cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 2858: Mirk/dyrk1B kinase inhibition increases ROS and apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells, but has little effect on normal diploid cells

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Quiescent cancer cells in vivo, including stem cell populations, are relatively insensitive to most chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation. Tumor cells in culture can be placed in G0 by serum or nutrient deprivation, and then can be targeted by a small molecule Mirk kinase inhibitor. Mirk/dyrk1B levels are elevated up to 10-fold in quiescent tumor cells where Mirk blocks cell cycling and increases viability by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS). In prior studies Mirk was detected in 75% of ovarian cancers, and was amplified in a subset. In contrast, Mirk expression was quite low in most normal cell types and Mirk knockout or depletion had no detectable effects on normal cells. Response to a Mirk kinase inhibitor was compared between two strains of normal diploid fibroblasts, early passage cultures of normal human ovarian epithelial cells, and a series of ovarian cancer cell lines where Mirk had been shown to be an active kinase. Serum-starved normal diploid cells entered a G0 quiescent state and had minimal response to the Mirk inhibitor, but serum-starved cancer cells were kept in cycle by the Mirk inhibitor, which reduced E2F4 sequestration by p130/Rb2 by 2-3fold. Mirk inhibitor treated cancer cultures had several-fold more sub-G0/G1 apoptotic cells and about 30-fold higher levels of the apoptotic proteins cleaved PARP and cleaved caspase 3 compared with normal diploid cells. The Mirk inhibitor increased total ROS levels and superoxide levels only in the cancer cells, in a rapid time-course of 2-3 days. Cancer cell loss after Mirk kinase inhibitor treatment was due at least in part to ROS, since the ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine reduced the amount of cleaved PARP and the extent of cancer cell loss. The Mirk inhibitor decreased the EC50 of cisplatin up to 9-fold in ovarian cancer cells. Thus ovarian cancer cells, which exhibit elevated Mirk expression/amplification and active Mirk kinase, were shown to be more susceptible to the Mirk kinase inhibitor than normal diploid cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2858. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2858
Reducing marginal leakage: a review of materials and techniques.

With the improvement of composite restorative materials, pit and fissure sealants, and silver amalgam alloys, marginal leakage can be significantly reduced using new techniques for adapting the materials to tooth structure. Although significant progress has been made in reducing the problem of marginal leakage, methods must be found to reduce the interface gap between the restoration and the tooth. The development of hydrophobic composites may reduce or eliminate marginal leakage even in the absence of chemical bonding.
Evaluation and Management of Acute Cervical Spine Trauma

The evaluation and management of cervical spine injuries is a core component of the practice of emergency medicine. The incidence of serious cervical spine injuries is low but associated rates of death and disability are high; therefore, the emergency physician must have a strong knowledge base to identify these injuries as well as clinical skills that will protect the patient’s spine during assessment. Cervical spine injury causes an estimated 6000 deaths and 5000 new cases of quadriplegia in the United States each year. 1 Males are affected 4 times as frequently as females. Two to three percent of blunt trauma patients who undergo cervical spine imaging are diagnosed with a fracture. The second vertebra is most commonly injured, accounting for 24% of fractures; the sixth and seventh vertebrae together account for another 39% of fractures. 2 From a clinical perspective, it is crucial for the emergency physician to diagnose a fracture. In the NEXUS trial, 56.7% of cervical spine fractures were unstable and another 13.9% were otherwise classified as clinically significant. 2 Older age is an important risk factor for cervical spine injury: patients 65 years or older have a relative risk twice that of younger trauma victims. 3 The associated mortality rate in this age group is 24%. 4 A disproportionate number of cervical spine injuries are associated with moderate and severe head injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes. Head-injured patients are almost 4 times as likely to have a cervical spine injury as those without head injuries. Those at highest risk have an initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 8 or lower and are likely to sustain unstable injuries in the high cervical spine. 5
Direct Regulation of Androgen Receptor Activity by Potent CYP17 Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer Cells

TOK-001 and abiraterone are potent 17-heteroarylsteroid (17-HAS) inhibitors of Cyp17, one of the rate-limiting enzymes in the biosynthesis of testosterone from cholesterol in prostate cancer cells. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism underlying the prevention of prostate cell growth by 17-HASs still remains elusive. Here, we assess the effects of 17-HASs on androgen receptor (AR) activity in LNCaP and LAPC-4 cells. We demonstrate that both TOK-001 and abiraterone reduced AR protein and mRNA expression, and antagonized AR-dependent promoter activation induced by androgen. TOK-001, but not abiraterone, is an effective apparent competitor of the radioligand [3H]R1881 for binding to the wild type and various mutant AR (W741C, W741L) proteins. In agreement with these data, TOK-001 is a consistently superior inhibitor than abiraterone of R1881-induced transcriptional activity of both wild type and mutant AR. However, neither agent was able to trans-activate the AR in the absence of R1881. Our data demonstrate that phospho-4EBP1 levels are significantly reduced by TOK-001 and to a lesser extent by abiraterone alcohol, and suggest a mechanism by which cap-dependent translation is suppressed by blocking assembly of the eIF4F and eIF4G complex to the mRNA 5′ cap. Thus, the effects of these 17-HASs on AR signaling are complex, ranging from a decrease in testosterone production through the inhibition of Cyp17 as previously described, to directly reducing both AR protein expression and R1881-induced AR trans-activation.
Incorporating Handheld Computers into a Public Science Center: A Design Research Study

ABSTRACT The feasibility of using handheld computers to customize learning opportunities was explored using a design research process with 68 visitor groups to a small interactive science museum and aquarium. The authors discuss the iterations of the research process, reasons given for both using and not using the handheld computers, and findings related to participants' prior use of handheld computers and their perception of the effects of using the device on their visit. The authors discuss the findings in light of current research on visitor motivations and identities, as well as models of customization. Recommendations for practitioners interested in implementing similar programs, and suggestions for further research are included.
Nursing home satisfaction, biography, and the life worlds of psychiatrically disabled residents

Abstract The stereotype of nursing home life as a uniformly dismal experience is pervasive in American culture, but this examination of the attitudes of psychiatrically disabled residents calls this generality into question. Residents in this study exemplified a range of opinions about the nursing home — some were clearly satisfied or dissatisfied, but most were ambivalent. In this paper, I explore the relationship between nursing home satisfaction and individual interpretive activity through the biographies of three residents. I find that how residents made sense of their lives was powerfully linked to their perspectives on nursing home residence. In particular, satisfaction was linked to how each resident viewed his or her illness, institutionalization, and life purpose. Understanding the phenomenological contributors to the meaning of nursing home life is essential to appreciating how it is that residents in the same environment can have vastly different outlooks on their surroundings.
Revision of the Duodenal Switch: Indications, Technique, and Outcomes

Background Duodenal switch (DS) operation combines both restrictive and malabsorptive components and has become an accepted operation in selected patients with morbid obesity. Complications develop in some patients, which are refractory to dietary supplementation. We report a series of 33 patients who required partial revision of the DS. Study Design During the 10-year period after September 1992, 701 patients had DS operation performed; of these, 33 (5 men and 28 women) patients required revision. Revision was performed by side to side enteroenterostomy 100 cm proximal to the original anastamosis. Outcomes measures reviewed include postoperative complications, nutritional parameters, and weight change. Results Revision was performed a median of 17 (range 7 to 63) months after DS. Indications for revision included protein malnutrition (n = 20), diarrhea (n = 9), metabolic abnormalities (n = 5), abdominal pain (n = 3), liver disease (n = 2), emesis (n = 2), and gastrointestinal bleed (n = 1). Median body mass index at the time of revision was 28. Median serum albumin was 3.6 g/dL and improved to 4.0 g/dL postoperatively (p = 0.01). Complications occurred in 5 of 32 patients (15%) and included wound infection (n = 2), respiratory failure (n = 1), gastrointestinal bleed (n = 1), and small bowel obstruction (n = 1). There was no perioperative mortality. During a median followup period after revision of 39 months, the median weight gain was 18 pounds. Three patients requested repeat operation because of weight regain. Conclusions Patients requiring revision of DS for malnutrition can be corrected by a technically simple procedure, but they are at considerable risk for complications. Although many patients are anxious about regaining their weight after reversal, they can be reassured that substantial weight gain is unlikely.
Learning to perceive speech: how fricative perception changes, and how it stays the same.

A part of becoming a mature perceiver involves learning what signal properties provide relevant information about objects and events in the environment. Regarding speech perception, evidence supports the position that allocation of attention to various signal properties changes as children gain experience with their native language, and so learn what information is relevant to recognizing phonetic structure in that language. However, one weakness in that work has been that data have largely come from experiments that all use similarly designed stimuli and show similar age-related differences in labeling. In this study, two perception experiments were conducted that used stimuli designed differently from past experiments, with different predictions. In experiment 1, adults and children (4, 6, and 8 years of age) labeled stimuli with natural /f/ and /θ/ noises and synthetic vocalic portions that had initial formant transitions varying in appropriateness for /f/ or /θ/. The prediction was that similar labeling patterns would be found for all listeners. In experiment 2, adults and children labeled stimuli with initial /s/-like and /∫/-like noises and synthetic vocalic portions that had initial formant transitions varying in appropriateness for /s/ or /∫/. The prediction was that, as found before, children would weight formant transitions more and fricative noises less than adults, but that this age-related difference would elicit different patterns of labeling from those found previously. Results largely matched predictions, and so further evidence was garnered for the position that children learn which properties of the speech signal provide relevant information about phonetic structure in their native language.
Developmental considerations in the definition of child maltreatment

Conflict among definitions of child maltreatment abounds. Diagnostic, sociological, legal, and research approaches each focus on a different aspect of the phenomenon as the defining factor. Improved definitions require careful analysis of objectives for defining child maltreatment and a consideration of the developmental nature of the phenomenon.
Radiometric quality of the MODIS bands at 667 and 678nm

The MODIS instruments on Terra and Aqua were designed to allow the measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence effects over ocean. The retrieval algorithm is based on the difference between the water-leaving radiances at 667nm and 678nm. The water-leaving radiances at these wavelengths are usually very low relative to the top- of-atmosphere radiances. The high radiometric accuracy needed to retrieve the small fluorescence signal lead to a dual gain design for the 667 and 678nm bands. This paper discusses the benefits obtained from this design choice and provides justification for the use of only one set of gains for global processing of ocean color products. Noise characteristics of the two bands and their related products are compared to other products of bands from 412nm to 2130nm. The impact of polarization on the two bands is discussed. In addition, the impact of stray light on the two bands is compared to other MODIS bands.
The role of overall communication quality in the association between partner's perceived decision‐making style and relational satisfaction in heterosexual same‐sex and cross‐sex friendships

The present study extended previous research examining the role of decision‐making style in marital and organizational relationships to same‐sex and cross‐sex friendships. Four hypotheses regarding the associations among decision‐making style, overall communication quality, and relational satisfaction, including one proposing a mediated‐effects model, were tested and supported. The hypotheses were also assessed as to their generalizability to same‐sex and cross‐sex friendships. The results provide support for the role of overall communication quality in assessing the effect of communication variables on relational outcomes. Implications of the present study for future research on decision‐making styles in friendships are discussed.
Seismic Array Theorem And Rapid Calculation of 3-D Recording Footprints

SUMMARY I show that the recording array noise seen in migrated sections is proportional to the stretched Fourier transform of the source and geophone sampling function. Using the Array Theorem used by Optical/Electrical Engineers, this Fourier transform can be quickly calculated by a concatenation of 1-D analytical functions. Rapid calculation of the “recording footprint” in migrated sections for different recording arrays can help guide the survey designer to a better shooting geometry.
The quadrupole vibration-rotation transition probabilities of the molecular hydrogen ion

Transition probabilities are calculated for all the possible spontaneous electric-quadrupole rotation-vibration transitions of the ground electronic state of the molecular hydrogen ion H/sup +//sub 2/ originating in vibrational levels up to v = 19 and rotational levels up to J = 20.
Factor Structure of the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire in a Normal Population

The multivariate structure of the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire was investigated in a normal population of preschool children living in the northeastern U.S. Girls (N = 349) and boys (N = 352) a...
When goals constrain: Eye movements and memory for goal‐Oriented map study

Perspective goals, such as studying a map to learn a route through an environment or the overall layout of an environment, produce memory congruent with the goal-directed rather than the studied perspective. One explanation for this finding is that perspective goals guide attention towards actively gathering relevant information during learning. A second explanation is that information is automatically organized into a goal-congruent spatial model that guides retrieval. Both explanations predict goal-congruent memory, but only the former one predicts eye movement differences during study. The present experiment investigated the effect of perspective goals on eye movement during map study and the flexibility of resulting spatial memories. Results demonstrate eye movements towards goal-congruent map elements during learning, and lasting memory effects at test. These findings carry implications for the design of adaptive hand-held and in-vehicle navigation interfaces that accommodate for varied user goals. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Serial ambulatory monitoring in patients with unstable angina pectoris

We performed a prospective study by dual-channel ambulatory monitoring performed for 24 to 72 hours immediately after hospitalization for unstable angina. The incidence of ST-segment depression or elevation or ventricular tachycardia or complex premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) in 42 consecutive patients with unstable angina due to coronary artery disease (39 by coronary arteriography) was investigated. During ambulatory monitoring, 28 of 42 patients (67%) exhibited ST-segment depression or elevation, 13 of 42 patients (31%) had ventricular tachycardia or complex PVCs, and 31 of 42 patients (74%) had either ST-segment depression or elevation, ventricular tachycardia, or complex PVCs. Ventricular tachycardia or complex PVCs occurred in 10 of 20 patients (50%) with abnormal left ventricular function and in 3 of 22 patients (14%) with normal left ventricular function (p less than 0.025). We found that 72 hours of ambulatory monitoring was not more useful than 48 hours in detecting the incidence of ST-segment depression or elevation, ventricular tachycardia, or complex PVCs. Ambulatory monitoring did not help in clinically differentiating patients with left main or 3-vessel disease from 1-vessel or 2-vessel disease. In addition, ambulatory monitoring did not help in predicting which patients with unstable angina would require coronary artery surgery.
On tactical configurations with no four-cycles

Abstract An improved lower bound is given for the band sizes of tactical configurations of rank exceeding two having no 4-cycles. This bound is applied to find an optimal configuration with certain specified parameters. A formula is given for the maximum number of cycle types one must examine to demonstrate that a rank r configuration has no g -cycle. This result, which has appeared in our earlier work as the number of types of closed walks, answers a question of Longyear.
Readability of Recommended Nutrition Sources

In this study, the readability of books recommended to consumers by profes sional nutrition and dietetics organizations was determined. Representative text samples from 32 publications were evaluated. Writing style and Flesch reading ease scores were assessed with microcomputer analysis. Flesch human interest scores were calculated by two evaluators. The grade level required to read the recommended books was 10.3 (± 2.7). More than 40% of the recommendations required a reading level that exceeds that of popular magazines. Only one rec ommended book was written at a level that was understandable by adults with low literacy skills. Mid-range human interest scores reflect the use of how-to information and examples preferred in nutrition print materials by consumers. Publications containing more passive sentences tended to be more difficult to understand and were slightly less personalized. For many consumers, the com prehension and application of the concepts presented in these recommended books will probably require interaction with professionals.
Smart Anesthesia Manager $^{\rm TM}$ (SAM)—A Real-time Decision Support System for Anesthesia Care during Surgery

Anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) are being increasingly used in the operating room to document anesthesia care. We developed a system, Smart Anesthesia ManagerTM (SAM) that works in conjunction with an AIMS to provide clinical and billing decision support. SAM interrogates AIMS database in near real time, detects issues related to clinical care, billing and compliance, and material waste. Issues and the steps for their resolution are brought to the attention of the anesthesia provider in real time through “pop-up” messages overlaid on top of AIMS screens or text pages. SAM improved compliance to antibiotic initial dose and redose to 99.3 ± 0.7% and 83.9 ± 3.4% from 88.5 ± 1.4% and 62.5 ± 1.6%, respectively. Beta-blocker protocol compliance increased to 94.6 ± 3.5% from 60.5 ± 8.6%. Inadvertent gaps (>;15 min) in blood pressure monitoring were reduced to 34 ± 30 min/1000 cases from 192 ± 58 min/1000 cases. Additional billing charge capture of invasive lines procedures worth $144,732 per year and 1,200 compliant records were achieved with SAM. SAM was also able to reduce wastage of inhalation anesthetic agents worth $120,168 per year.
Electrokinetic instabilities of non-dilute colloidal suspensions

An experimental investigation of electrokinetic instabilities (EKIs) of non-dilute colloidal suspensions in microchannels is presented. The addition of charged colloidal particles to a solution can alter the solution's electrical conductivity and permittivity as well as the average particle electrophoretic mobility. In this work, a colloidal (500 nm polystyrene) volume fraction gradient is achieved at the intersection of a Y-shaped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel. The flow becomes unstable when the electroviscous stretching and folding of the conductivity and permittivity interfaces exceed the dissipative effects of viscous forces and particle diffusion. The suspension conductivity as a function of the particle volume fraction is presented. The critical conditions required for flow instability are measured along with a scaling analysis which shows that the flow becomes unstable due to a coupling of applied electric fields and the electrical conductivity and permittivity gradients in the flow. The flow becomes unstable at a critical electric Rayleigh number of Ra e = 1.8 × 10 5 for a wide range of applied electric fields spanning three orders of magnitude and colloid volume fractions varying two orders of magnitude. EKIs of non-dilute colloidal suspensions may be important for applications such as the electrophoretic deposition of micropatterned colloidal assemblies, electrorheological devices and on-chip electrokinetic (EK) manipulation of colloids.
Insensitivity to Non-Optimal Design in Bayesian Decision Theory

Abstract Two simple inequalities involving two parameters, expected terminal losses (expected losses due to wrong decisions), expected sampling losses, and optimal (Bayes) and non-optimal sample sizes are shown to hold for several fixed sample size decision problems. The two parameters depend on the type of loss structure assumed. One inequality relates to the division of total expected losses for a sample of optimal size between expected terminal losses and expected sampling losses. The other inequality gives upper bounds on the ratio of total expected losses at non-optimal sample sizes to those at the optimal sample size. The latter inequality shows that total expected losses are often quite insensitive to the use of non-optimal sample sizes; in conjunction with optimal sample size formulas, it can be used to show that total expected losses are also insensitive to the use of a “wrong” prior distribution or the wrong cost parameters. The inequalities are shown to hold for several two-action problems on t...
A Method for Illustrating the Continuity of Behavior During Schedules of Reinforcement

In this article, we present a method for illustrating the continuity of behavior during schedules of reinforcement. Students experienced either a fixed-interval 15-sec schedule in which the first contact after 15 sec of a cursor on a computer screen with a 0.7-cm diameter virtual (invisible) target resulted in reinforcement (a beep) or a fixed-ratio 5 schedule in which every 5th contact with the target produced the reinforcer. In addition to illustrating the continuity of behavior, this method provides a means of exposing students to concepts and methods such as the acquisition of operant behavior, the assignment-of-credit problem, the organization of behavior across time, and the analysis of single-subject data.
Flavor-changing single top quark production channels at e + e - colliders in the effective Lagrangian description

We perform a global analysis of the sensitivity of CERN LEP2 and ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ colliders with a c.m. energy in the range 500--2000 GeV to new flavor-changing single top quark production in the effective Lagrangian approach. The processes considered are sensitive to new flavor-changing effective vertices such as $Ztc,$ $\mathrm{htc}$, and four-Fermi $\mathrm{tcee}$ contact term as well as a right-handed $\mathrm{Wtb}$ coupling. We show that ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ colliders are most sensitive to the physics responsible for the contact $\mathrm{tcee}$ vertices. For example, it is found that the recent data from the 189 GeV LEP2 run can be used to rule out any new flavor physics that can generate these four-Fermi operators up to energy scales of $\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.7--1.4 \mathrm{TeV}$, depending on the type of the four-Fermi interaction. We also show that a corresponding limit of $\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}1.3--2.5$ and $\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}17--27 \mathrm{TeV}$ can be reached at the future 200 GeV LEP2 run and a 1000 GeV ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ collider, respectively. We note that these limits are much stronger than the typical limits which can be placed on flavor diagonal four-Fermi couplings. Similar results hold for ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ colliders and for $t\ifmmode \bar{u}\else \={u}\fi{}$ associated production. Finally we briefly comment on the necessity of measuring all flavor-changing effective vertices as they can be produced by different types of heavy physics.
Coherence of Photonic Crystal Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Arrays

We measure and compare the coherence properties of 2 times 1 arrays of photonic crystal vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Antenna array theory applied to the measured far field intensity patterns is used to determine the phase of the complex degree of coherence, which is found to vary with current injection. The amplitude of the complex degree of coherence is determined by calculating the visibility from the far field patterns and making near field measurements of the relative intensities between lasing defects. We find that the amplitude and phase of the complex degree of coherence are correlated, such that coherence is maximized near in-phase and out-of-phase coupling conditions, and controllable by independent current injection to each array element
The Increasing Focus on Managing Relationships and Customer Retention

There has been unprecedented need for firms and organizations today to focus on customer service, retention and loyalty as a way of increasing their competitive advantage and improving their bottom line. This paper discusses the increasing focus on managing relationships and customer retention in recent years. Initially customer retention strategies are identified, followed by an analysis of the benefits of value creation for both customers and services providers, key indicators of customer relationship and managing relationship. The study identified the competitive nature of business today and hence many businesses devising strategies such as switching barriers and retaining employees to retain customers. Consumers are increasingly developing relationships with numerous services providers rather than committing to one, hence associating loyalty with repeat patronage rather than long-term commitment. Key words : Customer, relationship, retention, business, management
Intramedullary nailing of femoral and tibial shaft fractures.

Intramedullary nail fixation has become the standard of treatment for both femoral and tibial shaft fractures, with reported union rates for the femur approaching 97%.1,2 Because of this success and the ease of intramedullary nailing, the indications for this procedure have been expanded to include the periarticular portions of the long bones. Compared to diaphyseal fractures, periarticular long-bone lower extremity fractures are associated with more frequent complications and poorer outcomes. Intramedullary nail fixation of these fractures, although technically demanding, may be less traumatic than conventional techniques, especially in critically ill patients, and can obtain similar outcomes.3
THE ROLE INTERLEUKIN 2 IN THE NEONATE

The development of the Interleukin 2 (IL2) system of secretion and response via proliferation has not been well defined in neonates. We report the results of cord blood testing of 13 term neonates investigating T cell proliferation in response to PHA and OKT3, IL2 production, and response to exogenous highly purified IL2. The table divides the patients into 3 groups: It is clear that neonates have good responses to PHA but variable responses to OKT3 (group 1 vs. group 2). These depressed responses to OKT3 correct exuberantly to normal with exogenous IL2 and the IL2 measured in supernatants is significantly lower in group 2 patients than in group 1, suggesting that IL2 receptors are present on the cell surface but IL2 is not secreted. This discrepancy has previously been seen only in patients recovering from bone marrow transplantation and may help explain development of the immune system in neonates and implies a possible therapeutic role of IL2. Further studies in progress include clinical comparison of groups 1 and 2, identification of anti-OKT3 binding (OKT3 is part of the antigen recognition complex) and the role of macrophages/IL1.
AGU Selects Two Congressional Science Fellows

[1] AGU will sponsor Rebecca French and Ian Lloyd as Congressional Science Fellows for the 2011–2012 term. French and Lloyd will each work for a year in the office of a senator, representative, or congressional committee, and they will join 30 other Fellows selected by other scientific societies to contribute their scientific knowledge to the policy-making process. French and Lloyd were selected in March by a panel of AGU members who have served as past Congressional Science Fellows after a competitive review process. Their term will mark the 34th year that AGU has sponsored a Fellow and the second year that AGU has sponsored two Fellows concurrently.
LYMPHOCYTE MOTILITY IN CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA(CLL)AND X-UNKED HYPO-M-GLOBULINEMIA

We have found that circulating human T lymphocytes are motile, whereas unstimulated B lymphocytes are not (RES, J.Reticuloendothel.Soc.20:331, 1976). Since motility is a functional morphologic marker of normal circulating T cells, we have begun to examine whether motility is a marker for T cells in immunologic disorders. Patients with CLL, a B cell malignancy, and x-linked hypc-γ-globulin-emia, a genetic B cell deficiency, were studied. Motile lymphocytes were determined by interference contrast microscopy. Blood lymphocytes were examined in the absence of plasma or serum since these inhibit lymphocyte motility. Circulating T cells were quantitated by E-rosetting and B cells by EAC-roserting or immunofluorescent detection of surface immunoglobulins. E-rosetting lymphocytes were decreased in CLL and normal in hypo-γ-globulinemia. Immunoglobulin bearing lymphocytes were greatly increased in CLL and were decreased in hypo-γ-globulinemia. Motile lymphocytes (normal x ± SD, 45±5) were decreased in CLL (11 ± 3), but were normal in hypo-γ-globulinemia (56 ± 13). The number of motile lymphocytes in these two disorders correlated quantitatively with the number of T lymphocytes as determined by E-roserting. Thus, it appears that lymphocyte motility may be an important marker of T lymphocytes in certain disease states as well as in healthy individuals.
Natural gas load forecasting with combination of adaptive neural networks

The focus of this paper is on combination of artificial neural network (ANN) forecasters with application to the prediction of daily natural gas consumption needed by gas utilities. A two-stage system is proposed with the first stage containing three ANN forecasters. The first forecaster is a multilayer feedforward network trained with backpropagation, the second one is another multilayer feedforward network trained with Levenberg-Marquad algorithm, and the third one is a one-layer functional link network These three separate forecasts are nonlinearly combined in the second stage using a functional link ANN combiner. A scheme is introduced to make all of the ANNs adaptive, with their weights changing throughout the forecasting phase. The performance is tested on real data from four different gas utilities for a period of several months. The results show that the proposed forecast combination approach does result in more accurate forecasts compared to using a single forecaster. The overall performance of the system is also quite good from an operational point of view.
On the (f)utility of measuring the lead equivalence of protective garments

Purpose: Protective garments incorporating lead (Pb) or other moderate to high atomic number elements are a necessary radiation protection tool. However, as lead has been replaced by other elements, verifying manufacturers’ claims regarding the lead equivalence of such garments has become nearly impossible, and current standards only require measurement of attenuation or lead equivalence at a single beam quality. A garment may provide a high degree of protection at the specified beam quality, but underperform at others. The authors sought to measure the lead equivalence of several protective garments and propose a better method for quantifying the protective value of garments. Methods: The authors measured the penetration of primary and scattered radiation through lead sheets and three protective garments of nominal 0.5 mm Pb equivalence, one lead and two lead-free. Penetration was measured using beams of nominal 60, 80, 100, and 120 kVp. Primary penetration through protective garments at 70 kVp was also measured. A lead-lined enclosure was constructed for measuring scatter penetration, as instruments must be protected from stray radiation when measuring low-level penetration of scattered radiation. Using polynomial least-squares fits to the measured data of penetration through lead sheets, the authors determined the lead equivalence of the protective garments across a range of beam qualities. Results: The lead garment was 0.5 mm Pb equivalent across all beam qualities evaluated. While the maximum lead equivalence of the lead-free garments did occur at the manufacturer-specified beam quality, neither garment was 0.5 mm Pb equivalent at the specified beam quality. The lead equivalence of the lead-free garments was a strong function of beam quality and nature of the radiation, i.e., primary or scattered. The lead equivalence of the lead-free garments in primary beams ranged from 0.40 to 0.47 mm Pb equivalent and in scattered beams ranged from 0.37 to 0.46 mm Pb equivalent. The penetration through one lead-free garment at 60 kVp was 478% higher than the penetration through the lead garment. The authors have also provided linear fits of radiation penetration through lead as a function of half-value layer. It is likely that assessment of protective value can be performed using primary beams matched to the spectra of scattered beams. The authors propose the diagnostic radiation index of protection (DRIP), a weighted sum of the percentage of radiation penetration across a range of beam qualities, as a more robust method for specifying the protective value of garments. Conclusions: The protective value of garments from both primary and scattered radiation is a strong function of beam quality. Assessment of the protective value should be performed across a range of beam qualities. Methods for performing such assessment must be developed and must specify beam qualities, measurement geometry, and the appropriate weighting across the beam quality range for different applications.
SIDnet-SWANS: a simulator and integrated development platform for sensor networks applications

This work presents the SIDnet, a simulation-based environment for applications development in wireless sensor networks settings. It enables run-time interactions with the network for the purpose of observing the behavior of algorithms protocols in the presence of various conditions such as phenomena fluctuations, or a sudden loss of service both at an individual node, as well as a collection of nodes.
Inheritance of host-plant choice in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

We performed population crosses to estimate the mode of inheritance of both host acceptance (as determined in single-host arenas) and host preference (as determined in paired-host arenas) in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). Egg-laying females from 2 parental populations differed predictably in their responses to 2 legume hosts. Females from an African strain accepted cowpea, Vigna unguiculata, (a familiar host) more often than they accepted mung bean, Vigna radiate, (a novel host), and they preferred cowpea when both hosts were available simultaneously. Females from an Asian strain, for which mung bean had been a long-term host, tended not to distinguish between the 2 hosts or preferred mung bean. Host acceptance by reciprocal F 1 and F 2 hybrids generally suggested dominance toward the Asian strain; like Asian-strain females, hybrids accepted the 2 hosts nearly equally in short-term exposures, and their lifetime fecundities were consistently higher on mung bean than on cowpea. In contrast, the egg-laying behavior of F 1 hybrids in paired-host arenas indicated additive (intermediate) inheritance of host preference, along with a maternal effect. Inferences regarding the inheritance of oviposition behavior can therefore depend on experimental protocol (i.e., choice or no-choice situations). Both additive inheritance of host preference and dominance toward lower specificity would promote rapid increases in diet breadth in this species.
Frequency- Wavenumber Spectrum Analysis of EEG Multielectrode Array Data

Electroencephalographic (EEG) data consisting of visual evoked responses monitored via an array of electrodes from humans and penicillin-induced focal epileptic discharge data recorded from rat neocortex are analyzed. This procedure, previously applied to seismic array data, offers a method by which high-resolution vector velocity and, thus, direction and speed of propagating wavefronts can be estimated.
Leptin enhances feeding suppression and neural activation produced by systemically administered bombesin.

Leptin amplifies feeding inhibition and neural activation produced by either cholecystokinin or intragastric preloads, suggesting that leptin may increase the efficacy of gastrointestinal meal-related signals. To determine whether leptin would similarly potentiate the feeding inhibitory actions of another putative satiety peptide, we evaluated the effects of third ventricular leptin administration on food intake and c-Fos activation in response to systemically administered bombesin (BN). Leptin (3.5 μg) was administered 1 h before either 0.9% saline or BN (0.32 and 1.0 nmol/kg) followed by 30-min access to Ensure liquid diet. Although neither leptin nor 0.32 nmol/kg BN alone suppressed Ensure intake, the combination reduced intake by 28%. The higher BN dose (1.0 nmol/kg) produced a significant suppression by itself but was further enhanced in the presence of leptin. Consistent with the behavioral results, c-Fos activation in the nucleus of the solitary tract was increased by combined dosages of leptin and 0.32 nmol/kg BN beyond the individual response to either peptide. In the presence of leptin, BN produced a 3.4- to 5.2-fold increase in the number of c-Fos-positive cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract compared with when BN was given alone. These data provide further support for the hypothesis that the effect of leptin on food intake may be mediated, in part, by modulating meal-related satiety signals.
Dr. Jonathan Mann: champion for human rights in the fight against AIDS

On September 2, 1998, a Swissair jetliner headed to Geneva, Switzerland, crashed off the coast of Canada. Among the passengers on board were Jonathan Mann and his wife, both highly respected and renowned researchers who were headed to a United Nations AIDS vaccine conference. Jonathan Mann had held many high-level positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before establishing the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Global Programme on AIDS, which he ran from 1986 to 1990. This article presents a brief biography of Mann, with emphasis placed on his contributions to the progress that has been made in treating children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), as well as on his efforts to protect individuals with AIDS and to establish appropriate attitudes toward them when the disease was still an emerging and frightening one that sparked controversy and fear.
Tree-Structured DEM DACs with Arbitrary Numbers of Levels

Unity-weighted tree-structured dynamic element matching (DEM) DACs are widely used in delta-sigma (??) data converters to ensure that mismatches among nominally identical analog components give rise to shaped noise instead of nonlinear distortion. Tree-structured DEM DACs offer an advantage over other published DEM DACs in that the shaped noise from component mismatches can be made free of spurious tones. However, previously published unity-weighted tree-structured DEM DACs have the disadvantage that they require a power-of-two number of nominally identical 1-bit DACs. When applied to a ?? data converter with a non-power-of-two number of quantization steps, this requires the DEM DAC to have a larger input range than needed by the ?? data converter which wastes power and circuit area. This paper presents a generalized tree-structured DEM encoder applicable to DEM DACs with any number of 1-bit DACs, thereby avoiding this limitation.
Embolization by sinusoidal lining cells obstructs the microcirculation in rat sinusoidal obstruction syndrome

Mechanisms leading to the obstruction of the microcirculation in sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) have been unclear. Because this occurs at the onset of disease, this is a potential key target for therapeutic intervention. Rats were treated with monocrotaline with or without continuous intraportal infusion of glutathione and were studied at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 10 days after monocrotaline treatment with the use of in vivo microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Sinusoidal perfusion decreased from days 1 through 10 with a nadir on day 4. At 12 h, numerous swollen sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs) were observed. Subsequently, red blood cells penetrated into the space of Disse through gaps between and through swollen SEC and dissected the sinusoidal lining away from the parenchymal cells. Sinusoidal blood flow was obstructed by an embolism of aggregates of sinusoidal lining cells, red blood cells, and adherent monocytes. All changes were prevented by glutathione infusion, notably the initial swelling of SEC. SOS is initiated by changes in SEC. Microcirculatory obstruction is due to dissection of the sinusoidal lining, followed by embolization of the sinusoid by sinusoidal lining cells, compounded by aggregates of monocytes adherent in the sinusoids. Glutathione prevents SOS by preserving an intact sinusoidal barrier.
The Ethics of In Vitro Fertilization

1. Amnon Goldworth, PhD* 1. 2. *Senior Medical Ethicist-in-Residence, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA. 1. Is there a difference between being human and being a person? 2. Are there other ethical problems with the use of in vitro fertilization beyond those identified in this article? 3. Should an infertile couple be allowed to take the risk of harming their offspring if it is not known whether a serious harm is involved or it is known that a serious harm is involved? 4. Are there ways of possibly wronging the community by the use of in vitro fertilization other than financially? 5. Does the physician have an ethical if not a legal obligation to provide in vitro fertilization to infertile couples? After the Flood, “God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them,‘ Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.’” (Genesis 9:1) Humankind, notwithstanding war, famine, and disease, has heeded this call with natural exuberance and global consequences that challenge the planet’s resources today. Over the many centuries since God’s injunction, children have been born by natural means. However, among the estimated 40 million couples of childbearing age who live in the United States, 8.5% are involuntarily infertile. Obviously, many more infertile couples around the world can be added to this more than 3 million in the United States. For these couples, in vitro fertilization (IVF) offers new promise. This promise is not without its critics. Social pressure, especially on women, is at the heart of much of the drive for biologic parenthood. Nevertheless, the fact that many infertile couples are willing to spend thousands of dollars and risk the physical and mental demands of IVF rather than adopt a child suggests a strong emotional need for biologic offspring that is not influenced by social pressures. Unlike in vivo fertilization, IVF requires the intervention of a medical team. This intervention begins by taking a history of the couple. …