cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adult-onset nonparalytic, small-angle hypertropia.

Purpose To describe the prevalence and clinical features of a common but underrecognized disorder of adult vertical strabismus. Methods The medical records of all adult (≥19 years of age) residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, diagnosed with nonparalytic, small-angle hypertropia (NPSAH) from January 1, 1985, through December 31, 2004, were retrospectively reviewed for demographic and clinical features. Results Of 753 patients diagnosed with adult-onset strabismus, 99 (13.1%) were found to have NPSAH, yielding an annual incidence of 7.50 per 100,000 patients >18 years of age and a cumulative incidence of 1.28%. The median age at diagnosis was 71 years (range, 27-98 years); 63 (64%) were women. Diplopia was reported at the initial diagnosis in 91 patients (93.8%), with 90 (92.8%) having the diplopia in primary or reading position. The median initial angle of hypertropia was 2Δ (range, 1Δ-22Δ) at near and 2Δ (range, 0Δ-12Δ) at distance. After a median follow-up of 10.8 years (range, 6.2 months to 23.7 years), the final median angle of vertical deviation was 4Δ (range, 0Δ-20Δ) at near and 4Δ (range, 0Δ-16Δ) at distance for all 99 patients. Conclusions NPSAH is a relatively common but infrequently recognized disorder among adults. More prevalent among elderly and female patients in this study cohort, the vast majority presented with diplopia and a hypertropia of ≤10Δ that progressed over time.
Implementing Proposed IEEE 1588 Integrated Security Mechanism

A new revision of IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol is currently being developed, which will include revised specifications regarding security. The security mechanism consists of two verification approaches, immediate and delayed; we implemented both approaches on top of PTPd, an existing open source implementation of PTP. We support the immediate verification security approach using manual key management at startup, and we support the delayed verification security approach emulating automated key management for a set of security parameters corresponding to one manually configured time period. In our experiments, we found that added performance cost for both verification approaches was within 25 µs, and PTP synchronization quality remained intact when security was enabled.
Trapping of Sand-Sized Particles Exterior and Interior to Large Porous Roughness Forms in the Atmospheric Surface Layer

Six same-sized, double-walled, porous cubes constructed of plastic mesh material of different porosity e were deployed at a field site where they interacted with wind-driven saltation to evaluate their relative potential for sand sequestration (internal and external). The internal mass collected and externally deposited mass and lengths demonstrate that, for large three-dimensional porous forms with both well-defined geometric shape and dimensional properties of the permeable walls, sequestration of saltating sand is largely controlled by the characteristic three-dimensional permeability K′ and the hydraulic diameter Hd of the wall material and not simply the value of e of the walls of the forms. These two properties collapse the relationships for the particle-sequestration effectiveness [i.e., the (internal) trapping efficiency, normalized (external) deposit length, and normalized (external) deposit mass] for the five forms with geometrically-similar square/rhomboid-shaped pores. The form with rounded-rectangular holes and very thin walls does not correspond to the same relationship, suggesting that pore geometry plays a key role in the magnitude of the amount of sand sequestered, as the data from the form with the differently-shaped pores are consistent outliers compared with the other five forms with similarly-shaped pores. This is due to the physical properties of the form, the pore shape, and the shape of the solid material around the pore, as the change in flow speed between the exterior and interior scales continually as a function of permeability K′, with no apparent effect related to the pore geometry.
Reading Geniza Letters Anew

The letters from the Cairo Geniza are among the most important types of documentary source material available for those interested in the history of the Jewish communities in the Arabic-speaking world during the Middle Ages. At first utilized primarily for the factual information they provide about individuals, events, and communal institutions, these texts have of late begun to be reexamined in terms of their importance as material objects, their linguistic and literary dimensions, and the social contexts in which they were produced and read. Growing attention has also been given to those features that distinguish different genres of letter writing.
Conditions for synaptic specificity during the maintenance phase of synaptic plasticity

Abstract Activity-dependent modifications of synaptic efficacies are a cellular substrate of learning and memory. Experimental evidence shows that these modifications are synapse-specific and that the long-lasting effects are associated with the sustained increase in concentration of specific proteins like PKMζ. However, such proteins are likely to diffuse away from their initial synaptic location and spread out to neighboring synapses, potentially compromising synapse-specificity. In this paper we address the issue of synapse-specificity during memory maintenance. Assuming that the long-term maintenance of synaptic plasticity is accomplished by a molecular switch we perform simulations using the reaction-diffusion package in NEURON and analytical calculations to determine the limits of synaptic-specificity during maintenance. Moreover, we explore the effects of the diffusion and degradation rates of proteins and of the geometrical characteristics of dendritic spines on synapse specificty. We conclude that the necessary conditions for synaptic specificity during maintenance require that protein synthesis occurs in dendritic spines and that the activated dendritic spines exhibit small neck diameters.
Results of umkehr, ozonesonde, total ozone, and sulfur dioxide observations in Hawaii following the eruption of El Chichon volcano in 1982

Stratospheric aerosols caused large errors in Umkehr ozone measurements at MLO following the eruption in late March to early April 1982 of El Chichon volcano. Ozonesonde observations at MLO suggest that by early 1983 these errors decreased to ±10%. Mean monthly ozone amounts at selected pressure levels are presented for the ozonesonde observations. Less than 2 milli-atm-cm SO2 has been measured at MLO since 17 May 1982 indicating that SO2 interference has not adversely affected total ozone measurements. An apparent total ozone depletion at MLO following the eruption of El Chichon volcano is shown unlikely to be real, but the result of a minimum that occurred in the quasibiennial oscillation in ozone in early 1983. Ozonesonde data suggest that the minimum was caused by a reduction in ozone above the ozone maximum, probably due to changes in stratospheric circulation and ozone transport that accompany the quasibiennial oscillation phenomenon. A long-term trend in MLO total ozone data exhibits a rate of change in ozone since 1970 of -3% per decade. Whether this trend is due to depletion by chlorofluorocarbons, or to ozone transport variations caused by changes in the strength of stratospheric circulation between equatorial and polar regions, is unknown.
Aspects of Pulsar Navigation for Deep Space Mission Applications

This paper investigates the performance of pulsar-based navigation in deep space mission applications. The noise properties of X-ray based and radio-baspulsar measurements are examined and compared. A closed form parametric covariance analysis tool was developed in this study. It provides a rough estimate of the navigation performance associated with a deep space cruise that makes use of ion thrusters and sequential pulsar observations. In addition, the flight trajectory of the Dawn spacecraft was used to form a hypothetical deep space mission scenario that utilizes pulsars as navigation beacons. This simulated scenario accounts for clock uncertainty, pulsar timing noise, maneuver execution errors, sequential observation and interruptions between pulsar observations. A particle filter was implemented to reduce the large initial position uncertainty by resolving the number of pulsar wavelengths between the spacecraft and the Solar System Barycenter. The resulting position and velocity uncertainties from the particle filter can be used to initialize an Extended Kalman Filter, which estimates the spacecraft position and velocity for steady state operations.
Probabilistic human health risk assessment of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) by integrating in vitro, in vivo toxicity, and human epidemiological studies using a Bayesian-based dose-response assessment coupled with physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling approach

BACKGROUND Environmental exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is associated with various adverse outcomes in humans. However, risk assessment for PFOS with the traditional risk estimation method is faced with multiple challenges because there are high variabilities and uncertainties in its toxicokinetics and toxicity between species and among different types of studies. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to develop a robust probabilistic risk assessment framework accounting for interspecies and inter-experiment variabilities and uncertainties to derive the human equivalent dose (HED) and reference dose for PFOS. METHODS A Bayesian dose-response model was developed to analyze selected 34 critical studies, including human epidemiological, animal in vivo, and ToxCast in vitro toxicity datasets. The dose-response results were incorporated into a multi-species physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to reduce the toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic variabilities. In addition, a population-based probabilistic risk assessment of PFOS was performed for Asian, Australian, European, and North American populations, respectively, based on reported environmental exposure levels. RESULTS The 5th percentile of HEDs derived from selected studies was estimated to be 21.5 (95% CI: 10.6-36.3) ng/kg/day. After exposure to environmental levels of PFOS, around 50% of the population in all studied populations would likely have >20% of increase in serum cholesterol, but the effects on other endpoints were estimated to be minimal (<10% changes). There was a small population (~10% of the population) that was highly sensitive to endocrine disruption and cellular response by environmental PFOS exposure. CONCLUSION Our results provide insights into a complete risk characterization of PFOS and may help regulatory agencies in the reevaluation of PFOS risk. Our new probabilistic approach can conduct dose-response analysis of different types of toxicity studies simultaneously and this method could be used to improve risk assessment for other perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Selective dissemination of information (SDI): relationship to productivity in the corporate R&D environment

Selective dissemination of information (SDI) is an information alerting service designed to keep individuals informed of new developments in their particular fields of interest. This investigation evaluated the use of SDI by basic research scientists working in a corporate environment. The following conceptual areas were considered in developing the best model of SDI use and productivity: 1, background of the individual; 2, work environment; 3, need to keep abreast of new research developments; 4, use of information sources; and 5, product‐ivity or number of papers published. One hundred and fifty‐six scientists met the entrance criteria and were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Multivariate models revealed several interesting patterns. Frequency of SDI use was found to be related to the work environment, need to keep abreast of new research developments, and use of primary and secondary information sources, including patents. Productivity was found to be related to background characteristics of the scientist, the work environment, need to keep abreast of new research developments and the use of a variety of information sources. Based on these research findings, scientists who use SDI on a regular basis appear to be more productive than their colleagues who are infrequent users, or who do not subscribe to the service.
Surgical Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy after Previous Hemopericardium

A 40-year-old male with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy presented with refractory ventricular tachycardia. He had an unsuccessful combined epicardial and endocardial ablation procedure which was complicated by hemopericardium necessitating a pericardial window. Epicardial access and ablation for a patient with prior cardiothoracic surgery can be successfully achieved via a hybrid surgical and electrophysiological approach.
A 60-GHz Digital Sub-Sampling Integer-N Phase-Locked Loop

Digital phase-locked loops (DPLL) are finding new applications in highly demanding contexts such as frequency synthesis for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communications and clock generation for ultra-high-speed wireline transceivers. In a typical DPLL, however, a time-to-digital converter (TDC) with fine time resolution, high linearity and high dynamic range is required to meet stringent noise and spur performance requirements, which negatively impacts the power consumption in a DPLL. A bang-bang phase-detector (BPD) outperforms a multibit TDC in terms of its' jitter-power tradeoff, but its' highly nonlinear phase detection characteristic limits the locking speed of the loop. This research explores the design of a 60 GHz digital subsampling phase-locked loop that uses a BBPD loop for frequency tracking and a coarse TDC loop for fast frequency acquisition. A prototype of the DPLL is designed in a 28-nm CMOS technology and extensive simulation results are provided.
Prove-It: A Proof Assistant for Organizing and Verifying General Mathematical Knowledge

We introduce Prove-It, a Python-based general-purpose interactive theorem-proving assistant designed with the goal of making formal theorem proving as easy and natural as informal theorem proving (with moderate training). Prove-It uses a highly-flexible Jupyter notebook-based user interface that documents interactions and proof steps using LaTeX. We review Prove-It's highly expressive representation of expressions, judgments, theorems, and proofs; demonstrate the system by constructing a traditional proof-by-contradiction that $\sqrt{2}\notin\mathbb{Q}$; and discuss how the system avoids inconsistencies such as Russell's and Curry's paradoxes. Extensive documentation is provided in the appendices about core elements of the system. Current development and future work includes promising applications to quantum circuit manipulation and quantum algorithm verification.
Expectations Management and Stock Returns

We establish a link between firms managing investors’ performance expectations, earnings announcement premiums, and cyclical patterns (i.e., seasonalities) in returns. Firms that are more likely to manage expectations toward beatable levels predictably earn lower returns before, and higher returns during, their earnings announcements. This pattern repeats across firms’ fiscal quarters, suggesting firms manufacture positive “surprises” by negatively biasing investors’ expectations ahead of announcing earnings. We corroborate these findings using non-price-based outcomes indicative of expectations management. Together, our findings are consistent with the pressure for firms to meet earnings targets shaping the cross-section of firms’ stock returns.
Miniature Companion Pig Sedation and Anesthesia

With their increase in popularity in North America as pets, miniature companion pigs are in need of veterinary professionals familiar with sedation and anesthesia for the species. This article provides a review of the agents used for sedation, premedication, induction, and maintenance of anesthesia for miniature companion pigs. This review also covers species-specific anatomic and physiologic factors of miniature companion pigs with respect to administration of anesthetics, endotracheal intubation, anesthetic maintenance, and common complications so that the reader can make an informed anesthetic plan for the species.
Conserved residues in the aldehyde dehydrogenase family. Locations in the class 3 tertiary structure.

As described in the preceding chapter (Liu et al., 1996), features of the class 3 ALDH Rossmann fold were totally unexpected. While Gly-187 is involved in binding NAD, its role is completely different from that observed for the first glycine residue of the GXGXXG motif in other dehydrogenases with traditional Rossmann folds. It was thus of interest, once the sequence was fit into the electron density, to examine the locations of strictly conserved residues from our earlier multiple sequence alignment (Hempel et al., 1993). A total of 23 residues were strictly conserved in that alignment. This chapter will confine itself to an attempt to correlate the role of the strictly conserved residues in the ALDH family with the class 3 ALDH (binary complex with NAD) tertiary structure.
Thomistic Hylomorphism and Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Religion

Contemporary philosophers of mind tend to accept either some version of dualism or physicalism when considering the mind–body problem. Likewise, recent philosophers of religion typically assume that we must work within these two categories when considering problems related to the possibility of bodily resurrection. Recently, some philosophers have reintroduced the Thomistic version of hylomorphism. In this article, we will consider the distinctive doctrines of Thomistic hylomorphism and how they can be used to address concerns about both the mind–body problem and the possibility of resurrection. We will see that hylomorphism allows for a novel version of emergent property dualism that is both metaphysically plausible and allows us to recognize the irreducibility of mental states and the possibility of resurrection without ignoring the fact of human embodiment. We will also discuss the currently lively debate among Thomistic hylomorphists who advocate opposed corruptionist and survivalist versions of the afterlife.
Biochemical and Immunological Characterization of the Major Envelope Glycoprotein gp69/71 and Degradation Fragments from Rauscher Leukemia Virus

Analysis of the proteins of Rauscher murine oncornavirus by immunoprecipitation showed that antiserum to the purified envelope glycoprotein of approximately 69,000 and 71,000 daltons (gp69/71) reacted as well with a number of other components of several murine oncornaviruses of approximately 45,000, 32,000, and 15,000 daltons. Polypeptides of similar size were also produced by limited proteolysis of purified gp69/71; these degradation fragments were shown to contain carbohydrate by the incorporation of 3 H from sodium boro[ 3 H]hydride after neuraminidase and galactose oxidase treatment. Each of these glycoproteins was isolated by preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and was analyzed by tryptic peptide mapping. The major virion components of 69,000 and 71,000 daltons were nearly identical, as were the primary degradation fragments. Analysis of the immunological properties of the glycoproteins showed that the 71,000-, 69,000-, and 32,000-dalton glycoproteins behaved similarly with respect to type and group-specific antigenic determinants. In contrast, the 45,000-dalton glycoprotein lacked detectable interspecies and some of the group-specific reactivity. Components of about 45,000 and 32,000 daltons isolated directly from virions were also identified as constituents of the major envelope glycoprotein by immune precipitation and tryptic peptide mapping. These results indicate that all of the examined virion glycoproteins of approximately 71,000, 69,000, 45,000, and 32,000 daltons are derived from the same viral gene and that these lower-molecular-weight glycoproteins can readily be produced from the major envelope glycoprotein. Images
Testing the COBE/IRAS All-Sky Reddening Map Using the Galactic Globular Clusters

We live in a dusty Universe, and correcting for the dust extinction and reddening affects almost all aspects of the optical astronomy. Recently Schlegel, Finkbeiner & Davis published an all-sky reddening map based on the COBE/DIRBE and IRAS/ISSA infrared sky surveys. Their map is intended to supersede the older Burstein & Heiles reddening estimates. In this paper I test this new reddening map by comparing the reddening values for a sample of 110 $|b|>5\deg$ Galactic globular clusters selected from compilation of Harris. I find a good agreement for globular clusters with galactic latitude $|b|>20\deg$ and fair overall agreement for globular clusters with $20>|b|>5\deg$, but with several significant deviations. I discuss four individual clusters with largest deviations, NGC 6144, Terzan 3, NGC 6355 and IC 1276, in order to investigate the reasons for these large deviations. It seems that the new reddening map overestimates the reddening in some large extinction regions. However, with its high spatial resolution the new reddening map can be used to estimate the relative variation of the reddening on scales $\lesssim 10'$.
Rolling circle replication of human papillomavirus type 16 DNA in epithelial cell extracts

Replication of human papillomavirus (HPV) genomes requires an origin of replication and two viral proteins: the DNA helicase E1 and the auxiliary factor E2. To dissect the profile of HPV replication in the epithelium, we analyzed replication of an HPV16 origin-containing plasmid in human epithelial cell extracts supplemented with purified E1 and E2. We found that in addition to well-defined circular replication products, high-molecular-weight DNA was synthesized in a manner that depended on the origin, E1 and E2. The high-molecular-weight DNA was converted to a unit-length linear DNA by treatment with restriction enzymes that cleave the plasmid once, implying that a concatemeric DNA was generated by rolling circle replication. Nicking or relaxing the template plasmid enhanced the level of HPV rolling circle replication. In contrast, the addition of an extract from non-epithelial cells diminished the generation of the rolling circle replication product in the epithelial cell extract, indicating factors that counteract HPV rolling circle replication. These results suggest a rolling circle replication mechanism for the HPV genome in cervical epithelial cells, which may have physiological implications for generation of the tandem-repeated HPV genomes occasionally found integrated into the chromosome of cervical cancer cells.
A fast computer implementation of adding and arithmetic multi-polarity transforms for logic design

A novel computer algorithm that generates adding and arithmetic multipolarity transforms of completely and incompletely specified Boolean functions is discussed. The algorithm generates the spectra directly from the minterm representation of a function without performing a matrix multiplication. When used for Boolean function transformations, these transforms are one-to-one mappings in a binary/ternary vector space. >
Saharan dust, lightning and tropical cyclones in the eastern tropical Atlantic during NAMMA‐06

[1] During the summer of 2006, the downstream component of African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses Campaign (NASA-AMMA (NAMMA)) examined African Easterly Waves (AEWs) emerging from the coast of Africa. Six of these disturbances went on to become named systems in the Tropical Atlantic. Two of the six systems (Tropical storm Debby and Hurricane Helene) developed in the extreme eastern Atlantic and were associated with dust outbreaks, elevated ice contents and frequent lightning. Here we show that in the early tropical cyclo-genesis stages of these systems there were thousands of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes as measured by a ground-lightning network. TRMM overpasses show high precipitation ice content above the freezing level and high latent heat release. Super-cooled water can be inferred in the lower parts of cloud systems in concert with observed high ice concentrations at high altitudes creating charge separation based on the large numbers of CG flashes.
Two-dimensional steady unsaturated flow through embedded elliptical layers

[1] New analytic element solutions are presented for unsaturated, two-dimensional steady flow in vertical planes that include nonoverlapping impermeable elliptical layers and elliptical inhomogeneities. The hydraulic conductivity, which is represented by an exponential function of the pressure head, differs between the inside and outside of an elliptical inhomogeneity; both the saturated hydraulic conductivity and water retention parameters are allowed to differ between the inside and outside. The Richards equation is transformed, through the Kirchhoff transformation and a second standard transformation, into the modified Helmholtz equation. Analytic element solutions are obtained through separation of variables in elliptical coordinates. The resulting equations for the Kirchhoff potential consist of infinite sums of products of exponentials and modified Mathieu functions. In practical applications the series are truncated but still fulfill the differential equation exactly; boundary conditions are met approximately but up to machine accuracy, provided that enough terms are used. The pressure head, saturation, and flow may be computed analytically at any point in the vadose zone. Examples are given of the shadowing effect of an impermeable elliptical layer in a uniform flow field and funnel-type flow between two elliptical inhomogeneities. The presented solutions may be applied to study transport processes in vadose zones containing many impermeable elliptical layers or elliptical inhomogeneities.
Genetic rescue of muscle defects associated with a mutant Drosophila melanogaster tropomyosin allele.

Abstract We describe a genetic transformation system which should prove useful for investigating tropomyosin assembly and function. Muscle abnormalities associated with a defective tropomyosin allele were corrected by integrating the wild-type gene into germ line chromosomes. The transformation protocol permits application of directed mutagenesis techniques in investigations of contractile regulatory mechanisms.
Ethanol’s Molecular Targets

Ethanol produces a wide variety of behavioral and physiological effects in the body, but exactly how it acts to produce these effects is still poorly understood. Although ethanol was long believed to act nonspecifically through the disordering of lipids in cell membranes, proteins are at the core of most current theories of its mechanisms of action. Although ethanol affects various biochemical processes such as neurotransmitter release, enzyme function, and ion channel kinetics, we are only beginning to understand the specific molecular sites to which ethanol molecules bind to produce these myriad effects. For most effects of ethanol characterized thus far, it is unknown whether the protein whose function is being studied actually binds ethanol, or if alcohol is instead binding to another protein that then indirectly affects the functioning of the protein being studied. In this Review, we describe criteria that should be considered when identifying alcohol binding sites and highlight a number of proteins for which there exists considerable molecular-level evidence for distinct ethanol binding sites.
Populations, Genetic Variation, and the Delimitation of Phylogenetic Species

Systematists should distinguish between cladistic analysis, i.e., a numerical procedure, and phylogenetic analysis, i.e., the reconstruction of hierarchic descent relationships. Modern cladistic analysis uses parsimony to construct hierarchic arrangements (trees) of terminal units (terminals) that have been scored for a series of attributes. The interpretation of cladistic relationships as representative of phylogenetic relationships requires two conditions, both of which were identified by Hennig (1966, Phylogenetic systematics, Univ. Illinois Press, Urbana). First, descent relationships among the terminals must be hierarchic; that is, all terminals must have been generated by the subdivision or replication of previously existing ancestors
Aharonov-Bohm effect in normal-metal rings of finite width: A variational study.

We use a variational method to calculate the conductance correlation function for a disordered normal-metal ring of finite width, in the mesoscopic regime $L\ensuremath{\le}{L}_{\ensuremath{\varphi}}$. Our results show clearly the aperiodic "universal" conductance fluctuations and $\frac{\mathrm{hc}}{e}$ Aharonov-Bohm oscillations. They also provide a rough estimate for the size of the magnetic field, which causes dephasing of these effects due to its penetration of the annulus of the mesoscopic ring. We also present a simple argument, based on random-walk numerical simulations, for the experimentally observed relation between the dephasing fields for aperiodic fluctuations (AF) and the $\frac{\mathrm{hc}}{e}$ oscillations: ${\ensuremath{\Delta}H}_{c}^{\mathrm{AF}}\ensuremath{\approx}{2\ensuremath{\Delta}H}_{c}^{\frac{\mathrm{hc}}{e}}$.
Issues for Veterinarians in Recognizing and Reporting Animal Neglect and Abuse

This article discusses issues relevant to recent efforts to increase veterinary reporting of cases of animal mistreatment in the USA. These issues include mandatory vs. voluntary reporting, client confidentiality obligations, the legal definitions of animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect in state laws, ethical conflicts between a veterinarian's obligations to animals and clients, perceived vs. real barriers to reporting, the circumstances under which a veterinarian is likely to encounter animal mistreatment in practice, and the lack of accepted diagnostic criteria for the "battered pet."
Erythrocyte membrane structure in bipolar affective disorder: A non-replication

Fifteen bipolar patients were compared with sixteen controls in an attempt to replicate the findings of Pettegrew et al. in 1982 of decreased fluidity in the hydrocarbon core of the erythrocyte membrane. No significant differences were seen between groups. The present control group shows very similar membrane characteristics to the original control series; however, the bipolar patient group is not similar. Possible explanations are discussed.
DEFERIPRONE, BUT NOT DEFEROXAMINE, INHIBITS BIOSYNTHESIS OF FIBRILLAR PROCOLLAGENS IN IRON-OVERLOADED THALASSEMIA PATIENTS. † 943

DEFERIPRONE, BUT NOT DEFEROXAMINE, INHIBITS BIOSYNTHESIS OF FIBRILLAR PROCOLLAGENS IN IRON-OVERLOADED THALASSEMIA PATIENTS. † 943
Traumatic GlideScope® video laryngoscopy resulting in perforation of the soft palate

To the Editor, A 39-yr-old man with a known difficult airway was scheduled to undergo stabilization of a right fibula fracture. Adhering to the manufacturer’s four-step technique (below), a GlideScope video laryngoscope (Verathon , Medical Inc., Bothell, WA, USA) was used to facilitate placement of the endotracheal tube (ETT) with the aid of a Rigid Stylet . The GlideScope manufacturer describes the four-step technique as follows: 1) look directly into the mouth to introduce the video laryngoscope; 2) look at the monitor to identify the epiglottis and obtain the best view; 3) look back into the mouth to guide the ETT carefully into position near the tip of the laryngoscope; 4) look back at the monitor to intubate the trachea. Slight resistance was noted as the ETT was advanced through the oropharynx until it was visualized on the GlideScope monitor. At completion of surgery, blood was noted in the oropharynx, and further examination revealed that the ETT had perforated the right anterior tonsillar pillar (Figure, panel A). The ETT was then removed revealing the defect through the pillar (Figure, panel B). The laceration was repaired with mattress sutures; the patient’s trachea was extubated without incident, and he made a full recovery. This case shows a complication of endotracheal intubation using a video laryngoscope. Cases have been reported of trauma to the oropharyngeal structures during video laryngoscope-assisted endotracheal intubations with ETTs loaded with rigid stylets. When the ETT is
The fidelity of replication of the three-base-pair set adenine/thymine, hypoxanthine/cytosine and 6-thiopurine/5-methyl-2-pyrimidinone with T7 DNA polymerase.

With the goal of constructing a genetic alphabet consisting of a set of three base pairs, the fidelity of replication of the three base pairs TH (5-methyl-2-pyrimidinone)/HS (6-thiopurine; thiohypoxanthine), C/H (hypoxanthine) and T/A was evaluated using T7 DNA polymerase, a polymerase with a strong 3′→5′ exonuclease activity. An evaluation of the suitability of a new base pair for replication should include both the contribution of the fidelity of a polymerase activity and the contribution of proofreading by a 3′→5′ exonuclease activity. Using a steady-state kinetics method that included the contribution of the 3′→5′ exonuclease activity, the fidelity of replication was determined. The method determined the ratio of the apparent rate constant for the addition of a deoxynucleotide to the primer across from a template base by the polymerase activity and the rate constant for removal of the added deoxynucleotide from the primer by the 3′→5′ exonuclease activity. This ratio was designated the eni (efficiency of net incorporation). The eni of the base pair C/H was equal to or greater than the eni of T/A. The eni of the base pair TH/HS was 0.1 times that of A/T for TH in the template and 0.01 times that of A/T for HS in the template. The ratio of the eni of a mismatched deoxynucleotide to the eni of a matched deoxynucleotide was a measure of the error frequency. The error frequencies were as follows: thymine or TH opposite a template hypoxanthine, 2×10−6; HS opposite a template cytosine, <3×10−4. The remaining 24 mismatched combinations of bases gave no detectable net incorporation. Two mismatches, hypoxanthine opposite a template thymine or a template TH, showed trace incorporation in the presence of a standard dNTP complementary to the next template base. T7 DNA polymerase extended the primer beyond each of the matched base pairs of the set. The level of fidelity of replication of the three base pairs with T7 DNA polymerase suggests that they are adequate for a three-base-pair alphabet for DNA replication.
High Dynamic GPS Receiver Using Maximum Likelihood Estimationand Frequency Tracking

A new high dynamic global positioning system (GPS) receiver ispresented and its performance characterized by analysis,simulation, and demonstration. The demonstration receiver is abreadboard model capable of tracking a single simulated satellitesignal in pseudorange and range rate. Pseudorange and range rateestimates are made once every 20 ms, using a maximum likelihoodestimator, and are tracked by means of a third-order fadingmemory filter in a feedback configuration. The receiver trackspseudorange with rms errors of under 1 m when subjected tosimulated 50 g, 40 g/s circular trajectories. The tracking thresholdis approximately 28 dB·Hz, which provides 12 dB margin relativethe the minimum specified signal strength, assuming 3.5 dB systemnoise figure and 0 dB antenna gain.
Measurement of renal transit of gadopentetate dimeglumine with echo-planar MR imaging

Times of peak gadolinium concentration ([Gd]) after intravenous (IV) and left ventricular (LV) bolus injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine were determined in renal cortex and medulla in normal rabbits and in rabbits after saline load (overhydration) or hemorrhage (dehydration). Magnetic resonance images were obtained with echo-planar inversion-recovery sequences, and signal intensity-versus-time curves in cortical and medullary regions of interest were converted to [Gd]-versus-time curves. Cortical perfusion measured with microspheres demonstrated that the three physiologic states were significantly different. There were three separate [Gd] peaks in both the cortex and medulla as the bolus moved from one anatomic compartment to the next. The first cortical peak occurred sooner after LV than after IV bolus injection (P < .05) and later in dehydrated than in normal and overhydrated rabbits (P < .05). The first medullary peak always followed the first cortical peak by about 6-10 seconds and mirrored the cortical patterns. The second and third cortical peaks were consistent with proximal and distal tubular transit. These peaks similarly showed faster response to LV than IV injection and were delayed by hemorrhage. The authors conclude that quantitative physiologic information can be obtained with dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the kidney.
Beyond the dichotomy of communication studies

The trend of globalization has sharpened the debate on the culture-specific and culture-general approaches to communication studies. As the demand for culture-specific approaches in scholarly research is increasing due to the impact of globalization, the trend of universalizing representations based on a culture-general paradigm is also getting stronger. Unfortunately, the countermovement between scholars’ dichotomous positions continues to reflect the limitation and myopia of traditional views, which mirror a full embracing of the local practices on the one side and a blind acceptance of foreign elements on the other. Hence, how to balance the yin and yang of scholarly research will be the key to developing a sound state of knowledge-seeking and knowledge-making in the future. This article goes beyond this either–or thinking by taking the stance that the dissolution of the boundary should be pursued. The interpenetration and interfusion between the yin and yang of communication studies should also be sou...
Regulation of CXCR2 expression and function by a disintegrin and metalloprotease-17 (ADAM17)

The chemokine receptor CXCR2 is expressed at high levels on circulating neutrophils and is critical for directing their migration to sites of inflammation. CXCR2 surface levels are rapidly modulated by 2 mechanisms-cell internalization and recycling upon ligand binding-and by a metalloprotease activity following overt neutrophil activation by nonligand stimuli. The latter process has only been described in human neutrophils, and essentially, nothing is known about its functional relevance and the specific protease involved. We show that targeting ADAM17 in mouse and human neutrophils blocks CXCR2 down-regulation induced by nonligand stimuli but not by chemokine ligands. This was determined by use of a selective ADAM17 inhibitor, an ADAM17 function-blocking antibody, and ADAM17 gene-targeted mice. CXCR2 is known to undergo a marked down-regulation during various inflammatory disorders, and this is associated with impaired neutrophil recruitment. We show that blocking ADAM17 activity reduced CXCR2 down-regulation on circulating neutrophils and enhanced their recruitment during acute inflammation, which was reversed by a CXCR2 inhibitor. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that unlike CXCR2 internalization, ADAM17 induction down-regulates the receptor in an irreversible manner and may serve as a master switch in controlling CXCR2 function, but may also contribute to neutrophil dysfunction during excessive inflammation.
An ion probe study of annual cycles of Sr/Ca and other trace elements in corals

Abstract Corals show great promise for preserving century-long records of ocean chemistry and temperature with weekly time resolution. Allison and Tudhope (1992) showed that direct microscale analysis of coral skeletons was possible with ion microprobe techniques. We show here that analysis of B, F, Mg, Sr, and Ba (relative to Ca) can be rapidly achieved on Porites skeleton at 50 μm (subweekly) spatial scales with precisions of 0.3–3%. The B, F, and Mg concentrations show large well-behaved annual variations of 44–57%, well-correlated with Sr/Ca variations of 12%, in the 1967–1969 bands from a live Porites from Two-Mile Reef, South Africa. The Sr/Ca ratio correlates well with the δ 18 O record but shows a larger annual temperature amplitude, with additional numerous sub-weekly temperature spikes. Ba/Ca in recent bands of Porites shows both a large (factor of 5) annual cycle and a large yearly spike in the late summer; the annual variation is not observed in 30-year-old bands, though the annual spikes are still sharp and clear. Barium thus appears to be unstable in Porites during aging and is probably not skeletally-bound. Deep-sea (nonzooxanthellate) corals show uncorrelated variations of these same trace elements, with amplitudes similar to the Porites . These variations are likely biologically-mediated, as the thermal forcing function in the deep sea is nil. This suggests that the annual variations seen in Porites may also be driven by vital effects and not directly by temperature. Ion microprobe techniques are shown to provide rapid, precise, and high-resolution trace-element records in corals. Full exploitation of trace element paleotemperature methods in corals will require a more sophisticated understanding of how corals accrete their skeletal components. Ion probe analysis can contribute significantly to this understanding.
Effects of enhancement with varying phosphate types and concentrations, at two different pump rates on beef biceps femoris instrumental color characteristics

The effect of enhancing beef biceps femoris muscles (n = 45) with solutions comprising 2.0% sodium chloride and either sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), or tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP) at either 0.2% or 0.4% of product weight on instrumental color during simulated retail display was investigated. All solutions were injected into muscle samples at either 112% (12% pump) or 118% (18% pump) of raw product weight. Muscles treated with all three phosphate types had lower (P 0.05) a* values as CNT, whereas SHMP- and TSPP-treated steaks generally had lower a* values than CNT. Across phosphate type, excluding day 3 of display, steaks treated with phosphate at 0.4% had similar (P > 0.05) a* values as CNT, whereas those with 0.2% phosphate addition had lower (P 0.05) from sodium chloride-treated steaks. While STPP maintained a similar (P > 0.05) saturation index as CNT, SHMP and TSPP generally had decreased (P 0.05) oxymyoglobin proportions as CNT. These results indicate that STPP was the most effective phosphate type for maintaining color. Additionally, 0.4% phosphate concentrations can maintain color better than 0.2% phosphate concentrations. However, none of the phosphate/salt combinations produced superior color, compared to untreated steaks.
Fiscal policy in the face of long-term expenditure uncertainties

A number of uncertainties about long-term expenditure commitments in industrial countries are examined: (i) the assumptions underlying the projections, (ii) the potential to further reduce non-age-related expenditures, (iii) the implicitly assumed absence of “shocks,” and (iv) the potential for raising revenue. This paper concludes that (i) there is scope, but within narrow limits, to reduce non-age-related expenditures; (ii) fiscal policy frameworks tend to understate risks; and (iii) prevailing tax rates leave little room for increasing taxation in the countries facing the strongest aging pressures. In sum, governments will have to adopt a much more ambitious fiscal policy stance to cope with aging populations.
On the interpretation of ledge ‘bright spot’ contrast effects in field ion microscope images

Abstract A detailed pulse field evaporation study was made of the field evaporation characteristics of atoms from the first five ledges of (011) planes of high purity (⩽1.5 × 10−6 at. fr. impurity level) tungsten of well-annealed specimens and specimens irradiated with 35 or 40 keV W+ ions at room temperature (middle of Stage II) in vacua of ∼ 10−6 torr. The detailed examination of > 1.8 × 10−4 frames of cine film of the well-annealed control specimens and > 2.6 × 10−4 frames of film of the irradiated specimens showed that the ‘bright spots’ identified by Buswell as vacancies decorated by surface contamination, were in reality normal tungsten atoms associated with the ledges of (011) planes. The identification of these ‘bright spots’ as tungsten ledge atoms was achieved by employing a field evaporation increment of ∼2.5 × 10−3 of an (011) plane per evaporation pulse. The concentrations of ledge ‘bright, spots’ in the control and in the irradiated specimens were almost identical. The vacancy concentrations...
Toxoplasmosis in a woodchuck (Marmota monax) and two American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in a woodchuck (Marmota monax) and 2 American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). The woodchuck was euthanized by a wildlife rescue organization in New York after progressive clinical signs of head tilt, circling, and rapid weight loss. Necropsy examination revealed acute subdural hemorrhage over the right cerebral hemisphere. Histologic lesions included meningoencephalitis, myocarditis, and hepatitis. Protozoal cysts were present in affected and unaffected neuroparenchyma. The squirrels were found dead, emaciated, and moderately infested with fleas near a park in northern Indiana. In both squirrels, the lungs were consolidated with numerous nodules up to 2 mm in diameter. Histologically, pneumonia and encephalitis were associated with intracellular and free protozoa. Additional histologic lesions included multifocal lymphoplasmacytic encephalitis with intralesional protozoa in both squirrels. The protozoa were positive with Toxoplasma gondii-specific immunohistochemistry and had ultrastructural features consistent with T. gondii in both squirrels. A real-time polymerase chain reaction test using T. gondii-specific probes demonstrated protozoal DNA in the lung, brain, and kidney of the squirrels and in the brain and heart of the woodchuck. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of toxoplasmosis in woodchucks or American red squirrels. Because rodents are common near urban settlements, this finding underscores their role as important intermediate hosts for T. gondii.
Preparation of the Fusarium toxin, nivalenol, by oxidation of the putative biosynthetic precursor, 7-deoxynivalenol.

Nivalenol is a toxic trichothecene metabolite which is produced by a number of differentFusarium species. However, the nature of its immediate biosynthetic precursor is not known. Oxidation of 7-deoxynivalenol(3α,4β, 15-trihydroxy-12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene-8-one) to nivalenol occurred with reagents known to react by a free radical pathway, such as hydrogen peroxide-ferrous ion-ascorbic acid or lead tetracetate, but not with electrophilic reagents requiring prior formation of the enol. These results suggest that 7-deoxynivalenol or an acetylated derivative could be the biosynthetic precursor of nivalenol.
Review of methods for texture analysis of myocardium from echocardiographic images: a means of tissue characterization.

This review discusses the definition of texture and identifies its utility in echocardiography for characterization of tissue. Methods used for quantification of texture in echocardiography and other disciplines are discussed. Several methodologies, particularly the wavelet method of texture quantification, seem to be promising. Image texture analysis appears to be a fertile area for research in echocardiography. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, November 2003)