cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND AGENCIES Georgia Bureau of Investigation: Provide Certificate of Authenticity

The Act adds a new Code section to the general provisions relating to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The new Code section provides that law enforcement agencies may submit substances, blood, or urine to the Division of Forensic Sciences for testing. It also requires that upon completion of the testing and at the request of a district attorney, the laboratory shall sign a certificate that will be admissible evidence of the laboratory results. Finally, it sets out procedures for making objections to the certificate at trial.
The Laterally σ-Complete Reflection of an Archimedean Lattice-Ordered Group

It is shown that the property of being laterally σ-complete is monoreflective in Arch, the category of archimedean l-groups and all l-homomorphisms, and also in W, the subcategory of all l-groups with a designated weak order unit, whose morphisms preserve the units. In terms of β and β W , respectively, the maximum monoreflections (or epicompletions) in the above mentioned categories, the laterally σ-complete reflections are constructed, and denoted σ and σ W . The following identities of reflections obtain: β = ru·d·σ and σ W = u·d·σ W , where d denotes the divisible hull operator, ru the relative uniform completion in Arch, and u the uniform completion in W.
THE SONS OF THE MOON: THE AMAHUACA VERSION OF A WIDESPREAD AMAZONIAN MYTH

In a previous publication, I presented the Kuikuru version of an important myth from the Upper Xingu which I called 'To the Village of the Jaguars '. A version of this myth is widely distributed among Amazonian groups, including the Amahuaca, a Panoan-speaking group of eastern Peru and western Brazil . The Amahuaca version is presented here as I recorded it among them in 1960 and 1961. After presenting the text of the myth, I discuss specific similarities and differences between the Amahuaca and Kuikuru versions of it. Key words: Amazonian myth, Amahuaca Indians, Kuikuru Indians.
Legged Odometry from Body Pose in a Hexapod Robot

We report on a continuous time odometry scheme for a walking hexapod robot built upon a previously developed leg-strain based body pose estimator. We implement this estimation procedure and odometry scheme on the robot RHex and evaluate its performance at widely varying speeds and over different ground conditions by means of a 6 degree of freedom vision based ground truth measurement system (GTMS). We also compare the performance to that of sensorless odometry schemes — both legged as well as on a wheeled version of the robot — using GTMS measurements of elapsed distance.
The impact of electronic full-text resources on interlibrary loan: A ten-year study at John Jay college of Criminal justice

This article presents the results of a study performed on the interlibrary loan patron request records at the library of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, an urban commuter college with a specialized curriculum. The findings suggest that the increasing availability of electronic full-text resources has had a significant impact on the volume of faculty and graduate student interlibrary loan borrowing of nonreturnable, photocopied materials. This appears to be the case across disciplines and regardless of the currency of the needed materials. The downward trend in demand for these materials may be outpacing actual full-text availability. This may suggest that content is being replaced with convenience. This could have implications for reference librarians and their role in the research process. Declining demand may also provide interlibrary loan librarians and their staff opportunities to alter their services and develop new skills.
The Challenges of Online Courses for the Instructor

Universities across the country are steadily increasing their use of online courses. Society’s demand for lifelong learning will encourage the advancement of distance learning. Research tells us that today the average person changes careers every ten years. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that about 10% of workers change jobs every year. These trends suggest a constant need for continuing education and re-education. The online delivery of education is well suited for this. To be effective, however, there are several required components. This paper will review some of these essential components.
Railroad Taxes, Discrimination, and the 4-R Act: A Misstep by the Eighth Circuit

On October 14, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided Midwest Railcar Repair v. South Dakota Department of Revenue and Regulation, with a divided three-judge panel rejecting a claim that South Dakota's imposition of sales and use tax on railroad car repairs violated the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act (the 4-R Act).1 In this article, I will show that the court's rationale for its decision contradicts basic principles of public finance economics.
Control of Neurotransmitter Release by Presynaptic Waveform at the Granule Cell to Purkinje Cell Synapse

The effect of changes in the shape of the presynaptic action potential on neurotransmission was examined at synapses between granule and Purkinje cells in slices from the rat cerebellum. Low concentrations of tetraethylammonium were used to broaden the presynaptic action potential. The presynaptic waveform was monitored with voltage-sensitive dyes, the time course and amplitude of presynaptic calcium entry were determined with fluorescent calcium indicators, and EPSCs were measured with a whole-cell voltage clamp. Spike broadening increased calcium influx primarily by prolonging calcium entry without greatly affecting peak presynaptic calcium currents, indicating that the majority of calcium channels reach maximal probability of opening in response to a single action potential and that spike broadening increases the open time of these channels. EPSCs were exquisitely sensitive to elevations of calcium influx produced by spike broadening; there was a high power relationship between calcium influx and release such that a 23% increase in spike width led to a 25% increase in total calcium influx, which in turn doubled synaptic strength. The finding that even small changes in spike width influence neurotransmitter release suggests that altering the presynaptic waveform may be an important means of modifying the strength of this synapse. Waveform changes do not, however, contribute significantly to presynaptic modulation via activation of adenosine A1 or GABAB receptors. Furthermore, greatly reducing presynaptic calcium influx did not alter the presynaptic waveform, indicating that calcium channels and calcium-activated channels do not participate in shaping the presynaptic waveform.
Data Use in the Classroom

Systemic efforts to implement database decision-making at the school-level and classroom-level face several challenges. First, most data available within district information systems are limited to operational needs of schools and the district. Second, educational organizations have little experience integrating complex data into their decision-making processes. Third, while large-scale assessment and accountability data are more generally available for gauging the performance of educational systems, there are major differences between the evidence used for external accountability systems and the data needed for making instructional decisions on a daily basis in the classroom.
Resource reallocation does not influence estimates of pollen limitation or reproductive assurance in Clarkia xantiana subsp. parviflora (Onagraceae)

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF STUDY Studies of pollen limitation and the reproductive assurance value of selfing are important for examining the process of floral and mating system evolution in flowering plants. Recent meta-analyses have shown that common methods for measuring pollen limitation may often lead to biased estimates. Specifically, experiments involving single- or few-flower manipulations per plant tend to overestimate pollen limitation compared to those involving manipulations on most or all flowers per plant. Little previous work has explicitly tested for reallocation within individual systems using alternative methods and response variables. • METHODS We performed single-flower and whole-plant pollen supplementation and emasculation of flowers of Clarkia xantiana subsp. parviflora to estimate pollen limitation (PL) and reproductive assurance (RA). We compared levels of PL and RA using the following response variables: fruit set, seeds/flower, and seeds/plant. We also assessed the germination and viability of seeds to evaluate potential variation in pollen quality among treatments. • KEY RESULTS Autonomous selfing in Clarkia xantiana subsp. parviflora eliminates pollen limitation and provides reproductive assurance. Estimates from single-flower manipulations were not biased, closely resembling those from whole-plant manipulations. All three response variables followed the same pattern, but treatments were only significantly different for seeds/flower. Pollen quality, as indicated by seed viability, did not differ among treatments. • CONCLUSIONS Partial plant manipulations provided reliable estimates of pollen limitation and reproductive assurance. These estimates were also unaffected by accounting for pollen quality. Although whole plant manipulations are desirable, this experiment demonstrates that in some systems partial plant manipulations can be used in studies where whole-plant manipulations are not feasible.
Boronated carbohydrate derivatives as potential boron neutron capture therapy reagents

The treatment of cancer remains one of the most challenging problems for humanity. Boron neutron capture therapy is a binary approach for cancer treatment that is particularly attractive in treating high-grade gliomas and metastatic brain tumors. Among the types of boron-containing molecules used as boron neutron capture therapy agents, boronated carbohydrate derivatives have received significant attention because of their preferential uptake by growing tumor cells. This review provides a summary of the recent developments in the chemistry of carborane-containing carbohydrates.
Electrochromatophoretic isolation of alkaloids

Separation of very small amounts of three alkaloids, strychine, morphine and quinine, from impure samples and biological mixtures was tested by continuous preparative electrophoresis, termed micro electrochromatophoresis. Separations could be achieved from extracts of biological mixtures and from blood without extraction when the amounts of alkaloid were sufficient. The substances were collected in pure form in micro test tubes, where they could be identified by the common alkaloidal reactions. A technique of detecting alkaloid by feeding picric acid to the paper during the separation is described. Where the picric acid stream intersects the alkaloid stream, the alkaloidal picrate is deposited as an insoluble yellow residue.
Pisotriquetral loose bodies

Eight patients—2 men and 6 women (mean age, 49 years)—who underwent excision of piostriquetral (PT) loose bodies were identified from clinic records. The time interval from onset of symptoms to surgery averaged 18 months. Four patients reported a traumatic onset of symptoms, and 4 reported an insidious onset. For all patients, treatment by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, splinting, and steroid injection had failed. Routine radiography revealded a loose body in only 4 patients. Trispiral tomography delineated all loose bodies. Three patients underwent loose-body excision only; 5 had PT joint degeneration and underwent additional pisiformectomy. Length of follow-up monitoring averaged 7.4 years. All patients had resolution of wrist pain and improvement in strength. There were no complications. Loose bodies, which may form in the PT joint or migrate from the radiocarpal joint, were identified best by tomography, with simple excision providing excellent relief of symptoms in the absence of PT joint degeneration.
Death-Related Experience and Professional Support among Nursing Staff in Aids Care Facilities

This study explores the death-related experience of AIDS care nurses and the availability of worksite support services to help them cope with caring for dying AIDS patients. The participants of the study were 197 nurses working in seven AIDS nursing facilities in New York City. Seventy-eight were registered nurses, forty-three were licensed practical nurses, and seventy-six were certified nursing assistants. The major finding was that respondents had substantial experience with dying AIDS patients, yet over a third of them did not have support services available where they worked to help them cope. The results suggest that nursing staff in AIDS care facilities should be provided with ongoing support services that are easily accessible.
Age dependence of human urinary pseudouridine excretion.

Abstract Urinary pseudouridine (ψU) may be used as an index of the rate of turnover of tRNA and rRNA. By use of gas-liquid chromatography, urinary ψU was quantitated in healthy individuals with a broad range of ages. ψU excretion/24 hr increased from adolescence to advancing age at a rate of 8 mg 24 hr per decade from an average of 28 mg at age 25 to 83 mg at age 90, and at a rate of 11 mg/g creatinine per decade from an average of 22 mg/g at age 25 to 82 mg/g at age 79. This change reflects an age-related metabolic control mechanism which may be related to diminution in RNA reutilization efficiency or an age-related difference in the ψU content of the various RNA molecules.
Fast hyperpolarization following an excitatory postsynaptic potential in cat bladder parasympathetic neurons

Intracellular recording techniques were used to study a fast hyperpolarizing potential following the fast excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by an orthodromic nerve stimulation in cat bladder parasympathetic ganglion cells. In the 61 ganglion cells examined, two types of responses were recorded on stimulating the preganglionic nerve; one had only a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential (type SI, n = 20) and the other had a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential followed by a fast hyperpolarizing potential (type SII, n = 41). In type SII neurons, the half-maximum duration of the afterhyperpolarizing potential following an orthodromic spike was longer than that of a direct spike produced by injecting a depolarizing current pulse through the recording electrode; the half-maximum durations for afterhyperpolarizing potentials following orthodromic and direct action potentials were comparable in type SI cells. Blocking the initiation of an orthodromic spike by hyperpolarizing the membrane in type SII cells revealed a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential followed by a fast hyperpolarizing potential which was similar to that observed at the resting potential. The fast hyperpolarizing potential had a duration comparable to that of an afterhyperpolarizing potential following an orthodromic action potential. The fast excitatory postsynaptic potential-fast hyperpolarizing potential sequence was blocked completely and reversibly by nicotinic receptor antagonists (hexamethonium and D-tubocurarine). Atropine, alpha-2 noradrenergic (yohimbine and phentolamine), and purinergic (caffeine) antagonists had no effect on the fast hyperpolarizing potential. In cells which show type SII responses, spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic potentials were not followed by a hyperpolarization. Depolarizing the membrane (by passing a cathodal current through the recording electrode) to an amplitude comparable to that of a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential also did not elicit a membrane hyperpolarization in type SII cells. In some cells, stimulating one preganglionic nerve trunk elicited a fast hyperpolarizing potential, but activating another nerve trunk innervating the same ganglion cell did not. There was no correlation between the variations in the amplitudes of the fast excitatory postsynaptic potential and the fast hyperpolarizing potential in type SII cells, but increasing the stimulus intensity applied to the presynaptic nerve fiber potentiated the amplitude of the fast excitatory postsynaptic potential and the fast hyperpolarizing potential. The fast hyperpolarizing potential was not associated with appreciable changes in input resistance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Arabidopsis HMA2, a Divalent Heavy Metal-Transporting PIB-Type ATPase, Is Involved in Cytoplasmic Zn2+ Homeostasis

PIB-type ATPases transport heavy metal ions (Cu+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Co2+, etc.) across biological membranes. Several members of this subfamily are present in plants. Higher plants are the only eukaryotes where putative Zn(2+)-ATPases have been identified. We have cloned HMA2, a PIB-ATPase present in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and functionally characterized this enzyme after heterologous expression in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). HMA2 is a Zn(2+)-dependent ATPase that is also activated by Cd2+ and, to a lesser extent, by other divalent heavy metals (Pb2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Co2+). The enzyme forms an acid-stable phosphorylated intermediate and is inhibited by vanadate. HMA2 interacts with Zn2+ and Cd2+ with high affinity (Zn2+ K(1/2) = 0.11 +/- 0.03 microm and Cd2+ K(1/2) = 0.031 +/- 0.007 microm). However, its activity is dependent on millimolar concentrations of Cys in the assay media. Zn2+ transport determinations indicate that the enzyme drives the outward transport of metals from the cell cytoplasm. Analysis of HMA2 mRNA suggests that the enzyme is present in all plant organs and transcript levels do not change in plants exposed to various metals. Removal of HMA2 full-length transcript results in Zn2+ accumulation in plant tissues. hma2 mutant plants also accumulate Cd2+ when exposed to this metal. These results suggest that HMA2 is responsible for Zn2+ efflux from the cells and therefore is required for maintaining low cytoplasmic Zn2+ levels and normal Zn2+ homeostasis.
Predicting adolescent's cyberbullying behavior: A longitudinal risk analysis.

The current study used the risk factor approach to test the unique and combined influence of several possible risk factors for cyberbullying attitudes and behavior using a four-wave longitudinal design with an adolescent US sample. Participants (N = 96; average age = 15.50 years) completed measures of cyberbullying attitudes, perceptions of anonymity, cyberbullying behavior, and demographics four times throughout the academic school year. Several logistic regression equations were used to test the contribution of these possible risk factors. Results showed that (a) cyberbullying attitudes and previous cyberbullying behavior were important unique risk factors for later cyberbullying behavior, (b) anonymity and previous cyberbullying behavior were valid risk factors for later cyberbullying attitudes, and (c) the likelihood of engaging in later cyberbullying behavior increased with the addition of risk factors. Overall, results show the unique and combined influence of such risk factors for predicting later cyberbullying behavior. Results are discussed in terms of theory.
Zionism and the Rhetoric of Jewish Self-Hatred

The author's aim is to offer a fresh genealogy of that enduringly controversial term, "Jewish self-hatred." In the first part of the article, the author seeks to show how a general rhetoric of Jewish self-hatred developed not so much as a means of diagnosing a psychological condition but more as in the context of new political needs or, more precisely, in the context of debates about Zionism in turn-of-the-century Germany and Austria. In the second part of the article, the author proceeds in a more microhistorical way, tracing the route the cultural Zionist Theodor Lessing took to popularizing the specific phrase "Jewish self-hatred"
What economic agents do: How cognition and interaction lead to emergence and complexity

Kohn (The Cato Journal, 24(3):303–339, 2004) has argued that the neoclassical conception of economics—what he terms the “value paradigm”—has experienced diminishing marginal returns for some time. He suggests a new perspective is emerging—one that gives more import to economic processes and less to end states, one that bases behavior less on axioms and more on laboratory experiments. He calls this the “exchange paradigm”. He further asserts that it is the mathematization of economics that is partially at fault for leading the profession down a methodological path that has become something of a dead end. Here I suggest that the nascent research program Kohn has rightly spotted is better understood as distinct from its precursors because it is intrinsically dynamic, permits agent actions out of equilibrium, and treats such actions as occurring within networks. Analyzing economic processes having these characteristics is mathematically very difficult and I concur with Kohn’s appeal to computational approaches. However, I claim it is so-called multi-agent systems and agent-based models that are the way forward within the “exchange paradigm,” and not the cellular automata (Wolfram, A new kind of science, 2002) that Kohn seems to promote. Agent systems are generalizations of cellular automata and support the natural abstraction of individual economic agents as software agents.
Optimal stabilization policies under rational expectations

Abstract Within the framework of a general linear simultaneous model, this paper investigates quadratic-welfare maximizing optimal stabilization policies for four kinds of rational expectations, present and future with the most recent and lagged information sets. When only present expectations enter the model, optimal stabilization policies preserving stepwise consistency are easily formulated through dynamic programming. The existence of future expectations, on the other hand, requires a one-step solution with sequential consistency. A unique optimal policy sequence satisfying this requirement is derived without imposing covariance stationarity on the system.
Study of hepatitis C virus entry in genetically humanized mice

Approximately 2% of the world’s population is chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Chronic hepatitis C can culminate in end stage liver disease and liver cancer if the infection is untreated. Current therapy is only partially effective and a vaccine for HCV does not exist. Since the discovery of HCV as the etiologic agent causing hepatitis C several experimental tools have been developed which have improved our understanding of the viral life cycle and the interaction of HCV with human cells. However, it remains challenging to study HCV infection in its native liver environment given its narrow species tropism, limited to humans and chimpanzees. Mice can be rendered susceptible to HCV infection by transplanting human hepatocytes into immunocompromized liver injury strains. Such human liver chimeric mice are useful as a challenge model for human hepatotropic pathogens but their utility is hampered by their inability to mount functional immune responses and practical aspects including high costs, low throughput, and donor-to-donor variability. The barriers that restrict HCV species tropism are incompletely understood. We have previously shown that expression of human CD81 and human OCLN is required for HCV uptake into mouse cells. This led to the construction of a genetically humanized mouse model for HCV infection. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for the generation of these animals and highlight some of its applications for studying HCV biology and preclinical testing of drug and vaccine candidates.
Suppression of Adrenal Mineralocorticoid Production in Prehypertensive Young Adult Men

We assessed the renin-aldosterone axis in response to treadmill exercise and adrenal steroidogenesis after graded ACTH infusions in two groups, each composed of nine young adult men from Bourbon County, Kentucky, from the upper and lower deciles of the blood pressure distribution. Those from the upper decile with relatively higher blood pressures, termed prehypertensive, had significantly lower plasma aldosterone and 18-hydroxycorticosterone concentrations after graded ACTH than those with relatively lower pressures, and had significantly lower urinary potassium excretions. Renin and aldosterone responses to exercise were also significantly blunted in the prehypertensive subjects. No differences were found in plasma cortisol, deoxycortisol, deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, or dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, although dehydroepiandrosterone was higher at one infusion rate in prehypertensives. These findings suggest that the adrenal mineralocorticoid pathway and the renin-aldosterone axis are suppressed ...
New telechelic polymers and sequential copolymers by polyfunctional initiator‐transfer agents (inifers). XVIII. Epoxy and aldehyde telechelic polyisobutylenes

This article concerns the synthesis and characterization of new epoxy and aldehyde telechelic polyisobutylenes, that is, and . The synthesis of the epoxy derivative was achieved by quantitative epoxidation of α,ω-di(isobutenyl) polyisobutylene with m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid and that of the dialdehyde by quantitative isomerization of the epoxy termini with zinc bromide. Infrared (IR) and 1H-NMR analysis of these new telechelic polymers and ultraviolet (UV) analysis of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivative of the dialdehyde indicate quantitative conversions and yields, that is, essentially theoretical functionalization (Fn = 1.95 ± 0.05).
Neurotoxic-related changes in tyrosine hydroxylase, microglia, myelin, and the blood-brain barrier in the caudate-putamen from acute methamphetamine exposure

Changes in the histological morphology of the caudate-putamen (CPu) were determined after a high-dose methamphetamine (METH) exposure in an effort to elucidate whether BBB disruption plays a role in CPu neurotoxicity. This was accomplished by evaluating the tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (TH-IR), isolectin B4 reactivity, Black Gold II (BG-II) and Fluoro-Jade C (FJ-C) staining, and immunoreactivity to mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG-IR) in adult male mice at 90-min, 4-h, 12-h, 1-day, and 3-day post-METH exposure. The IgG-IR indicated that the BBB was only modestly altered in the CPu at time points after neurodegeneration occurred and dependent on hyperthermia and status epilepticus. The modest CPu IgG-IR changes observed in the perivascular areas indicated that immunoglobulins were present on some CPu microglia 1 day or more after METH. The first signs of CPu damage were swellings in the TH-IR axons, myelin damage, and a few degenerating neurons at 4-h post-METH. The loss of TH-IR was dependent on hyperthermia but not seizures or CPu neurodegeneration, and the TH-IR was virtually absent throughout the CPu within 12 h. Surprisingly, signs of FJ-C labeling (degenerating) axons in the CPu were seen only in the regions of pronounced somatic neurodegeneration and independent of TH-IR loss. Microglial activation did not occur until 1 day or more post-METH. In summary, a major BBB disruption within the CPu does not directly contribute to neurotoxicity in this single high-dose METH exposure. However, seizure activity produced or exacerbated by amygdalar BBB disruption can significantly increase CPu somatic neurodegeneration (but not affect dopamine (DA) terminal damage). The time course of microglial activation indicates a response to the neurodegeneration, myelin damage, and/or damaged DA terminals after loss of TH-IR.
The sequence of cell and matrix changes in atherosclerotic lesions of coronary arteries in the first forty years of life

We have studied the cell and matrix composition of normal intima and of atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries of 691 subjects less than 40 years old. These arteries were obtained at autopsy and fixed by perfusion with glutaraldehyde under physiological pressure. A defined segment of the left coronary artery, known for its susceptibility to develop advanced lesions, was studied by light and electron microscopy. The initial intimal lesion occurred in infants and consisted in an increase in intimal macrophages and presence of isolated lipid-laden macrophages (foam cells). At puberty, more substantial accumulations of foam cells, accompanied now by lipid droplets in smooth muscle cells and by thinly scattered extracellular lipid (fatty streaks), were present. After puberty, an increasing number of subjects had intermediate lesions and atheroma. Intermediate lesions, characterized by greatly increased extracellular lipid, were the link between fatty streaks and atheroma. Atheroma was characterized by a massive core of extracellular lipid that damaged arterial structure by displacing normal intimal cells and matrix. In the third and more often in the fourth decade, some atheroma contained greatly increased collagen and smooth muscle cells above the lipid core (fibroatheroma). Collagenization and thickening were more marked when evidence of thrombotic deposits was present on the surface or within lesions. Smooth muscle cells were present in the intima of all subjects from birth. In early lesions, lipid in the intima was not associated with an increase in the number of smooth muscle cells. Smooth muscle cells were increased in lesions containing massive extracellular lipid, more so in those having, in addition, a thrombotic component; smooth muscle cells with massive basement membranes occurred in advanced lesions. Macrophages and macrophage foam cells were the cells that increased intimal cellularity at the onset of lesions. Other cell types associated with lesions were lymphocytes, mast cells, and plasma cells, but all of these were less numerous than either smooth muscle cells or macrophages. From birth, intima was always thicker opposite the flow divider wall of a bifurcation (eccentric thickening). When atherosclerotic lesions of any type were present in coronary arteries, the amount of lipid and accompanying cell reactions were greatest in eccentric thickening; intermediate lesions and atheroma were present only in eccentric thickening while fibroatheroma often extended beyond eccentric thickening.
Cystic fibrosis: relationship between clinical status and F508 deletion.

The gene responsible for cystic fibrosis has recently been identified and cloned. 1,2 The most commonly identified mutation, F508, accounts for approximately 70% of all CF genes in North America, and preliminary evidence indicates that in patients homozygous for this 3 base pair deletion, pancreatic insufficiency is present or eventually develops) The remaining 30% of abnormal CF alleles include a number of different defects, including some that appear to confer pancreatic sufficiency and milder disease. 4-6 Identification of other CF alleles and their relationship to the clinical expression of disease is currently under study by many investigators. 7 It is hoped that precise genetic analysis will facilitate prediction of CF severity, which would be valuable both for genetic counseling and for the proper design and interpretation of future clinical trials. Rapid and reliable methods of detecting CF genotypes will be needed to accomplish these aims. In addition, the relationship between clinical status and the most commonly occurring alleles must be evaluated. The purpose of this preliminary study was (1) to examine the feasibility of using a new polymerase chain reactionbased method of DNA analysis to determine the deletion status of 60 nonrelated CF patients and (2) to examine the relationship between the deletion status and Clinical status as determined by Shwachman score, weight percentile, and pulmonary function variables.
Dietary intake of cadmium in the United States: 1920?1975

Abstract Long-term changes in both per capita consumption rates of specific food categories and the concentration of cadmium in the foodstuffs were investigated for their effects on total dietary intake of cadmium. Results show that, under the assumption of historically constant levels of cadmium in foodstuffs, changes in dietary consumption patterns in the United States resulted in a decline in total cadmium intake of about 20% between 1945 and 1975. Even if historically increasing levels of cadmium in foodstuffs are assumed, the decline in consumption rates for food items with the highest concentrations resulted in an approximate steady state of cadmium intake from 1945 to 1975.
Bacteremia after intestinal transplantation in children correlates temporally with rejection or gastrointestinal lymphoproliferative disease.

Background. Bacteremia occurs frequently after intestinal transplantation (ITx) in children. During our initial experience with this procedure, we noted that bacteremic episodes tended to occur simultaneously with the presence of rejection and/or gastrointestinal (GI) posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). Aim. To document the association of bacteremia with rejection and GI PTLD in pediatric ITx recipients. Methods. Retrospective analysis of all medical records from 62 children who underwent ITx between July 1990 and January 1998 at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. A bacteremic episode was defined as two positive blood cultures from different sites at the same time or from the same site at different times. Rejection and PTLD were defined using previously published criteria. Results. A total of 39/62 ITx recipients had 133 blood stream infections (2.1 episodes/patient) including 121 episodes of bacteremia and 12 of fungemia. Enteric organisms were the most frequently recovered pathogens (Gram negative rods, n=76; enterococci, n=36). Enteric organisms were recovered as a single organism (n=57), with another enteric bacteria (n=23), or with coagulase negative staphylococci (CONS) (n=24). CONS were recovered as a single organism on 21 occasions. An obvious source of bacteremia was not found for 115/121 episodes. Endoscopy was performed for 107 of the 115 bacteremia episodes; an abnormal histology was identified in 74 revealing rejection (n=36), GI PTLD (n=21), or both (n=17). When endoscopy showed GI pathology, enteric organisms alone or in combination with CONS were recovered on 63/107 occasions, although CONS were recovered alone only 11 times. Conclusions. Bacteremia accompanies GI rejection and intestinal PTLD in ITx recipients. Endoscopy should be performed to inspect the allograft when bacteremia occurs without an obvious source in these patients. This is especially true for patients with bacteremia due to enteric organisms.
Exploring the safety implications of young drivers' behavior, attitudes and perceptions

The present study aims at identifying and quantifying significant factors (i.e., demographic, aberrant driving behavior) associated with young drivers' involvement in at-fault crashes or traffic citations at the ages of 16-17 (while having the Operational License) and 18-24 years old (while having the Full License). A second objective was to investigate the main reason(s) for involvement in risky driving behavior by young drivers. The data used for the analyses were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire survey carried out among 680 young drivers in Central Florida. To achieve these goals, the structural equation modeling approach was adopted. The results revealed that aggressive violations, in-vehicle distractions and demographic characteristics were the significant factors affecting young drivers' involvement in at-fault crashes or traffic violations at the age of 16-17. However, in-vehicle distractions, attitudes toward speeding and demographic characteristics were the significant factors affecting young drivers' crash risk at 18-24. Additionally, the majority of participants reported that "running late" is the main reason for taking risk while driving (i.e., speeding, accept short gaps, or drive so close to the car in front) followed by "racing other cars". Additionally, "exceed speed limits" was the main reason for receiving traffic citations at 16-17 and 18-24 age groups. Practical suggestions on how to reduce crash risk and promote safe driving among young drivers are also discussed.
A Remote I/O Solution for the Cloud

With applications increasingly moving to the cloud, it is becoming common for an application to be separated by the network from the I/O devices with which the user is interacting. Currently this requires modifying the application to receive user input from the network rather than the device. We present a new I/O architecture in which the device driver is split into two parts, with the network between them. This architecture makes the network invisible to both device and application, allowing both of them to work unmodified. Our architecture also supports transformation modules, each of which comes in a pair that operates on each side of the network. Via these module pairs, the resulting system is capable of supporting the modification of the I/O stream in a variety of ways to compensate for the network, while remaining transparent to the application.
Joint random spectrum sensing and access scheme for decentralized cognitive radio networks

In this paper we consider a cognitive radio network with access to N licensed primary frequency bands and their usage statistics, where the decentralized secondary users are subject to certain inter-network interference constraint. In particular, to limit the interference to the primary network, secondary users are equipped with spectrum sensors and are capable of sensing and accessing a limited number of channels at the same time due to hardware limitations. We consider both the error-free and erroneous spectrum sensing scenarios, and establish the jointly optimal random sensing and access scheme, which maximizes the secondary network expected sum throughput while honoring the primary interference constraint. We show that under certain conditions the optimal sensing and access scheme is independent of the primary frequency bandwidths and usage statistics; otherwise, they follow water-filling-like strategies. Moreover, we show that the performance of the secondary network depends on the ratio between the “opportunity-detection” probability and the “mis-detection” probability if the former is larger; otherwise, it depends on the ratio between the “false-alarm” probability and the “detection” probability. Finally, we demonstrate a binary behavior for the optimal access scheme at each channel, depending on whether the opportunity-detection probability or mis-detection probability is larger in that channel.
The Cause of Fever Following Resolution of Neutropenia in Patients with Acute Leukemia

Many studies have examined the etiology of fever complicating neutropenia. Little is known about the etiology of fever occurring immediately following recovery from myelosuppression. We reviewed 165 episodes of fever in patients who were admitted to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center (Philadelphia) between 1 August 1992 and 15 August 1994 for the treatment of acute leukemia. We included patients who had episodes of fever (temperature of > or = 38 degrees C) for > or = 48 hours within 10 days after an absolute neutrophil count of < or = 500 cells/mm3 was determined. Twenty-nine (20%) of 145 episodes met these criteria. In 5 (17%) of 29 episodes the cause of fever was a bacterial infection, in 6 (21%) of 29 episodes the cause of fever was noninfectious, and in 12 (41%) of 29 episodes the cause of fever was unknown. Six (21%) of 29 episodes were due to documented or suspected fungal infection, four were due to suspected pulmonary aspergillosis, and two were due to systemic candidal infections. Fever following recovery from chemotherapy-induced neutropenia is common. Fungal infections occur frequently after recovery from myelosuppression despite widespread use of empirical and prophylactic antifungal therapy. Improved strategies for diagnosing and preventing fungal infections in patients who have fever following recovery from myelosuppression are clearly needed.
Eutrophication in peel inlet—II. Identification of critical uncertainties via generalized sensitivity analysis

Abstract A generalized sensitivity analysis was carried out on a phosphorous based model of cultural eutrophication processes in the Peel Inlet of Western Australia. The object of the analysis was to identify critical uncertainties in present knowledge of the system for the direction and planning of future research. The main hypothesis suggested by the results is that the nuisance alga, Cladophora aff. battersii, have access to nutrients in the interstitial water of the sediments in the Inlet and that a significant quantity of nutrient is deposited in the major area of Cladophora growth by river-borne sediment. Suggested areas for future research include investigation of mechanisms of deposition, release and remineralization of nutrients in the sediment, and of certain aspects of the physiology of Cladophora.
Modeling and analysis of moving‐bed hot‐gas desulfurization processes

Removal of sulfur compounds from hot coal gas is a necessary step during power generation operations. Zinc ferrite has been identified as a promising absorbent material. A mathematical model describing the kinetics of zinc ferrite during absorption and regeneration as it applies to a steady-state moving-bed concept, where the solids are continuously transferred between absorber and regenerator vessels has been developed. Model predictions, based on experimental data, are presented for various flow configurations and operating conditions, including multistage operation of regeneration, where the effect of diffusion mechanisms, temperature, gas concentrations, and flow rates on conversion are presented.
Silens, nymphs, and maenads*

One of the most familiar traits of the part-horse, part-man creatures known as silens is their keen interest in women. In Athenian vase-painting, the female companions of the silens are characterized by a variety of attributes and items of dress, and exhibit mixed feelings toward the attentions of silens. The complexities of the imagery have resulted in disagreement in modern scholarship on several points, including the identity of these females, the significance of their attributes, and the explanation of a change in their receptivity to the advances of the silens. One of the reasons for the lack of consensus in the scholarship is the fact that the imagery raises not one question but many: questions concerning iconographical method, mythology, ritual, and poetry. In what follows I have attempted to separate some of these entangled issues. I hope to show that the companions of the silens are nymphs and not maenads, and that a major change in the iconography of silens and nymphs, occurring in late sixth-century red-figure Attic vase-painting, reflects in some way developments in the Athenian dramatic genre of satyr-play.
Design of suicide substrates: an approach to the development of highly selective enzyme inhibitors as drugs

Abstract The concept that a pharmacologically important target enzyme can generate, via its normal catalytic mechanism, an irreversible inhibitor from an innocuous substrate analogue and hence commit suicide offers a highly selective approach to drug design. This article describes the principles exploited by the pharmacologist in his endeavor to develop suicide substrates.
Co-culture of day-5 to day-7 equine embryos in medium with oviductal tissue

Oviductal and uterine embryos were collected from mares at 5 to 7 days following ovulation 1) to evaluate the effects of oviductal tissue explants on in vitro growth and development of equine embryos and 2) to study the morphologic development of equine embryos in culture. Embryos were incubated for 5 days in a medium (control group) or in medium supplemented with oviductal tissue explants (co-culture group). Embryos were evaluated and the media changed daily. Following 5 days in culture, 10 10 (100%) control embryos and 27 29 (93%) co-cultured embryos had doubled in diameter. All embryos that were recovered as morulae developed to the blastocyst stage in culture. By 5 days in culture, 6 10 (60%) control embryos and 19 29 (66%) co-cultured embryos had reached the hatching blastocyst stage of development. By 3 days in culture, significantly more (P<0.05) control embryos versus co-cultured embryos had degenerated (4 10 vs 2 29 , respectively). By 5 days in culture, significantly more (P<0.01) control embryos versus co-cultured embryos had degenerated (6 10 vs. 3 29 , respectively). Embryos cultured with oviductal tissue were sustained longer than embryos cultured in medium alone. Hatching was characterized by the blastocyst squeezing through a small opening in the zona pellucida or by the zona pellucida thinning over approximately half of the blastocyst surface and subsequently disappearing entirely.
Studies of the mechanism by which gangliosides inhibit the proliferative response of murine splenocytes to concanavalin A

Abstract Gangliosides are known to inhibit the proliferative response of murine and human lymphocytes to antigens and mitogens in vitro. In this study the response of murine spleen cells to concanavalin A (Con A) was used as a model system. Analysis of the cellular events by flow cytometry revealed that during the first 24 hr of culture the effect of gangliosides on Con A-treated cells was minimal. At 48 hr, however, more of the ganglioside-treated cells were in G 0 G 1 , the cells contained more RNA, and fewer cells were in S phase. These data indicate that gangliosides inhibit the transition of the cells from G 0 G 1 into the S phase of the cell cycle. Expression of the interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor, as measured by the binding of a monoclonal antibody to the receptor, was not inhibited by the gangliosides. Binding of 125I-labeled recombinant IL-2 to cells cultured for 48 hr with Con A was inhibited by ganglioside GDla but not by asialo GMI. Inhibition was much more effective if the gangliosides were preincubated with IL-2 before addition of cells, but no inhibition was observed if the cells were preincubated with gangliosides and the unbound gangliosides were washed out prior to addition of the IL-2. These data suggest that interference with the binding of IL-2 to the high-affinity IL-2 receptor of activated T lymphocytes plays an important role in the inhibition of Con A-induced proliferation.
Severity of Neonatal Retinopathy of Prematurity Is Predictive of Neurodevelopmental Functional Outcome at Age 5.5 Years

Objective. The purpose of this study was to assess the relation between neonatal retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in very low birth weight infants and neurodevelopmental function at age 5.5 years. Methods. Longitudinal follow-up of children occurred in 2 cohorts of the Multicenter Cryotherapy for Retinopathy of Prematurity Study. The extended natural history cohort followed 1199 survivors of Results. Evaluations were completed on 88.7% of the extended natural history cohort; 87% had globally normal functional skills (WeeFIM: >95). As ROP severity increased, rates of severe disability increased from 3.7% among those with no ROP, to 19.7% of those with threshold ROP. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that better functional status was associated with favorable visual acuity, favorable 2-year neurological score, absence of threshold ROP, having private health insurance, and black race. Evaluations were completed on 87.4% of the ThRz children. In each functional domain, the 134 children with favorable acuity in their better eye had fewer disabilities than did the 82 children with unfavorable acuity: self-care disability 25.4% versus 76.8%, continency disability 4.5% versus 50.0%, motor disability 5.2% versus 42.7%, and communicative-social cognitive disability 22.4% versus 65.9%, respectively. Conclusion. Severity of neonatal ROP seems to be a marker for functional disability at age 5.5 years among very low birth weight survivors. High rates of functional limitations in multiple domains occur in children who had threshold ROP, particularly if they have unfavorable visual acuity.