cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extraction, regeneration after bleaching, and ion-exchange chromatography of rhodopsin in Tween 80

Abstract Rhodopsin can be readily and somewhat, selectively extracted into Tween 80 solutions from the isolated photoreceptor particulate fraction of bovine retinal tissue. Approximately 80% of the rhodopsin is recovered from the particulate fraction with A 498 values of approximately 6 and spectral ratios ( A 278 : A 498 ) of 1.8-1.9. The solutions are estimated to be approximately 97% pure based upon assay of protein and rhodopsin content and 98% pure based upon chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. The bulk of the rhodopsin can be regenerated after bleaching in Tween 80. Partial regenerability is retained when solutions of unbleached or bleached rhodopsin in Tween 80 are further purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography.
Hydromineral regulation in the saline water corixid Trichocorixa reticulata (Hemiptera: Corixidae)

Abstract The aquatic corixid Trichocorixa reticulata (Guerin-Meneville) inhabits coastal marshes, brackish water ponds and salt ponds of high salinity, suggesting the presence of well developed mechanisms for hydromineral regulation. Groups of corixids acclimated in salinities ranging from fresh water to just above 300% sea water (100‰) were analyzed for total body water content, haemolymph ionic and osmotic levels, and haemolymph free amino acids. Results indicate an excellent ability to maintain haemolymph Na + , Cl − , Mg 2+ and K + hyperosmotic to the medium at low salinities and hyposmotic at high salinities. Calcium appears to conform closely to changes in external medium, becoming hyposmotic at very high salinities (80‰). Total haemolymph osmotic pressure was well regulated, the freezing point depression varying from 0.75°C in distilled water to 1.15°C in salinities of 100‰. Total body water was maintained at approx. 75% of the total animal wet weight at all salinities tested. Free amino acids were maintained between 40–60 mM in all tests and did not appear to change with salinity.
The use of structured multi-domain job analysis for the construction of assessment center methods and procedures

This article addresses the defensibility of the assessment center based on a content oriented validation strategy. One reason for the confusion in this area is the fact that there are no agreed upon methods for constructing the assessment procedures. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to describe how structured multi-domain job analysis information can be used to develop an assessment center which is well grounded with regard to content validity.
Dynamic optimization in animal feeding strategies, with application to African weaver birds

Feeding by an animal having several modes of food searching is considered as an optimal control problem. State equations arise from a model of mass or energy balance of the feeder. Control and state constraints result, respectively, from daily-feeding-time restrictions and from the prohibition against starvation. Various possible cost indices result from various models of long-range goals of the feeder, stated in terms of natural selection pressure. As an example, a simplified model is posed for the African weaver birdQuelea quelea. Using a global, long-range cost index of minimum total feeding time over the year, good qualitative agreement is reached between the model and the actual animal, in terms of daily feeding strategies and weight gain histories. (The description of the animal's feeding practices is summarized from 1965 and 1971 field observation papers by Ward.)
Effects of a selective and a nonselective muscarinic cholinergic antagonist on heart rate and intestinal motility in dogs

The effects of methoctramine, a cardioselective muscarinic cholinergic antagonist, on heart rate and small intestinal motor activity were compared to those of the nonselective competitive muscarinic antagonist, atropine. Methoctramine or atropine, 6, 10, 30, 60 micrograms/kg, or sterile isotonic saline, was administered intravenously to six conscious dogs in cross-over studies. Methoctramine administration caused dose-dependent tachycardia without affecting intestinal motility, while atropine administration caused dose-dependent tachycardia accompanied by significant reductions in small intestinal motility. Additionally, methoctramine did not inhibit intestinal smooth muscle contractile activity initiated by the muscarinic agonist bethanechol, while atropine inhibited bethanechol-induced contractile activity in a dose-dependent manner. Calculated, dosages of methoctramine and atropine required to produce a 50% increase in heart rate over baseline were 35.1 +/- 5.3 and 39.5 +/- 6.2 micrograms/kg, respectively. This dosage of atropine caused a 93 +/- 13.9% reduction in intestinal motility. These findings suggest that selective muscarinic antagonists may be useful drugs for those veterinary patients in which nonselective muscarinic antagonists have the potential to produce untoward effects on intestinal motility.
Locally toleranced surface simplification

We present a technique for simplifying a triangulated surface. Simplifying consists of approximating the surface with another surface of lower triangle count. Our algorithm can preserve the volume of a solid to within machine accuracy; it favors the creation of near-equilateral triangles. We develop novel methods for reporting and representing a bound to the approximation error between a simplified surface and the original, and respecting a variable tolerance across the surface. A different positive error value is reported at each vertex. By linearly blending the error values in between vertices, we define a volume of space, called the error volume, as the union of balls of linearly varying radii. The error volume is built dynamically as the simplification progresses, on top of preexisting error volumes that it contains. We also build a tolerance volume to forbid simplification errors exceeding a local tolerance. The information necessary to compute error values is local to the star of a vertex; accordingly, the complexity of the algorithm is either linear or in O(n log n) in the original number of surface edges, depending on the variant. We extend the mechanisms of error and tolerance volumes to preserve during simplification scalar and vector attributes associated with surface vertices. Assuming a linear variation across triangles, error and tolerance volumes are defined in the same fashion as for positional error. For normals, a corrective term is applied to the error measured at the vertices to compensate for nonlinearities.
Blockade of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum K+ channel by Ca2+: two-binding-site model of blockade

Potassium countercurrent through the SR K+ channel plays an important role in Ca2+ release from the SR. To see if Ca2+ regulates the channel, we incorporated canine cardiac SR K+ channel into lipid bilayers. Calcium ions present in either the SR lumenal (trans) or cytoplasmic (cis) side blocked the cardiac SR K+ channel in a voltage-dependent manner. When Ca2+ was present on both sides, however, the block appeared to be voltage independent. A two-binding site model of blockade by an impermeant divalent cation (Ca2+) can explain this apparent contradiction. Estimates of SR Ca2+ concentration suggest that under physiological conditions the cardiac SR K+ channel is partially blocked by Ca2+ ions present in the lumen of the SR. The reduction in lumenal [Ca2+] during Ca2+ release could increase K+ conductance.
Network Community Design: A Social-Technical DesignCircle

Network communities are especially interesting and useful settings in which to look closely at the co-evolution of technology and social practice, to begin to understand how to explore the full space of design options and implications. In a network community we have a magnified view of the interactions between social practice and technical mechanisms, since boundaries between designers and users are blurred and co-evolution here is unusually responsive to user experience. This paper is a reflection on how we have worked with social and technical design elements in Pueblo, a school-centered network community supported by a MOO (an Internet-accessible, text-based virtual world). Four examples from Pueblo illustrate different ways of exploring the design space. The examples show how designers can rely on social practice to simplify a technical implementation, how they can design technical mechanisms to work toward a desirable social goal, how similar technical implementations can have different social effects, and how social and technical mechanisms co-evolve. We point to complexities of the design process and emphasize the contributions of mediators in addressing communication breakdowns among a diverse group of designers.
Optical Studies of Pulsar NP 0532.

The period of optical pulsations from NP 0532 has been determined to within 3 nanoseconds on three different nights. The time rate of change of the period (dP/dt)p was 36.17 x 10-9 second per day. The pulse shape was highly asymmetrical with strong indications of structure. The ratio of the amplitude of the main pulse to that of the interpulse varied with time. No evidence was found for photon coincidences in the pulse on a time scale shorter than 2 microseconds.
On the possibility of single-frequency acoustic measurement of sand and clay concentrations in uniform suspensions

Abstract There are fluvial, estuarine, and coastal environments in which the size distribution of suspended sediment is sometimes bi-modal, with one narrow peak in the size range of clay and the other narrow peak in the size range of sand. In such situations it is possible to exploit the acoustic scattering and dissipation properties of the water-sediment mixture to estimate the concentration of the two different size suspended sediment constituents using the measured backscatter from a single frequency transceiver. While it may seem counter-intuitive that the backscatter from a single frequency could be utilized to estimate the concentrations of two different size fractions, the dominance of the clay to sound attenuation and the sand to sound back-scattering can be usefully exploited under unusual conditions where the characteristic sizes of the two sediment fractions are approximately known, and the concentrations of the clay and sand are homogeneous along the acoustic sound path.
Hamiltonian systems of limit point or limit circle type with both endpoints singular

Abstract A linear Hamiltonian system J y′ = ( λA + B ) y is considered on an open interval ( a , b ), where both a and b are singular. The system is assumed to be of limit point or limit circle type at the endpoints. A theory of boundary problems for such systems is developed. Explicit boundary conditions are given, resolvent operators constructed and unique solutions established. The results given extend to Hamiltonian systems a theory of singular boundary value problems due to M. H. Stone and K. Kodaira.
Communication patterns: a tool for analyzing communication in emerging computer science educational practices (abstract only)

We introduce Communication Patterns (CPs) as a tool for rigorous qualitative analysis of project communication. Using our library of student capstone project case studies as a test bed, we describe our approach to communication analysis. We identify, analyze and compare the communication, at various granularities, that takes place in student projects. The patterns allow us to objectively describe the structure (what, how, who, where, when, why) of the different forms of communication that occur in a software project. Patterns range from strategic (choice of genre) to tactical (wording or tone). We use CPs to sensitize students to their communication choices as developers and users. The CP framework is familiar to students (akin to design patterns) and generative (readily extendible to new scenarios). In addition, we as researchers and instructors plan to use CPs to assess how new pedagogical practices, moving from traditional classroom communication towards more blended learning, are changing the student experience and assess the effectiveness of current software project communication practices. We use CPs to analyze the communication that occurs in teaching computer use to novice senior citizens. The examples illustrate how CPs can be used to study communication practices in many different contexts of software development or use.
Spontaneous dynamics and response properties of a Hodgkin-Huxley-type neuron model driven by harmonic synaptic noise.

We study statistical properties, response dynamics, and information transmission in a Hodgkin-Huxley–type neuron system, modeling peripheral electroreceptors in paddlefish. In addition to sodium and potassium currents, the neuron model includes fast calcium and slow afterhyperpolarization (AHP) potassium currents. The synaptic transmission from sensory epithelium is modeled by a Poission process with a rate modulated by narrow-band noise, mimicking stochastic epithelial oscillations observed experimentally. We study how the interplay of parameters of AHP current and synaptic noise affects the statistics of spontaneous dynamics and response properties of the system. In particular, we confirm predictions made earlier with perfect integrate and fire and phase neuron models that epithelial oscillations enhance stimulus–response coherence and thus information transmission in electroreceptor system. In addition, we consider a strong stimulus regime and show that coherent epithelial oscillations may reduce variability of electroreceptor responses to time-varying stimuli.
Na+ binding to meizothrombin desF1

Meizothrombin is the physiologically active intermediate generated by a single cleavage of prothrombin at R320 to separate the A and B chains. Recent evidence has suggested that meizothrombin, like thrombin, is a Na+-activated enzyme. In this study we present the first X-ray crystal structure of human meizothrombin desF1 solved in the presence of the active site inhibitor PPACK at 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals a Na+ binding site whose architecture is practically identical to that of human thrombin. Stopped-flow measurements of Na+ binding to meizothrombin desF1 document a slow phase of fluorescence change with a kobs decreasing hyperbolically with increasing [Na+], consistent with the existence of three conformations in equilibrium, E*, E and E:Na+, as for human thrombin. Evidence that meizothrombin exists in multiple conformations provides valuable new information for studies of the mechanism of prothrombin activation.
A CATALOG OF NORTHERN STARS WITH ANNUAL PROPER MOTIONS LARGER THAN 0".15 (LSPM-NORTH CATALOG)

The LSPM catalog is a comprehensive list of 61,977 stars north of the J2000 celestial equator that have proper motions larger than 015 yr-1 (local-background-stars frame). The catalog has been generated primarily as a result of our systematic search for high proper motion stars in the Digitized Sky Surveys using our SUPERBLINK software. At brighter magnitudes, the catalog incorporates stars and data from the Tycho-2 Catalogue and also, to a lesser extent, from the All-Sky Compiled Catalogue of 2.5 million stars. The LSPM catalog considerably expands over the old Luyten (Luyten Half-Second [LHS] and New Luyten Two-Tenths [NLTT]) catalogs, superseding them for northern declinations. Positions are given with an accuracy of 100 mas at the 2000.0 epoch, and absolute proper motions are given with an accuracy of ≈8 mas yr-1. Corrections to the local-background-stars proper motions have been calculated, and absolute proper motions in the extragalactic frame are given. Whenever available, we also give optical BT and VT magnitudes (from Tycho-2, ASCC-2.5), photographic BJ, RF, and IN magnitudes (from USNO-B1 catalog), and infrared J, H, and Ks magnitudes (from 2MASS). We also provide an estimated V magnitude and V - J color for nearly all catalog entries, useful for initial classification of the stars. The catalog is estimated to be over 99% complete at high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 15°) and over 90% complete at low Galactic latitudes (|b| > 15°), down to a magnitude V = 19.0, and has a limiting magnitude V = 21.0. All the northern stars listed in the LHS and NLTT catalogs have been reidentified, and their positions, proper motions, and magnitudes reevaluated. The catalog also lists a large number of completely new objects, which promise to expand very significantly the census of red dwarfs, subdwarfs, and white dwarfs in the vicinity of the Sun.
The Cdc42 target ACK2 interacts with sorting nexin 9 (SH3PX1) to regulate epidermal growth factor receptor degradation.

Activated Cdc42-associated kinase-2 (ACK2) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that serves as a specific effector for Cdc42, a Rho family small G-protein. Recently, we have found that ACK2 directly interacts with clathrin heavy chain through a clathrin-binding motif that is conserved in all endocytic adaptor proteins and regulates clathrin assembly, suggesting that ACK2 plays a role in clathrin-coated vesicle endocytosis (Yang, W., Lo, C. G., Dispenza, T., and Cerione, R. A. (2001)J. Biol. Chem. 276, 17468–17473). Here we report the identification of another binding partner for ACK2 that has previously been implicated in endocytosis, namely the sorting nexin protein SH3PX1 (sorting nexin 9). The interaction occurs between a proline-rich domain of ACK2 and the Src homology 3 domain (SH3) of SH3PX1. Co-immunoprecipitation studies indicate that ACK2, clathrin, and SH3PX1 form a complex in cells. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated the tyrosine phosphorylation of SH3PX1, whereas co-transfection of ACK2 with SH3PX1 resulted in the constitutive phosphorylation of SH3PX1. However, co-transfection of the kinase-dead mutant ACK2(K158R) with SH3PX1 blocked EGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of SH3PX1, indicating that the EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of SH3PX1 is mediated by ACK2. EGF receptor levels were significantly decreased following EGF stimulation of cells co-expressing ACK2 and SH3PX1, thus highlighting a novel role for ACK2, working together with SH3PX1 to promote the degradation of the EGF receptor.
Dissociation between adenosine receptors and adenylate cyclase in the smooth muscle of guinea pig myometrium.

Abstract We have previously demonstrated that adenosine causes contraction of guinea-pig myometrium in a fashion consistent with the presence of a purinergic receptor of the A1 subtype. Incubation of guinea-pig uterine smooth muscle membranes with the stable adenosine analogue [3H]cyclohexyladenosine ([3H]CHA) resulted in rapid, reversible association of radioligand to saturable sites. The affinity (KD) of the receptor for [3H]CHA determined from kinetic experiments (3.14 nM) is in good agreement with that determined in saturation experiments (KD=4.5 nM). Scatchard analysis of specific [3H]CHA binding (Bmax=79 fmol/mg protein) is consistent with a single class of binding sites for [3H]CHA. Computer analysis of competition of [3H]CHA binding by the stereoisomers of phenylisopropyl adenosine, R-PIA (KI=5.3 nM) and S-PIA (KI=69 nM), as well as the 5′-substituted analogue, ethylcarboxamide adenosine (NECA; KI=4.2 nM) suggest that [3H]CHA binding occurs to a single class of receptors of the A1 subtype. Contractile studies employing these agents reveal that the relative order of potency, based on ED50 values, correlates well with the relative order of competition of agonist binding, based on equilibrium binding constants. Direct assay of myometrial adenylate cycloase failed to show that adenosine receptors in this smooth muscle are coupled to adenylate cyclase. We conclude here that a smooth muscle adenosine receptor is not coupled to adenylate cyclase, yet subserves muscle contraction. These data are important in light of recent attempts to classify adenosine receptors as dual regulators of adenylate cyclase.
4MDS: A Geometric Constraint Based Motion Design Software for Synthesis and Simulation of Planar Four-Bar Linkages

This paper presents our recent work on designing and developing a geometric constraint based motion design software system for planar four-bar linkages. Given a motion task, the software computes possible four-bar linkage topologies as well as its dimensions. This capability to analyze the given task and find the best type of the linkage and the dimensions simultaneously sets it apart from any other linkage design software. The Four-Bar Motion Design System (4MDS) makes the synthesis and simulation capabilities available to mechanism designers in an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) environment. Instead of taking a black box approach to mechanism design, wherein the user simply enters the motion requirements and the software outputs parameters of mechanisms, this software facilitates a dialog with the designer by providing various paths to simulation and synthesis in a design session. The designer has complete control over the specification of motion task, interactive tweaking of the motion, choice of linkage topology computed, dimensional changes, and their apparent effect on motion, all done in real time. This interactivity enhances designers kinematic experience. The underlying theoretical foundation of this paper is based on our earlier work on a task-driven approach to unified type and dimensional synthesis of planar four-bar linkage mechanisms. Instead of treating a planar four-bar mechanism as a set of connected rigid links and joints, we treat them as line or circle constraint generators. With that view, the synthesis problem is reduced to extracting geometric constraints hidden in a given motion task and the simulation is reduced to assembling constraints realizable by mechanical dyads. The algorithm employed is simple and efficient and permits real-time computation, and thus precludes using a limiting database-oriented approach. This tool should make innovation of mechanical motion generating devices accessible to novice and experienced designers alike.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Reaction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cytochrome P450 enzymes with nitric oxide.

During the initial growth infection stage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), •NO produced by host macrophages inhibits heme-containing terminal cytochrome oxidases, inactivates iron/sulfur proteins and promotes entry into latency. Here we evaluate the potential of •NO as an inhibitor of Mtb cytochrome P450 enzymes, as represented by CYP130, CYP51 and the two previously uncharacterized enzymes CYP125 and CYP142. Using UV-visible absorption, resonance Raman, and stopped-flow spectroscopy, we investigated the reactions of •NO with these hemeproteins in their ferric resting form. •NO coordinates tightly to CYP125 and CYP142 (submicromolar), and with a lower affinity (micromolar) to CYP130 and CYP51. Anaerobic reduction of the ferric-NO species with sodium dithionite led to the formation of two spectrally distinct classes of five-coordinate ferrous-NO complexes. Exposure of these species to O2 revealed that the ferrous-NO forms of CYP125 and CYP142 are labile and convert back to the ferric state within a few minutes, whereas ferrous CYP130 and CYP51 bind •NO almost irreversibly. This work clearly indicates that, at physiological concentrations (≈ 1 μM), •NO would impair the activity of CYP130 and CYP51, whereas CYP125 and CYP142 are more resistant. Selective P450 inhibition may contribute to the inhibitory effects of •NO on Mtb growth.
Stimulus- response compatibility and the rate of gain of information

Fifty-four Ss responded vocally at three levels of stimulus uncertainty to visually presented Arabic numerals. Responses were paired with stimuli in three ways to create ensembles that demonstrated high, intermediate, and low S-R compatibility effects. RT was found to be an increasing linear function of the amount of information transmitted (Ht); the degree to which RT is influenced by Ht was found to be an inverse function of the degree of S-R compatibility.
Top-down processes in perceiving false depth and motion for faces and scenes

There are at least two broad classes of three-dimensional (3D) stimuli that tend to be perceived in illusory reverse depth: hollow masks and “reverspectives”, the latter having been invented by Patrick Hughes in 1964. Because of the depth inversion, these stimuli appear to move when observers move in front of them. The illusion is diminished significantly when a hollow mask is inverted, as compared to an upright mask; the same trend is observed with inverted reverspectives, as compared to upright reverspectives, but the inversion effect is weaker than that in faces. The inversion effect can be attributed to top-down influences in perception, and the results point to a stronger role of such influences for the perception of faces than scenes.
Increased diagnosis of asthma in hospitalized infants: the next target population for care management?

Hospitalization of children with asthma declined at our institution between 1996 and 2000, before stabilizing for the past 5 years. The ages of children hospitalized since 2000 were examined to see if the demographics of the hospitalized population have changed to better understand why the hospitalization rate has remained the same despite continued, aggressive screening and education efforts. Data were gathered for our hospital through the Department of Defense Medical Health System Management Analysis and Reporting System (M2). The mean age (± SD) of children hospitalized in 2003 (2.84 ± 2.53) was less than the mean age for 2000 and 2002 (4.85 ± 3.7 and 4.61 ± 4.45), respectively (p < 0.05), and more infants less than 2 years of age were hospitalized in 2003 (33/60, 55% p < 0.01) and 2004 (32/68, 47% p < 0.05) than in 2000 (19/70, 27%). The diagnosis of asthma in hospitalized infants and young children has increased over the past 5 years, suggesting better recognition and providing a new target populati...
UTSAF: A Multi-Agent-Based Software Bridge for Interoperability between Distributed Military and Commercial Gaming Simulation

Rapid advances in consumer electronics have led to the anomaly that consumer off-the-shelf gaming hardware and software provide better interactive graphics than military and other specialized systems costing orders of magnitude more. UTSAF (Unreal Tournament Semi-Automated Force) is bridging software written to take advantage of the power of gaming systems by allowing them to participate in distributed simulations with military simulators. UTSAF illustrates the use of multiagent technology to flexibly interconnect otherwise incompatible systems. This article describes an architectural approach for rapidly constructing middleware by taking advantage of built-in capabilities for processing, communication, and interoperation that a multiagent infrastructure provides. Several software agents based on Reusable Environment for Task-Structured Intelligent Networked Agents (RETSINAs) are used to support interoperability between military simulation nodes based on distributed interactive simulation and Unreal game simulators. Using a multiagent system, UTSAF can be expanded to support several network environments and interact with other agent-based software.
Coefficient of Variation, Signal-to-Noise Ratio, and Effects of Normalization in Validation of Biomarkers from NMR-based Metabonomics Studies.

A primary goal of metabonomics research is biomarker discovery for human diseases based on differences in metabolic profiles between healthy and diseased patient populations. One of the most significant challenges in biomarker discovery is validation, which implicitly depends on the coefficient of variation (CV) associated with the measurement technique. This paper investigates how the CV of metabolite resonances measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) depends on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and normalization method. CVs were calculated for NMR resonance peaks in a series of NMR spectra of five synthetic urine samples collected over an eight-month period. An inverse correlation was detected between SNR and CV for all normalization methods. Small peaks with SNR 150, which typically had smaller CVs (5-10%). The inverse relationship between CV and SNR roughly obeyed a log10 dependence. Quotient normalization (QN) tended to produce smaller CVs for smaller peaks, but larger CVs for the strongest peaks in the data, compared to no normalization, normalization to total intensity (NTI) or normalization to an internal standard (NIS). Consequently, quotient normalization appears optimal for validating low concentration metabolites. NTI or NIS appear superior to QN for samples that have very small variation in total signal intensity. While the inverse relationship between CV and log10(SNR) did not strictly hold for all metabolites, weaker concentration metabolites will likely require more rigorous validation as potential biomarkers since they tend to have poorer reproducibility.
Spectrophotometric determination of gold with phenyl-α-pyridyl ketoxime

Abstract A method is described for the spectrophotometric determination of gold in the concentration range of 2 to 16 p.p.m. using phenyl-α-pyridyl ketoxime as the reagent. The reagent permits to detect Iμ of gold in I ml of a solution. The method is particularly free from interference by the ions with which gold is frequently associated.
Evaluation of bedside testing options for the critical care unit.

patient” testing may be performed in an area close to the patient (ie, stat laboratory in the intensive care unit [ICU]) or at the patient’s bedside. This report will discuss issues that pertain to bedside testing, primarily as it applies to the critically ill patient. Critically ill patients may be located in the ICU, cardiac care unit (CCU), burn unit, respiratory care unit, intermediate care unit, emergency room, recovery room, and operating room. BENEFITS OF BEDSIDE TESTING Bedside testing allows for “real-time” treatment of patients because it decreases the “turnaround time” for obtaining laboratory results. Laboratory turnaround times may be divided into three separate times: laboratory time, testing time, and therapeutic time. Laboratory time refers to the actual time that it takes the clinical laboratory to perform a test once they have the specimen in their possession. Testing time refers to the time it takes to obtain the specimen, transport the specimen to the laboratory, and obtain the result from the test. Therapeutic time represents the total time from ordering the test until a therapeutic action is made based on the testing result. It includes the time it takes to contact the physician, evaluate the test result, and begin or alter a therapy. Therapeutic time will be prolonged in situations in which the primary physician is busy or leaves the patient area. Obviously, the therapeutic time is the most important for the patient. Delay in therapeutic time may delay therapy and increase hospital stay and cost. We recently determined the turnaround times for obtaining results of stat electrolytes (ie, sodium, potassium) for patients in the ICU of a teaching hospital in which primary care was provided by residents from individual services (ie, surgery, medicine, orthopedics). Laboratory time averaged seven minutes, testing time averaged 90 minutes, and therapeutic time aver
Effects of interleukins 2 and 12 on the levels of granzyme B and perforin and their mRNAs in tributyltin-exposed human natural killer cells

Natural killer (NK) cells are a subset of lymphocytes that are capable of killing tumor cells, virally infected cells and antibody coated cells. Tributyltin (TBT) is a toxic chemical used for various industrial purposes such as: slime control in paper mills, disinfection of circulating industrial cooling waters, anti-fouling agents, and the preservation of wood. TBT can be found in edible items such as fish. A previous study showed that a 1 h exposure of NK cells to TBT caused persistent inhibition of NK-cell ability to destroy tumor cells in the 24 and 48 h periods following exposure and that this loss of function could be significantly prevented and/or reversed if the NK-stimulatory interleukins (IL) 2 or 12 were present during the 24 and 48 h periods. We had also shown that TBT exposure was able to significantly decrease the protein and mRNA levels of the cytotoxic proteins, granzyme B and perforin, and the phosphorylation of cAMP-response-element-binding protein (CREB) under these conditions. In this study we address the effects of IL-2 and IL-12 on the TBT-induced decreases in NK-cell levels of the cytotoxic proteins, their mRNAs, and CREB phosphorylation. IL-2 appeared to prevent/reverse TBT-induced declines in perforin protein levels and the mRNA for perforin seen in the 24 h period following a 1 h exposure to 300 nM TBT. However, the TBT-induced decreases in the levels of perforin and perforin mRNA seen in the 48 h period following a 1 h exposure to TBT were not statistically significantly prevented/reversed by IL-2. Additionally, the TBT-induced decreases in granzyme B, granzyme B mRNA, and CREB phosphorylation were not statistically significantly reversed by either IL-2 or IL-12 after 24 or 48 h.
Rates of sediment accumulation in pollen cores from small lakes and mires of eastern North America.

Data from 291 small lakes and mires in eastern North America provide information on the natural variability of rates of sediment accumulation in these environments over the last 18,000 yr. Accumulation rates were calculated by linear interpolation between radiocarbon and biostratigraphic dates from sediment cores taken for pollen analysis. Within the data set, the rates were lognormally distributed with a mean accumulation rate of 91 cm/103 yr, and a range from less than 1 to over 3500 cm/103 yr. The accumulation rate data were divided into five subsets that were temporally or spatially distinct and therefore represent different geomorphic and climatic conditions at the time of deposition. Sediments deposited in basins north of 50°N, south of 40°N, and before 10,000 yr B.P. accumulated at much slower rates than sediments accumulating in midlatitude basins (between 40° and 50°N) between 10,000 and 330 yr B.P. Sediment accumulation over the last 330 yr has, on average, been at rates four to five times faster than any time previously. Inorganic sediments that could be radiocarbon-dated have accumulated at significantly lower rates than organic sediments, reflecting differences in depositional processes. For midlatitude basins during the Holocene, the most likely rate of continuous sediment accumulation within our data set is 65 cm/103 yr. Rates below 10 cm/103 yr are likely to be associated with nonconstant processes of sediment accumulation.
George Bernard Shaw and Karl Marx

In spite of a vast critical literature of increasing agreement, Shaw is stillregarded by many as an irresponsible clown and by many more as a negligible thinker on serious subjects. No one can read about him without realizing that he is anything but negligible. Mr. T. A. Knowlton has thought his economics worthy of lengthy and respectful treatment, and many authorities have attested to his importance in the history of socialism. In her recent work Mrs. Helen M. Lynd says that the Fabian Society developed under the inspiration of Shaw; he “set its early tone.”
Silk–hyaluronan-based composite hydrogels: A novel, securable vehicle for drug delivery:

A new, biocompatible hyaluronic acid (HA)–silk hydrogel composite was fabricated and tested for use as a securable drug delivery vehicle. The composite consisted of a hydrogel formed by cross-linki...
Enhanced lubrication on tissue and biomaterial surfaces through peptide-mediated binding of hyaluronic acid

Lubrication is key for the efficient function of devices and tissues with moving surfaces, such as articulating joints, ocular surfaces and the lungs. Indeed, lubrication dysfunction leads to increased friction and degeneration of these systems. Here, we present a polymer-peptide surface coating platform to non-covalently bind hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural lubricant in the body. Tissue surfaces treated with the HA-binding system exhibited higher lubricity values, and in vivo were able to retain HA in the articular joint and to bind ocular tissue surfaces. Biomaterials-mediated strategies that locally bind and concentrate HA could provide physical and biological benefits when used to treat tissue-lubricating dysfunction and to coat medical devices.
Impact of Creativity Instruction on Learning Disabled Students' Divergent Thinking

Fifty students from intermediate level learning disabilities classrooms served as subjects. The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were used as pretests and post tests to measure the effect of creativity instruction on the subjects' cognitive skills. For 14 weeks the Purdue Creative Thinking Program was used to stimulate the learning disabled experimental group's creative thinking. Subjects in the learning disabled experimental group made significantly greater scores than the learning disabled control group in divergent thinking as measured by the verbal and figural subtests of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.
Application programming structure and physics applications

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is using a Java based hierarchal framework for application program development. The framework is designed to provide an accelerator physics programming interface to the accelerator, called XAL. Much of the underlying interface to the EPICS control system is hidden from the user. Use of this framework allows writing of general-purpose applications that can be applied to various parts of the accelerator. Also, since the accelerator structure is initiated from a database, introduction of new beamline devices or signal modifications are immediately available for all XAL applications. Direct scripting interfaces are available for both Jython and Matlab, for rapid prototyping uses. Initial applications such as orbit difference, orbit correction and a general purpose diagnostic tool have been developed and tested with the SNS front end. The overall framework is described, and example applications are shown.
“Specialized” Production in Archaeological Contexts: Rethinking Specialization, the Social Value of Products, and the Practice of Production

The contributions to this volume are introduced via a critical review of terms and concepts used in craft production studies today. Recent detailed contextual and technological analyses of artifacts from all aspects of complex societies have revealed interesting patterns that are difficult to conceptualize using a purely economic framework. Furthermore, interest in practice theory, and sociocultural theory in general, has shifted some foci of archaeological investigation toward the social aspects of production and specialization. New data, methods, and theories require a rethinking of what is meant by specialized production, and this chapter represents an introduction to this endeavor.
Performance Bounds and Suboptimal Policies for Multi-Period Investment

We consider dynamic trading of a portfolio of assets in discrete periods over a finite time horizon, with arbitrarytime-varying distribution of asset returns. The goal is to maximize the total expected revenue from the portfolio,while respecting constraints on the portfolio such as a required terminal portfolio and leverage and risk limits. Therevenue takes into account the gross cash generated in trades, transaction costs, and costs associated with thepositions, such as fees for holding short positions. Our model has the form of a stochastic control problem with lineardynamics and convex cost function and constraints. While this problem can be tractably solved in several special cases,such as when all costs are convex quadratic, or when there are no transaction costs, our focus is on the more generalcase, with nonquadratic cost terms and transaction costs.We show how to use linear matrix inequality techniques and semidefinite programming to produce a quadratic bound onthe value function, which in turn gives a bound on the optimal performance. This performance bound can be used to judgethe performance obtained by any suboptimal policy. As a by–product of the performance bound computation, we obtain anapproximate dynamic programming policy that requires the solution of a convex optimization problem, often a quadraticprogram, to determine the trades to carry out in each step. While we have no theoretical guarantee that the performanceof our suboptimal policy is always near the performance bound (which would imply that it is nearly optimal) we observethat in numerical examples the two values are typically close.
A general bottom-up procedure for searching and/or graphs

This paper summarizes work on a general bottom-up procedure for searching AND/OR graphs which includes a number of procedures for searching AND/OR graphs, state-space graphs, and dynamic programming procedures as its special cases. The paper concludes with comments on the significance of this work in the context of the author's unified approach to search procedures.
Phyllo: a peer-to-peer overlay security framework

Despite the success of peer-to-peer systems, a majority of their overlay architectures are vulnerable to exploitation. Some of the features for improved performance have created security holes that attackers can breach to gain control of the network. De facto network security solutions (e.g., trusted servers, encryption, and firewalls) offer little assistance, as they are often not compatible with the open and decentralized structure of peer-to-peer networks. To address overlay security problems, we propose Phyllo, a node-partitioning framework that isolates untrusted nodes from the core network. Yet, the isolated nodes can still participate in peer-to-peer communications. Our partitioning scheme also allows nodes to move between partitions, while introducing marginal performance overheads. Our experimental results indicate that Phyllo supports more reliable message delivery in the presence of malicious nodes.
Negative contrast in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Goldfish in a successive differential discrimination displayed strong negative contrast. A successive nondifferential shift in reward magnitude did not produce clear negative contrast, however. Response speed changed appropriately when reward magnitudes were changed. There was no indication of positive contrast in either condition.
Characterizing the particle size distribution of Saturn’s A ring with Cassini UVIS occultation data

Abstract Stellar occultation data from Cassini’s Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) have revealed diffraction spikes near sharp edges in Saturn’s rings. The UVIS High Speed Photometer (HSP) observes these spikes as signals at ring edges that surpass measurements of the unocculted stellar signal. In Saturn’s A ring, diffracted light can augment the direct stellar signal by up to 6% and can be detected tens of kilometers radially from the edge. The radial profile of the diffraction signal is dependent on the size distribution of the particle population near the ring edge. These diffraction signals are clearly observed at sharp edges throughout Saturn’s ring system. In this paper we focus on the clearest detections at the outer edge of the A ring and at the edges of the Encke Gap. We present a forward model in which we reconstruct the spacecraft’s observations for each stellar occultation by ring edges. The model produces a synthetic diffraction signal for a given truncated power-law particle size distribution, which we compare with the observed signal. We find an overall steepening of the power-law size distribution and a decrease in the minimum particle size at the outer edge of the A ring when compared with the Encke Gap edges. This suggests that interparticle collisions caused by satellite perturbations in the region result in more shedding of regolith or fragmentation of particles in the outermost parts of the A ring. We rule out any significant population of sub-millimeter-sized particles in Saturn’s A ring, placing a lower limitation of 1-mm on the minimum particle size in the ring.
Treatment with Linezolid or Vancomycin in Combination with Rifampin Is Effective in an Animal Model of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Foreign Body Osteomyelitis

Rifampin monotherapy was compared to the combination of linezolid or vancomycin with rifampin in an experimental rat model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) chronic foreign body osteomyelitis. MRSA was inoculated into the proximal tibia, and a titanium wire was implanted. Four weeks after infection, rats were treated intraperitoneally for 21 days with rifampin alone (n = 16), linezolid plus rifampin (n = 14), or vancomycin plus rifampin (n = 13). Thirteen animals received no treatment. At completion of treatment, qualitative cultures of the wire and quantitative cultures of the bone (reported as median values) were performed. Quantitative cultures from the control, rifampin monotherapy, linezolid-plus-rifampin, and vancomycin-plus-rifampin groups revealed 4.54, 0.71, 0.10, and 0.50 log10 CFU/gram of bone, respectively. The bacterial load was significantly reduced in all treatment groups compared to that in the control group. Rifampin resistance was detected in isolates from 10, 2, and 1 animal in the rifampin, linezolid-plus-rifampin, and vancomycin-plus-rifampin groups, respectively. Cultures of the removed wire revealed bacterial growth in 1 and 2 animals in the rifampin and linezolid-plus-rifampin groups, respectively, with no growth in the vancomycin-plus-rifampin group and growth from all wires in the untreated group. In conclusion, we demonstrated that combination treatment with linezolid plus rifampin or vancomycin plus rifampin is effective in an animal model of MRSA foreign body osteomyelitis in the context of retention of the infected foreign body.
Procedures for analyzing U.S curricula for the second IEA science study

Compte-rendu des methodes utilisees par la SISS (second international Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Science Study) pour etablir un programme d'etudes international en vue de calibrer un instrument de tests d'aptitude scolaire
Differential Adaptation of Descending Motor Tracts in Musicians

Between-group comparisons of musicians and nonmusicians have revealed structural brain differences and also functional differences in motor performance. In this study, we aimed to examine the relation between white matter microstructure and high-level motor skills by contrasting 2 groups of musicians with different instrument-specific motor requirements. We used diffusion tensor imaging to compare diffusivity measures of different corticospinal motor tracts of 10 keyboard players, 10 string players, and 10 nonmusicians. Additionally, the maximal tapping rates of their left and right index fingers were determined. When compared with nonmusicians, fractional anisotropy (FA) values of right-hemispheric motor tracts were significantly higher in both musician groups, whereas left-hemispheric motor tracts showed significantly higher FA values only in the keyboard players. Voxel-wise FA analysis found a group effect in white matter underlying the right motor cortex. Diffusivity measures of fibers originating in the primary motor cortex correlated with the maximal tapping rate of the contralateral index finger across all groups. The observed between-group diffusivity differences might represent an adaptation to the specific motor demands of the respective musical instrument. This is supported further by finding correlations between diffusivity measures and maximal tapping rates.