cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation of phospholipase A2 by carbon tetrachloride in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Abstract Freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were exposed to carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) for periods up to 4 hr. Phospholipase A 2 activity of these preparations was determined by measuring either the release of [ 3 H]arachidonic acid from cellular phospholipids prelabeled with [ 3 H]arachidonic acid or by measuring the formation of [ 14 C]lysophosphatidylethanolamine from cellular lipids prelabeled with [ 14 C]ethanolamine. Through the use of hexane-partition extraction and thin-layer Chromatographie analysis of hepatocyte lipid extracts it was found that CCl 4 stimulated phospholipase A 2 activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Carbon tetrachloride at concentrations of 0.23 to 1.3 mM produced a 1.4- to 5.3-fold increase in phospholipase activity which was initiated within 30–60 min of incubation at 37°. The role of phospholipase activation as a secondary mechanism of CCl 4 -induced hepatocyte injury is discussed.
Transit ridership estimation with network Kriging: a case study of Second Avenue Subway, NYC

An attractive topic in transportation practice is transit ridership estimation. Reliable estimates are beneficial to spatial structuring, facility design, and vehicle operation, as well as financial and labor management. Traditional ridership estimation approaches mainly rely on regression models that consider subway fares, population, and employment distribution in surrounding areas. Yet consideration of ridership’s spatial dependency is largely lacking in these models. This paper recognizes the spatial effect by estimating the ridership of the new Second Avenue Subway in New York City using a network Kriging method. Network distance, instead of Euclidean distance, is used to reflect the fact that subway stations are only connected by subway tunnels. Results show that the new service should effectively relieve the traffic burden on other currently crowded subway lines.
Sibling correlations for skeletal age assessments by the Fels method.

Sibling correlations are reported for Fels skeletal ages from 2,622 mixed longitudinal hand-wrist radiographs of 285 boys and 276 girls. Because the observed correlations were irregular across age, they were smoothed by using kernel regression. The brother-sister correlations were generally lower than those for the other types of silbling pairs, but they were similar to the brother-brother correlations after 11 years. The sister-sister correlations were considerably higher than the brother-brother and brother-sister correlations after 12 years. The present data do not provide clear evidence of involvement of the X chromosome in the timing of skeletal maturation, but after 12 years the present data suggest such an involvement.
Contact of elastic half spaces in the presence of an elliptic gap filled with liquid

We study the problem of contact of elastic half spaces in the presence of compressible liquid in an elliptic gap formed between the half spaces. By the method of functions of intercontact gaps, we reduce the posed problem to the integrodifferential equation for the height of the gap. This equation is solved analytically. The dependence of the geometric characteristics of the gap on the external load is analyzed.
Orthogonalized linear combinations of atomic orbitals: Application to the calculation of energy bands of Si III

The method of linear combinations of atomic orbitals has been modified by orthogonalizing Bloch sums of the valence states to those of the core states so that the latter can be deleted from the basis-function set in order to reduce the size of the secular equations. In case the overlap of the core wave functions between different atoms is small, the expansion coefficients in the orthogonalization process are simply related to the overlap matrix elements. This methods of orthogonalized linear combinations of atomic orbitals (OLCAO) is applied to Si III which has eight atoms in a primitive cell, and its accuracy is verified by comparing the OLCAO results with those obtained by directly including the core wave functions in the basis set. Our calculations give a band gap of 0.029 eV for Si III and the density of states for Si III is found to be substantially different from that of the ordinary silicon crystals. The small band gap provides an explanation for the drastic decrease of electric resistivity at high pressure and the metallic behavior of highly compressed silicon.
A quantitative analysis of apolipoprotein binding to SR-BI multiple binding sites for lipid-free and lipid-associated apolipoproteins

Competitive binding experiments were performed using Y1-BS1 adrenal cells to provide information about the interaction of HDL apolipoproteins with scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI). Exchangeable apolipoproteins apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), apoA-II, apoE-2, apoE-3, and apoE-4 as phospholipid complexes bind like HDL3 to SR-BI via their multiple amphipathic alpha-helices; the concentrations required to reduce the binding of HDL3 to SR-BI by 50% (IC50) were similar and in the range of 35-50 microgram protein/ml. In the case of apoA-I, peptides corresponding to segments 1-85, 44-65, 44-87, 149-243, and 209-241 all had the same IC50 as each other (P = 0.86), showing that a specific amino acid sequence in apoA-I is not responsible for the interaction with SR-BI. The distribution of charged residues in the amphipathic alpha-helix affects the interaction, with class A and Y helices binding better than class G* helices. Synthetic alpha-helical peptides composed of either l or d amino acids can bind equally to the receptor. Association with phospholipid increases the amount of apolipoprotein binding to SR-BI without altering the affinity of binding. Lipid-free apolipoproteins compete only partially with the binding of HDL to SR-BI, whereas lipidated apolipoproteins compete fully. These results are consistent with the existence of more than one type of apolipoprotein binding site on SR-BI.
The Visible Christ and the Invisible Trinity: MT. 5:8 in Augustine's Trinitarian Theology of 400

The essay is an analysis of Augustine's solution to what I identify as the Homoian subordinationist understanding of the Son's visibility. This solution lies in Augustine's (re-)interpretation of Old Testament theophanies, and his doctrine of the vision through Christ of the Trinity at the end-time which Augustine supports by an exegesis of Mt. 5:8. Historically, the issue for Augustine is the connection made between doctrines of the Son's inherent "visibility" before the Incarnation and arguments made both against modalism and in support of subordinationism on the basis of that visibility. For Augustine's own Trinitarian theology, any consideration of a sight or vision of God in, e.g., Old Testament theophanies or the Incarnation necessarily raises questions about "sight" as both sensible and noetic knowledge, the structure of our way(s) of knowing, and the role of faith as the means for purifying the knowing capacity in humanity. The question of the vision of God which Augustine addresses in those early books of de Trinitate which are written around the year four hundred is connected to Augustine's epistemological concerns addressed in a variety of writings written before or contemporary to books I-IV of de Trinitate.
A Cognitive Ecological Model of Women's Response to Male Sexual Coercion in Dating.

Summary We offer a theoretical model that consolidates background, environmental, and intrapersonal variables related to women'S experience of sexual coercion in dating into a coherent ecological framework and present for the first time a cognitive analysis of the processes women use to formulate responses to sexual coercion. An underlying premise for this model is that a woman'S coping response to sexual coercion by an acquaintance is mediated through cognitive processing of background and situational influences. Because women encounter this form of sexual coercion in the context of relationships and situations that they presume will follow normative expectations (e.g., about making friends, socializing and dating), it is essential to consider normative processes of learning, cognitive mediation, and coping guiding their efforts to interpret and respond to this form of personal threat. Although acts of coercion unquestionably remain the responsibility of the perpetrator, a more complete understanding of ...
Strain-dependent alterations in the expression of folate pathway genes following teratogenic exposure to valproic acid in a mouse model.

The molecular basis for the well-established hierarchy of susceptibility to valproic acid-induced neural tube defects in inbred mouse strains was examined using in situ transcription and anti-sense RNA amplification methodologies with both univariate and multivariate analyses of the resulting gene expression data. The highly sensitive SWV strain demonstrated a significant reduction in the expression of the folate binding protein (FBP-1) following the teratogenic insult at gestational day 8:18, while the more resistant LM/Bc embryos were up-regulating this gene in response to valproic acid treatment. More importantly, at all 3 gestational timepoints spanning the period of murine neural tube closure examined in this study, the LM/Bc embryos had significantly higher MTHFR (5,10-methylenetetra-hydrofolate reductase) gene expression levels compared to the SWV embryos. As this folate pathway enzyme is important in homocysteine and methionine metabolism, it suggests that the SWV embryos may be hypomethylated, and essential gene expression during critical periods of neural tube closure is compromised by the teratogenic exposure to valproic acid. This study represents the first evidence of a strain difference in transcriptional activity in response to a teratogenic exposure that might be causally related to the development of the teratogen-induced congenital malformations. Am. J. Med. Genet. 70:303–311, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Functional Recovery of Anterior Semicircular Canal Afferents following Hair Cell Regeneration in Birds

Streptomycin sulfate (1.2 g/kg i.m.) was administered for 5 consecutive days to 5-7-day-old white Leghorn chicks; this causes damage to semicircular canal hair cells that ultimately regenerate to reform the sensory epithelium. During the recovery period, electrophysiological recordings were taken sequentially from anterior semicircular canal primary afferents using an indentation stimulus of the canal that has been shown to mimic rotational stimulation. Chicks were assigned to an early (14-18 days; n = 8), intermediate (28-34 days; n = 5), and late (38-58 days; n = 4) period based on days after treatment. Seven untreated chicks, 15-67 days old, provided control data. An absence of background and indent-induced discharge was the prominent feature of afferents in the early period: only "silent" afferents were encountered in 5/8 experiments. In several of these chicks, fascicles of afferent fibers were seen extending up to the epithelium that was void of hair cells, and intra- and extracellular biocytin labeling revealed afferent processes penetrating into the supporting cell layer of the crista. In 3/8 chicks 74 afferents could be characterized, and they significantly differed from controls (n = 130) by having a lower discharge rate and a negligible response to canal stimulation. In the intermediate period there was considerable variability in discharge properties of 121 afferents, but as a whole the number of "silent" fibers in the canal nerve diminished, the background rate increased, and a response to canal stimulation detected. Individually biocytin-labeled afferents had normal-appearing terminal specializations in the sensory epithelium by 28 days poststreptomycin. In the late period, afferents (n = 58) remained significantly different from controls in background discharge properties and response gain. The evidence suggests that a considerable amount of variability exists between chicks in the return of vestibular afferent function following ototoxic injury and that the secretory function of regenerating hair cells might become functional before their transducer function.
An Institutional Experience With Arterial Atheroembolism

Seemingly minor blue-toe lesions resulting from atheroemboli are associated with unstable atherosclerotic plaques, which are at risk for causing recurrent emboli, tissue loss, and potentially death. At Washington University Medical Center, 62 patients (31 males and 31 females), ranging in age from 38 to 89 years (mean 62.8 ± 11.7 years), were treated for cutaneous manifestations of atheroembolic disease. Most patients (62%) had spontaneous bouts of atheroembolism, but 13 (21%) had recently undergone an inciting invasive radiologic study, 10 (16%) were on anticoagulation therapy, and one (2%) experienced abdominal trauma. In addition to the cutaneous manifestations, 18 patients (29%) also developed coincidental deterioration in renal function and four (6%) had intestinal infarction from atheroemboli. Arteriography in nearly all patients (97%) implicated the aorta and iliac arteries most commonly (80%), with the femoral (13%), popliteal (3%), and subclavian (3%) arteries less frequently incriminated. Forty-two patients underwent bypass grafting procedures (36 anatomic and six extra-anatomic) after exclusion of the native diseased artery, 20 patients had endarterectomies (six with additional bypass grafts), and five patients had no corrective vascular procedures. The 30-day operative mortality rate was 5% in this series. Nineteen patients (31%) required minor amputations, whereas two required major leg amputations. Thus limb salvage was possible in 86 of 88 (98%) limbs. No further episodes of atheroembolism occurred in the involved limbs during follow-up (1 to 53 months, mean 20.2 months). We advocate urgent arteriography and surgical correction or bypass with exclusion of the offending lesion. This aggressive approach results in maximal limb salvage, low operative mortality, and excellent long-term relief of embolization.
Evidence-based medicine and stroke.

The practice of evidence-based medicine requires the interpretation and use of best evidence from a variety of potential sources as it may apply to an individual patient. There are three critical step
Development of the armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under fluctuating daily temperature regimes.

Mean development times at the chamber level for eggs, larvae, and pupae of the armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta (Haworth), were determined under daily temperature reigmes which yielded the same degree-day (DD) accumulation per day, but differed in the amplitude of temperature variation. Regimes with 0, 6.5, and 13°C amplitudes were tested at 9 and 14 DD/d accumulation rates. For each treatment combination, mortality and the distribution of development times were also determined. In general, all life stages developed more quickly under higher amplitude regimes. A nonlinear model predicted this developmental acceleration for some life stages under low accumulation rate regimes, but incorrectly predicted effects of amplitude under high accumulation rate regimes. Nonlinear development rates with respect to temperature and decreased high temperature inhibition were indicated. Other inexplicable effects were observed. Additional instars occurred in some insects descended from a Maryland collection, but never in insects descended from New York collections. Protogyny was observed.
Comparative studies of the mechanical properties of mixed gels formed by kappa carrageenan and tara gum or carob gum

Abstract Tara gum has been considered as a possible replacement for carob gum in the formation of kappa carrageenan — galactomannan mixed gels. The mechanical properties of tara — carrageenan mixed gels have been measured and compared with the mechanical properties of carob — carrageenan mixed gels.
Religious Fundamentalism, Religious Coping, and Preference for Psychological and Religious Treatment

Religion may not be simply another variable in the assessment of treatment-seeking but an alternative worldview about the nature of suffering and its appropriate treatment. This study examines the relation of religious fundamentalism and religious coping on relative preference for psychological or religious help-seeking in 142 undergraduate students. Higher levels of religious fundamentalism and deferred religious coping were found to be associated with greater preference for religious rather than psychological help-seeking. The results suggest that religious issues need to be included in the investigation of help-seeking.
Specimen-specific predictions of contact stress under physiological loading in the human hip: validation and sensitivity studies.

Hip osteoarthritis may be initiated and advanced by abnormal cartilage contact mechanics, and finite element (FE) modeling provides an approach with the potential to allow the study of this process. Previous FE models of the human hip have been limited by single specimen validation and the use of quasi-linear or linear elastic constitutive models of articular cartilage. The effects of the latter assumptions on model predictions are unknown, partially because data for the instantaneous behavior of healthy human hip cartilage are unavailable. The aims of this study were to develop and validate a series of specimen-specific FE models, to characterize the regional instantaneous response of healthy human hip cartilage in compression, and to assess the effects of material nonlinearity, inhomogeneity and specimen-specific material coefficients on FE predictions of cartilage contact stress and contact area. Five cadaveric specimens underwent experimental loading, cartilage material characterization and specimen-specific FE modeling. Cartilage in the FE models was represented by average neo-Hookean, average Veronda Westmann and specimen- and region-specific Veronda Westmann hyperelastic constitutive models. Experimental measurements and FE predictions compared well for all three cartilage representations, which was reflected in average RMS errors in contact stress of less than 25 %. The instantaneous material behavior of healthy human hip cartilage varied spatially, with stiffer acetabular cartilage than femoral cartilage and stiffer cartilage in lateral regions than in medial regions. The Veronda Westmann constitutive model with average material coefficients accurately predicted peak contact stress, average contact stress, contact area and contact patterns. The use of subject- and region-specific material coefficients did not increase the accuracy of FE model predictions. The neo-Hookean constitutive model underpredicted peak contact stress in areas of high stress. The results of this study support the use of average cartilage material coefficients in predictions of cartilage contact stress and contact area in the normal hip. The regional characterization of cartilage material behavior provides the necessary inputs for future computational studies, to investigate other mechanical parameters that may be correlated with OA and cartilage damage in the human hip. In the future, the results of this study can be applied to subject-specific models to better understand how abnormal hip contact stress and contact area contribute to OA.
In vitro heparan sulfate modulates the immune responses of normal and tumor-bearing mice.

Tumor-bearing (TB) patients and TB animal models show a wide array of immunologic deficits. Heparan sulfate (HS) has been shown to both improve immune cell proliferative responses and to induce Th1 cytokine responses in normal animals. These HS effects, if harnessed, would be of great benefit to TB patients. The present study focused on replicating previous HS-induced Th1 and proliferative response results as well as extrapolating the beneficial immunomodulatory effects to an experimental model derived from TB animals of Lewis lung cell carcinoma. Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC)-TB and control mouse splenocytes were assessed for proliferation and cytokine response to concanavalin A (Con A) with 1 and 3 days' exposure to HS. Our results found HS treatment stimulated splenocyte proliferation to Con A in control mice splenocytes after 1 and 3 days of treatment, although HS proliferative effects were not seen in unfractionated TB cultures. Furthermore, cytokine studies revealed normal splenocytes treated with HS h...
Effects of Varying Amount of Reward in Free Operant Conditioning of Humans on a Fixed-Ratio Schedule.

38 Ss were divided into 4 groups, each group being placed on a 21:1 fixed-ratio schedule. Group I received an increase in magnitude of reward at a late stage of learning; Group II received a decrease in magnitude of reward at the same point in learning. Group III received an increase in reward-size at an early point in learning, while Group IV received a decrease in magnitude of reward at an early stage of learning. As predicted, shifts in reward significantly influenced running time in Groups III and IV but not in Groups I and II. These results are discussed as relevant to secondary reinforcement and learned expectancy.
Conservatives, liberals, and “the negative”

The authors connect conservatism with aversion to negativity via the tendentious use of the language of threats to characterize conservatism, but not liberalism. Their reliance upon an objective conception of the negative ignores the fact that much of the disagreement between liberals and conservatives is over whether or not one and the same state of affairs is negative or positive.
Postlaunch Contingency Trajectories for the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission

The August 1995 Koreasat 1 Delta II launch vehicle failure pointed to the prudence of developing a postlaunch contingency strategy for varying levels of Delta II launch vehicle failure. The objective of this investigation is to de ne contingency strategies that maximize accomplishment of the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission objectives. The baseline mission incorporates a trajectory correction maneuver at one week after launch,  yby of main belt asteroid (253) Mathilde in June 1997, and rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid (433) Eros in February 1999.After a partial launch vehicle failure for the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft, the need to reduce D V penalties associated with a delayed initial trajectory correction maneuver would require mission planners to quickly formulate a contingency trajectory design. Therefore, postlaunch contingency trajectories were designed prior to launch to avoid selection of a less-than-optimal alternative mission option resulting from emergency contingency planning after launch. Strategies were de ned for how to perform the initial trajectory correction for launch vehicle failure approaching twice the velocity shortfall experienced by Koreasat 1. These strategies enable completionofmostmissionobjectives with 1) rendezvouswith Eros after an injection velocity shortfall up to 69m/s and 2) rendezvouswith near-Earth asteroid (4660)Nereus in 2003 after an injection velocity shortfall up to 300m/s.
Context-Based Bayesian Intent Recognition

One of the foundations of social interaction among humans is the ability to correctly identify interactions and infer the intentions of others. To build robots that reliably function in the human social world, we must develop models that robots can use to mimic the intent recognition skills found in humans. We propose a framework that uses contextual information in the form of object affordances and object state to improve the performance of an underlying intent recognition system. This system represents objects and their affordances using a directed graph that is automatically extracted from a large corpus of natural language text. We validate our approach on a physical robot that classifies intentions in a number of scenarios.
Conversational correlates of children's acquisition of mental verbs and a theory of mind:

The purpose of this study was to conduct a detailed examination of the ways mothers use mental verbs in conversations with three- and four-year-old children, and to link these usages to the childre...
The epidermal growth factor receptor is associated with phospholipase C-γ1 in meningiomas

Abstract In this study we evaluated phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1) expression, activity, and association with the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in a series of human meningiomas as well as cultured meningioma cells. Phospholipase C-γ1 was detectable by immunoblot and immunohistochemistry in 13 of 13 meningioma specimens. Epidermal growth factor receptors were detected by immunoblot in six of nine meningiomas (67%) and by immunohistochemistry in 13 of 19 meningiomas (68%) but not in normal leptomeningeal cells. In two of three meningiomas EGF receptors and/or a 170-kd phosphotyrosine band precipitated with a PLC-γ1 antiserum. Both PLC-γ1 and EGF receptors also exhibited the same pattern of immunostaining on meningioma tissue sections. Phospholipase C-γ1 catalytic activity, measured in a PIP2 hydrolysis assay, was higher in nine EGF receptor-positive meningiomas than in six EGF receptor-negative meningiomas ( P = .05; t test). Finally, treatment of cultured meningioma cells with transforming growth factor-α induced a 78% increase in PLC-γ1 catalytic activity. Thus, these data are consistent with the possibility that the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase regulates PLC-γ1 activity in native meningioma tissue.
Partnering for skill development: park and recreation agencies and university programs

Park and recreation administrators indicated that the skills they desire in entry-level professionals were ‘soft skills’; not skills per se, but personality characteristics and traits that seem to reflect professionalism and the ability to meet challenges well. The desirable personality would have strong verbal and written communication skills, a people orientation, and be enthusiastic, patient, and fun. Some basic professional parks and recreation skills such as budgeting and programming appear desirable, but of more interest is a person who can multi-task, solve problems, be flexible, be creative, and be passionate about the job. From the university recreation program's viewpoint, there is a notable gap between skills and competencies identified by this research, and current accreditation and certification standards. Compatibility in standards and partnerships between universities, and park and recreation agencies, can help meet quantity and quality human resource needs. With university and agency partn...
Edges in models of shear flow

A characteristic feature of the onset of turbulence in shear flows is the appearance of an “edge,” a codimension-one invariant manifold that separates orbits that decay directly to the laminar state from orbits that decay more slowly. The object of this paper is to understand its structure. To this end we consider a succession of low-dimensional models. We hope in doing this to isolate geometric features that are robust under increase of dimension and are therefore candidates for explaining analogous features in arbitrarily high dimension and therefore in realistic shear flows. We find in all cases considered that there are extensive ranges of the principal parameter (the Reynolds number R) in which all or part of the boundary of the basin of attraction of the laminar state has the character of an edge. This is a part of the boundary that passes through the basin without separating it from some other set. It is also the stable manifold of an edge state (an equilibrium point or a periodic orbit in the present paper). An important feature of the edge is that it lies in a region of phase space which, while unbounded in some directions, is bounded in others. The edge boundedness is associated to the presence of invariant upper branches objects. The edge can be not only extensive but also complicated, as we show in some detail.
Curvature-induced bunch self-interaction for an energy-chirped bunch in magnetic bends

Within the realm of classical electrodynamics, the curvature-induced bunch collective interaction in magnetic bends can be studied using effective forces in the canonical formulation of the coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) effect. As an application of this canonical formulation, in this paper, for an electron distribution moving ultrarelativistically in a bending system, the dynamics of the particles in the distribution is derived from the Hamiltonian of the particles in terms of the bunch internal coordinates. The consequent Vlasov equation manifests explicitly how the phase-space distribution is perturbed by the effective CSR forces. In particular, we study the impact of an initial linear energy chirp of the bunch on the behavior of the effective longitudinal CSR force, which arises due to the modification of the retardation relation as a result of the energy-chirping-induced longitudinal-horizontal correlation of the bunch distribution (bunch tilt) in dispersive regions. Our study clearly demonstrates the time delay (or retardation) of the behavior of the effective longitudinal CSR force on a bunch in responding to the change of the bunch length in a magnetic bend. Our result also shows that the effective longitudinal CSR force for a bunch under full compression can have sensitive dependence on the transverse position of the test particle in the bunch for certain parameter regimes.
Robenzidene, an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation.

Robenzidene at 20 μM, inhibits the ADP stimulated respiration of intact rat liver mitochondria and induces respiratory control in submitochondrial fragments. At concentrations of the order of 16 nmole per mg protein, it also inhibits the Cl-CCP induced ATPase of mitochondria and ATPase of mitochondrial fragments. These properties of robenzidene resemble those of other inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation such as oligomycin and DCCD.
Stresses Exhibited in a Hydrocolloid Under Load

A reversible hydrocolloid impression material that exhibits birefringent characteristics was developed. Tests were performed to establish the stress-optic characteristics of the hydrocolloid for use in photoelastic analysis. Physical characteristics are reported which are relevant to the clinician and dental researcher.
Testing a student generated hypothesis using student data

We describe an activity that allows students to experience the full process of a statistical investigation, from generating the research question, to collecting data and testing a hypothesis. Implementation of the activity is described both with and without use of clickers, handheld remotes that allow instant data collection.
A low-complexity iterative mode selection algorithm Forwyner-Ziv video compression

Aiming at improving compression performance, we consider mode selection for Wyner-Ziv video compression where a block of pixels in a video frame, after discrete cosine transform (DCT), can be either encoded by using H.264 Intra mode or Wyner-Ziv (WZ) mode with side information processed at the decoder. Under the constraint of encoding complexity, an iterative algorithm is proposed to find the best partition of a video frame in to these two modes in the sense of minimizing the overall compression rate. It is shown that the algorithm always converges. Experimental results on standard video test sequences show that by using the proposed algorithm for mode selection, one can achieve about 0.4 dB gain for WZ-encoded frames over a WZ video compression system without intra mode at rate 0.2 bits per pixel. Furthermore, in all the experiments our algorithm converges in 3 iterations.
Replacement of the Ectodomains of the Hemagglutinin-Neuraminidase and Fusion Glycoproteins of Recombinant Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 (PIV3) with Their Counterparts from PIV2 Yields Attenuated PIV2 Vaccine Candidates

We sought to develop a live attenuated parainfluenza virus type 2 (PIV2) vaccine strain for use in infants and young children, using reverse genetic techniques that previously were used to rapidly produce a live attenuated PIV1 vaccine candidate. The PIV1 vaccine candidate, designated rPIV3-1cp45, was generated by substituting the full-length HN and F proteins of PIV1 for those of PIV3 in the attenuated cp45 PIV3 vaccine candidate (T. Tao et al., J. Virol. 72:2955-2961, 1998; M. H. Skiadopoulos et al., Vaccine 18:503-510, 1999). However, using the same strategy, we failed to recover recombinant chimeric PIV3-PIV2 isolate carrying the full-length PIV2 glycoproteins in a wild-type PIV3 backbone. Viable PIV3-PIV2 chimeras were recovered when chimeric HN and F open reading frames (ORFs) rather than complete PIV2 F and HN ORFs were used to construct the full-length cDNA. The recovered viruses, designated rPIV3-2CT, in which the PIV2 ectodomain and transmembrane domain were fused to the PIV3 cytoplasmic domain, and rPIV3-2TM, in which the PIV2 ectodomain was fused to the PIV3 transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail domain, possessed similar in vitro and in vivo phenotypes. Thus, it appeared that only the cytoplasmic tail of the HN or F glycoprotein of PIV3 was required for successful recovery of PIV3-PIV2 chimeras. Although rPIV3-2CT and rPIV3-2TM replicated efficiently in vitro, they were moderately to highly attenuated for replication in the respiratory tracts of hamsters, African green monkeys (AGMs), and chimpanzees. This unexpected finding indicated that chimerization of the HN and F proteins of PIV2 and PIV3 itself specified an attenuation phenotype in vivo. Despite this attenuation, these viruses were highly immunogenic and protective against challenge with wild-type PIV2 in hamsters and AGMs, and they represent promising candidates for clinical evaluation as a vaccine against PIV2. These chimeric viruses were further attenuated by the addition of 12 mutations of PIV3cp45 which lie outside of the HN and F genes. The attenuating effects of these mutations were additive with that of the chimerization, and thus inclusion of all or some of the cp45 mutations provides a means to further attenuate the PIV3-PIV2 chimeric vaccine candidates if necessary.
Optimizing a policy authoring framework for security and privacy policies

Policies which address security and privacy are pervasive parts of both technical and social systems, and technology to enable both organizations and individuals to create and manage such policies is seen as a critical need in IT. This paper describes policy authoring as a key component to usable privacy and security systems, and advances the notions of policy templates in a policy management environment in which different roles with different skill sets are seen as important. We discuss existing guidelines and provide support for the addition of new guidelines for usable policy authoring for security and privacy systems. We describe the relationship between general policy templates and specific policies, and the skills necessary to author each of these in a way that produces high-quality policies. We also report on an experiment in which technical users with limited policy experience authored policy templates using a prototype template authoring user interface we developed.
Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies of the Head and Neck: The Surgical Pathologist's Perspective

Masses of the head and neck comprise a variety of benign and malignant tumors and tumor-like conditions, which may present diagnostic challenges to the surgical pathologist and surgeon. Fine needle aspiration cytology is an increasingly popular technique in the initial evaluation of such lesions. The high diagnostic accuracy of this technique makes it generally preferable to traditional surgical biopsy. It is particularly useful in the sampling of histologically uniform neoplasms of the salivary glands, identification of classical papillary carcinoma and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, separation of colloid goiter from follicular neoplasms, and confirmation of clinically suspicious lymph node metastases in cases with already documented malignant diseases. Despite its usefulness, aspiration cytology of head and neck lesions has certain inherent pitfalls, and these are briefly examined in this review.
Experience-dependent regulation of presynaptic NMDARs enhances neurotransmitter release at neocortical synapses

Sensory experience can selectively alter excitatory synaptic strength at neocortical synapses. The rapid increase in synaptic strength induced by selective whisker stimulation (single-row experience/SRE, where all but one row of whiskers has been removed from the mouse face) is due, at least in part, to the trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) to the post-synaptic membrane, and is developmentally regulated. How enhanced sensory experience can alter presynaptic release properties in the developing neocortex has not been investigated. Using paired-pulse stimulation at layer 4-2/3 synapses in acute brain slices, we found that presynaptic release probability progressively increases in the spared-whisker barrel column over the first 24 h of SRE. Enhanced release probability can be at least partly attributed to presynaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs). We find that the influence of presynaptic NMDARs in enhancing EPSC amplitude markedly increases during SRE. This occurs at the same time when recently potentiated synapses become highly susceptible to a NMDAR-dependent form of synaptic depression, during the labile phase of plasticity. Thus, these data show that augmented sensory stimulation can enhance release probability at layer 4-2/3 synapses and enhance the function of presynaptic NMDARs. Because presynaptic NMDARs have been linked to synaptic depression at layer 4-2/3 synapses, we propose that SRE-dependent up-regulation of presynaptic NMDARs is responsible for enhanced synaptic depression during the labile stage of plasticity.
Beyond Noah's Ark: the evolving role of modern zoological parks and aquariums in field conservation

Arguments are presented that zoological institutions and aquariums should take a broader view of their conservation responsibilities. The current emphasis on captive breeding and public education should be expanded to include a greater commitment to involvement in field conservation. Examples are given of various ways in which members of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) are already contributing to a more holistic approach to conservation in the field. Examples include the use of public relations, local education, political action, scientific research, development of relevant technologies, training wildlife personnel and fund raising. Also covered are the organizational changes developed by AZA within the last three years to promote the Association's collective field-conservation efforts. Among these are the establishment of the Field Conservation Committee (FCC) and several Fauna Interest Groups (FIGS), the formation of a set of guidelines for international conservation programmes and the further development of projects by existing conservation and scientific committees such as SSPs, Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGS) and Scientific Advisory Groups (SAGS).
A Fusion Approach for Image Triage using Single Trial ERP Detection

This paper addresses the problem of conducting visual target search on a large set of images. We use electroencephalography to detect targets and apply a fusion approach combining neurophysiologic signals and overt physical responses to achieve high target detection accuracy. We conducted an experimental evaluation of the method using trained human experts to find target objects in broad area satellite images. Based on the fusion results, we applied spatial target likelihood maps to present the estimated target locations in the images. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the method on multiple subjects
Statistical timing analysis with path reconvergence and spatial correlations

State of the art statistical timing analysis (STA) tools often yield less accurate results when timing variables become correlated. Spatial correlation and correlation caused by path reconvergence are among those which are most difficult to deal with. Existing methods treating these correlations will either suffer from high computational complexity or significant errors. In this paper, we present a sensitivity pruning method which significantly reduces the computational cost to consider path reconvergence correlation. We also develop an accurate and efficient model to deal with the spatial correlation.
Comprehensive guidelines translate research findings into clinical policy for HIV-infected transplant candidates and recipients

questions remain. Encouraging preliminary studies have been small and of relatively short duration. In addition, we have observed an unusually high incidence of rejection among our kidney transplant recipients that remains unexplained6,12. Finally, the outcomes of HCV co-infected liver transplant recipients have been mixed, and several cases of rapid and severe recurrent HCV have been reported2,10,24,25. As long as there is uncertainty, some will argue that it is unethical to utilize the deceased donor pool and thus deprive another transplant candidate from the benefit of that organ, or put living donors at risk. The amount of data required to resolve these concerns remains a contentious issue in the United States. We concur with the Spanish Consensus Document that sufficient data exist at this time26,27. In fact, in the absence of data demonstrating poor outcomes, it can be reasonably argued that is no longer ethical to withhold this option from patients with HIV infection. To definitively resolve these ethical and clinical dilemmas, it would be optimal for every willing HIV-infected transplant recipient to contribute by participating in a clinical outcomes study. Thus, it is important that coincident with the publication of this Consensus Document, the Spanish AIDS Foundation has provided funds to prospectively collect data related to all liver transplantation in Spain during 2005-07. We would advocate that additional funds be pursued to include all kidney transplant recipients as well. The challenge now, as undertaken in the Consensus Document, is to develop patient selection and clinical management guidelines while we await definitive data describing predictors of good and poor outcomes. We will review several areas where the Spanish Consensus Document differs from the clinical trial protocol employed in the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored 20-center study of liver and kidney transplantation. As noted by the authors of the Spanish Consensus Document, “this field is evolving continuously and the indications for transplant or management of these patients may change as more evidence becomes available. Therefore, this Committee undertakes to provide periodic updates of this document.” We concur that reevaluation of existing data and flexibility are imperative in this rapidly evolving field.
Mutation rate and specificity analysis of tetranucleotide microsatellite DNA alleles in somatic human cells.

We have systematically varied microsatellite sequence composition to determine the effects of repeat unit size, G+C content, and DNA secondary structure on microsatellite stability in human cells. The microsatellites were inserted in frame within the 5′ region of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene. The polypyrimidine/polypurine microsatellites displayed enhanced S1 nuclease sensitivity in vitro, consistent with the formation of non–B-form DNA structures. Microsatellite mutagenesis studies were performed with a shuttle vector system in which inactivating HSV-tk mutations are measured after replication in a nontumorigenic cell line. A significant increase in the HSV-tk mutation frequency per cell generation was observed after insertion of [TTCC/AAGG]9, [TTTC/AAAG]9, or [TCTA/AGAT]9 sequences (P ≤ 0.0002), relative to the HSV-tk gene control. We observed that the G + C content of the microsatellite may affect mutagenesis, as the mean microsatellite mutation rates of the [TTTC/AAAG]9 and [TCTA/AGAT]9 alleles were sevenfold and 11-fold higher, respectively, than the [TTCC/AAGG]9 allele. A bias toward expansion mutations was noted for the majority of clones bearing the [TTCC/AAGG]9 allele as well as a [TC/AG]17 microsatellite of similar allele length. The mean microsatellite mutation rate of the [TTCC/AAGG]9 allele did not differ significantly from that for a [TC/AG]11 allele, demonstrating that these tetranucleotide and dinucleotide alleles are of equivalent stability. It is known that microsatellite mutagenesis is affected by the number of repeat units within an allele. Our data suggest that additional biochemical factors may regulate both the rate and specificity of somatic cell microsatellite mutagenesis. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
To Save Or To Spend: That Is The Tax Question?

While the effects of interest rates on consumption and savings has always been a concern to economists, there is still a great debate regarding the magnitude of the after-tax interest rate effect on savings. The response of consumption and savings to such changes in after tax interest rates potentially alter the United States private savings rate, which may influence our economic growth. While the Federal Reserve has executed the most aggressive expansionary monetary policy in history by lowering the Federal Funds interest rate by more than 10 times in the past year in an attempt to increase consumption to rebound from the current recession, this may ultimately reduce savings. If savings fall, it potentially reduces our ability to spend in the future? In Solow's Growth model, the biggest determinant of future growth in an economy is the savings rate. The current savings rate in the US is at an all time low and is much lower than that of other nations, such as Germany and Japan. So, how can policy makers increase savings in the US? Can the U.S. increase savings by lowering the capital gains tax rate, which changes the after tax return on capital investment? If so, how effective will President Bush's proposed capital gains tax cut be on altering our savings rate? To better understand after-tax interest rate effects on savings, one needs to discover the interest elasticity of savings to different types of taxes, such as capital gains and consumption taxes. If the private savings rate is sensitive to the after-tax interest rate return, then a capital gains tax, income tax, and sales tax will have very different effects on savings. The more sensitive the savings rate is to the after tax interest rate, the more an increase in the after tax interest rate will cause an increase in savings. To assess the current interest elasticity of consumption/savings on the after tax real return of interest, I build on Boskin's (1978) model with a simultaneous equations model and more recent data. Specifically, I estimate the log of consumption on wealth, unemployment, interest rates, and disposable private income, and the after tax return of the Moody's AAA Bond Rate. To avoid the potential endogeneity bias between these variables, I use a simultaneous equation approach. Results will help determine if the U.S. can increase its savings by lowering the tax rates on investment. In general, this paper finds that the elasticity of substitution is close to .2, which suggests that the elasticity of substitution is quite small and stable. As Feldstein suggests this shows that a reduction in an income or sales tax will generate greater savings than a reduction in the capital gains income tax.
Cardiopulmonary Bypass Without Heparin

Due to familiarity, short half-life, ease of monitoring, and the availability of a reversal agent, heparin remains the anticoagulant of choice for cardiac operations requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, occasionally patients require CPB but should not receive heparin, most often because of acute or subacute heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). In these cases, if it is not feasible to wait for the disappearance of HIT antibodies, an alternative anticoagulant must be selected. A number of non-heparin anticoagulant options have been explored. However, current recommendations suggest the use of a direct thrombin inhibitor such as bivalirudin. This review describes the use of heparin alternatives for the conduct of CPB with a focus on the direct thrombin inhibitors.