cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
False-Positive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Small Internal Auditory Canal Tumors: A Clinical Radiologic, and Pathologic Correlation Study

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium facilitates the early diagnosis of internal auditory canal tumors at a small enough stage to permit increasing application of hearing preservation surgical techniques. Surgeons report successful removal of tumors as small as 3 mm, which are diagnosed with enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. A retrospective study was performed to determine the risk of false-positive "tumor" diagnosis with enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. We reviewed the imaging records, office notes, and surgical records of 112 consecutive "tumors" involving the internal auditory canal treated by the Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center Neurotology Service between July 1991 and July 1994. Two categories of false-positive magnetic resonance imaging were identified: (1) surgically confirmed absence of internal auditory canal neoplasm and (2) spontaneous resolution of the internal auditory canal lesions on subsequent, enhanced magnetic resonance images. Overall, eight false-positive scans were identified. Three were surgically confirmed as false-positive, and five resolved on subsequent imaging studies. All cases were smaller than 6 mm and involved the distal internal auditory canal (fundus). The surgically confirmed cases were approached through a middle fossa technique with successful hearing preservation. The overall rate of surgical false-positive results was 3.5% (3 cases in 86 surgeries). However, the overall false-positive rate for intracanalicular "tumors" was 32% (8 cases in 25 intracanalicular lesions). Although hearing preservation is more likely in small lesions, the surgeon must consider the possibility that an internal auditory canal lesion smaller than 6 mm may actually represent a nonneoplastic process. Enhancing lesions limited to the internal auditory canal fundus may be treated by reimaging the patient in 6 months after the first image rather than by prompt surgical exploration. (OTOLARYNGOL HEAD NECK SURG 1995;113:61-70.)
Perception of the rip current hazard on Galveston Island and North Padre Island, Texas, USA

The hazard posed by a rip current depends in part on the ability of beach users to identify a rip current and to associate surf conditions with the potential for rip currents. Understanding which visual features beach users associated with rip currents is an important step in the development of appropriate programs and educational materials aimed at improving the ability of beach users to identify a rip current. A face-to-face survey (n = 392) was conducted to assess the ability of beach users to identify a rip current using five near eye-level photographs that simulate the view of the beach and surf zone as the respondent approached the beach. The survey was conducted on three heavily used public beaches in Texas (Galveston, Port Aransas, and Corpus Christi) at the height of the summer beach season in 2012. Only 13 % of respondents correctly selected the photograph showing the most hazardous conditions and correctly identified the precise location of the rip current on the photograph. The majority of beach users (87 %) incorrectly indicated that the photograph with the heaviest surf represented the most hazardous surf conditions and greatest potential for the development of rip currents, or failed to identify rip currents in photographs. Respondents who were able to correctly identify the rip current tended to recognize the breaking wave pattern, areas of darker water, or the proximity to structures as key visual characteristics of rip currents and also had higher self-reported abilities to swim in rough water and escape a rip current.
Creep and recovery of polycarbonate

The creep behaviour of polycarbonate was investigated at high stresses in tension and compression. The creep curve was separated into a recoverable strain and persistent strain. The equation describing the recoverable strain was directly related to the kinetics of the recovery curve. The concept of an internal stress was useful in describing the recoverable part of the creep and recovery.
Optimum band gap of a thermoelectric material.

Transport properties of direct-gap semiconductors are calculated in order to find the best thermoelectrics. Previous calculations on semiconductors with indirect band gaps found that the best thermoelectrics had gaps equal to ${\mathit{nk}}_{\mathit{B}}$T, where n=6-10 and T is the operating temperature of the thermoelectric device. Here we report similar calculations on direct-gap materials. We find that the optimum gap is always greater than 6${\mathit{k}}_{\mathit{B}}$T, but can be much larger depending on the specific mechanism of electron scattering.
Part II: Where Do Reputations Come From?: Corporate Associations in Marketing andConsumer Research: A Review

The first panel session of the conference examined some of the key perspectives researchers and practitioners take when they discuss corporate reputations. Among the more common views are those of Organization Theory, Marketing, Strategic Management, and Social Responsibility. Panelist presentations were as follows:
A Reliable and Cost-Effective Sand Monitoring System on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)

Sand monitoring gives the benefits of avoiding equipment erosion and production failure in the oil industry. This paper presents the design and implementation of a reliable and cost-effective sand monitoring system for measuring sand production in gas and oil flows in real time. The designed monitoring system involves two acoustic emission (AE) sensors and one Doppler sensor for gauging the sand impaction and the velocity of sand particles in a nonintrusive manner, respectively. It is implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as a prototype for real-time data acquisition and processing, and evaluated using a testbed pump skid available in our laboratory. Relying on a low-cost FPGA board to integrate all acquisition and processing functionality, our monitoring system can measure the sand production amount on-the-fly reliably with high accuracy, according to our experimental evaluation. It is likely to achieve better accuracy than one without the Doppler sensor. The proposed monitoring system is affordable for wide deployment, given its high accuracy, good resilience to surrounding noise, and low cost (when compared with commercially available systems whose price tags can be some tenfold higher).
Visualization and management of digital forensics data

The collection, analysis, and preservation of digital forensic data are complementary activities that are ushered by our growing dependence on Information Technology. The training of professionals, who can effectively carry out these activities, suddenly becomes a paramount issue and a major motivation for the IT academic community. This paper presents an on-going study on a pedagogical approach of melding and applying various knowledge areas in computer science towards the establishment and stimulation of undergraduate research in computer security and forensics.
The Integration of Subsidiary Political Activities in Multinational Corporations

Just as the competitive activities of MNC subsidiaries exhibit differentiation as well as integration, so might MNC political activities. This paper combines the literatures on international business-government interactions and on multinational corporations, with resource dependence theory as a foundation. We develop and test hypotheses on factors that might influence the degree to which subsidiary political activities are integrated with affiliated organizations. We find that subsidiary strategic integration and the economic integration of the host country significantly influence integration of subsidiary political activities.
New extended fan-beam reconstruction formula

Because of its high imaging efficiency, fan-beam reconstruction approach has been very popular in recent years. However, fan-beam reconstruction formula had been restricted to a circular scanning locus until an extended fan-beam reconstruction formula was presented by D. B. Smith. Actually, non-circular scanning loci are not only academically interesting, but also practically significant. Smith's extended fan-beam reconstruction formula requires a scanning locus satisfying some nontrivial conditions, contains the derivative of the scanning locus, and in general a spatially variant convolution. In addition, Smith's formula must be specifically discretized for each kind of scanning loci. In this paper, we propose a new extended fan-beam reconstruction formula, which is obtained based on geometrical intuition and is then validated by a strict mathematical proof. The new fan-beam reconstruction formula is the same as the conventional equispatial one, except that the source-to-origin distance depends on the rotation angle, and thus gets rid of the derivative of a locus and always requires a spatially invariant convolution. Furthermore, due to its simple form, the new formula naturally results in a unified discrete version. The new formula requires that the source-to-origin distance be differentiable almost everywhere with respect to the rotation angle and be symmetric with respect to the origin of the reconstruction coordinate system. The numerical simulation results of the new fan-beam formula are also presented.
Control Oriented Modeling of a Diesel Active Lean NOx Catalyst Aftertreatment System

The 2004 Federal Tier II and California LEV I emission standards for diesel light trucks mandate tailpipe NO x levels of 0.6 g/mi. Active lean NO x catalysts (ALNC or LNC) have been proposed as a means to achieve this standard. These catalysts require the delivery of supplemental hydrocarbons in order to reduce NO x in the lean environment typical of diesel exhaust. In the system studied here, these additional hydrocarbons are injected into the exhaust system downstream of the turbocharger. A control-oriented, gray-box mathematical model is developed for diesel active lean NO x catalysts. The model represents the phenomena relevant to NO x reduction and HC consumption, namely, the catalyst chemical reactions, HC storage in the ALNC, and heat transfer behavior on the basis of an individual exhaust element. As an illustration of how the model may be used, dynamic programing is applied to determine the optimal trade-off of NO x conversion efficiency versus quantity of injected hydrocarbons.
Optimized Fixed-Point FPGA Implementation of SVPWM for a Two-Level Inverter (Abstract Only)

This paper presents an optimized fixed-point implementation of space-vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) for a two-level inverter. Bit-width fixed-point signals as well as circuit area are minimized by meeting the desired design accuracy. Most of the designs currently available are specified in floating-point precision to speed the process of simulating their functionality. However, area-optimized hardware implementation of these algorithms requires fixed-point precision. A generic function is used to formulate the precision required for each signal to get the proper accuracy. A non-convex optimization problem is solved for the number of required bit-widths for the signals. This solution has been simulated and implemented on FPGA to verify the resulting accuracy.
Virgin male age and mating success in Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

It is generally assumed that age is potentially an important aspect affecting the mating biology of insects. Some theoretical models correlate mating success with male age, and predict female preference for either older males, as they have proven viability, or younger partners, to avoid age-related fitness costs. Differences in mating success of males in relation to age have been observed in Lepidoptera. We investigated the mating success of males in relation to their age, controlling for mating experience, and the fitness of their female mates in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis. In a laboratory experiment we examined mating success in relation to age and the consequences of male age for female fitness parameters. Male age had no significant influence on mating success for O. nubilalis males: 0-day-old virgin males were as likely to mate as 3-, 6- and 9-day-old males. Testes size decreased and spermatophore size increased with virgin male age. Lifetime fecundity was highest for females that mated with 3-day-old virgin males, which was related to their greater longevity. There was no trade-off between daily fecundity and longevity for females mating with different-aged males. These results suggest that direct benefits from males are insufficient to account for the observed female mating preferences for different-aged males.
The James Blundell Award Lecture 2007: Do we really understand immune red cell destruction?

summary We have learned a great deal about immune red blood cell (RBC) destruction since the elaboration of biochemical/immunological interactions of antibodies, complement and macrophages during the past 50 years. We first learned about the direct lysis of RBCs involving complement. We then learned of the role of the macrophage (particularly in the spleen and the liver) in initiating phagocytosis and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity of antibody-coated RBCs. Later, as the complexities of the human complement system were unravelled, we learned that complement-coated RBCs that were not directly haemolysed could interact with macrophages and that specific complement molecules on the RBC membrane could lead to a phagocytic event or the RBC (although heavily coated with complement) could survive normally. The application of isotope-labelling procedures (e.g. 51Cr) for RBC survival (starting in the 1950s) advanced our knowledge considerably. Advances in knowledge in immunology helped us understand the complexity of the immunoglobulins (e.g. subclasses) and the specific receptors on macrophages and their role in immune haemolysis. Nevertheless, after more than 30 years researching this area, I am sometimes embarrassed to realize how much I cannot explain. Why do some patients have severe haemolytic transfusion reactions because of antibodies that are only detectable by one technique or not detectable by any? How do we explain autoimmune haemolytic anaemia with negative direct antiglobulin tests (DATs)? Why do RBCs strongly coated with immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 or IgG3 sometimes have normal survival? Are cells, other than macrophages, involved in immune RBC destruction? Could the relative amount of cytotoxicity vs. phagocytosis explain different clinical findings and response to treatment? How do we explain ‘hyperhaemolysis’ in sickle cell disease? Could novel mechanisms involving IgG glycosylation, CD47, ‘armed’ macrophages, bystander lysis, antibody activated reactive oxygen species, natural killer cells or antibody perturbation of RBC membrane be involved? Why do RBCs die after circulating for 100–120 days in healthy individuals? How should we define a ‘clinically significant’ antibody; how do we evaluate this? So many questions, so little time!
The performance of microparticle chemically-bonded anion-exchange resins in the analysis of nucleotides.

Abstract The performance of microparticles in the ion-exchange chromatographic separation of nucleotides was investigated. A microparticle chemically-bonded strong anion-exchange column packing was used for the analysis of the 5′-mono-, -di- and -triphosphate nucleotides of adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, cytosine, uracil and thymine. It was found that excellent resolution of the majority of the nucleotides was obtained at ambient temperatures. The pacakings were stable and the sample capacity was greater than with pellicular resins. The retention times, peak shapes, heights and areas were highly reproducible and there was good linearity of response. Use of this column packing in biochemical studies is reported.
Spatiotemporal Pattern Analysis of Rapid Urban Expansion Using GIS and Remote Sensing

Rapidly growing urban areas tend to reveal distinctive spatial and temporal variations of land use/land cover in a locally urbanized environment. In this article, the author analyzes urban growth phenomena at a local scale by employing Geographic Information Systems, remotely sensed image data from 1984, 1994, and 2004, and landscape shape index. Since spatial patterns of land use/land cover changes in small urban areas are not fully examined by the current GIS-based modeling studies or simulation applications, the major objective of this research is to identify and examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of land use changes of urban growth at a local scale. Analytical results demonstrate that sizes, locations, and shapes of new developments are spatio-temporally associated with their landscape variations and major transportation arteries. The key findings from this study contribute to GIS-based urban growth modeling studies and urban planning practices for local communities.
Depinning of a Metastable Disordered Vortex Lattice

We report on experiments investigating the depinning dynamics of a strongly pinned vortex lattice in 2H-NbSe2. We find that the depinning process starts at currents that are well below the critical current of the entire lattice and that it is governed by the formation of contiguous channels of mobile vortices connecting the sample edges. We obtain the formation time of the first channel by monitoring the delayed voltage response to a driving current step and by measuring the ramping rate dependence of the critical current. The subsequent increase in the number of moving vortices is determined from the temporal evolution of the voltage response and the critical current. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.2431 PACS numbers: 74.60.Ge, 74.60.Ec, 74.60.Jg Pinning of vortices in type II superconductors is crucial for dissipationless transport. As long as the applied current is sufficiently low, the vortices are immobile and the superconducting properties are maintained. But as the current is increased beyond a critical value the vortices become unpinned and dissipation sets in. The depinning process is an intricate phenomenon of collective transport in a random medium which is a sensitive function of the vortex state and the properties of the pinning potential. Recent theory and simulations [1‐4] indicate that a weakly pinned vortex lattice will unpin elastically without breaking, while a strongly pinned one can break up in the form of isolated channels of mobile vortices. Experimentally, channels in vortex matter were observed with techniques such as Bitter decoration and scanning tunneling microscopy [5]. The mechanism of channel depinning was proposed to explain the stepwise structure observed in the currentvoltage I-V curves of a strongly pinned vortex lattice [6]. In this Letter, we present experiments which are consistent with a mechanism of channel depinning in a disordered vortex lattice and provide a measure of the channel formation and its evolution with time. A strongly pinned vortex lattice is prepared by field cooling (FC) the sample from above the critical temperature Tc in the presence of a magnetic field. The depinning process of the resulting disordered vortex lattice is monitored by measuring the evolution of the voltage response to a subcritical current. We find that the vortices in this state do not depin elastically but rather through the formation of regions in which the vortices are ordered and weakly pinned. The growth and proliferation of these regions leads to the creation of channels of mobile vortices. These weakly pinned channels can form at current amplitudes that are well below the critical current of the entire lattice and do not form instantaneously but evolve gradually
DLK1: A Novel Target for Immunotherapeutic Remodeling of the Tumor Blood Vasculature

Tumor blood vessels are frequently inefficient in their design and function, leading to high interstitial fluid pressure, hypoxia, and acidosis in the tumor microenvironment (TME), rendering tumors refractory to the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and immune effector cells. Here we identified the NOTCH antagonist delta-like 1 homologue (DLK1) as a vascular pericyte-associated antigen expressed in renal cell carcinomas (RCC), but not in normal kidney tissues in mice and humans. Vaccination of mice bearing established RCC against DLK1 led to immune-mediated elimination of DLK1+ pericytes and to blood vessel normalization (i.e., decreased vascular permeability and intratumoral hypoxia) in the TME, in association with tumor growth suppression. After therapeutic vaccination, tumors displayed increased prevalence of activated VCAM1+CD31+ vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and CXCL10, a type-1 T cell recruiting chemokine, in concert with increased levels of type-1 CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Vaccination against DLK1 also yielded (i) dramatic reductions in Jarid1B+, CD133+, and CD44+ (hypoxia-responsive) stromal cell populations, (ii) enhanced tumor cell apoptosis, and (iii) increased NOTCH signaling in the TME. Coadministration of a γ-secretase inhibitor (N-[N-(3,5-Difluorophenacetyl-l-alanyl)]-(S)-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT)) that interferes with canonical NOTCH signaling resulted in the partial loss of therapeutic benefits associated with lentivirus encoding full-length murine (lvDLK1)-based vaccination.
The Objective Study of Religion and the Unique Quality of Religiousness

The attempt to study religion objectively (Religionswissenschaft) has been part of the academic scene in the West for a century. Such men as F. Max Mueller, Edward Tylor, W. Brede Kristenson, Raffaele Peettazzoni, and Joachim Wach worked to develop such a truly scientific study of religion. They held that a study of religious data could reveal what religious life means for people who participate in it if methods are used which prevent a superimposition of the investigator's personal value judgments. At the same time, there has been the recognition by some scholars, including some of the above, that there is something about religious life that cannot be investigated by normal empirical methods. This sense of the uniqueness of religion is symbolised in Rudolf Otto's book The Idea of the Holy, where he maintains that in order to understand religion in its innermost core, an investigator must recognise ‘a unique “numinous” category of value and of a definitely “numinous” state of mind’. Our concern here is to examine one problem arising from the claim that religious life must be studied in terms of its own intention, or category of value; and yet studied through an inductive method which allows for the distinctive character of different historical expressions of religion.
Small Antiaromatic Rings

According to quantum mechanical calculations, systems with 4n π electrons ought to have anti-aromatic character, i.e. be destabilized by resonance. This prediction is examined for the case of cyclopropenyl anion, the simplest system having 4n π electrons (n = 1). Isolation of compounds containing the cyclopropenyl anion has not, as yet, been achieved; however, kinetic measurements indicate the existence of the ion and confirm the unusual properties predicted.
A study of circadian eating and sleeping patterns in night eating syndrome (NES) points the way to future studies on NES and sleep-related eating disorder.

1389-9457/$ see front matter 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2006.06.001 q Article reviewed: O’Reardon JP, Ringel BL, Dinges DF, Allison KC, Rogers NL, Martino NS, Stunkard AJ. Circadian eating and sleeping patterns in the night eating syndrome. Obes Res 2004;12:1789–1796. * Tel.: +1 612 873 6201; fax: +1 612 904 4207. E-mail address: schen010@umn.edu energy intake differed greatly. The temporal pattern of food intake of night eaters was delayed compared to controls. Food intake after the evening meal, as a proportion of the 24-h intake, was more than threefold greater in NES subjects compared to controls (34.6 ± 10.1% vs. 10.0 ± 6.9%, p = 0.001). NES subjects had sleep onset, offset, and total sleep times similar to those of controls. NES subjects reported more awakenings than did controls (1.5 ± 1.0 per night vs. 0.5 ± 0.5; p < 0.001), and their actigraphically monitored awakenings occurred earlier during sleep (at 128 min after sleep onset vs. 193 min, p = 0.01). NES subjects consumed food during 74% of their awakenings vs. 0% for the controls. The frequency with which awakenings were followed by food ingestion declined during the night, from 88.6% the first time to 65.8% the second time, and so on.
Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Polyketide Natural Products via Iterative Chemo- and Stereoselective Functionalization of Polyenoates: Development of a Unified Approach for the C(1−19) Segments of Lituarines A−C

A unified, stereocontrolled synthesis of the C(1−19) segments of the lituarines A−C (1−3) has been achieved, highlighted by application of an iterative chemo- and stereoselective trienoate functionalization protocol, a strategy that holds considerable promise for the diversity oriented synthesis of polyketides.
Nitric oxide is required for the maintenance but not initiation of ganglionic long-term potentiation

Abstract The role of nitric oxide in long-term potentiation of the nicotinic pathway of synaptic transmission in the isolated superior cervical ganglia of rat was studied. Long-term potentiation was induced by a brief tetanizing pulse (tetanus, 20 Hz/20 s) to the preganglionic nerve. The amplitude of the extracellularly recorded postganglionic compound action potential was used as an index of synaptic transmission. Pretreatment with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (10 μM) or l - N G -nitro-arginine (10 μM) 30 min before tetanus, inhibited long-term potentiation. The inactive enantiomer of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N G -nitro- d -arginine methyl ester (10 μM), failed to inhibit the long-term potentiation when given 30 min before the tetanus. Washout of l - N G -nitro-arginine, but not N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester, resulted in complete recovery of long-term potentiation. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor had no significant effect on the basal ganglionic neurotransmission or post-tetanic potentiation. Furthermore, established long-term potentiation was blocked by superfusion of ganglia with N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester 1 h after a tetanus. Pretreatment of ganglia with the nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside (100 μM), or the nitric oxide synthase substrate, l -arginine (1 mM), completely prevented the inhibitory effects of N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester on the tetanus-induced long-term potentiation. These findings present evidence for a requirement of nitric oxide for the maintenance but not induction of long-term potentiation in rat isolated superior cervical ganglia.
Histocompatibility of photocrosslinked polyanhydrides: a novel in situ forming orthopaedic biomaterial.

Cell-polymer interactions in subcutaneous and bony tissue were examined for a novel class of in situ forming and surface eroding polyanhydride networks. Specifically, photopolymerized disks of several polyanhydride compositions were implanted subcutaneously in rats, and the tissue was analyzed for an inflammatory response. The compositions elicited varied histological responses, ranging from highly active cell layers to moderate fibrous capsules, depending on the degrading polymer composition. Furthermore, one composition was photopolymerized in a model orthopaedic defect in the proximal tibia. The feasibility of photopolymerizing the methacrylated monomers in situ and the adherence of the photocrosslinked polyanhydride to the medullary canal were examined.
Benthic Invertebrate Community Responses to Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) Invasion in Southern Lake Michigan

The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus Pallas), a fish native to eastern Europe, recently has become established in southwestern Lake Michigan. Because round gobies prey on zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha Pallas) and other benthic invertebrates, the effects of round gobies on invertebrates within zebra mussel colonies was investigated. Using a 2 × 3 factorial design, the effects of round gobies (present or absent) and zebra mussel densities (zero, low, and high) on non-mussel invertebrates was examined. Ten ceramic tiles of each mussel density were colonized in the laboratory and then anchored in Calumet Harbor, IL for 10 weeks. Round gobies had access to half the tiles while half were covered with coarse mesh screening that excluded round gobies, but allowed invertebrates to move into and out of the exclosures. Low and high zebra mussel density tiles supported significantly greater numbers of non-mussel invertebrates (p < 0.001) than zero density tiles, particularly amphipods (p < 0.001), hydroptilid caddisflies (p < 0.05), isopods (p < 0.05), and chironomids (p < 0.001). Chlorophyll a concentrations were highest (p < 0.001) at low zebra mussel densities. The presence of round gobies significantly reduced densities of total non-mussel invertebrates (p < 0.01) and leptocerid caddisflies (p < 0.05), resulting in a significant increase in chlorophyll a (p < 0.01) concentrations. A significant zebra mussel density x round goby interaction showed that total invertebrate biomass responded positively to the combined effect of high zebra mussel density and round goby absence. These results demonstrate that round gobies and zebra mussels are altering benthic invertebrate community structure and algal resources in nearshore rocky areas of southwestern Lake Michigan.
Orthostatic dyspnea: a neglected symptom of orthostatic hypotension

Dyspnea is a common symptom in patients with pulmonary and cardiac disease. Orthostatic hypotension is rarely considered a cause of dyspnea. We reviewed the medical records of 651 consecutive patients referred for the evaluation of dysautonomia to investigate the prevalence of dyspnea and its association with OH and other autonomic abnormalities. Dyspnea was reported by questionnaire in 30% of patients with OH, compared to 10% of age and sex matched patients without OH (P<0.05, chi(2)). There was a trend toward earlier blood pressure falls in patients with dyspnea. During autonomic testing, 25% of patients (10 of 40) with OH who reported dyspnea on the questionnaire had shortness of breath coincident with blood pressure falls during tilt table and active standing. The time to maximal blood pressure fall was shorter in patients with OH who experienced shortness of breath during testing compared to those without dyspnea (11 minutes vs. 21 minutes, P<0.05). In this study, dyspnea was frequently associated with OH. Ventilation perfusion mismatch, due to inadequate perfusion of ventilated lung apices may be the most likely underlying cause of orthostatic dyspnea in patients with OH.
Studies on the inactivation of β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase by (S)-(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)-CoA

Abstract The active-site-directed affinity probe (S)-(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)-CoA irreversibly inactivates the catalytic segment of β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (S)-mevalonate:NAD+ oxidoreductase (CoA-acylating), (EC 1.1.1.34) that is released from yeast mitochondria during autolysis. The rate of inactivation is faster than with other acyl-CoA binding enzymes; k3 = 4·102min−1 and K1 = 60 μM. The inactivation is stoichiometric on a molecular basis at ratios of reagent to enzyme less than 0.5. At high ratios, the rate of inactivation does not follow pseudo-first-order kinetics beyond approx. 50% inactivation. The spectrum of the inactivated species is consistent with an equimole combination of probe and enzyme. The spectral pattern of the inactivated species is not affected by dialysis or molecular filtration. The rate of inactivation is not sensitive to pH in the range where it would be expected if a critical cysteine sulfhydryl was paired with imidazolium of a histidine. The substrate, β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl-CoA, protects against inactivation consistent with competition for its binding site. However, mevinolin does not protect against inactivation under conditions where it should protect more effectively than the substrate, providing that it too is competing for the substrate binding site. This suggests that inhibition of the enzyme's activity by mevinolin is exerted by a mechanism other than competition for the substrate binding site.
Pleasurable emotions, age, and life satisfaction

The self-reported experiences of five distinct pleasurable emotions (tranquility, contentment, interest, cheerfulness, and vigor), as well as the relation between pleasurable emotions and life satisfaction, were examined in a sample of 173 pairs of younger and older adults (mean ages of 18.9 and 74.4 years, respectively). Older individuals reported significantly higher levels of cheerfulness and contentment than did younger individuals. The relation between pleasurable emotions and life satisfaction was significantly moderated by age. Specifically, life satisfaction was more strongly associated with tranquility among older individuals than among younger individuals (with a similar, albeit weaker, trend for contentment).
Developing a Focus for Green Building Occupant Training Materials

With the shift from conventional to green buildings a need emerges to train staff on how to work within them. Building occupants control many of the green building technologies, which makes it necessary to educate occupants on the differences between using a green building versus a conventional building in order to secure the green building's success. The breadth of information that is necessary for an occupant to know in order to change their behaviors to be in accord with the high performing building they occupy makes it necessary to use a systematic method to reduce the information provided in trainings. This study employs a decision matrix approach as an objective means to narrow the focus of the training. A case study is used to implement the methods developed in this study. A focus group evaluated the effectiveness of the decision matrix. Results from the focus group showed that staff was active in waste reduction behaviors, but not in energy efficient actions. This supported the outcome of the decision matrix in finding relevant, necessary information for the training.
Harnessing the Heterogeneity of T Cell Differentiation Fate to Fine-Tune Generation of Effector and Memory T Cells

Recent studies show that naive T cells bearing identical T cell receptors experience heterogeneous differentiation and clonal expansion processes. The factors controlling this outcome are not well characterized, and their contributions to immune cell dynamics are similarly poorly understood. In this study, we develop a computational model to elaborate mechanisms occurring within and between two important physiological compartments, lymph nodes and blood, to determine how immune cell dynamics are controlled. Our multi-organ (multi-compartment) model integrates cellular and tissue level events and allows us to examine the heterogeneous differentiation of individual precursor cognate naive T cells to generate both effector and memory T lymphocytes. Using this model, we simulate a hypothetical immune response and reproduce both primary and recall responses to infection. Increased numbers of antigen-bearing dendritic cells (DCs) are predicted to raise production of both effector and memory T cells, and distinct "sweet spots" of peptide-MHC levels on those DCs exist that favor CD4+ or CD8+ T cell differentiation toward either effector or memory cell phenotypes. This has important implications for vaccine development and immunotherapy.
Regeneration of taste buds after transplantation of tongue and ganglia grafts to the anterior chamber of the eye

Abstract Although many neurons can survive after transplantation of rat sensory ganglia to the anterior chamber of the eye, the function of these neurons has not been studied. In the present study, nodose ganglia and vallate papillae were isografted to the same eye to see if the surviving neurons could regenerate nerve fibers into the papilla and cause taste buds to develop. Similarly, skin and nodose ganglia were isografted together to determine whether there was any preference for taste buds to appear in tongue or skin epithelium. After 90 days, papillae that were transplanted alone contained no taste buds but buds were present in papillae that had been combined with ganglia. The buds appeared not only in their normal position along the trench walls of the papilla but also in the epithelium on the top of the papilla, adjacent to the papilla, and in filiform papillae. No buds were found in skin epithelium. Many neurons were present in the transplanted ganglia from which nerve fibers were traced to the lingual epithelium that bore regenerated taste buds. These results show that sensory neurons transplanted to the anterior chamber of the eye are functional and that taste buds can develop in a variety of lingual epithelia but not in skin grafts.
Haemonchus contortus: food of preinfective larvae.

Abstract Haemonchus contortus eggs were bacterially sterilized and cultivated in three different preparations of Escherichia coli cultures and a nutrient broth at 30 C for 7 days. The following percentages of infective larvae were recovered: supernatant fluid from E. coli culture, 0%; washed E. coli , 71%; heat-killed E. coli , 40%; and nutrient broth, 0%. The evidence that preinfective larvae fed on the bacterium per se was substantiated by the autoradiograph of the larva grown on tritiated bacterial cells alone. Radioactivity was found throughout the larval body with most of the activity concentrated in the gut.
Proteomic Analysis of Plasma from California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) Reveals Apolipoprotein E as a Candidate Biomarker of Chronic Domoic Acid Toxicosis

Domoic acid toxicosis (DAT) in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) is caused by exposure to the marine biotoxin domoic acid and has been linked to massive stranding events and mortality. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs in addition to the presence of domoic acid in body fluids. Chronic DAT further is characterized by reoccurring seizures progressing to status epilepticus. Diagnosis of chronic DAT is often slow and problematic, and minimally invasive tests for DAT have been the focus of numerous recent biomarker studies. The goal of this study was to retrospectively profile plasma proteins in a population of sea lions with chronic DAT and those without DAT using two dimensional gel electrophoresis to discover whether individual, multiple, or combinations of protein and clinical data could be utilized to identify sea lions with DAT. Using a training set of 32 sea lion sera, 20 proteins and their isoforms were identified that were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). Interestingly, 11 apolipoprotein E (ApoE) charge forms were decreased in DAT samples, indicating that ApoE charge form distributions may be important in the progression of DAT. In order to develop a classifier of chronic DAT, an independent blinded test set of 20 sea lions, seven with chronic DAT, was used to validate models utilizing ApoE charge forms and eosinophil counts. The resulting support vector machine had high sensitivity (85.7% with 92.3% negative predictive value) and high specificity (92.3% with 85.7% positive predictive value). These results suggest that ApoE and eosinophil counts along with machine learning can perform as a robust and accurate tool to diagnose chronic DAT. Although this analysis is specifically focused on blood biomarkers and routine clinical data, the results demonstrate promise for future studies combining additional variables in multidimensional space to create robust classifiers.
Fluoro-ketones VIII. Synthesis of some fluoroquinoxaline compounds from fluoroketones

Abstract The reaction between a perfluoroalkylether α,β-diketone or perfluoroalkyletherketoester and o-phenylenediamine yielding quinoxaline compounds was studied in detail. The various intermediate compounds leading to the formation of the quinoxalines were examined by NMR, MS, GC/MS and IR. 2,3-Perfluoroalkylether substituted quinoxaline is the major product of the reaction. In addition however, the formation of a minor product 3-perfluoro-alkylether-2(1H)-quinoxalinone, indicates an alternate reaction path.
The Privileged Role of the Late-Night Joke: Exploring Humor's Role in Disrupting Argument Scrutiny

This article explores humor's impact on cognitive processing of political messages. Although recent research has pointed to effects of late-night comedy viewing on political attitudes and cognitions (Moy, Xenos, & Hess, 2003; Young, 2004, 2006), scant attention has been paid to the development of a theoretical model to account for these outcomes. This manuscript posits that humor suspends argument scrutiny of the premise of a given text through various cognitive mechanisms involving processing ability and motivation. Four different pathways accounting for humor's reduction of argument scrutiny are discussed. Humor's reduction of argument scrutiny is tested with an experiment with a three condition between subjects design in which participants engaged in a thought-listing exercise after exposure to either humorous political messages (late-night political jokes) or non-humorous equivalents (unfunny translations of those jokes). Results indicate that humor reduces critical argument scrutiny—in part through t...
Plasmin: Photoaffinity labeling of a lysine-binding site which regulates clot lysis

Abstract Human plasmin has been photoaffinity-labeled by 4-azidobenzoylglycyl-L-lysine. When a solution of plasmin and this peptide is irradiated, the clot-lysis activity is markedly reduced, with only a small loss in activity toward an active-site titrant. Studies with radioactive peptide show that the label is incorporated into the heavy chain of plasmin, with little incorporation into the light chain containing the active site. Plasminogen has also been photoaffinity-labeled by using this reagent. The modified plasminogen can be activated to a plasmin with both active-site titrant and clot-lysis activity. These results establish the presence in plasmin of a lysine-binding site, distinct from that in plasminogen, which regulates clot lysis.
Fluorophores of the human retinal pigment epithelium: separation and spectral characterization.

Abstract Ten fluorescent fractions orginating from the chloroform extracts of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells of human donor eyes (ages 52–98 yr) have been separated and characterized by UV-vis absorbance and corrected fluorescence spectroscopy. The semipurified fluorophores fall into four categories based upon their spectral properties: green-emitting fluorophores, a golden yellow-emitting fluorophore, yellow-green-emitting fluorophores and orange-red-emitting fluorophores. All share common absorbance peaks around 280- and 330 nm, and the orange-red-emitting fluorophores also exhibit a strong absorbance peak at 420 nm. No significant visible-emitting fluorophores were detected in the methanol-water phase of these extracts. While these fluorophores are abundant in extracts from adult-derived RPE, most of the fluorophores occur in much lower amounts in RPE extracts from human donors under 10 yr of age. Eyes from child human donors also have much less RPE lipofuscin than those from adult donors, suggesting that most of the fluorophores are lipofuscin derived. This interpretation is supported by the previous finding that all of the fluorophores from whole RPE are also present in extracts of purified lipofuscin granules. Characterization of the chromatographic and spectral properties of the chloroform-soluble fluorescent components from the human RPE provides an important tool for determining the mechanism of RPE lipofuscin fluorophore formation. The absorbance properties defined here are of significance to investigations into the photobiology of the RPE and to those using laser therapy in treatment of age-related retinal diseases.
Modeling the Anisotropic Finite-Deformation Viscoelastic Behavior of Soft Fiber-Reinforced Tissues

This paper presents a constitutive model for the anisotropic, finite-deformation viscoelastic behavior of soft fiber-reinforced tissues. Soft fiber-reinforced tissues, such as the cornea, tendons, and blood vessels, have a unique combination of mechanical properties that enables them to perform important structural, protective, and energy-absorbing functions. Because of their fiber-reinforced microstructure, these tissues are extraordinarily stiff and strong for their weight. Many are also flexible and tough. The toughness of these tissues arises from the ability of both the soft fiber and matrix phases to dissipate energy through large viscoelastic deformations. The viscoelastic behavior of the matrix of soft tissues can arise from fluid flow through a swollen polymer network and/or the diffusive motion of polymer segments within the network. The time-dependent behavior of the fiber reinforcements, which themselves can be composite structures, stems from the viscoelastic nature of the fiber material and/or the dissipative mechanisms of the fiber/matrix interface. To model the distinct time-dependent behavior of both fiber and matrix constituents, the tissue is represented as a continuum mixture consisting of a variety of fiber families embedded in an isotropic matrix. Both phases are required to deform with the continuum deformation gradient. However, the model attributes a different viscous stretch measure and free energy density to the matrix and fiber phases. Separate viscous flow rules are specified for the matrix phase and the individual fiber families. The flow rules for the fiber families are combined to give an anisotropic effective viscous flow rule for the fiber phase. An attractive feature of model is that key parameters can be related to the material properties (i.e., moduli, viscosities, volume fraction) of the fiber and matrix phases. Also, the anisotropy exhibited by both the elastic and viscous response of the composite arises directly from the fiber arrangement.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
SPECTROPOLARIMETRY OF THE CLASSICAL T TAURI STAR BP TAU

We implement a least-squares deconvolution (LSD) code to study magnetic fields on cool stars. We first apply our code to high-resolution optical echelle spectra of 53 Cam (a magnetic Ap star) and three well-studied cool stars (Arcturus, 61 Cyg A, and ? Boo A) as well as the Sun (by observing the asteroid Vesta) as tests of the code and the instrumentation. Our analysis is based on several hundred photospheric lines spanning the wavelength range 5000?? to 9000??. We then apply our LSD code to six nights of data on the Classical T Tauri Star BP Tau. A maximum longitudinal field of 370 ? 80 G is detected from the photospheric lines on BP Tau. A 1.8?kG dipole tilted at 129? with respect to the rotation axis and a 1.4?kG octupole tilted at 104? with respect to the rotation axis, both with a filling factor of 0.25, best fit our LSD Stokes V profiles. Measurements of several emission lines (He I?5876??, Ca II 8498??, and 8542??) show the presence of strong magnetic fields in the line formation regions of these lines, which are believed to be the base of the accretion footpoints. The field strength measured from these lines shows night-to-night variability consistent with rotation of the star.