cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mosaic stunting in bareroot Pinus banksiana seedlings is unrelated to colonization by mycorrhizal fungi

Mosaic stunting, the occurrence of random patches of chlorotic seedlings with reduced shoot and diameter growth amidst more robust cohorts within bareroot nurseries, is classically associated with poor colonization by mycorrhizal fungi. We examined possible relationships among soil fertility, mycorrhizas, and random patches of mosaic stunting in bareroot Pinus banksiana Lamb. and suggest this paradigm is not universal. Stunted seedlings were distributed among healthy seedlings, occupied field space for 2–3 years, and used nursery resources (i.e. irrigation, fertilization); consequently high rates of culling at harvest resulted in an economic stress for the nursery. Thus, an understanding of the cause(s) of stunting was necessary. Stunted 1 + 0 seedlings had significantly lower levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc than their healthy cohorts, despite similar soil nutrient levels. The numbers of mycorrhizal root tips on stunted and healthy seedlings were similar, and the taxa of mycorrhizal fungi, determined by isolations and DNA sequencing, were not consistently associated with stunted or healthy seedlings. We conclude that differences in Pinus banksiana mycorrhizas are not responsible for mosaic stunting, but may be caused by localized low soil N availability due to uneven distribution of added organic matter amendments.
Elevated Myocardial Akt Signaling Ameliorates Doxorubicin-induced Congestive Heart Failure and Promotes Heart Growth

Abstract Y. Taniyama and K. Walsh. Elevated Myocardial Akt Signaling Ameliorates Doxorubicin-induced Congestive Heart Failure and Promotes Heart Growth. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2002) 34, 1241–1247. Doxorubicin is a chemotherapeutic agent that can induce cardiotoxicity and congestive heart failure (CHF). In this study we tested whether intracoronary Akt1 gene delivery could inhibit doxorubicin-induced CHF. Saline or a replication defective adenoviral vector expressing constitutively-active Akt1 (myrAkt) or β-galactosidase (βgal) was delivered to the myocardium of 8 week old rats one day prior to initiating doxorubicin administration. In animals receiving saline or βgal, doxorubicin resulted in significant decreases in cardiac function and retarded post-natal heart growth at the 5 weeks time point. In contrast, transduction of myrAkt protected hearts against doxorubicin-induced decreases in fractional shortening and cardiac index, and improved left ventricular function at 5 weeks time point. Delivery of myrAkt also reversed the doxorubicin-induced reduction in post-natal heart growth and diminished lung edema. These data show that myocardial Akt can inhibit doxorubicin-induced reductions in cardiac function and growth, suggesting that manipulation of this signaling pathway may have utility for the treatment of congestive heart failure.
Neonatal androgen treatment and sexual behavior in males of three inbred strains of mice.

Male neonates of the A, BABL/c, and C57BL/6 mouse strains were injected with androgen and the effects upon their sex behavior studied. Genotype and treatment combined interactively on a number of variables, particularly in the proportions of animals responding, indicating that the effects of perinatally administered androgen and genotype cannot be considered separately.
Microsoft's Fortran 5.0 random number generator : be aware

Summary.-Microsoft's in-line random number generator is of the multiplicative, congruential type. However, the generator produces duplicates of numbers in the series being generated before the value that began the cyde is repeated. Such physical dependency in the cyde makes the program suspect for applications involving pseudorandom values. With the improvements in PC hardware, scientific applications ususally reserved for main frame computing are being implemented on PCs. The release of Microsoft's FORTRAN 5.0 (Microsoft, 1989) was a welcomed tool for research workers who had substantial programs written in FORTRAN and run in a main frame environment. Specifically, the incorporation of an in-line random number generator in this version of FORTRAN made the idea of moving Monte Carlo simulation research to a PC envhnment. Since no documentation about the generator was provided in the manuals, initial tests were run to determine the cycle length. The fluctuations in cycle length were extreme, going from less than 500 to over 200,000. Microsoft's Product Support Services Group provided the information (personal communication, August 16, 1990) that the generator is a linear congruential 15 one with a cycle length of 2 = 32,768 and that longer periods occurred because duplicates of numbers in the series were produced before the cycle repeated its starting value. TABLE 1
Bacterial Colonization of Saliva and Plaque in the Elderly

The growth of the geriatric portion of the population of North America is a well-established fact. In the 1990s the needs of people over the age of 60 have become a major focus of health care in the United States and Canada. The care of these patients is a major cost factor faced by many health care planners. Older people are keeping their teeth longer, so the need for dental treatment of caries and periodontal disease persists well into old age. The increased use of multiple medications in the elderly may be particularly detrimental since it exacerbates the tendency toward xerostomia [1, 2]. The increased use of prosthetic devices, oral radiation, and immunosuppressive agents renders the elderly vulnerable to more-serious complications of oral infection or bacteremias of oral origin [3]. The presence of antibiotic-resistant flora may complicate the prophylaxis needed to prevent seeding of prosthetic devices or cardiac valves during dental or oral procedures [4]. In geriatrics, the cooperation of physicians, dentists, oral biologists, and immunologists is critical for the integration of emerging information on salivary and oral flora. Dental care givers know about the connections among Streptococcus mutans, saliva, and decay [5] and between key anaerobic flora and periodontal disease [6-8]. Since functionally impaired elderly patients often receive poor oral care [9], they can also have salivary or pharyngeal bacterial colonization with aerobic flora such as gram-negative aerobic bacilli or staphylococci.
Neurofilament phosphorylation and [125I]calmodulin binding by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in the brain subcellular fractions of diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP)-treated hen.

Diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP) produces organophosphorus ester-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN) in humans and sensitive animal species, e.g., adult chicken. The chickens were sacrificed 18 days after a single dose of DFP (1.7 mg/kg, sc.), which produced severe ataxia or paralysis in 10–14 days. We studied Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent in vitro neurofilament phosphorylation by the brain subcellular fractions of control and DFP-treated hens. There was enhanced phosphorylation of all three NF subunits by the brain supernatant of treated hens. This was accompanied by enhanced autophosphorylation of both Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) subunits and increased calmodulin binding using either125I-CaM or biotinylated calmodulin to only α subunit without concomitant increase in the amount of this enzyme. This enhanced phosphorylation of neurofilament subunits was completely and partially inhibited by mastoparan and KN-62, respectively. There was no alteration in the distribution of CaM-kinase II activity in treated hens and the activity was not related to its concentration in different subcellular fractions. The difference in125I-CaM binding to CaM-kinase II α subunit in the brain supernatants of control and DFP-treated hens was not altered by its phosphorylation or dephosphorylation. The increased CaM-kinase II activity in the soluble fraction of DFP-treated hen brain may be involved in the aberrant phosphorylation of axonal neurofilaments, and thus play a role in OPIDN.
The Global Moral Compass for Business Leaders.

Globalization, with its undisputed benefits, also presents complex moral challenges that business leaders cannot ignore. Some of this moral complexity is attributable to the scope and nature of specific issues like climate change, intellectual property rights, economic inequity, and human rights. More difficult aspects of moral complexity are the structure and dynamics of human moral judgment and the amplified universe of global stakeholders with competing value claims and value systems whose interests must be considered and often included in the decision-making process. While managing moral challenges is considered in management literature to be a legitimate and crucial function of business leadership, the complexity of moral challenges in a globalized business culture stretches the managerial capacities of individuals who rely on a personal moral compass and their own wisdom traditions of philosophy or religion for guidance. The Global Moral Compass introduces an expanded epistemic value framework as an aid to understanding and managing moral complexity in a globalized business culture.
Gridded design rule scaling: taking the CPU toward the 16nm node

The Intel 45nm PenrynTM CPU was a landmark design, not only for its implementation of high-K metal gate materials1, but also for the adoption of a nearly gridded design rule (GDR) layout architecture for the poly silicon gate layer2. One key advantage of using gridded design rules is reduction of design rules and ease of 1- dimensional scaling compared to complex random 2-dimensinal layouts. In this paper, we demonstrate the scaling capability of GDR to 16nm and 22nm logic nodes. Copying the design of published images for the Intel 45nm PenrynTM poly-silicon layer2, we created a mask set designed to duplicate those patterns targeting a final pitch of 64nm and 52nm using Sidewall Spacer Double Patterning for the extreme pitch shrinking and performed exploratory work at final pitch of 44nm. Mask sets were made in both tones to enable demonstration of both damascene (dark field) patterning and poly-silicon gate layer (clear field) GDR layouts, although the results discussed focus primarily on poly-silicon gate layer scaling. The paper discusses the line-and-cut double patterning technique for generating GDR structures, the use of sidewall spacer double patterning for scaling parallel lines and the lithographic process window (CD and alignment) for applying cut masks. Through the demonstration, we highlight process margin issues and suggest corrective actions to be implemented in future demonstrations and more advanced studies. Overall, the process window is quite large and the technique has strong manufacturing possibilities.
SU‐FF‐T‐530: Volumetric Arc Treatment of Multiple Brain Metastases

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of treating a patient with multiple brain metastases using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Method and Materials: We calculate dose to a patient with two brain metastases (one in the right occipital lobe and one in the right cerebellum) using a single, 356° dynamic arc with the SmartArc feature in Pinnacle's treatment planning system (Philips, Inc.). The MRI‐based gross tumor volumes were expanded isotropically by 3mm and combined to make a single planning target volume. The prescribed dose was 18Gy in 1 fraction, normalized to 80% of the point dose at isocenter. The VMAT plan was compared to a Gamma Knife (GK) plan with a prescription of 18Gy in 1 fraction, normalized to 50% of maximum dose for each lesion with no expansion and to an 8‐field IMRT plan with coplanar and non‐coplanar static beams with the same prescription as the VMAT plan. Results: Satisfactory coverage was obtained for all plans with a Dmin of 19.8Gy, 17.1Gy and 19.6Gy to the GTV for the VMAT, GK and IMRT, respectively. The conformality index for the VMAT, GK and IMRT plan were 1.28, 1.93 and 1.29, respectively. The volume of normal braintissue receiving 12Gy for the VMAT, GK and IMRT plans were 8.4, 1.0 and 7.9 cc, respectively. A benefit of the VMAT plan is that it may be delivered in 6.6mins, compared to the GK plan which could take up to 1.5hours. Conclusion: The VMAT dose distribution for a multiple brain metastases patient was equivalent to a conventional IMRT plan. Compared to GK plans, the VMAT plan is more conformal but delivers higher dose to normal braintissue due to larger margins. We are performing an evaluation of the necessary margin based on setup data at our institution and looking at patients with >2 metastases.
ELECTRICAL BEHAVIOR OF PLUTONIUM-NEPTUNIUM ALLOYS

The electrical behavior of a series of plutonium-neptunium solid-solution alloys has been investigated between 1 and 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The effect of alloying on residual resistivity is substantially different from that usually seen in solid-solution alloys. An interpretation is advanced for this behavior.
A 16.8Gbps/channel single-ended transceiver in 65nm CMOS for SiP based DRAM interface on Si-carrier channel

A 16.8Gbps/channel single ended transceiver for SiP based DRAM interface on silicon carrier channel is presented. A transmitter, receiver, and channel are all included in a single package. On the transmitter, 1 tap FFEs are used in 4:1 MUX and in output driver. On the receiver, source follower based CTLEs and self Vref generator are used for obtaining effective single ended signaling on Si-carrier channel. A BER that is less than 1e-12 is achieved in 65nm CMOS. The power efficiency of the transceiver is 5.9pJ/bit with 120Ω terminations at each transceiver side.
Union organizing expenditures: Determinants and their implications for union growth

This paper explores some implications of the economics of union organizing. Following the literature, it is argued that the economic costs and benefits of organizing are systematically related to the proportion of the union’s jurisdiction already organized. Evidence is presented that unions do allocate a smaller proportion of their budgets to organizing when a greater proportion of their jurisdiction is already organized. Total union organizing expenditures, however, are found to increase over a broad range as the percentage organized increases. The supply of union-organizing services to unorganized workers apparently only declines at relatively high levels of union penetration. These critical levels of unionization have been attained only by a few U.S. labor organizations.
A PDMS-based pressure-tunable nanograting

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of a pressure-tunable guided-mode resonance grating. A thin, flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane was fabricated with an embedded titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanograting. When pressure is applied to the device, the membrane expands, and the pitch of the grating increases; this causes a shift in its resonant wavelength. By varying the pressure by only 3500 Pa, a tunable range of over 35 nm can be observed.
Symmetry of flow in the Comstock Lode hydrothermal system: Evidence for longitudinal convective rolls in geologic systems

[1] Hydrothermal fluid flow can be visualized by three-dimensional (3-D) kriging and computer contouring of oxygen isotope data on propylitized andesites in the Comstock Lode mining district. This data set consists of δ18O results for 327 samples from surface outcrops, drill cores, and mine workings in a 3.5 km × 1.7 km × 1.0 km block in the hanging wall of the Comstock fault encompassing the region where the most important ore bodies were discovered. The δ18O contours deep in the hanging wall are not simply parallel to the Comstock fault or to the boundary of the Davidson granodiorite stock as would be expected for a hydrothermal convection system dominated by unicellular flow. Instead, the subsurface δ18O values exhibit a high degree of symmetry about a vertical plane directed radially toward the stock, with isotopic contours being predominantly perpendicular to the Comstock fault and the eastern contact of the Davidson granodiorite. A vertical cross section along the Comstock Lode shows a low δ18O core with two symmetrical zones of higher δ18O values to either side where the contours are steeply inclined, which we infer reflects downwelling of fluids shifted by water-rock exchange or steam loss. This 3-D visualization of δ18O values provides the first evidence that longitudinal convective rolls can be significant in geologic environments, in this case within a zone of high temperature gradients and permeability near the Comstock fault and the Davidson granodiorite stock.
Quantitative evaluation of retinal tumor volume in mouse model of retinoblastoma by using ultra high-resolution optical coherence tomography

An ultra high resolution spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) together with an advanced animal restraint and positioning system was built for noninvasive non-contact in vivo three-dimensional imaging of rodent models of ocular diseases. The animal positioning system allowed the operator to rapidly locate and switch the areas of interest on the retina. This function together with the capability of precise spatial registration provided by the generated OCT fundus image allows the system to locate and compare the same lesion (retinal tumor in the current study) at different time point throughout the entire course of the disease progression. An algorithm for fully automatic segmentation of the tumor boundaries and calculation of tumor volume was developed. The system and algorithm were successfully applied to monitoring retinal tumor growth quantitatively over time in the LHBETATAG mouse model of retinoblastoma.
A Critical Information Literacy Model: Library Leadership within the Curriculum

It is a time for a new model for teaching students to find, evaluate, and use information by drawing on critical pedagogy theory in the education literature. This critical information literacy model views the information world as a dynamic place where authors create knowledge for many reasons; it seeks to understand students as information users, and emphasizes that information “evaluation” is a continual process during research. This model centers libraries within the curriculum as the experts on overcoming many of the obstacles to conducting successful research in the ever-changing information world.
Nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite bioceramic using microwave radiation: Synthesis and characterization

In this work, we synthesized bioactive hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAp) ceramic powder in the lower-end of nano-regime using microwave radiation, which offers several advantages. The powder was synthesized using calcium nitrate tetrahydrate and sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous as the starting materials. EDTA served as the complex reagent. The pH of the final suspension was adjusted to 9 by adding ammonium hydroxide. Applied microwave power of 600W, pH of the suspension, mole ratio of Ca/P in the staring chemicals, and the chelating effect of EDTA served as the factors in the synthesis of nanocrystalline HAp powder. The synthesized powder was studied using various characterizing techniques viz., XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, EDS, TG/DTA and FT-IR to determine powder morphology, particle-size, crystallinity, phases, elemental composition and thermal behavior. Results confirmed highly crystalline nano-powder (5-30nm) with elemental composition of Ca and P in HAp phase and possessed mixed (elliptical and rod-shape) morphology. Using the Scherrer formula, the average crystallite size was found to be 12nm. The FT-IR confirmed that the powder is of typical apatite structure. Thermal analysis showed a remarkably lower initial dehydroxylation temperature, compared to micron sized HAp, as reported in literature.
Implementing local multipurpose land information systems: Political-economic research issues

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between multipurpose land information systems and the acquisition, distribution and use of political power in U.S. local governments. It is argued that local governments will be the primary adopters and users of these systems. Evidence from related research suggests that adoption of computerized land information technology will act to reinforce, rather than redistribute, the existing distribution and use of political power. However, this evidence is based on non-land information system computer adoption. The need to conduct specific political and institutional research on land information systems, and to begin conceptualizing and testing a democratic theory of their adoption is stressed.
Family Interactions Surrounding Feedings of Infants With Nonorganic Failure to Thrive

Family interactional processes surrounding infant feedings in 34 consecutive cases of nonorganic failure to thrive (NFT) admitted to a university teaching hospital are reported. Observations of family interactions for 90 minutes, including one feeding, yielded clinically useful information not readily available from other sources. Behaviors that supported inadequate feedings were reliably identified in 79 percent of the families. Failure of mothers to appropriately respond to their infants' cues, coupled with few signs of emotional attachment, were present in only 26 percent of cases, and inadequate child-care knowledge and skills in only 6 percent. Thus, widely held conceptual models explained perpetuation of inadequate feedings in only 32 percent of cases. Instead, sibling rivalry, displaced maternal anger, and undermined mother were among the problems found. Assessments of family members' interactions surrounding feedings have the potential to enhance the current management of NFT.
A Numerical Study of the Outflow layer of Tropical Cyclones

Numerical simulations of idealized tropical cyclones with special emphasis on the outflow layer are presented. The quasi-steady state outflow layers of weak and strong cyclones are found to exhibit similar characteristics. The circulations are anticyclonic and asymmetric about the center; the outflow layer is dominated by a narrow, elongated outflow-jet contributing up to 50 percent of the angular momentum transport; the air particles in the outflow jet mostly originate from the lower level. Secondary circulations are found to influence the relative humidity and the potential vorticity at the outflow levels. In order to study the effect of upper tropospheric forcings, two variational numerical experiments using cumulus convection as the major link between the upper-level forcing and the tropical cyclone's response are conducted.
Protein-protein interactions and dopamine D2 receptor signaling: a calcium connection.

The third cytoplasmic loop is a crucial site of physical contact between some G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their respective G proteins. However, interactions not only occur among these proteins but also involve a number of additional protein binding partners. Modulation of these protein-protein interactions may represent an important new avenue of pharmacotherapy through which signaling of GPCRs can be modulated. In the current issue of Molecular Pharmacology , Liu et al. (p. 371) report that dopamine D 2 receptors interact with the Ca 2+ binding protein S100B. Using the third intracellular loop of the dopamine D 2 receptor as bait in a bacterial two-hybrid system, S100B was determined to be a potential binding partner. They used pull-down assays both in vitro and in vivo to confirm the interaction and define its specificity. Neither the D 3 nor the D 4 receptor expresses the motif conferring the interaction, and peptides based on the third intracellular loop of the D 3 receptor did not pull down S100B. Some groups might stop there, but Liu and colleagues moved on to demonstrate colocalization of the D 2 receptor and S100B by immunostaining. Functional assays were then used to show that coexpression of S100B with the D 2 receptor increases the ability of D 2 receptors to activate ERK and to inhibit adenylyl cyclase. These data suggest that S100B coexpression may serve as an important mediator of D 2 receptor signaling efficacy in the brain. These interactions contribute to cellular, regional, and developmental differences in D 2 receptor activation.
IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSTRUCTURED GRID GMRES+LU-SGS METHOD ON SHARED-MEMORY, CACHE-BASED PARALLEL COMPUTERS

The implementation of an unstructured grid matrix-free GMRES+LU-SGS scheme on shared-memory, cache-based parallel machines is described. A special grid renumbering technique is used for the parallelization rather than the traditional method of partitioning the computational domain. The renumbering technique helps to avoid inter-processor data dependencies, cache-misses, and cache-line overwrite while allowing pipelining. The resulting source code can be used with maximum efficiency and without modifications on traditional (scalar) computers, vector supercomputers, and shared-memory parallel systems. Special attention has been paid to develop an optimally parallelized preconditioner for the GMRES scheme.
Mechanism-based Inactivation of Human Glutaryl-CoA Dehydrogenase by 2-Pentynoyl-CoA RATIONALE FOR ENHANCED REACTIVITY

2-Pentynoyl-CoA inactivates glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase at a rate that considerably exceeds the rates of inactivation of short chain and medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenases by this inhibitor and related 2-alkynoyl-CoAs. To determine the rate of inactivation by 2-pentynoyl-CoA, we investigated the inactivation in the presence of a non-oxidizable analog, 3-thiaglutaryl-CoA, which competes for the binding site. The enhanced rate of inactivation does not reflect an alteration in specificity for the acyl group, nor does it reflect the covalent modification of a residue other than the active site glutamate. In addition to determining the inactivation of catalytic activity a spectral intermediate was detected by stopped-flow spectrophotometry, and the rate constants of formation and decay of this charge transfer complex (λmax ≈ 790 nm) were determined by global analysis. Although the rate-limiting step in the inactivation of the other acyl-CoA dehydrogenases can involve the abstraction of a proton at C-4, this is not the case with glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase is also differentiated from other acyl-CoA dehydrogenases in that the catalytic base must access both C-2 and C-4 in the normal catalytic pathway. Access to C-4 is not obligatory for the other dehydrogenases. Analysis of the distance from the closest carboxylate oxygen of the glutamate base catalyst to C-4 of a bound acyl-CoA ligand for medium chain, short chain, and isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenases suggests that the increased rate of inactivation reflects the carboxylate oxygen to ligand C-4 distance in the binary complexes. This distance for wild type glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase is not known. Comparison of the rate constants of inactivation and formation of a spectral species between wild type glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase and a E370D mutant are consistent with the idea that this distance in glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase contributes to the enhanced rate of inactivation and the 1,3-prototropic shift catalyzed by the enzyme.
Applications of Multipath Transform-Domain Charge-Sampling Wide-Band Receivers

Transform-domain (TD) receivers expand the received signal over a basis set, and then operate on the basis coefficients. An analog computation of the basis coefficients efficiently parallelizes the signal for digital processing, relaxing the sampling requirements and enabling parallel digital processing at a much lower rate. Frequency-domain (FD) sampling, as a special case of TD sampling, has been proposed to parallelize the sampling process in broad-band communication receivers. The flexibility and scalability of TD receivers allow for the design of receivers that can cope with a large range of narrow-band and broad-band communications standards. A theoretical TD receiver design example is provided which is capable of processing GSM, Bluetooth, IEEE802.11g, Wimax, and UWB in just one configurable front-end. An example of spectrum sensing in cognitive radio is also provided.
Resuscitative thoracotomy for pediatric trauma in Illinois, 1999 to 2009.

Abstract Background Outcomes in adults who undergo resuscitative thoracotomy are poor. Few studies have examined the procedure’s use in pediatric trauma. Methods The Illinois State Trauma Registry was queried for thoracotomy performed in the emergency department from 1999 to 2009, for patients aged 0 to 15. Injury mechanism, vital signs, and mortality were examined while controlling for injury severity. Results Resuscitative thoracotomy was infrequently performed in pediatric trauma (n = 25; 2.3/year). Most patients had suffered penetrating injury. Patients who underwent resuscitative thoracotomy were in extremis, with only 17% demonstrating signs of life upon presentation. Although 6 patients (24%) survived initially, only 2 (8%) survived to hospital discharge. Conclusions Resuscitative thoracotomy was rarely performed in children in Illinois emergency departments. Survival is low for thoracotomy in the emergency department, but some patients who presented with penetrating injuries did have positive outcomes, supporting a continued role for the procedure in select cases.
Auditory stimuli as a contributor to consciousness while under general anesthesia.

Abstract Background The incidence of intraoperative awareness under general anesthesia approaches 1% in high-risk patients. Anesthesiologists commonly utilize processed electroencephalograms (EEG) in order to monitor "depth" of anesthesia, the most common of which is the Bispectral Index (BIS). The B-aware and B-Unaware trials, which were designed to test the efficacy of the BIS monitor, noted an auditory component in 16 of 17 confirmed cases of intraoperative awareness. Implicit auditory memory formation has been documented under general anesthesia. Small studies have documented a significant effect of noise on BIS scores during monitored anesthesia care. Methods Twenty-two patients undergoing general anesthesia received earplugs after the induction of anesthesia. Every ten minutes the earplugs were reinserted or removed. Noise levels were recorded every 0.125s and both average and maximal BIS scores were recorded every minute. Non-parametric analysis of both populations (with and without earplugs) was performed. A mixed effects model with one degree of freedom (with and without earplugs) was generated to take into account the effect of anesthetic agents on BIS scores. Results 3009min of data were recorded. The median and range (25–75%) BIS scores were 39 (29–46) and 39 (28–44) with and without earplugs in place, respectively. Earplugs were associated with lower BIS scores ( p =0.0183). The mixed effects model confirmed this relationship ( p 60 in any one minute epoch) showed a 32% reduction in the incidence of maximal BIS scores exceeding 60 ( p =0.0012). There was no relationship between ambient noise level and average maximal BIS score ( R 2 =0.003). Conclusions Our study suggests that earplugs may reduce the incidence of BIS scores >60 in patients undergoing total intravenous anesthesia and that auditory stimuli may affect EEG interpretation. Because of the low cost and safety of noise reduction, as well as the catastrophic implications of intraoperative awareness, further studies to explore the effects of auditory stimuli on awareness and anesthesia are warranted.
Modulation of Cardiac Na+ Current Phenotype by β1-Subunit Expression

Abstract—Na+ current (INa) is smaller, activates and inactivates more slowly, and displays less negative voltage dependence of inactivation in the neonatal rat than in the adult rat. We have observed very similar changes when INa is recorded as a function of time in culture in mouse atrial tumor (AT-1) cells. The differences between mature and immature INa are reminiscent of those observed when skeletal muscle Na+ channel α subunits are expressed alone (immature) or with the β1 subunit (mature). In the present experiments, we tested the hypothesis that suppression of β1-subunit expression by antisense oligonucleotides would prevent the development of a mature INa. The mouse β1 subunit was cloned from an AT-1 cDNA library and found to be identical to that in the rat at 216/218 amino acids. AT-1 cells exposed to anti-β1 antisense oligonucleotides displayed an immature INa at day 8 in culture, whereas untreated cells or cells exposed to sense oligonucleotides displayed a mature INa. This result was observed ...
WebCAD: A computer aided design tool constrained with explicit ‘design for manufacturability’ rules for computer numerical control milling

AbstractA key element in the overall efficiency of a manufacturing enterprise is the compatibility between the features that have been created in a newly designed part, and the capabilities of the downstream manufacturing processes. With this in mind, a process-aware computer aided design (CAD) system called WebCAD has been developed. The system restricts the freedom of the designer in such a way that the designed parts can be manufactured on a three-axis computer numerical control milling machine. This paper discusses the vision of WebCAD and explains the rationale for its development in comparison with commercial CAD/CAM (computer aided design/manufacture) systems. The paper then goes on to describe the implementation issues that enforce the manufacturability rules. Finally, certain design tools are described that aid a user during the design process. Some examples are given of the parts designed and manufactured with WebCAD.
Modeling of an electron beam generated Ar-N2 Plasma for plasma processing

A spatially averaged model of an electron beam generated plasma immersed in a constant magnetic field is developed to model the impact of small admixture of nitrogen to an argon background on the development of the electron energy distributions function. The model is based on numerical solution of the electron Boltzmann equation self consistently coupled to a set of rate balance equations for electrons, argon and nitrogen species. The electron energy distribution function, electron density and temperature are calculated as a function of the fraction of nitrogen in the gas and compared to experimentally measured data1.
Planning for New Towns: The Gap Between Theory and Practice*

Influential members of the urban planning profession have developed certain ideas about new town design, including notions such as self-containment, social balance, and the neighborhood unit. These parallel, to some extent, concepts that have emerged from the field of community sociology. Efforts to put these ideas into practice have fallen far short of the mark. Without more sophisticated implementation mechanisms, better theories of social interaction at the neighborhood level, and new approaches to citizen participation, efforts to build new towns are likely to remain severely crippled. The aim of this paper is to summarize past efforts to translate implicit theories of social organization into actual new town designs. The possibilities of closing the gap between theory and practice through the use of more explicit forms of social experimentation are discussed in the context of the fledgling new towns program in the United States.
Interaction of pathogenic Neisseria with host defenses. What happens in vivo

N. gonorrhoeae initiates infection by adhering to and invading columnar epithelial cells. Over time these activities often induce inflammation, with the influx of neutrophils and serum into the urethral lumen, cervical os, conjunctiva, and the like. At least some of these infected niches contain CMP-NANA (cytidine monophospho-N-acetyl neuraminic acid, also called CMP-sialic), contain sialylated gonococci, and are relatively or strictly anaerobic due to neutrophil and gonococcal metabolism and to the site of disease, that is, the peritoneal cavity. Gonococci thus encounter environmental conditions, reagents, and substrates in the human body that are not normally present in vitro. Knapp and Clark were the first to successfully grow gonococci anaerobically in an easily reproducible system, allowing researchers to begin to investigate in vitro the effects of anaerobiosis on gonococcal virulence traits. As a result of a series of elegant and in depth studies, Smith and Parsons and their colleagues showed that growth in CMP-NANA confers on the gonococcus a high degree of phenotypic (readily reversible) serum resistance and that CMP-NANA is available in vivo at sites of gonococcal infection and disease; gonococci become covalently coated with sialic acid and they become serum resistant (reviewed in refs. 8-10). Given that gonococci growing in the absence of oxygen or in the presence of CMP-NANA probably more closely resemble gonococci growing inside the human host, we studied several possible virulence traits of gonococci cultivated under these conditions. We first observed that anaerobic growth (in the absence of CMP-NANA) increases gonococcal resistance to killing by low (but not high) concentrations of normal human serum. We also asked whether anaerobic growth affected gonococcal association with host cells. Contrary to the effects on serum killing, anaerobic growth (in the absence of CMP-NANA) does not appear to affect the ability of gonococci (expressing certain adhesive outer membrane proteins called Opa proteins) to bind to and enter human epithelial cell lines or to bind to or resist killing by human neutrophils. The results from studies investigating the modulatory role of CMP-NANA were more striking. Growth in CMP-NANA dramatically inhibits the adherence of Opa+ gonococci to human neutrophils. It does not, however, appear to significantly decrease their sensitivity to phagocytic killing or to in vitro killing by lysosomal contents (aqueous extracts of human neutrophil granules).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A scalable motion-compensated subband image coder

Treating the temporal direction of subband-coded images has in the past involved a choice between temporal subband decomposition, which allows scalable (partial bit-stream) decoding but may reduce the coding efficiency, or motion-compensated coding, which can be more efficient but is not scalable. The authors propose a motion-compensated subband coder which preserves the scalability of the representation, and demonstrate its application in conjunction with a novel bit allocation process. >
APOPTOSIS IN THE CHICK WING BUD AND THE PERMANENCE OF FGF-2 RESCUE

Two regions of programmed cell death that occur in the mesoderm of developing chick wing buds were studied in vitro. The opaque patch (OP) and posterior necrotic zone (PNZ) were examined for the presence of internucleosomal DNA degradation and for rescue by protein synthesis inhibition, two defining characteristics of apoptosis. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that DNA from OP and PNZ tissue was cleaved into nucleosome size pieces and this cleavage was prevented by inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide. Both regions showed rescue with cycloheximide as determined by the chromium release assay and examination of electron micrographs. Also, the permanence of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) rescue in the OP and PNZ was examined using the chromium release assay. While rescue in the OP was found to be permanent, rescue in the PNZ only delayed death while FGF-2 was present in the culture medium. This research shows that death in the OP and PNZ exhibits internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and is prevented by inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide, biochemically characterizing this death as apoptosis. It also suggests that in vitro FGF-2 rescue is permanent in the OP but is merely a delay of cell death in the PNZ.
Coupled electrooxidation and electrical conduction in a single gold nanowire.

The resistance, R, of single gold nanowires was measured in situ during electrooxidation in aqueous 0.10 M sulfuric acid. Electrooxidation caused the formation of a gold oxide that is approximately 0.8 monolayers (ML) in thickness at +1.1 V vs saturated mercurous sulfate reference electrode (MSE) based upon coulometry and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis. As the gold nanowires were electrooxidized, R increased by an amount that depended on the wire thickness, ranging from ΔR/R0.10V = 14% for a 63 nm (h) × 200 nm (w) wire to 57% for an 18 nm (h) × 95 nm (w) wire at +1.1 V. These nanowires were millimeters in total length, but just 46 μm lengths were exposed to the electrolyte solution. The oxidation process and the accompanying increase in R were reversible: Reduction of the oxide at +0.10 V resulted in recovery of the reduced wire R except for a small resistance offset caused by the dissolution of ≈0.4 ML of gold during each oxidation/reduction cycle. The measured increase in R during ox...
Recombinant DNA--on our own.

The recombinant DNA issue will not go away. It is but the churning edge of a turbulent sea of concerns to come, as mankind again extends its dominion, this time to redirect the course of biological evolution. And as we find our course in this changed world, we should not expect that the ways of science will remain unchanged.
The relationship between spiritual resources and life attitudes of African American homeless women.

Little is known about the relationships between spiritual resources and life attitudes of homeless African American women. Spiritual resources may serve as protective factors for women leaving homelessness. This descriptive study examines spiritual resources, life attitudes, and selected demographics of 160 African American women who were homeless in the Midwestern United States. Participants ranged in age from 30–62 years of age and reported being homeless 1–9 times, with a mean of 1.94 (SD = 1.53) times. The authors draw inferences for how spiritual resources and life attitudes can influence women's efforts to leave homelessness and identify implications for nursing practice.
Bortezomib in combination with infusional dose‐adjusted EPOCH for the treatment of plasmablastic lymphoma

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare and aggressive CD20-negative lymphoma. Despite improvements of the biology behind PBL, it still represents a challenge from the diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives for pathologists and clinicians. PBL is characterized by high rates of relapse and short median survival with standard approaches. Here, we report the use of the combination of bortezomib and infusional etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin (V-EPOCH) in three patients with PBL; two were HIV-positive and one was HIV-negative. All three patients obtained a durable complete response to V-EPOCH with survival times of 24, 18 and 12 months respectively.
Development of Low‐Toxicity Gelcasting Systems

A series of low-toxicity gelcasting systems has been developed. The reagents used in these systems have very low acute toxicity. The new systems perform at least as well as, and in some cases better than, the original acrylamide-based system. The development of these systems is described herein, including the search for new gel compositions, the study of suspensions made with the new gel precursor solutions, and pyrolysis of the dried gels and gelcast parts. Applications of the new gelcasting systems include complex silicon nitride parts, large-diameter rings, rapid prototyping by green machining, and metal-powder gel casting.
TRAINING EDUCATORS TO IMPLEMENT FUNCTIONAL ANALYSES

The present study examined the use of an instructional workshop for training educators to conduct functional analyses. Results indicated that 2 of 3 participants met the accuracy criterion following group training, whereas 1 participant required direct verbal feedback. During generalization probes, one participant accurately conducted sessions with a student in her classroom.
Requirement for Period gene expression in the adult and not during development for locomotor activity rhythms of imaginal Drosophila melanogaster

Mutations at the period (per) locus of Drosophila melanogaster disrupt the circadian rhythm of adult locomotor activity. Molecular studies have shown that this gene is expressed primarily at the embryonic, pupal and adult stages. We have used conditional per mutants to infer the stages of development during which per expression is required for adult rhythmicity. In experiments carried out with germline transformants in which the arrhythmic per01 allele has been transformed with a heat-shock protein 70 promoter-driven per gene (hsp-per transformants) we find that per expression in the adult is both necessary and sufficient for imaginal rhythms. Results obtained with existing per alleles and other per transformant strains that behave as conditional per mutants are consistent with those obtained with these molecularly engineered conditional mutants. Using hsp-per transformants we have found that the per gene product is apparently required only at the time of manifestation of rhythmicity, and can rescue the host's arrhythmic phenotype even when supplied many days after transfer to constant darkness. We present evidence suggesting that it is necessary for pacemaker function itself, rather than being involved in a process that couples the activity of the pacemaker to the output pathway. The levels of per transcript and the abundance and tissue distribution of its protein product observed in hsp-per transformants exposed to different temperature regimes are described. An initial report of some of these results has been published previously (Ewer et al., 1988).
Novel interactions of CLN5 support molecular networking between Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis proteins

Background Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) comprise at least eight genetically characterized neurodegenerative disorders of childhood. Despite of genetic heterogeneity, the high similarity of clinical symptoms and pathology of different NCL disorders suggest cooperation between different NCL proteins and common mechanisms of pathogenesis. Here, we have studied molecular interactions between NCL proteins, concentrating specifically on the interactions of CLN5, the protein underlying the Finnish variant late infantile form of NCL (vLINCLFin).