cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis in children

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is an increasingly recognized disease of the esophagus with distinct clinicopathologic features. Adult and pediatric patients experience upper intestinal symptoms including food impaction, vomiting, abdominal pain, or dysphagia. Histopathologic analysis of the distal and proximal esophageal mucosa demonstrates dense eosinophilic infiltration despite proton pump inhibition. Few studies document the long-term outcomes of EE but current evidence suggests that EE is a chronic condition that can sometimes lead to esophageal strictures. Although the incidence of this complication is not yet known, it has sparked significant interest in defining safe, effective treatments. Once a diagnosis of EE is made, patients should seek the consultation of the allergist in an effort to identify possible food sensitivities. This is particularly important because the etiologic agent(s) that drive the eosinophilia are likely different for each patient. If the allergic evaluation identifies a specific food, this food should be strictly avoided as a first-line treatment. If a food is not identified, an elemental formula should be used to induce a remission. If an elemental diet cannot be used, topical steroids are effective in inducing a remission. The side effects associated with long-term steroid administration limit their use as a maintenance medication. Given the lack of prognostic data, the use of systemic corticosteroids should be reserved for severe cases when dietary elimination or topical steroids are ineffective. Most importantly, patients should remain under the care of a physician so that long-term outcomes can be identified. To date, diet restriction has been identified as the only effective maintenance treatment, but montelukast and topical cromolyn may also offer benefit. Anti-interleukin-5 antibody represents an emerging form of targeted therapy.
Electron localisation in systems with purely off-diagonal randomness

Abstract A probability distribution for the off-diagonal matrix elements vnm of the tight binding Hamiltonian is assumed to be P(v nm ) = 1 Wv nm for e − W 2 ≤ v nm /v 0 ≤ e − W 2 and P(vnm = 0 otherwise. A homomorphic cluster CPA with the L(E) criterion is used to study localisation in a simple cubic lattice and a computer simulation is used to study a square lattice with the participation-ratio criterion. It is found, in both cases, that Anderson's transition takes place for a critical degree of disorder.
Picosecond fluorescence kinetics in spinach chloroplasts at room temperature. Effects of Mg2

Abstract Single-photon timing with picosecond resolution is used to investigate the effect of Mg2+ on the room-temperature fluorescence decay kinetics in broken spinach chloroplasts. In agreement with an earlier paper (Haehnel, W., Nairn, J.A., Reisberg, P. and Sauer, K. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 680, 161–173), we find three components in the fluorescence decay both in the presence and in the absence of Mg2+. The behavior of these components is examined as a function of Mg2+ concentration at both the F0 and the Fmax fluorescence levels, and as a function of the excitation intensity for thylakoids from spinach chloroplasts isolated in the absence of added Mg2+. Analysis of the results indicates that the subsequent addition of Mg2+ has effects which occur at different levels of added cation. At low levels of Mg2+ (less than 0.75 mM), there appears to be a decrease in communication between Photosystem (PS) II and PS I, which amounts to a decrease in the spillover rate between PS II and PS I. At higher levels of Mg2+ (about 2 mM), there appears to be an increase in communication between PS II units and an increase in the effective absorption cross-section of PS II, probably both of these involving the chlorophyll a b light-harvesting antenna.
Teaching NeuroImages: diagnostic utility of FDG-PET in neurolymphomatosis.

A 70-year-old woman with a history of non-Hodgkin lymphoma presented with left-sided facial pain. MRI of the face, orbit, and neck was negative (figure). A week later, she developed hypesthesia in a V3 distribution. Repeat MRI was again nondiagnostic but fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET showed increased uptake along the left V3 branch of the trigeminal nerve, as well as in the parotid gland. Biopsy of the left parotid confirmed recurrent lymphoma.
Minimizing ED Waiting Times and Improving Patient Flow and Experience of Care

We conducted a pre- and postintervention analysis to assess the impact of a process improvement project at the Cambridge Hospital ED. Through a comprehensive and collaborative process, we reengineered the emergency patient experience from arrival to departure. The ED operational changes have had a significant positive impact on all measured metrics. Ambulance diversion decreased from a mean of 148 hours per quarter before changes in July 2006 to 0 hours since April 2007. ED total length of stay decreased from a mean of 204 minutes before the changes to 132 minutes. Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores rose from the 12th percentile to the 59th percentile. ED patient volume grew by 11%, from a mean of 7,221 patients per quarter to 8,044 patients per quarter. Compliance with ED specific quality core measures improved from a mean of 71% to 97%. The mean rate of ED patients that left without being seen (LWBS) dropped from 4.1% to 0.9%. Improving ED operational efficiency allowed us to accommodate increasing volume while improving the quality of care and satisfaction of the ED patients with minimal additional resources, space, or staffing.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome: the heart of the matter.

At the beginning of this century, Sir William Osler is alleged to have expressed the opinion that to know syphilis is to know all of medicine because of the multisystem involvement and variable manifestations of the disease. In that era. before sophisticated diagnostic techniques and effective treatment, recognition of the cardiovascular complications of syphilis was obvious with palpation of the pulse and auscultation of the heart sounds. Today we are faced with a new public health scourge: acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Almost at the end of the century, we can now say that in many respects to know AIDS is to know medicine. The generalized effects of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on organ function and susceptibility of tissues to infection make AIDS the protean disease of our era. Yet, despite ample documentation of the pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cerebral, integumentary and hematologic complications of AIDS, and despite our technologically superior diagnostic tools. relatively little is known about the clinicd cardiovascular manifestations of HIV infection. The paper by Himelman and coworkers (1) in the present issue of the Journal goes far to redress this imbalance. Present study. The authors present their findings of echocardiographic abnormalities in a cohort of hospitalized and outpatient individuals with overt AIDS or HIV infection, or both. The significant observation is the relatively high prevalence of dilated cardiomyopathy in the hospitalized group (I 1% overall and 25% of the hospitalized patients), including four patients in whom the diagnosis was unsuspected. Although it can be assumed that the in-patients were sicker and may have had their disease for a longer period of time than the ambulatory group, there does not seem to be a direct correlation in this study between the types of opportunistic infections, malignancies and treatment regimens used in the
An ESR and NMR study of the radiolysis of n-alkanes: Crystal structure dependence

The process of radiation damage for long-chain n-alkanes was investigated to elucidate that for polyethylene. Chain-end alkyl radicals were preferentially formed not only through primary C-H scission but also through a hydrogen atom reaction in odd-n-alkane, as was shown by analysis of the ESR spectra for isotopic mixtures of tridecane-h28/tridecane-d28 and nonadecane-h40/nonadecane-d40. To elucidate the mode of alkyl radical migration in solids through intermolecular hydrogen atom abstraction, D/H exchange was detected in mixed crystals of eicosane-d42/eicosane-h42. The chain-end region was found to be more reactive than the inner region for radical site migration. In addition, formation of a microscopic amorphous island by destruction of the crystal lattice was also detected. The influences of molecular packing were large in all cases.
Rat brain TRH receptors: kinetics, pharmacology, distribution and ionic effects.

Abstract Optimal conditions for measuring receptor binding for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the rat central nervous system (CNS) have been determined using 3H-labelled [3-Me-His2]TRH ([3H]MeTRH). Binding assays conducted at 0°C for 5–6 h using sodium phosphate- and/or Hepes-buffered tissue resuspensions, with subsequent filtration through Whatman GF/B filters, yielded the best results. Association and dissociation of [3H]MeTRH binding to amygdala membranes were time and temperature dependent. Dissociation kinetics appeared biphasic. Progressive reduction in receptor affinity and capacity and increased radioligand breakdown were observed at elevated temperatures. Bacitracin (25–1000 μM) prevented peptide degradation but inhibited receptor binding (8–37%). Detailed competition experiments using MeTRH and other drugs yielded a pharmacological profile similar to that observed previously in other tissues indicating TRH receptor identification. Highest density of TRH receptors was observed in the retina and numerous limbic areas. Monovalent and divalent cations modulated [3H]MeTRH binding by reducing apparent receptor number.
Open tubular columns prepared with very thick liquid phase film II. Investigations on column efficiency

The performance of a column prepared with an immobilized (chemically bonded) methylsilicone phase having a film thickness of 5μm is investigated in detail. Due to their high sample capacity, such columns are particularly useful when directly coupling gas chromatography with spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Thick-film columns can even be used with thermal conductivity detectors.
Microscopic assay for the phagocytotic-collagenolytic performance (PCP index) of human gingival fibroblasts in vitro.

Using 16 human gingival fibroblast cell lines from patients with periodontitis, Dilantin hyperplasia, and nonpathological gingiva, a microscopic assay was developed to quantitate the cells' ability to lyse collagen substrates. The method employs tissue culture chambers with one cover slip partially coated with a thin layer of undenatured fibrillar bovine codlagen. The assay measures the relative numbers and sizes of holes in the collagen within defined regions of the cover slips effected by the phagocytotic and collagenolytic performance (PCP) of the population of fibroblasts growing on the cover slip for 5 days. The effect on the PCP index by serum, heparin, prostaglandins, and endotoxin was evaluated.
Damage Potential of Adult and Larval Southern Corn Billbugs (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Field Corn in Eastern North Carolina

Adult and larval damage potential of the southern corn billbug (SCB), Sphenophorus callosus (Olivier), was studied in small-plot enclosures and in commercial cornfields in eastern North Carolina from 1978 to 1980. In small-plot studies, corn at the two- and four-leaf stages showed damage by adult SCB at several insect densities, but more mature corn was not visibly damaged. Female SCB caused more damage than male SCB on three- to four-leaf stage corn. Damage by females tended to result in dead terminals, whereas feeding by males more often resulted in holes in the leaves. In small-plot studies, average plant height per plot was negatively correlated with average damage ratings per plot on three dates in 1980 on whorl stage corn. However, grain yield per plot at harvest was positively correlated with average damage ratings per plot on 9- to 10-leafstage corn. In commercial cornfields, larval SCB infestations were often associated with early death in corn plants. Of a total of 506 plants sampled at two sites in late July and early August 1980, 85.2% of plants dying early were infested with larval SCB, whereas nondrying plants had 10.0%SeB infestations. This early death was associated with a 42.4% yield decrease in paired comparisons of adjacent dying and nondying plants. The southern cornstalk borer, Diatraea crambidoides (Grote), was the only other insect found in large numbers in the lower cornstalk region. However, its presence was not well related to the incidence of early death.
Electromechanical Model for Eukaryotic Cells

Electromechanics is important in many cellular processes, including motility, cancer metastasis, wound healing, and embryogenesis. Experiments show that cells placed in direct current electric fields are able to sense the field and direct their motion. Other experiments show that cell volume changes are important in invading cancer cells. A computational model is necessary to understand how cells respond electro-mechanically to electro-mechanical changes in their environment. The model proposed in this study considers how ion flux and water flux across the cell membrane enable a cell to regulate its size, internal pressure, and membrane voltage. This model also studies how active ion pumps, voltage gated channels, mechanosensitive channels, and water transport allow a cell to change its size when its membrane voltage is fixed during a voltage clamp experiment. Specifically, the model predicts cell volume increases during hyperpolarization and decreases during depolarization. Preliminary voltage clamp experiments suggest that the predicted size changes are observed in eukaryotic cancer cells, which validates our model.
FAILURE AND HAZARDS OF SUPERIOR MESENTERIC ARTERIAL INFUSION OF VASOPRESSIN FOR CONTROL OF BLEEDING VARICES IN CHILDREN

In adults with cirrhosis and hemorrhage from esophageal varices, infusion of vasopressin into the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) has resulted in the rapid control of bleeding, often within minutes. Three children with chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and bleeding varices documented by fiberoptic endoscopy, received vasopressin by continuous SMA infusion. The dose of vasopressin used was 0.1 to 0.4u/min for a period of 50 to 145 hours. Despite receiving the maximal dose of vasopressin recommended for adults over a prolonged period of time, the three patients continued to have intermittent but significant bleeding requiring further blood transfusion. Transient side effects of vasopressin included mild to severe water intoxication and significant bradycardia with loss of all palpable pulses without other signs of vascular instability. Early and late complications of the transfemoral arterial catheterization in one child included paresthesias in the ipsilateral extremity within 24 hours of catheterization and severe ischemic changes 10 days later requiring three thrombectomies. The failure of continuous prolonged intraarterial vasopressin infusion to adequately control bleeding and the complications associated with this procedure suggest that the use of this therapy may not be appropriate for children with cirrhosis and varices.
The Pilgrimage Topos and the Problem of Modernity: A Transatlantic View of Selected Hispanic Texts

AbstractGongora's Soledades can be used as a base from which to examine failed pilgrimage as a recurring topos in Latin American texts which confront the Baroque legacy of frustrated modernity. Carpentier's 'El camino de Santiago', Rulfo's Pedro Paramo and Vallejo's 'Trilce LXV' constitute a sort of progeny of this Gongorine topos, contrasting in their different relation to the messianic. While Gongora, Rulfo, and Carpentier present historical repetition as a form of paralysis, Vallejo presents the frustration of historical progress in equally graphic terms, but also offers hope in his engagement with possibility from a socialist perspective. His poem suggests the 'weak Messianic power' of which Benjamin writes, one which engages the future without a pre-established teleology, locating pilgrimage instead in the collective and open space of human potential.
Influence of aging and induction on rat liver and kidney microsomal mixed function oxidase systems

Abstract In an effort to investigate the diminished capacity of old individuals to metabolize certain drugs we studied the effect of old age on the concentrations and inductibility of the hepatic and renal mixed function oxidase systems of rats. One group of rats (4, 12, and 36 months old) were induced with phenobarbital (PB) and another group (7 and 31 months old) with β-naphthoflavone (BNF). Cytochrome P -450, cytochrome b 5 , and NADPH-cytochrome P -450 reductase concentrations were determined in control and PB-induced liver or BNF-induced liver and kidney microsomes. In vivo rates of R -warfarin metabolism catalyzed by liver and kidney microsomes were used as a probe of the forms of cytochrome P -450 present. Livers and kidneys were judged to be free of significant histologic lesions. Hepatic and renal cytochrome P -450 and cytochrome b 5 concentrations were increased by BNF induction while PB induction increased hepatic cytochrome P -450 and did not affect cytochrome b 5 . Hepatic NADPH-cytochrome P -450 reductase activities were increased by PB induction and decreased by BNF induction while activity of the renal enzyme was increased by BNF induction. Cytochrome P -450 concentrations were lower in old control and induced livers and kidneys. Aging also decreased concentrations of renal cytochrome b 5 and NADPH-cytochrome P -450 reductase. The inducibility of hepatic cytochrome P -450 by PB was also diminished in old rats. From the results of aging on R -warfarin metabolite patterns it was determined that the activity of the major form of cytochrome P -450, BNF-B in BNF-induced rats was unaltered in the livers and significantly diminished in the kidneys of old rats. Two forms of cytochrome P -450 in PB-induced rats, PB-C and PB-B, demonstrated diminished ability to be induced and PB-C showed diminished activity in old rats.
Berry-treacher collins syndrome: A review of 200 cases

Summary Berry, Treacher Collins, or Franceschetti-Zwahlen-Klein syndromes, are all representative of varying degrees of severity of a more comprehensive hereditary syndrome given the term "mandibulo-facial dysostosis". In this review, 200 cases of the syndrome are analysed. The syndrome does not seem to be confined to any particular sex in its incidence or frequency. It has been described primarily in the white race, but has also been reported more recently in the Negro and Oriental races. As a congenital disorder, it is definitely transmitted in many cases by an irregularly dominant gene whose power of expression is variable and sometimes weak in its penetrance, thus resulting in "incomplete" or "abortive" types of the syndrome. A hereditary factor in, or an inheritance of, this syndrome was demonstrable in ninety-seven of the 200 cases reviewed, or 48·5 per cent. of all cases reported to date. These ninety-seven cases were culled from twenty-six separate families, and represented forty second, third, or fourth generations in which the syndrome was shown to be inherited as follows: for four generations in three families, for three generations in eleven families, for two generations in twenty-six families. The sydrome seems to be genetically transmitted primarily and three times more consistently by the female of the affected line, which, in turn, is three times more likely to be the maternal line rather than the paternal line.
CT Imaging of Low-Permeability, Dual-Porosity Systems Using High X-ray Contrast Gas

Low-permeability, dual-porosity media such as coal and gas shale (i.e., mudstone) exhibit structural and chemical features across a range of scales spanning from tens of meters to nanometers. Characterization methods and efforts for these porous media are needed to understand gas in place, gas flow behavior, and storage capacity for potential CO\(_{2}\) sequestration. Characterizing the structure and heterogeneity of representative samples helps determine how the physical and chemical processes associated with CO\(_{2}\) transport in coal and gas shale affect injectivity and storage capacity (over long periods of time), and the ability of these media to sequester CO\(_{2}\) (as both a free and adsorbed phase) for thousands of years. In this study, an imaging technique focused on the submillimeter scale is applied to shale and coal samples of interest. In particular, porosity, component matrix distribution, and evidence of gas transport through these tight media were studied.
Relational Autonomy and the Social Dynamics of Paternalism

In this paper I look at various ways that interpersonal and social relations can be seen as required for autonomy. I then consider cases where those dynamics might play out or not in potentially paternalistic situations. In particular, I consider cases of especially vulnerable persons who are attempting to reconstruct a sense of practical identity required for their autonomy and need the potential paternalist’s aid in doing so. I then draw out the implications for standard liberal principles of (anti-) paternalism, specifically in clinical or therapeutic situations. The picture of potential paternalism that emerges here is much more of a dynamic, interpersonal scenario rather than a case of two separate individuals making decisions independent of each other.
DISPERSION OF SOIL PARTICLES BY SONIC VIBRATION1

Summary Dispersion of soil particles is achieved without use of oxidants, acids, or peptizing reagents, by subjecting an aqueous suspension of the soil sample (10 g soil, 25 ml water) to sonic vibration at 13 to 15°C using a Raytheon (9 kc, 50 w) vibrator. Studies using soils of widely different textures and organic matter contents showed that the dispersion caused by sonic vibration for 30 min, as evaluated by pipette analysis for < 2 μ material, was similar to that obtained by chemical methods currently used for dispersion of soils. The dispersion effected by ultrasonic vibration of soil-water suspensions using a probe-type vibrator (18–20 kc, 60 w) is comparable to that achieved by sonic vibration. The vibration method of dispersing soil particles yields stable suspensions and is effective with highly calcareous soils and with soils containing large amounts of montmorillonite and organic matter. It permits dispersion of soil particles without dissolution of more than trace amounts of organic or inorganic material and does not significantly affect the pH or conductivity of the soil suspension.
Experiments & Analysis of Second-order Magnetization in Centrosymmetric GGG Crystals

First observations of intense magnetic scattering in GGG crystals and several organic liquids are compared with quantum theory of quadratic magneto-electric nonlinearities on transitions of atoms/molecules, with important implications for energy conversion and high-frequency magnetism.
Assessing persistence of the American pika at historic localities in California's Northern Sierra Nevada

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) appears to have experienced a substantial upslope range contraction in the Great Basin in response to climate warming. In California, models predict range contraction, but whether the species' lower elevational limit has already shifted remains unclear. We located and determined current occupancy at 19 historic pika localities in the northern Sierra Nevada of California, USA, in 2009–2012. We found that 17 localities were currently occupied by pikas at or near the original record location, while at 2 localities pikas appeared extirpated. No strong climate signal was detected in our data; however, the distribution of historic points does not allow us to rule out upslope range contraction in our region. Talus area was closely correlated with pika persistence, consistent with the application of metapopulation theory to pikas. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Enhanced salt stress tolerance of rice plants expressing a vacuolar H+-ATPase subunit c1 (SaVHAc1) gene from the halophyte grass Spartina alterniflora Löisel

Summary The physiological role of a vacuolar ATPase subunit c1 (SaVHAc1) from a halophyte grass Spartina alterniflora was studied through its expression in rice. The SaVHAc1-expressing plants showed enhanced tolerance to salt stress than the wild-type plants, mainly through adjustments in early stage and preparatory physiological responses. In addition to the increased accumulation of its own transcript, SaVHAc1 expression led to increased accumulation of messages of other native genes in rice, especially those involved in cation transport and ABA signalling. The SaVHAc1-expressing plants maintained higher relative water content under salt stress through early stage closure of the leaf stoma and reduced stomata density. The increased K+/Na+ ratio and other cations established an ion homoeostasis in SaVHAc1-expressing plants to protect the cytosol from toxic Na+ and thereby maintained higher chlorophyll retention than the WT plants under salt stress. Besides, the role of SaVHAc1 in cell wall expansion and maintenance of net photosynthesis was implicated by comparatively higher root and leaf growth and yield of rice expressing SaVHAc1 over WT under salt stress. The study indicated that the genes contributing toward natural variation in grass halophytes could be effectively manipulated for improving salt tolerance of field crops within related taxa.
Predicting changes in gait associated with optimal ankle-foot orthosis selection in children with cerebral palsy

s / Gait & Posture 39S (2014) S1–S141 S79 Fig. 1. Mean OFM kinematics for Ponseti cohort (black/bold) against age-matched controls 6–9 yrs n=10 (grey/bold) and Cincinnati cohort (black/dashed) against age matched controls 10–15 yrs n=10 (grey/dashed). Discussion and conclusions: The RFA model has been used to predict limbs that will have significant increases in GDI with AFO use. The model was then used to suggest ways of improving the magnitude of these increases. The most effective method for improving the average GDI from AFO use was to identify the poor responders to an AFO prescription. At −0.9 points, the mean GDI for the “No AFO” group was much lower than their counterparts who received an AFO recommendation from the model. Secondly, for those individuals who have a high likelihood of benefitting from an AFO, choosing the optimal design maximized the effectiveness of the recommendation. Although “No AFO” was recommended for themajority of limbs in this study, the analysis only considers changes in gait, and does not account for other functional benefits commonly anticipated from AFO use. By using the model to provide an objective estimate of the anticipated gait change from AFO use, practitioners can providemore efficient and effective AFO prescriptions.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activation Reduces Dendritic Cell Function during Influenza Virus Infection

It has long been known that activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) by ligands such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) suppresses T cell-dependent immune responses; however, the underlying cellular targets and mechanism remain unclear. We have previously shown that AhR activation by TCDD reduces the proliferation and differentiation of influenza virus-specific CD8(+) T cells through an indirect mechanism; suggesting that accessory cells are critical AhR targets during infection. Respiratory dendritic cells (DCs) capture antigen, migrate to lymph nodes, and play a key role in activating naive CD8(+) T cells during respiratory virus infection. Herein, we report an examination of how AhR activation alters DCs in the lung and affects their trafficking to and function in the mediastinal lymph nodes (MLN) during infection with influenza virus. We show that AhR activation impairs lung DC migration and reduces the ability of DCs isolated from the MLN to activate naive CD8(+) T cells. Using novel AhR mutant mice, in which the AhR protein lacks its DNA-binding domain, we show that the suppressive effects of TCDD require that the activated AhR complex binds to DNA. These new findings suggest that AhR activation by chemicals from our environment impacts DC function to stimulate naive CD8(+) T cells and that immunoregulatory genes within DCs are critical targets of AhR. Moreover, our results reinforce the idea that environmental signals and AhR ligands may contribute to differential susceptibilities and responses to respiratory infection.
Phoning it in: Theory in mobile media and communication in developing countries

As 75 percent of the world’s mobile subscriptions are in developing countries, studies of use patterns are essential to broader understanding. However, scholars should engage with existing theory and literature in order to operate within a framework and expand readership. Rigorous and ethical research from a variety of methodological perspectives is encouraged.
Defects in photovoltaic materials and the origin of failure to dope them

I will review the basic physical principles underlying the formation energy of various intrinsic defects in common photovoltaic materials. I then use the above principles to explain why doping of semiconductors is in general, limited and which design principles can be used to circumvent such limits. This work can help design strategies of doping absorber materials as well as explain how TCOs work. Recent results on the surprising stability of polar [112] + (1~1~2~) surfaces of CIS will also be described in this context.
Investigating the role of human serum albumin protein pocket on the excited state dynamics of indocyanine green using shaped femtosecond laser pulses

Differences in the excited state dynamics of molecules and photo-activated drugs either in solution or confined inside protein pockets or large biological macromolecules occur within the first few hundred femtoseconds. Shaped femtosecond laser pulses are used to probe the behavior of indocyanine green (ICG), the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved near-infrared dye and photodynamic therapy agent, while free in solution and while confined inside the pocket of the human serum albumin (HSA) protein. Experimental findings indicate that the HSA pocket hinders torsional motion and thus mitigates the triplet state formation in ICG. Low frequency vibrational motion of ICG is observed more clearly when it is bound to the HSA protein.
A New Class of Broad-Band Microwave 90-Degree Phase Shifters

In the type of circuits considered here, the input power is divided equally between two channels whose outputs are caused to have a very nearly 90° phase difference over a broad frequency range. Networks suitable for application at low frequencies which perform the above function have been widely investigated. This report describes a new type of 90° differential phase shifter which has a constant resistance input, and which is useful over bandwidths as large as 5:1 in the microwave region.
Dynamic simulations of inflammatory cell recruitment: the state diagram for cell adhesion mediated by two receptors

White blood cell recruitment from the bloodstream to surrounding tissues is an essential component of the immune response. Capture of blood-borne leukocytes onto vascular endothelium proceeds via a two-step mechanism, with each step mediated by a distinct receptor-ligand pair. Cells first transiently adhere, or "roll" (via interactions between selectins and sialyl-Lewis-x), and then firmly adhere to the vascular wall (via interactions between integrins and ICAM-1). We have reported that a computational method called Adhesive Dynamics (AD) accurately reproduces the fine scale dynamics of selectin-mediated rolling. This paper extends the use of AD simulations to model the dynamics of cell adhesion when two classes of receptors are simultaneously active: one class (selectins) with weakly adhesive properties, and the other (integrins) with strongly adhesive properties. AD simulations predict synergistic functions of the two receptors in mediating adhesion. We present this relationship in a two-receptor state diagram, a map that relates the densities and properties of adhesion molecules to various adhesive behaviors that they code, such as rolling or firm adhesion. The predictions of two-receptor adhesive dynamics are validated by the ability of the model to reproduce experimental neutrophil rolling velocities.
Sea urchin cavitation of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera C. Agardh) holdfasts and its effects on kelp mortality across a large California forest

Sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus (A. Agassiz) and especially S. purpuratus (Stimpson) sheltering in holdfasts of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, feed on haptera, eventually creating cavitation damage that leads to structural failure of the holdfast when the plants are stressed by large waves. Periodically giant kelp plants on permanent transects in a large Southern California forest were categorized for their degree of urchin infestation and cavitation damage, and subsequent survival followed for 5 yr. Plants with a high degree of urchin damage had significantly higher rates of mortality than plants with little damage during several assessment periods. There was a decreasing gradient in the degree of urchin damage and importance of cavitation from the deep (18 m), outer edge of the Point Loma forest, through the center (15 m), to the inner (12 m) edge of the forest which paralleled urchin abundance and recruitment rates. This gradient acts to reduce the impact of the gradient of giant kelp mortality caused by storms, which is much greater in shallow water and decreases seaward.
The Resolution Trust Corporation's Affordable-Housing Mandate Diluting FIRREA's Redistributive Goals

The Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), the agency in charge of the thrift bailout, is directed to expand the supply of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households by reserving less valuable residential real estate for sale through the Affordable Housing Disposition Plan (AHDP). The author examines the evolution of the AHDP and the disappointing performance of both the single-family and multifamily portions of the program. Two principal explanations for the RTC's poor performance are assessed: The agency is subject to competing mandates that undermine a focus on housing, and the AHDP has not resolved the institutional and credit constraints that undermine affordable-housing efforts in general.
Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole: In Vitro Microbiological Aspects

The ultimate effect on bacteria of trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) is to deprive them of folate coenzymes; the spectra of in vitro activity of TMP and SMZ are therefore similar although TMP is usually 20-100 times more active than is SMZ. The synergy of TMP and SMZ can be demonstrated in vitro by increases in bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities. There is an optimal ratio for producing these effects, and it corresponds to the ratios of the MIC of each drug when acting alone; however, synergy does occur over a wide range of ratios. The in vitro activity of TMP-SMZ depends on the medium in which it is measured; traces of thymidine will almost completely abolish activity. The size of the inoculum also affects activity. The activity is not affected in vitro or in vivo by the presence of exogenous folates except in the case of Streptococcus faecalis. Resistance to one of the drugs as measured by conventional tests may not abolish synergy; synergy is maximal, however, when the organism is susceptible to both drugs. Multiple studies have confirmed that TMP-SMZ has a wide spectrum of in vitro activity. The only outstanding exception is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From heavy inocula, resistance to TMP develops rapidly, but the rate is markedly reduced by the presence of SMZ. The retarding effects of the sulfonamide depend on the degree of susceptibility of the organism and become small with highly resistant strains. R-factors conferring resistance to TMP have been identified, although at present they are rare. Susceptibility testing presents no problems provided a suitable medium and a small inoculum are used. A single combined disk containing 1.25 tg of TMP and 23.75 9g of SMZ is adequate for routine tests.
SEQUENCING AND BATCHING FOR TWO CLASSES OF JOBS WITH DEADLINES AND SETUP TIMES

We formulate a general sequencing problem that includes two classes of jobs with setup times, setup costs, holding costs, and deadlines. The formulation is unique in its explicit recognition of the opportunities to exploit productive capacity increases due to batching. An algorithm based on tabu search is then used as a solution method. Computational results are presented that suggest that the algorithm is effective. (SEQUENCING, TABU SEARCH)
Twenty-First-Century Challenges for Environmental Management

Books reviewed: Richard N.L. Andrews, Managing the Environment—Managing Ourselves: A History of American Environmental Policy Rosemary O'Leary, Robert F. Durant, Daniel J. Fiorino, and Paul Weiland, Managing for the Environment: Understanding Legal, Organizational, and Policy Changes
Barriers to Academic Achievement for Foster Youth: The Story Behind the Statistics

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the perceptions of former and current foster youth about the barriers they encountered during their K-12 education, and to learn how they overcame these obstacles and achieved academic success. The study included in-depth interviews of 11 participants, all of whom were current or former foster youth who were enrolled or had plans to enroll in a community college or 4-year university. The results of this study indicated that previously identified barriers to academic achievement were true for this group of participants, but that these topics or themes represented the effects of the deeper issues of anger, abuse, and disempowerment. This anger, abuse, and disempowerment touched every aspect of their lives, resulting in high mobility, Individualized Education Plans for emotional/behavioral issues, and difficulty transitioning from care to independence.
A speed-adaptive location management scheme

Location management is one of the fundamental issues in cellular networks. It includes two operations: location update and paging. The goal of location management is to minimize the combined cost of these two operations. Recently a distance-based scheme using a predefined look-up table for location updates has been proposed. The table describes the relationship between the distance and the time: the distance decreases while the time increases. In this scheme, the paging area for a mobile station will be automatically reduced if the mobile station does not update its location over a certain time period. Therefore this scheme performs quite well when a mobile station travels at a low speed. However, it does not perform well when the speed of a mobile station is high or when the incoming call arrival rate is high. To overcome these drawbacks, a speed-adaptive location management scheme is proposed in this paper. The proposed scheme uses an enhanced look-up table. The table consists of two parts: the distance in the first part increases while the time increases; in the second part, the distance decreases with the increasing time. To reduce the paging cost of high-speed mobile stations further, the concepts of speed ranges and paging polar angles are introduced in the scheme. Numerical simulations using activity-based, random walk and fluid flow mobility models have shown that the proposed scheme performs well for mobile stations traveling at a high speed as well as for those traveling at a low speed.
Cocaine-Paired Cues Activate Aversive Representations in Accumbens Neurons

Aversive states are proposed to drive addiction. Here, Wheeler and colleagues show that drug-associated cues come to activate neural representations of aversive information in nucleus accumbens and that this activation predicts subsequent drug use. These remarkable data identify a potential neural substrate through which aversive affective representations may motivate drug use.
Tissue-specific expression and localization of safener-induced glutathione S -transferase proteins in Triticum tauschii

Glutathione S-transferase (GST; EC 2.5.1.18) gene expression was examined in the coleoptile and new leaf tissue of etiolated shoots of the diploid wheat species Triticum tauschii (Coss.) Schmal., which is considered to be a progenitor and the D-genome donor to cultivated, hexaploid bread wheat Triticum aestivum L. GST expression (mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity with a herbicide substrate) in these shoot tissues was examined in response to herbicide safener treatment. Two different antibody probes, raised against the same safener-inducible GST protein (TtGSTU1) but differing in their specificity, were utilized to determine tissue distribution and subcellular localization of GST proteins in etiolated shoots. GST transcripts, immunoreactive GST proteins, and herbicide-metabolizing activity were all highest in the coleoptile of etiolated, safener-treated T. tauschii shoots. Anti-GST immunolabeling was strongest in the outer epidermal and adjoining sub-epidermal cells in both coleoptiles and new leaves following safener treatment. Our data indicate that safeners protect grass crops from herbicide injury by dramatically inducing the expression of GST proteins in the outer cell layers of the coleoptile, which prevents the herbicide from reaching the sensitive new leaves of etiolated shoots as they emerge from the soil.
Selective Dependence of H2-M3–Restricted CD8 Responses on IL-15

We studied whether CD8 T cell responses that are mediated by unconventional MHC class Ib molecules are IL-15 dependent in mice. CD8+ T cell responses to Listeria monocytogenes infection that are restricted by the MHC class Ib molecule H2-M3 decreased in the absence of IL-15, whereas other primary MHC class Ib- and MHC class Ia-restricted responses were IL-15 independent. This result was confirmed in MHC class Ia-deficient mice in which IL-15 deficiency also reduced H2-M3–restricted but not all CD8 T cell responses to L. monocytogenes. IL-15 deficiency did not affect proliferation or survival of responding H2-M3–restricted CD8+ T cells, but IL-15 was necessary to detect H2-M3–restricted CD8+ T cells in naive mice. This finding suggests that these CD8+ T cells require IL-15 during development, but become IL-15 independent after activation. IL-15 was necessary for the survival of most class Ib-restricted CD8+ T cells, starting at the mature thymocyte stage in naive mice, but does not affect a distinct CD44low/CD122low subpopulation. These data suggest that the nature of the selecting MHC class Ib molecule determines whether CD8+ T cells acquire IL-15 dependence during thymic development.
Ultrafast Analog Fourier Transform Using 2-D LC Lattice

We describe how a 2-D rectangular lattice of inductors and capacitors can serve as an analog Fourier transform device, generating an approximate discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of an arbitrary input vector of fixed length. The lattice displays diffractive and refractive effects and mimics the combined optical effects of a thin-slit aperture and lens. Diffraction theories in optics are usually derived for 3-D media, whereas our derivations proceed in 2-D. Analytical and numerical results show agreement between lattice output and the true DFT. Potentially, this lattice can be used for an extremely low latency and high throughput analog signal processing device. The lattice can be fabricated on-chip with frequency of operation of more than 10 GHz.
Pulse length effects in laser cluster interactions

We report the systematic study of the effect of pulse length on X-ray production in cluster targets. The effect of pulse length on soft X-ray production in argon is shown. The clusters are formed from a supersonic gas jet backed with 600 psi Ar. Approximately 4 mJ of energy is focused with an /spl theta/3 paraboloid into the jet. The energy is kept constant in these data. X ray yield is maximum when the pulse length is 400 fs. In agreement with theory, this optimal pulse width is dependent on cluster size.
Dendritic Tiling: New Insights from Genetics

Two papers in the current issues of Neuron (Gallegos and Bargmann) and Cell (Emoto et al.) identify a conserved kinase, SAX-1/Trc, and a large protein required for Trc activity, SAX-2/Fry, as essential elements in the control of dendritic branching and tiling in Drosophila and C. elegans. The tiling and ectopic branching phenotypes of trc mutants appear to be independently generated. Thus, this kinase is the first signaling protein to be associated specifically with tiling.
Using Teach-Back to Understand Participant Behavioral Self-Monitoring Skills Across Health Literacy Level and Behavioral Condition.

Abstract Objective To assess differences, by health literacy status and behavioral condition, in participants' abilities to self-monitor behaviors accurately and recall key behavioral messages using data from a teach-back call. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Rural, southwestern Virginia. Participants Adults (n = 301). The majority were female (81.1%), 31.9% had a high school education or less, 66.1% earned Intervention First class session of 2 community-based behavioral interventions: SIPsmartER (reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake) or MoveMore (increase physical activity). Main Outcome Measures Reported accuracy of behavioral diary completion, proportion of behavioral messages recalled during the first round of teach-back, and rounds of teach-back. Analysis Descriptive statistics and generalized linear model. Results Low health literate participants were significantly less accurate in diary completion ( P P P SIPsmartER participants, MoveMore participants more accurately completed diaries ( P = .001) but recalled a lower proportion of behavioral messages correctly ( P P Conclusions and Implications Health literacy status and behavioral target affect the ability to self-monitor and recall key concepts. Researchers should consider using teach-back early in the intervention to assess and reinforce participants' ability to self-monitor.
Chemical mechanisms of formation of DNA-carcinogen adducts, elucidation of potential of adducts for mutagenicity, and mechanisms of polymerase fidelity and mutation in the presence of adducts.

There is a long history of epidemiology associating human cancers with exposure to chemicals, dating back more than two centuries (Cartwright 1984). Over 80 years ago, scientists were able to produce tumors in animals with the administration of a single pure chemical. Although the fraction of human cancer related to occupational and incidental exposure to industrial chemicals is debatable, concerns about the development of cancer and birth defects from chemicals in the environment are very great among the public and deserve to beaddressed seriously.
Life-Cycle Assumptions of Landfilled Polylactic Acid Underpredict Methane Generation

The life-cycle assessment (LCA) tool, Waste Reduction Model, currently applies no methane generation to landfilled polylactic acid (PLA), considering the carbon sequestered. A selection of PLA products were analyzed by the biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay, and the results were compared to LCA model values. BMPs were performed at 35 and 55 °C on a variety of single-use products that would be disposed alongside food scraps. No biodegradation was observed for any product after incubation at 35 °C for 60 days. PLA products generated 185–372 mL of CH4/g of volatile solids at 55 °C after 60 days, some approaching the theoretical methane potential. The results here indicate that PLA may generate significant quantities of methane in an anaerobic landfill environment, which can reach thermophilic temperatures, and the current assumption of PLA as an absolute carbon sink in landfills is incorrect.