cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A mutant standard virus isolated from vesicular stomatitis virus persistent infection interferes specifically with wild-type virus replication.

Summary A clone of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) isolated after 76 months of persistence exerts specific homologous interference with replication of wild-type or tsG31 (temperature-sensitive) virus in a mixed infection at 37 °C in the absence of defective-interfering particles. Other VSV ts mutants showed little or no specific interfering ability.
The Spectrum of Motor Neuron Diseases: From Childhood Spinal Muscular Atrophy to Adult Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Since the topic of motor neuron diseases was last covered in Neurotherapeutics in 2008, increasing insight into genetic causes and underlying disease mechanisms has fueled several advances that have paved the way for new therapeutic strategies that are currently in development or being tested in clinical trials. In this special issue, we present reviews by leading investigators in the field that detail these advances for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), an inherited neuromuscular disease associated with motor neuron degeneration and muscle atrophy that presents early in life, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal adult-onset neuromuscular disease also characterized by loss of motor neurons. The papers are divided into 4 main sections that cover 1) SMA advances, 2) ALS challenges and recent biological advances, 3) ALS clinical trial design considerations and outcome measures, and 4) emerging ALS treatments. Together, these articles offer a timely and comprehensive look into the recent research advances, current clinical considerations, and therapeutic prospects currently in development or being tested for motor neuron diseases.
Exchange and correlation contributions to superconducting electron pairing

The screening of the electron-phonon and Coulomb interactions in an electron gas is considered with use of various forms of the exchange correction term G(q). A solution of the Eliashberg equations including G(q) is achieved with conventional approximations, and the resulting superconducting transition temperatures T/sub c/ are found to be very sensitive to the form of exchange. Smooth functional forms of G(g), such as the Hubbard model, yield only small deviations from the random-phase approximation, which greatly overestimates T/sub c/ for simple metals such as Na and Li. However, an exchange function with a peak near qapprox. =2k/sub F/ (e.g., the forms proposed by Devreese and independently by Overhauser) greatly reduces T/sub c/ and may explain the mysterious absence of superconductivity in simple metals such as Na, Li, and Rb. These many-body effects may also be significant in superconductors with more complex energy-band structures.
Behavior of ceramic particles at the solid- liquid metal interface in metal matrix composites

Directional solidification results were obtained in order to investigate particle behavior at the solid-liquid interface in Al-2 pct Mg (cellular interface) and Al-6.1 pct Ni (eutectic interface) alloys. It is found that particles can be entrapped in the solid if adequate solidification rates and temperature gradients are used. Model results showed critical velocity values slightly higher than those obtained experimentally.
Low-pressure airlift fermenter for single cell protein production: II. Continuous culture of pichia yeast.

Experiments using Pichia yeast grown on n-paraffins have been conducted in laboratory 10-l airlift fermenters and in a 640-l module of commercial scale. Results confirmed the design concept with low-pressure air. However, in the absence of mass transport constraints, the build up of toxic factors in the fermenter appeared to a major variable limiting cell productivity. Foaming in the large fermenter also presented a serious problem, which must be solved before low-pressure airlift fermenters become practical. 14 references.
Soleus H-reflex modulation in response to change in percentage of leg loading in standing after incomplete spinal cord injury

Body weight support (BWS) is frequently used to retrain standing and walking in persons post spinal cord injury (SCI), but the effects of leg unloading using BWS on H-reflex excitability in this population are unknown. The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of two different loading conditions on soleus H-reflex while standing in persons with motor incomplete SCI (i-SCI) and non-injured persons. Eight persons with motor i-SCI (mean age 50.25 years) and five non-injured persons (mean age 48.6 years) participated in the study. Specific control of the loading conditions was achieved using a BWS system. To compare reflex modulation at 40% versus 0% BWS, soleus H-reflexes were evoked during standing and normalized to the maximum M wave amplitude. These studies revealed that (1) H-reflex excitability is significantly greater after SCI and is exhibited even during quiet standing; and (2) no significant modulation in reflex excitability was observed by change in loading conditions in either the non-injured or the i-SCI subjects. These findings suggest that non-injured persons and persons with i-SCI respond similarly to bilateral limb unloading during standing with no change in H-reflex amplitude. Our results suggest that BWS of up to 40% does not produce detectable changes in the excitability of the soleus H-reflex in persons with i-SCI.
Hepatic apoptotic activity following transient normothermic inflow occlusion and reperfusion in the swine model.

Abstract Accelerated hepatic apoptosis was first described in portal vein-ligated livers but has since been reported in a variety of liver injuries. Because porto-prival states can induce apoptosis we sought to determine whether transient ischemic periods followed by reperfusion would trigger such cell death. The cytokines TNF-α and TGF-β are known to facilitate apoptosis and are released in response to a number of stimuli including ischemia. We also investigated alterations in plasma and tissue levels of these cytokines which might lend support to their role in increased apoptotic activity following ischemia/reperfusion. Female pigs were used as the experimental model. Inflow occlusion of portal and hepatic arterial blood was performed to a portion of the swine liver directing the entire splanchnic flow to the remaining hepatic lobes for a period of 2 h. The livers were then reperfused and plasma and tissue samples taken for determination of apoptotic activity utilizing cell death immunoperoxidase staining of 3′-OH DNA ends generated by fragmentation and ELISA assay of histone-associated DNA fragments. Plasma and tissue levels of TNF-α and plasma levels of TGF-β were determined by ELISA assay. An increase in apoptotic activity following reperfusion was seen at Day 2 and Day 4 compared to preischemic values by the cell death stain. The ELISA cell death assay showed an increase in apoptotic activity at 60 min, Day 2, and Day 4. Moreover, the ELISA cell death assay showed enhanced apoptotic activity in “hyperperfused” hepatic lobes compared to preischemic, or resting, liver. This was also observed when compared to sham-operated animals. Surprisingly, there was no detectable increase in plasma TNF-α or TGF-β levels following ischemia/reperfusion, although homogenized liver TNF-α levels were increased at 60 min and Day 2 following reperfusion. We conclude that transient hepatic inflow occlusion followed by reperfusion can induce increased apoptotic activity in the swine model. Furthermore, increased apoptotic activity also occurs in the hyperperfused liver raising the possibility of a locally active factor or global hepatic expression of receptor activity in response to ischemia/reperfusion. This period of ischemia/reperfusion did not produce a detectable increase in circulating cytokine levels, and accelerated apoptosis could not be linked to heightened TNF-α or TGF-β plasma activity. Higher tissue levels of TNF-α could reflect enhanced binding to TNF cell surface receptors or amplified receptor expression.
How effective are landmarks and their geometry for face recognition

This paper evaluates how biologically meaningful landmarks and their geometry extracted from face images can be used for face recognition. The traditional Procrustes distance is studied for the landmark-based face model. By using complex principal component analysis, we propose a refined Procrustes distance that incorporates statistical correlation of landmarks. Motivated by research results from art, anthropology, and aesthetic surgery where ratios play a significant role in human face descriptions, we also investigate how well-normalized Euclidean distances (special ratios) can be exploited for face recognition. Exploiting symmetry and using principal component analysis, we reduce the number of ratios to 20. In this investigation, we analyze the effectiveness of three well-known similarity measures including the typical l"1 norm, l"2 norm, and Mahalanobis distance. We also define a new similarity measure called the eigenvalue-weighted cosine (EWC) distance. We evaluate our approach using two standard face databases: the Purdue AR and the FERET database. The former has well-controlled face images and we use it to test the reliability of landmarks. The FERET database is used for performance evaluation of face recognition algorithms. This papers use a performance measure called the cumulative match score, which indicates the percentage of faces that can be eliminated from consideration. Experimental results show that our EWC distance outperforms the l"1 and l"2 norms and even the Mahalanobis distance. Our study also finds that landmarks and their geometry-based approach can account for variations of face expression and aging very well. Thus, they can be used either in stand-alone mode or in conjunction with other approaches to reduce the search space a priori.
Metal to ligand charge transfer induced DNA photobinding in a Ru(II)-Pt(II) supramolecule using red light in the therapeutic window: a new mechanism for DNA modification.

The Ru(II)–Pt(II) supramolecular complex, [(Ph2phen)2Ru(dpp)PtCl2]2+, displays a new mechanism for DNA modification: photobinding through a 3MLCT excited state. Gel shift analysis, selective DNA precipitation, and DNA melting point experiments support efficient covalent DNA binding following visible light excitation.
Distribution and Effective Half-life of Cobalt-58 in Habrobracon

COBALT isotopes appear in the wastes of reactor installations and are widely used in the control processes of other industries. They have also featured in biology and medicine for nutritional trace-element studies, particularly those involving vitamin B12 (refs. 1 and 2). As an external source of γ-rays for therapeutic and experimental purposes, cobalt-60 has offered many advantages3. However, even though several cobalt isotopes occur in plankton, clams and fish near Bikini4, surprisingly few studies of the biological consequences of radiocobalt ingestion have appeared5,6. Even the behaviour of inorganic cobalt has been neglected, despite interesting features of metabolism and transport7. Our observations made on a braconid wasp reveal differences between the insect and mammalian pattern of retention and suggest serious consideration of the role of insect vectors in dispersal of fourth period nuclides from contaminated areas.
Dynamic dependability models: an overview

The increasing importance of safety-critical and fault-tolerant systems demands an accurate dependability modeling and analysis of these systems. Dependability analysis plays a key role in assessing the effectiveness of redundancy mechanisms and determining optimal system designs. Traditional combinatorial dependability models, such as static fault trees and reliability block diagrams, are very mature and well understood both in industry and academic environments. However, they cannot accurately capture the dynamic dependencies and interactions among components and other system resources. Because these methods are based on simplified assumptions, they deliver inaccurate and often dangerously over-optimistic results. The models that are capable of capturing the dynamic aspects of dependable-fault tolerant systems are called dynamic dependability models. To be practical and useful for modeling large-scale systems, these models must be intuitive, computationally efficient, and able to capture complex scenarios. To achieve these goals, several novel and innovative modeling and analysis frameworks have been proposed including dynamic fault trees, dynamic reliability block diagrams, Boolean logic-driven Markov processes, and stochastic statecharts.This tutorial presents an overview of the basic concepts and latest research trends of dynamic dependability models including concepts and formalisms, dependability measures, general-purpose and problem-specific methods and algorithms, and available software tools and trends. Special emphasis is given to modeling concepts of commonly occurring scenarios and the scalability issues associated with analyzing large-scale dynamic systems. Specifically presented are the modeling concepts and algorithms related to dependent and disjoint failures, dynamic redundancies, imperfect fault coverage and reconfiguration mechanisms, aging effects and imperfect maintenances, limited repair resources, and priorities in maintenance actions. In addition, the latest algorithms for analyzing multi-state systems, phased missions systems, standby systems, load-sharing systems, and non-coherent systems are discussed. Coverage encompasses the challenges and research trends in estimating dependability model parameters and determining optimal system designs. The tutorial concludes by highlighting the relationships between various dependability models as well as disclosing the gaps between research and commercial software tools.
A. Cullen Richardson: noticer, pioneer, mentor, and friend.

One hundred twenty-four years ago, in 1878, 19-yearold C. H. Richardson, the son of a Georgia physician, married Alice Cullen of Macon, the daughter of a Georgia physician. Two years after their marriage, he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Baltimore and graduated 2 years later in 1883. The following year they moved to Montezuma, Ga, to start a career in medicine, small town politics, and business and to rear their family. Their son Augustus Cullen, born in 1891, was educated in Montezuma before graduating from Emory University and returning home to run his father’s drug store. In 1917, at the age of 26 years, Augustus Cullen married Claude Davis, one of nine children of a Baptist minister. She had completed her musical education at Oberlin Conservatory before moving to Montezuma to teach piano in the public schools. ‘‘Miss Claude,’’ as everyone called her, was the founder of the Montezuma Music Lovers Club and was active in the Baptist church where she presided at the organ, playing for weddings and funerals as well as for church services. She was known as one who loved music and had a great desire to share her talent and love with young people, characteristics she passed on to her only son Augustus Cullen Richardson, Jr, born several years later. A. Cullen Richardson, Jr, the grandson of physicians, the son of a small town Georgia business man, farmer, and politician father and a musician-teacher mother, had roots deep in the south, deep in medicine, deep in music, deep in nature, and deep in long-term relationships (Fig 1). After graduating from Emory University and Medical School, Cullen moved farther south to begin an internship in Birmingham, Ala, where he met a vivacious young dietitian from Mississippi, Lucy Lee, who would become his wife of 55 years and the mother of their four sons: Dr A. Cullen Richardson III, Dr Charles M. Richardson, S. Lee Richardson, and the late James D. Richardson. After their
Multimorbidity, Mental Illness, and Quality of Care: Preventable Hospitalizations among Medicare Beneficiaries

Background. Individuals with multimorbidity are vulnerable to poor quality of care due to issues related to care coordination. Ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations (ACSHs) are widely accepted quality indicators because they can be avoided by timely, appropriate, and high-quality outpatient care. Objective. To examine the association between multimorbidity, mental illness, and ACSH. Study Design. We used a longitudinal panel design with data from multiple years (2000–2005) of Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Individuals were categorized into three groups: (1) multimorbidity with mental illness (MM/MI); (2) MM/no MI; (3) no MM. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze the association between multimorbidity and ACSH. Results. Any ACSH rates varied from 10.8% in MM/MI group to 8.8% in MM/No MI group. Likelihood of any ACSH was higher among beneficiaries with MM/MI (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.14, 2.30) and MM (AOR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.12, 2.11) compared to beneficiaries without multimorbidity. There was no statistically significant difference in likelihood of ACSH between MM/MI and MM/No MI groups. Conclusion. Multimorbidity (with or without MI) had an independent and significant association with any ACSH. However, presence of mental illness alone was not associated with poor quality of care as measured by ACSH.
A method of repair for intranasal encephalocele

Summary A case of intranasal encephalocele in a girl aged fifteen years is presented herein. This longstanding congenital defect, with widening and flattening of the nasal bridge simulating hypertelorism, was successfully repaired via an extracranial approach. The procedure consisted of ligation and removal of the sac and lining the cavity with a skin graft. At a second operative procedure continuity was established between the nasal fossae and the skin-lined cavity that had contained the encephalocele. This method represents, it is believed, a new, or at least thus far unreported, definitive surgical approach which would appear applicable in many cases of intranasal encephalocele formerly requring a more extensive intracranial operation, generally combined with an intranasak one to dispose of the sac. It would further seem to eliminate the hazard of cerebrospinal rhniorrhea previously associated with the strictly intranasal operation of mere ligation and amputation of the sac.
The general prolongation formulae for nonlocal symmetries

Abstract We produce prolongation formulae for nonlocal symmetries. The formulae are analogous to the prolongation formulae for local symmetries.
Nonparametric estimation in a two change-point model

In this paper we consider a change-point model which consists of two change points and a transition period in between. A nonparametric estimation procedure for the two unknown change points is proposed, based on the weighted Kolmogorov-Smirnov norm. The strong consistency of the resulting estimates is shown along with rate of convergence. Detailed technical proofs for the main results are given as well as results of a simulation study. The estimation procedure is exemplified on the well-known Coal-Mining data.
Influence of Avatar Choice on Teacher Expectations and Perceptions of Student Success

The gender and ethnicity of students have been shown to affect teacher expectations. As part of a Multi User Virtual Environment (MUVE), people socially interact via avatars that have the capability to be customized to details of ethnicity and gender. Teachers in MUVEs instruct students with little knowledge of potential biases and prejudices toward avatars of different genders and ethnicities. This study’s purpose was to examine the influence of student avatar choice of gender and ethnicity on teachers’ expectations. Teachers were asked to review a transcript, image, and video of a student avatar and then respond about the student’s intellectual and relational abilities. Results indicate that avatar gender and ethnicity influence teachers’ expectations. Results may help teachers discover potential biases and prejudices toward some student avatars, as well as level the playing field for student avatars of differing genders and ethnicities. DOI: 10.4018/jgcms.2012010101 2 International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 4(1), 1-24, January-March 2012 Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. biased toward their own gender in their rating of IQ for student avatars. Students who don’t know this information could end up choosing a female avatar when taught by a male teacher, which could result in unintentional disadvantage to this student. However, a student who did know this information could end up choosing a male avatar when taught by a male teacher, resulting in unfair advantage. Both possibilities are troubling because the academic playing field in MUVEs may not be level – it could be biased toward student avatars of particular genders and ethnicities. As a result, we need to study the influence of avatar choice on teacher perceptions and expectations of student success. With the similarity in appearance and movement in MUVEs to real life appearance and movement, there is reason to believe that the influence of student avatar gender and ethnicity could be as important as their influence in traditional schooling. Unfortunately, current research only addresses face-to-face student populations. Therefore, the study of student avatar gender and ethnicity and their effect on teacher expectations and perceptions of student success could help teachers in MUVEs to discover potential biases and prejudices toward some students, and level the playing field for student avatars of all ranges of detailed customization. Additionally, with the benefits to using MUVEs in education, any hindrance to a teacher’s expectations and perceptions about a student’s academic and social abilities needs to be examined. Gender and ethnicity biases are two such hindrances that this study will address.
Inhibition of Oxidative Rancidity in Salted Ground Pork by Carnosine

Carnosine (0.5 and 1.5%) effectively inhibited formation of lipid peroxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in frozen (− 15°C) salted ground pork during up to 6 mo storage. Inhibition of TBARS formation by carnosine (1.5%) was better than sodium tri-polyphosphate (0.5%), ot-tocopherol and butylated hydroxytoluene (0.02% of fat content). Carnosine was the most effective at preventing oxidative rancidity and color changes as determined by sensory panel, in salted ground pork after 1 mo frozen storage (−15°C). These data suggested that carnosine could be used as a “natural” antioxidant in muscle foods.
Augmenting classroom participation through public digital backchannels

An emerging trend in classroom technology research is the use of computer mediated communication (CMC) tools in classrooms to encourage students' in-class participation. As part of this research thread, we have been investigating the potential of public digital backchannels for building feelings of community among students in university courses. We designed, deployed and evaluated such a tool in a 15-week field study of two undergraduate classes. We found students found using public backchannel during the class is of little distraction, that teachers' attention to the content posted on the channel influence students' tendency to use tools of this kind. Further, we found that the relevance of the content shared is predictive of students' use of ClasCommons in the classroom; these feelings in turn are related to students' perceptions of self-efficacy, collective efficacy and course-specific social support. We also analyzed the content posted in the public backchannel and considered the benefits and drawbacks of the public digital from both students' and teachers' perspectives. We conclude with suggestions for improving the design and deployment of course-related backchannels.
The Livermore distributed storage system: requirements and overview

The requirements for a large-scale distributed storage system are outlined and a description is given of how a system being developed, called the LINCS storage system (LSS), meets the requirements. The LSS provides distributed storage in an environment that includes supercomputer host machines and a large-capacity hierarchical central repository. The key terms and concepts of the LSS are defined and a brief architectural overview of the system is given. Major system components are described in more detail. The contributions of the LSS to the design of large-scale distributed storage systems are identified and discussed. The current status of the development of the LSS is described, and hardware and software components are briefly discussed. >
Subcellular kinetics of early trypsinogen activation in acute rodent pancreatitis

To investigate the debated role of intracellular trypsinogen activation and its relation to lysosomal enzyme redistribution in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis, rats were infused with the cho...
Residual Stress Determination Using Acoustoelasticity

This technique is based on the acoustoelastic effect in which the presence of the residual stress causes a shift in the speed at which a wave propagates through the material. A Poisson's equation for the in-plane shear stress is obtained from the two-dimensional equilibrium equations in which the forcing function is obtained directly from the measured velocity variations. Once this equation is integrated for the shear stress, the normal stresses may be evaluated directly from the equilibrium equations
Mammoth asses—selected behavioural considerations for the veterinarian

Abstract Observations of the behaviour of domestic mammoth and standard asses (donkeys) receiving routine herd health and therapeutic procedures are described. These procedures include capture, physical examination, restraint, medicating, adapting to hospitalization and training for interspecies breeding.
Identification of functionally variant MDR1 alleles among European Americans and African Americans

MDR1 (P-glycoprotein) is an important factor in the disposition of many drugs, and the involved processes often exhibit considerable interindividual variability that may be genetically determined. Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing of exonic MDR1 deoxyribonucleic acid from 37 healthy European American and 23 healthy African American subjects identified 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 6 nonsynonymous variants, occurring in various allelic combinations. Population frequencies of the 15 identified alleles varied according to racial background. Two synonymous SNPs (C1236T in exon 12 and C3435T in exon 26) and a nonsynonymous SNP (G2677T, Ala893Ser) in exon 21 were found to be linked (MDR1*2 ) and occurred in 62% of European Americans and 13% of African Americans. In vitro expression of MDR1 encoding Ala893 (MDR1*1 ) or a site-directed Ser893 mutation (MDR1*2 ) indicated enhanced efflux of digoxin by cells expressing the MDR1-Ser893 variant. In vivo functional relevance of this SNP was assessed with the known P-glycoprotein drug substrate fexofenadine as a probe of the transporter's activity. In humans, MDR1*1 and MDR1*2 variants were associated with differences in fexofenadine levels, consistent with the in vitro data, with the area under the plasma level-time curve being almost 40% greater in the *1/*1 genotype compared with the *2/*2 and the *1/*2 heterozygotes having an intermediate value, suggesting enhanced in vivo P-glycoprotein activity among subjects with the MDR1*2 allele. Thus allelic variation in MDR1 is more common than previously recognized and involves multiple SNPs whose allelic frequencies vary between populations, and some of these SNPs are associated with altered P-glycoprotein function.
A calmodulin-related light chain from fission yeast that functions with myosin-I and PI 4-kinase

Fission yeast myosin-I (Myo1p) not only associates with calmodulin, but also employs a second light chain called Cam2p. cam2Δ cells exhibit defects in cell polarity and growth consistent with a loss of Myo1p function. Loss of Cam2p leads to a reduction in Myo1p levels at endocytic patches and a 50% drop in the rates of Myo1p-driven actin filament motility. Thus, Cam2p plays a significant role in Myo1p function. However, further studies indicated the existence of an additional Cam2p-binding partner. Cam2p was still present at cortical patches in myo1Δ cells (or in myo1-IQ2 mutants, which lack an intact Cam2p-binding motif), whereas a cam2 null (cam2Δ) suppressed cytokinesis defects of an essential light chain (ELC) mutant known to be impaired in binding to PI 4-kinase (Pik1p). Binding studies revealed that Cam2p and the ELC compete for Pik1p. Cortical localization of Cam2p in the myo1Δ background relied on its association with Pik1p, whereas overexpression studies indicated that Cam2p, in turn, contributes to Pik1p function. The fact that the Myo1p-associated defects of a cam2Δ mutant are more potent than those of a myo1-IQ2 mutant suggests that myosin light chains can contribute to actomyosin function both directly and indirectly (via phospholipid synthesis at sites of polarized growth).
High performance type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes

We report on the demonstration of high performance p-i-n photodiodes based on type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices operating in the very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) range at 80 K. Material is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates with excellent crystal quality as evidenced by x- ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The processed devices with a 50% cutoff wavelength of (lambda) c equals 22 micrometers show a peak current responsivity about 5.5 A/W at 80 K. The use of binary layers in the superlattice has significantly enhanced the uniformity and reproducibility of the energy gap. The 90% to 10% cut-off energy width of these devices is on the order of 2 kT which is about four times smaller compared to the devices based on InAs/Ga1-xInxSb superlattices. Similar photovoltaic devices with cut-off wavelengths up to 25 micrometers have been measured at 80 K. Our experimental results shows excellent uniformity over a three inch wafer area, indicating the possibility of VLWIR focal plane arrays based on type-II superlattices.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Humidity control device for the Buerger precession camera

A device has been designed and built to maintain a crystal in equilibrium with an atmosphere of constant relative humidity during X-ray photography with the Buerger precession camera. The device employs a small constant-temperature enclosure, mounted directly on the goniometer head of the camera. A resistance-wire winding is used to supply a small amount of heat to the enclosure. The temperature is maintained constant by a thermistor-controlled electronic circuit. Temperature control is not interrupted during adjustments to the goniometer head nor when the film is changed.
No benefit from regular 6-month fluoride gel applications in low-risk caries individuals

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Professionally applied fluoride gel in low-caries 10.5-year-olds. Truin GJ, van 't Hof MA. J Dent Res 2005;84(5):418-21. Level of Evidence 1b Purpose/Question To investigate the caries-reducing effect of semiannual professional sodium fluoride gel application in a low-caries child population over a period of 4 years' follow-up. Source of Funding The study was supported by a grant (SGZ/16524/95) from the College van zorgverzekeringen, Amstelveen, The Netherlands. Type of Study/Design Double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial
An in vitro-identified high-affinity nucleosome-positioning signal is capable of transiently positioning a nucleosome in vivo.

Background The physiological function of eukaryotic DNA occurs in the context of nucleosomal arrays that can expose or obscure defined segments of the genome. Certain DNA sequences are capable of strongly positioning a nucleosome in vitro, suggesting the possibility that favorable intrinsic signals might reproducibly structure chromatin segments. As high-throughput sequencing analyses of nucleosome coverage in vitro and in vivo have become possible, a vigorous debate has arisen over the degree to which intrinsic DNA:nucleosome affinities orchestrate the in vivo positions of nucleosomes, thereby controlling physical accessibility of specific sequences in DNA.
Scaling $LC$ Oscillators in Nanometer CMOS Technologies to a Smaller Area But With Constant Performance

We present an oscillator design method that reduces the area of LC oscillators in extremely scaled CMOS technologies by taking advantage of the high fT of the transistors. The oscillator is scaled to operate at a higher frequency and is followed by a fixed-ratio divider. It maintains the same power consumption and performance for a given wanted output frequency while occupying a much smaller area. In principle, by scaling up the oscillation frequency N times, a factor of 1/N 2 can be obtained in inductor area reduction. Simulated results show that with uniformly scaled inductors, the figure of merit (FoM) of the scaled oscillators at 1, 2, 4, and 8 GHz can be within a 1-dB difference, whereas the figure of merit normalized for area (FoMA) improves with the oscillation frequency.
Calcium Metabolism in Health and Disease

This brief review focuses on calcium balance and homeostasis and their relationship to dietary calcium intake and calcium supplementation in healthy subjects and patients with chronic kidney disease and mineral bone disorders (CKD-MBD). Calcium balance refers to the state of the calcium body stores, primarily in bone, which are largely a function of dietary intake, intestinal absorption, renal excretion, and bone remodeling. Bone calcium balance can be positive, neutral, or negative, depending on a number of factors, including growth, aging, and acquired or inherited disorders. Calcium homeostasis refers to the hormonal regulation of serum ionized calcium by parathyroid hormone, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and serum ionized calcium itself, which together regulate calcium transport at the gut, kidney, and bone. Hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia indicate serious disruption of calcium homeostasis but do not reflect calcium balance on their own. Calcium balance studies have determined the dietary and supplemental calcium requirements needed to optimize bone mass in healthy subjects. However, similar studies are needed in CKD-MBD, which disrupts both calcium balance and homeostasis, because these data in healthy subjects may not be generalizable to this patient group. Importantly, increasing evidence suggests that calcium supplementation may enhance soft tissue calcification and cardiovascular disease in CKD-MBD. Further research is needed to elucidate the risks and mechanisms of soft tissue calcification with calcium supplementation in both healthy subjects and CKD-MBD patients.
An eight channel transmit system for Transmit SENSE at 3T

The use of high-field MRI has introduced problems with full wave effects. Complex RF transmit pulses show promise as a viable solution to these problems. These RF pulses have driven a need for multi-channel transmit systems that are useable with techniques like Transmit SENSE. We have constructed an eight channel parallel transmit system that meets the requirements to be used for Transmit SENSE. Additionally, the system can be easily integrated with an existing MRI system. A vector modulation system allows all channels to be fully modulated in both phase and amplitude. The output amplifier stage uses a RF current source architecture. When combined with a series resonated coil this provides a significant degree of isolation between array elements. We were able to use an eight channel loop array coil with this system to obtain reasonably independent sensitivity maps. From these it was possible to construct a uniform excitation, and conduct more complex RF pulse design experiments.
Incongruence among different mitochondrial regions: A case study using complete mitogenomes

Mitochondrial sequences have long been used to examine vertebrate phylogenetic relationships. The extensive use of mitochondrial data reflects the ease of obtaining mitochondrial sequences and its relatively rapid coalescence time. Mitochondrial genomes typically do not undergo recombination, so the entire mitogenome should have the same underlying gene tree. Thus, given appropriate analyses, conflict among estimates of phylogeny from different mitochondrial regions should not exist. However, estimates of phylogeny based upon different mitochondrial regions can exhibit incongruence. Conflict in phylogenetic signal among mitochondrial regions has been observed in galliform birds for the position of the Odontophoridae (New World quail). To explore this, we expanded sampling to 47 galliform mitogenomes, adding six new mitogenomes, which included representatives of two previously unsampled families. Analyses of complete mitogenomes recovered a well-supported topology that was congruent with expectations from multi-locus studies. However, when analyzing individual regions, we found conflicting positions for the Odontophoridae and several other relationships at multiple taxonomic levels. We tested multiple analytical strategies to reduce incongruence among regions, including partitioning by codon position, using mixture and codon-based models, RY coding, and excluding potentially misleading sites. No approach consistently reduced the conflict among mitochondrial regions at any taxonomic level. The biological attributes of both strongly misleading and non-misleading sites were essentially identical. Increasing taxa actually appeared to increase conflicting signal, even when taxa were selected to break up long branches. Collectively, our results indicate that analyzing mitochondrial data remains difficult, although analyzing complete mitogenomes resulted in a good estimate of the mitochondrial gene tree.
A Numerical Model for Low-Frequency Equatorial Dynamics

A f~st, efficient numerical procedure for modeling the linear low-frequency motions on an equatorial beta plane IS develo~. The model is capable of simulating the seasonal and interannual variability in realistically shaped ocean basins forc~d by realistic winds. The timestep allowed is the order of days rather than hours as allowed by more conventIOnal schemes. The numerical method is designed around the special characteristics ?f low.-frequency equato~al waves. A crucial element is the formulation of proper boundary conditions, including those for a partial boundary such as the western end of the Gulf of Guinea. The resp?nse of an A~I~ntic-shaped basin to a periodic wind is compared with the analytic results of Cane and Sarachlk for a mendlOnally. unbounded ocean. The response along the equator is essentially the same. ~ narrow boundary layer forms along the Guinea coast, too narrow to be a single coastally trapped wave: it IS. the sum of many modes. The near lack of phase variation along the coast and the smallness of the phase difference be~ween the equator and the coast are additional contrasts to the results for an initial value probl~m studied by Moore and others. The implication is that the annually recurring upwelling in the Gulf of GUinea cannot be adequately modeled as the response to an impulsively applied wind stress.
Role of Caveolin Proteins in Sepsis

Despite the progress in medical treatment sepsis remains one of the major causes of death in pediatric and elderly patients. Understanding signaling pathways associated with sepsis may be of key significance for designing more efficient therapeutic approaches which could alleviate sepsis outcome. Earlier studies suggested that cholesteroland sphingolipid-rich lipid rafts and their morphologically distinct subset, caveolaecan be utilized by certain bacterial pathogens to enter and invade host cells. Moreover, there is also evidence that the expression levels of the major caveolar coat proteincaveolin-1 can be regulated by the major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria,lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in various cell types involved in sepsis. In particular recent studies using caveolin-1 knockout mice and cells have revealed that caveolin-1 is directly involved in regulating numerous signalingpathways and functions in various cell types of the immune system and other cell types involved in sepsis. Moreover, the most recent report implies that in addition to extensively studied caveolin-1, caveolin-2 is also important in regulating LPS-induced sepsis and might possibly play an opposite role to caveolin-1 in regulating certain pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. The purpose of this review is to discuss these new exciting discoveries relatedto the specific role of caveolin-1 and the less studiedcaveolin-2in regulating signaling and outcome associated with sepsis induced by LPS and pathogenic bacteria at molecular, cellular and systemic levels.
Thrombocytopaenia as a Prognostic Indicator in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

Background Studies suggest that thrombocytopaenia is associated with a higher mortality in several diseases. Little is known about the effect of low platelet count on mortality in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of thrombocytopaenia in these patients by assessing all-cause mortality. Methods A total of 1,907 patients with HFrEF, defined by left ventricular ejection fraction Results Mean age was 65±15 years and 62% of patients were male. Overall one-year mortality was 17.2% with higher mortality among patients with HFrEF and moderate/severe thrombocytopaenia compared to those with normal/mild thrombocytopaenia (33.0% vs. 15.4%, p Conclusion In patients with HFrEF, higher degree of thrombocytopaenia is associated with higher all-cause mortality. These findings may support the use of platelet counts as a prognostic marker in the assessment of the patient with HFrEF.
Approach to the Evaluation of Some Factors Affecting Insect Resistance in One ‘Acala’ and Seven Sister Genotypes of Stoneville Cotton in New Mexico

Factors affecting insect resistance in one ‘Acala’ and seven sister genotypes of ‘Stoneville’ cottons were tested from 1 July to 9 September (1,100–2,400 degree-days) at Las Cruces, N.Mex. from 1978 to 1981. There were 98,509 insect counts made and converted to absolute densities. Within the constraints of the experiment, most of the taxa we studied displayed no significant preference for either small or large plots. The nectariless genotype generally had little effect on the density of the insect populations tested. The frego bract, glandless, and okra leaf genotypes tended to support larger phytophagous populations compared with the ‘Stoneville 7A’ check. The smooth leaf genotype tended to support smaller Lygus spp. populations and had an ambiguous effect on populations of predators. The highly glanded genotypes had no effect on the phytophagous populations and had an ambiguous effect on populations of predators. An average of 15% of the check insects were primary consumers, 68% were predators, and 17% were parasites, excluding thrips ( Frankliniella spp.) and those of minor importance. Lygus spp. made up 81% of the primary consumers. Nabis spp. made up 43%, Orius spp. 23%, and Geocoris spp. 12% of the predators. Proctotrupoidea made up 50%, Chalcidoidea 28%, and Ichneumonoidea 14% of the parasites. Predator-prey ratios varied from smooth leaf (4.60) to frego bract (3.03). Smooth leaf supported the smallest number of insects, 23,553, and okra leaf the largest, 32,650.
The Response of Breast Cancer Initiating Cells to Fractionated Radiation.

Recent experimental data provide evidence for a hierarchical structure of many solid cancers including breast cancer. Using surface markers, a small population of highly tumorigenic breast cancer initiating cells (CICs) has been prospectively identified, which exhibited a cancer stem cell phenotype, thus being able to self-renew and to give rise progeny of multiple different lineages of differentiated cells. We previously demonstrated that this population of cells was relatively resistant against ionizing radiation if compared to their non-tumorigenic counterparts. Furthermore, we reported that this population of CICs increased during the course of fractionated irradiation. The extent of the remaining self-renewing capacity and multi-lineage potency of these CICs after fractions of radiation is currently unknown. However, this information is crucial for evaluating the significance of radiation resistance of CICs.In the present study, we hypothesized that CICs not only survive fractions of ionizing more likely than their non-tumorigenic counterparts but also retain the CSC phenotype as defined by operational means and may even become more aggressive than populations of non-irradiated control CICs.Using CD24, CD44, ESA, and lack of proteasome function to identify breast cancer CICs we investigated their response to fractionated radiation and showed that CICs cells are more resistant to radiation (from 2Gy to 8x2Gy) than non-tumorigenic cells. At 2Gy, the stem cells population CD44high/CD24-/low in monolayer increased 3 times (from 0.25% at 0Gy to 0.74% at 2Gy). The analysis of CICs population after 8x2Gy demonstrated than the CICs containing population was not affected at higher total doses (0.25% at 0Gy and 0.28% at 8x2Gy). A sphere forming capacity assay demonstrated self-renewal capacity of the survivig CICs after irradiation (2Gy: +93% or 8x2Gy: +105%).Using low proteasome to identify stem cells and membrane labeling (PKH26) we analyzed the effect of fractionated irradiation treatment (0, 3Gy, 2x3Gy, 3x3Gy 4x3Gy and 5x3Gy) on CIC and non-tumorigenic cell proliferation. We demonstrated that CSCs irradiated with 3Gy or 2x3Gy lost the PHK26 dye faster than the control indicating recruitment of these cells into the pool of cycling cells (mean division of CSCs; 0Gy: 2.6, 3Gy or 2x3Gy: 3), while an treatment with 5x3Gy still enriched for CSCs but the reduction of proliferation rate of CSCs indicated that this enrichment is essentially due to their radioresistant phenotype (mean division; 5x3Gy: 1.9). Tumorigenicity of double positive and double negative cell was tested in limiting dilution assay using a mouse model (Rag2-/-IL2Rγc-/-).We conclude that radiation resistant CICs not only survive fractionated radiation but retain their CSC phenotype. This indicates that radiosensitizing CICs could be a reasonable approach to improve treatment outcome. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1153.
Solving the Shallow Water Equations Using the High Order Space-Time Discontinuous Galerkin Cell-Vertex Scheme

This paper attempts to solve the shallow water equations (SWEs) using a new Riemannsolver-free high order space time method named the discontinuous Galerkin cell-vertex scheme (DG-CVS). The detailed DG-CVS formulation for SWEs is provided and the solution updating strategy is based on the alternate solution updating at the cell level and the vertex level within one physical time step. Therefore, DG-CVS is built upon the staggered space-time mesh which leads to a Riemann-solver-free approach. The high order accuracy is obtained by employing space-time discontinuous Galerkin basis functions to approximate the solution. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of our method.