cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Change of Anesthesia Management for a Patient Undergoing CABG by an Incidental Finding of a Genetic Variant Associated with Malignant Hyperthermia

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a rare life-threatening hypermetabolic muscular disorder with a high mortality rate. Three genes, RYR1, CACNA1S, and STAC3, have been associated with MH susceptibility. Multiple genetic variants have been identified in these three genes. Some of those variants were pathogenic, but many others are yet to be tested. Such uncertainty can make it challenging for anesthesia providers as there is currently no anesthesia guideline for each genetic variant in patients who have neither clinical nor family history of MH. With the increasing popularity of whole exome sequencing, anesthesia providers will likely face such challenges more often as many patients may have genetic variations of unknown clinical significance in their RYR1, CACNA1S, or STAC3 genes. Here we describe change of anesthesia management for a patient who had an incidental finding of a genetic variant in RYR1 gene undergoing an elective coronary artery bypass surgery.
On Verification of Interoperability of CAD Systems with a Focus on Invariant Properties

Abstract Interoperability is the ability of a system to correctly interpret and function with another system’s components and products. In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework for the verification of (geometric) interoperability that would allow distinct CAD systems to interact with each other through a query-based data acquisition and exchange. In this regard, we establish a correspondence based on a topological equivalence and a geometric similarity between model instances authored by distinct systems. We generate shape equivalence classes by constructing proxy models, namely a point cloud and a union of balls, that serve as reference models in the property comparisons of models. The proxy models can be considered as identifiers of CAD models in property spaces, and they provide estimates for the models’ properties with accuracies that depend on model-specific data which is implicitly related to systems’ attributes. We note that the proxy model constructions and the property computations are completely carried out through a query-based approach, which allows us to liberate the model instances from their system-dependent representations. We show that the systems would interoperate in carrying out the tasks that solely depend on the shape properties that are invariant with a pre-computable accuracy and the model instances that belong to the same shape property equivalence class can be used interchangeably within the context of these tasks. We further show that our methodology can be used as a supplementary technique in the validation of model transfers and/or representation conversions.
Taxane Contents of Taxus Cultivars Grown in American Nurseries

Abstract The taxane content of the needles, stems and clippings of 92 cultivars obtained from ten nurseries in the United States is presented. The analysis of 10-desacetyl baccatin III (1), baccati...
2-D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of the pediatric brain using compressed sensing

Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging helps to determine abnormal brain tissue conditions by evaluating metabolite concentrations. Although a powerful technique, it is underutilized in routine clinical studies because of its long scan times. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of scan time reduction in metabolic imaging using compressed-sensing-based MR spectroscopic imaging in pediatric patients undergoing routine brain exams. We retrospectively evaluated compressed-sensing reconstructions in MR spectroscopic imaging datasets from 20 pediatric patients (11 males, 9 females; average age: 5.4±4.5 years; age range: 3 days to 16 years). We performed retrospective under-sampling of the MR spectroscopic imaging datasets to simulate accelerations of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 7- and 10-fold, with subsequent reconstructions in MATLAB. Metabolite maps of N-acetylaspartate, creatine, choline and lactate (where applicable) were quantitatively evaluated in terms of the root-mean-square error (RMSE), peak amplitudes and total scan time. We used the two-tailed paired t-test along with linear regression analysis to statistically compare the compressed-sensing reconstructions at each acceleration with the fully sampled reference dataset. High fidelity was maintained in the compressed-sensing MR spectroscopic imaging reconstructions from 50% to 80% under-sampling, with the RMSE not exceeding 3% in any dataset. Metabolite intensities and ratios evaluated on a voxel-by-voxel basis showed no statistically significant differences and mean metabolite intensities showed high correlation compared to the fully sampled reference dataset up to an acceleration factor of 5. Compressed-sensing MR spectroscopic imaging has the potential to reduce MR spectroscopic imaging scan times for pediatric patients, with negligible information loss.
Erectile Dysfunction and Peyronie’s Disease: Genetic Diseases?

There is considerable interest in understanding the genetics of erectile dysfunction (ED) and Peyronie's disease (PD) in an effort to identify novel therapeutic and preventative targets. Initial support for a genetic component of ED and PD was derived from familial aggregation studies. Candidate gene studies have suggested an association between polymorphisms of eNOS and ED and between TGF-β1 and PD. More recently, several genome-wide association studies have suggested an association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the SIM1 gene and ED. The development of models and functional assays that are able to explore these potential pathways implicated in ED and PD is pivotal for future studies. We highlight the current literature that supports a genetic component for ED and PD. PATIENT SUMMARY: There is great interest in understanding the genetic underpinnings of erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease. Candidate gene studies and genome-wide association studies have set a foundation for future work; however, we have yet to determine a true genetic cause. A better understanding of the genetics of these conditions will help advance novel therapeutics and preventative strategies.
Religious Instrumentalism in Violent Conflict

Instrumentalist understandings of the role of religion in violent conflicts are now conventional, and yet religious instrumentalism remains only weakly conceptualized. This article offers a new typ...
Genetics of Postlingual Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Literature and clinical practice around adult-onset hearing loss (HL) has traditionally focused on environmental risk factors, including noise exposure, ototoxic drug exposure, and cardiovascular disease. The most common diagnosis in adult-onset HL is presbycusis. However, the age of onset of presbycusis varies, and patients often describe family history of HL as well as individual variation in progression and severity. In recent years, there has been accumulating evidence of gene-environment interactions underlying adult cases of HL. Susceptibility loci for age-related HL have been identified, and genes related to postlingual nonsyndromic HL continue to be discovered through individual reports and genome-wide association studies. This review will outline main concepts in genetics as related to HL, identify implicated genes, and discuss clinical implications. Laryngoscope, 131:401-409, 2021.
An analysis on management of AIDS screening laboratories in Meizhou city in 2012

Objective To investigate management of AIDS screening laboratories in Meizhou city,to enhance the ability to construct AIDS screening laboratories and raise detection level.Methods 28 AIDS screening laboratories in Meizhou city were inspected.The AIDS laboratory network assessment standards were used for the inspection including organization and staff,facilities,biological safety,laboratory testing,laboratory quality management,and reports on network laboratory information.Results All the screening laboratories were basically consistent with the criteria on the class Ⅱ biological safety laboratory (BLS-2).The staff all met regulatory requirements.The labs were equipped with commonly used equipment to met the testing needs.Most laboratories established a laboratory safety system and standard operation program (SOP) and constantly strengthened quality management.The main problem was potential dangers of the lab wastes including waste discharge without being disinfected in 8 (28.57％) labs and no quality control in 7 (25.00％).Conclusions Biological safety and quality management need to be further enhanced to ensure quality and biological safety of AIDS detection. Key words: AIDS; Screening; Laboratory; Management
Dietary mitigation of enteric methane emissions from ruminants: A review of plant tannin mitigation options.

Abstract Methane gas from livestock production activities is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which have been shown to influence climate change. New technologies offer a potential to manipulate the rumen biome through genetic selection reducing CH4 production. Methane production may also be mitigated to varying degrees by various dietary intervention strategies. Strategies to reduce GHG emissions need to be developed which increase ruminant production efficiency whereas reducing production of CH4 from cattle, sheep, and goats. Methane emissions may be efficiently mitigated by manipulation of natural ruminal microbiota with various dietary interventions and animal production efficiency improved. Although some CH4 abatement strategies have shown efficacy in vivo, more research is required to make any of these approaches pertinent to modern animal production systems. The objective of this review is to explain how anti-methanogenic compounds (e.g., plant tannins) affect ruminal microbiota, reduce CH4 emission, and the effects on host responses. Thus, this review provides information relevant to understanding the impact of tannins on methanogenesis, which may provide a cost-effective means to reduce enteric CH4 production and the influence of ruminant animals on global GHG emissions.
Nanoimprinted conducting nanopillar arrays made of MWCNT/polymer nanocomposites: a study by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Conducting vertical nanopillar arrays can serve as three-dimensional nanostructured electrodes with improved electrical recording and electrochemical sensing performance in bio-electronics applications. However, vertical nanopillar-array electrodes made of inorganic conducting materials by the conventional nanofabrication approach still face challenges in terms of high manufacturing costs, poor scalability, and limited carrier substrates. Here, we report a new type of conducting nanopillar array composed of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) doped polymeric nanocomposites, which are manufactured on the wafer-scale on both rigid and flexible substrates by direct nanoimprinting of perfluoropolyether nanowell-array templates into uncured MWCNT/polymer mixtures. By controlling the MWCNT ratios and the annealing temperatures during the fabrication process, MWCNT/polymer nanopillar arrays can be endowed with outstanding electrical properties with high DC conductivity (∼4 S m−1) and low AC electrochemical impedance (∼104 Ω at 1000 Hz). Moreover, by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements and equivalent circuit modeling analysis, we can decompose the overall impedance of the MWCNT/polymer nanopillar arrays in the electrolyte into multiple bulk and interfacial circuit components, and can thus illustrate their different dependences on the MWCNT ratios and the annealing temperatures. In particular, we find that an appropriate annealing process can significantly reduce the anomalous ion diffusion impedance and improve the MWCNT/polymer nanopillars' impedance properties in the electrolyte.
The Renewable Fuel Standard Reimagined: Clearing a Path for Truly Advanced Biofuels

Congress created the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program to promote the production, distribution, and use of biofuels in the United States, for the stated purposes of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increasing energy security, and promoting economic development. The RFS was seen as a means to address substantial challenges stymieing the production and use of biofuels, including the fact that biofuels were not (and are still not) cost competitive with conventional fossil fuels, at least in the absence of government subsidies, and the significant technical barriers facing biofuel production, particularly with respect to cellulosic ethanol, the most preferred category of biofuel under the RFS. The statute established a mandatory demand regime intended to promote investment in research and development, induce new market entrants, expand the necessary infrastructure, and allow for economies of scale. This article begins with a brief tutorial on biofuels and their relative advantages and disadvantages relative to other energy sources. It then explains the RFS in a nutshell and compares and contrasts it with other environmental statutes. The article then reviews some specific problems that EPA has experienced in implementing the RFS, and a variety of unintended negative environmental consequences associated with widespread adoption of certain biofuels, particularly those produced using feedstocks derived from conventional agriculture, like cornstarch or cellulose. Finally, the article proposes a number of ideas for reforming the RFS, along with a discussion of some non-RFS approaches to addressing the RFS’s primary policy objective of reducing GHG emissions.
The Anatomy of Pain

In years past, the prevailing approach to providing pain control was focused on identifying underlying etiologies or pathologic syndromes, e.g., low back pain, trigeminal neuralgia, and cancer pain, that produce the pain. While treating the presumed source of the pain, attempts to improve the accompanying discomfort relied largely on the use of non-opioid medications and the limited use of opioid and adjuvant analgesics. Over the past 25 years, however, there has been a dramatic increase in our understanding of the nervous system and how stimuli associated with actual or potential tissue injury are transduced, transmitted, modulated, perceived, and interpreted to form the basis for initiating appropriate evasive or protective behavior, thereby avoiding or limiting injury. Our current bank of knowledge has led to the recognition that (1) pain in the chronic state is in itself a disease deserving consideration, assessment, and management, (2) pain is not a single entity but a complex, multifaceted experience that warrants detailed and comprehensive evaluation to elucidate symptoms that may reflect specific associated mechanisms amenable to targeted treatment [1, 2], and (3) treatment modalities and management approaches not heretofore considered can be effective and can improve the quality of life for those suffering with pain. This chapter will provide a brief overview of the anatomy of pain that forms the basis for current practice.
“On the Gradual Working-Out of One’s Thoughts in the Process of Speaking” (Kleist, c. 1806/undated, p. 975; my trans.)

The chapter title above is also the title of Kleist’s short essay written over 180 years ago. I’d like to work-out my own thoughts by citing and commenting on several passages from the essay.
Decreased oxidative stress and greater bone anabolism in the aged, when compared to the young, murine skeleton with parathyroid hormone administration

Because of recent insights into the pathogenesis of age-related bone loss, we investigated whether intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) administration antagonizes the molecular mechanisms of the adverse effects of aging on bone. PTH produced a greater increase in vertebral trabecular bone mineral density and bone volume as well as a greater expansion of the endocortical bone surface in the femur of 26 as compared to 6 month old female C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, PTH increased trabecular connectivity in vertebrae and the toughness of both vertebrae and femora in old, but not young, mice. PTH also increased the rate of bone formation and reduced osteoblast apoptosis to a greater extent in the old mice. Most strikingly, PTH reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS), p66Shc phosphorylation and expression of the lipoxygenase Alox15; and it increased glutathione and stimulated Wnt signaling in bone of old mice. PTH also antagonized the effects of oxidative stress on p66Shc phosphorylation, FoxO transcriptional activity, osteoblast apoptosis, and Wnt signaling in vitro. In contrast, administration of the antioxidants N-acetyl cysteine or pegylated catalase reduced osteoblast progenitors, and attenuated proliferation and Wnt signaling. These results suggest that PTH has a greater bone anabolic efficacy in old age because in addition to its other positive actions on bone formation it antagonizes the age-associated increase in oxidative stress and its adverse effects on the birth and survival of osteoblasts. On the other hand, ordinary antioxidants cannot restore bone mass in old age because they slow remodeling and attenuate osteoblastogenesis by interfering with Wnt signaling.
Error Analysis for a Reduced-Order Discrete Adaptive Observer

The Kreisselmeier discrete adaptive observer is analyzed for the case in which the observer order is less than that of the plant. The state and parameter estimates from the observer are compared to the states and parameters for an arbitrary reduced-order model (ROM) of the plant, where the observer and ROM are of equal dimension. Conditions sufficient for ultimate boundedness of the observation errors are given, and expressions for the error bounds are derived.
Platelets and Prothrombin

Blood coagulation is initiated following injury to the blood vessel wall through the exposure of tissue factor, which mediates the activation of circulating factor VII. Activated factor VIIa forms a complex with tissue factor and triggers the subsequent steps in the activation of the coagulation system, ultimately culminating in the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). The platelet membrane surface is crucial for this process, providing a milieu, referred to as the prothrombinase complex, for efficient assembly of the coagulation complexes and localization of the procoagulant response. Indeed, recent data have even implicated platelets in the initiation of coagulation as they acquire circulating forms of tissue factor, generated from other cells, on their surface (6,7). Thrombin mediates fibrin formation and plays a critical role in the inflammatory responses (8); thus, the regulation of prothrombin activation by the platelet membrane has broad physiological and pathophysiological implications.
Fluorous Tags Unstick Messy Chemical Biology Problems

Separation and identification of biological molecules from complex mixtures can be made easier with fluorinated labeling groups and separation media.
Response of White Mice to Cells and Culture Constituents of Clostridium perfringens

Broth cultures of Clostridium perfringens (ATCC 10543) were fractionated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Sephadex G-150 chromatography. Components isolated, as well as some enzymes present in the culture, were assayed for toxicity by feeding to white mice. Early work indicated that when a meat-fat-starch slurry, infected with C. perfringens, was fed to mice, the intestinal passage time was reduced. By using large numbers of mice as test animals and analyzing the data statistically, we found that C. perfringens and several fractions from the culture supernatant significantly affected the mice. A toxic material present in the supernatant was not identifiable as phospholipase C. Phospholipase C and physphorylcholine affected the intestinal passage time of the mice only when large amounts were given. The enzyme, neuraminidase, and another unidentified compound present in the supernatant affected the passage time when very small amounts were fed to mice.
Electronic cigarettes and cardiovascular risk: hype or up in smoke?

Smoking damages almost every organ in the human body [2,3]. Smokers have a two to fourfold increased risk for developing coronary artery disease and stroke [2]. There is a 25-fold increased risk of lung cancer [2,3]. In addition numerous respiratory illnesses, congenital malformations, immune dysfunctions and other co-morbidities are seen more frequently in smokers [2,3]. The annual economic costs due to smoking related diseases in the USA are estimated to be between US$289–332.5 billion for the years 2009–2012 [2]. Quitting smoking is extremely difficult for most smokers. Nicotine is highly addictive and cessation is associated with withdrawal symptoms. 85% of people relapse within a week [4]. To cope up with withdrawal symptoms and to obtain relief, various forms of nicotine replacement therapies and coping adjuncts like nicotine gums 1984, nicotine nasal patches 1991, nicotine nasal spray 1996, nicotine inhaler 1998, pharmacotherapy: Zyban (bupropion) 1997, Chantix (varenicline) 2006, electronic cigarettes 2007 and cognitive behavioral therapies have been released in the last 30 years [5]. The potential of targeting the access of nicotine to the brain by developing antibodies and thereby preventing the nicotine reinforcing effects is being studied, however the newest available nicotine replacement therapy is the electronic cigarette [5]. Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were invented by Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist in 2003. An electric ultrasound-emitting element was used to vaporize a pressurized jet of nicotine liquid. E-cigarettes were introduced into the US markets in 2007 and their usage has increased significantly in the recent years [6,7]. In the latest CDC reports, e-cigarette use among youth who never smoked traditional cigarettes increased threefold from 2011–2013. In addition, the intention to smoke traditional cigarettes was twice that in youths who had tried e-cigarettes versus nonusers [8,9]. OpiniOn
Aphidicolin resistance in herpes simplex virus type 1 appears to alter substrate specificity in the DNA polymerase.

Abstract We describe novel mutants of herpes simplex virus which are resistant to aphidicolin. Their mutant phenotypes suggest that they encode DNA polymerases with altered substrate recognition. This conclusion is based on their abnormal sensitivity to polymerase inhibitors and to the abnormal mutation rates exhibited by two of the mutants.
Expression, purification and properties of recombinant E. coli ribonuclease III

Cloned RNase III gene in a T7 RNA polymerase promoter system was expressed in Escherichia coli cells lacking endogenous RNase III, and the over-expressed recombinant RNase III was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange, exclusion and affinity column chromatography. The overexpressed RNase III was found to separate with the membrane fraction after sonication, which was solubilized, fractionated with (NH)2SO4 and the active fractions used for further purification. The properties of the purified recombinant RNase III were studied using the synthetic RNA substrate, 3[H]poly[A].poly[U], and the natural substrates, 7S and p10Sa RNAs, and compared with the partially purified RNase III from wild-type E. coli cells. The recombinant RNase III showed maximal activity at 37°C and at a pH range of 6.9 to 7.4, which was similar to the RNase III purified from the wild-type cells. Recombinant RNase III efficiently hydrolyzed 3[H].poly[A].poly[U] in the presence of Mg2+. However, the recombinant RNase III cleaved natural RNA substrates efficiently and accurately in the presence of Mn2+. A concentration of Mn2+ ranging from 150 to 300 µM was found to be optimal; concentrations higher than 0.5 mM were inhibitory. Other divalent cations did not support RNase III activity. Monovalent cations, Na+, K+ and NH4+ at 20 mM were equally effective in stimulating RNase III activity although they were not absolutely required for the activity. The thermal stability of the recombinant RNase III was examined at two temperatures, 37° and 50°C. Incubation of RNase III at 37°C for 30 min did not affect activity, but it lost almost 50% of its activity when incubated at 50 °C for 30 min. Thus, the recombinant RNase III prefers Mn2+ for the cleavage of natural substrates and exhibits several properties similar to the wild-type RNase III.
Researcher as Teacher: Lessons Modeled by a Well-Remembered Scholar

While teacher educators may encourage their students to reflect deeply on their teaching, the teachers of teachers rarely seem to examine their own teaching practices. Yet a study of one's own practice can generate profound insights into one's own teaching, can model good teaching to our students, and can serve as the foundation for research about teaching. One teacher–researcher–scholar, Jeff Northfield, developed a powerful set of insights into the value of exploring personal practice while contributing to our general knowledge of teaching. Within the context of the current paradigm wars concerning “best” research in the reform of teaching and teacher education, this paper demonstrates that the work of researchers like Northfield stands as a valuable exemplar of good research of teaching. The paper also explores critical points from Northfield's work that can guide future research into our own teaching.
Ethnic humor in multiethnic America

Borrowing Werner Sollors’ observation that ‘laughing at others… is a form of boundary construction’, Gillota contends that whites have historically used ‘ethnic humor’ as a form of racial ridicule ...
The Effect of Guided Inquiry-Based Instruction on Middle School Students’ Understanding of Lunar Concepts

This study investigated the effect of non-traditional guided inquiry instruction on middle school students’ conceptual understandings of lunar concepts. Multiple data sources were used to describe participants’ conceptions of lunar phases and their cause, including drawings, interviews, and a lunar shapes card sort. The data were analyzed via a constant comparative method to produce profiles of each participant’s conceptual understandings and nonparametric tests also were used. Results revealed very positive performance for observable moon phases and patterns of change, as well as the cause of moon phases. Results indicated that significantly more participants shifted from drawing nonscientific shapes on the pretest to drawing scientific shapes on the post-test. Results for the drawings of moon phase sequences were similar in that significantly more participants shifted from drawing alternative waxing and waning sequences on the pretest to drawing scientific sequences on the post-test. Also, significantly more participants shifted from alternative understanding of the cause of the moon phases on the pretest to scientific understanding on the post-test. Implications of these findings and recommendations for further research are provided.
Management of Hepatitis C Antiviral Therapy Adverse Effects

Hepatitis C is one of the leading causes of liver disease in the United States, affecting more than 4 million individuals. The current treatment regimen involves pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin. Although antiviral treatment has been associated with a greater than 50% sustained viral response rate, the adverse effects have proven to be detrimental to quality of life and therapy adherence, and consequently lead to lower sustained viral response rates. This article identifies the most frequently described complications associated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The active management of these complications is discussed, including both preventive and empiric treatments.
The citizen intervenor

In the wake of the Somalian, Rwandan and Bosnian crises, and on the brink of the Burundi conflict, we should consider not whether the outside world should intervene to moderate civil violence in such cases, but how it should do so. Governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) quite simply must expand the world's capacity to protect civilians from violence, .whether internal or external. Military institutions, whose past interventions have usually been aggressive, now sometimes seek socially useful and ethically justifiable missions. There is certainly a role for them, interposing themselves to prevent armed conflict, as they currently do in Bosnia. U.N. and regional peacekeeping forces are muddling through similar missions in Liberia and Haiti.
Severe pulmonary valvar insufficiency should be aggressively treated

My role in the debate between myself and Bill Gaynor is to substantiate the notion that severe pulmonary valvar insufficiency should be treated in aggressive fashion. This gives me few problems. At Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, we have a long tradition of favouring early insertion of new pulmonary valves in patients with significant pulmonary valvar insufficiency following repair of tetralogy of Fallot. Our results with this strategy in the current era were first presented in 1986 at the Western Thoracic Surgical Association. 1 At that time, we had inserted pulmonary valves late following repair of tetralogy of Fallot in 42 patients. We postulated that early control of pulmonary insufficiency may prevent long-term deterioration in right ventricular function. The fact that this is a controversial issue became immediately apparent during the discussion of our presentation. Dr. Frank Spencer, from New York, stated “I would completely disagree with the concept of electively inserting a porcine valve in a child on the basis of haemodynamic data. I fear that the approach recommended in this presentation is probably treating one disease by creating a worse one.”
Comparison of the sensitivities of common in vitro and in vivo assays of estrogenic activity: Application of chemical toxicity distributions

A number of contaminants in municipal effluent discharges are estrogen agonists to fish. Whereas several in vitro and in vivo techniques have been developed to assess the estrogenic activity of these compounds or ambient environmental samples, previous comparisons of the relative sensitivities of these approaches remain inconclusive. We employed a probabilistic hazard assessment approach using chemical toxicity distributions (CTDs) to perform a novel evaluation of relative sensitivities of six common in vitro and in vivo assays. We predicted that there was an 8.3% (human breast ademocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7, assay), 6.3% (yeast estrogen screen assay), or 1.9% (fish hepatocyte vitellogenin, VTG, assay) probability of detecting a compound in aquatic systems that will elicit an estrogenic response at concentrations at or below 0.1 microg/L, suggesting that the MCF-7 assay was the most sensitive in vitro assay evaluated in this study. The probabilities of eliciting the estrogenic response of VTG induction at a concentration less than 0.1 microg/L in rainbow trout, fathead minnow, and Japanese medaka were determined at 29.9, 26.2, and 18.8%, respectively. Thus, rainbow trout VTG induction was the most sensitive in vivo assay assessed. Subsequently, CTDs may provide a useful technique for hazard assessment of chemical classes for which exposure data are limited and for chemicals with common toxicological mechanisms and modes of action.
Tests of relative earthquake location techniques using synthetic data

[1] We compare three relative earthquake location techniques using tests on synthetic data that simulate many of the statistical properties of real travel time data. The methods are (1) the hypocentroidal decomposition method of Jordan and Sverdrup (1981), (2) the source-specific station term method (SSST) of Richards-Dinger and Shearer (2000), and (3) the modified double-difference method (DD) of Waldhauser and Ellsworth (2000). We generate a set of synthetic earthquakes, stations, and arrival time picks in half-space velocity models. We simulate the effect of travel time variations caused by random picking errors, station terms, and general three-dimensional velocity structure. We implement the algorithms with a common linearized approach and solve the systems using a conjugate gradient method. We constrain the mean location shift to be zero for the hypocentroidal decomposition and double-difference locations. For a single compact cluster of events, these three methods yield very similar improvements in relative location accuracy. For distributed seismicity, the DD and SSST algorithms both provide improved relative locations of comparable accuracy. We also present a new location technique, termed the shrinking box SSST method, which provides some improvement in absolute location accuracy compared to the SSST method. In our implementation of these algorithms, the SSST method runs significantly faster than the DD method.
Experience with ambulatory preoperative bowel preparation at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

• A transition to ambulatory preoperative antibiotic bowel preparation was carried out. The protocol included a liquid diet for 40 hours preceding surgery and coordination of purging with buffered oral saline laxative, 45 mL containing 8 g sodium phosphate and 22 g sodium biphosphate (Fleet Phospho-Soda, C. B. Fleet Co, Lynchburg, Va) and bisacodyl preparation with an oral erythromycin base—neomycin routine. Enemas were omitted. Personnel in the preoperative evaluation center had the responsibility of instructing patients, distributing directions and drugs, and reviewing for compliance and possible problems during the preoperative period. All patients scheduled for any of a variety of gastrointestinal procedures, as well as some other complex operations, were included in this study. Follow-up data were obtained. Surgeons' comments regarding efficacy were highly favorable. In only five cases was there comment regarding liquid stool, and this was no impediment to surgery. This incidence was comparable with that of the inpatient experience, as was the spectrum of postoperative complications. Transfer of responsibility to the department proceeded with ease. Results were entirely comparable with those of the former inpatient experience. ( Arch Surg. 1993;128:441-444)
Different α1-Adrenergic Receptor Sequences Required for Activating Different Gα Subunits of Gq Class of G Proteins

In order to understand the specific interactions between receptors and guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (G proteins), we attempted to delineate the alpha 1 B-adrenergic receptor sequences involved in activation of the alpha subunits of the Gq class of G proteins. A number of specific mutations were introduced into the third inner loop of the receptor, and the mutants were tested for their abilities to activate different G alpha subunits of the Gq class. Our results indicate that the receptor sequences required for activating G alpha q/11, G alpha 14, or G alpha 16 are different. The sequence extending from residues Lys240 to His252 is required for activation of G alpha q/11, but not for activation of G alpha 14 or G alpha 16. Two segments in the third loop of the receptor are required for activation of G alpha 14: one is located at the N terminus of the loop ending at residue Asn226, and the other is located at the C terminus of the loop starting from residue Ser278. The latter contains a BBXXB motif, which is apparently critical for G alpha 14 coupling, but not for G alpha 16 or G alpha q/11 coupling. Furthermore, the three amino acids stretch (Tyr217 to Val219) included in the N-terminal segment is not only required for G alpha 14 coupling, but also for G alpha q/11 coupling. It may be involved to some extent in G alpha 16 coupling as well.
Concerning the Wolf-Rayet and other luminous early-type stars

Effective temperatures, radii, and luminosities were determined from S2/68, ANS, UBV, and uvby photometry for four B0/B1 supergiants, four O4 stars, and four WN7/WN8 stars as well as for four test stars having spectral types between B1.5 V and 09 V and five stars with known angular diameters and effective temperatures. The effective temperatures of B1 Ia+ stars are found to be near 17,000 K, those of O4 stars near 45,000, and those of WN7/WN8 stars near 26,000 K. The question of modeling the atmospheres of hot luminous stars is examined, and it is noted that the photosphere can be modeled adequately using a classical plane-parallel layer model atmosphere. In addition, it is found that the Wolf-Rayet stars of types WN7/WN8 fall in the H-R diagram near the B0 Ia stars, while the others fall near B0.5 III stars. The evolutionary relationship between the Wolf-Rayet and O stars is considered; it is suggested that a Wolf-Rayet spectrum is a short-lived phase in the life of a massive star.
Uses And Abuses Of The Finite Element Method

Almost three decades of advances in theory and software together with the development of large-scale mainframe computers have put the finite element method at the fingertips of the structures design/analysis engineer. Ten of those years have included mechanization and automation of the design process, a trend which continues today. The ability to rapidly design complex structures is the positive result of this trend. However, there is also a negative aspect, viz: structures engineers can lose sight of the facts that the finite element model is only a model and that it may exclude the most significant mechanical characteristics of the real structure. This paper is based on the authors' experience with both theory and applications. Numerous examples are drawn upon to illustrate both the utility of the finite element method and its propensity, when abused, to produce numbers which look plausible but are actually wrong. The paper concludes with some guidelines for finite element modelling of structural systems and details.
Expansion of the range of Pierce’s disease in Virginia

Pierce's disease (PD) is a vascular disease of grapes vectored by xylem-feeding sharpshooters and leading to vine decline, yield loss, and vine death. Recent warm winters have increased concerns ab...
Development and the availability of food in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.)

Abstract Food is an important extrinsic factor in the control of moulting as well as in the control of reproduction in colonies of Blattella germanica. Starvation following a moult or a parturition delays the initiation of another moulting cycle or female reproductive cycle. The initiation of a moulting cycle after a period of starvation requires only a short period of food availability (12 hr). To be able to postpone development until adequate food is available is advantageous to intermittent feeders and scavengers, such as cockroaches, which must forage for food. Synchronization of the development of colonies of cockroaches by controlling the availability of the food is a valuable research tool.
Pressor Reflexes Produced by Stimulation of Afferent Fibers in the Cardiac Sympathetic Nerves of the Cat

Afferent fibers in cardiac sympathetic nerves were stimulated electrically in an attempt to evoke circulatory reflexes. A pressor response was always elicited during stimulation of the central end of the cut left inferior cardiac or pericoronary nerve in vagotomized intact-brain or spinal cats. The maximum blood pressure rise was 21.5 mm Hg during inferior cardiac nerve stimulation and 14.1 mm Hg during pericoronary nerve stimulation. Heart rate and respiration were unaffected by stimulation. The alpha-receptor-blocking agent phenoxybenzamine hydrochloride abolished the pressor response. Sequential sectioning of cardiac nerves arising from either the stellate ganglion or the thoracic sympathetic trunk, or of white rami 1 through 4, indicated that each branch carried afferents contributing to the pressor response. Evoked potentials revealed that excitation of Aδ fibers in the inferior cardiac nerve elicited a weak pressor response, and excitation of C fibers provoked a much stronger response. C fiber continuity between the pericoronary nerve and the inferior cardiac nerve was demonstrated.
Method of Determining Reliability Screens for Time Dependent Dielectric Breakdown

Time dependent dielectric breakdown on MOS LSI circuits is a function of stress voltage, temperature, device area and latent defect density. A model for time dependent dielectric breakdown as a function of these parameters has been developed. This model has been empirically verified on test structures, as well as actual memory devices. A discussion of how this model is used to determine reliability screens for time dependent dielectric breakdown is presented.
Effects of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide on U.S. Peak Electrical Generating Capacity

Concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and of other greenhouse gases are steadily increasing and may raise global average surface temperatures at least 3.6° F (2°C) by 2050. This temperature increase may result in the need for additional peak electrical generating capacity for many electrical utilities in the United States, due primarily to increased demand for summer cooling. Calculations for the state of Minnesota suggest about an 11 percent increase in required peak generating capacity may be needed as a result of regional temperature changes that might occur within 25 to 65 years. Improving the efficiency of the national air-conditioning stock could substantially mitigate the impact of higher ambient temperature on peak demand.
Selection of terms for a CI wavefunction to preserve potential surface features

A cumulative selection procedure for choosing configuration functions for inclusion in CI calculations is described. The objective of the method is to obtain equal energy loss, relative to unselected calculations, for different states and different regions of the potential surface. Results obtained from calculations on the BH molecule indicate an overall advantage in comparison to the threshold selection procedure, particularly with regard to molecular geometry changes.
Naticid gastropod prey selectivity through time and the hypothesis of escalation

The hypothesis of escalation posits that biologic hazards such as predation have increased during the Phanerozoic. Previously, a survey of drilling frequencies in the Cretaceous and Paleogene of the North American Coastal Plain suggested an episodic pattern of escalation within the naticid gastropod predator-prey system. This study examines escalation from the perspective of naticid prey selectivity. If escalation occurred within the system, less selectivity of prey may be apparent in the Paleogene compared to younger assemblages. We test this hypothesis for four Eocene Coastal Plain assemblages. Contrary to predictions, intraspecific prey size selectivity was well developed for nine of eleven bivalve prey species. Drillhole size (indicating predator size) correlated significantly with prey size, especially for successful drillholes. Few incomplete or nonfunctional drillholes occurred, except within corbulid species. Interspecific prey selectivity was less developed than for Neogene or Recent assemblages. Naticid prey preferences predicted by cost-benefit analysis were consistent with actual drilling frequencies only for the Bashi Marl Member of the Hatchetigbee Formation (Alabama). In the Piney Point Formation of Virginia, all prey items were drilled at equivalent frequencies, despite their different cost-benefit rankings. Upper Lisbon (Alabama) and Moodys Branch (Mississippi and Louisiana) assemblages showed limited agreement with preferences predicted by cost-benefit analysis. Prey selectivity thus appears less developed in the Paleogene compared to the Neogene and Recent, in accordance with the hypothesis of escalation.
Cell survival or cell death: differential vulnerability of long descending and thoracic propriospinal neurons to low thoracic axotomy in the adult rat

Previous studies show that most short thoracic propriospinal (TPS; T5-T7) and long descending propriospinal tract (LDPT; C4-C6) neurons are lost following low-thoracic spinal cord contusion injury (cSCI), as assessed by retrograde labeling with fluorogold (FG). Gene microarray and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end (TUNEL)/caspase-3 immunolabeling indicate that post-axotomy cell death may be responsible for the observed decrease in number of labeled TPS neurons post cSCI. Yet, no indications of post-axotomy cell death are evident within LDPT neurons following the same injury. The present experiments were devised to understand this difference. We assessed the number and size of LDPT and TPS neurons at different time points, retrogradely labeling these neurons with FG prior to delivering a moderate low-thoracic cSCI or after they were axotomized by a complete low-thoracic spinal transection. Counts of FG-filled TPS and LDPT cells indicate a large loss of both neuronal populations 2 weeks post cSCI. Propriospinal neurons in other animals were retrogradely labeled with dextran tetramethyl rhodamine prior to cSCI and tissue was processed for detection of TUNEL- or caspase-3-positive profiles at chronic times post injury. Our overall findings confirm that cell death post injury is the major factor responsible for the loss of TPS neurons during the acute period post cSCI, and that little post-axotomy cell death occurs in LDPT neurons during the first 2 months after the same injury. After chronic axotomy retrograde transport is impaired in LDPT neurons, but can be reinitiated by re-axotomy. Our results also indicate that FG is metabolized/lost from retrogradely labeled neurons at increasing survival times, and that this process appears to be accelerated by injury.
Physics of Multiple-Node Charge Collection and Impacts on Single-Event Characterization and Soft Error Rate Prediction

Physical mechanisms of single-event effects that result in multiple-node charge collection or charge sharing are reviewed and summarized. A historical overview of observed circuit responses is given that concentrates mainly on memory circuits. Memory devices with single-node upset mechanisms are shown to exhibit multiple cell upsets, and spatially redundant logic latches are shown to upset when charge is collected on multiple circuit nodes in the latch. Impacts on characterizing these effects in models and ground-based testing are presented. The impact of multiple-node charge collection on soft error rate prediction is also presented and shows that full circuit prediction is not yet well understood. Finally, gaps in research and potential future impacts are identified.
Chromatin–IgG complexes activate B cells by dual engagement of IgM and Toll-like receptors

Autoreactive B cells are present in the lymphoid tissues of healthy individuals, but typically remain quiescent. When this homeostasis is perturbed, the formation of self-reactive antibodies can have serious pathological consequences. B cells expressing an antigen receptor specific for self-immunoglobulin-gamma (IgG) make a class of autoantibodies known as rheumatoid factor (RF). Here we show that effective activation of RF+ B cells is mediated by IgG2a-chromatin immune complexes and requires the synergistic engagement of the antigen receptor and a member of the MyD88-dependent Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. Inhibitor studies implicate TLR9. These data establish a critical link between the innate and adaptive immune systems in the development of systemic autoimmune disease and explain the preponderance of autoantibodies reactive with nucleic acid-protein particles. The unique features of this dual-engagement pathway should facilitate the development of therapies that specifically target autoreactive B cells.