cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, toxic shock, and the immune system.

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a severe multisystem disorder characterized by high fever, hypotension, generalized erythroderma, desquamation of the skin, and dysfunction of multiple organ systems (Chesney 1989; Davis et al. 1980; Todd et al. 1978). TSS is consistently associated with infection by toxigenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus, most commonly in the setting of tampon use during menses or following surgery or trauma. Exotoxins secreted by staphylococcal isolates from patients with TSS, most notably toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), but also the structurally related staphylococcal enterotoxins, play a key role in the pathophysiology of this disease. It has been recently appreciated that the toxicity of TSST-1 stems from its ability to initiate uncontrolled activation of large numbers of immune cells by virtue of its capacity to bind MHC class II (la) molecules (Scholl et al. 1989a; Uchiyama et al. 1989a). Once bound to la molecules, TSST-1 can transmit activation signals to la+ immune cells including monocytes, B lymphocytes, activated T lymphocytes, and activated natural killer cells. At the same time, la-bound TSST-1 acts as a superantigen that interacts with and activates human T lymphocytes whose T cell receptor β chains bear a particular variable (V) gene sequence, Vβ2 (Choi et al. 1989). In this review, we will focus on the characteristics of the interaction between TSST-1 and la molecules and on the functional consequences of superantigen formation, including Vβ-restricted activation of T lymphocytes and superantigen-mediated cognate T/B cell interaction. We will also examine evidence for the induction by TSST-1 of transmembrane signals via la molecules that regulate intercellular adhesion interactions mediated by lymphocyte function-associated molecule 1 (LFA-1; CD11 a/CD18), T and B lymphocyte activation, and monokine gene transcription. Finally, we will discuss the relevance of the interaction of TSST-1 with la molecules to the pathophysiology of TSS.
THE VITAL CONNECTION

Beneath the moral discourse and its imperative demands there appears a human “intersubjectivity” with its own “moral” requirements, which have an inescapable immediacy. This immediacy manifests two closely intertwined moments: corporeal kinaesthetic abilities, and the expressivity of bodily gestures. In this essay these will be treated separately for methodological reasons, yet their intertwining will not be neglected. The two moments do not negate a “higher” level moral discourse; rather they reveal the more “intimate” human cooperative ventures and relationships that are taken for granted, although usually neglected, by moral theorists. The phenomena of our concerns consists of “health,” “abilities,” and “disabilities,” and indeed of “moral” duties at the level where the “individual” and the “community” have not yet been rent asunder. Thus we shall touch upon an “intersubjectivity” that does not yet raise a question of the priority of either individual or community. This is not to deny that such a question can and has been raised. In fact, the bifurcation of theoretical approaches into “individualism” and “communalism” constitutes one of the fundamental “battle grounds” between two major political systems.
How ‘Object-Oriented’ Is Our Design?

In the course of the last two chapters, we have seen that the design process involves making several choices. This is quite typical of any engineering design, and should come as no surprise. For instance, when a bridge is designed, an engineer is starting with an architect’s plan and is making choices about the kind of materials needed.While doing this, the engineer is typically guided by well-formulated design rules.
Stories Remote Sensing Images Can Tell: Integrating Remote Sensing Analysis With Ethnographic Research in the Study of Cultural Landscapes

Although remote sensing techniques have become important methodologies in geographical studies, their quantitative tradition and empirical strength have discouraged their use in ethnographically based research of cultural landscapes. Using Uxin Ju of Inner Mongolia in China as a case study, this paper, adopting the approach of “mixed methods,” explores the integration of remote sensing techniques with ethnographic research in the study of cultural landscapes. In particular, it examines how remote sensing techniques, combined with ethnographic methods, can contribute to the study of cultural change and human perceptions as they relate to the landscape. Remote sensing analysis offers additional stories about changes in the landscape–stories not told by interviewees, or stories that supplement the account of interviewees. These stories provide important insights into cultural change and culture–landscape relationships. Through this case study, I argue that remote sensing techniques can greatly enhance ethnographic research in the study of cultural landscapes.
Sources of Patients' Expectations of Lumbar Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN A cross-sectional, mixed methods analysis of sources of expectations of lumbar surgery. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to ascertain sources of expectations and compare them to clinical characteristics. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Understanding where patients obtain expectations of lumbar surgery is necessary in order to develop interventions to foster appropriate expectations. METHODS This was a qualitative-quantitative study of 428 patients interviewed preoperatively with a 20-item validated survey, which asks patients how much improvement they expect per item. Patients then were asked open-ended questions about how they came to have these expectations and, using qualitative analysis, responses were grouped into themes representing different sources of expectations. The likelihood of citing various sources was then assessed with odds ratios (ORs) based on demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS Patients' mean age was 55 years, 80% had degenerative diagnoses and 24% had prior lumbar surgery. Patients volunteered multiple sources; most prevalent were current surgeon (83%), internet resources (55%), social network contacts (26%), other physicians (22%); and previous experience (65%) for the subgroup who had prior lumbar surgery. Patients were more likely to cite their surgeon if they had less disability [OR 2.8, confidence interval (CI) 1.3-5.8, P = 0.007], were treated with conservative care, such as physical therapy (OR 2.7, CI 1.6-4.7, P = 0.0003), and had symptoms for ≤12 months (OR 1.8, CI 1.1-3.0, P = 0.03). Patients who cited the internet were employed (OR 2.2; CI 1.5-3.3; P < 0.0001), were treated with physical therapy (OR 1.9; CI 1.2-3.1; P = 0.006), had a negative screen for depression (OR 1.8; CI 1.2-2.8; P = 0.004), and were younger (OR 1.6; CI 1.1-2.4; P = .02). Patients were less likely to expect complete improvement for most items of the survey if they had prior lumbar surgery (P = 0.002) or other orthopedic surgery (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION Patients derive their expectations of lumbar surgery from multiple sources. Some sources are modifiable through enhanced communication with surgeons and potentially through novel modes of education, such as web-based resources that are specifically designed to address expectations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2.
A Primer on Disability for Land Use and Zoning Law

Approximately 20-30 percent of American families have a family member with a disability, many with a mobility impairment. Many people need access to disability services and programs. They need the availability of group homes, senior housing, drug rehabilitation centers, medical marijuana dispensaries, and counseling clinics. This leads to land use disputes. This Primer is designed for people familiar with property law and land regulation (planning and zoning), and with little experience with disability law. The goal is to present an introduction that facilitates understanding of the intersections between land use law and disability. In general, the legal requirements of primary concern are limited, such that only a few parts of our expansive disability law are most relevant to the vast majority of planning and zoning matters. This Primer will guide the reader through these key provisions. The Acts discussed in this Primer include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act (RHA), and the Fair Housing Act (FHA).
Combined ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol and moderate alcohol administration: effects on ingestive behaviors in adolescent male rats.

Whereas co-use of alcohol and marijuana is prevalent in adolescents, the effects of such drug co-exposure on ingestive and cognitive behaviors remain largely unexplored. We hypothesized that co-exposure to alcohol and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constitute of marijuana, alters feeding behavior and cognition differently from either drug alone. Male rats received daily THC (3–20 mg/kg/day) or oil vehicle through subcutaneous injection or consumption of a cookie with access to saccharin or saccharin-sweetened alcohol during adolescence (P30–45). Barnes maze and sucrose preference tests were applied to assess spatial memory and behavioral flexibility and abstinence-related anhedonia, respectively. Subcutaneous THC did not affect alcohol intake but dose-dependently increased acute (3 h) chow intake and reduced weight gain. Moderate alcohol consumption reduced the acute hyperphagic effect of subcutaneous THC. By contrast, oral THC at a dose > 5 mg/kg robustly reduced alcohol intake without affecting 3-h chow intake. At this dose, some rats stopped consuming the THC-laced cookies. Furthermore, oral THC reduced weight gain, and co-exposure to alcohol alleviated this effect. Chronic subcutaneous, but not oral, THC reduced sucrose intake during abstinence. Neither treatment impaired cognitive behaviors in the Barnes maze. Moderate alcohol and THC consumption can interact to elicit unique outcomes on ingestive behaviors and energy balance. Importantly, this study established a novel model of voluntary alcohol and THC consumption for studying mechanisms underlying the consequences of adolescent onset co-use of the two drugs.
Electronic structure studies of V (vanadium)

This chapter provides data on the electronic structural studies on the surface of vanadium.
Protein phase separation in mitosis.

Through phase separation, some proteins form liquid-like condensates or droplets which can flow, fuse, and even deform when pressure is applied. In some cases, the condensates ‘mature’ to form gel or solid-like structure. Recent studies suggest that the liquid-like condensates form the structural basis for several membrane-less subcellular organelles such as stress granules and other subcellular structures. Here, we review and discuss studies that implicate protein phase separation in the function of the spindle apparatus and centrosomes.
Cyber Peace and Cyber Stability: Taking the Norm Road to Stability

Norms are useful because they represent agreed or expected behaviors. This paper discusses how technical and policy norms, formulated by multistakeholder bodies, can be used to enhance the governance of cyberspace and contribute to achieve cyber stability, which represents an ideal state where “all actors are free to enjoy the benefits of cyberspace without fear.”
Resource Use and Outcomes for Children Hospitalized With Severe Sepsis or Septic Shock.

Objective:To describe patient and hospital characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and charges for children with severe sepsis or septic shock who often require...
How Well Are Your Instrument Items Helping You to Discriminate and Communicate

In this chapter, we introduce readers to several Rasch techniques that provide added techniques by which analysts can evaluate the degree to which items help discriminate respondents on a test. Also, we discuss added techniques by which readers can optimize how items are used to communicate the performance of respondents completing a test. Knowledge of how items discriminate respondents can be used to inform decisions made regarding which items might be removed from a test, which items may need revision, and which items may need to be retained. This chapter links to many ideas in Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences, for example, how the creation of a Wright Map can be used to quickly inform an instrument developer with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of the items that were developed for a test.
Successive Correlated Defaults in a Structural Model

We propose a multi-firm first-passage credit model in which investors have incomplete information. In this model, investors cannot observe a firm's value process and its default barrier process. The model accounts for the short term risk inherent in default events, the market-wide impact of defaults on security prices due to counterparty relations between firms, and the cyclical default correlation effects observed in credit markets. We explicitly calculate the pricing trend and the arrival intensity of the first, second, etc. default. These results furnish (1) tractable reduced form formulas for arrival probabilities of successive correlated defaults and prices of multi-name credit derivatives that depend on the first, second etc. default, and (2) an algorithm for the simulation of successive unpredictable default times.
Access to HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment/Overdose Prevention Services: A Qualitative Analysis of Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) Serving Rural PWID.

Syringe service programs (SSP) increasingly serve rural areas of the United States, yet little is known about access and perceived need for their services. Objectives: This paper presents the HIV a...
Code R Redesigning Hospital-wide Peer Review for Academic Hospitals

In most health care institutions, physician peer review is the primary method for maintaining and measuring physician competency and quality of care issues. However, many teaching hospitals do not have a method of tracking resident trainees' involvement in adverse cases. At the study institution, Code R was introduced as a measure to capture resident trainee involvement in the hospital-wide peer review process. The authors conducted a retrospective review of all peer review cases from January 2008 to December 2011 in an academic medical center and determined the quantity and type of resident errors that occurred compared to attending faculty. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's core competencies served as a framework to categorize quality of care errors. The addition of Code R to the peer review process can be readily adopted by other institutions to help improve resident education, facilitate faculty supervision, and potentially improve patient safety.
Synthesis of rac-Emtricitabine and rac-Lamivudine by Chlorotrimethylsilane-Sodium Iodide Promoted Vorbrüggen Glycosylation

By simply adding water and sodium iodide (NaI) to chlorotrimethylsilane (TMSCl), promotion of a Vorbruggen glycosylation en route to essential HIV drugs emtricitabine (FTC) and lamivudine (3TC) is achieved. TMSCl-NaI in wet solvent (0.1 M water) activates a 1,3-oxathiolanyl acetate donor for N-glycosylation of silylated cytosine derivatives, leading to cis ox-athiolane products with up to 95% yield and >20:1 dr. This telescoped sequence is followed by recrystallization and borohydride reduction, resulting in rapid synthesis of (±)-FTC/3TC from an achiral tartrate ester.
Mechanism of T-dependent cytotoxicity: role of papain-sensitive non class I MHC target molecules and expression of target antigen for cytotoxicity

Cell mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) has been shown to play a major role in resistance to viral infections, tumor rejection and allograft rejection. The mechanism by which the cytotoxic phenomenon operates has been the subject of many investigations, but still remains elusive. Several approaches have been used, such as chemical inhibitors which allow for the dissection of lysis into three steps, namely, binding and/or recognition, programming for lysis, and the killer cell independent lysis stage (1). Other approaches have made use of blocking antibodies which allow for the characterization of surface molecules involved in lysis (2). These studies suggest that lysis is a complex phenomenon requiring several interactions between the lymphocyte and the target cell before lysis is achieved. The nature of these interactions and the biochemical nature of the molecules involved has been studied in part. For instance, it is clear that H2 antigens on target cells are recognized by the CTL receptor. Likewise, several molecular species on CTL have also been implicated in cytotolysis such as Lyt23 and the LFA family of molecules (3–5).
An optical receiver for the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration based on photon-counting superconducting nanowires

The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) successfully demonstrated for the first time duplex laser communications between a lunar-orbiting satellite and ground stations on Earth with error-free downlink data rates up to 622 Mb/s utilizing an optical receiver based on photon-counting superconducting nanowires and operating near 1550 nm.
The Effects of Image Rotation on Dot-Matrix Characters

This study investigated how rotation of dot-matrix characters influenced human performance, measured by the response time in a random search task. Factors that influence the extent of dot-matrix pattern distortion were identified, and their effects were investigated. Significant effects were found in angle of rotation (p=0.0046; 0 to 180 degrees in a 5-degree increment), target character's distance from the center of rotation (p<0.0001), and target characters (p<0.0001). Issues pertinent in predicting the effect of dot-matrix pattern distortion on performance are discussed.
Monocular tracking of the human arm in 3D

We address the problem of estimating the position and motion of a human arm in 3D without any constraints on its behavior and without the use of special markers. We model the arm as two truncated right-circular cones connected with spherical joints. We propose to use a recursive estimator for arm position, and to provide the estimator with error signals obtained by comparing the projected estimated arm position with that of the actual arm in the image. The system is demonstrated and tested on a real image sequence. >
Characterization of cytochromes c550 and c555 from Bradyrhizobium japonicum: cloning, mutagenesis, and sequencing of the c555 gene (cycC).

Abstract The major soluble c-type cytochromes in cultured cells of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 comprised a CO-reactive c555 (Mr, approximately 15,500) and a non-CO-reactive c550 (Mr, approximately 12,500). Levels of cytochrome per gram of soluble protein in aerobic, anaerobic, and symbiotic cells were 32, 21, and 30 nmol, respectively, for c555 and 31, 44, and 65 nmol, respectively, for c550. The midpoint redox potentials (Em,7) of the purified cytochromes were +236 mV for c555 and +277 mV for c550. The CO reactivity of c555 was pH dependent, with maximal reactivity at pH 10 or greater. Rabbit antiserum was produced against purified c555 and used to screen a B. japonicum USDA 110 genomic DNA expression library in lambda gt11 for a downstream portion of the c555 gene (cycC). This sequence was then used to probe a cosmid library for the entire c555 locus. The nucleotide sequence shows an open reading frame of 149 amino acids, with an apparent signal sequence at the N terminus and a heme-binding site near the C terminus. The deduced amino acid sequence is similar to those of the cytochromes c556 of Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The cycC gene was mutagenized by insertion of a kanamycin resistance cassette and homologously recombined into the B. japonicum genome. The resulting mutant made no c555 but made normal amounts of c550. The levels of membrane cytochromes were unaffected. The mutant and wild type exhibited identical phenotypes when used to nodulate plants of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.), with no significant differences in nodule number, nodule mass, or total amount of N2 fixed.
Alternative trade in bananas: obstacles and opportunities for progressive social change in the global economy.

Fair trade bananas are the latest inan increasing array of commodities that are beingpromoted by various organizations in an effort tocreate alternative production and consumption patternsto the environmentally destructive and sociallyinequitable patterns inherent in traditionalproduction and trade systems. Fair trade is touted asa strategy to achieve more sustainable developmentthrough linking environmentally and socially consciousconsumers in the North with producers pursuingenvironmentally sound and socially just productionpractices in the South. Promotion of fair tradebananas in Europe has achieved impressive initialgains on the consumer end of the commodity chain,capturing 10 percent or more of the banana trade inseveral countries. Yet in spite of these gains, thefair trade banana initiative appears to beencountering serious obstacles to its further success.We argue that the primary challenge in creating atruly alternative trade in bananas stems from thedifficulties of upholding rigorous social andenvironmental standards in the face of increasinginroads into fair trade markets by transnationalcorporations producing under less rigorous conditions.We then develop a series of options for strengtheningfair trade banana initiatives in both Europe and NorthAmerica. We conclude by arguing that the case ofbananas illuminates the general question of how toachieve more progressive and sustainable productionand consumption systems within a global system thatdrives production and consumption toward greaterintegration and homogenization under the control oftransnational corporations.
Supersonic Turbulent Boundary Layer Subjected to Adverse Pressure Gradients

A set of experimental data is presented for a supersonic, two-dimensional turbulent boundary-layer growing along a flat wind-tunnel test section wall while subjected to a systematic variation of three adverse pressure gradients starting from the same initial conditions. The data are for a nearly adiabatic wall with an initial Mach number and Reynold's number per foot of 2.36 and 11.55xl06, respectively. Detailed profiles of pitot and static pressure, total temperature, mass flow, and turbulence intensity at four axial stations are presented along with direct measurements of wall shear. It is found that profile shapes are affected more by the magnitude than the character of the pressure gradient except very near the wall. Wall shear is found to increase with distance in the pressure gradient with this increase being a function of both the magnitude and character of the pressure gradient. The turbulence intensity is found to monotonically decrease with vertical distance in the zero pressure gradient region, whereas that in the adverse pressure gradient region increases between the wall and the middle of the boundary layer and then decreases to a relatively low freestream value. Comparison of the data with an "exact" numerical calculation based on an eddy viscosity approach indicates good agreement between profile shapes, but predicted values of wall shear are 8% to 20% low.
Assay for the Killing Properties of T2 Bacteriophage and Their “Ghosts”

Duckworth, Donna H. (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.), and Maurice J. Bessman. Assay for the killing properties of T2 bacteriophage and their “ghosts.” J. Bacteriol. 90:724–728. 1965.—A procedure for the assay of bacteriophage and their “ghosts” which is based on their ability to kill cells is described. The method is derived from the well-known ability of phage and ghosts to prevent the induction of β-galactosidase. Conditions are described whereby a direct relationship is found between the decrease in β-galactosidase and the number of phage or ghosts present during the induction period. The number of phage measured by this method was found to be identical with the number of plaque-forming units found in a fresh lysate. The method has been used to follow the fate of ghosts under several conditions and to measure killer (but nonviable) particles in various preparations of phage.
Catalase and Superoxide Dismutase of Root-Colonizing Saprophytic Fluorescent Pseudomonads

Root-colonizing, saprophytic fluorescent pseudomonads of the Pseudomonas putida-P. fluorescens group express similar levels of catalase and superoxide dismutase activities during growth on a sucrose- and amino acid-rich medium. Increased specific activities of catalase but not superoxide dismutase were observed during growth of these bacteria on components washed from root surfaces. The specific activities of both enzymes were also regulated during contact of these bacteria with intact bean roots. Increased superoxide dismutase and decreased catalase activities were observed rapidly, by 10 min upon inoculation of cells onto intact bean roots. Catalase specific activity increased with time to peak at 12 h before declining. By 48 h, the cells displayed this low catalase but maintained high superoxide dismutase specific activities. Catalase with a low specific activity and a high superoxide dismutase activity also were present in extracts of cells obtained from 7-day-old roots colonized from inoculum applied to seed. This specific activity of superoxide dismutase of root-contacted cells was about fourfold-higher in comparison to cells grown on rich medium, whereas the specific activity for catalase was reduced about fivefold. A single catalase isozyme, isozyme A, and one isozyme of superoxide dismutase, isozyme 1, were detected during growth of the bacteria on root surface components and during exposure of cells to intact bean roots for 1 h. An additional catalase, isozyme B, was detected from bacteria after exposure to the intact bean roots for 12 h. Catalase isozyme A and superoxide dismutase isozyme 1 were located in the cytoplasm and catalase band B was located in the membrane of P. putida.
The long QT syndrome.

The Long QT syndrome (LQTS) can be inherited or acquired and is of particular interest and concern at present. Patients with LQTS are predisposed to the ventricular tachyarrhythmia torsade de pointes (TdP) which causes syncope and sudden death. Inherited LQTS is the prototype of the “primary cardiac arrhythmias” or “cardiac ion channelopathies”. The study of inherited LQTS has provided enormous insight into the molecular basis of cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmogenesis in general. Drug induced LQTS is the most common cause of acquired LQTS, and is a pressing public health issue. Considerable attention has been focussed on this form of LQTS following the withdrawal from the USA market of a number of prescription medications, including terfenedine in 2000 and cisapride in 2001. This review will discuss both forms, but with more emphasis on inherited LQTS.
Program Specialization via Program Slicing

This paper concerns the use of program slicing to perform a certain kind of program-specialization operation. We show that the specialization operation that slicing performs is different from the specialization operations performed by algorithms for partial evaluation, supercompilation, bifurcation, and deforestation. To study the relationship between slicing and these operations in a simplified setting, we consider the problem of slicing functional programs. We identify two different goals for what we mean by “slicing a functional program” and give algorithms that correspond to each of them.
Do Auditor-Provided Tax Services Improve the Estimate of Tax Expense?

Concerns about auditor independence prompted regulators to restrict auditor-provided nonaudit services. Despite the failure of researchers to document a decrease in financial reporting quality associated with nonaudit services, there has been a significant decline in permissible auditor-provided tax services. Audit committees are unlikely to approve such services unless they perceive that the benefits of knowledge spillover exceed the risks of independence failure. We investigate tax expense, a setting where tax services could directly generate either effect. We use Internal Revenue Service, financial statement and auditor fee data to test whether auditor-provided tax services improve financial reporting from 2000 to 2002. We find that corporations that purchase auditor-provided tax services are fully reserved for IRS disputes. Other corporations must record additional expense in the year the IRS concludes its examination and in the year it settles the dispute. We conclude that auditor-provided tax services are associated with more accurate estimates of tax expense, consistent with knowledge spillover and contrary to concerns about independence failure.
Cardiac myxoma as a mimic: a diagnostic challenge.

Abstract Objective Patients with occult, undiagnosed cardiac myxomas (CM) often present with acute complications that mimic other, more common, conditions. We describe two recently encountered patients who classically demonstrate this phenomenon and report the results of an integrative review of CM cases to define the characteristics of such patients. Methods A comprehensive 20-year review of reported cases that described patient-specific data of CM was performed. Using a standardized tool, the following elements were collected: age; gender; presenting symptoms and signs; diagnostic and management approaches; and outcomes. Results One hundred twenty-six cases of CM were identified. The mean patient age was 47.5 years (range, 6-90). Seventy (56%) were women. The most common mimic conditions initially being considered were cardiac complications, including acutely decompensated heart failure, myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia and sudden death (46%); systemic embolization, including cutaneous infarction and pulmonary embolism (23%); central nervous system embolization, including transient ischemic attack and acute stroke syndrome (22%); and constitutional conditions, such as fever, myalgia, arthralgia, fatigue, and myxoma infections (17%). Echocardiography proved to be a readily available and accurate diagnostic test. The majority of reported patients experienced full recoveries after surgical intervention. Conclusions CM is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. Symptoms and signs relating to CM mimic other, more common conditions, resulting in diagnostic delay. Echocardiography can quickly and accurately diagnose CM and timely surgical intervention is curative. Clinician awareness of this condition, in a suggestive clinical context, will increase the likelihood of optimal patient outcome.
Inhibition of uridine uptake in cultured cells: A rapid, sublethal cytotoxicity test

A cytotoxicity assay is described that utilizes measurement of inhibition of the rate of uptake of [3H]uridine by cultured cells as a sensitive endpoint. BALB/c 3T3 cells are exposed to test agents for 4 h, and their capacity to take up uridine (largely into trichloroacetic acid soluble pools) over a subsequent 15-min period is then determined. The concentration of toxicant required to inhibit uptake by 50% is used to rank toxicity. The relative toxicity rankings of the test compounds obtained with this sublethal endpoint correlate well with the rankings of their ocular irritancies.
Voltammetric studies of rhenium(V) compounds containing the 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazoline ligand

Abstract Voltammetric studies have been conducted on chlorobis[2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazolinato]oxorhenium(V) (1, (hoz)2Re(O)Cl) and related complexes. These complexes are potentially useful catalysts for the conversion of perchlorate to chloride using chemical reductants such as sulfides. The possible use of an electrode as the reducing agent in the catalytic cycle is explored here. In anhydrous acetonitrile, 1 undergoes a reversible one-electron oxidation to a cation, 1+, that is stable on the voltammetric time scale. The formal potential of this couple is +0.58 V versus the potential of the ferrocenium/ferrocene couple. When 1 was studied in the presence of low concentrations of water (0.06–6 M), chloride was not displaced by water at an appreciable rate. However, the cation formed upon one-electron oxidation of 1 reacted fairly rapidly with water with a rate law that was second-order in water (k=0.94 M−2 s−1) by displacement of chloride to form the aquated dication, [(hoz)2Re(O)(OH2)]2+ (22+). This species was detected on the return sweep by its reduction to the aquo Re(V) complex, i.e. 22++e−⇌2+, whose formal potential is +0.1 V. The triflate salt of 2+, bis[2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazolinato]aquo-oxorhenium(V) triflate, [(hoz)2Re(O)(OH2)][OTf] was also studied. When this triflate salt was dissolved in acetonitrile, the water ligand was replaced by acetonitrile and the resulting complex, [(hoz)2Re(O)(NCCH3)]+ (3+) showed a one-electron oxidation with an estimated formal potential of +1.15 V. The potential was difficult to determine accurately as the dication, 32+, underwent very rapid displacement of acetonitrile by adventitious water to give 22+. In the catalytic cycle for destruction of perchlorate, the rhenium(VII) complex, (hoz)2Re(O)2+ (4+), is formed by reaction of perchlorate with [(hoz)2Re(O)(NCCH3)]+ or [(hoz)2Re(O)(OH2)]+. We have attempted the in-situ preparation of (hoz)2Re(O2)+ (4+), by reaction of 1 with pyridine N-oxide. The voltammetry of the resulting solutions is complex and only one well-behaved, quasireversible couple is observed near +0.1 V. This couple may involve the 4+/4 reaction or the reduction of a rhenium(VI) species formed in the reaction. The latter has a precedent in the literature.
Integrated planning information systems: context, design requirements, and prospects

Abstract This research contributes to the theoretical basis for appropriate design of computer-based, integrated planning information systems. The research provides a framework for integrating relevant knowledge, theory, methods, and technology. Criteria for appropriate system design are clarified. The requirements for a conceptual system design are developed based on “diffusion of innovation” theory, lessons learned in the adoption and use of existing planning information systems, current information-processing technology (including expert system technology), and methodology for evaluation of mitigation strategies for disaster events. Research findings focus on the assessment of new information systems technology. Chief among these findings is the utility of case-based reasoning for discovering and formalizing the meta rules needed by expert systems, the role of the “diffusion of innovation” theory in establishing design criteria, and the definition of client interests served by integrated planning information systems. The work concludes with the selection of a prototyping exercise. The prototype is developed in a forthcoming technical paper (Masri & Moore, 1994).
In vitro differentiation of monocytoid THP-1 cells affects their permissiveness for HIV strains : a model system for studying the cellular basis of HIV differential tropism

Abstract The prototypic macrophage-tropic HIV-1 isolate, HIV-1 BaL , cannot replicate in the monocytoid cell line THP-1. After induction of differentiation by a phorbol diester, a fraction of THP-1 cells became permissive to HIV-1 BaL . In contrast, this treatment decreased permissiveness for the lymphotropic isolate HIV-1 LAI . Viral DNA was not synthesized in unstimulated THP-1 cells, as determined with PCR, suggesting that the block to HIV-1 BaL replication in these cells occurred at an early step of the virus replicative cycle prior to or at the level of reverse transcription. Virus binding studies showed that differences in cell permissiveness for HIV-1 BaL were not due to altered virus binding. Substantial amounts of HIV-1 BaL bound to both undifferentiated and differentiated THP-1 cells, and this binding could not be prevented by blocking with the anti-CD4 antibody Leu3a, which did prevent the binding of HIV-1 LAI to CEM T lymphoid cells. While Leu3a was very effective st preventing the infection by HIV-1 LAI in CEM cells, it was less effective in preventing HIV-1 BaL infection of differentiated THP-1 cells or primary macrophages. Although it is likely that molecules other than CD4 on monocytic cells can mediate binding of macrophage-tropic HIV, the binding of HIV-1 BaL to THP-1 cells was not sufficient for infection, because binding was the same in nonpermissive undifferentiated cells as in permissive differentiated cells. Thus, the restriction of viral replication in this model cell system occurs at some step after virion binding. Comparison of differentiated THP-1 cells with their undifferentiated counterparts may provide an approach to defining cellular determinants of HIV host range other than CD4 expression and to characterizing the incompletely defined steps of vital entry.
SORTS OF NATURALISM: REQUIREMENTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL THEORY

: In this article I investigate several “sorts of naturalism” that have been advanced in recent years as possible foundations for virtue ethics: those of Michael Thompson, Philippa Foot, Rosalind Hursthouse, John McDowell, and Larry Arnhart. Each of these impressive attempts fails in illuminatingly different ways, and in the opening sections I analyze what has gone variously wrong. I next use this analysis to articulate four criteria that any successful Aristotelian naturalism must meet (my goal is to show what naturalism must deliver, not yet to show that it can deliver it). I then look at Alasdair MacIntyre's approach, which begins with our natural trajectory from complete dependency toward becoming independent practical reasoners; I argue that this sort of naturalism meets the aforementioned criteria and thus provides a good example of what Aristotelian naturalists must do. I close with a consideration of two important objections to any broadly MacIntyrean sort of naturalism.
Heat budgets of analyses and forecasts of an explosively deepening maritime cyclone

The contribution of different physical processes to the explosive maritime cyclogenesis event in western North Pacific during January 12-15, 1979 was estimated by calculating quasi-Lagrangian heat budgets based on the ECMWF analyses and the numerical predictions by the UCLA general circulation model. The heat budgets suggest that the explosive cyclogenesis event was associated with very strong latent heat release in the lower troposphere, with the heating rate about twice as large as was found in studies of nonexplosively deepening extratropical cyclones. An experimental integration of the UCLA model without latent heat release indicates that 75 percent of the deepening in this cyclogenesis event can be explained by dry dynamics alone. The latent heat release serves to enhance and modulate the rapid cyclogenesis.
A lattice model for the simulation of one and two dimensional 129Xe exchange spectra produced by translational diffusion

Xenon-129 spectra in some heterogeneous polymer systems consist of two resonances which collapse to a single resonance as a function of temperature. Two different resonances arise from spatially separated, distinct sorption environments and spectral collapse occurs when xenon atoms diffuse from one environment to the other at a sufficiently fast rate. This exchange mechanism involves a distribution of time constants and a two domain lattice model is used to generate a realistic distribution of correlation times resulting from diffusion in a heterogeneous matrix. The distribution of correlation times is inhomogeneous in the sense that different xenon atoms would exchange between the two domains or environments with a variety of time constants and the resulting spectrum is a superposition of spectra associated with each of the time constants. To demonstrate the nature of exchange according to this model, diffusion out of a sphere is simulated which corresponds to a progressive saturation experiment used to determine the diffusion constant of xenon in polystyrene. Then the model is used to demonstrate the difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous spectral collapse in one- and two-dimensional examples. Lastly, the simulation model is used to interpret one- and two- dimensional xenon-129 line shape changes for xenon sorbed into poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) as a function of temperature. Two broad resonances are observed at low temperatures in this polymer corresponding to xenon-129 sorbed in high free volume and low free volume domains. Exchange between the two main resonances collapses the spectrum to a single peak at higher temperatures. Both the collapse in one dimension and exchange in two dimensions as a function of mixing time can be simulated using the distribution from the lattice model. An average domain size of 70 nm is estimated by combining the simulation of the exchange experiment with the results of a one-dimensional progressive saturation experiment. The size of the sites sorbing individual xenon atoms has been reported from positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy as 1.4 nm for the high free volume sites and 0.3 nm for the low free volume sites. The domain size is more than an order of magnitude larger than the individual sorption site indicating that domains consist of many sites as assumed in the lattice model description.
Real-time online stereo camera extrinsic re-calibration

Stereo vision is a common sensing technique for mobile robots and is becoming more broadly used in automotive, industrial, entertainment, and consumer products. The quality of range data from a stereo system is highly dependent on the intrinsic and extrinsic calibration of the sensor head. Unfortunately, for deployed systems, drift in extrinsic calibration is nearly unavoidable. Thermal variation and cycling combined with shock and vibration can cause transitory or permanent changes in extrinsics that are not modeled accurately by a static calibration. As a result the quality of the sensor degrades significantly. We have developed a new approach that provides real-time continuous calibration updates to extrinsic parameters. Our approach optimizes the extrinsic parameters to reduce epipolar errors over one or multiple frames. A Kalman Filter is used to continually refine these parameter estimates and minimize inaccuracies resulting from visual feature noise and spurious feature matches between the left and right images. The extrinsic parameter updates can be used to re-rectify the stereo imagery. Thus, it serves as a pre-processing step for any stereo process ranging, from dense reconstruction to visual odometry. We have validated our system in a range of environments and stereo tasks and demonstrated it at the recent Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition conference. Significant improvements to stereo visual odometry and scene mapping accuracy were achieved for datasets collected using both custom built and commercial stereo heads.
Operant control of infant vocal and motor behavior.

Differential responding under discriminative control in two concurrent responses, vocalization and leg kick, was achieved with an infant less than 3 months of age. Both vocalization and leg kick were separately reinforced, placed under schedule control, and integrated into a disjunctive discrimination schedule in which each response was reinforced in the presence of a different discriminative stimulus; reinforcement and extinction were reciprocal operations here since the SD for one response was an SΔ for the other response. The acquisition of differential responding under discriminative control clearly established that the behaviors under study were operants.
Glucose Tolerance, Body Stature, and Intramuscular Fat in African American Females

Sixty-six percent of African American women (AAW) are overweight or obese. This study examined the relations, if any, among body mass, glucose tolerance and thigh adipose in AAW. Twenty-six African American women (AAW) participated in this two-part study. One part involved a magnetic resonance image (MRI) of both thighs and the other an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Subjects were classified into four groups; the first had Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 22.5, the second 22.5 to 24, the third 25 and 30 and the fourth greater than 30 kg/m2. Intramuscular fat (IMF) and AAW have been examined in an older population and adolescent girls have received considerable exposure. Therefore, the college age years examined in this study are important times in assessing BMI, intramuscular-thigh fat and insulin resistance in AAW. Subjects were non-diabetic. The relation between IMF and plasma insulin was r2 = 0.60 at fasting, 0.92 at 60, 0.88 at 90 and 0.99 at 120 min after glucose ingestion in group 4. Relations between IMF and plasma insulin were also evident in groups 3 and 2, r2 = 0.3 and 0.2, respectively after 120 min of OGTT. Fat within knee extensor skeletal muscle related to glucose tolerance in AAW with a BMI between 22.5 and 25, 25 and 30 and above 30, suggesting type II diabetes may develop in large or obese AAW. Why these results occurred is not clear, however, they give a meaningful reason for AAW to maintain a reasonable body mass.
Electrophysiological signatures: Magnetoencephalographic studies of the neural correlates of language impairment in autism spectrum disorders

While magnetoencephalography (MEG) is of increasing utility in the assessment of pediatric patients with seizure disorders, this reflects only a part of the clinical potential of the technology. Beyond epilepsy, a broad range of developmental psychiatric disorders require the spatial and temporal resolution of brain activity offered by MEG. This article reviews the application of MEG in the study of auditory processing as an aspect of language impairment in children. Specifically, the potential application of MEG is elaborated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a devastating disorder with prevalence of 1 in 150. Results demonstrate the sensitivity of MEG for detection of abnormalities of auditory processing in ASD ('electrophysiological signatures') and their clinical correlates. These findings offer promise for the comprehensive assessment of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders.
Hematological dyscrasia in teleosts chronically exposed to selenium-laden effluent

Lepomis microlophus (redear sunfish) were collected from Martin Lake, an east Texas reservoir, as well as a reference lake 8 km upstream in the same drainage system. Martin Lake received aqueous selenium-laden effluent from electrical generator plant systems used to collect fly ash, scrubber sludge, and bottom ash; the reference lake received no such effluent (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, unpublished report). Neutron activation analysis was used to monitor selenium levels in the hepatopancreas (i.e., the liver and associated, disseminated exocrine pancreas), which is one of the major organs used in monitoring selenium exposure. Fish collected from areas adjacent to the selenium-discharge sites in Martin Lake accumulated about 19.8 ppm in the hepatopancreas, compared to approximately 8.4 ppm for fish collected further from the discharge site. Reference redear sunfish accumulated normal levels of 1.8 ppm in the hepatopancreas. Hematological abnormalities were most severe for fish collected from areas adjacent to the selenium discharge site. These abnormalities included altered leukocyte distribution with elevated numbers of hemoblasts, reduced hematocrits, lower hemoglobin concentrations, slightly reduced numbers of erythrocytes, 12% and 23% reductions in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), respectively, and microcytic, poikilocytic erythrocytes with elevated numbers of nuclear shadows. These data present a striking illustration of a case in which the hematological characteristics of a freshwater teleost were correlated with selenium accumulation in a critical organ following chronic selenium exposure. Hematological data provided a sensitive indicator of the severity of the impact of selenium-laden generator plant effluent on this teleost species.