cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Continuous Electrical Conductivity Variation in M3(Hexaiminotriphenylene)2 (M = Co, Ni, Cu) MOF Alloys.

We report on the continuous fine-scale tuning of band gaps over 0.4 eV and of the electrical conductivity of over 4 orders of magnitude in a series of highly crystalline binary alloys of two-dimensional electrically conducting metal-organic frameworks M3(HITP)2 (M = Co, Ni, Cu; HITP = 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaiminotriphenylene). The isostructurality in the M3(HITP)2 series permits the direct synthesis of binary alloys (MxM'3-x)(HITP)2 (MM' = CuNi, CoNi, and CoCu) with metal compositions precisely controlled by precursor ratios. We attribute the continuous tuning of both band gaps and electrical conductivity to changes in free-carrier concentrations and to subtle differences in the interlayer displacement or spacing, both of which are defined by metal substitution. The activation energy of (CoxNi3-x)(HITP)2 alloys scales inversely with an increasing Ni percentage, confirming thermally activated bulk transport.
Multidrug resistance (mdr1) gene expression in adult acute leukemias: correlations with treatment outcome and in vitro drug sensitivity

Resistance to multiple chemotherapeutic agents has been related to the production of P-glycoprotein, a trans-membrane drug efflux pump that is encoded by the multidrug resistance (MDR) gene mdr1. To investigate whether mdr1 could be involved in clinical resistance to chemotherapy in acute leukemias, we have analyzed retrospectively the RNA from adult acute leukemia cells by slot-blot hybridization with a human mdr1 probe. Units of mdr1 expression were defined by reference to drug- sensitive human sarcoma and K562 leukemia cell lines (1 U) and the highly resistant doxorubicin selected leukemia cells K562/R7 (50 U). We studied 41 adult patients with acute leukemias: 5 acute lymphoblastic leukemias, 23 acute myeloid leukemias, and 13 secondary leukemias or blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia. Expression of 10 U or more of mdr1 was found in 6 of 31 (19%) leukemias at diagnosis, versus 5 of 10 (50%) after relapse from therapy, P = .06. The complete remission rate and in vitro sensitivity to daunorubicin were both correlated with low expression (1 U, v 2 U or more) of mdr1. Among 36 evaluable attempts to induce remission, the complete remission rate was 67% (8 of 12) for patients with undetectable or minimal mdr1 expression (1 U), versus 29% (7 of 24) in patients with 2 U or more of expression, P = .03. In vitro resistance to daunorubicin or other MDR-related drugs was associated with expression of 2 U or more of mdr1 in 11 of 11 cases, while specimens that were sensitive to these agents were negative for mdr1 expression in 5 of 11 cases, P = .03. These data suggest that mdr1 expression contributes to chemoresistance in acute leukemia. Determination of mdr1 gene expression may be useful in designing therapy for patients with leukemia.
Willingness to seek laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 with home, drive-through, and clinic-based specimen collection locations

ABSTRACT Background SARS-CoV-2 virus testing for persons with COVID-19 symptoms, and contact tracing for those testing positive, will be critical to successful epidemic control. Willingness of persons experiencing symptoms to seek testing may determine the success of this strategy. Methods A cross-sectional, online survey in the United States measured willingness to seek testing if feeling ill under different specimen collection scenarios: home-based saliva, home-based swab, drive-through facility swab, and clinic-based swab. Instructions clarified that home-collected specimens would be mailed to a laboratory for testing. We presented similar willingness questions regarding testing during follow-up care. Results Of 1435 participants, comprising a broad range of sociodemographic groups, 92% were willing to test with a home saliva specimen, 88% with home swab, 71% with drive-through swab, and 60% with clinic collected swab. Moreover, 68% indicated they would be more likely to get tested if there was a home testing option. There were no significant differences in willingness items across sociodemographic variables or for those currently experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Results were nearly identical for willingness to receive testing for follow-up COVID-19 care. Conclusions We observed a hierarchy of willingness to test for SARS-CoV-2, ordered by the degree of contact required. Home specimen collection options could result in up to one-third more symptomatic persons seeking testing, facilitating contact tracing and optimal clinical care. Remote specimen collection options may ease supply chain challenges and decrease the likelihood of nosocomial transmission. As home specimen collection options receive regulatory approval, they should be scaled rapidly by health systems.
Traffic Incident Detection from Massive Multivariate Time-Series Data

Automatic incident detection (AID) aims to programatically detect vehicle traffic incidents from real-time traffic data, and improvements in AID are vital for future technology such as smart-city traffic planning. In this research we use a simple machine learning model (AdaBoost) applied to freely available traffic data from the Caltrans Performance Measurement System (PeMS) to develop a state of the art AID mechanism. In addition we discuss related work in AID to date, introduce and explore the data we use in our experiments, present our methods and results, and discuss conclusions and future work.
Abstract IA14: Breast cancer evolution – Insights from single cell genomics

In this talk I will discuss our efforts to develop and apply single cell genome sequencing methods to study premalignant breast cancer invasion, as well as our efforts to build an atlas of normal cell types in human breast tissues. To study invasion in 10 patients with ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS) premalignancies we developed a Topographic Single Cell Sequencing (TSCS) method that has spatial resolution to measure genomic copy number profiles in patients with synchronous DCIS-IDC tissues. Our data revealed a multi-clonal invasion model, in which genome evolution occurred within the ducts leading to the generation of multiple clones that co-migrated across the basement membrane to establish the invasive carcinomas. Our group is leading a collaborative effort to establish a human breast atlas of normal tissues using single cell RNA sequencing of 30 women. These data have identified major cell types including epithelial cells (luminal HR+, luminal secretory, basal), fibroblasts, adipocytes and endothelial cells (vascular, lymphatic) as well as immune cells (lymphocytes, myeloid). For each cell type, we have identified multiple (2-5) expression states that correspond to different biological functions. Collectively these data provide a ‘human genome’ reference of normal cell types and cell states in the human breast tissues to understand how the stromal and immune microenvironment is reprogrammed in breast cancers. Citation Format: Nicholas E. Navin. Breast cancer evolution – Insights from single cell genomics [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Heterogeneity: From Single Cells to Clinical Impact; 2020 Sep 17-18. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(21 Suppl):Abstract nr IA14.
Trust beliefs, biases, and behaviors in borderline personality disorder: Empirical findings and relevance to epistemic trust

This review summarizes empirical research on trust in BPD, including three primary areas: the prevalence of paranoia, trustworthiness appraisals, and trust-related behaviors in economic exchange paradigms. Connections to the largely theoretical study of epistemic trust in BPD are highlighted. In trust appraisal paradigms, people with BPD have a bias to rate others as untrustworthy. In behavioral exchange games, they report lower trust in partners and are more likely to rupture cooperation. Recent research has suggested potential explanations for these findings, including differences in affective processing, aberrant social norms and expectations, and difficulty attending to and incorporating social cues. People with BPD commonly experience paranoia, generally regard others as untrustworthy, and act accordingly. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms of altered trust processing and to integrate empirical research with recent theoretical research on epistemic trust.
Primary Purpose for Committing a Crime and Past-30 Day Opioid Misuse: A Statewide Sample of Justice-Involved Children:

The prevalence of opioid misuse (OM) among justice-involved children (JIC) is significantly higher than children in the general population, yet little research has examined the predictors of OM amo...
Electric Fields Near Coated Surfaces: Application to Damage Protection

Damage to transparent materials from intense light pulses usually begins at the exit surface. This is usually explained by "constructive" interference between incident and reflected waves: The total electric field may exceed the threshold for damage only upon reflection from the exit surface. However, in case of a surface coated with a thin film, interference may either increase or decrease the total electric field. Details depend on the optical constants, thickness, and wavelengths. A film designed to provide protection against excessive electric fields at one wavelength may not do so at other wavelengths. Also, attempts to minimize the field in the material proper may entail novel problems in the film, in which the damage mechanism may be an absorptive one.
The Academic Rating Criteria for Knowledge Web-Based in Thailand

With rapidly growth of the Information Technology (IT), the original aim of the words “Ranking” was to promote Web publication, not only to rank institutions and organizations. By supporting public open access initiatives, electronic accesses to scientific publications and to other academic materials are primary targets. The result for these reasons, the number of web publication in Thailand has been increasing in each year. The main behavior of most people in cyber world, they prefer to search information before deciding to do something, especially in a part of people in academic areas and business professionals. Searching information and reading information from websites may create a strong and reliable research, academic reports, and making potential documents for business organizations. In order to have some confidences of the contexts in the websites that they can apply and analyze into the business reports, the reliable sources of information may be required a standard ranking. With fully reliable web contents, they can provide the real benefits in terms of money, and reputation for those contexts. However, trustee, reliability and confidence come from several conditions. In academic institutions, most students and instructors refer to specific contexts from the available websites that they can do the reports or create some class materials. Hence, the reliability of websites is very important which it may let others believe in the reports or academic papers. This may assist students and instructors to improve their studies and research. This research mainly studied, analyzed and mapped the rating criteria which related to the trust of information on available websites. The target data was gathered from the lecturers of both private and public universities in Thailand via a survey online. In order to precisely understand the weighting of criteria, the rating criteria scale and weighting for each of criteria, the focusing groups in discussion about web publication criteria, and other conditions and factors concerned will be investigated. Giving such opinions of the expertise of the Internet Service Provider (ISP), students, lecturers and the Government Agency may be included as recommendations and further study.
Statistical signal processing for an implantable ethanol biosensor.

The understanding of drinking patterns leading to alcoholism has been hindered by an inability to unobtru- sively measure ethanol consumption over periods of weeks to months in the community environment. Signal processing for an implantable ethanol MEMS bio sensor under simultaneous development is described where the sensor-signal processing system will provide a novel approach to this need. For safety and user acceptability issues, the sensor will be implanted subcutaneously and therefore measure peripheral-tissue ethanol concentration. A statistical signal processing system based on detailed models of the physiology and using extended Kalman filtering and dynamic programming tools is described which determines ethanol consumption and kinetics in other com- partments from the time course of peripheral-tissue ethanol concentration.
Ingroup Favoritism and Outgroup Derogation: Effects of News Valence, Character Race, and Recipient Race on Selective News Reading

This study examined whether the positive or negative valence of a news story, and the race of the character portrayed in the story, would influence Black or White readers' selection of a story. The study employed selective exposure methodology to unobtrusively measure story selections among Black and White readers as they browsed a news site. The results demonstrated Black newsreaders were more likely to select and read positive and negative stories featuring their racial ingroup, and more likely to select and read negative vis-a-vis positive stories about their outgroup. In contrast, Whites' story preference was not affected by story valence or character race. Theoretical assumptions from social identity, social comparison, and social cognitive theories are used to explain the findings.
What’s Your Problem?

Monday morning a corporate client asks you to draft a press release announcing a recall of one of its toys that contained lead paint, alerting its customers, but cautiously avoiding any admissions of liability. The following day, a different client, who professes his innocence, asks whether he should accept a guilty plea with a reduced sentence or risk going to trial. The next day, a client asks you to review an offer to settle an allegation of copyright infringement for downloading a movie. Then, in another case, a supervisor asks you to argue a motion to dismiss a complaint, but there appears to be no legal or factual basis to support the motion. Finally, on Friday, a landlord seeks your help when one of his tenants accuses another tenant of sexual harassment. These are just some of the types of problems lawyers could face in just one week. Would law students know how to solve them? No matter what the legal issue or setting, understanding and applying a problem-solving methodology and focusing on the client in each case can help prepare students for practice. Students engaged in problem solving in law school benefit from experiencing the primary role of a lawyer: a problem-solver, enabling students to see the connection between legal knowledge, theory, and skills to help achieve a client’s goals.
Modulating factors for the Pkn4 kinase cascade in regulating 6-phosphofructokinase in Myxococcus xanthus.

Summary Myxococcus xanthus, a Gram-negative developmental bacterium, contains a large number of protein Ser/Thr kinases (PSTKs). Among these PSTKs, Pkn4 has been shown to be 6-phosphofructokinase (PFK) kinase. PFK associates with the regulatory domain of Pkn4 (Pkn4RD) and is activated by Pkn4-mediated phosphorylation. The activation of PFK is required to consume glycogen accumulated during early development and is essential for efficient sporulation. Using the yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified three new factors, MkapA, MkapB and MkapC, that interact with Pkn4 and each contains well-known protein–protein interaction domains. MkapB contains eight tandem repeats of the TPR (tetratrico peptide repeat) domain and its interaction with Pkn4RD was phosphorylation-dependent. MkapB remained associated with Pkn4RD. As a result, Pkn4 did not interact with PFK and its activation was inhibited. While deletion of the pfk-pkn4 operon did not inhibit fruiting body formation, the spore yield was low. In contrast, a mkapB deletion mutant exhibited a 24 h delay in fruiting body formation, accumulated less glycogen in the stationary phase and gave rise to 3.2% spore formation as opposed to 100% attained with DZF1. In addition to Pkn4, MkapA associated with other membrane-associated PSTKs, Pkn1, Pkn2, Pkn8 and Pkn9, while MkapB associated with Pkn8 and Pkn9, and MkapC with Pkn8. These results indicate that there are complex PSTK networks in M. xanthus that share common modulating factors.
Mathematics in Computer Science Curricula

Mathematics provides the theoretical foundation to computer science. So, it is not surprising that mathematics finds its way into computer science curricula, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. They come in many guises: - Mathematics courses, e.g., Logic, Number Theory; - "Mathematics for Computer Scientists" courses, e.g., Probability and Statistics for Computer Science, Introduction to Feedback Control Systems (for Roboticists); - Computational X where is a field of mathematics or science, e.g., Computational Geometry, Scientific Computing; - Theoretical computer science courses, e.g., Algorithms, Semantics.As the field of computer science evolves, I have seen an increase in the numbers of courses in the second and third categories. In my talk I will comment on how the maturation of computer science as a discipline has affected the role of mathematics in undergraduate and graduate computer science curricula, and on the implications these changes have had on our faculty and students. My views will be based on my experience with the academic programs offered by Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science.
Comparative analysis of flagellin sequences from Escherichia coli strains possessing serologically distinct flagellar filaments with a shared complex surface pattern.

Escherichia coli morphotype E flagellar filaments have a characteristic surface pattern of short-pitch loops when examined by electron microscopy. Seven of the 50 known E. coli H (flagellar antigen) serotypes (H1, H7, H12, H23, H45, H49, and H51) produce morphotype E filaments. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify flagellin structural (fliC) genes from E. coli strains producing morphotype E flagellar filaments and from strains with flagellar filaments representing other morphotypes. A single DNA fragment was obtained from each strain, and the size of the amplified DNA correlated with the molecular mass of the corresponding flagellin protein. This finding and hybridization data suggest that these bacteria are monophasic. fliC genes from three E. coli serotypes (H1, H7, and H12) possessing morphotype E flagellar filaments were sequenced in order to assess the contribution of conserved flagellin primary sequence to the characteristic filament architecture. The H1 and H12 fliC sequences were identical in length (1,788 bp), while the H7 fliC sequence was shorter (1,755 bp). The deduced molecular masses of the FliC proteins were 60,857 Da (H1), 59,722 Da (H7), and 60,978 Da (H12). The H1, H7, and H12 flagellins demonstrated 98 to 99% identity over the amino-terminal region (190 amino acid residues) and 89% (H7) to 99% (H1 and H12) identity in the carboxy-terminal region (100 amino acid residues). The complete primary amino acid sequences for H1 and H12 flagellins differed by only 10 amino acids, accounting for previously reported serological cross-reactions. However, the central region of H7 flagellin had only 38% identity with H1 and H12 flagellins.The characteristic morphology of morphotype E flagellar filaments is therefore not dependent on a highly conserved primary sequence within the exposed central region. Comparison of morphotype E E. coli flagellins with those from E. coli K-12, Serratia marcescens, and several Salmonella serovars supported the established concept of highly conserved terminal regions flanking a variable central region. Images
The Position of the Tibia during Graft Fixation Affects Knee Kinematics and Graft Forces for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Ten cadaveric knees (donor ages, 36 to 66 years) were tested at full extension, 15 degrees, 30 degrees, and 90 degrees of flexion under a 134-N anterior tibial load. In each knee, the kinematics as well as in situ force in the graft were compared when the graft was fixed with the tibia in four different positions: full knee extension while the surgeon applied a posterior tibial load (Position 1), 30 degrees of flexion with the tibia at the neutral position of the intact knee (Position 2), 30 degrees of flexion with a 67-N posterior tibial load (Position 3), and 30 degrees of flexion with a 134-N posterior tibial load (Position 4). For Positions 1 and 2, the anterior tibial translation and the in situ forces were up to 60% greater and 36% smaller, respectively, than that of the intact knee. For Position 3, knee kinematics and in situ forces were closest to those observed in the intact knee. For Position 4, anterior tibial translation was significantly decreased by up to 2 mm and the in situ force increased up to 31 N. These results suggest that the position of the tibia during graft fixation is an important consideration for the biomechanical performance of an anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed knee.
Differential-mode EMI emission prediction of SiC-based power converters using a mixed-mode unterminated behavioral model

With the high electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise generated by fast-switching-speed devices, it is crucial to learn about EMI noise generation and propagation in the systems and design effective EMI filters. EMI behavioral models have been verified as an effective tool to predict common-mode (CM) and differential-mode (DM) EMI noise and aid in EMI filter design. However, these models cannot predict the effect of the cross-coupled DM and CM noise, which is more likely to be present when operating at a high switching frequency. Accordingly, this paper explains the cross-coupled effect that noise generation and propagation have in an inverter system. A mix-mode unterminated behavioral model is proposed to capture the DM noise at the input DC terminals considering the mixed CM effect. The model accuracy is verified to 30 MHz in experiments carried out on a three-phase SiC MOSFET inverter.
Systemic zinc redistribution and dyshomeostasis in cancer cachexia

Cachexia affects up to two thirds of all cancer patients and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. It is a complex metabolic syndrome associated with the underlying illness and characterized by loss of skeletal muscle tissue with or without loss of fat mass. Cachexia’s other prominent clinical symptoms include anorexia, systemic inflammation, pediatric growth failure, and hypogonadism. The relationship between the symptoms of cancer cachexia and the underlying illness is unclear, and there is an urgent need for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of this syndrome. Normal Zn metabolism is often disrupted in cancer patients, but the possible effects of systemic Zn dyshomeostasis in cachexia have not been investigated. We propose that the acute phase response can mediate Zn redistribution and accumulation in skeletal muscle tissue and contribute to the activation of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway that regulates protein catabolism. This chronic redistribution deprives Zn from other tissues and organs and compromises critical physiological functions in the body. The cardinal symptoms of Zn deficiency are anorexia, systemic inflammation, growth failure in children, and hypogonadism. These symptoms also prominently characterize cancer cachexia suggesting that the role of systemic Zn dyshomeostasis in cachexia should be investigated.
Obtaining Eggs from Xenopus laevis Females

The eggs of Xenopus laevis intact, lysed, and/or fractionated are useful for a wide variety of experiments. This protocol shows how to induce egg laying, collect and dejelly the eggs, and sort the eggs to remove any damaged eggs.
Na+‐K+ pump cycle during β‐adrenergic stimulation of adult rat cardiac myocytes

1The mechanisms underlying the increase in Na+-K+ pump current (Ip) caused by adrenergic stimulation were investigated in cultured adult rat cardiac myocytes using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique at 31-33 °C. 2In myocytes perfused internally with 50 mm Na+ (0 Ki+, 20 nM Ca2+, caesium aspartate solution) and externally with 5.4 mm K+o, noradrenaline (NA) and isoprenaline (Iso) (1-50 μm) stimulated Ip by 40-45 %. 3Na+-dependent transient Ip measurements with 0 mm K+i and 0 mm K+o revealed no change in the total charge transferred by the Na+-K+ pump during the conformational change, suggesting that the pump site density was not changed by adrenergic stimulation (2630 ± 370 pumps μm−2 in control and 2540 ± 190 pumps μm−2 in the presence of 10 μm NA). 4With saturating Na+i or K+o (150 and 15-20 mm, respectively), Ip was still stimulated by NA and Iso. Thus, there was no indication that adrenergic activation of the Na+-K+ pump was mediated by accumulation of Na+i and K+o or changes in the Na+-K+ pump affinity for Na+i and K+o. 5Both Ip and its increase under adrenergic stimulation were found to depend on [K+]i. While steady-state Ip decreased from 2.2 ± 0.1 to 1.2 ± 0.1 pA pF−1 (P < 0.05), the stimulation of Ip by 10 μm Iso increased from 0.38 ± 0.04 to 0.67 ± 0.06 pA pF−1 (P < 0.05) with an increase in [K+]i from 0 to 100 mm. 6Under conditions that cause the Ip-Vm (membrane potential) relationship to express a positive slope ([Na+]o, 150 mm; [K+]o, 5.4 mm) or a negative slope ([Na+]o, 0; [K+]o, 0.3 mm) Iso stimulated Ip with no change in the shape of Ip-Vm curves. Thus, adrenergic stimulation of the Na+-K+ pump was not due to an alteration of voltage-dependent steps of the pump cycle. 7Simulation of these data with a six-step model of the Na+-K+ pump cycle suggested that in rat ventricular myocytes a signal from adrenergic receptors increased the Na+-K+ pump rate by modulating the rate of K+ de-occlusion and release by the pump.
A unified approach for constructing fast two-step Newton-like methods

We introduce some new very general ways of constructing fast two-step Newton-like methods to approximate a locally unique solution of a nonlinear operator equation in a Banach space setting. We provide existence-uniqueness theorems as well as an error analysis for the iterations involved using Newton-Kantorovich-type hypotheses and the majorant method. Our results depend on the existence of a Lipschitz function defined on a closed ball centered at a certain point and of a fixed radius and with values into the positive real axis. Special choices of this function lead to favorable comparisons with results already in the literature. Some applications to the solution of nonlinear integral equations appearing in radiative transfer as well as to the solution of integral equations of Uryson-type are also provided.
Teacher Verbal and Nonverbal Behaviors and their Relationship to Personality

The purpose of the investigation was to develop a reliable category system for first-hand systematic observation of teacher behaviors and to determine relationships between observed behaviors and measures of personality.A category system was developed in an inductive manner. Teacher behaviors were encoded from video tape recordings onto a data record using 10-second time intervals. Video tape recordings of eight biology teachers were analyzed. The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey was administered. The behavioral and personality data were correlated using nonparametric statistics. The instrument met the stated definition of a reliable category system. Significant positive correlations were found between the behavioral and personality data, but there were less than one would expect to find by chance alone.
Derivation of a new force field for crystal-structure prediction using global optimization: Nonbonded potential parameters for amines, imidazoles, amides, and carboxylic acids

New nonbonded parameters of a “6-exp-1” all-atom force field are presented for amines, imidazoles, amides, and carboxylic acids. These results are part of our work to derive a general force field for the prediction of crystal and protein structures (the nonbonded parameters for aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons and alcohols were published recently, J. Phys. Chem. B 2003, 107, 7143). The parameters were derived by using our global-optimization-based method (J. Phys. Chem. B 2003, 107, 712) which provides the best possible set of parameters for crystal structure prediction for a given form of the potential. The method consists of two steps. First, an initial set of parameters is derived from ab initio quantum mechanical interaction energies of dimers; then, the initial set is refined to satisfy the following criteria: the parameters should reproduce the observed crystal structures and sublimation enthalpies, and the experimental crystal structure should correspond to the global minimum of the potential. ...
Twenty-year review of the surgical management of perianal Crohn's disease.

PURPOSE: A retrospective analysis of 48 patients treated over a 20-year period (March 1973–April 1993) was undertaken to assess the results of our practice of early surgical intervention in suppurative complications of perianal Crohn's disease. METHODS: All patients were either seen in the office within the last six months or contacted by phone. RESULTS: The average age of our patients was 30 years at initial diagnosis. Thirty-four patients (71 percent) initially presented with intestinal disease and four (8 percent) with only perianal disease. Thirteen patients (27 percent) initially presented with simultaneous intestinal and perianal disease. The various fistulas at initial presentation included 8 intersphincteric (17 percent), 14 transphincteric (29 percent), 11 complex or multiple (23 percent), 5 rectovaginal (10 percent), and 2 unclassified, for a total of 40 patients. Eight patients (17 percent) presented with only an abscess. Eighty five percent of our patients healed after their first procedure, with an average time to heal of 2.8 months. Thirteen (27 percent) patients had recurrences after initial healing of their wounds. The mean time to recurrence after healing was 5.25 years. Fifty-four percent of our recurrences (7 patients) were treated by incision and drainage of an abscess only. Seven of 13 recurrences healed after the second procedure (54 percent), and 5 of 6 healed after a third procedure (83 percent). Only seven (14 percent) of our patients underwent a proctocolectomy during the study period, through September, 1993. Our overall probability of avoiding proctectomy and healing perineal wounds of 86 percent is consistent with published literature. CONCLUSIONS: Early aggressive surgical management of suppurative complications of perianal Crohn's disease before complex management problems ensue results in a high incidence of healing and a low risk of subsequent proctectomy.
Influence of sexual maturity of donor on in vivo survival of transferred porcine embryos.

A study was conducted to determine whether embryos recovered from first-estrous (pubertal) and second-estrous gilts differed in survival when transferred to first- or third-estrous recipients. Embryos were recovered surgically from first- and second-estrous donors 48-72 h postmating and 6-10 normal embryos/zygotes (1-4 cells) were transferred to oviducts (3-5 embryos/ampulla) of nonmated synchronous first- (n = 40) or third- (n = 15) estrous recipients. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of recipient gilts on Days 3, 12, and 30 of gestation and the sera were analyzed for progesterone and free (unconjugated) estrogens by use of radioimmunoassays. Recipient gilts were subsequently slaughtered between Days 30 and 40 to assess embryonic losses. Mean number of ovulations was lower among first-estrous vs. third-estrous recipients (8.9 +/- 0.7 vs. 11.4 +/- 0.7; p 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ramp Metering Influence on Freeway Operational Safety near On-ramp Exits

Ramp metering has been widely installed in urban areas where congestion on a freeway or an expressway may occur recurrently during weekday peak periods to enhance mainline throughput and reduce system-wide delay. These operational benefits may also help reduce vehicular emissions and improve air quality in urban areas. However, the impact on traffic safety due to ramp metering hasn't been explored in details before. Supported by physical understanding and arguments, we characterize the ramp metering influence on freeway safety by examining vehicular collisions near on-ramp exits within the ramp meter operating hours before and after the activation of the ramp metering. Collisions for a sample of 19 operating ramp meters along several freeways in northern California were collected and organized to show that ramp metering can help reduce freeway collisions at the vicinity of on-ramp exits. It was found that the average reductions on freeway collisions in the vicinity of an on-ramp exit are around 36%. Altho...
Automated Comparative Proteomics Based on Multiplex Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Stable Isotope Labeling

Comparative proteomic approaches using isotopic labeling and MS have become increasingly popular. Conventionally quantification is based on MS or extracted ion chromatogram (XIC) signals of differentially labeled peptides. However, in these MS-based experiments, the accuracy and dynamic range of quantification are limited by the high noise levels of MS/XIC data. Here we report a quantitative strategy based on multiplex (derived from multiple precursor ions) MS/MS data. One set of proteins was metabolically labeled with [13C6]lysine and [15N4]arginine; the other set was unlabeled. For peptide analysis after tryptic digestion of the labeled proteins, a wide precursor window was used to include both the light and heavy versions of each peptide for fragmentation. The multiplex MS/MS data were used for both protein identification and quantification. The use of the wide precursor window increased sensitivity, and the y ion pairs in the multiplex MS/MS spectra from peptides containing labeled and unlabeled lysine or arginine offered more information for, and thus the potential for improving, protein identification. Protein ratios were obtained by comparing intensities of y ions derived from the light and heavy peptides. Our results indicated that this method offers several advantages over the conventional XIC-based approach, including increased sensitivity for protein identification and more accurate quantification with more than a 10-fold increase in dynamic range. In addition, the quantification calculation process was fast, fully automated, and independent of instrument and data type. This method was further validated by quantitative analysis of signaling proteins in the EphB2 pathway in NG108 cells.
Amphibian Community Response to Variation in Habitat Structure and Competitor Density

Abstract Habitat destruction and alteration is a major cause of population declines; thus, habitat restoration is essential for preventing species extinctions. Habitat restoration, however, may be hindered by an inadequate understanding of species' habitat requirements. Habitat structure may play a major role in influencing the biotic interactions among species. Pond-breeding amphibians are one group that has experienced loss and alteration of critical habitats. Vegetation structure in wetland environments may be important to amphibian larvae if its presence mediates biotic interactions, such as competition, which can affect growth and survival to metamorphosis. Despite the potential importance of habitat structure and competition, few studies have examined these factors simultaneously. In a full-factorial pond mesocosm experiment, we tested for the effects of variation in habitat structure and density of a larger tadpole competitor (Rana pipiens, northern leopard frog) on development and survival of thre...
L2 multipliers with power weights

Abstract Necessary and sufficient conditions are found for a multiplier operator to be bounded on L 2 of the line with weight | x | 2 α . This paper is concerned primarily with the case α> 1 2 . Multiplier operators are defined on these spaces by using the usual definition on a subspace that is shown to be dense in the space. The case α 1 2 is treated by duality; |α| 1 2 is briefly treated using a recent result on fractional integrals. The periodic case is also sketched.
Mothers' reactions to their newborn infants.

Abstract A detailed examination of videotapes taken at the time of the newborn's presentation to his or her mother and a follow-up of these mothers and their infants at 6 months was undertaken. The correlations between the delivery room behaviors and later maternal and child behaviors were examined. Emphasis is on the need for clinical attentiveness to those delivery room variables that may impede the process of mother-infant bonding. A mother's mixed feelings about the sex of her child and the pain she experiences at the time of presentation are proposed as possible factors that may impede this process.
Interobservational variation in determining fusion rates in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedures

The fusion rate represents one of the most commonly used criteria for evaluating the efficacy of spinal surgical techniques and the effectiveness of newly developed instrumentation and spinal implants. Reported fusion rates are not frequently supported by adequate information regarding by whom and how fusion was defined. In our prospective study we examined the fusion rate in patients undergoing first time anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for degenerative disease. Separate, well-defined radiographic fusion criteria were used and the 12-month post-operative X-rays were reviewed independently by a neurosurgeon, a neuroradiologist and an orthopedic surgeon, who were not involved in the patients’ management. The observed fusion rates were 77.3, 87.8 and 84.7% respectively. Statistical analysis demonstrated concordance rates of 87.8, 91 and 91.4% and Kappa coefficients of 0.585, 0.620 and 0.723 for each pair of evaluators. Another set of ratings of the same radiographs, by the same interviewers, was obtained 6 weeks after the initial one. The reported fusion rates were 78.2% for the neurosurgeon, 87.4% for the orthopedic surgeon, and 86.1% for the neuroradiologist. Statistical analysis demonstrated intra-observer concordance rates of 98.7, 92.2 and 97.9% respectively, while the Kappa coefficients were 0.963, 0.677 and 0.907 for each reviewer. Our findings confirm the necessity of defining and describing criteria for fusion whenever this rate is reported in clinical series. The lack of widely accepted, well-defined criteria makes comparison of these results difficult. The development of a well organized, prospective clinical study in which fusion and outcome will be assessed by both clinical and radiographic parameters could significantly contribute to a more accurate evaluation of overall outcome of cervical spinal procedures.
Some variational formulas for Hausdorff dimension, topological entropy, and SRB entropy for hyperbolic dynamical systems

We derive several variational formulas for the topological entropy and SRB entropy of Axiom A flows on compact manifolds and for the Hausdorff dimension of basic sets for Axiom A diffeomorphisms on compact surfaces.
Cytochrome c at Model Membrane Surfaces: Exploration via Second Harmonic Generation-Circular Dichroism and Surface-Enhanced Resonance Raman Spectroscopy

The novel nonlinear optical method of second harmonic generation-circular dichroism (SHG-CD) has been used to follow the adsorption and redox properties of a peripheral membrane protein, horse heart cytochrome c, adsorbed at several model membrane surfaces. The SHG-CD response is shown to be affected by the oxidation state of the heme within surface-adsorbed cytochrome c, as is consistent with the sensitivity of SHG to the chirality of the heme. SHG-CD measurements show that adsorbed cytochrome c is reducible by ascorbate at alkanethiol surfaces, but not at phospholipid/alkanethiol hybrid bilayer membranes (HBMs). The adsorption of cytochrome c at the model membrane surfaces was verified by surface plasmon resonance. Surface-enhanced resonance Raman measurements show that cytochrome c adsorbed on a hybrid bilayer membrane retains the Fe-heme conformation associated with solution-phase cytochrome c and is reducible by applying potential to the supporting electrode. The inability of ascorbic acid to reduce ...
Optimization via efficient learning in CNNs: Cognitively-motivated temporal discount functions in SRNNs

Cellular Neural Networks (CNNs) are universal computing machines embodying basic computational principles of cortical tissues. Simultaneous Recurrent Neural Networks (SRNNs) have shown clear advantages in solving complex optimization and decision making problems. Based on biological intuition, we introduce temporal discount functions in training SRNNs as a generalization of the adaptive learning rate concept. The proposed procedure results in drastic, 3-5-fold acceleration of learning, demonstrated through the maze navigation problem.
Interaction of tacrine and velnacrine with neocortical synaptosomal membranes : relevance to Alzheimer's disease

The acridine-based, potential Alzheimer's disease therapeutic agents, tacrine and velnacrine, were incubated with rat or gerbil neocortical synaptosomal membranes. Electron paramagnetic resonance employing a protein-specific spin label was used to monitor this interaction. Analogous to their effects in erythrocyte membranes [Butterfield and Rangachari (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 185: 596–603], in the present studies both agents decreased segmental motion of spin labeled synaptosomal membrane proteins, consistent with increased cytoskeletal protein-protein interactions (0.001<P<0.005), and tacrine was more potent than velnacrine. Thse results are discussed with possible relevance to molecular actions of the agents and molecular alterations in Alzheimer's disease.
INPUT–OUTPUT STRUCTURE AND NOMINAL RIGIDITY: THE PERSISTENCE PROBLEM REVISITED

This paper revisits an important issue concerning the persistent real effect of a shock to monetary policy. Although recent sentiment has shifted away from price stickiness toward wage stickiness in explaining persistence, the present paper shows that introducing an input–output structure tends to make the former an equally important monetary transmission mechanism. Under staggered wage setting, the well-known relative-wage effect is the only source of endogenous sluggishness in wage, and thus price, adjustments, regardless of whether there is an intermediate input. Under staggered price setting, relative wages are constant, but the presence of an intermediate input creates a real-wage effect that prevents nominal wages from deviating too much from a sticky intermediate-input price. Meanwhile, stickiness in the intermediate-input price translates directly into sluggishness in marginal-cost movement. This reinforces the endogenous rigidity in the nominal wages and makes firms' pricing decisions even more rigid. Thus, although it makes no difference in output dynamics under staggered wage setting, the input–output structure improves the ability of staggered price setting in generating persistence. As a consequence, the conventional wisdom on the equivalence of price and wage staggering may continue to hold for some reasonable parameter values.
Alkyd resins from fumaric and maleic modified pine oleoresin

Fumaric and maleic modified pine oleoresin can be used to prepare oil modified nonphthalic alkyd-type surface coating vehicles. These vehicles may find use in trim enamels, concrete maintenance paints, and as a fortifier for linseed oil exterior paints. Processing of these resins requires that the temperature be raised to 285°C. for 1 to 1.5 hours and then lowered to 265°C. for a time during the procedure. Fumaric modifications may hold some advantages over maleic modifications. Clear films formed from these resins are characterized by good hardness, flexibility, adhesion, toughness, gloss, and color retention. The shorter oil length resins exhibit these properties to the greatest extent.
Ionic equilibria in a protein conjugate of a sulfonamide type.

Abstract The acidity constants of the (CH 3 ) 2 N-group of 5-dimethylamino- i -naphthalene sulfonyl conjugates of glycine and of bovine serum albumin have been compared. In the native protein environment, p K a is shifted by over 2.3 pH units. Denaturation of the protein by 8 M urea reduced the shift in p K a to 0.9 unit. These and related observations are interpreted in terms of changes in the nature of the hydration lattice of the protein molecule.
Vaccinia virus encodes a secretory polypeptide structurally related to complement control proteins

Several polypeptides are secreted into the medium of cells infected with vaccinia virus, a cytoplasmic DNA virus belonging to the poxvirus family. One of these, a polypeptide of relative molecular mass 19,0001 is structurally related to epidermal growth factor2–4 and binds to epidermal growth factor receptor stimulating proliferation of uninfected cells in vitro6–7 and in vivo8. Here, we show that a second, and much more abundant secretory polypeptide, is also encoded by vaccinia virus and is structurally related to the superfamily of complement control proteins. Members of this family can block complement-mediated induction of the inflammatory response, and engulfment, killing and lysis of bacteria and viruses9,10.
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone reverses the supersensitively depressed monosynaptic transmission by serotonin in 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine-treated neonatal rats in vitro

Abstract The interaction of serotonin and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) on onosynaptic reflex (MSR) in isolated neonatal spinal cords was examined. Superfusion of serotonin (1–30 μM) in untreated cords, depressed the MSR in a dose-dependent manner. The depression was about 25% at 10 μM of serotonin, in either control or vehicle-treated groups. While for the same concentratio oof serotonin, the depression was 97±2.1% of the control in cords from 5,7 dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT)-treated animals. The inhibition of the reflex seen in cords obtained from 5,7 DHT-treated animals could not be reversed by washing with normal physiological solution (>60 min) or in presence of serotonin antagonists. TRH (0.03–1.0 μM) reversed the depression in a concentration-dependent manner and complete reversal could be seen with 1 μM of TRH. These observations indicate that, serotonin and TRH act dissimilarly on the spinal synaptic transmission though they are known to coexist in the descending bulbospinal tracts.
Missiles in the heart

Abstract The records of 24 patients who had a missile retained in the heart and who were treated at Grady Memorial Hospital from 1968 to 1987 were reviewed. In 22, the missile lodged in the heart after its direct injury and in the remaining 2, after the ballet injured a systemic vein. Immediately after the cardiac injury, 7 of the 22 patients were seen with cardiac tamponade (3 also had hemothorax), 11 were seen with hemothorax, 5 were asymptomatic, and 1 was in shock. Seven patients underwent emergency thoracotomy; the bullet was removed in 3, but in the remaining 4 patients, it was not located. In the other 17 patients and in the 4 in whom the bullet could not be found during emergency thoracotomy, the diagnosis was suspected from the chest roentgenograms and confirmed by cardiac fluoroscopy or angiocardiography. Eight patients with retained bullets underwent elective operation; the bullet was removed from 7 and in 1 it was left embedded the right ventricular septum. All 10 patients who underwent excision of the missile recovered without complication except 1 in whom pericarditis developed, and all were followed for up to 17 years. All 14 patients with a retained missile in the heart had no cardiac symptoms referable to the bullet and were followed for up to 15 years. This experience suggests that the management of patients with a bullet of .38 caliber or smaller that is retained in the heart should be individualized according to the patient's clinical course and the site of the bullet and that in select patients, bullets left in the heart are tolerated well.