cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome without pain: a case report.

Abstract Background Idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome (IOIS) is a collection of primary orbital inflammatory expressions manifested in a variety of clinical presentations. Because the process is idiopathic, it lacks association with neoplastic, infectious, or systemic immunologic and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, an extensive analysis is required to exclude secondary etiologies of orbital inflammation. Case report Exhibited is a case of a 68-year-old white man presenting with a recent history of viral conjunctivitis and acute complaints of monocular vision loss, epiphora, photophobia, and generalized irritation without pain. On examination, he was found to have chemosis, a serous retinal detachment, and choroidal detachments. Magnetic resonance imaging found evidence of dacryoadenitis, posterior scleritis, and mild diffuse orbital inflammation. Extensive history and physical examination found no evidence of systemic inflammatory disease. IOIS was diagnosed and treated successfully with prednisone, without recurrence. Conclusions Pain is historically considered a cardinal sign of acute inflammation and a predominant symptom of IOIS. The authors present a case of acute IOIS, atypical because of its presentation in the absence of pain. In addition, a review of the literature is conducted to identify predominant clinical and radiologic characteristics of IOIS along with current accepted and proposed treatment options. Differentials are discussed to distinguish this disease from systemic immunologic and inflammatory conditions such as syphilis, sarcoidosis, and Wegener's granulomatosis as well as potentially fatal neoplastic conditions.
Some observations on and controversies about coronary arterial spasm

The pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of spasm of epicardial coronary arteries are reviewed briefly, especially with regard to some issues that remain controversial. For diagnosis, emphasis is placed on the need for objective observations during an attack, even if that requires an attempt at pharmacologic provocation during coronary arteriography, or during echocardiography when prior arteriography has demonstrated the absence of severe coronary stenosis.
Growth at reduced temperatures increases the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes for intravenously but not intragastrically inoculated mice.

Growth of three clinical isolates (Scott A, Murray B, and F5380) and one laboratory strain (EGD) of L. monocytogenes at 4 degrees C significantly increased their virulence for intravenously injected mice. Using the EGD strain for subsequent experiments, we determined that growth at either 4 degrees or 22 degrees C enhanced the growth of listeria in the spleen and liver. Similar numbers of listeriae were recovered from the spleens and livers of mice during the first 48 h after i.v. injection of strain EGD grown at 37 degrees C or 4 degrees C. At later timepoints (3-6 days), significantly more listeriae were recovered from the spleens and livers of mice injected i.v. with strain EGD grown at 4 degrees C. In contrast, L. monocytogenes EGD grown at 37 degrees C and 4 degrees C demonstrated similar abilities to survive in the gastrointestinal tract, to translocate to the mesenteric lymph nodes, and to disseminate to the spleen and liver in intragastrically inoculated mice. Listeria monocytogenes EGD grown at 4 degrees C released less hemolysin into the culture medium than did this strain when grown at 22 degrees C and 37 degrees C. Transfer to fresh broth and incubation at 37 degrees C for 2 h increased the release, to similar levels, of hemolysin from L. monocytogenes EGD grown at 4 degrees, 22 degrees, and 37 degrees C. Temperature-induced differences in virulence, therefore, may not reflect the amount of hemolysin released.
Treatment of minor salivary gland malignancies of upper food and air passage epithelium. A review of 87 cases

A review of 87 cases of adenocarcinoma of the epithelium of the upper food and air passages is presented. These are divided into 3 groups: nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, oral cavity, and pharynges. Their clinical course and histopathology are described, and the results of treatment by surgery, radiation therapy, and a combination of the two are evaluated. The following conclusions are made: 1. minor salivary gland malignancies arising in the upper food and air passage epithelium are moderately radioresponsive and radiocurable; 2. their curability is a function of anatomic location and extent of lymph node metastases rather than histologic type; 3. failure of local control of these tumors is frequently manifested within 2 years, and 4. most published data regarding the radiotherapy of these minor salivary gland malignancies are based on outmoded kilovoltage techniques.
Xenobiotic induction of quinone oxidoreductase activity in lens epithelial cells

Abstract Xenobiotic regulatory elements have been identified for enzymes which ameliorate oxidative damage in cells. Zeta (θ)-crystallin, a taxon-specific enzyme/crystallin shown to be a novel NADPH-dependent quinone reductase, is found in a number of tissues and cell types. This study shows that θ-crystallin is present in mouse lens epithelium, as well as in the αTN4 mouse lens epithelial cell line. To determine whether θ-crystallin is an inducible quinone reductase, cell cultures were exposed to the xenobiotics, 1,2-naphthoquinone and β-naphthoflavone. Assays of cellular homogenates showed that quinone reductase activity was stimulated greater than 70% and 90%, respectively, over the control cells. This observed activity was sensitive to dicumarol, a potent inhibior of quinone reductase activity- 1,2-Naphthoquinone- and and β-naphthoflavone-exposed cells were found to exhibit 1.47- and 1.68-fold increases, respectively, in θ-crystallin protein concentration. A comparable increase in θ-crystallin mRNA was indicative of an induction in θ-crystallin expression in response to naphthalene challenge. Lens epithelial cells were also checked for DT-diaphorase, a well-known cellular protective enzyme which can catalyze the two-electron reduction of quinones. Slot blot analyses indicated that αTN4 cells exposed to 1,2-naphthoquinone and β-naphthoflavone exhibited 2.71- and 6.81-fold increases in DT-diaphorase concentration when compared to the control cells. The data suggest that while DT-diaphorase is most likely responsible for the majority of the observed increase in quinone reductase activity, the θ-crystallin gene also undergoes activation which is apparently mediated by a xenobiotic-responsive element.
A molecular genetic study of the variations in metabolic function during schistosome development

During their complex life cycle schistosomes alternate between the use of stored glycogen and reliance on host glucose to provide for their energy needs. In addition, there is dramatic variation between the relative contribution of aerobic versus anaerobic glucose metabolism during development. We have cloned a set of representative cDNAs that encode proteins involved in glucose uptake, glycolysis, Kreb's cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. The different cDNAs were used as probes to examine the expression of glucose metabolism genes during the schistosome life cycle. Steady state mRNA levels from whole cercariae, isolated cercarial tails, schistosomula and adult worms were analysed on Northern blots and dot blots which were quantified using storage phosphor technology. These studies reveal: (1) Transcripts encoding glycogen metabolic enzymes are expressed to much higher levels in cercarial tails than whole cercariae or schistosomula while the opposite pattern is found for glucose transporters and hexokinase transcripts; (2) Schistosomula contain low levels of transcripts encoding respiratory enzymes but regain the capacity for aerobic glucose metabolism as they mature to adulthood; (3) Male and female adults contain similar levels of the different transcripts involved in glucose metabolism.
Cognitive mechanisms of visuomotor transformation in movement imitation: Examining predictions based on models of apraxia and motor control

Abstract When we observe a movement and then reproduce it, how is this visual input transformed into motor output? Studies on stroke patients with apraxia suggest that there may be two distinct routes used for gesture imitation; an indirect route that recruits stored movement memories (motor programs) and a direct route that bypasses them. The present study examined 30 healthy adults ages 18–80 (mean age = 44.0 years, SD = 19.5) to learn how motor programs are recruited or bypassed in movement imitation depending upon task conditions (whether familiar letters or novel shapes are imitated) and perceptual factors (whether shapes or letters are perceived). Subjects were asked to imitate the movements of a model who formed shapes and letters on a sheer mesh screen, and to report whether they perceived the task as a shape or a letter. Movements were recorded using a Vicon motion analysis system, and subsequently analyzed to determine the degree of difference between the demonstrated and produced movements. As predicted, letter perception on the letter tasks resulted in increased temporal error when the demonstrated stroke order conflicted with subjects’ habitual pattern of letter formation. No such interference effects were observed when the letter tasks were perceived as shapes. These findings are discussed in the context of current theories on imitation, and implications for rehabilitation and motor re-learning are presented.
Quantitative Ultrasound Imaging for Monitoring In Situ High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Exposure

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) imaging is hypothesized to map temperature elevations induced in tissue with high spatial and temporal resolution. To test this hypothesis, QUS techniques were examined to monitor high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) exposure of tissue. In situ experiments were conducted on mammary adenocarcinoma tumors grown in rats and lesions were formed using a HIFU system. A thermocouple was inserted into the tumor to provide estimates of temperature at one location. Backscattered time-domain waveforms from the tissue during exposure were recorded using a clinical ultrasonic imaging system. Backscatter coefficients were estimated using a reference phantom technique. Two parameters were estimated from the backscatter coefficient (effective scatterer diameter (ESD) and effective acoustic concentration (EAC). The changes in the average parameters in the regions corresponding to the HIFU focus over time were correlated to the temperature readings from the thermocouple. The changes in the EAC parameter were consistently correlated to temperature during both heating and cooling of the tumors. The changes in the ESD did not have a consistent trend with temperature. The mean ESD and EAC before exposure were 120 ± 16 μm and 32 ± 3 dB/cm3, respectively, and changed to 144 ± 9 μm and 51 ± 7 dB/cm3, respectively, just before the last HIFU pulse was delivered to the tissue. After the tissue cooled down to 37 °C, the mean ESD and EAC were 126 ± 8 μm and 35 ± 4 dB/cm3, respectively. Peak temperature in the range of 50-60 °C was recorded by a thermocouple placed just behind the tumor. These results suggest that QUS techniques have the potential to be used for non-invasive monitoring of HIFU exposure.
Effect of N/Ga Flux Ratio in GaN Buffer Layer Growth by MBE on (0001) Sapphire on Defect Formation in the GaN Main Layer

Transmission electron microscopy was employed to study the effect of N/Ga flux ratio in the growth of GaN buffer layers on the structure of GaN epitaxial layers grown by molecular-beamepitaxy (MBE) on sapphire. The dislocation density in GaN layers was found to increase from 1×10 10 to 6×10 10 cm −2 with increase of the nitrogen flux from 5 to 35 sccm during the growth of the GaN buffer layer with otherwise the same growth conditions. All GaN layers were found to contain inversion domain boundaries (IDBs) originated at the interface with sapphire and propagated up to the layer surface. Formation of IDBs was often associated with specific defects at the interface with the substrate. Dislocation generation and annihilation were shown to be mainly growth-related processes and, hence, can be controlled by the growth conditions, especially during the first growth stages. The decrease of electron Hall mobility and the simultaneous increase of the intensity of “green” luminescence with increasing dislocation density suggest that dislocation-related deep levels are created in the bandgap.
Geographic Access to Family Planning Facilities and the Risk of Unintended and Teenage Pregnancy

Objectives: This study tested the hypotheses that greater geographic access to family planning facilities is associated with lower rates of unintended and teenage pregnancies. Methods: State Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and natality files in four states were used to locate unintended and teenage births, respectively. Geographic availability was measured by cohort travel time to the nearest family planning facility, the presence of a family planning facility in a ZIP area, and the supply of primary care physicians and obstetric-gynecologists. Results: 83% of the PRAMS cohort and 80% of teenagers lived within 15 min or less of a facility and virtually none lived more than 30 min. Adjusted odds ratios did not demonstrate a statistically significant trend to a higher risk of unintended pregnancies with longer travel time. Similarly there was no association with unintended pregnancy and the presence of a family planning facility within the ZIP area of maternal residence, or with the supply of physicians capable of providing family planning services. Both crude and adjusted relative rates of teenage pregnancies were significantly lower with further distance from family planning sites and with the absence of a facility in the ZIP area of residence. In adjusted models, the supply of obstetricians-gynecologists and primary care physicians was not significantly associated with decreased teen pregnancies. Conclusions: This study found no relationship between greater geographic availability of family planning facilities and a risk of unintended pregnancies. Greater geographic availability of family planning services was associated with a higher risk of teenage pregnancy, although these results may be confounded by facilities locating in areas with greater family planning needs.
Electron irradiation effects on DES/Ge(1 0 0) at 90 K

Abstract The effects of electron irradiation of diethylsilane-covered Ge(1 0 0) surfaces at 90 K was studied by temperature programmed desorption (TPD), electron stimulated desorption (ESD), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Adsorption of diethylsilane (DES) at 90 K on Ge(1 0 0) results in thermal desorption of hydrogen at 570 K from the substrate and at 635 K a β-hydride elimination process which results in the removal of carbon species from the surface. The β-hydride elimination process leads to desorption of ethylene (mass 28) at 635 K. A low temperature peak due to desorption of physisorbed DES is observed at 150 K. After electron irradiation, two new high temperature hydrogen TPD peaks at 725 and 800 K appear. In the case of ethylene, a new TPD peak is observed at 800 K following electron irradiation of DES/Ge(1 0 0). ESD decay curves and kinetic energy distribution data show that hydrogen desorbs from at least two surface states while ethylene electronically desorbs from one state. Thermal desorption of DES from Ge(1 0 0) leads to accumulation of silicon on the surface up to a saturation level of 40% (atomic concentration). This result indicates that it is not possible to epitaxially grow silicon on germanium, due to diffusion of silicon into the germanium substrate. Electron irradiation of DES/Ge(1 0 0) leads to increasing amounts of carbon on the surface and no detectable changes in the surface concentration of silicon. This suggests that electron induced removal of ligands from silicon facilitates the migration of silicon into germanium.
Magnetic Susceptibilities of Sodium Neodymium Tungstate and Sodium Terbium Tungstate

The magnetic susceptibilities of sodium neodymium tungstate Na0.5 Nd0.5 WO4 and sodium terbium tungstate Na0.5 Tb0.5 WO4 were measured from 10 to 800 °K. They were found to become antiferromagnetic at 20 and 39 °K, respectively. Their magnetic behaviors suggest the existence of clustering of magnetic ions. Die magnetischen Suszeptibilitaten von Natrium-Neodymwolframat Na0,5 Nd0,5 WO4 und Natrium-Terbiumwolframat Na0,5 Tb0,5 WO4 werden im Temperaturbereich 10 bis 800 °K gemessen. Es wird gefunden, das die Verbindungen bei 20 bzw. 39 °K antiferromagnetisch werden. Ihr magnetisches Verhalten weist auf die Existenz von Zusammenschlussen magnetischer Ionen hin.
Chemokine induction and leukocyte trafficking to the lungs during murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) infection.

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 replicates in the alveolar epithelium and induces an inflammatory infiltrate in the lung, following intranasal challenge, and is cleared 10 and 13 days after infection by a T-cell-dependent mechanism. In order to understand the development of the immune response to this virus and how leukocyte trafficking to the lung is regulated, chemokine expression during MHV-68 infection was examined in lung tissue using an RNase protection assay. Expression of RANTES, eotaxin, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, IP-10, and MCP-1 was upregulated by day 7 after infection. Chemokine concentrations in lung lavage fluid were also determined by ELISA. MCP-1, RANTES, MIP-1α, eotaxin, and KC were upregulated during MHV-68 infection. Most of these chemokines have been reported to be chemoattractants for either activated T cells or monocytes, which are the major cellular components of the inflammatory infiltrate induced by the virus. Upregulated expression of the corresponding receptors for the chemokines, including CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, and CXCR3, coincided with the development of the inflammatory infiltrate. The chemokine levels peaked at around day 7 after infection, coinciding with peak viral titers and slightly preceding maximal T cell infiltration. In vitro chemotaxis assays confirmed that lung lavage fluid from MHV-68-infected mice had chemotactic activity, which was partially blocked by antibodies to IP-10 and RANTES. These observations suggest that the chemokines detected play an important role in regulating leukocyte trafficking to the lungs during MHV-68 infection.
Finding Answers to the Public Compensation Question

R ecent empirical evidence strongly suggests that, on average, combined wages and benefi ts for public sector workers now outstrip compensation for comparable private sector workers. Th e most obvious implication of this imbalance is that public money is being used ineffi ciently. Th e compensation disparity poses an even greater problem for public administrators, however, who risk losing legitimacy in the eyes of voters and taxpayers. People want to know that government employment is truly public service—not a gateway to special privileges.
Mechanisms of Variable p44 Expression by Anaplasma phagocytophilum

ABSTRACT The human intragranulocytic bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum promotes variation of P44s, which are surface-exposed proteins encoded by a p44 multigene family. In the present study, the specific p44 gene expression loci in four strains of A. phagocytophilum were identified and it was determined that each consisted of four tandem genes, tr1, omp-1X, omp-1N, and p44. A putative σ70-type promoter was found upstream of tr1. The p44 genes include a central hypervariable region flanked by conserved regions. The hypervariable region sequence in the p44 expression locus was duplicated and, regardless of the expression status, conserved at another locus in both low- and high-passage cell cultures of strain NY-37. No significant differences in the hypervariable region were found when we compared p44 sequences, at the level of cDNA, within the expression locus and within other loci in the genomes of strains NY-37 and HZ. Similarly, in cDNA isolated from patients and from assorted cultures of strains NY-31, NY-36, and NY-37, hypervariable regions of 450 deduced amino acid sequences of various p44s within each strain were found to be identical, as were those of p44 sequences in the genome of strain HZ. These data suggest that variations in p44 sequences at the level of the p44 expression locus occur through unidirectional conversion of the entire (nonsegmental) p44 hypervariable region including flanking regions with a corresponding sequence copied from one of the conserved donor p44 genomic loci. The data suggest that the P44 antigenic repertoire within the hypervariable region is restricted.
Two new contingent aftereffects: perceived auditory duration contingent on pitch and on temporal order.

If a low-pitched tone of long duration alternates with a high-pitched short tone during an inspection period of a few minutes, then a high test tone of intermediate length sounds longer than a low test tone of equal length. Thus, a contingent aftereffect occurs, wherein the perceived duration of a test tone is contingent-dependent-on its pitch. A second contingent aftereffect occurs if pairs of tones of the same pitch, the first short and the second long, are presented repeatedly during an inspection period. If a pair of test tones of equal and intermediate length is then presented, the first tone sounds longer than the second. A version of this article was presented at the annual meeting of the Psychonomie Society, San Antonio, Texas, November 1978.
Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I control of acetogenesis, the major pathway of fatty acid β-oxidation in liver of neonatal swine

To examine the regulation of hepatic acetogenesis in neonatal swine, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity was measured in the presence of varying palmitoyl-CoA (substrate) and malonyl-...
Dry Powder Deposition and Compaction for Functionally Graded Ceramics

Functionally graded ceramics, with property variations realized via local compositional changes or porosity, are fabricated by powder deposition and compaction. A removable fixture is used to control the location of dry powders to produce a macroscopic powder array with 2-D or 3-D compositional variations. A new method is presented that relies on traditional powder pressing techniques to create spatial variation in composition and density. The fixture is removed before conventional powder compaction. This dry powder deposition and compaction method is capable of producing large monolithic bodies with functional gradients. This method produces designs with 3 mm discrete regions or pixels that have a normalized positional tolerance of 0.6% for a 39 mm substrate size. The method is used to realize a UHF antenna substrate with spatially variable dielectric properties.
Skill and Hemispheric Specialization in Detecting Featural Differences in Visual Images

Abstract Visual asymmetry patterns related to skill were examined during a target–probe matching task in 24 skilled medical technologists and 24 matched controls. On each of 240 test trials, digitized replicas of specimens commonly encountered in medical laboratory diagnostics were shown centrally for 500 msec. Each target was immediately followed by a lateralized probe item for 120 msec that was either an exact copy (positive probe) or a distorted version (negative probe) of the target. Difficulty level of target–probe matching was manipulated on negative probe trials; half of the negative items consisted of difficult discriminations which were selected to assess the effects of domain-specific experience on detecting small differences in salient morphological features. Medical technologists exhibited a right visual field advantage, but were not different from the control subjects in speed or accuracy to positive probes or to easy negative probes. The observed left-hemisphere advantage in skilled visual processing is attributed to the beneficial effects of experience on the development of domain-specific visual analysis skills.
Prices and Qualities in Markets with Costly Information

This paper extends the seminal work of Akerlof, and Salop and Stiglitz in two directions: (i) the sellers can select both the selling prices and quality levels of their good, and (ii) the buyers can acquire price/quality information about individual sellers at a cost. We observe multiple price/quality combinations in equilibrium, which depend upon the distribution of information costs of consumers and upon whether quality, or price, or both are costly observable. Welfare comparisons of equilibrium are considered. We show that welfare will be greater when price advertising is permitted.
p-chloroamphetamine antagonism of cobaltous chloride-induced hypothermaia in mice

Abstract Serotonin levels were measured in the brain of mice at 2 h and a 10 dyas following the administration of a single dose of 10 mg/kg, i.p. of p-chloroamphetamine HCI (PCA). A 44% reduction in the concentration of brain serotonin PCA administration. The time course of t he body temperature response to cobaltous chloride (25 mg/kg, i.p.) was recorded 60 min following pretreatment with PCA (10 mg/kg, i.p.). PCA recuded hypothermic response by approximately 60%, presumably through the depletion of central 5-hydroxytryptamine.
Physical competition increases testosterone among Amazonian forager-horticulturalists: a test of the ‘challenge hypothesis’

The challenge hypothesis posits that acute increases in testosterone (T) during male-male competition enhance performance and survivability while limiting the physiological costs of consistently high T. Human challenge hypothesis research focuses on young men in industrial populations, who have higher baseline T levels than men in subsistence populations. We tested whether the Tsimane, pathogenically stressed forager-horticulturalists of the Bolivian Amazon, would express acute T increases in response to physical competition. Saliva was collected from 88 Tsimane men (aged 16-59 years) before and after a competitive soccer match. Tsimane men had significantly lower baseline levels of T (β = -0.41, p < 0.001) when compared with age-matched United States (US) males. Linear mixed-effects models were used to establish that T increased significantly immediately following competition (β = 0.23, p < 0.001), remaining high 1 h later (β = 0.09, p = 0.007); equivalent to 30.1 and 15.5 per cent increases in T, respectively. We did not find larger increases in T among winners (p = 0.412), although T increases were positively associated with self-rated performance (β = 9.07, p = 0.004). These results suggest that despite lower levels of T than US males, Tsimane males exhibit acute increases in T at the same relative magnitude reported by studies in industrialized settings, with larger increases in T for those who report better individual performance.
Studies of ESR Nitroxide probe mobility in polymer blends

We report studies of the temperature-dependence of the ESR spectrum of the nitroxide spin radical 4-(2-bromoacetamide)-2,2,6,6 tetramethyl-1-oxyl piperidine (BRAMO) dispersed in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), and PVDF/PMMA and PVAC/PMMA blends of varying composition. In PVDF/PMMA blends which show a single composition-dependent Tg, the mobility of BRAMO is identical to that in pure PMMA. On the other hand, in PVAC/PMMA blends, the mobility of BRAMO corresponds to that in pure PVAC. The results suggest that (1) BRAMO selectively binds to polymers based on hydrogen bonding affinity, (2) the spin probe is sensitive to segmental motions on a length scale shorter than those which give rise to the glass transition, and (3) compatible polymer blends are heterogeneous on the length scale of the BRAMO probe (ca. 8.3 A).
A requirement for FcγR in antibody-mediated bacterial toxin neutralization

One important function of humoral immunity is toxin neutralization. The current view posits that neutralization results from antibody-mediated interference with the binding of toxins to their targets, a phenomenon viewed as dependent only on antibody specificity. To investigate the role of antibody constant region function in toxin neutralization, we generated IgG2a and IgG2b variants of the Bacillus anthracis protective antigen–binding IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) 19D9. These antibodies express identical variable regions and display the same specificity. The efficacy of antibody-mediated neutralization was IgG2a > IgG2b > IgG1, and neutralization activity required competent Fcγ receptor (FcγR). The IgG2a mAb prevented lethal toxin cell killing and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase cleavage more efficiently than the IgG1 mAb. Passive immunization with IgG1 and IgG2a mAb protected wild-type mice, but not FcγR-deficient mice, against B. anthracis infection. These results establish that constant region isotype influences toxin neutralization efficacy of certain antibodies through a mechanism that requires engagement of FcγR. These findings highlight a new parameter for evaluating vaccine responses and the possibility of harnessing optimal FcγR interactions in the design of passive immunization strategies.
Ontology-Based Service Composition Framework for Syndicating Building Intelligence

Building Information Model (BIM) encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components; however, it does not include any information related to the functions that a building might require. On the other side, Service–Oriented computing emerged as a promising technology to enable fast, efficient software development. Even though features such as standard protocols, loosely coupled components, ontology-enabled dynamic discovery and composition of SOA seems a perfect fit for the building construction domain, the potential gain of applying SOA techniques has not really been discovered. In the paper, an ontology-based service composition framework for construction domain is proposed, and BIM is extended to include function requirements and service specifications. An example is shown to demonstrate the advantages over traditional techniques also.
Properties of generalized Branch and Combine clock networks

In a recent development a new clock distribution scheme has been introduced. The scheme called Branch-and-Combine or BaC, is the first to guarantee constant skew bound regardless of network size. In this paper we generalize and extend the work on BaC networks. Our study takes the approach of defining a general graph theoretic model which is then utilized to define a general network model taking into account node function. We use the models to establish some interesting results on clocking paths, node input sequences, node inputs' relative timings, and skew bound. We prove that a network adhering to our general model is stable (will not oscillate) despite its cyclic nature. We also prove that no tree of any kind can be used to distribute the clock in two or more dimensions such that skew bound is constant. The paper then exploits the derived properties to describe the inherent interplay between topology, timing, node function, and skew bound. >
Looking forward but learning from our past: Potential challenges to developing authentic leadership theory and authentic leaders

Recently researchers have introduced a new leadership construct, referred to as authentic leadership. There has been considerable interest in this new area of study. Scholars conducting work on authentic leadership believe that the recent upswing in corporate scandals and management malfeasance indicate that a new perspective on leadership is necessary. In order to address these negative societal trends, proponents of authentic leadership take a very normative approach, placing a strong emphasis on the creation of interventions to facilitate the development of authenticity. We concur with the basic tenets of this initiative. However, in this article, we note that it is premature to focus on designing interventions to develop authentic leaders before taking further steps in defining, measuring, and rigorously researching this construct. We draw attention to these issues with the hope of insuring that any development initiatives that are implemented are practical and effective for leaders and organizations.
Association between low ankle-brachial index and accelerometer-derived sedentary and exercise time in the asymptomatic general population.

Sedentary behavior is an adverse health risk factor that is independent of physical activity. The relationship between sedentary behavior, exercise activity and the ankle-brachial index (ABI) is not well understood. We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004. Accelerometer data were used to quantify exercise and sedentary time for each participant. A low ABI was defined as a value <1.0 (including borderline values). Multi-variable adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed with sedentary and exercise times as independent variables, adjusting for important confounders. There were 1443 asymptomatic participants (mean age 61 years, 49% female, 55% current/prior smokers) with mean daily sedentary and exercise times of 454±144 and 18±20 minutes, respectively. Of the participants, 23% had an ABI <1.0 (8.7% with ABI <0.9). Sedentary time was positively associated with a low ABI (odds ratio [OR] 1.22 per 1 standard deviation [SD], [95% confidence interv...
Contesting racialization: Asian immigrant teachers' critiques and claims of teacher authenticity

Research on how racialization operates in immigrant context, particularly in relation to immigrant teachers, is marginalized as an area of inquiry in US educational research. This paper examines how immigrant teachers negotiated ideological and resistant notions of teacher authenticity in US school settings. In particular, the author examines how female South Asian teachers contested dominant interpretations on what counted as teacher legitimacy and authority. Along with racial, ethnic and gender identities, the paper argues for the need to recognize how religious, linguistic identities and one's academic disciplinary affiliation shape how one is constructed as an authentic or less‐authentic teacher. The author argues for the need to critique the narrow ways in which identities are conceptualized in schools and advocates for the need to consider heterogeneous and contradictory notions of cultural identity.
Preoperative Infliximab is not Associated with an Increased Risk of Short-Term Postoperative Complications After Restorative Proctocolectomy and Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis

Introduction Considerable controversy exists over whether the preoperative use of infliximab (IFX) for refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) increases the risk for surgical complications after restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). The aim of this study was to assess the association between preoperative IFX use and short-term surgical complications in a single-surgeon cohort at a tertiary care academic center. Methods UC patients who underwent IPAA from September 2005 through May 2009 were retrospectively identified. Twenty-nine patients treated with IFX within 12 weeks of surgery and 52 non-IFX control subjects were identified. Shortterm postoperative outcomes were compared between groups occurring within 30 days of loop ileostomy closure. Results Patients were similar with respect to demographics, co-morbidities, rate of emergency surgery, hand-sewn anastomosis, and preoperative use of cyclosporine, azathioprine, and high-dose steroids. IFX patients were more likely to have received a laparoscopic hand-assisted IPAA, low-, medium-, and any-dose steroids, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), methotrexate, and to have failed medical therapy. There was no short-term mortality. Overall postoperative and infectious complications were similar between IFX and non-IFX groups. Multivariate regression models revealed no independent predictors for postoperative complications when including IFX [odds ratio (OR) 0.78, p=0.67], laparoscopic hand-assisted IPAA, 6-MP, methotrexate, steroids, failure of medical therapy, and body mass index. Conclusions Preoperative IFX use was not associated with an increasedrisk of short-term postoperative complications after IPAA.
Epstein–Barr virus‐associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in Los Angeles County

Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,Los Angeles, CaliforniaData on Epstein–Barr virus-related hemophago-cytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) in adultsin the United States remain very limited. A clus-ter of four cases of EBV-HLH was observed in a4-month period at a tertiary center in LosAngeles County (LA County) and the clinicaland molecular characteristics identiﬁed in thesecases are being described. EBV typing, immu-nophenotypic and molecular genetic studieswere performed. Diagnostic criteria that may beused to identify EBV as a cause of HLH in adultsare also being suggested. Finally, the crude in-cidence rate for HLH in LA County was deter-mined and was compared to the worldwidecrude incidence rate for HLH. The cases eachoccurred in young male adult residents ofCalifornia and were associated with evidenceof EBV reactivation and ferritin levels of>20,000 mg/L. A higher rate of cases of EBV-HLH in 2010 was found at UCLA Medical Centerthan for 2007–2009 (4.9/10,000 hospitaldischarges vs. 0.14/10,000 hospital discharges,respectively; P ¼ 0.0017). The cases were asso-ciated with EBV type 1, and the insertion of thecodon CTC (leucine) was found in numerous ofthe EBNA-2 gene sequences. The annualincidence of secondary, non-familial HLH wasestimated to be 0.9 cases per million persons>15 years of age in LA County. Although EBV-HLH is a rare disease, the incidence in adultsin Western countries may be underestimated.J. Med. Virol. 84:777–785, 2012.
Oversight of US genetic testing laboratories.

Despite the boom in genetic tests available in US laboratories, oversight remains patchy. A survey of laboratory directors suggests that mandatory proficiency testing would result in fewer errors.
Ultrasonic Diagnosis of Cholelithiasis

Ultrasound is reflected from interfaces where there is a sudden change in acoustical properties. Gallstones have acoustic properties that are radically different from those of bile. Thus an echo is generated at the interface between the anterior surface of a gallstone and the surrounding bile. Ultrasonic demonstration of the gallbladder and gallstones is independent of gastrointestinal, liver, or gallbladder function so that ultrasonic cholecystography is particularly useful in jaundiced patients and patients in whom oral cholecystography has failed.
Learning to Communicate and Act Using Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning

In this paper, we address the issue of rational communication behavior among autonomous agents. The goal is for agents to learn a policy to optimize the communication needed for proper coordination, given the communication cost. We extend our previously reported cooperative hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) algorithm to include communication decisions and propose a new multiagent HRL algorithm, called COM-Cooperative HRL. In this algorithm, we define cooperative subtasks to be those subtasks in which coordination among agents significantly improves the performance of the overall task. Those levels of the hierarchy which include cooperative subtasks are called cooperation levels. Coordination skills among agents are learned faster by sharing information at the cooperation levels, rather than the level of primitive actions. We add a communication level to the hierarchical decomposition of the problem below each cooperation level. Before making a decision at a cooperative subtask, agents decide if it is worthwhile to perform a communication action. A communication action has a certain cost and provides each agent at a certain cooperation level with the actions selected by the other agents at the same level. We demonstrate the efficacy of the COM-Cooperative HRL algorithm as well as the relation between the communication cost and the learned communication policy using a multiagent taxi domain.
Generalized mosaicing: wide field of view multispectral imaging

We present an approach to significantly enhance the spectral resolution of imaging systems by generalizing image mosaicing. A filter transmitting spatially varying spectral bands is rigidly attached to a camera. As the system moves, it senses each scene point multiple times, each time in a different spectral band. This is an additional dimension of the generalized mosaic paradigm, which has demonstrated yielding high radiometric dynamic range images in a wide field of view, using a spatially varying density filter. The resulting mosaic represents the spectrum at each scene point. The image acquisition is as easy as in traditional image mosaics. We derive an efficient scene sampling rate, and use a registration method that accommodates the spatially varying properties of the filter. Using the data acquired by this method, we demonstrate scene rendering under different simulated illumination spectra. We are also able to infer information about the scene illumination. The approach was tested using a standard 8-bit black/white video camera and a fixed spatially varying spectral (interference) filter.
Neighbour‐Immiserizing Growth: The Asian Crisis

This paper investigates the effects of population growth and China’s entry into the world trading regime on the North and the South. In the absence of the terms of trade effect, population growth reduces the standard of living and causes a decline in welfare. Unilateral trade liberalization of China will worsen the terms of trade for other countries in the South, but will improve those for the North. Thus, population control is an important means to close the gap in per capita income between developing and developed economies. Trade liberalization by developing countries may not necessarily induce income convergence. JEL Classification Number: F1.
The integration of electronic equipment with airframe design

Progress in coordinating the design of airborne radar equipment with the airframe is discussed, emphasizing such basic design characteristics as accessibility, form factor, heat dissipation, altitude, shock, vibration. R-F noise and primary power supply. A review of the scope of present-day installation problems follows, giving specific examples of coordinated design. Suggestions for improving current design practices include an early exchange of information among all agencies concerned, close liaison as the design unfolds, and throughout, an appreciative understanding of each others problems.
A Goodness-of-Fit Procedure for Testing Whether a Reliability Growth Model Fits Data That Show Improvement

Reliability growth models that have been discussed in the literature generally assume that an item (such as a piece of electronic equipment) is tested in stages a given number of times, ni (say, at the ith stage, i = l,2,.,,,k) If, at the ith stage, xi successes are recorded (and hence ni - xi failures), the problem is then simply to estimate pi, the probability of success at the ith stage, i= 1,2,…,k. It is assumed that stages are independent of each other and of time. In this article a general parametric reliability growth model is proposed for pi and a goodness-of-fit test based on the likelihood ratio criterion is proposed. This test is carried out on data that show reliability growth in stages to determine the adequacy of the fit of the proposed reliability growth model.
A Positive Theory of Fiscal Deficits and Government Debt

This paper considers an economy in which policymakers with different preferences alternate in office as a result of elections. Government debt is used strategically by each policymaker to influence the choices of his successors. If different policymakers disagree about the desired composition of government spending between two public goods, the economy exhibits a deficits bias; that is, debt accumulation is higher than it would be with a social planner. The equilibrium level of debt is larger the larger is the degree of polarization between alternating governments and the less likely it is that the current government will be re-elected.
Transaqueductal trans-Magendie fenestration of arachnoid cyst in the posterior fossa

Neuroendoscopy is currently recommended as the first choice to treat posterior fossa arachnoid cysts. It has proven to be effective, providing improved outcome, and safe, having a low complication rate. Compared to craniotomy and shunt placement, it has lower surgical morbidity, minimizing or avoiding risks of subdural fluid collections, shunt infection, malfunction, overdrainage, and dependence. Usually, rigid scopes maneuvered through a suboccipital approach are used. When symptomatic obstructive hydrocephalus develops, CSF diversion is the first aim of surgery. In these patients, a flexible scope introduced through a frontal burr hole allows not only immediate and efficient management of hydrocephalus with endoscopic third-ventriculostomy, but in selected cases also direct cyst inspection and fenestration. Navigation of an enlarged cerebral aqueduct is actually safe when performed by experienced neurosurgeons. We describe the cystocisternostomy of a cisterna magna arachnoid cyst using a transaqueductal trans-Magendie approach. This minimally invasive technique gives the possibility of performing both endoscopic third-ventriculostomy and cyst fenestration, which alone may not be enough to efficiently treat hydrocephalus.
Visual Rhetoric and Visual Narrativity in Five Sections of a Brief

The legal brief of tomorrow will have color, graphics, photographs, imbedded videos, depictions, and diagrammatical elements; it will, in short, be highly visual. The tomorrow I am talking about is the very near future. The confidence with which I bring this prediction is bolstered by the research and scholarship of a wide range of disciplines — law and popular culture, cognitive studies and brain science, data visualization studies, and modern argument theory in rhetoric — and by the development of technology in the production of legal documents, and technology in the reading and reception of legal documents, that converge in one locus: that legal briefs will, and should, become a visual presentation of legal rhetoric and narrativity, and thereby fulfill the professional responsibility of advocates to use the best practices to represent the interests of their clients in law practice. My Article is the first to connect the lines of convergence into a single discussion and demonstration of the creation of legal documents that reflect the convergence — namely highly visual legal briefs that carry out the goals of rhetoric and narrativity with visual devices.Although the convergence in circumstances leading to a more visual presentation of legal matters has lessons for all areas of legal practice, this Article focuses directly on the creation of legal briefs, and discusses the use of visual elements in five sections of a typical trial or appellate brief: the Issue or Question Presented; the Introduction or Summary of the Argument; the Statement of Facts; the Argument section’s Explanation of rules; and the Argument section’s Application of rules.The visual brief of the near future achieves its goals through rhetoric and narrativity — hence the title of the Article, “Visual Rhetoric” and “Visual Narrativity” in five sections of a brief — which means that careful attention to the use of visuals applies in each of the major sections of a brief, not just in the facts section or argument section. My goal is to demonstrate that communication, construction of knowledge and understanding, and ultimately, the persuasion of the audience can be accomplished more effectively through an emphasis on visual rhetoric and visual narrativity in legal works.