cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure and Life Cycle of Trypanoplasma beckeri sp. n. (Kinetoplastida), a Parasite of the Cabezon, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus, in Oregon Coastal Waters*,†

SYNOPSIS. Structure of Trypanoplasma beckeri sp. n. from the cabezon, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (Ayres), is described from living specimens and from both Giemsa-, and protargol-stained smears. Flagellates from fish blood were usually long and slender, averaging 109.0 × 6.5 fan. The anterior flagellum averaged 8.5 μm; the recurrent flagellum bordered the body and terminated as a very short free flagellum, 2.5 μm long on the average. No true undulating membrane was observed, but in living individuals the recurrent flagellum undulated rapidly near its point of origin. The oval nucleus, averaging 8.5 × 4.0 μm, was located near the anterior cad of the body. An argentophilic, aciculum-like structure appeared to connect the nucleus to the area at the base of the flagella. The kinetoplast was not observed in fish blood forms. On the basis of laboratory experiments, the leech, Malmiana diminuta Burreson, was ascertained to be the vector for T. beckeri. Upon entry into the leech, flagellates became rounded, and division commenced within a few hours. Division continued for ˜48 h and the flagellates became progressively smaller until reaching a length of ˜10.0 μm. After 72 h they were found in high numbers in the proboscis sheath and also in the anterior crop of the leech. When infected leeches fed on an uninfected fish, flagellates were first observed in the fishes’ peripheral circulation 8 days later.
C4d/CD34 double-immunofluorescence staining of renal allograft biopsies for assessing peritubular capillary C4d positivity

Immunofluorescence detection of the complement split product C4d along peritubular capillaries in renal allograft biopsies is the mainstay for the diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection. The extent of peritubular capillary C4d positivity may have significant clinical ramifications; however, peritubular capillary density in the renal cortex is often difficult to assess with single-channel immunofluorescence. In this study, we report a C4d/CD34 double-immunofluorescence staining protocol for renal allograft frozen sections that allows rapid and sensitive detection of C4d positivity, as well as improved accuracy in estimating the C4d-positive fraction of peritubular capillaries. In addition, this method aids in determining whether C4d-positive structures correspond to peritubular capillaries or whether they represent common mimics of peritubular capillaries such as tubular basement membranes. C4d/CD34 double immunofluorescence provides rapid, convenient, and low-cost implementation for laboratories currently utilizing single-channel C4d immunofluorescence.
Metabolism, energetics, and lipid biology in the podocyte - cellular cholesterol-mediated glomerular injury

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a high risk of death. Dyslipidemia is commonly observed in patients with CKD and is accompanied by a decrease in plasma high-density lipoprotein, and an increase in plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and oxidized lipids. The observation that statins may decrease albuminuria but do not stop the progression of CKD indicates that pathways other than the cholesterol synthesis contribute to cholesterol accumulation in the kidneys of patients with CKD. Recently, it has become clear that increased lipid influx and impaired reverse cholesterol transport can promote glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial damage. Lipid-rafts are cholesterol-rich membrane domains with important functions in regulating membrane fluidity, membrane protein trafficking, and in the assembly of signaling molecules. In podocytes, which are specialized cells of the glomerulus, they contribute to the spatial organization of the slit diaphragm (SD) under physiological and pathological conditions. The discovery that podocyte-specific proteins such as podocin can bind and recruit cholesterol contributing to the formation of the SD underlines the importance of cholesterol homeostasis in podocytes and suggests cholesterol as an important regulator in the development of proteinuric kidney disease. Cellular cholesterol accumulation due to increased synthesis, influx, or decreased efflux is an emerging concept in podocyte biology. This review will focus on the role of cellular cholesterol accumulation in the pathogenesis of kidney diseases with a focus on glomerular diseases.
Role of interstrand loops in the formation of intramolecular cross‐β‐sheets by homopolymino acids

A matrix treatment of the formation of intramolecular anti-parallel β-sheets from a statistical coil has been extended to incorporate interstrand loops of arbitrary size. The behavior of the model is compared with a simpler version in which all pairs of contiguous strands were connected by β-bends. When large interstrand loops are allowed, there are many more types of sheets than is the case when all contiguous strands must be connected by tight or β-bends. For this reason, the larger interstrand loops make it easier to introduce the initial sheet into a statistical coil, and the sheet content is enhanced in the early stages of stages of sheet formation (i.e., at small values of the growth parameter t). As the transition continues (i.e., as t increases), a stage will be reached where occupancy of the statistical coil state is negligible because nearly all residues are in sheets or interstrand loops. Now, additional sheet formation can be accomplished only at the expense of residues in the interior of interstrand loops. For this reason, the larger interstrand loops make it more difficult to complete the final stages of sheet formation. These effects are especially dramatic in the formation of cross-β-sheets.
Modeling of Ceramic Particle Heating and Melting in a Microwave Plasma

A comprehensive model based on finite volume method was developed to analyze the heat-up and the melting of ceramic particles injected into a microwave excited laminar air plasma flow field. Plasma flow field was simulated as a hot gas flow generated by volumetric heat addition in the microwave coupling region, resulting in a temperature of 6000 K. Alumina and zirconia particles of different diameters were injected into the axisymmetric laminar plasma flow at different injection velocities and locations. Additionally, noncontinuum effects, variation of transport properties of plasma surrounding the spherical particles and absorption of microwave radiation in the ceramic particles were considered in the model. Model predictions suggest that zirconia and alumina particles with diameters less than 50 μm can be effectively melted in a microwave plasma and can produce more uniform melt states. Microwave plasma environment with the ability to inject particles into the plasma core provide the opportunity to create more uniform melt states as compared with dc arc plasmas that are influenced by characteristic arc root fluctuations and turbulent dispersions.
Finite-size study of the ground-state energy, susceptibility, and spin-wave velocity for the Heisenberg antiferromagnet.

The Green's-function Monte Carlo (GFMC) method is used to calculate very accurate ground-state energies of the two-dimensional, spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet. The computations are performed on {ital L}{times}{ital L} square lattices up to {ital L}=16 with varying uniform magnetization, which allows the extraction of the perpendicular susceptibility ({chi}) and spin-wave velocity ({ital c}). These two quantities are the lattice- or cutoff-dependent parameters that allow one to map the long-wavelength properties of the antiferromagnet onto the nonlinear {sigma} model and so are of general interest. Systematic errors present in previous GFMC calculations are addressed and corrected to yield results in excellent agreement with other numerical methods. I find, for the ground-state energy per site, {minus}0.669 34(3); the susceptibility renormalization factor, {ital Z}{sub {chi}}=0.535(5); and the spin-wave velocity renormalization factor, {ital Z}{sub {ital c}}=1.10(3). Finite-size effects in the extraction of {ital Z}{sub {ital c}} and {ital Z}{sub {chi}} are discussed. The value of {ital Z}{sub {chi}} computed here is in agreement with the series-expansion results of Singh and of Zheng, Oitmaa, and Hamer, thereby clearing up a previous inconsistency between the series-expansion and quantum Monte Carlo predictions.
Incremental Anomaly Detection in Graphs

The advantage of graph-based anomaly detection is that the relationships between elements can be analyzed for structural oddities that could represent activities such as fraud, network intrusions, or suspicious associations in a social network. However, current approaches to detecting anomalies in graphs are computationally expensive and do not scale to large graphs. For instance, in the case of computer network traffic, a graph representation of the traffic might consist of nodes representing computers and edges representing communications between the corresponding computers. However, computer network traffic is typically voluminous, or acquired in real-time as a stream of information. In this work, we describe methods for graph-based anomaly detection via graph partitioning and windowing, and demonstrate their ability to efficiently detect anomalies in data represented as a graph.
Depth and surface roughness control on laser micromachined polyimide for direct-write deposition

We are examining surface characteristics of ultraviolet pulsed-laser micromachined structures in polymide as a function of the incident laser energy and the distance between subsequent laser spots in order to prepare surfaces for laser direct-write deposition of metals. Variations in the spot-to-spot translation distance provide an alternative means of average depth and roughness control when compared to fluence changes and focal distance variations. We find that the average depth is proportional to the inverse of the translation distance, while the root mean square surface roughness reaches a minimum when the translation distance is approximately equal to the full width half maximum of a single ablation mark on the surface. Conductive silver metal lines are deposited on the surface machined features demonstrating the ability to produce conductors with good adhesion over stepped structures on polyimide.
Wind–water hybrid system for power generation using still waters

Abstract The demand for fresh water resources is accelerating with the increasing population trends, the planners and policy makers have great concern with the depleting fresh water resources to meet the scarcity in coming future. Global warming is also a documented threat and causing sea level rise with the extra flow of water from glaciers through rivers. Hydro power is usually produced using flowing water from elevated level to the lower level, and sometimes water needs to be passed through the dams without any consideration if it is required for irrigation or not. Here, an innovative approach is presented to produce electricity using still/standing water in dams, lakes or ponds. The focal point of the report is to establish a wind–water hybrid system for power generation and recycling of same water without directing it towards oceans. This technology can be helpful to produce electricity from still waters, to use wind turbines in low windy areas and to promote existing tidal energy technologies.
Visual structure and the integration of form and color information.

Recent evidence challenges the view that attention acts on the outputs of early filters dedicated to processing motion, color, and orientation. Instead, "proto-objects" specified by shading, depth, direction of lighting, and surface information are thought to provide input to attentional processing. These findings are extended here to the parsing of occlusion-based contours. Multicolored occlusion structures were briefly presented and illusory conjunctions measured More illusory conjunctions were made to structures in which color was inconsistent with form information, a result that can be explained by a property of the visual system that biases the integration of color to be consistent with form. Results show that this constraint was based on global structural descriptions rather than the local information provided by T-junctions and collinearity. Together, these results offer a new tool for the study of the binding problem in vision.
Modeling Density Contributions in Preceramic Polymer/Ceramic Powder Systems

A model is presented that examines the mixing of ceramic powders with preceramic polymer binders that are converted to ceramic material on pyrolysis. Such polymer/powder systems, which have applications in the compaction of both SiC and Si3N4 powders, can be effective in increasing the green density of die-pressed bodies. This model examines the relative importance of various physical parameters of the components of the system in maximizing the green density of the resulting pyrolyzed body.
Drift pumice at Christmas Island and Hawaii: evidence of oceanic dispersal patterns

The use of pumice as a geological tracer for oceanic dispersal patterns was evaluated by comparing the elemental signatures of drift pumice collected from Christmas Island and Hawaii in relation to prevailing oceanic currents and pumice source areas. Both sites lie in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, far from sources of volcanic pumice. Hawaii lies in the persistent westward-flowing North Equatorial Current. Christmas Island, in contrast, is influenced by the highly variable westward-flowing South Equatorial Current and the eastward-flowing Equatorial Counter Current. Pumice is very abundant at Christmas Island in the beach drift. Pumice from Christmas Island is derived from the western Pacific Ocean (Krakatau), southwestern Pacific Ocean (Tonga Trench), east Pacific Ocean (Mexico), South Atlantic Ridge and an unknown source. In contrast, pumice is rare in Hawaii. Pumice from Hawaii originates primarily from the South Sandwich Islands, Mexico (Isla San Benedicto) and Krakatau. The currents that control dispersal of pumice also control dispersal of larvae and rafted organisms. Christmas Island has a higher coral diversity (31 genera, 81 species) than Hawaii (17 genera, 50 species). Hawaii receives only small amounts of pumice drift from a limited area to the east and has a more restricted coral diversity, while Christmas receives massive amounts of pumice (and presumably larvae and rafted organisms) from the area of high coral diversity to the west.
Hydromagnetic scale analysis at Earth's core-mantle boundary

Scale analysis of the MHD equations appropriate to the surface layers of the Earth's outer core is used to understand why the peak amplitude of the geomagnetic field on the core-mantle boundary (CMB), B 0 , is some 8 gauss, corresponding to an Alfven speed of at least 200 km/yr in the core; and why the horizontal fluid motion just beneath the CMB reaches a typical speed, υ 0 , of only about 30 km/yr. The scale analysis reveals that B 0 ∼ (ρ 0 W/σ 0 ) 1/2 and υ 0 ∼ (Ω/μ 0 2 s 0 2 c) 1/3 where ρ 0 , μ 0 , σ 0 , Ω and c, are respectively, the density of the core at its surface, its magnetic permeability, electrical conductivity, angular velocity, and radius. Customary estimates of these five geophysical parameters yield B 0 ∼ 12 gauss, υ 0 ∼ 12 km/yr.
Hemorrhagic Shock One Month Following Uncomplicated Liver Transplantation

A 46-year-old Caucasian man with Laennec’s cirrhosis underwent orthotopic liver transplant with duct-to-duct reconstruction performed over an 8 French infant feeding tube. His day 1 hepatic Doppler was normal. He enjoyed an uncomplicated postoperative course and was discharged to home on day 7 with normal allograft function. One month following transplantation, he was evaluated in the emergency department for syncope during which he sustained a jaw fracture. The patient complained of a week history of progressive dizziness and weakness as well as diffuse epigastric and periumbilical pain. Initial vital signs were temperature 97.4 F, pulse rate 108, respirations 20 and blood pressure 108/66. Physical examination revealed abdominal tenderness and an obvious jaw deformity. The following laboratories were obtained (compared with values obtained 2 days prior): white blood cell 26.6 (11.9), hematocrit 29% (34), platelet count 197 (196), serum chemistries were normal, blood-urea-nitrogen/creatinine ratio 40/1.5 (39/1.3), aspartate aminotransferase 147 (19), alanine aminotransferase 94 (29), alkaline phosphatase 266 (212), gammaglutamyltransferase 452 (269) and total bilirubin 2.2 (1.0). CT scan demonstrated a round hyperdensity area at the porta hepatis on the IV contrast images (Figure 1). There also was evidence of contrast material in the small bowel despite the lack of oral contrast administration. Preparations were made for emergent operative exploration. However, he experienced massive hematemesis and expired despite intensive resuscitative efforts. Figure 1 CT of the abdomen shows a collection in the porta hepatis/gallbladder fossa that represents a hematoma (labeled H) Postmortem examination revealed large amounts of blood in the gastrointestinal tract and also the peritoneal cavity. The arterial and biliary anastomoses were anatomically adjacent to each other. The arterial anastomosis was dilated, paper-thin and disrupted. Probing of the arterial anastomosis revealed a fistulous tract that communicated with the bile duct anastomosis. Microscopically, acute and chronic inflammation and focal necrosis were demonstrated in the disrupted hepatic artery wall. Abundant fungi (Candida species) were seen in the wall of the hepatic artery. Postmortem blood culture was positive for yeast.
Dilemmas of Femininity: Gender and the Social Construction of Sexual Imagery

This work builds on an interactive, interpretive approach to the study of cultural texts in an investigation of how images of gender and sexuality in music television (MTV) are read by the audience...
Effects of sonication of clinical specimens on detection of cytomegalovirus in shell vial cultures

Abstract Background: The centrifugation-enhanced shell vial (SV) method of virus culturing has decreased the time to laboratory detection of many viruses, and has become the principal method for the rapid detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in clinical specimens. Objectives: To examine the use of sonication and centrifugation of clinical specimens as a means of optimizing the sensitivity of SV detection of CMV, decreasing the toxicity of specimens to the SV monolayer, and facilitating the examination and interpretation of SV monolayers. Study design: A total of 350 clinical specimens submitted for CMV culture were processed and then divided in half, with one-half sonicated for 1 min in a cup-horn-equipped sonicator, and the other half left unsonicated. Sonicated specimens were centrifuged to recover a cell-free supernatant. SVs containing MRC-5 fibroblast monolayers were inoculated with either the unsonicated whole specimen or the cell-free supernatant, and were stained with monoclonal antibodies directed against the immediate-early antigen of CMV after 24 and 48 h of incubation. Results: While no significant difference was observed in the overall number of specimens in which CMV was detected following sonication, sonication did afford a 31% increase in the number of CMV-positive specimens detected at 24 h. A significant reduction in toxicity of all specimens except for blood was observed for the sonicated specimens, although sonication of blood increased the number of blood specimens toxic to the monolayer by 40%. Use of the cell-free inoculum following sonication facilitated microscopic examination and interpretation of SV monolayers without adversely affecting the sensitivity of the culture. Conclusions: Sonication of clinical specimens prior to shell vial culturing for CMV is beneficial and can help to reduce specimen toxicity, facilitate interpretation of monolayers, and allow the earlier detection of a positive specimen.
Headache and Acute Stroke

Disorders associated with prominent headaches, such as migraine with aura and cerebral arterial and venous diseases, increase the risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Central nervous system vasculitis, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, and cerebral venous thrombosis are all disorders associated with severe or persistent headache in which the risk for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke is increased. Hemorrhagic strokes, more frequently than ischemic strokes, present with distinct headaches, usually accompanied by focal neurological symptoms. Pregnancy, and especially the postpartum period, is a time of overlap between new-onset headache and stroke risk.
A Rare Presentation of Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Prostatic abscess is a rarely described condition and is commonly caused by gram-negative organisms such as enterobacteria. However, as the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increases in the community, unusual infections due to this organism have been recently published. In this report, we describe a patient with diabetes mellitus type 2, who presents with diabetic ketoacidosis—later found to be due to a prostatic abscess from which MRSA was cultured.
Racial Segregation among Postsecondary Workers

This article examines the racial composition and degree ofjob segregation among current and recently hired employees in U.S.four-year colleges and universities. After describing aggregate level patterns of black representation by job category, a contextual analysis identifies organizational conditions under which the racial segregation of postsecondary workers is most, and least, severe. Hypotheses are derived from different views of the forces shaping racial patterns in the workplace: organizational constraints on institutionalized discrimination, geographic location relative to local and national labor pools of black workers, and interinstitutional competition to attract relatively scarce black doctorate holders. Results highlight the role of local black populations in black representation at all employment levels and show smaller effects of internal and external institutional factors that may help curb discrimination: large size, formalization, public sponsorship, and reliance on federal sources of revenue. Measures of an institution's competitive position have small and inconsistent effects. Implications for the status of black workers in colleges and universities are discussed.
The neuropsychology and neuroanatomy of bipolar affective disorder: a critical review

Objectives: To present a comprehensive review of the existing neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature on bipolar affective disorder. This review critically evaluates two common conceptions regarding the neuropsychology of bipolar disorder: 1) that, in contrast to schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder is not associated with general cognitive impairment independent of illness episodes, and 2) relative right hemisphere (RH) dysfunction is implicated in bipolar illness patients, supported by reports of relatively greater impairment in visuospatial functioning, lateralization abnormalities, and mania secondary to RH lesions. Methods: The major computerized databases (Medline and PSYCInfo) were consulted in order to conduct a comprehensive, integrated review of the literature on the neuropsychology and neuroanatomy of bipolar disorder. Articles meeting specified criteria were included in this review. Results: In a critical evaluation of the above notions, this paper determines that: 1) while there is little evidence for selective RH dysfunction, significant cognitive impairment may be present in bipolar illness, particularly in a subgroup of chronic, elderly or multiple-episode patients, suggesting a possible toxic disease process, and 2) the underlying functional correlate of these cognitive deficits may be white matter lesions (‘signal hyperintensities’) in the frontal lobes and basal ganglia, regions critical for executive function, attention, speeded information processing, learning and memory, and affect regulation. While this hypothesized neural correlate of cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder is speculative, preliminary functional neuroimaging evidence supports the notion of frontal and subcortical hypometabolism in bipolar illness. Conclusions: The etiology of the structural brain abnormalities commonly seen in bipolar illness, and their corresponding functional deficits, remains unknown. It is possible that neurodevelopmental anomalies may play a role, and it remains to be determined whether there is also some pathophysiological progression that occurs with repeated illness episodes. More research is needed on first-episode patients, relatives of bipolar probands, and within prospective longitudinal paradigms in order to isolate disease-specific impairments and genetic markers of neurocognitive function in bipolar disorder.
Observation of Electron Standing Waves in a Crystalline Box

We have observed electron standing-wave states in thin Pb films by electron tunneling. The simple theory includes the important fact that oriented crystalline films will vary in thickness only by discrete steps. As a result, certain "commensurate" energy levels play an important role in the experiment.
Potential for Development of Antibiotic Resistance in Pathogenic Treponemes

Penicillin has been widely used for many years for the treatment of yaws and other human treponematoses without the emergence of penicillin-resistant treponemal strains. However, experience with various bacterial pathogens serves to emphasize that resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics can suddenly appear after decades of exquisite sensitivity. The finding of plasmid DNA in at least one strain of Treponema pallidum, the reporting of several instances in which antibiotic treatment of syphilis has failed, and the demonstration that a recent clinical isolate of T. pallidum is resistant to erythromycin indicate that the pathogenic treponemes do have the potential to develop antibiotic resistance. Although it is impossible to predict when antibiotic resistance might become a significant problem in dealing with infections caused by these organisms, the vigorous pursuit of alternatives to antibiotic therapy for the control of human treponematoses seems prudent.
Do We Understand Heterojunction Band Discontinuities

Abstract The recent months have brought important developments in the understanding and control of heterojunction band discontinuities. At least one linear theory is now able to reach the general accuracy limit underlying all linear models. A correlation was found between discontinuities and Schottky barrier heights, as predicted by several theoretical approaches. The first control of the band discontinuities was independently achieved at AT&T Bell Laboratories and in Wisconsin.
Prehospital Pain Management: Current Status and Future Direction

Despite the recommendations of various professional organizations and evidence on the deleterious effects of untreated pain, inadequate pain management or oligoanalgesia remains a common problem in the prehospital setting. The literature has identified several barriers to adequate prehospital care, and researchers have attempted to address these barriers. Thus far, it appears that education and change in prehospital patient care protocols can improve prehospital pain management. However, there remain too many unanswered questions. The published data on the impact of protocol changes and education did not appear to address all of the identified barriers or address the needs of the pediatric population. In addition, there is pediatric data on appropriate tools for prehospital pain assessment. Finally, there is a dire need to evaluate new and novel analgesic agents that may be delivered via nontraditional routes.
The Georgia Centenarian Study

This paper presents the theoretical rationale, hypotheses, models, and methods and procedure of the Georgia Centenarian Study, an interdisciplinary study of the oldest-old.
Extracting geographic knowledge from sensor intervention data using spatial association rules

Large networks of sensors are used to detect intrusions and provide security at the borders of the United States. Sensor signals are used to detect possible intrusions such as illegal immigration traffic in drugs, weapons, and smuggled goods at specific targeted geographic locations. GIS systems can be used to capture, store and analyze this location based intervention data. Using a GIS system, a spatial database can be generated from the sensor intervention data which can take into account relevant geographic information in the vicinity of the sensed interventions. Important geographic features that are close to the intervention locations such as: plateaus, hills, valleys or roadways can be extracted and added to the analysis using ArcGIS. GIS techniques alone cannot reveal meaningful hidden information within geographic data. We have developed an integrated approach involving data mining and GIS techniques to extract patterns and trends in geographic data that can aid and inform analysis. Our approach uses both spatial and association data mining techniques. Spatial data mining is the process of discovering previously unknown, interesting and potentially useful patterns from spatial datasets. Applying association rule mining to the spatial data can reveal additional important spatial relationships and help determine the relevance and importance of the sensor data. Spatial association rule mining was used to discover patterns in the intervention data, such as linking a sensed intrusion with a potentially hidden location such as a canyon, to infer a high probability of illegal traffic or immigration.
Vagal afferents contribute to exacerbated airway responses following ozone and allergen challenge.

Abstract Brown-Norway rats (n = 113) sensitized and challenged with nDer f 1 allergen were used to examine the contribution of lung sensory nerves to ozone (O3) exacerbation of asthma. Prior to their third challenge rats inhaled 1.0 ppm O3 for 8 h. There were three groups: (1) control; (2) vagus perineural capsaicin treatment (PCT) with or without hexamethonium; and (3) vagotomy. O3 inhalation resulted in a significant increase in lung resistance (RL) and an exaggerated response to subsequent allergen challenge. PCT abolished the O3-induced increase in RL and significantly reduced the increase in RL induced by a subsequent allergen challenge, while hexamethonium treatment reestablished bronchoconstriction induced by allergen challenge. Vagotomy resulted in a significant increase in the bronchoconstriction induced by O3 inhalation and subsequent challenge with allergen. In this model of O3 exacerbation of asthma, vagal C-fibers initiate reflex bronchoconstriction, vagal myelinated fibers initiate reflex bronchodilation, and mediators released within the airway initiate bronchoconstriction.
A Defined Pathway to Teach and Credential Safe Robotic Thoracic Surgery

Robotic surgery is growing in popularity and is an important tool in the armamentarium of the modern cardiothoracic surgeon. The successful development of a robotic general thoracic surgery program begins with appropriate surgeon and team selection. The process of learning how to independently complete operations entirely with a robotic approach depends on a step by step progression of collection of skills and teamwork. The process begins with optimal patient selection, realistic expectations for the first several cases, dedicated robotic time of at least one day a week, and a progression toward competent and safe robotic thoracic surgery. Simpler operations are mastered first; complex operations are broken up into multiple steps of increasing difficulty and risk, which are learned in succession. Adverse events can be avoided and safety maximized by adhering to basic rules of engagement and attending basic and advanced courses that teach teams and not just surgeons. Smooth conduct of the operation can be achieved with practice and using troubleshooting maneuvers when needed and by learning from the mistakes of others.
Studies on pyruvate carboxylase in rat and human liver.

Abstract Pyruvate carboxylase in rat and human liver was assayed by a sensitive and specific [2-14C]pyruvate-oxaloacetate exchange reaction. The final product [2-14C]-aspartate was identified by high-voltage electrophoresis and autoradiography. Studies on the subcellular distribution of pyruvate carboxylase indicated that the majority, if not the entire enzyme activity, was located in the mitochondrial fraction of both rat and human liver. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was identified in both the mitochondrial and cytosol fractions of human liver which is in contrast to the specific cytosol location in rat liver. The activity of pyruvate carboxylase in rat-liver mitochondria and cytosol was not influenced by the production of alloxan diabetes.
Left Ventricular Preejection Period and Ejection Time in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

The phases of systole were measured in 51 patients with acute myocardial infarction and three control groups: (1) a group of 40 patients without heart disease, (2) a group of 23 patients admitted to a coronary care unit for chest pain, who did not have an acute myocardial infarction, and (3) a group of 16 patients with stable angina pectoris and arteriographically proven coronary atherosclerosis. In addition, serial measurements were made in the acute myocardial infarction group. Total electricalmechanical systole (QS2), the preejection period (PEP), and left ventricular ejection time (LVET) were measured in each patient from simultaneous recordings of the ECG, phonocardiogram, and carotid pulse tracing. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures and QRS duration were also measured. Corrections were made for heart rate where appropriate. The average PEP was elevated on the first day of myocardial infarction but was within normal limits thereafter. The LVET and QS2 were significantly shortened until the fo...
Some Notes on Parallel Computing: With Special Reference to Transportation and Land-Use Modeling

As a reponse to the suggestions of D E Boyce in a recent editorial in this journal these notes explore the use of supercomputers in the application of land-use and transportation, models. Several models are tested in a preliminary way but in some detail against several possible configurations of parallel computers.
Pegmatite genesis: state of the art

No one universally accepted model of pegmatite genesis has yet emerged that satisfactorily explains all the diverse features of granitic pegmatites. Genesis from residual melts derived from the crystallization of granitic plutons is favoured by most researchers. Incompatible components, fluxes, volatiles and rare elements, are enriched in the residual melts. The presence of fluxes and volatiles, which lower the crystallization temperature, decrease nucleation rates, melt polymerization and viscosity, and increase diffusion rates and solubility, are considered to be critical to the development of large crystals. A number of new concepts have shed light on problems related to pegmatite genesis. Cooling rates calculated from thermal cooling models demonstrate that shallow-level pegmatites cool radically more rapidly than previously believed. Rapid cooling rates for pegmatites represent a quantum shift from the widely held view that the large crystals found in pegmatites are the result of very slow rates of cooling and crystal growth. Experimental and field evidence both suggest that undercooling and disequilibrium crystallization dominate pegmatite crystallization. London’s constitutional zone refining model of pegmatite evolution involves disequilibrium crystallization from an undercooled, flux-bearing granitic melt. The melt is not necessarily flux–rich and the model does not require the presence of an aqueous vapor phase. Experimental studies of volatile- and flux-rich melts and fluid inclusion studies suggest that volatile-rich silicate melts may persist to temperatures well below 500 °C and even down to 350 °C. Studies of melt inclusions and fluid inclusions have led some researchers to suggest that the role of immiscible fluids must be considered in any model regarding pegmatite genesis. Fluid saturation is thought to occur early in the crystallization history of pegmatites. Two types of melt inclusions along with primary fluid inclusions have been found coexisting in pegmatite minerals. Advances by Petr Cerný in pegmatite classification are in wide use and the fractionation trends of Nb, Ta and other HFSE and K, Rb, Cs, Li, Ga and Tl are now well understood. How pegmatitic melts are produced, the types of source rocks involved and how melt generation relates to plate tectonic models are challenging areas for future investigations. Also, the roles of regional zoning, anatexis, and chemical quenching in pegmatite genesis are areas for future pegmatite research.
System Integration Issues For 10 Gbyte, Unformatted Optical Disk

The RCA Optical Disk Jukeboxes (ODJ) delivered in 1984 and 1985 use unformatted, write-once 14-inch Du Pont media. This media can store 10 GBytes on one side of the disk. Unformatted media allows maximum utilization of the disk surface and makes it easy to use alternate types of media on the ODJ. Media formulation changes are more easily accommodated, allowing more freedom in media advancements. Because the media is unformatted, the amount of data which can be stored on the disk will vary, depending on the way it is used. Record sessions of less than 10-100 MBytes reduce the amount of data stored on the disk. This paper gives data on the media capacity vs. record session length and discusses how this impacts system integration issues. File access times, access rates and transfer rates are given for the first ODJ as delivered and for the most recent ODJ in our laboratory when using the Hyper ChannelTM interface to a VAXTM computer.
Efficient algorithms for incremental all pairs shortest paths, closeness and betweenness in social network analysis

One of the biggest challenges in today’s social network analysis (SNA) is handling dynamic data. Real-world social networks evolve with time, forcing their corresponding graph representations to dynamically update by addition or deletion of edges/nodes. Consequently, a researcher is often interested in fast recomputation of important SNA metrics pertaining to a network. Recomputations of SNA metrics are expensive. Use of dynamic algorithms has been found as a solution to this problem. For calculating closeness and betweenness centrality metrics, computations of all pairs shortest paths (APSP) are needed. Thus, to compute these SNA metrics dynamically, APSP are needed to be computed dynamically. This paper presents fast incremental updating algorithms along with the time complexity results for APSP, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality, considering two distinct cases: edge addition and node addition. The following time complexity results are presented: (1) The incremental APSP algorithm runs in \(O(n^2)\) time (\(\Omega (n^2)\) is the theoretical lower bound of the APSP problem), (2) The incremental closeness algorithm that runs in \(O(n^2)\) time, and (3) The incremental betweenness algorithm runs in \(O(nm + n^2\, {\mathrm{log}} \, n)\) time. Here, \(m\) is the number of edges and \(n\) is the number of nodes in the network. Though the time complexity of the presented incremental betweenness algorithm is no better than its static counterpart (Brandes, J Math Sociol 25(2):163–177, 2001), the experimental comparisons demonstrate that the former performs better than the latter. All the presented methods are applicable to weighted, directed or undirected graphs with non-negative real-valued edge weights. An alternate version of the incremental APSP algorithm is presented in the Appendix section. It is demonstrated that this version works better on large graphs.
Aldosterone increases the amiloride-sensitivity of the rat gustatory neural response to NaCl

Abstract 1. 1. The percentage inhibition of the chorda tympani neural response to NaCI by topical application of amiloride to the tongue was significantly larger in rats pretreated with aldosterone than in control animals. 2. 2. Adrenalectomized rats pretreated with aldosterone had significantly larger amiloride-induced inhibitions to a NaCl stimulus than did adrenalectomized control animals. 3. 3. These data suggest that aldosterone may increase the number of active amiloride-sensitive sodium channels in the apical membrane of taste cells, as is known to occur in sodium transporting tissues of amphibians and mammals. They additionally represent a previously unnoticed hormonal influence over the gustatory system.
Structure and specificity of a binary tandem domain F-lectin from striped bass (Morone saxatilis).

Abstract The plasma of the striped bass Morone saxatilis contains a fucose-specific lectin (MsaFBP32) that consists of two F-type carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs) in tandem. The crystal structure of the complex of MsaFBP32 with l -fucose reported here shows a cylindrical 81-A-long and 60-A-wide trimer divided into two globular halves: one containing N-terminal CRDs (N-CRDs) and the other containing C-terminal CRDs (C-CRDs). The resulting binding surfaces at the opposite ends of the cylindrical trimer have the potential to cross-link cell surface or humoral carbohydrate ligands. The N-CRDs and C-CRDs of MsaFBP32 exhibit significant structural differences, suggesting that they recognize different glycans. Analysis of the carbohydrate binding sites provides the structural basis for the observed specificity of MsaFBP32 for simple carbohydrates and suggests that the N-CRD recognizes more complex fucosylated oligosaccharides and with a relatively higher avidity than the C-CRD. Modeling of MsaFBP32 complexed with fucosylated glycans that are widely distributed in prokaryotes and eukaryotes rationalizes the observation that binary tandem CRD F-type lectins function as opsonins by cross-linking “non-self” carbohydrate ligands and “self” carbohydrate ligands, such as sugar structures displayed by microbial pathogens and glycans on the surface of phagocytic cells from the host.
Expression of angiopoietin-TIE system components in angiosarcoma

Angiosarcoma is an aggressive malignancy of endothelial differentiation. Potential roles of the endothelial angiopoietin-tunica interna endothelial cell kinase (ANGPT-TIE) system in angiosarcoma diagnosis, pathogenesis, prognosis and treatment are undefined. To examine the expression and prognostic significance of angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2, TIE1 and TEK (TIE2) proteins in angiosarcoma, we immunohistochemically evaluated clinically annotated human angiosarcoma samples. Correlations of protein expression with overall survival and pathological features were explored. The cohort included 51 patients diagnosed with angiosarcoma at the age of 30-86 years (median 67). The 5-year overall survival was 45% with a median of 26 months. Moderate to strong expression of angiopoietin-1, TIE1 and TEK (TIE2) was identified in the majority of angiosarcomas and moderate to strong expression of angiopoietin-2 was observed in 42% of angiosarcomas. Increased angiopoietin-1 expression correlated with improved survival. Non-significant trends toward longer survival were also observed with increased TIE1 and TEK (TIE2) expression. Increased expression of angiopoietin-2, TIE1 and TEK (TIE2) was associated with vasoformative architecture. No differences in expression of these proteins were observed when patients were segregated by age, gender, presence or absence of metastases at diagnosis, primary tumor location, radiation association or the presence of necrosis. We conclude that components of the ANGPT-TIE system are commonly expressed in angiosarcomas. Reduced expression of these proteins is associated with non-vasoformative and clinically more aggressive lesions.
Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) Assessment in a Gas Processing Plant

A Saudi Aramco Gas processing Plant commissioned in 1980 to process wet sour gas streams and produce dry sweet sales gas in addition Natural Gas Liquid (NGL). A detailed assessment study was conducted in this plant pertaining to Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC).
Exposure factors resources: contrasting EPA’s Exposure Factors Handbook with international sources

Exposure factors resources: contrasting EPA’s Exposure Factors Handbook with international sources
Synthesis of ordered Al3Nb intermetallic by mechanical alloying

The solid-state powder processing technique of mechanical alloying (MA) has been employed to synthesize a variety of alloy phases starting from either blended elemental or prealloyed powders. These include supersaturated solid solutions, crystalline and quasicrystalline intermediate phases, and metallic glasses. Very often the crystalline phases produced have nanometer-sized grains. It has been shown earlier that a number of intermetallics can be synthesized either directly by MA or on subsequent heat treatment of mechanically alloyed powders starting from blended elemental powders. However, even those few examples when an intermetallic compound is synthesized directly by MA, the crystal structure has been found to be disordered. The authors report the first instance of synthesis of the ordered Al[sub 3]Nb compound directly by MA starting from blended elemental powders.
Depression and Heart Rate Variability in Patients With Stable Coronary Heart Disease: Findings From the Heart and Soul Study

Context Depression is associated with low heart rate variability (HRV) in patients following myocardial infarction, suggesting that alterations in the autonomic nervous system may contribute to the adverse cardiac outcomes associated with depression. Whether depression is associated with low HRV in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) is not known. Objective To examine the association between major depression and 24-hour HRV in patients with stable CHD. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional study of 873 outpatients with stable CHD recruited from outpatient clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Main Outcome Measures Major depression was assessed using the Computerized National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Heart rate variability was measured by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography. Results A total of 195 participants (22%) had major depression. Overall, we observed no association between depression and HRV as measured by time domain or frequency domain variables. Mean HRV was similar in participants with and without depression (all P values >.10), and participants with depression were no more likely than those without depression to have low HRV (all P values >.10). Conclusions We found no evidence of an association between depression and HRV in 873 outpatients with stable CHD. These findings raise questions about the potential role of HRV in the association between depression and cardiovascular disease.
Formate Oxidation and Oxygen Reduction by Leaf Mitochondria

Mitochondria isolated from the leaves of several plant species were investigated for the presence of NAD-linked formate dehydrogenase. The NADH produced was oxidized by the electron transport sequence and was coupled to ATP synthesis. The amounts of formate dehydrogenase, and, thereby, the capacity for formate-dependent O2 uptake, varied greatly among species. While no activity was detectable in mitochondria from soybean leaves, the rate of formate oxidation by spinach mitochondria was about one-half the rate of malate oxidation. In spinach, only mitochondria from green tissues oxidized formate. These last two observations raise questions as to the role of this reaction and the possible sources of the formate metabolized.