cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts

In 2005, Dennis Meissner and Mark Greene published “More Product, Less Process” (MPLP) in the American Archivist.1 For some, the article became a manifesto: a call to arms against the archival prog...
Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies to an automated chemiluminescent serological immunoassay.

Introduction Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) are capable of binding to a virus to render it incapable of infection. The ability of commercially available SARS-CoV-2 serological tests to detect NAbs has not been widely reported. We sought to correlate the antibodies detected by an automated chemiluminescent immunoassay with NAbs. Methods Residual serum samples from 35 patients that had a positive antibody test using the LIAISON® SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG chemiluminescent immunoassay and 2 antibody-negative control sera were tested for NAbs using a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Results NAbs were detected in 66% (23/35) of the antibody-positive samples. The immunoassay signal value ranged from 21.7 to 131.3 AU/mL (median, 90.5) with significant correlation between it and the PRNT (r = 0.61, P = 0.002). In the samples without NAbs, the immunoassay signal ranged from 16.3 to 66.2 AU/mL (median, 27.2). An immunoassay signal cutoff of >41 AU/mL was 91% sensitive and 92% specific for the detection of NAbs. Discussion It is important that correlates of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 be identified and NAbs are considered to be central indicators of such. PRNT is the gold-standard test for identifying NAbs but it cannot be used for large-scale testing of populations. It is necessary to establish relationships between it and widely used commercial serological assays for SARS-CoV-2.
Afterword: inserting social justice into professional development

I have spent the last few months thinking about how educators – at all levels of our systems – confuse the words equality, equity, fairness, social justice, inclusion, and excellence. I believe tha...
Clinical Reasoning: A 7-year-Old Boy with Acute Onset Altered Mental Status.

A 7-year-old boy presented with acute-onset headache, vomiting, and confusion during summer. Two months previously, he developed right thigh pain, causing intermittent limping. Three days before admission, he developed headache; 1 day later, he experienced fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. On the day of presentation, symptoms included behavioral change (showered 15 times), unsteadiness, and new palmoplantar rash. He presented with confusion and lethargy and was transferred to our facility. His father had a recent gastrointestinal illness, but there were no other sick contacts. There were no recent weight changes, fever, tick/animal exposure, or travel. Past medical history included prior herpes simplex virus (HSV)–positive facial lesion (at 5 years old). The patient took no medications, had no known allergies, was developmentally normal, and was appropriately vaccinated. On general examination, he was somnolent and irritable, and had a palpable right thigh mass and palmar/solar petechiae. Neurologically, he was arousable to light touch, followed only simple midline commands, answered yes/no to orientation questions and responded to all naming questions with “I don't know.” Cranial nerves were intact. He had normal muscle bulk/tone and at least 3/5 strength throughout, but encephalopathy limited assessment. He had normal sensation to light touch and muscle stretch reflexes, neutral plantar responses, and no dysmetria. The patient sat in bed independently but refused to stand or walk.
Serine proteases

Over one third of all known proteolytic enzymes are serine proteases. Among these, the trypsins underwent the most predominant genetic expansion yielding the enzymes responsible for digestion, blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, development, fertilization, apoptosis, and immunity. The success of this expansion resides in a highly efficient fold that couples catalysis and regulatory interactions. Added complexity comes from the recent observation of a significant conformational plasticity of the trypsin fold. A new paradigm emerges where two forms of the protease, E* and E, are in allosteric equilibrium and determine biological activity and specificity. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life 61(5): 510–515, 2009
What’s in a first name?: America’s K-12 public school district superintendent gender gap

This study uses a new, contemporary dataset of nearly 13,000 traditional public K-12 school district superintendent names to examine superintendent gender gaps. Superintendent gender gaps are descr...
Multimodal Tactile Sensor

We have developed a finger-shaped sensor array (BioTac®) that provides simultaneous information about contact forces, microvibrations and thermal fluxes, mimicking the full cutaneous sensory capabilities of the human finger. For many tasks, such as identifying objects or maintaining stable grasp, these sensory modalities are synergistic. For example, information about the material composition of an object can be inferred from the rate of heat transfer from a heated finger to the object, but only if the location and force of contact are well controlled. In this chapter we introduce the three sensing modalities of our sensor and consider how they can be used synergistically. Tactile sensing and signal processing is necessary for human dexterity and is likely to be required in mechatronic systems such as robotic and prosthetic limbs if they are to achieve similar dexterity.
Physicalism, Unity of Science and the Foundations of Psychology

The present essay attempts to analyze the meaning and to appraise the validity of the various theses of physicalism. Since I have had the privilege of discussing these issues with Carnap intensively and extensively on many occasions ever since 1926, I shall only rather briefly deal with some of his earlier views of this matter, and dwell more fully on recent modifications in his outlook — most of which do not exist in published form but are known to me from personal conversations. One of the purposes of the following observations then is to invite Carnap to react critically to my own suggestions and formulations on several basic points.
The Intersubjective Action of Case Advocacy and Engagement in a Working Alliance

This article presents a viewpoint for explaining the positive associations between case advocacy and the engagement in a working alliance of low‐income single mothers at‐risk for physical abuse of their children. Utilizing narrative vignettes from a qualitative study about clinical social workers’ experiences in engaging this population, the article suggests that client/worker partnerships in case advocacy enhanced opportunities for client/worker mutuality and for worker capacities to experience and communicate empathy to their clients. Theoretical constructs from Daniel J. Stern’s infant research and neuroscience are then applied to suggest an intersubjective framework for understanding what occurred.
Differential regulation of spleen cell-mediated eosinophil and neutrophil-macrophage production

Nonadherent spleen cells of mice infected with Trichinella spiralis released growth stimulatory factors (GSFs) in vitro when challenged with excretory/secretory products of muscle stage larvae. The assay of GSF was based on proliferation of normal, nonadherent syngeneic marrow cells in liquid tube cultures. Media conditioned for 1 day by challenged spleen cells stimulated eosinophil production but failed to stimulate production of other cell types. In contrast, media conditioned for 5 days supported eosinophil, neutrophil, and macrophage production. The kinetics of cell production were also different. Eosinophil production started within 1 day, reached a peak at day 2, and was down to control levels by day 4. In contrast, neutrophil/macrophage production began between 2 and 4 days and reached a peak at 6--8 days. The short duration of eosinophil production was evidently due to depletion of growth-factor-responsive cells.
EBV-induced miR-34a functions to stimulate transformed B cell growth

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a member of the g-herpesvirus family estimated to infect 90% of the world’s population. Despite the high prevalence of infection, EBV-associated malignancies are largely kept in check by a strong cytotoxic T cell immune response. However, EBV causes lymphoproliferative disease in immune-deficient individuals and plays a role in the pathogenesis of African Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In vitro, EBV infection of B cells results in proliferation and outgrowth of indefinitely proliferating lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Thus, LCLs represent a viable model for the pathogenesis of EBV-associated malignancies. microRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression to control a variety of processes including development, cell cycle, and immunity. Their role in EBV transformation and lymphomas is currently not well understood. Results Using a miRNA microarray, we identified a number of cellular miRNAs that were over- or under-expressed comparing resting CD19+ B cells to EBV-infected, proliferating B cells and immortalized LCLs. In particular, we focused on miR-34a, whose expression was induced by EBV. This miRNA has been previously reported to be a pro-apoptotic target of p53 implicated in the response to DNA damage. Surprisingly, contrary to its regulation in other cell types, miR-34a was not found to be p53 responsive in LCLs. In order to understand the functional role of this miRNA in EBV transformation, we constructed a miRNA sponge. miR-34a knockdown in LCLs showed that these cells depend on normal miR34a expression to proliferate and to aggregate. Conclusions
The Future of Violent Crime Federalism

The goal of this article is to show intergovernmental relations at a crossroads. For two decades, the net costs of the federal interaction with state and local governments in the criminal area were absorbed nationally, with the benefits felt locally. Now, the federal commitment to terrorism prevention, and the role federal authorities envision state and local agencies playing in this endeavor demand certain sacrifices and offer uncertain rewards. Precisely where we will go from here remains to be seen, but this, somewhat impressionistic essay is an attempt look back to where we have been and to chart the course we seem to be on.
A B-cell-specific nuclear protein that binds to DNA sites 5' to immunoglobulin S alpha tandem repeats is regulated during differentiation.

Immunoglobulin heavy-chain switching iseffected byrecombination events between sites associated with tandemly repeated switch sequences located 5'toimmunoglobulin heavy-chain genes. Using thebandmobility shift assay, wehaveidentified twodistinct sites 5'totheaheavy-chain switch sequence withaffinity forasingle B-cell-specific DNA-binding protein, Sa-BP. Sa-BPwaspresent innuclear extracts frompre-B andBcells but wasnotdetected inextracts fromplasmacytomas, B-cell hybridomas, T-cell lymphomas, oramacrophage cell line. Itwasalso notdetectable inother nonlymphoid cells tested. Evidence suggests there areSa-BP-binding sites nearother immunoglobulin switch sequences. AswiththeSasites, these sites appear tobedistinct from theconsensus tandemrepeats characteristic ofimmunoglobulin switch sequences. Thepossible functions of Sa-BPoncontacting itsbinding sites arediscussed inthecontext ofimmunoglobulin heavy-chain switch recombination. Immunoglobulin M (IgM+) Bcells canundergo animmunoglobulin class switch, aprocess bywhichtheyswitch to
A framework for information assimilation

Most complex intelligent systems deal with information from different sources which are “disparate”. A powerful paradigm of assimilation of information from disparate sources is needed in these systems. We posit that to do this seamlessly and efficiently, we should represent and use the “state” of the system (the Environment Model). Also, to handle differences in resolution and data rates, and to provide flexibility and dynamic reconfiguration, we should assimilate these different information sources independently into the model. Interaction between the information streams, if any, is indirectly achieved using the Environment Model. In this paper we will develop a formal framework (and design methodology) for developing and evaluating systems dealing with multiple information sources. Design of such a system will involve building an Environment Model that matches the task with the input information, independent assimilation tracks for these sources, methods of evaluating “usefulness” of input information and methods of updating the Environment Model. We will discuss this framework using robot navigation as an example.
Integrating Protein Engineering and Bioorthogonal Click Conjugation for Extracellular Vesicle Modulation and Intracellular Delivery

Exosomes are small, cell-secreted vesicles that transfer proteins and genetic information between cells. This intercellular transmission regulates many physiological and pathological processes. Therefore, exosomes have emerged as novel biomarkers for disease diagnosis and as nanocarriers for drug delivery. Here, we report an easy-to-adapt and highly versatile methodology to modulate exosome composition and conjugate exosomes for intracellular delivery. Our strategy combines the metabolic labeling of newly synthesized proteins or glycan/glycoproteins of exosome-secreting cells with active azides and bioorthogonal click conjugation to modify and functionalize the exosomes. The azide-integrated can be conjugated to a variety of small molecules and proteins and can efficiently deliver conjugates into cells. The metabolic engineering of exosomes diversifies the chemistry of exosomes and expands the functions that can be introduced into exosomes, providing novel, powerful tools to study the roles of exosomes in biology and expand the biomedical potential of exosomes.
Chronic incidental lead ingestion in a group of captive-reared alligators (Alligator mississippiensis): possible contribution to reproductive failure.

Abstract An American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) breeding facility using male and female alligators raised from artificially incubated eggs was established in 1975. These alligators first reproduced at 6 years of age as compared to 10–12 years in wild alligators, but the eggs produced showed a lower hatching rate than those collected from the wild. By age 21 reproduction had failed almost completely. The alligators were sacrificed and tissues collected at necropsy from 44 captive and 15 wild animals and assayed for metals. Results showed that captive alligators had significantly higher tissue levels of lead than wild alligators. Cadmium did not differ between wild and captive and selenium was 50% higher in wild than captive alligator kidneys. Bone lead in captive alligators was 252,443 ± 20,462 ng/g. High yolk lead was suggested as a probable cause for early embryonic death in alligator eggs. The high tissue lead levels in captive alligators was attributed to long-term consumption of nutria (Myocastor coypus) meat contaminated with lead shot. Liver, ovary, and testis were assayed for lipid peroxidation using the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test. Captive alligators had 3.6 fold increased TBA-reactive materials in the liver tissue compared to wild. Lipid peroxidation was strongly suspected as having been enhanced by consumption of rancid nutria meat containing lead.
Influence of anion on the kinetics of copper island growth

We compare the kinetics of copper island growth in the kinetic regime in the presence and absence of anion adsorption and show that the growth exponents are inconsistent with a direct attachment model. In sulfate solution, anion adsorption leads to instantaneous nucleation, equal lateral and vertical growth exponents, and suppressed vertical growth. In perchlorate solution, island growth is characterized by progressive nucleation, enhanced vertical growth, and different lateral and vertical growth exponents. Avrami analysis and analysis of the surface power spectra suggest that island growth is controlled by surface diffusion to the island perimeter.
Pulmonary Surfactant in Health and Disease

The airspaces of the lung may be compared to several hundred million bubbles blown on airways, and the surface tension necessary to prevent alveolar emptying can be estimated. If the alveolar surface were made of a transudate of plasma, we would expect the alveoli to be empty at the end of expiration. Instead, current evidence indicates that the surface tension of the lung varies widely and alveoli do not collapse because the surface tension can be very low. However, if the surface tension is high due to an abnormal surface, or if the distending pressure is maintained low, we would expect focal atelectasis. Although a very low surface tension must be necessary in the lung at low distending pressures, the lung extracts and apparently the lung, cannot maintain a low surface tension for a prolonged period. Occasional increase of the surface area, as normally occurs with a deep breath, may replenish the surface, but during shallow breathing with a low distending pressure, the lung surface area decreases with eventual atelectasis. This atelectasis is not due to airway collapse and does not need to follow the distribution of a bronchus.
Male care, mate switching, and future reproductive success in a double-brooded passerine

Little is known of the factors that cause monogamous, double-brooded birds to keep the same mates, or switch mates, between nesting attempts within one breeding season. Only one factor, success or failure of the first attempt, has been investigated, and it appears to be important in some species but unimportant in others. Kendeigh (1941) mentioned another possible factor in his study of house wrens (Troglodytes aedon). About half his males cared for their young after nest departure, but the other half did not, and caring males remated with the same female about twice as often as noncaring males did. Kendeigh did not discuss why some males provided care for the fledglings and other males did not. He commented, however, that the young usually foraged outside the territory while under their parents' care, and he provided detailed narrative accounts of each nesting attempt that mention many cases of males losing their territory while caring for their young. I reanalyzed Kendeigh's data in order to determine whether males that cared for their fledglings lost their territories more frequently than other males, and to determine whether this decreased their overall reproductive success for the season. The analysis showed that about half the caring males lost their territory and failed to regain a new one. This almost never happened to noncaring males. As a result, males that cared for their young were less than half as likely as noncaring males to bring a second nesting attempt to successful completion during the remainder of the season. Males thus had to choose, at nest departure, between caring for their first brood or maximizing their chance of producing a second brood that season. It is possible that males provided care if a large brood left the nest but withheld it if the brood was small. Such a conditional strategy would probably have maximized the male's overall reproductive success. This analysis emphasizes the importance, in double-brooded species, of the territory being large enough to provide food for the entire family group until the young reach independance. Support for this thesis is provided by a study of the conspecific tropical house wren in which pairs did remain on their territories throughout the year. All males participated in feeding the young after nest departure, and only 2% of the individuals changed mates between nesting attempts.
Do linguistic acts make me tired

functor '(3x) ( (Ax Bx) (Tx . . .) )' as a replacement for such expressions as 'James believes that.' Then he goes on to suppose that he has discovered a situation where my 'functor' won't work, since it is easy enough to attach sense to such a hybrid sentence as 'For some p, q, which have the same truth-value, James believes that p and does not believe that q.' But it is Prior's system, not mine, that has functors to do the work of 'James believes that' in all contexts. What I offered was a formal analysis of statements involving indirect discourse, with wff to do the work of such statements, not functors to do the work of their prefixes. I aimed to show that one does not need to go outside the standard extensional predicate calculus in order to achieve such an analysis, and it seems clear too that one does not need to go outside that calculus in order to achieve an analysis of statements like (S), wlich do not include indirect discourse.
Dispositional optimism: a psychological resource for Mexican-origin mothers experiencing economic stress.

Dispositional optimism is believed to be an important psychological resource that buffers families against the deleterious consequences of economic adversity. Using data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin families (N 674), we tested a family stress model specifying that maternal dispositional optimism and economic pressure affect maternal internalizing symptoms, which, in turn, affects parenting behaviors and children’s social adjustment. As predicted, maternal optimism and economic pressure had both independent and interactive effects on maternal internalizing symptoms, and the effects of these variables on changes over time in child social adjustment were mediated by nurturant and involved parenting. The findings replicate and extend previous research on single-parent African American families (Taylor, Larsen-Rife, Conger, Widaman, & Cutrona, 2010), and demonstrate the generalizability of the positive benefits of dispositional optimism in another ethnic group and type of family structure.
Deuterium NMR and spin label ESR as probes of membrane organization

Abstract A series of investigations of the mobility and organization of lipids in model and natural biological membranes using electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of nitroxide- and deuterium-labeled lipids, respectively, was performed. In most cases, parallel NMR and ESR experiments were carried out in order to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Both methods report the same qualitative picture of the lipid bilayer: high order and low mobility for acyl chain segments near the carboxyl groups of the fatty acids and much less order and more rapid motion near the terminal methyl groups. However, the quantitative results differ markedly and it appears that ESR spin labels are unable to report the fine details of order and mobility gradients in lipid bilayers, possibly because of nitroxide-induced perturbations and the difficulty in resolving the spatial and temporal information from ESR spectra. The ESR method has the distinct advantages of superior sensitivity and speed where a qualitative answer is sufficient. In studies of deuterium- and nitroxide-labeled lipids in the plasma membrane of Acholeplasma laidlawii, both methods yield spectra containing characteristics of the gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition but only the NMR result is quantitatively consistent with the broad transition found from differential thermal analysis. The influence of cholesterol on acyl chain ordering in egg lecithin was studied as a function of the position of the deuterium or nitroxide label. Cholesterol increases the order parameter for all chain positions but the effect is greatest for positions 2–12. The 2H NMR results are discussed in terms of geometrical changes in the bilayer due to cholesterol. No evidence for a specific complex between lecithin and cholesterol is apparent. Multilamellar dispersions and single bilayer vesicles of phospholipids are compared as models for membrane processes: they yield equivalent information about mobility and order in the bilayers when the effects of vesicle overall rotation are correctly taken into account.
Computer photocomposition of technical text

In computer assisted typesetting by means of photocomposition, special problems arise in highly technical material such as mathematical formulas. New solutions to several of these problems have been devised in the information system of the American Institute of Physics. They include: the representation of special characters (foreign alphabets, mathematical symbols, etc.) not available on input keyboards or on the photocomposer; the generation of such symbols, e.g. by overprinting; the precise positioning of accent marks (floating diacritics); line breaks, i.e. words or formulas placed partly at the end of one line and partly at the beginning of the next; and certain aspects of error correction.
Chemostat and in‐situ colonization kinetics of thermothrix thiopara on calcite and pyrite surfaces

Abstract Growth and attachment rates of Thermothrix thiopara on calcite and pyrite were quantitated in a thiosulfate‐limited chemostat and in the thermal spring where the organism is found in nature. Surface growth rates were quantitated by using the surface colonization and exponential growth equations. These two models were compared as means of determining surface growth rates. In the chemostat, T. thiopara cells colonizing calcite and pyrite surfaces grew at approximately one‐third the rate of suspended cells. However, T. thiopara attached to pyrite faster than to calcite. In the thermal spring, growth and attachment rates were equal on calcite and pyrite. It was concluded that the exponential growth equation overestimates in‐situ surface growth rates and that T. thiopara grows more slowly when colonizing mineral surfaces than when growing in suspension. Lower growth rates on surfaces may be due to a reduced cell surface area for nutrient uptake or an increased specific maintenance rate.
Pressor and depressor responses after cholinergic blockade in humans

To determine whether cholinergic mechanisms contribute to blood pressure responses during arterial baroreflex inhibition and stimulation, we assessed the effects of atropine on pressor and depressor responses during and after release of the Valsalva maneuver, upon administration of intravenous phenylephrine and nitroglycerin, and during neck suction in 12 healthy people. Atropinization augmented the depressor response during the Valsalva maneuver (269%), the pressor response after release of the maneuver (544%), the pressor response to phenylephrine (109%), and the depressor response to nitroglycerin (76%), whereas the depressor response to externally applied neck suction was attenuated or abolished in all subjects. Cardiac output as indicated by impedance cardiography was unchanged during carotid baroreceptor stimulation. The results are best explained by inhibition by atropine of compensatory cholinergic heart rate, vasodilator, and negative inotropic responses.
Force versus Axial Deflection of Pipette-Aspirated Closed Membranes

The axial deformation of a pipette-pressurized fluid membrane bag produces minuscule yet well-defined, reproducible forces. The stiffness of this ultrasensitive force transducer is tunable and largely independent of the constitutive membrane behavior. Based on a rigorous variational treatment, we present both numerical as well as approximate analytical solutions for the force-deflection relation of this unique biophysical force probe. Our numerical results predict a measurably nonlinear force-deflection behavior at moderate-to-large deformations, which we confirm experimentally using red blood cells. Furthermore, considering nearly spherical membrane shapes and enforcing proper boundary conditions, we derive an analytical solution valid at small deformations. In this linear regime the pressurized membrane bag behaves like a Hookean spring, with a spring constant that is significantly larger than previously published for the biomembrane force probe.
A quasiclassical trajectory study of product energy and angular distributions in OH + H2 (D2)

We present a quasiclassical trajectory study of OH+H 2 →H 2 O+H and its D 2 counterpart using the Schatz-Elgersma semiempirical potential surface. Emphasis in the work has been on using an accurate determination of the H 2 O vibrational actions to calculate product vibrational state distributions. Other aspects of the product energy and angular distributions have also been studied so as to make comparisons with recent molecular beam and laser experiments and with other calculations. The OH+H 2 results generally confirm earlier calculations by Schatz and Elgersma, but the vibrational distributions are somewhat different, indicating that the earlier perturbation theory-based calculations were not completely converged
Exploring the Multiplicity of Childhood Sexual Abuse with a Focus on Polyincestuous Contexts of Abuse

ABSTRACT This study explored the prevalence of multiple abusers and polyincest in a clinical sample of 88 adult women, focusing on interviews with a subset of 30. For the sample as a whole, 43% reported three or more abusers and 23% reported polyincest. The narrative data was divided into three categories defined as Single-Abuser (N = 8), Multiple Abuser (N = 8), and Polyincestuous (N = 14). These were compared to determine how survivors perceived family members' and others' reactions to disclosure of CSA. All three groups experienced various forms of silencing. The most negative responses were linked to polyincestuous abuse. Three themes were identified as denial/minimization/normalization, fear/reprisal, and negative/inadequate. Results suggest the need for further research on the frequency of multiple abusers among victims of sexual abuse, as well as the ways in which family and social contexts serve as collusive environments for the practice of CSA.
Acute myocardial infarction in the young— The University of Michigan experience ☆

Background The purpose of this study was to assess frequency, risk factors, treatment, and complications of very young patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) at the University of Michigan Medical Center (UMMC). Methods From a database of 976 consecutive patients admitted to the UMMC with acute MI between 1995 and 1998, we compared care and outcomes of patients divided into 3 age categories: 54 years. Risk factors, presenting symptoms, type of MI, management, complications, and hospital outcomes of the 3 groups were evaluated. Results Young patients represented >10% of all patients with acute MI, and >25% of these individuals were women, a number considerably higher than seen in previous studies. This group of young patients was more likely to have Q-wave MI and risk factors such as family history and tobacco use and less likely to have a history of angina. Although all 3 groups received similar inpatient treatment, there was more attention paid to risk factor modification such as smoking cessation and referral to cardiac rehabilitation in younger individuals. Young patients had fewer in-hospital complications and a lower mortality rate. Conclusions At the University of Michigan, >1 in 10 with acute MI is <46 years old. Data suggest that current management and aggressive risk factor modification are quite good in this particular group, and overall the mortality rate is very low. (Am Heart J 2002;143:56-62.)
Catalytic antibodies with lipase activity and R or S substrate selectivity

The specific hydrolysis of unactivated esters bearing an R or S enantiomeric alcohol has been achieved by two separate classes of catalytic antibodies induced to bind either the R or S substrates. The antibodies exhibit rate accelerations (10(3) to 10(5] above background hydrolysis that, coupled with their antipodal specificity, provide a novel set of reagents for use in synthesis.
Assembly line inspection using neural networks

A user friendly flexible system for assembly line part inspection which learns good and bad parts is described. The system detects missing rivets and springs in clutch drivers. The system extracts features in a circular region of interest from a video image processes these using a Fast Fourier Transform for rotation invariance and uses this as inputs to a neural network trained with back-propagation. The advantage of a learning system is that expensive reprogramming and delays are avoided when a part is modified. Two cases were considered. The first one could use back lighting in that surface effects could be ignored. The second case required front lighting because the part had a cover which prevented light from passing through the parts. 100 percent classification of good and bad parts was achieved for both back-lit and front-lit cases with a limited number of training parts available. 1. BACKGROUND A vision system to inspect clutch drivers for missing rivets and springs at the Harrison Radiator Plant of General Motors (GM) works only on parts without covers Fig. 1 and is expensive. The system does not work when there are cover plates Fig. 2 that rule out back light passing through the area of missing rivets and springs. Also the system like all such systems must be reprogrammed at significant time and cost when the system needs to classify a different fault or a
Fermionic instanton zero modes in models with spontaneous symmetry breaking and broken custodial SU(2) symmetry

In an SUL(2)-Higgs model with one chirally coupled flavor, fermioniz zero modes are constructed in the background of an instanton when there is no custodial global SU(2) symmetry to ensure degenerate fermion masses. The generalization to more fermion flavors and colors is straightforward.
Purification of lysosomal prolylcarboxypeptidase angiotensinase C

Abstract Prolylcarboxypeptidase (angiotensinase C) was purified 247-fold from homogenized hog kidney cortex by the sequential application of ammonium sulfate precipitation. DEAE-Sephadex and hydroxylapatite column chromatographies. The enzyme was relatively heat stable and free of cathepsin A contamination. Disc gel electrophoresis revealed only a single band of protein indicating homogeneity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 210 000. The K m of prolylcarboxypeptidase with Bz-Pro Phe substrate was 1.3·10 -3 M. After pretreatment with 2-mercaptoethanol, urea and sodium dodecyl sulfate prolylcarboxypeptidase dissociated to subunits.
Tissue-shrinkage Correction Factor in the Calculation of Prostate Cancer Volume

Many studies that have calculated prostate cancer volumes from microscopic slides have used correction factors, ranging from 1.22 to 1.5, to compensate for tissue shrinkage during tissue processing. We undertook a study to measure tissue shrinkage directly because our experience suggested less shrinkage than that reported by others. Ten prostatectomy specimens were processed in a uniform manner. Multiple identical linear measurements were taken at four stages of processing: in the fresh state, following fixation, following processing, and from the microscopic slide. Linear shrinkage following fixation was minimal (4.1%) but increased to 14.5% following tissue processing. With rehydration and expansion on the flotation bath, tissues swelled so that net linear tissue shrinkage was 4.3%, and net volumetric tissue shrinkage was 12.4%, which translates into a correction factor for tissue shrinkage of 1.14. The following variables had no statistically significant effect on shrinkage: concentration of formalin, whole-mount versus quadrant sections, thickness of tissue slices, length of time in the alcohol dehydration steps, and temperature of the flotation bath over a range of 35 to 45 degrees C. This study suggests that (a) tissue-shrinkage correction factors that have been used in some previous studies may not be applicable for all laboratories because of interlaboratory variations in tissue-processing procedures or differences in measuring shrinkage; and (b) some calculated tumor volumes that have been used for prognostic thresholds may be high because of inflated tissue-shrinkage correction factors.
Social Consequences of Academic Teaming in Middle School: The Influence of Shared Course-Taking on Peer Victimization.

This study examined the influence of academic teaming (i.e., sharing academic classes with the same classmates) on the relationship between social preference and peer victimization among 6th-grade students in middle school. Approximately 1,000 participants were drawn from 5 middle schools that varied in their practice of academic teaming. A novel methodology for measuring academic teaming at the individual level was employed, in which students received their own teaming score based on the unique set of classmates with whom they shared academic courses in their class schedule. On the basis of both peer- and self-reports of victimization, the results of 2 path models indicated that students with low social preference in highly teamed classroom environments were more victimized than low-preference students who experienced less teaming throughout the school day. This effect was exaggerated in higher performing classrooms. Implications for the practice of academic teaming were discussed.
Temporal dynamics of contour and surface processing of texture-defined second-order stimuli

Interaction between SOA and feature (p=0.063) Figure 2. Examples of target (left) and mask (right) stimuli used in Experiments 1 (top panel: texture contrast based on size differences) and 2 (bottom panel: texture contrast based on orientation differences). The observers judged whether the left or right corner of the target stimulus was missing (Expt 1 & Expt 2 contour task) and whether the texture elements defining the target were tilted to the left or right (Expt 2 surface task). Figure 5. Target accuracy in contour and surface feature discrimination tasks as a function of SOA for two observers (Expt 2). The baseline accuracy for both observers in each task was 1. Notice that optimal contour suppression (green lines) occurred at an SOA of 27 for both observers whereas optimal surface suppression (orange lines) occurred at an SOA of 53 ms (left panel) for one observer and at an SOA of 80 ms (right panel) for another observer.
Representations of integers by linear forms in nonnegative integers

Abstract Let Ω be the set of positive integers that are omitted values of the form f = Σi=1naixi, where the ai are fixed and relatively prime natural numbers and the xi are variable nonnegative integers. Set ω = #Ω and κ = max Ω + 1 (the conductor). Properties of ω and κ are studied, such as an estimate for ω (similar to one found by Brauer) and the inequality 2ω ≥ κ. The so-called Gorenstein condition is shown to be equivalent to 2ω = κ.
What is the value of oncology medicines

Coverage with evidence development (CED), rather than quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) thresholds, offers the best way forward in balancing evidence-based policy for new oncology products with the needs of developers, payers, physicians and patients.
Performance assessment of an underwater setting chute to mitigate seabird bycatch in the Hawaii pelagic longline tuna fishery

Abstract Mortality in longline fisheries is one of the most critical global threats to some seabird species. Underwater setting technology may offer an effective and commercially viable solution. The underwater setting chute for pelagic longline fisheries releases baited hooks underwater, out of sight and reach of diving seabirds. Results from a study in the Hawaii pelagic longline tuna fishery indicate that the underwater setting chute is the most effective technology tested to date to minimize seabird capture in this fishery. The chute eliminated seabird capture during this short-term trial. During control replicates, the capture rate was 4.24 captures per 1000 hooks and when normalized for albatross abundance, the rate was 0.114 captures per 1000 hooks per albatross. Expressed as contacts per 1000 hooks per albatross, the chute was 95% effective at reducing albatross contacts with fishing gear compared to a control. The chute was practical for use and design and installation improvements are likely possible to make the chute more palatable for uptake by industry. The chute has the added benefit of increasing fishing efficiency. The cost for purchasing and installing the chute would be recouped after only a maximum of two fishing trips. Based on an assessment of bait retention and hook setting interval when using the chute versus setting conventionally, vessels would experience a gain in efficiency of between 14.7% and 29.6% when albatrosses are abundant. Economic incentives are essential to abate global seabird mortality in longline fisheries.
Carbon Monoxide Intoxication: Clinical Features, Neuropathology and Mechanisms of Injury

AbstractCO intoxication, by producing cerebral hypoxia-ischaemia, may trigger neuropathological events which result in delayed neurological relapse even in patients whose earlier clinical course has appeared deceptively benign. The physician's index of suspicion must therefore be high, and it should be remembered that, even in major CO exposures, blood COHb levels may be low if a period of several hours has elapsed since exposure. The importance of recognising occult CO exposure (28) and of treating symptomatic patients promptly (29,30) cannot be overemphasised. Immediate administration of high concentrations of inspired oxygen (including hyperbaric oxygenation, if available) is the primary therapy. Hypotension and acid-base abnormalities should be promptly reversed. Prolonged bed rest is recommended to discourage delayed relapse (30).
The characterization of dodecaphenylcyclohexasilane

Abstract The higher melting crystalline compound which can be obtained from the reaction of dichlorodiphenylsilane with lithium has been investigated with regard to its structure and reactivity. This compound is apparently identical with one isolated and described previously by F. S. Kipping and has been found to be dodecaphenylcyclohexasilane. The structure was indicated mainly through lithium cleavage of the cyclosilane followed by characterization of 1,6-dilithiododecaphenylhexasilane as its corresponding dimethyl derivative. Dodecaphenylcyclohexasilane was found to be very resistant to siliconsilicon bond cleavage by many reagents, with the exception of lithium, which had been previously shown to cause ring opening in other cyclosilanes.
Effectiveness of gabapentin in controlling spasticity : a quantitative study

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effectiveness of gabapentin in controlling spasticity in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) using a surface EMG-based quantitative assessment technique called the brain motor control assessment (BMCA). Six men from a Veterans Affairs Medical Center with spasticity due to traumatic SCI were studied as part of a multi-center, placebo-controlled, cross-over, clinical trial of gabapentin. Spasticity was evaluated using multi-channel surface EMG recordings of muscles in the lower extremities, abdomen and low back before and during treatment with oral gabapentin or placebo. Gabapentin or placebo was given orally in doses 400 mg three times daily for 48 h. Following a 10 day wash-out period subjects were crossed-over to receive the medication not received the first time. This was followed by an elective open-label extension. Group results during the controlled trial did not reach statistical significance at the dosage used. One subject demonstrated a dramatic improvement in spasticity that was apparent both clinically and with the BMCA. Other subjects demonstrated modest improvements which were seen in the BMCA but not recognized clinically. During the open label extension, the four subjects who participated experienced important clinical improvements with higher doses (to 3600 mg/day). These improvements were often in components of spasticity in which the BMCA had detected subclinical changes during the cross-over trial. A seventh subject was studied using the BMCA at doses of 1200 mg T.I.D. gabapentin, off gabapentin and 800 mg T.I.D. gabapentin and demonstrated quantitatively a dose-related effect with higher doses of gabapentin which matched clinical observations. Gabapentin at doses of 400 mg T.I.D. may be effective in controlling some features of spasticity in persons with SCI. Higher doses provide greater control of spasticity, and controlled studies using higher doses are needed to evaluate gabapentin's efficacy.
Osteoclast precursor cells are present in the blood of preossification chick embryos.

Abstract In an attempt to ascertain the time of appearance of circulating osteoclast precursor cells, we have transplanted quail bone rudiments into or onto the extraembryonic membranes of variously aged chick embryos. We observed that osteoclast precursor cells (1) are present in the embryonic circulation prior to the onset of osteogenesis, (2) differentiate precociously in response to a factor or factors present in developing bone rudiments, and (3) increase in number until about midway in embryonic life.
The effect of the injection of 2-O,C-methylene myoinositol into rats on inositol metabolism in brain and kidney slices.

Abstract The ability of slices of brain and kidney from young rats to incorporate radio-activity from [ 14 C 6 ]glucose into free inositol, total lipids, and inositol and glycerol isolated from phosphatides was studied at various times after the injection of lethal doses of 2-0,C-methylene myoinositoL In both brain and kidney slices the specific and total activities of free inositol decreased progressively. Inositol concentrations in kidney were also reduced, A marked drop in incorporation into lipids and phosphatide constituents occurred in brain but not in kidney. No such changes took place when the antagonist was added to incubation media in vitro . Possible reasons for its effect in vivo are discussed.
Behavior and corticosteroid response of Maudsley reactive and nonreactive rats in the open field and forced swimming test.

Abstract Maudsley reactive (MR) and nonreactive (MNRA) male rats were tested in the open field and in the forced swimming test. MR rats defecated more and were less active than MNRA rats in the open field. MR rats also defecated more, but were more immobile in the forced swim test. The two strains did not differ significantly in basal corticosteroid levels or corticosteroid levels in response to either test. These results suggest that the increased defecation rates exhibited by MR rats in various tests are not indicative of a general increase in “emotionality” or stress level.
Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Broad Absorption Line QuasarPG 0946+301

We analyze Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and ground-based spectra of the brightest broad absorption line (BAL) quasar in the UV: PG 0946+301. A detailed study of the absorption troughs as a function of velocity is presented, facilitated by the use of a new algorithm to solve for the optical depth as a function of velocity for multiplet lines. We find convincing evidence for saturation in parts of the troughs. This supports our previous assertion that saturation is common in BALs and therefore cast doubts on claims for very high metallicity in BAL flows. Because of the importance of BAL saturation we also discuss its evidence in other objects. In PG 0946+301 large differences in ionization as a function of velocity are detected, and our findings support the hypothesis that the line of sight intersects a number of flow components that combine to give the appearance of the whole trough. Based on the optical depth profiles, we develop a geometrical-kinematical model for the flow. We have positively identified 16 ions of eight elements (H I, C III, C IV, N III, N IV, N V, O III, O IV, O V, O VI, Ne V, Ne VIII, P V, Si IV, S V, S VI) and have probable identifications of Mg X and S IV. Unlike earlier analysis of IUE data, we find no evidence for BALs arising from excited ionic states in the HST spectrum ofPG 0946+301.