cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of clinical significance of synergy in gram-negative infections at the university of California Los Angeles hospital

The clinical significance of in vitro antimicrobial synergy has been mainly inferred because of the difficulty in designing randomized, prospective studies in man comparing the efficacy of synergistic versus nonsynergistic combinations. We have approached the issue with three studies of gram-negative rod bacteremia, (recognizing the inherent limitations of these methods): 1) From 1972 to 1974 we reviewed 444 gram negative rod bacteremias at the UCLA Hospital and concentrated on the 173 subjects who had infections treated with two antibacterial agents that inhibited infecting organisms. Tests of in vitro antimicrobial interactions used the criteria that synergy is present if the combination of both agents inhibits the infecting strain at concentrations 3/4 or less of the individual minimal inhibitory concentrations. The results indicated a significant association between clinical response and demonstration of in vitro synergy. The difference was particularly significant in patients with rapidly and ultimately fatal disease (p<.005), neutropenia (P<.001), shock (p<.01) and for infections caused byPseudomonas aeruginosa (p<.05). 2) Between 1974 and 1976 we compared the clinical efficacy of amikacin-carbenicillin versus gentamicin-carbenicillin in a randomized prospective trial of 353 courses of initially empiric therapy in neutropenic patients. Analysis of the 49 gram-negative rod bacteremias occurring during this study again showed a strong association between in vitro antimicrobial synergy and survival. Mortality was only 13% in the 29 patients whose infecting organisms were inhibited synergistically. 3) Within the past year we have initiated a randomized comparative assessment of amikacin-carbenicillin versus netilmicin-carbenicillin in a similarly neutropenic patient population. While only 15 bacteremic infections have been observed thus far, a trend similar to the preceding study has been observed. These results suggest a significant association between the presence of in vitro antimicrobial synergy and improved clinical outcome, but there are major problems in formulating valid criteria for synergy and designing human therapeutic programs that will maximize these effects in vivo.
Spondylolisthesis Associated with Scoliosis

Scoliosis and spondylolisthesis are two distinct entities with a complex association. The treatment of these entities in combination is focused on issues of causation and specific surgical and biomechanical considerations. However, there is a paucity of literature for guidance when treating these patients.
Extending and Expanding Parenthood: Parental Support to Young Adult Children

Today’s transition to adulthood in the United States is complex and drawn out. Current economic and social conditions favor young workers who have completed post-secondary education, resulting in many young adults delaying exiting the family home, marriage, and parenthood. The role of parental support (both affective and instrumental) in navigating this period of development is becoming increasingly important and plays a substantial role in reproducing inequality across generations. Informed by the life course perspective, this review provides readers with a basic understanding of what types of support parents provide, when it is expected and received, and finally, how it is related to attainment and the quality of the parent–child relationship throughout young adulthood. We conclude with a discussion of how class differences in intergenerational support intersect with institutional factors to enhance the reproduction of inequality and how the new demands for parental support throughout young adulthood is more than many families can provide.
Memory and distribution of virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and CTL precursors after rotavirus infection.

The gastrointestinal tract is constantly exposed to a variety of potentially invasive bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The first line of defense against these pathogens is the intestinal mucosal surface, which consists of epithelial cells, intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), mucus, and secretory immunoglobulins. In addition, the intestine is a rich source of lymphocytes located within Peyer9s patches and the lamina propria. Little is known about the function, memory, trafficking, or origin of intestinal T lymphocytes after intestinal infection. We studied the murine cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response to the intestinal pathogen rotavirus (simian strain RRV). Adult mice were inoculated orally or via the hind footpad with RRV; virus-specific cytotoxic activities in intestinal and nonintestinal lymphocyte populations were determined by 51Cr release assays. In addition, virus-specific CTL precursor (CTLp) frequencies were determined by limiting-dilution analysis. IELs containing rotavirus-specific cytotoxic activity were detected after oral but not footpad inoculation and expressed alpha/beta but not gamma/delta cell surface protein; virus-specific CTLs did not appear to arise from CTLp among IELs. In addition, the site at which RRV was presented to the immune system determined the site at which RRV-specific CTLp first appeared. Frequencies of rotavirus-specific CTLp detected in Peyer9s patches were 25- to 30-fold greater after oral than after footpad inoculation. However, regardless of the route of inoculation, rotavirus-specific CTLp were distributed throughout the lymphoid system 21 days after infection. Implications of these findings for vaccine design are discussed.
Pulse velocity near the optical band-gap edge

Photonic crystal waveguides exhibit superluminal and ultra slow group velocities at the band-edge. We show the breakdown of the standard group velocity at the band-edge and compare different generalized pulse velocity definitions.
Nucleic acid and polyamine synthesis in the rat during short-term protein deficiency: responsiveness of the bone marrow and liver to blood loss.

The effect of blood loss on nucleic acid and polyamine synthesis in bone marrow and liver was studied in protein-deficient rats. Bone marrow, in comparison with the liver, is a tissue normally characterized by a relatively low rate of RNA synthesis, but a high rate of DNA synthesis. Twenty-eight-day-old rats were fed diets containing either 3.5 or 26% protein for 4 days before removal of an estimated 25% of their blood volume. After this, they were continued on their dietary regimens. "H-thymidine was used as a precursor of DNA; and activities of thymidine kinase, uridine kinase and ornithine decarboxylase were used to estimate DNA, RNA, and polyamine synthesis, respectively. In protein-deficient animals, bone marrow DNA synthesis was stimulated in a normal manner after blood loss. However, the enzymes of RNA and polyamine synthesis were not increased. Conversely, in the liver, the activities of uridine kinase and ornithine decarboxylase were stimulated by blood loss, whereas DNA synthesis was inhibited. J. Nutr. 104: 59-64, 1974.
groHMM: a computational tool for identifying unannotated and cell type-specific transcription units from global run-on sequencing data

Background Global run-on coupled with deep sequencing (GRO-seq) provides extensive information on the location and function of coding and non-coding transcripts, including primary microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), as well as yet undiscovered classes of transcripts. However, few computational tools tailored toward this new type of sequencing data are available, limiting the applicability of GRO-seq data for identifying novel transcription units.
Many-Task Computing: Bridging the Gap between High Throughput Computing and High Performance Computing

Many-task computing (MTC) aims to bridge the gap between two paradigms, high-throughput computing (HTC) and high-performance computing (HPC). MTC is reminiscent to HTC, but it differs in the emphasis of using many computing resources over short periods of time to accomplish many computational tasks, where the primary metrics are measured in seconds, not operations per month. MTC denotes high-performance computations comprising of multiple distinct activities, coupled via file system operations. Tasks may be small or large, uniprocessor or multiprocessor, compute-intensive or data-intensive, static or dynamic, homogeneous or heterogeneous. The aggregate number of tasks, quantity of computing, and volumes of data may be extremely large. MTC includes loosely coupled applications that are generally communication-intensive but not naturally expressed using message passing interface commonly found in HPC, drawing attention to the many computations that are heterogeneous but not ?happily? parallel. This book explores fundamental issues in defining the MTC paradigm, as well as theoretical and practical issues in supporting compute and data intensive applications on large scale systems.
Spectrophotometric studies of nucleic acid derivatives and related compounds as a function of pH. IV. On the structure of orotidine. A study of N-methylated orotic acids.

Abstract In order to provide a firm basis for the determination of the position of attachment of the sugar moiety to the pyrimidine ring in orotidine, a series of N-methylated orotic acid derivatives have been synthesized and their structure proved by conversion to substances of known structure. The ultraviolet absorption spectra of these N-methylorotic acid derivatives as a function of pH were determined and their “apparent” dissociation constants were measured spectrally. It was shown that these derivatives bear the same spectral relationship to orotic acid as do the N-methylated uracils to uracil. Information relative to the structure of these compounds in aqueous solutions was deduced therefrom. The spectrum of orotidine as a function of pH was presented and shown to be very similar to that for 1-methylorotic acid. The sugar residue of orotidine (and thereby of orotidine-5′-phosphate) is therefore linked at the #1 position of the pyrimidine ring. Metaperiodate oxidation studies have shown that orotidine is a furanoside. The structure of orotidine is, therefore, 1- d -ribofuranosyluracil-6-carboxylic acid.
Graphical procedures for the detection of deviations from the classical model of enzyme kinetics.

Abstract The two simplest mathematical models relating initial quasi-steady state rates and initial substrate concentrations are considered. In the classical model, plots of 1/r versus 1/S, S/r versus S, and r versus r/S are linear and therefore contain no curvature. In the next simplest model these plots may contain curvature. The curvature expected in r versus r/S plots is greater at any finite substrate concentration than the curvature expected in 1/r versus 1/S or S/r versus S plots constructed from the same data. Therefore, experimental data can best be examined for conformity to the classical model by plotting it in the r versus r/S form. Presentation of data in the 1/r versus 1/S or S/r versus S form is inferior in that it tends to obscure deviations from the classical model. The practicality of using r versus r/S plots rather than 1/r versus 1/S or S/r versus S plots is illustrated with data generated with random error from the model for which these plots are nonlinear. The r versus r/S plot is also found to be useful even when statistical calculations of significance levels are far below the 95% level usually desired for distinguishing models.
Time Resolved Calorimetry of 30 nm Te-Films During Laser Annealing

The temperature of 30 nm thick Te films has been studied during annealing with a XeCl Excimer laser. Using a pyroelectric thin film calorimeter melting, boiling and recrystallization were observed. Boiling was identified as the prevalent mechanism for the loss of material.
Formation of an Andreev bound state at the step edges of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ surface

We have used a scanning tunneling microscope to measure the density of electronic states (DOS) in the vicinity of step edges and twin boundaries on the surface of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8+\ensuremath{\delta}}.$ We find that $90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ twin boundaries do not perturb superconducting DOS at all; however, near step edges, within a coherence length in the direction perpendicular to step, we find strong filling-in of the energy gap in the DOS. In this region of suppressed superconductivity, for step edges oriented at a $45\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ degree relative to the Cu-O bond direction, the spectra show evidence for the formation of an Andreev bound state, which results in a resonance in the DOS at the Fermi level.
Early and delayed intervention with rapamycin prevents NNK-induced lung adenocarcinoma in A/J mice.

In tobacco-associated lung cancers, the protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (Akt/mTOR) pathway frequently is activated by nicotine and its metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of early or late intervention with rapamycin in NNK-induced lung adenoma and progression to adenocarcinoma in female A/J mice. At 7 weeks of age, 40 mice/each carcinogen group received one dose of 10 μmol NNK i.p. Three weeks later, the early intervention groups (25/group) were fed diets containing 0, 8 or 16 ppm rapamycin. The mice were sacrificed after 17 or 34 weeks of drug exposure and tumors were evaluated via histopathology. For late intervention (late adenoma and adenocarcinoma stage), groups of 15 mice were administered diets containing 8 or 16 ppm rapamycin starting 20 weeks after NNK treatment and continuing for 17 weeks before evaluation of tumor progression. Administration of 8 or 16 ppm rapamycin as an early or a late stage intervention significantly suppressed lung adenoma and adenocarcinoma formation (p 50‑60% tumor inihibition; p 2.10 to <~0.75 mm3 (p=0.0056). Lung tumors harvested from mice exposed to rapamycin showed a significant decrease in p-mTOR, p-S6K1, PCNA and Bcl-xL as compared with controls in the early and late stage intervention studies. These observations suggest that rapamycin is highly effective even with administration after dysplastic adenoma or early adenocarcinoma stages and is useful for high-risk lung cancer patients.
Tweek: a framework for cross-display graphical user interfaces

Developers of virtual environments (VEs) face an often-difficult problem: users must have some way to interact with the virtual world. The VE application designers must determine how to map available inputs to actions within the virtual world. However, manipulating large amounts of data, entering alphanumeric information, or performing abstract operations may not map well to current VE interaction methods, which are primarily spatial. Furthermore, many VE applications are derived from mature desktop applications that typically have a very rich user interface (UI). This paper presents Tweek, a reusable, extensible framework for UI construction that allows use of the same UI on a desktop system, on a hand-held computer, or in an immersive 3D space. Designers can maintain interaction consistency across conventional visualization settings such as desktop systems and multi-screen immersive systems. This paper covers in detail the design of Tweek and its use as an input device for virtual environments.
Optimization Tool for X-Ray Radiography NDE

The quality of x-ray radiography NDE is highly dependent on a large number of inspection parameters. Examples of these parameters are the generator settings: tube potential, tube current, exposure time,…; object parameters: orientation, thickness, distance from the source…; detector parameters: film type, source to detector distance, etc. Optimization of an x-ray nondestructive testing can be achieved by testing different settings and choosing the set of parameters that produces the best possible radiograph. The large dimensionality of the optimization problem, however, makes the process of manually changing the inspection parameters, and investigating the radiographs, not an easy task. The time and cost requirements of the optimization process can be reduced by resorting to advanced x-ray computer simulators.
Impact of thrombolytic therapy on left ventricular mural thrombi in acute myocardial infarction.

Abstract Left ventricular (LV) mural thrombi have long been recognized as a complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Recent echocardiographic studies suggest an incidence of 2 to 18% in patients with AMI. Anterior infarctions are found to have a much higher incidence of mural thrombus than inferior infarctions. 1 Previous reports have noted conflicting results regarding the effect of thrombolysis on the formation of LV mural thrombi after AMI. 2–4 The aim of this study was 2-fold: to examine if systemic thrombolytic therapy using either tissue plasminogen activator or streptokinase reduces the incidence of LV mural thrombi early after AM1 compared with conventional treatment, and to determine if reperfusion of the infarct-related artery was associated with a lower incidence of LV mural thrombi.
Procedure for evaluating the potential ability of birds to avoid chemically contaminated food

A procedure for evaluating the potential ability of birds to avoid chemically contaminated food is described. The discrimination threshold is defined as the dietary concentration above which test animals will decrease the proportion of treated food they consume if untreated alternative foods are available. Two-phase regression analysis is used to calculate the discrimination threshold, 95% confidence interval and the goodness of fit of the model. An index to evaluate the relative potentials for food avoidance behavior between chemicals is described.
The mirror effect in recognition memory.

The mirror effect in recognition memory refers to the fact that, with several different classes of stimuli, performance on new items from each class mirrors (is correlated with) performance on the corresponding classes of old items. Classes of stimuli that are accurately recognized as old when old are also accurately recognized as new when new; those that are poorly recognized as old when old are also poorly recognized as new when new. The statement above is shown not to be a tautology. A survey demonstrates that the effect holds for several types of variables (ways to classify stimuli)—word frequency, concreteness, meaningfulness, and others. The survey includes a total of 80 findings. The theoretical implications of the effect are considered.
LAI inversion using a back-propagation neural network trained with a multiple scattering model

Standard regression methods applied to canopies within a single homogeneous soil type yield good results for estimating leaf area index (LAI) but perform unacceptably when applied across soil boundaries. In contrast, the neural network reported generally yielded absolute percentage errors of >
REACTIVE EFFECTS OF PRETESTING AND TEST LENGTH IN ATTITUDE RESEARCH

Summary.-160 Ss participated in a study employing an extension of the Solomon (1949) four-group design to investigate influences of attitude pretesting (pretested vs unpretested), treatment conditions (experimental vs control), and test lengrh (long vs short) upon artitude responses. Two differat length tesrs were constructed which had equal reliabilities, based on earlier research. For pretested groups t tests showed no significant differences between pretest mean scores; therefore, subsequent analyses were p-rformed on mean posttest attitude scores. Results of a 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance indicated significant main effects (p < .01) for treaunent conditions and test length and a significant three-way interaction (p < .05). A simple-effects analysis (Winer, 1962) indicated a general tendency for d retested groups responding to a short test to demonstrate inhibition of attimde change. Ss responding to the long measure demonsrrated general facilitation of artirude change. Further analysis suggests chat explanations in terms of commitment are not appropriate and speculations regarding the role of demand characteristics are advanced.
Template for skin regeneration.

Background Advances in critical care allowed survival of large total body surface burn patients in the 1970s, spawning the development of artificial skin for burn victims. Lack of dermis resulted in severe scarring and contractures. The physicochemical properties that are critical to dermal regeneration have subsequently been described, and a dermal regeneration template has been developed. Methods The peer-reviewed literature regarding the basic science and clinical use of dermal regeneration template was reviewed, as was our practical experience in using dermal regeneration template. Results Dermal regeneration template has been effective in treating large areas of skin loss in burn victims and has been shown to have scar reductive and regenerative properties. Its use has been extended to reconstructive burns, including scar revisions and the treatment of burn scar contractures. It has also been useful in treating small areas of exposed bone, tendon, or joints and a variety of acute and chronic wounds. Meticulous wound bed preparation and close monitoring of the dermal regeneration template is critical to successful use. Conclusions Dermal regeneration template provides a novel element to add to the reconstructive tools used today by plastic surgeons. Further development of these technologies may allow for improved regenerative capacity of these devices to allow optimal aesthetic and functional results of dermal reconstruction.
Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system to study aging of learning and memory.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent model organism to study biological processes relevant to a wide variety of human and rodent disease systems. Previous studies have suggested that mutants of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway show life extension and increased stress resistance in various species, including C. elegans, the fruit fly, and the mouse. It has recently been shown that the life-extending mutants, including the age-1 phosphatidylinositol-3 OH kinase mutants and the daf-2 insulin-like receptor mutants, display improvement in a type of associative learning behavior called thermotaxis learning behavior. The age-1 mutant shows a dramatic threefold extension of the health-span that ensures thermotaxis learning behavior, suggesting strong neuroprotective actions during aging. The age-1 and daf-2 mutants show resistance to multiple forms of stress and upregulates the genes involved in reactive oxygen species scavenging, heat shock, and P450 drug-detoxification. The life extending mutants may confer resistance to various stress and diseases in neurons. Therefore, C. elegans provides an emerging system for the prevention of age-related deficits in the nervous system and in learning behaviors. This article discusses the aging of learning and memory and the neuroprotection effects of life-extending mutants on learning behaviors.
Pulsed anodization technique for fabricating GaSb-based lasers

Recent advances in GaSb-based crystal growth technology have led to the demonstration of high performance quantum well lasers which emit at mid-infrared wavelengths. In fabricating such lasers, techniques are utilized which are processing intensive and time consuming. In this work, we report on the use of a pulsed anodic oxidation (anodization) technique to fabricate low-ridge, wide-stripe GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb lasers operating near 2 micrometers . The low-ridge stripe areas are defined in one, 5-minute processing step which converts the p + layer outside the stripe area into a uniform, stable native oxide.
Nested models of relative judgment: Applications to a similarity averaging model

A theoretical analysis of the Eisler and Ekman (1959) model of similarity judgments for unidimensional continua is presented, based on a general model of relative judgment. This general model assumes that judgments are mediated by perceived relations of pairs of stimuli, that there exists a transformation of the judgmental response that is a function of the sensory ratio of the two stimuli, and that response bias operates in a multiplicative manner. Three structural conditions are presented, each imposing constraints on the structure of observed judgments. The structural conditions define threenested models of relative judgment, with the second a weakened version of the first, and the third a weakened version of the second. The special virtue of the general model is that it is applicable to a variety of judgmental tasks (e.g., ratio estimation, similarity, pair comparison), the key being derivation of theresponse transformation conforming to the structural conditions. The structural conditions thus constitute necessary conditions for several different judgmental models. The theory was first applied with success to ratio estimation judgments (Fagot, 1978), and this paper applies the general model to the Eisler and Ekman similarity “averaging” model. Empirical tests were carried out on published data for pitch, darkness, visual area, and heaviness judgments. Although the strong form of the model presented by Eisler and Ekman was rejected, weakened versions were generally supported by the data. These results were similar to those obtained for ratio estimation (Fagot, 1978), and are interpreted to be very promising for the general model of relative judgment.
Articulation between Neoliberal and State-Oriented Environmental Regulation: Fisheries Privatization and Endangered Species Protection:

This paper analyzes the relationship between state-oriented and neoliberal approaches to environmental regulation by examining simultaneous efforts to protect the endangered Steller sea lion and to privatize the fishery for Alaska pollock. Because these policies were designed and implemented at the same time and for the same industry, this case offers a unique opportunity to explore in detail not transitions from one type of policy regime to another but, rather, how these different policy regimes articulate. Rather than focusing on reregulation which occurs when neoliberal restructuring shifts away from traditional regulation while simultaneously developing new, market-oriented forms of regulation, this paper focuses on a different kind of reregulation which occurs when state-oriented and market-oriented approaches must coexist. Analysis of how regulators themselves write about the conjunction of these policies reveals that the two forms of regulation can be complementary. To the extent that neoliberal re...
Das Momentum eines Projekts

Damit ein Projekt gelingt, muss es in Schwung kommen und in Schwung gehalten werden. Meist denkt man, es brauche nur Geld. Wer Geld hat, wird mit dem Projekt Erfolg haben! Na, einen Berliner Flughafen bekommt man nicht so einfach aus Geld gebaut. Es gilt, die Mittel – von denen Geld nur eines ist – in Energie zu verwandeln, die das Projekt treibt, und alle erzeugten Energien sollten dem Ziel zustreben, mit Momentum!
Stimulation of cell motility and expression of late markers of differentiation in human oral keratinocytes by Candida albicans

A hallmark of the mucosa of immunocompromized hosts in oral candidiasis is a hyperkeratinized region heavily colonized with fungi at the surface of the terminally differentiated epithelium. To gain insight into the processes important for promoting mucosal invasion by fungi, we characterized the response of keratinocytes to the presence of Candida albicans. Indirect immunofluorescence and kymographic analyses revealed a multifaceted keratinocyte response of OKF6/TERT-2 cells to C. albicans that consisted of: cytoskeletal reorganization within 3 h, motility and cell expansion with formation of E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesions within 6 h, increased expression of late differentiation markers and decreased expression of calprotectin. The initial expansive phase was followed by dissolution of cell-cell adhesions and a decrease in cell size accompanied by loss of E-cadherin. The keratinocyte response depended on soluble factors associated with hyphal growth as demonstrated using the efg1Delta/efg1Delta, cap1Delta/cap1Delta, als3Delta/als3Delta, hwp1Delta/hwp1Deltaand sap4-6Delta/sap4-6Delta mutants and was not observed in the presence of the non-pathogenic yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These studies show the potential for C. albicans to manipulate the stratified epithelial cells to a state of differentiation that is more permissive of fungal colonization of oral tissue, which is likely to play an important role in the pathogenesis of candidiasis.
Molecular evolution and subunit structure of cattle lens alpha crystallin.

The present studies were based on the premise that any common determinants in homologous proteins must have originated with the common ancestor of all of the taxonomic groups in which that determinant occurs. Cross-reacting antigenic determinants of lens alpha crystallin in various classes of modern vertebrates were used to trace their evolutionary relationships.
Predicting final infarct size using acute and subacute multiparametric MRI measurements in patients with ischemic stroke.

Purpose To identify early MRI characteristics of ischemic stroke that predict final infarct size three months poststroke. Materials and Methods Multiparametric MRI (multispin echo T2-weighted [T2W] imaging, T1-weighted [T1W] imaging, and diffusion-weighted imaging [DWI]) was performed acutely (<24 hours), subacutely (three to five days), and at three months. MRI was processed using maps of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), T2, and a self-organizing data analysis (ISODATA) technique. Analyses began with testing for individual MRI parameter effects, followed by multivariable modeling with assessment of predictive ability (R2) on final infarct size. Results A total of 45 patients were studied, 15 of whom were treated with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) before acute MRI. The acute DWI and DWI-ISODATA mismatch lesion size, and the interactions of ADC, T2, and T2W imaging lesion with tPA remained in the final multivariable model (R2 = 70%). A large acute DWI lesion or DWI acute DWI lesion size predicted an increased final infarct size (P < 0.01). Conclusion Acute-phase DWI and DWI-ISODATA mismatch strongly predict the final infarct size. An acute-to-subacute DWI lesion size change further increases the predictive ability of the model. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2005;21:495–502. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Capabilities and limitations of an analytic potential expansion for diatomic molecules

Abstract A recently proposed alternative to the Dunham potential for diatomic molecules is examined in detail. This new potential is a series in powers of the variable z = (R − R e ) R . Constants derived from spectroscopic data are used to construct potential curves for CO, N2, NO, C2, CO+, N2+, O2+, NO+, and O2. The accuracy of the potential expansion is tested in three ways by calculating: (a) the potential at the vibrational turning points, (b) the turning points from input values of the potential, and (c) numerical eigenvalues and rotational constants. The computed potentials are in excellent agreement with RKR curves for the lower portions of the potential well and are in semiquantitative agreement for the upper portions.
The Flip Side of Synapse Elimination

The fine tuning of synaptic circuits often requires an activity-dependent phase in which appropriate connections are strengthened and inappropriate connections are eliminated. In this issue of Neuron, Walsh and Lichtman propose a novel "synaptic takeover" mechanism for synapse elimination at the vertebrate NMJ, where withdrawal of one axon is accompanied by expansion of a competing axon into the newly vacated territory.
The utilization of pyruvate and its conversion to glutamate in calf lens.

Pyruvate metabolism of intact calf lens-was studied by a lens culture procedure. Aerobic incubation of lens in presence of pyruvate did not increase the high energy phosphate level above that observed when no substrate was present. However, when glucose was added to the medium, the normal high energy phosphate content could be maintained in lens incubated not only aerobically but anaerobically as well. The results indicate that calf lens depends primarily on the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. Although the citric acid cycle is present, its contribution to the over-all energy stores appears small. Study with the variously labelled forms of pyruvate revealed some features of metabolism which are different in lens than those observed in other tissues. The oxidation of C1 of pyruvate to carbon dioxide in lens is much more rapid relative to the oxidation of the other two carbon atoms of pyruvate. The Cjl oxidation is geared to a dismutation reaction, in which one molecule is decarboxylated and another moleoule is reduced to lactate. The two carbon atoms remaining after the decarboxylation, reaction are in some way incorporated into glutamic acid. The ability of lens to synthesize glutamic acid may be related to the extremely high content of glutathione in this ocular tissue.
Hard choices in hard times: Valence voting in Germany (2009)

Recent studies of voting behavior in Anglo-American elections have demonstrated the clear superiority of the valence model over its rivals for explaining how people cast their ballots. In this paper we test the portability of the valence model in a particularly challenging setting the 2009 German Parliamentary elections. Although there are reasons to think that a spatial model might outperform the valence model, we find that the valence model outperforms it with results similar to previous findings in other political settings.
Leishmania donovani: Correlation among assays of amastigote viability

Abstract The viability of Leishmania donovani amastigotes was evaluated using two in vitro assays: the initiation of differentiation of viable cells toward the promastigote stage in tissue culture Medium 199 and the staining of nonviable amastigotes with erythrosin B. The results of these assays correlated with those of a previously described in vivo assay in which viability was related to the minimum number of amastigotes in mouse liver following intravenous injection. Results indicate that erythrosin B staining should be routinely used to evaluate viability of amastigote populations, but that the initiation of differentiation of amastigotes is a more sensitive assay. For best results with the latter method, it is suggested that no more than 1.2 × 107 amastigotes in 1 ml of Medium 199 be incubated at 25 C in 5% CO2 in air. The data presented indicate that routine manipulations may affect amastigote viability.
On the Physiology of Zoospore Production in Aphanomyces astaci

Aphunomgces astaci, Saprolegniaceae, the crayfish plague parasite, grows well in a buffered peptone - glucose - mineral salt medium but does not normally produce spores during growth in this medium. Sporulation is, however, easily induced by transfer to pond water. None of the components of the complete medium inhibited sporulation more than partly when tested solely or in combinations. Neither lack of oxygen, high carbon dioxide concentrations, nor osmotic phenomena could satisfactority exlpain the absence of spore formation in the complete medium. In a peptone - glucose growth medium low in phosphate and metal salts a sporulation inhibiting factor was formed by the mycelium. In this medium both good growth and good spore production could, however, occur simultaneously and spore production was here stimulated by a reduction in the oxygen tension. Liberation of formed spores into the medium was inhibited by mineral salts. It was less sensitive to lack of oxygen, respiratory inhibitors, and a factor formed during growth than was sporangial development. Development and maintenance of spore motility occurred even at very low oxygen tensions but was probably dependent upon an intact respiratory system.
A High Fill-Factor Annular Array of High Frequency Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

This paper presents a 1.2-mm diameter high fill-factor array of 1261 piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) operating at 18.6 MHz in fluid for intravascular ultrasound imaging. At 1061 transducers/ $\mathrm{mm}^{2}$ , the PMUT array has a 10–20 times higher density than previous PMUT arrays realized to date. Aluminum nitride (AlN)-based PMUTs described in this paper are fabricated using a process compatible with the fabrication of inertial sensors, radio frequency (RF) resonators, and CMOS integrated circuits. The PMUTs are released using a front-side sacrificial etch through etching holes that are subsequently sealed by a thin layer of parylene. Finite element method and analytical results, including resonant frequency, pressure sensitivity, output acoustic pressure, and directivity are given to guide the PMUT design effectively, and are shown to match well with measurement results. Due to the PMUTs thin membrane (750-nm AlN/800-nm SiO2) and small diameter, a single 25- $\mu $ m PMUT has approximately omnidirectional directivity and no near-field zone with irregular pressure pattern. PMUTs are characterized in both the frequency and time domains. Measurement results show a large displacement response of 2.5 nm/V at resonance and good frequency matching in air, high center frequency of 18.6 MHz and wide bandwidth of 4.9 MHz, when immersed in fluid. Phased array simulations based on measured PMUT parameters show a tightly focused high-output pressure acoustic beam. [2014-0114]
Specific Solvation Effects on the Structures and Properties of Neutral and One-Electron Oxidized Formamidine−Formamide Complexes. A Theoretical ab Initio Study

Ab initio quantum chemical calculations were performed for the neutral and one-electron oxidized formamidine−formamide model systems in the gas phase and in a water solution. Full geometry optimizations without any constraints on the planarity of these complexes were carried out at the HF/6-31G* level. For the neutral dimers, the solvent effects were modeled by explicit inclusion of four, six, and nine water molecules, which creates the first, intermediate, and second hydration spheres around these dimers. For one-electron oxidized systems, we have accounted for the effects of the first hydration shell water molecules. Single point calculations were also performed at the correlated MP2/6-31G*//HF/6-31G* level. The interaction and solvation energies were corrected for the basis set superposition error. It was shown that the relative stability of the neutral model formamidine−formamide complexes is quite opposite to that of the analogous adenine−uracil base pairs (J. Phys. Chem. A 1998, 102, 6167): the dou...
Renovascular operations in patients with chronic renal insufficiency: Do the benefits justify the risks?

Abstract To define the benefits and risks of renal revascularization or nephrectomy in patients with both severe hypertension and chronic renal insufficiency, we analyzed 98 patients who underwent renovascular operations after serum creatinine levels exceeded 2 mg/dl. This subset of patients was selected from a retrospective review of 652 renal operations performed at the Mayo Clinic for renovascular disease between 1970 and 1981. Special attention was given to the type of operations, their effect on hypertension and renal function, specific factors that affected operative deaths, and late survival. Unilateral renal operations were performed in 48 patients with bilateral procedures in 50. Simultaneous aortic reconstruction was necessary in 55 patients (56%). Postoperative diastolic blood pressure was less than 90 mm Hg in 55% of patients and 90 to 100 mm Hg in an additional 33%. Seventy-six percent of patients required less antihypertension medication. Serum creatinine improved or stabilized in 69%. Ninety percent of patients avoided any early or late renal dialysis. The operative mortality rate was 7.1% and tended to be higher in patients with a serum creatinine greater than 3 mg/dl and in those with past myocardial infarction (p = 0.05). The late survival rate was 64% at 5 years. The main cause of operative and late death was myocardial infarction. In conclusion, most patients with renovascular hypertension and early chronic renal insufficiency can be benefited by surgical revascularization or nephrectomy. Future improvement in early and late survival may require a more aggressive approach to the identification and correction of significant coronary artery disease. (J VASC SURG 1987;5:622-7.)
Successful Treatment of Cystinuria With Captopril

Cystinuria is an autosomal recessive hereditary disorder associated with nephrolithiasis and its attendant complications. Traditional management aimed at increasing urinary cystine solubility using oral alkali, D-penicillamine, or mercaptopropionyglycine is often unsuccessful due to intolerable side effects. Two cystinuric patients intolerant of traditional therapy were treated with captopril for 1 year, resulting in a marked decline in urinary cystine excretion. Neither patient experienced recurrent nephrolithiasis or adverse drug effects. Captopril should be considered an alternative to traditional drug management of cystinuria.
SU‐E‐J‐25: A Quantitative Comparison of Contrast‐To‐Noise in Rib Suppressed Images

Purpose: To compare the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of two different rib suppression methodologies ‐ dual‐energy (DE) image subtraction and blind signal separation (BSS)‐used for lung cancer patients receiving image‐guided radiotherapy. Methods: A database consisting of 28 planar radiographs obtained at 60 kVp and 120 kVp were used in this study. DE subtraction imaging was performed by taking a weighted logarithmic subtraction of the individual images. A weighting parameter of 2.1 was chosen to produce the optimal soft tissue (rib suppressed) images for each image pair. Similarly, BSS was used to extract the soft tissue and bony image components from a patient image. An open source program for performing BSS, called FastICA, was used in conjunction with the same 60 kVp and 120 kVp images. Regions of interest (ROIs) were contoured on the resultant images and the CNR from each technique was calculated and compared. Results: A paired t‐test was run on the CNR values, resulting in a p value 20% higher, and 4 had CNR values > 40% higher. Conclusion: Based on this study, DE image subtraction creates images with higher CNR values than those generated with FastICA. This is likely due, at least in part, to the ability to customize the weighting factor of the DE subtraction images. However, there are numerous methods for performing BSS outside of FastICA, and further study is warranted to determine if alternative BSS methods could produce better rib suppressed images. This research was supported by Varian Medical Systems.
The evolving clinical status of patients after a myocardial infarction: The importance of post-hospital data for mortality prediction

Abstract Studies predicting mortality after myocardial infarction (MI) usually rely on in-hospital data, and combine patients admitted for the first MI with recurrent MI patients. Since treatment decisions are often made or modified at the first outpatient clinic visit, this study was designed to evaluate the importance of post-hospital data on mortality prediction after a first myocardial infarction (MI). An inception cohort of patients enrolled in the Beta-Blocker in Heart Attack Trial ( n = 2830) was included. Forty-three variables (including in-hospital and post-hospital data) were evaluated using stepwise logistic regression. Ten variables were independently associated with 1-year mortality: five used in-hospital data (history of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, congestive heart failure [CHF], ventricular tachycardia, and age); and five variables depended on post-hospital data collected at the first outpatient visit (CHF after discharge, New York Heart Association functional class, heart rate, pulmonary rales, and smoking). Two predictive systems were developed that partitioned patients into one of four classes with distinct mortality risks: a composite system using the 10 in- and post-hospital variables, and a system using only the 5 in-hospital variables. Mortality risk for the composite system classes ranged from 0.6 to 20.0% (I [ n = 861], 0.6%; II [ n = 1151], 2.3%; III [ n = 698], 4.3%; IV [ n = 120], 20.0%). In contrast, the range of mortality risk using the in-hospital data only system was less (1 to 8.3%). Most importantly, a distinct gradient within each class of the in-hospital data only system was created by the addition of the post-hospital data. This study demonstrates that risk stratification after an acute first MI is improved by the addition of post-hospital data.
The crystal structure of the β-catenin/ICAT complex reveals the inhibitory mechanism of ICAT

Abstract β-catenin is a multifunctional protein involved in both cell adhesion and transcriptional activation. Transcription mediated by the β-catenin/Tcf complex is involved in embryological development and is upregulated in various cancers. We have determined the crystal structure at 2.5 A resolution of a complex between β-catenin and ICAT, a protein that prevents the interaction between β-catenin and Tcf/Lef family transcription factors. ICAT contains a 3-helix bundle that binds armadillo repeats 10–12 and a C-terminal tail that, similar to Tcf and E-cadherin, binds in the groove formed by armadillo repeats 5–9 of β-catenin. We show that ICAT selectively inhibits β-catenin/Tcf binding in vivo, without disrupting β-catenin/cadherin interactions. Thus, it should be possible to design cancer therapeutics that inhibit β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activation without interfering with cell adhesion.
Mitogenic effects of pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein α subunits: The mitogenic action of αi2 in NIH 3T3 cells is mimicked by αi1, but not αi3

Abstract In fibroblasts and other cell types, pertussis toxin (PTX) inhibits DNA synthesis in response to serum and certain growth factors. GTPase deficient forms of the PTX-sensitive G-protein α i2 subunit have been shown to induce partial transformation in fibroblasts. In order to determine whether other PTX-sensitive G-protein scan stimulate mitogenic pathways, we stably expressed constitutively activated G-protein α i1 and α i3 subunits in NIH 3T3 cells. Expression of activated α i1 , α i2 or α i3 results in inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in intact cells. Constitutively activated α i1 , but not α i3 , induces a loss of contact inhibition, a loss of anchorage-dependence, a reduced serum requirement and a decreased doubling time in NIH 3T3 cells. We conclude that α i1 and α i2 are both capable of transducing mitogenic signals, but that α i3 is not involved in the regulation of fibroblast growth. Furthermore, adenylyl cyclase inhibition is clearly not sufficient to explain the effect of α i2 on fibroblast growth.
The effect of vitamin D on urinary citrate in relation to calcium, phosphorus and urinary pH.

Abstract Vitamin D increased the amount of urinary citrate excreted by young rats kept on rations varying widely in mineral content. These rations ranged in composition from those providing an adequate mineral intake to those made grossly deficient in Ca, P, and other minerals. The biggest percentage increase in citrate was obtained with P-containing rations, but supplements of P, given in the form of neutral solutions of K phosphates to a low-P ration, reduced citrate elimination. An increase in urinary pH induced by vitamin D with rats on low-P rachitogenic rations was not obtained with rations adequate in P, yet an increase in citrate elimination resulted in all instances. Inasmuch as a supplement of vitamin D increased urinary citrate far more than did an additional large intake of NaHCO 3 , it appears that the effect of vitamin D is due to an increase in citrate synthesis rather than to a decrease in its destruction.