cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prospective observations on stopping prolonged venom immunotherapy

After a decade spent establishing the safety, efficacy, and optimal techniques for venom immunotherapy, we have begun a series of studies to determine how long venom immunotherapy must be continued. In retrospective surveys, patients who had stopped venom immunotherapy after 1 to 2 years had a substantial risk (25%) of systemic sting reactions, but this was less than 50% of the risk in untreated patients. In this first prospective study, 30 patients elected to stop venom immunotherapy after at least 5 years of therapy. Skin test sensitivity had decreased significantly during therapy in 18/30 patients but remained clearly positive in 23/30 (seven patients became equivocal or negative). Serum venom-specific IgE antibodies were at the lower limit of detection (1 ng/ml) in 11/30 patients. After stopping treatment, the mean serum venom-specific IgG antibody level declined from 5.5 +/- 0.6 micrograms/ml to 2.4 +/- 0.3 micrograms/ml by 9 months, which is the same as the mean venom IgG in untreated patients. After 12 months without therapy, live sting challenge caused no systemic reaction in 29 patients. The mean venom IgG level 1 month after the sting had risen significantly to 4.1 +/- 0.5 micrograms/ml, but there was no significant increase of venom IgE. These results suggest that prolonged venom immunotherapy leads to isotype-specific suppression of the venom IgE antibody response and may provide persistent clinical protection by mechanisms other than IgG blocking antibodies. The observations are to be interpreted very cautiously. Further investigations are needed to extend these observations in additional patients and for longer periods of time, and to examine possible mechanisms for this apparent loss of clinical reactivity.
G protein-coupled receptor 30-dependent protein kinase A pathway is critical in nongenomic effects of estrogen in attenuating liver injury after trauma-hemorrhage

Although nongenomic effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) are mediated via the estrogen receptor α (ER-α), the existence of another novel ER, G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), has been suggested as a candidate for triggering a broad range of E2-mediated signaling. GPR30 also acts independently of the ER to promote activation of the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway, which protects cells from apoptosis through Bcl-2. In this study, we examined whether the salutary effects of E2 in attenuating hepatic injury after trauma-hemorrhage are mediated via GPR30- or ER-α-regulated activation of PKA-dependent signaling. At 2 hours after trauma-hemorrhage, administration of E2-conjugated to bovine serum albumin (E2-BSA, membrane impermeable) or E2 induced the up-regulation of ER-α and GPR30 and attenuated hepatic injury. This was accompanied by increases in PKA activity and Bcl-2 expression. Inhibition of PKA in E2-BSA-treated trauma-hemorrhage rats by PKA inhibitor H89 prevented the E2-BSA attenuation of hepatic injury. Isolated hepatocytes were transfected with small interfering RNA to suppress GPR30 or ER. We found that suppression of GPR30 but not ER-α prevented E2-BSA- or E2-induced PKA activation and Bcl-2 expression. These results suggest that the nongenomic salutary effect of E2 in reducing hepatic injury after trauma-hemorrhage is mediated through the PKA-dependent pathway via GPR30 but not ER-α.
Turbine Disposition, Erosion and Corrosion Evaluations Using a Simplified Test Approach

New applications and fuels (such as coal) that increase the potential for flow path degradation due to deposition, erosion, and corrosion (DEC) are being considered for gas turbines. Cascade and turbine DEC tests representing the flow paths of the specific turbines of concern will eventually be necessary for final verification of fuels and DEC control approaches. However, these tests are expensive and are not readily interpretable for other conditions (e.g., fuels and flow passage variations) than those tested. Consequently, relatively inexpensive simplified tests that provide an understanding of the DEC degradation processes are needed to screen the numerous possible candidate fuels and DEC control approaches. The most promising alternatives determined from simplified tests could then be verified in more expensive cascade and turbine tests. This paper discusses simplified DEC tests and complementary data extrapolation approaches that provide and interpret data in a manner that enhances understanding of DEC processes and that can be used to estimate DEC in operating turbines. A new test facility that has been designed for relatively inexpensive turbine DEC evaluations using these approaches is described.Copyright © 1987 by ASME
Speeding Up Distributed Low-Rank Matrix Factorization

Distributed solution for solving low-rank matrix factorization (LMF), an important problem in recommendation system, has recently been studied a lot in order to better deal with the exploding data under the context of Big Data. Stochastic gradient descent is a general technique to solve a large class of convex optimization problems and it is often been chosen to solve problems that deals with large data sets in particular. In this work, we summarize the existing distributed solutions of LMF problem using stochastic gradient descent. We then proposed a novel distributed solution for LMF problem and our solution is able to achieve the best convergence rate as well as fastest execution time when compared with existing solutions. When deployed in the cloud, our solution has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of complex analytics over massive datasets.
Stepmother as electron: Positioning the stepmother in a family dinner conversation

This article proposes a discourse analysis of a family dinner conversation in which the participants are a father, a stepmother and a teenage daughter. Such analysis has social relevance insofar as roles within the stepfamily have not been either socially reshuffled or academically defined. The age-old myth about the wicked stepmother has provided the symbolic and discursive placement of stepmothers in contemporary American society in lieu of societal efforts to realistically define such a role. Thus, each case must define itself. My research examines a stepfamily's discourse about food as a window through which to view discursive strategies of inclusion and exclusion. I find that, in a situation where the child is a female teenager, a stepmother's identity is defined by positioning actively undertaken through the stepdaughter's discourse. Integrating a new parent into an existing unit is made far more difficult if the stepmother is seen as an outsider, who may be admitted to membership of the household, but not necessarily to the family.
Anisotropic Superconductivity in Layer Compounds

Measurements of the angular dependence of the upper critical field ${H}_{c2}$ in the transition metal dichalcogenides Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$, Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$-(pyridine), Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{1}$, Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{1}$-(pyridine), Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{1.2}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{0.8}$, and Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{0.8}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{1.2}$ have been made in magnetic fields up to 150 kOe. The observed angular dependence has been compared to simple theoretical models in order to estimate the anisotropy of the coherence length $\ensuremath{\xi}$ in these materials. The values of the $\frac{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}}{{\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ calculated from the data were 20 for Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$-(pyridine) and approximately 7 for the Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{2}$, Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{1}$, and Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{1}$-(pyridine). The alloys with different ratios of sulfur and selenium showed no major change in behavior as compared to Ta${\mathrm{S}}_{1}$${\mathrm{Se}}_{1}$. The results are also discussed in relation to a generalized effective-mass model of anisotropic electronic conduction. The resistive transitions in the intercalated materials for field orientations less than 10\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} from the parallel orientation are extremely broad and also exhibit unusual structure connected with enhanced flux-flow resistance. The magnetoresistance behavior in the normal state of the pure and intercalated layer compounds has also been measured and the changes in anisotropy due to intercalation are discussed.
Are drug companies living up to their human rights responsibilities? Moving toward assessment.

Background to the debate The human rights responsibilities of drug companies have been considered for years by nongovernmental organizations, but were most sharply defined in a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, submitted to the United Nations General Assembly in August 2008. The “Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies in relation to Access to Medicines” include responsibilities for transparency, management, monitoring and accountability, pricing, and ethical marketing, and against lobbying for more protection in intellectual property laws, applying for patents for trivial modifications of existing medicines, inappropriate drug promotion, and excessive pricing. Two years after the release of the Guidelines, the PLoS Medicine Debate asks whether drug companies are living up to their human rights responsibilities. Sofia Gruskin and Zyde Raad from the Harvard School of Public Health say more assessment is needed of such responsibilities; Geralyn Ritter, Vice President of Global Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility at Merck & Co. argues that multiple stakeholders could do more to help States deliver the right to health; and Paul Hunt and Rajat Khosla introduce Mr. Hunt's work as the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of health, regarding the human rights responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies and access to medicines.
The Effects of Slotting on the Flux Distribution in Saturated High-Speed Homopolar Inductor Alternators

The effect of slotting not considered in previous papers, is analyzed by taking into account the actual slots of the stator. The equations and methods of Ref.l and 2 are used with some modifications. The boundary conditions at no-load on the lines of symmetry have been replaced by the value of the potentials and thus, improved convergence has been achieved. The flow chart of the main program for an IBM 7090 and the flow chart of an IBM 1620 program for calculating the potentials on the lines of symmetry are given. In a simplified solution, the actual slotted region is replaced by a smooth airgap and an equivalent " synthetic" region of homogeneous iron. The methods are used to calculate the no-load flux distribution and no-load voltage of a 95 KVA, three-phase 115/200 v, 3,400 cps., high-speed inductor alternator. The fundamentals and higher harmonics of the different solutions are compared. Calculated no-load voltages compare with test results very closely.
Psychology as a First Course in Science for 8th Graders.

An introductory science program based on the principles of the psychology of self-management was taught by an 8th-grade science instructor and evaluated using a variation on multiple baseline procedures. One-hundred-twenty eighth graders were assigned to pilot experimental and control groups. The results suggested that self-management instruction was associated with significantly greater understanding of self-management and behavioral principles, as well as basic science processes. In contrast to the current literature, it was also found that female studens achieved equally well as males in understanding basic science processes after participating in the self-management course.
The bimetallic Pt/Mo(110) surface: structural and CO chemisorption studies

Abstract Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) measurements were performed to monitor the growth, thermal stability, and CO adsorption characteristics of Pt layers on Mo(110). Pt grows in a layer-by-layer or Frank-van der Merwe fashion on the molybdenum surface below 600 K. The first monolayer of Pt is stable and no significant structural change is observed at higher substrate temperatures. A monolayer of Pt eliminates the dissociative adsorption of CO observed on the Mo(110) surface. The thermal desorption of CO from this Pt overlayer occurs at lower temperatures (in comparison to CO desorption from the bulk Pt(111) and Mo(110) surfaces), indicating a withdrawal of electron density from the Pt monolayer due to interactions with the Mo(110) surface. As the Pt coverage is increased above a monolayer, LEED measurements indicate the growth of Pt(111) layers at 300 K. The multilayers of Pt are thermally unstable and agglomerate into three-dimensional (3D) clusters upon heating to above ~ 600 K. The 3D clusters contribute little to the AES signal. The CO desorption spectra from the annealed layers are very similar to the CO desorption spectra from one monolayer of Pt on the Mo(110) surface, suggesting that Pt clustering occurs on top of a single Pt monolayer on Mo(110). The spatial distribution of Pt clusters is estimated from Auger intensity changes following annealing of a 6 monolayer Pt film.
1p-norm optimum filters for image recognition

The performance of linear and nonlinear processors (filters) for image recognition which are l p -norm optimum in terms of tolerance to input noise and discrimination capabilities. These processors were developed by minimizing the l p -norm of the filter output due to the input scene and the output due to the noise. The performance of the l p -norm optimum filters is tested by measuring the average peak-to-sidelobe ratio of the output of the filters for different values of p. In addition, the performance of these filters is tested further by placing a target in a scene containing additive noise and realistic background scene. For the images presented here, the filters detected the target in the presence of additive noise and realistic background scene. The tests conducted here show that, the discrimination capabilities of the l p -norm filters improves as p decreases (p>1). This is shown by sharper peaks at the target location and higher average peak-to-sidelobe ratios for smaller values of p.
Evidence for electron decay in photoemission from Sr2CuO2Cl2

Abstract I propose that the strange quasiparticle dispersion relation recently observed photoemission from the antiferromagnetic insulator Sr 2 CuO 2 Cl 2 is actually the dispersion relation of a spinon. The calculations that anticipated this result are reviewed and shown to account for the magnetic properties of the cold, undoped antiferromagnet and the mysterious strong scattering phenomenology of the cuprates.
Low degree gravity changes from GRACE, Earth rotation, geophysical models, and satellite laser ranging

[1] Several independent time series of variations ΔC 21 , ΔS 21 , and ΔC 20 in Earth's gravity field are compared for the period April 2002 to May 2007. We examine estimates from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), Earth rotation variations, climate models, and satellite laser ranging (SLR). Recently released GRACE solutions show significant improvement relative to earlier results, especially for ΔC 21 and ΔS 21 . At the annual period, all estimates agree remarkably well, and good correlation is found among time series at intraseasonal periods. In general, Earth rotation values for ΔC 21 and ΔS 21 , and SLR values for ΔC 20 agree best with GRACE estimates. GRACE ΔC 20 time series are contaminated by aliased ocean tide model errors. SLR ΔC 21 and ΔS 21 time series have been reported without an ocean pole tide (OPT) correction and with an older Solid Earth Pole Tide (SEPT) model. After correcting for OPT and SEPT deficiencies, SLR ΔC 21 and ΔS 21 time series show improved agreement with other estimates.
Applying active learning to high-throughput phenotyping algorithms for electronic health records data

Objectives Generalizable, high-throughput phenotyping methods based on supervised machine learning (ML) algorithms could significantly accelerate the use of electronic health records data for clinical and translational research. However, they often require large numbers of annotated samples, which are costly and time-consuming to review. We investigated the use of active learning (AL) in ML-based phenotyping algorithms. Methods We integrated an uncertainty sampling AL approach with support vector machines-based phenotyping algorithms and evaluated its performance using three annotated disease cohorts including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), colorectal cancer (CRC), and venous thromboembolism (VTE). We investigated performance using two types of feature sets: unrefined features, which contained at least all clinical concepts extracted from notes and billing codes; and a smaller set of refined features selected by domain experts. The performance of the AL was compared with a passive learning (PL) approach based on random sampling. Results Our evaluation showed that AL outperformed PL on three phenotyping tasks. When unrefined features were used in the RA and CRC tasks, AL reduced the number of annotated samples required to achieve an area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.95 by 68% and 23%, respectively. AL also achieved a reduction of 68% for VTE with an optimal AUC of 0.70 using refined features. As expected, refined features improved the performance of phenotyping classifiers and required fewer annotated samples. Conclusions This study demonstrated that AL can be useful in ML-based phenotyping methods. Moreover, AL and feature engineering based on domain knowledge could be combined to develop efficient and generalizable phenotyping methods.
“Why Don't I Know About These Women?”: The Integration of Early Women Sociologists in Classical Theory Courses

In recent years, early women sociologists such as Harriet Martineau, Ida B. Wells, and Jane Addams have begun to appear in some introductory textbooks and theory books. Usually, they appear in a box, as a sidebar, or as selected "others." So why do we not know more about these women? Our research seeks to answer this question. Given the availability of books by and about these women, we hypothesized that one explanation might lie in the training of theory instructors. If graduate students were not exposed to the work of early women sociologists, then it seemed unlikely they would incorporate them into their own teaching, research, and analyses. To assess this theory, we collected theory syllabi from 40 graduate schools. Since we were most interested in early women sociologists, we focused our analysis on "classical" theory syllabi. Our findings indicate that Marx, Weber, and Durkheim still dominate classical theory syllabi. The writings of women were assigned on 17 percent of the syllabi in our sample. We belleve this indicates a weak but visible indication that the diffusion of their work has begun.
Utilizing RNA-Seq data for de novo coexpression network inference

Motivation: RNA-Seq experiments have shown great potential for transcriptome profiling. While sequencing increases the level of biological detail, integrative data analysis is also important. One avenue is the construction of coexpression networks. Because the capacity of RNA-Seq data for network construction has not been previously evaluated, we constructed a coexpression network using striatal samples, derived its network properties and compared it with microarray-based networks. Results: The RNA-Seq coexpression network displayed scale-free, hierarchical network structure. We detected transcripts groups (modules) with correlated profiles; modules overlap distinct ontology categories. Neuroanatomical data from the Allen Brain Atlas reveal several modules with spatial colocalization. The network was compared with microarray-derived networks; correlations from RNA-Seq data were higher, likely because greater sensitivity and dynamic range. Higher correlations result in higher network connectivity, heterogeneity and centrality. For transcripts present across platforms, network structure appeared largely preserved. From this study, we present the first RNA-Seq data de novo network inference. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Examining deterrence of adult sex crimes: A semi-parametric intervention time-series approach

Motivated by recent developments on dimension reduction (DR) techniques for time-series data, the association of a general deterrent effect with the registration and notification (SORN) policy of South Carolina (SC) for preventing sex crimes was examined. Using adult sex crime arrestee data from 1990 to 2005, the idea of a central mean subspace (CMS) is extended to intervention time-series analysis (CMS-ITS) to model the sequential intervention effects of 1995 (the year SC's SORN policy was initially implemented) and 1999 (the year the policy was revised to include online notification) on the time-series spectrum. The CMS-ITS model estimation was achieved via kernel smoothing techniques, and compared to interrupted auto-regressive integrated time-series (ARIMA) models. Simulation studies and application to the real data underscore our model's ability of achieving parsimony, and of detecting intervention effects not earlier determined via traditional ARIMA models. From a public health perspective, findings from this study draw attention to the potential general deterrent effects of SC's SORN policy. These findings are considered in light of the overall body of research on sex crime arrestee registration and notification policies, which remain controversial.
Estimating Corn Leaf Chlorophyll Concentration from Leaf and Canopy Reflectance

Farmers must balance the competing goals of supplying adequate N for their crops while minimizing N losses to the environment. To characterize the spatial variability of N over large fields, traditional methods (soil testing, plant tissue analysis, and chlorophyll meters) require many point samples. Because of the close link between leaf chlorophyll and leaf N concentration, remote sensing techniques have the potential to evaluate the N variability over large fields quickly. Our objectives were to (1) select wavelengths sensitive to leaf chlorophyll concentration, (2) simulate canopy reflectance using a radiative transfer model, and (3) propose a strategy for detecting leaf chlorophyll status of plants using remotely sensed data. A wide range of leaf chlorophyll levels was established in field-grown corn (Zea mays L.) with the application of 8 N levels: 0%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 125%, and 150% of the recommended rate. Reflectance and transmittance spectra of fully expanded upper leaves were acquired over the 400-nm to 1,000-nm wavelength range shortly after anthesis with a spectroradiometer and integrating sphere. Broad-band differences in leaf spectra were observed near 550 nm, 715 nm, and >750 nm. Crop canopy reflectance was simulated using the SAIL (Scattering by Arbitrarily Inclined Leaves) canopy reflectance model for a wide range of background reflectances, leaf area indices (LAI), and leaf chlorophyll concentrations. Variations in background reflectance and LAI confounded the detection of the relatively subtle differences in canopy reflectance due to changes in leaf chlorophyll concentration. Spectral vegetation indices that combined near-infrared reflectance and red reflectance (e.g., OSAVI and NIR/Red) minimized contributions of background reflectance, while spectral vegetation indices that combined reflectances of near-infrared and other visible bands (MCARI and NIR/Green) were responsive to both leaf chlorophyll concentrations and background reflectance. Pairs of these spectral vegetation indices plotted together produced isolines of leaf chlorophyll concentrations. The slopes of these isolines were linearly related to leaf chlorophyll concentration. A limited test with measured canopy reflectance and leaf chlorophyll data confirmed these results. The characterization of leaf chlorophyll concentrations at the field scale without the confounding problem of background reflectance and LAI variability holds promise as a valuable aid for decision making in managing N applications.
Effect of Intensive Glycemic Control on Macrovascular Events in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Hyperglycemia is associated with cardiovascular disease. In patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease is common and represents the major cause of morbidity and mortality. While there is strong evidence that intensive glycemic control reduces the risk of microvascular complications in patients with diabetes, its impact on cardiovascular disease is less clear. Meta-analyses of randomized, controlled, clinical trials in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have generally failed to demonstrate a statistically significant impact of intensive glycemic control on cardiovascular events. Unfortunately, none of the trials included in the meta-analyses was designed to assess the impact of treatment on cardiovascular disease. It is possible that if the differences in HbA1c levels between treatment groups had been greater, the trials had been larger, and the follow-up had been longer, the trials might have demonstrated cardiovascular benefit. It is also possible that hyperglycemia itself does not cause cardiovascular disease. The association between hyperglycemia and features of the metabolic syndrome, including abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, suggest many alternative causal pathways. Keywords: glycemia; glucose; hemoglobin A1c; transient ischemic attack (TIA); cerebrovascular accident (CVA); myocardial infraction (MI); peripheral vascular disease (PVD); percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA); coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)
Identification of the ZPC Oligosaccharide Ligand Involved in Sperm Binding and the Glycan Structures of Xenopus laevis Vitelline Envelope Glycoproteins

The Xenopus laevis egg vitelline envelope is composed of five glycoproteins (ZPA, ZPB, ZPC, ZPD, and ZPX). As shown previously, ZPC is the primary ligand for sperm binding to the egg envelope, and this binding involves the oligosaccharide moieties of the glycoprotein (Biol. Reprod., 62:766‐774, 2000). To understand the molecular mechanism of sperm-egg envelope binding, we characterized the N-linked glycans of the vitelline envelope (VE) glycoproteins. The N-linked glycans of the VE were composed predominantly of a heterogeneous mixture of highmannose (5-9) and neutral, complex oligosaccharides primarily derived from ZPC (the dominant glycoprotein). However, the ZPA N-linked glycans were composed of acidic-complex and high-mannose oligosaccharides, ZPX had only high-mannose oligosaccharides, and ZPB lacked N-linked oligosaccharides. The consensus sequence for N-linked glycosylation at the evolutionarily conserved residue N113 of the ZPC protein sequence was glycosylated solely with high-mannose oligosaccharides. This conserved glycosylation site may be of importance to the threedimensional structure of the ZPC glycoproteins. One of the complex oligosaccharides of ZPC possessed terminal b-N-acetyl-glucosamine residues. The same ZPC oligosaccharide species isolated from the activated egg envelopes lacked terminal b-Nacetyl-glucosamine residues. We previously showed that the cortical granules contain b-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (J. Exp. Zool., 235:335‐340, 1985). We propose that an alteration in the oligosaccharide structure of ZPC by glucosaminidase released from the cortical granule reaction is responsible for the loss of sperm binding ligand activity at fertilization. fertilization, gamete biology, ovum, sperm
Treatment of mice with human recombinant interleukin-2 augments resistance to the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

Abstract The effects of exogenously administered human recombinant IL-2 (hrIL-2) on resistance to Listeria monocytogenes infection were examined. Intravenous injection of hrIL-2 significantly enhanced antibacterial resistance in both BDF1 and C3H/HeJ mice. The beneficial effect of hrIL-2 was observed with as little as 0.6 micrograms per mouse, whereas optimum protection occurred at 6 micrograms per mouse, hrIL-2 was equally protective when administered concomitant with the listeriae or up to 24 h prior to infection; it had little effect if given after the bacterial challenge. Kinetic experiments indicated that both the peak bacterial burden and the time lag before L. monocytogenes began to be cleared from the spleen and liver were reduced in hrIL-2-treated mice as compared with control mice. Histopathological examination of spleens and livers confirmed that hrIL-2-treated Listeria-infected mice experienced considerably less damage to these organs than did control mice. Spleen cells from Listeria-infected mice exhibited depressed levels of mitogen-induced proliferation coincident with the peak bacterial burden in the spleen and liver and during the subsequent recovery from the infection. Administration of hrIL-2 to uninfected mice had no effect on spleen cell proliferation in response to mitogens in vitro, nor did hrIL-2 treatment restore normal levels of splenocyte proliferative responses to Listeria-infected mice. In addition, hrIL-2 treatment resulted in attenuated levels of serum colony-stimulating activity in infected mice as compared with control infected mice. Coadministration of both hrIL-2 and human recombinant interleukin-1 alpha at various dose and time combinations had no detectable additive or synergistic effect. Although these data do not suggest an obvious mechanism of action, they clearly demonstrate that hrIL-2 can augment host defense against the facultative intracellular pathogen L. monocytogenes.
The effect of topic importance and attitude similarity-dissimilarity on attraction in an intrastranger design

In a previous investigation, Ss attraction toward a stranger who expressed attitudes similar to or dissimilar from their own was found to be a function of similarity-dissimilarity but unrelated to the importance of the attitudinal topics. In the present investigation, a multistranger design was employed in that each of 40 Ss responded to four strangers who expressed similar or dissimilar attitudes about topics of differential importance. Proportion of similar attitudes was again found to have a highly significant effect on attraction while the effects of topic importance, order of presentation, and each interaction were not statistically significant.
Aminobutadienes. VI. Polymerization and Copolymerization of 2‐Phthalimido‐1,3‐butadiene

2-Phthalimido-1,3-butadiene (2-PB) was polymerized either radically or thermally in bulk and in solution. While the polymer obtained by solution polymerization was soluble in some solvents such as halogenated hydrocarbons, dioxane, and dimethylformamide and had a softening point in the range of 160–170°C., that obtained by polymerization in bulk was insoluble in any solvent and only swollen on being immersed in such solvents as above. The reduced viscosity of the soluble polymer obtained by solution polymerization was approximately 1.0, and this value remained almost unchanged with varying polymerization time. Likewise the cationic polymerization in acetylene tetrachloride or in chloroform at 20°C. with the use of cationic catalysts such as boron trifluoride and stannic chloride was attempted, but no formation of polymer was observed. This monomer preferentially reacted with acrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate, styrene, and N-vinylphthalimide to form the respective copolymers; it reacted somewhat less readily with vinyl acetate. The monomer reactivity ratios in the copolymerization with styrene were calculated by the Fineman and Ross method and found to be r1 (2-PB) = 5.2 and r2 (styrene) = 0.11, respectively, from which the Q, e parameters were successively evaluated to be Q = 5.0 and e = −0.05. The fact that e value is close to zero, easily explains why this monomer can copolymerize well both with acrylonitrile, which has a highly positive value of e (1.2) and with styrene, for which e is considerably negative (-0.8).
The Pathogenesis and Treatment of ACNE

Acne is a follicular disorder of the skin occurring in specialized pilosebaceous units on the face and trunk. An abnormality of the keratinizing epithelium of these follicles, thought to be due to the action of sebum synthesized and secreted by the androgen-sensitive sebaceous glands, leads to inflammation induced by the follicular bacterium, Propionibacterium acnes. Therapy involves treatments that modify these pathogenic factors and includes drugs with antikeratinizing, antibacterial, and antiseborrheic actions.
Investigation of Bluff Recession Along Lake Erie

A systematic approach to the analysis of bluff recession problems is presented. Three inter-related studies are normally required: beach development, toe protection, and stable slope development. An engineered solution to each of the three can lead to efficient stabilization of the bluff. An analysis of a typical problem east of Cleveland is included as an example.
Level set surface editing operators

We present a level set framework for implementing editing operators for surfaces. Level set models are deformable implicit surfaces where the deformation of the surface is controlled by a speed function in the level set partial differential equation. In this paper we define a collection of speed functions that produce a set of surface editing operators. The speed functions describe the velocity at each point on the evolving surface in the direction of the surface normal. All of the information needed to deform a surface is encapsulated in the speed function, providing a simple, unified computational framework. The user combines pre-defined building blocks to create the desired speed function. The surface editing operators are quickly computed and may be applied both regionally and globally. The level set framework offers several advantages. 1) By construction, self-intersection cannot occur, which guarantees the generation of physically-realizable, simple, closed surfaces. 2) Level set models easily change topological genus, and 3) are free of the edge connectivity and mesh quality problems associated with mesh models. We present five examples of surface editing operators: blending, smoothing, sharpening, openings/closings and embossing. We demonstrate their effectiveness on several scanned objects and scan-converted models.
Aggregation for Me, But Not for Thee: The Rise of Common Claims in Non-Class Litigation

When a plaintiff seeks an injunction or declaration based on a defendant’s generally applicable policy or practice, the case has an inherently aggregate dimension, regardless of whether the plaintiff brings it as a class action or as an individual suit. Recent cases involving marriage rights for same-sex couples, affirmative action in higher education, the National Security Agency’s metadata program, and the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate – among others – have all taken the non-class form, notwithstanding the underlying claims’ amenability to class treatment.Difficult problems arise when a plaintiff brings a common claim in non-class litigation. The plaintiff might obtain system-wide relief without the knowledge or participation of other potential claimants; this creates a representational asymmetry. The defendant might be bound by collateral estoppel or a system-wide decree if the plaintiff wins, but other potential claimants will not be bound by collateral estoppel if the plaintiff loses; this creates a preclusive asymmetry. Most important, the absence of class treatment jeopardizes values that the judicial system should promote, such as judicial economy, accuracy, and rights articulation.This Article analyzes plaintiffs’ structural disincentives to seeking class treatment for claims seeking purely injunctive or declaratory relief, and the wide-ranging repercussions of the plaintiffs’ procedural choice for other litigants and the judicial system. These issues have been underexplored in existing scholarship. The Article fills an additional gap in the literature by proposing a set of changes designed to make the class action device more attractive and available to plaintiffs bringing these types of claims.
Trace-element partitioning between alkali feldspar and peralkalic quartz trachyte to rhyolite magma. Part I: Systematics of trace-element partitioning

New alkali feldspar/felsic magma trace-element partition coefficients ( D -values) for Rb, Sr, Ba, Eu, Y, Zr, Nb, Ga, Zn, trivalent REE, Be, Cs, Hf, Pb, Th, and U for 30 samples of peralkalic quartz trachyte and rhyolite are presented. D -values of incompatible elements vary systematically with melt polymerization parameters, increasing with whole-rock silica, but decreasing in rocks with higher agpaitic indices [A.I. = mol (Na + K)/Al]. D -values for Sr and Ba (evaluated to be accurate) vary systematically with crystal chemistry, probably substituting for Na in the Ca-poor alkali feldspar phases. Apparent D -values for Sr and Ba from pre-Quaternary systems are fraught with contamination and analytical errors, respectively, and should be used with caution. D Eu decreases exponentially with A.I., ranging from compatible in weakly peralkalic (A.I. 1.2) rocks. These regular variations strongly suggest that partition coefficients for these elements may be predicted accurately if whole-rock and crystal-chemical parameters are known.
Thermal Transformations in Extruded Saloplastic Polyelectrolyte Complexes

Extruded, salt-plasticized complexes of hydrated poly(styrenesulfonate), PSS, and poly(diallyldimethylammonium), PDADMA, were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. Whereas the enthalpic signatures were weak, the latter technique revealed a strong transition in modulus, identified as a glass transition. The temperature of this transition, Tg, varied with deformation rate as expected from time/temperature superposition. Tg also decreased with increasing salt doping, which breaks ion pairing in the complexes, confirming the plasticizing effect of doping. Time, temperature, and salt concentration data were superposed to demonstrate the trends/equivalence of these three variables, and an empirical equation was used to connect them. Measurement time regimes were discussed with reference to the average lifetime of an ion pair.
Biochemical Modulation of Radiation-Induced Apoptosis in Murine Lymphoma Cells'

Considerable effort in our laboratory has been directed toward characterizing the role of apoptosis as a mode of cell death in model tumors irradiated in vivo. These studies have shown that apoptosis is an important response in some tumors, correlating with tumor growth delay and tumor cure. However, the response is heterogeneous among both the various tumors examined and the cells in a given tumor, suggesting that the propensity for cells to undergo apoptosis upon irradiation is regulated by unknown factors in tumors. To develop a model system for investigating these regulatory pathways in vitro at the molecular and biochemical levels, we have established cells from a tumor that displays a dramatic apoptotic response in vivo, the TH lymphoma, in cell culture. In this article, we review some of the results of our studies using this model system. To date, we have shown that the dose-response relationship and kinetics of the development of apoptosis for these cells in culture are similar to what we observed for the tumor response in vivo. Moreover, the roles of calcium and signal transduction pathways as important regulatory factors in radiation-induced apoptosis have been defined in this system. Ultimately such investigations may yield the insight necessary for designing protocols to modulate apoptosis biochemically in irradiated normal and tumor tissues to therapeutic advantage.
A Selection Bias Approach to Sensitivity Analysis for Causal Effects

The estimation of causal effects has a revered place in all fields of empirical political science, but a large volume of methodological and applied work ignores a fundamental fact: most people are skeptical of estimated causal effects. In particular, researchers are often worried about the assumption of no omitted variables or no unmeasured confounders. This article combines two approaches to sensitivity analysis to provide researchers with a tool to investigate how specific violations of no omitted variables alter their estimates. This approach can help researchers determine which narratives imply weaker results and which actually strengthen their claims. This gives researchers and critics a reasoned and quantitative approach to assessing the plausibility of causal effects. To demonstrate the approach, I present applications to three causal inference estimation strategies: regression, matching, and weighting.
PP-024 Evaluation of long term biological activity of pegaspargase (oncaspar) after dilution in nacl 0.9%

Background Escherichia coli asparaginase is an enzyme that depletes serum levels of asparagine. It is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and related forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Polyethylene glycosylated–asparaginase (pegaspargase), obtained by covalently attaching polyethylene glycol to the native enzyme, has been shown to sustain similar reductions in serum asparagine concentrations compared with the native enzyme. In addition, pegaspargase has a decreased immunogenicity and a prolonged half-life. The summary of product characteristics (Oncaspar) indicates that the intravascular infusion should be given over a period of 1–2 h but nothing is known on the long term stability and activity of the enzyme after dilution. Purpose Evaluation of the biological activity of pegaspargase diluted to 16 UI/mL in NaCl 0.9% and stored up to 48 h at 4°C and at room temperature. A study of drug degradation was also carried out. Material and methods Samples of pegaspargase solution diluted in NaCl 0.9% were stored refrigerated at 4°C and at room temperature and protected from light. The biological activity of the two solutions was determined by measuring hydrolysis of L-asparagine, and the ammonia released by the enzyme was quantified with Nessler’s reagent. The absence of degradation products or aggregates in the two solutions was verified using size exclusion fast protein liquid chromatography (SEC-FPLC) under the following condition: Superdex 200 10/300 column; Tris buffer pH=8.6; 0.5 mL/min flow rate; 280 nm UV detection; 100 µL injection volume. Results In the samples stored both at 4°C and at room temperature, enzymatic activity was preserved over a period of 48 h. No degradation or aggregation was observed in these samples over the same period. Conclusion The variation in enzymatic activity of the diluted pegaspargase solutions compared with the fresh solution was less than 5% after 48 h, with no significant differences between storage at 4°C or at room temperature. Preservation of the enzymatic activity and the stability of the solutions evaluated will allow us to store pegaspargase for up to 48 h with costs savings and an improvement in patient compliance. A microbiological study is in progress to validate the aseptic manufacturing process in order to guarantee the sterility of the stored solutions. No conflict of interest.
Age, dose of FSH and other factors affecting superovulation in Holstein cows.

Effects of age of donor and other factors on superovulation and production of transferable embryos were investigated. Data were obtained on 987 recoveries of embryos performed between November 1980 and June 1984 by Select Embryos, Inc. The 339 Holstein donors ranged in age from 1.8 to 17.8 yr. The effects of age of donor and dose of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were examined using regression analysis. For on-farm recoveries, numbers of embryos, rates of fertilization, quality scores of all embryos and numbers of transferable embryos decreased (P less than .01, P less than .001, P less than .05, P less than .01, respectively) with increasing age of donor. For in-clinic recoveries, numbers of embryos plus ova recovered were affected by age of donor, dose of FSH and the interaction of the two (P less than .05). Among older donors, increasing doses of FSH were associated with an increase in the number of ova plus embryos recovered. However, among younger donors, increasing doses of FSH had a negative effect. Numbers of embryos, rates of fertilization and numbers of transferable embryos decreased (P less than .05) with advancing age and increased (P less than .05) with increasing doses of FSH. Greater numbers of ova plus embryos were recovered when treatment with FSH was begun on d 10 or 11 as compared with d 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 or 14 (P less than .001). It was concluded that an increase in age of donor had a negative influence on the success of superovulation and the production of transferable embryos, and that the response to FSH was affected by age of donor.
Percutaneous management of benign ureteral strictures and fistulas.

Abstract The percutaneous methods of management of benign ureteral strictures or fistulas have developed as a natural evolution of percutaneous nephrostomy and angiographic techniques. We review our 5-year experience, which includes 18 patients with 19 benign ureteral strictures and 12 patients with ureteral fistulas. In the majority of the patients the ureteral strictures occurred at sites of surgical reconstruction or endoscopic manipulation. All fistulas resulted from surgical injury. In 10 of the 12 patients (82 per cent) the fistulas healed without development of a stricture or need for further intervention. Patients with short ureteral strictures had a high incidence of success and they usually were the best candidates for percutaneous manipulation. The longer strictures usually were of longer duration and they were less likely to be managed successfully percutaneously. Failure of percutaneous dilation did not impede subsequent surgical management. Percutaneous management often is a reasonable initial step in the treatment of ureteral strictures and fistulas.
Case 27: The Difference Between Research and Quality Assurance/Improvement

Federal Regulations [1] define research as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge,” while medical quality assurance/improvement (QA/QI) projects are defined as “reviewing patient care, identification of clinical problems and the evaluation of actions directed to correct or prevent them from occurring.”