cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cerebrovascular consequences of hypertension. Therapeutic implications.

Abstract The cerebral arterioles, although essentially independent of neurogenic control, nevertheless respond by variation in caliber to various biochemical and pharmacologic influences. These autoregulatory mechanisms function in both normotensive and hypertensive subjects to maintain the adequacy of the cerebral circulation. The influence of alterations of diastolic pressure, carbon dioxide tension, and the effect of various pharmacologic agents on cerebral hemodynamics have been discussed. The pathologic implications of prolonged diastolic hypertension on aortocranial and intracranial vessels have been reviewed.
Regulation of the metastasis of murine ocular melanoma by natural killer cells.

In the current study we examine parameters affecting the metastasis of ocular tumors of in vivo derived B16F10 melanoma. In C57BL/6J beige (bg/bg) mice, with low NK activity, metastasis to the lungs was increased and survival time decreased. In C57BL/6J normal (+/+ ) mice treatment with PK136, a highly specific monoclonal anti-NK antibody (Ab), caused a depletion of NK cytotoxic activity, as demonstrated using a standard 51 Cr release assay. In animals bearing ocular tumors, treatment with PK136 Ab resulted in significantly increased pulmonary metastasis and an altered pattern of metastasis. The effect of combined treatment protocols using LS2616 (Linomide) and cyclophosphamide (Cy) was examined in enucleated and unenucleated animals. Treatment with LS2616 and Cy resulted in a significant decrease in mean pulmonary metastases (MPM), a decreased frequency of metastasis to the submandibular lymph nodes and an increase in mean survival time. In enucleated mice this combined treatment protocol resulted in apparent cures, the lowest MPM and the longest survival time observed. When tumor-bearing mice were treated with either silica, carrageenan or sublethal gamma irradiation, no effect on metastasis or survival was observed. This study demonstrates the importance of the NK cell as a primary effector cell for the control of metastasis from in vivo derived ocular B16F10 melanoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 30:1909-1915,1989
Family Ratings of Communication Largely Reflect Expressive Language and Conversation-Level Ability in People With Aphasia

Purpose Family ratings of communication and social interactions represent an important source of information about people with aphasia. Because of the reliance on family/partner ratings as an outcome measure in many aphasia treatment studies and in the clinic, there is a great need for the validation of commonly used family/partner rating measures, and a better understanding of predictors of family ratings of communication. Method The communication ability of 130 individuals with aphasia due to neurologic illness was rated by family members/partners on the Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI; Lomas et al., 1989). Information on aphasia severity, mood, quality of life, nonverbal cognitive functioning, and various demographic factors was collected. Results Principal component analysis confirmed a 2-factor model best represents the relationships among CETI rating items, and this model largely consists of a conversation-level ability factor. Family ratings were largely predicted by the patient's expressiv...
Knowledge-based integrative framework for hypothesis formation in biochemical networks

The current knowledge about biochemical networks is largely incomplete. Thus biologists constantly need to revise or extend existing knowledge. These revision or extension are first formulated as theoretical hypotheses, then verified experimentally. Recently, biological data have been produced in great volumes and in diverse formats. It is a major challenge for biologists to process these data to reason about hypotheses. Many computer-aided systems have been developed to assist biologists in undertaking this challenge. The majority of the systems help in finding “pattern” in data and leave the reasoning to biologists. Few systems have tried to automate the reasoning process of hypothesis formation. These systems generate hypotheses from a knowledge base and given observations. A main drawback of these knowledge-based systems is the knowledge representation formalism they use. These formalisms are mostly monotonic and are now known to be not quite suitable for knowledge representation, especially in dealing with incomplete knowledge, which is often the case with respect to biochemical networks. We present a knowledge based framework for the general problem of hypothesis formation. The framework has been implemented by extending BioSigNet-RR. BioSigNet-RR is a knowledge based system that supports elaboration tolerant representation and non-monotonic reasoning. The main features of the extended system include: (1) seamless integration of hypothesis formation with knowledge representation and reasoning; (2) use of various resources of biological data as well as human expertise to intelligently generate hypotheses. The extended system can be considered as a prototype of an intelligent research assistant of molecular biologists. The system is available at http://www.biosignet.org.
Use of Drugs in Uremia and Dialysis

A host of drugs are eliminated by the kidney and thereby require dose adjustment in patients with renal insufficiency (1–5). In addition, some drugs that are not themselves dependent upon the kidney for excretion are converted in the liver to active metabolites, which accumulate in patients with diminished renal function (6–7). Examples include N-acetylprocainamide and normeperidine, the metabolites of procainamide and meperidine, respectively, which can accumulate in toxic concentrations in patients with renal insufficiency. To avoid toxicity from either parent drug or active metabolites, the doses of many drugs must be adjusted downward in patients with decreased renal function. The precision required in this dose adjustment is not always great and depends upon the therapeutic index of individual drugs. For example, penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics have wide margins of safety.
Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Male Infertility

Oxygen toxicity is an inherent challenge to aerobic life, including spermatozoa, the cells responsible for propagation of the species. How this toxicity affects the spermatozoan in its interactions with the ovum is still unknown. An increase in oxidative damage to sperm membranes, proteins, and DNA is associated with alterations in signal transduction mechanisms that affect fertility. Recent evidence suggests that spermatozoa and oocytes possess an inherent but limited capacity to generate ROS to aid in the fertilization process. Though a variety of defense mechanisms encompassing antioxidant enzymes (SOD, catalase, and GSH peroxidase and reductase), vitamins (E, C, and carotenoids), and biomolecules (GSH and ubiquinol) are available, a balance of the benefits and risks from ROS and antioxidants appears to be necessary for the survival and functioning of spermatozoa. An assay system for the evaluation of OSS needs to be developed. Such an assay will assist the clinician in the assessment of fertility status of both male and female partners. The determination of this OSS value will also theoretically identify the subgroups of responders and nonresponders to any putative antioxidant therapy. Though the therapeutic use of antioxidants appears attractive, clinicians need to be aware of exaggerated claims of antioxidant benefits by various commercial supplements for fertility purposes until proper multicenter clinical trial have been completed.
Natural Training Wheels: Learning and Transfer Between Two Versions of a Computer Application

Users of personal computers must deal with frequent major upgrades of software packages. Major upgrades typically provide increased functionality without changing the conceptual framework of the program, but they may force the user to learn how to use new menus, dialog boxes, and other controls. We suggest that early versions of a program provide a natural training wheels environment, in which novice users can learn a program's basic operation while avoiding potential confusion caused by advanced features. Experiments with two versions of a graphing program confirm this hypothesis, with some restrictions.
Intestinal microflora in the guinea pig as observed by scanning electron microscopy. Effect of fibrous dietary supplements

The gastrointestinal ecosystems of weanling guinea pigs fed a purified diet with and without supplements of cabbage, alfalfa and holocellulose were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The diets, which were based on soybean protein, sucrose and wood cellulose, were fed for 28 days and the mucosa and associated microbes were fixed in situ. Bacteria, rods and cocci being the predominant morphological types, were commonly observed on the epithelial surface of the jejunum and ileum and much less frequently in the duodenum. In the cecum, fusiform- and spiral-shaped organisms were the most common types. The fusiforms, which produced unique indentations in the intestinal mucosa, were found in the intestines of the cabbage and alfalfa-supplemented guinea pigs but not in those fed the basal diet. There was considerably less mucus on the intestinal epithelium when the cabbage supplement was supplied. Whether promotion of the fusiform population or elimination of the mucus secretion are causally related to the growth stimulating properties of the supplements is not clear, but the results suggest a relationship.
Isolation and ultrastructure of human synaptic complexes.

Intact synaptic complexes were isolated from five human cerebral cortices obtained 4–20 hr after death. Synaptic complexes had a common isopycnic banding density of 1.17–1.20 in CsCl. Their banding densities and ultrastructural features were similar to those of complexes isolated from a variety of other mammalian species. The ultrastructure of the synaptic complexes isolated from different aged subjects (2, 3, 28, 76, and 78 years old) were similar.
Qualitative differences among sweeteners

Abstract Seventeen sweeteners varying widely in chemical structure were arranged in a three-dimensional space by two multidimensional scaling procedures, INDSCAL and ALSCAL. Fructose, glucose, sorbose, xylitol and xylose tended to fall near one another. Two sweeteners with a syrupy component, maltose and sorbitol, fell further away. Ca cyclamate and the dipeptide aspartame were the two artificial sweeteners which fell closest to and thus tasted most like the sugars. The proteins monellin and thaumatin, as well as the chalcone glycoside, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, all have long aftertastes and thus tended to fall proximate to one another. Stimuli with the highest metallic and bitter ratings (acetosulfam, sodium saccharin, rebaudioside and stevioside) tended to fall near one another with the amino acid d-tryptophan located a little farther away. Adjective scales were related to the spatial arrangement. Wide variability in the patterns of intensity ratings over subjects suggests that the sweet taste may be mediated by several peripheral receptor mechanisms.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-associated toxicity of the liver, lower gastrointestinal tract, and esophagus

Although upper gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events are the most common consequences of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, there are other GI side effects that can contribute to the morbidity and mortality associated with these drugs. NSAID-associated toxicity of the large and small bowel is increasingly recognized in clinical practice, as enteroscopic procedures become more frequently used. This lower GI toxicity may have several different manifestations: ulcerations, strictures, colitis, or exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease. Hepatic injury, most likely due to an idiosyncratic reaction resulting from an immunologic response or altered metabolic pathways, is another sequela of NSAID use that is usually reversible. Although hepatotoxicity is listed as a class warning for NSAIDs, aspirin, diclofenac, and sulindac are most commonly associated with this problem. Surveillance for hepatic injury is not always reliable, and the low frequency of both hepatic and lower GI toxicity in NSAID users renders these events difficult to characterize. An increase in awareness, surveillance, and reporting of these events can lead to a better understanding of the risk factors and etiology associated with NSAID toxicity.
Reference Resolution Supporting Lexical Disambiguation

This paper describes ongoing work in carrying out the semantic analysis of texts and reference resolution in a control structure that permits each process to inform the other, rather than in a more traditional, unidirectional fashion (semantics followed by reference resolution). We concentrate on situations in which a polysemous predicate cannot be lexically disambiguated until the meaning of one of its arguments has been specified, and that can only be accomplished with the help of reference resolution procedures. As a sidebar, we briefly introduce our “feature value bundling” approach to configuring reference resolution engines without the need for large annotated corpora.
Improving Competitive Status of Oak Regeneration Using Stand Management and Prescribed Fires

The effect of prescribed fire characteristics and timber harvest treatments on top-kill and resprouting in northeastern deciduous hardwood forests was compared among species groups (oak, maple, birch) and size classes to determine if the competitive status of oak regeneration could be enhanced. Prescribed fires were completed in three distinct stand structures (treatments): recent shelterwoods, recent clear-cuts, and stands with significant mountain laurel understories. In each burn, fire behavior was monitored on three to eight plots (15 m × 15 m) using thermocouples arrays. All stems ≥ 140 cm tall within each plot or ≥ 6 cm dbh within 15 m of plot centers were examined for girdling and the number and height of new sprouts during the second growing season after the fire. Top-kill did not vary among species groups and could be described by a logistic function that included treatment, initial stem size, and maximum temperature. Apparent top-kill increased with thermocouple maximum temperature, decreased wi...
A Psychophysiological Assessment of Elite Wrestlers

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to replicate the use of a psychophysiological model in the assessment of variables that influence elite wrestling success. The subjects were 15 males participating in the 1979 United States Junior World Wrestling Camp. Athletic performance in the camp determined whether a wrestler qualified or did not qualify for the touring United States team. Several psychological tests were administered to subjects over a three-day interval. Subjects were also evaluated on anthropometric and physiological variables. Descriptive data analysis indicated that physiologically the average qualifier was: marginally lower in grip strength, lower in relative dynamic anaerobic muscular endurance, more aerobically fit, and slightly higher in percentage of body fat as compared to the average nonqualifier. Psychologically, the average qualifier was higher in state anxiety and tension but less depressed, angry, vigorous, fatigued, and confused than the nonqualifiers. Multivariate analys...
Subgenual anterior cingulate cortex activity covariation with cardiac vagal control is altered in depression.

Background We tested the hypothesis that subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) participates in concurrently regulating shifts in both affective state and cardiac vagal control. Methods Eleven healthy adults and 8 depressed subjects performed the Emotional Counting Stroop task in alternating 15-second blocks of emotion words and neutral words while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electrocardiography (ECG). We measured the absolute value of change between adjacent 15-second blocks in both cardiac vagal control and the BOLD signal in specific regions of interest. Results Strong positive correlations were observed in healthy control participants between changes in cardiac vagal control and changes in BOLD signal intensity in sgACC (BA25) (right: r=.67, p<.02; left r=.69, p<.02), as well as other key structures in the medial visceromotor network. Depressed subjects showed no significant correlations between cardiac vagal control and BOLD signal intensity within BA25 or any other brain region examined. During the transition from depression-specific emotion blocks to neutral blocks, the correlation between BOLD signal change in BA25 and cardiac vagal control change was significantly greater in controls than in depressed subjects (p<.04). Conclusions Findings in healthy volunteers suggest that sgACC participates in affective state shifting. The latter function appears to be altered in depressed individuals, and may have implications for the unvarying mood and vagal dysfunction associated with depression. Limitations Limitations include a small sample size, an inability to disentangle afferent versus efferent contributions to the results, and the lack of a whole-brain analysis.
Unsteady Calibration of Fast-Response Pressure Probes, Part 2: Water-Tunnel Experiments

This part of our work presents the development of a water-tunnel setup to experimentally determine the instantaneous pressure distribution over a sphere in unsteady flow, the unsteady pressure coefficient, and to provide validation of the unsteady probe calibration techniques discussed in Part 1. To generate an unsteady flowfield with significant inertial effects, a water-tunnel setup was developed where flow unsteadiness was generated by oscillating a spherical probe with a diameter of 50.8 mm at frequencies up to 4 Hz. The steady and unsteady pressure coefficients were experimentally determined
Wavefront sensor-driven variable-geometry pupil for ground-based aperture synthesis imaging

I describe a variable-geometry pupil (VGP) to increase image resolution for ground-based near-IR and optical imaging. In this scheme, a curvature-type wavefront sensor provides an estimate of the wavefront curvature to the controller of a high-resolution spatial light modulator (SLM) or micro- electromechanical (MEM) mirror, positioned at an image of the telescope pupil. This optical element, the VGP, passes or reflects the incident beam only where the wavefront phase is sufficiently smooth, viz., where the curvature is sufficiently low. Using a computer simulation, I show the VGP can sharpen and smooth the long-exposure PSF and increase the OTF SNR for tilt-only and low-order AO systems, allowing higher resolution and more stable deconvolution with dimmer AO guidestars.
Chemical genetics and drug screening in Drosophila cancer models

Drug candidates often fail in preclinical and clinical testing because of reasons of efficacy and/or safety. It would be time- and cost-efficient to have screening models that reduce the rate of such false positive candidates that appear promising at first but fail later. In this regard, it would be particularly useful to have a rapid and inexpensive whole animal model that can pre-select hits from high-throughput screens but before testing in costly rodent assays. Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a potential whole animal model for drug screening. Of particular interest have been drugs that must act in the context of multi-cellularity such as those for neurological disorders and cancer. A recent review provides a comprehensive summary of drug screening in Drosophila, but with an emphasis on neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review Drosophila screens in the literature aimed at cancer therapeutics.
Challenges in Modeling Biological Invasions and Population Distributions in a Changing Climate

Abstract Biological invasions and climate change represent important environmental challenges. Climate change makes understanding and predicting biological invasions more difficult because of the changes it can produce in the abiotic environment and species interactions experienced by an invading population. Trying to understand biological invasions in the face of climate change by means of mathematical models raises many challenges in both modeling and analysis. This article will describe some recent work that may be relevant to understanding invasions in a changing world, and points out some specific mathematical challenges that arise in that modeling context.
Neuronal Hyperactivity Recruits Microglial Processes via Neuronal NMDA Receptors and Microglial P2Y12 Receptors after Status Epilepticus

Microglia are highly dynamic immune cells of the CNS and their dynamism is proposed to be regulated by neuronal activities. However, the mechanisms underlying neuronal regulation of microglial dynamism have not been determined. Here, we found an increased number of microglial primary processes in the hippocampus during KA-induced seizure activity. Consistently, global glutamate induced robust microglial process extension toward neurons in both brain slices and in the intact brain in vivo. The mechanism of the glutamate-induced microglial process extension involves the activation of neuronal NMDA receptors, calcium influx, subsequent ATP release, and microglial response through P2Y12 receptors. Seizure-induced increases in microglial process numbers were also dependent on NMDA receptor activation. Finally, we found that P2Y12 KO mice exhibited reduced seizure-induced increases in microglial process numbers and worsened KA-induced seizure behaviors. Our results elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying microglia–neuron communication that may be potentially neuroprotective in the epileptic brain.
Student health services: a case of employee fraud

Abstract The indicators of employee fraud often are not recognized by auditors or their clients until after financial losses have been incurred. Employee fraud costs society hundreds of billions of dollars every year [The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. (2002). Report to the nation on occupational fraud and abuse. Austin: ACFE], and as such, it is increasingly important for auditors and accountants to have fraud prevention and detection skills. This nonfictional case of employee fraud in a university setting is designed to expose students to several different fraud issues. Topics covered in this case include: an explanation of why people commit fraud; the profile of the typical fraud perpetrator; recognizing red flags that may indicate the presence of fraud; the importance of a strong system of internal controls in preventing and detecting fraud; and audit procedures that may help to detect a skimming scheme. This case is appropriate for use in a first auditing course or a fraud examination course.
The regolith at the Apollo 15 site and its stratigraphic implications

Abstract Regolith samples from the Apollo 15 landing site are described in terms of two major fractions, a homogeneous glass fraction and a non-homogeneous glass fraction. The proportions of different components in the homogeneous glass fraction were determined directly by chemical analyses of individual particles. They are mainly green glass, a mare-like glass, and different types of Fra Mauro and Highland type glasses. The proportions of various components in the remainder of each of the soils were determined indirectly by finding the mix of components that best fits their bulk compositions. The mixing model suggests that the Apennine Front consists mainly of rocks of low-K Fra Mauro basalt composition. These may overlie rocks with the composition of anorthositic gabbro. Green glass, which occurs widely throughout the site is believed to be derived from a green glass layer which darkens upland surfaces and lies beneath the local mare surface.
Seawater desalination and reverse osmosis plant design

Abstract Plant site, water intake, pretreatment, choice of materials of construction, design alternatives and energy recovery are important variables to be considered in the design of seawater desalination plants employing “permasep” B-10 reverse osmosis modules. Techniques are outlined to permit custom design of seawater desalination plants which offer reliable long term performance as well as competitive economics.
Regional thallium uptake in irreversible defects. Magnitude of change in thallium activity after reinjection distinguishes viable from nonviable myocardium.

BACKGROUNDThallium reinjection immediately after stress-redistribution imaging identifies ischemic but viable myocardium in as many as 50% of the regions characterized by conventional redistribution imaging as irreversibly injured. However, we have previously shown that some regions in which irreversible defects persist despite reinjection are metabolically active, and hence viable, by positron emission tomography. In the current study, we determined whether the severity of reduction in thallium activity within irreversible defects on redistribution images and the magnitude of change in regional thallium activity after reinjection can further discriminate viable from nonviable myocardium in such defects.METHODS AND RESULTSWe studied 150 patients with coronary artery disease by exercise thallium tomography using the rest-reinjection protocol. The three sets of images (stress, redistribution, and reinjection) were then analyzed quantitatively. The increase in regional thallium activity from redistribution t...
A proof of Schafer's conjecture for infinite-dimensional forms admitting composition

is necessarily a separable finite-dimensional alternative algebra, and that Q is a product of irreducible factors of the generic norm. In [Z2] he showed such an algebra is necessarily alternative, is separable when finite-dimensional, and in this case (using results of Professor N. Jacobson [4]) that Q is a product of irreducible factors of the generic norm, so the problem reduced to proving finite-dimensionality. This was a classical result if Q was of degree 2; such an algebra was a composition algebra, and these could be explicitly constructed [2] and shown to have dimension 1,2,4, or 8. There is little hope of generalizing this method to Q of arbitrary degree, since it would involve an algorithm for constructing all separable alternative algebras. Schafer’s approach was more akin to Professor I. Kaplansky’s original proof [6] of the degree 2 case. Kaplansky linearized the basic identity to show first that the algebra was alternative, next that it was algebraic, and finally that it was semisimple. At this juncture results on alternative rings were invoked to conclude that the algebra was finite-dimensional. In this paper we will apply a similar procedure to normed algebras [S]. Replacing linearization techniques by differential operators, we will show first that such an algebra is a noncommutative Jordan algebra (Lemma l), next that it is algebraic (Lemma 2), and finally (Theorem 1) that is a direct sum of a finite number of simple ideals which are either
Homopolymer and small-molecule tracer diffusion in a gyroid matrix

Forced Rayleigh scattering was used to measure the tracer diffusion coefficients of the photochromic dye tetrathioindigo (TTI) and a 1,4-polyisoprene (PI) homopolymer (8000 g/mol) in a poly(styrene-b-isoprene) (SI) diblock copolymer matrix that formed a bicontinuous gyroid microstructure. The diblock copolymer contained 63% polystyrene (PS) by volume and had a total molecular weight of 21,300 g/mol. Rheology and small-angle X-ray scattering confirmed that the diblock copolymer microphase-separated into the bicontinuous gyroid over the temperature range 60–230 °C, where the sample disordered. For both the TTI and PI tracers, two distinct modes of transport were observed. The faster mode displayed a temperature dependence consistent with diffusion within a PI matrix, whereas the slower mode had a temperature dependence more similar to diffusion within PS. The fast diffusivities were both over an order of magnitude lower than in a corresponding PI homopolymer matrix. For TTI, this was attributed to the preferential selectivity of the dye for PS and, therefore, an averaging of the mobility between the PS and PI domains. The slow mode was consistent with a small fraction of the TTI dye molecules becoming trapped within the much slower PS domains. For the PI tracer, the reduction in the diffusion coefficient for the fast mode was attributed to a combination of the tortuosity of the struts, the suppression of constraint release within the diblock matrix, and additional friction due to the presence of some styrene segments within the PI domains. The inevitable presence of grain boundaries or defects within the matrix interrupted the percolation of the PI struts, thereby forcing some of the PI tracers to diffuse through PS. Consequently, the slow mode was attributed to the diffusion through these defects, where the PI diffusion was retarded by both the increased segmental friction and the thermodynamic barrier to entering the PS domains. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 843–859, 2001
Multiple coarse grid acceleration for multiscale multigrid computation

The multiscale multigrid method uses an iterative refinement procedure with the Richardson extrapolation technique to obtain a higher order solution. The computational cost for the iterative refinement procedure may be significant for some ill conditioned coefficient matrices. In this paper, we proposed an alternative strategy using multiple coarse grids to eliminate the iterative refinement procedure, and thus accelerate the multiscale multigrid computation. Numerical investigations show that our multiple coarse grid computing strategy is more efficient and scalable than the iterative refinement procedure. The multiscale multigrid method with multiple coarse grid strategy is used to solve two dimensional (2D) Poisson equation and convection diffusion equation, but the idea can be used to solve other partial differential equations.
On a robust control system design for an electric power assist steering system

This paper presents the application of an active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC) to an electrical power assist steering system (EPAS) in automobiles. The control objective is to reduce the steering torque exerted by a driver so as to achieve good steering feel in the presences of external disturbances and system uncertainties. With the proposed ADRC, the driver can turn the steering wheel with the desired steering torque which is independent of load torques that tend to vary depending on driving conditions. The ADRC is constructed on a column-type EPAS model. The computer simulation and frequency-domain analyses verified the robustness and stability of the ADRC controlled system.
EFFECT OF PH ON THE GROWTH OF Clostridium botulinum IN CANNED FIGS

Fresh figs were pureed, the puree mixed with one of three syrup variables (water, light or heavy syrup), the pH adjusted at 0.1 pH intervals from 4.6 to 5.4, and the tubes inoculated with a composite of 5 type A and 5 type B. C. botulinum spores at 2 inoculum levels (102 or 106 spores/tube). Anaerobic incubation was at 30°C for almost 1 yr. The results of our experiments show that maintenance of pH 4.9 or below in this product will prevent the outgrowth of C. botulinum spores. An inoculated pack utilizing commercial procedures confirmed these results.
EASY ML ESTIMATION OF NORMAL AND WEIBULL METRICS

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] The (log-) Normal and Weibull are the most commonly used distribution models among reliability practitioners. The complexities linked to the development of the maximum likelihood (ML) point and interval..
Coulombic and hydrophobic interactions in the first intracellular loop are vital for bradykinin B2 receptor ligand binding and consequent signal transduction.

The role of the first intracellular loop (IC1) in the function of the rat bradykinin B2 receptor (BKB2R) was probed. On the basis of the bovine rhodopsin X-ray structure, the BKB2R IC1 consists of six residues: 6 0 HKTNCT. Exchange of this sequence with the bradykinin Bl receptor IC1 (PRRQLN) resulted in a chimera which bound bradykinin and signaled as wild-type (WT) BKB2R. In contrast, a chimera containing the IC1 of rat angiotensin II type Ia receptor (ATlaR) (YMKLKT) did not bind BK nor signal in response to BK at a concentration as high as 5 μM. ELISA illustrated that this receptor was still processed and inserted into the plasma membrane. Employing portions of the IC1, we observed that 6 0 HKT of BKB2R could be exchanged as a group with either the BKB1R (PRR) or ATlaR (YMK) with no change in receptor binding or signaling activities. When only the YM of ATlaR replaced the HK of BKB2R, leaving the N-terminal portion of IC1 without a positively charged residue, binding and signaling were reduced by more than 70%. When only N63 was replaced with the corresponding leucine of ATlaR, binding and signaling were ablated. In fact, replacement of the entire IC1 with the ATlaR except for N63 resulted in binding and signaling as WT BKB2R. However, N63 could be replaced by glutamine (in BKB1R) or aspartate and continued to function as WT BKB2R. NMR data indicated that the BKB2R IC1 extends beyond the bovine rhodopsin prototype to include HKTNCTVAEI. When E68 was exchanged with a serine (in ATlaR), ligand binding decreased by 60% and PI turnover decreased by 69%. Molecular modeling points to a strict requirement for a hydrophilic residue at position 63 (N) at the middle of the IC1 and a Coulombic charge interaction between the positive charges (H60 and K61) at the N-terminus and a negative charge (E68) at the C-terminus of the IC1.
The role of the circadian clock in animal models of mood disorders

An association between circadian clock function and mood regulation is well established and has been proposed as a factor in the development of mood disorders. Patients with depression or mania suffer disturbed sleep-wake cycles and altered rhythms in daily activities. Environmentally disrupted circadian rhythms increase the risk of mood disorders in the general population. However, proof that a disturbance of circadian rhythms is causally involved in the development of psychiatric disorders remains elusive. Using clock gene mutants, manipulations of sleep-wake and light-dark cycles, and brain lesions affecting clock function, animal models have been developed to investigate whether circadian rhythm disruptions alter mood. In this review, selected animal models are examined to address the issue of causality between circadian rhythms and affective behavior.
Women’s Leadership Development Program

(2010). Women’s Leadership Development Program. NASPA Journal About Women in Higher Education: Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 270-271.
How many vectors generate maximal cyclic subspaces

For a dxd matrix over a finite field with q elements, the portion of d-tuples generating maximal cyclic subspaces is at least e^-^2log(q)/[log(q)+log(d)], and there are examples of that order of magnitude.
Mammalian lung development: Interactions in primordium formation and bronchial morphogenesis†

The manner in which mouse lung primordia form has been analyzed by observation of trypsin-isolated gut endoderm from nine-day embryos. The tissue interactions involved in initial formation of lung primordia and those involved in subsequent morphogenesis of the primordia have been investigated by various organ culture procedures. Mouse lungs form in a manner different from that generally described for amniote embryos. Thus, two lung buds appear first and form the primary bronchi, whereas the trachea appears secondarily. The initial lung buds form at the 25–27 somite stage. Whole-guts from embryos as young as the two-somite stage form lung buds in culture. Such buds do not undergo branching morphogenesis if the guts are taken from embryos younger than the 25-somite stage, but undergo characteristic dichotomous branching if combined with older bronchial mesoderm. If 20–25 somite-stage endoderm is isolated and cultured in direct combination with gut, older salivary or older bronchial mesoderms, lung buds form. However, such buds only branch in combinations containing bronchial mesoderm. Our results reveal two levels of mesodermal control of lung development. Interactions between nonspecific mesoderm and gut endoderm result in lung bud formation, while those between specific bronchial mesoderm and bud endoderm are required for branching morphogenesis.
Subcortical crossed axonal projections to the caudate nucleus of the cat: A double-labelling study

The anatomical organization of the interhemispheric projections of subcortical caudate nucleus (Cd) input neurons in the cat was assessed by the retrograde axonal transport of multiple marker substances. These double-labelling methods indicated the existence of two types of subcortical afferents to the Cd. (1) Uncrossed projections terminating in the ipsilateral Cd (but not the contralateral Cd) originated from the globus pallidus, thalamus, substantia nigra and midbrain raphe nuclei. The uncrossed axons provided the vast bulk of the subcortical Cd inputs. (2) Crossed projections terminating in the contralateral Cd (but not the ipsilateral Cd) originated from the substantia nigra and raphe nuclei. The crossed projections from the midbrain provided a very small Cd input compared to the crossed and divergent corticocaudate projections. Therefore, interhemispheric connections of the Cds may be subserved primarily by arrangement of corticocaudate projections. Monosynaptic interhemispheric subcortical inputs to the Cds are minor. Multisynaptic pathways could provide alternative, but less tightly coupled, interhemispheric linkages of the Cds.
YAC/STS map of 15Mb of Xp21.3-p11.3, at 100kb resolution, with refined comparisons of genetic distances and DMD structure.

Abstract The 15 Mb region between DXS997 and DXS8054 in Xp21.3-p11.3 has been mapped at seven-fold average coverage in yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) and 100 kb inter-sequence tagged site (STS) distance. YACs from six different collections show self-consistent maps. The STSs include 18 (CA) repeat and one tetranucleotide repeat marker that detect polymorphism, as well as eight well-studied genes, a second site for MXS1 sequences, and three expressed sequence tags (ESTs). One of the ESTs maps to intron 7 of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and seems to be a processed intronic sequence with a poly(A) tail.
Nonlinear, rarefied Rayleigh's problem.

Discrete ordinate method applied to nonlinear unsteady rarefied Rayleigh flow problem with heat transfer
Design and evaluation of dynamic optimizations for a Java just-in-time compiler

The high performance implementation of Java Virtual Machines (JVM) and Just-In-Time (JIT) compilers is directed toward employing a dynamic compilation system on the basis of online runtime profile information. The trade-off between the compilation overhead and performance benefit is a crucial issue for such a system. This article describes the design and implementation of a dynamic optimization framework in a production-level Java JIT compiler, together with two techniques for profile-directed optimizations: method inlining and code specialization. Our approach is to employ a mixed mode interpreter and a three-level optimizing compiler, supporting level-1 to level-3 optimizations, each of which has a different set of trade-offs between compilation overhead and execution speed. A lightweight sampling profiler operates continuously during the entire period while applications are running to monitor the programs' hot spots. Detailed information on runtime behavior can be collected by dynamically generating instrumentation code that is installed to and uninstalled from the specified recompilation target code. Value profiling with this instrumentation mechanism allows fully automatic profile-directed method inlining and code specialization to be performed on the basis of call site information or specific parameter values at the higher optimization levels. The experimental results show that our approach offers high performance and low compilation overhead in both program startup and steady state measurements in comparison to the previous systems. The two profile-directed optimization techniques contribute significant portions of the improvements.
An adaptive implementation of interpolation methods for boundary value ordinary differential equations

Various interpolation-based schemes are used to construct a variable order algorithm with local error control for the numerical solution of two-point boundary value problems. Results of computational experiments are presented to demonstrate the empirical relationship between prescribed local error and the resultant global error in the computed solution.
The uncertain lifetime and the timing of human capital investment

I examine the effects of mortality decline on fertility and human capital investment decision of parents taking into account the uncertainty about child survival. I propose a model, where parents decide on their fertility before the uncertainty is realized, but they choose to invest only in human capital of their surviving children. The model implies a positive relationship between mortality and fertility and a negative one between mortality and educational investment. It has been argued elsewhere that as, in reality, most of the mortality decline occurred in infancy, it should not affect the human capital investment decision, which comes later in life. Thus, increased survival chances should not promote growth by raising the human capital investment. This paper argues the contrary and proposes a mechanism where mortality decline at any age before the teen years can promote growth by raising human capital investment regardless of the timing of the educational investment.
The appeals process in principal–agent relationships

Abstract The appeals process is employed in many organizations including administrative agencies, regulatory authorities, sports organizations, and private companies. This paper examines the dual role of the appeals process in enhancing fairness and inducing performance in principal–agent relationships in the presence of imperfect performance evaluation. Some surprising results emerge. For example, the merit of the appeals process depends on the agent’s aversion to unfairness, and appeals may be optimally denied even if the appeals process is more accurate than the initial evaluation and is costless. An increase in the accuracy of the initial evaluation may reduce the principal’s welfare. Furthermore, the principal’s welfare can increase as the cost of the appeals process increases.
Clinical impact of concomitant tricuspid valve procedures during left ventricular assist device implantation.

Background Almost 50% of patients referred for implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) have significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Preoperative TR is associated with negative outcomes but the clinical benefit of concomitant tricuspid valve procedures has not been extensively studied. Methods One hundred fifteen patients, undergoing implantable LVADs, were identified as having significant TR by echocardiography prior to their surgical procedure. Patients underwent either LVAD alone (n = 81) versus LVAD plus concomitant tricuspid procedures (n = 34) (29 annuloplasty ring repairs and 5 bioprosthetic replacements.) Preoperative characteristics and hemodynamics, as well as TR severity and clinical outcomes were retrospectively determined from chart and database review and compared for the two groups. Results Preoperative characteristics and hemodynamics were similar for the two groups. Postoperative TR was markedly reduced for the group undergoing concomitant procedures versus LVAD alone. A temporary right ventricular assist device was required for only one of the 34 cases in which concomitant tricuspid procedures were performed; for patients undergoing LVAD alone, 8 of 81 required right ventricular assist devices. Mean duration of postoperative inotrope utilization was increased for the LVAD alone group versus the group with concomitant tricuspid procedures (10.0 vs 8.0 days, respectively, p = 0.04). The incidence of postoperative renal dysfunction was increased for the LVAD alone group (39%) versus concomitant procedures (21%) ( p = 0.05). The LVAD alone group also had a greater mean postimplant length of hospitalization versus the concomitant procedures group (26.0 vs 19.0 days, p = 0.02). Finally, there was a trend toward improved survival for the group with concomitant tricuspid procedures versus LVAD alone. Conclusions For patients with significant TR undergoing implantable LVAD procedures, concomitant tricuspid procedures are associated with improved early clinical outcomes.
Effect of aging on baroreflex function in humans

Arterial blood pressure (BP) is regulated via the interaction of various local, humoral, and neural factors. In humans, the major neural pathway for acute BP regulation involves the baroreflexes. In response to baroreceptor activation/deactivation, as occurs during transient changes in BP, key determinants of BP, such as cardiac period/heart rate (via the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system) and vascular resistance (via the sympathetic nervous system), are modified to maintain BP homeostasis. In this review, the effects of aging on both the parasympathetic and sympathetic arms of the baroreflex are discussed. Aging is associated with decreased cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (i.e., blunted reflex changes in R-R interval in response to a change in BP). Mechanisms underlying this decrease may involve factors such as increased levels of oxidative stress, vascular stiffening, and decreased cardiac cholinergic responsiveness with age. Consequences of cardiovagal baroreflex impairment may include increased levels of BP variability, an impaired ability to respond to acute challenges to the maintenance of BP, and increased risk of sudden cardiac death. In contrast, baroreflex control of sympathetic outflow is not impaired with age. Collectively, changes in baroreflex function with age are associated with an impaired ability of the organism to buffer changes in BP. This is evidenced by the reduced potentiation of the pressor response to bolus infusion of a pressor drug after compared to before systemic ganglionic blockade in older compared with young adults.
The information content of losses

Abstract This study hypothesizes that because shareholders have a liquidation option, losses are not expected to perpetuate. They are thus less informative than profits about the firm's future prospects. The results are consistent with the hypothesis. They also show that the documented increase in the earnings response coefficent as the cumulation period increases appears to be due exclusively to the effect of losses. The liquidation option effect extends to profitable cases where earnings are low enough to make the option attractive. Alternating explanations for the low informativeness of losses such as mean reversal of earnings are not supported by the tests.