cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Immunoregulatory Effects of Cimetidine: Inhibition of Suppressor Cell Effector Function in Vivo”

AbstractThe effects of cimetidine upon suppressor cell effector function in a well-studied murine model of contact hypersensitivity were examined. Intravenous inoculation of BALB/c mice with DNP-coupled syngeneic spleen cells induced the production of DNP-specific suppressor cells which was demonstrated by a reduction in ear swelling after contact sensitization with l-fluoro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB) following transfer of spleen and lymph node cells to naive syngeneic recipients. Cimetidine treatment of mice who had also received suppressor cells eliminated the manifestation of suppressor cell activity as measured by the development of normal immunologic response following contact sensitization with DNFB. While all the groups receiving cimetidine showed restoration of delayed hypersensitivity, the maximum effect was seen when 50 mg/kg of cimetidine was administered on Day 5 (day of challenge). These results indicate that, in addition to its previously described inhibitory role in suppressor cell inductio...
Learn: Tips for Skills Center Interviewers

(1984). Learn: Tips for Skills Center Interviewers. Journal of College Reading and Learning: Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 162-169.
Intra- and cross-modal cuing of spatial attention: Time courses and mechanisms.

Abstract We report a new phenomenon in cross-modal cuing of visual spatial attention—simultaneous auditory peripheral cues are “hyper-effective”—more effective than auditory peripheral (AP), visual central (VC), or visual peripheral (VP) cues that preceded the target with ample time for preparatory orienting. The time courses and mechanisms of visual spatial attention were measured in a four-location Gabor orientation identification task for targets embedded in systematically varying amounts of external noise [Lu, Z. -L., & Dosher, B. A. (1998). External noise distinguishes attention mechanisms. Vision Research, 38 (9), 1183–1198] and for cue-target asynchronies (CTOAs) between 0 and 240 ms. Large CTOA pre-cuing improvements in contrast thresholds occurred in high external noise conditions for AP, VC, and VP cues. In low external noise conditions, pre-cuing advantages occurred for visual peripheral (VP) cues, but not for visual central cues (VC), replicating Lu and Dosher [Lu, Z. -L., & Dosher, B. A. (2000). Spatial attention: Different mechanisms for central and peripheral temporal precues? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 26 (5), 1534–1548]. Auditory peripheral pre-cues (AP) were similar to VP cues at large cue-target delays, but demonstrated a large cross-modal cuing advantage for simultaneous auditory peripheral cues (AP) in both high and low external noise. We conclude that endogenous attention (visual central pre-cuing) excludes external noise, while exogenous attention (both visual and auditory peripheral pre-cuing) enhances the stimulus but also excludes external noise if informative peripheral cues are used.
Integrated inspection system for improved machine performance

An integrated inspection system for improving the accuracy of CNC machine tools is proposed. The system described in this paper emphasizes the integration of the on-machine inspection and analysis techniques with the information coming from post-process and on- machine inspection to improve machine performance automatically. Algorithms are derived for analyzing the post-process and on-machine inspection data to identify residual systematic errors and relate them to the machine performance. Various data analysis algorithms and techniques are compared. A feature comparison approach is developed to relate the dimensional and form errors of a manufactured workpiece to the systematic machine tool errors. Inverse kinematics technique and statistical methods are used to identify and characterize the contribution of each geometric error component. A self tuning algorithm is also proposed to fine tune the geometric-thermal model.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Photon-induced reactions of No adsorbed on GaAs(110)

The interaction of cw laser radiation with NO adsorbed on GaAs(110) at 90 K has been studied over a wide range of wavelengths from 457 to 900 nm by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), and laser induced desorption spectroscopy (LIDS). Adsorption of molecular NO is observed. By varying the incident laser power, it is found that desorption and dissociation of molecular NO are induced by a nonthermal process. By measuring the time profile and the power and wavelength dependence of the desorption signal, the observed desorption and dissociation of NO are attributed to interactions of the adsorbed NO with the photogenerated carriers which migrate to the surface.
All-Day Recordings to Investigate Vocabulary Development: A Case Study of a Trilingual Toddler

Major innovations are becoming available for research in language development and disorders. Among these innovations, recent tools allow naturalistic recording in children’s homes and automated ana...
Eph signaling: a structural view

Eph receptors, the largest subfamily of receptor tyrosine kinases, and their ephrin ligands are important mediators of cell-cell communication regulating cell attachment, shape and mobility. Both Ephs and ephrins are membrane-bound and their interactions at sites of cell-cell contact initiate unique bidirectional signaling cascades, with information transduced in both the receptor-expressing and the ligand-expressing cells. Recent structural and biophysical studies summarized in this review reveal unique molecular features not previously observed in any other receptor-ligand families and explain many of the biochemical and signaling properties of Ephs and ephrins. Of particular importance is the insight into how approximation of ligand-expressing and receptor-expressing cells could lead to the formation and activation of highly ordered signaling centers at cell-cell interfaces.
Aortic Atherosclerotic Disease and Stroke

In the 1940s, most strokes were attributed to cerebral vasospasm, a mechanism that is not given a great deal of credence today. It was not until the early 1950s that Harvard neurologist C. Miller Fisher1 stressed the importance of carotid artery atherosclerosis as a major cause of cerebral infarction. Later that decade, the importance of atrial fibrillation as a cause of cerebral embolism began to be stressed,2 and the presence of a left atrial thrombus was first seen on angiocardiography in 1965.3 Despite the established importance of these 2 causes of stroke, carotid disease and atrial fibrillation, nearly half of strokes were listed as “of undetermined cause” in a large stroke registry as recently as 1989.4 In this series, 40% of 1273 cerebral infarctions in the Stroke Databank of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS) were thought to be cryptogenic (from the Latin crypticus , meaning secret or mysterious). The clinical syndrome in those patients, as well as the angiographic and computed tomographic (CT) findings, could be reclassified as embolic; however, because no source of embolus could be identified, the authors kept these strokes in the undetermined cause category. In 1990, a third leading cause of embolic stroke was identified on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), namely severe atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic arch.5 The 3 patients described in that initial report were a 68-year-old woman with dysarthria and an embolus to the foot, a 77-year-old woman with a cerebellar infarction after cardiac catheterization, and a 70-year-old man with staggering, diplopia, and a visual field cut. All 3 had severe plaque in the aortic arch on TEE. In addition, freely mobile projections were seen superimposed on the plaques, making it seem likely that these findings were the reason for the patients’ embolic …
Fluorescence of 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid bound to proteins and to lipids of sarcolemma.

Abstract Relative contributions to fluorescence of 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid-sarcolemma by 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid bound to proteins and to lipid were assessed on the basis of fluorescence lifetime and steady-state emission spectra. The lifetime spectrum of lipid-poor proteins prepared from sarcolemma had a major time constant of 16 ns; that of lipids extracted from sarcolemma had a major time constant of 7 ns and a minor one of 4 ns. In sarcolemma, components having all three time constants were observed with weighting factors 0.33, 0.6 and 0.07, respectively, indicating the fraction of 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid bound to protein and to lipid. Steady-state emission spectra of 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid-sarcolemma were resolved into and resynthesized from contributions by 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid bound to proteins and to lipids. The latter was at least two thirds of total 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid bound. Results of analyses of spectra obtained with various concentrations of sarcolemma and 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid suggest that the proteins have a higher affinity, but only about half the binding capacity for 1,8-anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid as do lipids.
Degradation of PCBs by ferric ion, hydrogen peroxide and UV light

A 1-g/L two-phase mixture of the commercial PCB oil Aroclor 1242 in acidified water at 66°C was degraded by a photoassisted Fenton-type reaction consisting of Fe3+, H2O2, and UV light (300-400 nm). Up to 88% PCB removal and 85% dechlorination were obtained, without attempts at optimization. The order of reactivity was di- > tri-> tetra- - – higher chlorinated biphenyls, but the selectivity was weak. Perfluorinated surfactants added to increase PCB solubility or rates of dissolution had a detrimental effect on degradation. Minimal reaction was observed at room temperature.
Two Putative BIN2 Substrates Are Nuclear Components of Brassinosteroid Signaling

GSK3 is a highly conserved kinase that negatively regulates many cellular processes by phosphorylating a variety of protein substrates. BIN2 is a GSK3-like kinase in Arabidopsis that functions as a negative regulator of brassinosteroid (BR) signaling. It was proposed that BR signals, perceived by a membrane BR receptor complex that contains the leucine (Leu)-rich repeat receptor-like kinase BRI1, inactivate BIN2 to relieve its inhibitory effect on unknown downstream BR-signaling components. Using a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) two-hybrid approach, we discovered a potential BIN2 substrate that is identical to a recently identified BR-signaling protein, BES1. BES1 and its closest homolog, BZR1, which was also uncovered as a potential BR-signaling protein, display specific interactions with BIN2 in yeast. Both BES1 and BZR1 contain many copies of a conserved GSK3 phosphorylation site and can be phosphorylated by BIN2 in vitro via a novel GSK3 phosphorylation mechanism that is independent of a priming phosphorylation or a scaffold protein. Five independent bes1 alleles containing the same proline-233-Leu mutation were identified as semidominant suppressors of two different bri1 mutations. Over-expression of the wild-type BZR1 gene partially complemented bin2/+ mutants and resulted in a BRI1 overexpression phenotype in a BIN2(+) background, whereas overexpression of a mutated BZR1 gene containing the corresponding proline-234-Leu mutation rescued a weak bri1 mutation and led to a bes1-like phenotype. Confocal microscopic analysis indicated that both BES1 and BZR1 proteins were mainly localized in the nucleus. We propose that BES1/BZR1 are two nuclear components of BR signaling that are negatively regulated by BIN2 through a phosphorylation-initiated process.
Long-Term Reliability Analysis of a Spar Buoy-Supported Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Most offshore wind turbines constructed to date have support structures for the turbine towers that extend to the seabed. Such bottom-supported turbines are confined to shallow waters closer to the shore. Sites farther offshore provide a better wind resource (i.e., stronger wind and less turbulence) while also reducing concerns related to visual impact and noise. However, in deeper waters, bottom-supported turbines are less economical. Wind turbines mounted atop floating platforms are, thus, being considered for deepwater sites. Several floating platform concepts are being considered; they differ mainly in how they provide stability to counter the large mass of the rotor-nacelle assembly located high above the water. One of these alternative concepts is a spar buoy floating platform with a deep draft structure and a low center of gravity, below the center of buoyancy. The reliability analysis of a spar-supported 5MW wind turbine based on stochastic simulation is the subject of this study. Environmental data from a selected deepwater reference site are employed in the numerical studies. Using time-domain simulations, the dynamic behavior of the coupled platform-turbine system is studied; statistics of tower and rotor loads as well as platform motions are estimated and critical combinations of wind speed and wave height identified. Long-term loads associated with a 50-year return period are estimated using statistical extrapolation based on loads derived from the simulations. Inverse reliability procedures that seek appropriate load fractiles for the underlying random variables consistent with the target return period are employed; these include use of: (i) the 2D Inverse First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) where an extreme load is selected at its median level (conditional on a derived critical wind speed and wave height combination); and (ii) the 3D Inverse FORM where variability in the environmental and load random variables is fully represented to derive the 50-year load.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Herpes simplex virus latent phase transcription facilitates in vivo reactivation.

The biological role of latent phase transcripts was studied in a rabbit model of herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-I) ocular reactivation. Virus X10-13, a variant of HSV which does not express latency associated transcripts (LAT), has been previously shown to establish latent infection in mouse sensory nerve ganglia, and LAT(−) virus can be recovered upon explantation and cocultivation of ganglia. In the rabbit, we show here that this virus replicates normally on the cornea and conjunctiva and establishes latent infections in corresponding trigeminal ganglionic neurons. However, X10-13 is not efficiently reactivated after iontophoresis of 0.01% epinephrine into the cornea. In contrast, XC-20, a LAT(+) derivative of X10-13 in which LAT expression had been restored by marker rescue of X10-13 with a cloned HSV-I EcoRI J + K fragment, reactivated at a significantly higher rate. Control experiments indicated that XC-20 and X10-13 established latent infections in an equivalent number of neurons. We conclude that latent phase transcription of HSV facilitates ganglionic reactivation and subsequent ocular shedding of the reactivated virus.
London on Film and Underground

AbstractThis paper argues that the symbolic meaning of the London Underground, more than those of other metropolitan subway systems, perfectly matches the primary meaning that subways possess as a cultural, and, especially, a cinematic space. In general, different subterranean spaces carry associations with different aspects of the complex attributes of the underground. The subway embodies its quotidian qualities; it is associated with work, daily routine, and the average citizen. This paper studies ways in which the Underground as cinematic setting negotiates the material and cultural attributes of the space, beginning with the intersection of modernity, technology and everyday life in films of the 1920s and 1930s. It then addresses conflicts within this model that emerge in science fiction, horror and fantasy of the 1960s and 1970s. The paper concludes by considering the relationship of the underground railway with the other urban subterranean space primarily featured in film, the sewer, and hypothesize...
Does the time between ventricular assist device implantation and heart transplantation affect survival

Does the time between ventricular assist device implantation and heart transplantation affect survival?
Computational modeling of the martensitic transformation with surface energy

We propose a numerical model for the dynamics of the austenitic-martensitic transformation which includes the effect of surface energy. Our numerical model uses a nonconforming finite element method to approximate the deformation and a numerical viscosity to stabilize the scheme. We present numerical experiments which demonstrate that the addition of a strain-gradient surface energy results in a more planar austenitic-martensitic interfacial layer.
Radioiodine: the classic theranostic agent.

Radioiodine has the distinction of being the first theranostic agent in our armamentarium. Millennia were required to discover that the agent in orally administered seaweed and its extracts, which had been shown to cure neck swelling due to thyromegaly, was iodine, first demonstrated to be a new element in 1813. Treatment of goiter with iodine began at once, but its prophylactic value to prevent a common form of goiter took another century. After Enrico Fermi produced the first radioiodine, 128 I, in 1934, active experimentation in the United States and France delineated the crucial role of iodine in thyroid metabolism and disease. 130 I and 131 I were first employed to treat thyrotoxicosis by 1941, and thyroid cancer in 1943. After World War II, 131 I became widely available at a reasonable price for diagnostic testing and therapy. The rectilinear scanner of Cassen and Curtis (Science 1949;110:94-95), and a dedicated gamma camera invented by Anger (Nature 1952;170:200-201), finally permitted the diagnostic imaging of thyroid disease, with 131 I again the radioisotope of choice, although there were short-lived attempts to employ 125 I and 132 I for this purpose. 123 I was first produced in 1949 but did not become widely available until about 1982, 10 years after a production technique eliminated high-energy 124 I contamination. I continues to be the radioiodine of choice for the diagnosis of benign thyroid disease, whereas 123 I and 131 I are employed in the staging and detection of functioning thyroid cancer. 124 I, a positron emitter, can produce excellent anatomically correlated images employing positron emission tomography/computed tomography equipment and has the potential to enhance heretofore imperfect dosimetric studies in determining the appropriate administered activity to ablate/treat thyroid cancer. Issues of acceptable measuring error in thyroid cancer dosimetry and the role in 131 I therapy of tumor heterogeneity, tumor hypoxia, and kinetics must be overcome, and long-term outcome studies following 131 I given based on this new dosimetry must be completed before the nuclear medicine community will be able to predictably cure our thyroid cancer patients with this technology.
Morphological and histometric parameters of the thyroid gland in slaughter cattle

The study presents an evaluation of morphological and histometric parameters of the thyroid gland of slaughtered cattle (29 cows, 10 bulls, 7 heifers and 4 calves). The thyroid gland of bulls contained 34.7% of large follicles while their content in cows and heifers was 32.6% and only 19.2%, respectively. The average follicle length was 162.0±19.8 μm in bulls, 153.5±24.8 μm in cows and 122.4±10.1 μm in heifers. The highest thyreocytes were found in heifers and bulls (9.45±1.17 and 9.42±1.50 μm, respectively) and the lowest in cows (8.46±2.13 μm). A positive relationship was determined between the iodine content of the thyroid gland and the percentage of large follicles (r = 0.55) while the relationship between iodine content and thyreocyte height was negative (r = -0.21). In the thyroid gland of older cows medium and large follicles with low cubic to flat thyreocytes were dominant. Some follicles contained necrotic thyreocytes and the cytoplasm contained lipofuscin. The results suggest the influence of an increased iodine content in the thyroid gland on follicle size and thyreocyte height.
The use of a cross‐correlation technique to enhance Jansson's deconvolution procedure

The use of a cross-correlation prefiltering technique to enhance the ability of Jansson's iterative deconvolution procedure to deconvolve extremely noisy chromatographic data is investigated. Test cases include peaks whose resolutions are as low as 0.35 and whose signal-to-noise ratios are as low as 1:1. Evaluation criteria include RMS error, relative peak error and peak area repeatability. For comparison purposes, relative peak area errors and peak area variances are also evaluated for noisy but well resolved peaks that have only been prefiltered with the cross-correlation filter. Jansson's method in conjunction with cross-correlation prefiltering is shown not only to resolve overlapped peaks but in some cases to improve their signal-to-noise ratios. The study also establishes some limits to the capabilities of Jansson's method will regard to adverse data conditions.
Adsorption kinetics of ovalbumin monolayers

Abstract The adsorption kinetics of ovalbumin monolayers has been studied using simultaneous measurements of surface potential and surface tension. Both measures show that the adsorption rate is greatest at the IEP, and decreases when the molecule is charged. The rate also increases with the concentration of dissolved ovalbumin and with the ionic strength. These results are consistent with an adsorption rate that varies inversely with the surface pressure and is controlled by an asymmetric electrical barrier. The kinetic data also point up the important changes that occur in the properties of ovalbumin films at a surface pressure of about 5 dyn/cm.
A Gnotobiotic Mouse Model Demonstrates that Dietary Fiber Protects Against Colorectal Tumorigenesis in a Microbiota- and Butyrate-Dependent Manner

Whether dietary fiber protects against colorectal cancer is controversial because of conflicting results from human epidemiologic studies. However, these studies and mouse models of colorectal cancer have not controlled the composition of gut microbiota, which ferment fiber into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate. Butyrate is noteworthy because it has energetic and epigenetic functions in colonocytes and tumor-suppressive properties in colorectal cancer cell lines. We used gnotobiotic mouse models colonized with wild-type or mutant strains of a butyrate-producing bacterium to demonstrate that fiber does have a potent tumor-suppressive effect but in a microbiota- and butyrate-dependent manner. Furthermore, due to the Warburg effect, butyrate was metabolized less in tumors where it accumulated and functioned as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor to stimulate histone acetylation and affect apoptosis and cell proliferation. To support the relevance of this mechanism in human cancer, we demonstrate that butyrate and histone-acetylation levels are elevated in colorectal adenocarcinomas compared with normal colonic tissues. Significance: These results, which link diet and microbiota to a tumor-suppressive metabolite, provide insight into conflicting epidemiologic findings and suggest that probiotic/prebiotic strategies can modulate an endogenous HDAC inhibitor for anticancer chemoprevention without the adverse effects associated with synthetic HDAC inhibitors used in chemotherapy. Cancer Discov; 4(12); 1387–97. ©2014 AACR . See related commentary by Sebastian and Mostoslavsky, [p. 1368][1] This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, [p. 1355][2] [1]: /lookup/volpage/4/1368?iss=12 [2]: /lookup/volpage/4/1355?iss=12
Current Controversies in the Management of the Anemia of Prematurity

Preterm infants, especially those with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) are exposed to frequent blood draws as part of their care in the neonatal intensive care unit. ELBW infants develop the anemia of prematurity (AOP), a hypo-proliferative anemia marked by inadequate production of erythropoietin (Epo). Treatment of AOP includes red blood cell transfusions, which are given to preterm infants based on indications and guidelines (hematocrit/hemoglobin levels, ventilation and oxygen need, apneas and bradycardias, poor weight gain) that are relatively non-specific. In this article we review recent studies evaluating transfusion guidelines, discuss ways to decrease phlebotomy losses and examine the use of red cell growth factors such as Epo in preventing and treating anemia in preterm infants.
Some Observations on Hylobius Pales Herbst

Pales weevil work in stumps and at the root crown of pitch pine and white pine is recorded and described for several New York localities.
Hamilton-Jacobi Expansion of the Scattering Amplitude

The calculation of the scattering amplitude is reduced to the problem of solving a set of classical Hamilton-Jacobi equations. This allows one to incorporate classical intuition into approximations at a fundamental level. The result is actually an iterative expansion for the scattering amplitude which is expected to be convergent in the high-energy limit. The first term in the expansion is shown to be the Glauber approximation, which is an approximation used extensively in nuclear as well as atomic and particle physics.
Enrichment of carbonylated peptides using Girard P reagent and strong cation exchange chromatography.

It has been shown that oxidatively modified forms of proteins accumulate during oxidative stress, aging, and in some age-related diseases. One of the unique features of protein oxidation by a wide variety of routes is the generation of carbonyl groups. Of major interest in the study of oxidative stress diseases is which proteins in a proteome are being oxidized and the site(s) of oxidation. Based on the fact that proteins are generally characterized through tryptic peptide fragments, this paper reports a method for the isolation of oxidized peptides, which involves (1) derivatization of oxidized proteins with Girard P reagent (GRP; 1-(2-hydrazino-2-oxoethyl)pyridinium chloride), (2) following proteolysis enrichment of the derivatized peptide using strong cation exchange (SCX) chromatography, and (3) identification of oxidation sites using tandem mass spectrometry. Derivatization of aldehydes and ketones in oxidized proteins was accomplished by reacting protein carbonyls with the hydrazide of GRP. The resu...
Sustained peripheral expression of transgene adiponectin offsets the development of diet-induced obesity in rats.

Adiponectin (Acrp30) is a physiologically active polypeptide hormone secreted by adipose tissue that shows insulin-sensitizing, antiinflammatory, and antiatherogenic properties. In humans, Acrp30 levels are inversely related to the degree of adiposity. In the current study, we tested the long-term weight-reducing and insulin-enhancing effects of Acrp30 cDNA delivered peripherally by a viral vector. To this end, we have generated a series of recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors of serotypes 1 and 5 encoding mouse Acrp30 cDNAs. The long-term expression of recombinant adeno-associated virus-Acrp30 vectors was tested after intramuscular or intraportal injection in female Sprague–Dawley rats with diet-induced obesity. We show that a single peripheral injection of 1012 physical particles of Acrp30-encoding vectors resulted in sustained (up to 280 days) significant reduction in body weight, concomitant with the reduction in daily food intake. Acrp30 treatment resulted in higher peripheral insulin sensitivity measured by the i.p. glucose tolerance test in fasted animals. Ectopic expression of the Acrp30 transgene resulted in modulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis, as demonstrated by the reduction of the expression of two key genes: PEPCK (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) and SREBP-1c (sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c) in the liver. These data show successful peripheral therapy in a clinically relevant model for human obesity and insulin resistance.
Rehearsal and transfer to LTM

Rehearsal has been viewed as serving to maintain items in short-term memory (STM) and transfer information to long-term memory. This experiment contrasted that position with one that assigns rehearsal the single function of maintaining items in STM. Lists were first recalled either immediately after presentation, after a 15-sec silent delay (which allowed the greatest amount of rehearsal) or after 15 sec of rehearsal-preventing activity (filled delay). Initial recall of words from terminal serial positions was lowest in the filled delay condition. Results were opposite on a final free-recall test; filled delay produced highest recall of terminal items. Encoding and retrieval interpretations of the results were considered.
Prognostic value of resting and submaximal exercise radionuclide ventriculography after acute myocardial infarction in high-risk patients with single and multivessel disease

Abstract In patients who survive the acute phase of myocardial infarction, those with multivessel coronary artery disease generally have a worse prognosis than those with single-vessel disease. However, some patients with significant multivessel stenoses have a good prognosis, whereas some with a significant single-vessel stenosis have a poor prognosis. Thus, although definition of coronary anatomy may be helpful, it is a not a fail-safe prognosticator. In this retrospective analysis, the association of abnormalities at rest and during submaximal exercise testing with radionuclide ventriculography after acute myocardial infarction with major cardiac complications (death, recurrent infarction, severe angina or congestive heart failure) in the ensuing 6 months was assessed in patients with single and multivessel disease. Coronary angiography and submaximal exercise testing with radionuclide ventriculography were performed within 3 months of each other in 42 patients. Eleven of the 16 patients with single-vessel coronary stenosis had major cardiac complications. The subsequent course of these 16 patients was correctly predicted by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 0.40 in 8 patients, by LVEF 5% above baseline in 11 patients. Of the 26 patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, 24 had major cardiac complications. The subsequent course of these 26 patients was correctly predicted in 13 by LVEF ≤ 0.40, in 20 by LVEF 5% during exercise. Thus, submaximal exercise testing with radionuclide ventriculography may provide valuable prognostic information concerning the occurrence of major cardiac events after myocardial infarction not only in patients with multivessel disease, but also in those with single-vessel disease. Exercise-induced abnormalities of left ventricular function may have greater prognostic importance than the delineation of coronary arterial anatomy or the assessment of residual left ventricular function at rest.
A Content Analysis of Social Groups in Prime-Time Spanish-Language Television

The popularity of Spanish-language television in the United States has been increasing rapidly, yet little is known about the images viewers are likely to encounter when exposed to this content. As such, the present study investigates the representation of men and women in the 2004 prime-time, Spanish-language television season. Social identity theory provides a framework for understanding the potential influence of exposure to these depictions. Most notably, wealthy women were characterized as the slimmest, most provocatively dressed, and most submissive characters on Spanish-language television, whereas wealthy men were the heaviest, most conservatively dressed, and most dominant figures in prime time.
Bosonic lattice gauge theory with noise

Abstract We apply the recently suggested linear updating algorithm of Kennedy and Kuti to four-dimensional SU(3) bosonic gauge theory with the Wilson action. The change in the action for each link update is estimated stochastically, and we find that the algorithm gives the mean plaquette correctly for reasonable parameter values. Our results indicate that this method should be efficient for Monte Carlo computations with complicated “improved” actions, and they also show the feasibility of using such “noisy” methods to include the dynamical effects of fermions.
Some Eigenvector Theorems Proved by a Fan-KKM Theorem

Abstract In this paper, we use the technique of KKM mapping and a Fan–KKM theorem to study the existence of eigenvectors for some mappings on normed linear spaces.
Attainment of High Normalized Current by Current Profile Manipulation in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

Large stable values of normalized current IN are achievable in spherical tori due to the large gradient of the toroidal field across the plasma. This allows access to high Troyon beta limits. Values of IN > 12 MA/m-T are expected to be stable to ideal MHD modes in the ultra-low-A Pegasus Toroidal Experiment. In previous experiments, the toroidal field utilization (Ip/Itf) was found to be limited roughly to unity by the onset of large-scale low-order tearing modes during the current ramp, which limited IN to roughly 6 MA/m-T. Three techniques have now been developed that allow access to higher values of IN, primarily through modification of the current density profile. The first of these techniques employs a fast rampdown of the low-inductance toroidal field coil to rapidly decrease Itf. The other techniques employ gas-fueled washer stack guns as plasma sources. The second technique uses these guns to provide preionization at low toroidal field, while the third relies on the guns as helicity sources to form ST plasmas non-inductively. Using these techniques, values of Ip/Itf > 2 have been obtained.
Decreased thrombin affinity of cell-surface thrombomodulin following treatment of cultured endothelial cells with β-D-xyloside

Abstract Thrombomodulin, an endothelial cell-surface anticoagulant, has been postulated to contain a glycosaminoglycan. Thrombomodulin function was therefore studied in endothelial cells treated with β-D-xyloside, an inhibitor of glycosaminoglycan attachment to proteoglycan core proteins. β-D-xyloside caused a reproducible 3 to 5-fold increase in the Km of thrombomodulin for thrombin and a 20–30% decrease in the rate of protein C activation by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. These results support a role for glycosaminoglycans in thrombomodulin function and suggest that β-D-xylosides can be used to investigate both the anticoagulant mechanisms and the biosynthesis of cell-surface thrombomodulin.
Parallel variable-band Choleski solvers for computational structural analysis applications on vector multiprocessor supercomputers

A Choleski method used to solve linear systems of equations that arise in large scale structural analyses is described. The method uses a novel variable-band storage scheme and is structured to exploit fast local memory caches while minimizing data access delays between main memory and vector registers. Several parallel implementations of this method are described for the CRAY-2 and CRAY Y-MP computers demonstrating the use of microtasking and autotasking directives. A portable parallel language, FORCE, is also used for two different parallel implementations, demonstrating the use of CRAY macrotasking. Results are presented comparing the matrix factorization times for three representative structural analysis problems from runs made in both dedicated and multi-user modes on both the CRAY-2 and CRAY Y-MP computers. CPU and wall clock timings are given for the various parallel methods and are compared to single processor timings of the same algorithm. Computation rates over 1 GIGAFLOP (1 billion floating point operations per second) on a four processor CRAY-2 and over 2 GIGAFLOPS on an eight processor CRAY Y-MP are demonstrated as measured by wall clock time in a dedicated environment. Reduced wall clock times for the parallel methods relative to the single processor implementation of the same Choleski algorithm are also demonstrated for runs made in multi-user mode.
Timeliness of primary cleft lip/palate surgery.

Abstract Objective: To examine the timeliness of primary cleft surgery, mean age at which surgery occurred, and factors associated with timely cleft surgery among children with orofacial clefts (OFCs). Design: Retrospective study of children with OFC using North Carolina vital statistics, birth defects registry, and Medicaid files. Participants/Patients: Medicaid-enrolled North Carolina resident children with OFC born from 1995 to 2002. Main Outcome Measures: Proportion of children who underwent primary cleft surgery within 18 months of life, mean age when surgery occurred, and factors associated with timely surgery. Results: 406 children with OFC were continuously enrolled in Medicaid during the first 2 years of life. Overall, 78.1% of children had surgery within 18 months. About 90% of children with cleft lip (CL), 58.0% of children with cleft palate (CP), and 89.6% of children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) received timely cleft surgery; the mean age at which surgery occurred was 5 months. Children wh...
Comprehensive Doppler assessment of right ventricular diastolic function in cardiac amyloidosis

To assess right ventricular diastolic function in cardiac amyloidosis, pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound measurements of right ventricular inflow velocities and superior vena cava and hepatic vein flow velocities with respiratory monitoring were performed in 41 patients with primary systemic amyloidosis and two-dimensional echocardiographic features of cardiac involvement. Right ventricular diastolic function was abnormal in 31 (76%) of these patients, the major abnormality being a short deceleration time (less than 150 ms) in 21 (68%), suggesting restriction. In contrast, 7 (23%) of the 31 patients had a decreased ratio of early (E) and late (A) diastolic peak flow velocities and a prolonged deceleration time (greater than 240 ms), suggesting abnormal relaxation. The patients were classified into two groups on the basis of right ventricular free wall thickness: group 1, less than 7 mm and group 2, greater than or equal to 7 mm. Compared with normal values, group 1 showed an increased peak late flow velocity (44 +/- 19 versus 39 +/- 6 cm/s; p less than 0.01) and a decreased E/A velocity ratio (1.1 +/- 0.4 versus 1.5 +/- 0.3; p less than 0.01). Group 2 showed a markedly shortened deceleration time (151 +/- 37 versus 225 +/- 28 ms; p less than 0.01), characteristic of restriction. In the overall group, superior vena cava peak flow velocity was decreased in systole and increased in diastole and flow reversals during inspiration were increased compared with normal values. Hepatic venous flow velocities were similar to those in the superior vena cava except for larger flow reversals in the hepatic vein. Thus, in cardiac amyloidosis, right ventricular diastolic function is abnormal. There is a spectrum of right ventricular filling abnormalities and the restrictive filling pattern is seen only in the advanced stages of the disease.
Protection of 2-(3-thienyl)ethanol with 3-thienylacetic acid and hard cross-linked conducting films by electropolymerization of the ester

The ester (compound 1) of 2-(3-thienyl)ethanol (T-etOH) with 3-thienylacetic acid was synthesized as a monomer whose two thiophene groups could be electropolymerized independently, becoming members of different polymer chains in a highly-crosslinked highly-insoluble polymer. Indeed, 1 was electropolymerized successfully alone and together with 3-methylthiophene (3MeT). Films of poly(1) are hard (3H, as opposed to less than 6B for poly(3MeT)), and the close proximity of the polymeric strands creates pi-stacking interactions. The behavior of 1 suggests that by: (a) limiting the potential used for the oxidation of monomeric esters of T-etOH at the foot of their oxidation waves (less than 1.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl); and, (b) compensating for the decrease in the electrogenerated radical concentration by increasing the monomer concentration, practically all esters of T-etOH should be electropolymerizable. This was confirmed by durable film formation from the archetypical ester of T-etOH, the 2-(3-thienyl)ethyl acetate (T-etOAc), whose homo-electropolymerization is reported for the first time.
Clinical evaluation of three acid-etch composite resin systems: two-year report

Fractured anterior teeth restored with one of three acid-etch composite resin systems were clinically and radiographically evaluated over two years for retention rate and clinical acceptability of the restoration. One hundred fifty-seven fractured anterior teeth were restored with one of three acid-etch composite resin systems and were clinically and radiographically evaluated for 24 months. Of the three systems evaluated, the material activated by ultraviolet light provided the highest retention rate and clinical acceptance.
Effect of acidulated phosphate-fluoride chewable tablets in schoolchildren: results after 55 months.

Elementary school students, who chewed APF tablets either once or twice a day, were examined for incidence of caries over a 55-month period. Two fluoride tablets a day in school produced a significant reduction in dental caries and caused little or no fluorosis. The effect appeared to be greater in late-erupting teeth that received prolonged preeruptive exposure to the fluoride. A single fluoride tablet a day also appeared to be beneficial, although the reduction in caries was less definitive than with two tablets. From a practical standpoint, the twice-a-day procedure was more difficult to administer than the once-a-day procedure and, thus, may not be feasible for large-scale school programs.
TLR4 as a risk factor for periodontal disease: a reappraisal.

Aim: To determine whether genetic variants of the TLR4 gene are associated with either chronic or aggressive periodontitis. Methods: A systematic electronic search of literature was conducted to identify all published studies without any language restriction on the association between TLR4 and periodontal diseases, including chronic periodontitis and aggressive periodontitis. All case-control studies evaluating the TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms in chronic or aggressive periodontitis were identified. A meta-analysis of the studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria was performed. Results: Seven studies comprising 744 chronic periodontitis cases and 855 controls and four studies consisting of a total of 295 aggressive periodontitis cases and 456 controls were included in the meta-analysis. In the pooled analysis, the TLR4 299Gly allele (TLR4+896 A>G) appeared to be a genetic risk factor for susceptibility to chronic periodontitis with a random effects and fixed effects odds ratio (OR) of 1.43 [95% confidence interval (CI):1.04-1.97; p=0.03]. On the other hand, the TLR4 399Ile polymorphism (TLR4+1196 C>T) showed a protective effect against aggressive periodontitis with a random effects OR of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.13-0.61; p=0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the alleles 299Gly and 399Ile in TLR4 can be a potential genetic marker for periodontal disease. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Sociobiology as an adaptationist program

Sociobiology is discussed as an extreme example of the adaptationist program. This program attempts to describe all aspects of living organisms as optimal solutions to problems set by the environment and by the biology of the species. Sociobiology first describes human nature by generalizing about human behavioral universals, then asserts that these traits are controlled by genes and then provides an adaptive story to explain why individuals with these traits would leave more offspring. The theory takes no account of problems of correct description and makes four errors: Arbitrary agglomeration, reification, conflation, and confusion of levels. As a result, the human behavior described bears no necessary resemblance to actual biological traits. The theory depends upon assertions of genetic control that have no basis in experimental fact. Sociobiologists have made no critical evaluation of the extremely poor knowledge of human genetics. Finally, the assumption that all characteristics are adaptations is never examined by sociobiology. There are many alternative evolutionary forces besides direct adaptation for establishment of characters. These include genetic drift, multiple selective peaks, lack of correspondence between the result of natural selection and optimal solutions, pleiotropic gene action, allometry and developmental noise. If sociobiology is to become a real science instead of idle speculation, it must abandon the tautological adaptationist program which is untestable.
Chemical vapor-deposited carbon nanofibers on carbon fabric for supercapacitor electrode applications

Entangled carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were synthesized on a flexible carbon fabric (CF) via water-assisted chemical vapor deposition at 800°C at atmospheric pressure utilizing iron (Fe) nanoparticles as catalysts, ethylene (C2H4) as the precursor gas, and argon (Ar) and hydrogen (H2) as the carrier gases. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron dispersive spectroscopy were employed to characterize the morphology and structure of the CNFs. It has been found that the catalyst (Fe) thickness affected the morphology of the CNFs on the CF, resulting in different capacitive behaviors of the CNF/CF electrodes. Two different Fe thicknesses (5 and 10 nm) were studied. The capacitance behaviors of the CNF/CF electrodes were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry measurements. The highest specific capacitance, approximately 140 F g−1, has been obtained in the electrode grown with the 5-nm thickness of Fe. Samples with both Fe thicknesses showed good cycling performance over 2,000 cycles.
Nonnative trout impact an alpine‐nesting bird by altering aquatic‐insect subsidies

Adjacent food webs may be linked by cross-boundary subsidies: more-productive donor systems can subsidize consumers in less-productive neighboring recipient systems. Introduced species are known to have direct effects on organisms within invaded communities. However, few studies have addressed the indirect effects of nonnative species in donor systems on organisms in recipient systems. We studied the direct role of introduced trout in altering a lake-derived resource subsidy and their indirect effects in altering a passerine bird's response to that subsidy. We compared the abundance of aquatic insects and foraging Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches (Leucosticte tephrocotis dawsoni, "Rosy-Finch") at fish-containing vs. fishless lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California (USA). Introduced trout outcompeted Rosy-Finches for emerging aquatic insects (i.e., mayflies). Fish-containing lakes had 98% fewer mayflies than did fishless lakes. In lakes without fish, Rosy-Finches showed an aggregative response to emerging aquatic insects with 5.9 times more Rosy-Finches at fishless lakes than at fish-containing lakes. Therefore, the introduction of nonnative fish into the donor system reduced both the magnitude of the resource subsidy and the strength of cross-boundary trophic interactions. Importantly, the timing of the subsidy occurs when Rosy-Finches feed their young. If Rosy-Finches rely on aquatic-insect subsidies to fledge their young, reductions in the subsidy by introduced trout may have decreased Rosy-Finch abundances from historic levels. We recommend that terrestrial recipients of aquatic subsidies be included in conservation and restoration plans for ecosystems with alpine lakes.
Topics in CP Violation

Given the varied backgrounds of the members of this audience this talk will be a grab bag of topics related to the general theme of CP Violation. I do not have time to dwell in detail on any of them. First, for the astronomers and astrophysicists among you, I want to begin by reviewing the experimental status of evidence for CP violation in particle processes. There is only one system where this has been observed, and that is in the decays of neutral K mesons.