cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Freeze Preservation of Histomonas Meleagridis

Abstract Histomonas meleagridis, a protozoan parasite of the ceca and liver of gallinaceous birds, is difficult to cultivate artificially. When successfully established in vitro, it gradually loses pathogenicity, immunizing ability, and finally the ability to multiply in the host (Lund et al., 1967). Serial in vivo passage prevents such changes but is time consuming and costly. It would be desirable to have a source of histomonads independent of the problems associated with in vivo and in vitro propagation. With this fact in mind, histomonads were frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen to determine whether the organisms could be successfully preserved by this technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS The ceca were removed from turkeys that had been infected with a laboratory strain of H. meleagridis. The cecal contents were washed out in a medium consisting of 84% Medium 199 (Hank’s balanced salt solution), 8% chicken serum and 8% dimethyl sulfoxide. The resulting suspension…
Original Articles: Bladder Cancer: Management of Transitional Cell Carcinoma Involving Von Brunn's Nests

We reviewed data collected from 371 patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder to determine whether carcinoma within von Brunn's nests is a risk factor for cancer progression and an indication for radical cystectomy. Cystectomy was done in 20 of 73 patients (27%) with transitional cell carcinoma in von Brunn's nests and in 42 of 298 patients (14%) without von Brunn's nest involvement. There was no significant difference in the Kaplan-Meier crude and disease-specific survival between patients with and without transitional cell carcinoma in von Brunn's nests, irrespective of whether radical cystectomy was performed initially. Of those patients with von Brunn's nest involvement none who underwent cystectomy died of bladder carcinoma, while 3 (6%) managed conservatively died of bladder cancer. Of those patients without von Brunn's nest involvement 1 (5%) managed with cystectomy and 9 (4%) managed conservatively died of bladder carcinoma. Furthermore, only 8 patients (15%) with and 29 (11%) without transitional cell carcinoma in von Brunn's nests showed disease progression after initial conservative management. Based on this analysis, our conclusion is that transitional cell carcinoma within von Brunn's nests is not a risk factor for disease progression or an absolute indication for radical cystectomy.
Effects of mosquitofish and ammonium nitrate on activity of green frog (Lithobates clamitans) tadpoles: a mesocosm experiment

We conducted a mesocosm experiment that allowed us to examine the effects of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and ammonium nitrate on the activity of green frog (Lithobates clamitans) tadpoles under the more natural conditions of a mesocosm as opposed to a laboratory experiment. The proportion of active tadpoles was lower in the presence of mosquitofish than when mosquitofish were not present. There was no effect of ammonium nitrate or interaction between mosquitofish and ammonium nitrate on tadpole activity. These results suggest that green frog tadpoles reduce their activity levels in the presence of mosquitofish, but the ability of ammonium nitrate to mediate the outcome of potential predator–prey interactions between green frog tadpoles and mosquitofish appears to be limited, at least at the ecologically relevant concentration we studied.
Feeding frequencies of nestling blue tits (Parus caeruleus): costs, benefits and a model of optimal feeding frequency

1. To examine the ultimate factors determining the frequency with which male and female blue tits (Parus caeruleus) feed their nestlings, I manipulated the brood sizes of 34 pairs breeding in Wytham Woods, England, and recorded automatically the number of visits when the young were 11-13 days of age. At this time adults were caught and weighed and the nestlings weighed. 2. The number of visits/brood increased linearly with brood size, with no evidence of an upper limit to brood feeding frequency. The number of visits·nestlings-1·day-1 decreased from 138 to 108 as brood size increased from 3 to 6, but levelled off at 68-87 visits/nestling as brood size increased from 8 to 15. 3. Female weight-loss during the nestling period increased linearly as the feeding frequency of the brood increased: those females were lightest that fed their young most often; this is of some significance since I previously showed that the lightest females are least likely to survive to the following year. The correlations of feeding frequency with brood size and feeding frequency with female weight are sufficient to account for the commonly observed correlation of brood size and female weight. No relationship between feeding frequency and male weight dynamics was apparent. Feeding frequency of the brood increased as mean nestling weight decreased. Apparently, parents compensate, in part, for low nestling weight by increasing feeding frequency. Low nestling weight, in turn, has proven detrimental to post-fledging survival. 4. Lack's (1947, 1954) hypothesis, that the decline in visits/nestling as brood size increases reflects the inability of parents to sustain high brood feeding rates, is refuted by the observations made in this and a large number of other studies. Royama's (1966) hypothesis that the observed decline in visits/nestling reflects a decrease in energy needed to maintain homeothermy, receives some support. Behavioral and physiological studies, however, suggest that the "Royama effect" is limited to small broods (c. four or fewer young). 5. I propose, instead, a model of optimal feeding frequency, which accounts for observations made by myself and others, and which incorporates Royama's hypothesis as well. The model assumes that parents optimize their investment in their young. On the one hand, an increase in feeding frequency means more food for the young, which enhances offspring survival ("benefit"); on the other hand, increased feeding frequency is "costly" to the parents (reduces parental survivorship). Natural selection favors breeding individuals that maximize the difference between benefits (to the offpsring) and costs (to the parents). The model accounts for many aspects of blue tit reproductive biology, including the observed relationship between nestling weight and brood size and the observation that parent reproductive costs increase with brood size.
An efficient boundary element method for computing accurate stresses in two-dimensional anisotropic problems

Abstract The stresses calculated by the boundary element method are accurate everywhere except in a narrow region near the boundaries. This “boundary layer effect” is due to the presence of hypersingularities in the relevant kernals. An efficient method that eliminates the boundary layer effect and yields accurate stresses everywhere in two-dimensional anisotropic material problems is presented. This method, the modified displacement gradient method, utilizes two identities—Somigliana's identity and a second identity in terms of displacement gradients and tractions. In this method, the Somigliana's identity is used as in the traditional BEM to determine the displacements and tractions at all nodes on the boundary. All the boundary data is then used to determine the displacement gradients at each of the boundary nodes. These displacement gradients and tractions are then used in the second identity to calculate the displacement gradients (and hence strains) at interior points. The stresses are then calculated using the constitutive relationships. The modified displacement gradient method is applied to several two-dimensional elasticity problems with isotropic and orthotropic materials with circular or elliptic cutouts. Numerical studies indicate that the present method gives accurate stresses even in the boundary layer region and is computationally efficient and attractive. In conjunction with the modified displacement gradient method, three approaches that use different evaluation procedures and locations for determining displacement gradients are used. In the first approach, the averaging approach, displacement gradients are averaged at nodes common to adjacent elements. In the second approach, the non-averaging approach, displacement gradients are not averaged but are stored element-wise. In the last approach, the discontinuous element approach, the gradients are evaluated at the nodes of discontinuous elements. Numerical studies indicate that all three approaches yield nearly same stress results, and hence, any one approach can be used.
Finite temperature SU ( 2 ) Savvidy model with a nontrivial Polyakov loop

We calculate the complete one-loop effective potential for $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ gauge bosons at temperature T as a function of two variables: $\ensuremath{\varphi},$ the angle associated with a nontrivial Polyakov loop, and H, a constant background chromomagnetic field. These two variables are indicators for confinement and scale symmetry breaking, respectively. Using techniques broadly applicable to finite temperature field theories, we develop both low and high temperature expansions. At low temperatures, the real part of the effective potential ${V}_{R}$ indicates a rich phase structure, with a discontinuous alternation between confined $(\ensuremath{\varphi}=\ensuremath{\pi})$ and deconfined phases $(\ensuremath{\varphi}=0).$ The background field H moves slowly upward from its zero temperature value as T increases, in such a way that $\sqrt{\mathrm{gH}}/\ensuremath{\pi}T$ is approximately an integer. This behavior stops at ${T}_{c}=0.722(1){\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0},$ where ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}$ is a zero-temperature renormalization group invariant scale; beyond this temperature, the deconfined phase is always preferred. At high temperatures, where perturbation theory should be reliable as a consequence of asymptotic freedom, the deconfined phase $(\ensuremath{\varphi}=0)$ is always preferred, and $\sqrt{\mathrm{gH}}$ is of order ${g}^{2}(T)T.$ The imaginary part of the effective potential ${V}_{I},$ which originates in a tachyonic mode associated with the lowest Landau level, is nonzero at the global minimum of ${V}_{R}$ for all temperatures. A nonperturbative magnetic screening mass of the form ${M}_{m}{=cg}^{2}(T)T$ with a sufficiently large coefficient c removes this instability at high temperature, leading to a stable high-temperature phase with $\ensuremath{\varphi}=0$ and $H=0,$ characteristic of a weakly interacting gas of gauge particles. The value of ${M}_{m}$ obtained is comparable with lattice estimates.
The effects of foreign-currency translation accounting on security analysts' forecasts

This paper examines certain initial effects on security analysts' forecasts of earnings per share that resulted from the December 1981 change in the Financial Accounting Standards Board rules for foreign-currency accounting and reporting from Statement 8 to Statement 52. The results show that, relative to a non-Statement 52 control sample, analysts were more uncertain about future earnings when Statement 52 was initially adopted by the FASB or implemented by companies, and that analysis revised their forecasts more frequently during those periods. The revisions of analysts were positively correlated with the magnitude of the impact of the new standard on company earnings.
Chloride-Bicarbonate Exchange through the Human Red Cell Ghost Membrane Monitored by the Fluorescent Probe 6-Methoxy-N-(3-sulfopropyl)quinolinium

Abstract The exchange of chloride and bicarbonate across the human red cell membrane has been characterized by quenching of an intracellular fluorophore, 6-methoxy- N -(3-sulfopropyl)quinolinium (SPQ). In 20 mM Hepes, pH 7.4, and varying concentrations of chloride and bicarbonate with total anion concentration of 150 mM, SPQ is quenched dynamically by chloride with an apparent Stern-Volmer quenching constant 0.071 ± 0.016 mM −1 at 25°C. Hepes alone quenched SPQ fluorescence with a quenching constant of 0.030 ± 0.003 mM −1 . Stopped-flow kinetic experiments give fluorescence time courses that, when corrected for Stern-Volmer quenching, are first order. Disulfonic stilbenes (inhibitors of anion exchange) decrease the rate of fluorescence equilibration. Transport of bicarbonate via hydration-dehydration of CO 2 does not contribute to the observed kinetics. The chloride-bicarbonate exchange rate is independent of the anion concentration gradient, but increases at 25°C from 1 to 4 s −1 as equilibrium chloride concentration increases from 20 to 130 mM (with concomitant decrease in bicarbonate concentration from 130 to 20 mM). The data indicate that the translocation rate of the chloride-loaded transport protein is greater than that of bicarbonate-loaded transport protein and that bicarbonate has a higher affinity for the transport protein than chloride. Our results validate the use of SPQ to measure quantitatively chloride-bicarbonate exchange in red cell ghosts. The methods we describe should be applicable to other systems exhibiting chloride-bicarbonate exchange.
Wisconsin's Self-Help Lake Monitoring Program: A Review of the First Year — 1986

ABSTRACT The year 1986 marked the first year of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' (WDNR) “Self-Help Lake Monitoring Program.” More than 150 volunteers collected Secchi disk and lake level data on 129 lakes and lake basins throughout the state. The program served both as an educational and data collection function and continues to be a cornerstone of the state's new Lake Management Program. The Self-Help Monitoring Program's success is attributed to four aspects of the program; (1) direct personal contact between volunteers and a WDNR water quality specialist in a training situation; (2) frequent communication between WDNR and volunteers via bimonthly newsletters, individual reports, and the weekly data reporting cards WDNR received from the volunteers; (3) sense of ownership the volunteers felt toward the program; and (4) newspaper articles published in local papers notifying the public that a volunteer was collecting data on a local lake and that a report was available from WDNR. More than 1...
Building an adult ESL knowledge base: an exploratory study using an expert system

The major focus at the first phase of this study was to examine 57 language learning (LL) background features in relationship to overall grade, rate of progress, and completion of an intensive English program (IEP). Data analyses for 319 completed cases allowed the researcher to identify variables showing divergent patterns for high versus low success groups for each of the success categories. Eleven features were targeted for omission. In the second stage of the study, the focus shifted to determining the extent to which success could be accurately predicted by the expert system when basing inferences on feature constellations including LL background features only, entry proficiency features only, and LL background and entry proficiency features combined. Results indicated that entry proficiency variables were most effective when predicting low grade and high IEP completion success. Constellations including only LL background features were most effective when predicting high grades and low rate of progress. Constellations including both LL background and entry proficiency features were most effective when predicting high rate of progress and low program completion success.
A correspondence principle for relative entropy minimization

Relative entropy minimization has been proposed as an inference method for problems with information in the form of constraints on the underlying probability model. One provides a theoretical justification for this procedure through a correspondence principle. In particular, for a convex constraints set Λ, one shows that as the number of trials increases, the empirical distribution constrained to lie within Λ and associated with a discrete probability distribution p will become arbitrarily close with high probability to the distribution that minimizes the relative entropy between p and Λ
Phenomenological Z 2 lattice gauge theory of the spin-liquid state of the kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet

We construct a phenomenological ${Z}_{2}$ lattice gauge theory to describe the spin-liquid state of the $S=\frac{1}{2}$ kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet in the sector with zero total spin. The model is a natural generalization of the Misguich-Serban-Pasquier Hamiltonian with added interactions that are strongly constrained by lattice symmetries. We are able to reproduce qualitatively many of the characteristic features observed in recent numerical studies. We also make connections to the previous works along similar lines.
The Australian 'FORM' approach to guideline development: The quest for the perfect system

Background Clinical practice guidelines have been defined as systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decision-making about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances. They play an important role in guiding evidence based clinical practice. The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council has developed and pilot-tested a new framework for guideline development, the FORM approach, the role of which has yet to be further defined.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of an Expanded Square Grid Metal Organic Material, [Cu(L1)(DMF)] n ·(2.64 DMF)

A new square grid metal organic material, [Cu(L1)(DMF)]n·(2.64 DMF) (1; L1 = N-(4-carboxyphenyl)-trimellitimide), has been prepared by solvothermal reaction of Cu(NO3)2·2.5H2O, H2L1, and caffeine in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, space group C2/c, with a = 18.5176 (6) A, b = 23.7473 (7) A, c = 18.1998 (5) A, β = 107.527 (2)°, and V = 7631.7 (4) A3. The undulating sheets, formed by linking of Cu2(μ2-CO2)4 square paddlewheel nodes by the angular L1, stack to form large square channels of approximately 11.9 × 11.9 A2 running along the c axis. The geometry and conformation of the linker result in slight distortion of the grids. Further, the 147° bend angle between coordinating moieties of L1 is amenable to forming a diverse array of paddlewheel-based supramolecular isomers. We report a Cu2(μ2-CO2)4 square paddlewheel grid metal organic material (MOM) with dimensions significantly expanded beyond those of prototypal benzenedicarboxylate grids. This MOM possesses square channels and is sustained by a linker which, owing to its distinct geometry, offers the potential for supramolecular isomerism.
Elasticity Theory of the B-DNA to S-DNA Transition

We propose in this note a simple model--the two-state Worm Like Chain--to describe the elasticity of the recently discovered stress-induced transformation from B-DNA to S-DNA. The model reduces for low tractions to the well-known Worm Like chain theory, which is used to describe the elastic properties of B-DNA, while in the limit of high chain-bending moduli it reduces to the two-state Ising model proposed by Cluzel et al. for the B-S transition [Cluzel, P., A. Lebrun, C. Heller, R. Lavery, J-L. Viovy, D. Chatenay, and F. Caron. 1996. DNA: an extensible molecule. Science. 271:792-794]. Our model can be treated analytically to produce an explicit form of the force-extension relationship which agrees reasonably with the observations. We use the model to show that conformational fluctuations of the chain play a role also for the B to S transformation.
Single-particle green function of the 1D Hubbard model

Abstract For the one-dimensional Hubbard model we extended the bosonization technique, away from half filling, in such a way that a general formula is obtained for the zero temperature equal-time single-particle Green function with validity over the whole doping range. With our method we can calculate, for the first time, the one-body Green function in both the Tomonaga-Luttinger and Luther-Emery universality classes, to characterize the crossover between these two behaviors and thus, to describe the Mott transition. The method also gives a tool to determine the coefficients of the correlation functions which cannot be determined with previously used methods.
Insights into library services and users from qualitative research

Abstract In a study of users’ perceptions of library service quality, interview data were used to restructure and reorient SERVQUAL, a widely employed survey administered to customers to determine quality of service rendered. When adapted to library users’ perceptions of service quality, the new instrument, LibQUAL™ was configured as a Web-based survey, and administered to over 22,000 users of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries in North America. The data reported on here are comprised of the original interview data used to ground the Web-based survey. Interpretive and culturally-based analyses are offered as hypotheses for why the data were categorized as they were.
A characterization of ill-posed data instances for convex programming

Given a data instance of a convex program, we provide a collection of conic linear systems such that the data instance is ill-posed if and only if at least one of those systems is satisfied. This collection of conic linear systems is derived from a characterization of the boundary of the set of primal and dual feasible data instances associated with the given convex program.
IGIV: a potential role for hepatitis B prophylaxis in the bone marrow peritransplant period

Prevention of hepatitis B virus infection in transplant recipients can be difficult. Patients may be unresponsive to vaccination and intolerant of the intramuscular injections required to administer hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG). A recipient of HBsAg-positive donor cells for a bone marrow transplant received multiple i.m. injections of HBIG. This mode of antibody delivery was limited by his thrombocytopenia and neutropenia and alternative forms of passive immunization were sought. Four lots of IGIV were investigated for anti-hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) content and all were found to contain significant antibody titer. Moreover, IGIV that was administered to four bone marrow transplant recipients for medical purposes unrelated to HBV transmission produced protective anti-HBs titers in all. These studies suggest IGIV may be useful for HBV prophylaxis in the appropriate setting or if HBIG is unavailable. The optimum regimen for HBV prevention in distinct transplant settings needs to be determined.
Møller–Plesset theory for atomic ground state energies

Mo–Plesset theory, in which electron correlation energy is calculated by perturbation techniques, is used in second order to calculate energies of the ground states of atoms up to neon. The unrestricted Hartree–Fock (UHF) Hamiltonian is used as the unperturbed system and the technique is then described as unrestricted Mo–Plesset to second order (UMP2). Use of large Gaussian basis sets suggests that the limiting UMP2 energies with a complete basis of s, p, and d functions account for 75–84% of the correlation energy. Preliminary estimates of the contributions of basis functions with higher angular quantum numbers indicate that full UMP2 limits give even more accurate total energies.
Antioxidant defense in a lead accumulating plant, Sesbania drummondii

Abstract Seedlings of Sesbania drummondii were grown in 500 mg l–1 Pb(NO3)2 in presence and absence of chelators: EDTA, DTPA and HEDTA for 4 weeks. Plants were assayed for activities of the antioxidant enzymes: ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (γ-glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine) content. Activities of antioxidant enzymes were elevated in the presence of Pb but were similar to controls in plants grown in the presence of Pb and EDTA, -DTPA or -HEDTA. Glutathione content was significantly elevated upon exposure to Pb, but lowered upon exposure to chelators. Chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics were assessed by determination of Fv/Fm and Fv/Fo values. Seedling growth in Pb alone and Pb + chelators did not significantly affect photosynthetic integrity (Fv/Fo) and efficiency (Fv/Fm). The results suggest that Sesbania plants were able to tolerate Pb-induced stress using an effective antioxidant defense mechanism. This study also indicates a protective role of synthetic chelators in Pb-induced oxidative stress metabolism in a Pb-accumulating plant.
Abdominal and obstetric applications of a dynamically focused phased array real time ultrasound system

Abdominal and obstetric applications of a dynamically focused phased array real time ultrasonic system are described. This work was performed utilising both the Thaumascan (two-dimensional, high resolution, actual time, ultrasound, multi-element array scanner) and the first commercial unit based on this system, the Grumman RT-400. Examples of normal and pathological anatomy are presented from over 300 examinations performed to date, including a series of 28 abdominal aortic aneurysms studied with the RT-400. Following electronc alterations in the Thaumascan with resultant improvement in the grey scale, prospective analyses in 86 obstetric and 23 abdominal examinations were undertaken. These studies indicate that fetal, intra-uterine, and abominal structures can be rapidly and consistently imaged. The value of real time ultrasonic scanning in obstetric and abdominal examinations is illustrated. The principles of dynamically focused phased arrays are described, and the merits and limitations of these systems are discussed.
TCR-dependent differentiation of thymic Foxp3+ cells is limited to small clonal sizes

Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of high-affinity interactions between T cell receptors (TCRs) and their ligands in the selection of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (T reg cells). To determine the role of the TCR in directing T cells into the Foxp3+ lineage, we generated transgenic (Tg) mice expressing TCRs from Foxp3+ cells. Initial analyses of the TCR Tg mice crossed with RAG-deficient mice showed that the percentage of Foxp3+ cells was very low. However, intrathymic injection and bone marrow chimera experiments showed a saturable increase of the Foxp3+ population when T reg TCR Tg cells were present in low numbers. Furthermore, when analyzing whole thymi of T reg TCR Tg RAG-deficient mice, we found significantly more Foxp3+ cells than in conventional T cell TCR Tg mice. Our results indicate that although the TCR has an instructive role in determining Foxp3 expression, selection of Foxp3+ individual clones in the thymus is limited by a very small niche.
In vitro and In silico Optogenetic Control of Differentiated Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Purpose: Despite the use of a variety of differentiation protocols, no method exists to prospectively generate specific phenotypes of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CM) such as pacemaker cells. We introduced light-activated channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) into hESC, and by using in vitro and in silico approaches, we were able to optogenetically synchronize hESC-CM, both experimentally and computationally.Methods: We experimentally introduced ChR2 coupled to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) into undifferentiatedhESC via a lentiviral vector and tested for expression via PCR, flow cytometry (FC), and immunocytochemistry (ICC). hESCChR2+ were sorted, expanded, and tested for pluripotency. Via directed differentiation, wildtype hESC-CM and ChR2-CM were produced and subjected to both electrical and optical stimulation. Electrical, biochemical, and mechanical signals were then assessed by patch clamping, multielectrode arrays (MEAs), and video microscopy. To complement our in vitro approach with in silico analyses, we introduced ChR2 into an ionic cardiac cell model.Results: ChR2 was stably transduced into undifferentiated hESC and the resulting hESCChR2+ pluripotent line could be differentiated into CM, all confirmed by PCR, FC, ICC, and electrophysiological methods. Both WT-CM and ChR2-CM responded to traditional electrical stimulation and produced similar calcium and contractility features but only ChR2-CM could be synchronized by optical stimulation. In addition, by calibrating our ionic cell model with single cell action potential (AP) readings, we were able to virtually probe the impact of photostimulation stimulus amplitude, pulse width, and frequency on overall AP characteristics.Conclusions: Here we show for the first time that ChR2 can enable in vitro and in silico optical control of hESC-CM. The long-term application of optical stimulation could potentially lead to specific synchronous phenotypes of hESC-CM. This, in turn, would contribute significantly towards creating effective therapies for cardiovascular disease.
Experimental feasibility of multi-material decomposition imaging in small animal SPECT/CT system

The photon counting detectors such as cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) have powerful advantages compared to energy integrating detectors. CZT or CdTe can detect individual gamma-ray or x-ray photon with energy discrimination. In recent years, energy-resolving and material decomposition x-ray imaging based on photon counting detectors has attracted attention from biomedical imaging researchers. We evaluated a large-area (20 cm × 20 cm) CZT detector originally built as a radionuclide detector for a small animal SPECT/CT system in combination of a microfocus x-ray source with a general goal of developing a material-decomposition imaging method. In this paper, we present experimental results from a feasibility study of multi-material decomposition imaging using the developed small animal SPECT/CT system. Our small animal SPECT/CT system has the unique capability to arrange detectors and sources flexibly. For the multi-material decomposition scan, the CZT detector and the x-ray tube were re-arranged in line. List-mode data of a phantom containing 7 different materials, with a range of densities and atomic numbers, illuminated by x-ray were acquired. The x-ray exposure conditions were: 50 kVp and 0.5 mA with 1.5-mm Al filtration. The acquired image was corrected for bad and hot pixels, gain, and offset. The attenuation profiles of each material were calculated against the x-ray energy. Measured attenuation profiles of each material were in a good agreement with the reference data of the NIST physics laboratory. In this study, we demonstrated that multi-material decomposition imaging is experimentally feasible using the photon-counting CZT detector and polychromatic x-ray. Since our system allows rotation and a large active area of CZT, we will acquire material-decomposition data tomographically in the near future.
Hierarchical test generation for ASIC circuits using macro specification

Increasingly, VLSI or ULSI designs involve the interconnection of complex macros to produce large-scale systems on a chip. The complexity of the macros and the lack of accessibility to the macros in a chip make efficient test methods essential. Existing ATPG programs flatten designs; this discards the testability information at the macro level. The extent to which macro specification can include testability information which will allow efficient generation of test patterns for assemblages of these macros is discussed. A method of constructing a graph model for a gate-level circuit is illustrated. The graph model can be used for test pattern generation. Experimental results on a set of benchmark circuits are presented. They demonstrate that an improvement in ATPG performance is achieved when the graph model is used instead of the flattened gate-level circuit. >
Randomized, double-blind evaluation of azlocillin for the treatment of pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis

Patients with cystic fibrosis hospitalized because of deterioration in their pulmonary disease were randomly assigned to receive ten days of intravenous antibiotic therapy with either ticarcillin plus tobramycin (previously the standard regimen at our hospital), azlocillin plus tobramycin or azlocillin plus placebo. Pulmonary function and microbiological responses were similar in the three treatment groups, although patients receiving azlocillin and placebo tended to have a smaller reduction in the concentration of bacteria in the sputum and a greater rate of acquisition of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Overall, in-hospital treatment was associated with a significant improvement in Shwachman score, pulmonary function tests, and PO2. Improvement was noted by day 5 of therapy, continued through day 10, and was partially maintained at follow-up clinic visit one month after discharge. There was also a statistically significant reduction in sputum bacterial concentration, but patients cultured at the conclusion of antibiotic therapy still had a mean of 10(7) cfu/ml in sputum. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the principal pathogen recovered from sputum cultures in this study, was transiently suppressed to sub-detectable levels in only one patient. There was no correlation between microbiological response and change in any parameter of pulmonary function. By follow-up clinic visit, sputum bacteria had returned to pre-treatment levels, and antibiotic-resistant organisms persisted in all patients from whom they had been recovered during hospitalization.
Market Development, Industrial Development: The Case of the American Corset Trade, 1860–1920

The clothing trade in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries provides examples across the spectrum of industrial organization, and it thus offers an opportunity to compare activities and to account for the adoption of different systems. This article, based on extensive archival research in the records of corset-making companies, shows clearly the relationship between the corset industry's ability to standardize production and the adoption of operations on a larger scale than was possible in other sectors of the women's garment industry.
A High-Performance Flexible Architecture for Cryptography

Cryptographic algorithms are more efficiently implemented in custom hardware than in software running on general-purpose processors. However, systems which use hardware implementations have significant drawbacks: they are unable to respond to flaws discovered in the implemented algorithm or to changes in standards. In this paper we show how reconfigurable computing offers high performance yet flexible solutions for cryptographic algorithms. We focus on PipeRench, a reconfigurable fabric that supports implementations which can yield better than custom-hardware performance and yet maintains all the flexibility of software based systems. PipeRench is a pipelined reconfigurable fabric which virtualizes hardware, enabling large circuits to be run on limited physical hardware. We present implementations for Crypton, IDEA, RC6, and Twofish on PipeRench and an extension of PipeRench, PipeRench+. We also describe how various proposed AES algorithms could be implemented on PipeRench. PipeRench achieves speedups of between 2x and 12x over conventional processors.
HRD gene dependence of endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation

Work from several laboratories has indicated that many different proteins are subject to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) degradation by a common ER-associated machinery. This machinery includes ER membrane proteins Hrd1p/Der3p and Hrd3p and the ER-associated ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes Ubc7p and Ubc6p. The wide variety of substrates for this degradation pathway has led to the reasonable hypothesis that the HRD (Hmg CoA reductase degradation) gene-encoded proteins are generally involved in ER protein degradation in eukaryotes. We have tested this model by directly comparing the HRD dependency of the ER-associated degradation for various ER membrane proteins. Our data indicated that the role of HRD genes in protein degradation, even in this highly defined subset of proteins, can vary from absolute dependence to complete independence. Thus, ER-associated degradation can occur by mechanisms that do not involve Hrd1p or Hrd3p, despite their apparently broad envelope of substrates. These data favor models in which the HRD gene-encoded proteins function as specificity factors, such as ubiquitin ligases, rather than as factors involved in common aspects of ER degradation.
Reduced Maximal Inhibition in Phenotypic Susceptibility Assays Indicates that Viral Strains Resistant to the CCR5 Antagonist Maraviroc Utilize Inhibitor-Bound Receptor for Entry

Maraviroc is a CCR5 antagonist in clinical development as one of a new class of antiretrovirals targeting human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) coreceptor binding. We investigated the mechanism of HIV resistance to maraviroc by using in vitro sequential passage and site-directed mutagenesis. Serial passage through increasing maraviroc concentrations failed to select maraviroc-resistant variants from some laboratory-adapted and clinical isolates of HIV-1. However, high-level resistance to maraviroc was selected from three of six primary isolates passaged in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). The SF162 strain acquired resistance to maraviroc in both treated and control cultures; all resistant variants were able to use CXCR4 as a coreceptor. In contrast, maraviroc-resistant virus derived from isolates CC1/85 and RU570 remained CCR5 tropic, as evidenced by susceptibility to the CCR5 antagonist SCH-C, resistance to the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100, and an inability to replicate in CCR5 Δ32/Δ32 PBL. Strain-specific mutations were identified in the V3 loop of maraviroc-resistant CC1/85 and RU570. The envelope-encoding region of maraviroc-resistant CC1/85 was inserted into an NL4-3 background. This recombinant virus was completely resistant to maraviroc but retained susceptibility to aplaviroc. Reverse mutation of gp120 residues 316 and 323 in the V3 loop (numbering from HXB2) to their original sequence restored wild-type susceptibility to maraviroc, while reversion of either mutation resulted in a partially sensitive virus with reduced maximal inhibition (plateau). The plateaus are consistent with the virus having acquired the ability to utilize maraviroc-bound receptor for entry. This hypothesis was further corroborated by the observation that a high concentration of maraviroc blocks the activity of aplaviroc against maraviroc-resistant virus.
Tighter Bonds? Customer-Supplier Linkages in Semiconductors

ANGEL D. P. (1994) Tighter bonds? Customer-supplier linkages in semiconductors, Reg. Studies 28, 187–200. This paper examines changing linkage relations between high technology firms and their semiconductor suppliers. In an effort to improve manufacturing performance and accelerate the pace of technology development, high technology firms are establishing closer ties with semiconductor suppliers. To date, the restructuring of supplier relations has focused primarily upon increasing the flow of information among firms; stronger forms of collaboration, such as the co-development of manufacturing and technological capability, are less common. The locational effects of tight supplier linkages are weaker than anticipated, differing markedly from the intensified regionalization of manufacturing associated with just-in-time production in the automobile industry. ANGEL D. P. (1994) S'agit-il des liens plus etroits? Les relations client-fournisseur dans l'industrie des semi-conducteurs, Reg. Studies 28, 187–200. C...
Further characterization of a neutral metalloprotease isolated from human articular cartilage

The neutral metalloprotease extracted from 1,200 gm of human articular cartilage was purified 1,400- to 2,400-fold by diethylaminoethyl- and carboxymethyl-Sephadex chromatography. Disc electrophoresis and an isoelectric focusing method resolved the neutral enzyme activity into 4 bands. All bands had a similar amino acid analysis and a similar molecular weight by sodium dodecylsulfate electrophoresis and gel filtration: 24,000-27,000 daltons. The enzyme degraded proteoglycan subunit and proteoglycan aggregate to products with a sedimentation coefficient of 3S, but at low dilutions the enzyme produced 19.3S fragments. It is postulated that this protease may contribute to the development of osteoarthritis from within the cartilage matrix.
Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations investigating proton transfer in perfluorosulfonic acid functionalized carbon nanotubes

Proton dissociation and transfer were examined with ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations of carbon nanotubes (CNT) functionalized with perfluorosulfonic acid (–CF2SO3H) groups with 1–3 H2O/SO3H. The CNT systems were constructed both with and without fluorine atoms covalently bound to the walls to elucidate the effects of the presence of a strongly hydrophobic environment, the fluorine, on proton dissociation, hydration, and stabilization. The simulations revealed that the dissociated proton was preferentially stabilized as a hydrated hydronium cation (i.e., Eigen like) in the fluorinated CNTs but as a Zundel (H5O2+) cation in the nonfluorinated CNTs. This feature is attributed to the fluorine atoms forming hydrogen bonds with the water molecules coordinated to the central hydronium ion.
A CONNECTIONIST PARSER FOR STRUCTURE UNIFICATION GRAMMAR

This paper presents a connectionist syntactic parser which uses Structure Unification Grammar as its grammatical framework. The parser is implemented in a connectionist architecture which stores and dynamically manipulates symbolic representations, but which can't represent arbitrary disjunction and has bounded memory. These problems can be overcome with Structure Unification Grammar's extensive use of partial descriptions.
Development of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing at Fort Detrick, Maryland

On Oct. 19, 1971, President Nixon founded the Frederick Cancer Research Facility as a way of demonstrating his commitment to eliminate the US offensive biological warfare program and to furthering his “War on Cancer”. The following June, approximately 70 acres and 67 buildings were transferred to the National Institutes of Health. Since that time, almost every building has been renovated to accommodate new technologies and many several laboratories have been constructed. Five National Cancer Institute programs are based here, including the NCI AIDS Vaccine Research Program and its Supercomputer Program. Other Institutes have laboratories on campus, and the Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, NCI-FCRDC (as it is now known) provides technical support to other NIH laboratories, government agencies and grantees worldwide. [1]
Polymer surface reconstruction by diffusion of organic functional groups from and to the surface

Three nonpolar organic polymers containing small amounts of polar functionality were studied with regard to their surface characteristics. Two of the materials, potassium chlorate/sulfuric acid-oxidized polyethylene and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) display variable surface polarities which can be reversibly accessed by heating films of the polymers in air or aqueous sodium hydroxide. Sodium-reduced Teflon–FEP did not exhibit this characteristic. A combination of contact angle, ESCA, and ATR IR data are used to display that the surface changes are caused by migration of functional groups within the outer few tens of angstroms of the surface.
Trends, Major Medical Complications, and Charges Associated with Surgery for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis in Older Adults

Context In recent decades, the fastest growth in lumbar surgery occurred in older patients with spinal stenosis. Trials indicate that for selected patients, decompressive surgery offers an advantage over nonoperative treatment, but surgeons often recommend more invasive fusion procedures. Comorbidity is common in older patients, so benefits and risks must be carefully weighed in the choice of surgical procedure. Objective To examine trends in use of different types of stenosis operations and the association of complications and resource use with surgical complexity. Design, Setting, and Patients Retrospective cohort analysis of Medicare claims for 2002-2007, focusing on 2007 to assess complications and resource use in US hospitals. Operations for Medicare recipients undergoing surgery for lumbar stenosis (n = 32 152 in the first 11 months of 2007) were grouped into 3 gradations of invasiveness: decompression alone, simple fusion (1 or 2 disk levels, single surgical approach), or complex fusion (more than 2 disk levels or combined anterior and posterior approach). Main Outcome Measures Rates of the 3 types of surgery, major complications, postoperative mortality, and resource use. Results Overall, surgical rates declined slightly from 2002-2007, but the rate of complex fusion procedures increased 15-fold, from 1.3 to 19.9 per 100 000 beneficiaries. Life-threatening complications increased with increasing surgical invasiveness, from 2.3% among patients having decompression alone to 5.6% among those having complex fusions. After adjustment for age, comorbidity, previous spine surgery, and other features, the odds ratio (OR) of life-threatening complications for complex fusion compared with decompression alone was 2.95 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.50-3.49). A similar pattern was observed for rehospitalization within 30 days, which occurred for 7.8% of patients undergoing decompression and 13.0% having a complex fusion (adjusted OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.74-2.17). Adjusted mean hospital charges for complex fusion procedures were US $80 888 compared with US $23 724 for decompression alone. Conclusions Among Medicare recipients, between 2002 and 2007, the frequency of complex fusion procedures for spinal stenosis increased while the frequency of decompression surgery and simple fusions decreased. In 2007, compared with decompression, simple fusion and complex fusion were associated with increased risk of major complications, 30-day mortality, and resource use.
Exploring the Possibilities of Interdisciplinary Teaming

(1997). Exploring the Possibilities of Interdisciplinary Teaming. Childhood Education: Vol. 73, Young Adolescents, pp. 267-271.
SPECT imaging of odor identification in schizophrenia

Deficits in olfactory identification, despite normal odor perception, are found in some neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. We examined if regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) differed between schizophrenia patients and controls during odor identification, hypothesizing that these brain regions could be relevant to odor identification impairments. Eight schizophrenia and eight comparison subjects provided a baseline (picture identity matching) and activation (odor identification) SPECT scan, obtained using 99mTc-HMPAO in a low dose/high dose design. Six patients and seven controls had analyzable data. MEDX data saved in ANALYZE format for SPM 95 generated paired t-test statistical data for display in Talairach space, with rCBF changes given as Z-scores. There was no schizophrenia vs. control group difference in rCBF for the baseline picture-matching test. For odor identification, schizophrenia patients had a hypometabolic right-sided cortical region that included the frontal lobe Broca's area, superior temporal lobe, and supramarginal and angular gyri. Post hoc within-group contrasts of picture-matching vs. odor identification showed that the controls significantly increased rCBF in the right-sided inferior temporal fusiform gyrus, and bilateral hippocampi and visual association areas for the odor test. The schizophrenia group showed no rCBF differences for picture-matching compared to odor identification. Patients showed significant hypometabolism in right-sided cortical areas for odor identification. They also failed to show increased rCBF in the hippocampus and visual association area, as seen in controls for odor identification compared to picture-matching. These regions may be unique to schizophrenia or have broader implications for olfactory memory retrieval.