cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitrous oxide and the dental patient: a review of adverse reactions

Possible complications associated with the use 0f N2O in the dental operatory are discussed in this comprehensive review. Confidence in the record of safe N 2 O use should not foster complacency toward the drug.
LX-17 Corner-Turning

We have performed a series of highly-instrumented experiments examining corner-turning of detonation. A TATB booster is inset 15 mm into LX-17 (92.5% TATB, 7.5% kel-F) so that the detonation must turn a right angle around an air well. An optical pin located at the edge of the TATB gives the start time of the corner-turn. The breakout time on the side and back edges is measured with streak cameras. Three high-resolution X-ray images were taken on each experiment to examine the details of the detonation. We have concluded that the detonation cannot turn the corner and subsequently fails, but the shock wave continues to propagate in the unreacted explosive, leaving behind a dead zone. The detonation front farther out from the corner slowly turns and eventually reaches the air well edge 180° from its original direction. The dead zone is stable and persists 7.7 μs after the corner-turn, although it has drifted into the original air well area. Our regular reactive flow computer models sometimes show temporary failure but they recover quickly and are unable to model the dead zones. We present a failure model that cuts off the reaction rate below certain detonation velocities and reproduces the qualitative features of the corner-turning failure.
A model of enforcement relationships among database access control dependencies

Abstract The various kinds of access decision dependencies within a predicate-based model of database protection are classified according to cost of enforcement. Petri nets and some useful extensions are described. Extended Petri nets are used to model the flow of messages and data during protection enforcement within MULTISAFE, a multimodule system architecture for secure database management. The model demonstrates that some of the stated criteria for security are met within MULTISAFE. Of particular interest is the modeling of data dependent access conditions with predicates at Petri net transitions. Tokens in the net carry the intermodule messages of MULTISAFE. Login, authorization, and database requests are traced through the model as examples. The evaluation of complex access condition predicates is described for the enforcement process. Queues of data and queues of access condition predicates are cycled through the net so that each data record is checked against each predicate. Petri nets are shown to be a useful modeling tool for database security.
GRO is chemotactic for human intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes

: Human intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes are memory lymphocytes that migrate from the circulation to the intestinal mucosa. We studied the effect of the chemokine, GRO, on these lymphocytes. Intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes were isolated from human jejunal mucosa of healthy individuals and cultured for three days in IL-2. Migration was assessed using the Boyden transwell assay. Increases in cytoplasmic free calcium concentration were measured by changes in fluorescence of Fura-2-loaded lymphocytes upon exposure to GRO. A large number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) but few lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL) migrated toward GROα, GROβ, and GROy. Checkerboard experiments showed that the response of intraepithelial lymphocytes was mainly by chemotaxis rather than chemokinesis. The action of GROa was independent of cytochalasin D, staurosporine, and pertussis toxin but was inhibited by sodium azide and cycloheximide. None of the GRO proteins triggered calcium mobilization by either lymphocyte type. This study shows that GRO is chemotactic for IEL but not LPL.
Public social spending in Africa : do the poor benefit?

Education and health care are basic services essential in any effort to combat poverty and are often subsidized with public funds to help achieve that purpose. This paper examines the effectiveness of public social spending on education and health care in several African countries and finds that these programs favor not the poor, but those who are better-off. It concludes that this targeting problem cannot be solved simply by adjusting the subsidy program. The constraints that prevent the poor from taking advantage of these services must also be addressed if the public subsidies are to be effective. Measuring the benefits of publicly provided goods to individuals is a matter of longstanding concern in the economics literature. For market-based goods and services, the prices consumers pay can be taken as reflecting underlying values and can be used to yield measures of welfare that can be compared across individuals and over time.
The Influence of Dietary Salt on Water Consumption and Carcass Lipids in Japanese Quail

Abstract Studies were conducted to investigate the influence of dietary salt on water consumption and subsequent carcass lipids in Japanese quail at various ages. In Experiment 1, randombred nongrowth-selected (C) quail were fed 28% protein diets containing .0, .4, .8, 1.6, and 3.2% added salt. In Experiment 2, growth-selected P- and C-line quail were fed 20%-protein diets containing .4% and 3.2% added salt. The different dietary salt levels did not exert a consistent effect on body weight in Experiment 1. There was no adverse effect of salt level on feed consumption and efficiency and no direct effect on abdominal fat or carcass lipid levels. High salt (1.6 and 3.2%) stimulated water consumption and increased water: feed ratios. Water: feed ratios were higher for quail than for broilers, suggesting a species difference. In Experiment 2, C-line quail demonstrated similar effects to the high-salt (3.2%) diet in Experiment 1. High salt (3.2%) adversely affected body weight, feed consumption, abdominal fat, and carcass lipid in P-line quail. There was no affect on feed efficiency, and a substantial stimulation of water consumption with concomitantly increased water: feed ratios. The relatively low abdominal fat observed at 4 weeks of age indicate that nongrowth-selected quail may not be a good model for the study of abdominal fat in broilers.
Wound-regulated accumulation of specific transcripts in tomato fruit : interactions with fruit development, ethylene and light

Regulation of three cDNA clones (pT52, pT53, and pT58) was analyzed in terms of wounding alone and wounding in conjunction with developmental and environmental cues (ripening, ethylene, and light) in tomato fruit tissue. The pT52-specific transcript level is induced by wounding in early-red and red stage fruit and by ethylene. The pT58-specific transcript level is also induced by wounding and ethylene in early-red stage fruit but is not induced by wounding in red fruit. The pT53-specific transcript level is repressed by wounding in early-red and red stage fruit. Like the pT52- and pT58-specific transcripts, the pT53-specific transcript is induced by ethylene. Furthermore, the level of the pT52-specific transcript is regulated by light. Analysis of unwounded tissue showed that the abundance of each cDNA-specific transcript changes during fruit ripening and that each of the transcripts is present in other plant organs as well. This analysis provides information about the interactions between developmental and environmental factors affecting these genes.
Isotopic Hg in an Allende carbon-rich residue

A carbon-rich residue from Allende subjected to stepwise heating yielded two isotopically resolvable types of Hg: one with an (Hg-196)/(Hg-202) concentration ratio the same as terrestrial (monitor) Hg; the other enriched in Hg-196 relative to Hg-202 by about 60 percent. Hg with the 202 isotope enriched relative to 196, as is found in bulk Allende, was not observed. Whether the result of mass fractionation or nucleosynthesis, the distinct types of Hg entered different carrier phases and were not thermally mobilized since the accretion of the Allende parent body.
One-sided limit theorems for sums of multidimensional indexed random variables

Let {X,Xn,n∈Z+d} be a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables and {an,n ∈Z+d} be a sequence of constants. We examine the almost sure limiting behavior of weighted partial sums of the form ∑|n|⩽NanXn. Suppose further that eitherEX=0 orE|X|=∞. In most situations these normalized partial sums fail to have a limit, no matter which normalizing sequence we choose. Thus, the investigation lends itself to the study of the limit inferior and limit superior of these sequences. On the way to proving results of this type we first establish several weak laws. These weak laws prove to be of great value in establishing generalized laws of the iterated logarithm.
Working toward consensus: providers' strategies to shift patients from curative to palliative treatment choices.

End-of-life decision making is a complex phenomenon and providers, patients, and families often have different views about the appropriateness of treatment choices. The results presented here are part of a larger grounded-theory study of reconciling decisions near the end of life. In particular, we examined how providers (N = 15) worked near the end of patients' lives toward changing the treatment decisions of patients and families from those decisions that providers described as unrealistic (i.e., curative) to those that providers described as more realistic (i.e., palliative). According to providers, shifting patients' and families' choices from curative to palliative was usually accomplished by changing patients' and families' understanding of the patient's overall “big picture” to one that was consistent with the providers' understanding. Until patients and families shifted their understanding of the patient's condition—the big picture—they continued to make what providers judged as unrealistic treatment choices based on an inaccurate understanding of what was really going on. These unrealistic choices often precluded possibilities for a “good death.” According to providers, the purpose of attempting to shift the patient or proxy's goals was that realistic goals lead to realistic palliative treatment choices that providers associated with a good death. In this article we review strategies used by providers when they believed a patient's death was imminent to attempt to shift patients' and families' understandings of the big picture, thus ultimately shifting their treatment decisions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Res Nurs Health 24:258–269, 2001
The impact of a conceptual solar thermal electric conversion plant on regional meteorological conditions: A numerical study

A two-dimensional, mesoscale model of the atmosphere that incorporates hydrodynamic, thermodynamic, and microphysical processes has been applied to simulate the impact on regional weather of a solar thermal electric conversion (STEC) installation in southern Spain. The STEC plant is conceptualized to occupy an area of 1,000 km2 with heliostats covering 25 per cent of the total power plant area. It is assumed to use wet natural draft cooling towers for dissipating waste heat into the atmosphere. The 2-D model is applied to a STEC facility that covers a distance of 32 km in the horizontal with heliostats installed in the middle over a distance of 8 km. The model has been integrated for 9 hr of real time for both typical summer and winter conditions. The results of integration for summer indicate that a STEC installation of the above size has considerable potential for modifying regional weather. Clouds formed after 5 hr of real-time integration and persisted until the end of the integration; rainfall also occurred. In contrast, clouds did not form until 7 hr of real-time integration without the installation and were more sporadic and transient; rainfall was much less. The results for winter conditions do not show any cloud formation after 9 hr of real-time integration. This difference between summer and winter cases is attributed to the very strong winds used as initial conditions for the winter simulation.
Computer-aided design of power transmission shafts subject to size, strength, and deflection constraints using a nonlinear programming technique

The problem of synthesis of power transmission shafts supported on two bearings, subject to dimensional, strength and deflection constraints is posed as a nonlinear programming (NP) problem. The formulation of the design problem and its solution using the gradient projection (GP) algorithm are presented. A computer program for shaft design against a user-definable weight/cost criterion, based on the formulation and solution presented, is made available. A design example illustrating this approach to power transmission shaft design is included. 18 references.
Exponential collocation of stiff reactor models

Abstract A collocation method is given for streamwise integration of stiff, nonlinear reactor models. Perturbation solutions of the model are used as basis functions. Low-order approximations give results analogous to the Method of Steady States, whereas higher approximations give more detailed solutions. The method uses a small set of mesh points, and selects them to minimize global truncation errors; this feature saves computation when the reactor model is complicated. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated by numerical examples for isothermal and adiabatic reactors.
Toward a Sociology of Perception: Sight, Sex, and Gender:

Many theories of social construction make some reference to sight, yet few offer sustained examinations of perception. In light of this, I highlight the visual dimension of the social construction of reality by analyzing visual perception as a process of ‘socio-mental filtration’. Building on theories of social construction — most notably those using the concepts ‘frame’, ‘paradigm’ and ‘schema’ — in which expectations are the organizing force of experience, I focus on how social construction happens. One key effect of expectations is to enact selective attention, which is evocatively captured by the metaphor of a filter. Drawing on the case of sex and gender, I demonstrate that using filter analysis to identify the specific dynamics of ‘socio-optical construction’ — adding a concrete analysis of visual perception to the general idea of social construction — may help scholars to more effectively account for some of the ‘hard problems’ of constructionist theory, such as the body.
Developmental fate of the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata, envenomated by the pupal ectoparasitoid, Nasonia vitripennis

Abstract Pupae and pharate adults of Sarcophaga bullata parasitized by the ectoparasitoid, Nasonia vitripennis, either died immediately or entered a developmental arrest. Death was the dominant response in young pupae (2 days after pupariation) and late pharate adults (>9 days after pupariation): death occurred within 48 h after envenomation, even in the absence of parasitoid larvae. The dominant response of intermediate aged hosts (3–9 days after pupariation) was an arrested or retarded development, the duration of which was age-dependent. Hosts envenomated as pupae remained arrested as pupae. Development progressed slowly in hosts envenomated as pharate adults, but none succeeded in completing pharate adult development. Likewise, diapausing hosts were developmentally suppressed following envenomation and appeared to be “preserved” for up to 40 days before death occurred. Host arrestment was induced by injection of wasp venom and was independent of the presence of parasitoid larvae. Envenomation in the anterior half of the body was more deleterious to the host than envenomation in the posterior half: with anterior injection, death was more rapid and far fewer hosts succeeded in depositing eye pigment or forming body bristles. Host arrestment could not be countered with injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone, thus suggesting the developmental suppression is not the consequence of an ecdysteroid deficiency. Progeny production by N. vitripennis was nearly the same on an intact host as on an isolated thorax-abdomen of the host, but far fewer progeny were produced on an isolated head-thorax preparation of the host. This suggests that either a factor in the head region is detrimental to parasitoid development or some aspect of the abdomen promotes parasitoid development.
The Clinical Significance of Nonsustained Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients with Sustained Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias

Background: Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) predicts mortality in several disorders but its significance in patients with sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias is unknown. We analyzed the clinical features and outcome associated with NSVT (>; 3 beats at >; 100 beats/min) recorded on a 48-hour Holter in the absence of antiarrhythmic drugs. Methods: Patients enrolled in the ESVEM trial (n = 486) were grouped according to the duration of the longest recorded episode of NSVT, and in the second analysis, according to frequency of recorded episodes. Assessments were on an intention-to-treat basis. Results: Patients without NSVT were more likely to have ischemic heart disease and had significantly lower frequencies of single and paired premature ventricular complexes (PVCs). There were no significant differences with respect to age, sex, presenting arrhythmia, years since last myocardial infarction, functional class, or present ejection fraction. The cumulative probabilities of arrhythmia recurrence and all-cause mortality at 4 years in patients without NSVT (60%± 7% and 32%± 6%, respectively) were not significantly different than those of patients with NSVT (63%± 3% and 41%± 3%, respectively). Cox regression models indicated that ejection fraction and functional class were significant predictors of outcome, but variables based on the presence, duration, and frequency of recorded episodes of NSVT were not. Conclusions: NSVT is common in patients with spontaneous and inducible sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias and at least 10 PVCs/hour (ESVEM enrollment criteria), but is not a significant predictor of arrhythmia recurrence, sudden death, or all-cause mortality in patients with these characteristics.
Sorbitol POSS Interactions on Development of Isotactic Polypropylene Composites

This study investigates the nature of interactions between the molecules of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) containing silanol functionalities (silanol–POSS) and di(benzylidene)sorbitol (DBS) encountered in the development of nanocomposite fibers from the compounds of POSS, DBS, and isotactic polypropylene (iPP). The interactions were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and oscillatory shear rheology. Mass and NMR spectrometry revealed that the molecules of silanol–POSS and DBS formed several amorphous noncovalent molecular complexes promoted by hydrogen bonding. More abundant complex formation was observed with silanol–POSS molecules carrying four silanol groups and phenyl substitutions. Such complex formation deterred fibrillation of DBS when the compounds of iPP, DBS, and silanol–POSS were cooled from homogeneous melt ...
An exploration of nursing home organizational processes.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between nursing home staffs' perceptions of organizational processes (communication, teamwork, and leadership) with characteristics (turnover, tenure, and educational preparation) of the nursing home administrator (NHA) and director of nursing (DON). NHAs and DONs rate communication, teamwork, and leadership significantly higher than direct care staff do (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurse aides [CNAs]). CNAs have the lowest ratings of communication and teamwork. Turnover of the NHA and DON is significantly and negatively associated with communication and teamwork. Two thirds of DONs surveyed hold less than a baccalaureate degree; this does not influence staffs' ratings of communication, teamwork, and leadership. Findings from this study highlight the need to explore differences in perceptions between administrative and direct care staff and how these may or may not influence staff development and quality improvement activ...
Focusing on hormone release

Reverse haemolytic plaque assays make possible the microscopic visualization of hormone release at the single-cell level. The method can quantify functional differences among hormone secretors of a given type.
Cellular Localization of the Human Chorionic Gonadotropinβ -Subunit in Transgenic Mouse Placenta

CG is a human placental glycoprotein expressed in first-trimester trophoblasts. To examine the regulation of the CGβ-subunit in an in vivo model, we previously constructed transgenic mice containing the CGβ gene cluster and demonstrated its expression in the placenta. Here, we determine the cell type responsible for CGβ synthesis in the mouse by immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization analyses. Unexpectedly, the protein and messenger RNA were not detected in trophoblast or elsewhere in the chorioallantoic placenta but in the parietal endoderm, a separate extraembryonic component of the placenta. The identity of this CGβ-producing layer was confirmed by the presence of laminin A, a known protein of the parietal endoderm extracellular matrix. However, we observed heterogeneity, with respect to synthesis of laminin A and CGβ; parietal endoderm cells expressing CGβ at high levels synthesized less laminin A, and vice versa. The absence of CGβ production in trophoblasts of the transgenic mouse demonstrate...
Pharmacodynamics and proposed mechanism of therapeutic action and host toxicity of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-2-fluoroadenine monophosphate (F-araAMP) in P388 murine leukemia-bearing mice.

AbstractThe cellular metabolism of 9-β-D-arabinofiiranosyl-2-fluoroadenine 5′monophosphate (F-araAMP), a soluble nucleoside analog with proven antileukemic activity in animal and human tumors, has been studied in mice bearing P388 leukemia. Earlier studies showed markedly less in vivo accumulation of F-ara ATP the principal active metabolite, in gastrointestinal mucosa (GI) and bone marrow (BM) compared with P388 after F-araA or F-araAMP administration. To elucidate the mechanism of toxicity this work has examined the pharmacodynamics of F-araAMP anabolites, F-araATP and F-ATP, in P388 cells, BM and GI mucosa tissues after nontoxic (LD1) and toxic (LD50) doses of F-araAMP. F-araATP was the major triphosphate metabolite in acid-soluble extracts from P388 cells, BM, and GI mucosa tissues. F-araATP accumulated to approximately 1 mM in P388 cells after either LD1or LD50 treatment of F-araAMP and was eliminated with a t1/2eiof approximately 5 h. The ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC 0 -...
Ultrastructural study of the cutaneous pigment cells of wild-type and albinistic bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana.

Ultrastructural comparisons were made of cutaneous pigment cells from analogous skin areas of variant albinistic and control wild-type bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana. In the epidermis, the wild-type melanocytes contained numerous mature melanosomes whereas the albinistic epidermal melanocytes demonstrated retarded melanogenesis with premelanosome stages dominant. In the dermal chromatophore unit of both frogs, no morphological differences were observed in the xanthophores, but significant morphological distinctions were noted in the melanophores and iridophores. The wild-type dermal melanophores contained numerous mature melanosomes whereas the albinistic dermal melanophore demonstrated retarded melanogenesis similar to that found in its epidermal melanocyte. The albinistic iridophores not only had reduced reflecting platelet areas, but also the platelets were aberrant in morphology compared to the rectangular shape of the reflecting platelets in the wild type. The mutant reflecting platelets were small, spherical, and highly irregular in shape. It is suggested that the development of each type of albinistic melanocyte, melanophore, and iridophore might occur if defective MSH-membrane-receptors altered or diminished the cell response to MSH during pigment cell ontogeny.
Characterization of a lipid activated CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase from Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT) is an enzyme critical for cellular phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis, converting phosphocholine and cytidine 5′-triphosphate (CTP) to CDP-choline. We have isolated a cDNA encoding an isoform of CCT from Drosophila melanogaster and expressed the recombinant native and 6×-His-tagged forms using a baculovirus expression system in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. Immunoblot using anti-phospho amino acid antibodies reveals the enzyme is phosphorylated on serine and threonine residues, but not tyrosine. The purified native enzyme exhibits a Vmax value of 1352±159 nmol CDP-choline/min/mg, a Km value of 0.50±0.09 mM for phosphocholine, and a K′ (Hill constant) value of 0.72±0.10 mM for CTP. The 6×-His-tagged enzyme has similar properties with a Vmax value of 2254±253 nmol CDP-choline/min/mg, a Km value of 0.63±0.13 mM for phosphocholine and a K′ for CTP equal to 0.81±0.20 mM. Each form of the enzyme was activated to a similar extent by synthetic PC vesicles containing 50 mol% oleate. The efficiency of lipid activation was greatest using PC vesicles containing diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), significantly less efficient activation was seen when phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) were incorporated into vesicles, and PC alone or PC vesicles containing phosphatidylethanolamine were the least efficient enzyme activators.
Coping, Stress, and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Advanced Placement Statistics Teachers’ Intention to Leave the Field:

This study examined the relationship of teachers’ perceptions of coping resources and demands to job satisfaction factors. Participants were 158 Advanced Placement Statistics high school teachers who completed measures of personal resources for stress prevention, classroom demands and resources, job satisfaction, and intention to leave the field of teaching. Results indicated that teachers’ preventive coping resources and job satisfaction were positively related, whereas both constructs were negatively related to classroom stress and teachers’ plans to leave the profession.
‘Confidence you can carry!’: girls in crisis and the market for girls' empowerment organizations

Girl empowerment organizations (GEOs) emerged in the USA around the same time that empowering girls became a central theme in international development discourse. I argue that these organizations are part of a ‘market of empowerment’ that aims to empower girls within a context of commodified girl power and neoliberal entrepreneurialism.
Ethical Issues in Evidence-Based Surgery

Evidence-based medicine, although ostensibly concerned with the research evidence underlying claims of efficacy for surgical procedures, has a direct connection with the ethics of surgical decision-making. Questions of whether new procedures should ever be performed on patients outside of a formal research protocol, what the patient should be told about the uncertainties inherent in the use of nonvalidated innovative procedures, when formal evaluation is necessary, what form that evaluation should take, and how the burdens and results of such research can be distributed fairly all involve balancing competing ethical principles. Good ethics requires good facts, and evidence from well-controlled experiments provides best information upon which to base decisions in these areas and to build ethical surgical practice.
Fully Exponential Laplace Approximations to Expectations and Variances of Nonpositive Functions

Abstract Tierney and Kadane (1986) presented a simple second-order approximation for posterior expectations of positive functions. They used Laplace's method for asymptotic evaluation of integrals, in which the integrand is written as f(θ)exp(-nh(θ)) and the function h is approximated by a quadratic. The form in which they applied Laplace's method, however, was fully exponential: The integrand was written instead as exp[− nh(θ) + log f(θ)]; this allowed first-order approximations to be used in the numerator and denominator of a ratio of integrals to produce a second-order expansion for the ratio. Other second-order expansions (Hartigan 1965; Johnson 1970; Lindley 1961, 1980; Mosteller and Wallace 1964) require computation of more derivatives of the log-likelihood function. In this article we extend the fully exponential method to apply to expectations and variances of nonpositive functions. To obtain a second-order approximation to an expectation E(g(θ)), we use the fully exponential method to approximate...
Outcome of colonic fistula surgery in the modern surgical era

Various conditions lead to the development of colonic fistulas. Contemporary surgical data is scarce and it is unclear whether advances in surgical care have impacted outcome. The aim of the present study was to review the short- and long-term outcome of patients treated surgically for colonic fistula over an 8-year period at a tertiary institution. A retrospective review was performed, focusing on the type of operative interventions, short- and long-term complications, length of hospital stay, readmission rate, mortality rate, and fistula recurrence. Forty-five patients were treated for colonic fistula. The most common etiology was diverticulitis (74 %). Fistula type was colovesical (58 %), colocutaneous (18 %) and colovaginal (15 %). Laparoscopic resection was performed in 42 % of cases. An intraoperative complication occurred in 4 %. A primary anastomosis was performed in 96 % of patients and 10 (23 %) had a temporary stoma. Median length of hospital stay was 6 days. Postoperative complications were common (47 %) and wound infection was noted in 20 % of patients. The readmission rate was 29 % and the 90-day mortality was 4 %. All patients healed their fistula with no recurrences noted during a median follow-up of 37 months. Surgical intervention healed the majority of patients with colonic fistula. However postoperative complications were common and readmission occurred in one-third of the cases. Laparoscopic excision was feasible in nearly half of the patients.
RNA editing and alternative splicing generate mRNA transcript diversity from the Drosophila 4f-rnp locus.

Abstract Extensive sequencing of genomic 4f-rnp and 15 cDNA clones isolated from libraries of 0–4-h embryos, pupae, and adult heads from Drosophila melanogaster has enabled identification of factors resulting in transcript sequence diversity. The 4f-rnp gene contains eight small introns. Among non-edited cDNAs, one transcript class potentially encodes a 943-amino-acid protein, within which several motifs are predicted, including a single C-terminal RNA-binding domain. Intron 5 is retained in all cDNAs examined except for a pupal cDNA, where it is excised. This potentially introduces an in-frame stop codon and predicts a truncated protein of 639 amino acids. One adult head transcript class is edited, some 31% of As being converted to Gs exclusive of edits within introns. An edit site in intron 4 changes a canonical 3′-terminal AG to GG, which interferes with splicing and is predicted to introduce a stop codon. A potential editing substrate recognition element in 4f-rnp contains the weak consensus sequence: 5′–G–G–G–N–A– A –G–3′, which may interact with double-stranded RNA adenosine deaminase following pairing of 4f-rnp mRNA with an antisense transcript. It is possible that extensive editing in 4f-rnp destabilizes transcripts and thus provides a novel mechanism for post-transcriptional control of gene expression, although resolution of this point will require study of additional edited transcripts.
Characterization of Cell Wall Polymers Secreted into the Growth Medium of Lysis-Defective Pneumococci During Treatment with Penicillin and Other Inhibitors of Cell Wall Synthesis

Autolysin-defective pneumococci secrete large quantities of choline-containing cell wall polymers into the growth medium during treatment with inhibitors of peptidoglycan synthesis. The secreted polymers were separated into three fractions by a combination of gel filtration on agarose and sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. Fraction I had a high apparent molecular size and contained the Forssman antigen in complex with material exhibiting properties of cell wall teichoic acid. Choline-containing polymers of as yet uncharacterized structure were present in both fractions IIA and IIB, and fraction IIA also contained peptidoglycan components.
Immune modulation by butyrophilins

The B7 family of co-stimulatory molecules has an important role in driving the activation and inhibition of immune cells. Evolving data have shown that a related family of molecules - the butyrophilins - have similar immunomodulatory functions to B7 family members and may represent a novel subset of co-stimulatory molecules. These studies have taken the field by surprise, as the butyrophilins were previously thought to only be important in lactation and milk production. In this Review, we describe the expression patterns of the various members of the butyrophilin family and explore their immunomodulatory functions. In particular, we emphasize the contribution of butyrophilins to immune homeostasis and discuss the potential of targeting these molecules for therapeutic purposes.
Fractional order nonlinear model predictive control using RIOTS_95

RIOTS_95 is a Matlab toolbox for solving integer order optimal control problems in general form. In this paper, using RIOTS_95, fractional order nonlinear model predictive control for fractional order system in a very general setting is presented. Problems of single-input single-output (SISO) and Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) with or without state/input constraints can be solved within this software platform. First, the fractional order transfer function is approximately converted into integer order transfer function with Oustaloup's recursive approximation approach. Then a Luenberger observer designed according to the obtained integer order transfer function is used to estimate the intermediate states of the approximated integer-order system. With the integer order model and the estimated states, the original fractional order nonlinear system can then be controlled with integer order Model Predictive Control using RIOTS_95 (RMPC). Three examples are given to show the effectiveness of the RMPC to control fractional order system and its ability to handle constraints. Step disturbance is added on the system outputs to show the achieved robustness of RMPC.
Shock-Wave Mitigation Through an Off-Body Pulsed Energy Deposition

A model of dynamic shock interaction predicts that pulsed energy addition upstream of a bow shock can be used to weaken the time-averaged shock strength. To explore these shock interactions, tests have been conducted in a small-scale, blowdown facility with off-body energy addition upstream of an oblique shock wave that was generated by a wedge in a Mach 2.4 flow. The off-body energy addition was simulated by laser-induced breakdown (350 mJ/pulse with 10-ns pulse duration). The dynamics of the interactions were captured in both schlieren and shadowgraph images taken at 250,000 and 500,000 frames per second and compared with the computational model
Dependence of the NO2 photodissociation rate constant on altitude

Abstract An important parameter of photochemical diffusion models is the rate constant ( k ) for the photodissociation of NO 2 . Theoretical values of k were determined as a function of altitude (surface to 4.2 km) and solar zenith angle (0°–86°), based on calculations of solar actinic flux for average atmospheric conditions. Between the surface and an altitude of 1.0 km, for example, k increases by 21%–70%, depending on solar zenith angle. The effect of greater than average aerosol loadings on the change of k with height was also estimated. As low-level aerosol concentrations increase, so does the vertical gradient of k . The theoretical calculations were compared to measurements of incident ultraviolet radiation made at an urban and at a nearby mountain-top (1.82 km) site near Los Angeles. For similar aerosol optical thicknesses, the changes with altitude of empirical and theoretical downward radiative fluxes were similar.
Effect of head upward tilting on unidirectional Na and H 2 O fluxes across the canine ileum.

SummaryHead upward tilting and subsequent return to the supine position were both associated with increased net Na and/or H2O absorption but decreased unidirectional Na and H2O fluxes across the gut and decreased arterial blood pressure and blood flow through the ileum. The cardiovascular changes correlated significantly with the unidirectional H2O fluxes both into and out of the lumen but not with net Na or H2O absorption nor with the unidirectional Na fluxes. It was suggested that vasoconstriction could reduce the capillary surface area available for diffusion and thus reduce the unidirectional fluxes but that additional factors must be affecting Na fluxes.
Blind separation of convolved mixtures in the frequency domain

Abstract In this paper we employ information theoretic algorithms, previously used for separating instantaneous mixtures of sources, for separating convolved mixing in the frequency domain. It is observed that convolved mixing in the time domain corresponds to instantaneous mixing in the frequency domain. Such mixing can be inverted using simpler and more robust algorithms than the ones recently developed. Advantages of this approach are improved efficiency and better convergence features.
Basis for Clinical Decision Making

F or the physician evaluating patients who have had occupational exposure to asbestos, two issues having compensation and other legal ramifications, as well as health implications, are likely to arise. First involves the question regarding what action should be taken in the currently employed asbestosexposed worker with early but definite fibrogenic effects on the lungs and/or pleural surfaces, and secondly, under what circumstances does present knowledge allow us to make the determination that lung cancer in an asbestos-exposed individual can be attributed to that occupational exposure? In the discussion that follows, I shall attempt to provide a link between epidemiologic evidence obtained by our group and others, and the clinical determination responsive to these questions.
A survey of dispatching rules for operational control in wafer fabrication

Production scheduling in semiconductor wafer fabs is a non-trivial task owing to the complexity of wafer fabrication. Dispatching rules are the most commonly used tools for shop floor control in this industry. Over the years, advanced dispatching rules, capable of impacting multiple performance measures and utilising both upstream and downstream information in assigning lot priorities, have been introduced. This article aims to provide an overview of these rules and explores the effectiveness of their performance as they pertain to different areas in a wafer fab. Based on this overview, several future directions on developing new dispatching rules are also proposed.
LUTEINIZING HORMONE-RELEASING ACTIVITY IN PLASMA OF HYPOPHYSECTOMIZED RATS.

Plasma from hypophysectomized female rats (2–3 months postoperatively) produced ovarian ascorbic acid depletion when administered intravenously to immature females which had been pretreated with gonadotrophins. This activity was absent from plasma of hypophysectomized rats with median eminence lesions but was still present after lesions in the dorsal hypothalamus. Plasma from rats hypophysectomized for a week or less was devoid of activity. It was concluded that plasma from long-term hypophysectomized rats contains a circulating luteinizing hormone-releasing factor (LH-RF) which vanishes after destruction of the site of storage of the LH-RF in the median eminence. (Endocrinology 76: 272, 1965)
Coupling Between Phonons and Fluid Particles in Water/Carbon Nanotube Systems

We investigate thermal transport in water/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite systems using molecular dynamics simulations. Carbon-carbon interactions are modeled using the second-generation REBO potential, water-water interactions are modeled using the TIP4P potential, and carbon-water interactions are modeled using a Lennard-Jones potential. The thermal conductivities of empty and water-filled CNTs with diameters between 0.83 nm and 1.66 nm are predicted using molecular dynamics simulation and a direct application of the Fourier law. For empty CNTs, the thermal conductivity decreases with increasing CNT diameter. As the CNT length approaches 1 micron, a length-independent thermal conductivity is obtained, indicative of diffusive phonon transport. When the CNTs are filled with water, the thermal conductivity decreases compared to the empty CNTs and transitions to diffusive phonon transport at shorter lengths. To understand this behavior, we calculate the spectral energy density of the empty and water-filled CNTs and calculate the mode-specific group velocities, relaxation times, and thermal conductivity. For the empty 1.10 nm diameter CNT, we show that the acoustic phonon modes account for 65 percent of the total thermal conductivity. This behavior is attributed to their long mean-free paths. When the CNT is filled with water, interactions with the water molecules shorten the acoustic mode mean-free path and lower the overall CNT thermal conductivity.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Timing intercourse to achieve pregnancy: Current evidence

Physicians who counsel women for preconception concerns are in an excellent position to give advice to couples regarding the optimal timing of intercourse to achieve pregnancy. The currently available evidence suggests that methods that prospectively identify the window of fertility are likely to be more effective for optimally timing intercourse than calendar calculations or basal body temperature. There are several promising methods with good scientific bases to identify the fertile window prospectively. These include fertility charting of vaginal discharge and a commercially available fertility monitor. These methods identify the occurrence of ovulation clinically and also identify a longer window of fertility than urinary luteinizing hormone kits. Prospectively identifying the full window of fertility may lead to higher rates of conception. Proper information given early in the course of trying to achieve pregnancy is likely to reduce time to conception for many couples, and also to reduce unnecessary intervention and cost.
Mutations specific to the xeroderma pigmentosum group E Ddb- phenotype.

The activity of a damage-specific DNA-binding protein (DDB) is absent from a subset, Ddb−, of cell strains from patients with xeroderma pigmentosum group E (XP-E). DDB is a heterodimer of 127-kDa and 48-kDa subunits. We have now identified single-base mutations in the gene of the 48-kDa subunit in cells from the three known Ddb− individuals, but not in XP-E strains that have the activity. An A → G transition causes a K244E change in XP82TO and a G → A transition causes an R273H change in XP2RO and XP3RO. No mutations were found in the cDNA of the 127-kDa subunit. Overexpression of p48 in insect cells greatly increases DDB activity in the cells, especially if p127 is jointly overexpressed. These results demonstrate that p48 is required for DNA binding activity, but at the same time necessitate further definition of the genetic basis of XP group E.
The relationship of the sterols of the Virginia pine sawfly, Neodiprion pratti Dyar, to those of two host plants, Pinus virginiana Mill and Pinus rigida Mill

Abstract Approximately one-tenth per cent of the wet weight of Neodiprion pratti larvae is composed of sterols of which 73 per cent is cholesterol, 6 per cent is 7-dehydrocholesterol, 4 per cent is campesterol, and 17 per cent β-sitosterol. The sterol composition of the foliage of two host plants was as follows: Pinus virginiana —β-sitosterol (92 per cent), campesterol (7 per cent), and ‘cholesterol’ ( Pinus rigida —β-sitosterol (94 per cent) and campesterol (6 per cent). No larval biosynthesis of sterols from 14 C-labelled acetate, mevalonate, or glucose was apparent. The sawfly dealkylates the phytosterols to cholesterol and presumably obtains its required cholesterol in this manner.
Review and hypothesis: the eosinophil and peripartum heart disease (myocarditis and coronary artery dissection)—coincidence or pathogenetic significance?

Objectives: To examine a possible relationship between peripartum heart disease (myocarditis and spontaneous coronary dissection) and the presence of eosinophils. Background: Eosinophils have been shown to have potential collagenolytic and cytotoxic activity. Eosinophils may play a role in postpartum uterine involution. The presence of eosinophils in spontaneous coronary dissection and myocarditis in the postpartum period raises the possibility of a role for eosinophils in these diseases. Methods: We reviewed the files of one of us (S.M.F.) for cases of peripartum myocarditis and spontaneous coronary dissection and assessed the frequency of eosinophilic inflammation. Seventeen postpartum myocarditis and/or cardiomyopathy cases were found and two spontaneous coronary dissections. Fifteen sex- and age-matched controls on non-postpartum myocarditis and borderline myocarditis were evaluated and eosinophil counts per unit area compared. Also, a Medline search of all previously published cases of spontaneous coronary dissection was performed back to 1966. Results: Of the 16 heart biopsies and one autopsy in the peripartum period, 10 were shown to contain easily identified eosinophils (6 myocarditis, 1 borderline, 3 cardiomyopathy). When presence of eosinophils was compared with the control group, a statistically significant difference was obtained ( P = 0.036). The two new spontaneous coronary dissection cases had eosinophils along the dissection plane; the literature search produced 13 of 24 autopsied peripartum spontaneous coronary dissections with eosinophils for a total of 15 of 26 with our cases. Conclusions: An association exists between eosinophils and peripartum cardiac disease (myocarditis and spontaneous coronary dissection). The role of eosinophils in labor, uterine involution and collagenolysis and the possible relation to cardiac disease are discussed.
Simultaneous Slow-Light Delay and Pulse Reshaping of 10Gbps RZ Data in Highly Nonlinear Fiber-based Optical Parametric Amplifier with Clock-Modulated Pump

In this paper, the authors demonstrate 25ps slow-light delay of 10Gbps RZ data simultaneously with pulsewidth reshaping from 50ps to 20ps using optical parametric amplifier. Error-free operations are achieved for both 10Gbps RZ packets and PRBS data.
The Application of General-Case Instruction to the Requesting Repertoires of Learners with Severe Disabilities.

General-case instruction has contributed substantially to the improvement of generalized responding by learners with severe disabilities. Although these procedures have been used with success acros...