cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of environmental stresses on antibody-based detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes.

Aims: To study the reaction patterns of selected antibodies to Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes cells exposed to various environmental stresses. Methods and Results: Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes cells subjected to different environmental stress of temperatures (4 and 45°C), NaCl (5·5%), oxidative stress (15 mmol−1 H2O2), acidic pH (5·5) and ethanol (5%) for 3 h (short-term stress) or for 5 days (long-term stress) were analysed by ELISA and Western blotting. The ELISA results indicated that most stresses caused 12–16% reductions in reaction for anti-E. coli O157:H7 and 20–48% reductions for anti-Salmonella polyclonal antibodies during short-term stress, whereas the most stresses exhibited enhanced reaction (44–100% increase) with the anti-L. monocytogenes polyclonal antibody. During long-term stress exposure to combined stress conditions of pH 5·5, 3·5% NaCl at 12°C or at 4°C, antibody reactions to the three pathogens were highly variable with the combined stress at 4°C showing the most reductions (8–40%). Likewise, there were about 18–59% reductions in antibody reactions with pathogens when cultured in hotdog samples with the combined stress conditions. Western blot analyses of crude cell surface antigens from both short- and long-term stressed cells revealed that the changes in antibody reactions observed in ELISA were either because of repression, expression or possible denaturation of antigens on the surface of cells. Conclusions: Overall, the antibody reactions were significantly reduced in pathogens exposed to both short- and long-term environmental stresses in culture medium or in meat sample because of expression, repression or denaturation of specific antigens in cells. Significance and Impact of the Study: In order to ensure the reliable detection of foodborne pathogens using antibody-based methods, the influence of stress on antibody reactions should be thoroughly examined and understood first as the physiological activities in cells are often altered in response to a stress.
Annual review of the editorial process

This note provides the annual review of the editorial process for the TRANSACTIONS ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE for regular contributed papers (those not associated with conferences or with our new section on nuclear medical and imaging sciences). The data presented begins with 1994, after I had fully transitioned into the Editor’s role for these TRANSACTIONS. The "year" used for each data interval is from November 1 through October 31; for example, "2002" represents the 12-month interval from November 1, 2001, through October 31, 2002.
FRICTION MEASUREMENTS ON A LOW EARTH SATELLITE

The coefficient of sliding friction for a number of materials was measured during the flight of Ranger 1 spacecraft. Flat disks of materials of interest were rotated at a speed of 8–14 inches per minute while in contact with 1/8-inch diameter hemispherical riders. Because of the low orbit achieved by Ranger 1, the experiment was exposed to vacuum in the range of 3 × 10−6 to 8 × 10−9 mm Hg. For unlubricated metals sliding on metals, the friction coefficient averaged about 0.5; for some combinations of metals, it occasionally exceeded 1.0. Lower values were observed with lubricants of grease or gold-plate and for ceramics sliding against metals. The coefficient of friction was very low, averaging 0.04, for metallic pairs lubricated with molybdenum disulfide and for polytetrafluoroethylene sliding against metals and ceramics. Relatively low friction coefficients were found for metallic materials sliding against unlubricated metallic and ceramic materials when at least one member of the pair was of high hardn...
Cholinergic Cerebral Vasodilatation: Lack of Involvement of Cranial Parasympathetic Nerves:

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was estimated by measurement of internal carotid blood flow (ICBF) and sagittal sinus blood flow (SSBF) in mechanically ventilated rabbits under 70% N2O/30% O2. Electrical stimulation of cranial nerves III, VII, IX, or X, with stimulus parameters adequate to excite other visceromotor outflows of these nerves, failed to elicit change in CBF. Combined bilateral section of nerves VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI had no effect on the reactivity of CBF to CO2, nor did the sectioning of these nerves affect the increases in CBF induced by physostigmine. Division of the sinus and aortic nerves and of the vagi in the neck failed to change CO2 reactivity, even though normocapnic CBF was reduced. Pentobarbital blocked the increase in CBF produced by physostigmine, but had no effect on that produced by pilocarpine. The results indicate that cranial parasympathetic nerves do not contain cerebral vasodilator fibers, and that they are not the source of acetylcholine which is presumably involved in CBF ...
Fat retention in infants fed breast milk and humanized cow's milk

Summary 1. Five healthy, newborn male infantswere fed diets consisting of “humanized” cow's milk alternated with pooled human breast milk for total periods of nine to twenty-seven days, with an average duration of about fifteen days on each type of feeding. 2. Determinations of fat balance,stool pH, and bacterial flora, including L. bifidus var. pennsylvanicus , are reported. 3. Contrary to the results of previously reported studies, (a) there was no significant difference in percentage of fat retention on the two types of feedings; (b) the fecal pH and relative numbers of gram-positive rods in the feces were similar for both groups; (c) L. bifidus var. pennsylvanicus was present in the stools during the periods in which the infants received breast milk and in some periods on “humanized” cow's milk immediately following breast milk feeding. This organism was diminished in periods in which feeding of the modified cow's milk formula preceded breast milk feeding.
Pseudo Color Densitometer Analysis—the Apollo 17/Saturn V Exhaust Plume

Spectra of the Apollo 17/Saturn V exhaust plume have been obtained in the uv (300–400 nm), visible (400–650 nm), and ir (750–790 nm) regions. Analysis of these data with a pseudo color densitometer reveals (1) a standing wave pattern in the exhaust plume characterized by a wavelength of 9 m, (2) a region of intense continuum within 40 m of the exit plane which supports previous reports of a continuum blackbody source with a peak temperature near 2600 K, (3) a region of continuum emission beyond 40 m that is not blackbody, and (4) line emissions beyond 40 m attributed to the sodium D lines and potassium. It is suggested that an interference filter centered on the sodium D lines could be used on a high speed framing camera to study the turbulent structure of the plume in the nonblackbody region.
Peak stress intensity factor governs crack propagation velocity in crosslinked ultrahigh‐molecular‐weight polyethylene

Ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been successfully used as a bearing material in total joint replacement components. However, these bearing materials can fail as a result of in vivo static and cyclic loads. Crack propagation behavior in this material has been considered using the Paris relationship which relates fatigue crack growth rate, da/dN (mm/cycle) versus the stress intensity factor range, ΔK (Kmax − Kmin, MPa√m). However, recent work suggests that the crack propagation velocity of conventional UHMWPE is driven by the peak stress intensity (Kmax), not ΔK. The hypothesis of this study is that the crack propagation velocity of highly crosslinked and remelted UHMWPE is also driven by the peak stress intensity, Kmax, during cyclic loading. To test this hypothesis, two highly crosslinked (65 kGy and 100 kGy) and remelted UHMWPE materials were examined. Frequency, waveform, and R-ratio were varied between test conditions to determine the governing factor for fatigue crack propagation. It was found that the crack propagation velocity in crosslinked UHMWPE is also driven by Kmax and not ΔK, and is dependent on loading waveform and frequency in a predictable quasistatic manner. This study supports that crack growth in crosslinked UHMWPE materials, even under cyclic loading conditions, can be described by a relationship between the velocity of crack growth, da/dt and the peak stress intensity, Kmax. The findings suggest that stable crack propagation can occur as a result of static loading only and this should be taken into consideration in design of UHMWPE total joint replacement components. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 101B: 430–435, 2013.
Estimating a common deterministic time trend break in large panels with cross sectional dependence

Abstract This paper develops an estimation procedure for a common deterministic time trend break in large panels. The dependent variable in each equation consists of a deterministic trend and an error term. The deterministic trend is subject to a change in the intercept, slope or both, and the break date is common for all equations. The estimation method is simply minimizing the sum of squared residuals for all possible break dates. Both serial and cross sectional correlations are important factors that decide the rate of convergence and the limiting distribution of the break date estimate. The rate of convergence is faster when the errors are stationary than when they have a unit root. When there is no cross sectional dependence among the errors, the rate of convergence depends on the number of equations and thus is faster than the univariate case. When the errors have a common factor structure with factor loadings correlated with the intercept and slope change parameters, the rate of convergence does not depend on the number of equations and thus reduces to the univariate case. The limiting distribution of the break date estimate is also provided. Some Monte Carlo experiments are performed to assess the adequacy of the asymptotic results. A brief empirical example using the US GDP price index is offered.
Two processes of conformity demonstrated by interactions of commitment, set, and personality.

Summary It was argued in this paper that the appropriate theoretical posture in conformity at the present time is not further proliferation of theoretical concepts, but conservative synthesis from a number of theories to two generic ideas which may be supported empirically. The position was taken that conforming behavior was to be understood only in terms of the concerted interaction of both personal and situational variables. An empirical investigation was reported which described the development of a scale designed to measure the personal predispositions to respond in service of the two major conforming functions. Data were reported on the interaction of persons selected on the basis of this instrument with the manipulated situational variables of goal set and publicness of commitment. The results showed that conformity occurred in an informational manner, in a normative manner, or occurred not at all, depending on its functional relevance under various combinations of persons and situations.
Fibrin induces IL-8 expression from human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

In recent studies, we have demonstrated that fibrin is present in association with tumor cells in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vivo. We hypothesized that this fibrin can directly induce the expression of known angiogenic factors from oral tumor cells. Since IL-8 is known to be the major inducer of angiogenesis caused by these cells, we examined the ability of fibrin to stimulate IL-8 expression from OSCC cells in vitro. A physiologically relevant concentration of fibrin was found to cause a dose and time-dependent stimulation of IL-8 expression from oral and pharyngeal tumor cells but not from a non-tumorigenic oral cell line. Fibrinogen, thrombin and collagen were all unable to induce significant IL-8 expression, establishing the specificity of fibrin in causing this response. Gel filtration chromatography confirmed the molecular identity of the IL-8 antigen detected in the ELISA system used. These results suggest that fibrin may promote angiogenesis in oral tumors in vivo by directly upregulating the expression of IL-8 from tumor cells.
Scheduling independent jobs on partitionable hypercubes

We consider the problem of scheduling k independent jobs on an n-dimensional hypercube system to minimize finishing time, where each job Ji is associated with a dimension di and a processing time ti, meaning that Ji requires a di-dimensional subcube for ti units of time. This problem is NP-hard if no preemption is allowed. We propose a simple heuristic called LDLPT (largest dimension longest processing time) and analyze its worst-case performance; the ratio of the heuristic to the optimal finishing time does not exceed 2 − 12n−1.
Syntheses and structures of new diaryl lead(II) compounds PbR2 (1, R = 2,4,6-triphenylphenyl; 2, R = 2,6-bis(1′-naphthyl)phenyl)

Reaction of RLi with lead(II) bromide affords the diaryl lead(II) compounds PbR2 (R1 = 2,4,6-triphenylphenyl, 1; R2 = 2,6-bis(1′-naphthyl)phenyl, 2), which have monomeric, carbene-like structures with bent two-coordinate Pb(II) centers.
The evolution of modern treatment of corpus cancer

The treatment of endometrial cancer has been surgical, traditionally, with preoperative radiation gaining favor in the past three decades. This surgical treatment has been confined to simple hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in most clinics because of the pattern of spread of corpus cancer and the alleged benignity of this disease. Even now, the role of radical surgery, the timing of radiation therapy and its mode, and the place of hormonal treatment for primary disease are still the subject of discussion and clinical investigation. The definition of virulence factors and an appropriate staging dependent upon these factors has helped to clarify some of these problems and will help the analysis of cure rates when we can understand the selection of the material. With such a prospect for quality control and establishment of a protocol of individualization of treatment, we have a right to expect that appropriate surgical and radiotherapeutic measures will gain their proper priority and adjuvant hormonal therapy and chemotherapy may be incorporated.
MENSTRUAL CYCLE AFFECTS BLADDER PAIN SENSATION IN SUBJECTS WITH INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

Purpose: Using psychophysical methods we compared the effect of the menstrual cycle on bladder sensation in subjects with the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis (IC) and in controls. Materials and Methods: Female participants with normal menstrual cycles, including 7 with IC and 8 healthy controls, were recruited into this study. They completed daily diaries related to bladder pain and other body pain, and tracked daily micturition frequency. In a subset formal psychophysical testing of thermal and ischemic pain was performed at 2 times of the menstrual cycle, corresponding to the luteal and follicular phases. Cystometrograms were performed at the same time. Results: Subjects with IC had higher pain scores and frequency than controls throughout the entire menstrual cycle. Pain scores were highest in the perimenstrual period in subjects with IC and controls. Micturition frequency was highest in the perimenstrual period in subjects with IC. Cystometric evaluation of a first need to void and the evocation of bladder pain demonstrated that lower intravesical volume and pressure were necessary to evoke bladder pain during the follicular period than during the luteal period in subjects with IC, although there was no effect on the first need to void. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with clinical lore that suggests a perimenstrual flare in pain in subjects with IC. To our knowledge it also demonstrates for the first time a menstrual cycle effect on bladder sensory function in subjects with IC. This suggests a potential role of gonadal hormones on bladder sensory processing and, therefore, a potential role for hormonal modulation as a therapeutic modality in this patient population.
Aneurysms of the Thoracic Aorta Complicating Coarctation

Coarctation of the aorta may become complicated by aortic aneurysms involving either the proximal or distal compartment of the vessel. Such aneurysms principally are consequences either of hypertension or of bacterial infection. The aneurysms in either compartment may be of the classical dissecting or saccular types. Saccular aneurysm may result from infection or laceration of the aorta without intramedial dissection of blood. In the ascending aorta, an additional basis for aneurysm is aortic stenosis, the latter either being congenital, or more commonly, acquired calcific in a congenital bicuspid valve.
A dual algorithm for the minimum covering weighted ball problem in $${\mathbb{R}^n}$$

The nonlinear convex programming problem of finding the minimum covering weighted ball of a given finite set of points in $${\mathbb{R}^n}$$ is solved by generating a finite sequence of subsets of the points and by finding the minimum covering weighted ball of each subset in the sequence until all points are covered. Each subset has at most n + 1 points and is affinely independent. The radii of the covering weighted balls are strictly increasing. The minimum covering weighted ball of each subset is found by using a directional search along either a ray or a circular arc, starting at the solution to the previous subset. The step size is computed explicitly at each iteration.
Lung Reduction Surgery in Severe COPD Decreases Central Drive and Ventilatory Response to CO2

Background and objectives Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) improves ventilatory function in selected patients with severe COPD. The reasons for the observed benefits include the following: increased elastic recoil, improved airflow, and lesser dynamic hyperinflation and decreased lung volumes. We reasoned that these changes could also alter respiratory drive. Methods Respiratory central drive was prospectively assessed using the mouth occlusion pressure (P 0.1 ), and the P 0.1 response to increasing CO 2 ( P 0.1 /PetCO 2 [end-tidal CO 2 pressure]), in eight sequential patients before and 3 to 5 months after LVRS. Results were compared with those from 13 control subjects. Results LVRS decreased total lung capacity from 7.44±1.8 L to 5.92±1.3 L (p 1 from 0.85±0.26 L to 0.99±0.26 L (p 0.1 (3.4±1.8 vs 1.4±0.4 cm H 2 O, p P 0.1 /PetCO 2 (0.24±0.07 vs 0.11±0.04 cm H 2 O/mm Hg, p 0.1 decreased from 3.4±1.8 to 1.3±0.75 cm H 2 O (p 0.1 /PetCO 2 from 0.24±0.07 to 0.16±0.06 cm H 2 O/mm Hg (p 2 , PaCO 2 , age, weight, height, FVC, and FEV 1 ) and changes in P 0.1 . Conclusions We conclude that decreased ventilatory drive should be added to the list of benefits of LVRS, and may help explain the symptomatic improvement reported by many patients after this surgery.
Experiences of Consumers with Mental Illnesses and Their Families During and After Incarceration in County Jails: Lessons for Policy Change

This study aimed to explore the experiences of people with mental illnesses and their collaterals in the jails of North Carolina. Participants were interviewed by study personnel using semistructured interviews. Study recommendations that emerged for changes to increase the care that inmates with mental illnesses receive included: (1) conceptualizing care at all stages of incarceration process; (2) involving family when possible, reworking privacy procedures; and (3) increasing skills for working with treatment-resistant populations throughout the process. As part of a sister study, the authors were successful in stimulating policy change at the state level and describe this process.
Registration of ‘Alba’ Barley

10 'Alba' (Reg. No. ______) is a winter, six-row barley released by the Oregon Agricultural 11 Experiment Station in 2012. The name “Alba” was chosen due to the bright and attractive 12 appearance of the crop at maturity. In high rainfall environments, it has a notable yield advantage 13 over check varieties and maintains excellent test weight and kernel plumpness. These advantages 14 are, in part, attributable to resistance to barley stripe rust (incited by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. 15 hordei) and scald (incited by Rhynchosporium commune). The principal end-use of Alba grain is 16 as feed, but it could also be used for food (after pearling) and preliminary tests show that it can 17 be successfully malted and used in craft brewing. 18
Scalable heterogeneous SoC (HeSoC) platform

The processing of multi-channel high-definition (HD) videos in real-time has imposed many challenges to researchers and engineers in finding an optimal balance between programmability and hardware efficiency. This paper introduces a scalable heterogeneous SoC (HeSoC) platform which consists of multiple-SoCs inter-connected in a mesh network where each SoC provides both DSP-like design flexibility and ASIC-like performance simultaneously. The final paper will provide detailed description on motivation and principles of mapping advanced coding tools into hardware and software modules to achieve the best coding efficiency and flexibility.
Heat transfer and pressure drop for a staggered wall-attached array of cylinders with tip clearance

Abstract Experiments have been performed to determine the detailed row-by-row heat-transfer characteristics of a staggered array of circular cylinders situated in a crossflow of air in a flat rectangular duct. The cylinders were attached perpendicular to one of the principle walls of the duct, with a clearance space between the free ends of the cylinders and the other principle wall. The heat-transfer coefficients were obtained by applying the analogy between heat and mass transfer to mass-transfer coefficients measured via the napthalene sublimation technique. Pressure measurements were also made to determine the incremental pressure drop due to the presence of the cylinder array. The row-by-row transfer coefficients were found to vary only in the initial rows and to attain a constant fully developed value for the fourth and all subsequent rows. The fully developed transfer coefficients are quite insensitive to cylinder height (i.e. to the extent of the tip clearance), increasing moderately as the height increases (and the clearance decreases). On the other hand, the array pressure drop increases markedly with increasing cylinder height.
Hemoglobin as a chariot for NO bioactivity

Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent vasodilator that is produced in endothelial cells and has been assumed to act exclusively at its site of synthesis. New evidence suggests that red blood cells distribute NO bioactivity, matching blood flow to tissue oxygen demands and endowing NO with features of a hormone ( pages 711–717 ).
A study of the reproducibility of viscosity determinations using gelatin sols.

A statistical study was conducted with the cooperation of several manufacturers of pharmaceutical gelatins. Common samples of bone, porkskin, and calfskin gelatins were distributed to the participating laboratories for the determination of viscosity. The gelatin viscosity testing procedure established by the National Association of Glue Manufacturers was used to determine the initial viscosity and the corresponding viscosity of these gelatins after heating 17 hours at 60°. The purpose of this study was to estimate the reproducibility of viscosity, using the established test procedure, for each of the three types of gelatin. The specific objective, for each type of gelatin, was to estimate the relative magnitudes of three types of variations as follows: (1) Variation within analyst; the variation in the results of a single analyst using a given set of equipment; (2) Variation within laboratory; the variation between the results of different analysts using the same equipment; and (3) Variation between Laboratories; the variation between results of different analysts using different sets of equipment.
Hydroclimatological Characteristics and Atmospheric Circulation Anomalies Associated with the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone

The Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone (GMHZ) has been observed along the Louisiana continental shelf west of the mouth of the Mississippi River since 1985. Previous research associated the surface area of the GMHZ with runoff in the Mississippi-Missouri River basin (MRB), with "wet" years linked to larger GMHZs than "dry" years. This research assesses the association between monthly climate divisional Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and atmospheric teleconnection indices and the surface extent of the GMHZ. Factor analysis is used to identify regions of homogeneous hydroclimatic variability that may contribute to variability in GMHZ extent. Results may be helpful in understanding the cascade of linkages from hemispheric-scale circulation to local-scale environmental impacts at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy by Decompression of the Posterior Tibial Nerve

A series of 58 operations on 36 patients were performed for decompression of the posterior tibial nerve for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Preoperative symptoms included lack of sensation, pain, or both. Eleven of the 36 patients had neurotrophic ulcers, which were treated simultaneously. The operation was found to be effective for relief of pain in 24 of the 28 patients with that complaint (86 percent). Restoration of sensation was less consistent with improvement noted in 18 of the 36 patients (50 percent). The follow-up period ranged from 12 to 84 months (mean, 32 months) and five patients had some degree of recurrent symptoms. No patient has developed a new ulcer after nerve decompression. Wound complications were minimal (12 percent), even though ulcers were treated simultaneously. No patient required surgical treatment for the decompression incision, although one did require hospital admission for treatment of a wound infection. In general, the procedure seemed to be a worthwhile treatment, which should be considered in selected diabetics with symptomatic neuropathy. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 106: 813, 2000.)
Syntax facit saltum: Computation and the genotype and phenotype of language

Human language has long captured the imagination of biological researchers. However, the gulf separating ‘computation’, ‘biology’, and ‘language’ has been equally long-standing-in large measure resulting from the gap between linguistic and biological description: we do not expect to literally find a ‘passive grammar rule’ inside a person’s head. Similarly, we evidently do not find a corresponding passive rule-specific ‘dysphasia’ that destroys one’s ability to say, “This problem was solved by the student” while sparing, along with the rest of the grammar, the ability to say “The student solved this problem”. The puzzle is a classic biological one: how to bridge between a ‘genotype’ and a ‘phenotype’, in this case perhaps the most complex behavioral phenotype we know. Linguistics has cast natural languages’s intricate and ultimately behavioral ‘outer form’ or ‘phenotype’ at an abstract level far removed form language’s computational and biological ‘inner form’ or ‘genotype’. Thus, even though linguistic science’s successful program the past 40 years has resulted in perhaps the richest description of a human ‘genotype to phenotype’ mapping that we know of-the initial substrate for human language and how language develops in an individual-until recently, progress at a more ‘reductionist’ level has been far more halting. The aim of this article is to show how recent developments in linguistic theory dubbed the “minimalist program” (MP) [l, 21 might help bridge the biology-language ‘abstraction gap’, because the minimalist program shows that despite its apparent surface complexity, language’s core might in fact be much simpler than has previously been supposed. For neuroscientists pursuing clues left by the linguistic phenotypes’s ‘fault lines’ down to the level of the real genotype, as exemplified in the work of Gopnik and colleagues [3, 4, 51, or even the so-called ‘candidate gene approach’, this is a promising development. The minimalist program is eliminative in exactly the right sort of way, since it boils down all syntactic relations and rules, including transformations, to feature matching-thus tying linguistic theory more tightly than ever to accounts such as Gopnik’s model of Specific Language Impairment. More generally, the minimalist program serves as a case study for how a complex behavioral phenotype can emerge from the interactions of a much simpler ‘genotype’. In particular, the minimalist program posits that the human ‘syntactic engine’consists of just three components: (1) words, that is, word semantics and word morpho-phonology; (2) word features; and (3) a simple operation that glues together or merges words and word complexes. This article demonstrates how just these three components interact to yield many, perhaps all, of the ‘special design features’ of human syntax. By ‘design features’ we simply mean
Some Final Lessons From Jack Block

Personality is a system, and its manifestations in thought, emotion, and behavior are dauntingly complex. The challenge for personality psychology is, as Jack Block (this issue) says in the target ...
The Kasai portoenterostomy: when is it too late?

Background/Purpose: Kasai portoenterostomy is recommended as the primary initial therapy for extrahepatic biliary atresia if the procedure can be performed within 10 to 12 weeks of life. The optimal management for infants with delayed presentation of biliary atresia remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the success rate and outcome for patients who underwent a “late” Kasai portoenterostomy. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of all patients with biliary atresia who underwent a Kasai portoenterostomy at their institution from 1986 to 1999 (n 5 31). The authors analyzed success rates compared with age at the time of the Kasai procedure and the association with patient demographics. Surgical success was defined as achievement of a total serum bilirubin # 2 mg/dL. Long-term follow-up assessments included the need for liver transplantation and patient survival rate. Results: The demographics of this study cohort showed a predominance of African-Americans, 19 of 31 (61%), and girls, 23 of 31 (74%). Assessment of success compared with subject age at the time of the initial portoenterostomy showed that 52% (13 of 25) had successful Kasai procedure at 0 to 75 days, compared with 83% success rate (5 of 6) at age 76 days or older (P 5 .359). Liver transplantation was performed in 16 of 31 patients (45%). Overall survival rate for the entire cohort is 23 of 31 (74%), whereas 12 of 31 (39%) are currently alive without a liver transplant.
Successful rat pancreatic islet allotransplantation without recipient immunosuppression.

Abstract Pancreatic islets from Wistar Furth (RT1 u ) rats are rejected by 5 days after transplantation into the liver of the diabetic Lewis (RT1 1 ) rat. Pretreatment of Wistar Furth islets by culture for 7–10 days in 95% O 2 5% CO 2 reduces immunogenicity permitting successful allotransplantation as defined by normal blood and 24-hr urinary glucose values.
High-Fidelity PCR Improves the Detection of ‘ Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ in Potato Tubers

Zebra chip disease (ZC) of potato tubers, caused by the unculturable bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) can be difficult to detect from potato tuber tissue. The polymerase chain reaction is an important tool for the detection of plant pathogens, but there are limits to its sensitivity. High-fidelity PCR incorporates a proofreading enzyme with 3′-5′ exonuclease activity and has been shown to increase detection of pathogens when the titer is low or when large amounts of competitor DNA or other host cellular contents inhibit PCR amplification. In this study, high-fidelity PCR and conventional PCR protocols were performed on tubers presenting ZC symptoms. Asymptomatic tubers were used as control. The high-fidelity PCR increased detection of Lso from symptomatic tubers by 30–40 % over conventional PCR. Slight modifications were made from previous high-fidelity protocols to decrease testing time and simplify the protocol.
Ocular and Orbital Toxicity After Intracarotid Cisplatin Therapy

September 1992, visual acuity was 20/30, and there was no vitreous activity. Organ transplantation and subsequent immunosuppression are associated with an increased incidence of malignancy. I A number of lymphoproliferative disorders may occur after transplant, with B-celllymphoma the commonest. The mechanism for this is not understood, but Epstein-Barr virus has been implicated. Lymphomas develop quicker after transplantation in patients treated with cyclosporine," but less often involve the central nervous system. Intraocular malignant B-cell lymphoma is rare, with involvement usually occurring in the form of primary lymphoma of the central nervous system. In many cases, tumor cells in the vitreous masquerade as intraocular inflammation. Bilateral disease occurs in 80%, with central nervous system lymphoma developing in 15% to 80% of patients. Although lymphoma (reticulum cell sarcoma) has been documented in a renal transplant patient with an unresponsive vitreitis," there has been a report of posttransplant intraocular lymphoma as a result of cyclosporine immunosuppression.' This event occurred in a cardiac transplant patient in whom the diagnosis was made at autopsy. Benign lymphoproliferation, in the form of bilateral iris tumors associated with a granulomatous iridocyclitis, has also been described in a liver transplant patient on a regimen of cyclosporine.'
An investigation into energy-saving programming practices for Android smartphone app development

Developing energy efficient mobile applications is an impor- tant goal for software developers as energy usage can di- rectly affect the usability of a mobile device. Unfortunately, developers lack guidance as to how to improve the energy efficiency of their implementation and which practices are most useful. In this paper we conducted a small-scale em- pirical evaluation of commonly suggested energy-saving and performance-enhancing coding practices. In the evaluation we evaluated the degree to which these practices were able to save energy as compared to their unoptimized code coun- terparts. Our results provide useful guidance for mobile app developers. In particular, we found that bundling network packets up to a certain size and using certain coding prac- tices for reading array length information, accessing class fields, and performing invocations all led to reduced energy consumption. However, other practices, such as limiting memory usage had a very minimal impact on energy us- age. These results serve to inform the developer community about specific coding practices that can help lower the over- all energy consumption and improve the usability of their applications.
Optimization of the end-fire beam pattern of two-dimensional dipole array

We have laid down the optimization guidelines for the scanning of the beam-pattern in the azimuth direction. The procedure of selecting the initial values by using the principle of reciprocity followed by the local optimization is more suited to this application as it gives an accurate value with less iteration. We also show that phase-only technique which is relatively easier to implement is applicable within the two ends of the scan range which provides almost the same quality of beam-pattern compared to the both phase and amplitude technique.
A numerical analysis of forces exerted by laminar flow on spreading cells in a parallel plate flow chamber assay.

Exposure of spreading anchorage-dependent cells to laminar flow is a common technique to measure the strength of cell adhesion. Since cells protrude into the flow stream, the force exerted by the fluid on the cells is a function of cell shape. To assess the relationship between cell shape and the hydrodynamic force on adherent cells, we obtained numerical solutions of the velocity and stress fields around bovine aortic endothelial cells during various stages of spreading and calculated the force required to detach the cells. Morphometric parameters were obtained from light and scanning electron microscopy measurements. Cells were assumed to have a constant volume, but the surface area increased during spreading until the membrane was stretched taut. Two-dimensional models of steady flow were generated using the software packages ANSYS (mesh generation) and FIDAP (problem solution). The validity of the numerical results was tested by comparison with published results for a semicircle in contact with the surface. The drag force and torque were greatest for round cells making initial contact with the surface. During spreading, the drag force and torque declined by factors of 2 and 20, respectively. The calculated forces and moments were used in adhesion models to predict the wall shear stress at which the cells detached. Based upon published values for the bond force and receptor number, round cells should detach at shear stresses between 2.5 and 6 dyn/cm(2), whereas substantially higher stresses are needed to detach spreading and fully spread cells. Results from the simulations indicate that (1) the drag force varies little with cell shape whereas the torque is very sensitive to cell shape, and (2) the increase in the strength of adhesion during spreading is due to increased contact area and receptor densities within the contact area.
A pilot study of the effects of behavioral weight loss treatment on fibromyalgia symptoms

Abstract Objective Previous studies have found a relation between weight loss and pain severity in various chronic pain populations. However, there has been little research examining the relation between body mass index (BMI) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the relationship between BMI and FMS symptoms and to determine if FMS symptoms would decrease following weight loss. Methods Overweight and obese women participated in a 20-week behavioral weight loss treatment. Results Participants, on average, lost 9.2 lbs (4.4% of their initial weight), and there were significant pre–postimprovements on several outcome measures. Although weight was not significantly related to pain at baseline, weight loss significantly predicted a reduction in FMS, pain interference, body satisfaction, and quality of life (QOL). Conclusion Findings suggest that behavioral weight loss treatment could be included in the treatment for overweight/obese women with FMS.
Delayed Treatment With Hypothermia Protects Against the No‐Reflow Phenomenon Despite Failure to Reduce Infarct Size

Background-—Many studies have shown that when hypothermia is started after coronary artery reperfusion (CAR), it is ineffective at reducing necrosis. However, some suggest that hypothermia may preferentially reduce no-reflow. Our aim was to test the effects of hypothermia on no-reflow when initiated close to reperfusion and 30 minutes after reperfusion, times not associated with a protective effect on myocardial infarct size. Methods and Results-—Rabbits received 30 minutes coronary artery occlusion/3 hours CAR. In protocol 1, hearts were treated for 1 hour with topical hypothermia (myocardial temperature 32°C) initiated at 5 minutes before or 5 minutes after CAR, and the results were compared with a normothermic group. In protocol 2, hypothermia was delayed until 30 minutes after CAR and control hearts remained normothermic. In protocol 1, risk zones were similar and infarct size was not significantly reduced by hypothermia initiated close to CAR. However, the no-reflow defect was significantly reduced by 43% (5 minutes before CAR) and 38% (5 minutes after CAR) in hypothermic compared with normothermic hearts (P=0.004, ANOVA, P=ns between the 2 treated groups). In protocol 2, risk zones and infarct sizes were similar, but delayed hypothermia significantly reduced no-reflow in hypothermic hearts by 30% (556% of the necrotic region in hypothermia group versus 796% with normothermia, P=0.008). Conclusion-—These studies suggest that treatment with hypothermia reduces no-reflow even when initiated too late to reduce infarct size and that the microvasculature is especially receptive to the protective properties of hypothermia and confirm that microvascular damage is in large part a form of true reperfusion injury. (J Am Heart Assoc. 2012;1:e004234 doi: 10.1161/ JAHA.112.004234)
Computation of logical effort in high level languages

Abstract A new measure of software complexity is introduced, that of logical effort. This measure is an attempt to quantify program complexity by an analysis of the control structure of the program, using the concepts of language virtuality and segment independence. A program is decomposed by the use of these concepts until measurements can be made at the statement level. These measurements, along with measurements of I, the effort necessary to perform a loop, and Q, the effort necessary to determine which branch to take in a decision, are then used to calculate recursively the effort in larger and larger structures, until the program level is reached. An example of this process is given for a short program, along with a brief comparison of the results obtained with a similar measure, that of cyclomatic complexity. Algorithms for the computation of I and Q are also given, along with examples of their calculation. This process is essentially a decomposition of a Boolean function into disjunctive normal form, followed by a minimization of the form using a weighting measure involving weights on both the operators and the variables in the function.
Evaluation of a current source active power filter to reduce the dc bus capacitor in a hybrid electric vehicle traction drive

In hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), a batterypowered three-phase inverter is used to drive the traction motor. Due to the switching behavior of this inverter, significant harmonic currents are present on the dc side of the inverter. Traditionally, a bulky capacitor is used to filter these harmonics. In this paper, an active filtering method is evaluated to substitute for the dc bus capacitor. The active power filter (APF), composed of power electronic switches and an inductor, works as a current-source inverter. The operation principle of the proposed method is described and implemented in Matlab/Simulink. The method has been proposed before but the practical feasibility of this method has not been evaluated. In this paper, several crucial design parameters in association with the filtering effect, such as voltage band and the values of the inductor and the smoothing capacitor are identified, and the dependence of system performance on these parameters is illustrated. Finally, the underlying problems for practical implementation are discussed.
Milk-rejection sign. A clinical observation.

A clinical observation has been noted among lactating females with breast cancer. Four women with this lesion have been seen who reported that their infants, who had been nursing since birth from both breasts, abruptly began to refuse milk from one breast. In the rejected breast a mass later was discovered which, when biopsied, proved to be malignant. It is postulated that the milk-rejection phenomenon results from changes in either the taste, odor or consistency of the milk which renders it objectionable to the infant. Biopsy should be undertaken if a lactating mother reports a lump in her breast in the presence of the milk-rejection sign. Mammography may prove of value if milk rejection is reported with no obvious breast mass or in association with multiple breast nodules. The frequent practice of assuming all breast masses in a nursing mother are due to lactational abnormalities requiring only watchful waiting is condemned.
Phase I trial of weekly cisplatin, irinotecan and paclitaxel in patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer

Objectives: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), toxicities, and suitable dose for weekly 1-h paclitaxel combined with weekly cisplatin and irinotecan to treat advanced gastrointestinal malignancies. Methods: Thirty patients with metastatic or locally advanced (unresectable or recurrent) gastrointestinal solid tumors were enrolled on this single-center, phase I study. Patients were treated with paclitaxel given over 1h at 1 of 4 dose levels (40, 50, 65, or 80 mg/m2). Paclitaxel was followed by fixed doses of cisplatin (30 mg/m2) and irinotecan (50 mg/m2). All treatment was administered sequentially, once a week, in 6-week cycles (4 weeks on, 2 weeks off). Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as a 2-week delay in treatment for grade 3 or 4 non-hematologic toxicity, neutropenic fever, a 1-week delay for grade 4 hematologic toxicity, or a 2-week delay for grade 3 hematologic toxicity. Results: Thirty patients were recruited; 28 patients were assessable for safety. Most of the patients (70%) had no prior chemotherapy. The primary first-cycle DLTs were neutropenia, diarrhea, and nausea. Paclitaxel at 65 mg/m2 was defined as the MTD. The most common grade 3–4 toxicities observed during all cycles were neutropenia (57%), febrile neutropenia (11%), diarrhea (29%), fatigue (29%), and nausea (18%). No patients had G-CSF (Neupogen, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA) support. Responses were observed in gastric, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers. Conclusion: Paclitaxel at 65 mg/m2, cisplatin (30 mg/m2), and irinotecan (50 mg/m2) given weekly can be safely administered to patients with solid tumor malignancies. To improve cumulative toxicities, a schedule modification was required (3-week cycle; 2-on, 1-off) Neutropenia was the most common DLT. This combination showed substantial activity, particularly in patients with gastric and esophageal adenocarcinoma, and phase II evaluation could be considered.
PRAGMATICS AT WORK: THE TRANSLATION OF TOURIST LITERATURE

PRAGMATICS AT WORK: THE TRANSLATION OF TOURIST LITERATURE. Maria Pilar Navarro Errasti, Rosa Lores Sanz, and Silvia Murillo Ornat (Eds.). Bern: Peter Lang, 2004. Pp. 245. $49.95 paper.This volume is a collection of chapters on research in translation studies and pragmatics that focuses on the translation of tourist literature. It contains chapters by well-established figures in translation studies as well as contributions by scholars at the University of Zaragoza (Spain), including three by the editors themselves.
Natural macrocyclic molecules have a possible limited structural diversity.

This paper examines ring size patterns of natural product macrocycles. Evidence is presented that natural macrocycles containing 14-, 16-, and 18-membered rings are of frequent occurrence based on a data mining study. The results raise a question about the limited diversity of macrocycle ring sizes and the nature of the constraints that may cause them. The data suggest that the preference bears no relationship to the odd–even frequency in natural fatty acids. The trends reported here, along with those reported previously (Wessjohann et al. (2005) Mol Divers 9:171), may be generalized to better understand the possible structure preferences of natural macrocycles.