cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An unmatched case controlled study of clinicopathologic abnormalities in dogs with Bartonella infection

We compared clinicopathologic findings in dogs with Bartonella infection to Bartonella spp. negative dogs suspected of a vector-borne disease. Cases (n=47) and controls (n=93) were selected on the basis of positive or negative enrichment culture PCR results, respectively. Signalment, clinicopathologic findings and treatments were extracted from medical records. DNA sequencing identified Bartonella henselae (n=28, 59.6%), Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (n=20, 42.6%), Bartonella koehlerae (n=3, 6.4%), Bartonella volans-like (n=3, 6.4%) and Bartonella bovis (n=1, 2.1%). There were no significant differences in age, breed, size, sex or neuter status between cases and controls. Dogs infected with Bartonella sp. often had a history of weight loss [OR=2.82; 95% CI: 1.08-7.56] and were hypoglobulinemic [OR=4.26; 95% CI: 1.31-14.41]. With the exception of weight loss and hypoglobulinemia, clinicopathologic abnormalities in Bartonella-infected dogs in this study were similar to dogs suspected of other vector-borne infections.
The transplacental effects of ethanol and metronidazole in swiss webster mice

The fetotoxicity and teratogenicity of metronidazole and ethanol administered alone and together were studied in Swiss Webster mice. We found that both metronidazole and ethanol were mildly fetotoxic and teratogenic when administered alone. However, simultaneous administration of the 2 drugs had an additive effect and resulted in increased fetotoxicity and teratogenicity.
Asymptotic Interval Estimation of Some Cause-Specific Mortality Risk Measures in Epidemiologic Studies†

The present paper describes the algebraic and statistical relationships between the population-based mortality risk measures, the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) and the Standardized Risk Ratio (SRR), and their respective proportional mortality-based counterparts, the internally and externally Standardized Proportional Mortality Ratios (SPMR, SePMR). The paper shows, how under some reasonable assumptions, asymptotically precise inferences about population-based risk measures can be made from studies of proportional mortality. Through application of the asymptotic multivariate normal approximation to the multinomial distribution, shortest confidence intervals for the relative SMR (RSMR) involving the corresponding SPMR are constructed for any cause of death. This same technique is also used to construct asymptotic prediction intervals about the cause-specific SePMR which, with high probability, contains the corresponding relative SRR (RSRR). The utility of the proportional mortality measures SPMR and SePMR as estimators of the corresponding cause-specific risks RSMR and RSRR in occupational epidemiologic research is empirically evaluated using data from two recent occupational cohort studies. Asymptotic Bonferroni type simultaneous inferential techniques are also developed for these measures which facilitate the assessment of overall risk in the presence of several competing factors.
The novel oral anticoagulants

After the introduction of warfarin, long-term oral anticoagulation treatment remained unchanged for more than 50 years. Most recently, with the development and approval of new oral anticoagulants, the treatment of medical conditions that require thrombosis prophylaxis and long-term anticoagulation has become more complex. In the case of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention after orthopedic surgery, the new oral agents will be less costly than the parenteral alternative. In other settings (such as atrial fibrillation or treatment of acute VTE), the new agents will offer additional convenience at higher cost, but the degree to which they will reduce clinically important events such as thrombosis or bleeding will be limited, especially for patients on optimally controlled warfarin. As the use of the new oral anticoagulants becomes more widespread, it will be important for all clinicians to have a basic understanding of their pharmacology, advantages, and limitations. Although the need to measure or reverse the effect of these drugs will arise infrequently, clinicians—especially hematologists—will desire evidence-based recommendations about how to manage such scenarios, which will require research studies.
Self-pulsing in alkali rf-discharge lamps

Rubidium vapor-cell atomic clocks are the “workhorse” of precise timekeeping for many GNSS missions. As is well known, the alkali rf-discharge lamp in these clocks is not only responsible for producing the atomic clock signal; it also has a significant influence on the clock's output frequency via the light-shift effect. Here, we discuss our discovery of self-pulsing in alkali rf-discharge lamps, which has the potential to periodically vary a Rb clock's signal-to-noise ratio and (via the light-shift effect) the clock's frequency. This self-pulsing is low frequency, on the order of one hertz in our experiments, and is not related to the self-pulsing reported a number of years ago by Robert Shaw, which was near 10 kHz and due to ion-acoustic wave generation in the discharge.
Reduced Hamiltonian method for solving the tight-binding model of interfaces

A new method is presented for solving the tight-binding equations for interfaces and surfaces. The method can be applied to a variety of interfacial situations including heterojunctions and superlattices in which disruptions occur over many atomic layers away from the interfaces. The method features an expansion of the total wave function in terms of bulk states with complex wave vectors in regions where there is no interfacial disruption, and transfer matrices in regions where there is interfacial disruption. It is simple to implement and computationally more efficient than any previous method of solving the interface tight-binding equations.
Henry Heinz and Brand Creation in the Late Nineteenth Century: Making Markets for Processed Food

This article assesses the brand-building strategies of Henry Heinz. Heinz began selling bottled horseradish to Pittsburgh residents in 1869. When he died in 1919, his company, H.J. Heinz, was one of the largest food processors in the world. Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., and other scholars have pointed to Heinz's ability to make use of supply-side innovations such as improved transportation and continuous canning technology. But Heinz also paid attention to economic and social changes that were altering the demand side of the economy. Between 1860 and 1920, rising incomes, population growth, and urbanization helped shape the wants and needs of consumers. Heinz understood that shifting household priorities represented an important strategic opportunity. Acting on input from consumers and his own intuitions about the demand side, he created quality products and a meaningful brand. The entrepreneur also invested in a range of organizational capabilities that would support his products and corporate identity. Heinz's success in manufacturing, branding, and distributing condiments and other foods, many of which had previously been prepared at home, helped create a mass market for additional foodstuffs and eventually other consumer products.
Tracking the changes of hippocampal population nonlinear dynamics in rats learning a memory-dependent task

Neurobiological processes associated with learning are known to be highly nonlinear, dynamical, and time-varying. Characterizing the time-varying functional input-output properties of neural systems is a critical step to understand the neurobiological basis of learning. In this paper, we present a study on tracking of the changes of neural dynamics in rat hippocampus during learning of a memory-dependent delayed nonmatch-to-sample (DNMS) task. The rats were first trained to perform the DNMS task without a delay between the sample and response events. After reaching a performance level, they were subjected to the DNMS task with variable delays with a 5s mean duration. Spike trains were recorded from hippocampal CA3 (input) and CA1 (output) regions during all training sessions and constitute the input-output data for modeling. We applied the time-varying Generalized Laguerre-Volterra Model to study the changes of the CA3-CA1 nonlinear dynamics using these data. Result showed significant changes in the Volterra kernels after the introduction of delays. This result suggests that the CA3-CA1 nonlinear dynamics established in the initial training sessions underwent a functional reorganization as animals were learning to perform the task that now requires delays.
PHENOMENOLOGY AND TREATMENT OF TREMOR DISORDERS

Tremor is classified according to anatomic distribution among body parts, and by frequency and amplitude during rest, postural maintenance, movement, intention, and the performance of specific tasks. Key historical features include age at onset, progression over time, family history, exacerbating and remitting factors and behaviors, response to alcohol and medications, and additional neurological signs and symptoms. Accurate diagnosis is a critical factor in predicting the natural history and response to treatment.
Selective Termination Procedures in Monochorionic Pregnancies

Monochorionic twins have placental anastomoses that to varying degrees create a common circulation. This presents unique challenges for the performance of selective fetal termination in cases of twin-twin transfusion syndrome, twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence, or discordant twin abnormalities. Multiple methods of interrupting the affected twin's circulation have been attempted with variable success. One of the most frequent complications of any approach is iatrogenic preterm premature rupture of membranes. Laser coagulation in the midtrimester appears to be safe and effective; however, it is only available at limited centers. Currently, bipolar coagulation is the method of choice in the second half of pregnancy. The recently reported technique of radiofrequency ablation appears to be successful with minimal complications. Exploration of further percutaneous and noninvasive techniques, as well as interventions to decrease the morbidity arising from preterm membrane rupture, may lead to increased survival of the remaining twin and reduced risk of maternal complications.
Monte Carlo simulation of multicomponent equilibria in a semigrand canonical ensemble

A general formalism and methodology are presented for the Monte Carlo simulation of equilibria in multicomponent systems, and are applied to the study of phase equilibrium in a model binary mixture, and to phase and chemical equilibrium in the ternary mixture Br2−Cl2−BrCl. Very good agreement with available experimental data is obtained. The formalism is based upon an ensemble in which the ratios of all fugacities to a reference fugacity are imposed. Simulations of mixtures performed in this ensemble fluctuate in composition while keeping constant the total number of particles. The reference fugacity is computed by integration of simulation averages of the composition for varying values of the fugacity ratios. Several features of the approach are: (1) it can be readily applied to mixtures of any number of components, even to polydisperse systems, with little additional computational effort; (2) the chemical potential of only one species at one state need be evaluated by conventional techniques, regardless...
Kinetics of collagen crosslinking in adult bovine articular cartilage.

Summary Objective Determine the kinetics of collagen crosslinking in adult bovine articular cartilage explants using radiolabel pulse-chase studies. Methods Explant cultures of adult bovine articular cartilage were radiolabeled with [ 14 C]lysine in medium including fetal bovine serum and ascorbate, and then maintained for chase periods up to 28 days. In some samples, β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) was included during chase to inhibit lysyl oxidase-mediated collagen crosslinking. Tissue was hydrolyzed and analyzed for [ 14 C]metabolites in the forms of lysine, hydroxylysine, dehydrodihydroxylysinonorleucine (ΔDHLNL), and hydroxylysyl pyridinoline (HP). Results Explant cultures of adult bovine articular cartilage metabolized lysine into hydroxylysine and the collagen crosslinks, ΔDHLNL and HP. During chase, [ 14 C]hydroxylysine maintained steady-state levels, [ 14 C]DHLNL rose to a plateau, and [ 14 C]HP increased gradually. Addition of BAPN inhibited formation of [ 14 C]DHLNL. Analysis of raw data and that normalized to [ 14 C]hydroxylysine gave characteristic time constants for formation of ΔDHLNL and HP crosslinks of 1–2 and 7–30 days, respectively. The distribution of [ 14 C]lysine metabolites in collagen crosslinks was described by peak values in [ 14 C]DHLNL/[ 14 C]hydroxylysine of 0.047–0.064 and in [ 14 C]HP/[ 14 C]hydroxylysine of 0.03. Conclusion Collagen crosslinks form in cartilage explants in vitro according to the classical lysyl oxidase-mediated pathway.
Hertz: an imaging polarimeter

The University of Chicago polarimeter, Hertz, is designed for observations at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory in the 350 micrometer atmospheric window. Initial observations with this instrument, the first array polarimeter for submillimeter observations, have produced over 700 measurements at 3(sigma) or better. This paper summarizes the characteristics of the instrument, presents examples of its performance including polarization maps of molecular clouds and regions near the Galactic center, and outlines the opportunities for improvements with emphasis on requirements for mapping widely extended sources.
Reliable Detection of Histogram Shift-Based Steganography Using Payload Invariant Features

Reversible data hiding techniques can completely recover the cover images after extracting the secret message from the stego images and become a hot research topic recently. The histogram shift-based steganography, which is a kind of reversible data hiding technique, has good performance on imperceptibility. However, it also produces obvious features in the histograms of stego images. In this paper, we propose a steganalysis method based on the payload invariant features to detect the histogram shift-based steganography proposed by Ni et al. In the proposed steganalysis method, the minimum of the sum of the proposed features is first obtained, which is then compared with a predefined threshold to determine an image is a stego or a cover one. Experimental results show that the proposed steganalysis method can provide very high detection accuracy (about 98%) in various payload cases. Compared with the other steganalysis method, the proposed method can provide better detection performance under different embedding ratios and, therefore, is more reliable for detection of the histogram sift-based steganography.
Evaluation of imputation methods for microbial surface water quality studies.

Longitudinal studies of microbial water quality are subject to missing observations. This study evaluates multiple imputation (MI) against data deletion, mean or median imputation for replacing missing microbial water quality data. The specific context is data collected in Chicago Area Waterway System (2007–2009), where 45% of Escherichia coli and 53% of enterococci densities were missing owing to sample analysis deficiencies. Imputation methods were compared performing a simulation study using complete observations with introduced missing values and subsequently compared with the original data with missing observations. Coefficients for E. coli densities in linear regression models predicting somatic coliphages density show that MI introduces the least bias among other methods while controlling Type I error. Further exploration of utilizing different MI implementations is recommended to address the influence of missing percentage on MI performance and to explore sensitivity to the degree of violation of the missing completely at random assumption.
Determination of uranium concentration in water by liquid anion exchange-delayed neutron analysis

Dissolved uranium is selectively removed from 11 of filtered, acidified water using a liquid anion exchange resin (Amberlite LA-1) dissolved in 10 ml of purified kerosene. The organic phase is then analyzed by a standard delayed neutron counting technique. Yields of removed uranium are consistently greater than 90 percent over a measured concentration range of 1.0 to 100 ppb uranium. The absolute detection limit based on 11 of water is 0.06 ppb. Elemental interferences are minimal and the results compare favorably with fluorometric analyses of natural waters.
Evolution of iron acquisition in higher plants

ABSTRACT In the plant kingdom, two iron (Fe) acquisition strategies exist. All plant species, except grasses, acquire Fe2 + from soil after reduction of Fe3 + using the Strategy I mechanism. Although expressing many Strategy I activities, grasses employ the Strategy II mechanism, which involves the synthesis, secretion, and uptake of phytosiderophores that chelate Fe3 + from soil. In recent years, several genes involved in Fe acquisition have been identified in plants. This study examined the phylogenetic distribution of iron-acquisition genes of five dicots, five grasses, and one gymnosperm. Both Strategy I and II plant species possessed either all or some genes for Strategy I. For Strategy II genes, only the five grasses expressed genes for phytosiderophore synthesis. Due to the conservation of Strategy I genes among both Strategy I and II species and absence of Strategy II genes from dicot and gymnosperm species, we concluded that Strategy II in grasses was derived relative to Strategy I.
Surgical Management of Congenital Coronary Artery Fistula

Abstract Twelve patients with congenital coronary artery fistula are reported. Angina, heart failure, cardiomegaly, and electrocardiographic abnormalities were frequent findings. All patients had the fistula demonstrated angiographically, and the flow through the fistula in 8 patients produced an average pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio of 2.2 to 1. Eleven patients had surgical closure of the fistula, and all survived with no evidence of subsequent myocardial ischemia. Relief of symptoms, reduction in heart size, and improvement in the electrocardiogram were documented postoperatively. Catheterization of a patient two years following obliteration of the fistula demonstrated normal size and function of a previously massively dilated coronary artery. The relief of symptoms, correction of hemodynamic abnormalities, low operative mortality, and threat of serious complications all emphasize the importance of surgical correction of this condition.
Multiple Jeopardy Poor, Economically Disconnected, and Child Welfare Involved

Although the welfare literature reveals a growing number of parents who are economically disconnected, meaning neither employed nor receiving cash assistance, little is known about the prevalence and impacts of disconnection among child welfare-involved parents. This study took advantage of a statewide survey of child welfare-involved parents to examine economic disconnection in this population and to explore the relationship between disconnection and parent engagement in child welfare. One fifth of the sample reported that they were economically disconnected, with several patterns differentiating disconnected caregivers from those who received benefits or earned income through employment. Disconnected caregivers were younger and more frequently had children in out-of-home placements as opposed to receiving services in home than economically connected caregivers. They also reported higher unmet needs for basic services, such as housing and medical care, but were more likely to report financial help from their informal network. Finally, disconnected caregivers reported lower engagement in child welfare services even when controlling for demographic characteristics, chronic psychosocial risk factors, placement status, and maltreatment type. The findings document economic disconnection among child welfare-involved parents and raise important questions about the implications of disconnection for families and for child welfare outcomes.
A temperature rising elution fractionation study of short chain branching behavior in ultra low density polyethylene

The properties of ultralow-density polyethylenes (ULDPE) have been studied using temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) as both an analytical and preparative process. TREF was employed to determine the short chain branch distribution and to fractionate the polymer into fractions that enabled further properties studies, including carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, density gradient studies, gel permeation chromatography, analytical TREF, and some simple tensile tests. The results of these studies are reported here.
Parental perceptions of access to care and quality of care for inner-city children with asthma

The objective of this study was to describe perceptions of asthma care, morbidity, and health service utilization by parents of children with asthma presenting to an inner-city emergency department (ED). A cross-sectional survey was conducted in an urban pediatric ED, with a convenience sample of 466 parents of children receiving asthma treatment during a consecutive 6-week period in late fall 1995. Parents completed a 30-item survey including sociodemographic data, source of primary medical care and asthma care for their child, selected measures of access to care, and medications used by their child in the week prior to the ED visit. Perceived quality of asthma care was measured by six items (summary score = 0-6) reported to have been performed by the child's asthma doctor: discussion of home peak flow monitoring, child-specific triggers, dogs/cats, smoke, postexacerbation calling instructions, and provision of a written asthma management plan. Functional morbidity was measured by nights of poor sleep, days of cough, and school days missed due to asthma in the previous month. Among 325 patients with previously diagnosed asthma, 308 (97%) were reported to have a source of primary medical care. Of these, 126 respondents identified their primary care provider as the child's usual source of asthma care, while 158 identified the ED as the usual source. The groups did not differ by insurance status, ethnicity, or mean age of the child. Thirty-nine percent of children with the same provider for primary and asthma care compared with 15% of children reported to receive their asthma care predominantly in the ED had used inhaled steroids or cromolyn in the week prior to the ED visit (p < .0001). Children with the same provider for primary and asthma care had a higher mean quality score than children receiving asthma care in the ED (3.7 vs. 2.8, p < 0.0001), but there was no relationship between source of asthma care and functional morbidity. The ED remains the usual source of asthma care for many inner-city children. Among parents surveyed in the ED, there was a significant relationship between source of usual asthma care and quality of care, but a relationship between usual source of asthma care and functional morbidity could not be identified.
Pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum: an overview

Abstract Pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum is a complex malformation with a virtually complete obstruction to right ventricular outflow and a marked variation in the size and structure of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve. Coronary artery abnormalities are frequently present, may result in inadequate myocardial perfusion, and contribute to poor outcome. Risk factors for a poor prognosis include a small diameter tricuspid valve ( Z score
Cystinuria: A surgical challenge

A case is reported in which cystinuria was unresponsive to medical treatment. Replacement of both ureters with small intestine gave a satisfactory result.
Intestinal osmolality and carbohydrate absorption in rats treated with polymerized glucose.

Summary: The intestinal osmolal physiology and absorption of comparable preparations of polymerized glucose and glucose were evaluated in isolated segments of rat duodenum. The acute rise in the osmolality of the succus entericus after 5% polymer injections (298 mOsm/kg at 3 min, 311 mOsm/kg at 30 min) was significantly less than that noted after 5% glucose (387 mOsm/kg at 3 min, 351 mOsm/kg at 30 min). At 60 min a steady state had been established and no significant difference was found. Ten percent polymer was superior to 10% glucose as it also produced a lower luminal osmolality (351 mOsm/kg versus 427 mOsm/kg at 30 min). Luminal polyethylene glycol concentrations revealed comparable increases in intraluminal water content after 10% polymer and 5% glucose (22% versus 25% at 30 min). After polymer injections, 4 times as much glucose was present in the mucosa as in the succus, whereas, after 5% glucose injections, a high concentration of glucose remained in the succus. These results indicate that polymer solutions produce lower luminal osmolality than glucose solutions of similar weight. Additionally, enhanced glucose absorption by the mucosal cell is suggested in animals injected with polymer. Polymerized glucose should, therefore, provide twice the calories of glucose without a disparate increase in the intestinal osmolality and intraluminal diffusion of extracellular water. Speculation: A polymerized glucose preparation, when administered orally, produces a lower immediate intraluminal solute content and osmolality than a glucose solution of the same concentration by weight when each has comparable electrolytes. Hydrolysis of the polymer within the intestinal lumen and on contact with the brush border of the intestine provides nutrient without increase in water movement into the proximal small bowel. Because of these properties, such a polymer may be useful in the oral nutritional rehabilitation of neonates and infants with diarrhea. It remains to be seen whether the pathogenesis of the diarrheal state may also prove to be of significance in determining the beneficial effect of this therapy.
Sierra Leone : diamonds and the struggle for democracy

John Hirsch traces Sierra Leone's downward spiral in this book, drawing on his first-hand experience as US amabassador in Freetown in 1995-1998. Hirsch analyzes the historical, social and economic contexts of the ongoing struggle, as well as the impacts of regional and international powers.
An alternate method of treating competition kinetics: reaction of OH radical with IrBr3−6

Abstract Carbonate competition is often used to indirectly measure rates of OH reactions by pulse radiolysis. The product CO−3 ion has an optical absorption maximum near 600 nm with a conveniently large extinction coefficient. The standard data treatment, which involves a reciprocal concentration plot, works well provided the reaction is complete at the time of measurement, and the pulse size is reproducible. An alternate method, referred to as ‘elimination of time as independent variable’, is based on a treatment given in Benson’s Foundations of Chemical Kinetics. This method, which involves a log–log plot of the reactant concentrations rather than a reciprocal plot, will be described and compared to the standard method. We are currently using a Febetron 706 to study several reactions of iridium halide complexes, in particular a reaction in which OH oxidizes IrBr3−6 to the −2 ion, for which k=1.4×109 M−1 s−1 was found using either the standard or the alternate competition method.
Single machine scheduling with family setups to minimize total earliness and tardiness

This paper considers the problem of scheduling a given number of jobs on a single machine to minimize total earliness and tardiness when family setup times exist. The paper proposes optimal branch-and-bound algorithms for both the group technology assumption and if the group technology assumption is removed. A heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve larger problems with the group technology assumption removed. The proposed algorithms were empirically evaluated on problems of various sizes and parameters. The paper also explores how the choice of procedure affects total earliness and tardiness if an implementation of lean production methods has resulted in a reduction in setup times. An important finding of these empirical investigations is that scheduling jobs by removing the group technology assumption can significantly reduce total earliness and tardiness.
Stages of Growth Revisited

Neoclassical growth theory and the institutional approach to economic development grew apart during the 1970s and 1980s. More integration of these two schools of thought can lead to better analysis...
TELEVISION SOAP OPERAS: WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON ANYWAY?

Television daytime serials, the descendants of their popular radio predecessors, have been offered to the public since the earliest days of television and reach more people every year. This article examines the size and characteristics of their audience, the situations they portray, and the characters that populate them, and discusses some potential implications of all these facts. Natan Katzman is Assistant Professor of Communication at Michigan State University.
Determination of electrical clearances for permissible equipment operating in gassy mines and tunnels

A design algorithm is derived for calculating the minimum allowable electrical clearances in alternating and direct current "permissible" equipment, which are authorized to operate in gassy mines and tunnels under Part 18 of Title 30, Code of Federal Regulations. The calculated clearances apply to operations at altitudes ranging up to 12000 ft (3658 m) above sea level. The minimum allowable clearance values are tabulated for typical nominal mining machine voltages and maximum operating temperatures within explosion-proof enclosures. An equation is provided for increasing the clearances when the listed maximum temperatures are exceeded. >
Leishmania major a clone with low virulence for BALB/c mice elicits a Th1 type response and protects against infection with a highly virulent clone

Abstract BALB/c mice are highly susceptible to infection with Leishmania major and generally develop a severe, nonhealing form of disease following parasite inoculation. As opposed to protective Th1 type immune responses which develop in resistant strains of mice, BALB/c mice develop predominant Th2 type responses characterized by the production of high levels of IL-4, but only low levels of IFN-γ. However, BALB/c mice will develop resistance and Th1 type responses following the inoculation of very low numbers of L. major promastigotes. In this study, we have examined the effects of parasite virulence on the immune response and disease phenotype in susceptible BALB/c mice. Two clones of L. major were isolated which differed with respect to their in vitro growth rates as promastigotes and their virulence for mice. One rapidly growing clone, L.m. F1, was highly virulent in BALB/c mice and produced nonhealing infections characterized by predominant Th2 type responses. In contrast, a slow-growing clone, L.m. S2, was less virulent in BALB/c mice and produced self-healing infections at parasite doses equivalent to those which produced progressive disease with the more virulent clone. Mice which healed infections with the L.m. S2 clone developed responses characterized by elevated production of IFN-γ and were resistant to a challenge infection with the virulent L.m. F1 clone. These results suggest that the virulence of individual parasite clones may influence both the course of disease and the phenotype of the immune response which develops during infection.
Senicapoc (ICA-17043): A potential therapy for the prevention and treatment of hemolysis-associated complications in sickle cell anemia

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by hemolytic as well as vaso-occlusive complications. The development of treatments for this inherited disease is based on an understanding of its pathophysiology. Polymerization of sickle hemoglobin is dependent on several independent factors, including the intracellular hemoglobin concentration. The hydration state (and intracellular hemoglobin concentration) of the sickle erythrocyte depends on the loss of solute and osmotically obliged water through specific pathways. Senicapoc (also known as ICA-17043) is a potent blocker of the Gardos channel, a calcium-activated potassium channel of intermediate conductance, in the red blood cell. Preclinical studies and studies in transgenic models of SCD show that inhibition of potassium efflux through the Gardos channel is associated with an increased hemoglobin level, decreased dense cells and decreased hemolysis. Senicapoc is well tolerated when administered to SCD patients and produces dose-dependent increases in hem...
Learning from historical precedent

Explanation-based learning, a method of abstracting general principles from a small number of prior cases, is discussed. The author demonstrates the feasibility of applying this method to economic sanction incidents. This approach is contrasted with regression analysis, a traditional quantitative method. A method for integrating these two approaches is proposed. >
A Dyadic Analysis of the Between- and Within-System Alliances on Distress

To read this article’s abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article’s full-text page on Wiley InterScience (http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp). This study examines the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and distress using the couple rather than the individual as the unit of analysis. One hundred and seventy-three couples receiving treatment for relational distress at two university clinics participated in this study. The actor–partner interdependence model was used to analyze the relationship of each partner’s between- and within-system alliance scores and distress at session four. Results provide support for actor effects on relational distress for both male and female partners and for actor effects on psychological distress for female partners. Limited support was found for partner effects on distress. Furthermore, results indicate that the alliance between partners is a stronger predictor of improvement in early sessions in comparison with the alliance between the individual and the therapist.
On the finite sample behavior of adaptive estimators

Abstract We explore the finite sample performance of adaptive estimators in linear time series regression models. Our results show that for samples of only 50 observations, the 90 percent confidence interval of the adaptive estimator is 20 to 50 percent smaller than the corresponding interval for its GLS counterpart across a range of symmetrical distributions. When the assumption of symmetry is relaxed smaller gains are observed. These results are sensitive to the degree of departure from normality and the precision of the measurement exercise. We further observe that the estimated standard errors are biased downward.
EFFECT OF ENDOCELLULAR ENZYMES FROM Pseudomonas fragi ON THE COLOR OF BEEF AND AQUEOUS BEEF EXTRACT

Endocellular enzymes from Pseudomonas fragi (ATCC 4973) had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the color of sterile beef and sterile aqueous beef extract stored at 21°C and 4°C. There was no evidence of protein degradation or lipid oxidation in samples treated with endocellular enzymes. Our findings indicate that glucose oxidase present in the endocellular enzyme preparations from P. fragi may be an important factor in causing oxidation of the meat pigment oxymyoglobin to metmyoglobin.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Crystal-Induced Membranolysis

Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystals occur frequently in noninflammatory osteoarthritic joints; however, they can be phlogistic and membranolytic, causing acute pseudogout attack. So far, the molecular mechanism of crystal-induced membranolysis is still unclear. In this study, using the method of Chemistry at Harvard Macromolecular Mechanics (CHARMM) molecular dynamics, we show that the interactions between the surface of CPPD crystal and the extracellular layer of the hydrated dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) phospholipid bilayer may lead to decoupling of the external layer from the intracellular side of the membrane. As a result, a local thinning of the layer on the intracellular side of the membrane occurs, which favors water penetration, leading to membranolysis.
Comparison of robotic versus laparoscopic skills: is there a difference in the learning curve?

Objectives. To evaluate the learning curve between robot-assisted and manual laparoscopic suturing, as well as to assess other skills. Laparoscopic reconstructive procedures have been limited by instrumentation, small working spaces, and fixed angles at the trocar level to place sutures. Robot-assisted laparoscopic suture placement may provide one means of increasing dexterity and facilitating laparoscopic reconstructive procedures. Methods. Eight physicians participated in this study. A series of five trials were performed to assess dexterity (task 1) and free-hand suturing (task 2). Each task was performed using robot-assisted and manual laparoscopy. The participants were categorized as novice and experienced laparoscopists. Task 1 involved passing sutures through the eye of seven needles positioned 1 cm apart in a P configuration. Task 2 involved tying one surgeon’s knot, followed by two subsequent knots. Results. The average time for trials 1 and 5 of task 1, robot-assisted laparoscopy, was 242.6 and 101.8 seconds, respectively (P <0.001). Both groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference (P <0.001) between the first and last trial. The average time for trials 1 and 5 of task 1, manual laparoscopy, was 205.3 and 169 seconds, respectively. The differences in the learning curves for robot-assisted and manual laparoscopy were statistically significant in favor of robotic assistance. Manual laparoscopic suturing did not demonstrate as much of a difference for the experienced surgeon. Overall, the difference in improvement between robot-assisted and manual laparoscopy was not statistically significant. Conclusions. Robot-assisted laparoscopic allows suturing and dexterity skills to be performed quicker than does manual laparoscopy.
Modeling mechanical CAD data with data abstraction and object-oriented techniques

This paper focuses on the problem of management of CAD data by investigating the use of the software engineering principles of data abstraction and object-oriented programming as means for managing the volume and complexity of design data. It discusses how a data management system which manages abstract data types provides a framework for integrating a CAD environment by providing a single mechanism to manage data, programs, and the manipulation of the data with the programs. It also shows how two forms of abstraction, aggregation and generalization, can be used to model hierarchies of parts and components, and multiple design alternatives, respectively. These abstractions are then used to model the geometrical and topological data required to describe three-dimensional mechanical parts.
The planning of content relevant and context relevant education

This paper dwells on the question of planning education for ten or twenty years hence. First, it deals with the question of career patterns and the importance of allowing more flexibility in the course sequences which individuals undertake at different periods of their life. Then, it discusses the divergence in facts and the dissonance in beliefs which may exist between the planners and students soon to become graduates. It makes a plea for resolving these differences by asking educators to become more content relevant and context relevant. Through this process, education will be enhanced and learning facilitated.
Comparison of the linkage results of two phenotypic constructs from longitudinal data in the Framingham Heart Study: analyses on data measured at three time points and on the average of three measurements

Family studies are often conducted in a cross-sectional manner without long-term follow-up data. The relative contribution of a gene to a specific trait could change over the lifetime. The Framingham Heart Study offers a unique opportunity to investigate potential gene × time interaction. We performed linkage analysis on the body mass index (BMI) measured in 1970, 1978, and 1986 for this project. We analyzed the data in two different ways: three genome-wide linkage analyses on each exam, and one genome-wide linkage analysis on the mean of the three measurements. Variance-component linkage analyses were performed by the SOLAR program. Genome-wide scans show consistent evidence of linkage of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on chromosomes 3, 6, 9, and 16 in three measurements with a maximum multipoint LOD score > 2.2. However, only chromosome 9 has a LOD score = 2.14 when the mean values were analyzed. More interestingly, we found potential gene × environment interactions: increasing LOD scores with age on chromosomes 3, 9, and 16 and decreasing LOD scores on chromosome 6 in the three exams. The results indicate two points: 1) it is possible that a gene (or genes) influencing BMI is (are) up- or down-regulated as people aged due to aging process or changes in lifestyle, environments, or genetic epistasis; 2) using mean values from longitudinal data may reduce the power to detect linkage and may have no power to detect gene × time, and/or gene × gene interactions.
SOS: secure overlay services

Denial of service (DoS) attacks continue to threaten the reliability of networking systems. Previous approaches for protecting networks from DoS attacks are reactive in that they wait for an attack to be launched before taking appropriate measures to protect the network. This leaves the door open for other attacks that use more sophisticated methods to mask their traffic.We propose an architecture called Secure Overlay Services (SOS) that proactively prevents DoS attacks, geared toward supporting Emergency Services or similar types of communication. The architecture is constructed using a combination of secure overlay tunneling, routing via consistent hashing, and filtering. We reduce the probability of successful attacks by (i) performing intensive filtering near protected network edges, pushing the attack point perimeter into the core of the network, where high-speed routers can handle the volume of attack traffic, and (ii) introducing randomness and anonymity into the architecture, making it difficult for an attacker to target nodes along the path to a specific SOS-protected destination.Using simple analytical models, we evaluate the likelihood that an attacker can successfully launch a DoS attack against an SOS-protected network. Our analysis demonstrates that such an architecture reduces the likelihood of a successful attack to minuscule levels.
An environment for understanding programs

The time-consuming task of understanding the program to be maintained is particularly difficult when the code to be understood was not constructed using modern software-engineering techniques or modern programming languages. In such cases, it is difficult for the programmer to navigate through the name, control-flow, and data-flow spaces of the program to try to achieve a sense of function. A system is described that attempts to alleviate many of these problems by capturing, in a database, the name, control-flow, and data-flow relationships defined by an assembler program and providing a viewing environment, context-sensitive program. In the systems' environment, context-sensitive functions are provided to allow navigation of the name, control-flow, and data-flow spaces of the program, so the programmer is free to concentrate on the understanding task. >
Use of traditional Chinese medicine in the management of urinary stone disease.

Objective: To assess the evidence-based literature supporting the use of traditional Chinese medicine Kampo herbal and Acupuncture in stone disease management. Materials and Methods: Four of the most commonly used herbal components of Kampo medicine in the treatment of stone disease are described according to their in vitro and in vivo effects. We also reviewed the role of Acupuncture in urologic clinical setting as well as its proposed mechanisms of action and results. Medline database was assessed using isolated and conjugated key words (Chinese Medicine, Kampo, Chinese Herbal, Calculi, Stone Disease, Kidney, Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine). Articles were reviewed and summarized. Results: Herbal medicine has been proven to be free from side-effects and therefore suitable for long term use therapy. Its antilithic beneficial effects include increased urinary volume, increased magnesium excretion (Takusya), inhibitory activity on calcium oxalate aggregation (Takusya, Wulingsan and Desmodyum styracyfolium), inhibition of calcium oxalate nucleation and hydroxyapatite internalization (Wulingsan). In contrast, acupuncture, has shown to be effective as a pre-treatment anxiolytic and analgesic during colic pain and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy treatment, reducing the need for complementary sedative drugs. Conclusion: Chinese traditional medicine is promising as regards its role in stone prevention. An effort must be made in order to standardize study protocols to better assess acupuncture results since each procedure differs in regards to selected acupoints, electrostimulation technique and adjunct anesthetics. Similarly, standardization of Kampo formulations and acceptable clinical endpoints (imaging vs. symptomatic events) is needed.
Child maltreatment and insecure attachment: a meta‐analysis

The validity of the insecure/disorganized attachment pattern has been clearly established in over 80 studies with more than 100 samples. However, given that child maltreatment is considered one of the most important causes of insecure/disorganized attachment, it is notable that few studies have been published specifically examining the maltreatment/insecure attachment hypothesis. The purpose of this paper was to review the research findings and conduct a meta‐analysis to examine the effect size of maltreatment and insecure attachment across studies. A second goal was to conduct a subpopulation analysis to investigate effect size by type of maltreatment. Following a literature search which yielded 25 articles, we identified eight studies (n = 791) that: (a) consisted of children who experienced different types of maltreatment including cases of malnutrition and failure‐to‐thrive, (b) consisted of children under 48 months of age, (c) used the Strange Situation or a modification of it to measure attachment, ...