look as good as possible, a group told to complete the form honestly, and a group completing the instrument in a real selection situation. Subjects were 58 current employees and 231 job applicants. Results indicated that subjects could fake the instrument when instructed to do so. Also, some faking appeared to be occurring in practice, although results depended upon the composition of the comparison group. Only eight items appeared to be fakable, and only three of these seemed to be faked in practice. In Study 2, 26 business majors rated the biodata items on eight dimensions of item type. Results showed that the three items faked in practice were less historical, objective, discrete, verifiable, and external than other items, and were more job relevant.
PREY DEFENSE, PREDATOR PREFERENCE, AND NONRANDOM DIET: THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PYCNOPODIA HELIANTHOIDES AND TWO SPECIES OF SEA URCHINS

Interactions between the predatory sea star Pycnopodia helianthoides (Brandt, 1835) and two of its natural prey, the sea urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Stimpson, 1857) and S. franciscanus (Agassiz, 1863), are examined with regard to predator preference, predator diet, and prey defenses. The sea star is able to detect both species of sea urchin upstream in a Y-trough, but does not consistently choose one over the other (i.e., no preference). However, when the sea star is presented with equal numbers of similar-sized specimens of the two species of sea urchin, its diet is markedly nonrandom, since S. purpuratus is eaten almost 98% of the time. The defensive responses of the two species of sea urchin differ in form and effectiveness. S. franciscanus employs its long spines as defensive weapons, pinching the rays of an attacking sea star. This defensive response is more effective than the pedicellarial response used by S. purpuratus. The nonrandom diet of the predator seems to result primarily from prey defensive responses that differ in effectiveness, rather than from an intrinsic, behavioral preference of the predator at an earlier stage in the predator/prey interaction.
Direct method for evaluation of bulk power system reliability Part 1: Theoretical foundation

Abstract The reliability of a bulk power system is defined as the probability of the set of states for which the DC load flow is satisfied with a particular demand and there is no line overload. A direct method to find such a set of working states, which does not require the solution of a load flow, is proposed. The method involves (i) replacing two sets, one defined by the constraints on line flows and the other by the constraints on phase angles, by two families of hyperboxes; and (ii) identifying the states for which there occur points in a pair of hyperboxes, one from each family, that satisfy the flow-angle relations. The theoretical foundation of the method is presented.
Impacts of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) predation on plankton communities

An investigation of the effects of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) predation was conducted in 12 experimental ponds in southern California over a period of 10 months.Gambusia essentially eliminatedDaphnia pulex andCeriodaphnia sp. populations, reducedDiaptomus pallidus andKeratella quadrata populations, had little impact onCyclops vernalis, and caused large increases inK. cochlearis, Polyarthra sp.,Synchaeta sp., andTrichocerca spp. populations and in total phytoplankton.Gambusia caused a decrease in the PIE (probability of interspecific encounter) of the planktonic crustaceans and an increase in the PIE of the planktonic rotifers. Hemiptera, such as neustonicMicrovelia sp. and nektonicBuenoa sp. andNotonecta sp., andHyla regilla tadpoles were absent from fish ponds but sometimes abundant in control ponds.Gambusia caused higher pH and oxygen levels, presumably via its effect on the phytoplankton. The impact ofGambusia on the pond ecosystems was less in winter, when fish numbers and feeding rates were low, than in summer. Results of other fish-plankton studies are summarized in tabular form. A model is proposed to account for variation in the calanoid/cyclopoid ratio; evidence is summarized suggesting that in general calanoids are more susceptible to predation by predaceous zooplankters while cyclopoids are more susceptible to fish predation. Some parallels are drawn between the effects ofGambusia predation and those of insecticide treatments.
Feeding Conjoined Twins With Suspected Milk Protein Allergy

Conjoined twins are very rare and present significant feeding challenges in infancy because of their surgical and medical needs. This case study presents the nutritional history in a short life of ...
Collaborating with Students to Develop an Advertising Campaign

Abstract The Texas A&M University Libraries undertook a collaborative project with the local American Advertising Federation (AAF) undergraduate student chapter to develop a marketing campaign to advertise the availability of 30,000 netLibrary electronic books. The promotional campaign resulted in the creation of approximately 200 new user accounts and 3,800 e-book circulations within the first two weeks. The campaign of screensaver ads and posters that were developed are still in use for ongoing promotion of the netLibrary e-books. The AAF students benefited from having an ad campaign to include in their personal portfolios and the Libraries gained a creative and undergraduate student-focused advertising campaign.
A special linear associative algebra

The following algebra possesses certain points of interest and is, I think, worth putting on record; it includes the algebra of matrices as a special case. Consider the algebra H over a ring F defined by where h pq ( p, q = 1, 2, …., n ) are linearly independent over F . If are any elements of H , then from (1)
Numerical Modeling of Three-Dimensional Flow Field Around Circular Piers

A three-dimensional numerical model \IFLUENT\N is used to simulate the separated turbulent flow around vertical circular piers in clear water. Computations are performed using different turbulence models and results are compared with several sets of experimental data available in the literature. Despite commonly perceived weakness of the \Ik-e\N model in resolving three-dimensional (3D) open channel and geophysical flows, several variants of this turbulence model are found to have performed satisfactorily in reproducing the measured velocity profiles. However, model results obtained using the k- models show some discrepancy with the measured bed shear stress. The Reynolds stress model performed quite well in simulating velocity distribution on flat bed and scour hole as well as shear stress distribution on flat bed around circular piers. The study demonstrates that a robust 3D hydrodynamic model can effectively supplement experimental studies in understanding the complex flow field and the scour initiation process around piers of various size, shape, and dimension.
Magnetic resonance imaging in syringomyelia

Myelography and myelography assisted with computed tomography have been the most commonly used radiographic methods in the study of syringomyelia. These studies have never been entirely reliable in demonstrating the syrinx cavity and its relationship to other intracranial structures. During the 1st year of operation of the magnetic resonance imaging facility, the syringomyelic cavity was demonstrated in 15 patients who all had typical clinical signs and symptoms associated with syringomyelia. Nine cases were syringomyelia with Chiari malformation. One case showed additional hydrocephalus. Four cases were idiopathic, and 1 case was remotely posttraumatic. Magnetic resonance imaging, although it is in its infancy, already promises to be the most important radiographic technique for syringomyelia because it provides an anatomically truthful visualization of the sagittal plane of the cervical cord and can demonstrate the syrinx cavity and its relationship with the cerebellar tonsils, the 4th ventricle, and other related structures.
Pastoral intervention in a temporary burn unit

In February, 1978 a tank car exploded in Waverly, Tennessee. Nine of those severely burned in the fire were brought to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The author describes his role as chaplain as defined by the patients' primary and secondary adaptive behaviors. Integrating this basic data in psychodynamics with his own understanding of ministry, he characterizes his ministry as both clinically and community based.
Reflected optical fourth harmonic generation at crystalline surfaces

Abstract We present a systematic analysis of the intensity anisotropy of fourth harmonic generation (FHG) in reflection from centrosymmetric crystals of classes m 3 m (e.g. diamond structure) and 6/ mmm (e.g. graphite) and non-centrosymmetric crystals of class 43 m (e.g. zincblende structure). Surface dipole FH contributions are analyzed for six symmetry classes (2 mm , 4 mm, 3 m , m , 6 mm, 5-fold) which encompass the (001), (111), and (110) surfaces of the diamond-zincblende crystals, the (001) surface of graphite. and the (00001) surface of an icosahedral quasicrystal.
Expanding the scope of HIV prevention for adolescents: beyond individual-level interventions.

Historically the HIV epidemic has largely been viewed as a function adolescents behavior most notably their risky sexual and drug use behaviors. This individualistic perspective has dominated the field of HIV prevention. Consequently interventions at this level aim to reduce adolescents vulnerability to HIV by enhancing theoretically-important intrapersonal and interpersonal mediators of preventive behavior such as HIV knowledge attitudes beliefs; foster the perception of peer norms as supportive of HIV-preventive practices; promote mastery of risk-reduction skills; and motivate the adoption of preventive practices. Several individual-level interventions have demonstrated evidence of effectiveness in reducing adolescents HIV-associated risk behaviors. (excerpt)
Na,K-ATPase as a Signal Transducer

Recent studies have indicated that Na,K-ATPase may, in addition to being the key regulator of intracellular Na(+) and K(+) concentration, act as a signal transducer. Despite extensive research, the biological role for ouabain, a natural ligand of Na,K-ATPase, is not well understood. We have reported that exposure of rat proximal tubular cells (RPTC) to doses of ouabain that inhibit the Na,K-ATPase activity by less than 50% (10 nM - 500 micro M), will induce intracellular [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations and that this calcium signal leads to activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB. The ouabain-induced calcium oscillations were blocked by an inhibitor of the IP(3) receptors but not by phospholipase C inhibitors nor by cellular depletion of IP(3), suggesting that the calcium signal is not due to phospholipase C-mediated IP(3) release. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies suggested a close proximity between the Na,K-ATPase and IP(3) receptor. Our findings demonstrate a novel principle for calcium signaling via Na,K-ATPase.
Neurochemical changes in the rat brain after intraventricular administration of tryptamine-4,5-dione.

Abstract Tryptamine-4,5-dione (4,5-DKT) a neurotoxic derivative of serotonin (5-HT), was injected into the lateral ventricle of the rat in order to evaluate its biochemical effects. The levels of 8 substances in the hippocampus, striatum and prefrontal cortex were examined 3, 7 and 14 days after treatment with 4,5-DKT. 5-Hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels were decreased in all three regions by days 7 and 14, respectively. Tryptamine-4,5-dione had no significant effect on dopaminergic or adrenergic systems or on the levels of l -tryptophan and l -tyrosine, in any of the three areas of brain examined. Reduced activity of tryptophan hydroxylase in the cortex was observed 14 days after administration of 4,5-DKT. However, administration of 4,5-DKT did not alter the binding of [3H]paroxetine, a specific antagonist of the uptake of 5-HT, to nerve terminals. These results indicate that 4,5-DKT produced depletion of 5-HT without eliminating serotoninergic nerve terminals.
Effects of lithium on the kidney

We tested kidney function in 268 patients given lithium treatment for an average period of 37.6 months and in 59 manic-depressive patients never given lithium. No patients suffered serious renal damage during the course of our observations. Maximum concentration capacity was lower and serum creatinine concentration higher in the lithium treated patients than in the controls, but the differences did not achieve statistical significance. Females had poorer concentrating ability than males, both among the control subjects and during lithium treatment. Concomitant antipsychotic drug therapy may affect concentrating ability and possibly glomerular function adversely.
Reconsidering the Effect of Political Regime Type on Foreign Aid Effectiveness

Existing evidence seems to show that foreign aid from Western governments has been, at best, only conditionally effective at promoting economic growth. Consequently, scholars and policymakers alike...
Predictors of welfare and child outcomes in female-headed households in sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines correlates of household welfare in female-headed households in three countries of sub-Saharan Africa – Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – using data from the 2004 wave of the Afrobarometer survey (n = 3525). More specifically, we assess the role government interventions and informal assistance might play in predicting household welfare. The association between female headship of a household and aspirations for child future outcomes is also examined. Study findings suggest country variations in experiences of welfare and perception of child outcomes. We also note that certain individual and household characteristics are linked to both household welfare and perception of child outcomes. Practice and policy implications are suggested.
A static perimetric technique believed to test receptive field properties: extension and verification of the analysis.

Quantitative perimetric studies of spatial interaction have been extended. These experiments, modeled after a technique described by Westheimer, are believed to reflect retinal receptive field properties. 1. Further studies of pertinent cases have tended to confirm the previously presented analysis. 2. The ‘short-term saturation or visual fatigue-like effect’, which was a concomitant finding in the original study, has been shown to be present in many added optic pathway lesions and has not been found in any retinal disease investigated.
Comparison of umbilical artery pH and 5-minute Apgar score in the low-birth-weight and very-low-birth-weight infant

The division between "normal" and low Apgar scores is based largely on data obtained from term newborns and may not apply to the premature infant. Umbilical artery pH has been suggested as a better indicator of intrapartum asphyxia. We examined the charts of 558 infants with birth weights less than or equal to 2500 gm with respect to umbilical artery pH, 5-minute Apgar scores, and birth weight percentiles. A positive correlation between birth weight and 5-minute Apgar score was noted. No such relationship existed between birth weight and umbilical artery pH. Within birth weight groups, small-for-gestational-age infants have higher Apgar scores and lower umbilical artery pH values than their appropriate-for-gestational age counterparts.
Thyroid Hormone Influences Beta Myosin Heavy Chain (βMHC) Expression

Abstract 3,5,3′-Triiodo-L-thyronine (T 3 ) regulation of β-MHC expression was studied in rat fetal heart cells using deletion mutants of both the rat and human promoter regions fused to a CAT expression vector. T 3 inhibited the expression of human and rat β-MHC constructs with an IC 50 of about 1nM, which was similar to the EC 50 for βMHC-mRNA observed in cardiomyocytes. Deletion analysis of βMHC promoter constructs suggested that a T 3 response element (TRE) is located near the start of transcription. Possibly, T 3 -receptor binding at this site interferes with formation of the transcriptional initiation complex.
Leaf surface and leaf hairs affect length of conidiophores of Erysiphaceae

Conidiophores of powdery mildews were usually longer on the lower than on the upper surfaces of leaves. With Microsphaera alni on Quercus durata, Microsphaera alni on Corylus cornuta californica, a...
Learning to recognize features of valid textual entailments

This paper advocates a new architecture for textual inference in which finding a good alignment is separated from evaluating entailment. Current approaches to semantic inference in question answering and textual entailment have approximated the entailment problem as that of computing the best alignment of the hypothesis to the text, using a locally decomposable matching score. We argue that there are significant weaknesses in this approach, including flawed assumptions of monotonicity and locality. Instead we propose a pipelined approach where alignment is followed by a classification step, in which we extract features representing high-level characteristics of the entailment problem, and pass the resulting feature vector to a statistical classifier trained on development data. We report results on data from the 2005 Pascal RTE Challenge which surpass previously reported results for alignment-based systems.
Why Not Use Contraception? Economics of Fertility Regulation Among Rural Egyptian Women

Abstract Use of contraception by rural Egyptian women who desire no more children is examined within a modified microeconomic framework. Four sets of factors are hypothesized to influence current use of contraception: (1) costs of contraception, ‘(2) factors influencing the slope of the desired family size function, (3) anticipated costs of child rearing and (4) strength of motivation for fertility regulation. Women's education and two measures of psychic costs were found to be important predictors of contraceptive use. Factors affecting the demand for children and thus indirectly influencing the motivation for fertility regulation were also important. Land ownership, cultivating status of the household, and educational expectations for children were significantly related to current use. Strength of motivation, although significant, was less strongly related to use of contraception. The findings suggest women who want no more children, but who are not practicing contraception, are affected by factors infl...
DNA repair and personalized breast cancer therapy

Personalized cancer therapy is likely to be one of the next big advances in our search for a cure for cancer. To be able to treat people in an individualized manner, researchers need to know a great deal about their genetic constitution and the DNA repair status of their tumors. Specific knowledge is required regarding the polymorphisms individuals carry and how these polymorphisms influence responses to therapy. Researchers are actively engaged in biomarker discovery and validation for this purpose. In addition, the design of clinical trials must be reassessed to include new information on biomarkers and drug responses. In this review, we focus on personalized breast cancer therapy. The hypothesis we focus upon in this review is that there is connection between the DNA repair profile of individuals, their breast tumor subtypes, and their responses to cancer therapy. We first briefly review cellular DNA repair pathways that are likely to be impacted by breast cancer therapies. Next, we review the phenotypes of breast tumor subtypes with an emphasis on how a DNA repair deficiency might result in tumorigenesis itself and lead to the chemotherapeutic responses that are observed. Specific examples of breast tumor subtypes and their responses to cancer therapy are given, and we discuss possible DNA repair mechanisms that underlie the responses of tumors to various chemotherapeutic agents. Much is known about breast cancer subtypes and the way each of these subtypes responds to chemotherapy. In addition, we discuss novel design of clinical trials that incorporates rapidly emerging information on biomarkers.
Donor Characteristics and the Dispersion of Foreign Assistance

What motivates states to provide foreign aid? Many, sometimes contradictory, answers have been offered. This study seeks to contribute to the debate in two ways: First, while most studies have sought to explain the amount of aid given, we seek to explain the distribution of that aid. Whether aid is concentrated on a few recipients or dispersed widely among many reflects the policy priorities of the donor. Second, previous studies have rarely employed time series cross-section data. We include data for 17 members of the Development Assistance Committee for 13 years (1983–1995) and employ an ordinary least-squares technique with panel-corrected standard errors. We find that the proportion of parliamentary seats held by left parties is the only variable in our model that provides a statistically significant explanation of the dispersion of development aid.
Life after the cancer strategy: analysis of surgical workload in the general hospital setting

Background The National Cancer Strategy heralded a major reorganisation of the delivery of cancer services in Ireland. As a result of this policy, cancer care was centralised to eight centres. The impact of this strategy on hospitals no longer providing cancer services has not been analysed to date.
Prediction and optimization of the separation of metal cations by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

The migration of metal cations in capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection was investigated. A mathematical model was used to relate the electrophoretic mobility of a metal cation with two background electrolyte factors: the pH and the concentration of a complexing agent. Imidazole, which has an electrophoretic mobility close to those of metal cations, was used as the visualization agent, and 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid (HIBA) was used as the complexing agent. Through computer modeling, the electrophoretic mobilities of fourteen metal cations were predicted on the basis of five initial experiments within the factor space of pH and HIBA concentration. Good agreement was observed between the predicted electrophoretic mobilities and the observed values of the metal cations. Subsequently, the separation of a complex mixture of metal cations was successfully optimized. A complete separation of 14 metal cations including alkali, alkaline earth and transition metal(II) cations was achieved within 4 min. In addition, the effectiveness of other visualization agents and complexing agents for the separation of metal cations was examined.
Amphotericin-B-mediated reactivation of latent HIV-1 infection

To date, attempts to eliminate HIV-1 infection from its latent reservoirs, a prerequisite for the development of a curative treatment strategy for HIV-1 infection, have been unsuccessful. We demonstrate that the FDA approved antifungal agent amphotericin B efficiently reactivates HIV-1 infection in THP89GFP cells, a model of HIV-1 latency in macrophages. Although amphotericin B does not directly reactivate latent HIV-1 infection in T cells (e.g., J89GFP), amphotericin-B-stimulated macrophages (THP89GFP cells or primary macrophages) when cocultured with J89GFP cells can induce HIV-1 reactivation in these cells in trans. Because of the close proximity of antigen presenting macrophages and T cells in the primary lymphoid organs, such interaction between antigen presenting macrophages and T cells are frequent, and it seems reasonable to assume that trans-reactivation strategies hold promise to also reactivate latent HIV-1 infection in vivo.
Supersensitivity of aqueous outflow resistance in rabbits after sympathetic denervation.

THE fall in intra-ocular pressure in patients with glaucoma simplex following topical epinephrine therapy has been noted repeatedly1–3. Recent tonographic analysis related this effect primarily to an increase in the facility of aqueous outflow although initially some small reduction in aqueous secretion may take place4–6. The mechanism by which the change in facility occurs is not known. Since tissues chronically deprived of their effector nerves develop an increased sensitivity to the neurohumoral transmitter, denervation experiments were performed to investigate the specificity of the response of outflow resistance to adrenergic influences.
Effect of electron injection and transport materials on efficiency of deep-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices

Abstract We investigate the performance of FIr6-based deep-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PHOLEDs) with three different electron transport materials, bathocuproine (BCP), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BPhen), and tris[3-(3-pyridyl)mesityl]borane (3TPYMB), and study the effect of doping alkaline metals (Li and Cs) into these charge transport materials. External quantum efficiency (ηEQE) of (20 ± 1)% and peak power efficiency (ηP) of (36 ± 2) lm/W were achieved maintaining Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (x = 0.16, y = 0.28) in p-i-n dual-emissive-layer (D-EML) deep-blue PHOLEDs with 3TPYMB as the electron transport material and 3TPYMB:Cs as the electron injection layer. The high efficiencies are attributed to the high triplet energy of 3TPYMB as well as the increased conductivity of 3TPYMB:Cs.
Bonding Strength and Microstructure of SnAg-Based Solid Liquid Inter-Diffusion Bonds

Solid Liquid Inter-diffusion (SLID) is a new technology used as interconnects in high density and 3 dimensional packages. This manuscript investigates effect of process parameters, pressure, time and temperature on the strength of bonds and microstructure produced using this technology. A full factorial experiment is designed and implemented on the process with these 3 variables at 3 levels using Sn3.5Ag. Bonds’ strength were then measured using a micro-tester and load displacements were monitored. This analysis shows that SLID bonds form at temperatures much higher than melting temperature of the low melting material. It also shows that time is a significant factor. Bonds that are formed under 10 minutes of time do not show a significant amount of intermetallics. Although the elemental percentage of copper is high in the middle of the bond, it does not reach enough to form any of intermetallic compounds of this ternary system. The specimens fabricated under longer time around 1 hour showed a more brittle, intermetallic like behavior.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The l 1 global decay to discrete shocks for scalar monotone schemes

Given a family of discrete shocks φ of a monotone scheme, we prove that the discrete shock profile with rational shock speed η is asymptotically stable with respect to the l1 topology ||.||1: if u0 - φ ∈ l1, then ||un - φnη||1→0 as n→ ∞ under no restriction conditions of the initial data to the interval [inf φ, sup φ]. The asymptotic wave profile is uniquely identified from the above family by a mass parameter.
Interview with Edward Kravitz

Video Link The video component of this article can be found at http://www.jove.com/video/156/
Emil du Bois-Reymond on "The Seat of the Soul"

The German pioneer of electrophysiology, Emil du Bois-Reymond (1818–1896), is generally assumed to have remained silent on the subject of the brain. However, the archive of his papers in Berlin contains manuscript notes to a lecture on “The Seat of the Soul” that he delivered to popular audiences in 1884 and 1885. These notes demonstrate that cerebral localization and brain function in general had been concerns of his for quite some time, and that he did not shy away from these subjects.
Musculus lumbricalis pollicis

In six cases of thumb hypoplasia, a muscle arose from the anomalous flexor pollicis longus tendon in the region of the metacarpophalangeal joint, passed across the narrowed first web space, joined the lumbrical belly of the index, and inserted into the extensor hood of that digit. Traction on the muscle at its origin in the thumb produced extension of the interphalangeal joints of the index finger. Because of its attachments and action, this muscle has been given the name musculus lumbricalis pollicis. Not previously described in this form, the muscle is significant in hypoplasia because its contraction will act to narrow the already deficient first web space. In all instances where it was present, the musculus lumbricalis pollicis was excised.
Use of concurrent processing with the adaptive complex method for global optimization of large dynamic systems

A modified version of the adaptive complex method for global optimization is described that parallelizes a procedure that is computationally serial in nature. The modified method assigns n/sub p/ processors for parallel execution. Simulation tests and an implementation with parallel hardware indicate that speed-up factors with the modified method are nearly linear with n/sub p/ up to about 0.1k where k is the number of vertices in the optimizing complex. Since k increases linearly with problem size, the modified method can significantly reduce computation times for large optimization problems. >
DNA of HeLa Cells during Caffeine-promoted Recovery from X-ray Induced G2 Arrest

SummaryProgression of X-irradiated HeLa cells from G2 arrest through mitosis was promoted by 1 mM caffeine. Caffeine promoted the return from abnormally high levels of radiation-induced immunoreactivity to antinucleoside antibodies, which indicates persistent DNA strand separation, to the low levels normally found in G2. With caffeine, the irradiated cells progressed through mitosis, producing daughter cells with the normal G1 content of DNA. Without caffeine, the DNA content of individual radiation-arrested cells retained G2 values and the abnormally high levels of immunoreactivity to antinucleoside antibodies.
Ominous trends in nature recreation

Conservation science is replete with analyses of threats to biodiversity. The IUCN even has a formal taxonomy of threats to imperiled species that can be used to tally up global inventories of threats across taxa or geographies (1). Habitat loss and habitat degradation are touted as the greatest threats, with global warming now also recognized as a major problem along with species introductions (2). However, in a recent issue of PNAS, Pergams and Zaradic (3) show a trend in human behavior that ultimately may be far more foreboding for the environment than even declining tropical forest cover or increasing greenhouse gas emissions: widespread declines in nature-based recreation.
Variations in Gnai2 and Rgs1 expression affect chemokine receptor signaling and the organization of secondary lymphoid organs

Variations in Gnai2 and Rgs1 expression affect chemokine receptor signaling and the organization of secondary lymphoid organs
A Tutte polynomial for signed graphs

This paper introduces a generalization of the Tutte polynomial [14] that is defined for signed graphs. A signed graph is a graph whose edges are each labelled with a sign (+l or 1). The generalized polynomial will be denoted Q[G] = Q[G](A, B, d). Here G is the signed graph, and the letters A, B, d denote three independent polynomial variables. The polynomial Q[G] can be specialized to the Tutte polynomial, and it satisfies a spanning tree expansion analogous to the spanning tree expansion for the original Tutte polynomial. Planar signed graphs are, by a medial construction, in one-to-one correspondence with diagrams for knots and links. By this correspondence, the polynomial Q[G] specializes to the Kauffman bracket polynomial [5-S] and hence (with a normalization) to the Jones polynomial invariant [3] for knots and links. The Jones polynomial is an important invariant in knot theory. One purpose of this paper is to provide a link between knot theory and graph theory, and to explore a context embracing both subjects. Since the relationship with knots and knot diagrams is the primary motivation for our polynomial, we will explain this connection early in the paper. The first two sections provide graph theoretic and topological background. The reader may wish to begin reading directly in Section 4 and then turn to Section 2 and Section 3 for this background. On the other hand, a direct reading of the sections in order will give an account of the genesis of the polynomial Q[G]. Section 2 discusses chromatic, dichromatic and Tutte polynomials. Section 3 explains the medial graph construction and the relation to the bracket polynomial for unoriented link diagrams. Section 3 also contains a result of independent interest: a reformulation of the definitions of activities in maximal trees (if the graph is disconnected, one should properly refer to maximalforests to denote disjoint collections of trees; we shall speak of trees and ask the reader to read forest for tree when the graphs are disconnected) of a planar graph in terms of properties of Euler trails
Measurement of Thermal Conductivity of Nonwovens Using a Dynamic Method

A nonsteady-state cooling method has been used to measure the thermal diffusivity (α) of nonwovens. The method is relatively simple and requires a minimum of spe cialized equipment. The calculation...
Digital gain-scheduled control of a high frequency parallel resonant DC-DC converter

The nonresonant-coupled parallel resonant converter is discussed and a reference classical analog controller is designed and simulated. Based on the strong relationship observed between low-frequency converter gain and operating point, a band-limited gain-scheduled digital controller is proposed, designed, and simulated, showing 5:1 improved worst-case control bandwidth as compared with the analog controller. A prototype is designed and built which experimentally validates the simulation results with good correlation. The effect of digital modulator resolution is discussed.
UDP network communications for distributed wireless control

The closed-loop control of distributed systems via wireless communication offers many promising applications. Some research has been undertaken in the use of Bluetooth networks for wireless control, resulting in successful stabilization of an unstable plant with a network controller. Wired ethernet networks using the user datagram protocol (UDP) have also been investigated for real-time performance in control, and UDP communications were found to be suitable for this task. In the present study, we make use of wireless UDP communications in peer-to-peer network control loop, which are found to allow for higher sampling rates and better communication range than that achieved with Bluetooth wireless control loops. A simple timing scheme that does not require clock synchronization is used in this control loop as well. Stabilization of an unstable plant has been achieved, and sampling rates up to 250 Hz have been reached with little network data loss. A systematic study of the interplay between range, data loss, sampling rate and performance has also been carried out. Finally, we address the problem of data loss by looking at sampling rate variation, a strategy that improves performance and reliability in the presence of adverse network conditions.
Functionalized Cross‐Linked Copolymers: A “C2‐Symmetric” Solid‐Phase Catalyst for Enantioselective Reactions

Similar enantiomeric excesses as for analogous monomeric sulfonamides are provided by the chiral resin 1 (connections to the polymer are shown as circles) when it is used as catalyst for the reductive alkylation of aromatic aldehydes and for the cyclopropanation of cinnamyl alcohol.
Cost-Conscious Cleaning of Massive RFID Data Sets

Efficient and accurate data cleaning is an essential task for the successful deployment of RFID systems. Although important advances have been made in tag detection rates, it is still common to see a large number of lost readings due to radio frequency (RF) interference and tag-reader configurations. Existing cleaning techniques have focused on the development of accurate methods that work well under a wide set of conditions, but have disregarded the very high cost of cleaning in a real application that may have thousands of readers and millions of tags. In this paper, we propose a cleaning framework that takes an RFID data set and a collection of cleaning methods, with associated costs, and induces a cleaning plan that optimizes the overall accuracy-adjusted cleaning costs by determining the conditions under which inexpensive methods are appropriate, and those under which more expensive methods are absolutely necessary.
Pathway analysis of kidney cancer using proteomics and metabolic profiling

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the sixth leading cause of cancer death and is responsible for 11,000 deaths per year in the US. Approximately one-third of patients present with disease which is already metastatic and for which there is currently no adequate treatment, and no biofluid screening tests exist for RCC. In this study, we have undertaken a comprehensive proteomic analysis and subsequently a pathway and network approach to identify biological processes involved in clear cell RCC (ccRCC). We have used these data to investigate urinary markers of RCC which could be applied to high-risk patients, or to those being followed for recurrence, for early diagnosis and treatment, thereby substantially reducing mortality of this disease. Using 2-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometric analysis, we identified 31 proteins which were differentially expressed with a high degree of significance in ccRCC as compared to adjacent non-malignant tissue, and we confirmed some of these by immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, and comparison to published transcriptomic data. When evaluated by several pathway and biological process analysis programs, these proteins are demonstrated to be involved with a high degree of confidence (p values < 2.0 E-05) in glycolysis, propanoate metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, urea cycle and arginine/proline metabolism, as well as in the non-metabolic p53 and FAS pathways. In a pilot study using random urine samples from both ccRCC and control patients, we performed metabolic profiling and found that only sorbitol, a component of an alternative glycolysis pathway, is significantly elevated at 5.4-fold in RCC patients as compared to controls. Extensive pathway and network analysis allowed for the discovery of highly significant pathways from a set of clear cell RCC samples. Knowledge of activation of these processes will lead to novel assays identifying their proteomic and/or metabolomic signatures in biofluids of patient at high risk for this disease; we provide pilot data for such a urinary bioassay. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the knowledge of networks, processes, and pathways altered in kidney cancer may be used to influence the choice of optimal therapy.
Myocardial infarction in sickle cell anemia

A review of the electrocardiograms (ECG) of 108 patients with sickle cell anemia found only 3 with patterns consistent with myocardial infarction. Two of the 3 patients with ECG infarct patterns had postmortem examination confirmation of the infarction. These two patients had no significant coronary atherosclerosis nor did the other six autopsied patients in the present series. Literature reports of postmortem examinations on patients with sickle cell anemia confirm the scarcity of coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction in these patients. Forty of the 108 ECGs showed signs of left ventricular hypertrophy and 20 others had nondiagnostic ST and T wave abnormalities. Nine showed first degree AV block and four right bundle branch block.