cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Population genetics and phylogeography of endangered Oxytropis campestris var. chartacea and relatives: arctic‐alpine disjuncts in eastern North America

Fassett's locoweed (Oxytropis campestris var. chartacea, Fabaceae) is an endangered perennial endemic to Wisconsin. Patterns of genetic variation within and among six remaining populations and their relationship to other members of the O. campestris complex were analysed using AFLPs from 140 accessions across northern North America. Within-population measures of genetic diversity were high (mean expected heterozygosity HE = 0.16; mean nucleotide diversity pi = 0.015) compared with other herbaceous plants. Estimates of among-population differentiation were low (FST = 0.12; PhiST = 0.29), consistent with outcrossing. Genetic and geographical distances between populations were significantly correlated within Fassett's locoweed (r2 = 0.73, P < 0.002 for Mantel test) and O. campestris as a whole (r2 = 0.63, P < 0.0001). Individual and population-based phylogenetic analyses showed that Fassett's locoweed is monophyletic and sister to O. campestris var. johannensis. Morphometric analyses revealed significant differences between Fassett's locoweed and populations of var. johannensis. The first chromosome count for Fassett's locoweed indicates that it is tetraploid (2n = 32), unlike hexaploid var. johannensis. High within-population diversity and relatively low among-population differentiation are consistent with populations of Fassett's locoweed being relicts of a more continuous Pleistocene distribution. Our data support the continued recognition of Fassett's locoweed and protection under federal and state regulations. High levels of genetic diversity within populations suggest that maintain-ing the ecological conditions that favour the life cycle of this plant may be a more pressing concern than the erosion of genetic variation.
Digital Libraries for the Next Millennium: Challenges and Research Directions

The unprecedented growth of Internet technologies has made resources on the World Wide Web instantly accessible to various user communities through digital libraries. Since the early 1990s, there have been several digital library initiatives sponsored by government agencies and/or private organizations all over the world. A digital library is a networked system environment that provides diverse user communities with coherent, seamless and transparent access to large, organized, and digitized information resources. This article provides a comprehensive overview of major digital library projects that are currently being undertaken across the globe. We also identify and discuss major challenges and research issues to be addressed in the design and implementation of digital libraries for the next millennium. We believe that digital libraries are ripe with research opportunities, offer many challenges, and will continue to grow in the next several years.
Using the Inconsistency of Private and Public Information to Identify Misleading Management Guidance

In this paper we examine whether the inconsistency between management private information contained in earnings guidance and public information embedded in prior stock returns can be used to predict the likelihood of misleading management earnings guidance. We follow a prior definition of misleading earnings guidance as a management forecast revision that leads pre-guidance analyst forecasts away from actual earnings value. Using management quarterly earnings guidance from the First Call database, we find that the management earnings guidance is more likely to be misleading if the direction of guidance is inconsistent with that of prior stock returns. We additionally find that the strength of public information, as proxied by the absolute value of stock returns, intensifies the relationship between information inconsistency and misleading guidance. Our inconsistency measure is associated with extant indicators of misleading guidance in intuitively appealing ways. Both in-sample and out-of-sample tests suggest that the inconsistency measure predicts the occurrence of misleading guidance, after controlling for extant predictors.
Detections of lunar exospheric ions by the LADEE neutral mass spectrometer

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS), operating in ion mode, provides sensitive detections of ions from the lunar exosphere. By analyzing ion-mode data from the entire mission, utilizing Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) plasma and magnetic field measurements to organize NMS data and eliminate background sources, we identify highly significant detections of lunar ions at mass per charge of 2, 4, 12, 20, 28, 39, and 40, moderately significant detections at 14 and 23, and weak detections at 24, 25, and 36. Unlike many previous observations of Moon-derived ions, an outward pointing viewing geometry ensures that these ions originate from the exosphere, rather than directly from the surface. For species with known neutral distributions, inferred ion production rates appear consistent with expectations for both magnitude and spatial distribution, assuming photoionization as the predominant source mechanism. Unexpected signals at mass per charge 12 and 28 suggest the presence of a significant exospheric population of carbon-bearing molecules.
Phosphorylation Regulates SLIMB-PERIOD Interactions and Protein Degradation

Post-translational modification (PTM) such as phosphorylation is an integral step in protein regulation. Poly-ubiquitylation is a PTM carried out by E3 Ubiquitin Ligases (E3), which is important fo...
Abnormal Hypothalamic Leptin Signaling Leads to Early Metabolic Dysfunction in Mice Overexpressing the Amyloid Precursor Protein (P1.238)

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether excess amyloid-beta early in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) leads to reduced adiposity by disrupting hypothalamic leptin signals. BACKGROUND: An early manifestation in preclinical AD is weight loss of unclear etiology. Low plasma levels of leptin, an adipocyte hormone acting on the hypothalamus to regulate body weight, have also been correlated with increased AD risk. Therefore, increased amyloid-beta levels derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) may disrupt hypothalamic leptin signaling early in AD. DESIGN/METHODS: Metabolic function (body weight, adiposity by MR spectroscopy, food intake, metabolic rate by indirect calorimetry, plasma insulin and leptin by ELISA, blood glucose by glucometer) was assessed in transgenic mice overexpressing the Swedish mutation of APP (Tg2576) prior to amyloid plaque formation (age 3 months) and wild-type littermates at baseline and after 48-hour fast. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared to wild-type littermates, Tg2576 mice had at baseline: (1) decreased body weight and adiposity, (2) reduced plasma leptin but normal insulin and glucose levels, (3) normal food intake but increased metabolic rate. In the hypothalamus of Tg2576 mice, anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels were appropriately decreased, but orexigenic agouti-related protein (AgRP) levels were not elevated despite low leptin levels. Fasting led to similar weight loss and reduced glucose and insulin levels in both groups. However, while plasma leptin appropriately decreased in fasted wild-type mice, no difference was found in Tg2576 mice. Furthermore, fasted Tg2576 mice had a blunted hypothalamic AgRP response. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that early amyloid-beta excess may cause a low leptin state by disrupting specific hypothalamic neuronal populations. The molecular bases of the leptin dysfunction in Tg2576 mice remain to be elucidated and may lead to the identification of novel preclinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets for AD. Study Supported by: Leon Levy Neuroscience Fellowship (M.I.) and NS37853 (C.I.). Disclosure: Dr. Ishii has nothing to disclose. Dr. Iadecola has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for the Journal of Neuroscience.
Separability of Intra- and Intermolecular Vibrational Relaxation Processes in the S1 State of trans-Stilbene

Detailed time-resolved measurements of anti-Stokes intensities of several high-frequency modes of electronically excited trans-stilbene in hexane and methanol are reported. The most striking changes are observed in the ethylenic band at 1570 cm-1. Nonequilibrium population in the v = 1 level of this mode is found to exhibit a biphasic decay, which is interpreted as a rapid energy redistribution followed by a slightly slower process that reflects the transfer of excess energy to the solvent. Comparison of the time-dependent intensity changes of several high-frequency bands with those from a model that assumes instantaneous thermalization of the excited state suggests that internal energy randomization is incomplete on the time scale of solute−solvent thermal equilibration process. No evidence of mode specificity in the energy redistribution process is observed. The results show us to place a value of ∼2 ps on the lifetime of the v = 1 level of the ethylenic stretching mode of trans-stilbene in both hexane ...
Evolution in vitro: analysis of a lineage of ribozymes

Background: Catalytic RNAs, or ribozymes, possessing both a genotype and a phenotype, are ideal molecules for evolution experiments in vitro. A large, heterogeneous pool of RNAs can be subjected to multiple rounds of selection, amplification and mutation, leading to the development of variants that have some desired phenotype. Such experiments allow the investigator to correlate specific genetic changes with quantifiable alterations of the catalytic properties of the RNA. In addition, patterns of evolutionary change can be discerned through a detailed examination of the genotypic composition of the evolving RNA population. Results: Beginning with a pool of 10(13) variants of the Tetrahymena ribozyme, we carried out in vitro evolution experiments that led to the generation of ribozymes with the ability to cleave an RNA substrate in the presence of Ca2+ ions, an activity that does not exist for the wild-type molecule. Over the course of 12 generations, a seven-error variant emerged that has substantial Ca(2+)-dependent RNA-cleavage activity. Advantageous mutations increased in frequency in the population according to three distinct dynamics--logarithmic, linear and transient. Through a comparative analysis of 31 individual variants, we infer how certain mutations influence the catalytic properties of the ribozyme. Conclusions: In vitro evolution experiments make it possible to elucidate important aspects of both evolutionary biology and structural biochemistry on a reasonable short time scale.
Phenotyping of transgenic cloned piglets.

Numerous reports list the abnormalities obtained from cloning sheep and cattle. To date, few reports provide detailed information regarding the overall health status and performance data of cloned animals. This report follows three litters totaling 10 transgenic cloned piglets from birth through puberty. Significant findings from physical examinations and response to treatments are included, as well as necropsy data from five of the piglets that died during the study. The birth weights, placental weights, and growth rates for this group of piglets were not different from that of control animals raised in the same environment. Hematology and serum chemistry data were collected at 2 days of age, and at 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age. Results indicated a mild anemia and hypoproteinemia in the cloned piglets from birth through 4 weeks of age, but both conditions were corrected by 8 weeks of age. Echocardiography was performed on seven of the piglets. No anatomical defects were detected, but three of...
The discovery of new knowledge: our scientific mission.

Let me first thank Dr. Mark Malangoni, immediate past-president and long-standing good friend of mine, for his kind, generous, and witty introduction. The same way one does not choose parents, presidents of the Central Surgical Association cannot choose who will introduce them. In my case, it is obvious that I could not have chosen a better person for my introduction. It has been a great honor for me to serve as your president for the past year. The Central is a prestigious association gathering the most distinguished surgeons of Canada and the United States from New York State to Colorado, from Canada to Kentucky. It was founded 66 years ago to “further the practice of Surgery . . . and the study and investigation of surgical problems” as stated in article II of our constitution. Over the past 6 decades, the association has maintained its focus on communication of new knowledge derived from investigation—as this
Six Degrees of Information Seeking: Stanley Milgram and the Small World of the Library

Abstract Stanley Milgram's 1967 “small world” social connectivity study is used to analyze information connectivity, or patron information-seeking behavior. The “small world” study, upon examination, offers a clear example of the failure of social connectivity. This failure is used to highlight the importance of the subjectivities of patron experience of the “small world” or information network of the library.
Flow network reduction for unique topological ordering

This paper describes a more restrictive definition of cutsets as they are found useful in solving certain problems and presents a reduction method to reduce a flow network (an acyclic weighted digraph) with multiple topological orderings of vertices so that (1) the resulting reduced network has only one topological ordering and (2) the original network and the reduced network have the same maximal cutset. The motivation for such a reduction method is that if a network has only one topological ordering then the maximal cutset can be found in a linear time (linear in terms of the number of arcs).
Fractionation of Antibodies to Testosterone

ABSTRACT A testosterone-Sepharose immunoadsorbent has been used to isolate from an antiserum the antibodies to testosterone. By Stepwise elution with buffers at pH ranging from 5 to 3 and with a 10% dioxane-buffer mixture at pH 3, two well distinct and homogeneous antibody fractions with affinity constants 2.1 × 108 and 6.5 × 108 were obtained. Sixty-seven percent of the applied antibody activity was recovered.
Optimal Camera Placement for Providing Angular Coverage in Wireless Video Sensor Networks

Wireless Video Sensor Networks (WVSNs) provide opportunities to use large number of low-cost low-resolution wireless camera sensors for large-scale outdoor remote surveillance missions. Camera sensor deployment is crucial in achieving good coverage, accuracy and fault tolerance. In particular, with the decreased costs of wireless cameras, redundant camera deployment is attractive in order to get multiple disparate views of events for improved event identification. If the capturing of an event spans ${\ 360^\circ}$ , this is referred to as angular coverage. In this paper, we consider the problem of determining optimal camera placement to achieve angular coverage continuously over a given region. We develop a bi-level algorithm to find the minimum-cost camera placement. In the first level, we run a master problem that identifies the camera placement points to achieve angular coverage of a discrete set of points selected from the region of interest. Next, we use a sub-problem to identify points in the continuous region that are not covered by the cameras placed in the previous run of the master problem. We then add these uncovered points to discrete point set of the master problem and re-run the master problem. We continue running the master and sub-problems iteratively until the sub-problem becomes infeasible indicating that the entire region is covered. In the numerical experiments, we consider two cases 1) placement of homogeneous cameras with fixed resolutions; and 2) placement of heterogeneous cameras with different characteristics and resolutions. We also introduce varying resolution requirements for different parts of the region and place the cameras such that the required resolution is satisfied. The numerical results show the superiority of the bi-level approach respect to existing approaches.
Maximally Entangled Mixed States: Creation and Concentration

Using correlated photons from parametric down-conversion, we extend the boundaries of experimentally accessible two-qubit Hilbert space. Specifically, we have created and characterized maximally entangled mixed states that lie above the Werner boundary in the linear entropy-tangle plane. In addition, we demonstrate that such states can be efficiently concentrated, simultaneously increasing both the purity and the degree of entanglement. We investigate a previously unsuspected sensitivity imbalance in common state measures, i.e., the tangle, linear entropy, and fidelity.
Analysis of thermal stabilization of whispering gallery mode resonance

Abstract Stabilization of whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonance wavelength by the thermal mechanism, originally presented by Carmon et al. [Optics Express 12 (2004) 4742–4750], is analyzed. Analytical expressions are derived for the resonance peak broadening and roll-off ramp rate in the pump-in wavelength scan. Also obtained are simple expressions for the resonance wavelength fluctuations due to ambient temperature changes and mode power fluctuations. The thermal mechanism does not pass these perturbations onto the WGM resonance wavelength, providing a robust stabilization scheme.
Curvature of the convex hull of planar Brownian motion near its minimum point

Abstract Let f be a (random) real-valued function whose graph represents the boundary of the convex hull of planar Brownian motion run until time 1 near its lowest point in a coordinate system so that f is non-negative and f(0)=0. The ratio of f(x) and |x| |log|x‖ oscillates near 0 between 0 and infinity a.s.
Baseline characteristics, quality of care, and outcomes of younger and older Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with heart failure: findings from the Alabama Heart Failure Project.

Abstract Background Most studies of heart failure (HF) in Medicare beneficiaries have excluded patients age Methods Of the 8049 Medicare beneficiaries discharged alive with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF in 1998–2001 from 106 Alabama hospitals, 991 (12%) were younger (age Results Nearly half of the younger HF patients (45% versus 22% for ≥65years; p Conclusion Medicare beneficiaries
Speech screening of children in the dental office

Screening for speech problems in the dental office involves less than five minutes. Procedures include the sampling of a child's pronunciations in counting activities, word responses to pictures or questions, and conversational speech situations. Use of a normative sound development chart will help judge each child's pronunciation skills. Oral diadochokinetic testing provides a means of evaluating the maturational level of the neuromotor components of the oral structures used in support of sound production. Finally, the child's ability to modify sound production after stimulation, that is, his "stimulability," adds important data for determining the child's potential for outgrowing his problem. The screening assessment of these several characteristics of speech performance, then, provides sufficient diagnostic criteria for the dentist to recommend those children for speech therapy whose error productions will not likely improve through maturation alone. In instances where examination indicates that maturation should cause spontaneous improvement of speech, the dentist would then be able to inform the parents.
From valence bond solid to unconventional superconductivity in the organic charge-transfer solids

We show that superconductivity is absent within the 1/2-filled band triangular lattice repulsive Hubbard model that has been proposed for organic charge-transfer solids. We posit that organic superconductivity is rather reached from a bond-charge density wave that either constitutes the insulating state proximate to superconductivity, or is extremely close in energy to the antiferromagnetic state, and replaces the latter under pressure. The bond-charge density wave can be described within an effective attractive U extended Hubbard Hamiltonian with repulsive nearest neighbor interaction V. A first-order transition from the insulating to the superconducting state occurs within the model with increasing frustration.
Synthesis and maturation of ribosomal RNA in Escherichia coli.

Abstract A high resolution autoradiographic technique has been developed for the quantitative analysis of the distribution of 14 C-labeled RNA on polyacrylamide gels after electrophoresis. We have used this technique to study the synthesis and maturation of ribosomal RNA in Escherichia coli and have obtained the following results: 1. (1) There exist one or perhaps two precursors to the 16 s RNA and one detectable precursor to the 23 s RNA, each of slightly lower electrophoretic mobilities than the mature forms. The precursor-product relationships are proven by accurate kinetic experiments, pulse-chase experiments and, most convincingly, by the demonstration that maturation takes place when further RNA synthesis is inhibited by actinomycin D. 2. (2) Protein synthesis inhibition by chloramphenicol treatment or methionine starvation of stringent cultures inhibits ribosomal RNA maturation and causes the accumulation of large amounts of these precursors. The precursor RNA which accumulates in methionine-starved cultures is converted to the mature forms when methionine is restored. 3. (3) The kinetics of synthesis of 5 s ribosomal RNA are essentially first order and hence do not provide evidence for the existence of a pool of a macromolecular precursor for the 5 s. This is corroborated by experiments which show that there is only a negligible increase in label in 5 s RNA if actinomycin D is added to a culture pulsed for two minutes with RNA precursors. 4. (4) A 5 s-like RNA of slightly lower electrophoretic mobility than normal mature 5 s RNA accumulates in chloramphenicol-inhibited or methionine-starved cultures. This species also matures upon restoration of methionine to the starved culture. This species is not produced by nucleolytic cleavage of one of the high molecular weight ribosomal RNA precursors during its maturation since the synthesis of this 5 s-like RNA, is not coupled with the maturation of 23 or 16 s RNA in either normal or inhibited cultures. No other precursor to the 5 s RNA can be detected in E. coli during exponential growth or during protein synthesis inhibition. 5. (5) Ribosomal RNA is synthesized during the period of recovery from methionine starvation, contrary to the conclusions of Nakada, Anderson & Magasanik (1964). However, there is a long delay in the appearance of label in mature 16 s ribosomal RNA, presumably due to dilution of the newly-synthesized radioactive precursor RNA by the “relaxed” RNA accumulated during the starvation period.
The intracerebellar nucleocortical projection in a primate

Experiments were performed to determine if a nucleocortical system, a projection from the cerebellar nuclei to the cerebellar cortex, was present in primates. Both electrophysiological and neuroanatomical techniques were employed to investigate this question. It was shown that neurons within the dentate and interposed nuclei were antidromically activated by stimuli applied to the cerebellar cortex. In addition, cells in these nuclei were retrogradely labelled following injections of small amounts of horseradish peroxidase in the cerebellar cortex. The injection of tritiated leucine in the deep nuclei resulted in the labelling of fibers projecting from these structures to the cerebellar cortex which appeared to terminate within the granular layer. Additional electrophysiological studies showed that neurons projecting to the cerebellar cortex could also be antidromically activated from the ventrolateral thalamic nucleus, indicating that the nucleocortical projection in the primate arises at least in part as collaterals from neurons in the deep cerebellar nuclei which also project to extracerebellar structures, as was shown in the cat.
The Baby Boomer Effect: Changing Patterns of Substance Abuse Among Adults Ages 55 and Older

Between now and 2030, the number of adults aged 65 and older in the United States will almost double, from around 37 million to more than 70 million, an increase from 12% of the U.S. population to almost 20%. It was long held that, with only a few isolated exceptions, substance abuse simply did not exist among this population. In light of the impact of the baby boom generation, this assumption may no longer be valid. The authors examined admissions of persons 55 years and older (n = 918,955) from the Treatment Episode Data Set (1998-2006). Total admissions with a primary drug problem with alcohol have remained relatively stable over this time. Admissions for problems with a primary drug other than alcohol have shown a steady and substantial increase. Clearly, data from the Treatment Episode Data Set indicate a coming wave of older addicts whose primary problem is not alcohol. The authors suspect that this wave is led primarily by the continuing emergence of the baby boomer generation.
Two-layer model of coronary artery vasoactivity

Since vascular tone is regulated by smooth muscle cells in the media layer, a multilayer mechanical model is required for blood vessels. Here, we performed biaxial mechanical tests in the intima-me...
New ideas in lung regeneration: a personal view from Estoril.

10th ERS Lung Science Conference – rebuilding a diseased lung: repair and regenerationEstoril, Portugal, 30 March–1 April 2012The 10th ERS Lung Science Conference, held in Estoril, Portugal, focused on rebuilding a diseased lung: repair and regeneration, seeking to understand, with some amount of precision, how the processes by which the vastly complex self-assembling, self-repairing machine that is a human lung actually develops from a few cells in the embryo, repairs itself or fails to and succumbs to disease. Thus, the major research themes focused on lung development, lung stem and progenitor cell populations, regenerative signaling mechanisms and tissue engineering and transplantation.
Fathoming tropical biodiversity: the continuing discovery of Neotropical mammals

. We are still far from knowing, even approximately, the number of extant mammal species. Successive attempts over the last half-century to tally mammals of the world have produced a steadily (or perhaps exponentially) climbing total. By analysing nomenclature for Neotropical mammals, two well-defined biases are documented that are associated with species accumulation. First, definite trends in body size are evident, so that larger organisms were more quickly apparent to systematists. Most species being described today are small-bodied forms. Secondly, the locus of descriptive taxonomic work on this fauna has clearly shifted seriatim from continental European scientists and institutions, through British and American counterparts, to Latin American institutions. Although specifying these and other biases might focus models of species accumulation, there are no real short cuts in the global effort to inventory and document biological diversity.
Tumor-associated-antigens or osteosarcoma cell line lysates: Two efficient methods for in vitro generation of CTLs with special regard to MHC-I restriction

The expression of tumor associated antigens (TAA) in osteosarcoma cell lines allowed us to design an in vitro model for the generation of TAA-specific CTLs. Since the MHC-I-restriction of these peptides represents the major obstacle to clinical applications, we studied a second method for the generation of CTLs starting from osteosarcoma cell line lysates and PBMCs of HLA-I compatible healthy donors. TAA-specific CTLs showed high and homogeneous cytotoxic response against each peptide; high levels of IFN-γ were released by osteosarcoma cell line lysate specific-CTLs in response to the osteosarcoma cell line they were activated for. The MHC-I dependent osteosarcoma cell line lysate-specific CTLs activity was proved by the indifference against the HLA-I-negative erytroleukaemia cell line K562 and by the absence of IFN-γ production with the addition of HLA-class I blocking antibodies. These two methods may be considered the model for the autologous setting in the context of immunotherapeutic approaches for osteosarcoma patients.
THYMOCYTE AND LYMPHOCYTE DIFFERENTIATION STUDIED BY MEANS OF ACRIDINE ORANGE FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPY.

Spleen, cervical lymph node and thymus of guinea pigs, half day, three weeks and nine months of age were investigated in fluorescent light after staining with acridine orange. Four varieties of lymphocytes have been found as differentiated presumably by the color of DNA of their nuclei. Two varieties are present in the thymus. The cortical thymocytes differ distinctly in color from those in the medulla. The splenic lymphocytes also display different nuclear color from those which are present in the cervical lymph nodes. The problems of the structure and function of the thymus have been discussed.
The Need for Gene Therapy for the Effective Treatment of Hemophilia.

Gene therapy is promising to patients with hemophilia, with or without inhibitors. It offers the promise of life without the risk of bleeding after a simple injury and chronic arthropathy. It provides the promise of life without IV infusions for factor replacement. It makes the promise that no person with hemophilia will have to live a tragic life. Restoring a patient’s ability to make a protein that was congenitally deficient and all but curing the disorder is the goal of everyone treating any heritable disease and is the goal of gene therapy for hemophilia patients. Ultimately, gene therapy promises life without hemophilia. The goal and promise of gene therapy is well worth striving for.
Unintentional variation in positive end expiratory pressure during resuscitation with a T-piece resuscitator.

Abstract Introduction The ability of T-piece resuscitators to deliver consistent peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) during real and simulated neonatal resuscitation has been well described. The Neopuff (Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Auckland, New Zealand) has been the device used for nearly all of these comparisons. Methods All high risk resuscitations were carried out in our dedicated resuscitation room, and were recorded on video tape for quality assurance purposes. 1 In addition to the audio and video recording, physiologic signals and resuscitation parameters, including oxygen saturation, pulse rate, airway pressure, FiO 2 , and others signals as appropriate were also captured. These recordings were reviewed on a biweekly basis as part of a continuing quality review process. Resuscitations were graded for standard of care and the resuscitation checklist was reviewed to determine if the team had any unresolved issues that needed to be addressed. Results In the year between April of 2009 and March 2010, a period when we fully reviewed approximately 120 videos, we recognized visually obvious PEEP changes on 8 different occasions in ELBW infants. Our target PEEP was 5cm H20. We observed rapid changes in the PEEP to as high as 15cm H20 during resuscitation. Conclusion Based on our single-center experience, a T-piece resuscitation device which has the adjustment for the PEEP level and the orifice which is occluded to deliver a breath in the same location has the potential to cause an inadvertent and potentially toxic increase of PEEP which might not be noticed by the operator.
Localized terahertz generation via optical rectification in ZnTe

We report the measurement of terahertz (THz) radiation, generated via optical rectification in a 20 µm thick ZnTe crystal, as a function of the size of optical excitation. The result shows that, before the onset of significant higher-order nonlinear processes, the THz emission obtained with a fixed excitation power is largely size independent for excitation sizes smaller than the THz wavelength. This experimental finding is well described by a theoretical model including the generation of THz radiation through optical rectification from a subwavelength source and its propagation into the far field. The characteristic size dependence of the radiation from a subwavelength THz source is advantageous for use in apertureless near-field microscopy.
Effect of X-irradiation on host resistance to the dwarf tapeworm.

SummaryThe superimposition of infection by the dwarf tapeworm, Hymenolepis nana, on mice exposed to either 450 or 650 R of whole body x-irradiation considerably lowered host survival. Larger worm loads were observed in mice surviving radiation exposure and infection. Infections persisted for longer periods of time and at higher levels (in terms of worm number) in irradiated hosts as compared to those not irradiated. However, increased susceptibility and lowered immunity, as exhibited by irradiated (450 R) hosts, did not appear to permit autoinfection to take place. Streptomycin therapy produced a striking increase in the survival of irradiated, infected mice.
Disarticulation resections of the mandible: a prospective review of 16 cases.

Abstract Purpose: This article provides a review of the disarticulation resection of the mandible for various benign and malignant tumors and non-neoplastic processes. In so doing, the author proposes a classification to describe extension of pathology into the condylar region, thereby requiring its sacrifice. Recommendations are also proposed for preservation versus sacrifice of the meniscus when performing a disarticulation resection of the mandible. Finally, complications are evaluated in this type of mandibular resection. Patients and Methods: This review is based on the author's accumulated clinical data obtained from performing disarticulation resections on 16 patients who presented with 10 different pathologic diagnoses. Disarticulation resections are performed for 3 different patterns of extension of pathologic processes into the condylar region, designated as type I, type II, and type III by the author. These designations reflect the radiographic involvement of the condyle or subcondylar region of the mandible by the pathologic entity. The designations of type II and type III extensions are diagnosis dependent, whereas type I extension is independent of diagnosis. Results: Five patients in this series presented with type I condylar extension, 2 patients presented with type II condylar extension, and 9 patients presented with type III condylar extension. The meniscus required sacrifice in 3 of the 16 patients. Complications occurred in 3 of 16 patients and included 1 dislocation of the plate into the middle cranial fossa, 1 dislocation of the plate inferiorly and posteriorly to the mastoid process, and 1 cutaneous exposure of the plate. Conclusions: Disarticulation resections are rarely required variants of segmental resection of the mandible, and they are required by a variety of pathologic processes of the jaws and contiguous structures. The placement of a reconstruction bone plate with an affixed condylar prosthesis is well tolerated by patients and is associated with few complications. These reconstruction bone plates favorably support facial form, symmetry, and occlusion such that many patients delay their definitive bony reconstruction. Because these condyles are temporary prostheses, the surgeon should consider their removal with bony reconstruction of the disarticulation defect as soon as possible after the ablative surgery. © 2002 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 60:176-181, 2002
An outcome study of a piloted ESRD patient and staff symposium.

Abstract The purpose of a Patient and Staff Symposium is to create a learning atmosphere founded on the principles of educational practices specific to adult learners. New patients enter bewildering surroundings in which the hegemony of the medical setting seems unfamiliar from their own environment. This case study suggests the Patient and Staff Symposium is of benefit to patients and their family members by developing a personally constructed knowledge of the medical setting. Led by a nephrology social worker, staff members who participate in the symposium develop meaningful and collaborative relationships with patients and each Other.
Robust optimal control of regular languages

This paper presents an algorithm for robust optimal control of regular languages under specified uncertainty bounds on the event cost parameters of the language measure that has been recently reported in literature. The performance index for the proposed robust optimal policy is obtained by combining the measure of the supervised plant language with uncertainty. The performance of a controller is represented by the language measure of the supervised plant and is minimized over the given range of event cost uncertainties. Synthesis of the robust optimal supervisory control policy requires at most n iterations, where n is the number of states of the deterministic finite-state automaton (DFSA) model, generated from the regular language of the unsupervised plant behavior. The computational complexity of the control synthesis method is polynomial in n.
Imagery in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Implications for Symptoms and Treatment

The present article examines the existing literature on the role of imagery in the symptoms and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Intrusive thoughts and images are conceptualized as falling somewhere along a continuum of normality to pathology. The development of OCD is discussed as resulting from anxious emotional states and dysfunctional cognitive appraisals that occur in response to intrusive cognitions. Four types of imagery evidenced by OCD sufferers are reviewed from de Silva's paper: the obsessional image, the compulsive image, the disaster image, and the disruptive image [1]. The logic and efficacy of an imagery component in the treatment of OCD is discussed, particularly as it pertains to the implementation of imaginal exposure within the framework of the empirically validated cognitive-behavioral treatment of exposure and responsive prevention.
On the dynamic shear resistance of ceramic composites and its dependence on applied multiaxial deformation

Abstract The high strain rate response of an AIN/AIN/AI composite manufactured by Lanxide Armor Products, has been studied by means of normal and pressure-shear plate impact experiments. A dramatic reduction in post yield shear strength, measured in these experiments, motivated the examination of the material response by using a microcracking multiple-plane model and a continuum elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model. Numerical simulations of the normal impact experiments do not support microcracking as the dominant inelastic mechanism at the early stages of inelasticity. By contrast, an elasto-viscoplastic description of the material behavior predicts the main features of the normal stress history. Nonetheless, the elasto-viscoplastic model cannot reproduce both the normal and the pressure-shear experiments with a single set of model parameters. The inadequacy of the continuum elasto-viscoplastic model seems to result from the isotropic flow assumption embodied in its formulation. The shear resistance measured in the pressure-shear experiments is adequately predicted by a multiple-plane model with a pressure and rate dependent flow mechanism. The agreement seems to hinge on the continuous shearing of the material in a micro-localized fashion; i.e. only one orientation becomes dominant and controls the inelastic shear deformation rate. This event does not occur in the normal impact configuration, in which the amount of inelasticity is primarily controlled by the elastic compressibility of the material. These findings explain the higher sensitivity to damage and microplasticity observed in the pressure-shear testing of ceramics and ceramic composites, as well as the softer material response recorded in this configuration. Although the mechanism used in the formulation of the multiple-plane model is microcracking, the implications discussed here are valid for other mechanisms in which the inelastic deformation is pressure dependent. The actual inelastic mechanism is still unknown. Therefore, plate impact experiments specially designed for post-test examination of the specimens are needed for its proper identification.
Simplification of the mercurimetric procedure for organohalogen determination

Abstract The mercurimetric method for organohalogen determination described in 1959 can be further simplified by omitting the boiling process for removal of hydrogen peroxide after combustion of the sample in the oxygen flask. Hydrogen peroxide does not interfere in the mercurimetric titration. Its presence did show certain advantages in the work of other investigators as well as in this present study.
Automatic selection of molecular images from electron micrographs

Abstract Images of single molecules may be selected automatically from a digitized electron micrograph. The algorithm proposed facilitates single-particle averaging and related image procedures aimed at analyzing projections of single molecules. The automatic selection procedure has been applied to images of molecules of lipoyl transsuccinylase.
The path of carbon in photosynthesis of the lipids

Abstract The rates of C 11 incorporation into lipids and their components during steady-state photosynthesis in C 11O 2 by Chlorella pyrenoidosa reveal the metabolic importance of the galaclolipids and phosphatidyl glycerol. The most, rapidly labeled of the water-soluble deacylation products were galactosyl glycerol, digalactosyl glycerol, diglycerophosphate, sulfoglycosyl glycerol, and glycerophosphorylinositol. Labeling of the triglycerides proceeded more slowly than that of any of the surfactant lipids. Acid hydrolysis of the labeled galactolipids demonstrated active exchange of the galactose moieties with the intermediates of hexose photosynthesis and relatively slower labeling of the associated glycerol or fatty acids. However, the fatty acids of phosphatidylglycerol and the galactosyl diglycerides were more rapidly labeled than any other esterified fatty acids. Periodate oxidation of diglycerophosphate from phosphatidylglycerol indicated uniform labeling before 5 min. of steady-state photosynthesis. Possible metabolic sequences in the biosynthesis of the galactolipids and the phosphatides are discussed. The remarkable metabolic activity and high concentrations of phosphatidyl glycerol and the galactolipids in Chlorella attest to their importance in photosynthesis.
A mathematical model for flow and solute transport in non-homogeneous rock fractures

Abstract An analytical solution presented in a previous paper is incorporated into a numerical algorithm for determining water flow and solute transport in a single rectangular rock fracture with variable aperture and surface roughness. The flow is laminar and steady. Head and velocity are predicted analytically at each point in the fracture using the integral transform method. It is assumed that the solute is non-reactive and its transport is entirely advective. The method of characteristics is used to determine the trajectories of fluid particles in the flow field. It is shown that heterogeneities in the void space of a fracture and the associated channel flow create “fingering” of the solute and an apparent dispersion even if dispersion is not explicitly accounted for in the transport equation. Numerical examples are presented for flow and transport in fractures with rough surfaces having fractal dimensions ranging between 2.0 and 2.3. It is found that the flow rate passing through those fractures is about 65–95% of the flow rate that would pass if the fractures were modeled as two parallel plates with a uniform aperture equal to their average aperture and the cubic law was valid. Also, estimating the time of breakthrough for solute transport in rough fractures using their average apertures can be misleading. The actual time of breakthrough and the breakthrough curves can be determined using the technique presented herein which requires a detailed description of the fracture void space. Finally, it is shown that the conventional one-dimensional advection-dispersion model using a constant dispersion coefficient does not simulate accurately the apparent dispersion created by channel flow in fractures if their hydraulic or average apertures are used to compute the seepage velocity.
Assay, purification and properties of allantoicase from Candida utilis.

Abstract Allantoicase was induced in Candida utilis by uric acid, allantoin and allantoate. It was purified 97-fold from an extract of the induced yeast and separated from ureidoglycolatase by DEAE-cellulose chromatography at pH 6. The constitutive allantoicase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was prepared in lyophilized form. The kinetics of the base-catalyzed cleavage of ureidoglycolate were investigated and the application of this reaction in spectrophotometric methods for the assay of allantoicase was described. Allantoicase activity was also measured by the determination of the liberated urea with the aid of urease and a microdiffusion technique. The allantoicase from C. utilis had optimum activity at pH 7, maximum stability at pH 6, K m was 5.5 m m and the enzyme was inactivated by heating for 15 minutes at pH 6.1 and 50 °. Ammonium sulfate was a noncompetitive inhibitor ( K i = 27 mm ), urea was a, competitive inhibitor ( K i = 5 mm ) and ureidoglycolate and glyoxylate did not inhibit the allantoicase.
An approximate sine-Gordon equation and its traveling wave solution in ( n+1)-dimensional space

In this paper, we apply the Painleve analysis to the study of an approximate sine-Gordon equation and obtain the traveling solitary wave solution in (n+1)-dimensional space explicitly, which is significantly different from one which is found in our last work. The technique described herein can also be applied to other nonlinear evolution equations such as the KdV-type equation and the nonlinear Schrodinger equation in higher-dimensional space.
Bone morphogenetic proteins: basic concepts

The cellular and molecular events governing bone formation in the embryo, healing of a fractured bone, and induced bone fusion follow a similar pattern. Discovery, purification, and recombinant synthesis of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) constitute a major milestone in the understanding of bone physiology. In this review the author discusses the mechanism of action, clinical applications, dosage, and optimum carriers for BMPs. The roles played by other growth factors are also discussed.