cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic surgery in children with ventriculoperitoneal shunts: effect of pneumoperitoneum on intracranial pressure--preliminary experience.

Abstract Objectives We monitored changes in intracranial pressure (ICP) in 2 children with myelodysplasia undergoing laparoscopic bladder autoaugmentation. Both children had ventriculoperitoneal shunts (VPS) secondary to Arnold-Chiari malformations (type II). Methods ICP was monitored through a 23-gauge needle placed into the shunt reservoir and connected to a pressure transducer and drainage system. Intraoperative mean arterial pressure, end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2), ICP, abdominal pressure, and cerebral perfusion pressures were all monitored. Results Both children demonstrated rapid onset and sustained increases in ICP of greater than 12 mm Hg above baseline to a maximum pressure of 25 mm Hg. The average cerebrospinal fluid removed from each patient was 30 cc, thereby lowering ICP with no adverse neurologic sequela. The pCO2 remained constant throughout the procedures, as measured by ETCO2. Conclusions We believe that intracranial hypertension (IH) results from a “Valsalva-like” phenomenon, which causes cerebral vascular engorgement. In addition, the pneumoperitoneum may increase the resistance to outflow through the distal peritoneal catheter, causing a partial or complete shunt obstruction. Untreated IH may result in adverse neurologic sequelae from brain herniation in these children with hindbrain anomalies and potentially altered brain compliance. We believe it is prudent to perform intraoperative ICP monitoring in this subgroup of patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery and that IH should be treated by ventricular drainage.
Redemption of autoreactive B cells

Autoreactive antibodies can be pathogenic in a myriad of diseases. Consequently, the adaptive immune system actively removes or inactivates self-reactive B cells, while promoting the survival of B cells that recognize exogenous antigens, including microbial pathogens (1, 2). These physiological mechanisms of immune tolerance are often defective in autoimmune diseases (3, 4), and much effort is currently being expended learning how to mitigate autoreactive B-cell responses in the setting of autoimmune diseases. An unwelcome consequence of tolerizing selection is reduction in the potential diversity of the primary B-cell repertoire that limits the availability of B cells capable of generating protective responses against pathogens (5). An example of immunological censoring by tolerance is apparent in the protective antibodies elicited by HIV-1 infection, called broadly reactive neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) (6). The majority of bnAbs are either polyreactive (reactive with many unrelated molecules), autoreactive (reactive with one specific self-antigen), or both (7), and in some cases, reactivity with host antigens is tightly linked to HIV-1–neutralizing activity (8, 9). Thus, in contrast to autoimmunity where the goal is to reduce autoreactive B-cell responses, vaccinologists are trying to activate and expand disfavored bnAb B-cell clonal lineages subject to control by immune tolerance (6⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓–13). In PNAS, Sabouri et al. (14) outline a surprising pathway for the utilization or “redemption” of autoreactive anergic B cells. The authors demonstrate that B cells that recognize both foreign and self-antigens can be activated by immunization and recruited into germinal centers (GC) where hypermutation of the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) can reduce self-reactivity while maintaining the capacity of the redeemed B cells to recognize an exogenous antigen (14). This … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: barton.haynes{at}duke.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
The geometry of phenotypic evolution in developmental hyperspace

Complex traits are constructed during development by an intricate array of factors, and interactions among factors, including DNA, RNA, proteins, developmental modules, and various aspects of the biotic and abiotic environment. As a result, it is development that structures the relationship between the genotype and phenotype and thereby determines genetic architecture. The genotype–phenotype relationship plays a central role in phenotypic evolution because it determines how selection at the level of the phenotype is translated into evolutionary change at the level of the genotype (see ref. 1). Theoretical approaches to understanding phenotypic evolution have primarily focused either at the molecular genetic level, modeling evolution as changes in allele frequencies (the “population genetics” tradition), or at the gross phenotypic level, modeling evolution as changes in mean trait values by using the statistical relationship between molecular genetic variation and patterns of phenotypic variation (the “quantitative genetics” tradition). Both of these traditions have successfully advanced our understanding of phenotypic evolution, but both approaches are also inherently limited because they require an assumption of a relatively simple genotype–phenotype relationship. Thus, they are limited in their ability to incorporate the emerging data on the intricate patterns of genetic and developmental interactions that underlie the often remarkably complex genotype–phenotype relationship (2). For complex traits, this generally means that factors influencing trait expression, such as the intricate patterns of gene interactions or genotype-by-environment interactions, are either assumed absent or are included in a greatly simplified form (1). The Rice model embraces the complexity of genetics and development, rather than avoiding complexity by invoking simplifying assumptions. Although empirical research on the genetic architecture and developmental basis of trait expression has advanced at an extraordinary rate, formal links between the wealth of data that has been emerging and the process of phenotypic evolution have lagged behind. More recently, theoretical approaches …
Identification for a class of nonlinear models for shape memory alloy (SMA) embedded elastomeric rods

This paper presents a formulation of the transient response of elastomeric rods with embedded shape memory alloy actuators that incorporate the inherent coupling between the dynamics of deformation at the structural level, the thermal response and the constitutive law describing the shape memory alloy. Previous work by the authors has shown that the incorporation of shape memory alloy actuation in distributed parameter systems can induce a large class of nonlinearities including hysteresis effects in the SMA constitutive law, nonlinear kinematics of large deformation, and, in some cases, local plasticity effects. To derive a control methodology for the class of SMA embedded elastomeric rods considered in this paper, it is essential that the system characteristics of the nonlinear distributed parameter system be identified accurately. This paper presents an identification theory applicable to the coupled system of partial differential equations. The results are validated using both numerical simulation and experimental results.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
STUDY OF THE APPROXIMATION CAPABILITIES OF TWO FOUR-LAYERED NEURAL NETWORKS

The approximation capabilities of two different four-layered neural networks are studied. First, a network with the backpropagation algorithm is analyzed, and its error surface, convergence properties, and network design are considered. An alternative to the backpropagation approach is presented, namely, we construct a network that uses a one- pass algorithm. We show that the proposed network can correctly classify N different patterns with 4 ?N?3 hidden units. We also show that an arbitrarily small approximation error can be obtained for this network by adjusting the appropriate parameters.
Since Black into White : Thomas Skidmore on Brazilian Race Relations

In the 40 years since he published Politics in Brazil, 1930-1964: An Experiment in Democracy, Thomas Skidmore has simultaneously been a leading U.S. scholar of Latin American history and a prominent public figure in Brazil. Balancing these roles, Skidmore has written and commented extensively on recent Brazilian political and economic history. But he is also the author of an influential intellectual history of racial thought in Brazil, Black into White: Race and Nationality in Brazilian Thought (1974). Black into White examines what Skidmore calls the “whitening thesis” by which Brazilian intellectuals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries managed their racial and nationalist anxieties by interpreting miscegenation as a dynamic process that would dilute Brazil’s black population.
The factor structure of a dichotomously scored Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index.

Objective: Heavy college-student alcohol use and its resulting negative consequences represent a public-health problem on American college campuses. The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI) is a commonly used measure of alcohol problems among college students, but the psychometric properties of this measure never have been comprehensively assessed with the college-student population. The purpose of this research was to conduct reliability and validity analyses, particularly exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, on a dichotomously scored version of the measure. Method: Data were collected on 4,686 undergraduate students at a large, public university in the Northwest region of the United States and 438 students at a large, public university in the Northeast. Results: Exploratory factor analysis suggested that a three-factor model provided the best fit to the data. This finding was replicated via confirmatory factor analyses in two separate samples. The three factors were labeled Abuse/Dependence Sym...
Structure and function of the trp operon control regions of Brevibacterium lactofermentum, a glutamic-acid-producing bacterium

Abstract The trp genes of Brevibacterium lactofermentum lie within a 7.72-kb HapII-BamHI fragment whose sequence has been determined (Matsui et al., 1986). The 5'- and the 3'-flanking regions of this gene cluster were subcloned as a 1.8-kb PstI-PstI and a 0.6-kb Xhol-BamHI fragment, respectively. The 5'-flanking region encodes two open reading frames (ORFs); one corresponds to trpL, while the other corresponds to the N-terminal half of the trpE gene. Within the 17 amino acid residues of the predicted leader peptide encoded by trpL are found three contiguous tryptophan residues. By subcloning parts of the 1.8-kb PstI-PstI fragment into promoter probe vectors, a promoter situated 32 bp upstream from the presumptive trpL gene was identified. The -35 and the -10 region of this promoter, TACACA and AATAAT, respectively, are very similar to the Escherichia coli trp promoter. The trp promoter of B. lactofermentum functions in E. coli. A 14-bp imperfect palindrome that overlaps the -10 region apparently functions in B. lactofermentum but not in E. coli as a trp operator. Upstream of trpE, attenuator-like sequences are found that resemble the corresponding E. coli sequences. The 0.6-kb Xhol-BamHI 3'-flanking fragment contains one ORF that encodes the C-terminal part of trpA. Downstream from trpA lies a Rho-independent terminator that resembles E. coli sequences that are situated downstream from the E. coli trp operon. Thus the trp control regions of the Gram-positive B. lactofermentum are more closely related in structure to the corresponding regions of the Gram-negative E. coli than to those of the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis.
Hydrodynamic sorting and transport of terrestrially derived organic carbon in sediments of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers

Abstract Over the course of two years, four cruises were conducted at varying levels of discharge in the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers (MR and AR) where grab samples were collected from sand- and mud-dominated sediments. The tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) thermochemolysis method was used to determine sources of terrestrially derived organic carbon (OC) in these two sediment types, to examine the effects of hydrodynamic sorting on lignin sources in river sediments. Average lignin concentrations in the lower MR were 1.4 ± 1.1 mg gOC −1 at English Turn (ET) and 10.4 ± 27.4 mg gOC −1 at Venice. Using these concentrations, annual lignin fluxes to the Gulf of Mexico, from tidal and estuarine mud remobilization at ET and Venice, were 3.1 ± 2.5 × 10 5 kg and 11.4 ± 30.0 × 10 5 kg, respectively. Much of the lignin-derived materials in muddy sediments appeared to be derived from non-woody grass-like sources – which should decay more quickly than the woody materials typically found in the sandy deposits. The average total OC% (1.93 ± 0.47) of English Turn sands yields an annual flux of 0.34 ± 0.09 × 10 9 kg. Lignin flux in the English Turn sands (3.6 ± 2.6 mg gC −1 ) using the numbers above would be 12.2 ± 9.4 × 10 5 kg. The extensive amounts of sand-sized woody materials (coffee-grinds) found in the sandy sediments in both the AR and MR are likely derived from woody plant materials. This is the first time it has been demonstrated that sandy sediments in the MR provide an equally important pathway (compared to muds) for the transport of terrestrially derived organic matter to the northern Gulf of Mexico. Using the AR average %OC in sand (1.16 ± 0.72), we estimated an annual flux of OC to the shelf of 0.13 ± 0.07 × 10 9 kg. Lignin flux for AR sands was estimated to be 12.4 ± 12.1 × 10 5 kg. Despite the high error associated with these numbers, we observe for the first time that the flux of lignin in sandy sediments in the AR to the northern Gulf of Mexico is comparable to that found in the MR. These results further support the likelihood of grain-size related hydrodynamic sorting of terrestrially derived organic carbon in the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, suggesting that there is a distinct sandy sediment organic fraction contributed by major rivers to the global carbon cycle.
Dielectric Characteristics of Compressed Gas Insulated Cables

This paper describes the dielectric characteristics of compressed gas insulated cables, particularly the dielectric performances of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas and also of the insulating spacers.
Reproductive management practices among Tulare, California, dairy herds. II. Analytical studies

Abstract A series of analytical investigations using multivariate techniques assessed the relative importance of various reproductive management practices in explaining the variation seen among dairies in terms of milk production, days in milk at first service, average days open, services per conception and owner's perception of reproductive problems in their herds. Data were based on a census of all dairy operators in Tulare county, CA with a 93% response rate. Discriminant analysis was used to select an initial pool of management factors that were subsequently used in multiple logistic regression analysis. Use of a combination of signs for estrus detection and large herd sizes had a positive association with some measures of reproductive efficiency. A large number of dry cows, an increased percentage of purebred cows and the herdsman breeding had a negative association with some measures of reproductive efficiency. The use of prostaglandins for cows not showing estrus, veterinary post-partum examinations, maternity pens and an increased percentage of purebred cows were associated with an increased level of milk production. For the group of 10 owner-perceived problems, 27 management variables were found to be significantly associated with one of the owner-perceived problems.
Insulin binding to human B lymphoblasts is a function of HLA haplotype

Abstract A variety of genetic and biochemical evidence points to an association between major histocompatibility complex (MHC) haplotype and several types of cell surface receptors including epidermal growth factor and insulin receptors. We report evidence for such associations between human class I MHC antigens, HLA antigens, and specific insulin binding sites on human B lymphoblasts. We have measured insulin binding to cells of an HLA-heterozygous, Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-cell line, LCL 721, and to derivative mutants from which all or part of the HLA complex had been deleted. The affinity, Ka, of insulin binding sites is approximately 10(8) M-1 in mutants expressing antigen HLA-B5 together with other HLA antigens and in mutants expressing only HLA-C. HLA-A1; HLA-A1,B8; HLA-A2,C; and HLA null mutants (not expressing any HLA antigens) bind insulin to sites with an affinity of approximately 10(9) M-1.
Comparison of delay times to hospital presentation for physicians and nonphysicians with acute myocardial infarction

To evaluate whether patients who recognize the symptoms of myocardial ischemia and have easy access to medical care have shortened time delays between onset of symptoms and hospital presentation, the total time interval between symptom onset and hospital arrival for 258 U.S. male physicians experiencing a first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the Physicians' Health Study (PHS) was compared with that of a comparable group of 240 men enrolled in the U.S. component of the Second International Study of Infarct Survival (ISIS-2), as well as with those of previously published series of patients with AMI. For patients presenting for medical care within 24 hours of symptom onset, the median time delay from onset of symptoms to presentation for medical care was 1.8 hours in the PHS, and 4.9 hours in the U.S. component of ISIS-2 (p less than 0.001). Furthermore, 56% of participants in the PHS presented for medical care within 2 hours and 72% within 4 hours of symptom onset compared with 20% (p less than 0.001) and 44% (p less than 0.001), respectively, for ISIS-2 participants. In previously published series, the average time to presentation was comparable to that in the ISIS-2 trial, with variation depending on country of origin and on local population density. The median time to medical presentation in any previous series was not shorter than that in the PHS. Thus, physicians in the PHS had significantly shorter time delays between onset of symptoms and presentation for medical care. This difference may help explain the far lower than expected cardiovascular mortality rates among physician participants in the PHS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Evaluation of non-specific binding suppression schemes for neutravidin and alkaline phosphatase at the surface of reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes.

Abstract Non-specific binding (NSB) of high-molecular-weight proteins onto electrode surfaces can complicate the application of electroanalytical techniques to clinical and environmental research, particularly in biosensor applications. We present herein various strategies to modify the surface of reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) electrodes to suppress non-specific binding of biomolecules onto its surface. Non-specific binding and specific binding (SB) of two enzyme conjugates, neutravidin-alkaline phosphatase (NA-ALP) and biotinylated alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP), and also neutravidin itself, were studied using hydroquinone diphosphate (HQDP) as an enzyme substrate for ALP inside the pores of RVC electrodes that had been subjected to various modification schemes. The extent of NSB and SB of these biomolecules inside RVC pores was assessed by measuring the initial rate of generation of an electroactive product, hydroquinone (HQ), of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction, using linear scan voltammetry (LSV) for HQ detection. Electrodes functionalized with phenylacetic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) showed low NSB and high SB (when biotin capture ligands were included in the modification scheme) in comparison with unmodified electrodes and RVC electrodes modified in other ways. A simple sandwich bioassay for neutravidin was performed on the RVC electrode with the lowest NSB. A concentration detection limit of 52 ± 2 ng mL−1 and an absolute detection limit of 5.2 ± 0.2 ng were achieved for neutravidin when this assay was performed using a 100 μL sample size.
On the Szegő Metric

We introduce a new biholomorphically invariant metric based on Fefferman’s invariant Szegő kernel and investigate the relation of the new metric to the Bergman and Caratheodory metrics. A key tool is a new absolutely invariant function assembled from the Szegő and Bergman kernels.
Stopping inflation in the Dornbusch model: Optimal monetary policies with alternative price-adjustment equations

Abstract This paper compares the optimal monetary policies for reducing inflation in the Dornbusch model with various authors' modifications of his price-adjustment equation. In the cases where the price-adjustment equation is augmented with a forward-looking expectations variable, the optimal policy calls for an increase in the money stock followed by no further monetary growth. On the other hand, when inflation has momentum, the optimum policy may require either an initial increase or decrease in the money stock followed by monetary growth that allows for an increase in real money balances.
Location, Location, Location: FoxM1 Mediates β-Catenin Nuclear Translocation and Promotes Glioma Tumorigenesis

Genetic alterations in the Wnt/β-catenin/TCF-signaling pathway are commonly found in human tumors, but not in glioblastomas. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Zhang et al. report that FoxM1 mediates β-catenin nuclear translocation in glioblastoma, suggesting a novel mechanism for glioblastoma progression in the absence of conventional Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation.
Doppler evaluation of peripheral vascular adaptations to transverse aortic banding in mice.

Abstract Transverse aortic banding in mice is commonly used to produce pressure overload, but the resulting cardiac hypertrophy is variable and the actual load produced is unknown. The purposes of the study were to characterize peripheral blood flow in banded mice using noninvasive Doppler methods, investigate whether changes in flow could predict the amount of cardiac hypertrophy induced and validate the simplified Bernoulli equation for estimating the pressure drop across the stenosis in very small vessels. Wild-type mice underwent aortic banding ( n = 15) or sham operation ( n = 6). Doppler velocity was measured in the right and left carotid arteries (RCA and LCA) 1 day later, and the heart weight/body weight ratio was measured at 7 days. The RCA/LCA peak velocity ratio at 1 day was significantly correlated with the heart weight/body weight ratio at 7 days after banding (r = 0.62, p p 2 ) can be used to estimate the pressure drop across the aortic band in mice noninvasively. (E-mail: chartley@bcm.tmc.edu)
Percolation View of Novolak Dissolution. 9. Deuterium Isotope Effect on Dissolution Rate

A commercial Novolak resin was partially (OH groups) deuterated, and the dissolution rate of the deuterated material in 0.1 N solutions of KOD, NaOD, and LiOD in D2O was measured. The dissolution of the deuterated systems is considerably slower than that of the corresponding protonated systems. In both cases the dissolution rate depends on the nature of the base cation, and it is in fact a linear function of the reciprocal cross section of the ions. These results are compatible with the view that the rate-determining step in Novolak dissolution is the deprotonation of phenol groups at the interface of the penetration zone with the resin matrix. The dissolution of deuterated Novolak in deuterated developers is strongly affected by the presence of salts of the base cations, in a manner similar to that of the protonated systems investigated in refs 1 and 2.
Examination of the Relationship Among Different Dimensions of Trait Anxiety, Demographic Variables, and Self-Reported School Adjustment in Elementary and Secondary School Students

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship among different dimensions of trait anxiety (social concerns, physiological anxiety, and worry/oversensitivity), demographic variables (age and gender), and school adjustment (attitude to school and attitude to teachers) in children and adolescents. The study participants, consisting of 206 children and adolescents (100 males and 106 females), ages 9 to 19, in grades 4 through 12, completed several self-report measures of anxiety and school adaptation. Results of two multiple-regression analyses revealed that (a) the social concerns dimension of trait anxiety and age were significant predictors of attitude to teachers and (b) the dimensions of social concerns and physiological anxiety, and gender were significant predictors of attitude to school. Implications of the findings for school personnel are discussed.
A Cross-National Study of Attitude Content in Reading Primers

Abstract Les AA. presentent les premiers resultats d'une etude interculturelle en cours sur le contenu des abecedaires. Le contenu des abecedaires peut ětre etudie sous deux angles: (1) dans sa fonction pedagogique (comment il influe sur l'apprentissage de la lecture); (2) dans sa fonction sociale (comment il communique et fait comprendre les valeurs et attitudes propres a un pays). Dans cette seconde perspective, on compare les abecedaires de cinq pays (Angleterre, Allemagne de l'Ouest, Etats-Unis, Russie, Coree du Sud) en utilisant des echelles d'attitude qui ont ete appliquees a la fois aux images et aux textes dans leur traduction anglaise. On constate que sur 38 types d'attitudes, 17 presentent des differences importantes quant a la frequence d'evocation dans les livres des cinq pays etudies. On etablit pour chaque pays un profil d'attitude, ce qui permet de mettre en evidence les differences et les ressemblances d'un pays a l'autre. Les conclusions ont ete comparees aux resultats d'autres recherches...
Ion Implantation Damage Effects in Silicon

In order to utilize ion implantation to the best advantage, lattice damage accompanying the process must be repaired, generally by annealing. Accordingly, optical reflection spectroscopy can be a valuable tool for observing the damage and studying the annealing of the damage. The motivation for understanding the implantation process is based on the fact that this process is not just a laboratory curiosity, but represents a device fabrication process that is superior in some cases to diffusion techniques.
Combining Low-Level and Summary Representations of Opinions for Multi-Perspective Question Answering

While much recent progress has been made in research on fact-based question answering, our work aims to extend question-answering research in a different direction ─ to handle multi-perspective question-answering tasks, i.e. question-answering tasks that require an ability to find and organize opinions in text. In particular, this paper proposes an approach to multi-perspective question answering that views the task as one of opinion-oriented information extraction. We first describe an annotation scheme developed for the low-level representation of opinions, and note the results of interannotator agreement studies using the opinion-based annotation framework. Next, we propose the use of opinion-oriented “scenario templates” to act as a summary representation of the opinions expressed in a document, a set of documents, or an arbitrary text segment. Finally, we outline an approach for the automatic construction of opinion-based summary representations and describe how they might be used to support a variety of multi-perspective question answering tasks.
Kinetic form discrimination in Prader-Willi syndrome.

Discrimination of the shape of motion-produced forms generated by random elements (i.e. second-order stimuli varying in element density and temporal correlation) was tested in four groups: (1) subjects with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), chromosome 15q deletion subtype; (2) subjects with PWS, uniparental maternal disomy (UPD) subtype; (3) equivalent non-PWS controls; and (4) normal controls. The performance of the normal controls exceeded that of all other groups (78% correct, P < 0.009). The PWS deletion (66%) and the equivalent control groups (59%) did not differ (P < 0.95). The UPD group performed significantly less well (38%, P < 0.04) than all the other groups. The performance of the PWS deletion and equivalent control groups is consistent with other data indicating that these populations encounter difficulty meeting the processing demands posed by second-order stimuli. The inferior performance of the UPD group may be attributed to receiving two active alleles of a maternally expressed gene influencing neural development. One candidate is the ubiquitin protein ligase gene (UBE 3 A), which is maternally expressed only and localized to the 15q region. Other possibilities include the requirement of a paternally expressed gene, residual mosaic trisomy 15 in the brain tissue or complex interactions including specific ratios of differentially spliced gene products.
Birthplace, Culture, Self-Esteem, and Intimate Partner Violence Among Community-Dwelling Hispanic Women

The purpose of this study was to explore variations in demographics, culture, self-esteem, and intimate partner violence among Hispanic women according to birthplace, and to identify factors associated with these differences in intimate partner violence (IPV). Baseline data from a randomized control trial testing the efficacy of an HIV prevention program were used. Path analyses identified differences in IPV between Colombian women and women from other Central/South American countries. Self-esteem was the only factor associated with these differences. Interventions addressing the unique needs of Hispanic women from different subgroups are needed.
Bartonella bovis isolated from a cow with endocarditis.

A 7-year-old pregnant Angus cow was found dead in the field. At necropsy, the aortic valve was expanded by moderate fibrous connective tissue and acidophilic coagulum containing multifocal marked bacteria, mineral, neutrophils, and red blood cells. Numerous tiny grayish, opaque bacterial colonies were detected on blood agar plates at 7 days after inoculation with a swab of the heart valve of the cow. The bacterium was a Gram-negative, very small coccobacillus that was catalase, oxidase, and urease negative, and did not change litmus milk, triple sugar iron agar, and sulfide-indole-motility medium. The bacterium was negative for esculin hydrolysis, phenylalanine deaminase, nitrate reduction, and gelatin hydrolysis. The isolate did not produce acid from glycerol, inulin, lactose, maltose, mannose, raffinose, salicin, sorbitol, sucrose, trehalose, glycogen, ribose, or starch. Polymerase chain reaction tests for the gltA, ssrA, ftsZ, ribC, rpoB, and 16S ribosomal RNA genes of Bartonella species were positive ...
Radioactive gold grain implants in recurrent and locally advanced head-and-neck cancers

Abstract Purpose: The radioactive gold grain applicator and seeds offer the flexibility necessary for effective use in the treatment of difficult sites of head-and-neck cancers. This study reviews our experience with gold grain ( 198 Au) implants in locally advanced head-and-neck cancer to demonstrate their efficacy and feasibility. Methods and Materials: This study reviewed the charts of 94 patients who were treated with gold grain implants (1970–1995) and who were treated with radioactive 198 Au implants. Thirty-seven of the subjects had implants located in the head-and-neck region, and these form the basis for this report. Of these, eight of the cases were located in the supraglottic larynx, five in the nasopharynx, four in the retromolar trigone, two in the oral cavity, four in the base of the tongue, four in the maxillary antrum, four in the palate, two in metastatic cervical lymph nodes (of unknown primary tumor), two in the tonsillar fossa, one in the pyriform fossa, and one in the posterior pharyngeal wall. Twenty-eight were recurrent cases after prior surgeries and radiation. Six were residual locally advanced cases, and 3 patients had their implants for a second primary tumor in an area that had been irradiated before. The gold grains were inserted with a Royal Marsden gun and 198 Au, 130–180 MBq per seed. The median number of seeds implanted was 34. The total radiation dose, delivered at a margin of 0.5 cm around the target volume, ranged from 40 to 120 Gy, with a median of 80 Gy. Results: Complete local control was achieved in 33% and was contingent on two factors: ( 1 ) the size of the lesion implanted and ( 2 ) the histology and possible primary tumor site. In 19 tumors with a diameter greater than 2.5 cm, only 2 (11%) had complete tumor control. Conversely, 9 of 14 patients (64%) who had lesions smaller than 2.5 cm experienced successful local control ( p = 0.002). Palatal-adenoid-cystic tumors had an average progression-free survival of 52 months, compared with 13, 9, and 4 months, respectively, in nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, and supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma. Palliation was successfully accomplished in 76% of the cases. Cessation of bleeding occurred in 50% of the subjects, pain control was achieved in 88%, and 60% experienced relief of dysphagia. Conclusions: Gold grain implants have a role in the palliation of recurrent head-and-neck tumors, particularly for sites difficult to reach via other techniques, such as the supraglottic larynx, base of the tongue, hypopharynx, and the nasopharynx. Local control is best achieved in lesions less than 2.5 cm in dimension and is most successful in slow-growing tumors.
Design of molecular architectures for polymeric mesophase formation

Based on the tendency of low molar mass liquid crystals composed of extended mesogens symmetrically disubstituted with long n-alkoxy substituents to exhibit smectic C mesophases, we have proposed that SCLCPs with laterally attached (vs. terminally attached) mesogens offer an ideal architecture for obtaining sC* mesophases. In particular, mesogens that typically form the desirable sC*-n phase sequence can be laterally attached to the polymer backbone through a chiral spacer, which should result in high values of spontaneous polarization. Not only are we using mesogens which exhibit sC*-n phase sequences, we are also attempting to induce smectic layering into systems which typically form nematic mesophases by using immiscible hydrocarbon/fluorocarbon components and electron-donor-acceptor interactions. Thus far, the thermotropic behavior of poly{5-[[[2', 5'-bis[(3″-fluoro-4″-dimethoxyphenyl)ethynyl]benzyl]oxy]carbonyl[2.2.1]hept-2-ene]s and poly(5-[[[2',5'-bis[(3″-fIuoro-4″-methoxybenzoyl)oxy]benzyl]oxy]carbonyl]-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene)s correspond to that of their low molar mass analogs. Preliminary results demonstrate that smectic layering is successfully induced in 2,5-bis[(4'-n-alkoxybenzoyl)oxy]toluenes and polynorbornenes with laterally attached 2,5-bis[(4'-n-alkoxybenzoyl)oxy]benzyl mesogens by terminating the n-alkoxy substituents with perfluorinated segments.
Myristic Acid-Rich Fat Raises Plasma LDL by Stimulating LDL Production without Affecting Fractional Clearance in Gerbils Fed a Cholesterol-Free Diet

The imbalance that develops between low-density lipoprotein (LDL) production and clearance during saturated fat consumption is responsible for expanding the circulating LDL pool. To assess the imbalance attributable to fatty acids alone, i.e., without the interaction of dietary cholesterol, the most fat-sensitive species available (the gerbil) was challenged with either a 12:0+14:0 rich-fat (high coconut, low safflower) or high 18:2 (high safflower, low coconut) fat for 4-5 wks. The plasma lipoprotein cholesterol profile, including lipoprotein composition, particle size and 125I-LDL turnover were measured. Although total plasma cholesterol (TC) was threefold higher with saturated fatty acid (SFA) feeding (230 vs. 70 mg/100 mL; 5.9 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.05 mmol/L, P < 0. 0001) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) was fivefold greater (10 vs. 54 mg/100 mL; 0.26 +/- 0.02 vs. 1.4 +/- 0.02 mmol/L, P < 0.001), the high-density lipoprotein (HDL2) fraction increased the most (27 vs. 79 mg/100 mL; 0.7 +/- 0.02 vs. 2.0 +/- 0.1 mmol/L, P < 0.05) with minimal HDL3 (NS) difference (16 vs. 26 mg/100 mL; 0.43 +/- 0.08 vs. 0. 7 +/- 0.05 mmol/L). Particle composition and size did not differ between groups. LDL kinetic analyses revealed that the fractional catabolic rate did not differ between gerbils with these extreme fat intakes, implicating overproduction and not reduced clearance as the primary consideration in LDL expansion. Thus SFA-induced cholesterolemia can be severe in the absence of dietary cholesterol with a greater impact on high-density lipoprotein than LDL and without an appreciable role attributed to LDL clearance (receptors).
Estimating the average time for inter‐continental transport of air pollutants

[1] We estimate the average time required for inter-continental transport of atmospheric tracers based on simulations with the global chemical tracer model MOZART-2 driven with NCEP meteorology. We represent the average transport time by a ratio of the concentration of two tracers with different lifetimes. We find that average transport times increase with tracer lifetimes. With tracers of 1- and 2-week lifetimes the average transport time from East Asia (EA) to the surface of western North America (NA) in April is 2–3 weeks, approximately a half week longer than transport from NA to western Europe (EU) and from EU to EA. We develop an ‘equivalent circulation’ method to estimate a timescale which has little dependence on tracer lifetimes and obtain similar results to those obtained with short-lived tracers. Our findings show that average inter-continental transport times, even for tracers with short lifetimes, are on average 1–2 weeks longer than rapid transport observed in plumes.
A hybrid state vector approach to aeroelastic analysis with application to composite lifting surfaces

A computational technique has been developed for performing preliminary design aeroelastic analyses of large aspect ratio lifting surfaces. This technique, applicable to both fixed and rotating wing configurations, is based upon a formulation of the structural equilibrium equations in terms of a hybrid state vector containing generalized force and displacement variables. An integrating matrix is employed to solve these equations for divergence and flutter eigenvalues and steady aeroelastic deformation. Results are presented for simple examples which verify the technique and demonstrate how it can be applied to analyze lifting surfaces, including those constructed from composite materials.
Shoot for the contents by Trinh T. Minh-Ha

Shoot For The Contents 1992, 101 Minutes Produced by Trinh T. Minh-Ha and Jean-Paul Bourdier Directed, Written and Edited by Trinh T. Minh-Ha Dlsbributed By Women Make Movies
Coarse-grain pipelining on multiple FPGA architectures

Reconfigurable systems, and in particular, FPGA-based custom computing machines, offer a unique opportunity to define application-specific architectures. These architectures offer performance advantages for application domains such as image processing, where the use of customized pipelines exploits the inherent coarse-grain parallelism. In this paper we describe a set of program analyses and an implementation that map a sequential and un-annotated C program into a pipelined implementation running on a set of FPGAs, each with multiple external memories. Based on well-known parallel computing analysis techniques, our algorithms perform unrolling for operator parallelization, reuse and data layout for memory parallelization and precise communication analysis. We extend these techniques for FPGA-based systems to automatically partition the application data and computation into custom pipeline stages, taking into account the available FPGA and interconnect resources. We illustrate the analysis components by way of an example, a machine vision program. We present the algorithm results, derived with minimal manual intervention, which demonstrate the potential of this approach for automatically deriving pipelined designs from high-level sequential specifications.
Pharmacogenomics in the treatment of epilepsy

Genetic variability has recently been implicated in the development of familial epilepsy syndromes and in heterogeneous responses of epilepsy patients to drug treatment. Mutations in distinct proteins have been shown to underlie the development of epilepsy, increase propensity for drug resistance, and alter drug metabolism. Improved understanding of how individual genetic variability may alter the efficacy of pharmacological therapeutic interventions is an important and timely goal. The investigation of relationships between genotype and patient responses to drug treatment is termed pharmacogenomics.
Microsatellite analysis of spatial structure among seedlings in populations of Pinus strobus (pinaceae)

In a detailed analysis of how limited seed dispersal can create spatial structuring of genetic variation, several nuclear microsatellites were assayed in seedlings from two forests of Pinus strobus, one old growth (OG) and the other (second site, SS) logged in ca. 1900. By using loci with a large number of alleles and new statistical methods on averaged spatial correlation coefficients, unusually precise estimates of spatial genetic structure were obtained, even though the structure was expected to be very weak. This high precision allowed the spatial patterns to be contrasted across loci and populations. At the OG site, the average spatial correlation coefficient for short distances (<15 m) exceeded its random expected value by 0.035, providing an indirect estimate of ca. 230 for Wright's neighborhood size. The value is similar to that estimated in a previous study of adult trees at OG and probably represents the natural level of spatial structure. A very similar value, 0.030. was obtained for seedlings at SS, despite the fact that unlike OG, genotypes of adults are randomly distributed, a likely result of logging. The results show that a single cycle of limited seed dispersal recreated the natural level of spatial structuring. In addition, one microsatellite, Rps50, had far greater amounts of allele variation, likely implicating it as having a higher mutation rate. The spatial structure of Rps50 also was significantly reduced, in a way that could be consistent with theoretical effects of high mutation rates (up to μ = 10 - 2 ). The choice of markers may influence estimates of spatial genetic structure. For example, if Rps50 is omitted the values are nearly doubled to 0.058 and 0.051 for SS and OG, respectively. both indicating a much smaller neighborhood size of ca. 100.
Structure of Sapphire Bicrystal Boundaries Produced by Liquid‐Phase Sintering

The structure and composition of sapphire bicrystal boundaries produced by liquid-phase sintering depended on the crystallographic misorientation of the crystals across the boundary and on the orientation of the boundary. Basal twist boundaries of 15° or 30° were not wetted by glass, but contained significant amounts of Ca and Si at the boundary. For tilt boundaries of 7° or 12°, the glass wetted segments of boundaries that contained the basal plane of either crystal. Boundary segments with orientations of 40° or more from the basal plane, however, were dewetted (i.e., “dry”). Boundary segments oriented less than ∼40° from the basal orientation were partially wetted, consisting of segments of wetted and dry grain boundaries. For the 12° tilt boundary, Ca and Si could be detected on portions of the boundary that contained no glass. For bicrystal boundaries having tilts of ≤4°, dewetting occurred for all observed boundary orientations. Basal-oriented segments in these small angle tilt boundaries contained noticeable concentrations of adsorbed Ca and Si, while nonbasal segments were apparently free of Ca and Si. Most results could be explained based on a combined Wulff plot construction, which predicts partially wetted grain boundaries and “missing” angles for unwetted grain boundaries. Results that could not be explained by the construction included growth step ledges bounded by nonequilibrium facet planes.
An Occurrence of Sepsis During Inpatient Fecal Disimpaction

Functional constipation is a common pediatric problem that is often treated through well-established algorithms. Fecal disimpaction is the initial therapeutic step, and severe cases require hospitalization for intensive therapies. We describe a significant unexpected complication of this common clinical situation. An 8-year-old boy with suspected chronic functional constipation was hospitalized for disimpaction by continuous nasogastric administration of polyethylene glycol electrolyte (PEG-E) solution. On the sixth day of disimpaction, the patient abruptly developed fever, tachycardia, and tachypnea. Evaluation included blood culture, which grew Escherichia coli, and treatment with a course of appropriate antibiotics was provided. The safety of PEG-E solutions has been shown in studies of children with constipation, which made this patient's illness surprising. Several potential etiologies of his infection were considered, including bacterial translocation (BT). BT is defined as the passage of live microbes and microbial products from the gastrointestinal tract to extraintestinal sites, such as the bloodstream. It has been shown to occur in a variety of clinical conditions but is of unclear clinical significance. In this case, physical damage to the intestinal mucosa was thought to contribute to the potential occurrence of BT, and prolonged disimpaction was considered as a risk factor. E coli sepsis in a child undergoing inpatient nasogastric fecal disimpaction with PEG-E represents a clinical problem never before reported in the literature and should increase clinicians' indices of suspicion for uncommon complications of common procedures.
An inverse modeling approach for semilunar heart valve leaflet mechanics: exploitation of tissue structure

Determining the biomechanical behavior of heart valve leaflet tissues in a noninvasive manner remains an important clinical goal. While advances in 3D imaging modalities have made in vivo valve geometric data available, optimal methods to exploit such information in order to obtain functional information remain to be established. Herein we present and evaluate a novel leaflet shape-based framework to estimate the biomechanical behavior of heart valves from surface deformations by exploiting tissue structure. We determined accuracy levels using an “ideal” in vitro dataset, in which the leaflet geometry, strains, mechanical behavior, and fibrous structure were known to a high level of precision. By utilizing a simplified structural model for the leaflet mechanical behavior, we were able to limit the number of parameters to be determined per leaflet to only two. This approach allowed us to dramatically reduce the computational time and easily visualize the cost function to guide the minimization process. We determined that the image resolution and the number of available imaging frames were important components in the accuracy of our framework. Furthermore, our results suggest that it is possible to detect differences in fiber structure using our framework, thus allowing an opportunity to diagnose asymptomatic valve diseases and begin treatment at their early stages. Lastly, we observed good agreement of the final resulting stress–strain response when an averaged fiber architecture was used. This suggests that population-averaged fiber structural data may be sufficient for the application of the present framework to in vivo studies, although clearly much work remains to extend the present approach to in vivo problems.