cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational Cytology: Lessons Learned from Pap Test Computer-Assisted Screening.

BACKGROUND In the face of rapid technological advances in computational cytology including artificial intelligence (AI), optimization of its application to clinical practice would benefit from reflection on the lessons learned from the decades-long journey in the development of computer-assisted Pap test screening. SUMMARY The initial driving force for automated screening in cytology was the overwhelming number of Pap tests requiring manual screening, leading to workflow backlogs and incorrect diagnoses. Several companies invested resources to address these concerns utilizing different specimen processing techniques and imaging systems. However, not all companies were commercially prosperous. Successful implementation of this new technology required viable use cases, improved clinical outcomes, and an acceptable means of integration into the daily workflow of cytopathology laboratories. Several factors including supply and demand, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight, reimbursement, overcoming learning curves and workflow changes associated with the adoption of new technology, and cytologist apprehension, played a significant role in either promoting or preventing the widespread adoption of automated screening technologies. Key Messages: Any change in health care, particularly those involving new technology that impacts clinical workflow, is bound to have its successes and failures. However, perseverance through learning curves, optimizing workflow processes, improvements in diagnostic accuracy, and regulatory and financial approval can facilitate widespread adoption of these technologies. Given their history with successfully implementing automated Pap test screening, cytologists are uniquely positioned to not only help with the development of AI technology for other areas of pathology, but also to guide how they are utilized, regulated, and managed.
An observational study protocol to explore loneliness and systemic inflammation in an older adult population with chronic venous leg ulcers.

Chronic venous leg ulcers (CVLUs) are the most common type of lower extremity wound. Even when treated with evidenced-based care, 30–50% of CVLUs fail to heal. A specific gap exists about the association between psychosocial stressors, particularly loneliness, and biomarkers of inflammation and immunity. Loneliness is highly prevalent in persons with CVLUs, has damaging effects on health, and contributes to the development of multiple chronic conditions, promotes aberrant inflammation, and diminishes healing. However, the confluence of loneliness, inflammation and the wound healing trajectory has not been elucidated; specifically whether loneliness substantially mediates systemic inflammation and alters healing over time. This study seeks to address whether there is a specific biomarker profile associated with loneliness, CVLUs, and wound healing that is different from non-lonely persons with CVLUs. An observational prospective study will identify, characterize and explore associations among psychosocial stressors, symptoms and biomarkers between 2 CVLU groups, with loneliness+ (n = 28) and without loneliness- (n = 28) during 4 weeks of wound treatment, measured at 3 time points. We will examine psychosocial stressors and symptoms using psychometrically-sound measures include PROMIS® and other questionnaires for loneliness, social isolation, depression, anxiety, stigma, sleep, fatigue, pain, quality of life, cognition, and function. Demographics data including health history, sex, age, wound type and size, wound age, and treatment will be recorded from the electronic health record. We will characterize a biomarker panel of inflammatory genes including chemotaxic and growth factors, vascular damage, and immune regulators that express in response to loneliness to loneliness and CVLUs using well-established RNA sequence and PCR methods for whole blood samples. In an exploratory aim we will explore whether age and sex/psychological stressors and symptoms indicate potential moderation/mediation of the effect of loneliness on the biomarker profile over the study period. This study will provide insight into the influence of psychosocial stressors, symptoms, and biological mechanisms on wound healing, towards advancing a future healing prediction model and interventions to address these stressors and symptoms experienced by persons with CVLUs.
Breastfeeding: A Key Investment in Human Capital

* Abbreviation: NCD — : noncommunicable disease Despite improvements over time, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of “under-5 mortality” in the world (75.8 per 1000 live births in 2019) and persistently high child stunting (33% in 2019). High under-5 mortality and stunting, along with other factors, contribute to poor human capital outcomes and lost economic productivity.1–3 Breastfeeding is the child’s first immunization and the single most important life-saving intervention for young children4–6 and, by implication, is likely to have a big impact on productivity and economic growth. In this issue of Pediatrics , Pretorius et al7 explore linkages between breastfeeding and economic growth at the country level in Africa. The Human Capital Index, a summary estimate of the economic productivity of an individual given prevailing health and education in her country, averages 0.4 out of 1.0 in sub-Saharan Africa (much lower than the global average of 0.57). This means that, on average, a … Address correspondence to Meera Shekar, PhD, World Bank, 1818 H St, NW, Washington, DC 20433. E-mail: mshekar{at}worldbank.org
The CIA's Democratic Integrity: Information Sharing and Electoral Accountability

Drawing from previous research on the political business cycle and principal-agent theory on executive and congressional oversight of information sharing, I analyze the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) during presidential and congressional elections. I find that when the the incumbent president is democrat the CIA responds to FOIA requests approximately a month faster than when the incumbent president is a republican (p<0.20).
Correction of a pathogenic mutation in iPSCs derived from a patient with Christianson syndrome using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing

SLC9A6 (also termed NHE6) encodes the endosomal Na+/H+ exchanger 6 (NHE6). Pathogenic, loss-of-function mutations in NHE6 cause the X-linked neurogenetic disorder Christianson syndrome (CS). We developed induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines derived from a patient with CS and from a biologically related control. The patient with CS contained the nonsense mutation c.1569G>A (p.(W523X)), which caused a significant reduction in NHE6 mRNA and a lack of detectable NHE6 protein in CS iPSCs in comparison to control iPSCs. To establish a cell model for study of CS with an isogenic control, we corrected the c.1569G>A mutation to the NHE6 reference genome sequence using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology directed repair knock-in methodology. Multiple subclonal lines were generated, and notably, NHE6 protein was expressed in all analyzed c.1569G>A (p.(W523X)) genome-corrected iPSC lines. This CS iPSC model together with the associated biologically related and isogenic control cell lines will serve as a valuable resource for both basic and translational studies in CS.
Antibiotic resistance profile of E. coli isolates in 17 municipal wastewater utilities across Oregon

Wastewater treatment utilities are considered one of the main sources and reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance. The objective of this study was to determine the diversity and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in wastewater treatment systems across the state of Oregon. Influent, secondary effluent, final effluent, and biosolids were collected from 17 wastewater treatment utilities across Oregon during the winter and summer seasons of 2019 and 2020 (n = 246). E. coli strains were recovered from samples by culturing on mTEC, followed by confirmation with MacConkey with MUG agar plates. Antibiotic susceptibility of 1143 E. coli isolates against 8 antibiotics were determined, and resistance profiles and indices were analyzed between utilities, seasons, and flows. Antibiotic resistance phenotypes were detected in 31.6% of the collected E. coli isolates. Among those antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolates, multi-drug resistance (i.e., resistance to three or more classes of antibiotics) was harbored by 27.7% with some strains showing resistance to up to six classes of antibiotics. The most prevalent resistance was to ampicillin (n = 207) and the most common combinations of multi-drug resistance included simultaneous resistances to ampicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline (n = 49), followed by ampicillin, streptomycin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (n = 46). Significant correlations were observed between resistance to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and resistances to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline (p
Management of postoperative microvascular compromise and ischemia reperfusion injury in breast reconstruction using autologous tissue transfer: Retrospective review of 2103 flaps.

BACKGROUND Although rates of microvascular thrombosis following free-flap breast reconstruction are low, debate persists about the optimal methods to restore blood flow and prevent ensuing flap shrinkage or fibrosis. Here we evaluate our management of microvascular compromise, including both a review of our approach for restoring blood flow and addressing the ensuing inflammatory changes following ischemia reperfusion. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of autologous free tissue transfer breast reconstructions from 1/2010 to 1/2020. Patients who had flaps requiring take-back for salvage were identified. Management of microvascular compromise and ischemia reperfusion injury were recorded. RESULTS Of 2103 flaps were used in the breast reconstructions, 47 flaps required take-back for microvascular compromise (2.2%). Most flaps were either completely salvaged (n = 29, 61.7%) or partially salvaged (n = 5, 10.6%). Thirteen (27.7%) were a total flap loss, for an overall rate of 0.8% (including 3 flaps with no salvage attempt). Management of microvascular compromise most often included revision of the anastomosis (n = 33, 70.2%), thrombectomy (n = 27, 57.4%), tissue plasminogen activator administration (n = 26, 55.3%), and vein grafts (n = 18, 38.3%). Management of ischemia reperfusion included intraoperative steroids (n = 33, 70.2%), postoperative steroids (n = 17, 38.6%), and postoperative therapeutic anticoagulation (n = 27, 61.3%). Of 34 salvaged flaps, 5 (14.7%) had partial flap loss and/or fat necrosis on clinical examination at an average follow-up of 2.7 ± 2.8 years. CONCLUSIONS Salvage of microvascular compromise in autologous breast reconstruction should include restoration of blood flow and management of ischemia reperfusion injury. Attention to both is paramount for successful outcomes.
Surgical Management of Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder (GB) cancer carries a dismal prognosis with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5 % for advanced disease. Only 20 % of GB cancers are detected at an early stage when the disease is confined to the gallbladder. Improvements in surgical techniques have resulted in improved outcomes. We clearly understand that surgery is the only hope for survival and can have an impact on the natural history of the disease. In this article, we will summarize the most recent data with regards to the surgical options. Accurate diagnosis based on imaging and pathological staging will help us achieve better results. We will conclude by providing an algorithm to manage GB cancer based on T-staging.
How erosion-corrosion patterns in a choke change as material losses in the choke progress

Erosion-corrosion is a complex phenomenon that depends on complex factors such as fluid characteristics, flow regime, flow geometry, aqueous chemistry, temperature, and type of metal. Flow modeling and particle tracking are important tools for predicting erosion-corrosion. In erosion and corrosion modeling it is important to account not only for the factors that influence erosion-corrosion but also for changes in some of these factors that occur as the erosion-corrosion process continues. For example, the change in the geometry resulting can have a significant impact on the erosion results. Geometry changes result when corners, found in couplings and chokes, are eroded with time. This change in geometry due to erosion can drastically change the flow solution, especially the turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate. Recognizing this change is imperative, since the prediction of particle behavior is heavily dependent on the turbulent kinetic energy. Furthermore, more particle impingements occur in regions with higher turbulent kinetic energy. This paper shows that neglecting the change in the flow field solution resulting from the change in geometry can cause erroneous erosion predictions. A study was performed on a choke geometry to demonstrate the importance of incorporating the change in geometry resulting from erosion. The turbulent kineticmore » energy contours are presented as a function of the changing choke geometry. The predicted erosion rates along the choke are also examined for the various scenarios, and these results are compared to experimental results. Results from this study show that it is necessary to update the flow geometry and flow model based on the changing geometry due to erosion or erosion-corrosion.« less
Turner Syndrome and Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage

To the Editor.— In a recent report, Moore et al1 reported that 3 of 12 patients with karyotype XO had partial anomalous pulmonary venous return with an intact atrial septum. In 1984, I presented a poster at the Southern Genetics Meeting which reported three patients with Turner syndrome who had partial anomalous pulmonary venous return demonstrated by cardiac catheterization. An additional infant with aortic atresia was noted at postmortem to have premature closure of the foramen ovale and partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.
Analysis of affinity separations: I: Predicting the performance of affinity adsorbers

Abstract The analysis of affinity separations has lagged behind the rapid increase in new applications. The purpose of this work is to outline an approach to analysis that will aid the design and optimization of large-scale affinity separations. This paper is an introduction to the theory of fixed bed adsorption as it applies to affinity chromatography. This theory provides analytical tools for evaluating and predicting industrial-scale affinity column performance, based on data from laboratory-scale experiments. Design equations are included for continuous separations on a rotating annular chromatograph and for batch operation of the adsorption and wash steps. The design equations are derived from a general model by introducing appropriate simplifying assumptions for rate-limiting mass transfer and sorption steps.
Twinned crystals of poly[bis(p‐fluorophenoxy)phosphazene]

Obtention de ces cristaux par refroidissement de l'etat thermotrope a la temperature ambiante
Role of CR2 in the human adult and neonatal in vitro antibody response to type 4 pneumococcal polysaccharide.

Abstract A number of studies have indicated that the complement receptor type 2 (CR2), which is the receptor for C3d, a degradation fragment of the complement component C3, regulates B lymphocyte activation and growth. Early reports have described that C3 regulates T cell-dependent (TD) antibody responses. The involvement of CR2 in the antibody response to T cell-independent type 2 (TI-2) antigens was investigated because neonatal B cells, which are unresponsive to TI-2 antigens both in vivo and in vitro , express a significantly decreased level of CR2 as compared to B cells of adult donors. We utilized type 4 pneumococcal polysaccharide (PS4) as a model TI-2 antigen. In order to study the relationship between CR2 and the response to PS4, B cells were costimulated with PS4 and monoclonal antibodies (MAb) to CR2. HB5 and OKB7 anti-CR2 monoclonal antibodies enhanced the in vitro response of adult B cells to PS4, as measured in a PS4-specific spot-forming cell assay. Neonatal B cells could only be induced to respond to PS4 using high concentrations of OKB7 anti-CR2 MAb. The 8-mercaptoguanosine (8MGuo), an agent that can overcome the in vitro unresponsiveness to PS4 of neonatal B cells, increased CR2 expression on adult and neonatal B cells. Furthermore, 8MGuo synergizes strongly with anti-CR2 antibodies in augmenting the anti-PS4 antibody response. Data presented in this report provide evidence of CR2 involvement in the antibody response to PS4 and that the neonatal B cell unresponsiveness to TI-2 antigens may be due to the decreased expression of CR2.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection with electrosurgical knives in a patient on aspirin therapy (with video)

Background The electrosurgical knives required to perform endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) have recently passed the 510(k) premarketing evaluation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are now available for purchase in the United States. Challenges to ESD being more widely performed in the United States include the lack of intensive hands-on training programs and a low incidence of appropriate, highly dysplastic gastric lesions on which an ESD-trained endoscopist can begin performing this procedure in patients. Furthermore, there are no guidelines regarding the safety of continuing antiplatelet therapy in patients undergoing ESD. Objective To report on the first gastric ESD performed in the United States by using recently approved electrosurgical knives on a patient who was maintained on aspirin therapy. Design Case report. Setting Large academic medical center. Patient One patient with a 2-cm high-grade dysplasia (HGD) lesion in the posterior antrum who had indwelling coronary stents and was maintained on aspirin therapy throughout the periprocedural period. Interventions High-definition white-light and narrow-band imaging endoscopy, endosonography, and ESD by using recently approved electrosurgical knives. Main Outcome Measurements Complete resection of the HGD gastric lesion. Results En bloc complete resection of the HGD gastric lesion was achieved without any immediate or delayed bleeding or perforation. No residual or recurrent dysplasia was found on 1- or 3-month follow-up endoscopies. Limitations Generalizations cannot be made from this single case. Conclusions After receiving intensive hands-on training in both ex vivo and in vivo animal models, gastric ESD was successfully performed by 2 U.S. endoscopists by using recently approved electrosurgical knives in a patient maintained on aspirin therapy without any complications.
Text mining in supporting software systems risk assurance

Insufficient risk analysis often leads to software system design defects and system failures. Assurance of software risk documents aims to increase the confidence that identified risks are complete, specific, and correct. Yet assurance methods rely heavily on manual analysis that requires significant knowledge of historical projects and subjective, perhaps biased judgment from domain experts. To address the issue, we have developed RARGen, a text mining-based approach based on well-established methods aiming to automatically create and maintain risk repositories to identify usable risk association rules (RARs) from a corpus of risk analysis documents. RARs are risks that have frequently occurred in historical projects. We evaluate RARGen on 20 publicly available e-service projects. Our evaluation results show that RARGen can effectively reason about RARs, increase confidence and cost-effectiveness of risk assurance, and support difficult-to-perform activities such as assuring complete-risk identification.
The structure of lexical concepts

Jerry Fodor (Concepts: Where cognitive science went wrong. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998) famously argued that lexical concepts are unstructured. After examining the advantages and disadvantages of both the classical approach to concepts and Fodor’s conceptual atomism, I argue that some lexical concepts are, in fact, structured. Roughly stated, I argue that structured lexical concepts bear a necessary biconditional entailment relation to their structural constituents. I develop this account of the structure of lexical concepts within the framework of Pavel Tichý’s (The foundations of Frege’s logic. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter, 1988) theory of constructions. I argue that concepts are constructions which can be combined by way of Tichý’s construction-forming operations of composition and closure and an additional operation, simplification, which I propose in section 6. The last of these construction-forming operations plays a central role in my account of lexical concept structure. Stated generally, structured lexical concepts are a result of simplifying their structural constituents.
A 3-s delay in an optical burst from X-ray burst source MXB1735-44

Analysis of the arrival times of X-ray and optical bursts from the X-ray burst source MXB1735-44 shows that the onset of one optical burst was delayed 2.8 sec with respect to the X-ray burst. Observations of the pulses are accurate to less than or equal to five ms. The delay in the optical pulse may be attributed to light travel time in the system and/or the time needed to reprocess X-rays into light.
Errors in the measurement of hydraulic input impedance

Abstract It is shown that significant erros may be made in obtaining the input impedance of an arterial bed when pressure and flow are not measured at the same site. These errors manifest themselves mainly in the phase of the input impedance. The sign of the phase errors depends on whether flow is measured proximal or distal to pressure. The deviation in the absolute value is generally in the same direction for both cases. If the apparent wave velocity in the region between the pressure and flow transducers as well as their distance are measured, the phase error can be corrected easily. By means of a model of the systemic arterial tree the errors in the input impedance of the systemic arterial tree are quantified. At 10 Hz these errors may be in the order of 30 deg in the phase of the input impedance. The effect of applying the correction for phase is illustrated. The correction procedure used here can be successfully applied to avoid this difficulty in the future. This correction resolves most of the differences in the phase of the input impedance as reported by various investigators.
Welfare applications of genetically engineered animals for use in agriculture

The application of genetic engineering to food animals is often viewed as a means to further increase animal productivity without regard for the welfare of the resulting animals. We offer the perspective that, on the contrary, genetic engineering can, and is, being used to improve animal welfare in modern production systems. Several examples are cited from the current work in the field of animal genetic engineering that should be included in the debate over whether genetically engineered animals should be used in production agriculture. The current debate has slowed the advancement of this technology, which could play a key role in improving animal welfare and sustainability, without considering the potential benefits.
The complexity of drawing trees nicely

We investigate the complexity of producing aesthetically pleasing drawings of binary trees, drawings that are as narrow as possible. The notion of what is aesthetically pleasing is embodied in several constraints on the placement of nodes, relative to other nodes. Among the results we give are: (1) There is no obvious "principle of optimality" that can be applied, since globally narrow, aesthetic placements of trees may require wider than necessary subtrees. (2) A previously suggested heuristic can produce drawings on n-node trees that are ?(n) times as wide as necessary. (3) The problem can be reduced in polynomial time to linear programming; hence, if the coordinates assigned to the nodes are continuous variables, then the problem can be solved in polynomial time. (4) If the placement is restricted to the integral lattice then the problem is NP-hard, as is its approximation to within a factor of about 4 per cent.
Human Factors in Vector Map Design: The Importance of Task-Display Dependence

This paper, and the following 5 papers, were firts presented at a Symposium on Advanced Moving-Map Display held on the 3rd and 4th of August 1999 at the US Naval Research Laboratory Detachment at the NASA Stennis Space Centre, Mississippi and are reproduced in modified form with the kind permission of the NRL Commanding Officer. The role of human factors in map design is to serve as a mediator between the technology availed by electronic digital maps (particularly vector maps) on the one hand, and the many tasks performed by the user on the other. Simply put, no one map is best suited for all tasks. The appropriate mapping of map to task is, in turn, mediated by a series of information processing principles, articulated by the engineering psychologist. The field is on the threshold of being able to provide computational models, based on these principles, that will provide guidance to the map designer as to the circumstances that make one map format better than another for a particular application. This paper describes these principles as applied to two domains of vector map design: the domain of three-dimensional maps, and the domain of database overlay.
Shorting Restrictions: Revisiting the 1930s

Several events in the 1930s made shorting more difficult or impossible in the United States. In 1931, the NYSE banned shorting for two days and later prohibited shorting on a downtick. In 1932, brokers needed written authorization before lending a customer's shares, and the U.S. Senate released a list of the biggest short sellers. In 1938, the tick test was tightened. Short interest and securities lending data indicate that each event made shorting more difficult. Average returns associated with the events are significantly positive, consistent with disagreement models. Liquidity is also affected. Recent U.S. regulatory changes echo these earlier restrictions.
Fasinumab (REGN475), an antinerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of acute sciatic pain: results of a proof-of-concept study.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneously administered fasinumab (REGN475), a nerve growth factor-neutralizing antibody, in patients with acute sciatic pain receiving standard of care therapy. Methods This was a double-blind, parallel-group, proof-of-concept study. Patients with unilateral, moderate-to-severe sciatic pain of 2-16 weeks' duration were randomized to a subcutaneous dose of placebo (n=51), fasinumab 0.1 mg/kg (n=53), or 0.3 mg/kg (n=53); follow-up was 12 weeks. Pain was assessed in a daily diary using a numerical rating scale (NRS) (0= no pain, 10= worst pain) for average and worst leg and back pain. The primary efficacy end point was the area under the curve of NRS scores for average leg pain from baseline to week 4. Key secondary end points included changes in average and worst leg and back pain from baseline to the end of week 4 and to each weekly study visit. Patient functioning (Oswestry Disability Index) and concomitant analgesic use were also assessed. Safety and tolerability were evaluated by treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Results Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar among the treatment groups; 141 (88.7%) patients completed the study. For the primary end point, mean ± standard deviation area under the curve values from baseline to week 4 were not significantly different between placebo (96.8±6.0) and fasinumab 0.1 mg/kg (112.7±58.3; P=0.0610) or fasinumab 0.3 mg/kg (112.4±55.8; P=0.0923). All secondary efficacy end points of changes in pain and function demonstrated responses that were similar between placebo and fasinumab groups. Incidence of TEAEs was 45.1%, 50.9%, and 64.8% in the placebo, fasinumab 0.1mg/kg, and fasinumab 0.3 mg/kg groups, respectively. The most commonly reported TEAEs included paresthesia, arthralgia, pain in extremity, and headache. Conclusion Administration of fasinumab provided no significant clinical benefit compared with placebo for the pain or functional limitations associated with acute sciatica. Fasinumab was generally well tolerated and incidence of TEAEs appeared to be dose related.
Negative endocrine control system for inflammation in rats.

Inflammatory processes may be suppressed by endogenous mechanisms such as release of adrenocorticosteroid hormones through stimulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. In the present study, the relationship between the temporal development of carrageenan-induced edema in the hindlimb of the rat and release in plasma of the principal endogenous adrenocorticosteroid of the rat corticosterone was investigated. Suplantar injection of carrageenan produced a biphasic increase in basal plasma corticosterone levels that was not attributed to diurnal variation. The plasma level of corticosterone increased rapidly after injection of carrageenan and peaked 12-fold at 20 min. This first phase increase was attributed to the stress of the injection since it was mimicked by subplantar injection of saline. The second phase of corticosterone relase was gradual and peaked 12-fold 7hr after injection of carrageenan. The second phase was not elicited by subplantar injection of saline. When the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is impaired via hypophysectomy, carrageenan-induced edema is more intense and lasts longer than in control rats. The results demonstrate that adrenocorticosteroid hormones are released as a result of the stress of injection and by the inflammatory response. Release of adrenocorticosteroids acts as a feedback mechanism to suppress the inflammatory response.
Phycobilisome composition and possible relationship to reaction centers

The photosynthetic apparatus was studied in Anacystis nidulans wild type and in a spontaneous pigment mutant 85Y which had improved growth in far-red light (>650 nm). Two phycobiliproteins, C-phycocyanin (λmax 625) and allophycocyanin (λmax 650), were present in a molar ratio of ~3:1 in the wild type and ~0.4:1 in the mutant. Phycobilisomes of wild type cells were larger (57 × 30 nm) than those of the mutant 85Y (28 × 15 nm). In the mutant they seemed to consist primarily of the allophycocyanin core. Fluorescence emission maxima of wild type and mutant 85Y phycobilisomes were at 680 nm (23 °C) and 685 nm (−196 °C). Excitation maxima of phycobilisomes were at 630 and 650 nm for the wild type and the mutant 85Y, respectively. The phycobilisomes of wild type cells whether grown in white or far-red light had the same size and pigment composition. A typical wild type cell in white light had a thylakoid area of 22.8 μm2, but in far-red light the area was reduced to 13.5 μm2, which was close to that of 85Y at 13.6 μm2. Chlorophyll molecules per cell decreased in far-red light from 1.1 × 107 in wild type (white light) to 4.5 × 106 in mutant 85Y (far-red). The number of phycobilisomes per cell (approx 2 × 104), calculated from the phycobiliprotein content and phycobilisome size, was about the same in wild type (white light) and mutant 85Y (far-red light), but the number of phycobilisomes per unit area of thylakoid was significantly greater in mutant 85Y than in wild type. The present results suggest that the phycobilisomes are linked with reaction centers and that the PSII complement (photosystem II and phycobilisome) was fully maintained in far-red light.
Effects of Carbonic Maceration on Chemical, Physical and Sensory Characteristics of Muscadine Wines

Grapes of four muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia Michaux) cultivars were subjected to carbonic maceration (CM) treatment during vinification. CM involved holding the intact grape berries anaerobically under an atmosphere of CO2 prior to crushing the grapes. Two different sets of conditions, 20 days at 16°C and 10 days at 24°C, were used for CM treatments. For comparison, standard wines were made from these cultivars by the usual vinification procedures. When compared to the standard wines, CM white wines had lower pH values, higher titratable acidity and phenols, lower alcohol, were yellower in color and were judged significantly lower in sensory quality. CM is not recommended for white wine production. Red CM wines, compared to the standard wines, had higher pH values, had a tendency towards higher volatile acidity, were generally lower in phenols, alcohol and color, and received similar sensory ratings. However, the red CM wines had a distinctively spicy bouquet and flavor which was not present in the standard wines.
Implant Evaluation of a Nuclear Power Source - Betacel Battery

In order to evaluate nuclear power sources for biomedical applications, a nuclear battery, Betacel, was used to power two telemetry transmitters designed with a very low power consumption. The transmitters were implanted in a dog to measure the voltage of the battery and the deep body temperature. Special care was given to the glass packaging to prevent possible damage from body fluids. The experiment ran continuously for a 6-month period before termination. At that time, the animal was sacrificed to examine the radiation damage of tissues in the vicinity of the transmitters as well as the effects on vital organs. No measurable abnormality was detected. The experiment suggests that the nuclear power source can be used to extend the working life of implanted medical instruments.
Construction and performance of an 811 x 508 element multiwavelength PtSi IR CCD imager

In this paper, we propose a method of constructing a multi- wavelength IR imager and investigate some of its applications. The optical cavity structure has been used to improve the sensitivity of the IR imager for a long time. However, it can also be used as an on-chip interference filter. We developed two kinds of multi-wavelength IR imagers based on the 410 k pixel PtSi IRCCD, which has been previously reported by us. The type A multi-wavelength IR imager is composed of three kinds of pixels. In the device, three kinds of pixels with different spectral responsivities are arranged in the form of a stripe in the vertical direction of the CCD. The type A device is used within the wavelength range of 3 - 5.5 micrometer. The type B device is a multi-wavelength IR imager in which four kinds of pixels with different spectral responsivities are arranged in the vertical direction in the form of a stripe. The type B device is used within the wavelength range of 1.5 - 2.5 micrometer. We report the structure, the characteristics and some applications of the multi-wavelength IR imagers.
The role of beta chains in the control of the hemoglobin oxygen binding function: chimeric human/mouse proteins, structure, and function.

By using transgenic methodologies, we have produced a number of mouse/human chimeric hemoglobins containing adult mouse and human embryonic globin chains. A detailed analysis of the oxygen binding properties of these proteins identifies the dominant role played by the specific β-type globin chains in the control of the oxygen binding characteristics. Further analysis traces the origins of these effects to alterations in the properties of the T states of these proteins. The human ζ/mouse β chimeric protein has been crystallized, and its structure has been determined by X-ray diffraction to a resolution of 2.1 A with R (Rfree) values of 21.6% (24.9%). Close examination of the structure indicates that the subunit interfaces contain contacts which, although different from those present in either the parent human or the parent mouse proteins, retain the overall stabilizing interactions seen in other R state hemoglobins.
PTHrP Gene Expression in Cancer: Do All Paths Lead to Ets?

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) came to the attention of the scientific community in the mid-1980s because of its association with the paraneoplastic syndrome of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Recently, a crucial role for the peptide has been identified in the metastatic growth of cancer cells in bone. Efforts to understand the peptide’s role in these pathological processes have evolved into the study of PTHrP gene expression. Currently, regulation of the third PTHrP promoter is beginning to be understood in the context of activation of certain signaling pathways involved in the growth and progression of specific neoplasms. In addition, factors that modulate the entire PTHrP-transcriptional unit, as well as the stability of the mRNA, are being elucidated at the level of cis-acting sequences.
Nonparametric Estimation of Duration Dependence in Militarized Interstate Disputes

Abstract A militarized interstate dispute (MID) involves military conflict between states with diplomatic ties and exists because two or more states have failed to resolve their differences through diplomatic channels. Jones et al. (1996) characterize an MID as the threat, display or use of military force short of war. They analyze over 2000 disputes spanning two centuries across the globe and conclude that disputes tend to be persistent once established. In this paper, I find that the passage of time can be a favorable factor in dispute resolution, and thus historical mechanisms for dispute resolution favor ending, not extending, militarized disputes. I emphasize the use of non-parametric procedures first to estimate the hazard function and then to estimate the benefits of negotiated settlements.
Virilio Now: current perspectives in Virilio studies

John Armitage (Ed.) London, Polity Press, 2011 xii+252 pp., illus., bibliography and index, $25.95 (paper) Paul Virilio remains a slippery topic on which to write, just as his commentary on the mas...
A warm-start dual simplex solution algorithm for the minimum flow networks with postoptimality analyses

This paper presents an algorithm for finding the minimum flow in general (s, t) networks with m directed arcs. The minimum flow problem (MFP) arises in many transportation and communication systems. Here, we construct a linear programming (LP) formulation of MFP and develop a simplex-type algorithm to find a minflow. Unlike other simplex-like algorithms, the algorithm developed here starts with an incomplete Basic Variable Set (BVS) initially and then fills-up the BVS completely while pushing toward an optimal vertex. If this results in pushing too far into infeasibility, the next step pulls the solution back to feasibility. Both phases use the Gauss-Jordan pivoting transformation used in the standard simplex and dual simplex algorithms. The proposed approach has some common features with Dantzig's self-dual simplex algorithm. We have avoided, however, the need for extra variables (slack and surplus) for equality constraints, as well as an artificial constraint for the self-dual algorithm for initial phase and the dual simplex, respectively. The proposed Push phase takes at most 2m - 1 iterations to complete a tree (this augmentation may not be feasible). An infeasible path to the optimal solution contains at most 2m - 1 iterations; therefore in theory, the algorithm needs a sequence of at most 4m - 2 iterations. Furthermore, the algorithm developed here makes available the full power of LP perturbation analysis and facilitates introducing network structural changes and side constraints also. It can also detect clerical errors in data entry which may make the problem infeasible or unbounded. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with LP terminology.
Visualization of supersonic screeching jets using a phase conditioned focusing schlieren system

This study describes a technique that combines the benefits of focusing schlieren and phase conditioning. Focusing schlieren blurs and drops contrast of non-critical features whereas phase conditioning emphasizes periodic flow features, and their combination produces unique results. The supersonic jets that we studied produced an intense tone referred to as screech. The measured screech tone signal was used as input to the phase conditioning circuit that adjusted the strobing light source to the vertical synchronization pulse of a CCD camera. The sharp video images obtained by this technique could either be frozen or continuously swept through one period of screech to acquire a slow motion video record of the jet unsteadiness. Two cases were visualized in this study: first, an underexpanded jet from a convergent rectangular nozzle at various fully expanded Mach numbers. Second, a supersonic jet emerging from a convergent-divergent rectangular nozzle at a design Mach number of 1.4, artificially excited by impingement tones. The results of this study illustrate the usefulness of this system in visualizing oscillatory flows.
Inactivation of histone H1 kinase by Ca2+ in rabbit oocytes

The present study investigated the role of intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i) elevation on the inactivation of maturation promoting factor (MPF) in rabbit oocytes. The effects of the number of Ca2+ stimulations and of the amplitude of Ca2+i elevation on the profile of histone H1 kinase activity were determined. A Ca2+ stimulation consisted of transferring mature oocytes from culture medium to 0.3 M mannitol containing 0.1-1.0 mM CaCl2, and pulsing them at 1.25 kV/cm for 10 microseconds, or microinjecting 2-8 mM CaCl2 into the oocyte cytoplasm. The number of electrically-induced Ca2+ stimulations was varied, and amplitude of the Ca2+i rise was controlled by altering Ca2+ concentration in the pulsing medium or the injection pipette. Ca2+i concentration was determined with fura-2 dextran; oocytes were snap-frozen at indicated time points and assayed for H1 kinase activity. The activity was quantified by densitometry and expressed as a fraction of activity in nonstimulated oocytes. Electrically-mediated Ca2+i rises inactivated H1 kinase in a manner dependent on the number of Ca2+ stimulations. A single Ca2+ stimulation inactivated H1 kinase to 30-40% of its initial activity. However, H1 kinase inactivation was only transient, regardless of the amplitude of the electrically- or injection-mediated Ca2+i elevation. Increasing the number of Ca2+ stimulations helped to maintain H1 kinase activity at basal (pronuclear) levels. The results show the necessity of a threshold of Ca2+i concentration to trigger MPF inactivation, and suggest a role for the extended period of time over which Ca2+i oscillates at fertilization.
Dynamical Evolution of Pedestal Parameters in ELMy H-mode in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

Characterizations of the pedestal parameter dynamics throughout the edge localized mode (ELM) cycles are performed on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX, (Ono et al 2000 Nucl. Fusion 40 557)). A clear buildup of the pedestal height between ELMs is observed for three different plasma currents. This buildup tends to saturate at low and medium plasma currents. Similarly, the pedestal width increases with no clear evidence of saturation during an ELM cycle. The maximum pedestal gradient increases as a function of plasma current, reaches a nominal value after the ELM crash, and remains constant until the end of the ELM cycle. The pedestal height just prior to the onset of ELM is shown to increase quadratically with plasma current. The pedestal width (Δ) scales as with the poloidal β at the top of the pedestal. Coherent density fluctuations strongly increasing at the plasma edge are observed to be maximum after the ELM crash and to decay during the rest of the ELM cycle. Finally, the evolution of the pedestal height and width during the ELM cycle as well as the scaling with Ip of the pedestal pressure prior to the onset ELM are found to be qualitatively consistent with the peeling–ballooning theory.
Ovarian function, therapy-oriented definition of menopause and climacteric.

Abstract The lack of uniformity in descriptive terminology applied to the cessation of human female menstruation and events related thereto has retarded scientific progress and resulted in confusion and, perhaps, therapeutic mismanagement. Inevitably, many published clinical studies do not clearly define the population being tested, and conclusions drawn are misleading or invalid. Although menopause refers to the final menstrual period (often defined retrospectively 6–12 months amenorrhea) and climacteric to the transition from reproductive to nonreproductive stage of life, the event is not necessarily associated with any obvious symptom except amenorrhea. When symptoms do occur, collectively referred to as the climacteric syndrome, they are generated by an interaction between endocrine, sociocultural, and psychological factors, and perhaps concurrent aging phenomena as well. Based on the premise that some women with intact ovaries demonstrate endocrine compensatory mechanisms after menopause (i.e., that there are two types of postmenopausal ovary — one active and one essentially inert) and that women whose menses cease because of surgery (ovariectomy) or chemotherapy, they should not be included with those undergoing a natural menopause (i.e., represent an atypical group), an ovarian function, therapy-oriented definition for climacteric is proposed.
The Effects of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program on Insurance Status and Health Care Utilization of Children

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) of 1997 aimed to increase public insurance eligibility to children in families that were above the Medicaid income cutoff line, but were too poor to afford private coverage. This paper shows that SCHIP helped as many as 1.3 million children leave the ranks of the uninsured. However, almost 400,000 of these children came from families with two privately insured parents, and added approximately $300 million in health care expenses to federal and state budgets. This paper also presents estimates of health care consumption of children who switched to public insurance as a result of SCHIP.
On the Treatment of Concordant Uranium-Lead Ages

Uranium-lead analyses that yield arguably concordant U/Pb and Pb/Pb ages are highly reliable and often very precise; however, there is no generally accepted way for either assigning a best age and age-error or for evaluating assertions of concordance. Two general methods for these purposes, one for samples requiring only small common Pb corrections, the other for samples requiring large common Pb corrections, are given in this paper. Both the Concordia age (for radiogenic-Pb/U ratios) and the Total-Pb/U isochron (a three-dimensional isochron than includes 204Pb) obviate the often dubious practice of selecting a best parent-daughter ratio to use for a U/Pb or Pb/Pb age or isochron, make optimum use of both decay schemes, and accommodate errors in the U decay constants. In addition, the Total Pb/U isochron recovers the complete set of uranogenic Pb isotope ratios, errors, and error correlations in a single regression.