cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human and mouse embryonal carcinoma cells in culture share an embryonic antigen (F9)

THE embryonic membrane antigen F9 has been detected on several lines of mouse embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells as well as on mouse embryos and sperm, but not on any other adult cells tested1. F9 or an antigenically similar substance has been demonstrated on the morula and/or sperm of several mammalian species2 including man3, but has been undetectable in all nonmammalian species tested2. Although no function for this antigen has been identified, its restriction to embryonic and germ cells suggests an important developmental role. This possibility is enhanced by the apparent conservation of F9 in the course of evolution. We now report the serological detection of F9 on human EC, together with our inability to detect β2 microglobulin.
Influence of cobalt on annealing of zero magnetostrictive Ni-Fe-Co films

Zero magnetostrictive films about 1000 A thick with cobalt contents from 0 to approximately 50 percent have been subjected to easy- and hard-axis saturating fields. The changes in characteristics were examined on aging for four hours in 30°C steps up to 240°C. Anisotropy field, dispersion, and coercive force were examined. The anisotropy and dispersion changes on aging indicated somewhat faster aging for samples with increasing cobalt. This is as expected for an M -induced annealing mechanism. However, the differences were small; maximum differences in the parameters, after aging to 150°C, between samples with different cobalt contents were ±10 percent.
Effects of hepatitis A vaccination on atherogenesis in a murine model

Our laboratory demonstrated that seropositivity to hepatitis A virus (HAV) independently predicts risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). As these findings are based only on the presence of HAV-specific antibodies, and not infectious virus, this prompted questions regarding possible effects of HAV vaccines on CAD development. If seropositivity to HAV alone, resulting from HAV vaccination, leads to increased atherogenesis, this raises important issues regarding the benefit of protection against HAV infection vs the risk of developing CAD. This study examines the effect of HAV vaccination on atherosclerosis development in a cholesterol-fed mouse model. Animals either received HAV vaccine, adjuvant, or saline. After 15 weeks, no significant differences were found in lesion area between the groups: HAV vaccine, 13,470 microm2; adjuvant, 16,332 microm2 and saline, 14,356 microm2. Only animals receiving HAV vaccination developed HAV-specific IgG. Thus, in this mouse model, vaccination against HAV does not contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
Increasing Induction-Level Teachers’ Positive-to-Negative Communication Ratio and Use of Behavior-Specific Praise Through E-Mailed Performance Feedback and Its Effect on Students’ Task Engagement

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of e-mailed specific performance feedback that included progress monitoring graphs on induction-level teachers’ ratios of positive-to-negative communication behaviors and their use of behavior-specific praise in classrooms for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, mild intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities. We also examined the effects of teachers’ communication behavior on students’ academic task engagement. Results indicate that the e-mailed performance-feedback intervention increased teachers’ use of positive communication behaviors and decreased their use of negative communication behaviors. These effects resulted in higher positive-to-negative ratios. Furthermore, the teacher praise became more behavior-specific for academic and social behaviors, and students’ level of task engagement improved and became more stable.
A GEOGRAPHY OF NONPERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THE U.S.

Factor analysis is used to examine the movement patterns of nonpermanent residents, persons who were living somewhere other than their usual residence on the April 1, 1980 census day. Movement from usual to census residences converges on the Sunbelt states of Florida, Arizona, California, Texas and Louisiana. Movement in the other direction is more dispersed as evidenced by 14 distinct patterns of census to usual residence flows.
The nature of adaptation in distance perception based on oculomotor cues

In previous work by the senior authors, brief adaptation to glasses that changed the accommodation and convergence with which objects were seen resulted in large alterations in size perception. Here, two further effects of such adaptation are reported: alterations in stereoscopic depth perception and a change when distance is represented by a response of S’s arm. We believe that the three effects are manifestations of one primary effect, an alteration of the relation between accommodation and convergence on the one hand and the distance they represent in the nervous system (registered distance) on the other. This view was supported by the results of two experiments, each of which demonstrated that the alterations in stereoscopic depth perception could be obtained after adaptation periods which had provided no opportunity to use stereoscopic vision, and that the adaptation effect was larger for depth perception than for size perception when it was obtained under the same conditions; the latter finding was expected if both effects resulted from the same change in registered distance. In three of the five experiments here reported, the variety of cues that could represent veridical distance during the adaptation period was limited. In one condition of adaptation, only the pattern of growth of the retinal images of objects that S approached and the kinesthetic cues for S’s locomotion served as cues to veridical distance. In two other conditions S remained immobile. In one of these, only the perspective distortion in the projection of the scene that S viewed mediated veridical distance, and in the other one familiar objects of normal size were successively illuminated in an otherwise totally dark field, conditions from which opportunities to use stereoscopic vision were again absent. After exposure to each of these adaptation conditions, adaptive changes in perceived size and larger ones in perceived stereoscopic depth were obtained. Because we found that familiar size may serve as the sole indicator of veridical distance in an adaptation process, we concluded that it can function as a perceptual as distinguished from an inferential cue to distance.
The Relationship Between Self-Reported Sexual Orientation and Behavior in a Sample of Middle-Aged Male Injection Drug Users

Data are sparse on injection drug using (IDU) men who have sex with men (MSM). Previous literature suggests perceived taboos can result in an underreporting of atypical sexual orientation (i.e., bisexuality, homosexuality). As a result, HIV prevention programs have been difficult to mount, particularly programs for IDU-MSM. The association between self-reported sexual orientation and sexual behavior at semi-annual study visits was longitudinally assessed in a population of 1300 male IDUs in Baltimore during the period 1993 to 1998. Overall, a small minority (5%) of the male IDUs inconsistently reported their sexual orientation over time. Logistic regression analyses were performed, which yielded five significant predictors. These men tended to be older, to have been incarcerated, to have attended shooting galleries during follow-up, and were more than twice as likely to be HIV-seropositive (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.62–4.36) compared with those who consistently reported their sexual orientation. Furthermore, men reporting inconsistent sexual orientation tended to engage in higher risk behaviors, suggesting that these men should be especially targeted for interventions.
Small angle particle–particle correlation measurements in the reactions 280 MeV ArAl and 670 MeV MnC

Abstract Small-angle particle–particle correlations were measured in the two matching reactions 280 MeV 40 Ar + 27 Al and 670 MeV 55 Mn + 12 C. These two reactions were used to produce the composite nucleus, 67 Ga∗, at the same initial excitation energy of 127 MeV, but with different entrance channel angular momentum distributions. A simple trajectory model was used to compute the average emission times between various particle pairs, and comparisons with the data show that there is a significant difference in the deexcitation of the composite nucleus formed from the two reactions. Statistical model calculations were compared to the experimental observations with the added constraint that the model input parameters were consistent with those derived from observed charged-particle energy spectra and angular distributions. It was found that the calculated correlation functions were insensitive to the input spin distributions, but agreed fairly well with the data from the lower-spin system. The higher-spin reaction data were poorly reproduced by the calculations.
Topographical mapping of epitopes on the glycoproteins of murine hepatitis virus-4 (strain JHM): correlation with biological activities

Monoclonal hybridoma antibodies (MAb) of defined polypeptide specificity and biological activity were used in a competition binding assay to identify antibody binding sites (epitopes) on the glycoproteins of murine hepatitis virus-4 strain JHM (MHV-4). Individual MAb were labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and used as probes in a competition enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Four topographically distinct antigenic sites were detected on the E2 glycoprotein of MHV-4. Antibodies reacting with these four determinants provisionally designated A(E2), B(E2), C(E2), and D(E2) had corresponding biological activities (M. J. Buchmeier, H. A. Lewicki, P. J. Talbot, and R. L. Knobler (1984) Virology 132, 261-270). Antibodies to sites A(E2) and B(E2) mediated virus neutralization in vitro and passively protected mice against lethal virus challenge in vivo. Antibody to site C(E2) neutralized virus efficiently in vitro but did not alter disease in vivo, while antibody to site D(E2) neither neutralized nor protected. Two major nonoverlapping antigenic sites were defined on the E1 glycoprotein. Overlapping epitopes A(E1) and B(E1) constituted one site and epitope C(E1) the other.
Minimal Convex Combinations of Three Sequential Laplace-Dirichlet Eigenvalues

We study the shape optimization problem where the objective function is a convex combination of three sequential Laplace-Dirichlet eigenvalues. That is, for α≥0, β≥0, and α+β≤1, we consider \(\inf\{ \alpha\lambda_{k}(\varOmega)+\beta\lambda _{k+1}(\varOmega)+(1-\alpha-\beta) \lambda_{k+2}(\varOmega)\colon\varOmega\mbox { open set in } \mathbb{R}^{2} \mbox{ and } |\varOmega|\leq1\} \). Here λk(Ω) denotes the k-th Laplace-Dirichlet eigenvalue and |⋅| denotes the Lebesgue measure. For k=1,2, the minimal values and minimizers are computed explicitly when the set of admissible domains is restricted to the disjoint union of balls. For star-shaped domains, we show that for k=1 and α+2β≤1, the ball is a local minimum. For k=1,2, several properties of minimizers are studied computationally, including uniqueness, connectivity, symmetry, and eigenvalue multiplicity.
Two forms of vasoconstriction in systemic hypertension

Clinical, pharmacologic and biochemical evidence characterizes essential hypertension as a heterogeneous spectrum of pathophysiologic substances rather than the single entity it has long been presumed to be. Although the causes of essential hypertension remain obscure, 2 different mechanisms for long-term vasoconstriction that sustain diastolic hypertension in the experimental and clinical forms of primary aldosteronism and renovascular hypertension can also be identified and quantified among patients with essential hypertension. The first mechanism is renin independent, requires antecedent sodium retention and appears related to abnormal membrane transport of calcium. This vasoconstriction is identified by low plasma renin and ionized calcium and is correctable by sodium depletion or calcium channel or alpha blockade. The second vasoconstrictor mechanism is renin mediated and involves an increase in cytosolic calcium. This mechanism is quantifiable by the plasma renin level or the hypotensive response to an antirenin-system drug (converting enzyme inhibitor, beta blocker or saralasin). Depending on the state of sodium balance, these 2 mechanisms contribute reciprocally to maintenance of arteriolar tone in experimental models, in both normal and hypertensive people, and in patients with congestive heart failure. In these situations, at the extremes of the range of plasma renin values, one or the other mechanism predominates, whereas in the medium range of renin values both mechanisms can be operative. These interrelations provide a basis for applying more precisely tailored therapy and for stratifying patients pathophysiologically for further study.
Effect of repeated exposure to aggression and defeat on plasma and pituitary levels of thyrotropin

Abstract Mice of C57BL/6J strain were exposed to trained fighters twice/day for 0 (not fought controls), 2, 4, 8 and 16 days. Twenty minutes after the last fight, the mice were killed and plasma and pituitaries were collected. Radioassay of plasma and pituitary homogenates indicated that a significant increase had occurred in thyrotropin levels within 2 days of exposure to aggression (4.2–13.0 mU/ml and 21.4–34.0 mU/mg for plasma and pituitary, respectively). The significant increase in pituitary TSH was continued throughout the experimental period until 16 days when the level of this hormone was 95.9 mU/mg of pituitary. Although some fluctuations occurred in plasma TSH nevertheless, the level of the hormone in the animals that were exposed to repeated aggression and defeat were significantly higher when compared to the intact unexposed controls.
Rationality of tolerance an insight into the parent-child relationship

Through a formal analysis, this study clarifies how the trustee’s sense of guilt over the abuse of the trustor’s trust and the trustor’s tolerance of the trustee’s abuse of trust may play roles in attaining a cooperative solution to a social dilemma between two rational actors. The juxtaposition of rationality and emotion also provides a unique insight into the process of socialization. Modifying the situation considered by Becker in his Rotten-Kid Theorem, the study applies game-theoretic tools to an analysis of the social dilemma in the income transfer from a parent to a child under the assumption of conditional altruism on the part of the parent. The study derives many concrete, substantive hypotheses, which are empirically testable, regarding the conditions for attaining success in socializing the problem child, and it also discusses the role of the rational choice theory in explaining a socialization process by integrating emotions into the rational choice framework.
Primary Pulmonary Hypertension Between Inflammation and Cancer

We believe that the monoclonal cell expansion in primary pulmonary hypertension is the result of autonomous growth of stem cell-like endothelial cells, whereas the polyclonal proliferation in secondary pulmonary hypertension occurs as a response of endothelial cells to exogenous stimuli (like viral infection or high shear stress). In this context, we propose that different transcriptional and translational events govern the growth and expansion of monoclonal when compared with polyclonal pulmonary endothelial cells. The availability of antibodies directed against specific tyrosine kinase proteins involved in vasculogenesis/angiogenesis now permits the identification and localization of the components of such a misguided angiogenesis cell proliferation program in the pulmonary hypertensive vascular lesions.
Laparoscopic manipulator with haptics force feedback

Surgeons rely solely on sight when teleoperating robotic surgical systems. Our robotic laparoscopic manipulator will incorporate force feedback technology that will provide the operator with an artificial sense of touch. A biocompatible sheath will shield the manipulator and allow it to be reused for up to 200 surgeries. The forceps of an Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. ENDOPATH® endoscopic hand instrument will be adapted to a mechanical wrist with two degrees of freedom to create a robotic laparoscopic manipulator. Force sensors, a program written in C, and the SensAble Phantom Omni Controller will comprise the haptics force feedback technology. Our tests will be able to indicate the ratio at which inputs are reciprocated by the robot. Ultimately, our product will reduce the learning curve and add invaluable precision to robotic surgical systems.
SU-E-T-512: Evaluation of Treatment Planning Dose Calculation Accuracy at the Interface of Prosthetic Devices.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of treatment planning algorithm to accurately predict dose delivered at the interface of high density implanted devices. Methods: A high density (7.6 g/cc) Cobalt‐Chromium‐Molybdenum hip prosthesis was molded into an epoxy‐based cylindrical leg phantom. The phantom was designed to be separated in half to access the prosthesis and to place the TLDs. Using MVCT to image the apparatus, a simple treatment plan was developed using the Philips Pinnacle treatment planning system. Wires were placed in the molded epoxy to allow for accurate definition of measurement sites (TLD positions) along the surface of the prosthesis. Micro‐cube TLDs (1 mm3) were placed at six measurement locations for which the dose had been calculated by the treatment planning system. An Elekta Synergy linear accelerator was used to deliver a 400 cGy plan to the phantom with 6 MV photons in a single fraction. A total of four 10 cm × 21 cm fields were used at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degree gantry rotations. Results: Initial results indicate that the measured dose is 7–17% lower than the dose calculated by the treatment planning system. Further study using high energy beams are also in progress. Conclusions: Initial results indicate that the treatment planning system does predict the dose near a high density prosthetic device within 10–15% but underestimates the dose. The results of this study could help in designing treatment plans which would reduce the uncertainty of the dose delivered in the vicinity of prosthetic hip implants and similar devices.
Modeling Thermal Transport in Nanoparticle Composites

In this paper, the heat transfer in three-dimensional nanoparticle composites is simulated using the Boltzmann transport equation for phonon intensity. Several semiconductor materials are considered, with the emphasis placed on Bi 2 Te 3 -Sb 2 Te 3 nanoparticle composite, due to its high thermoelectric conversion efficiency at room temperature. A unit-cell approach is used to model the periodic distribution of nanoparticles in the host. Both cubic and noncubic nanoparticle composites are considered. The phonon properties are based upon the phonon dispersion model, and the interfaces are assumed to be diffusely transmitting and reflecting. The thermal conductivity of nanocomposites is found to exhibit the classical size effect and is also found to be dependent on the atomic percentage of the particle. The three-dimensional nanoparticles exhibit values of thermal conductivity similar to the lower-dimensional nanostructures such as the superlattice and nanowire. A detailed comparison of the thermal field with the classical Fourier model indicates significant underprediction by the Fourier model in regions of high temperature around the interface of the particle. The scattering interfacial area per unit volume is found to be a useful parameter for comparing the values of thermal conductivity in different types of nanocomposites.
Racial differences in the incidence of limb loss secondary to peripheral vascular disease: a population-based study.

Abstract Dillingham TR, Pezzin LE, MacKenzie EJ. Racial differences in the incidence of lower limb loss secondary to peripheral vascular disease: a population-based study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1252-7. Objective: To evaluate racial differences in limb loss caused by peripheral vascular disease in a diverse, statewide population. Design: Retrospective analysis of a cohort of dysvascular amputees. Setting: Maryland State Hospital Discharge Data from 1986 to 1997. Participants: Persons with a procedure code for lower-limb amputation (ICD9-CM code 84.11–.19) were identified. Patients with limb loss because of trauma, malignancy, or congenital anomalies were excluded. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Incidence rates standardized for age, gender, and race; and time trends. Results: There were 27,149 discharges with dysvascular amputations, yielding an average annual rate of 44.3 per 100,000 persons. Incidence rates for dysvascular amputations increased from 41.4 per 100,000 in 1986 to 47.2 per 100,000 in 1997. For all levels of amputation, annual incidence rates among African Americans were considerably higher than those of other persons. African Americans were 2 to 4 times more likely to lose a lower limb than white persons of similar age and gender. Conclusions: Rising rates of lower-limb amputations in the general population combined with disproportionately higher rates among African Americans are concerning and warrant further investigation into their underlying causes and consequences. © 2002 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Observation of Edge Instability Limiting the Pedestal Growth in Tokamak Plasmas

With fusion device performance hinging on the edge pedestal pressure, it is imperative to experimentally understand the physical mechanism dictating the pedestal characteristics and to validate and improve pedestal predictive models. This Letter reports direct evidence of density and magnetic fluctuations showing the stiff onset of an edge instability leading to the saturation of the pedestal on the Alcator C-Mod tokamak. Edge stability analyses indicate that the pedestal is unstable to both ballooning mode and kinetic ballooning mode in agreement with observations.
Quantum mechanics from self-interaction

We explore the possibility thatzitterbewegung is the key to a complete understanding of the Dirac theory of electrons. We note that a literal interpretation of thezitterbewegung implies that the electron is the seat of an oscillating bound electromagnetic field similar to de Broglie's pilot wave. This opens up new possibilities for explaining two major features of quantum mechanics as consequences of an underlying physical mechanism. On this basis, qualitative explanations are given for electron diffraction, the existence of quantized radiationless states, the Pauli principle, and other features of quantum mechanics.
An analysis of the need for pediatric surgeons in the United States

Abstract A questionnaire study covering all major population areas in the United States indicated that pediatric surgeons and potentially capable hospitals are already well-distributed throughout the country. The estimation of need for pediatric surgeons based on the area questionnaires is close to the present number of surgeons. A computer analysis was made to project numbers of pediatric surgeons per unit population to the year 200 with differing levels of trainee output. The study indicates the 14–15 training programs are sufficient to allow for slow, modest growth of the specialty if current population trends continue.
The Unfree French: Life Under the Occupation – By Richard Vinen

This reviewer was reminded of the work of the late British historian of the French Revolution, Richard Cobb, as he read this study of occupied France between 1940 and 1945. Although different in te...
Emerging trends in nonclinical safety assessment for therapeutics.

A major objective of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) is the reduction or elimination of unnecessary, obsolete, or redundant regulatory requirements and the development of improved regulatory standards for drug marketing and licensing among the ICH regions. The ICH has served as a motivating force for regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry to assess the utility and effectiveness of current toxicological requirements. The ICH brings together representatives from regulatory authorities from the 3 regions in which most of the pharmaceutical development and manufacturing capacity reside: the European Community or Union (EC), the United States, and Japan. The ICH was organized in 1990 and the first conference (ICH1) was held in Brussels in 199 1. ICH-2 was held in Orlando, Florida in 1993, and ICH-3 will take place in 1995 in Yokohama, Japan. Recent and current ICH nonclinical safety initiatives include: 1. The evaluation of the utility of 6- vs 12-mo ro2. The development of alternatives to the maxi3. Modifications in reproductive toxicity require4. The development of a standard battery for mu5. An assessment of the 2-species rodent carcinoTo obtain the information necessary to address many of these ICH issues, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/CDER drug toxicity and carcinogenicity database was developed. The application of this database to the issue of the duration of dent and nonrodent toxicity studies.
Structural studies of electrospun cellulose nanofibers

Abstract Non-woven mats of submicron-sized cellulose fibers (250–750 nm in diameter) have been obtained by electrospinning of cellulose solutions. Cellulose are directly dissolved in two solvent systems: (a) lithium chloride (LiCl)/N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) and (b) N-methylmorpholine oxide (NMMO)/water, and the effects of (i) solvent system, (ii) the degree of polymerization of cellulose, (iii) spinning conditions, and (iv) post-spinning treatment such as coagulation with water on the miscrostructure of electrospun fibers are investigated. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of electrospun cellulose fibers show that applying coagulation with water right after the collection of fibers is necessary to obtain submicron scale, dry and stable cellulose fibers for both solvent systems. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that cellulose fibers obtained from LiCl/DMAc are mostly amorphous, whereas the degree of crystallinity of cellulose fibers from NMMO/water can be controlled by various process conditions including spinning temperature, flow rate, and distance between the nozzle and collector. Finally, electrospun cellulose fibers are oxidized by HNO3/H3PO4 and NaNO2, and the degradation characteristics of oxidized cellulose fibers under physiological conditions are presented.
Career Advising: A Developmental Approach

Students, particularly those entering college for the first time, depend on the academic advisor for guidance and support. In the role of career counselor, the advisor helps advisees define the process necessary to obtain employment and life fulfillment. Helping advisees select the courses necessary to realize their career goals is only part of that guidance. This article proposes a model for career advising based upon Super s developmental theory of career counseling.
Extremely low-voltage Fabry-Perot reflection modulators

A normally-on-electroabsorptive surface-normal Fabry-Perot reflection modulator with a reflection change of 47% for an operating voltage swing of only 2 V, i.e. 23%/V, is discussed. The structure has an active region of twenty-four 100-AA-GaAs/100-AA-Al/sub 0.2/Ga/sub 0.8/As multiple quantum wells, sandwiched between two quarter-wavelength grating mirrors with the bottom one more reflective. The wavelength range over which more than half of the maximum reflection change is observed is as wide as approximately 7 nm for 2 V. >
Does motoric imagery facilitate memory for sentences? A selective interference test

Previous studies have shown that motoric enactment of sentences facilitates later sentence retention for both children and adults. While some writers have attributed this effect to the storage of motoric images, other writers have suggested that enactment may stimulate visual imagery or verbal mediation, and that these latter mechanisms may be basic to the facilitated memory. The present study was designed to distinguish among motoric imagery, visual imagery, and verbal mediation by means of a series of selective interference tests. In Experiment 1, 112 subjects learned sentences with the aid of motoric enactment, visual imagery, or simply as verbal statements. Experiment 1a showed that both motoric enactment and visual imagery significantly facilitated retention compared to a verbal-only control group. Experiment 1b showed that the effects of motoric enactment on sentence recall were disrupted by a motoric competition task, but the effects of visual imagery on recall were not affected by the motoric competition task. On the other hand, the effects of motoric enactment on sentence recall were not affected by a visual-competition task, but the effects of visual imagery were affected by the visual-competition task. Experiment 2, involving 64 subjects, demonstrated that a verbal-only technique for sentence memory was disrupted by a verbal competition task, but that the verbal competition task did not affect the facilitative effects of motoric enactment. Similarly, a motoric competition task again disrupted the facilitative effects of motoric enactment of sentences, but had little or no effect on sentences learned by means of verbal-only instructions. The results of the two experiments are interpreted as supporting the contention that motoric enactment is effective in sentences recall because it leads to the storage of some type of motoric trace or image.
Dry Needling for Management of Pain in the Upper Quarter and Craniofacial Region

Dry needling is a therapeutic intervention that has been growing in popularity. It is primarily used with patients that have pain of myofascial origin. This review provides background about dry needling, myofascial pain, and craniofacial pain. We summarize the evidence regarding the effectiveness of dry needling. For patients with upper quarter myofascial pain, a 2013 systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled studies reported that dry needling is effective in reducing pain (especially immediately after treatment) in patients with upper quarter pain. There have been fewer studies of patients with craniofacial pain and myofascial pain in other regions, but most of these studies report findings to suggest the dry needling may be helpful in reducing pain and improving other pain related variables such as the pain pressure threshold. More rigorous randomized controlled trials are clearly needed to more fully elucidate the effectiveness of dry needling.
Guanosine 5'-triphosphate inhibits growth and stimulates differentiated functions in B16 melanoma cells.

Abstract Exogenous guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP) at a concentration of 0.5 mM causes in vitro growth inhibition and induces morphological and biochemical differentiation of B16 melanoma cells. After two days in the presence of GTP, cell proliferation is markedly reduced. Cessation of cell proliferation is followed by the extension of numerous dendrite-like processes and marked increase in melanin production. Other nucleotides such as guanosine 5′-diphosphate (GDP), guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP), guanosine 3′:5′-cyclic-monophosphoric acid (cGMP) or adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) have little or no effect on cell morphology or melanin production in B16 melanoma cells, although these compounds retard cell proliferation similar to GTP. These findings are discussed in light of a possible relationship between cell proliferation and differentiation.
Extending the volatility concept to point processes

Volatility is a vague concept that can be made precise in a number of ways. This paper investigates the concept for point processes in the time domain. There is review of the time series case, then a volatility measure is developed. Next it is applied to some biomedical data based, running rate intervals of the heart beating. It is seen in the work that in some cases time series volatility might be generated by point process volatility.
High-Data-Rate, Network Radio for Wireless Communications in Military Environments

This paper discusses the development of communication technologies to dynamically manage and insure interoperability with high capacity connectivity for military communication platforms. Many advanced sensing devices are being utilized in a wide array of data collection platforms including autonomous vehicles, both on the surface of the water and under it. The volume of data from these platforms is increasing significantly. The data is usually required to be disseminated, processed and displayed to the user in a real-time fashion. This paper introduces and describes an IP-based network radio system, called Harris WetNet?, as a Line-Of-Sight (LOS) long-range communication solution for marine platforms. This paper discusses the ongoing technology innovations of WetNet? in the area of range extension, power management, protocol modifications, frequency conversion, network modeling, advanced encryption, and ocean RF propagation analysis (channel charactization) in the UHF band. The technical solution discussed herein involves the integration of an innovative OFDM wireless architecture and bandwidth efficient protocol.
General Systems and Systems Engineering

One of the main lines of thought in General Systems is the transfer of system concepts from one field to another. There has been fruitful application of such theoretical concepts from engineering to other fields such as biology. In this paper, an attempt is made to apply concepts from biology to the practice of systems engineering. The relation of systems engineering to other fields is discussed, utilizing an intellectual framework based on the concepts of speciation and competition between species. The internal social structure of the profession and of individual organizations is considered, using the concept of competition within a species. Examples are drawn from biology to illustrate the points at issue.
Respiratory epithelial cell lines exposed to anoxia produced inflammatory mediator

Human epithelial cell lines were utilized to examine the effects of anoxia on cellular growth and metabolism. Three normal human epithelial cells lines (A549, NHBE, and BEAS-2B) as well as a cystic fibrosis cell line (IB3-1) and its mutation corrected cell line (C38) were grown in the presence and absence of oxygen for varying periods of time. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. Cellular metabolism and proliferation were assayed by determining mitochondrial oxidative burst activity by tetrazolium compound reduction. The viability of cells was indirectly measured by lactate dehydrogenase release. A549, NHBE, and BEAS-2B cells cultured in the absence of oxygen showed a progressive decrease in metabolic activity and cell proliferation after one to three days. There was a concomitant increase in IL-8 production. Cell lines from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients did not show a similar detrimental effect of anoxia. However, the IL-8 level was significantly increased only in IB3-1 cells exposed to anoxia after two days. Anoxia appears to affect certain airway epithelial cell lines uniquely with decreased cellular proliferation and a concomitant increased production of a cytokine with neutrophilic chemotactic activity. The increased ability of the CF cell line to respond to anoxia with increased secretion of inflammatory cytokines may contribute to the inflammatory damage seen in CF bronchial airway. This study indicates the need to use different cell lines in in vitro studies investigating the role of epithelial cells in airway inflammation and the effects of environmental influences.
Application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to complex oscillations in the human pupil light reflex

Experimental, yet strongly aperiodic, data have been obtained from the human pupil light reflex. The aperiodic behavior in this reflex is similar to that in chronic granulocytic leukemia victims; data on the latter, however, are not readily available. A physical model of this reflex has been developed, but is too regular to predict aperiodicity in pupil area oscillations accurately. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been trained to do time-series predictions of this aperiodicity with greater accuracy. It is shown that the physical model should be used in setting the input neurons of the ANN, that the physical model and the ANN complement each other, and that ANNs have a role in identification of dynamical diseases in particular and aperiodic (if not chaotic) behavior in general. >
Approaching the Unavoidable: Literacy Instruction and the Internet

Searching, reading, and constructing meaning from Internet sources are not only leisure-time activities for many of our students, but also requisite skills for learning and researching in the middle and upper grades. The differences between comprehending what is read in printed versus online texts are discussed in this column, as are the reading strategies that can apply to both. The authors highlight resources that will assist teachers in framing and preparing Internet-inclusive instruction in their elementary classrooms. Teachers are encouraged to harness the interesting and motivating aspects of Internet use as a way to prepare students for the technological advances that have become a part of our schools and our lives.
Collective Team Identification in Temporary Teams

Knowledge work often involves work in temporary teams. Increasingly these teams are not face-to-face but virtual teams. This paper explores collective team identification in face-to-face and virtual teams. Exploratory factor analysis and second order confirmatory factor analysis are used to examine collective team identification of face-to-face versus virtual teams of knowledge workers in terms of cohesion, trust, and intra-group conflict
Intraoperative ultrasound and liver tumors.

Hepatic imaging has a twofold purpose in patients with cancer that includes the detection of primary and metastatic disease in the liver and the subsequent follow-up of these lesions in patients undergoing therapy [1–3]. A number of prospective studies have compared the accuracy of the most common modalities useful for the preoperative detection of liver tumors, which include computerized tomography (CT), conventional ultrasound, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging [2–7]. With the recent introduction of intraoperative ultrasonography, a fourth diagnostic aid useful in the recognition of liver anatomy, determination of the anatomical relations of the tumor and, perhaps most importantly, as an aid for strategies of surgical resection, has provided unique information during surgery for liver tumors.
Slx1-Slx4 are subunits of a structure-specific endonuclease that maintains ribosomal DNA in fission yeast.

In most eukaryotes, genes encoding ribosomal RNAs (rDNA) are clustered in long tandem head-to-tail repeats. Studies of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have indicated that rDNA copy number is maintained th...
Neurohumoral and hemodynamic effects of lower body negative pressure in patients with congestive heart failure

Baroreflex modulation of forearm vascular resistance (FVR) has been reported to be abnormal in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). However, the neurohumoral mechanisms for this impairment are not defined. We assessed the responses of arterial pressure, FVR, plasma norepinephrine, and plasma renin activity to lower body negative pressure in 29 patients with compensated CHF (New York Heart Association class III and IV) and in 11 normal age-matched control subjects. Baseline mean arterial pressure (83 ± 2 vs 84 ± 2 mm Hg) and mean arterial pressure during LBNP (−10, −20, and −40 mm Hg) were not significantly different in the two groups. Basal FVR (43.7 ± 4 vs 27 ± 2 units), plasma norepinephrine (605 ± 81 vs 155 ± 8 pg/ml), and plasma renin activity (8.3 ± 1.7 vs 1.2 ± 0.2 ng/ml/hr) were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in patients with CHF. The relative increases in FVR responses during LBNP of −10, −20, and −40 mm Hg (10 ± 4% vs 70 ± 12%, 17 ± 6% vs 106 ± 21%, and 24 ± 9% vs 152 ± 28%) were markedly attenuated in patients with CHF compared to control subjects. Plasma norepinephrine and plasma renin activity responses during LBNP were also attenuated in patients with heart failure. Our results suggest that baroreflex control of FVR and plasma norepinephrine and plasma renin activity is impaired in CHF because of the inability of the cardiopulmonary baroreceptors to alter sympathetic outflow.
Applying Reduced Precision Arithmetic to Detect Errors in Floating Point Multiplication

Prior work developed an efficient technique, called reduced precision checking, for detecting errors in floating point addition. In this work, we extend reduced precision checking (RPC) to multiplication. Our results show that RPC can successfully detect errors in floating point multiplication at relatively low cost.
Dronedarone and vitamin K antagonists: A review of drug-drug interactions

Adverse drug events affect millions of patients each year. An important drug-drug interaction between amiodarone and vitamin K antagonists is encountered frequently in daily clinical practice. Warfarin, a commonly used anticoagulant, is a mixture of 2 optically active isomers (R and S enantiomers). The S enantiomer is approximately 3 times more potent than the R enantiomer and is metabolized primarily by CYP2C9. Inhibition of CYP2C9 by amiodarone and its major metabolite potentiates the anticoagulant effects of warfarin, increasing the risk of serious bleeding. In contrast, dronedarone, a synthetic derivative of amiodarone the structure of which lacks the iodine moiety, is less likely to cause a drug-drug interaction with warfarin. Accordingly, dronedarone may be a particularly attractive antiarrhythmic choice among patients with atrial fibrillation who are also being treated with warfarin.
Wood Decay Associated with Pileated Woodpecker Roosts in Western Redcedar.

The pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is a species of concern to forest managers because it uses cavities in large snags and decadent trees for nesting and roosting. A radio-telemetry study of pileated woodpeckers on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington (1) found that large western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) were frequently used for roosting. These roost trees were partially hollow or softened by internal decay. Western redcedar is thought to be less susceptible to most fungal pathogens than are other conifers. This misconception probably arose because of the high resistance to decay of cedar heartwood under service conditions. Many heartwood fungi do, however, attack living redcedar during their lifespan (often over 1,000 years), and large western redcedar have a high incidence of heartwood decay (2). Two to four wood cores were removed below openings used by radio-tagged woodpeckers at heights of 7.5 to 10.5 m on each of 10 large (200 to 300 cm diameter at 1.4 m above ground),...
Canonical image selection from the web

The vast majority of the features used in today's commercially deployed image search systems employ techniques that are largely indistinguishable from text-document search - the images returned in response to a query are based on the text of the web pages from which they are linked. Unfortunately, depending on the query type, the quality of this approach can be inconsistent. Several recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of using image features to refine search results. However, it is not clear whether (or how much) image-based approach can generalize to larger samples of web queries. Also, the previously used global features often only capture a small part of the image information, which in many cases does not correspond to the distinctive characteristics of the category. This paper explores the use of local features in the concrete task of finding the single canonical images for a collection of commonly searched-for products. Through large-scale user testing, the canonical images found by using only local image features significantly outperformed the top results from Yahoo, Microsoft and Google, highlighting the importance of having these image features as an integral part of future image search engines.
Where Are the Leaders To Guide the Schools

School administrators lacking leadership abilities cannot possibly cope with the dynamics of change prevalent in the world today. That's the premise of this educator, who writes that the very survival of American education depends upon the exercise of true leadership by administrators.
Patients With Schizophrenia Demonstrate Inconsistent Preference Judgments for Affective and Nonaffective Stimuli

Previous studies have typically found that individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) report levels of emotional experience that are similar to controls (CN) when asked to view a single evocative stimulus and make an absolute judgment of stimulus “value.” However, value is rarely assigned in absolute terms in real-life situations, where one alternative or experience is often evaluated alongside others, and value judgments are made in relative terms. In the current study, we examined performance on a preference task that requires individuals to differentiate between the relative values of different stimuli. In this task, subjects were presented with many pairs of moderately positive stimuli and asked to indicate which stimulus they preferred in each pair. Resulting data indicated the rank order of preference across stimuli and the consistency of their transitive mapping (ie, if A > B and B > C, then A should be > C). Individuals with SZ (n = 38) were both less consistent in their rankings of stimuli and more likely to have larger magnitudes of discrepant responses than control subjects (n = 27). Furthermore, CN showed clear differentiation between different valence categories of stimuli (ie, highly positive > mildly positive > mildly negative > highly negative); while individuals with SZ showed the same general pattern of results but with less differentiation between the valence levels. These data suggest that individuals with SZ are impaired in developing or maintaining nuanced representations of the different attributes of a stimulus, thus making stimuli of similar general value easily confusable.
Antigenic and immunogenic study of membrane-proximal external region-grafted gp120 antigens by a DNA prime-protein boost immunization strategy

The membrane-proximal external region (MPER) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp41 is a target of broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 2F5, 4E10, and Z13. Here we engrafted the MPER into the V1/2 region of HIV-1 gp120 to investigate the ability of the engineered antigens to elicit virus-neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). To promote the correct folding and presentation of the helical 4E10 epitope, we flanked the epitope with helical domains and manipulated the helix by sequential deletion of residues preceding the epitope. Binding of the recombinant proteins to MAb 4E10 increased four- to fivefold with the deletion of one or two residues, but it returned to the wild-type level when three residues were deleted, suggesting rotation of the 4E10 epitope along the helix. Immunization of mice and rabbits by electroporation-mediated DNA priming and protein boosting with these constructs elicited high levels of gp120-specific antibodies. A consistent NAb response against the neutralization-resistant, homologous JR-FL virus was detected in rabbits but not in mice. Analysis of the neutralizing activity revealed that the NAbs do not target the MPER or the V1, V2, or V3 region. Through this study, we learned the following. (i) The 4E10 epitope can be manipulated using a “rotate-the-helix” strategy that alters the helix register. However, presentation of this epitope in the immunogenic V1/2 region did not render it immunogenic in mice or rabbits. (ii) DNA vaccination with monomeric gp120-based antigens can elicit a consistent NAb response against the homologous neutralization-resistant virus by targeting epitopes outside the V1, V2, and V3 regions.