cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Serosal Patch Clinical Use in 12 Animals

Hollow viscus perforation and leakage were treated successfully in eight dogs by suturing the surface of a loop of healthy bowel over the leaking areas, forming a serosal patch. The technique also was employed in three dogs and one cat to reinforce areas of potential leakage in the urinary bladder, small intestine, and colon. Healthy bowel serosa was used to seal perforations in both clean-contaminated and grossly infected visceral wounds. The serosal patch, with its muscular and submucosal reinforcing layers, resisted intraluminal pressure and proved successful in some animals where omental patching or wrapping had failed.
A microfluidic approach for measuring capillary pressure in PEMFC gas diffusion layers

Abstract A dearth of experimental capillary pressure data limits our understanding and optimization of liquid water transport in PEMFC gas diffusion layers (GDLs). A microfluidic device and method is described for measuring the capillary pressure as a function of liquid water saturation for these thin porous materials with complex, heterogeneous wetting properties. A sample sandwich (hydrophilic membrane–GDL–hydrophobic membrane) is key for probing the entire hydrophilic and hydrophobic pore volume of the GDL during sequential liquid intrusion and gas intrusion experiments. The capillary pressure curves for an as-purchased Toray 090 and two differentially-processed Avcarb P75T GDLs were evaluated; each material displayed highly repeatable, but quantitatively different, room temperature capillary pressure curves that matched qualitative differences in their macroscopic wettability. The measurements show that hysteresis between the liquid intrusion and gas intrusion curves is significant. For example, both the Toray and fully wet-proofed Avcarb GDLs appear hydrophobic during most of the liquid intrusion curve and hydrophilic during most of the gas intrusion curve. The implications of this work for water management, and future device designs and experiments are described.
Accommodation in renal transplantation: unanswered questions

Purpose of reviewAccommodation, an acquired resistance of an organ to immune-mediated damage, has been recognized as an outcome of renal transplantation for more than 20 years. Accommodation was originally identified in blood group-incompatible kidney transplants that survived and functioned normall
Extracurricular Involvement and Adolescent Adjustment: Impact of Duration, Number of Activities, and Breadth of Participation

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the associations between a variety of measures of extracurricular participation and indicators of youth development. We use data from the Childhood and Beyond Study, a larger longitudinal study of adolescent development. The sample is primarily White middle-class adolescents in Grades 7 through 12. First, we examined the relation between the duration of involvement in school clubs and in organized sports over a 3-year span and youth development. Second, the linear and nonlinear relations between the number of extracurricular activities and youth development 1 year later were examined. Finally, we tested the link between the breadth of participation and youth development 1 year later. In general, across all 3 sets of analyses, our findings indicate that greater involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with academic adjustment, psychological competencies, and a positive peer context. The results were strongest for the oldest group of youth.
Identification and Characterization of a Putative Arginine Kinase Homolog from Myxococcus xanthus Required for Fruiting Body Formation and Cell Differentiation

Arginine kinases catalyze the reversible transfer of a high-energy phosphoryl group from ATP to l-arginine to form phosphoarginine, which is used as an energy buffer in insects, crustaceans, and some unicellular organisms. It plays an analogous role to that of phosphocreatine in vertebrates. Recently, putative arginine kinases were identified in several bacterial species, including the social Gram-negative soil bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. It is still unclear what role these proteins play in bacteria and whether they have evolved to acquire novel functions in the species in which they are found. In this study, we biochemically purified and characterized a putative M. xanthus arginine kinase, Ark, and demonstrated that it has retained the ability to catalyze the phosphorylation of arginine by using ATP. We also constructed a null mutation in the ark gene and demonstrated its role in both certain stress responses and development.
Measurement of grain and seed microwave permittivity for moisture and density determination

The importance of moisture measurement in grain and seed is discussed, and a brief history of the development of moisture sensing instruments, based on sensing of dielectric properties of these materials, is presented. Data are presented graphically on the permittivities or dielectric properties of wheat, showing their variation with frequency and moisture content, and references are cited for further information. More recent developments on microwave measurements for moisture content and bulk density sensing are briefly described, and numerous studies are cited providing sources of information on these promising techniques.
TU-F-18C-02: Increasing Amorphous Selenium Thickness in Direct Conversion Flat-Panel Imagers for Contrast-Enhanced Dual-Energy Breast Imaging

Purpose: Contrast-enhanced (CE) breast imaging using iodinated contrast agents requires imaging with x-ray spectra at energies greater than those used in mammography. Optimizing amorphous selenium (a-Se) flat panel imagers (FPI) for this higher energy range may increase lesion conspicuity. Methods: We compare imaging performance of a conventional FPI with 200 μm a-Se conversion layer to a prototype FPI with 300 μm a-Se layer. Both detectors are evaluated in a Siemens MAMMOMAT Inspiration prototype digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) system using low-energy (W/Rh 28 kVp) and high-energy (W/Cu 49 kVp) x-ray spectra. Detectability of iodinated lesions in dual-energy images is evaluated using an iodine contrast phantom. Effects of beam obliquity are investigated in projection and reconstructed images using different reconstruction methods. The ideal observer signal-to-noise ratio is used as a figure-of-merit to predict the optimal a-Se thickness for CE lesion detectability without compromising conventional full-field digital mammography (FFDM) and DBT performance. Results: Increasing a-Se thickness from 200 μm to 300 μm preserves imaging performance at typical mammographic energies (e.g. W/Rh 28 kVp), and improves the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) for high energy (W/Cu 49 kVp) by 30%. While the more penetrating high-energy x-ray photons increase geometric blur due to beam obliquity in the FPI with thicker a-Se layer, the effect on lesion detectability in FBP reconstructions is negligible due to the reconstruction filters employed. Ideal observer SNR for CE objects shows improvements in in-plane detectability with increasing a-Se thicknesses, though small lesion detectability begins to degrade in oblique projections for a-Se thickness above 500 μm. Conclusion: Increasing a-Se thickness in direct conversion FPI from 200 μm to 300 μm improves lesion detectability in CE breast imaging with virtually no cost to conventional FFDM and DBT. This work was partially supported by a research grant from Siemens Healthcare.
Physical activity, social support, and depression: Possible independent and indirect associations in persons with multiple sclerosis

The present study examined the pattern of associations among physical activity, social support, mobility disability, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). Persons (N = 218) with RRMS completed a battery of questionnaires that was sent and returned through the United States Postal Service (USPS). Bivariate correlation analysis indicated that physical activity and social support were both inversely associated with depressive symptoms (r's = −0.288 and −0.386, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that physical activity (β = −0.21, p = 0.002) and social support (β = −0.37, p = 0.0001) were independently associated with depressive symptoms. Path analysis confirmed that the associations between physical activity and social support with depressive symptoms were indirect via mobility disability and perceived stress. Collectively, the evidence indicates that physical activity and social support are independently and indirectly associated with ...
Near-Normal Incidence Dark-Field Microscopy: Applications to Nanoplasmonic Spectroscopy

The spectroscopic characterization of individual nanostructures is of fundamental importance to understanding a broad range of physical and chemical processes. One general and powerful technique that addresses this aim is dark-field microscopy, with which the scattered light from an individual structure can be analyzed with minimal background noise. We present the spectroscopic analysis of individual plasmonic nanostructures using dark-field illumination with incidence nearly normal to the substrate. We show that, compared to large incidence angle approaches, the near-normal incidence approach provides significantly higher signal-to-background ratios and reduced retardation field effects. To demonstrate the utility of this technique, we characterize an individual chemically synthesized gold nanoshell and a lithographically defined heptamer exhibiting a pronounced Fano-like resonance. We show that the line shape of the latter strongly depends on the incidence angle. Near- normal incidence dark-field microscopy can be used to characterize a broad range of molecules and nanostructures and can be adapted to most microscopy setups.
Experimental and Density Functional Theoretical Investigations of Linkage Isomerism in Six-Coordinate {FeNO} 6 Iron Porphyrins with Axial Nitrosyl and Nitro Ligands

A critical component of the biological activity of NO and nitrite involves their coordination to the iron center in heme proteins. Irradiation (330 < λ < 500 nm) of the nitrosyl−nitro compound (TPP)Fe(NO)(NO2) (TPP = tetraphenylporphyrinato dianion) at 11 K results in changes in the IR spectrum associated with both nitro-to-nitrito and nitrosyl-to-isonitrosyl linkage isomerism. Only the nitro-to-nitrito linkage isomer is obtained at 200 K, indicating that the isonitrosyl linkage isomer is less stable than the nitrito linkage isomer. DFT calculations reveal two ground-state conformations of (porphine)Fe(NO)(NO2) that differ in the relative axial ligand orientations (i.e., GS∥ and GS⊥). In both conformations, the FeNO group is bent (156.4° for GS∥, 159.8° for GS⊥) for this formally {FeNO}6 compound. Three conformations of the nitrosyl−nitrito isomer (porphine)Fe(NO)(ONO) (MSa∥, MSa⊥, and MSaL) and two conformations of the isonitrosyl−nitro isomer (porphine)Fe(ON)(NO2) (MSb∥ and MSb⊥) are identified, as are ...
Biochemical, biological and histological evaluation of some culinary and medicinal herbs grown under greenhouse and field conditions

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence supports the potential health benefits of herbal extracts displaying antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumour activities. Environment can have a pronounced effect on phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacities of five different herbs grown under greenhouse and field conditions and to assess their potential anti-inflammatory effects. RESULTS: High total polyphenolic (TPP) content (measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent method) and high Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were observed in all herbs evaluated. Leaves from thyme, sage, spearmint and peppermint grown in the greenhouse showed significantly higher TPP content and TEAC than those grown under field conditions, with a threefold difference being observed in peppermint. Rosemary, spearmint and peppermint extracts showed stronger inhibition of cyclooxygenase COX-2 than of COX-1. CONCLUSION: The results show that producing herbs under greenhouse conditions can improve their biological activities by increasing TPP contents and antioxidant capacities. The selective inhibition of COX-2 activity by rosemary, spearmint and peppermint suggests that they may be useful as anti-inflammatory agents with fewer side effects than regular non-steroidal drugs. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
BEND: MAC-layer proactive mixing protocol for network coding in multi-hop wireless networks

We present BEND, a MAC layer solution to practical network coding in multi-hop wireless networks. It is the first exploration of the broadcasting nature of wireless channels to proactively capture more coding opportunities. In BEND, any node can code and forward a packet even when the node is not the intended MAC receiver of the packet, if the node believes that in doing so it can lead the packet to its ultimate destination. Essentially, BEND considers the union of all interface queue contents at the nodes within a neighborhood, i.e. a "neighborhood coding repository", whereas traditional mixing methods only process "individual coding repositories" at separate nodes.
Age differences in orbitofrontal activation: An fMRI investigation of delayed match and nonmatch to sample

Several investigations have suggested that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of age-related changes. We recently reported behavioral data indicating greater age differences in orbitofrontal tasks when directly compared to tasks tapping dorsolateral prefrontal functions. The present study was designed to investigate the neural underpinnings of age differences in OFC functioning. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed during delayed match and nonmatch to sample tasks, previously shown to differentially activate medial and lateral OFC in young adults. Sixteen healthy younger [age = 26.7(5.6)] and 16 healthy older individuals [age = 69.1 + 5.6] with similar levels of education and general cognitive functioning participated in the experiment. Participants chose the stimulus from a pair of stimuli matching a previously viewed target (match to sample) or chose the nontarget item (nonmatch to sample) depending upon a trial-specific instruction word. Consistent with previous studies, SPM99 analyses of the younger age group revealed activation for medial OFC regions during the match task compared to the nonmatch task and lateral OFC activation during the nonmatch task compared to the match task. In contrast, older adults showed prefrontal activation only during the match relative to the nonmatch task and posterior temporal and limbic involvement during the nonmatch relative to the match task. Between-group analyses confirmed within-group results suggesting differential age-related recruitment of prefrontal regions when performing match and nonmatch tasks. Results suggest that OFC recruitment during these cognitive tasks changes with age and should be evaluated within the context of other prefrontal subregions to further define differential age effects on frontal functions.
Lattice Boltzmann simulations of micron-scale drop impact on dry surfaces

A lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) method for incompressible binary fluids is proposed to model the contact line dynamics on partially wetting surfaces. Intermolecular interactions between a wall and fluids are represented by the inclusion of the cubic wall energy in the expression of the total free energy. The proposed boundary conditions eliminate the parasitic currents in the vicinity of the contact line. The LBE method is applied to micron-scale drop impact on dry surfaces, which is commonly encountered in drop-on-demand inkjet applications. For comparison with the existing experimental results [H. Dong, W.W. Carr, D.G. Bucknall, J.F. Morris, Temporally-resolved inkjet drop impaction on surfaces, AIChE J. 53 (2007) 2606-2617], computations are performed in the range of equilibrium contact angles from 31^o to 107^o for a fixed density ratio of 842, viscosity ratio of 51, Ohnesorge number (Oh) of 0.015, and two Weber numbers (We) of 13 and 103.
DNA polymerase isolated from the mitochondrial chromosome appears to be identical to DNA polymerase-γ

Summary The studies described in this report show that rat liver DNA polymerases-mt and γ appear to be identical in that they: a) have sedimentation coefficients of 9.2 S in high salt; b) have isoelectric points of 5.4; c) are inhibited to the same extent by the inhibitors N-ethylmaleimide and 2′,3′-dideoxythymidine 5′-triphosphate and are resistant to the polymerase-α inhibitor, aphidicolin; d) utilize the same primer:template, in particular poly(A) (dT) 12–18 , and have the same cation preferences. Most importantly, the DNA polymerase extracted from a highly purified inner membrane-DNA replication complex (M-band) prepared from mitoplasts exhibited the properties of both DNA polymerase-mt and DNA polymerase-γ.
Chromatofocusing Fails To Separate hFSH Isoforms on the Basis of Glycan Structure

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) glycosylation is regulated by feedback from the gonads, resulting in an array of glycans associated with FSH preparations derived from pools of pituitary or urine extracts. FSH glycosylation varies due to inhibition of FSHbeta N-glycosylation, elaboration of 1-4 branches possessed by mature N-glycans, and the number and linkage of terminal sialic acid residues. To characterize FSH glycosylation, FSH isoforms in pituitary gland extracts and a variety of physiological fluids are commonly separated by chromatofocusing. Variations in the ratios of immunological and biological activities in the resulting FSH isoform preparations are generally attributed to changes in glycosylation, which are most often defined in terms of sialic acid content. Using Western blotting to assess human FSHbeta glycosylation inhibition revealed 30-47% nonglycosylated hFSHbeta associated with four of six hFSH isoform preparations derived by chromatofocusing. Glycopeptide mass spectrometry assessment of glycan branching in these isoforms extensively characterized two N-glycosylation sites, one at alphaAsn52, the critical glycan for FSH function, and the other at betaAsn24. With two to four N-glycans per FSH molecule, many combinations of charges distributed over these sites can provide the same isoelectric point. Indeed, several glycans were common to all isoform fractions that were analyzed. There was no trend showing predominantly monoantennary glycans associated with the high-pI fractions, nor were predominantly tri- and tetra-antennary glycans associated with low-pI fractions. Thus, differences in receptor binding activity could not be associated with any specific glycan type or location in the hormone. FSH aggregation was associated with reduced receptor binding activity but did not affect immunological activity. However, as gel filtration indicated sufficient heterodimer was present in each isoform preparation to generate complete inhibition curves, the near total loss of receptor binding activity in several preparations could not be explained by aggregation alone, and the mechanism remains unknown.
There are Two Different Language Systems in the Brain

In this paper it is emphasized that human language has two rather different dimensions corresponding to two different language systems: lexical/semantic and grammatical. These two language systems are supported by different brain structures (temporal and frontal), and based in different learning strategies (declarative and procedural). In cases of brain pathology, each one can be independently impaired (Wernicke aphasia and Broca aphasia). While the lexical/semantic language system may have appeared during human evolution long before the contemporary man, the grammatical language system probably represents a relatively recent acquisition. Language grammar may be the departing ability for the development of the metacognitive executive functions and is probably based in the ability to internally represent actions.
The gap between psychiatric practice and the medical model

Abstract The authors have attempted to pinpoint causes for the disparity between the information psychiatrists say they give to referring physicians and patients and the information the referring physicians and patients say they receive. Using questionnaires and open-ended interviews, this study has shown there was a highly significant discrepancy between the information patients said they received and what psychiatrists said they gave with respect to the rationale of treatment prognoses with or without treatment. This gap could be attributed to various factors, among them the unavailability of psychiatrists or lack of outcome studies. Moreover, this study tends to point out the sequential difference in the treatment of psychiatric outpatients, e.g. the patient is helped by his doctor through treatment to diagnose himself and that adherence to this psychiatric style of interviewing could be utilized by the primary physician to improve his rapport with patients and, perhaps, increase their knowledge and understanding of their own disease. As previously reported, residents in child psychiatry, working under the supervision of the senior author, were reluctant to commit themselves to a diagnostic framework and completely avoided formulating prognoses, even though they were accomplished in understanding and conveying clinical data. The primary aim of our work was to attempt to link our trainees psychiatric and medical identities, which appeared to be totally divergent. In all of the cases covered by our study the trainees failed to provide diagnoses to referring physicians 48% of the time and to patients 45% of the time. 1 Prognoses were never offered. We have attempted to elicit reasons for this divergence from standard medical practice.
Role of protein kinase-C in regulation of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 production by HepG2 cells.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) is a liver-derived protein that modulates the mitogenic actions of the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). IGFBP-1 production is potently inhibited by insulin both in vivo and in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. To further define the pathways of IGFBP-1 regulation, we studied the effects of modulators of protein kinase-C (PKC) on HepG2 cell IGFBP-1 production. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated IGFBP-1 production in a time- and dose-dependent manner, with maximal stimulation occurring at 10-100 nmol/L. The degree of stimulation was dependent on cell density, ranging from about 2-fold in confluent to more than 10-fold in sparse cultures. Preincubation with PMA abolished the inhibitory effect of insulin, while preincubation with insulin did not inhibit PMA stimulation. The transient PKC activator diC8 had no effect, while studies with the PKC inhibitors sphinganine and H-7 were limited by solvent vehicle cytotoxicity. Staurosporine (STS), a pot...
Defective Repair of Gamma-ray-induced DNA Damage in Xeroderma Pigmentosum Cells

We used the bromouracil-photolysis technique to estimate the sizes of the repaired regions in normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) cells irradiated by gamma-rays aerobically or anoxically. After 1 1/2 hours of incubation, single-strand breaks were repaired and the repaired regions were small--one to two BrUra residues--for cells irradiated aerobically or anoxically. After a 20-hour incubation, the repaired region in normal cells showed a component mimicking U.V.-repair. There were large patches (approximately 30 BrUra residues) in the approximate ratios of one per six chain breaks for aerobic irradiation and one per three chain breaks for anoxic irradiation. XP cells, however, only showed large patches at 20 hours if they had been irradiated aerobically. We could not detect such regions in XP cells irradiated anoxically. These results indicate (1) that some part of ionizing damage mimics excision of U.V. damage in that the repair patches are large and the repair takes an appreciable time; (2) the types of such damage depend on whether the irradiation is done aerobically or anoxically; and (3) XP cells are defective in repairing a component of anoxic damage.
Effects of Fat Source and Final Comminution Temperature on Fat Particle Dispersion, Emulsion Stability, and Textural Characteristics of Turkey Frankfurters

Abstract Turkey frankfurter emulsions containing turkey thigh meat and 18% turkey fat, pork fat, or beef fat were chopped to final comminution temperatures of 13, 18, or 23 C and heat processed. Data were obtained on fat particle distribution, fat separation, emulsion stability, shear press value, and proximate analysis to determine an optimum final comminution temperature for turkey frankfurters. At the same final comminution temperature, particle size for turkey fat was smallest, pork fat was intermediate, and beef fat was largest The optimum emulsion stability for different types of fat was dependent on final comminution temperature. For turkey fat and pork fat, the optimum final comminution temperature among those compared was 13 C, and the optimum final comminution temperature for beef fat was 18 C. No significantly different shear press values were obtained among the frankfurters.
Hypersensitivity of spontaneously hypertensive rats to heat and ether before the onset of high blood pressure.

Hypertension-prone, male, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; n = 60) and normotensive, male, Sprague-Dawley rats (S-D; n = 60) were exposed to the relatively innocuous stimulus of heat and ether when they were 40 days of age, just before the usual onset of high blood pressure in SHR. The animals were decapitated 0,2,5,15, and 60 min postexposure to heat and ether. Blood levels of corticosterone, aldosterone, PRL, GH were measured concomitant with pituitary content of GH and PRL and adrenal content of ascorbic acid and cholesterol. The foregoing constituents were used as an index of pituitaryadrenal responsiveness. Changes in circulating corticosterone, PRL, GH, and especially aldosterone indicated that before the onset of their high blood pressure, SHR are much more responsive to noxious stimuli than normotensive S-D. The pattern of change in the pituitary content of GH and PRL, adrenal ascorbate, and cholesterol were also indicative of SHR hypersensitivity. These findings suggest that adrenal steroido...
Echocardiography derived three-dimensional printing of normal and abnormal mitral annuli.

Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the clinical feasibility of using echocardiographic data to generate three-dimensional models of normal and pathologic mitral valve annuli before and after repair procedures. Materials and Methods: High-resolution transesophageal echocardiographic data from five patients was analyzed to delineate and track the mitral annulus (MA) using Tom Tec Image-Arena software. Coordinates representing the annulus were imported into Solidworks software for constructing solid models. These solid models were converted to stereolithographic (STL) file format and three-dimensionally printed by a commercially available Maker Bot Replicator 2 three-dimensional printer. Total time from image acquisition to printing was approximately 30 min. Results: Models created were highly reflective of known geometry, shape and size of normal and pathologic mitral annuli. Post-repair models also closely resembled shapes of the rings they were implanted with. Compared to echocardiographic images of annuli seen on a computer screen, physical models were able to convey clinical information more comprehensively, making them helpful in appreciating pathology, as well as post-repair changes. Conclusions: Three-dimensional printing of the MA is possible and clinically feasible using routinely obtained echocardiographic images. Given the short turn-around time and the lack of need for additional imaging, a technique we describe here has the potential for rapid integration into clinical practice to assist with surgical education, planning and decision-making.
Regulation of T cell proliferation by anti-CD49d and anti-CD29 monoclonal antibodies

The j3� integrin VLA-4 (a4131, CD49d/CD29), which is expressed on a barge subpopulation of peripheral blood T lymphocytes, functions as a receptor for the en- dothebial adhesion protein VCAM-1 and the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin. Previous studies showed that immobilized fibronectin enhanced anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-induced T cell proliferation through binding to the integrins VLA-4 and VLA-5 (cx5i3i, CD49eICD29). We studied the ability of the anti-CD49d mAb L25 to potentiate proliferation. T cell proliferation was induced by subthreshold concentrations of anti-CD3 mAb (mAb OKT3) coimmobilized with mAb L25 but not with coimmobilized anti-CD29 (flu) mAb. Soluble anti- CD29 mAb inhibited the proliferation induced by coim- mobilized mAb OKT3 and L25 but not proliferation in- duced by mAb OKT3 with PMA or coimmobilized anti- CD26 mAb.J. Leukoc. Bid. 52: 456-462; 1992.
Volume rendering in radiation treatment planning

Successful treatment planning in radiation therapy depends in part on understanding the spatial relationship between patient anatomy and the distribution of radiation dose. Several visualizations based on volume rendering that offer potential solutions to this problem are presented. The visualizations use region boundary surfaces to display anatomy, polygonal meshes to display treatment beams, and isovalue contour surfaces to display dose. To improve perception of spatial relationships, metallic shading, surface and solid texturing, synthetic fog, shadows, and other artistic devices are used. Also outlined is a method based on 3-D mip maps for efficiently generating perspective volume renderings and beam's-eye views. >
Truncus arteriosus with aortic arch interruption: cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings in the unrepaired adult

Truncus arteriosus (TA) is a rare congenital condition defined as a single arterial vessel arising from the heart that gives origin to the systemic, pulmonary and coronary circulations. We discuss the unique case of a 28 year-old female patient with unrepaired TA and interruption of the aortic arch who underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).
Diversity and Ubiquity of Bacteria Capable of Utilizing Humic Substances as Electron Donors for Anaerobic Respiration

Previous studies have demonstrated that reduced humic substances (HS) can be reoxidized by anaerobic bacteria such as Geobacter, Geothrix, and Wolinella species with a suitable electron acceptor; however, little is known of the importance of this metabolism in the environment. Recently we investigated this metabolism in a diversity of environments including marine and aquatic sediments, forest soils, and drainage ditch soils. Most-probable-number enumeration studies were performed using 2,6-anthrahydroquinone disulfonate (AHDS), an analog for reduced HS, as the electron donor with nitrate as the electron acceptor. Anaerobic organisms capable of utilizing reduced HS as an electron donor were found in all environments tested and ranged from a low of 2.31 x 10(1) in aquifer sediments to a high of 9.33 x 10(6) in lake sediments. As part of this study we isolated six novel organisms capable of anaerobic AHDS oxidation. All of the isolates coupled the oxidation of AHDS to the reduction of nitrate with acetate (0.1 mM) as the carbon source. In the absence of cells, no AHDS oxidation was apparent, and in the absence of AHDS, no cell density increase was observed. Generally, nitrate was reduced to N(2). Analysis of the AHDS and its oxidized form, 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate (AQDS), in the medium during growth revealed that the anthraquinone was not being biodegraded as a carbon source and was simply being oxidized as an energy source. Determination of the AHDS oxidized and nitrate reduced accounted for 109% of the theoretical electron transfer. In addition to AHDS, all of these isolates could also couple the oxidation of reduced humic substances to the reduction of nitrate. No HS oxidation occurred in the absence of cells and in the absence of a suitable electron acceptor, demonstrating that these organisms were capable of utilizing natural HS as an energy source and that AHDS serves as a suitable analog for studying this metabolism. Alternative electron donors included simple volatile fatty acids such as propionate, butyrate, and valerate as well as simple organic acids such as lactate and pyruvate. Analysis of the complete sequences of the 16S rRNA genes revealed that the isolates were not closely related to each other and were phylogenetically diverse, with members in the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta subdivisions of the PROTEOBACTERIA: Most of the isolates were closely related to known genera not previously recognized for their ability to couple growth to HS oxidation, while one of the isolates represented a new genus in the delta subclass of the PROTEOBACTERIA: The results presented here demonstrate that microbial oxidation of HS is a ubiquitous metabolism in the environment. This study represents the first description of HS-oxidizing isolates and demonstrates that microorganisms capable of HS oxidation are phylogenetically diverse.
Heterometallic Molecular Squares and Polymers Based On Self-Assembly Reactions of Multiply Bonded Dirhenium Complexes

Self-assembly reactions of the triply-bonded dirhenium complex cis-[Re2Cl2(dppm)2(O2CC5H4N-4)2] with cis-protected PtII and ZnII precursors have produced heterometallic squares. Analogous reactions with Ag(O3SCF3), cis-[Re2Cl4(O2CCH3)2(H2O)2] and [Rh2(O2CCH3)4] have yielded mixed-metal polymeric structures. These results demonstrate that the isonicotinate ligand is useful for accessing heterometallic structures involving metal−metal bonded complexes. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004)
CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN PREGNANCY IX: PLASMA LEVELS OF GLUCONEOGENIC FUELS DURING FASTING IN THE RAT

ABSTRACT During 48 hours of fasting, circulating lactate, pyruvate and glycerol in pregnant rats did not fall below levels observed in virgin animals. Contrariwise, pregnant animals displayed more rapid and profound reductions in gluconeogenic amino acids (such as plasma alanine, serine, threonine, glutamine, and glutamate) coincident with the development of hypoglycemia.
Leadership and the Profession of Counseling: Beliefs and Practices

Thirty-one individuals who have provided leadership to the counseling profession completed 3 Q-sorts. These individuals sorted 39 statements about leadership according to 3 phases: when a leadership effort is getting started, when work is progressing, and when a leadership effort is coming to a close. The authors present perspectives on leadership that emerged from the study, during each of the 3 phases, and attempt to present their findings in a way that honors multiple voices about leadership.
A robust group-based key management scheme for wireless sensor networks

Sensor networks pose security and privacy challenges. To maintain confidentiality of sensor communications, it is challenging to bootstrap secure communications among sensors while making sensor networks highly connected when sensors are randomly deployed. Several existing key management schemes either cannot offer strong resilience against node capture attacks or have overly large memory requirement to achieve a high degree of connectivity, which is measured as the fraction of the size of the largest connected component over the size of the entire sensor network. We propose a group-based key pre-distribution scheme using sensor deployment knowledge. In our scheme, we partition a sensor field into a hexagonal grid. Sensor nodes are divided into groups, each of which is deployed into a cell of the grid. Our scheme consists of a series of slightly different methods, depending on how to distribute secret information among neighboring groups and how much information is to be stored in each node. Experimental results show that our scheme achieves a higher degree of connectivity of the sensor network with a lower memory requirement compared to existing schemes. In addition, our scheme offers a stronger resilience against node capture attacks.
The functional morphology of hooding in cobras

Young, B. A. & Kardong, K. V. The functional morphology of hooding in cobras. J Exp Biol. 2010 (May 1) vol. 213 (9), p.1521-8.
Multinomial Probability Estimation by Wavelet Thresholding

In this article, we introduce a wavelet threshold estimator to estimate multinomial probabilities. The advantages of the estimator are its adaptability to the roughness and sparseness of the data. The asymptotic behavior of the estimator is investigated through an often-used criteria: the mean sum of squared error (MSSE). We show that the MSSE of the estimator achieves the optimal rate of convergence. Its performance on finite samples is examined through simulation studies which show favorable results for the new estimator over the commonly used kernel estimator.
Newcastle disease virus-like particles as a platform for the development of vaccines for human and agricultural pathogens

Vaccination is the single most effective way to control viral diseases. However, many currently used vaccines have safety concerns, efficacy issues or production problems. For other viral pathogens, classic approaches to vaccine development have, thus far, been unsuccessful. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are increasingly being considered as vaccine candidates because they offer significant advantages over many currently used vaccines or developing vaccine technologies. VLPs formed with structural proteins of Newcastle disease virus, an avian paramyxovirus, are a potential vaccine candidate for Newcastle disease in poultry. More importantly, these VLPs are a novel, uniquely versatile VLP platform for the rapid construction of effective vaccine candidates for many human pathogens, including genetically complex viruses and viruses for which no vaccines currently exist.
Implementing a breast cancer registry and treatment plan/summary program in clinical practice: a pilot program.

BACKGROUND There is a need to better measure and improve the quality of oncology care and improve communication with patients and other providers. The American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Registry (BCR) pilot evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of prospective data collection for quality assessment in daily clinical practice. Data were used to create and share treatment plans/summaries (TPSs) at the point of care.
Building Resilience to Trauma: Creating a Safe and Supportive Early Childhood Classroom.

Abstract On Monday morning, a collective shock was felt throughout the school as news spread of a student's death. John, a playful 5-year-old, had died in a car accident. One child in the class had witnessed the accident, but others had also heard of the tragedy from their parents or television news reports. Even children who were not classmates of the deceased student were affected by the emotionally charged environment as the caregivers around them became distracted and often overwhelmed by the compelling events that resulted in the child's death. Few of the early childhood teachers had specific training or experience in responding to traumatic events, and many struggled to address the emotions associated with the loss. Fear, shock, and anger filled many hearts on this dark day and in the ensuing weeks. The event attacked the sense of safety and security among the teachers and students. The day of this tragedy, the day after, and the following weeks and months all brought new transformations of the chil...
Cognitive Assessment: Progress in Psychometric Theories of Intelligence, the Structure of Cognitive Ability Tests, and Interpretive Approaches to Cognitive Test Performance

This chapter highlights the progress that has been made in theories of intelligence (particularly psychometric theories), the structure of cognitive ability batteries, and methods of cognitive ability test interpretation over the past century. Early theories of intelligence revolved around notions of a single general factor, or g , but steadily advanced into two-factor models (e.g., original Gf – Gc ), early multiple-factor models (e.g., Thurstone’s Primary Mental Abilities), and eventually to current, multiple-factor models (e.g., Cattell-Horn-Carroll [CHC] theory). Also discussed is the fact that cognitive batteries seldom kept pace with developments in theory, but they nevertheless have shown significant growth and development overall, particular within the last decade. The latter half of the chapter provides a discussion of refinements to CHC theory at both the broad and narrow ability levels, application of CHC theory to academic outcomes research, integration of CHC and neuropsychological theories, and greater emphasis on flexible battery approaches. We conclude that contemporary cognitive assessment allows for sufficient illustration of the links between abilities (e.g., cognitive and academic) and neuropsychological processes such that avenues for instruction, intervention, and treatment of individuals who struggle to learn will not only be clear, but also empirically supported.
EGG SAC RECOGNITION BY FEMALE MIAGRAMMOPES ANIMOTUS (ARANEAE, ULOBORIDAE)

After producing a cylindrical egg sac, a female Miagrammopes animotusholds it until spiderlings emerge and disperse. When sacs were taken from females, these females exhibited a putative searching behavior and, upon contacting either their sacs or those of conspecifics, exhibited a putative recognition behavior. These responses would cause a female to search for and reclaim her sac if it were temporarily abandoned during feeding or web construction. Females with sacs did not respond positively to sacs from which spiderlings had emerged. Females that did not have sacs did not respond positively to viable sacs. Females separated from their sacs for increasing time periods exhibited a decline in positive responses to their sacs. Thus, contact with the sac appears necessary to maintain an affinity for the sac during the development of spiderlings.
Balancing Charge Injection and Transport in Organic Light-emitting Diodes with a Transparent Conductive Tungsten Oxide Layer

High-brightness green phosphorescent hybrid inorganic-organic light-emitting diodes (HyLEDs) and inverted HyLEDs (IHyLEDs) have been demonstrated. The devices comprised a transparent and conductive WO3 layer deposited by thermal evaporation, which improved both hole injection and transport, and led to more balanced charge injection and significant performance enhancement. At 20 mA/cm2, the HyLEDs had a low operation voltage of 6.1 V, 0.8 V lower than that of OLEDs with an organic hole transport layer. With an optimized layer structure, the HyLEDs reached 104 cd/m2 brightness at 7.3 V. At this brightness level, the current efficiency was 55.2 cd/A, 57% higher than that of the OLEDs. In the IHyLEDs, facile hole injection and transport through WO3 was balanced by electron injection from the indium-tin-oxide (ITO) cathode overcoated with nanometer-thick Ca, leading to a low turn-on voltage of ∼6 V. Brightness of 8133 cd/m2 was reached at 20 mA/cm2 and the corresponding current efficiency was 40 cd/A. The hybrid devices also exhibited markedly improved stability under constant-current stressing due to the robust WO3 hole transport layer.
Bringing attention to e-cigarette pH as an important element for research and regulation

There is a lack of consensus among health experts and the tobacco control community regarding the potential population impact of the rapidly spreading use of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes.1–3 Dual use of e-cigarettes with regular cigarettes and initiation in non-tobacco users are among common concerns. Some experts, however, believe that complete switching to e-cigarettes could potentially lead to significant reductions in smoking-induced morbidity and mortality among current smokers who experience difficulty giving up smoking. Indeed, the e-cigarette aerosol, which primarily consists of nicotine, humectants and flavouring agents, contains significantly lower levels of many toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that are abundant in the smoke of regular cigarettes.4 The common toxicity concerns regarding e-cigarette use include nicotine toxicity, the potential long-term effect of propylene glycol (humectant) inhalation, and the lack of quality control oversight over the production of some e-cigarettes and refill fluids.1 ,2 ,5 The latter can result in …
Sector Design and Boundary Change Considerations for Flexible Airspace Management

In Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) operations, we expect that the demand-capacity balance can be achieved by selectively managing the airspace capacity in conjunction with managing the traffic demand. In Flexible Airspace Management (FAM), the airspace complexity can be assessed a few hours ahead in order to identify sectors that could exceed their defined traffic threshold as well as sectors that are under-utilized. Using various airspace optimization algorithms, airspace can be reconfigured to manage the existing traffic demand without moving aircraft away from their original user-preferred routes. A human-in-the-loop simulation study was conducted in 2009 to assess the impact of airspace reconfiguration on the controllers. The results from the objective data found that the acceptability of the boundary change and the associated workload were mainly affected by airspace volume change and aircraft that changed ownership. However, observations and subjective feedback have suggested that other cognitively-driven factors, such as spatial relationships between upstream/downstream sectors, may also play a role, especially in traffic situations where the airspace has only a few aircraft that change ownership but still has a high degree of airspace complexity associated with the reconfiguration. In this paper, we identify these factors and discuss the human factors issues that should be considered in designing the airspace and airspace transitions.
An accuracy analysis of mass matrix lumping for three‐dimensional, unsaturated flow, finite element, porous media computations using analytical solutions

Lumping of the mass matrix for transient problems is the state of the practice for finite element groundwater programs. This improves nonlinear convergence where there is unsaturated flow, but the discovery was made that the accuracy of the results is reduced significantly for a test problem. This paper compares results from a recently derived transient three-dimensional (3-D) analytical solution for a given unsaturated flow test problem with those obtained from a standard parallel Galerkin 3-D finite element groundwater program with the mass matrix lumping option turned both on and off. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Single chain entanglement: A Monte Carlo simulation of dilute solution capillary electrophoresis

The configurational interactions of a single flexible polyelectrolyte probe chain driven at moderate electric field through a single neutral frozen host chain are investigated using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The simulated probe length varies from 25 to 200 Kuhn steps, while the host length remains fixed at 200 Kuhn steps; the probe's charge density and the medium's Debye-Huckel screening length constitute additional parameters. The simulations reveal a strong and chain length dependent entanglement coupling between probe and host, consistent with recent experiments demonstrating that polyelectrolytes can be electrophoretically separated by molecular weight in a dilute solution of neutral polymers. Additionally, charge density and Debye-Huckel screening length are shown to be important factors in the separation mechanism, affecting both the probability of coupling and the duration of resulting entanglements. The scaling exponent relating entanglement time to molecular weight lies between the values of and 3, the respective limits for Rouse and reptation disentanglement dynamics.