cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract semilinear Itó-Volterra integro-differential stochastic evolution equations

SEMILINEAR STOCHASTIC ITO-VOLTERRA INTEGRODIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS DAVID N. KECK ANDMARK A. MCKIBBEN Received 31 October 2005; Revised 3 March 2006; Accepted 14 April 2006 We consider a class of abstract semilinear stochastic Volterra integrodifferential equations in a real separable Hilbert space. The global existence and uniqueness of a mild solution, as well as a perturbation result, are established under the so-called Caratheodory growth conditions on the nonlinearities. An approximation result is then established, followed by an analogous result concerning a so-called McKean-Vlasov integrodifferential equation, and then a brief commentary on the extension of the main results to the time-dependent case. The paper ends with a discussion of some concrete examples to illustrate the abstract theory. Copyright © 2006 D. N. Keck and M. A. McKibben. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Regulation of apoptosis by a Caenorhabditis elegans BNIP3 homolog

We have identified a C. elegans protein, ceBNIP3, homologous to the human BCL-2/EIB-19K interacting BCL-2 family pro-apoptotic protein BNIP3. In transiently transfected mammalian cells, ceBNIP3 complexes with CED-9, the worm homolog of BCL-2. CeBNIP3 also efficiently heterodimerizes with the cell death protease proCED-3 by direct binding via the prodomain. Transfection of ceBNIP3 and CED-3 results in enhanced proteolytic processing of the CED-3 zymogen and in cooperative induction of apoptosis. Coexpression of CED-9 suppresses the cooperative cell death induced by ceBNIP3 and CED-3. In cells coexpressing CED-9, ceBNIP3 and CED-3, all three proteins exist as a ternary complex suggesting that CED-9 may suppress cooperative apoptosis induced by CED-3 and ceBNIP3 by simultaneous complex formation with CED-3 and ceBNIP3. Our results suggest that ceBNIP3 may be a novel component of the C. elegans apoptosis paradigm and may initiate apoptosis by recruiting CED-3 to mitochondria and other cytoplasmic membranes.
Direct measurements of rate constants for the reactions of CH3 radicals with C2H6, C2H4, and C2H2 at high temperatures.

The shock tube technique has been used to study the reactions CH3 + C2H6 → C2H4 + CH4 + H (1), CH3 + C2H4 → Products + H (2), and CH3 + C2H2 → Products + H (3). Biacetyl, (CH3CO)2, was used as a clean high temperature thermal source for CH3-radicals for all the three reactions studied in this work. For reaction 1, the experiments span a T-range of 1153 K ≤ T ≤ 1297 K, at P ∼ 0.4 bar. The experiments on reaction 2 cover a T-range of 1176 K ≤ T ≤ 1366 K, at P ∼ 1.0 bar, and those on reaction 3 a T-range of 1127 K ≤ T ≤ 1346 K, at P ∼ 1.0 bar. Reflected shock tube experiments performed on reactions 1–3, monitored the formation of H-atoms with H-atom Atomic Resonance Absorption Spectrometric (ARAS). Fits to the H-atom temporal profiles using an assembled kinetics model were used to make determinations for k1, k2, and k3. In the case of C2H6, the measurements of [H]-atoms were used to derive direct high-temperature rate constants, k1, that can be represented by the Arrhenius equation k1(T) = 5.41 × 10–12 exp(−...
Do Managers Respond to Litigation with Silence

Prior work concludes that managers respond to litigation with reduced disclosure. In this study, we document that the nature of disclosure matters. Although we confirm a drop in the overall level of disclosure following litigation, we find that while forecasts of positive news fall, bad news warnings actually increase. Moreover, while good news arrives later, bad news arrives earlier in the post-lawsuit period. Our evidence also indicates that managers who warned previously (including those whose warnings appeared to trigger the lawsuit-provoking price drop) do not emerge from litigation skeptical of the effectiveness of warning. On the contrary, we find that in the post-lawsuit period, "prior warners" warn earlier and more frequently. Further, consistent with the notion that litigation motivates managers to reevaluate the costs of trading to exploit earnings news, we document a reduction in post-lawsuit selling that is driven by a drop in opportunistic (as opposed to routine) trades that concentrate in the two-week, open trading window following quarterly earnings releases. Collectively, our findings suggest that managers respond to litigation by emphasizing early, cautionary warnings while also reducing and delaying their good news disclosures and limiting their opportunistic trading. Thus, this study provides an important alternative viewpoint of the potential effects of litigation on managers' decision to provide guidance and firms' information environments.
Membrane receptors and their redistribution in lymphoproliferative disorders

Lymphoid cells from 20 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, Sezary syndrome, lymphoma, and lymphadenitis, were studied for redistribution of surface membrane immunoglobulins (SmIg) and concanavalin A (Con-A) receptors. Fluorescein-labeled polyvalent goat anti-human immunoglobulin and fluoresceinated concanavalin A were used as ligands. Results were similar with both ligands. The highest percentage of capping of ligand-membrane receptors was noted in mononuclear cells from patients with “hairy” cell leukemia: from 24% to 90%. These cells showed moderate to marked fluorescein activity and were able to cap within 15 min at 4 degrees C. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells showed a weak fluorescein stain with a very low percentage of cells (0%--16%) capping. Lymph node cells from patients with lymphoma demonstrated moderate to strong fluorescein activity with only an average of 3% of the cells capping; while lymphoid cells from patients with lymphaedenitis showed an average of 27.5% capping and moderate fluorescein activity. Capping of Con-A receptors in mononuclear cells from patients with Sezary syndrome was poor (0%--14%) with moderate fluorescein intensity. This report demonstrates difference in density and mobility of binding sites for SmIg and Con-A on the surface membrane of lymphoid cells from various subclasses of lymphoproliferative disorders. These differences may assist in the differential diagnosis and classification of these conditions.
Prehospital management of the seizure patient.

Seizures are a frequent problem confronting EMS personnel. Most seizures will terminate by themselves in less than five minutes. Careful attention must be paid to the ABCs, including glucose. Seizures lasting more than five minutes should be treated with i.v. diazepam or lorazepam. Careful history-taking to look for possible causes of seizures, as well as a detailed description of the event, are invaluable to ED staff in the evaluation and treatment of a patient with a seizure. Patients with known epilepsy who have had a single typical seizure and are otherwise back to normal do not require transport to the hospital.
Public Space Update. Report from the United States

Like everything else in this large and disparate country, public space, as a movement and as a collection of physical places is highly varied and unequally distributed. Even so, over the last decade public space in both senses has moved to the forefront of American urbanism. In terms of academic debates, the narratives of decline that dominated discussions of public space since the 1990s have been replaced with expanded definitions of public space. The number of actual new public spaces, public events and support for them has grown exponentially over the last decade. These spaces continue to attract large numbers of people. For design professionals, this has meant new opportunities to connect their practices with the larger public realm. At the same time, however, critics have raised important questions about their inclusivity and ability to promote genuine social interaction.
Developments In High-Speed Pyroelectric Detectors

Pyroelectric detectors have been developed at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL) for use with high-frequency applications such as laser fusion. Less than 50 ps total response time devices have been measured, The voltage responsivity with a 50-Ω load is abut 5 to 10 V/MW, requiring 10 to 20 mJ/cm2 to poduce 1-V, 1-ns pulses. The latter are 1 mm in area. High-speed devices with up to 1 cm2 area have been developed. A novel method of fabrication now permits voltage responsivities up to 50 V/MW with a 50-Ω load. This improved sensitivity detector is slower than the fastest design but is still suitable for measuring 1-ns pulses.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Light controlled receptors for heavy metal ions

Abstract This review focuses on the recent growth in the photo triggered molecular receptors for heavy metal ions. The photochromic unit in such molecular receptors performs as a trigger unit to allow control over a range of the properties through an external stimulus. This review opens up with the new opportunities for the development of host molecular motifs for heavy metal ion sensing applications. The photochromic switches based on a chemical structure like spiropyran, chromenes and spirooxazines tagged with appropriate chromogenic or fluorogenic unit reported till date have been summarized and categorized by the selectivity of metal ion to achieve the suitable optical response. The review has relevance for designing new photoreversible switches with the interesting optical response for environmentally important heavy metal ions.
The Belief-Desire Model of Action Explanation Reconsidered: Thoughts on Bittner:

The belief-desire model of action explanation is deeply ingrained in multiple disciplines. There is reason to think that it is a cultural artifact. But is there an alternative? In this discussion, ...
A brief history of HPC simulation and future challenges

High-performance Computing (HPC) systems have gone through many changes during the past two decades in their architectural design to satisfy the increasingly large-scale scientific computing demand. Accurate, fast, and scalable performance models and simulation tools are essential for evaluating alternative architecture design decisions for the massive-scale computing systems. This paper recounts some of the influential work in modeling and simulation for HPC systems and applications, identifies some of the major challenges, and outlines future research directions which we believe are critical to the HPC modeling and simulation community.
Social media technology use and salesperson performance: A two study examination of the role of salesperson behaviors, characteristics, and training

Abstract Extending the literature on sales technology, we use two studies to develop and test a model involving salesperson-customer shared technology tools, referred to as Social Media Technology (SMT). Specifically, we demonstrate the impacts of SMT in B2B sales contexts on customer relationship performance and objective sales performance through key mediating behaviors and characteristics. Empirical findings from two studies, cross-company and within-company data, demonstrate the effects of SMT on salesperson product information communication, diligence, product knowledge, and adaptability. Moderating effects suggest that the integration of SMT in the absence of training on the technology may not yield the best results. Findings suggest that firms must allocate the resources necessary to properly implement SMT strategies. The framework tested provides a foundation for integration of SMT into buyer-seller interactions.
Media activism in the digital age

Victor Pickard and Guobin Yang’s edited collection Media activism in the digital age features contemporary scholarship on activist practices and theories by noted scholars on issues ranging from te...
Liver-specific knockout of histone methyltransferase G9a impairs liver maturation and dysregulates inflammatory, cytoprotective, and drug-processing genes.

Methyltransferase G9a is essential for a key gene silencing mark, histone H3 dimethylation at lysine-9 (H3K9me2). Hepatic G9a expression is down-regulated by xenobiotics and diabetes. However, litt...
Learning-Based Attenuation Correction for Brain PET/MRI Using Artificial Neural Networks

The purpose of this study is to build a learning-based attenuation map estimation scheme for brain attenuation correction of the positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging using an artificial neural network (ANN). The attenuation map estimation is cast as a regression problem that models a nonlinear mapping between the MR image patches and the corresponding patches of the attenuation map. An ANN is used to solve the regression problem through learning from examples. Using the BrainWeb phantoms, we simulated brain PET data with corresponding MR image and attenuation map pairs of 20 subjects. The ANN was trained with the image patches from the MR image and attenuation map of 1 subject. The trained ANN was then applied to estimate the attenuation maps from the MR images for the other 19 subjects. The estimated attenuation maps were compared with their simulated counterparts using the mean absolute error (MAE) on regions of soft tissue and bone. The impact of estimation accuracy on the reconstructed PET images was evaluated by calculating the relative error with respect to the PET images reconstructed using the AC with the simulated attenuation maps. The estimated attenuation maps obtain the MAE of 0.0021 for soft tissue and 0.0096 for bone, revealing strong agreement with the corresponding simulated ones. The images reconstructed with the estimated attenuation maps have average relative errors of -0.24%± 0.8% on gray matter and of -0.28%± 0.28% on white matter. We demonstrate that the ANN model trained using the MR image and attenuation map of one subject applies well to other subjects and the estimated attenuation map has potential to produce accurate AC for brain PET/MR imaging.
Association between past medical history (PMH) of autoimmune events and adverse events of special interest (AESI).

2565Background: PD-1/L1 inhibitor therapy has become the standard of care for many advanced solid tumors. A notable limitation of PD-1/L1 inhibitor therapy is the concern for AESI that are likely t...
A Case of Suspected Covid 19 Related Cardiomyopathy

Background The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 has been associated with diverse cardiovascular pathology. We present a case of cardiomyopathy due to possible COVID-19 resulting in cardiogenic shock. Case A 54 year-old male presented to the hospital with 4 weeks of progressive dyspnea, leg swelling, and weight gain. His symptoms began 4 weeks after experiencing influenza-like symptoms after a trip to China during the height of their COVID-19 outbreak. He was admitted to the COVID unit in cardiogenic shock and was later intubated for acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Laboratory data demonstrated acute kidney injury, elevated transaminases, lactic acidosis, elevated pro-BNP N-Terminal to 3932pg/mL, and high sensitivity troponin to 72ng/L. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed severe biventricular failure with a LVEF of 10% and a LVIDd 5.2cm. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was negative twice, but SARS-CoV-2 IgG AB and SARS-CoV-2 IgA AB were positive. Urgent right and left heart catheterization was performed demonstrating non-obstructive coronary artery disease and hemodynamics consistent with cardiogenic shock. While supported with an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and norepinephrine, he had a fick cardiac output 3.1 L/min, fick cardiac index 1.6 L/min/m2, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure 37mmHg, right atrial pressure 25mmHg, and pulmonary arterial pressures 65/40mmHg. Given persistent cardiogenic shock on IABP and inotropes, he was later transitioned to Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA ECMO) and an Impella CP for left ventricular unloading. He continued to have persistent INTERMACS I shock and underwent successful implantation of a HeartMate 3 LVAD with percutaneous temporary right ventricular assist device (RVAD). Pathology of the left ventricular apical core demonstrates polyclonal endocardial infiltration of B-Cells, CD4 and CD8 positive T-Cells, eosinophils, macrophages, and plump reactive endothelial cells (Figure 1). He is currently recovering in the ICU off of vasoactive support with subsequent removal of percutaneous RVAD. Conclusion This is a suspected case of COVID-19 associated cardiomyopathy presenting as new on-set heart failure with reduced ejection fraction complicated by cardiogenic shock. There is still much to learn about the cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 and further studies are needed to determine appropriate diagnostics and management of such cases.
The Impact of Obesity on the Management and Outcomes of Postpartum Hemorrhage

Objective The study aimed to evaluate the impact of obesity on the management and outcomes of postpartum hemorrhage. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of women who delivered at a tertiary care center between February 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014 and experienced a postpartum hemorrhage. Charts were reviewed for clinical and sociodemographic data, and women were excluded if the medical record was incomplete. Hemorrhage-related severe morbidity indicators included blood transfusion, shock, renal failure, transfusion-related lung injury, cardiac arrest, and use of interventional radiology procedures. Obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m2) and nonobese women were compared. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, Student's t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and linear regression where appropriate. The p-value Results Of 9,890 deliveries, 2.6% (n = 262) were complicated by hemorrhage. Obese women were more likely to deliver by cesarean section (55.5 vs. 39.8%, p = 0.016), undergo a cesarean after labor (31.1 vs. 12.2%, p = 0.001), and have a higher quantitative blood loss (1,313 vs. 1,056 mL, p = 0.003). Both groups were equally likely to receive carboprost, methylergonovine, and misoprostol, but obese women were more likely to receive any uterotonic agent (95.7 vs. 88.9%, p = 0.007) and be moved to the operating room (32.3 vs. 20.4, p = 0.04). There was no difference in the use of intrauterine pressure balloon tamponade, interventional radiology, or decision to proceed with hysterectomy. The two groups were similar in time to stabilization. There was no difference in the need for blood transfusion. Obese women required more units of blood transfused (2.2 ± 2 vs. 2 ± 5 units, p = 0.023), were more likely to have any hemorrhage-related severe morbidity (34.1 vs. 25%, p = 0.016), and more than one hemorrhage related morbidity (17.1 vs. 7.9, p = 0.02). After controlling for confounding variables, quantitative blood loss, and not BMI was predictive of the need for transfusion. Conclusion Despite similar management, obese women were more likely to have severe morbidity and need more units of blood transfused. Key Points
Plasma Polymerized HMDSO Coatings For Syringes To Minimize Protein Adsorption.

Abstract Current parenteral containers used for the storage and delivery of protein-based drugs, contain silicone oil which may seep into the protein solution and can result in adsorption, aggregation and denaturation of the protein. Tightly adherent surface coatings prepared by radio frequency glow-discharge (RFGD) plasma polymerization are described in this paper. Using this robust technique, methacrylic acid (MA) (hydrophilic), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) (hydrophobic), tetraglyme (TG) (hydrophilic) were plasma polymerized onto glass. In addition, HMDSO and MA were copolymerized to create a plasma polymerized HMDSO-MA (hydrophobic) surface. Untreated glass and glass dip-coated in PDMS were used as controls. TG and MA plasma coatings adsorbed the least amount of protein in all pH conditions. Interestingly HMDSO-MA retained significantly lesser protein compared to HMDSO and dip-coated PDMS samples. In the presence of Polysorbate 80 (PS80) all plasma polymerized coatings adsorbed and retained negligible amounts of protein, compared to controls. Furthermore, the peak glide force of plasma coated syringes did not significantly increase compared to syringes without plasma coating. Due to the versatility of RFGD plasma, this process is scalable and could potentially be used for the treatment of hypodermic syringes used for the storage and delivery of protein-based therapeutics.
Dielectrophoresis: Developments and applications from 2010 to 2020

The 20th century has seen tremendous innovation of dielectrophoretic (DEP) technologies, with applications being developed in areas ranging from industrial processing to micro and nanoscale biotechnology. From 2010 to present day there have been 981 publications about DEP. Of 2600 total patents held by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 106 were filed in 2019 alone. This review focuses on DEP-based technologies and application developments between 2010 and 2020, with an aim to highlight the progress and to identify potential areas for future research. A major trend over the last ten years has been the use of DEP techniques for biological and clinical applications. It has been used in various forms on a diverse array of biologically derived molecules and particles to manipulate and study them including proteins, exosomes, bacteria, yeast, stem cells, cancer cells, and blood cells. DEP has also been used to manipulate nano and micron sized particles in order to fabricate different structures. The next ten years are likely to see the increase in DEP related patent applications begin to result in a greater level of technology commercialization. Also during this time, innovations in DEP technology will likely be leveraged to continue the existing trend to further biological and medical focused applications as well as applications in microfabrication. As a tool leveraged by engineering and imaginative scientific design, DEP offers unique capabilities to manipulate small particles in precise ways that can help solve problems and enable scientific inquiry that cannot be addressed using conventional methods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A Telemonitoring Intervention for Cirrhotic Ascites Management Is Cost-Saving

Patients with cirrhosis and ascites experience frequent hospital admissions, leading to poor quality of life and high healthcare costs. Monitoring weight is a component of ascites care and telemonitoring may improve outcomes and costs. Goals We aimed to evaluate the cost and outcomes of current care compared to a telemonitoring system for ascites. Study We developed a decision-analytic model that examined 100 simulated patients over a 6-month horizon. We compared usual care to a new telemonitoring program, which we estimate costs $50,000/6 months. The cost of standard of care for 100 patients with cirrhotic ascites over a 6-month period is $167,500 more expensive than telemonitoring. By varying parameter probabilities by ± 10% and outcome costs by ± 20%, we found that standard of care remains more expensive than care with a telemonitoring intervention by $9400 to $340,200 per 6-month period. Standard of care leads to 9 more admissions (range 4 to 12) than a telemonitoring intervention, while telemonitoring leads to 9 more outpatient visits (range 6 to 9) and 28 additional outpatient large volume paracenteses (LVPs) (range 17 to 28). With more and less expensive telemonitoring interventions, standard of care remained more expensive. With 50% adherence to the intervention, standard of care was $89,848 more expensive. In almost all probability and cost scenarios, a telemonitoring intervention is cost-saving for the management of cirrhotic ascites. Using hospital admissions as a surrogate for quality of care, patient outcomes are improved primarily though more proactive medical intervention and more LVPs.
Combating sharenting: Interventions to alter parents’ attitudes toward posting about their children online

Abstract Sharenting is a recent phenomenon in which parents disclose detailed information about their children online, which can risk their children's long-term safety and parental relationships. To mitigate these risks and discourage the sharing of inappropriate content, we developed and tested two interventions to deter sharenting in a randomized controlled experiment with 246 parents. Parents watched a video about the dangers of sharenting (Intervention 1) with some assigned to write a summary of this video (Intervention 2) while the remaining participants watched a video unrelated to sharenting (Control). We found that the intervention reduced parents' willingness to post both inappropriate and appropriate content about children, but only if parents reflected on the video message in writing. The interventions did not, however, change parents' attitudes about asking their children for permission before posting. The results advance our understanding of sharenting and offer insights about potential brief and scalable approaches to mitigate sharenting and its consequences. In particular, we demonstrate that a purely informational intervention is not as effective as one that encourages substantive reflection.
Progression of Human Experience Integration in the Construction Industry

The construction industry is known to be particularly dependent on human involvement. Construction projects are usually unique and filled with varying degrees of uncertainties. These uncertainties pose risks that can be detrimental to the project’s success. Human cognition and decision making are vital in surmounting these risks adequately. The quality of cognition and decision-making comes from the extensive experience of architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals on different construction projects and processes. There have been various innovations developed to improve construction processes from design to construction. There have also been attempts to integrate this valuable human experience with available technologies to improve efficiency and eventually achieve desired levels of automation. This paper explores the various strides taken in integrating human experience with available construction technologies. The conclusion of this study examines the successes and failures in all endeavors concerning human experience integration in design, materials, safety, constructability, and other areas involved in the construction process.
Motion Improvisation: 3D Human Motion Synthesis with a Transformer

The synthesis of complicated and realistic human motion is a challenging problem and is a significant task for game, film and animation industries. Many existing methods rely on complex and time-consuming keyframe-based methods that demand professional skills in animation software and motion capture hardware. On the other hand, casual users seek a playful experience to animate their favorite characters with a simple and easy-to-use tool. Recent work has explored building intuitive animation systems but suffers from inability to generate complex and expressive motions. To tackle this limitation, we present a keyframe-driven animation synthesis algorithm that is able to produce complex human motions with a few input keyframes, allowing the user to control the keyframes at will. Inspired by the success of attention-based techniques in natural language processing, our method completes body motions in a sequence-to-sequence manner and captures motion dependencies both spatially and temporally. We evaluate our method qualitatively and quantitatively on the LaFAN1 dataset, demonstrating improved accuracy compared with state of the art methods.
Alterations in Repair of DNA Damage in Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Deficient Cell Lines

ADPRT 54 and ADPRT 351, are Chinese hamster, V79, derived mutant cell lines, selected for their marked deficiency in poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activity (1). These cells were employed to analyze the effect of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase deficiency on responsiveness to a series of DNA damaging agents including monofunctional and bifunctional alkylating agents, topoisomerase I and II inhibitors and X- and UV-irradiation (1-4). In contrast to previous studies, the use of these poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase deficient, mutant cell lines and comparison to events in normal, parental V79 cells allows for studies of the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase without the use of enzyme inhibitors which could have multiple nonspecific effects.
Nutritional Therapy for Skeletal Health in Men

Publisher Summary There are limited data on the ability of nutritional interventions to improve skeletal outcomes in men. Reductions in fracture have been shown only for calcium and vitamin D in older individuals and for combination folate and B12 supplements in stroke patients. There are a few data suggesting that energy and protein supplements reduce complications following hip fracture. However, while dietary counseling has been shown to improve calcium intake in patients with osteoporotic fractures, counseling was not successful in improving protein or energy intake, even in a population with low intakes at baseline. Thus, there remains considerable work to be done, both in conducting rigorous randomized trials of nutritional interventions for bone outcomes, but also in developing successful strategies to implement those interventions.
Lymphokine and Cytokine Production by FcεRI+ Cells

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the growing information on production of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and of a set of related lymphokines, such as IL-3, IL-5, and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by mast cells and other Fc ɛ RI + cells as well as production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-1, and IL-8 and its congeners by these cells. It discusses the pathophysiologic conditions in which lymphokine production by Fc ɛ RI + cells is increased and the signaling mechanisms employed by Fc ɛ RI + cells that lead to lymphokine production. Lymphokines and cytokines mediate a wide range of biologic functions. They are responsible for much of the regulatory activity of T cells and have potent pro- and anti-inflammatory properties. Mast cells and basophils are cell types that have two major phenotypic properties in common. They both store histamine and both express high-affinity Fc ɛ R, called Fc ɛ RI. The chapter establishes that transformed mast cells, factor dependent mast cells, and freshly isolated Fc ɛ RI + cells all have the capacity to produce lymphokines and cytokines. In particular, the set of molecules produced by these cells, including IL-4, IL-3, GM-CSF, and IL-5, as well as IL-1, IL-6, TNF-a, and IL-8, have very important roles in the regulation of inflammatory responses. It is particularly striking that the lymphokines produced have potential roles in immunologically important responses, most notably in orchestrating the events associated with allergic inflammation.
Cimetidine and the immune response: I. In vivo augmentation of nonspecific and specific immune response☆

Cimetidine is a commonly prescribed histamine antagonist useful in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. Histamine receptors are found on suppressor T cells and therefore we expected to observe enhanced immune responsiveness in animals treated with this drug. Mice given daily subcutaneous injections of cimetidine (25 or 100 mg/kg) were found to produce approximately twice as much specific antibody in response to tetanus toxoid immunization. Furthermore, mitogen-stimulated splenocytes from cimetidine-treated animals proliferated to a greater extent and produced more immunoglobulin in vitro than controls. These observations offer direct in vivo evidence for immunomodulation by cimetidine.
L-[2,3,3,4,5,5,5,6,6,6-2H10]leucine improves accuracy of muscle protein synthesis determinations when using blood amino acid enrichment as the precursor pool (258.8)

The amino acid enrichment in blood (Eb) is often used in clinically relevant stable isotope studies to calculate muscle protein fractional synthesis rates (FSR), but it underestimates the FSR compa...
Toward Unsupervised Classification of Calcified Arterial Lesions

There is growing evidence that calcified arterial deposits play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. This paper investigates the challenging problem of unsupervised calcified lesion classification. We propose an algorithm, US-CALC(UnSupervised Calcified Arterial Lesion Classification), that discriminates arterial lesions from non-arterial lesions. The proposed method first mines the characteristics of calcified lesions using a novel optimization criterion and then identifies a subset of lesion features which is optimal for classification. Second, a two stage clustering is deployed to discriminate between arterial and non-arterial lesions. A histogram intersection distance measure is incorporated to determine cluster proximity. The clustering hierarchies are carefully validated and the final clusters are determined by a new intra-cluster compactness measure. Experimental results indicate an average accuracy of approximately 80% on a database of electron beam CT heart scans.
The timing of new acute hemodynamic events in ICU patients.

Whether the day and time of ICU admission or discharge impacts patient care and outcome has been the focus of recent inquiry. There may also be a relationship between timing and outcome for events occurring within the ICU. As a first step to explore this issue, we aimed to describe the timing of new acute hemodynamic events in a large ICU population.
Mine Electrical Systems, Part 2-Alternating Current Systems [History]

Underground coal mining presents unique challenges for the safe application of electric power distribution and utilization. Power equipment and electric machinery in most industries are located in stationary, permanent facilities and are not subjected to extreme operating conditions. However, coal mining is an ever-changing process in which electrically driven, portable, and mobile mining equipment is regularly moved or self-propelled. As a result, power equipment and cables are also moved regularly. The confined spaces and rough floor conditions of mine openings are not conducive to the gentle handling of equipment and power cables. Furthermore, the coal mining environment can be dusty, wet, and even explosive.
The energy landscape theory of protein folding: insights into folding mechanisms and scenarios.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview of the theoretical aspects of the “new view” of protein folding based on the energy landscape theory and the funnel concept. The chapter discusses the lattice and off-lattice models that have played a central role in verifying the general ideas associated with minimal frustration and the protein folding funnel. The chapter describes how a theoretical framework can relate the kinetics of protein folding to thermodynamic quantifies as a function of appropriate reaction coordinates. Using this framework, one then establishes the connection with experiments and detailed all-atom simulations, moving toward a fully quantitative theory for protein folding. The chapter also discusses how the hydrophobic effect is coupled to folding. The chapter focuses the difficulties that have to be overcomed to have a good folding sequence that can be of two different natures: energetic or topologic. Energetic frustration can be reduced with the appropriate design for the protein sequence. Topologic frustration is more complicated since it is a consequence of the polymeric nature of the chain and the shape of the folding motif. The chapter reveals the importance of new generation of experiments that have been devised to probe the early folding events and to explore the details of the landscape of small fast-folding proteins will play in increasing the understanding of this field.
The merits of multi-hop communication in deep space

The physics of communication give an advantage to multi-hop systems, because the ratio of power received to power transmitted on a telecommunications link of length S increases by a factor of n/sup 2/ if the link is divided in to n equal hops of length S/n. If terminal characteristics are unchanged, the cost of a multi-hop system is higher than for a single hop, but the efficiency-to-cost ratio is n times better. Multi-hop systems can be scaled easily, have capacity that scales proportional to the square of the investment, are robust, and can provide multiple orders-of-magnitude increase of capacity in deep space using presently available technology. This remains true when noise introduced on each segment is taken into account, if modern error-control coding techniques are applied. Candidate mission designs for a multi-hop approach are discussed for high-capacity Earth-Mars and interstellar communication systems.
Use of Selective Broth Enrichment to Determine the Prevalence of Multiply Resistant JK Corynebacteria on Skin

Use of a selective broth enrichment procedure disclosed a low prevalence (1%) of multiply resistant JK corynebacteria on the skin of healthy adults.
The association between aortic regurgitation and increased arterial wave reflection

Abstract Background Chronic Aortic Regurgitation (AR) increases left ventricular preload and afterload, which may enhance arterial wave reflection. The effects of AR on noninvasive measures of arterial wave reflection and central aortic pressure are unknown. Methods To determine the relation between AR and wave reflection, we prospectively studied 86 subjects with AR and 50 controls referred for echocardiography. Peripheral (P) blood pressures (BP) were measured using an automated sphygmomanometer. Central aortic systolic (CS) BP, central pulse pressure (CPP), central augmented pressure (AP), heart rate corrected augmentation index (AI75), AI, reflected wave systolic duration (∆Tr) and round trip travel time (Tr) were derived from the radial artery waveform obtained by applanation tonometry (Sphygmocor ® , Atcor Medical). Pulse pressure amplification (PPA) was calculated as peripheral PP/central PP. There were 50 controls, 50 with mild, 25 with moderate, and 11 subjects with severe AR. Clinical characteristics were similar among the groups. Results AP, AI75, and CPP increased in a stepwise manner with increasing AR severity. On analysis of variance adjusted for age, gender, height, weight, mean peripheral BP, ejection fraction, and medication classes, AR severity was independently associated with increased AI75 ( p p p =0.04). PPA decreased in a stepwise manner with increasing AR severity ( p =0.001). Tr decreased and ∆Tr increased. Conclusions AR is associated with increased amplitude and duration and earlier onset of the reflected pressure wave, which suggests arterial wave reflection to be a potentially important consideration in patients with AR.
Splenic B-Cell Lymphomas/Leukemias

The diagnosis and classification of lymphoproliferative disorders in the spleen are frequently challenging. While some lymphomas, such as hairy cell leukemia and splenic marginal zone lymphoma, characteristically present with primarily splenic involvement, secondary involvement of the spleen may be seen with any lymphoma. Precise classification requires integration of the morphologic findings with clinical data, phenotypic studies, and often cytogenetic and/or molecular genetic analysis. Correlation with the findings in peripheral blood and bone marrow may also be required in some cases. This article discusses the diagnostic approach to splenic-based lymphoproliferative disorders in routine practice and describes the clinicopathologic features of lymphoid neoplasms that characteristically present in the spleen.
POLYCYTHEMIA AND RIGHT VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY.

Polycythemia was induced in rats by injecting 10 mg CoCl2/kg body wt/day intraperitoneally or by placing them in a low pressure chamber at a reduced barometric pressure equivalent to 18,000 feet of altitude for approximately 23 hours/day. After 63 days of treatment a significant hypertrophy of the right ventricular wall was found in both groups of animals. The increase in weight of the right ventricle in the CoCl2-injected rats was approximately 45% of that found in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia. Polycythemia was induced in mice by injecting 0.5 ml of packed, whole erythrocytes per day, intraperitoneally, for four consecutive days. A high hematocrit was maintained by additional periodic intraperitoneal injections of erythrocytes. After twenty-two days a significant right ventricular hypertrophy was observed. It is concluded that polycythemia and hypervolemia are important factors in producing right ventricular hypertrophy in rats and mice without airway hypoxia and also may be significant factors in the cardiac hypertrophy induced by high altitude.
Delivering hydrocephalic fetuses

KIE: Detection of fetal hydrocephalus with head enlargement in the third trimester raises questions concerning the extent of the physician's obligations to the fetus and to the mother. Here Strong develops and defends an approach to these questions that he discussed in an earlier essay ("Ethical conflicts between mother and fetus in obstetrics," Clinics in Perinatology 1987 Jun; 14(2): 313-328), dividing the ethical issues involved into two main topics. He first explores under what circumstances a physician is ethically justified in draining fluid from the fetal cranium to reduce head size. This procedure, which usually causes fetal death, facilitates vaginal delivery. A cesarean section, which is less stressful for the fetus, exposes the woman to the risks of surgery. Secondly, Strong applies this discussion to the issue of how the physician should counsel the woman, and what recommendations, if any, the physician should make concerning the method of delivery.
A method for evaluating activities layout in dwelling units

Abstract A method for evaluating the quality of a layout of activities in dwelling units presented. The method is based upon the analysis of the mutual spatial relations between the locations of the activities. The components of the connection between activities which are privacy, affinity and disturbance are analysed as well, and are represented in a vector form. A general space of mutual relations between the locations of activities is defined. Correspondence between the vectors representing connections and elements of the space of mutual relations is formulated. This correspondence provides a key for evaluation of dwelling units. A detailed case study is given.
Ultraviolet‐a light prolongs survival and improves immune function in (new zealand black × new zealand white)F1 hybrid mice

Although ultraviolet (UV) light is generally harmful to patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, most clinical and immunologic studies of UV exposure have evaluated the effects of UV-B (280-320 nm). The long-wavelength UV-A band (320-400 nm), however, is less toxic than UV-B and has different immunologic actions. Therefore, we studied the effect of UV-A irradiation on survival and immunologic function in the (New Zealand black x New Zealand white)F1 hybrid mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus. Twenty-one (New Zealand black x New Zealand white)F1 mice were treated with 3.5 joules/cm2/day of UV-A light for 5 days each week, beginning at age 10 weeks. A control group consisted of 20 untreated animals. All UV-A-irradiated mice survived to 32 weeks, compared with 12 of 20 mice in the nonirradiated group (P = 0.0013). Splenomegaly was significantly decreased in the irradiated mice (P less than 0.03). Mice that received UV-A treatment combined with depilation had significantly improved lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin and lipopolysaccharide and significantly decreased levels of anti-DNA antibodies compared with mice that received neither treatment. Reductions in spleen size and anti-DNA antibody titer were significantly correlated with improved parameters of lymphocyte function. These results suggest that a relatively small dose of UV-A exerts significant therapeutic action in murine lupus, perhaps through an effect on immunologic regulation.
Commentary: tuberculosis in New York City--the consequences and lessons of failure.

The resurgent tuberculosis epidemic represents--especially in New York City--a failure to maintain a public health infrastructure that was focused on preventing active disease in high-risk populations (i.e., individuals with the human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]) and on treating active tuberculosis patients until cured. Although the tuberculosis problem in New York City and other localities is worsened by homelessness, poverty, and substance abuse, it is possible to bring tuberculosis under control by directing public health resources into targeted programs that enhance compliance with tuberculosis treatment regimen and expand chemoprophylaxis efforts among HIV-infected individuals. These two avenues will decrease, respectively, the number of cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and the total number of new cases.
A developmental database to support insect phenology models

Abstract Insect phenology models are widely used for decision support in pest management and more recently in phytosanitary risk assessments. The development of generic and flexible modeling tools means that phenology models can be quickly created using an insect's developmental threshold temperatures and degree-day requirements. To assist scientists and field practioners in the rapid development and deployment of phenology models, an Insect Development Database containing the developmental requirements for over 500 insect species was created.
CALCIUM-DEPENDENT BINDING OF THE PLASMA PROTEIN APOLIPOPROTEIN A-I TO TWO MEMBERS OF THE ANNEXIN FAMILY

Affinity chromatography with purified annexins coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B was used to determine the capacity of proteins found in cytosolic fractions of the bovine adrenal medulla to bind to an immobilized annexin in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Several proteins were eluted from a recombinant annexin I column in the presence of 2 mM EGTA, including protein kinase C (PKC), members of the annexin family, and a 26 kDa protein that appeared as the most prominent band on SDS-PAGE. The identities of PKC, annexin I, annexin IV, annexin VI, and annexin VII were confirmed by Western blotting. The 26 kDa protein was purified by anion exchange chromatography on a Poros Q column and determined to be apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) by peptide sequencing. Comigration of apoA-I and chromobindin 2 on two-dimensional gels identified apoA-I as chromobindin 2. Overlay assays were performed to verify the apoA-I-annexin I interaction using apoA-I immobilized on nitrocellulose and annexin I in solution with binding detected using anti-annexin I antiserum. Additionally, the ability of biotin-labeled apoA-I in solution to bind to several purified annexins immobilized on nitrocellulose was determined by detection with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated avidin. Using these methods, it was shown that both annexin I and annexin VII bind to bovine apoA-I in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Other annexins, such as annexin IV and annexin VI, do not exhibit this binding. The results suggest that certain annexins may function as extracellular binding sites for plasma proteins.