cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assembly of adenovirus major capsid protein is mediated by a nonvirion protein

The assembly of hexon, the major capsid protein of adenovirus, was investigated with the use of conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies. The hexon capsomere is a trimer of three identical monomers folded into a highly conserved and stable structure. The unique nature of this structure is indicated by the lack of common antigenic determinants between the capsomere and either monomeric or denatured hexon. The assembly of the trimer requires the action of a nonvirion protein, the 100K protein. The virus-encoded 100K protein forms a tight complex with hexon polypeptides. This 100K-hexon complex can form on the polyribosomes while hexon is a nascent chain. Exclusion chromatography revealed that the complex has a molecular weight of 800,000. The complex contains only pretrimer hexon; no mature hexon capsomeres can be found bound to 100K. Kinetic analysis of hexon trimerization and hexon-100K binding indicated that trimerization and the release of hexon from the complex occur concomitantly.
Drag coefficients for a settling sphere with microbubble drag reduction effects

Experiments are conducted to study the microbubble effects on drag reduction of settling particles in liquid. In this study, microbubbles are generated from Alka-Seltzer® powder coated on the surface of the particle. The particle Reynolds number range examined varies from 20,000 to 70,000. The reduction of drag force in terms of drag coefficient is found to decrease to about 15% with microbubble generation compared to that without microbubble generation.
Building a Structural Model of Computer-Aided Decision Making

It is becoming clear that computerized automation in the form of expert systems can be a useful aid for a wide variety of decision tasks including those involving diagnosis. To optimally combine human talent and expert systems, we need knowledge concerning what variables affect human performance, what variables affect machine performance, and what variables affect the operator's use and acceptance of the judgments offered by the expert system. This paper presents preliminary work on a causal model that has been developed to describe the decision system for an expert-aided diagnostic inference task. It is suggested that covariance structure analysis techniques can provide a useful tool for assessing the validity of this type of complex system model. To illustrate the approach, laboratory data relevant to the model are presented including analysis via structural equation modeling.
Animal studies on the reduction and/or dilution of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) activity in the urinary system.

To evaluate two methods for decreasing and/or diluting the FDG activity in the urinary system, five rats were intraperitoneally given 1,000 μg/g ofl-lysine 4 times, starting from 60 minutes before iv injection of FDG, and then at 30-minute intervals for 90 minutes. Five rats were used as controls. In a furosemide study, 12 rats were allocated to three groups. Group 1 received iv injection of FDG alone. Group 2 received saline before iv injection of FDG. Group 3 received furosemide (7 mg/kg) and saline (1/30 of body weight). Neither renal uptake nor urinary excretion of FDG had a statistically significant difference: renal uptake; 0.179 ± 0.011 (l-lysine) vs. 0.119 ± 0.003 (control) % kg injected dose/g. The % dose excreted and total urine volume were: 15.0 ± 2.5 to 15.5 ± 2.5 with 2.98 ml (l-lysine), 22.9 ± 1.8 to 24.2 ± 1.5 with 1.41ml (control). The furosemide study revealed a statistically significant difference: Group 1; 7.57 ± 4.73, Group 2; 0.686 ± 0.638, Group 3; 2.37 ± 2.33% kg injected dose/g (p < 0.01 for Group 1 vs. Group 2, p < 0.05 for Group 1 vs. Group 3). While pretreatment withl-lysine or furosemide failed to decrease renal activity of FDG, saline injection without furosemide markedly decreased urinary activity.
Phosphorylation of cAMP hydrolyzing PDE (PDE3A) by cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in human platelets

Meeting abstracts - A single PDF containing all abstracts in this Supplement is available here .
The effects of reciprocal peer management and group contingencies on the arithmetic proficiency of underachieving students

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of reciprocal peer-management procedures and group-reinforcement contingencies as a means of increasing arithmetic proficiency. Fifteen underachieving fifth- and sixth-grade students were trained to use peer-management procedures within a group context. Group rewards were delivered contingent on the performance of the whole group. An ABAB withdrawal design with 3 weeks of maintenance data was used to evaluate this intervention. The findings indicated that the students used the procedures accurately and that these procedures resulted in improved arithmetic performance. Social validity and sociometric data supported the efficacy of treatment gains. The equivocal generalization data were discussed with suggestions for future research.
High-efficiency Q-band GaAs FET oscillator

A microstrip GaAs FET oscillator using a 75 × 0.25 μm device has achieved an output power of 10 mW with an efficiency of 10% at 36 GHz. This oscillator was intended for local-oscillator applications at Q-band.
Modulation of in vitro synthesis of immunoglobulin and the induction of suppressor activity by therapy with intravenous immune globulin.

Abstract Intravenous immune globulin has become an important modality of replacement therapy for children and adults with hypogammaglobulinemia or agammaglobulinemia. It is also evident that intravenous immune globulin is effective in patients with a variety of autoimmune disorders. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of intravenous immune globulin replacement therapy in patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia. We measured pokeweed mitogen-induced immunoglobulin synthesis of patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells cocultured in equal numbers with normal subjects' lymphocytes to assess suppressor cell activity. The mean suppressor cell activity in coculture experiments at baseline of nine patients in the study was − 16%. Suppressor activity was demonstrated in two of nine patients at baseline who received intravenous immune globulin therapy before initiation of the study. After intravenous immune globulin therapy at a low dose (100 to 200 mg/kg/mo), suppressor cell activity was demonstrated in all nine patients, which ranged from −63% to −100%. In five patients intravenous immune globulin therapy was discontinued for 4 months. There was a return to baseline levels, with suppressor activity ranging from −20% to −50%. On reinstitution of high-dose intravenous immune globulin therapy (300 to 400 mg/kg/mo), all patients except one again demonstrated increased suppressor cell activity. Cell separation and recombination cell culture experiments were performed. All patients had an intrinsic B cell defect before the initiation of therapy so that the effects of intravenous immune globulin therapy on B cell function could not be assessed. Combining normal B cells with the patient's T cell-enriched fraction showed marked suppression of pokeweed mitogen-induced immune globulin synthesis. This suppression was reversible by irradiation of the T cell fraction. Removal of CD8-positive T cells by cell sorting resulted in normal immunoglobulin synthesis. These findings suggested that the CD8-positive T cell subset accounted for the increase in suppressor activity in patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia receiving intravenous immune globulin therapy.
Research on Oxidation and Embrittlement of Intermetallic Compounds in the U.S.

Research on the oxidation behavior of intermetallic compounds has been conducted in the U.S. for many years. However, until about ten years ago, this work focusses on the compounds which are important in Ni-base superalloys and their coatings: mainly Ni 3 Al and NiAl. More recent work has been directed at systems which may be used in monolithic form or as the base for composites. Work has concentrated on three types of systems: Ni- and Fe-aluminides, refractory metal compounds, and titanium aluminides. Work on the Ni- and Fe-aluminides has concentrated mainly on adherence problems and some anomolous behavior. Work on the refractory metal compounds, particularly MoSi2 and NbAl 3 , has dealt with the problem of selectively oxidizing Al or Si from a refractory metal base and various intermediate-temperature forms of degradation, such as pesting. It has become increasingly more clear that, for a number of reasons, the titanium aluminides will be the first new metallic materials introduced into commercial high-temperature applications (probably aircraft gas turbines and automobiles engines) in many years. As a result a very large amount of work is being done on the oxidation behaviour of these compounds. Initial work dealt with oxidation mechanisms at temperatures on the order of 1000°C. However, both oxidation and mechanical property considerations dictate that the alloys will not be used at temperatures much above 750°C. Therefore, current work is being focussed on oxidation mechanisms at lower temperature and on what may be the Achilles heel of these materials, environmental embrittlement. This paper summarizes the work being done in the U.S. and highlights work on what the author believes are the more important problems.
Study of entanglement of polymers in solution by viscosity measurements

A study has been made of the flow behavior of solutions of a single sample of polystyrene in five different solvents in both the Newtonian and non-Newtonian regions. The concentration range covered was approximately 0-20% by weight, and the temperatures were 20, 30, 40, and 50°C. By application of the Ree-Eyring theory it was found possible to represent the observed data in terms of two flow units, and to obtain from the parameters of the Ree-Eyring equation the effective hydrodynamic volume occupied by the polymer in solution, ev, where v is the volume fraction of polymer and e an effective volume factor. For any given solvent e varies from [η]/2 at v = 0 to e = ca. 4 at v∞, the volume fraction at which ev = 1 and the viscosity becomes infinite; and, except in very dilute solutions, e is essentially independent of the temperature. Again, for any given value of v, e is a function of the nature of the solvent only between v = 0 and v = 0.04. Above the latter concentration e is completely independent of the solvent in which the polystyrene is dissolved, and becomes merely a function of the solution concentration. These results indicate that chain entanglement in solution, if it does occur, can take place only below a concentration of v = 0.04. Above v = 0.04 no entanglement can be present, and the configuration of the polymer chain, as reflected in the effective volume they occupy, is governed only by the nonspecific factor of the space available for occupancy by each molecule. As this space decreases with increase in concentration, the polymer molecule is forced to reduce its effective volume by coiling into a tighter mass. This process continues until ev becomes equal to unity, at which point the state of tightest coiling is reached without change in the nature of the flow. In the latter state the polymer molecule is shown to occupy a volume 2 to 3 times, and to have a cross section 1.26 to 1.44 times, that of the polymer in bulk.
Epidemiology of heart failure

Analysis of 34 years of follow-up of Framingham Study data provides clinically relevant insights into the prevalence, incidence, secular trends, prognosis, and modifiable risk factors for the occurrence of heart failure in a general population sample. Heart failure was found to be highly prevalent, affecting about 1% of persons in their 50s and rising progressively with age to afflict 10% of persons in their 80s. The annual incidence also increased with age, from about 0.2% in persons 45 to 54 years, to 4.0% in men 85 to 94 years, with the incidence approximately doubling with each decade of age. Women lagged slightly behind men in incidence at all ages. Male predominance was because of a higher rate of coronary heart disease, which confers a fourfold increased risk of heart failure. Heart failure, once manifest, was highly lethal, with 37% of men and 33% of women dying within 2 years of diagnosis. The 6-year mortality rate was 82% for men and 67% for women, which corresponded to a death rate fourfold to eightfold greater than that of the general population of the same age. Sudden death was a common mode of exitus and accounted for 28% of the cardiovascular deaths in men and 14% in women with heart failure. Hypertension and coronary disease were the predominant causes for heart failure and accounted for more than 80% of all clinical events. Factors reflecting deteriorating cardiac function were associated with a substantial increase in risk of overt heart failure. These include low vital capacity, sinus tachycardia, and ECG evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Perioperative care of the infant with single ventricle physiology.

Among patients with congenital heart defects, neonates with single ventricle disease continue to challenge clinicians despite significant improvements in survival over the past 30 years. The cardiac anatomical variants associated with the term “single ventricle” are characterized by severe hypoplasia (or absence) of either ventricle, typically in association with obstruction or atresia of either the pulmonary or systemic outflow tracts. Physiologically, the single ventricle receives both pulmonary and systemic venous blood and ejects simultaneously into the pulmonary and systemic circulations, a pattern commonly referred to as single ventricle physiology. Medical and surgical management strategies, though palliative, are aimed at achieving the optimal balance of systemic blood flow and pulmonary blood flow to maximize oxygen delivery. Patients with single ventricle physiology have a greater risk of dying than those with biventricular circulations and are generally committed to multiple palliative interventions throughout childhood with considerable risk. Surgical intervention in the newborn period involves Norwood Stage I palliation, placement of a systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt, or banding of the pulmonary artery, depending on the status of the outflow tracts. Heart transplantation is offered as the initial approach in some centers. The management strategy and the actual delivery of care from the time of birth (or at time of diagnosis) through the postoperative period is crucial to optimize the short-term and long-term outcomes. Whereas survival following initial palliation in experienced centers is as high as 95%, emphasis is now appropriately shifting toward the control of in-hospital morbidity and optimizing long-term functional outcome. Centers are continually striving to gather and apply new knowledge related to the underlying anatomical and physiologic problems while seeking to improve decision making and care of the patient with single ventricle physiology.
Ophthalmology manpower: Shortfall or windfall?

Forecasts of ophthalmology manpower depend on assumptions about future supply and requirements. The two factors that influence supply are the number of residents trained and the attrition of ophthalmologists in practice. The factors that influence requirements are the estimated amount of future ophthalmic services the public will demand and the productivity of ophthalmologists. Previous forecasts have produced widely differing results because of an inadequate data base and varying theoretical assumptions. A conservative approach is to use past ophthalmologist to population ratios as a guide, and to tailor the output of ophthalmologists accordingly. A yearly reduction from 1982 to 1990 between 5% and 10% in the number of residency positions will be necessary to bring supply in line with requirements within the next thirty years.
Robustized vector Robbins-Monro algorithm with applications to m-interval detection

Abstract In this paper a convergence theorem for the vector version of the Robbins-Monro procedure with adaptive gain matrices is established. This theorem is then applied to obtain a recursive estimator of the quartiles of a distribution using adaptive gain matrices and batch processing of the samples. In addition, a recursive method of density function estimation provides another short illustration of the applicability of this method to information processing problems. Although only two practical applications are given in this paper, the theorem has much broader implications as a generalized robustized vector recursive algorithm.
Optimal media storage in federated cloud environments

With the emergence of cloud computing, users are increasingly using storage services of cloud providers to satisfy their storage needs. However, these cloud providers are not 100% reliable, resulting in periodic service outages. End users require a solution that minimizes the impact of cloud service outages and optimizes the chances of successfully retrieving stored objects in cases of provider failures. In this paper, we propose to build a federated cloud agent, enabling end users to simultaneously deploy storage objects to multiple cloud service providers, based on their unit storage costs and failure probabilities. We study two service provider failure models: the first case assumes that at most one service provider fails at any given time, and the second case assumes that cloud service providers may fail independently with certain probabilities. We cast both scenarios as constrained optimization problems to minimize the overall storage cost while enhancing the chances of recovering all the storage objects in case of service outages. In the experiments, we evaluated the proposed optimal storage schemes against a fixed server deployment strategy and find our schemes can achieve good recovery ratios, while incurring minimal storage costs.
Competition between Reaction and Intramolecular Energy Redistribution in Solution: Observation and Nature of Nonstatistical Dynamics in the Ozonolysis of Vinyl Ethers

Experimental product ratios in ozonolyses of alkyl vinyl ethers in solution do not fit with expectations based on statistical rate theories. The selectivity among cleavage pathways increases with the size of the alkyl group but to an extent that is far less than RRKM theory would predict. Trajectory studies account for the observed selectivities and support a mechanism involving a competition between cleavage of the primary ozonide and intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution. A statistical model is presented that assumes that RRKM theory holds for a molecular subset of the primary ozonides, allowing the rates of energy loss from the ozonides to be estimated from the observed product ratios.
Simplified approach for estimating current unbalances in e.h.v. loop circuits

Electromagnetic and electrostatic unbalances due to the omission of transposition of transmission lines have been treated rather thoroughly, even though separately, in the literature. As e.h.v. lines become longer, and operating voltages are increased, it becomes evident that the line-charging currents are growing to the same order of magnitude as normal load currents. Consequently, it is often necessary to consider the effect of both line-charging and load currents in causing negative- and zero-sequence components of line current. When the total line is composed of sections with different cross-sectional configurations, the rigorous analysis becomes quite formidable. Therefore, a simplified equivalent circuit for an untransposed transmission-line section is proposed which relates more directly to familiar methods of circuit analysis. An important aspect of this method is that it brings out clearly the nature of the unbalance problem and thereby facilitates extrapolation, via good engineering judgement, to more complex networks.
Instantaneous frequency estimation using an adaptive short-time Fourier transform

Instantaneous frequency estimation is important in many applications, including FM demodulation. Time-frequency-based methods have been widely studied for IF estimation, particularly for low SNR, where they prove to be the most effective methods. We propose a new adaptive short-time Fourier transform algorithm, with chirping windows which is tailored for near-optimal time-frequency-based IF estimation. Extensive performance evaluations with both synthetic and real data demonstrate modest (1-2 dB) improvements in the threshold SNR over the best fixed-window STFTs. The computational cost of the new method is about ten times that of a fixed-window STFT.
73-Year-old woman with anterior thigh pain.

© 2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research A 73-year-old woman presented to the Saint Marys Hospital emergency department for anterior thigh pain. This pain began 2 weeks before presentation when she noticed difficulty lifting her right leg into her car. She noticed progressive worsening of these symptoms such that she could not put on her socks and shoes. On the day of presentation, while attempting to raise her right leg into bed, she developed severe burning pain in the anterior aspect of her thigh. The severity of the pain, 10 on a 10-point scale, prompted her to seek evaluation in the emergency department. She denied trauma, change in activity level, back pain, bladder or bowel dysfunction, and saddle anesthesia. Her medical history was notable for coronary artery disease with placement of a drug-eluting stent in the distal circumflex coronary artery 6 months previously via the right radial artery, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus with a recent glycated hemoglobin concentration of 6.0%, and chronic lower extremity lymphedema. Her medications included aspirin, clopidogrel, diltiazem, lisinopril, simvastatin, metoprolol, warfarin, and glyburide. She had no recent changes in medications, was receiving a stable warfarin dose, and her international normalized ratio (INR) was within normal limits. She denied tobacco, ethanol, and intravenous drug use. In the emergency department, radiography of the femur and lumbar spine were performed, showing no evidence of fracture. On admission, her vital signs were as follows: temperature, normal; pulse, 72 beats/min; and blood pressure, 126/68 mm Hg. Findings on cardiac and pulmonary examinations were within normal limits. Her abdomen was soft, obese, and nontender; no masses were palpable. Both lower extremities were warm and well perfused; dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial pulses were palpable. Musculoskeletal examination revealed intact internal and external rotation of her right hip. She was unable to do a straight leg raise or flexion/extension of both the hip and knee because of the severe pain. The spine and sacroiliac joints were not tender to palpation, but she did have tenderness to palpation over the greater trochanter of the right leg. She was able to perform transfers, but her ability to do so was limited by severe pain. During sensory testing, the patient noted a subjective difference in fine touch of the right vs the left anterior thigh.
Willingness to pay for a cure in patients with chronic gout.

Introduction. Gout is a chronic painful inflammatory arthritis. The authors interviewed patients with chronic stable gout to assess their hypothetical willingness to pay (WTP) to be cured of their gout.Patients and Methods.Patients with gout were asked how much money they would be willing to pay every month out of pocket or as a co-pay to cure their gout. To assess determinants of WTP amounts, the authors performed stepwise multivariable linear regression analysis, controlling for demographics, health status, and relative concern about gout.Results.Of the 78 patients, 70 (90%) were male, 54 (69%) were Caucasian, 21 (27%) were African American, and 32 (41%) had annual incomes < $25,000. The median WTP amount was $25 ($0, $75) per month, and the mean (s) was $52 ($74) per month (range, $0-$350); 23 (30%) patients were unwilling to pay any amount. Patients who rated their gout as their top health concern were willing to pay a median of $63 ($25, $100) per month. In multivariable analysis, gout as the top hea...
Role for the Chlamydial Type III Secretion Apparatus in Host Cytokine Expression

In many important human pathogens, such as Shigella and Salmonella spp., the bacterial type III secretion (T3S) apparatus is required to initiate inflammation via activation of caspase-1- or NF-kappaB-dependent genes. Using an ex vivo infection model, the goal of the present study was to determine whether the chlamydial T3S apparatus also modulates the host inflammatory response. Infections of mouse peritoneal macrophages were performed with Chlamydia muridarum, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines was monitored by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Since there is no current genetic system for Chlamydia spp., blockade of T3S was accomplished pharmacologically using a T3S inhibitor called INP0007. It has been previously shown that INP0007 also blocks chlamydial growth in vitro and that the addition of exogenous iron completely reverses this deficit. The addition of iron to INP0007-treated C. muridarum-infected macrophages not only restored chlamydial growth deficit caused by INP0007 but also led to a multi-inclusion phenotype. Overall, T3S inhibition led to decreased interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1beta, and CXCL10, whereas the tumor necrosis factor alpha levels were unchanged. Rescue of chlamydial growth by addition of iron sulfate did not restore cytokine production, implying that the decreased expression of many cytokines during infection was dependent on T3S and not solely on growth. In addition, the observation that the greatest effects of INP0007 were seen at late time points during infection suggests that a temporally regulated T3S effector protein(s) may be triggering the host cytokine response.
Impact of Different Wake Models On the Estimation of Wind Farm Power Generation

The power generation of a wind farm is significantly less than the summation of the power generated by each turbine when operating as a standalone entity. This power reduction can be attributed to the energy loss due to the wake effects the resulting velocity deficit in the wind downstream of a turbine. In the case of wind farm design, the wake losses are generally quantified using wake models. The effectiveness of wind farm design (seeking to maximize the farm output) therefore depends on the accuracy and the reliability of the wake models. This paper compares the impact of the following four analytical wake models on the wind farm power generation: (i) the Jensen model, (ii) the Larsen model, (iii) the Frandsen model, and (iv) the Ishihara model. The sensitivity of this impact to the Land Area per Turbine (LAT) and the incoming wind speed is also investigated. The wind farm power generation model used in this paper is adopted from the Unrestricted Wind Farm Layout Optimization (UWFLO) methodology. Single wake case studies show that the velocity deficit and the wake diameter estimated by the different analytical wake models can be significantly different. A maximum difference of 70% was also observed for the wind farm capacity factor values estimated using different wake models
On the transient motion of ordered suspensions of liquid drops

The transient motion of ordered suspensions of liquid drops, initially arranged on a cubic lattice, is studied as a model of suspension rheology. An asymptotic three-term expansion for the effective stress tensor of a dilute suspension of spherical drops is derived based on the Faxen law for the stresslet. Comparisons with available exact results for cubic lattices suggests that the expansion is remarkably accurate even at concentrations close to maximum packing. The behaviour of suspensions with recurrent structure evolving under the influence of a simple shear flow is investigated, and the results show that the time-averaged behaviour may differ substantially from the instantaneous behaviour. Transient normal stress differences may vanish in the mean, but make appreciable contributions to the instantaneous dynamics. The effect of particle deformation is assessed by numerically computing the motion of initially spherical drops arranged on a cubic lattice. At large times, the suspension is shown to exhibit periodic motions in which the drops oscillate about a mean shape with a phase shift which depends on the geometry of the lattice and the physical properties of the fluids. It is shown that drop deformations cause shear thinning and some type of elastic behaviour, and may lower the effective viscosity of the suspension below that corresponding to the dilute limit.
Identification of transferrin as one of multiple EDTA‐extractable extracellular proteins involved in early chick heart morphogenesis

It was demonstrated previously that a polyclonal antibody (ES1) raised against EDTA extractable proteins from embryonic chicken heart blocks cardiac endothelial-mesenchymal transformation in a culture bioassay and stains extracellular matrix at sites of embryonic inductive interactions, e.g., developing heart, limb buds, and neural crest forming region (Krug et al., 1987, Dev Biol 120:348–355; Mjaatvedt et al., 1991, Dev Biol 145:219–230). In the present study, by using an antiserum (ES3) to a similar immunogen, we affinity purified four major EDTA-soluble proteins. These proteins migrated as 27, 44, 63, and 70 kD molecules under reduced conditions and 27, 41, 52, and 59 kD under nonreduced conditions, respectively, on SDS-PAGE. Based on several criteria, the protein migrating at 70/59 kD (reduced/nonreduced) was indistinguishable from chicken transferrin (conalbumin): (1) amino acid sequencing showed that eight N-terminal residues were identical to those of chicken transferrin, (2) acid hydrolysates of both proteins had nearly identical compositions, (3) the protein co-migrated exactly with chicken transferrin under both reduced and nonreduced conditions, and (4) ES3 IgG recognized both the 70/59 kD protein and chicken transferrin by western blot analysis of nonreduced samples, but not with reduced samples. Immunohistochemistry of chicken embryonic heart with antibodies against transferrin demonstrated that anti-transferrin immunoreactivity is present in myocardium but absent in cardiac endothelium before the initiation of cardiac endothelial-mesenchymal formation. However, both cardiac endothelium and migrating mesenchymal cells became immunoreactive with anti-transferrin at the time transformation occurred. These findings suggest a possible involvement of transferrin in the inductive process of cardiac endothelial-mesenchymal transformation.
Low-frequency low-impedance electromagnetic shielding

The problem of low-frequency shielding of a loop that is axially perpendicular to a plane shield of infinite extent is analyzed by the thin shield work of S. Levy (1936), solution of the vector wave equation, and application of S.A. Schelkunoff's (1934) transmission theory of shielding. Experimental data are obtained and compared with results of using the Levy and the Schelkunoff methods in the frequency range 100-50 kHz. The first analytical technique is not general, and the limits of applicability of the results are discussed. In the second solution, which is general, expressions are derived for the total electric and magnetic fields on both sides of and within the shield. The resulting expression for shielding effectiveness is shown to agree with experimental data. The final expression for shielding effectiveness shows independence of shielding with source-to-shield spacing, a results which is shown to be consistent with experimentally obtained data. >
Lung cancer in women: the differences in epidemiology, biology and treatment outcomes

Although the prevalence of lung cancer in men has been decreasing, it has been increasing in women. Without a doubt, lung cancer is a major health problem for women in the USA, not only owing to its high incidence rate but, more alarming, the high mortality rate. Lung cancer kills more women each year than breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. One of the most important risk factors for the development of lung cancer in both men and women is cigarette smoking. Unfortunately, the prevalence of smoking among women has increased significantly since 1980, which is a major concern as epidemiologic data suggest that women may be more susceptible to developing lung cancer than men. Many will argue, however, that after adjusting for tobacco exposure, some studies have failed to show that women are at a higher risk for developing lung cancer. Indeed, the increased risk of lung cancer in women remains controversial. There is, however, little controversy to the fact that the biology of lung cancer differs bet...
Reflections on non-heartbeating organ donation: how 3 years of experience affected the University of Pittsburgh's Ethics Committee's actions.

In 1991, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) implemented a policy that permitted the recovery of organs from cadavers pronounced dead using standardized cardiac criteria (Non-Heartbeating Cadavers or NHBC). This policy allowed families that had made a decision to forgo life sustaining treatment to then request organ donation. This entailed taking the patient to the operating room, discontinuing therapy (typically but not necessarily a ventilator), and after the patient is pronounced dead, procuring organs.
Measurement and Evaluation for Health Educators

Measurement and Evaluation for Health Educators provides health educators, health promotion practitioners, and students 13 chapters of practical information on many different aspects of measurement, instrument design, and evaluation techniques. A good selection of topics and well-written chapters encourages professionals to evaluate their own programs and procedures. This is a user-friendly text that provides valuable information for people who are or will be evaluating health education and/or health-promotion programs. It is an excellent guide for practitioners interested in using evidence-based techniques in their health promotion and health education activities.
6F-6 Thyroid Elastography Using Carotid Artery Pulsation: A Feasibility Study

For ultrasound thyroid elastography, hand-induced freehand compression is typically applied on the neck area to induce strain in the thyroid. In contrast to this conventional approach, we have utilized natural pulsation of the carotid artery as the compression source for thyroid elastography. We have developed strain processing techniques to aid interpretation of strain induced by internal compression. Furthermore, we have developed a metric called thyroid stiffness index (TSI) to provide a more quantitative measure of thyroid tissue stiffness. From 18 patients with thyroid nodules and 5 healthy volunteers, the pulsation-induced thyroid strain was estimated and analyzed. We have found that pulsation of the carotid artery can serve as a repeatable and operator-independent compression source for thyroid elastography. TSI results from 23 subjects indicate that papillary carcinoma is stiffer than other thyroid lesions and normal thyroid glands (p<0.001), thus TSI may be useful in differentiating papillary carcinoma, the most prevalent thyroid cancer, from other lesions. With high quality strain images and a quantitative stiffness measure, thyroid elastography using natural carotid artery pulsation has good potential to provide non-invasive differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules
Network discovery: An estimation based approach

We consider the unaddressed problem of network discovery, in which, an agent attempts to formulate an estimate of the global network topology using only locally available information. We show that under two key assumptions, the network discovery problem can be cast as a parameter estimation problem. Furthermore, we show that some form of excitation must be present in the network to be able to converge to a solution. The performance of two methods for solving the network discovery problem is evaluated in simulation.
Chloroplast ultrastructure in two Crassulacean species and an F1 hybrid with differing biomass δ13C values

Abstract. The chloroplasts of two species of the Crassulaceae and their F1 hybrid were compared by electron microscopy. The two species had contrasting leaf tissue δ13C values of −25°/∞ (Sedum greggii) and −13°/∞ (Cremnophila linguifolia), and the F1 hybrid had a value of − 18°/∞. S. greggii had a mean of 8.9 thylakoids per granum in contrast to C. linguifolia which had a mean of only 3.8 thylakoids per granum. The F1 hybrid had a mean of 6.4 thylakoids per granum. Crystaloids were observed in S. greggii and the hybrid but not in C. linguifolia
An improved alkaline direct formate paper microfluidic fuel cell

Paper-based microfluidic fuel cells (MFCs) are a potential replacement for traditional FCs and batteries due to their low cost, portability, and simplicity to operate. In MFCs, separate solutions of fuel and oxidant migrate through paper due to capillary action and laminar flow and, upon contact with each other and catalyst, produce electricity. In the present work, we describe an improved microfluidic paper-based direct formate FC (DFFC) employing formate and hydrogen peroxide as the anode fuel and cathode oxidant, respectively. The dimensions of the lateral column, current collectors, and cathode were optimized. A maximum power density of 2.53 mW/cm(2) was achieved with a DFFC of surface area 3.0 cm(2) , steel mesh as current collector, 5% carbon to paint mass ratio for cathode electrode and, 30% hydrogen peroxide. The longevity of the MFC's detailed herein is greater than eight hours with continuous flow of streams. In a series configuration, the MFCs generate sufficient energy to power light-emitting diodes and a handheld calculator.
Selection and maintenance of the dominant follicle: an introduction.

The first three papers in this issue of Biology of Reproduction are minireviews derived from talks delivered at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) (15–18 July 2000) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. The talks comprised a minisymposium, ‘‘Selection and Maintenance of the Dominant Follicle,’’ organized by Dr. Joanne E. Fortune. All three minireviews were subjected to the same standards of peer review as all papers published in the journal.
Research Handbook on the Economics of Insurance Law: Introduction

This introduction summarizes the overall scope of the Handbook and provides brief synopses of the 14 contributions.
Vandetanib: a novel targeted therapy for the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced medullary thyroid cancer.

Purpose The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety and tolerability, drug and food interactions, cost, and place in therapy of vandetanib are reviewed. Summary Vandetanib is a small-molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways, which are involved in the pathogenesis of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Vandetanib is currently approved as an alternative to local therapies for both unresectable and disseminated disease. Vandetanib was evaluated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase III study comparing vandetanib with placebo in adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic hereditary or sporadic MTC. Vandetanib demonstrated a statistically significant longer progression-free survival (predicted median of 30.5 months) compared with placebo (median of 19.3 months) (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.31–0.69; p = 0.0001). The most commonly observed adverse effects of vandetanib include nausea, diarrhea, headache, rash, prolongation of the Q–T interval, and hypertension. Because it can prolong the Q–T interval, vandetanib is contraindicated for use in patients with serious cardiac complications, including congenital long QT syndrome, bradyarrhythmias, uncompensated heart failure, and a history of torsades de pointes. Conclusion Vandetanib has been shown to be more effective than placebo in the treatment of advanced MTC; however, it has not been compared with radiation, resection, or embolization. Vandetanib also has significant and fairly common cardiac toxicities. The cost, benefits, and risks of vandetanib for patients with MTC should be weighed, as alternative treatments remain an option for most patients.
Influence of Website Quality on Customer Perceived Service Quality of a Lodging Website

ABSTRACTThis study attempted to identify key determinants of lodging website quality by examining their influence on customers’ perceived service quality (PSQ) of lodging websites. Based upon previous studies on website quality, this study assessed website service quality using two dimensions—functionality of website and customers’ experiential aspects—representing utilitarian and hedonic perspectives of a lodging website. Using confirmatory factor analysis, five attributes were verified: (1) ease of use, (2) accessibility, (3) privacy/security, (4) aesthetic/design and (5) customization/personalization. Results of a path analysis using structural equation modeling identified significant relationships among the five website quality attributes and customers’ PSQ. Also, the second order structural equation modeling analysis provided evidence of causal links between the two higher order constructs—functionality of website and customers’ experiential aspects—and customers’ PSQ of a lodging website. Implicatio...
A review of the genus Micropagurus (Crustacea Decapoda Anomura Paguridae)

Species of the hermit crab genus Micropagurus are reviewed. Micropagurus polynesiensis is redescribed on the basis of the syntypes and specimens recently collected from various localities in the Indo-West Pacific. Micropagurus vexatus has proved to be a junior synonym of M. polynesiensis . Two new species, M. propinquus n. sp. from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan, and M. spinimanus n. sp. from various localities in Indo-West Pacific are described. Short diagnoses are provided for M. devaneyi and M. acantholepis . A key to males of the species is presented.
Evaluation of Insecticide Residues on the Mortality of Adult Glassy-winged Sharpshooter on Citrus, 2013

During the fall of 2014, we evaluated the residues of insecticides for their effectiveness against glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS). On 24 September, 35 young potted citrus trees were organized in a completely randomized design with 5 replicates of 7 treatments. A squirt bottle was used to spray each tree with 160 ml (runoff) of insecticide solutions that were prepared according to the per acre use …
Monitoring of drug utilization in public health surveillance activities: A conceptual framework

The surveillance of individual and aggregate patterns of prescribed medication can potentially provide some very useful information to those involved in public health. At present however, this activity has attracted relatively little attention in Canada. This article will introduce a conceptual framework with which to examine the possibilities of prescription drug monitoring as a tool for public health surveillance. The sources of data available to undertake this activity as well as their limitations, will be presented along with some recent concrete applications.
Shot-noise-limited detection in FM spec-troscopy by optical nulling of residul amplitude modulation

Frequency-modulation (FM) techniques1 have been widely recognized as a valuable tool in highresolution high-sensitivity laser spectroscopy.2 In a typical FM spectroscopic absorption experiment, a single-frequency ωc laser is phase-modulated at radio frequency ωrf by an electrooptic modulator (EOM) generating two sidebands at ωc ± ωrf. The sidebands are absorbed differentially by a sample with narrow absorption features converting the laser phase modulation into amplitude modulation which is detected with standard heterodyne techniques.
Energy Metabolism and Proteolysis in Traumatized and Septic Man

The authors’ purpose is to present evidence from clinical studies of trauma and sepsis which support the view that alterations of peripheral energy metabolism, particularly by insulin resistance in skeletal muscle, causes proteolysis, excessive glucogenesis, and, ultimately, failure of protein synthesis.
Precarious Housing in Detroit

Detroit has lost population and employment since World War II and has experienced loss of demand for housing and other real estate. As of 1950, slums characterized areas to the east and west of downtown. Urban renewal through the early 1970s removed some slums, but population decline, job loss, and disinvestment continued. As property values rose somewhat in the 1990s, many residents refinanced their homes with mortgages with unfavourable terms. When homeowners could not pay, mortgage holders foreclosed on large numbers of homes in middle- and working-class areas. Many residents moved out of the city leaving vacancies in previously intact neighbourhoods. The vacancies introduce blight and weaken neighbourhood housing markets. In middle-class neighbourhoods, residents and community organizations have responded by working to restore confidence in the future so that neighbourhoods again become ones where many people choose to live. In low-income areas, where disinvestment and abandonment have continued for decades, residents have taken over neglected land to enhance quality of life.
Nodal Changes in Brand Locations in Product Space

In this chapter we turn to an analysis of rational brand relocations in a product space, extending the analysis of Chapter 10 to facility location in conditions of noncooperation as well as rivalrous consonance. To make the analysis feasible — and, more importantly, realistic — important constraints are placed on the movement potentials of brands. For such purposes, a relatively small number of nodes are designated between initial locations as potential relocation sites for brands which bound the intervals in which the nodes lie. For example, if brand 5 is sited at position 7 and brand 3 at position 8, we might designate a node at position 7.5, and ask if brand 3 or brand 5 (but not both) would find it profitable, ceteris paribus, to relocate there. The bounded interval is the distance between brands 3 and 5, or 1 in the example of Chapter 10. The upper bound of the interval is 8 and the lower bound 7. No firms other than the bounding brands 5 and 3 are allowed to consider movement to the node — that is, brands are not allowed to ‘‘leapfrog’’ other brands. Original sites that are abandoned by relocating firms are also treated as nodes. The number of nodes placed in such subintervals is arbitrary, and current algorithms will permit rather large numbers to be accommodated, so that close approaches to continuous location within the intervals can be approached, but for purposes of obtaining insights and illustrating methodology small numbers will suffice.1
How to Handle Opposing Arguments in Persuasive Messages: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of One-Sided and Two-Sided Messages

A random-effects meta-analytic review of the effects of one-sided and two-sided persuasive messages identifies two key moderator variables: whether the two-sided message is refutational or nonrefutational and whether the message is consumer advertising or nonadvertising. Compared with one-sided messages, refutational two-sided messages on nonadvertising topics enjoy significantly greater credibility and persuasiveness, nonrefutational two-sided messages on nonadvertising topics are not significantly different in credibility and are significantly less persuasive, refutational two-sided messages on advertising topics do not differ significantly on either credibility or persuasiveness (though few relevant studies exist), and nonrefutational two-sided messages on advertising topics enjoy significantly greater credibility but do not differ in persuasiveness. Often-mentioned moderators (such as audience initial position and education) appear not to have substantial influence on sidedness effects. Explanations o...