cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Obituary for Evangelia Micheli-Tzanakou ("Litsa") [In Memoriam]

Evangelia Micheli-Tzanakou ("Litsa") was a long-time IEEE volunteer, a member of the IEEE Board of Directors, a past president of IEEE Neural Network Society, and a good friend. She passed away on 24 September 2012, after a long illness. A brief biography of Evangelia Micheli-Tzanakou is given highlighting her professional achievements.
The impact of major operative fractures in blunt abdominal injury.

Background Abdominal injury has been shown to be an independent risk factor for pulmonary complications in patients with extremity injuries. We propose to characterize orthopedic patients with severe abdominal trauma. We hypothesize that operative fractures of the thoracolumbar spine, pelvis, acetabulum, or femur increase systemic complications in patients with blunt abdominal injury. Methods A retrospective review of patients presenting to a Level I trauma center with abdominal injury between 2000 and 2006 was performed. Adult patients between the ages of 18 years and 65 years with high-energy, blunt trauma resulting in severe abdominal injury (abdomen Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] score ≥ 3) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 18 or greater were included. Patients were divided into two comparison groups as follows: the fracture group had operative fractures of the pelvis, acetabulum, thoracolumbar spine, and/or femur, and the control group did not sustain these fractures of interest. Systemic complications were documented. Unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results The control group included 91 patients, and the fracture group included 106 patients with 136 fractures of interest. With unadjusted analysis, the fracture group had more complications (34% [36 of 106] vs. 18% [16 of 91], p = 0.010), including adult respiratory distress syndrome (8% [8 of 106] vs. 1% [1 of 91], p = 0.040), and sepsis (11% [12 of 106] vs. 3% [3 of 91], p = 0.056). Logistic regression modeling demonstrates that the presence of an operative fracture increased the odds of developing at least one complication approximately three times (odds ratio, 2.88, p = 0.006), after controlling for presence of chest injury and type of injured abdominal organ. Conclusion Operative fractures of the thoracolumbar spine, pelvis, acetabulum and femur increase the risk of developing systemic complications in patients with blunt abdominal injury. Further study is necessary to optimize treatment protocols for these high-risk patients.
Fabrication of Aluminum Composites With Patterned Silicon Carbide Reinforcement Architecture by Semi-Solid Processing

Semi-solid powder processing is a promising technology, combining the advantages of semi-solid forming and powder metallurgy. In this study, spray deposition process combined with semi-solid powder processing was used to synthesize an aluminum alloy composite and to control its microstructure. Silicon carbide (SiC) reinforced aluminum alloy composites were fabricated with and without microstructure pattern. The influence of different composite microstructure on mechanical properties was analyzed by microstructure analysis, bend test and fracture analysis. Bend test results showed that patterned microstructure has the potential to significantly improve composite strength with minimal sacrifice of ductility.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Is Bosnia-Herzegovina Unsustainable? Implications for the Balkans and European Union

Two U.S.-based political geographers survey the current state of affairs in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), characterized by increasing political tensions between its two constituent entities—the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Republika Srpska (RS). The authors examine ways in which recurrent calls for a referendum on RS's self-determination/independence (from BiH) have charged the political atmosphere in both entities, delayed the formation of a central government in the aftermath of inter-entity elections in October 2010, and thus precipitated claims of BiH's unsustainability. In a concluding section, they explore the broader implications of renewed conflict and territorial fragmentation in BiH, which include the mobilization of seccessionist movements (and possible ethnic cleansing) in other contested regions in the Balkans and the former USSR and the possibility of renewed EU/NATO military engagement, with the attendant risks involving the EU's relations with Russia and member states of the Organizati...
Radio-tracking rafts of giant kelp: local production and regional transport

Abstract Forests of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C.A. Agardh are among the most productive communities on earth. Much of the annual production of kelp in central California is exported from the forests as large floating rafts. Since these rafts may float for days and perhaps weeks, they are capable of being transported long distances but the fate of this material remains largely unknown. Naturally occurring and artificially created M. pyrifera rafts were tagged with radiotransmitters near their point of origin along the shores of the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California, on each of four seasonal tracking experiments. Their movements were followed by aircraft for 5–7 days and the transmitters were then recovered. 39 tagged kelp rafts were recovered within Monterey Bay and one transmitter was lost at sea. Most were recovered ashore. While surface currents in Monterey Bay flow to the north much of the year, the kelp rafts drifted before the prevailing northwest winds (i.e., to the southeast) in the spring, summer and autumn. Rafts tagged during the winter moved primarily toward the north. The regional deposition pattern of locally produced kelp rafts suggests that this material may be delivered to offshore benthic communities as large parcels which may play an important role as food and/or habitat.
Tunable thiol–epoxy shape memory polymer foams

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are uniquely suited to a number of applications due to their shape storage and recovery abilities and the wide range of available chemistries. However, many of the desired performance properties are tied to the polymer chemistry which can make optimization difficult. The use of foaming techniques is one way to tune mechanical response of an SMP without changing the polymer chemistry. In this work, a novel thiol–epoxy SMP was foamed using glass microspheres (40 and 50% by volume Q-Cel 6019), using expandable polymer microspheres (1% 930 DU 120), and by a chemical blowing agent (1% XOP-341). Each approach created SMP foam with a differing density and microstructure from the others. Thermal and thermomechanical analysis was performed to observe the behavioral difference between the foaming techniques and to confirm that the glass transition (Tg) was relatively unchanged near 50 °C while the glassy modulus varied from 19.1 to 345 MPa and the rubbery modulus varied from 0.04 to 2.2 MPa. The compressive behavior of the foams was characterized through static compression testing at different temperatures, and cyclic compression testing at Tg. Constrained shape recovery testing showed a range of peak recovery stress from 5 MPa for the syntactic Q-Cel foams to ~0.1 MPa for the chemically blown XOP-341 foam. These results showed that multiple foaming approaches can be used with a novel SMP to vary the mechanical response independent of Tg and polymer chemistry.
Surface structure of size exclusion chromatography stationary phase.

Summary Chromatography is a widely used separation unit operation for separating nanomaterials such as proteins and enzymes, quantum dots and carbon nanotubes. An understanding of the chromatographic stationary phase on a nanoscale would be extremely helpful in improving the process and developing efficient and new materials. This study is an attempt to characterize the stationary phase in its swollen wet state using environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Observation of the wet beads using ESEM is limited to a micron-range resolution. However, AFM can be used in wet mode to characterize the stationary phase in both wet and dry states with nanometric resolution. In the swollen state, microscale cracks were observed on the surface and this may explain the high mass transfer rate and lower back pressures of the stationary phase. The structures on the surface of the stationary phase depict that the micron-sized beads may be composed of nanometric beads.
Skeletal mass and body composition in marathon runners

Skeletal and lean body mass was measured in 30 male marathon runners and in 16 subjects of comparable ages who were relatively sedentary. Skeletal mass was measured by total body neutron activation analysis (total body calcium—TBCa) and photon absorptiometry of the distal radius (bone mineral content—BMC). Lean body mass was estimated by the measurement of 40K in a whole body counter (total body K—TBK). The marathon runners were slightly taller and lighter than the contrast group; the bone width of the radius was essentially the same for both groups. When the values for TBK and TBCa were corrected for age and body size, the marathon runners were found to have values that were 7% (p < .002) and 11% (p < .001) higher, respectively. The values of BMC were somewhat elevated in the marathon runners but this increase in regional bone mass was not statistically significant. These data suggest that marathon running may be associated with prevention of the changes that occur in body composition with aging and raise the possibility that exercise may prevent the involutional loss of skeletal and lean body mass.
Multiyear Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer observations of summertime stratocumulus collocated with aerosols in the northeastern Atlantic

[1] Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) 4-km data were collected over the northeast Atlantic for May–August 1995–1999. Aerosol optical depth at 0.55 μm was retrieved in pixels identified as being cloud-free ocean. In pixels identified as containing clouds from single-layered, low-level cloud systems over oceans, the following cloud properties were retrieved: 0.64-μm cloud optical depth, droplet effective radius, cloud layer altitude, pixel-scale fractional cloud cover, column liquid water amount and column droplet concentration. Aerosol and cloud properties were averaged in 1° × 1° latitude-longitude regions. Regions that contained clouds were limited to those in which all the clouds were part of a single-layered, low-level cloud system. Aerosol and cloud properties were compared only in 1° regions that had sufficient numbers of both cloud-free pixels that yielded aerosol retrievals and cloudy pixels that yielded retrievals of cloud properties within a single overpass. The comparisons were collected in 5° × 5° latitude-longitude regions to determine trends. Within each 5° region the cloud properties were similar from year to year, permitting the data to be composited for all 5 years. Aerosol optical depth decreased systematically with time, probably as a result of the increase in solar zenith angle due to the precession of the satellite orbit. Within the 5° regions, as aerosol optical depth increased, droplet effective radius decreased, cloud optical depth increased, and droplet column number concentration increased, qualitatively consistent with the trends expected for the aerosol indirect effect. In some regions, liquid water path decreased as aerosol optical depth increased, contrary to the trends expected for the suppression of drizzle. Within each 5° region, clouds in clean air, as indicated by their collocation with relatively small aerosol optical depths, had larger droplets and smaller cloud optical depths than clouds in polluted air, as indicated by their collocation with relatively large aerosol optical depths. On average, the aerosol indirect radiative forcing for overcast conditions was about twice as large as the direct radiative forcing for cloud-free conditions. In most of the 5° regions increases in cloud liquid water with increasing aerosol optical depth enhanced the ratios by 20−30% over those calculated from the changes in droplet effective radius and an assumption of constant cloud liquid water. In some 5° regions, however, like those just to the west of the Iberian peninsula, the column amount of cloud liquid water decreased with increasing aerosol optical depth.
Examining the Relationships of Component Reading Skills to Reading Comprehension in Struggling Adult Readers A Meta-Analysis

The current study employed a meta-analytic approach to investigate the relative importance of component reading skills to reading comprehension in struggling adult readers. A total of 10 component skills were consistently identified across 16 independent studies and 2,707 participants. Random effects models generated 76 predictor–reading comprehension effect sizes among the 10 constructs. The results indicated that six of the component skills exhibited strong relationships with reading comprehension (average rs ≥ .50): morphological awareness, language comprehension, fluency, oral vocabulary knowledge, real word decoding, and working memory. Three of the component skills yielded moderate relationships with reading comprehension (average rs ≥ .30 and < .50): pseudoword decoding, orthographic knowledge, and phonological awareness. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) was the only component skill that was weakly related to reading comprehension (r = .15). Morphological awareness was a significantly stronger correl...
Angular scanning mechanism for ellipsometers

We describe the implementation of an elliptical mirror for variable angle, fixed position beam alignment in ellipsometers. The proposed configuration reduces mechanical complexity and allows for the determination of differential angular measurements of ellipsometric parameters.
Effect of molasses level on digestibility of a high concentrate ration and on molar proportions of volatile fatty acids produced in the rumen of dairy steers.

Abstract A high-concentrate ration containing molasses at levels of 0, 6, 12, and 18% of the concentrate portion was fed to four rumen-fistulated steers in a 4×4 Latin square balanced for carryover effects. The digestibilities of dry matter, cellulose, and energy were 75.2, 68.4, and 75.4%, respectively, for the control ration with no molasses, and averaged 68.7, 59.9, and 68.5% respectively for the molasses-containing rations. These were significantly different (P
Interlibrary Loan: The RLIN Subsystem

In the fall of 1982 the RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network) computer system, which serves the Research Libraries Group (RLG) incorporated a new interlibrary loan subsystem which has the potential to facilitate fast and efficient interlibrary loans among members of RLG. At present, RLG consists of 24 general or fully participating members — all of which are major research libraries including the New York Public Library — and 13 special libraries such as the Museum of Modern Art. As one of its primary functions, RLG maintains a benignly liberal interlibrary loan policy for general member institutions. Not only will these members lend the same materials as they circulate to their own patrons; in many cases such normally forbidden interlibrary loan items as rare books and reference books may be lent (providing of course the lender is agreeable). And, of special importance to library patrons, photocopying, in most cases, is provided free of charge as long as the request is reasonable and within copyright restrictions. It must be stressed however that each member library is still responsible for maintaining a collection commensurate with the needs of its patrons. Thus, RLG is not meant to be a substitute for collection development of any member institution but rather to expand the availability of materials to libraries within the system.
Readers' reactions to hedges in ascience textbook

This article reports a study of the effects of hedges on how much ninth graders in the United States learned from reading a passage on primate development, a subject about which the students had negative attitudes. The students who learned the most were not those who read the control (nonhedged) version of the passage, but those who read a version containing hedges in personal voice, the second half of the passage, and low intensity. The article explores possible reasons for these results, suggesting that the hedges in personal voice and low intensity probably led students to read not dismissively but evaluatively.
Tissue oxygen monitoring by photoacoustic lifetime imaging (PALI) and its application to image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT)

The oxygen partial pressure (pO2), which results from the balance between oxygen delivery and its consumption, is a key component of the physiological state of a tissue. Images of oxygen distribution can provide essential information for identifying hypoxic tissue and optimizing cancer treatment. Previously, we have reported a noninvasive in vivo imaging modality based on photoacoustic lifetime. The technique maps the excited triplet state of oxygen-sensitive dye, thus reflects the spatial and temporal distribution of tissue oxygen. We have applied PALI on tumor on small animals to identify hypoxia area. We also showed that PALI is able monitor changes of tissue oxygen, in an acute ischemia and breathing modulation model. Here we present our work on developing a treatment/imaging modality (PDT-PALI) that integrates PDT and a combined ultrasound/photoacoustic imaging system. The system provides real-time feedback of three essential parameters namely: tissue oxygen, light penetration in tumor location, and distribution of photosensitizer. Tissue oxygen imaging is performed by applying PALI, which relies on photoacoustic probing of oxygen-dependent, excitation lifetime of Methylene Blue (MB) photosensitizer. Lifetime information can also be used to generate image showing the distribution of photosensitizer. The level and penetration depth of PDT illumination can be deduced from photoacoustic imaging at the same wavelength. All images will be combined with ultrasound B-mode images for anatomical reference.
Stereochemistry-dependent inhibition of RAS farnesylation by farnesyl phosphonic acids.

This investigation compares the effects of three farnesyl pyrophosphate analogs on selected aspects of isoprenoid metabolism. E,E-α-Hydroxyfarnesylphosphonate was prepared by an improved variation on a literature synthesis, which also gave access to the new Z,E-α-hydroxyfarnesyl- and α-hydroxygeranylphosphonates. A striking find is that only E,E-α-hydroxyfarnesylphosphonate induces alteration of RAS processing in intact human-derived leukemia cells and inhibits farnesyl protein transferase in enzyme assays, while the Z,E-α-farnesyl- and geranylphosphonates are inactive. The inhibitory activity of E,E-α-hydroxyfarnesylphosphonate is greater in enzyme than intact cell assays. This active compound does not significantly inhibit geranylgeranyl protein transferase I or squalene synthase, nor does it diminish cholesterol synthesis. These results indicate that the length of the terpenoid chain and olefin stereochemistry allow selective inhibition of critical enzymes of terpenoid metabolism. Discrimination was observed between inhibition of farnesyl protein transferase and squalene synthase by E,E-α-hydroxyfarnesylphosphonate, even though both enzymes utilize farnesyl pyrophosphate as their natural substrate.
Reprogramming of human somatic cells to pluripotency with defined factors

Pluripotency pertains to the cells of early embryos that can generate all of the tissues in the organism. Embryonic stem cells are embryo-derived cell lines that retain pluripotency and represent invaluable tools for research into the mechanisms of tissue formation. Recently, murine fibroblasts have been reprogrammed directly to pluripotency by ectopic expression of four transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Myc) to yield induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Using these same factors, we have derived iPS cells from fetal, neonatal and adult human primary cells, including dermal fibroblasts isolated from a skin biopsy of a healthy research subject. Human iPS cells resemble embryonic stem cells in morphology and gene expression and in the capacity to form teratomas in immune-deficient mice. These data demonstrate that defined factors can reprogramme human cells to pluripotency, and establish a method whereby patient-specific cells might be established in culture.
Significance of Neurologic Complications in the Modern Era of Cardiac Transplantation

Background Severe neurologic complications after cardiac transplantation are devastating outcomes of this life-saving procedure. Incidence, risk factors, and morbidity of neurologic events in the modern era of cardiac transplantation are yet to be defined. Methods Between 1996 and 2005, 200 patients (64% men; mean age, 49 ± 12 years) underwent heart transplantation at our institution. Overall, 46 patients (23%) showed a wide spectra of early neurologic complications. Results Cause of ischemic complications was stroke in 11 patients (7 had concomitant epileptic seizures) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) in 7. Encephalopathy (n = 10), epileptic seizures unrelated to focal cerebral lesions (n = 7), severe headache (n = 6), cerebral infection (n = 3), and peripheral nervous system injuries (n = 2) completed the spectra of adverse neurologic outcomes. Multivariate analysis identified advanced age ( p = 0.03), preoperative left ventricular assist device support ( p = 0.02), preoperative intraaortic balloon pump support ( p p p = 0.04) as independent predictors of early neurologic complications. Postoperative morbidities associated with neurologic complications included longer ventilation time ( p p p p = 0.01) compared with patients without neurologic events. There was a trend toward higher in-hospital mortality (15% versus 6%, p = 0.07), but there was no difference in long-term survival (65% versus 78%, p = 0.15). Conclusions Despite rigorous pretransplantation screening, neurologic complications were common after cardiac transplantation. Most frequently, these complications were not the actual cause of death, but they significantly contributed to increased morbidity. Preoperative mechanical circulatory support requirement was the strongest predictor for adverse neurologic outcome.
Analyzing Unreplicated Gauge R&R Studies

In this article, we show how to analyze an unreplicated gauge repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) study and show the limitations caused by the lack of replication.
Nursing informatics: two foundational developments:

Health informatics technologies exist to support the work of the health professionals. As successful healthcare outcomes increasingly rest on the active participation of patients and lay persons, these technologies must also directly support the important contributions of patients as they engage in self-help, self-care, and disease management activities. The unique role of nursing in the healthcare system is to attend to those aspects of the person that constitute the human response to disease and development, and to deliver interventions that help to compensate for, restore, or improve patients’ abilities to manage health status. This uniqueness is reflected in the terms used by nurses to characterize patient problems, which are operationally distinct from those used in medicine, and also in the nature of homecare technologies needed by nurses. Nurses provide an important but distinct contribution to patient care, and the informatics technologies needed to support nurses and their patients are complement...
Plato on kinds of animals

Some biologists and philosophers of biology have seen in Plato an especially objectionable version of “essentialism” or ‘topology’. Although kinds of animals are mentioned in almost all of Plato's dialogues, in none of them is there an explicity stated doctrine of animal kinds. An examination of the dialogues has, moreover, failed to reveal some implicit but consistent and unambiguous view of kinds that Plato might have held.
Selection in factorial experiments with interaction, especially the 2×2 case

In his pioneering 1954 paper on selection, Bechhofer recognized the importance of considering experiments carried out in some design other than the completely randomized design. However, over the years, little has been done along these lines. This paper's goal is to extend selection procedures to other designs. We first briefly review the existing state of knowledge of selection in designed experiments, and then proceed to new results on complete factorial experiments. In particular, we formulate and study a selection procedure which is valid in the presence of unbounded interaction, yet adapts to the presence/absence of interaction.
Reductive isomierization of icosahedral metallocarbaboranes

Abstract When reduced over a sodium amalgam, a variety of icosahedral metal-locarbaboranes are found to isomerize under mild experimental conditions. Complexes containing second-row transition metals (Ru and Rh) rearrange rapidly at room temperature, but even cobaltacarbaboranes will isomerize in refluxing 1,2-dimethoxyethane (85°C) or diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (162°C). The direction of rearrangement is that found in straight thermally-induced isomerizations.
Synthetic Peptide Segments of Inhibin α- and β-Subunits: Preparation and Characterization of Polyclonal Antibodies*

The amino acid sequences of human inhibin a-, /3A- and /3B-subunits were analyzed for hydrophilicity and chain flexibility to predict regions that are on the surface of the subunits and, therefore, are potential antigenic sites. Based on these analyses, a total of nine peptides were synthesized, and rabbit antisera against the peptides were prepared. Peptides of the N-terminus (residues 1-16 and 13-24) and region 109-123 of the a-subunit produced high titer antibodies. Regions 69-79 and 93-105 of the /8A-subunit and region 93-104 of the /?B-subunit were also immunogenic. Immunoblotting of an inhibin preparation with anti-a-pep- tide antiserum revealed that a 32K band (inhibin) and an 18K band (a-subunit) were stained. Immunoblotting with anti-/?- peptide antiserum detected a 32K band (inhibin), a 24K band (activin), and a 14K band (/3-subunit). Injection (iv) of these antisera into rats induced dramatic elevation of serum FSH in 6-12 h and suggested immunoneutralization of endogenous inhibin. RIAs for each subunit were developed using radioiodinated peptides as tracers. Competition binding assays indicated cross- reactivity with human follicular fluid, semen, serum, plasma, and crude inhibin preparations. Parallel dilution curves were obtained. Antisera against /9A- and /3B-subunit peptide cross- reacted with each other. In immunocytochemical studies, these antisera were used in conjunction with gold-labeled goat antirabbit immunoglobulin G to localize inhibin in cells of the rat testis. Specific staining of inhibin was localized within the Sertolr cells of some tubules in adult rat testis. Positive staining could be blocked by pread- sorbing the sera with the appropriate synthetic peptide. These results suggest that antibodies against synthetic inhi- bin peptides are useful in elucidating the roles of inhibin and activin. {Endocrinology 125: 898-905, 1989)
A University Peace Studies Curriculum for the 1990s

This article discusses three decades of university peace studies education in the United States. The first section draws from the plethora of pedagogical literature and survey data available at the close of the 1970s to discuss the visions and realities of peace education of that era. The second section outlines chal lenges to peace education unfolding in both the university environment and in the global arena in the 1980s. In the former area, a decline in financial resources and the number of entering students has jeopardized the standing of peace studies. In the latter area, new dimensions of war, arms and security, and human rights issues provide opportunities for reforming the standard peace studies program. The analysis of these trends leads us to wonder if the rich and varied experiences and concerns of university peace education of the preceding decade might not fall far short of the task assigned it: to produce citizens capable of dealing with threats to peace, justice and human dignity between no...
A partition assay for epoxide hydrases acting on insect juvenile hormone and an epoxide-containing juvenoid.

Abstract An assay for epoxide hydrase activity is described based on the difference in solubility between the epoxide substrate and its corresponding diol. The assay conditions for insect juvenile hormone I and an epoxide-containing juvenoid have been elucidated. In each case, the epoxide partitions into an isooctane phase while the diol partitions largely into an aqueous methanol phase. The assay is faster than chromatographic assays while showing similar or superior precision.
The Cognitive Organization of the North American City: Empirical Evidence

In the literature on cognitive maps, studies of the cognitive representations of specific areas are common. Much less adequately represented are mental maps of general applicability to a diversity of specific areas. In an attempt to adduce such general rules of the cognitive organization of space, two case studies of the North American city are discussed. The first involves student expectations of land-use geography and reveals strong senses of residential segregation and the clustering of commercial land use. The second examines the social geography of the city, constructed on the basis of expectations of the social and neighborhood characteristics of four housing groups: central-city renter, central-city owner, suburban renter, and suburban owner. Although the general rules revealed are reasonable, the contribution of the central-city apartment dweller to metropolitan social geography is seen as quite exceptional.
Verification of Enhancement of the CSF Space, not Parenchyma, in Acute Stroke Patients with Early Blood—Brain Barrier Disruption

Enhancement on post-contrast fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images after acute stroke has been attributed to early blood-brain barrier disruption. Using an estimate of parenchymal volume fraction and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), we investigated the relative contributions of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and parenchyma to enhancement seen on postcontrast FLAIR. Enhancing regions were found to have low parenchymal volume fractions and high ADC values, approaching that of pure CSF. These findings suggest that contrast enhancement on FLAIR occurs predominately in the CSF space, not parenchyma.
Percutaneous Assist Devices for Infarct Size Reduction

Improving myocyte salvage during acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has proved elusive; the keys to success seem to be the ability to lower oxygen demand of ischemic myocardium and also activate salvage enzyme pathways to take advantage of endogenous cardioprotective mechanisms. Pharmacologic approaches have been largely unsuccessful. A percutaneous left ventricular (LV) assist device could improve myocyte salvage during AMI therapy if it were able to reduce myocardial oxygen demand, wall tension, and LV stroke work substantially.
Quantification of electron-phonon scattering for determination of temperature variations at high spatial resolution in the transmission electron microscope.

This work investigates the quantification of electron–phonon thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) for detection of temperature variations with nanometer spatial resolution in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Observations of TDS intensity for (100) single crystal Si and Ge show interdependences of temperature and sample thickness which can be understood through the angular distributions of electron–phonon scattering as a function of temperature. The temperature sensitivity of the integrated TDS intensity can be of the order of 10−3 K−1 for Si and Ge. This shows that measurement of the TDS intensity in the TEM is a promising means for nanoscale temperature measurement; our measurements to date have demonstrated that temperature changes as small as 5 K are detectable.
Changes in ribosomal protein rpl8 mRNA during the reproductive cycle of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Changes in the abundance of ribosomal protein rpL8 mRNA were compared with 18S rRNA and vitellogenin mRNA in fat body from adult female Aedes aegypti during the reproductive cycle. Levels of rpL8 mRNA began to increase within 2 h after adult eclosion, peaked at about 24 h post-eclosion, and remained high throughout the next 48 h. During this same period, rRNA abundance increased about 2-fold. After the bloodmeal, levels of rpL8 mRNA gradually decreased over the next 48 h, while rRNA levels increased about 4-fold within 16-24 h post-bloodfeeding and eventually returned to previtellogenic levels. Vitellogenin mRNA was induced only after the bloodmeal, and disappeared by 48 h after feeding. After oviposition, rpL8 mRNA levels again increased to pre-bloodfeeding levels. These results indicate that rpL8 mRNA transcription in mosquito fat body is independent of rRNA transcription during the previtellogenic acquisition of competence and also during the post-bloodmeal ovarian cycle. Moreover, unlike the vitellogenin gene, the rpL8 gene is under post-transcriptional regulation in blood-fed females.
Stevioside biosynthesis by callus, root, shoot and rooted-shoot cultures in vitro

Leaf explants of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (Compositae), an herb which produces the sweet ent-kaurene glycoside stevioside, were cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium with vitamins, sucrose (30 g l−1), agar (0.9% w/v) and supplemented with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA, 0.5 mg l−1) and benzylaminopurine (BAP, 0.5 mg l−1). These conditions yielded friable callus cultures. Differentiation of the callus tissue was then achieved by eliminating the agar and modulating the medium's hormone concentrations. Thus, medium containing increased auxin concentration (1.0 mg l−1) and no cytokinin or increased cytokinin (1.0 mg l−1) and no auxin yielded root or shoot cultures respectively. Supplementation of the shoot medium with NAA (1.0 mg ml−1) induced shoot cultures to grow roots thereby differentiating into rooted-shoot cultures. Only the rooted-shoot cultures tasted sweet. Feedings of [2-14C]acetic acid to callus, shoot or rooted-shoot cultures demonstrated that only the rooted-shoot cultures are capable of de novo biosynthesis of the aglycone moiety of stevioside (steviol). In addition, [methyl-3H(N)steviol feedings to shoot or rooted-shoot cultures illustrated that both types of cultures are capable of the glycosylation reaction. The ability of these tissues to glycosylate steviol to stevioside was also demonstrated employing crude enzyme preparations derived from shoot or rooted-shoot cultures. These results suggest that stevioside biosynthesis is a function of tissue differentiation since both roots and leaves are required for cultured S. rebaudiana to biosynthesize stevioside from acetate, while the final biosynthetic steps can be performed at all levels of differentiation.
Quantitative tracer studies of metabolic dynamics of animal cells growing in tissue culture

Abstract Metabolic dynamics of animal cells, growing in tissue culture, can be determined quantitatively by allowing the cells to metabolize radioactively labeled substrates under carefully controlled steady-state conditions. In order to avoid artifacts resulting from uncontrolled changes in physiological conditions, a steady-state apparatus for animal cells (SAFAC) has been constructed. In this device, cells in culture plates (max of 30) can be given radioactive substrate and incubated for various periods without disturbing the steady-state metabolism prior to killing. Subsequent analysis by two-dimensional paper chromatography and radioautography shows that metabolites are labeled rapidly and thereafter are maintined at constant levels of radioactivity, as expected for steady-state metabolism.
Mixed-mode liquid chromatography of aliphatic anionic surfactants with a naphthalenetrisulfonate mobile phase

Separation of three classes of anionic surfactants (alkyl sulfates, alkanesulfonates, and alkyl phosphates) are achieved on a mixed-mode reversed phase (RP) phenyl/-anion exchange column using a naphthalenetrisulfonate (NTS)-acetonitrile (ACN) mobile phase via indirect photometric, indirect fluorometric, direct or indirect conductivity detection. Mixtures of C 6 -C 18 sulfates, C 6 -C 18 sulfonates, and C 1 -C 4 phosphates (mono- and di-ester) can be separated in less than 20, 24, and 20 min respectively. Although hydrophobic effects are more pronounced in mixed-mode chromatography, equivalent-per-equivalent exchange of analyte and eluent ion is still required for sensitive indirect photometric, fluorometric, or conductivity detection. The detection limits of alkyl sulfates and alkanesulfonates are in the range of 3-15 pmoles which are at least an order of magnitude better than suppressed conductivity detection. The determination of surfactants in a variety of real samples is also presented
Epsilon-aminocaproic acid for bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Abstract The effect of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) in reducing bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass was studied in 73 patients who underwent open-heart operations for the repair of intracardiac lesions and resection of ascending aortic aneurysms. Forty-eight patients received EACA prior to the onset of bypass and 25 did not receive EACA. Bleeding during and immediately after operation in patients with acquired lesions was substantially less in the treated group than in those who had not received EACA. The results of the study indicate that EACA may be effective in reducing bleeding after cardiopulmonary bypass for acquired cardiac disease and that further use and study of this agent is justified.
S = 1 for c = 1

Abstract We compare the tachyon correlation functions in the Liouville path integral and in the string field theory approaches to quantum gravity coupled to c = 1 matter. Both calculations yield external leg factors which have poles at the quantized values of momentum where there are extra degrees of freedom in the form of dressed special primary fields. If the external leg factors are absorbed in the redefinition of vertex operators, then the correlation functions are zero per unit volume, characteristic of a free-field theory in two dimensions. Indeed, although its bosonic action is non-polynomial, the string field theory is non-interacting if the reflections from the spatial boundaries are ignored.
Protein Design Using Continuous Rotamers

Optimizing amino acid conformation and identity is a central problem in computational protein design. Protein design algorithms must allow realistic protein flexibility to occur during this optimization, or they may fail to find the best sequence with the lowest energy. Most design algorithms implement side-chain flexibility by allowing the side chains to move between a small set of discrete, low-energy states, which we call rigid rotamers. In this work we show that allowing continuous side-chain flexibility (which we call continuous rotamers) greatly improves protein flexibility modeling. We present a large-scale study that compares the sequences and best energy conformations in 69 protein-core redesigns using a rigid-rotamer model versus a continuous-rotamer model. We show that in nearly all of our redesigns the sequence found by the continuous-rotamer model is different and has a lower energy than the one found by the rigid-rotamer model. Moreover, the sequences found by the continuous-rotamer model are more similar to the native sequences. We then show that the seemingly easy solution of sampling more rigid rotamers within the continuous region is not a practical alternative to a continuous-rotamer model: at computationally feasible resolutions, using more rigid rotamers was never better than a continuous-rotamer model and almost always resulted in higher energies. Finally, we present a new protein design algorithm based on the dead-end elimination (DEE) algorithm, which we call iMinDEE, that makes the use of continuous rotamers feasible in larger systems. iMinDEE guarantees finding the optimal answer while pruning the search space with close to the same efficiency of DEE. Availability: Software is available under the Lesser GNU Public License v3. Contact the authors for source code.
Noise filtering tradeoffs in spatial gradient sensing and cell polarization response

Background: Cells sense chemical spatial gradients and respond by polarizing internal components. This process can be disrupted by gradient noise caused by fluctuations in chemical concentration. Results: We investigated how external gradient noise affects spatial sensing and response focusing on noisefiltering and the resultant tradeoffs. First, using a coarse-grained mathematical model of gradient-sensing and cell polarity, we characterized three negative consequences of noise: Inhibition of the extent of polarization, degradation of directional accuracy, and production of a noisy output polarization. Next, we explored filtering strategies and discovered that a combination of positive feedback, multiple signaling stages, and time-averaging produced good results. There was an important tradeoff, however, because filtering resulted in slower polarization. Simulations demonstrated that a two-stage filter-amplifier resulted in a balanced outcome. Then, we analyzed the effect of noise on a mechanistic model of yeast cell polarization in response to gradients of mating pheromone. This analysis showed that yeast cells likely also combine the above three filtering mechanisms into a filter-amplifier structure to achieve impressive spatial-noise tolerance, but with the consequence of a slow response time. Further investigation of the amplifier architecture revealed two positive feedback loops, a fast inner and a slow outer, both of which contributed to noise-tolerant polarization. This model also made specific predictions about how orientation performance depended upon the ratio between the gradient slope (signal) and the noise variance. To test these predictions, we performed microfluidics experiments measuring the ability of yeast cells to orient to shallow gradients of mating pheromone. The results of these experiments agreed well with the modeling predictions, demonstrating that yeast cells can sense gradients shallower than 0.1% μm -1 , approximately a single receptor-ligand molecule difference between front and back, on par with motile eukaryotic cells. Conclusions: Spatial noise impedes the extent, accuracy, and smoothness of cell polarization. A combined filtering strategy implemented by a filter-amplifier architecture with slow dynamics was effective. Modeling and experimental data suggest that yeast cells employ these elaborate mechanisms to filter gradient noise resulting in a slow but relatively accurate polarization response.
Is Cronobacter sakazakii infection possible in an exclusively breastfed premature neonate in the neonatal intensive care unit

Cronobacter species are Gram-negative rods that may cause life-threatening infections in neonates and infants. They belong to the family of Enterobacteriaceae. The first case was published in 1961 in England and about 150 cases have been reported thus far in the literature. The worst form of infection results in meningitis, leaving survivors with devastating neurological sequelae. We present the case of a premature neonate who was exclusively gavage fed with non-fortified breast milk and developed culture positive sepsis for Cronobacter sakazakii with clinical signs of meningitis at 18 days of life. She had a very traumatic course and survived the illness, but questions remain as to how she obtained this infection and her future neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Similarity in structure and function of the 3′-terminal region of the four brome mosaic viral RNAs

Abstract A 3′-terminal fragment, about 160 nucleotides long, was cleaved by limited nuclease digestion from each of the four RNA components of brome mosaic virus, and purified by two cycles of gel electrophoresis. These fragments accepted tyrosine in reactions catalyzed by wheat germ aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. Analyses of nuclease digests suggested that the sequences of the fragments from brome mosaic virus RNA 3 and 4 were identical and that the fragments from RNA 1 and 2 differed from that of RNA 4 only in the positions of two and one nucleotides, respectively. A fragment isolated in a similar way from cowpea chlorotic mottle virus was similar in size to the brome mosaic virus RNA fragments, accepted tyrosine in the presence of wheat germ aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, but had a substantially different nucleotide sequence.
Theoretical basis of single breath gas absorption tests.

Absorption of gas from alveoli is examined in a simplified model of the respiratory system during a stylized single breath consisting of constant inspiratory flow, constant expiratory flow, and breathholding. The equations describing gas behavior are general since they are based upon conservation of mass. The equations simplify considerably when gases that are not soluble in pulmonary tissue and/or blood are utilized. In a three-compartment model, diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (D CO ) will be underestimated except when both uneven distribution of lung volume andD CO are present; under most circumstances, the standard clinical 10-s method [9] is at least as accurate as any other. When pulmonary capillary blood flow $$(\dot Q_c )$$ is calculated by the one point method [2] in a one-compartment lung, it is underestimated; in the three-compartment model, it is underestimated except when both uneven distribution of $$\dot Q_c $$ . and lung volume are present. The multiple single breath method [2] accurately measuresD CO and $$\dot Q_c $$ . Measurement of pulmonary tissue volume is improved by correcting the value of the intercept of acetylene absorption to the time when carbon monoxide apparently began rather than utilizing the beginning of inspiration.
Outcome analysis of pediatric pyeloplasty as a function of patient age, presentation and differential renal function

AbstractPurpose: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of patients who underwent pyeloplasty. In all cases preoperative and postoperative isotope renal scans were performed to assess the surgical outcome with particular emphasis on the change in renal function postoperatively.Materials and Methods: The clinical records of 108 consecutive children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction were reviewed. Individual renal function was evaluated and obstruction was confirmed by diuretic assisted99m technetium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid or mercaptoacetyltriglycine renography. A total of 100 pyeloplasties in 98 children between 5 days and 16 years old was included. Results were analyzed by groups according to patient age and symptoms at presentation.Results: Drainage half-times improved in 98 percent of patients and only 1 required reoperation. Improved renal function greater than 5 percent was noted in about a third of each age group. Function remained stable in 68 percent of the kidneys and d...
Intentionalism in Constitutional Opinions

This study examines the extent and ways in which two ideologically dis parate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court rely upon the intent of the fram ers of the Constitution in their opinions on consti...
Views of limb development and regeneration

Abstract Features of vertebrate limb development and limb regeneration are interpreted from two different perspective: the zone of polarizing activity model and the polar coordinate model.
Conventionality in distant simultaneity

Thought experiments are described in which the one-way velocity of light appears as a physical quantity. A rotating shaft is used to define distant synchrony for a system of clocks along the shaft. In this context Einstein's definition of distant simultaneity is seen as based on a physical assumption (and not merely on an overwhelmingly sensible choice in a range of conventional possibilities).