cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initiation of transcription by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase from supercoiled and non-supercoiled bacteriophage PM2 DNA.

Abstract Native bacteriophage PM2 DNA, a circular double-helical DNA with —50 superhelical twists, and derivatives of PM2 DNA containing no superhelical twists are compared for their ability to form stable binary complexes with Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. The number of enzyme molecules that can form such complexes, as measured by the number of chains initiated with ATP and GTP in the presence of saturating amounts of enzyme and using heparin to inactivate the unbound enzyme, is 16 per molecule of native PM2 DNA but only about two per molecule of closed non-supercoiled PM2 DNA. In each case equal numbers of chains are initiated with GTP and ATP. The reactivity of the sites on the two forms are also different; the rate of formation and the stability of the complexes are both lower on the non-supercoiled derivatives than on native PM2 DNA. The derivatives also contain a more significant proportion of sites that bind RNA polymerase tightly in an inactive state than native PM2 DNA. Thus, even with excess DNA (so that the number of sites is not limiting) and with sufficient preincubation to form the complexes, the non-supercoiled forms of DNA are still less active templates than native PM2 DNA. On the other hand, the active sites on the two DNAs are similar in one respect; the rates of RNA chain initiation by RNA polymerase bound to these sites are the same.
Design of inhomogeneous metal distributions within catalyst particles

Abstract A practical design equation that describes the extent of catalytic metal inhomogeneity that can be achieved during imbibition of an electrolyte containing the catalytic precursor into a dry catalyst support particle is presented. The relationship is quite general and depends on easily measured properties of the support (pore volume, surface area) and the liquids (surface tension, viscosity). Experimental results using silica as the support and Ni(NO3)2·6H2O as the precursor salt demonstrate the validity of the design equation.
Critical exponents for the sol-gel transition.

Solutions of tetramethoxysilicon were reacted, using both acid and base as catalysts, until near the sol-gel transition. Portions of the reacting mixture were quenched by dilution, and the average cluster mass and correlation length were measured with use of static and dynamic light scattering. Critical exponents describing the divergences of the average mass and correlation length were found to be larger than the predictions of either the percolation or Flory-Stockmayer theory.
Evidence for lack of antigenic competition among various combinations of Vibrio anguillarum, Yersinia ruckeri, Aeromonas salmonicida and Renibacterium salmoninarum bacterins when administered to salmonid fishes

Abstract. Bacterins of Vibrio anguillarum, Yersinia ruckeri, Aeromonas Salmonicida, and Renibacterum salmoninarum were administered alone and in combination to salmonid fishes and the level of protective immunity compared. With each pathogen, the protection obtained with monovalent with A. salmonicida bacterin alone conferred some protection against challenges with Type II V. anguillarum and Y. ruckeri. Also, the combination of A. salmonicida and R. salmoninarum bacterins appeared to potentiate the protection conferred against A. salmonicida. The potential of multivalent vaccines for protecting fish from several diseases appears to be real.
Confidentiality of organ donor registry records versus the interest in preserving human life; A proposal

(1984). Confidentiality of organ donor registry records versus the interest in preserving human life; A proposal. Journal of Legal Medicine: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 116-145.
Silver-coated capillary tube for surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Abstract A silver-coated capillary tube was chemically prepared at room temperature and its performance as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrate was tested using p -nitrophenol (PNP), Rhodamine 6G and p -chlorobenzoic acid (PCBA) as analytes. The optimum time for the silver deposition was determined by using PNP as the analyte. Two different methods of sample application were tested and adapted. The surface enhancement effect of the substrate was found to be comparable to that of a silver-coated plate. Other studies were carried out to test both the efficiency of the substrate resulting from pretreatment of the tube and also the reusability of the substrate. Advantages of using the capillary substrate in SERS detection are discussed.
Some remarks on uniform asymptotic expansions for Bessel functions

Abstract The uniform asymptotic expansion of the modified Bessel function of the first kind lv(vz), except for an auxiliary multiplier, is in the form ∑ k = 0 ∞ U k ( u ) / v k , u = ( 1 + z 2 ) − 1 / 2 ⋅ u − k U k ( u ) is a polynomial in u2 of degree k and Uk(u) is determined by use of a recurrence equation which is in the form of a difference-differential-integral equation. As a consequence these coefficients are not easily evaluated and the calculation becomes more cumbersome as k increases. In this paper, we show that the above series can be rearranged as ∑ k = 0 ∞ ( − ) k c k ( v ) u k where ck(v) satisfies a difference equation of order three, but there are only three terms as the coefficient of one of the terms is always zero. We also show how Kv(vz), the Hankel functions, etc. can be handled in a similar fashion.
Surface Chemical Species Investigation by FT-IR Spectrometry and Surface Modification of a Nanosized SiCN Powder Synthesized via Chemical Vapor Condensation

The surface of a nanosized silicon carbonitride powder synthesized by chemical vapor condensation from hexamethyldisilazane was analyzed by FT-IR spectrometry. Several chemical species were identified, and their behavior toward probe molecules was studied. Deuterium and methanol additions brought evidence of open pores. A slight oxidation led to pore coalescence and strong modifications in the chemical composition of the first atomic layer even though a complete silica coverage was not reached. Moreover, the SiCN surface further nitrided by ammonia addition at high temperature appeared to have, under those conditions, a behavior different from the silicon carbide surface.
Clinical and Biological Implications of the Tumor Microenvironment

In normal tissues and organs, the activities of the constituent cells are strictly restricted to the tasks assigned to them during development. In addition they (with the exception of leukocytes) remain inflexibly confined to their territorial domains by regulatory interactions with their neighbors. This creates specialized local micro-environments in which structure and function are orderly, stable and tightly controlled by feed-back loops, within interacting regulatory networks. This system has considerable ability to adapt to changing conditions. In contrast, the microenvironment in regions where tumors are forming and expanding is characterized by progressive loss of specialized or differentiated cellular functions, disorderly molecular signals, degeneration of microscopical organ structure. This, coupled with the traffic of cells into and out of the tumor, often culminating in local invasion and metastasis to other organs. The nature of these disturbed molecular and cellular interactions is, by definition, highly unstable and increasingly unpredictable as time passes. It also varies between different tumors, sometimes even leading to regression. However, systematic analysis of this dysfunction in the tumor microcosm, using multiple modern research techniques, has revealed that all actively growing primary and secondary neoplasms share an absolute dependency upon support from adjacent non-neoplastic cells of the host. This support, in turn, continuously depends upon dynamic interplay between tumor and host cell populations, via signaling molecules and surface receptors in the tumor microenvironment. Such interplay determines the fate of the growing neoplasm. Such information, described and evaluated in this article, provides important new insights into the etiology of carcinogenesis and how tumor growth, invasion and metastasis might be therapeutically arrested. The facts and concepts assembled below, regarding the cancer microenvironment, demonstrate how modern molecular findings reveal the impact of the wide range of cancer diseases upon the internal cellular, tissue and organ environments of the whole individual and how this applies to designing new work to improve human cancer diagnosis and treatment. The article discusses several specific types of experimentally-induced and clinically common cancers to derive principles useful for interpreting events in the tumor microenvironment, which apply to cancers in general and especially to human malignant disease.
Nuclear Cross Sections for 1.4-Bev Neutrons

Transmission measurements in good and poor geometry have been performed at the Brookhaven Cosmotron to measure the total and absorption cross sections of several nuclei for neutrons in the Bev energy range. The neutrons are produced by bombarding a Be target with 2.2-Bev protons. The neutron detector requires the incident particle to pass an anticoincidence counter and produce in an aluminum radiator a charged particle that will traverse a fourfold scintillation telescope containing 6 in. of lead. Contribution of neutrons below 800 Mev are believed small. The angular distribution of neutrons from the target is sharply peaked forward with a half-width of 6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}.The integral angular distributions of diffraction scattered neutrons from C, Cu, and Pb are measured by varying the detector geometry. The angular half-width of these distributions indicates a mean effective neutron energy of 1.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 Bev.The total cross sections ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{H}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{D}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{H}}$ are measured by attenuation differences in good geometry of C${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$-C and ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$O-${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O, with the result: ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{H}}=42.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.8$ mb, ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{D}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{H}}=42.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.8$ mb.The cross sections of eight elements from Be to U are measured in good and poor geometry, and the following values of the total and absorption cross sections are deduced (in units of millibrans): Experimental errors are about 3 percent in ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{total}}$ and 5 percent in ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{absorption}}$.An interpretation of these cross sections is given in terms of optical model parameters for two extreme nuclear density distributions: uniform (radius $R$) and Gaussian [$\ensuremath{\rho}={\ensuremath{\rho}}_{0}\mathrm{exp}\ensuremath{-}{(\frac{r}{a})}^{2}$]. The absorption cross-section data are well fitted with $R=1.28{A}^{\frac{1}{3}}$ or $a=0.32+0.62{A}^{\frac{1}{3}}$ in units of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}13}$ cm. A nuclear density distribution intermediate between uniform and Gaussian will make the present results consistent with the recent electromagnetic radii.
An Alternative Undergraduate Teacher Preparation Program in Early Childhood Education.

The realities of a multi‐racial, multi‐ethnic, and multi‐ability student population demand a unique and nontraditional approach characterized by an individualization sensitive to group identity. The primary goal of this alternative Early Childhood Studies/Education Program with a degree of Bachelor of Science is to provide a comprehensive contemporary program of teacher preparation and education for inclusive early childhood settings. The goal is accomplished through objectives that provide students with opportunities in reflective thinking for personal and professional growth. This program is unique in several features such as activitybased programming, an emphasis upon functional skills, collaborative teaming, and using portfolios for selfassessment. The advantages of this alternative teacher preparation program over other teacher certification programs include more classroom experiences, a higher retention rate, higher motivation, and a better understanding of unified curriculum for typically developin...
NTIS newsletter: reader survey

The Winter 1980 issue of the FORUM (Volume XIV, No. 3) requested that readers let me know of their experiences with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) newsletter service. If you subscribe to any one or more of their 26 subject area newsletters please let me know1. The newsletter name2. The length of time received (months)3. Whether you have found it useful (on a scale from 1 - very useful to 4 - not useful)4. Any other commentsThese responses will be summarized and reported in this column.
Rat immunoglobulins in serum and secretions: purification of rat IgM, IgA and IgG and their quantitation in serum, colostrum, milk and saliva.

Abstract Rat immunoglobulin A, M, G 2a and G 2b and anti-rat α, μ, and γ were purified by ion exchange and immunoadsorbent chromatography. These purified immunoglobulins and antisera were employed in the quantitation of the principal immunoglobulins in serum and saliva of young rats from birth until 45 days of age and in milk, saliva and serum of adult rats. The level of serum IgG 2a in young rats rapidly increased prior to weaning (days 15–19) and approached the adult level (6·32 mg/ml). This increase in pup serum IgG 2a was apparently due to passive transfer since, (a) an increase in IgG 2a was observed in rat colostrum and milk between day 0 (0·67 mg/ml) and day 19 (1·53 mg/ml) and (b) upon weaning the level dropped and gradually increased to a level of 4·05 mg/ml by day 45. Serum IgM was first detected in 10 days old rats and approached the adult level (·82 mg/ml) this reached the adult level (1·19 mg/ml) by day 30. Adult levels of salivary IgG 2a (0·06 mg/ml protein) was observed in 19 day old rats. However, salivary IGA was not detectable until day 25 and this Ig approached the adult level (0.·04 mg/mg protein) by day 35. No IgM could be detected in rat colostrum, milk or saliva.
Pathogenesis of visna/maedi and caprine arthritis-encephalitis: new leads on the mechanism of restricted virus replication and persistent inflammation

Lentiviruses are unique retroviruses which cause diseases with long incubation periods and prolonged clinical courses. The prototype lentiviruses, visna/maedi of sheep and arthritis-encephalitis virus of goats (CAEV), infect cells of the monocyte-macrophage system and replicate at a restricted level in these cells. The virus life cycle is closely associated with maturational factors in the cells; monocytes support the early stages of the replication cycle which goes to completion only when the cells mature to macrophages. Virus replication in the monocyte-macrophage results in lesions characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration of the central nervous system (CNS), lungs, synovium and mammary gland and their draining lymph nodes. Co-cultivation of sheep or goat lymphocytes with macrophages infected with visna or CAE viruses results in production of a unique interferon (LV-IFN). LV-IFN is a non-glycosylated protein of 54,000 to 64,000 daltons and has biological properties which have several implications for pathogenesis. Firstly, it retards the rate of maturation of monocytes and thus indirectly slows the rate of virus replication. Second, it restricts the rate of virus replication in mature macrophages by preventing virus maturation. Third, it induces expression of class II (Ia) antigens of the major histocompatibility complex on cells of macrophage lineage. Thus, by curtailing virus replication and enhancing expression of MHC class II antigens, LV-IFN may contribute to the induction and augmentation of the host's lymphoproliferative response to the virus.
Inter-Firm Linkages and the Wealth Effects of Financial Distress Along the Supply Chain

Extant research examines the extent to which bankruptcy has intra-industry valuation consequences. This study broadens the investigation by examining the wealth effects of distress and bankruptcy filing for suppliers and customers of filing firms. On average, important wealth effects occur prior to and at bankruptcy filings and extend beyond industry competitors along the supply chain. Specifically, distress related to bankruptcy filings is associated with negative and significant stock price effects for suppliers. Supplier wealth effects are more negative when intra-industry contagion is more severe. We also investigate the importance of industry structure, specialized product nature, and leverage on supply chain effects.
Relative Bargaining Power, Corporate Restructuring, and Managerial Incentives:

Using longitudinal personnel data from a U.S. Fortune 500 manufacturing firm for the period of 1967 to 1993, I assess the effects of corporate restructuring and power differences between a firm and its managers on the nature and use of different incentives. I extend relative bargaining power theory to predict that a firm's ability to provide incentives in the ways it prefers—bonuses instead of increases to base salary or promotions—varies due to differences over time in monitoring and sanctions stemming from organizational change processes. Findings are consistent with the theory and show a negative effect of bonuses on salary increases and of bonuses on promotions, with tradeoffs greatest when the firm's oversight of rewards was highest and termination threats were most explicit. Further support for the theory is the finding that the strength of the negative effect of bonuses on promotions varied across managerial groups due to differences in managers' bargaining power: “fast-trackers” were much less lik...
Subthreshold, Varactor-Driven CMOS Floating-Gate Current Memory Array With Less Than 150-ppm/ $^{\circ}$ K Temperature Sensitivity

Floating-gate (FG) transistors serve as attractive media for nonvolatile storage of analog parameters. However, conventional FG current memories when used for storing subthreshold currents are sensitive to variations in temperature which limit their applications to controlled environments. In this paper, we propose a temperature-compensated high-density array of FG current memories that can be used for storing subthreshold currents ranging from picoamperes to nanoamperes. The core of the proposed architecture is a feedback control technique that uses a varactor to adapt the FG capacitance in a manner that the temperature-dependent factors are effectively canceled. As a result, the stored current is only a function of a reference current and the differential charge stored on the FG. Measured results from prototype arrays fabricated in a 0.5-μm CMOS process demonstrate a worst case temperature sensitivity of 150 ppm/°K and programmability down to a few picoamperes. In this regard, we also present a novel method to precisely program currents on the proposed FG memory array by exploiting a linearizing property of the integrated varactor.
Ultrafast Laser Fabrication of 3D Photonic Components in Flexible Glasses

We demonstrated the first flexible photonics lightwave circuits in glasses. The waveguide was written in ≤100μm thick Corning® Willow® Glass by a spatially and temporally shaped femtosecond ultrafast laser beam with processing speed up to 50mm/s. The flexible glass waveguide shows superior loss performance of 0.11dB/cm at λ=1550nm, with negligible bending loss down to a radius of 6.7cm.
Temporal avoidance conditioning in the cat

Rabbits were run in a temporal avoidance paradigm in which regularly occurring shock could be avoided only by jumping a barrier a few seconds prior to shock. Successful temporal avoidance conditioning was obtained, but the phenomenon, at least for the rabbit, is difficult to establish and subject to large individual differences.
Static and dynamic analysis of thin plates in bending— A novel finite element model

Abstract The static and dynamic behavior of thin flat plates in bending have been studied by means of a recently developed1 doubly curved triangular shell element. The element's formulation is based on a modified mixed variational principle, wherein the primal variable σ (vector of shell stress resultants) and ũ (boundary displacement vector) are required to satisfy a priori: (1) the complete shallow shell equilibrium equations, and (2) interelement C1 displacement continuity. Several well-selected plate structures have been analyzed and the numerical results obtained indicate that the new element scheme competes most favorably with recently developed as well as with well-established elements included in commercial general-purpose finite element codes.
Separation of a Density Current from the Bottom of a Continental Slope

Abstract Separation from the continental slope of stratified jets like the Gulf Stream involves the sliding of successive isopycnal layers from a nearly horizontal bottom to the adjacent offshore isopycnal in the deep ocean. One mechanism for producing such an effect is due to a downstream convergence of slope isobaths, as shown herein for a 1-layer density model. Upstream of the convergence, a geostrophically balanced jet is assumed with an inshore region of cyclonic vorticity resting on the continental slope and an offshore anticyclonic region resting on the isopycnal interface above heavier water. For O(1) Rossby number and cross-stream topographic variation, the steady transverse current displacements forced by slowly varying downstream topography are computed. For “supercritical” upstream flow (i.e., fast compared to free topographic waves) offslope displacements are produced by converging isobaths; extrapolation of the small amplitude result suggests that the mechanism is quantitatively important fo...
Modeling the Chemical Conversion of Organic Compounds in Sodium Borohydride Reduction Reactions

In this paper we propose a new modeling concept for the prediction of the chemical conversion of reducible species as a function of reductant concentration in sodium borohydride reduction reactions. This concept is applicable to organic compounds of unknown reactive group concentrations, such as mixtures of organic or colloidal materials. In addition to the prediction of chemical conversion, the calculation of model fitting parameters also provides values for an “apparent, conditional equilibrium constant” and an effective reactive group concentration. These models are derived on the basis of simple chemical principles and a chemical equilibrium assumption. The model-fitting parameters can be easily determined with standard mathematical software. Nevertheless, these models capture the overall behavior of the chemical reduction reaction sufficiently well for accurate predictive needs. This modeling concept can be applied in two possible ways. First, model predictions allow the transfer of experimental chem...
Folded Small Molecule Manipulation of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) is a hormone cosecreted with insulin by pancreatic β cells. Upon contact with lipid bilayers, it is stabilized into a heterogeneous ensemble of structural states. These processes are associated with gains of function, including catalysis of β sheet-rich amyloid formation, cell membrane penetration, loss of membrane integrity, and cytotoxicity. These contribute to the dysfunction of β cells, a central component in the pathology and treatment of diabetes. To gain mechanistic insight into these phenomena, a related series of substituted oligoquinolines were designed. These inhibitors are unique in that they have the capacity to affect both solution- and phospholipid bilayer-catalyzed IAPP self-assembly. Importantly, we show that this activity is associated with the oligoquinoline's capacity to irreversibly adopt a noncovalent fold. This suggests that compact foldamer scaffolds, such as oligoquinoline, are an important paradigm for conformational manipulation of disordered protein state.
What is the Best Age to Discontinue the Low Phenylalanine Diet in Phenylketonuria ? A Presentation of Some Contributory Data

Followup of two groups of children with phenylketonuria who had been treated with low phenylalanine diets revealed no significant deterioration in their intellectual ability after the diets were stopped. Visual-perceptual problems were dis covered which may have interfered with school performance; this suggests a need for followup through the school years.
The contemporary power of memory: The Dilemmas for German foreign policy

Collective memory matters in the formulation and implementation of any country's foreign policy. This is a fortiori the case in today's Germany where policy makers and the public confront an array of collective memories which are mutually antagonistic, often contradictory and still highly contentious. After presenting an argument for the validity of collective memory as a decisive factor in the creation and choice of policy, the article then describes the present “memory map” of Germany and concludes with some speculative thoughts on how persistent collective memories might influence the speed and direction of European development.
Pharmacokinetic model-driven infusion of fentanyl: assessment of accuracy.

Computer-assisted continuous infusion (CACI) is a pharmacokinetic model-driven infusion device that enables physicians to administer intravenous (iv) drugs in a quantitative fashion, specifying a theoretical blood or plasma concentration. This study evaluated the accuracy of CACI administration of fentanyl using a newly developed CACI device programmed with a well-known set of pharmacokinetic parameters for fentanyl. Patients received diazepam 1 or 2 h before surgery. Anesthesia was induced by a combination of 70% N2O and fentanyl administered by CACI to a predicted concentration of 15-25 ng.ml-1. After neuromuscular blockade and tracheal intubation, the desired plasma fentanyl concentration (setpoint) entered into CACI was 3-6 ng.ml-1, and then the setpoint fentanyl concentration was titrated according to strict criteria of adequate or inadequate anesthesia. Plasma samples for subsequent assay of fentanyl concentration then were taken: at predefined stimuli, when inadequate anesthesia occurred, or 5 min before an anticipated decrease in the fentanyl setpoint. The predictive accuracy of CACI was assessed by calculating for each patient the tenth, 50th, and 90th percentile of the performance error and absolute performance error from each measured and predicted plasma sample pair. Cumulative probability functions for each of these were then plotted. Precision was defined as the dispersion of the tenth to 90th percentile of the median percent performance error for the population and was found to be -31-26%. The median population performance error was -4%, and the median population absolute performance error was 21%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Regulation of IL-2 gene expression by Siva and FOXP3 in human T cells

Severe autoinflammatory diseases are associated with mutations in the Foxp3 locus in both mice and humans. Foxp3 is required for the development, function, and maintenance of regulatory T cells (Tregs), a subset of CD4 cells that suppress T cell activation and inflammatory processes. Siva is a pro-apoptotic gene that is expressed across a range of tissues, including CD4 T cells. Siva interacts with three tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family members that are constitutively expressed on Treg cells: CD27, GITR, and OX40. Here we report a biophysical interaction between FOXP3 and Siva. We mapped the interaction domains to Siva's C-terminus and to a central region of FOXP3. We showed that Siva repressed IL-2 induction by suppressing IL-2 promoter activity during T cell activation. Siva-1's repressive effect on IL-2 gene expression appears to be mediated by inhibition of NFkappaB, whereas FOXP3 repressed both NFkappaB and NFAT activity. In summary, our data suggest that both FOXP3 and Siva function as negative regulators of IL-2 gene expression in Treg cells, via suppression of NFAT by FOXP3 and of NFkappaB by both FOXP3 and Siva. Our work contributes evidence for Siva's role as a T cell signalling mediator in addition to its known pro-apoptotic function. Though further investigations are needed, evidence for the biophysical interaction between FOXP3 and Siva invites the possibility that Siva may be important for proper Treg cell function.
Demonstrating information in simple gestures

We introduce the simple gesturing user interface (SGUI), an application programming interface (API) for designing user interfaces utilizing simple gesturing on the personal digital assistant (PDA). SGUI is particularly appropriate for PDA interfaces because the simple gestures are recognized using minimum processing power and reserve all of the small display for user-task specific information. A graphing-software implemented on a PDA using SGUI illustrates the usability of gesturing interfaces and the information conveyed in a single gesture stroke.
Prevalence of mental health disorders among low-income African American adolescents.

Purpose Data on the prevalence of mental health disorders for low-income, urban African American adolescents are scarce. This study presents data about the burden of mental disorders for this understudied population.
Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase ameliorates endotoxin-induced gut mucosal barrier dysfunction in rats

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: The permeability of intestinal epithelial monolayers increases after exposure to nitric oxide. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of excessive NO production on intestinal barrier function in rats injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: Rats were injected with saline or LPS (5 mg/ kg). Bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, and spleen was assessed 24 hours after LPS injection. Mucosal permeability was determined by loading fluorescein-labeled dextran (mol wt, 4000 daltons) into an intestinal segment and measuring its appearance in plasma. Intestinal mucosal mitochondrial respiration was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. RESULTS: Intestinal tissue from LPS-challenged rats showed upregulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) messenger RNA expression and subsequent up-regulation of iNOS enzymatic activity. Plasma concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate (NO2-/NO3-) were increased for at least 24 hours after injection of LPS. Treatment with the selective iNOS inhibitor, aminoguanidine, inhibited iNOS enzymatic activity and overproduction of NO2-/NO3-. LPS-induced bacterial translocation was reduced by aminoguanidine. LPS-induced intestinal hyperpermeability was ameliorated by both aminoguanidine and another selective iNOS inhibitor, S-methylisothiourea. LPS depressed intestinal mucosal mitochondrial function, and this effect was ameliorated by aminoguanidine. CONCLUSIONS: Overproduction of NO may contribute to intestinal barrier dysfunction in LPS challenged rats, possibly by interfering with mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. (Gastroenterology 1997 Oct;113(4):1246-57)
SU‐E‐T‐229: Clinical Implementation and Validation of Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeters (OSLDs) for Radiotherapy Dosimetry

Purpose: To experimentally validate and clinically implement a new OSLDs system containing Al2O3: C for measuring skindose for the patients undergoing radiotherapytreatment. Methods and materials: The calibration measurements of the commercially available OSLDs were performed in a solid water phantom using therapeuticphoton and electron beams. All measurements were carried out in a standard clinical set‐up using 100 cm SSD, 10 ×10 cm2 field size, and dmax depth for each photon and electron beam energies. In total, 100 OSLDs were irradiated with the same dose. Inter‐OSLD response variation was calculated by taking the difference between the average value and each OSLD response. A simple optical bleaching system was applied for the OSLDs using a regular fluorescent light. The accuracy of the OSLD measurement was assess by comparing with the expected ion chamber reading and MOSFET measurements carried out under the identical condition in patients. Results: In the phantom study, the overall inter‐OSLD response variations were 2.8% and 6.4% for 10 MV photon and 10MeV e‐beam, respectively. OSLD response variation between the different energies was clinically insignificant. Optical bleaching took less than 2 hours while using fluorescent light with residual signal of less than 0.3%. For the patient study, the OSLDs reading were comparable to MOSFET measurement. Summary and Discussion: Our preliminary results using OSLDs show good agreement with clinically used MOSFET measurement in patients. Screening of general purpose OSLDs is highly recommended before using in patient. The OSLDs are accurate, can be readout/use multiple times, single readout does not anneal the chip, and more importantly it is convenient to put in the patient's body. Further validation and clinical implementation of OSLDs for all therapeutic‐beams as well as on‐board‐imaging system will be advantageous for more accurate clinical dosimetry for advanced radiotherapy procedures such as SBRT, IGRT.
Neuropsychological dysfunction in schizotypal personality disorder: A profile analysis

In order to examine the neuropsychological profile of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), we studied a wide array of cognitive functions in 10 right-handed men who met DSM-III-R criteria for SPD and 10 matched normal controls. Cognitive functions included abstraction, verbal and spatial intelligence, memory and learning, language, attention, and motor skills. Neuropsychological profiles were constructed by standardizing test scores based on the means and standard deviations of the normal control group. SPD subjects showed significant decrements in performance on the California Verbal Learning Test, a word-list learning measure which requires semantic clustering for more efficient performance, and on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test, a measure requiring concept formation, abstraction, and mental flexibility. These results suggest possible areas of specific neuropsychological dysfunction in SPD, and are consistent with current hypotheses of left-temporal and prefrontal brain dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Molybdenocene trihydride complexes: influence of a [Me2Si] ansa bridge on classical versus nonclassical nature, stability with respect to elimination of dihydrogen, and acidity.

Experimental and computational studies on a series of cationic molybdenocene trihydride complexes, namely [Cp2MoH3]+, [(CpBut)2MoH3]+, [Cp*2MoH3]+, and {[Me2Si(C5Me4)2]MoH3}+, demonstrate that the most stable form for the ansa molybdenocene derivative is a nonclassical dihydrogen−hydride isomer, {[Me2Si(C5Me4)2]Mo(η2-H2)(H)}+, whereas the stable forms for the non-ansa complexes are classical trihydrides, [Cp2Mo(H)3]+, [(CpBut)2Mo(H)3]+, and [Cp*2Mo(H)3]+. In addition to altering the classical versus nonclassical nature of [Cp*2MoH3]+ and {[Me2Si(C5Me4)2]Mo(η2-H2)(H)}+, the [Me2Si] ansa bridge also markedly influences the stability of the complex with respect to elimination of H2 and dissociation of H+. Finally, computational studies on {[H2Si(C5H4)2]MoH2D}+ and {[H2Si(C5H4)2]MoHD2}+ establish that deuterium exhibits a greater preference than hydrogen to occupy dihydrogen versus hydride sites.
An alternate pseudospectral model for pollutant transport, diffusion and deposition in the atmosphere

Abstract A numerical model of atmospheric transport, diffusion and deposition has been developed for pollutants which are emitted into atmospheric boundary layer with upper boundary condition at the inversion layer and lower boundary condition at the surface. The numerical schemes used in the model are derived from the use of finite Fourier transform. However, instead of using FFT, alternate pseudospectral schemes for evaluations of space derivative terms in the model equation with the settling velocity are presented. The model involves the evaluation of a polynomial function for non-periodic boundary conditions in order to apply the alternate pseudospectral schemes to the periodic function. The numerical results were discussed for different profiles of vertical eddy diffusivity and for different absorptive deposition conditions at the ground.
Impregnation Molding of Particle‐Filled Preceramic Polymers: Process Modeling

A process model is presented for the analysis and simulation of impregnation molding of particle-filled, continuous-fiber ceramic composites. A multidimensional, transient particle filtration formulation is coupled with isothermal, anisotropic Darcy flow to predict filler-concentration profiles during molding. The particle filtration is insensitive to the injection flow rate; however, in irregularly shaped molds, the geometry of the mold greatly influences the local velocities, which results in local variations in the rate of filtration. Although the preform volume fraction and inlet particle concentration influence the particle accumulation quantitatively, the filtration coefficient and the permeability have a dominant role in setting the filtration trend.
In vitro study drug for the assessment of poly(L-aspartic acid) as a drug carrier for colon-specific drug delivery

Abstract Selective delivery of drugs to the colon for the treatment of large bowel disorders can be achieved using prodrugs which are cleaved by enzymes produced by microorganisms residing in the large intestine. Since it is known that enzymes of gut microflora are able to cleave certain peptide and ester bonds, the ability of poly(L-aspartic acid) (weight-average MW: 30000) to act as a drug carrier for the model drug dexamethasone (DX) was investigated. The ester prodrug (10°, w/w drug loading) was synthesized in high yield using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as dehydrating agent in dimethylformamide. Prodrug incubations were carried out in the homogenized luminal contents of various GI-tract segments of male Sprague-Dawley rats at 37°C and pH 6.5 (stomach at pH 4.5) and prodrug concentrations which provide enyzme saturated conditions. DX concentrations were measured by HPLC. In addition, incubations were done with the homogenized mucosa and muscle tissues at pH 4.5 (pH of the lysosomal compartment) and at pH 6.5. The half-life t l 2 of chemical hydrolysis at these pH-values (37°C) was 114 days and 2.8 days, respectively. Enzymatic activity of the mucosa and the tissue samples was low (
The Smirnov distribution

Adequacy of the Smirnov approximation to P (D mn ≧c/mn), of the exact distribution of the two sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion,D mn ,m<=n is examined. The main finding is that accuracy depends as much on the sample sizes,m andn, as on the ratio, ρ=m/n. The Smirnov approximation is good whenn is an integer multiple ofm, especiallyn=m, 2m; poor otherwise. This contrasts with the Smirnov approximation to P (D mn >c/mn), where this ordering is reversed, the cases forn=m, 2m being poor. The merit of continuity correction, of order ofn −1 in theD mn scale, is demonstrated for the Smirnov approximation, .1≦ρ, as well as for the Kolmogorov approximation, ρ<.1. As an argument for the optimum choice of ρ, the casen=m+1 is shown to have much to recommend it over the casen=m. Finally the usefulness of theχ 2 distribution with 2 degress of freedom is illustrated as an approximation to the Smirnov distribution.
Use of an Activated Beta-Catenin to Identify Wnt Pathway Target Genes in Caenorhabditis elegans, Including a Subset of Collagen Genes Expressed in Late Larval Development

The Wnt signaling pathway plays a fundamental role during metazoan development, where it regulates diverse processes, including cell fate specification, cell migration, and stem cell renewal. Activation of the beta-catenin−dependent/canonical Wnt pathway up-regulates expression of Wnt target genes to mediate a cellular response. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a canonical Wnt signaling pathway regulates several processes during larval development; however, few target genes of this pathway have been identified. To address this deficit, we used a novel approach of conditionally activated Wnt signaling during a defined stage of larval life by overexpressing an activated beta-catenin protein, then used microarray analysis to identify genes showing altered expression compared with control animals. We identified 166 differentially expressed genes, of which 104 were up-regulated. A subset of the up-regulated genes was shown to have altered expression in mutants with decreased or increased Wnt signaling; we consider these genes to be bona fide C. elegans Wnt pathway targets. Among these was a group of six genes, including the cuticular collagen genes, bli-1col-38, col-49, and col-71. These genes show a peak of expression in the mid L4 stage during normal development, suggesting a role in adult cuticle formation. Consistent with this finding, reduction of function for several of the genes causes phenotypes suggestive of defects in cuticle function or integrity. Therefore, this work has identified a large number of putative Wnt pathway target genes during larval life, including a small subset of Wnt-regulated collagen genes that may function in synthesis of the adult cuticle.
Routing prefix caching in network processor design

Cache has been time proven to be a very effective technique to improve memory access speed. It is based on the assumption that enough locality exists in memory access patterns, i.e., there is a high probability that an entry will be accessed again shortly after. However, it is questionable whether Internet traffic has enough locality, especially in the high speed backbone, to justify the use of cache for routing table lookup. We believe there is enough locality if routing prefixes are cached instead of individual IP addresses. This paper is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of caching on routing prefix. We propose an on-chip routing prefix cache design for the network processor. The control-path processor is used in our design to fulfill missed cache requests. In order to guarantee the correct lookup result, it is important that the control-path processor only returns cacheable routing prefixes. We present three implementations that all guarantee the correct lookup result. Simulation results show that our cache design performs much better than an IP address cache, even after factoring in the extra complexity involved.
The use of the NIS reporter gene for optimizing oncolytic virotherapy

Introduction: Oncolytic viruses are experimental cancer therapies being translated to the clinic. They are unique in their ability to amplify within the body, therefore requiring careful monitoring of viral replication and biodistribution. Traditional monitoring strategies fail to recapitulate the dynamic nature of oncolytic virotherapy. Consequently, clinically relevant, noninvasive, high resolution strategies are needed to effectively track virotherapy in real time. Areas covered: The expression of the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) reporter gene is tightly coupled to viral genome replication and mediates radioisotope concentration, allowing noninvasive molecular nuclear imaging of active viral infection with high resolution. This provides insight into replication kinetics, biodistribution, the impact of vector design, administration, and dosing on therapeutic outcomes, and highlights the heterogeneity of spatial distribution and temporal evolution of infection. NIS-mediated imaging in clinical trials confirms the feasibility of this technology to noninvasively and longitudinally observe oncolytic virus infection, replication, and distribution. Expert opinion: NIS-mediated imaging provides detailed functional and molecular information on the evolution of oncolytic virus infection in living animals. The use of NIS reporter gene imaging has rapidly advanced to provide unparalleled insight into the spatial and temporal context of oncolytic infection which will be integral to optimization of oncolytic treatment strategies.
Correlated Biomarker Measurement Error: An Important Threat to Inference in Environmental Epidemiology

Utilizing multiple biomarkers is increasingly common in epidemiology. However, the combined impact of correlated exposure measurement error, unmeasured confounding, interaction, and limits of detection (LODs) on inference for multiple biomarkers is unknown. We conducted data-driven simulations evaluating bias from correlated measurement error with varying reliability coefficients (R), odds ratios (ORs), levels of correlation between exposures and error, LODs, and interactions. Blood cadmium and lead levels in relation to anovulation served as the motivating example, based on findings from the BioCycle Study (2005–2007). For most scenarios, main-effect estimates for cadmium and lead with increasing levels of positively correlated measurement error created increasing downward or upward bias for OR > 1.00 and OR < 1.00, respectively, that was also a function of effect size. Some scenarios showed bias for cadmium away from the null. Results subject to LODs were similar. Bias for main and interaction effects ranged from −130% to 36% and from −144% to 84%, respectively. A closed-form continuous outcome case solution provides a useful tool for estimating the bias in logistic regression. Investigators should consider how measurement error and LODs may bias findings when examining biomarkers measured in the same medium, prepared with the same process, or analyzed using the same method.
The Impact of Reentry Services on Juvenile Offenders' Recidivism:

Despite recent decline in juvenile crime, the formal processing and incarceration of juveniles has increased. Many incarcerated juveniles return to their communities with serious risk and need areas unaddressed, complicating their chances for successful reentry. Juvenile aftercare and/or reentry programs have emerged to address these youths’ unique needs and the risk they pose to public safety. This study examined preliminary process and outcome indicators of a unique juvenile offender reentry program, including a strong mentoring component, compared to similar youth not receiving reentry services. The authors examined service delivery, as well as intermediate outcome measures and short-term recidivism outcomes, including time to first new offense and number of new official contacts within 6 months of release. Findings demonstrate that the program was delivered as intended, successfully created intermediate change in participants, and was modestly effective in reducing recidivism likelihood and increasing time to recidivism.
Object type recognition for automated analysis of protein subcellular location

The new field of location proteomics seeks to provide a comprehensive, objective characterization of the subcellular locations of all proteins expressed in a given cell type. Previous work has demonstrated that automated classifiers can recognize the patterns of all major subcellular organelles and structures in fluorescence microscope images with high accuracy. However, since some proteins may be present in more than one organelle, this paper addresses a more difficult task: recognizing a pattern that is a mixture of two or more fundamental patterns. The approach utilizes an object-based image model, in which each image of a location pattern is represented by a set of objects of distinct, learned types. Using a two-stage approach in which object types are learned and then cell-level features are calculated based on the object types, the basic location patterns were well recognized. Given the object types, a multinomial mixture model was built to recognize mixture patterns. Under appropriate conditions, synthetic mixture patterns can be decomposed with over 80% accuracy, which, for the first time, shows that the problem of computationally decomposing subcellular patterns into fundamental organelle patterns can be solved.
An Analysis of Problems with Walkers Encountered by Elderly Persons

In the United States, over 1.5 million persons use walkers, and 77 percent are 65 or older. Yet walkers rank high in terms of numbers of users experiencing problems in their use. This paper provide...