cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Human Host Defense Peptide LL-37 Interacts with Neisseria meningitidis Capsular Polysaccharides and Inhibits Inflammatory Mediators Release

Capsular polysaccharides (CPS) are a major virulence factor in meningococcal infections and form the basis for serogroup designation and protective vaccines. Our work has identified meningococcal CPS as a pro-inflammatory ligand that functions through TLR2 and TLR4-MD2-dependent activation. We hypothesized that human cationic host defense peptides interact with CPS and influence its biologic activity. Accordingly, the interaction of meningococcal CPS with the human-derived cationic peptide LL-37, which is expressed by phagocytic and epithelial cells that interface with meningococci during infection, was investigated. LL-37 neutralized the pro-inflammatory activity of endotoxin-free CPS as assessed by TLR2 and TLR4-MD-2-dependent release of TNFα, IL-6 and IL-8 from human and murine macrophages. The cationic and hydrophobic properties of LL-37 were crucial for this inhibition, which was due to binding of LL-37 to CPS. LL-37 also inhibited the ability of meningococcal CPS to induce nitric oxide release, as well as TNFα and CXCL10 (IP-10) release from TLR4-sufficient and TLR4-deficient murine macrophages. Truncated LL-37 analogs, especially those that retained the antibacterial domain, inhibited vaccine grade CPS and meningococcal CPS prepared from the major serogroups (A, B C, Y and W135). Thus, LL-37 interaction with CPS was independent of specific glucan structure. We conclude that the capacity of meningococcal CPS to activate macrophages via TLR2 and TLR4-MD-2 can be inhibited by the human cationic host defense peptide LL-37 and propose that this impacts CPS-based vaccine responses.
Identification of a Cellular Receptor for Transforming Growth Factor-β in Rat Ventral Prostate and Its Negative Regulation by Androgens*

Scatchard analyses of the binding of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) to membranes from rat ventral prostate revealed the presence of high affinity (Kd = 140 pM) saturable binding sites for [125I]TGF beta. The binding of [125I]TGF beta to prostatic membranes, while displaced in the presence of excess unlabeled TGF beta, is unaffected by epidermal growth factor, nerve growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, or insulin, indicating the specificity of binding. Affinity labeling of these membrane receptors by covalent attachment to [125I]TGF beta with bis-(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate and subsequent electrophoretic analysis of the labeled complexes revealed the specific binding of [125I]TGF beta to a macromolecule that predominantly migrates as a 260,000 mol wt band in 7.5% acrylamide gels. Castration-induced androgen deprivation produced a significant increase in [125I]TGF beta binding to prostatic membranes with no apparent change in the affinity of membrane receptors for TGF beta. TGF beta receptor levels per total gland increased approximately 2-fold by 3 days after castration, reached a peak value by day 4, and then declined during the subsequent 10 days. Androgen administration to 4-day castrated animals decreased the number of TGF beta receptors to a value similar to that in the intact controls. These results demonstrate the presence of specific binding sites for TGF beta in the rat ventral prostate. Furthermore, the TGF beta receptor levels seem to be under negative androgenic regulation, indicating a potential role for this growth factor in the mechanism of activation of castration-induced death of androgen-dependent epithelial cells in the ventral prostate.
Histologically Confirmed Cholesterol Atheroemboli with Identification of the Source by Transesophageal Echocardiography

Cholesterol embolization may occur after catheter manipulation of the descending aorta in patients with diffuse atherosclerosis. A clinical diagnosis of cholesterol embolism after manipulation of the descending aorta is suspected by the presence of systemic atheroemboli. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an excellent technique for detecting atheromatous plaques of the aorta. TEE is becoming more commonly used in the work-up of cerebrovascular events but we suggest its scope should be broadened to include patients with suspected intra-aortic atherosclerotic disease prior to cardiac catheterization. The findings at TEE would help alert the clinician to use extreme caution if an invasive aortic procedure was felt to be essential. Our patient illustrates the constellation of clinical findings in atheroembolic disease that occurred after cardiac catheterization with biopsy confirmation of cholesterol emboli. TEE revealed several large protruding atheromatous plaques of the descending aorta that were most probably responsible for the systemic manifestations of renal insufficiency and digital infarctions.
Selective disruption of hypermnesia for pictures and words

In this study, we investigated the effects of various interpolated tasks on hypermnesia (improved recall across repeated tests) for pictures and words. In five experiments, subjects studied either pictures or words and then completed two free-recall tests, with varying activities interpolated between the tests. The tasks performed between tests were varied to test several hypotheses concerning the possible factor(s) responsible for disruption of the hypermnesic effect. In each experiment, hypermnesia was obtained in a control condition in which there was no interpolated task between tests. The remaining conditions showed that the effect of the interpolated tasks was related to the overlap of the cognitive processes involved in encoding the target items and performing the interpolated tasks. When pictures were used as the target items, no hypermnesia was obtained when subjects engaged in imaginal processing interpolated tasks, even when these tasks involved materials that were very distinct from the target items. When words were used as the target items, no hypermnesia was obtained when the interpolated tasks required verbal/linguistic processing, even when the items used in these tasks were auditorily presented. The results are discussed in terms of a strength-based model of associative memory.
Tragedy of the San Francisco bay commons

Abstract Although the early efforts to save San Francisco Bay in the 1960's provided the role model for protection of California's 1100 mile ocean coastline, neither Proposition 20 of 1972 nor the California Coastal Act of 1976 provided any benefits to San Francisco Bay. One result is that the Bay is locked into its urban, shoreline‐use dominated plan of 1969 while every other estuary and coastal wetland in California receives much stronger protection of its resources. Furthermore, due to the complexity of California's water laws, there is no instream flow protection for receiving waters such as San Francisco Bay. This is particularly critical considering that 70% of the Bay's freshwater inflow has been diverted. The Bay's present decline as the largest and most important estuary on the West Coast, as well as its possible death as an estuary, may be irreversible. The problem requires the immediate attention of engineering, scientific, economic and legal disciplines if San Francisco Bay is to be saved.
Multiproxy approach reveals evidence of highly variable paleoprecipitation in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (western United States)

Elemental analyses of paleosol B horizons in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of the western United States provide estimates of mean annual precipitation (MAP) and allow determination of humidity regimes. Samples were collected from the lower Morrison Formation in New Mexico and the upper Morrison Formation in Wyoming and Montana. The chemical index of alteration minus potassium (CIA – K) and the calcium and magnesium weathering index (CALMAG) were used to estimate paleorainfall. CIA – K values calculated for paleosols without shrink-swell (vertic) features correspond to MAP estimates between 800 and 1100 mm yr –1 , with an average of 1000 mm yr –1 . CALMAG values, calculated for vertic paleosols, correspond to MAP estimates between 50 and 1200 mm yr –1 , with an average of 700 mm yr –1 . MAP estimates from the older New Mexico strata indicate that early Morrison environments were relatively arid. MAP estimates from the younger Wyoming and Montana deposits reflect wetter conditions in the northernmost part of the Morrison Formation, but the transition from arid interior environments was abrupt. Humidity provinces inferred from geochemical proxy-based estimates of evapotranspiration and energy influx from precipitation range from semiarid to superhumid, suggesting wetter conditions than the MAP estimates, but supporting the relative differences in moisture among the three study areas. Paleoprecipitation patterns within the Morrison depositional basin do not match the modern latitudinal distribution of rainfall that arises from zonal atmospheric circulation. Comparison with the Upper Jurassic Lourinha Formation in Portugal and the Vega Formation in Spain reveals that MAP in Late Jurassic Portuguese environments was similar to that in the wet northern part of the Morrison Formation, although more arid conditions prevailed in some areas of Portugal. Inferred humidity regimes for the Lourinha Formation, which range from semiarid to superhumid, also indicate small-scale geographic variability in climate, although less pronounced than that observed in the Morrison Formation. Paleoenvironments in northern Spain were similar to the drier Morrison environments in the continental interior. Given the abrupt climatic transitions inferred here for the Morrison Formation, paleoprecipitation estimates derived from a geographically restricted sample may reflect only local conditions and should not necessarily be extrapolated to larger areas.
Spatially controlled photothermal heating of bladder tissue through single-walled carbon nanohorns delivered with a fiberoptic microneedle device

Laser-based photothermal therapies for urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) are limited to thermal ablation of superficial tumors, as treatment of invasive lesions is hampered by shallow light penetration in bladder tissue at commonly used therapeutic wavelengths. This study evaluates the utilization of sharp, silica, fiberoptic microneedle devices (FMDs) to deliver single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWNHs) serving as exogenous chromophores in conjunction with a 1,064-nm laser to amplify thermal treatment doses in a spatially controlled manner. Experiments were conducted to determine the lateral and depth dispersal of SWNHs in aqueous solution (0.05 mg/mL) infused through FMDs into the wall of healthy, inflated, ex vivo porcine bladders. SWNH-perfused bladder regions were irradiated with a free-space, CW, 1,064-nm laser in order to determine the SWNH efficacy as exogenous chromophores within the organ. SWNHs infused at a rate of 50 μL/min resulted in an average lateral expansion rate of 0.36 ± 0.08 cm(2)/min. Infused SWNHs dispersal depth was limited to the urothelium and muscular propria for 50 μL/min infusions of 10 min or less, but dispersed through the entire thickness after a 15-min infusion period. Irradiation of SWNH-perfused bladder tissue with 1,064 nm laser light at 0.95 W/cm(2) over 40 s exhibited a maximum increase of approximately 19 °C compared with an increase of approximately 3 °C in a non-perfused control. The results indicate that these silica FMDs can successfully penetrate into the bladder wall to rapidly distribute SWNHs with some degree of lateral and depth control and that SWNHs may be a viable exogenous chromophore for photothermal amplification of laser-based UCC treatments.
Characterization of mutations that lie in the promoter-regulatory region for glnA, the structural gene encoding glutamine synthetase.

In enteric bacteria products of nitrogen regulatory genes ntrA, ntrB and ntrC are known to regulate transcription both positively and negatively at glnA, the structural gene encoding glutamine synthetase [L-glutamate: ammonia-ligase (ADP-forming), EC 6.3.1.2]. We have characterized two types of cis-acting mutations in the glnA promoter-regulatory region. One type, which we have called promoter Up [glnAp (Up)], elevates transcription of glnA to high levels without need for ntr-mediated activation but leaves expression sensitive to ntr-mediated repression. The other type renders glnA transcription insensitive to repression but leaves it normally responsive to activation. Properties of the two types of promoter-regulatory mutations suggest that sites for ntr-mediated activation of glnA transcription are functionally distinct from sites for ntr-mediated repression.
Revised 14C dating of ice wedge growth in interior Alaska (USA) to MIS 2 reveals cold paleoclimate and carbon recycling in ancient permafrost terrain

article i nfo Establishing firm radiocarbon chronologies for Quaternary permafrost sequences remains a challenge be- cause of the persistence of old carbon in younger deposits. To investigate carbon dynamics and establish ice wedge formation ages in Interior Alaska, we dated a late Pleistocene ice wedge, formerly assigned to Ma- rine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, and host sediments near Fairbanks, Alaska, with 24 radiocarbon analyses on wood, particulate organic carbon (POC), air-bubble CO2, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Our new CO2 and DOC ages are up to 11,170 yr younger than ice wedge POC ages, indicating that POC is detrital in origin. We con- clude an ice wedge formation age between 28 and 22 cal ka BP during cold stadial conditions of MIS 2 and solar insolation minimum, possibly associated with Heinrich event 2 or the last glacial maximum. A DOC age for an ice lens in a thaw unconformity above the ice wedge returned a maximum age of 21,470± 200 cal yr BP. Our variable 14 C data indicate recycling of older carbon in ancient permafrost terrain, resulting in radiocarbon ages significantly older than the period of ice-wedge activity. Release of ancient carbon with climatic warming will therefore affect the global 14 C budget.
Affect and Risk in IS Research

Affect and reliance on affect in making decisions under risk (affect heuristic) are important and distinct concepts that have received virtually no attention in the study of IS/ecommerce risk assessment. Affect in response to a risky stimulus is automatic and precedes all judgments/decisions. When processing of information is difficult, due to ambiguity or stimulus novelty, people might substitute a readily available evaluation (affect) for deliberation. When affect results in a strong positive/negative feeling state, people report benefits and costs, which are congruent with affect - thus, there is a possibility that privacy calculus and similar trade-off models may be artifacts of ignoring affect, rather than genuine phenomena. Finally, the concept of affect directs attention to the affective evaluability of attributes of stimulus as a key step in measuring, understanding and communicating risk. We are in the process of developing a model of risk which incorporates affective considerations for IS/Ecommerce research.
Reevaluation of lake trout and lake whitefish bioenergetics models

Using a corrected algorithm for balancing the energy budget, we reevaluated the Wisconsin bioenergetics model for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the laboratory and for lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in the laboratory and in the field. For lake trout, results showed that the bioenergetics model slightly overestimated food consumption by the lake trout when they were fed low and intermediate rations, whereas the model predicted food consumption by lake trout fed ad libitum without any detectable bias. The slight bias in model predictions for lake trout on restricted rations may have been an artifact of the feeding schedule for these fish, and we would therefore recommend application of the Wisconsin lake trout bioenergetics model to lake trout populations in the field without any revisions to the model. Use of the Wisconsin bioenergetics model for coregonids resulted in overestimation of food consumption by lake whitefish both in the laboratory and in the field by between 20 and 30%, on average. This overestimation of food consumption was most likely due to overestimation of respiration rate. We therefore adjusted the respiration component of the bioenergetics model to obtain a good fit to the observed consumption in our laboratory tanks. The adjusted model predicted the consumption in the laboratory and the field without any detectable bias. Until a detailed lake whitefish respiration study can be conducted, we recommend application of our adjusted version of the Wisconsin generalized coregonid bioenergetics model to lake whitefish populations in the field.
Run-time parallelization: its time has come

Abstract Current parallelizing compilers cannot identify a significant fraction of parallelizable loops because they have complex or statically insufficiently defined access patterns. This type of loop mostly occurs in irregular, dynamic applications which represent more than 50% of all applications [K. Kennedy, Compiler technology for machine-independent programming, Int. J. Paral. Prog. 22 (1) (1994) 79–98]. Making parallel computing succeed has therefore become conditioned by the ability of compilers to analyze and extract the parallelism from irregular applications. In this paper we present a survey of techniques that can complement the current compiler capabilities by performing some form of data dependence analysis during program execution, when all information is available. After describing the problem of loop parallelization and its difficulties, a general overview of the need for techniques of run-time parallelization is given. A survey of the various approaches to parallelizing partially parallel loops and fully parallel loops is presented. Special emphasis is placed on two parallelism enabling transformations, privatization and reduction parallelization, because of their proven efficiency. The technique of speculatively parallelizing doall loops is presented in more detail. This survey limits itself to the domain of Fortran applications parallelized mostly in the shared mory paradigm. Related work from the field of parallel debugging and parallel simulation is also described.
Social Work in Mental Health: A 25 Year Perspective, Edited by Abraham Lurie and Gary Rosenberg. Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, New York, 1976. $4, Paper. 111 Pp.

(1978). Social Work in Mental Health: A 25 Year Perspective, Edited by Abraham Lurie and Gary Rosenberg. Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, New York, 1976. $4, Paper. 111 Pp. Journal of Education for Social Work: Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 126-127.
Sleep patterns and fatigue in parents of twins.

ABSTRACT Objective To examine patterns of postpartum parental sleep and levels of fatigue at 2, 12, and 20 weeks following hospital discharge of newborn twins. Design Descriptive longitudinal pilot study. Setting Recruitment from 2 hospital postpartum units. Data collected in parents' homes. Participants Eight primiparous parents caring for twins delivered at 33 to 38 weeks gestation. Methods Home visits to deliver and retrieve study equipment: wrist actigraphy and sleep diaries to measure sleep, standardized instrument to measure fatigue, and an investigator-developed form to measure demographics and related variables. Results Fathers had significantly less night sleep (5.4 hours) and less 24 hour sleep (5.8 hours) than mothers (6.2 and 6.9 hours, respectively) at 2 weeks after twins were discharged. Sleep efficiency increased significantly over time in a linear fashion for both parents. Morning and evening fatigue levels were not significantly different between parents and remained constant over time. Conclusion Pilot data suggest that mothers and especially fathers of twins experience sleep disturbances after discharge of their twins. Further study is needed to more fully describe the evolution of sleep patterns and clarify factors that influence sleep in parents of twins.
Spontaneous helper factor production by nonadherent rabbit lymphoid cells and its feedback regulation by adherent cells

Normal, unstimulated rabbit lymphoid cells, when depleted of adherent cells, produced soluble helper factor activity that augmented antibody formation by rabbit spleen cells primed against sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Adherent cells inhibited the production of the helper factor by nonadherent cells via a soluble product. Thus unseparated (adherent cell-containing) appendix, lymph node, and spleen cell cultures did not produce the helper factor. On the other hand, the activity of the helper factor required the presence of adherent cells in the assay cultures. Peritoneal exudate cells, predominantly esterase positive, also inhibited the production of the helper factor if they were first exposed to the helper factor-containing culture supernatant. These results imply that a helper factor may participate in the feedback regulation of its own production via an adherent cell population.
Normative and microeconomic models of voluntary childlessness.

This paper employs microeconomic and normative variables rather than the more commonly used social psychological modesl to examine voluntary childlessness. The author uses religion race ruban versus sural residence education and region of residence as normative determinants of fertility; he hypothesizes that fewer Catholics will be childless and that urban dwellers the well-educated and those from the West Midwest and Northeast will be most likely to remain childless. Microeconomic theory emphasizing the costs of children assumes that income and fertility are directly related and that income and childlessness are inversely related. Because loss of wifes income is a greater factor than the direct costs of a child childlessness should be more common when the wifes earning potential or opportunity costs is highest. In the microeconomic model education is the most important determinant in the wifes opportunity costs. The findings indicate that husbands income is directly related to the first birth and that wifes education (and opportunity costs) reduces the chances of a first birth. Microeconomic theory suggests that differences in child costs or in tastes could produce urban-rural regional or racial differences in childlessness. Demographic variables such as age age at marriage and marital duration also influence the likelihood of a first birth. The author uses data for 2182 intentionally childless black and white women aged 20-34 from the 1965 National Fertility Survey to test his models. Study findings indicate that 1) marital duration greater than 15 years is the only significant demographic control variable 2) normative variables generally meet expectations; only the coefficient for Catholicism is significant and 3) financial satisfaction is positively associated with childlessness; husbands income is the only significant variable. Future research should 1) examine how Catholicism acts to discourage childlessness 2) employ normative and microeconomic theories and 3) examine data representative of the general population even though childlessness in the samples may be rare.
Contrail-Cirrus and Their Potential for Regional Climate Change

After reviewing the indirect evidence for the regional climatic impact of contrail-generated cirrus clouds (contrail-cirrus), the author presents a variety of new measurements indicating the nature and scope of the problem. The assessment concentrates on polarization lidar and radiometric observations of persisting contrails from Salt Lake City, Utah, where an extended Project First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program) Regional Experiment (FIRE) cirrus cloud dataset from the Facility for Atmospheric Remote Sensing has captured new information in a geographical area previously identified as being affected by relatively heavy air traffic. The following contrail properties are considered: hourly and monthly frequency of occurrence; height, temperature, and relative humidity statistics; visible and infrared radiative impacts; and microphysical content evaluated from in situ data and contrail optical phenomenon such as halos and coronas. Also presented are high-resolution lidar images of c...
Airborne ultrasonic sensor node for distance measurement

In this paper, two complementary techniques are mixed in order to reduce the inaccuracies of time of flight (TOF) estimation caused by the small bandwidth of ultrasonic transducers and multipath echoes. Firstly, the destructive self-interference driving technique is used to minimize the multipath echoes effects, improving the accuracy and repeatability of the measurements. Secondly, the bandpass sampling theory is applied to digitalize the echo signal, avoiding the need of powerful and costly hardware. The proposed method was implemented on a PSoC architecture providing a cost-effective solution. The results show that a low complexity, robust and high-accuracy ultrasonic range measurement system was obtained. This work is part of a project to design an automatic level measurement system with capability to be integrated to a wireless sensor network in order to monitoring river and other kind of water stream level.
Elevated maternal lipoprotein (a) and neonatal renal vein thrombosis: a case report.

Introduction Renal vein thrombosis, although rare in adults, is well recognized in neonates and is one of the most common manifestations of neonatal thromboembolic events. The etiology of renal vein thrombosis remains unidentified in the majority of cases. We report a case of renal vein thrombosis in a neonate associated with elevated maternal lipoprotein (a).
Incrementally improving lookup latency in distributed hash table systems

Distributed hash table (DHT) systems are an important class of peer-to-peer routing infrastructures. They enable scalable wide-area storage and retrieval of information, and will support the rapid development of a wide variety of Internet-scale applications ranging from naming systems and file systems to application-layer multicast. DHT systems essentially build an overlay network, but a path on the overlay between any two nodes can be significantly different from the unicast path between those two nodes on the underlying network. As such, the lookup latency in these systems can be quite high and can adversely impact the performance of applications built on top of such systems.In this paper, we discuss a random sampling technique that incrementally improves lookup latency in DHT systems. Our sampling can be implemented using information gleaned from lookups traversing the overlay network. For this reason, we call our approach lookup-parasitic random sampling (LPRS). LPRS is fast, incurs little network overhead, and requires relatively few modifications to existing DHT systems.For idealized versions of DHT systems like Chord, Tapestry and Pastry, we analytically prove that LPRS can result in lookup latencies proportional to the average unicast latency of the network, provided the underlying physical topology has a power-law latency expansion. We then validate this analysis by implementing LPRS in the Chord simulator. Our simulations reveal that LPRS-Chord exhibits a qualitatively better latency scaling behavior relative to unmodified Chord.Finally, we provide evidence which suggests that the Internet router-level topology resembles power-law latency expansion. This finding implies that LPRS has significant practical applicability as a general latency reduction technique for many DHT systems. This finding is also of independent interest since it might inform the design of latency-sensitive topology models for the Internet.
Prospects for Droxidopa in Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension

See related article, pp 101–107 Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH) is a debilitating disorder defined by a sustained decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or in diastolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg within 3 minutes of head-up tilt or standing.1 The disorder is associated with attenuated increases in plasma norepinephrine and peripheral resistance upon orthostasis as well as the absence of baroreflex-mediated tachycardia, which are reflective of impaired sympathetic and parasympathetic reflexes to modulate blood pressure.2 Recently, droxidopa, a synthetic precursor of norepinephrine, was approved for the treatment of nOH; however, the efficacy of the drug in long-term trials was unclear. In this issue of Hypertension , Biaggioni et al3 investigated the effects of droxidopa in patients with nOH, who were previously responsive to the drug, with a month-long, double-blind, placebo-controlled withdrawal study. The main finding of the study was that patients randomized to continue droxidopa had similar reports of lightheadedness compared with patients who were randomized to the placebo; orthostatic blood pressure was also similar between groups. These …
DISCRETE SCALE INVARIANCE IN STOCK MARKETS BEFORE CRASHES

We propose a picture of stock market crashes as critical points in a system with discrete scale invariance. The critical exponent is then complex, leading to log-periodic fluctuations in stock market indexes. We present “experimental” evidence in favor of this prediction. This picture is in the spirit of the known earthquake-stock market analogy and of recent work on log-periodic fluctuations associated with earthquakes.
Selection and predictive validity with latent variable structures

Estimators of the predictive validity of a multifactorial test are considered. These estimators take into account the selectivity of the sample of those who have observations on the criterion measure. It is pointed out that the selectivity problem can be viewed as a missing data situation. The relationships between the classic Pearson-Lawley adjustment, regression based on factor scores, and maximum-likelihood estimation under ignorable missingness are described. The estimators are compared in a study of artificial population data.
Effect of continuous stirring on off-critical and critical samples of a phase-separating binary liquid mixture.

The effect of shear on phase separation in a binary fluid mixture has been studied by monitoring the steady-state transmitted intensity of a laser beam through a continuously stirred mixture of isobutyric acid and water. Measurements were made on samples with five different off-critical compositions and one at the critical composition of the binary mixture, for three different stirring frequencies in each case. The data for the onset of phase separation in the stirred samples that are as far away as 500 mK from the critical point compare favorably with the theory of Onuki and Takasue and with similar measurements on very off-critical mixtures of 2-6 lutidine plus water reported by K. Y. Min et al.$---- However, as the composition gets closer to the critical composition significant differences arise. The main feature is that the measured suppression in temperature peaks at an off-critical composition which is dependent on the stirring frequency. A simple, analytical calculation is also found to show the same feature.
Pediatric deaths in a large general hospital.

Summary During 1942 there were 436 deaths among 12,470 children admitted under age 12. Forty-three per cent of all pediatric deaths occurred during the neonatal period of hospitalization for 5,084 infants born alive in the hospital; this group constitutes the basis for the first portion of our study, in which premature and mature infants are considered separately. The second portion is concerned with the remaining 57 per cent of all pediatric deaths among 7,386 infants and children from one day to 12 years of age at the time they were admitted; here patients younger and older than 2 years of age are considered separately. Leading and incidental causes for death, and pertinent differences by age, race, and sex were analyzed and discussed for each group. Finally, crude correlations of clinical and post-mortem diagnoses were made for 210 patients examined pathologically.
Using Modularly Assembled Ligands To Bind RNA Internal Loops Separated by Different Distances

Many studies have identified RNA drug or probe targets present in genomic sequence, however, most of these RNAs remain underexploited due to the difficulties in designing high affinity and specific RNA binders. Modular assembly and multivalency provide unique opportunities to tune the affinity and specificity of ligands for a target biomolecule. Herein, studies to investigate how far ligand modules should be spaced apart to bind RNA internal loops separated by different numbers of base pairs are reported. Results show that about four spacing submonomers between bis-benzimidazole modules displayed on a peptoid scaffold is optimal to span two base pairs. These results have general implications for the rational and modular design of ligands that specifically target RNA.
A review of Russian-language books on abnormal and subnormal formation pressures

Abstract Russian publications on non-hydrostatic pressures — their origin and methods of their detection and prediction — are very numerous. This great bulk of information still expects proper analysis. To give English-speaking petroleum geologists and engineers some idea of this information, which is regularly published in J.P.S.E., the writers briefly review some recent (1983–1993) books on the subject in this paper.
Anxiety sensitivity: Prospective prediction of panic attacks and Axis I pathology

Emerging evidence suggests that anxiety sensitivity (AS) predicts subsequent development of anxiety symptoms and panic attacks. However, evidence regarding whether AS serves as a premorbid risk factor for the development of clinical syndromes is lacking. The primary aim of the present study was to determine whether AS acts as a vulnerability factor in the pathogenesis of psychiatric diagnoses. A large nonclinical sample of young adults (N=404) was prospectively followed over two years. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI: Reiss S, Peterson RA, Gursky DM, McNally RJ. Anxiety sensitivity, anxiety frequency, and the prediction of fearfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy 1986; 24: 1-8.) and trait anxiety served as predictors. Consistent with prior reports, AS predicted the development of spontaneous panic attacks in those with no history of panic. Importantly, AS was found to predict the incidence of anxiety disorder diagnoses and overall Axis I diagnoses in those with no history of Axis I diagnoses at study entry. These are the first data to provide strong prospective evidence for AS as a risk factor in the development of anxiety disorders.
Attitudes, beliefs and norms relating to contraceptive use among young migrant and non-migrant adults in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The young urban population of Tanzania is growing rapidly, primarily due to rural-urban migration. More information is needed on the challenges facing young adult urban women and men in using family planning (FP). The purpose of this study is to identify perceptions, interpersonal and familial attitudes, and sociocultural norms regarding FP among young adults (18–25 years) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, comparing responses by sex, marital status and migration status. We conducted 12 focus groups with young adult men and women (n = 74) in Dar es Salaam in December 2009. Participants knew of modern contraceptive methods, but had serious concerns about side effects. Single men and women preferred condoms. Female migrants stated that traditional methods were ineffective, yet commonly used in rural areas. Men's desires for more children frequently led female migrants not to use FP, while many married long-term residents used FP discreetly. Single women sometimes received the support of their parents/boyfriends to...
METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AT CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS IN THE UNITED STATES

Although methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have emerged as important pathogens in hospitalized adults in the United States, reports of MRSA in pediatric patients have been infrequent. To determine the prevalence of MRSA in this population, we surveyed all acute-care children's hospitals in the U.S. 57/67 (85%) hospitals with microbiology laboratories responded to a mailed questionnaire. Those not testing S. aureus for methicillin susceptibility were excluded. 30/53 (57%) reported MRSA isolates. Bacteriologic methods were similar at all hospitals. MRSA were reported at 20/53 hospitals in 1982 compared to 1/53 in 1973 (p<0.001). Large hospitals (≥200 beds) were more likely to have MRSA (p=0.02). No association was found between MRSA and the presence of burn or intensive care units, residency training programs, or rotation of residents to other hospitals. The proportion of hospitals with MRSA varied from 5/6 (83%) in the Northeast to 4/11 (36%) in the West. MRSA were reported more frequently from hospitals in large metropolitan areas (8/10 vs 22/43). These data show that MRSA are increasing in their importance as pathogens in the pediatric population.
Observer agreement on disfluency and stuttering.

Groups of undergraduate and graduate stndent listeners identified the stutterings and disfluencies of eight adult male stutterers during videotaped samples of their reading and speaking. Stuttering...
Construction of a novel set of transfer vectors to study vaccinia virus replication and foreign gene expression.

Vaccinia virus (VV) is a useful expression vector for many laboratory applications. To date, approximately 60% (∼120) of the VV genes remain uncharacterized. The thought of smallpox being used as a biological weapon has gained attention. In light of this, it is imperative that we continue to study the basic replication of VV, a poxvirus that is closely related to smallpox. A set of plasmid vectors were constructed to generate gene deletions (pZIPPY-NEO/GUS) in VV or for foreign gene expression (pBR-EXPRESS). The vectors contain the Escherichia coli neomycin resistance (neo) and β-glucuronidase (gusA) genes as selectable markers to facilitate isolation of recombinant viruses. These are the first transfer vectors to use a neo/gusA selection system. We used these vectors to successfully generate a recombinant D9R deletion mutant of VV and to express E. coli lacZ gene. Results indicate that both vectors are highly suited for their designed purpose.
Ordination and character correlations of selected recent British ostracoda

Forty-six characters were measured on each of 14 Recent ostracode specimens representing 13 species collected along the British coast. Results obtained from ordination using principal components analysis agreed closely with results from cluster analysis, but ordination gave a better representation of taxonomic distances computed from the original data. Cophenetic correlations were 0.857 for the cluster analysis and 0.935 for distances computed from projections used in ordination. Characters showed considerable intercorrelation, and the first principal component was reified as a general-size factor correlated highly with height. The remaining principal components could not be reified precisely.
Axisymmetric couple stress elasticity and its finite element formulation with penalty terms

Length scale dependent deformation in polymers has been reported in the literature in different experiments at the micron and submicron length scales. Such length scale dependent deformation behavior can be described using higher order gradient theories. A numerical approach for axisymmetric problems is presented here where a couple stress elasticity theory is employed. For the numerical formulation, a penalty finite element approach is proposed and implemented with C 0 axisymmetric elements. In this approach, rotations are introduced as nodal variables independent of nodal displacements, and the penalty term is used to minimize the difference in rotations determined from nodal displacements and nodal rotations. Numerical simulations are performed on different examples to assess the performance of the suggested approach. In particular, a circular cylinder with spherical inclusions and the interaction of the inclusion with the boundary are studied. It is found that with the length scale parameter the distance with which the free boundary affects the stress state of the inclusion increases as well.
Cosmetic use of botulinum toxin type A in the elderly

Botulinum toxin type A injections are one of the most popular cosmetic procedures for diminishing the appearance of facial lines caused by habitual facial muscle contractions. Although the manufacturer’s labeling recommends botulinum toxin only for the treatment of glabellar lines among adults younger than 65 years of age, there is widespread use of the toxin for other cosmetic purposes and for patients who may be older than 65. Evidence-based safety and efficacy data on botulinum toxin use in elderly patients is limited. However, given the age-related skin changes and multifactorial causes of wrinkles in the elderly, as well as the higher risk for potential side effects due to concomitant diseases and medications, a careful risk-benefit assessment should precede the decision to use botulinum toxin in the elderly patient.
Lateral variations near the core‐mantle boundary

Differential travel times between S and SKS (Ts-sks), and SKKS and SKS (Tskks-sks), along with amplitude behavior have been used to study lateral variations at the core-mantle boundary. The data were recorded by the World Wide Seismographic Station Network (WWSSN) and the Canadian Seismograph Network (CSN) from source regions in South America and the Fiji-Tonga area. A core-mantle boundary region traversed by SKS and S beneath the mid-Pacific from the Fiji-Tonga area to North American stations shows the most anomalous behavior in Ts-sks. SKS and S are anomalously separated by up to 8 seconds. In addition to Ts-sks anomalies, SKS and SKKS are anomalously separated by 2 to 3 seconds. A model fitting Ts-sks for this anomalous region requires one or more of the following: (1) up to 5% increase in the top 300 km of outer core velocity; (2) a large scale high Vs region (2% increase) in the lower mantle NE of Tonga; (3) lateral variations in D” shear wave velocities of up to 3%. However, (1) above predicts a decrease in Tskks-sks, contradicting the observations. This suggests that (2) and (3) are more likely explanations in modeling this data set.
What the reader’s eye tells the mind’s ear: Silent reading activates inner speech

Although copious research has investigated the role of phonology in reading, little research has investigated the precise nature of the entailed speech representations. The present study examined the similarity of “inner speech” in reading to overt speech. Two lexical decision experiments (in which participants gave speeded word/nonword classifications to letter strings) assessed the effects of implicit variations in vowel and word-initial consonant length. Responses were generally slower for phonetically long stimuli than for phonetically short stimuli, despite equal orthographic lengths. Moreover, the phonetic length effects displayed principled interactions with common factors known to affect lexical decisions, such as word frequency and the similarity of words to nonwords. Both phonetic length effects were stronger among slower readers. The data suggest that acoustic representations activated in silent reading are best characterized as inner speech rather than as abstract phonological codes.
The elastic interaction between point defects and clusters of point defects in metals

Abstract A model is proposed and calculated for the elastic interactions between two single point defects, between string-clusters with single point defects, and between platelet-clusters with single defects. The analysis of the elastic model shows no interactions between single defects but appreciable interactions between single defects and clusters. The interaction energy is calculated and plotted as a function of the relative position of the two defects. The asymptotic behavior of the interaction potential between a point defect with either type of cluster varies inversely with the third power of the distance separating them.
No evidence for maternal-fetal microchimerism in infantile hemangioma: a molecular genetic investigation.

In this study, using the placental origin theory as a basis, we set out to explore whether hemangioma endothelial cells (HEC) were maternal in origin. We rigorously addressed this hypothesis using several molecular genetic techniques. Fluorescent in situ hybridization on surgical specimens of proliferating hemangiomas ( n =8) demonstrated no XX-labeled HEC from resected tumors of male infants. This analysis was followed by PCR genotyping of HEC ( n =11) using microsatellite markers where cellular components were genotyped and compared to genomic DNA of corresponding mother–child pairs. In the seven informative mother–child pairs, HEC matched the genotype of the child and not the maternal genotype. Concerned that HEC represented a mixed population of cells, we subsequently enriched for cells using the placental-specific endothelial cell (EC) marker, Fc γ RII. Three informative mother–child pairs exhibited only the genotype of the child in our enriched cell population. Using sequence analysis, we identified an informative single nucleotide polymorphism in an exon of the placental-EC-specific protein, GLUT1. When comparing GLUT1 complementary DNA (cDNA) with mother–child DNA, the genotype of the cDNA matched the constitutional DNA of the child. Our results indicate that hemangiomas are not microchimeric in origin. This study provides further insight into the origin of a tumor whose pathogenesis remains elusive.
Melting rates of crystalline polymers under shear conditions

The melting of solids under shear conditions is an important operation in the processing of most thermoplastics. In this study, solid blocks of high density polyethylene were melted on a hot, moving surface over a range of surface temperatures and velocities. The conservation equations for mass, momentum, and energy were applied to the molten layer and then simplified by an order of magnitude analysis. A general model that included all significant terms gave rates of melting that agreed closely with the measured rates. A simpler model that was analogous to present extruder models predicted melting rates that were ten to twenty-five percent lower than the experimental values. Models for polymers with low to moderate crystallinity should be modified to account for physical removal of amorphous material by shear forces.
Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae: Frequency of Hospital Room Contamination and Survival on Various Inoculated Surfaces

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) only contaminated the environmental surfaces of rooms housing CRE colonized/infected patients infrequently (8.4%) and at low levels (average, 5.1 colony-forming units [CFU]/120 cm2 per contaminated surface). Three species of CRE (Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Escherichia) survived poorly (>85% die-off in 24 hours) when ~2 log10 CFU were inoculated onto 5 different environmental surfaces. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0): 1–4
Teching PL/I using a microcomputer

Until the Fall 1983 semester, the introductory programming course at Brooklyn College had been taught (in the PL/C dialect of PL/I) using keypunch equipment in a batch environment. However, that term two experimental sections used IBM Personal Computer (PC's) instead of keypunches. The experiment was expanded in the Spring 1984 semester to include almost one third of all sections of the introductory course, and then expanded again in the Fall 1984 semester to all sections of the first PL/I course, plus three sections of second-level courses. Although the PC's were quite easy to use, the PL/I-86 PC-DOS compiler produced by Digital Research caused many problems. A number of advantages and disadvantages of the experiment are discussed. Other implications of the use of PC's are also noted, including the possible change of language and the extension to more advanced courses in the curriculum.