cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrazine effects on vertebrate cells in vitro.

Abstract This study was designed to elucidate the cellular effects of hydrazine on four established tissue culture vertebrate cell lines (rat kangaroo kidney, Xenopus toad kidney, human diploid fibroblast, and Chinese hamster cells) and primary cultures of neonatal rat myocardial cells. Cells were exposed to hydrazine in various concentrations (0.001 to 10 m m ) for varying time periods. The resulting growth and morphological data revealed a possible site of hydrazine action. In all cell lines tested, population growth was depressed by low concentrations of hydrazine (0.01 to 0.1 m m ). Cell growth was initially depressed, but it eventually returned to normal log phase growth even when fresh hydrazine was added to the culture medium. At higher concentrations (0.5 to 2.0 m m ), hydrazine was lethal. Most cell types first showed population growth depression at 0.01 m m hydrazine, but the lethal concentration varied with the cell type. Cultures treated with hydrazine yielded a significantly higher number of giant, multinucleated cells. Autoradiography studies employing [3H]thymidine confirmed that the large, multinucleated cells resulted from cell fusion. The increase in cell fusion in hydrazine treated cell cultures implicated the cell surface as a possible target site. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed concentration related surface differences between control and hydrazine-treated cells. Further membrane studies examining the effects of hydrazine on the contractile and intercellular spontaneous electrical activity of myocardial cells in culture indicated that hydrazine also altered these membrane-related activities in a concentration and time-dependent manner.
Microbial Community Responses to Organophosphate Substrate Additions in Contaminated Subsurface Sediments

Background Radionuclide- and heavy metal-contaminated subsurface sediments remain a legacy of Cold War nuclear weapons research and recent nuclear power plant failures. Within such contaminated sediments, remediation activities are necessary to mitigate groundwater contamination. A promising approach makes use of extant microbial communities capable of hydrolyzing organophosphate substrates to promote mineralization of soluble contaminants within deep subsurface environments. Methodology/Principal Findings Uranium-contaminated sediments from the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Field Research Center (ORFRC) Area 2 site were used in slurry experiments to identify microbial communities involved in hydrolysis of 10 mM organophosphate amendments [i.e., glycerol-2-phosphate (G2P) or glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P)] in synthetic groundwater at pH 5.5 and pH 6.8. Following 36 day (G2P) and 20 day (G3P) amended treatments, maximum phosphate (PO43−) concentrations of 4.8 mM and 8.9 mM were measured, respectively. Use of the PhyloChip 16S rRNA microarray identified 2,120 archaeal and bacterial taxa representing 46 phyla, 66 classes, 110 orders, and 186 families among all treatments. Measures of archaeal and bacterial richness were lowest under G2P (pH 5.5) treatments and greatest with G3P (pH 6.8) treatments. Members of the phyla Crenarchaeota, Euryarchaeota, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria demonstrated the greatest enrichment in response to organophosphate amendments and the OTUs that increased in relative abundance by 2-fold or greater accounted for 9%–50% and 3%–17% of total detected Archaea and Bacteria, respectively. Conclusions/Significance This work provided a characterization of the distinct ORFRC subsurface microbial communities that contributed to increased concentrations of extracellular phosphate via hydrolysis of organophosphate substrate amendments. Within subsurface environments that are not ideal for reductive precipitation of uranium, strategies that harness microbial phosphate metabolism to promote uranium phosphate precipitation could offer an alternative approach for in situ sequestration.
Improving the Quality of Staff and Participant Interaction in an Acquired Brain Injury Organization

Weekly observations of direct-care staff in a facility for persons with brain injury yielded less than optimal interactional style with facility residents. Following an observational baseline, staff were asked to self-rate a 15-min video sample of their interaction behavior with participants on their unit. They were then asked to compare their self-ratings to those of a supervisor, as well as view a video exemplar of appropriate positive interaction behavior. Elements of their interactional style were highlighted and specific feedback was provided on how to improve their performance. Interaction style was then reevaluated via an unobtrusive observer and yielded positive gains for all participants. Subsequent on-the-job feedback sustained performance gains.
Aggregate observational distinguishability is necessary and sufficient for social learning

We study a model of information aggregation and social learning recently proposed by Jadbabaie, Sandroni, and Tahbaz-Salehi, in which individual agents try to learn a correct state of the world by iteratively updating their beliefs using private observations and beliefs of their neighbors. No individual agent's private signal might be informative enough to reveal the unknown state. As a result, agents share their beliefs with others in their social neighborhood to learn from each other. At every time step each agent receives a private signal, and computes a Bayesian posterior as an intermediate belief. The intermediate belief is then averaged with the beliefs of neighbors to form the individual's belief at next time step. We find a set of necessary and sufficient conditions under which agents will learn the unknown state and reach consensus on their beliefs without any assumption on the private signal structure. The key enabler is a result that shows that using this update, agents will eventually forecast the indefinite future correctly.
Stacking SRAM banks for ultra low power standby mode operation

On-chip SRAM caches have come to dominate the total chip area and leakage power consumed in state-of-the-art microprocessor designs. Such large memories are necessary to attain high performance, however it is critical to minimize the idle currents drawn while these SRAM banks are inactive. This work proposes a novel voltage reduction technique to reduce SRAM leakage power during the standby mode. The design employs an implicit voltage reduction method that "stacks" SRAM banks in series while these blocks are inactive. No explicit DC/DC converters are required to achieve the reduced voltages, which leads to large area reductions over techniques requiring on-chip regulation circuits. This stacking technique reduces the voltage on each block close to the absolute data retention voltage (DRV) of each cell, and achieves a maximum leakage power reduction of 93% from the active power mode. Simulation results show the stability of the scheme around corners, process variations, and on-chip noise.
Ibuprofen and Antihypertensive Drugs

Excerpt To the editor: I read with interest the article by Radack and associates (1) on the interaction of Ibuprofen and antihypertensive drugs. Although the dosage studied was that normally used v...
Ten-dimensional supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in terms of four-dimensional superfields☆

Abstract We show that the usual formulation of the N = 4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in terms of N = 1 superfields can be generalized to describe the full ten-dimensional theory.
A minimum scale architecture for rover-based sample acquisition and caching

The Minimum Scale Sample Acquisition and Caching (MinSAC) architecture has been developed to enable rover-based sample acquisition and caching while minimizing the system mass. The MinSAC architecture is a version of the previously developed Integrated Mars Sample Acquisition and Handling (IMSAH) architecture. The MinSAC implementation utilizes the sampling manipulator both for sampling and sample tube transfer. This significantly reduces the number of actuators in the sample acquisition and caching subsystem. A core sample is acquired directly into its sample tube in the coring bit. The bit is transferred and released on the rover. A tube gripper on the robotic arm turret pulls the filled sample tube out of the back of the coring bit and the tube is sealed. The sample tube is then placed in the return sample canister. A new tube is placed in the bit for acquisition of another sample.
μ-Meson Capture and Nuclear Shell Structure

The rate of absorption of negative $\ensuremath{\mu}$-mesons in lead and in calcium is calculated, using an interaction of the charge-exchange type described by Wheeler. A shell model of the nucleus is used in making explicit calculations of the various nuclear matrix elements. The ratio of the absorption rate in lead to that in calcium is found to be 6.1, in contrast to the value 14.3 predicted by the simpler Wheeler theory. Another result is that the absorption rate in mercury should be greater than that in lead by 20 percent in spite of its smaller atomic number. These results are in fair agreement with recent experimental measurements. The coupling constant for the charge-exchange reaction is $g\ensuremath{\sim}3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}49}$ erg ${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$, approximately the same as the coupling constants for $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay and $\ensuremath{\mu}$-decay.
A test of normality with high uniform power

Kurtosis can be measured in more than one way. A modification of Geary's measure of kurtosis is shown to be more sensitive to kurtosis in the center of the distribution while Pearson's measure of kurtosis is more sensitive to kurtosis in the tails of the distribution. The modified Geary measure and the Pearson measure are used to define a joint test of kurtosis that has high uniform power across a very wide range of symmetric nonnormal distributions.
Enhancement of Impurity Removal from Polymer Films

The problem of the enhancement of the removal of a volatile impurity in a polymer film by the addition of a second solvent is analyzed. The introduction of a second solvent that diffuses faster than the impurity can increase the free volume of the system and can thus facilitate removal of the volatile impurity. Solution of the ternary diffusion problem indicates the role of the properties of the second solvent and of processing conditions on the devolatilization effectiveness. It is shown that more than a 10-fold decrease in the devolatilization time can be achieved using a second solvent and appropriate processing conditions.
Concentration-dependence of the effect of an in situ oil shale retort-produced water on metabolism.

During the conduction of the Rock Springs Site 9 experiment a large volume of retort water was collected to support environmental research studies. This sample was designated Omega-9 retort water. The Omega-9 water has the following characteristics: pH 8.6, 1003 mg/1 total organic carbon, and 30,300 mg/1 of total dissolved solids which are principally bicarbonate, sodium, ammonium, thiosulfate, sulfate, chloride, and carbonate. Although the Omega-9 water cannot be ascribed as typical of in situ oil shale retort waters in general, its availability has supported numerous investigations into the treatment, disposal, use, and effects of such water. It is reported that consumption of undiluted Omega-9 water by 60 to 80 g Holtzman rats led to an increased rate of metabolism of hexobarbital in vivo and in vitro, an increased rate of metabolism of ethylmorphine in vitro, and an increased level of cytochrome P-450 activity. These observations indicated that Omega-9 water induced liver enzymes activity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the induction effect is concentration related.
Masters change, slaves remain.

Sex determination offers an opportunity to address many classic questions of developmental biology. In addition, because sex determination evolves rapidly, it offers an opportunity to investigate the evolution of genetic hierarchies. Sex determination in Drosophila melanogaster is controlled by the master regulatory gene, Sex lethal (Sxl). DmSxl controls the alternative splicing of a downstream gene, transformer (tra), which acts with tra2 to control alternative splicing of doublesex (dsx). DmSxl also controls its own splicing, creating an autoregulatory feedback loop that ensures expression of Sxl in females, but not males. A recent paper has shown that in the dipteran Ceratitis capitata later (downstream) steps in the regulatory hierarchy are conserved, while earlier (upstream) steps are not. Cctra is regulated by alternative splicing and apparently controls the alternative splicing of Ccdsx. However, Cctra is not regulated by CcSxl. Instead it appears to autoregulate in a manner similar to the autoregulation seen with DmSxl.
Swift and psychoanalysis, language and woman

(1988). Swift and psychoanalysis, language and woman. Women's Studies: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 417-434.
Are differences in leg length predictive of lateral patello-femoral pain?

Background and Purpose. Lateral patello-femoral pain can shorten an athletic career and generally decrease an individual's physical activity and functional level, such as preventing stair climbing and reducing the ability to rise from a chair. Leg length inequality is associated with patello-femoral pain. A leg length test that best distinguishes the difference between people who have lateral patello-femoral pain and those who do not would have clinical utility. The purpose of the present study was, first, to determine if unilateral, lateral patello-femoral pain was associated with the longer leg when inequality of leg lengths existed and, second, to determine if leg length direct measurement, indirect measurement or quadriceps angle (Q angle) could correctly classify participants according to the presence or absence of patello-femoral pain. Method. The study used an ex post facto, two-group quasi-experimental design. A volunteer sample of 52 participants (14 males, 38 females), ranged in age from 18 to 52 years. Three methods were used to measure leg lengths: palpation meter (PALM) on anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS) while participants maintained centred weight-bearing position on a high resolution pressure mat; tape measurement from ASIS to medial malleolus (supine); tape measurement from ASIS to lateral malleolus (supine). Additionally, Q angle was measured in supine position. Patellar grind test, medial retinacular and lateral patellar palpation screened for patello-femoral pain. Results. Logistic regression analysis determined correctness of membership in painful and non-painful patello-femoral groups. The PALM method of indirect measurement of leg length differences overall correctly classified approximately 83% of the participants. Tape measure to medial and lateral malleoli as well as Q angle did not yield significant results. Conclusion. The results suggested that the PALM method of measuring leg length differences may have clinical utility in differentiating between patients who are likely to sustain patello-femoral pain syndrome and those who will not. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of flexibility on liquid crystalline polymer behavior: The nematic broken rod

A new theory for liquid crystalline polymers is developed, and its behavior in simple shear flow is analyzed. The theory accounts for molecular flexibility by employing a microstructure consisting of two rigid rods linked by a joint with a tunable stiffness. The probability distribution function equation for the orientation of the arms of the broken rod is derived. The adaptation of the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) technique for obtaining numerical solutions to this theory is detailed. The behavior of the theory at equilibrium is derived analytically and compared with numerical results; the SPH technique is then used to obtain results in flow. It is found that in the limit of a nearly stiff joint, the model gives behavior that is very similar to that of rigid rod polymers, the only difference being a lesser tendency to tumble due to greater variation in the order parameter. For nearly free joints, the shear flow induces interesting dynamics for the transition between states with the arms outstretched and those where they are folded up (so-called “hairpins” of main-chain LCPs). © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 281–300, 1999
The emission of negative electrons from lithium and fluorine bombarded with deuterons

In the last issue of The Physical Review we published the energy spectrum of beta-rays from boron bombarded with deuterons, which we were able to obtain by bombarding a target inside the cloud chamber.
Cultural Appreciation through Literature

ABSTRACT The decision concerning which cultural aspects in literature to discuss can best be made by determining the kind of cultural content it contains, and whether the culture depicted is authentic, aculture, burlesque of culture, or deformation of culture. Preparatory to teaching culture in literature, appropriate goals should be established and necessary background provided. A variety of activities may be utilized to focus on culture while reading the work. Finally, learning outcomes should be assessed in reference to the established goals.
Symmetric bulk charge linearisation in charge-sheet MOSFET model

An accurate, simplified version of the charge-sheet MOSFET model is developed using symmetric linearisation of the bulk charge as a function of surface potential. The resulting MOSFET model satisfies the Gummel symmetry condition and is verified by comparison with the exact results.
Inferring the anthropogenic contribution to local temperature extremes

In PNAS, Hansen et al. (1) document an observed planet-wide increase in the frequency of extremely hot months and a decrease in the frequency of extremely cold months, consistent with earlier studies (2). This analysis is achieved through aggregation of gridded monthly temperature measurements from all over the planet. Such aggregation is advantageous in achieving statistical sampling power; however, it sacrifices regional specificity. In that light, we find the conclusion of Hansen et al. (1) that “the extreme summer climate anomalies in Texas in 2011, in Moscow in 2010, and in France in 2003 almost certainly would not have occurred in the absence of global warming” to be unsubstantiated by their analysis.
A Semimicro-Kjeldahl Method for the Determination of Total Nitrogen in Milk

Summary 1.A semimicro-Kjeldahl method and apparatus is described. 2.Mercuric oxide is recommended as a catalyst with boric acid as the ammonia receiving agent and methyl red-methylene blue as the indicator. 3.The semimicro method was found to check very closely with the Official Method. 4.The semimicro method is useful for determining small amounts of nitrogen, it is time saving, well adapted to routine analysis, and reduces the cost of reagents per determination.
Utilization of an Asphalt Pavement Analyzer for Hot Mix Asphalt Laboratory Mix Design

The Superpave volumetric mix design system, developed by SHRP in the 1990s, has continued to gain widespread acceptance across the United States. Although it is widely believed to be an improvement over past mix design systems, it does have an inherent flaw. It does not include a performance test to assess HMA's resistance to rutting, fatigue, or low temperature cracking. With the development and implementation of newer performance test specifications, it is an appropriate time to work on integrating a performance based test for construction specifications. Rather than being based on material properties or construction practices, the payment for an HMA pavement could then be based primarily on the performance based specification. The results of this study indicate that although the APA works well as the pass/fail criterion used by state agencies, the variability of APA cycles to failure make it impractical to base a rut prediction model on data obtained from it.
On double barrier quantum well conductance effects due to exchange and correlation

Conductance investigations in double barrier resonant tunneling (DBRT) structures under an applied voltage usually make use of the BenDaniel–Duke equation (BDK), coupled to the Poisson equation, to incorporate electron interactions through the Hartree term in a self-consistent way. By including an extra self-consistency condition, it is possible to go beyond the Hartree approximation and include exchange and correlation (EC) effects through the local density approximation (LDA). In this paper, the inclusion of EC effects is made by means of the analytically parametrized υinf xc of Hedin and Lundqvist. A comparison with previous work that excludes such effects is carried out for the energy spectrum as well as for the field dependent conductance in a GaAs/AlGaAs DBRT structure. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Impending and Perhaps Inevitable Collapse of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy as Performed by Psychiatrists

This article documents the diminution over the past 25 years in the focus on training in psychodynamic psychotherapy in psychiatry residencies. The author contends that the diminution is currently at the point that it endangers the 'holding environment' necessary for the acquisition of this valuable skill. The article also outlines societal factors that contribute to this situation and societal responses that might be taken to counteract a decline in the practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy by psychiatrists.
Identification of Inhibitory Autophosphorylation Sites in Casein Kinase I ε

Casein kinase I e (CKIe) is a widely expressed protein kinase implicated in the regulation of diverse cellular processes including DNA replication and repair, nuclear trafficking, and circadian rhythm. CKIe and the closely related CKIδ are regulated in part through autophosphorylation of their carboxyl-terminal extensions, resulting in down-regulation of enzyme activity. Treatment of CKIe with any of several serine/threonine phosphatases causes a marked increase in kinase activity that is self-limited. To identify the sites of inhibitory autophosphorylation, a series of carboxyl-terminal deletion mutants was constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. Truncations that eliminated specific phosphopeptides present in the wild-type kinase were used to guide construction of specific serine/threonine to alanine mutants. Amino acids Ser-323, Thr-325, Thr-334, Thr-337, Ser-368, Ser-405, Thr-407, and Ser-408 in the carboxyl-terminal tail of CKIe were identified as probable in vivo autophosphorylation sites. A recombinant CKIe protein with serine and threonine to alanine mutations eliminating these autophosphorylation sites was 8-fold more active than wild-type CKIe using IκBα as a substrate. The identified autophosphorylation sites do not conform to CKI substrate motifs identified in peptide substrates.
Equations for the control of the flexural vibrations of composite plates by partially electroded piezoelectric actuators

A system of 2D equations for the flexural vibrations of symmetric composite plates with both unelectroded and electroded portions of piezoelectric actuators attached to the top and bottom surfaces is obtained. The resulting system of equations is applied in the analysis of the cylindrical bending of a composite plate caused by voltages applied to partially electroded piezoelectric actuators. It is shown that no shearing stress is transferred across the interfaces between the electroded portions of the actuators and the composite plate and that an exponentially decaying shearing stress is transferred across the interfaces in the unelectroded regions of the actuators. The resulting finite shearing stress shows that when the electrodes end a short distance from the edge of the actuator, the undesirable singular shearing stress distribution that exists when the electrodes extend to the edge of the actuator is eliminated.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND REACTIONS OF MONOMERIC TITANIUM COMPLEXES CONTAINING A CHELATING BIS(PHENOLATE) LIGAND [1, 2]

Abstract The synthesis of Ti(iso)Cl2 (iso = the dianion of 2, 2′-ethylidenebis(4, 6-di-rert-butylphenol)) is described. Metathesis reactions of this complex with Grignard reagents, as well as alkali metal salts, yielded Ti(iso)X2 (X = CH3, CH, Ph, CH2SiMe3, OCMe3, or NMe2). Reactions of the Ti-C bond in Ti(iso)(CH3)2 toward halogens, active hydrogen compounds, and acetone were studied. In addition. Ti(iso)(X)(Y) (X = CI or CH3; Y = OC6H2-2, 6-tBu2-4-Me) could be prepared with the formation of only one coordination isomer. The new complexes have been thoroughly characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies. The solid state structure of Ti(iso)Cl2 was determined via single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. The complex is monomeric, with approximately tetrahedral geometry about the titanium ion. The structure of Ti(iso)Cl2 is compared to that of Ti(ultra)Cl2 (ultra = the dianion of 2, 2′-mefhylenebis(6-tert-butyl-4-mefhylphenol)), which was redetermined to greater precision.
Emerging illness and bioterrorism: Implications for public health

Biological weapons have the potential to inflict deliberate, potentially devastating epidemics of infectious disease on populations. The science and technology exist to create deliberate outbreaks of human disease, as well as disease among plants and animals, crops, and livestock. A new awareness among policymakers of the link between public health and national security requires the attention of public health professionals. The issues posed by biological weapons are likely to challenge the political assumptions of many progressive public health professionals and will demand new coalitions. The prospect of bioterrorism may offer new opportunities for improving the public health infrastructure and its capabilities.
Loss functions for estimation of extrema with an application to disease mapping

It is often of interest to find the maximum or near maxima among a set of vector-valued parameters in a statistical model; in the case of disease mapping, for example, these correspond to relative-risk “hotspots” where public-health intervention may be needed. The general problem is one of estimating nonlinear functions of the ensemble of relative risks, but biased estimates result if posterior means are simply substituted into these nonlinear functions. The authors obtain better estimates of extrema from a new, weighted ranks squared error loss function. The derivation of these Bayes estimators assumes a hidden-Markov random-field model for relative risks, and their behaviour is illustrated with real and simulated data. Les valeurs maximale ou quasi-maximale du vecteur de parametres d'un modele statistique revětent souvent un interět particulier; sur une carte des cas de maladie, par exemple, ces valeurs correspondent a des “points chauds” pouvant necessiter une intervention publique. Le probleme se reduit generalement a estimer des fonctions non lineaires de l'ensemble des risques relatifs, mais les estimations obtenues sont biaisees si on se borne a y remplacer les moyennes a posteriori. Les auteurs proposent de meilleurs estimateurs des extrěmes, construits au moyen d'une nouvelle fonction de perte quadratique ponderee basee sur les rangs. Le calcul de ces estimateurs de Bayes suppose que les risques relatifs sont modelises a l'aide d'un champ aleatoire de Markov cache; leur comportement est illustre a l'aide de donnees reelles et simulees.
When renewable portfolio standards meet cap-and-trade regulations in the electricity sector: Market interactions, profits implications, and policy redundancy

Emission trading programs (C&T) and renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are two common tools used by policymakers to control GHG emissions in the energy and other energy-intensive sectors. Little is known, however, as to the policy implications resulting from these concurrent regulations, especially given that their underlying policy goals and regulatory schemes are distinct. This paper applies both an analytical model and a computational model to examine the short-run implications of market interactions and policy redundancy. The analytical model is used to generate contestable hypotheses, while the numerical model is applied to consider more realistic market conditions. We have two central findings. First, lowering the CO2 C&T cap might penalize renewable units, and increasing the RPS level could sometimes benefit coal and oil and make natural gas units worse off. Second, making one policy more stringent would weaken the market incentive, which the other policy relies upon to attain its intended policy target.
Comparing Putin’s and Brezhnev’s Policies toward the Middle East

This article compares Moscow’s and Washington’s foreign policies toward the Middle East in 1982 and 2008. In 1982, Moscow and Washington each had a distinct set of friends and foes. In 2008, Washington still has a distinct set of friends and foes, but Moscow has relatively good relations with all governments and most major opposition movements in the region—the only exceptions being Al Qaeda and its affiliates. It is argued that Putin’s policy toward the Middle East is not really aimed at displacing the U.S. in the region, but protecting Russia and Russian interests from Al Qaeda and its allies. Indeed, a continued American presence in the region serves to protect Russian interests in the region.
Indications for replacement of the Beall 103 and 104 disc valves.

Abstract Because of the unpredictable risk of failure of the Beall 103 and 104 valves, 29 patients who had such a valve implanted between 1969 and 1975 were identified in 1979 and studied to determine clinical status, degree of hemolysis, and valve function by cinefluoroscopy and echocardiography. Seven had valve replacement early after initial study because of cardiac symptoms or severe hemolysis or both. Of the 22 patients followed from January, 1980 to August, 1985, 13 experienced new symptoms or hemolysis, and had valve replacement. Serial observations over a mean of 2.8 years in patients with an isolated Beall valve eventually requiring operation for severe valve wear showed increasing hemolysis frequently concomitant with onset of cardiac symptoms. There were no perioperative deaths in 20 Beall valve replacements, which included 9 multiple valve operations. The mean interval to replacement for all patients was 8.5 years. When the only prosthetic valve was the Beall mitral valve, severe valve wear was associated with higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (1,117 ± 67 IU [± standard error]) than those with mild or moderate valve wear at reoperation (LDH, 565 ± 68 IU; p or evidence of increasing hemolysis from serial serum LDH determinations or evidence of abnormal disc size or motion by cinefluoroscopy indicate a high probability of severe Beall valve wear. The risk of reoperation is low when done early after severe valve wear becomes evident.
Distal balloon occlusion allows epicardial lead placement in a tortuous branch of the great cardiac vein

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a well established treatment modality in heart failure. Using standard techniques, placement of the left ventricular (LV) lead is usually successful; however LV lead placement failure remains a clinical problem. In the present report, the standard over-the-wire technique was not successful due to absence of the necessary support to place the lead into a tortuous vein. This was achieved using balloon occlusion of the great cardiac vein distal to the target vessel. An 81 year old female candidate for CRT presented for biventricular pacemaker implantation. After placement of the right ventricular lead, the CS was cannulated and an occlusive venogram was performed. A lateral branch was selected as the target vessel. Initial attempts at cannulating the vessel were unsuccessful due to the guidewire and telescoping delivery system prolapsing into the great cardiac vein. The acute angle prevented instrumentation of the branch with the tools available. A second parallel CS sheath was advanced to drive a balloon catheter used to occlude the great cardiac vein distal to the target vessel. This provided support for the guidewire and lead allowing their advancement through the tortuous vessel. Consecutive traction on the balloon during also helped to reflect the lead towards the vessel. The lead remained stable in its final position on the lateral wall of the LV with appropriate thresholds and no diaphragmatic stimulation. We report a case where balloon occlusion of the great cardiac vein distal to the target branch aided in advancing the LV lead into the desired position. This approach can be used in navigating lead placement to branches thought to be unreachable. Techniques such as this can decrease the failure rate of CRT implants.
The Four—Yes, Four—Types of State Primaries

T here is a common-and understandable-error in many introductory American Government textbooks, which is usually found in the obligatory chapter on elections and voting. These books distinguish well between open and closed primaries. They then explain the blanket primary, in which all candidates are placed on one primary ballot,' but-as with the traditional open and closed systems-results-by-party are kept separate for purposes of advancing two opposing candidates to a general election. This is where the mistake usually occurs. Though they describe the blanket primary system correctly, textbooks often attribute it to three states:
Film-head pulse distoration due to microvariation of domain wall energy

Experiments show that the location of spurious peaks on the trailing edges of data pulses is strongly influenced by the application of small DC bias currents to the head coil during readback. A simple model of the head response which includes both magnetization rotation and domain wall motion for the case where domain wall coercivity is comparable to signal fields in the head reproduces many of the features of the observations. Calculations show that fields in pole tips during reading can exceed the wall-motion coercive force of permalloy. It is demonstrated that the resulting domain wall motion could give rise to the spurious signals sometimes seen in thin-film heads. It is proposed that such heads contain domain walls parallel to the signal flux path. The observed oscillations in the spurious response are primarily caused by filter dynamics, not domain wall dynamics. >
Using participatory action research to address absenteeism

Many urban high schools serving low-income families have below-average attendance rates, which can indicate that fewer students are prepared to matriculate into college and career opportunities. Through the use of participatory action research (PAR), we – a group of four educators at Wilson High School – have changed school policies and procedures in order to address our school's most problematic behavior: students cutting class. Through the processes and outcomes that our group, the Class Cutting Task Force, has experienced, we have called upon action learning (AL) in our focus on practical and experienced problems, and we have learned an important lesson: without clear and consistent school-wide expectations, our students cannot meet their potentials. Additionally, we have become empowered to drive a school-wide improvement initiative from the ground up by using the four-stage PAR process. It is our experience with the PAR process as a method of engagement in AL for school practitioners that we aim to s...
Significant Association between Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria and Uranium-Reducing Microbial Communities as Revealed by a Combined Massively Parallel Sequencing-Indicator Species Approach

Massively parallel sequencing has provided a more affordable and high-throughput method to study microbial communities, although it has mostly been used in an exploratory fashion. We combined pyrosequencing with a strict indicator species statistical analysis to test if bacteria specifically responded to ethanol injection that successfully promoted dissimilatory uranium(VI) reduction in the subsurface of a uranium contamination plume at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center in Tennessee. Remediation was achieved with a hydraulic flow control consisting of an inner loop, where ethanol was injected, and an outer loop for flow-field protection. This strategy reduced uranium concentrations in groundwater to levels below 0.126 μM and created geochemical gradients in electron donors from the inner-loop injection well toward the outer loop and downgradient flow path. Our analysis with 15 sediment samples from the entire test area found significant indicator species that showed a high degree of adaptation to the three different hydrochemical-created conditions. Castellaniella and Rhodanobacter characterized areas with low pH, heavy metals, and low bioactivity, while sulfate-, Fe(III)-, and U(VI)-reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio, Anaeromyxobacter, and Desulfosporosinus) were indicators of areas where U(VI) reduction occurred. The abundance of these bacteria, as well as the Fe(III) and U(VI) reducer Geobacter, correlated with the hydraulic connectivity to the substrate injection site, suggesting that the selected populations were a direct response to electron donor addition by the groundwater flow path. A false-discovery-rate approach was implemented to discard false-positive results by chance, given the large amount of data compared.
The effects of the systemic arterial system on coronary blood flow

The authors investigate the relationship between the arterial system load and coronary circulation with the aid of a closed-loop model of the circulation. Altering the arterial system parameters leads to the prediction that coronary perfusion is highly sensitive to the arterial load. >
Carbimazole-Induced, ANCA-Associated, Crescentic Glomerulonephritis: Case Report and Literature Review

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is a rare complication of antithyroid drug use that was first described with propylthiouracil. We describe an ANCA-associated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in a patient treated with carbimazole during 6 months for Graves disease that resulted in end-stage renal disease. A 66-year-old man treated with carbimazole for Graves disease was admitted for macroscopic hematuria and edema of the lower extremities. Laboratory work-up showed elevated serum creatinine (435 μmol/L), mixed hematuria, nephrotic range proteinuria, and a low positive c-ANCA titer with proteinase-3 specificity. Renal biopsy showed necrotizing, crescentic, pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. Carbimazole was discontinued and hemodialysis was initiated as well as high-dose glucocorticoids and pulses of intravenous cyclophosphamide. Despite immunosuppressive treatment, the patient remained dialysis-dependent at 6 months after diagnosis. Graves disease remained in remission after carbimazole withdrawal. ANCA-associated vasculitis manifesting as glomerulonephritis is a potential adverse effect of all antithyroid drugs. Although prognosis is usually good, end-stage renal disease may ensue in rare cases. Physicians should have a high index of suspicion in patients receiving antithyroid drugs who present with symptoms or signs suggestive of progressive renal disease.
Population genetic evidence for rapid changes in intraspecific diversity and allelic cycling of a specialist defense gene in Zea

Two patterns of plant defense gene evolution are emerging from molecular population genetic surveys. One is that specialist defenses experience stronger selection than generalist defenses. The second is that specialist defenses are more likely to be subject to balancing selection, i.e., evolve in a manner consistent with balanced-polymorphism or trench-warfare models of host-parasite coevolution. Because most of the data of specialist defenses come from Arabidopsis thaliana, we examined the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of three defense genes in two outcrossing species, the autotetraploid Zea perennis and its most closely related extant relative the diploid Z. diploperennis. Intraspecific diversity at two generalist defenses, the protease inhibitors wip1 and mpi, were consistent with a neutral model. Like previously studied genes in these taxa, wip1 and mpi harbored similar levels of diversity in Z. diploperennis and Z. perennis. In contrast, the specialist defense hm2 showed strong although distinctly different departures from a neutral model in the two species. Z. diploperennis appears to have experienced a strong and recent selective sweep. Using a rejection-sampling coalescent method, we estimate the strength of selection on Z. diploperennis hm2 to be ∼3.0%, which is approximately equal to the strength of selection on tb1 during maize domestication. Z. perennis hm2 harbors three highly diverged alleles, two of which are found at high frequency. The distinctly different patterns of diversity may be due to differences in the phase of host-parasite coevolutionary cycles, although higher hm2 diversity in Z. perennis may also reflect reduced efficacy of selection in the autotetraploid relative to its diploid relative.
Cluster validation indices for fMRI data: Fuzzy C-Means with feature partitions versus cluster merging strategies

Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) is a standard technique for exploratory analysis and is readily adaptable to integrate unique data characteristics and auxiliary feature relations. Distinguishing between the spatial and temporal features of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time courses (TC) has proved effective in reducing the presence of false positives for stimulation studies. The fuzzy partitions generated by this FCM variant (FCMP) are compared to several cluster merging techniques using cluster validation indices. These indices quantify the degree to which a dataset justifies a particular membership partition. A basic cluster merging strategies is examined where closest samples in a distance matrix are merged. A novelty is the use of alternate centroid definitions. Finally, the dynamic modeling employed by the CHAMELEON clustering algorithm is examined. All algorithms are evaluated on a Tourette's fMRI dataset.
A Neuroethological Framework for the Representation of Minds

The cognition that constructs mental features such as intention, disposition, and character is an aspect of theory of mind. This aspect of representation of minds, which inherently has valence, is viewed from cognitive, evolutionary, and neural perspectives. It is proposed that this cognition is modular, and that it normally operates in association with a valence-free cognition able to represent mental states such as belief. Examples of neural activity capable of supporting the social representations macaque monkeys are believed to possess (understanding of affective displays, purposeful movement, and elemental social interactions) are presented.
Metabolic Disorders of the Newborn

The key to the evaluation of inborn errors of metabolism in the neonate is inclusion of these disorders in the differential diagnosis and intelligent use of selected laboratory tests that can increase or decrease suspicion of metabolic disorders (Table). Because the selection of appropriate tests and the interpretation of the results are based on a number of different clinical symptoms and the presence or absence of hypoglycemia, hyperammonemia, and acidosis, no simple flow diagram can replace the physician9s acumen and judgment in determining when and how to pursue the diagnosis.
The Austro-Hungarian Naval Officer Corps, 1867–1918

Two Decades Ago, Holger Herwig's The German Naval Officer Corps: A Social and Political History, 1890–1918 (1973) chronicled the story of the new military elite that rose to prominence when imperial Germany went to sea: a corps that sought to emulate the traditions of the Prussian army, its middle-class officers eager to embrace the values and attitudes of the more aristocratic army officer corps.1 Recently Istvan Deak's excellent work Beyond Nationalism: A Social and Political History of the Habsburg Officer Corps, 1848–1918 (1990) has provided a comprehensive picture of the officer corps of the Habsburg army.2 Like imperial Germany, Austria-Hungary was a central European land power with few long-standing traditions at sea, but differences in social composition, training, and outlook distinguished the Austro-Hungarian naval officer corps from its German counterpart. Within the Dual Monarchy the navy had to deal with the nationality question and other challenges that also faced the army, but in many respects its officer corps reflected the diversity of the empire more than the Habsburg army officer corps did, contributing to the navy's relatively more successful record as a multinational institution.
Human cytomegalovirus infection inhibits CXCL12- mediated migration and invasion of human extravillous cytotrophoblasts

During the first trimester of pregnancy, a series of tightly regulated interactions govern the formation of a highly invasive population of fetal-derived extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVT). Successful pregnancy is dependent on efficient invasion of the uterine wall and maternal spiral arteries by EVT. Dysregulated trophoblast invasion is associated with intrauterine growth restriction, birth defects, spontaneous abortion and preeclampsia. A number of soluble growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines modulate this process, fine-tuning the temporal and spatial aspects of cytotrophoblast invasion. In particular, the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis has been shown to specifically modulate cytotrophoblast differentiation, invasion, and survival throughout early pregnancy. Infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been associated with impaired differentiation of cytotrophoblasts down the invasive pathway, specifically dysregulating the response to mitogens including epidermal growth factor (EGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). In this study, the effect of HCMV infection on the CXCL12-mediated migration and invasion of the EVT cell line SGHPL-4 was investigated. Infection with HCMV significantly decreased secretion of CXCL12 by SGHPL-4 cells, and induced a striking perinuclear accumulation of the chemokine. HCMV infection significantly increased mRNA and total cell surface expression of the two known receptors for CXCL12: CXCR4 and CXCR7. Functionally, HCMV-infected SGHPL-4 cells were unable to migrate or invade in response to a gradient of soluble CXCL12 in transwell assays. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that HCMV impairs EVT migration and invasion induced by CXCL12. As HCMV has the ability to inhibit EVT migration and invasion through dysregulation of other relevant signaling pathways, it is likely that the virus affects multiple signaling pathways to impair placentation and contribute to some of the placental defects seen in HCMV-positive pregnancies.
Initial Steps in the Assembly of the Vacuole-Type H+-ATPase

The plant vacuole is acidified by a complex multimeric enzyme, the vacuole-type H + -ATPase (V-ATPase). The initial association of ATPase subunits on membranes was studied using an in vitro assembly assay. The V-ATPase assembled onto microsomes when V-ATPase subunits were supplied. However, when the A or B subunit or the proteolipid were supplied individually, only the proteolipid associated with membranes. By using poly(A + ) RNA depleted in the B subunit and proteolipid subunit mRNA, we demonstrated A subunit association with membranes at substoichiometric amounts of the B subunit or the 16-kD proteolipid. These data suggest that poly(A + ) RNA-encoded proteins are required to catalyze the A subunit membrane assembly. Initial events were further studied by in vivo protein labeling. Consistent with a temporal ordering of V-ATPase assembly, membranes contained only the A subunit at early times; at later times both the A and B subunits were found on the membranes. A large-mass ATPase complex was not efficiently formed in the absence of membranes. Together, these data support a model whereby the A subunit is first assembled onto the membrane, followed by the B subunit.