cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Successful Recanalization of a Septic Embolus with a Balloon Mounted Stent after Failed Mechanical Thrombectomy

Cardiac emboli are a feared complication for patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). Septic emboli are rare but carry a poor prognosis in the setting of large artery occlusion. We report the case of a 24-year-old woman who presents with a left internal carotid artery terminus occlusion secondary to a septic emboli from a LVAD. The patient was not a candidate for intravenous thrombolytics due to an elevated international normalized ratio, and thus was taken for intra-arterial treatment. Initial treatment with mechanical thrombectomy and balloon angioplasty was not successful; thus, a balloon-mounted coronary stent was placed to achieve successful recanalization. Fragments of thrombus on the mechanical thrombectomy device revealed gram-positive bacilli on gram stain. Patients with large artery occlusion due to a septic embolus can be successfully treated with endovascular therapies in select patients.
The concept of energy in psychoanalytic theory

Freud's early attempts to account for repression and for the occurrence of neurotic symptoms in terms of detachable and displaceable quantities of affect‐charge (cathexis) has continued to be a basic aspect of psychoanalytic theory. This is unfortunate since the account is inadequate and its central concept, that of a quantity of energy, is unsuited to the task at hand. We see that, despite the appropriateness of describing neurotic behavior in dynamic/economic terms, the use of energy concepts on the theoretical level is an explanatory dead‐end.
Improved plasmid shuttle vectors for Haemophilus influenzae and Escherichia coli

Abstract In vitro deletion and transposon mutagenesis experiments were performed to localize the region essential for plasmid RSF0885 replication to a 1.7-kb sequence downstream from the β-lactamase gene. This locus was named rep, for replication. Plasmid RSF0885 can replicate in both Haemophilus influenzae and Escherichia coli. Replication in E. coli depended on transcription run-off from the β-lactamase promoter into the rep locus. Insufficient transcription into the rep locus could account for the instability of this plasmid in an E. coli background, a property which reduced its usefulness as a shuttle vector. Therefore, four improved shuttle vectors for H. influenzae and E. coli were constructed. They possess the ColE1 replication origin for maintenance in E. coli and the plasmid RSF0885 rep locus for maintenance in H. influenzae. Together, they provide twelve unique restriction sites for cloning by insertional inactivation of drug-resistance genes.
Development of a scale to predict decline in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease

OBJECTIVES: To develop a scale that can assist in predicting likelihood of decline from mild dementia over 1 year in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: University Memory and Aging Center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with probable or possible AD and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 1 at baseline, divided into development and validation cohorts (n = 118 each). MEASUREMENTS: The CDR and neurological and neuropsychological assessments were given at baseline and 1 year later. RESULTS: In the development cohort, high education, low Mini-Mental State Examination score, poor insight, psychotic symptoms, and greater activity of daily living impairment predicted decline in CDR from 1 to 2 or 3. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis identified cutoff scores that maximized sensitivity and specificity for each significant predictor of decline. Based on the cutoff, raw scores were recoded to reflect risk for decline, weighted, and summed to create a final scale score. ROC curve analysis established a cutoff to indicate risk for decline on the final scale score. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC were 0.76, 0.74, and 0.83 in the development cohort and 0.77, 0.69, and 0.80 in the validation cohort, respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 0.71 and 0.78 in the development cohort and 0.68 and 0.78 in the validation cohort, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Decline from mild to moderate or severe impairment represents significant clinical change, with implications for patient and caregiver quality of life and treatment options. The clinical scale developed uses data to enhance prediction about change from mild to moderate or severe stages of AD.
Ontogeny of endothelin and its receptors in rat brain

Abstract The ontogeny of endothelin (ET) system in rats was studied in preterm (18 days of gestation), term (21 days of gestation) and 1 week post term rats. Brains were dissected out and (1) processed for the estimation of endogenous ET-1 by RIA and (2) membranes were prepared for radioreceptor binding. Receptor characteristics, affinity (K d ) and density (B max ) were determined using [ 125 l] ET-1 and [ 125 l] SRT 6b (which is structurally similar to ET) and cold ET-1 or SRT 6b as displacer. ET levels were found to be 25.66 ± 3.18 pg/g protein in preterm, 47.37 ± 5.31 pg/g protein in term and 48.30 ± 1.90 pg/g protein in post term rats. ET levels were significantly lower in preterm as compared to term and post term rats. Preterm, term and post term rats showed single high affinity binding site for both [ 125 l] ET-1 and [ 125 l] SRT 6b. The K d values for [ 125 l] ET-1 and [ 125 l] SRT 6b binding were similar in preterm, term and post term rats. The B max values of both [ 125 l] ET-1 and [ 125 l] SRT 6b binding were found to be similar in preterm and term rats while they were significantly higher in post term rats. In adult (4 month old) rats the K d values were similar to neonatal rats while the B max values were significantly lower than the post term neonatal rats. It is concluded that ET and its receptors are developmentally regulated and there is a possibility that endogenous ET is involved in the regulation of ET receptor density.
Cardiovascular management of pregnant women with a heart valve prosthesis.

Abstract This study of 14 pregnancies in 11 patients with a Starr-Edwards valve prosthesis (nine mitral, two aortic) shows that cardiac functional capacity deteriorated to class III (New York Heart Association criteria) in only 1 woman. The deterioration occurred during the third trimester and the patient's condition improved with medical therapy. Careful medical control diminished the incidence of heart failure in these patients. Six of nine pregnant women with a mitral valve prosthesis were treated continuously with coumarin and three discontinued the therapy gradually before the third trimester of pregnancy. In five pregnant women (three with an aortic valve prosthesis, two with a mitral valve prosthesis) no anticoagulant agents were used. No embolic episodes or severe hemorrhagic complications were seen. One newborn whose mother received coumarin during the first trimester had bilateral hand polydactylia. There were no maternal deaths. One neonate died after fetal stress necessitating the only cesarean section. These results suggest that women with an artificial heart valve tolerate pregnancy well and that anticoagulant therapy is not mandatory in pregnant women with an aortic valve prosthesis, or in the few women with a mitral valve prosthesis not already receiving coumarin at the onset of pregnancy.
Isomerization of d-glucose with sodium aluminate: Mechanism of the reaction

Abstract A mechanism for the isomerization of d -glucose to d -fructose by sodium aluminate is proposed, involving transformation of a β - d -glucopyranose-1,3-aluminate complex into an α - d -fructofuranose-1,3,6-aluminate complex through an enolaluminate complex that inhibits the formation of a d -mannose-aluminate complex. The α - d -fructofuranose-1,3,6-aluminate further reacts to form a d -psicose-aluminate complex in substantial yield. Constant degradation of the 6-carbon sugars occurred during the reaction because of the high pH of the solution. The C 6 sugars were analyzed chromatographically but the degradation products were not identified.
Regional variation in VAMC's operative efficiency

The Department of Veterans Affairs is managed by a global budget regulated by Congress. How effective the VA handles this budget can provide insight into future plans for any form of universal health insurance. Using Date Envelope Analysis (DEA) this study shows that 51 of 158 continental VAMCs operate relatively efficiently. Variation in operative efficiency could be explained by Service Area size and geographic regional location. This finding suggests more active regional planning may improve veteran hospital operative efficiency.
Extension of the Unified Approach to fatigue crack growth to environmental interactions

Abstract Environmental effects on fatigue crack growth were examined using the Unified Approach developed by the authors. According to this approach, K max and Δ K are two intrinsic parameters simultaneously required for quantifying fatigue crack growth data. The two parameters led to two intrinsic thresholds that must be simultaneously exceeded for a fatigue crack to grow. Environmental interactions being time and stress-dependent processes affect fatigue crack growth through K max parameter. Based on an extensive analysis of literature data, we have classified environmental effects into four basic types. In addition, we have defined a true reference state for an inert fatigue behavior. Classification procedures and methods of estimating the magnitude of environmental effects using the Unified Approach for fatigue crack growth were discussed taking examples from the literature.
Does marketing research suffer from methods myopia

The marketing discipline is repeatedly criticized for overreliance on a small set of quantitative methods which has the potential to delimit the scope of inquiries and introduce inherent method bias that undermines the trustworthiness of findings. The purpose of this research is to investigate the level of methods diversity in marketing research and to consider the impact of methods diversity on the marketing discipline. To accomplish these objectives, this study reports the results of an extensive content analysis of articles published in five leading marketing journals over a 20-year period (1990–2009): Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, and Marketing Science. Results reveal a disturbing downward trend in methods diversity resulting from increasing reliance on two methods, experiments and modeling.
Insulin regulates SOCS2 expression and the mitogenic effect of IGF-1 in mesangial cells

Renal hypertrophy and deposition of extracellular matrix proteins are consistent findings in diabetic nephropathy and these processes can be halted or reversed by euglycemic control. Using DNA microarray analysis of glomerular RNA from control and diabetic rats we found that the expression levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) were increased while those of suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) and STAT5 were decreased. All of these changes were normalized by islet cell transplantation. Overexpression of SOCS2 in rat mesangial cells inhibited IGF-1-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, which subsequently reduced type IV collagen and DNA synthesis, an effect due to interaction of SOCS2 with IGF-1R. Inhibition of SOCS2 overexpression by small interfering RNA suppressed IGF-1R-mediated actions by preventing phosphorylation of tyrosine 317 in the p66Shc adaptor protein; however, overexpression of either SOCS1 or SOCS3 did not affect IGF-1R signaling. Insulin directly increased STAT5 and SOCS2 expression in mesangial cells. This study shows that insulin can inhibit the mitogenic action of IGF-1 in mesangial cells by regulating STAT5/SOCS2 expression. Insulin deficiency may contribute to the mesangial expansion found in diabetes through reduced STAT5/SOCS2 expression.
Microfluidic device with tunable post arrays and integrated electrodes for studying cellular release

In this paper, we describe the development of a planar, pillar array device that can be used to image either side of a tunable membrane, as well as sample and detect small molecules in a cell-free region of the microchip. The pores are created by sealing two parallel PDMS microchannels (a cell channel and a collector channel) over a gold pillar array (5 or 10 μm in height), with the device being characterized and optimized for small molecule cross-over while excluding a flowing cell line (here, red blood cells, RBCs). The device was characterized in terms of the flow rate dependence of analyte cross-over and cell exclusion as well as the ability to perform amperometric detection of catechol and nitric oxide (NO) as they cross-over into the collector channel. Using catechol as the test analyte, the limits of detection (LOD) of the cross-over for the 10 μm and 5 μm pillar array heights were shown to be 50 nM and 105 nM, respectively. Detection of NO was made possible with a glassy carbon detection electrode (housed in the collector channel) modified with Pt-black and Nafion, to enhance sensitivity and selectivity, respectively. Reproducible cross-over of NO as a function of concentration resulted in a linear correlation (r2 = 0.995, 7.6–190 μM), with an LOD for NO of 230 nM on the glassy carbon/Pt-black/0.05% Nafion electrode. The applicability of the device was demonstrated by measuring the NO released from hypoxic RBCs, with the device allowing the released NO to cross-over into a cell free channel where it was detected in close to real-time. This type of device is an attractive alternative to the use of 3-dimensional devices with polycarbonate membranes, as either side of the membrane can be imaged and facile integration of electrochemical detection is possible.
The effects of anomalous atmospheres on the accuracy of infrared sea-surface temperature retrievals: Dry air layer intrusions over the tropical ocean

Abstract The effects of layers in the atmosphere with anomalously low moisture content on the accuracy of the sea-surface temperature (SST) derived from measurements of infrared radiometers on earth observation satellites are quantified using measurements taken from research cruises and numerical simulations. Radiosonde data from areas of the oceans that are seasonally affected by intrusions of dry air masses of continental origin were used with the Line-By-Line Radiative Transfer Model (LBLRTM) to simulate brightness temperatures measured in MODIS bands 31 and 32 (at wavelengths of ~ 11 μm and ~ 12 μm). The radiosonde datasets contained profiles with and without a dry layer, representing the baseline (no dry layer aloft) and the anomalous conditions (dry layer present). MODIS SST retrieval algorithm versions 5 and 6 were applied to the simulated brightness temperatures to obtain the SST and the retrieval errors were examined. Whereas the average errors for the baseline ‘no dry layer’ conditions range between 0.29 and 0.72 K, in the case of very deep dry layers the errors can be > 1 K. Simulations were also performed for atmospheric profiles that were created from the measured profiles by ‘drying’ layers at various altitudes. It was found that the retrieval errors 1) depend on the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, 2) change in a systematic way dependent on the presence and characteristics of a dry layer, 3) dry layers in the lower troposphere make the SST retrieval errors more positive, and dry layers in the upper troposphere tend to introduce SST retrieval errors that are more negative.
Multi-Center Development and Testing of a Simulation-Based Cardiovascular Assessment Curriculum for Advanced Practice Nurses

Abstract Cardiovascular assessment skills are deficient among advanced practice nursing students, and effective instructional methods to improve assessment skills are needed. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate outcomes of a cardiovascular assessment curriculum for advanced practice nurses at four institutions. Each institution used a one-group pre-to-post-intervention design. Educational interventions included faculty-led, simulation-based case presentations using the Harvey® cardiopulmonary patient simulator (CPS), and independent learning sessions using the CPS and a multimedia, computer-based CD-ROM program. Outcome measures included a 31-item cognitive written exam, a 13-item skills checklist used in each of a three-station objective structured clinical exam, learner self-efficacy and satisfaction survey, instructor satisfaction and self-efficacy survey, and a participant logbook to record practice time using the self-learning materials. Thirty-six students who received ...
Jeffrey Isner, 1947-2001

A pioneer in cardiovascular research and gene therapy, Jeffrey M. Isner died at age 53 of a cardiac arrest on 31 October 2001. His loss is a terrible blow to the world of medicine, and particularly to the field of cardiovascular biology. A professor of Medicine and Pathology at Boston's Tufts
Use of avian and mammalian guilds as indicators of cumulative impacts in riparian-wetland areas

A new method of assessing cumulative effects of human activities on bird and mammal communities of riparian-wetland areas was developed by using response guilds to reflect how species theoretically respond to habitat disturbance on a landscape level. All bird and mammal species of Pennsylvania were assigned values for each response guild using documented information for each species, to reflect their sensitivity to disturbances; high guild scores corresponded to low tolerance toward habitat disturbance. We hypothesized that, given limited time and resources, determining how wildife communities change in response to environmental impacts can be done more efficiently with a response-guild approach than a single-species approach. To test the model, censuses of birds and mammals were conducted along wetland and riparian areas of a protected and a disturbed watershed in central Pennsylvania. The percent of bird species with high response-guild scores (i.e., species that had specific habitat requirements and/or were neotropical migrants) remained relatively stable through the protected watershed. As intensity of habitat alteration increased through the disturbed watershed, percentage of bird species with high response-guild scores decreased. Only 2%–3% of the neotropical migrants that had specific habitat requirements were breeding residents in disturbed habitats as compared to 17%–20% in reference areas. Species in the edge and exotic guild classifications (low guild scores) were found in greater percentages in the disturbed watershed. Composition of mammalian guilds showed no consistent pattern associated with habitat disturbance. Avian response guilds reflected habitat disturbance more predictively than mammalian response guilds.
Identification of a Novel Internal Ribosome Entry Site in Giardiavirus That Extends to Both Sides of the Initiation Codon

In Giardia lamblia, enhanced translation of luciferase mRNA, flanked between the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) and 3 ′-end of giardiavirus transcript, requires the presence of the initial 264-nucleotide (nt) viral capsid-coding region. By introducing the transcripts of dicistronic viral constructs into Giardia, we demonstrated that the 264-nt downstream region alone is insufficient to function as an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) without including a portion of the 5 ′-UTR as well. Deletion analysis showed that efficient internal initiation requires the last 253 nts (nts 114–367) of the 5 ′-UTR in combination with the downstream 264 nts. Specific mutations that disrupted the predicted secondary structural elements in either the 5 ′-UTR or the 264-nt capsid-coding region completely abolished the IRES-mediated translation of downstream cistron, suggesting that the IRES activity requires the presence of these structures in both regions. Mutations that abolished translation of the first cistron did not, however, affect the IRES-mediated translation of the second cistron, indicating that this IRES-mediated translation is independent of the translation of the upstream cistron. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported identification of a viral IRES with an estimated size of 517 nts that extends to both sides of the initiation site.
The Shuler Nurse Practitioner Practice Model: A Theoretical Framework for Nurse Practitioner Clinicians, Educators, and Researchers, Part 1

Because nurse practitioners (NPs) have expanded their nursing knowledge and skills into medicine they need a model that reflects this expanded role. This article presents the Shuler Nurse Practitioner Practice Model, which is wellness-oriented and suggests how patient interaction, assessment, intervention, and evaluation should occur.
Variant glycosylation: an underappreciated regulatory mechanism for β1 integrins

Although it has been known for many years that β1 integrins undergo differential glycosylation in accordance with changes in cell phenotype, the potential role of N-glycosylation as a modulator of integrin function has received little attention. One reason for the relatively limited interest in this topic likely relates to the fact that much of the prior research was correlative in nature. However, new results now bolster the hypothesis that there is a causal relationship between variant glycosylation and altered integrin activity. In this review, the evidence for variant glycosylation as a regulatory mechanism for β1 integrins are summarized, with particular emphasis on: (1) outlining the instances in which cell phenotypic variation is associated with differential β1 glycosylation, (2) describing the specific alterations in glycan structure that accompany phenotypic changes and (3) presenting potential mechanisms by which variant glycosylation might regulate integrin function.
‘Something old, something new, something borrowed...’: a historical commentary on the Carnegie Council's Turning Points

This essay offers a historical commentary on Turning Points: Preparing Youth for the 21st Century, the 1989 report on middle school education by the Carnegie Council's Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents, The report's opposition to tracking and its advocacy of teacher empowerment, initiatives that have been popular with school reformers of the 1980s, does distinguish Turning Points from earlier proposals for educational change. Most of the report, however, seems to recommend policies that bear a striking similarity to the kind of changes promoted by the advocates of efficiency oriented school reform earlier in the century. The essay examines the historical antecedents for two of these policy recommendations, curriculum integration and school‐based health services. In considering these earlier attempts at reform, this essay identifies flaws that may mitigate the effectiveness of the policies recommended in Turning Points but which the authors of the report fail to mention .
Stabilizing effect of divalent metal ions on virions of southern bean mosaic virus

Virions of southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV) are strongly dependent upon Mg2+ and Ca2+ for structural integrity. Approximately 110–130 Mg2+ and 75–100 Ca2+ are bound firmly to each virion. Removal of these cations with EDTA in the presence of 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7.5, causes relaxation of the SBMV capsid and a concomitant reduction in the virion sedimentation (115 S → 100 S) rate. Such EDTA-treated virions (100 S) become sensitive to several proteases and pancreatic ribonuclease. Following EDTA treatment, the SBMV capsid is degraded easily with sodium dodecyl sulfate or poly(G), releasing intact (25 S) viral RNA. Furthermore, 100 S-SBMV shows a marked penetration and accumulation of negative stain (uranyl formate) within the virion core. Treating 100 S-SBMV with spermine and spermidine causes it to sediment at 115 S but does not alter virion sensitivity to enzymes, denaturants etc. Upon exposure to a mixture of divalent metal ions, 100 S-SBMV firmly binds ca. 120 Mg2+ and 80 Ca2+. Such virions sediment sharply at 115 S, prevent uranyl formate from penetrating the capsid and become largely resistant to enzymes, denaturants etc. Apparently, Mg2+ and Ca2+ play an essential role in stabilizing protein-protein interaction of the SBMV capsid.
Identification of spirochetes (treponemes) in endodontic infections.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of spirochetes in asymptomatic infected root canals and in endodontic abscesses/cellulitis. Aseptic clinical samples were collected using paper points from 54 infected root canals and from aspirates of 84 abscesses/cellulitis. Oligonucleotide primers were produced for PCR identification of Treponema vincentii, T. pectinovorum, T. medium, T. amylovorum, T. denticola, T. maltophilum , and T. socranskii. PCR detected spirochetes in 51 of 84 (60.7%) samples from abscesses/cellulitis and in 20 of 54 (37.0%) samples from asymptomatic infected root canals. T. socranskii was the most frequently detected (44.9%), followed by T. maltophilum (29.7%), T. denticola (28.9%), T. pectinovorum (13.7%), and T. vincentii (5.1%). The number of treponema species detected ranged from 1 to 5 species per sample. The mean numbers of species detected were 2.3 in abscesses/cellulitis and 2.6 in infected root canals. Significant association among species was found between T. maltophilum and T. socranskii , as well as between T. maltophilum and T. denticola by determining the odds ratio (>2.0).
LAPAROSCOPY FOR THE NON-PALPABLE TESTIS: A REVIEW OF TWENTY-EIGHT PATIENTS (1988–90)

The applications of laparoscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool are being continually expanded and applied to the younger patient. In this study, 28 boys with 32 non-palpable testes underwent laparoscopy as part of their management. The patients' ages ranged from 10 months to 13 years. There was one failed laparoscopy and one minor complication. Blind ending vas deferens and vessels proximal to the deep inguinal ring were noted in six patients and no viable testes were found in these boys. Five abdominal testes were noted; three underwent scrotal fixation, one was excised after failed Fowler-Stephens orchidopexy and one had a staged procedure. Twenty-one non-palpable testes were noted on laparoscopy to have the vas deferens and vessels entering the inguinal canal; of these, 12 were atrophic on inguinal exploration. The remaining nine testes were successfully fixed in the scrotum. This study concludes that laparoscopy is a safe and effective part of the management of the non-palpable testis. The advantages of laparoscopy in the localization of the testis and its potential uses in treatment are highlighted.
A Preliminary Investigation of the Grandparent Support Scale for Teenage Mothers

Although numerous instruments are available to assess the teen mother’s social support, an instrument that is more narrowly focused on the support teen mothers receive from their parents (the grandparents) is lacking. To remedy this gap, the Grandparent Support Scale for Teenage Mothers (GSSTM) was developed. The purpose of this article is to review what is known about grandparent support and describe the initial psychometric testing of the teen version of the GSSTM. Four questionnaires were completed by 72 teen mothers. Factor analysis of the GSSTM resulted in reduction of the questionnaire from 22 to 16 items and yielded three factors: Grandparent Responsiveness (α = .90), Grandparent as Decision Maker (α = .76), and Grandparent as Actor (α = .72). GSSTM subscales significantly correlated with the other measures, supporting their validity. Although further psychometric testing is needed with a larger sample, the GSSTM shows promise in assessing teen mothers’ perceptions of family support.
Reduction of canine myocardial infarct size by a diffusible reactive oxygen metabolite scavenger. Efficacy of dimethylthiourea given at the onset of reperfusion.

A number of scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites reduce myocardial injury when given before ischemia and reperfusion, but few, if any, have proven to be effective when given near the onset of reperfusion. This is particularly true when infarct size is measured after at least 48 hours of reperfusion, when the full extent of myocardial damage has become apparent. Dimethylthiourea (DMTU) is an extremely diffusible, potent scavenger of hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, and hypochlorous acid, with a long half-life of 43 hours. Sixteen chloralose-anesthetized dogs underwent 90 minutes of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion followed by 48 hours of reperfusion. Collateral flow was measured by radioactive microspheres. Infarct size and risk area were measured by a postmortem dual-perfusion technique using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride and Evan's blue dye. In eight dogs, therapy with DMTU (500 mg/kg i.v.) was given during the last 15 minutes of ischemia and the first 15 minutes of reperfusion. In eight control dogs, the same volume of 0.9% saline was given during the last 15 minutes of ischemia through the first 15 minutes of reperfusion. Infarct size as a percent of risk area was reduced in the DMTU-treated group compared with the saline-treated controls (DMTU = 42 +/- 4% versus saline = 59 +/- 4%, p less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of cellular fixatives on human immunodeficiency virus production

Effects of cell fixation procedures appropriate for flow cytometric analysis on the infectivity of human T lymphoblastoid H9 cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) were evaluated to provide guidelines for choosing cell treatments for potentially infectious samples. H9 cells experimentally infected with HIV-1 were treated by the test fixation procedure, washed, and cocultured with equal numbers of live, uninfected H9 cells. To estimate the reduction in infectivity due to the fixation procedure, dilution series of live infected H9 cells in uninfected H9 cells were simultaneously established in culture. Cell cultures were incubated 8-10 d, harvested, and evaluated for evidence of HIV-1 infection by the presence of cell-associated HIV-1 antigens and/or by the presence of particle-associated reverse transcriptase activity in cell culture supernatants. Thirty-minute fixation with formaldehyde (1.85%), methanol (absolute), methanol:acetone (1:1), or paraformaldehyde (0.5%) reduced the infectivity of HIV-1-infected H9 cells by greater than 99.99%. To the same degree, a multi-step fixation procedure utilizing formaldehyde and ethanol was effective in reducing HIV-1 infectivity. Conversely, the erythrocyte fixative dimethylsuberimidate at 3 micrograms/ml was ineffective in reducing HIV-1 infectivity.
Non-contact implant dose and energy metrology for advanced CMOS low-energy implants

Ultra Shallow Junctions are required to successfully improve device performance with scaling to have a better threshold voltage control, improve transistor performance, reduce CHC (Channel Hot Carrier) degradation and reduce parasitic capacitance. All these play an increasingly critical role as we move on to the 45 nm node and beyond to provide the required ac and dc device performance for CMOS devices. In the low energy implant regime, four point probe based sheet resistivity measurement becomes highly unreliable as does silicon damage based metrology systems used currently for advanced process control and monitoring. A non-contact metrology method is investigated based on leakage and tunneling currents in a non-conductive film that contains the implanted dose. These shallow implants damage the non-conductive film causing leakage paths to the silicon substrate. The implant damage is proportional to the dose and energy of the implanted species. Furthermore implanting the non-conductive film causes the top layers of the film to become conductive thus changing the electrical oxide thickness of this film. Excellent correlation was found among the implanted dose, energy to the equivalent oxide thickness. Results from controlled experiments indicate that this method has potential for use in low energy implanter qualification and ultra large scale integration process control and monitoring.
Nuns and Monkeys: Investigating the Behavior of our Oldest Old

The use of nonhuman primates, particularly rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), as the best model for human physiological and cognitive aging is broadly accepted. Studies employing nonhuman primates t...
Central masking: Some steady-state and transient effects.

The contralateral threshold shift was investigated as a function of various parameters of the masking and masked stimuli. Because of a measured high acoustic attenuation between the ears, the threshold shift is interpreted as central masking. Both steady-state and pulsed maskers were used and their effect on the contralateral threshold was determined as a function of the masker intensity, the frequency difference between the masking and masked tones, the time delay from the masker onset, and the duration of an intermittent masker.
International Political Economy: Different Textbooks, Different Lenses

Like many areas of inquiry in political science, international political economy (IPE) has borrowed and built upon several intellectually rich and ancient schools of thought. Knowledge about the international political economy has been growing and changing for centuries. Indeed, it is only in the last several decades that we have devised the moniker IPE and attempted to integrate and synthesize these disparate writings and research from other areas of political science as well as from economics, history, and sociology. Pulling this information together into a coherent whole seems to grow in importance as we plunge forward into a globalized world in which war, terrorism, and NASA disasters appear to be at least partially explained by what is going on in the international political economy. Conflict and cooperation between states and markets exist everywhere. The five textbooks that are examined in this contribution to the Forum have done an admirable job of presenting this accumulation of knowledge from theories to issues to actors. However, each presents this abundance of information in different ways and often through different lenses. The five books that are compared and contrasted in what follows are: The books by Balaam and Veseth (2001) and by Cohn (2003) are the …
Selectable Subgenomic and Genome-Length Dicistronic RNAs Derived from an Infectious Molecular Clone of the HCV-N Strain of Hepatitis C Virus Replicate Efficiently in Cultured Huh7 Cells

Dicistronic, selectable subgenomic replicons derived from the Con1 strain of hepatitis C virus (HCV) are capable of autonomous replication in cultured Huh7 cells (Lohmann et al., Science 285:110-113, 1999). However, adaptive mutations in the NS3, NS5A, and/or NS5B proteins are required for efficient replication of these RNAs and increase by orders of magnitude the numbers of G418-resistant colonies selected following transfection of Huh7 cells. Here, we demonstrate that a subgenomic replicon (NNeo/3-5B) derived from an infectious molecular clone of a second genotype 1b virus, HCV-N (Beard et al., Hepatology 30:316-324, 1999) is also capable of efficient replication in Huh7 cells. G418-resistant cells selected following transfection with NNeo/3-5B RNA contained abundant NS5A antigen and HCV RNA detectable by Northern analysis. Replicon RNA in one of three clonally isolated cell lines contained no mutations in the NS3-NS5B polyprotein, confirming that adaptive mutations are not required for efficient replication in these cells. However, the deletion of a unique 4-amino-acid insertion that is present within the interferon sensitivity-determining region (ISDR) of the NS5A protein in wild-type HCV-N drastically decreased the number of G418-resistant colonies obtained following transfection of Huh7 cells. This effect could be reversed by inclusion of a previously described Con1 cell culture-adaptive mutation (S2005→I), confirming that this natural insertion has a controlling role in determining the replication capacity of wild-type HCV-N RNA in Huh7 cells. Additional selectable, dicistronic RNAs encoding NS2-NS5B, E1-NS5B, or the full-length HCV polyprotein were also capable of replication and gave rise to G418-resistant cell clones following transfection of Huh7 cells. We conclude that RNA derived from this documented infectious molecular clone has a unique capacity for replication in Huh7 cells in the absence of additional cell culture-adaptive mutations.
Safety of prehospital nitroglycerin.

Study objective: To define changes in vital signs and cardiac rhythm in prehospital patients given sublingual nitroglycerin. Design: A five-month prospective observational study with nitroglycerin administration as the independent variable. Setting: Five independent advanced life support services. Type of participant: Three hundred prehospital patients who were given nitroglycerin by advanced life support personnel for presumed myocardial ischemia or congestive heart failure; excluded were those without repeat vital signs or ECG monitoring and those given additional medications. Intervention: Nitroglycerin was administered by regional emergency medical services protocols or by the order of an online medical command physician. Results: Four study patients (1.3%) had adverse effects: One became asystolic and apneic for two minutes, two experienced profound bradycardia with hypotension, and one became hypotensive while tachycardic. All recovered. The 95% confidence interval for adverse effects was 0.5% to 3.4%. Mean fall in systolic blood pressure for the other 296 patients was 14 mm Hg for one dose (confidence interval, 11 to 16 mm Hg) and 8 mm Hg (confidence interval, 2 to 13 mm Hg) for a second dose. Heart rate changed minimally with nitroglycerin administration. The blood pressure drop was linearly correlated with initial systolic pressure ( r =−.44; P Conclusion: Nitroglycerin seems to be a relatively safe advanced life support drug; however, a few patients experience serious adverse effects. Most of the adverse effects we observed were bradycardic-hypotensive reactions, which appeared to be unpredictable by pretreatment characteristics. Emergency personnel should have an increased awareness of this danger when considering the use of prehospital nitroglycerin.
Application of pharmacogenomic strategies to the study of drug-induced birth defects.

Approximately 3% of all infants are born with one or more major birth defects, resulting in >150,000 affected babies each year in the US alone.1 At present, birth defects account for more than 21% of all infant deaths, making them the leading cause of infant mortality.2 Although the etiology and determinants of individual susceptibility are largely unknown for most congenital malformations, pharmacogenomic analyses offer promise for the future. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2007) 81, 595–599. doi:10.1038/sj.clpt.6100128; published online 21 February 2007
Wavelet analysis of circadian and ultradian behavioral rhythms

We review time-frequency methods that can be useful in quantifying circadian and ultradian patterns in behavioral records. These records typically exhibit details that may not be captured through commonly used measures such as activity onset and so may require alternative approaches. For instance, activity may involve multiple bouts that vary in duration and magnitude within a day, or may exhibit day-to-day changes in period and in ultradian activity patterns. The discrete Fourier transform and other types of periodograms can estimate the period of a circadian rhythm, but we show that they can fail to correctly assess ultradian periods. In addition, such methods cannot detect changes in the period over time. Time-frequency methods that can localize frequency estimates in time are more appropriate for analysis of ultradian periods and of fluctuations in the period. The continuous wavelet transform offers a method for determining instantaneous frequency with good resolution in both time and frequency, capable of detecting changes in circadian period over the course of several days and in ultradian period within a given day. The discrete wavelet transform decomposes a time series into components associated with distinct frequency bands, thereby facilitating the removal of noise and trend or the isolation of a particular frequency band of interest. To demonstrate the wavelet-based analysis, we apply the transforms to a numerically-generated example and also to a variety of hamster behavioral records. When used appropriately, wavelet transforms can reveal patterns that are not easily extracted using other methods of analysis in common use, but they must be applied and interpreted with care.
Some Observations on Measuring Sound Speeds in Polymers Using Time‐of‐Flight

The time-of-flight method has been used to measure the longitudinal and shear wave speeds in six polymers (polyether ether ketone [PEEK], PEEK with 10% carbon fibers, polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE], high-density polyethylene [HDPE], ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene [UHMWPE], and polycarbonate) and two metals (6061-T6 aluminum and copper). Using transducers producing a nominally sinusoidal input resulted in no indication of a longitudinal dispersion effect that might lead to different longitudinal sound speed being measured as a function of sample thickness. The analysis of the experimental errors showed that, as might be expected, testing thicker samples in using this time-of-flight method lowers the measurement uncertainty, provided that the signal is not too attenuated by the generally highly attenuating polymer samples. It is recommended that when available, samples of polymer greater than 9mm thick are used for generating accurate sound-speed data.
The Fibrotic Phenotype Induced by IGFBP-5 Is Regulated by MAPK Activation and Egr-1-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms

We have previously shown that insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein- 5 (IGFBP-5) is overexpressed in lung fibrosis and induces the production of extracellular matrix components, such as collagen and fibronectin, both in vitro and in vivo. The exact mechanism by which IGFBP-5 exerts these novel fibrotic effects is unknown. We thus examined the signaling cascades that mediate IGFBP-5-induced fibrosis. We demonstrate for the first time that IGFBP-5 induction of extracellular matrix occurs independently of IGF-I, and results from IGFBP-5 activation of MAPK signaling, which facilitates the translocation of IGFBP-5 to the nucleus. We examined the effects of IGFBP-5 on early growth response (Egr)-1, a transcription factor that is central to growth factor-mediated fibrosis. Egr-1 was up-regulated by IGFBP-5 in a MAPK-dependent manner and bound to nuclear IGFBP-5. In fibroblasts from Egr-1 knockout mice, induction of fibronectin by IGFBP-5 was abolished. Expression of Egr-1 in these cells rescued the extracellular matrix-promoting effects of IGFBP-5. Moreover, IGFBP-5 induced cell migration in an Egr-1-dependent manner. Notably, Egr-1 levels, similar to IGFBP-5, were increased in vivo in lung tissues and in vitro in primary fibroblasts of patients with pulmonary idiopathic fibrosis. Taken together, our findings suggest that IGFBP-5 induces a fibrotic phenotype via the activation of MAPK signaling and the induction of nuclear Egr-1 that interacts with IGFBP-5 and promotes fibrotic gene transcription.
Direct coding of a class of non-stationary signals based on mixed transforms

A mixed Fourier-Walsh signal representation is proposed for transform coding. Basis functions from two transforms are used, namely, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and the Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT). An iterative algorithm is used to implement the mixed representation. A finite number of DFT components is used to represent the selective (narrowband) dominant spectrum of speech on a frame-by-frame basis. The whitened (broadband) residual signal is represented using a small number of Walsh components. The parameters of the mixed representation are coded directly by coding the DFT and WHT components. Results are given for frame-by-frame and packet coding at rates ranging from 16 kb/s to 9.6 kb/s. >
Non-rigid face tracking with enforced convexity and local appearance consistency constraint

Convex quadratic fitting (CQF) has demonstrated great success recently in the task of non-rigidly registering a face in a still image using a constrained local model (CLM). A CLM is a commonly used model for non-rigid object registration and contains two components: (i) local patch-experts that model the appearance of each landmark in the object, and (ii) a global shape prior describing how each of these landmarks can vary non-rigidly. Conventional CLMs can be used in non-rigid facial tracking applications through a track-by-detection strategy. However, the registration performance of such a strategy is susceptible to local appearance ambiguity. Since there is no motion continuity constraint between neighboring frames of the same sequence, the resultant object alignment might not be consistent from frame to frame and the motion field is not temporally smooth. In this paper, we extend the CQF fitting method into the spatio-temporal domain by enforcing the appearance consistency constraint of each local patch between neighboring frames. More importantly, we show, as in the original CQF formulation, that the global warp update can be optimized jointly in an efficient manner. Finally, we demonstrate that our approach receives improved performance for the task of non-rigid facial motion tracking on the videos of clinical patients.
Athletes’ Motivation Regulations and Need Satisfaction Across Combinations of Perceived Coaching Behaviors

Cluster analysis was used to identify combinations of perceived coaching behaviors (i.e., autonomy support and four controlling coaching behaviors). Motivation regulations and need satisfaction were tested for differences across profiles. Results revealed 3 profiles of college swimmers (N = 165) based on their responses to measures of study variables. The profiles had relatively more autonomy support or more controlling coaching behaviors or a combination of the 2. The profile with greater autonomy support and lower controlling coaching behaviors reported the most positive motivation experiences. Findings illustrate the independence of these coaching behaviors and offer practical suggestions for college swim coaches.