cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plating and Transferring Cosmid and Plasmid Libraries

There are two commonly used protocols for the screening of recombinant bacteria with hybridization probes. One method involves the spreading of bacteria on the surface of agar using a sterile spreader. A nitrocellulose membrane filter is then placed on top of the colonies and most of each colony is transferred to the filter. This method works well when relatively small numbers of positive colonies are being selected (up to several thousand). A second method, described in this unit, employs a matrix of some type (here nitrocellulose filters are used) upon which bacteria can be plated and grown when the filter is placed on top of a nutrient agar surface. Once the plated bacteria have grown into visible colonies, the filters can be used for replica plating and in situ hybridization analysis.
Purification and characterization of a mutant DnaB protein specifically defective in ATP hydrolysis.

Abstract The dnaB gene of Escherichia coli encodes an essential DNA replication enzyme. Fueled by the energy derived from the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP+P(i), this enzyme unwinds double-stranded DNA in advance of the DNA polymerase. While doing so, it intermittently stimulates primase to synthesize an RNA primer for an Okazaki fragment. To better understand the structural basis of these and other aspects of DnaB function, we have initiated a study of mutant DnaB proteins. Here, we report the purification and characterization of a mutant DnaB protein (RC231) containing cysteine in place of arginine at residue 231. The mutant protein attains a stable, properly folded structure that allows association of six promoters to form a hexamer, as is also true for wild-type DnaB. Further, the mutant protein interacts with ATP, the nonhydrolyzable ATP analog adenosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S), ADP, and poly(dT), and it stimulates primase action. It is, however, profoundly deficient in ATP hydrolysis, helicase activity, and replication activity at the chromosomal origin of replication. In addition, while general priming reactions with wild-type DnaB and ATP elicited the synthesis of short primers, reactions with DnaB and ATP gamma S or with RC231 and either ATP or ATP gamma S stimulated the synthesis of significantly longer primers. On the basis of these observations, we suggest that primase interacts directly with DnaB throughout primer synthesis during general priming, until dissociation of DnaB from DNA or ATP hydrolysis by DnaB disrupts the interaction and leads to primer termination.
Input/output for fine grain multiprocessor systems

While extensive investigations on how multiple processing elements (PEs) in a parallel system can be utilized efficiently have been carried out, the I/O (input/output) into and from the system has been ignored in most cases. However, the time for downloading input data or uploading results would not be negligible, especially when a large number of PEs such as those in a massively parallel system and/or a large volume of data are involved. Results from a preliminary study on how I/O can be efficiently realized in a fine-grain multiprocessor system without any hardware change are reported. >
Local anesthesia and pain perception during amniocentesis: a randomized double blind placebo‐controlled trial

Objective To determine the effect of local anesthesia on the maternal pain perception from amniocentesis. Methods We conducted a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial comparing use of local anesthesia (1% lidocaine) with placebo with regards to maternal perception of pain among women undergoing genetic amniocentesis. The primary outcome was the intensity of perceived maternal pain as measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) as well a 101 point Numerical Rating Scale. Results Seventy six women participated in the trial. 36 (47.4%) women were randomized to lidocaine, whereas 40 (52.6%) were randomized to placebo. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. However, pain perception as characterized by the median 9.5 (2.1–21.0) VSA scores was significantly lower among women in the lidocaine group compared with among women in the placebo group [18.4 (12.9–31.3), P = 0.005]. Similarly the mean VSA scores was significantly lower in the lidocaine group (P = 0.02). A trend toward lower scores was also observed when maternal pain perception was measured by the Numerical Rating Scale. Conclusion Local anesthetic lidocaine significantly lowers maternal perceived pain during genetic amniocentesis. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Large magnitude voluntary heart rate changes.

An experiment was performed to demonstrate methods for enabling subjects (Ss) to produce large magnitude heart rate (HR) changes under conditions which include adequate controls for basal HR changes and elicitation of the HR response by breathing changes. The methods used were an attempt to optimize motivational, feedback, and practice variables. Of 9 Ss, 6 displayed mean HR increases ranging from 16.7 bpm to 35.2 bpm. The greatest mean HR decrease for any S was 3.1 bpm. Control procedures indicated that breathing changes accompanying large increases in HR were not sufficient to account for the magnitude of HR change.
Perceptual organization of auditory temporal patterns in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

The perception of continuously repeating auditory patterns by European starlings was explored in seven experiments. In Experiment 1, 4 starlings learned to discriminate between two continuously repeating, eight-element, auditory patterns. Each eight-element pattern was constructed from different temporal organizations of two elements differing in timbre. In Experiments 2–7, the repeating patterns were transformed in ways designed to identify the starlings’ perceptual organization of the patterns. In Experiment 2, the starlings identified patterns beginning with novel starting points. In Experiment 3, discrimination performance was adversely affected by reorganizing the elements in the patterns. In Experiments 4 and 5, the pattern elements were altered. In Experiment 4, the patterns were constructed from two novel elements. In Experiment 5, the temporal location of the two pattern elements was reversed. The transformations of the patterns in Experiments 4 and 5 affected discrimination performance for some, but not all, of the starlings. In Experiments 6 and 7, replacing either of the two elements with silent intervals had no effect on discrimination performance. The results of these experiments identify basic grouping principles that starlings use when they perceive auditory patterns.
Parasitic Diseases of the Pleura

Parasitic infections are prevalent in certain parts of the world and may cause pleural involvement, which often goes unrecognized. Common parasites involving the pleura include Entamoeba histolytica, Echinococcus granulosus and Paragonimus westermani. Amebiasis can cause empyema with "anchovy sauce" pus, reactive pleural effusions and bronchopleural fistula with hydropneumothorax. Echinococcosis may result in pleural thickening, pneumothorax, secondary pleural hydatidosis and pleural effusions. Paragonimiasis may cause chylous and cholesterol pleural effusions, pleural thickening and pneumothorax. Less commonly, pulmonary eosinophilia, or Loeffler's syndrome, caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus and tropical pulmonary eosinophilia caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi may involve the pleura. This article provides a comprehensive review of parasitic infections involving the pleura. A high index of suspicion in the appropriate clinical setting is required to facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
Video game bots as a theme for student software competitions

Software and programming competitions are attractive and educationally powerful ways to engage excelling students. They assume different formats depending on the purpose, level of preparation and background of participants. We describe a new type of student software competition organized for the 2014 IEEE SoutheastCon conference. We designed a task related to video game bots — a novel format for this contest event running in conjunction with the annual IEEE Region 3 Student and Technical conference. In addition to testing abilities and programming skills in solving algorithmic problems in a limited time, this new format emphasizes the importance of engineering aspects of the software development process, and provides a model that can be reproduced for other competitions as well as used in the classroom.
METOCLOPRAMIDE PHARMACODYNAMICS IN INFANTS

A pilot study of metoclopramide (M) pharmacodynamics (PD) was conducted in 6 infants (0.9-5.4 mo.; 3.2-5.4 kg) with gastroesophageal reflux (GER). M was administered P.O. at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg q6 hr. Esophageal pH was continuously recorded for 24 hr prior to M administration and for 6 hr. following the first (D1) and tenth (D10) dose. Serum M was quantitated by HPLC from repeated blood samples obtained over 24 and 6 hr following D1 and D10, respectively. A significant reduction in the number of GER episodes >5 min. duration was found between the pre-dose (3.33 ± 1.33) and D10 (0.0) evaluations. Similarly, the longest GER epidose with pH <4 was significantly reduced following D10 (1.88 ± 0.71 min) as compared to the pre-dose (18.33 ± 7.82 min.) evaluation. These findings were associated with a Cmax of 56.8 ± 10.5 ng/ml following D10 but were not correlated with the M serum concentration vs. time profile. Significant changes in the time that esophageal pH was <4 and acid clearance were not found when examined as a function of feeding time. Four of six infants showed marked clinical improvement (ie., reduction in choking spells and emesis volume) at the D10 evaluation. No adverse drug effects were noted in any of the infants. M in a dose of 0.15 mg/kg q6 hr appears to be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of GER in infants. This dose deserves further PD and pharmacokinetic evaluation.
Functional analysis of genes involved in biphenyl, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and m-xylene degradation by Sphingomonas yanoikuyae B1

Sphingomonas yanoikuyae B1 is able to utilize toluene, m-xylene, p-xylene, biphenyl, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and anthracene as sole sources of carbon and energy for growth. A forty kilobase region of DNA containing most of the genes for the degradation of these aromatic compounds was previously cloned and sequenced. Insertional inactivation of bphC results in the inability of B1 to grow on both polycyclic and monocyclic compounds. Complementation experiments indicate that the metabolic block is actually due to a polar effect on the expression of bphA3, coding for a ferredoxin component of a dioxygenase. Lack of the ferredoxin results in a nonfunctional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dioxygenase and a nonfunctional toluate dioxygenase indicating that the electron transfer components are capable of interacting with multiple oxygenase components. Insertional inactivation of a gene for a dioxygenase oxygenase component downstream of bphA3 had no apparent effect on growth besides a polar effect on nahD which is only needed for growth of B1 on naphthalene. Insertional inactivation of either xylE or xylG in the meta-cleavage operon results in a polar effect on bphB, the last gene in the operon. However, insertional inactivation of xylX at the beginning of this cluster of genes does not result in a polar effect suggesting that the genes for the meta-cleavage pathway, although colinear, are organized in at least two operons. These experiments confirm the biological role of several genes involved in metabolism of aromatic compounds by S. yanoikuyae B1 and demonstrate the interdependency of the metabolic pathways for polycyclic and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation.
Cointegration and the optimal hedge ratio: the general case

Abstract This note evaluates the effects of omitted cointegration relationship between spot and futures prices on optimal hedge ratio and hedging effectiveness. It is found that the omission tends to produce a smaller hedge ratio. However, the loss of hedging effectiveness may be minimal.
Cor Triatriatum With Isolated Pulmonary Venous Stenosis in an Adult: Diagnosis With Transesophageal Two-dimensional Echocardiography

The diagnosis of cor triatriatum in an adult was made from routine two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. The findings of aliasing and turbulence in the roof of the left atrium suggested pulmonary venous stenosis. A transesophageal echocardiogram defined both the hemodynamic features of nonobstructing cor triatriatum and the presence of isolated pulmonary venous stenosis. The clinical use of transesophageal echocardiography with color flow Doppler in the elucidation of complex anatomic substrate is demonstrated.
Voltaic Cell Measurements on a Spot Plate with a Cotton Swab Salt Bridge

Microscale voltaic cell measurements using very small solution volumes are carried out on a porcelain spot plate. A suitable salt bridge is constructed by filling the hollow plastic tube of a double-tipped cotton swab with an electrolyte gel mixture. Good results are obtained for a variety of half-cell combinations when the technique is used by students in the general chemistry laboratory.
Professional Counseling and Dr. Glasser: A Relationship Based on Reality and Choice:

This article looks at the historic foundations of professional counseling and then summarizes William Glasser’s most recent ideas as presented in this issue of The Family Journal. Although psychiatry, psychology, and social work have embraced the medical and mental illness models, professional counseling continues to have a strong focus on health, wellness, growth, development, and prevention. Professional counselors know that Glasser is correct when he asserts that mental health (as opposed to illness) is most important.
Population density of the citrus blackfly, Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), and its parasites in urban Florida in 1979-1981

In 1976, the citrus blackfly (CBF), Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), was detected in Fort Lauderdale (Broward County), and despite an intensive control program in 1977–1978, dispersal continued to new locations in Florida. In 1979, infestations were found in Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres (Lee County), Sun'N Lake (Highlands County), and Merritt Island-Cocoa (Brevard County). The population density of CBF in all locations was monitored in 1979 through 1981. Adult CBF reached a peak of 450 CBF per trap on 1 July 1980 at Fort Myers; 300 on 17 March 1980 at Sun'N Lake; 616 on 2 March 1981 at Lehigh Acres; and 681 on 3 december 1980 at Merritt Island-Cocoa. Parasites, Encarsia opulenta (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) and Amitus hesperidum Silvestri (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), were established in 1980 and dramatically reduced the population of CBF at all infested locations in Florida: 0.6 CBF per trap in September and October 1981 at Merritt Island-Cocoa; 0 in May and June 1981 at Sun'N Lake; 0 in August–September 1981 at Fort Myers; and 24 on 29 September 1981 at Lehigh Acres. Encarsia smithi (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), a facultative hyperparasite of E. opulenta, was introduced accidentally into Florida during this time. E. opulenta and A. hesperidum coexisted, the former dominant, and kept CBF at extremely low numbers in Broward County during the study.
Evaluation of Kromoscopy: resolution of glucose and urea.

Kromoscopy involves the transmission of a broad band of electromagnetic radiation through the sample of interest. The transmitted light is collected and divided evenly into four detector channels with complementary bandpass functions. This optical configuration provides high signal-to-noise ratios that are ideal for analytical measurements. The molecular basis of the four-channel response is critical, because it directly influences selectivity of the measurement and, therefore, the feasibility of applications in complex sample matrices. Selectivity of the Kromoscopic signal is demonstrated by resolution of glucose and urea with four channels of information collected over the 800–1300-nm near-infrared spectral region. Analysis of the individual channel responses indicates that the displacement of water from the optical path by the dissolution of solute is a major component of the Kromoscopic measurement in this spectral region. Nevertheless, significant differences are observed in channel responses for glucose and urea. A three-dimensional vector plot of the data highlights these differences and reveals unique vector directions for glucose and urea. This difference in direction of the response vectors represents the principal basis for distinguishing glucose and urea dissolved in aqueous solutions.
Addressing Instructional Avoidance With Tier II Supports

In a 3-tiered, prevention-oriented framework, Tier II (secondary, targeted) interventions are designed for students whose problem behaviors have not responded to Tier I but are not severe enough to warrant an individualized Tier III intervention. Tier II interventions are implemented similarly across students receiving the intervention and can be delivered in an individual or group format. There are myriad such interventions in the literature; however, relatively few are designed for implementation in a 3-tiered framework. Further, there are limited evidence-based options available for students who engage in avoidance of instructional activities. In this article, the authors present a framework for conceptualizing Tier II interventions for these students. The authors define key features of evidence-based interventions for this population, systems needed to support implementation, and efficient means for progress-monitoring Tier II interventions. A case study exemplifying implementation of a Tier II interv...
Attentional Mechanisms Contributing to Balance Constraints during Gait: The Effects of Balance Impairments

Abstract Background. Recent research has begun to explore the ability of older adults to perform balance tasks while simultaneously performing a secondary cognitive task; however, it has suffered from limitations regarding the mechanisms underlying the problems that cause dual-task deficits in older adults with balance impairments. Two possible attentional mechanisms (reduced general attentional capacity vs. a true dual-task performance deficit and inability to allocate attention between two tasks) contributing to balance constraints were examined. Methods. Twelve healthy elderly adults and 12 elderly adults with balance impairments (BIOA) were asked to perform obstacle avoidance while walking, either alone or simultaneously with an auditory Stroop task. Two experiments were designed to examine attentional mechanisms that may contribute to reduce performance in the dual-task situations for the BIOA. Results. Experiment 1 determined whether for BIOA, single vs. dual-task performance conditions led to similar effects as a single-task difficulty (congruent vs. incongruent) manipulation. Results indicated that dual-task performance reduction did not exceed that of the difficult single task, suggesting that neither older adult group showed a true dual-task performance deficit, but rather BIOA showed a reduced attentional capacity. Experiment 2 showed that BIOA also showed deficits in flexibly focusing their attention between two tasks according to instructions. Conclusion. Our study confirmed that the ability to allocate attention between a postural task and a secondary cognitive task was impaired in BIOA; it is suggested that inability to flexibly allocate attention could be one important factor among many factors that contribute to balance constraints during gait in fallers.
Detecting changes in calcium influx which contribute to synaptic modulation in mammalian brain slice

The control of neurotransmitter release by modulation of presynaptic calcium influx was investigated at the granule cell to Purkinje cell synapse in rat cerebellar slices. Excitatory post-synaptic currents were measured using whole cell voltage clamp, and changes in presynaptic Ca influx were determined with the Ca-sensitive dye mag-fura-5. Single stimuli of the parallel fibers evoked rapid changes in mag-fura-5 fluorescence which increased from 10 to 90% in 1.4 msec, and then decayed within hundreds of milliseconds to prestimulus levels. These fluorescence changes were unaffected by disruption of internal stores with ryanodine or thapsigargin, and were reduced by 79% by the calcium channel toxin ω-conotoxin-MVIIC. We conclude that these signals result from calcium entry into presynaptic terminals through voltage gated calcium channels opened by action potentials. These fluorescence signals allow us to quantitate changes in calcium influx. We used this approach to study the enhancement of stimulus-evoked synaptic currents by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and antagonist of adenosine receptors. Both enhancement of calcium influx into presynaptic terminals, and reduction in the firing threshold of the parallel fibers, were found to contribute to IBMX-mediated synaptic enhancement. Changes in presynaptic calcium influx were also quantified with a novel method, which is unaffected by changes in fiber threshold. These studies illustrate some of the difficulties encountered when determining the factors responsible for synaptic enhancement and demonstrate how measurements of presynaptic calcium influx can contribute to our understanding of synaptic modulation. The approach described here promises to be widely useful in elucidating the role of calcium influx in the modulation of synapses in brain slice.
Patterns of buzz running, a pre-swarming behavior, in the Neotropical wasp Parachartergus colobopterus

Knowing whether workers or queens control reproduction is vital for understanding social evolution in insects. Among epiponine wasps, a significant part of reproduction is the production of daughter swarms. One of the first behaviors indicative of swarming is the buzzing run - a behavior in which a wasp runs rapidly back and forth on the natal nest, bumping into nestmates while traversing a significant portion of the nest. In this study we investigated whether the buzz runners in Parachartergus colobopterus were queens who were not reproducing on the current nest (reproductive losers), or workers, as evidence from other species indicates. We suspected that loser queens, who may be anxious to swarm in order to increase reproductive output, could be the buzz runners because P. colobopterus swarms are primarily composed of queens who are not the mothers of the accompanying workers. Our results show that workers are the buzz runners, and that queen number does not influence the level of buzz running on a colony. We also found that buzz running is more common on large colonies with low worker relatedness, the sort that are likely to produce swarms. However, buzzing runs also occurred sporadically on smaller nests. The small nests had more nest parasites (mostly flies) than the large nests, and the parasite dance, which is very similar to the buzzing run, was seen only on these nests.
YCF45 protein, usually associated with plastids, is targeted into the mitochondrion of Trypanosoma brucei.

YCF45 belongs to a family of proteins of unknown function usually located in the chloroplast of plants. Its highly conserved homologues were found in the genomes of several Trypanosoma and Leishmania species. HA3-tagging of the YCF45 protein with the start codon as annotated in the Gene DB revealed its cytosolic localization in the cultured procyclic stage of Trypanosoma brucei. However, when a more upstream located start codon was used in another HA3-tagged construct, the resulting protein was targeted to the mitochondrion. We propose that YCF45 was acquired by an ancestral trypanosomatid by horizontal gene transfer and in the absence of a plastid was re-targeted to the mitochondrion.
VISIBILITY OF SINGLE ATOMS.

Theoretical and experimental studies indicate that, with a high-resolution scanning electron microscope, it is now possible to obtain pictures of a single heavy atom resting on a thin carbon substrate.
Reply to “Comment on `How Can Seismic Hazard around the New Madrid Seismic Zone Be Similar to That in California?' by Arthur Frankel”, by Zhenming Wang, Baoping Shi, and John D. Kiefer

I strongly disagree with Wang et al.'s (2005) first point that the similarity in hazard between New Madrid and San Francisco is “a consequence of the higher ground-motion uncertainties (both the median and its standard deviation).” The primary point of my paper (Frankel, 2004) was that the similarity of seismic hazard for the New Madrid and San Francisco areas, for high-frequency measures of ground motion and low probabilities, is caused by the higher median ground motions expected for the central and eastern U.S. (CEUS) earthquakes compared to western U.S. (WUS) earthquakes with the same moment magnitudes. This similarity is not caused by higher uncertainty of ground motions in CEUS. In my paper, I purposely used the same variability (standard deviation) of ground motion for the New Madrid and San Francisco examples, to show that this was not the cause of the similarity of hazard. Furthermore, I showed hazard curves derived from a variety of attenuation relations to demonstrate that the choice of attenuation relation did not affect my conclusions. Therefore, the similarity in hazard is not caused by the larger uncertainty of ground motions for CEUS. Wang et al. (2005) reproduce the hazard curves in my paper for the case of equal variability in ground motions between CEUS and WUS. They correctly state that the variability used for CEUS in the USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps (Frankel et al., 2002) was higher than that used for WUS. This higher variability of CEUS ground motions is the general consensus of ground-motion experts, as evidenced by the conclusions in the recent expert-opinion study of EPRI (2003) and in the variabilities cited in a previous expert opinion study of the Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC, 1997). One of the observations that led to the use of higher variabilities in CEUS was the …
Objective quality measurement for audio time-scale modification

The recent ITU-T Recommendation P.862, known as the Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) is an objective end-to-end speech quality assessment method for telephone networks and speech codecs through the measurement of received audio quality. To ensure that certain network distortions will not affect the estimated subjective measurement determined by PESQ, the algorithm takes into account packet loss, short-term and long-term time warping resulted from delay variation. However, PESQ does not work well for time-scale audio modification or temporal clipping. We investigated the factors that impact the perceived quality when time-scale modification is involved. An objective measurement of time-scale modification is proposed in this research, where the cross-correlation values obtained from time-scale modification synchronization are used to evaluate the quality of a time-scaled audio sequence. This proposed objective measure has been verified by a subjective test.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Combustion characteristics of a dual-mode scramjet combustor with cavity flameholder

Abstract Combustion characteristics of a laboratory dual-mode ramjet/scramjet combustor were studied experimentally. The combustor consists of a sonic fuel jet injected into a supersonic crossflow upstream of a wall cavity pilot flame. These fundamental components are contained in many dual-mode combustor designs. Experiments were performed with an isolator entrance Mach number of 2.2. Air stagnation temperatures were varied from 1040 to 1490 K, which correspond to flight Mach numbers of 4.3–5.4. Both pure hydrogen and a mixture of hydrogen and ethylene fuels were used. High speed imaging of the flame luminosity was performed along with measurements of the isolator and combustor wall pressures. For ramjet mode operation, two distinct combustion stabilization locations were found for fuel injection a sufficient distance upstream of the cavity. At low T 0 , the combustion was anchored at the leading edge of the cavity by heat release in the cavity shear layer. At high T 0 , the combustion was stabilized a short distance downstream of the fuel injection jet in the jet-wake. For an intermediate range of T 0 , the reaction zone oscillated between the jet-wake and cavity stabilization locations. Wall pressure measurements showed that cavity stabilized combustion was the steadiest, followed by jet-wake stabilized, and the oscillatory case. For fuel injection close to the cavity, a hybrid stabilization mode was found in which the reaction zone locations for the two stabilization modes overlapped. For this hybrid stabilization, cavity fueling rate was an important factor in the steadiness of the flow field. Scramjet mode combustion was found to only exist in the cavity stabilized location for the conditions studied.
Intelligent speed profile prediction on urban traffic networks with machine learning

Accurate prediction of traffic information such as flow, density, speed, and travel time is an important component for traffic control systems and optimizing vehicle operation. Prediction of an individual speed profile on an urban network is a challenging problem because traffic flow on urban routes is frequently interrupted and delayed by traffic lights, stop signs, and intersections. In this paper, we present an Intelligent Speed Profile Prediction on Urban Traffic Network (ISPP_UTN) that can predict a speed profile of a selected urban route with available traffic information at the trip starting time. ISPP_UTN consists of four speed prediction Neural Networks (NNs) that can predict speed in different traffic areas. ISPP_UTN takes inputs from three different categories of traffic information such as the historical individual driving data, geographical information, and traffic pattern data. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm gave good prediction results on real traffic data and the predicted speed profiles are close to the real recorded speed profiles.
Sidebranch spacing in dendritic growth from a supercooled melt

Abstract The ratio of sidebranch spacing to tip radius of a dendritic needle crystal grown from a supercooled melt may be predicted by use of the similarity in heat flow between paraboloidal and cylindrical systems. This theory avoids use of the quasistatic approximation and is valid for crystals having a weakly anisotropic surface energy.
Improved peroxidase assay method using leuco 2,3',6-trichloroindophenol and application to comparative measurements of peroxidatic catalysis.

Abstract An improved peroxidatic assay method using leuco 2,3′,6-trichloroindophenol (leuco TIP) is described. TIP is conveniently reduced by sodium thiosulfate under standardized conditions. In contrast to leuco TIP prepared by hydrogen reduction methods, our substrate is stable at least 24 hours and the degree of reduction is completely reproducible. Under optimal conditions a linear relationship is found between peroxidase concentration and the rate of leuco TIP oxidation (Δ A 657m μ /min). Autoxidation of substrate is negligible below pH 6. The leuco TIP method was useful in measuring activity of several peroxidatic catalysts ranging from ferrous ion with a relative activity of 1 to horseradish peroxidase with a relative activity of 2.8 × 10 7 .
Some kinetic properties of dogfish chymotrypsin.

1. 1. A comparison of some kinetic properties was made between bovine chymotrypsin and chymotrypsin isolated from the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). 2. 2. The major difference between the two enzymes was observed in the molecular activity (kcat), with the dogfish enzyme being two to three times more active than the bovine enzyme. The exact difference was dependent on the substrate and assay conditions. 3. 3. The two enzymes showed similar kinetic properties with respect to the following: similar inhibition by indole and naphthol derivatives, activities vs BTEE and a series of n-fatty acid esters of p-nitrophenol, KM values, optimal pH and temperature and activation energies.
Severe anemia after gastrointestinal hemorrhage in a Jehovah's Witness: new treatment strategies.

Objective Management of severe anemia in a critically ill Jehovah's Witness is challenging. In the past, conservative therapy was the only option available to the practitioner. Recently, new interventional treatment strategies have become available, including human and bovine hemoglobin substitutes and high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin. Design Case report. Setting Intensive care unit in a quaternary care center. Patient A patient with severe, life-threatening anemia caused by gastrointestinal hemorrhage who refused all blood products on religious grounds. Intervention Bovine hemoglobin substitute and high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin. Case study A 50-yr-old Jehovah's Witness presented with massive upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage; initial hemoglobin was 3.5 g/dL. Endoscopy revealed a prepyloric ulcer, and hemorrhage control was achieved by epinephrine injections into the peri-ulcer mucosa. Despite control of hemorrhage, the patient became hemodynamically unstable. A total of 7 units of a bovine hemoglobin-based oxygen carrying compound (HBOC-201) was administered to enhance the patient's oxygen delivery. High-dose recombinant human erythropoietin was administered daily (500 units/kg). Hemoglobin levels were initially maintained and then slowly increased to a maximum of 7.6 g/dL on day 24 of therapy. Conclusion This case demonstrates that the concurrent administration of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers and recombinant human erythropoietin in severe, life-threatening anemia (hemoglobin, 3.5 g/dL) was associated with patient survival and a significant increase in hemoglobin to 7.6 g/dL, without the administration of allogeneic blood. Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers can adequately serve as initial therapy to maintain tissue oxygen delivery while awaiting the maximal effect of recombinant erythropoietin on bone marrow red blood cell production. High-dose recombinant human erythropoietin offers these patients the best chance for normalization of hematocrit and survival in the long term.
Hyperoxia, endothelial progenitor cell mobilization, and diabetic wound healing.

Abstract Diabetic foot disease is a major health problem, which affects 15% of the 200 million patients with diabetes worldwide. Diminished peripheral blood flow and decreased local neovascularization are critical factors that contribute to the delayed or nonhealing wounds in these patients. The correction of impaired local angiogenesis may be a key component in developing therapeutic protocols for treating chronic wounds of the lower extremity and diabetic foot ulcers. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are the key cellular effectors of postnatal neovascularization and play a central role in wound healing, but their circulating and wound-level numbers are decreased in diabetes, implicating an abnormality in EPC mobilization and homing mechanisms. The deficiency in EPC mobilization is presumably due to impairment of eNOS-NO cascade in bone marrow (BM). Hyperoxia, induced by a clinically relevant hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) protocol, can significantly enhance the mobilization of EPCs from the BM into ...
The ultrastructure of developing wings in the giant silkmoth, Hyalophora cecropia. II. Scale-forming and socket-forming cells.

In wings of the giant silkmoth, Hyalophora cecropia, scale-forming and socket-forming cells are first observed on day four of pharate adult development. Scale-forming cells appear synthetically active when they are first observed, for their basal region is filled with huge stacks of polyribosome-studed lamellate endoplasmic reticulum, numerous Golgi complexes containing secretory vesicles and many elongated mitochondria. During later development, some of these organelles diminish in number. Neck and scale regions are predominantly filled with longitudinally oriented microtubules and microfibril bundles, suggesting that their function is one of transport rather than synthesis. The scales originate as finger-like projections of the cell body. They subsequently elongate, flatten out and deposit a cuticle which has a surface differing somewhat from that in other lepidopterans. It consists of longitudinal ridges (1.8-2.4 μ apart), transverse ribs (0.6-1.0 μ apart) and microribs (0.10-0.13 μ apart). Socket-forming cells produce a socket around the neck region of each scale-forming cell. The socket differentiates into several morphologically distinct regions: an apical fibrillar region, a ribosomal region, a mitochondrial-microtubular region and a basal fibrillar region. The absence of polyribosome-studded lamellae of endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complexes suggests that its primary function is not biosynthesis but support and protection of the scale.
Population structure of blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus in the United States

Blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus is a subgroup 1 ilarvirus, detected in several rosaceous hosts exhibiting disease symptoms in Europe and the United States. The population structure of the virus was studied using isolates collected from wild and cultivated plants from six states in the United States. The results suggest a homogeneous virus population in the United States, similar to what observed within single orchards for other ilarviruses. Given the lack of evidence for host or geography-driven adaptation, it is hypothesized that the virus was recently introduced into the New World.
The metabolism of caesium-137 in dairy cows

1. The metabolism of 137Cs in dairy cows has been studied after single oral and intravenous doses and during twice daily oral dosing for 28 days.2. Gastrointestinal absorption of 137Cs was about 70-80% of the oral doses.3. After 28 days continuous feeding the mean concentration of 137Cs in milk was 0.84% daily dose/1. and the body burden of the isotope varied between 5.7 and 8.2 times the daily intake.4. When feeding of 137Cs stopped the concentration of the isotope in milk fell by a factor of five in 8 days, by a factor of ten in 16 days, by a factor of twenty in 32 days, and thereafter exponentially with a half-life of 30 days. The concentrations of the isotope in muscle decreased at first rather slowly but finally also exponentially with a half-life of approximately 30 days.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Peptide−Surface Interactions

Proteins, which are bioactive molecules, adsorb on implants placed in the body through complex and poorly understood mechanisms and directly influence biocompatibility. Molecular dynamics modeling ...
Critical fluctuations in a random network model

Abstract Individual threshold behaviors generate large endogenous fluctuations in a globally interactive network. In a version of NK models, the bonds are allowed to be allocated randomly across nodes in each period. It is shown that the aggregate output asymptotically follows a branching process with martingale property on a unique globally stable state.
Cyclic AMP antagonizes adenosine-induced inhibition of ganglionic transmission

The mechanism of adenosine-induced inhibition of ganglionic transmission was investigated in the isolated superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of the rat. The inhibitory effect of adenosine on the postganglionic compound action potential (CAP) was antagonized by pretreatment of ganglia with forskolin, isoproterenol (IPNE), arginine vasopressin (AVP), or papaverine, all of which are known to increase tissue cAMP level by different mechanisms. Furthermore, pretreatment of ganglia with the adenylate cyclase inhibitor SQ 22, 536, or the phosphodiesterase activator imidazole reversed the effects of IPNE and forskolin. Pretreatment with 8-bromo-cAMP, resulted in a marked antagonism of the adenosine-induced inhibition. By themselves, none of these drugs had any significant effect on the CAP. Adenosine slightly but significantly decreased the basal level of cAMP in untreated ganglia. Formation of cAMP induced by IPNE was markedly reduced by adenosine. This was largely reversed in the presence of the adenosine A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) but not the A2 receptor antagonist 3, 7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine (DPMX). We conclude that the inhibition of ganglionic transmission by adenosine involves reduction of cAMP formation through activation of A1 receptors.
IN VITRO DEGRADATION OF ATRACURIUM IN HUMAN PLASMA

The degradation of atracurium and the formation of laudanosine was examined in vitro in both Sorensen buffer and human plasma using sensitive, specific high pressure liquid chromatographic assays to determine drug concentrations. At normal physiological pH and temperature, the degradation of atracurium was threefold more rapid in plasma than in buffer. Laudanosine is the major end-product of atracurium degradation in buffer or in plasma; its production is more rapid in plasma than in buffer. Dilution of plasma constituents or the use of diisopropylfluorophosphate (a potent esterase inhibitor), slows the degradation of atracurium and the production of laudanosine. We conclude that, although ester hydrolysis is the major metabolic pathway of atracurium degradation, Hofmann elimination provides a "safety net" in its clinical use.
Citizenship and the Politics of People-Building

(2001). Citizenship and the Politics of People-Building. Citizenship Studies: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 73-96.
Possible involvement of the chromosome region 10q24→q26 in early stages of melanocytic neoplasia

A recent report described a translocation involving 10q24 in a compound nevus. We have examined our series of melanocytic tumors ranging from common nevi to metastatic melanomas with the following results. In 24 nevi (congenital or common acquired), no karyotypically abnormal clones were found. Two of 10 dysplastic nevi had abnormal clones: one had an unidentified marker chromosome, the other had a t(9;10)(p24;q24) translocation. Of the three complex primary melanomas studied (lesions with both radial and vertical growth phase present), one had a t(10;?)(q26;?) and one showed a loss of chromosome 10. Among 51 advanced melanomas (primary and metastatic), all but one had multiple alterations, and 18 of these had lost one or more copies of chromosome 10. The one invasive melanoma without multiple abnormalities had a complex three-way rearrangement: 46,XY,t(5;6;10) with breakpoints on chromosome 10 at both q23 and q25. These data support the view that the terminal region of 10q may harbor one or more genes involved in the early stages of melanocytic neoplasia.
The economic burden of asthma in US children: estimates from the National Medical Expenditure Survey.

Abstract Background: Asthma is the leading chronic illness of childhood, is responsible for substantial pediatric morbidity, and has a significant impact on use of health resources. Objective: Our purpose was to assess the per capita impact of pediatric asthma on medical care utilization and total expenditures. Methods: A population-based national probability survey, the National Medical Expenditure Survey, was conducted in 1987 to determine the use and cost of health care services in the United States. We analyzed the responses for all children aged 1 to 17 years with (n = 667) and without (n = 6911) asthma. Children with asthma were identified with use of a population-based screening question. Frequency and cost of medications, ambulatory visits, emergency department care, and hospitalizations for all reasons, including asthma, were assessed. Results: The period prevalence of childhood asthma in 1987 was 8.8% and the treated prevalence (any asthma medications) was 4.0%. Forty-one percent of families with asthmatic children were classified as having no primary insurance. Children with asthma used substantially more services in all categories of care: 3.1 times as many prescriptions, 1.9 times as many ambulatory provider visits, 2.2 times as many emergency department visits, and 3.5 times as many hospitalizations. Only 10.7% of children with asthma were defined as chronic users of medications. Children with asthma incurred an average of $1129 (SD $5310) per child per year in total health care expenditures compared with $468 (SD $2960) for children without asthma, a 2.8-fold difference. Conclusion: Asthma has considerable impact on the use and costs of medical care services among US children. Data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey provide a useful baseline against which more recent, postguideline data should be compared. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104:957-63.)
The role of magnetic geometry on the poloidal distribution of ELM-induced peak particle flux at the divertor targets in DIII-D

Edge localized modes (ELMs) are commonly observed in high-energy confinement tokamak plasmas and are thought to be caused by magnetohydrodynamic instabilities driven by the steep pressure gradient and the current in the plasma edge region. Our data show that the divertor magnetic balance, i.e. the degree to which the plasma topology resembles a single-null or a double-null, strongly determines where ELM pulses driven by ballooning instabilities at the plasma edge are distributed to surrounding vacuum vessel surfaces. These data also support the conclusions drawn from the stability analysis that ELMs are generated almost entirely on the outboard side of the main plasma.
Convolution estimates for some measures on flat curves

A measure μ is said to be Lp-improving if μ ∗ Lp ⊂ Lq for some q > p. It is known that certain singular measures supported on curves in R2 are Lp-improving. If μ is a smooth measure supported on a flat curve Γ (the curvature of Γ vanishes to infinite order at some point), μ need not be Lp-improving. Under certain hypotheses, it is proved that in this situation, although μ is not LP-improving, it does satisfy an analogous property with respect to Orlicz spaces: μ ∗ LΦ ⊂ L2 for some Orlicz function Φ with limt → ∝ Φ(t)t2 = 0. Estimates on the distribution function of the Fourier transform of μ are obtained.
Isolation of heavy chain class switch variants of a monoclonal anti-DC1 hybridoma cell line: Effective conversion of noncytotoxic IgG1 antibodies to cytotoxic IgG2 antibodies

Spontaneously arising class switch variants of the Genox 3.53 hybridoma cell line were isolated. They secrete IgG2a or IgG2b monoclonal antibodies of anti-DC1 specificity identical to that of the IgG1 secreting parental cell. In contrast to the parental monoclonal antibody, those secreted by the variants are cytotoxic to peripheral blood B lymphocytes of DC1 positive individuals and are thus compatible with existing HLA typing techniques. This provides a general method for converting noncytotoxic anti-HLA antibodies into cytotoxic typing reagents.
Stripping of Cosmic Spike Spectral Artifacts Using a New Upper-Bound Spectrum Algorithm:

A new upper-bound spectrum (UBS) method for removal of cosmic spike artifacts from spectra or images collected using a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector is proposed. This algorithm, which is shown to outperform previous methods, relies on an upper-bound spectrum, derived from scaled copies of consecutively collected spectra, which serves as a threshold for the detection of suspected cosmic spikes. Detected spikes are removed by replacement with the corresponding points in other spectra. Thus, unlike other commonly used methods, the UBS algorithm requires no smoothing or noise filtering and more reliably removes cosmic spikes of all magnitudes while introducing far less (if any) spectral distortion. The UBS method is tested using both synthetic and experimental (gypsum and gypsum/hematite mixture) spectra containing variable background (fluorescence), noise, and cosmic spike interference. The UBS method may in rare instances mistakenly identify spectral noise or photo-induced changes in band intensity (or shape) as cosmic spikes. However, as demonstrated through the use of both synthetic and experimental examples, such misidentifications produce little or no spectral distortion or artifacts in the resulting cosmic-spike-free output spectra.