cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transoral versus extraoral reduction of mandible fractures: a comparison of complication rates and other factors.

Abstract Objective: This retrospective study evaluates results and complications of the transoral and extraoral approaches for open reduction and internal fixation of mandibular body, angle, and ramus fractures. Our aim was to describe advantages and disadvantages of the techniques and to develop criteria for choosing between surgical approaches. Study Design and Setting: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients with mandible fractures occurring between August 1999 and October 2001 at a level I trauma center. Only mandibular body, angle, and ramus fractures requiring open reduction were selected for this study. Cases were evaluated for cause, age, gender, dentition, site and extent of fractures, surgical approach, postoperative complications, operative time, and postoperative occlusion. Results: Of the 227 patients with mandibular fractures, 78 had body, angle, or ramus fractures requiring open reduction. Of these, 36 were treated extraorally, and 42 were treated transorally. Criteria for selecting one procedure over another often involved training and surgeon experience and those factors normally considered important in defining the difficulty of treatment and prognosis of the patient. Seven of the 42 patients were converted from a transoral to an extraoral approach because of inadequate exposure. Similar complication rates occurred for the transoral and extraoral approaches, but because of the time required for converting from the transoral to extraoral approach, the average operative time was found to be increased in patients undergoing the transoral approach. Conclusion and Significance: Decisions regarding treatment approaches for open reduction of mandible fractures often relate to surgeon experience and training, modified by factors that can affect uncomplicated healing such as fracture locations and displacement, comminution of the fracture, infection, dentition, and atrophic changes of the mandible. In some cases, the choice is affected by availability of equipment and experience of operating room personnel. More difficult cases involving an edentulous, atrophic mandible or comminution should be considered for extraoral exposure. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2003;128:215-9.)
Tissue distribution, metabolism, and elimination of perfluorooctanoic acid in male and female rats

The elimination, tissue distribution, and metabolism of [1-14C]perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was examined in male and female rats for 28 days after a single ip dose (9.4 mumol/kg, 4 mg/kg). A sex difference in urinary elimination of PFOA-derived 14C was observed. Female rats eliminated PFOA-derived radioactivity rapidly in the urine with 91% of the dose being excreted in the first 24 hr. In the same period, male rats eliminated only 6% of the administered 14C in the urine. The sex-related difference in urinary elimination resulted in the observed difference in the whole-body elimination half-life (t1/2) of PFOA in males (t1/2 = 15 days) and females (t1/2 less than 1 day). Analysis of PFOA-derived 14C in tissues showed that the liver and plasma of male rats and the liver, plasma, and kidney of female rats were the primary tissues of distribution. The relatively high concentration of PFOA in the male liver was further examined using an in situ nonrecirculating liver perfusion technique. It was shown that 11% of the PFOA infused was extracted by the liver in a single pass. The ability of the liver to eliminate PFOA into bile was examined in rats whose renal pedicles were ligated to alleviate sex differences in the urinary excretion of PFOA. In a 6-hr period following IP administration of PFOA, there was no apparent difference in biliary excretion, where both males and females eliminated less than 1% of the PFOA dose via this route. We hypothesized that the sex difference in the persistence of PFOA was due to a more rapid formation of a PFOA-containing lipid (i.e., a PFOA-containing mono-, di-, or triacylglycerol, cholesteryl ester, methyl ester, or phospholipid) in the male rat. Also, the increased urinary elimination of PFOA in females may have been due to increased metabolism to a PFOA-glucuronide or sulfate ester. However, no evidence that PFOA is conjugated to form a persistent hybrid lipid was obtained, nor were polar metabolites of PFOA in urine or bile detected. In addition, daily urinary excretion of fluoride in male and female rats before or after PFOA treatment were similar, suggesting that the parent compound is not defluorinated. Thus, the more rapid elimination of PFOA from female rats is not due to formation of a PFOA metabolite.
Hydroforming of anisotropic aluminum tubes: Part II analysis

Abstract Part I presented an experimental investigation of hydroforming of Al-6260-T4 tubes and a simple two-dimensional model of the process. Relatively long, extruded circular tubes were formed against a square die with rounded corners, with simultaneous application of axial feeding. Localized wall thinning was reported to occur at mid-span which, accentuated by friction, led to burst. Part II presents fully 3D models of the process that include friction as well as more advanced constitutive models shown in previous studies to be essential for simulation of burst in free hydroforming of aluminum alloy tubes. The models are used to simulate several of the experiments of Part I, emphasizing the prediction of all aspects of the forming process, including wall thinning and its localization that lead to rupture. A shell element model is shown to capture the majority of the structural features of the process very successfully. However, even with the implementation of advanced constitutive models, it fails to reproduce correctly the localization of wall thinning. It is demonstrated that switching to solid elements coupled to non-quadratic yield functions results in accurate predictions of all aspects of the problem, including the onset of rupture. Apparently, slow growing depressions that develop at the interface between the flattened part of the cross section that is in contact with the die and the rounded part that is not, have a complex three dimensional stress state requiring accurate modeling offered by solid elements. Furthermore, the evolution of these depressions is only reproduced with accuracy when in addition non-quadratic yield functions are adopted.
Electrophysiological improvement after co-implantation of carbon filaments and fetal tissue in the contused rat spinal cord ☆

The electrophysiological integrity of the adult rat spinal cord was assessed at the lumbar, lower cervical and cortical levels after the animals sustained a severe contusion injury at the mid-thoracic level (T8) and received either carbon filament cultured with fetal spinal cord tissue implants, fetal tissue implants, or carbon filament implants alone. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from all animal groups at the end of the 8-week survival period. The results of this study demonstrate that the spinal cord injured animals that received carbon filament cultured with fetal spinal cord tissue implants had the highest degree of electrophysiological recovery, indicating that this combination plays an important role in promoting recovery after injury.
Gamma-ray burst sources in strong magnetic fields

Le modele synchrotron des sources Rγ a sursauts dans des champs magnetiques approchant la valeur quantique critique est etudie en insistant sur les effets quantiques et leur effet sur l'emission spectrale. Ces effets incluent la reduction de l'emissivite spectrale en dessous de la valeur classique, et la creation de paires par un photon unique dans le champ fort
Isolation and Characterization of the QM Promoter

This report describes the isolation, sequencing and preliminary characterization of the first 1 kb of the 5'-regulatory region of the human QM gene. This region and the 5' -half of the transcribed region of the QM gene are enriched for C and G nucleotides with no bias against CpG dinucleotides--indicative of a CpG island. Several consensus GC boxes are present within the sequence. Most are clustered at the distal end, with one site present in the proximal 200 bp of the promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift experiments and luciferase assays done in insect cells transfected with an Sp1 expression construct suggest that most of these sites can bind Sp1 or a closely related factor. In addition, the promoter is shown to be responsive to cAMP via a response element (CRE) in the proximal promoter. Studies with 5'-end and internal deletion mutants suggest that elements in the distal promoter exert their positive effect through interactions with a proximal element(s). Candidate proximal elements include the proximal GC box and a 43 bp region between a KpnI site (at -182) and a Smal site (at -139).
Skin, gland, and urine odors elicit intense investigation by male gray short-tailed opossums, Monodelphis domestica

Chemical signaling between animals of the same species is common among vertebrates. We have reported this phenomenon in the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica (Wagner, 1842). We now f...
Structural studies of interactions between cardiac troponin I and actin in regulated thin filament using Förster resonance energy transfer.

The Ca(2+)-induced interaction between cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and actin plays a key role in the regulation of cardiac muscle contraction and relaxation. In this report we have investigated changes of this interaction in response to strong cross-bridge formation between myosin S1 and actin and PKA phosphorylation of cTnI within reconstituted thin filament. The interaction was monitored by measuring Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the fluorescent donor 5-(iodoacetamidoethyl)aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (AEDANS) attached to the residues 131, 151, 160 167, 188, and 210 of cTnI and the nonfluorescent acceptor 4-(dimethylamino)phenylazophenyl-4'-maleimide (DABM) attached to cysteine 374 of actin. The FRET distance measurements showed that bound Ca(2+) induced large increases in the distances from actin to the cTnI sites, indicating a Ca(2+)-triggered separation of cTnI from actin. Strongly bound myosin S1 induced additional increases in these distances in the presence of bound Ca(2+). The two ligand-induced increases were independent of each other. These two-step changes in distances provide a direct link of structural changes at the interface between cTnI and actin to the three-state model of thin filament regulation of muscle contraction and relaxation. When cTnC was inactivated through mutations of key residues within the 12-residue Ca(2+)-binding loop, strongly bound S1 alone induced increases in the distances in spite of the fact that the filaments no longer bound regulatory Ca(2+). These results suggest bound Ca(2+) or strongly bound S1 alone can partially activate thin filament, but full activation requires both bound Ca(2+) and strongly bound S1. The distributions of the FRET distances revealed different structural dynamics associated with different regions of cTnI in different biochemical states. The second actin-binding region appears more rigid than the inhibitory/regulatory region. In the Mg(2+) state, the regulatory region appears more flexible than the inhibitory region, and in the Ca(2+) state the inhibitory region becomes more flexible. PKA phosphorylation of cTnI at Ser23 and Ser24 distance from actin to cTnI residue 131 by 2.2-5.2 A in different biochemical states and narrowed the distributions of the distances from actin to the inhibitory and regulatory regions of cTnI. The observed phosphorylation effects are likely due to an intramolecular interaction of the phosphorylated N-terminal segment and the inhibitory region of cTnI.
Multiple Dimensions of Schizotypy in First Degree Biological Relatives of Schizophrenia Patients

Considerable research has been devoted to identifying individuals predisposed to schizophrenia, with much of the effort devoted to identifying the personality characteristics of the biological relatives of schizophrenia patients. Although resource-consuming interviews have yielded promising results, investigators have long sought self-report measures that index genetic risk for schizophrenia. The Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) is a self-report measure that assesses the nine features of DSM-defined schizotypy. The SPQ, modified to include validity scales, was administered to 135 nonpsychotic first degree relatives of schizophrenia patients and 112 healthy controls. Principal components analysis (PCA) yielded three factors that correlated highly with previously reported factors (social-interpersonal, cognitive-perceptual, and disorganization). Social-interpersonal deficits were found to best differentiate relatives from controls. Contrary to the hypothesis that schizophrenia relatives are more defensive in responding to schizotypy questionnaires, relatives were significantly less defensive than controls. The results demonstrate that a multidimensional paper-and-pencil measure can characterize schizotypal features in schizophrenia relatives, which will be useful for the further delineation of the heritable schizophrenia spectrum phenotype.
Executive Leadership in the Study of International Organization: A Framework for Analysis†

What can the scholarship on global international organizations (IOs) tell us about the contributions of the executive head (EH) to organizational change? The empirics of IO studies frequently credit EHs with important changes, but these studies seldom consider EHs separate from the rest of the bureaucracy and thus make few theoretical claims about them. Consequently, it is difficult to assess whether this credit is warranted and why some heads are given more credit than others. This article argues that heads, such as World Bank President Robert McNamara and United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, were influential because they did not just channel state and bureaucratic demands but made political choices that contributed to organizational adaptation. To make this argument, it draws on sociological institutionalist and constructivist scholarship on IO and leadership to develop an analytical framework where IO adaptation is linked to the EH's performance of two tasks commonly associated with executive leadership: defining a strategic plan and mobilizing support to implement that plan. However, it adds that when environmental constraints are severe, the conventional “ follower-oriented ” mobilization strategies found in leadership studies are less viable. Instead, EHs can adopt an “ opposition-oriented ” one intended to prevent the opposition from mobilizing while incrementally implementing key reforms.
Serum hormone profiles, pregnancy rates, and offspring performance of Rambouillet ewes treated with recombinant bovine somatotropin before breeding.

An experiment was conducted to examine effects of bovine ST (bST) on serum hormone concentrations, pregnancy rates, and offspring performance. Before initiation of a fall breeding period, 75 Rambouillet ewes (68.8 ± 1.5 kg) received an intravaginal insert containing 0.3 g of progesterone (P4) to synchronize onset of estrus. After 12 d, inserts were removed (d 0), and ewes (stratified by BW and age) received either 0 (control, n = 37) or 250 (n = 38) mg of recombinant bST (Posilac, Monsanto, St. Louis, MO, subcutaneously). Ewes were joined with fertile rams 24 h after insert removal. Blood samples were collected from 12 ewes in each treatment group daily from d 0 to 20 after insert removal. Serum IGF-I concentrations were 315 and 437 (± 58) ng/mL in control and bST-treated ewes 2 d after receiving bST (P = 0.02) and remained increased (P 0.10) and estradiol (P = 0.65) were similar between treatments. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) concentrations were similar (P > 0.20) between treatments from d 0 through 8. Controls had greater (P 0.10) in control and bST-treated ewes from d 0 through 3 but was increased (P 0.10) between treatments from d 9 to 20. Serum insulin concentrations were 0.44 and 1.74 (± 0.19) ng/mL in control and bST-treated ewes, respectively, 1 d after receiving bST (P < 0.001) and remained increased (P < 0.03) in bST-treated ewes through d 9 (P < 0.03). Serum glucose was increased (P = 0.003) from d 0 to 10 in bST-treated ewes compared with controls. Thirty-three of 37 (89%) control ewes were pregnant, whereas 27 of 38 (71%) bST-treated ewes were pregnant (P = 0.05). As a percentage of ewes lambing, 61% and 39% of control ewes produced single and twin lambs, respectively, compared with 41% and 59% of bST-treated ewes (P = 0.12). Lamb 60-d adjusted weaning weights were 23.0 and 21.2 (± 0.65) kg for offspring produced by control and bST-treated dams, respectively (P = 0.04). In conclusion, serum IGF-I, insulin, and glucose were greater whereas serum T3, T4, and P4 were less in bST-treated ewes than in controls. Pregnancy rates and offspring adjusted weaning weights were decreased by bST treatment immediately before breeding.
Survival and Growth of Intensively Reared Large Walleye Fingerlings and Extensively Reared Small Fingerlings Stocked Concurrently in Small Lakes

Abstract Size of walleyes Stizostedion vitreum at the time of stocking is thought to play a key role in determining the success of stocking programs. Because starvation and predation risk are size-dependent processes, fingerlings stocked at larger sizes are expected to survive better than fingerlings stocked at smaller sizes. However, large fingerlings often require different culture techniques that make them more expensive to produce. Therefore, large fingerlings should only be used if returns are high enough to offset costs. We evaluated the relative success of two sizes of stocked walleye fingerlings in four lakes in New York State. For four consecutive years (1993–1996), each lake was stocked with equal densities (50 fish/ha) of small (30–50-mm), extensively reared pond fingerlings in June and large (120–140-mm), intensively reared fall fingerlings in September. In October, we electrofished each lake to determine growth and survival of stocked fingerlings. Despite being stocked at a much later date, a...
Mn-doped ScN : A dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor with local exchange coupling

We present local spin density functional calculations for Mn-doped $\mathrm{ScN}$ using the linear muffin-tin orbital method in a supercell approach, including structural relaxation. Mn is found to induce a localized state in middle of the band gap of $\mathrm{ScN}$ with ${t}_{2g}$ character which spin splits and leads to a net magnetic moment of about $2--3{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}$ per Mn. The defect is a deep acceptor with 0/- transition state at about $0.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ above the Fermi level. The magnetic moment increases when in the negative charge state by acquiring more ${e}_{g}$ majority spin electrons and will thus persist even in the presence of the commonly found unintentional background $n$-type doping of $\mathrm{ScN}$. Up to fourth nearest neighbors exchange interactions are found to be ferromagnetic. The experimentally observed high solubility of Mn in $\mathrm{ScN}$, presumably related to their common crystal structure, is favorable for this dilute magnetic semiconductor. Within mean field theory the Curie temperature is estimated to be above $400\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ for 3% Mn. While this may be overly optimistic because of the neglect of disorder, the $n$-type character of $\mathrm{ScN}$ adds further interest to this unusual magnetic semiconductor because the spin-split conduction bands are nondegenerate and thus essentially free from spin-orbit coupling induced spin relaxation.
Yeast vacuoles and membrane fusion pathways

Selective membrane fusion underlies subcellular compartmentation, cell growth, neurotransmission and hormone secretion. Its fundamental mechanisms are conserved among organelles, tissues and organisms. As befits a conserved process, reductionism led to its study in microorganisms. Homotypic fusion of the vacuole of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is particularly accessible to study as vacuoles are readily visualized, there is a rapid and quantitative in vitro assay of vacuole fusion, and the genetics and genomics of this organism and of vacuole fusion are highly advanced. Recent progress is reviewed in the context of general questions in the membrane fusion field.
Suppression of string vibration using a constraint actuator at one boundary

The problem of a vibrating string subjected to a sudden constraint at one boundary is investigated in this paper. The constraint is imposed by a sleeve that axially moves along the mean position of the string with a small distance. The constraint is applied instantaneously such that the geometry of the string outside the sleeve, immediately after application of the constraint, remains unchanged whereas the length of string covered by the sleeve remains at rest. The change in energy of the string after application and removal of the sleeve is investigated for different values of sleeve travel distance and time of application of the constraint. Analytical and numerical simulation results are first provided for the string vibrating in the first mode, and then for a more general case where the string has arbitrary initial conditions. The results show that the energy content can decrease or increase depending on the time of application of the constraint and sleeve travel distance. This provides the opportunity for active control of string vibration through direct physical interaction with a small portion of the string by using the sleeve as an actuator.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
A new nationalism for a new world order? The Kurds

(1995). A new nationalism for a new world order? The Kurds. Small Wars & Insurgencies: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 183-208.
Evidence for Autocrine Actions of Neuromedin B and Gastrin-releasing Peptide in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), a member of the bombesin family of peptides, has been shown to have mitogenic activity in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), and to be produced by SCLC in an autocrine fashion. In this report, we demonstrate that both GRP and another member of the bombesin family of peptides, neuromedin B (NMB), are also autocrine growth factors for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we have detected mRNA for the neuromedin B receptor (NMBR) in all 14 of the NSCLC cell lines examined. GRP receptor (GRPR) mRNA was also expressed in the majority of NSCLC cell lines (nine of 14). By immunoblotting using SDS-PAGE gradient gels fixed in trichloroacetic acid, GRP and NMB were found in fractions of culture medium that had been purified by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) from NSCLC cell lines. NMB was detected in the conditioned medium of seven of nine cell lines and GRP in seven of nine cell lines; both peptides were produced in six cell lines. In four of the cell lines where both peptides were produced, the relative amount of NMB secreted into the medium was 7-15 times that of GRP; in the other two cases, the relative amounts of GRP and NMB were equivalent. Cultured human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells expressed the GRPR and NMBR but did not produce either peptide. A subline of A549 cells that was adapted to grow in serum-free and growth factor-free conditions, termed A549-R(0), secreted both bombesin-like peptides (BLPs) into the culture medium. Using either a colony-forming assay or a BrDU incorporation assay, both NMB and GRP were found to be mitogens for three NSCLC cell lines that express mRNA for BLP receptors and secrete BLPs, regardless of which peptide and/or receptor subtype was detected. The monoclonal antibody 2A11, which preferentially recognizes GRP, was able to block the in vitro proliferative response to GRP in the BrDU incorporation assay, and partially blocked the response to NMB. The 2A11 antibody could only partially block the in vivo growth of cell lines that showed proliferative responses to BLPs. 2A11 antibody was more effective against the 239T cell line, which secreted a low amount of GRP into the medium (0.6 nM), compared to the 201T cell line, which secreted a higher amount of both GRP and NMB (4.2 nM and 36.6 nM, respectively). These results suggest that both NMB and GRP are autocrine growth factors for NSCLC, but that the production of NMB and expression of the NMBR may be more prominent than the production of GRP and expression of the GRP receptor. If BLP ligand-receptor systems are to be targeted therapeutically in NSCLC, it will be necessary to inhibit both NMB and GRP.
Joint interpolation and approximation of causal systems

Abstract The modeling of physical systems inherently involves constructing a mathematical approximation from observable data and/or a priori assumptions. This study refines some recent work on causal interpolation and causal approximation as system modeling techniques. Sufficient conditions for causal interpolators to approximate continuous causal systems are established. State realizations for minimal norm causal interpolators are also established.
Egg Composition as Influenced by Breeding, Egg Size, Age and Season

Abstract LIQUID egg production increased from 6.6 to 9.5% of farm egg production during 1951–1961. Of the total liquid egg produced about 75% was produced in the West North Central States. During the same period egg yolk prices increased while prices of egg white decreased. These changes in price reflect changes in the demand for and supply of egg white and yolk. Technological advances such as the development of the angel food cake mix and the increased consumption of yolk-containing products such as doughnuts have increased demand, while breeding and production practices affect the relative supply. In addition, the more rapid handling of eggs through market channels results in less opportunity for evaporation which may affect the “apparent” whole egg solids content. A fairly large amount of literature is now available on component parts of the egg from Gallus domesticus. Reports show that egg composition differs according to species (Friese,…
Sensor Network Localization via Distributed Randomized Gradient Descent

A novel algorithm referred to as distributed randomized gradient descent (DRGD), is presented for the localization of nodes in a wireless sensor network. It is proven that, in the case of noise-free measurements, the algorithm converges and provides the true location of the nodes. In the case of noisy distance measurements the convergence properties of the algorithm are discussed and an error bound on the location estimation error is obtained. In contrast to several recently proposed methods, DRGD converges for only a few anchor nodes and the blind nodes do not need to be contained in the convex hull of the anchor nodes. Through extensive simulations and for several networks with and without distance errors, the performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared with three other recently proposed algorithms, namely the relaxation-based second order cone programming (SOCP), the simulated annealing (SA), and the semi-definite programing (SDP). Similar to DRGD, SOCP and SA are distributed algorithms, whereas SDP is centralized. The results show that the proposed algorithm successfully localizes the nodes in all the cases whereas, in most cases where only a few anchors are used, SOCP and SA fail.
The space of totally bounded analytic functions

This paper is a continuation of our project on “inverse interpolation”, begun in [6]. In brief, the task of inverse interpolation is to deduce some property of a function f from some given property of the set L of its Lagrange interpolants. In the present work, the property of L is that it be a uniformly bounded set of functions when restricted to the domain of f . In particular (see Section 3), when the domain is a disc, we deduce sharp bounds on the successive derivatives of f . As a result, f must extend to be an analytic function (of restricted growth) in the concentric disc of thrice the original radius.
Diffusion induced oscillatory insulin secretion

Oscillatory secretion of insulin has been observed in many different experimental preparations. Here we examine a mathematical model for in vitro insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells in a flow-through reactor. The analysis shows that oscillations result because of an important interplay between flow rate of the reactor and insulin diffusion. In particular, if the ratio of flow rate to volume of the reaction bed is too large, oscillations are eliminated, in contradiction to the conclusions of Maki and Keizer (L. W. Maki and Keizer J. Mathematical analysis of a proposed mechanism for oscillatory insulin secretion in perifused HIT-15 cells. Bull. Math. Biol., 57 (1995), 569–591). Furthermore, with reasonable numbers for the experimental parameters and the diffusion of insulin, the model equations do not exhibit oscillations.
Strategies for Feeding the Preterm Infant

According to many experts in neonatal nutrition, the goal for nutrition of the preterm infant should be to achieve a postnatal growth rate approximating that of the normal fetus of the same gestationa
Passive immunity to yersiniae mediated by anti-recombinant V antigen and protein A-V antigen fusion peptide.

LcrV (V antigen), a known unstable 37.3-kDa monomeric peptide encoded on the ca. 70-kb Lcr plasmid of Yersinia pestis, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, and Yersinia enterocolitica, has been implicated as a regulator of the low-calcium response, virulence factor, and protective antigen. In this study, lcrV of Y. pestis was cloned into protease-deficient Escherichia coli BL21. The resulting recombinant V antigen underwent marked degradation from the C-terminal end during purification, yielding major peptides of 36, 35, 34, and 32 to 29 kDa. Rabbit gamma globulin raised against this mixture of cleavage products provided significant protection against 10 minimum lethal doses of Y. pestis (P < 0.01) and Y. pseudotuberculosis (P < 0.02). To both stabilize V antigen and facilitate its purification, plasmid pPAV13 was constructed so as to encode a fusion of lcrV and the structural gene for protein A (i.e., all but the first 67 N-terminal amino acids of V antigen plus the signal sequence and immunoglobulin G-binding domains but not the cell wall-associated region of protein A). The resulting fusion peptide, termed PAV, could be purified to homogeneity in one step by immunoglobulin G affinity chromatography and was stable thereafter. Rabbit polyclonal gamma globulin directed against PAV provided excellent passive immunity against 10 minimum lethal doses of Y. pestis (P < 0.005) and Y. pseudotuberculosis (P < 0.005) but was ineffective against Y. enterocolitica. Protection failed after absorption with excess PAV, cloned whole V antigen, or a large (31.5-kDa) truncated derivative of the latter but was retained (P < 0.005) upon similar absorption with a smaller (19.3-kDa) truncated variant, indicating that at least one protective epitope resides internally between amino acids 168 and 275.
Reconsidering the ''Good Divorce''

This study attempted to assess the notion that a “good divorce” protects children from the potential negative consequences of marital dissolution. A cluster analysis of data on postdivorce parenting from 944 families resulted in three groups: cooperative coparenting, parallel parenting, and single parenting. Children in the cooperative coparenting (good divorce) cluster had the smallest number of behavior problems and the closest ties to their fathers. Nevertheless, children in this cluster did not score significantly better than other children on 10 additional outcomes. These findings provide only modest support for the good divorce hypothesis.
Another Reason Academics and Practitioners Should Communicate More

Abstract Bronnenberg, Dhar, and Dube (2007) show that there is a large geographic variation in market shares and perceived quality levels of a large sample of “national” and “regional” brands across many consumer packaged good categories, and they demonstrate that their geographic findings are new to academics. In this comment, the author shows that practice has been ahead of academics in this basic understanding. He then shows how a point of real leverage is to allocate marketing resources geographically on the basis of market response. There seems to be as much or more variation in market response to resources such as advertising and promotion as there is in market shares. This comment concludes with a plea for more interaction between academics and practitioners.
QUICKRECALL: A Low Overhead HW/SW Approach for Enabling Computations across Power Cycles in Transiently Powered Computers

Transiently Powered Computers (TPCs) are a new class of batteryless embedded systems that depend solely on energy harvested from external sources for performing computations. Enabling long-running computations on TPCs is a major challenge due to the highly intermittent nature of the power supply (often bursts of <; 100ms), resulting in frequent system reboots. Prior work seeks to address this issue by frequently checkpointing system state in flash memory, preserving it across power cycles. However, this involves a substantial overhead due to the high erase/write times of flash memory. This paper proposes the use of FRAM, an emerging non-volatile memory technology that combines the benefits of SRAM and flash, to seamlessly enable long-running computations in TPCs. We propose a lightweight, in-situ checkpointing technique for TPCs using FRAM that decreases the time taken for saving and restoring a checkpoint to only 12.6μs, which is over two orders of magnitude lower than the corresponding overhead using flash. We have implemented and evaluated our technique, QUICKRECALL, using the TI MSP430FR5739 FRAM-enabled microcontroller. Experimental results show that our highly-efficient checkpointing translates to a significant speedup (1.4x - 4.5x) in program execution time.
Large mode number eigenvalues of the prolate spheroidal differential equation

We show that the eigenvalues of the prolate spheroidal differential equation of zeroth order, @g"n(c) where c is the so-called ''bandwidth'' or ''ellipticity'' parameter, are well-approximated for large mode number n by a single function @W in the form @g"n~c"*^[email protected](c/c"*) where c"*=(@p/2)(n+1/2). @W is defined implicitly as the root of an algebraic equation, E(min(1,m^-^1^/^2),m^1^/^2)=1/@W where E is the usual incomplete integral of the second kind and [email protected]^2/@W with @c=c/c"*. @W has a weak singularity at @c=1 proportional to (@c-1)log(@c-1) plus iterated logarithms. We give Chebyshev series for @W accurate for @[email protected]?[0,~].
Clearance of an Influenza A Virus by CD4+ T Cells Is Inefficient in the Absence of B Cells

The primary CD8+ T-cell response protected most B-cell-deficient μMT mice against intranasal infection with the HKx31 influenza A virus. Prior exposure did not prevent reinfection upon homologous challenge, and the recall CD8+ T-cell response cleared the virus from the lung within 7 days. Depleting the CD8+ T cells substantially reduced the capacity of these primed mice to deal with the infection, in spite of evidence for established CD4+ T-cell memory. Thus, the control of this relatively mild influenza virus by both primary and secondary CD4+ T-cell responses is relatively inefficient in the absence of B cells and CD8+ T cells.
Discrimination of geons by pigeons: The effects of variations in surface depiction

We explored how changes in the depiction of the surface features of a simple volume (a geon) affected the pigeon’s recognition performance. Pigeons were trained to make a different keypeck response to each of four computer-rendered single-geon objects. In Experiment 1, the pigeons were tested with images of the original stimuli in which the light source was shifted from its original position, as well as with silhouettes and line drawings of these objects. All three types of stimulus variations resulted in marked drops in performance: above chance for silhouettes and light-change stimuli, but at chance for line drawings. In Experiment 2, the pigeons were tested with images of the original stimuli in which the contrast levels were either increased or decreased. These transformations resulted in very small drops in performance (except for the complete absence of contrast-a silhouette). These results indicated that the pigeons attended to the shape of the outside contour of an object and to the relative brightness of an object’s surface contours.
Praxis doxológica de Is 42,8-9 y su alcance ecológico.

It approaches the hymn of Yahveh, in Is 42,8-9, from the interpretative sciences, in order to suggest its current relevance for Ecology. Reading this text, in the light of its position in Isaiah, its poetic techniques and its diachronic development, proves the current strength of a new ecological reading of the hymn. The application of the speech act theory as a speech act enables the reading community to associate the strength of the text with today’s eco-justice mission. This consists –according to the hymn– on resisting the ideology of static religion, caring for the environment and reinterpreting the ecoeschatological hope.
Streptococcal Toxic-Shock Syndrome: Spectrum of Disease, Pathogenesis, and New Concepts in Treatment

Since the 1980s there has been a marked increase in the recognition and reporting of highly invasive group A streptococcal infections with or without necrotizing fasciitis associated with shock and organ failure. Such dramatic cases have been defined as streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome. Strains of group A streptococci isolated from patients with invasive disease have been predominantly M types 1 and 3 that produce pyrogenic exotoxin A or B or both. In this paper, the clinical and demographic features of streptococcal bacteremia, myositis, and necrotizing fasciitis are presented and compared to those of streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome. Current concepts in the pathogenesis of invasive streptococcal infection are also presented, with emphasis on the interaction between group A Streptococcus virulence factors and host defense mechanisms. Finally, new concepts in the treatment of streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome are discussed.
The Republican Revolution and the House Appropriations Committee

This study applies the theory of "conditional party government" to the interaction between the Republican party and the Appropriations Committee in the 104th House, seen in the context of developments since the 96th Congress. As expected by the theory, we find that the relatively homogenous preferences of the Republican contingent in the House led them to adopt new institutional arrangements to enhance the powers of their leaders, which in turn were used to advance the party's policy goals. Given that the leadership decided to use Appropriations as one of the vehicles of major policy change, they and the Conference sought to monitor the committee's actions, and to influence it to behave as they wanted. The leaders used their enhanced powers over incentives and with regard to the agenda to advance the party cause. Both leaders and the Conference sought to block policy shifts away from what they wanted, but facilitated changes in the desired direction. Finally, we expected to see evidence of the increasing ...
Photosynthetic Responses to Oxygen and Inorganic Carbon of Low- and High-CO2-Grown Cells of Chara Corallina

Interactions between photorespiration and photosynthesis in aquatic plants of the C3 carboxylation type have been mostly studied in microalgae. When these cells are grown under low CO2 conditions, they develop an internal CO2 concentrating mechanism which, at a given CO2/O2 ratio in the external medium, modifies the Rubisco activities by enhancing the carboxylation and reducing the oxygenation reactions. Hence, photorespiration has generally not been detected in these cells in contrast to high-CO2 grown cells. Since most microalgae appear to photosynthetically use exogenous (Math), this mechanism is thought to be due to the operation of an active (Math) pump. This model, however, does not explain all the experimental data, and this led some authors to postulate the existence of a CO2 transport process (1,2). Some data acquired on aquatic macrophytes have led to similar conclusions (3), but very little information is available concerning the macroalgae.
332 The Relationship Between Rapid Fluctuation in Serum Sodium and Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH) in Hypernatremic Extremely Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants

Hypernatremia causes brain shrinkage and resultant vascular rupture with cerebral and IVH. However, it is not known if rapid fluctuation in serum sodium in hypernatremic preterm infants results in IVH or death. Objective To determine if the rapid rise in serum sodium or rapid correction of hypernatremia predict the composite outcome of severe IVH (grade 3 and 4) or death during the first 10 days of life. Methods Single center retrospective review of 167 preterm infants with GA ≤26 weeks who had serum sodium monitored at least every 12–24 hours and more frequently, if indicated. Logistic regression analysis identified which of the commonly cited risk factors of IVH, including rapid (>10 and >15 mmol/l/day) rise or fall in serum sodium could predict composite outcome in hypernatremic infants. Results 98 (59%) of 167 infants studied developed hypernatremia (serum sodium>150 mmol/L), with a maximum median serum sodium of 154 mmol/l (range 150–181, IQR 152–157), occurring on median postnatal age of 4 days (IQR 3–5). Grade 4 IVH was more frequent in hypernatremic compared to normonatremic infants (p=0.032, OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.1–10.6). Among 98 infants with hypernatremia, severe IVH or death occurred in 33 and 21 infants with rapid (>10 mmol/l/day) rise and drop in serum sodium, respectively. However, rapid (>10 and >15 mmol/l/day) rise or fall in serum sodium was not associated with composite outcome on multivariate analysis. Conclusion Correction of hypernatremia not exceeding 10 to 15 mmol/l/day in hypernatremic preterm infants was not associated with severe IVH or death.
Piloting A Family-Supported Approach to Concurrently Optimize Mental Health and Sport Performance in Athletes

Participation in sports offers exceptional pro-social opportunities. However, sport participation also contributes to uniquely experienced stressors that may interfere with athletes’ achievement in...
Determination of Liquid/Gas Interface and Liquid Center of Gravity for GPM Tank with PMD Using Surface Evolver

Many spacecraft, such as the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) spacecraft, use propellant management devices (PMDs) to control liquid propellant within propellant tanks. Surface Evolver, an energy minimization routine, is used to find liquid-gas interface shapes due to surface tension and propellant center of mass locations for varying initial liquid positions, contact angles, and fill fractions for the GPM tank with a PMD. This study shows that Surface Evolver can accurately model the liquid-gas interface and liquid center of mass location for a complicated tank and PMD. The Surface Evolver results show that the initial position of the propellant, the contact angle between the propellant and solid surfaces, and the fill fraction of the propellant can drastically affect the liquid-gas interface in the tank and thus the center of mass of the propellant.
Induction and repression of mammalian achaete-scute homologue (MASH) gene expression during neuronal differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells

MASH1 and MASH2, mammalian homologues of the Drosophila neural determination genes achaete-scute, are members of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors. We show here that murine P19 embryonal carcinoma cells can be used as a model system to study the regulation and function of these genes. MASH1 and MASH2 display complementary patterns of expression during the retinoic-acid-induced neuronal differentiation of P19 cells. MASH1 mRNA is undetectable in undifferentiated P19 cells but is induced to high levels by retinoic acid coincident with neuronal differentiation. In contrast, MASH2 mRNA is expressed in undifferentiated P19 cells and is repressed by retinoic acid treatment. These complementary expression patterns suggest distinct functions for MASH1 and MASH2 in development, despite their sequence homology. In retinoic-acid-treated P19 cells, MASH1 protein expression precedes and then overlaps expression of neuronal markers. However, MASH1 is expressed by a smaller proportion of cells than expresses such markers. MASH1 immunoreactivity is not detected in differentiated cells displaying a neuronal morphology, suggesting that its expression is transient. These features of MASH1 expression are similar to those observed in vivo, and suggest that P19 cells represent a good model system in which to study the regulation of this gene. Forced expression of MASH1 was achieved in undifferentiated P19 cells by transfection of a cDNA expression construct. The transfected cells expressing exogenous MASH1 protein contained E-box-binding activity that could be super-shifted by an anti-MASH1 antibody, but exhibited no detectable phenotypic changes. Thus, unlike myogenic bHLH genes, such as MyoD, which are sufficient to induce muscle differentiation, expression of MASH1 appears insufficient to promote neurogenesis.
Historical Perspective and Treatments for Common Bile Duct Stones

Gallstones have formed in humans for thousands of years, with the first documented account in 1420. Although the significance of gallstone disease may not have been known at that time, it quickly became apparent at the turn of the twentieth century, when the world’s first cholecystectomy was performed. Not until 1929 was a more comprehensive discussion of surgical techniques for the gallbladder and bile ducts published. In the twenty-first century, endoscopic and laparoscopic techniques have become more accepted and their use more widespread. Minimally invasive techniques have revolutionized the approach to choledocholithiasis. Morbidity and mortality have continued to improve, to the point at which common bile duct stones often are treated in the outpatient setting. The introduction of Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) in the past 10 years may be the next step in minimally invasive approaches.
Relative Factors of Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Preventive Effect of Microeco-Preparation

Objective To explore the risk factors of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC)and assess the effect of prophylactic use of probiotics(Bifico)in prevention of NEC and observe changes of weight.Methods Five hundred and twenty-four cases of prematures who were inpatients were divided into 2 groups randomly(prevention group,n=276,no-prevention group,n=248)and the morbidity of NEC and the increase of eight during hospitalization were observed.A case-control study and conditional Logistic regression model multifactorial analysis were made to 20 cases NEC neonates and 80 cases non-NEC neonates.Results The prevention group(276 cases)had 5 cases of NEC and the average weight increase was(8.114±8.137)g/d,the no-prevention group 248 cases had 17 cases of NEC,and the average weight increase was(6.595±5.337)g/d.The occure rate of NEC in prevention group was significantly lower than that of no-prevention group(χ2=5.57 P0.01).And there was significant difference of weight inerease between 2 groups(t=2.497 P0.05).The risk factors of NEC were gestation age,HIE,septicemia,and serious illness.Protective factors were application of probiotics and intravenous immune globulin(IVIG).Conclusions To avoid the risk factors for NEC and use of probiotics and IVIG in neonatal in hospital can prevent the occurrence of NEC,and increase weight of hospitalized neonates.