cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid multitarget immunomagnetic separation through programmable DNA linker displacement.

Immunomagnetic separation has become an essential tool for high-throughput and low-cost isolation of biomolecules and cells from heterogeneous samples. However, as magnetic selection is essentially a “black-and-white” assay, its application has been largely restricted to single-target and single-parameter studies. To address this issue, we have developed an immunomagnetic separation technology that can quickly sort multiple targets in high yield and purity using selectively displaceable DNA linkers. We envision that this technology will be readily adopted for experiments requiring high-throughput selection of multiple targets or further adapted for selection of a single target based on multiple surface epitopes.
Resilience Revisited: What Ministers Need to Know About Borderline Personality Disorder

This article presents a summary of current research on borderline personality disorder and examines interventions that work as well as the consequences for ministers and congregations when they attempt to help individuals struggling with borderline personality disorder. I use primarily the works of Blaise Aguirre, Gillian Galen, Randi Kreger, Christine Lawson, Joel Paris, Kimberlee Roth, and Freda Friedman—as well as the published life stories of Caroline Kraus and Kiera Van Gelder as illustrative case studies of women who have documented their struggles with the disorder. I argue that resilience and resourcefulness in the lives of these individuals often present as anger, manipulation, and retaliation directed at ministers. This is especially the case when ministers and parish members attempt to set healthy boundaries with these individuals whose fears of abandonment are triggered when a healthy boundary feels like a failure of empathy. I also argue that the misguided resourcefulness of people with borderline personality disorder is a strength that may help them make the journey toward healthy relationships. I demonstrate that it is possible to help these individuals and members of their families move from reactions of rejection and retaliation to responses of resilience and resourcefulness if interventions occur early in the development of the disorder.
Ultrastructural differentiation of the first Hensen cell in the gerbil cochlea as a distinct cell type.

Background: The mammalian cochlea contains beneath and lateral to outer hair cells, several types of supporting cells. The function of these cells has not been explained beyond providing a structural base. Methods: The supporting cells of gerbil cochlea were examined by electron microscopy with a view to elucidating their biologic activity on the basis of cytologic structure. Results: Ultrastructural examination differentiated the laterally located Hensen cells from their medial neighbor connected to the third Deiters cell. The later cell formed a cover to the outer tunnel between Hensen and Deiters cells, appeared not to reach the basilar membrane, and exhibited a denser cytosol and more mitochondria, compared to Hensen cells. In these respects the cell observed here to cover the outer tunnel, corresponded with the tectal cell described by Henson et al. (1983) in the mustache bat, but not heretofore documented in other animals. Conclusions: This distinctive cell in the gerbil differend in displaying unique villus-like structures which projected from the basomedial surface and are referred to as fimbriae. The fimbriae and interspersed filopodia largely filled outer tunnel space and expanded the cell's basal surface. The amplification of basal plasmalemma by fimbriae and their content of mitochondria testify to a role for the tectal cell in ion resorption and an influence on ion content and volume of outer tunnel fluid. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, but That's the Problem: The Role of Syntax in Vocabulary Acquisition

ing the Relevant World Event A related problem is that the scene that accompanies utterance of a verb includes many events, only one of which is encoded by that verb. Consider the plight of the child to whom the mother says, "Do you want this ice cream cone?" The mother is speaking, smiling, holding and waving the cone, and perhaps pointing to it; the cone is observably something good to eat, dripping, Copyright ? 1992 American Psychological Society This content downloaded from 207.46.13.118 on Sun, 11 Sep 2016 06:25:19 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 32 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1, FEBRUARY 1992 melting, an object of present desire, I and so forth. None of these aspects of the scene is irrelevant to the con versational intent, yet only one of them is correct to map onto the item want. A picture is worth a thousand words, but that is the trouble: A thousand words describe the varying aspects of any one picture. Usually, investigators have solved these problems only by beg ging the questions they raise. For ex ample, children are said to ignore adult utterances whose meanings are unrelated to the present context. But then, how do children avoid positing a different (and incorrect) pairing of the verb heard with some event that is present in the environ ment? That is, if the learner assumes that speech maps onto current events, and does not know the meaning of some utterance heard, she must attempt a pairing between that utterance and whatever is hap pening. Woe to such a learner, for in a case we mentioned earlier, she must then try to pair up "Come take your nap" with the cat-on-mat ob servation, a decidedly false step. As for abstract verbs, the prob lems they pose for observational learning are often waved aside be cause their acquisition is relatively late compared with the acquisition of action verbs?as if this lateness answers the question of how they are learned, in the end.
Predictors of Drug Use in Prison among Incarcerated Black Men

Background: Black men currently comprise a substantial percentage of prisoners in the United States. Drug dependence is common among prison populations, and US prisons are high-risk environments for drug use. Prison drug use exacerbates health problems disproportionately prevalent among Black men and prisoners. Objectives: The goal of this research was to examine predictors of prison drug use among incarcerated Black men. Methods: This study examined drug use within the prison environment in a random sample of 134 Black men incarcerated in maximum-security correctional institution. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was used to measure illicit drug use history and the extent to which drug use occurred within the prison environment. Results: Seventy-five percent of the participants reported a history of illicit drug use. Overall, 20% (n 25) of the participants, or 25% of those with a history of drug use, reported using drugs during a time frame consistent with incarceration. Participants with lengthier his...
Cohort Profile: The Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS)

The Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) was designed to prospectively evaluate the impact of disease on the health, function and mortality of adults over the age of 50 in both urban and rural areas of Mexico. The overall goal of the study is to examine the ageing process and its disease and disability burden in a large representative panel of older Mexicans, using a wide socioeconomic perspective. The study protocols and survey instruments are highly comparable to the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS).The MHAS 2001 baseline is a nationally and urban-rural representative survey of individuals born in 1951 or earlier. Three waves of data have been collected so far: baseline in 2001 and follow-ups in 2003 and 2012. In 2012, the study added a representative sample of the population from the 1952-62 birth cohorts. A fourth wave will be collected in 2015.The data files and documentation are available free of charge at the study website [www.MHASweb.org] in English and [www.ENASEM.org] in Spanish.
THE EFFECTS OF MOTHER'S PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL UNAVAILABILITY ON EMOTION REGULATION

In summary, emotion dysregulation can develop from brief or more prolonged separations from the mother as well as from the more disturbing effects of her emotional unavailability, such as occurs when she is depressed. Harmonious interaction with the mother or the primary caregiver (attunement) of the mother's physical unavailability were seen in studies of separations from the mother due to her hospitalization or to her conference trips. These separations affected the infants' play behaviors and sleep patterns. Comparisons between hospitalizations and conference trips, however, suggested that the infants' behaviors were more negatively affected by the hospitalizations than the conference trips. This probably related to these being hospitalizations for the birth of another baby--the infants no longer had the special, exclusive relationship with their mothers after the arrival of the new sibling. This finding highlights the critical importance of emotional availability. The mother had returned from the hospital, but, while she was no longer physically unavailable, she was now emotionally unavailable. Emotional unavailability was investigated in an acute form by comparing two laboratory situations, the still face paradigm and the momentary leave taking. The still face had more negative effects on the infants' interaction behaviors than the physical separation. The most extreme form of emotional unavailability, mother's depression, had the most negative effects. The disorganization or emotion dysregulation in this case is more prolonged. Changes in physiology (heart rate, vagal tone, and cortisol levels), in play behavior, affect, activity level, and sleep organization as well as other regulating functions such as eating and toileting, and even in the immune system persist for the duration of the mother's depression. My colleagues and I have suggested that these changes occur because the infant is being chronically deprived of an important external regulator of stimulation (the mother) and thus fails to develop emotion regulation or organized behavioral and physiological rhythms. Finally, individual differences were discussed, including those related to maturity (e.g., prematurity) and temperament/personality (e.g., uninhibited/inhibited or externalizing/internalizing) and those deriving from degree of mother-infant mismatch, such as dissimilar temperaments. Further investigations are needed to determine how long the effects of such early dysregulation endure, how they affect the infant's long-term development, how their effect differs across individuals and across development, and whether they can be modified by early intervention. Eventually, with increasing age, developing skills, and diversity of experience, infants develop individualized regulatory styles. That process, and how it is affected by the mother's physical and emotional unavailability, also requires further investigation.
On the Mechanisms of Formation of Thermal Oxidative Deposits in Jet Fuels. Are Unified Mechanisms Possible for Both Storage and Thermal Oxidative Deposit Formation for Middle Distillate Fuels

This paper attempts to expand mechanistic understanding of the fundamental chemistry involved in jet fuel thermal oxidative deposit formation. The proposed mechanisms are a synthesis of ideas and results from the fuel community at large; a few new experiments are also reported. In addition, it is suggested that the available literature is consistent with similar chemistry for deposit formation for both storage and thermal oxidative degradation for middle distillates in general.
Strategies for exploiting the immune system in the design of vaccines.

Abstract There are three types of vaccines in medical use today—live, attenuated agents, mainly viruses; inactivated whole organisms; and subunit preparations. Though there are examples in each category of successful preparations, live attenuated viruses have almost invariably given long-lasting immunity after one or two administrations. Contributing reasons for this are gleaned, not from human vaccine studies, but from model systems and it is concluded that a vaccine needs to achieve four goals: activation of antigen-presenting cells; overcoming genetic variability in T cell responses; generation of high levels of T and B memory cells; and persistence of antigen for recruitment of B memory cells. Of the newer approaches to vaccine development, synthetic peptides have substantial limitations but should be successful in some cases. Subunit preparations may also be limited as a general method. Some live viral or bacterial vaccines, used as vectors of nucleic acid coding for other antigens, hold considerable promise as is illustrated by recent examples.
Linkages between the North Pacific Oscillation and central tropical Pacific SSTs at low frequencies

The North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) recently (re-)emerged in the literature as a key atmospheric mode in Northern Hemisphere climate variability, especially in the Pacific sector. Defined as a dipole of sea level pressure (SLP) between, roughly, Alaska and Hawaii, the NPO is connected with downstream weather conditions over North America, serves as the atmospheric forcing pattern of the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), and is a potential mechanism linking extratropical atmospheric variability to El Nino events in the tropical Pacific. This paper explores further the forcing dynamics of the NPO and, in particular, that of its individual poles. Using observational data and experiments with a simple atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), we illustrate that the southern pole of the NPO (i.e., the one near Hawaii) contains significant power at low frequencies (7–10 years), while the northern pole (i.e., the one near Alaska) has no dominant frequencies. When examining the low-frequency content of the NPO and its poles separately, we discover that low-frequency variations (periods >7 years) of the NPO (particularly its subtropical node) are intimately tied to variability in central equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) associated with the El Nino-Modoki/Central Pacific Warming (CPW) phenomenon. This result suggests that fluctuations in subtropical North Pacific SLP are important to monitor for Pacific low-frequency climate change. Using the simple AGCM, we also illustrate that variability in central tropical Pacific SSTs drives a significant fraction of variability of the southern node of the NPO. Taken together, the results highlight important links between secondary modes (i.e., CPW-NPO-NPGO) in Pacific decadal variability, akin to already established relationships between the primary modes of Pacific climate variability (i.e., canonical El Nino, the Aleutian Low, and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation).
Experimental Self-Sensing Results for a Magnetic Bearing

Experimental results are presented for a self-sensing magnetic bearing system operated in both the linear and saturation regions. When the magnetic actuator operates exclusively in the linear region, a simple, inexpensive analog estimation technique is implemented. When operating conditions are expected to drive the bearing into magnetic saturation, a digital-analog hybrid estimator is introduced. It follows that expected operating conditions of the magnetic bearing system determine the necessary complexity of the position estimator. Further, the performance of the analog hardware plays a critical role in the operation of the estimator from the perspective of signal gain and phase. Such hardware issues, as they relate to estimator performance, are discussed. Recommendations for improved estimator performance in conjunction with reduced estimator cost and complexity follow.Copyright © 2001 by ASME
Bacterial membrane disrupting dodecapeptide SC4 improves survival of mice challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Background Dodecapeptide SC4 is a broad-spectrum bactericidal agent that functions by disintegrating bacterial membranes and neutralizing endotoxins. For insight into which SC4 amino acids are functionally important, we assessed Gram-negative bactericidal effects in structure–activity relationship experiments. Subsequently, SC4 was tested in a murine bacteremia model to combine and compare the efficacy with Zosyn, a first-line antibiotic against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa ). Methods SC4 alanine-scanning analogs and their activities on were tested on P. aeruginosa . Survival studies in P. aeruginosa challenged mice were executed to monitor overall efficacy of SC4 and Zosyn, as a single modality and also as combination treatment. ELISAs were used to measure blood serum levels of selected inflammatory cytokines during treatment. Results Cationic residues were found to play a crucial role in terms of bactericidal activity against P. aeruginosa . In vivo, while only 9% (3/34) of control animals survived to day two and beyond, 44% (12/27) to 41% (14/34) of animals treated with SC4 or Zosyn, respectively, survived beyond one week. Combination treatment of SC4 and Zosyn demonstrated improved survival, i.e. 60% (12/20). The TNFα, IL-1, and IL-6 serum levels were attenuated in each treatment group compared to the control group. Conclusions These data show that combination treatment of SC4 and Zosyn is most effective at killing P. aeruginosa and attenuating inflammatory cytokine levels in vivo. General significance Combination treatment of SC4 and Zosyn may be useful in the clinic as a more effective antibiotic therapy against Gram-negative infectious diseases.
Escapable/inescapable pretraining and subsequent avoidance performance in human subjects

Seventy-two Ss were tested in an escape/avoidance task in which omission of entertaining material served as the aversive stimulus event. Prior to these trials, Ss received 0, 15, or 30 escapable trials and either 0 or 100 inescapable trials with the same aversive stimulus. The results indicated that inescapable trials interfered with performance on the escape/avoidance task and that escapable trials negated the interference effect. The pretraining conditions more directly affected escape rather than avoidance performance.
Enterprise systems, knowledge transfer and power users

There are few studies of knowledge transfer (KT) between groups with dissimilar purposes and dissimilar practices, which is the situation when transferring knowledge from an enterprise systems (ES) developer team to the users of the new ES. To support such KT, organizations identify a group of power users to work with the ES team and then to help other users integrate the new system into their operations. That KT process still encounters barriers. In a comparative case study of four such KT situations at two different companies we identify the critical barriers, and empirically uncover two new KT mechanisms that are effective for addressing the KT barriers in the ES context.
Proton relaxation NMR study of polycrystalline progesterone.

Abstract Polycrystalline progesterone (4-pregnene-3,20-dione, C 21 H 30 O 2 ) has been investigated by proton NMR methods between 80 and 350 K. A reduction in dipolar second moment is ascribed to methyl group reorientation. Minima in the spin-lattice relaxation time found in measurements at five frequencies from 7 to 200 MHz are attributed to reorientation of two of the three methyl groups in each molecule, characterized by activation energy E a = 10.9 ± 0.8 kJ/mol and τ 0 = (2.3 ± 0.2) × 10 −13 , s. Additional relaxation at lower temperatures is attributed to reorientation of the third methyl group with E a approximately 3.4 kJ/mol. Measurements were also made of relaxation in the rotating frame.
Stereoselective metabolism of dibenz[a,h]acridine to bay-region diol epoxides by rat liver microsomes

The carcinogen dibenz[a,h]acridine (DB[a,h]ACR is metabolized predominantly to trans-3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydro-dibenz[a,h]acridine (DB[a,h]ACR-3,4-diol) and the proximate carcinogen trans-10,11-dihydroxy-10,11-dihydrodibenz[a,h]acridine (DB[a,h]ACR-10,11-diol) [Steward et al. (1987) Carcinogenesis, 8, 1043-1050]. In the present investigation, the stereoselectivity of rat liver enzymes in metabolism of DB[a,h]ACR to its 3,4-diol and 10,11-diol and of DB[a,h]ACR-10,11-diol enantiomers to their bay-region diol epoxides has been examined with liver microsomes from control and 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. Both microsomal preparations produced the major metabolites DB[a,h]ACR-3,4-diol and DB[a,h]ACR-10,11-diol containing predominantly R,R-enantiomers with 38-54% optical purity. Metabolism of (-)-(10R,11R)- and (+)-(10S,11S)-enantiomers of DB[a,h]ACR-10,11-diol by liver microsomes from control rats produced predominantly bay-region diol epoxides (46-59% of total metabolites), whereas very little bay-region diol epoxides (14-17% of total metabolites) were produced by liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. The bay-region diol epoxides produced in these studies consisted of predominantly DB[a,h]ACR-10,11-trans-diol epoxide diastereomer in which the benzylic hydroxyl group and epoxide oxygen are trans. However, (-)-DB[a,h]ACR-10R,11R-diol, a major metabolite of DB[a,h]ACR, was metabolized by liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats to (+)-[8R,9S,10S,11R]-DB[a,h]ACR-10,11-trans-diol epoxide, a diastereomer which displayed high mutagenic activity in V79 cells, in an amount which was 6.5-fold greater than that of the corresponding cis-diol epoxide diastereomer. The relative amounts of trans-diol epoxide versus cis-diol epoxide in the mixture of bay-region diol epoxides produced from DB[a,h]ACR-10R,11R-diol and DB[a,h]ACR-10S,11R-diol with liver microsomes from control rats and from DB[a,h]ACR-10S,11S-diol with liver microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats were 1.7, 2.1 and 2.3 respectively.
Uroradiology of diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent disorder, well controlled in many persons with prolongation of life. Several radiologic manifestations are sufficiently specific to suggest a diagnosis in the unidentified patient, but even more important is an awareness of the sometimes life-threatening complications of diabetes which can be diagnosed from uroradiologic studies. We review the following urinary tract manifestations and complications of diabetes: pyelonephritis, perinephric abscess, renal papillary necrosis, emphysematous pyelonephritis, emphysematous cystitis, fungus infections, calcification of the vas deferens, seminal vesicle, and intrarenal branches of the renal artery, neuropathic bladder, and renal failure.
Association between sucrose-phosphate synthase activity in leaves and plant growth rate in response to altered aerial temperature

Abstract Vegetative soybean plants ( Glycine max (L.) Merrill, cv. ‘Ransom’) were grown at three aerial temperatures to examine the relationship between sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) activities of leaves and whole-plant growth rate. Plans were exposed for 17 days to day/night temperatures of 26/22°C, 22/18°C, or 18/14°C, or 18/14°C, which resulted in a progressive lowering of relative growth rates (0.129, 0.109 and 0.067 g g −1 day –1 , respectively). Net CO 2 exchange rates (CER), SPS activities and calculated assimilate export rates of the most recently expanded trifoliolate leaf in the canopy were decreased at lower temperatures. The temperature effects were reversible, as CER and SPS activities of selected expanded leaves were increased within 3 days after plants were switched from 18/14°C to 30/26°C and decreased following transfer from 26/22°C to 18/14°C/. The results are interpreted as evidence that changes in the activity of SPS are an integral part of the coordinatedadjustments in the leaf photosynthetic system which limit formation and export of sucrose as the temperature in the growth environment declines.
Aligning physician and hospital incentives: editorial comment.

Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes [5]. As in the age of Benjamin Franklin, this is true for us today. Perhaps nowhere is change more immediate today than in health care. The aspects of health care that are evolving include insurance reforms that extend access, new models of care delivery, increasing need for physician and healthcare organization alignment, consumerism and public reporting of metrics and outcomes, and payment reforms for hospitals and physicians [1, 6]. While there are many drivers of this change, the primary issue continues to be the rising cost of health care in the United States [6]. Left unchecked, the rising costs are unsustainable. Young physicians starting their careers today are looking at the potential for increased patient volumes requiring treatment in the face of declining professional reimbursement. Physicians are increasingly being asked to engage with their healthcare organizations to improve efficiency and quality of care delivery [4, 8]. It is likely such alignment between physician and healthcare organizations will increasingly become a necessity to maintain viable support for clinical practice.
Henoch-Schönlein purpura with intussusception: a case report.

Gastrointestinal symptoms in Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) are common and occur in about two-thirds of HSP patients. Surgical intervention is only required in a minority of cases. Intussusception is a rare complication and the most common surgical indication for HSP. We report a 3-year-old boy with HSP and clinical manifestations of palpable skin rash lasting for 4 days, fever for 3 days, intermittent abdominal cramping pain, and left ankle arthralgia lasting for several hours. Abdominal sonography revealed characteristic signs of intussusception including a doughnut sign and a pseudo-kidney sign in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. After unsuccessful initial reduction by air enema, surgical reduction was arranged and manual reduction of the ileocecal intussusception without bowel resection was carried out.
Progressing from Eugenics to Human Genetics

Eugenics, unlike science, involves decision making on various issues, and decision making involves the risk of making errors. This communication first clarifies the nature and seriousness of making er
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration Among Low-income, Inner-city Mothers.

Objectives. Despite the promotion of breastfeeding as the “ideal” infant feeding method by health experts, breastfeeding continues to be less common among low-income and minority mothers than among other women. This article investigates how maternal sociodemographic and infant characteristics, household environment, and health behaviors are related to breastfeeding initiation and duration among low-income, inner-city mothers, with a specific focus on differences in breastfeeding behavior by race/ethnicity and nativity status. Methods. Using data from a community-based, longitudinal study of women in Philadelphia, PA (N=1,140), we estimate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models to predict breastfeeding initiation and duration. Results. Both foreign-born black mothers and Hispanic mothers (most of whom were foreign born) were significantly more likely to breastfeed their infants than non-Hispanic white women, findings that were partly explained by foreign-born and Hispanic mothers' prenatal intention to breastfeed. In contrast to previous studies, we also found that native-born black women were more likely to breastfeed than non-Hispanic white women. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that when poor whites and African Americans are similarly situated in an inner-city context, the disparity in their behavior with respect to infant feeding is not as distinct as documented in national surveys. Breastfeeding was much more common among low-income immigrant black women than among white or native-born black mothers.
High-quality lossy compression: current and future trends

This paper is concerned with current and future trends in the lossy compression of real sources such as imagery, video, speech and music. We put all lossy compression schemes into common framework where each can be characterized in terms of three well-defined advantages: cell shape, region shape and memory advantages. We concentrate on image compression and discuss how new entropy constrained trellis-based compressors achieve cell- shape, region-shape and memory gain resulting in high fidelity and high compression.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Heart rate turbulence parameters correlate with post–premature ventricular contraction changes in muscle sympathetic activity

Background Heart rate turbulence (HRT) has been shown to be vagally mediated with a strong correlation to baroreflex indices. However, the relationship between HRT and peripheral sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) after a premature ventricular contraction (PVC) remains unclear. Objective We sought to evaluate the relationship between HRT and the changes in peripheral SNA after PVCs. Methods We recorded postganglionic muscle SNA during electrocardiogram monitoring in eight patients with spontaneous PVCs. Fifty-two PVCs were observed and analyzed for turbulence onset (TO) and slope (TS). SNA was quantified during (1) the dominant burst after the PVC (dominant burst area) and (2) the 10 seconds after the dominant burst (postburst SNA). Results The mean TO was 0.1% ± 4.6%, and the mean TS was 6.1 ± 6.6. The dominant burst area negatively correlated with TO ( r = −0.50, P = .0002). The postburst SNA showed a significant positive correlation with TO ( r = 0.44, P = .001) and a negative correlation with TS ( r = −0.42, P = .002). These correlations remained significant after controlling for either the PVC coupling interval or the left ventricular ejection fraction. Conclusions Our findings highlight the relationship between perturbations in HRT and pathology in the sympathetic limb of the autonomic nervous system. Future studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic role of baroreflex control of sympathetic activity in patients with structural heart disease.
Unique Structure and Dynamics of Poly(ethylene oxide) in Layered Silicate Nanocomposites: Accelerated Segmental Mobility Revealed by Simulating ESR Spectra of Spin-Labels, XRD, FTIR, and DSC

The structure and dynamics of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) intercalated in the galleries of a fluoromica inorganic clay were studied by spin-label electron spin resonance (ESR), XRD, FTIR, and DSC. The polymer was end-labeled by attachment of a nitroxide radical. Basic structural information was determined by XRD, while DSC and FTIR revealed that the crystallization of the PEO was inhibited in the clay galleries. The temperature variation of the ESR spectra from the spin-label was simulated based on the “macroscopic order with microscopic disorder” (MOMD) model. For PEO intercalated in the narrow (0.33 nm) clay galleries, the ESR spectra indicated a very low segmental mobility even at high temperature, 410 K, which was attributed to the strong polymer interaction with the charged mica platelets. In wider (0.83 nm) galleries, however, the parameters used to simulate the ESR spectra of the nitroxide labels reflected a lowering of the PEO segmental density: In this sample, the ESR spectrum consisted of two dis...
Uptake mechanism of Furosemide-loaded pegylated nanoparticles by cochlear cell lines

Abstract This study tests the hypothesis that pegylated nanoparticles (NPs) could be taken up by the cochlear cells [House Ear Institute-organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) and Stria vascularis K-1 (SVK-1)], through endocytic pathways. Furthermore, the in vitro drug release and the cytotoxicity of Furosemide (FUR)-loaded NPs on these two cochlear cells are investigated. FUR-loaded pegylated NPs are prepared by the emulsion-solvent diffusion method without surfactant. The NPs are characterized for particle mean diameter, polydispersity index (PDI), morphology, percent drug encapsulation efficiency (EE%), and FUR release kinetics. The methyl tetrazolium salt (MTS) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) bioassays are used to evaluate in vitro , the cytotoxicity of FUR-loaded NPs and native FUR. The NPs uptake is investigated using confocal microscopy, microplate reader/fluorimetry, and flow cytometry. Spherical NPs with a mean diameter range of 133–210 nm and PDI values varying from 0.037 to 0.41 are produced. The FUR EE% is 86% and the drug is released from the NPs according to the zero-order and Higuchi models. After treatment with blank NPs, the percentage of cell viability and cell death are 95.96% and 8.95%, in HEI-OC1 cells, respectively. The NPs are internalized by HEI-OC1 cells through a clathrin-dependent pathway. In addition, results show that NPs can be taken up via clathrin and cytoskeleton mediated pathways in SVK-1 cells. The internalization of the pegylated NPs can enhance the drug toxicity by necrosis in a dose-dependent and sustained release manner. The formulated NPs provide a promising template for a targeted drug delivery system to the inner ear.
Fe–Mn–Cr–Mo–(Y,Ln)–C–B (Ln = Lanthanides) bulk metallic glasses as formable amorphous steel alloys

The glass formability of high-manganese amorphous steel alloys reported earlier by us has been found to improve upon additions of yttrium and lanthanide elements, enabling the formation of bulk glassy samples with diameter thicknesses reaching 7 mm by casting. Based on extensive studies using different Ln additions and systematic measurements of alloy oxygen contents, the intrinsic roles of Y/Ln in attaining good glass formability in both the high-Mn alloys and previously reported high-Cr alloys are revealed. The yield strengths of the non-ferromagnetic glassy alloys obtained are estimated to be three times those of high-strength stainless steel alloys, and high elastic moduli in the range 150–200 GPa are measured. Furthermore, in the supercooled liquid regions, the glassy rods can be bent into various configurations by hand without fracturing. The observed plastic behavior together with the measured high mechanical strengths suggests that the present Fe–based bulk metallic glasses can potentially be developed as formable non-ferromagnetic amorphous steel alloys.
INCIDENCE OF ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA IN INTUBATED PATIENTS RECEIVING ACTIVATED CHARCOAL

Abstract Several case reports and animal studies raise concerns over the risk of aspiration pneumonia when administering activated charcoal (AC) to intubated patients. Therefore, we sought to determine the incidence of aspiration pneumonia in intubated overdose patients who then received AC. We conducted a retrospective review from January 1994 to April 1997 of intubated patients who then received AC. Patients were transferred to, or primarily treated at, an 843-bed tertiary medical center with an annual emergency department volume of 100,000 patients. Objective evidence of infiltrate on chest radiograph during initial 48 h of hospitalization was used to determine the incidence of aspiration pneumonia. Patients with known preexisting pneumonia or with administration of AC before intubation were excluded. There were 64 patients identified. Fourteen were excluded for clinical aspiration before intubation, receiving activated charcoal before intubation, or abnormal immediate post-intubation chest radiographs. The remaining 50 patients, ages 1–64 years, 33% male, overdosing on a large variety of substances, required acute intubation and then received AC. Only two patients of these 50 (4%) with initial negative radiographs developed a new infiltrate after intubation and AC. Administration of AC to intubated overdose patients is associated with a low incidence of aspiration pneumonia.
Comparative study of neuronal and glial gap-junctions in crayfish nerve cords.

Electrical synapses (neuronal gap-junctions) and glial gap-junctions were compared by using thin sectioning, freeze fracturing, and negative staining techniques. Neuronal and glial gap-junctions differed in the length of the extracellular domains of the channels, in the presence of a cytoskeleton associated to neuronal gap-junctions, and in their unit cell dimenstions. The difference in length of the channels and the fact that both glial and neuronal gap-junctions had the same particle diameter suggest that the proteins forming glial and neuronal gap-junctions might have different molecular weights. The cytoskeleton associated to neuronal gap-junctions consisted of a beaded layer of densities located parallel to the membrane in the synaptic regions. Synaptic vesicles associated to neuronal gap-junctions were attached to this cytoskeleton, which was in turn anchored to the synptic membrane through densities about 20 nm apart, a spacing similar to the neuronal unit cell dimension. These results suggest that the cytoskeleton might be responsible for the association of vesicles to neuronal gap-junctions and for maintaining the crystalline appearance of neuronal gap-junctions in situ.
Complexes of 1,3-bis(2-thiazolylimino)isoindoline with middle and late first row transition metals

Abstract In this communication, we present a study that probes the middle and late first row transition metal chemistry of 1,3-bis(2-thiazolylimino)isoindoline, adding to the known Fe and Cu compounds. Complexes of this ligand with Mn, Co, Zn and a new Fe form are presented and all are structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray methods. The 1,3-bis(2-thiazolylimino)isoindoline ligand can potentially bind via the thiazolyl nitrogen or sulfur atoms; in all of the complexes presented in this report, the N,N,N binding mode is observed exclusively. The ligands bind in a planar configuration, similar to that seen for bis(2-iminopyridyl)isoindoline.
Caffeine and time of day effects on a force discrimination task in humans

Abstract The effects of caffeine (0 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg) and time of day (TOD) on human performance were studied using a multiple forceband discrimination task (MFDT) and subjective ratings. Selfrated measures of energy level were affected by TOD and caffeine, while mood was affected by TOD. Energy level decreased throughout the day and was offset by caffeine which increased energy level independent of TOD. Self-reported anxiety was not affected by TOD, or caffeine. Mood was affected by TOD in a complex cubic trend with late morning and late evening peaks 12 h apart. MFDT performance was affected by TOD, caffeine dosage, and their interaction. Trend analyses showed varying patterns of TOD effects across peak force variability, response latency, response duration, and correct responding. Results support and extend previous findings of TOD influences on the MFDT and support the utility of multicomponent proprioceptive tasks for examining drug effects on performance.
Spatially efficient reference phase-encrypted joint transform correlator

A novel joint transform correlator (JTC) system is presented in which the stored reference image is phase encrypted prior to applying the JTC. The encryption disperses all the trivial correlation peaks in the correlator output. The reference image is encrypted electronically, which simplifies the need for a complex optical setup. The encryption removes the JTC requirement for spatial separation between the reference and the target images in the joint input plane. This efficient use of spatial light modulator space can be used to phase multiplex more reference images so that correlations with multiple reference images can be performed in a single JTC cycle.
Finite-temperature Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations in rare earth nuclei

The temperature dependence of deformations and pair gaps is calculated for $^{148}\mathrm{Sm}$, $^{170}\mathrm{Er}$, and $^{186}$,188Os. Increasing the temperature induces a variety of shape phase transitions: prolate and oblate to spherical, triaxial to oblate, and spherical to prolate. Heating also produces the superfluid to normal phase transition.
Wild-type and mutant actin genes in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Abstract We have sequenced the four actin genes of Caenorhabditis elegans. These four genes encode typical invertebrate actins and are highly homologous, differing from each other by, at most, three amino acid residues. As a first step towards an understanding of the developmental regulation of this gene set we have also sequenced mutant actin genes. The mutant genes were cloned from two independent revertants of a single dominant actin mutant. For both revertants, reversion was accompanied by an actin gene rearrangement. The accumulation of actin mRNA during development in these two revertants is different from that of wild-type animals. We present here a correlation between actin gene structure and expression in wild-type and mutant animals. The results suggest that co-ordinate regulation of actin genes is not essential for wild-type muscle function. In addition, it appears that changes in the 3′ region of at least one of the actin mRNAs may affect its steady-state regulation during development.
DNA excision repair in human cells treated with ultraviolet radiation and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide

Abstract Excision repair was measured in normal human and xeroderma pigmentosum group C cells treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-oxide and with ultraviolet radiation by the techniques of unscheduled DNA synthesis, repair replication, a modification of bromodeoxyuridine photolysis employing the dye Hoechst 33258 and 365 nm radiation, and endonuclease-sensitive sites assay. Radioautography and repair replication showed that in normal cells the magnitude of repair after a saturation dose of the epoxide (approx. 10 μM) to be 0.1–0.2 that after a saturating ultraviolet dose (20 J/m2 at 254), though survival data showed that both doses gave nearly similar killings. Repair was of the long-patch type and repair kinetics after the epoxide treatment were similar to ultraviolet. After a combined treatment with both agents, unscheduled synthesis in normal cells was more than additive, although, considering the experimental errors, these data and those of repair replication are consistent with additivity. The epoxide did not inhibit loss of sites sensitive to the ultraviolet endonuclease. However, after a combined treatment to xeroderma pigmentosum cells there was appreciably less unscheduled synthesis than for the sum of both treatments and the epoxide inhibited the loss of nuclease-sensitive sites. We interpret the data to indicate that there are different rate-limiting steps in the removal of the ultraviolet and the epoxide damages, and that the residual repair activity in xeroderma pigmentosum cells is accomplished by different, not just fewer, enzymes than in normal cells.
Surface tension and dynamic wetting on polymers using the Wihelmy method: Applications to high molecular weights and elevated temperatures

Abstract A technique was developed to rapidly measure surface tensions (γ) of viscous molten polymers and polymer solutions. The usual problems of slow meniscus equilibration and low signal-to-noise levels due to thermal convection currents at elevated temperatures have been overcome. Small-diameter fibers were used as vertical probes in the Wilhelmy technique to facilitate rapid equilibration of the wetting meniscus, and a “baffle tube” surrounding the electrobalance wire was implemented to suppress noise from thermal convection currents from the oven. Even with the baffle tube, it was found that computer averaging of the measured wetting force was necessary to obtain the desired precision precision at T 250°C. Measurements of γ up to ∼400°C were routinely made with η> 50 P polymers. Data are given for a molten fluoropolymer, a thermoplastic, and a liquid crystalline polymer. Room-temperature polymer fluids with viscosities extending to η = 500,000 P were studied; at η ⩽ 5000 P the precision was better than 0.04 mNm . The dynamic contact angle versus time was measured as a function of fiber diameter, giving a relationship between the rate of meniscus equilibration and fiber diameter. Contact angles of polymer fibers immersed in water and methylene iodiode were used to calculate the surface free energies of the polymer in the solid state. These values are consistent with the extrapolated molten surface tension data and help to characterize the trend in γ over a wide range of T .
Metadata requirements analysis for the emerging Sensor Web This was orally presented at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2008, Vienna, Austria, 13-18 April 2008.

Abstract The Sensor Web has emerged from Earth Science research with the development of Web technology, to achieve process automation, sensor interoperation, and service synergy. These promises require the discovery of the right sensor at the right time and the right location with the right quality. Metadata, for sensor, platform, and data, are crucial for achieving such goals. However, analysis and practical use of these metadata reveals that the metadata and their associations are not applicable or suitable for the Sensor Web. The shortfalls are (1) the non-standard metadata expression language; (2) the missing link between sensor and domain knowledge; (3) the insufficiency in the information for geographic locating and sensor tasking; and (4) the enhanced requirements on the quality, security, and ownership of both sensors and their sensed data. This paper reviews the current standards that have metadata components for the sensor and its platform, especially those from ISO TC211, Open Geospatial Consor...
PASSIVE LEARNING FROM TELEVISION

Learning is generally conceived as active and purposive behavior, involving motivation, practice, achievement. Here, the authors focus on "passive" learning, on what is "caught" rather than "taught," and on the processes by which such learning may take place. Passive learning is typically effortless, responsive to animated stimuli, amenable to artificial aid to relaxation, and characterized by an absence of resistance to what is learned, thus opening up possibilities that, depending on one's point of view, one may welcome or deplore. Herbert E. Krugman is responsible for corporate public relations and advertising research at the General Electric Company. Eugene L. Hartley is Dean of the College of Community Sciences at the University of WisconsinGreen Bay, and Emeritus Professor of Psychology, City College, CUNY.
Marrow signal changes observed in follow-up whole-body MRI studies in children and young adults with neurofibromatosis type 1 treated with imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) for plexiform neurofibromas

We observed bone marrow signal changes (BMSC) in patients with plexiform neurofibromas after treatment with imatinib mesylate (Gleevec). To evaluate the pattern and natural history of BMSC. The data were obtained from a pilot study of imatinib mesylate in patients with plexiform neurofibromas. All patients underwent baseline and sequential whole-body STIR 1.5-T MRI after treatment. The bone marrow signal on MRI was evaluated for abnormalities, location and pattern, and any change on follow-up studies. The study group included 16 patients (8 males) with a median age of 14 years (range 4 to 25 years). The mean whole-body MRI follow-up duration was 1.9 years. Of the 16 patients, 14 (88%) developed BMSC. The signal change was asymmetrical in 9 of the 14 patients (64%). The appendicular skeleton was involved in all 14 patients and the axial skeleton in 3 patients (21%). BMSC was followed in 13 patients and decreased signal was seen in 9 patients (69%) after a mean duration of 1.3 years of treatment (range 0.6 to 2.9 years); no complications were observed. BMSC appeared in most patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 following treatment with imatinib mesylate. BMSC was unusually asymmetrical and involved the lower extremities. On follow-up, BMSC often showed a decrease without complications.