cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compulsive Gambling and the Law: From Sin to Vice to Disease

The idea that compulsive gambling is a disease is in direct conflict with the dominant view in the law that gambling is a vice. Under the traditional view individuals who gamble to excess are morally weak and deserving of punishment. The recognition of “pathological gambling” as an official mental disease or disorder by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 created an irreconcilable contention: American law never punishes an individual for being sick. The conflict can be seen in every area of the law and even between judges sitting in the same courtroom. The most dramatic disputes have been over the insanity defense; but, the disease argument has been raised, sometimes successfully, in other criminal cases, to mitigate sentencing, in attorney disbarments, tax cases, bankruptcies, divorces, personal injury claims, and, most significantly, in claims against casinos. The legal disputes will spread and become even more heated as the disease diagnosis becomes more generally accepted.
Neutron source reconstruction from pinhole imaging at National Ignition Facility

The neutron imaging system at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is an important diagnostic tool for measuring the two-dimensional size and shape of the neutrons produced in the burning deuterium-tritium plasma during the ignition stage of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions at NIF. Since the neutron source is small (∼100 μm) and neutrons are deeply penetrating (>3 cm) in all materials, the apertures used to achieve the desired 10-μm resolution are 20-cm long, single-sided tapers in gold. These apertures, which have triangular cross sections, produce distortions in the image, and the extended nature of the pinhole results in a non-stationary or spatially varying point spread function across the pinhole field of view. In this work, we have used iterative Maximum Likelihood techniques to remove the non-stationary distortions introduced by the aperture to reconstruct the underlying neutron source distributions. We present the detailed algorithms used for these reconstructions, the stopping criteria used and reconstructed sources from data collected at NIF with a discussion of the neutron imaging performance in light of other diagnostics.
Linezolid effects on bacterial toxin production and host immune response: review of the evidence.

Background Linezolid is active against a broad range of gram-positive pathogens and has the potential to also affect production of bacterial toxins and host immune function.
Service and technology: opportunities and paradoxes

Technology is profoundly changing the nature of services and the ways in which firms interact with their customers. The result, while positive, also has its downside. This paper elaborates on the opportunities that technology presents for firms to develop new services, and provide better, more efficient services to customers as well as the paradoxes and dark side of technology and services. The paper concludes with a section on what customers expect from technology‐delivered services suggesting that “the more things change, the more some things remain the same”. Customers still demand quality service no matter how the firm chooses to structure the relationship. It is incumbent upon firms to develop technology‐based services that can provide the same high level of service that customers expect from interpersonal service providers.
An extension of the fundamental theorem of linear programming

In 1947 George Dantzig developed the Simplex Algorithm for linear programming, and in doing so became known as The Father of Linear Programming. The invention of the Simplex Algorithm has been called ''one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century'', and linear programming techniques have proven useful in numerous fields of study. As such, topics in linear optimization are taught in a variety of disciplines. The finite convergence of the simplex algorithm hinges on a result stating that every linear program with an optimal solution has a basic optimal solution; a result known as the fundamental theorem of linear programming. We develop an analog to the fundamental theorem, and the perspective from which we view the problem allows a much greater class of functions. Indeed, not only do we relinquish the assumption of linearity, but we also do not assume the functions under consideration are continuous. Our new result implies the fundamental theorem of linear programming.
Failure to demonstrate degradation of (4-14C) cholesterol to volatile hydrocarbons in rats and in human fecal homogenates.

The inability of previous workers to recover completely the radioactivity from ingested [4-14C] cholesterol has led to the hypothesis that the colonic flora of some individuals degrade the sterol nucleus to volatile hydrocarbons, particularly CH4. In the present investigation, the production of radioactive volatiles was measured following incubation of [4-14C] cholesterol with 8 human fecal homogenates or after instillation of the labeled sterol into the cecum of 3 rats housed in a closed rebreathing system. Three of the 8 homogenates and each of the 3 rats produced copious CH4. However, analysis by combustion demonstrated no radioactivity above background in the volatile headspace of the homogenates or the gas space of the closed system housing the rats, indicating that <0.001% of the number 4 carbon of [4-14C] cholesterol could have been converted to volatile hydrocarbons. This study, therefore, provides no support for the concept that volatile products account for the incomplete recovery of ingested sterols observed in certain subjects. However, this hypothesis can not be excluded entirely until similar results are obtained with subjects who can be shown to degrade cholesterol.
Gender Differences in Computer Education: A Costa Rican Case Study.

A time allocation study was designed to determine how two types of teachers spend their time in a primary school computer lab in Costa Rica. As a group, teachers of both types were found to allocate more of their time to boys than to girls. Moreover, boys were found to monopolize the primary teaching resource (the formally trained lab teacher), leaving girls to seek assistance from the secondary resource (their regular classroom teacher). Results of the study have important implications both for the anthropology of education and for Costa Rican society at large.
Antibody-mediated rejection of the cardiac allograft: where do we stand in 2012?

Purpose of review The review will discuss the current pathological criteria for the diagnosis and classification of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in the cardiac allograft. Recent findings Until recently, the diagnosis of AMR required clinical dysfunction, presence of donor specific antibodies and pathological alterations. The concept of asymptomatic AMR and its adverse long-term outcomes created, in part the need to reevaluate diagnostic criteria. The results of a recent consensus meeting sponsored by International Society For Heart And Lung Transplantation are discussed. Summary The diagnosis of AMR rests on histopathological and immunophenotypic findings. These provide the basis for a new grading scheme.
Pragmatism, The New Republic, and American Public Administration at Its Founding:

We argue that philosophical pragmatism explicitly influenced the founding of American public administration. We analyze the case of The New Republic magazine to support our contention. The New Republic was founded in 1914 and edited by two pragmatists—Herbert Croly and Walter Lippmann—and put forth a pragmatic editorial stance that supported administrative innovations in American government that characterized the era. We illustrate the magazine’s pragmatic orientation toward public administration by analyzing the editorials of Croly and Lippmann and the writings of John Dewey, Frederick Cleveland, and Charles Beard—all written during the magazine’s first decade of publication.
Temperature-dependent work functions of free alkali-metal nanoparticles

Photoionization yields have been measured as a function of temperature for the alkali metals Li, Na, and K in the form of free nanometer-sized clusters in a beam. The data can be fitted very well by a finite-temperature Fowler plot, originally derived for bulk surfaces. The resulting temperature-dependent ionization thresholds match precisely the literature work function values and are, within the experimental uncertainties, in agreement with recent theoretical models for thermal shifts of the work function.
Violence and drug use in rural teens: national prevalence estimates from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare national estimates of drug use and exposure to violence between rural and urban teens. METHODS: Twenty-eight dependent variables from the 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used to compare violent activities, victimization, suicidal behavior, tobacco use, alcohol use, and illegal drug use across rural, urban, and suburban teens across the country. RESULTS: Overall, rural teens were equally or more likely than both suburban and urban teens to report experiencing many measures of violent behavior, victimization, suicide behaviors, and drug use. Among all teens, nonwhites reported equal or higher rates of violent behavior and victimization than whites, but these associations disappeared within the rural-only population. CONCLUSIONS: Rural areas do not appear to provide a strongly protective effect against risk behaviors in teens and may be a risk factor in itself. Community prevention efforts should focus on reaching rural areas and segmenting program content based on need. Where white teens might benefit from an emphasis on preventing tobacco and alcohol use, nonwhite teens would benefit from an emphasis on preventing violence and victimization. Language: en
The Impact of Freer Trade on North American Agriculture

ORTH AMERICAN agriculture has much to gain from freer trade in farm products and from freer trade generally. It is true that some sectors would be required to make significant resource adjustments and in some instances significant capital losses would result from reductions in protection. But the major sectors of North American agriculture-the sectors that employ most of the labor, land and capital-would gain from a significant expansion in demand. If the reduction in barriers to trade in farm products would reduce the average rates of nominal protection to approximately the same as the protection of industrial products, the expansion in demand for the output of North American agriculture probably would be sufficient to return to cultivation all
Protein mediated networks. Random chemistry

Mathematical models of complex reaction systems suggest that such systems can exhibit a phase transition from subcritical to supracritical behavior. Supracritical behavior occurs if the diversity of substrates and potential catalysts exceeds a threshold. I will explore practical experimental avenues to study this phase transition, its role in creating libraries of organic molecules for drug discovery, approaches to study the emergence of collectively autocatalytic sets of peptides and other polymers, and a potential constraint on cells to remain subcritical.
Inactivation of viruses with a femtosecond laser via impulsive stimulated Raman scattering

The inactivation of viruses such as M13 bateriophages subject to excitations by a very low power visible femtosecond laser has been studied. Our experimental results show that for a visible femtosecond laser having λ = 425nm and a pulse width of 100 fs, the M13 bacteriophages are inactivated when the laser power density is greater than or equal to 50 MW / cm2. The functionality of M13 bacteriophages has been shown to be critically dependent on the pulse width as well as power density of the excitation laser. Our work demonstrates that by using a very low power visible femtosecond laser, it is plausible to inactivate viruses such as the M13 bacteriophages through Impulsive Stimulated Raman Scattering (ISRS) process. These experimental findings lay down the foundation for a novel new avenue of selectively inactivating microorganisms while leaving the sensitive materials unharmed by manipulating and controlling with femtosecond laser systems.
High-order hybrid numerical simulations of two-dimensional detonation waves

In order to study multi-dimensional unstable detonation waves, a high order numerical scheme suitable for calculating the detailed transverse wave structures of multidimensional detonation waves was developed. The numerical algorithm uses a multi-domain approach so different numerical techniques can be applied for different components of detonation waves. The detonation waves are assumed to undergo an irreversible, unimolecular reaction A yields B. Several cases of unstable two dimensional detonation waves are simulated and detailed transverse wave interactions are documented. The numerical results show the importance of resolving the detonation front without excessive numerical viscosity in order to obtain the correct cellular patterns.
Optical interferometry experiment in the time-frequency domain

We have developed an optical heterodyning experiment for the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum that permits observation of optical beat phenomena associated with the interference of two light beams with slightly different frequencies. For optical beat frequencies below 10 Hz the interference of the light beams is observed on a viewing screen as a slowly drifting Michelson interference fringe pattern. For beat frequencies greater than 10 Hz the drift of the interference fringes is too rapid to be observed visually; however, if a photodetector is placed so as to detect light from within the rapidly drifting fringe pattern, the time variation of the detected light signal can be amplified and fed to a loudspeaker, allowing an individual student or a lecture audience to hear the beating of the two light beams. Since commercial amateur radio transceivers are used to control the frequencies of the two interfering light beams, the transceivers can be modulated with a voice signal to generate single sideband modulated light beams that can be demodulated using standard optical homodyne detection techniques. This simple optical communications system demonstrates clearly how transmitter and receiver design principles at radio frequencies can be transferred to optical frequencies for the implementation of modem lightwave communication systems.
I.Intestinal absorption of an amino-acid mixture in normal subjects

1. Absorption of an enzymatic hydrolysate of casein from the upper jejunum was studied in normal human beings by the Miller-Abbott technique of intestinal intubation. 2. In open loops, with the upper jejunum and gastro-intestinal region in continuity, the test mixture at the end of a half hour was always diluted to a nitrogen concentration of 2 rag. per cc. regardless of the amount of nitrogen originally present in the test material. In closed loops, however, this physiological adjustment did not occur with any regularity. 3. In open loops, the amount of nitrogen absorbed varied with the amount originally introduced in the 5% to 15% mixtures while the percentage of absorption decreased from 98% to 72%, respectively. In closed loops, however, absorption from 15% mixtures showed very little increase over the 10% group. 4. Absorption of substances giving the tyrosine-tryptophane reaction usually paralleled the nitrogen absorption. 5. The technique used, while not adaptable to precise interpretation in terms of grams absorbed per hour per unit area, can be kept constant, and lends itself to use in similar studies in pathological states.
Visual identification system for homeland security and law enforcement support

This paper describes the basic configuration for a visual identification system (VIS) for Homeland Security and law enforcement support. Security and law enforcement systems with an integrated VIS will accurately and rapidly provide identification of vehicles or containers that have entered, exited or passed through a specific monitoring location. The VIS system stores all images and makes them available for recall for approximately one week. Images of alarming vehicles will be archived indefinitely as part of the alarming vehicle’s or cargo container’s record. Depending on user needs, the digital imaging information will be provided electronically to the individual inspectors, supervisors, and/or control center at the customer’s office. The key components of the VIS are the high-resolution cameras that capture images of vehicles, lights, presence sensors, image cataloging software, and image recognition software. In addition to the cameras, the physical integration and network communications of the VIS components with the balance of the security system and client must be ensured.
Three-body recombination in a three-state Fermi gas with widely tunable interactions.

We investigate the stability of a three spin state mixture of ultracold fermionic $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ atoms over a range of magnetic fields encompassing three Feshbach resonances. For most field values, we attribute decay of the atomic population to three-body processes involving one atom from each spin state and find that the three-body loss coefficient varies by over 4 orders of magnitude. We observe high stability when at least two of the three scattering lengths are small, rapid loss near the Feshbach resonances, and two unexpected resonant loss features. At our highest fields, where all pairwise scattering lengths are approaching ${a}_{t}=\ensuremath{-}2140{a}_{0}$, we measure a three-body loss coefficient ${L}_{3}\ensuremath{\simeq}5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}22}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{6}/\mathrm{s}$ and a trend toward lower decay rates for higher fields indicating that future studies of color superfluidity and trion formation in a SU(3) symmetric Fermi gas may be feasible.
Pre-excitation syndrome: ablating the pathway

Disappearance of a delta wave in a patient with pre-excitation is demonstrated following successful ablation.
Reexamining risk factors in foster care

Abstract After a decade of declining foster care caseloads, the number of children in placement is again on the rise. Substance abuse seems to be the reason for the increase; however, there is limited documentation of the relationship of substance abuse to placement outcome. In an attempt to reexamine risk factors in foster care placement, a study was undertaken in Baltimore, Maryland, using a sample of 129 foster care cases, which were tracked over a two year period. It was hypothesized that cases where parental substance abuse was the primary reason for placement, a child would remain in care longer and recidivate with greater frequency. No significant differences were found in the outcomes of cases where substance abuse was the primary reason for entry as compared to those where mental health was the primary risk factor. This finding, along with the absence of adequate information in the case records to substantiate other risk factors (e.g., inadequate income) raises questions about whether identified risk factors are driving the decision-making that impacts on a child's foster care experience and the services they receive.
An Af9 cis-element directly targets Dot1a to mediate transcriptional repression of the αENaC gene.

The epithelial Na+ channel subunit-α (αENaC) of the distal nephron is essential for salt balance. We previously demonstrated that the histone methyltransferase Dot1a and its protein partner Af9 bas...
Atomistic MD Simulations Reveal the Protective Role of Cholesterol in the Membrane Disruptive Effects of Dimeric Beta-Amyloid in Neuronal Membrane Mimics

Detailed interactions of oligomeric beta-amyloid with neurons have been associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The molecular interactions of different lipid components, particularly cholesterol (CHOL), of the membranes with the peptides are not clear. Using atomistic MD simulations, the water permeability barrier, surface area, density profile and order parameters of binary phosphatidylcholine (PC) and PC/CHOL lipid bilayers were examined from various 200 ns-simulation replicates. Our results suggest that the longer chain-length dimer (2 x 42 residues) perturbs the membrane more than the shorter one (2 x 40 residues). In addition, we discovered a significant protective role of cholesterol in the protein-induced disruptions of the membranes. The use of a new Monte-Carlo method in characterizing the structures of the conformal annular lipids in close proximity to the proteins will be presented. We propose that the neurotoxicity of beta-amyloid peptide may be associated with the raft-like nanodomains of the neuronal membranes during the early development of Alzheimer's.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Lodging management success: Personal antecedents, achievements, KSAs and situational influencers

Abstract This study investigates the influence of personal antecedents and achievements (i.e. intrinsic attributes, personal character, strategic positioning and academic achievements) on lodging management knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) and success. The findings reveal that correlations between intrinsic attributes, personal character and strategic positioning, and KSAs are generally stronger than the correlations found between academic achievements and KSAs. Knowledge in financial management and other situational influencers was determined to contribute most to managers’ career success. Also strategic positioning was identified as a moderating variable between KSAs and monetary success.
[3H]THYMIDINE LABELING OF DERMAL ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN SCLERODERMA

The purpose of this study was to estimate [ 3 H] thymidine labeling of endothelial cells of skin capillaries in localized scleroderma (LS) and systemic scleroderma (SS). Skin specimens from 14 patients with SS, 5 with LS. and 9 matched controls were studied by in vitro autoradiography. Capillaries from patients with SS showed a statistically significant increase in endothelial cell labeling when compared to vessels from controls (p
Hypoxia and drug resistance

Biologically and therapeutically important hypoxia occurs in many solid tumor masses. Hypoxia can be a direct cause of therapeutic resistance because some drugs and radiation require oxygen to be maximally cytotoxic. Cellular metabolism is altered under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia can result in drug resistance indirectly if under this condition cells more effectively detoxify the drug molecules. Finally, there is evidence that hypoxia can enhance genetic instability in tumor cells thus allowing more rapid development of drug resistance cells. The current review describes the effects of hypoxia on tumor response to a variety of anticancer agents and also describes progress toward therapeutically useful methods of delivering oxygen to tumors in an effort to overcome therapeutic resistance due to hypoxia. Finally, the use of hypoxic cell selective cytotoxic agents as a means of addressing hypoxic ‘drug resistance’ is discussed.
Co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and drug dependence or heavy drinking among HIV-positive people.

This study sought to establish population-based estimates of the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and either or both drug dependence symptoms or heavy drinking among individuals who test positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to identify the factors associated with such comorbidity. Data from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a nationally representative sample of HIV-infected adults receiving medical care in the U.S. in 1996 (N = 2,864), were used to estimate the prevalence of comorbidity. Logistic regression was used to identify the independent influences of sociodemographic and HIV-related variables on comorbidity. The authors estimate that 13% of people with HIV receiving care in the U.S. in 1996 had co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and either or both drug dependence symptoms or heavy drinking. The odds of having a comorbid condition were higher for males, heterosexuals, and people with more HIV-related symptoms. The odds were lower for people living with AIDS, African Americans, people who were gay or sexually abstinent, those living with a spouse, those aged 50 years or older, and those with private insurance. Sixty-nine percent of those with a substance-related condition also had psychiatric symptoms; 27% of those with psychiatric symptoms also had a substance-related condition.
Spectrally efficient digital modulation using new pulse shapes

Linear modulation schemes such as phase shift keying (PSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) are inherently spectrally efficient. The authors seek enhanced spectral efficiency by designing new spectrally efficient pulse shapes for such digital modulations. The pulses designed are of finite duration and exhibit zero intersymbol interference when received through an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. The authors show that the resulting communications signals have optimal spectral roll-off while maintaining optimum bit error ratio performance when received via an AWGN channel. The bandwidths and power spectral densities of communications signals using these pulses are compared with traditional spectrally efficient communications signals.
Subduction of continental crust, the origin of post-orogenic granitoids (and anorthosites?) and the evolution of Fennoscandia

Abstract: Slices of silica-rich continental crust subducted into the mantle during collision may undergo metamorphism and exhumation towards the surface as coherent high-pressure or ultrahigh-pressure (HP or UHP) terranes or, if stalled in the mantle, melting and return towards the surface as magmas, or a combination of these two processes. Some exposed HP or UHP terranes contain anatectic granitoids demonstrating that melting does occur during exhumation. Therefore crust trapped in the mantle should also melt when radioactive heating and/or conductive heating raise temperatures to the appropriate solidus. Terranes with hydrous phases will melt readily through hydrate-breakdown reactions. Terranes lacking hydrous phases may require adiabatic decompression to melt, possibly as heated quartz-rich crust becomes ductile and rises diapirically. The magmas generated will intrude the overlying plate to form late-, post- and possibly anorogenic granitoids, depending on the time required to reach solidus temperatures. Geochemical characteristics will depend on P – T conditions, the chemistry and mineralogy of the subducted terrane (especially the presence of hydrous phases), and the amount of melt interaction with the mantle. The removal of sialic upper crust may strand the denser mafic lower crust, which subsequently could melt to generate anorogenic anorthosites, Fe–K granitoids and related rocks. The evolution of the Fennoscandian Shield documents a change from slab melting in the Mesoproterozoic to combined melting and exhumation in the Neoproterozoic to intact exhumation without significant melting in the Palaeozoic.
Is cognitive neuropsychology possible

Cognitive neuropsychology's domain of inquiry concerns the structure of normal perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes. As such, it constitutes a branch of cognitive science. Cognitive neuropsychology differs from other branches of cognitive science only by the type of observation that it uses in developing and evaluating theories of normal cognition. The data used in cognitive neuropsychology are the patterns of performance produced by brain-damged subjects. Because the basic data used in cognitive neuropsychology are the result of a biological manipulation---a brain lesion---these data will be relevant to claims about the functional organization of the brain. Hence, cognitive neuropsychology may also be considered to be a branch of cognitive neuroscience. However, in this paper I will be concerned with an assessment of research programs whose principal or only aim is to constrain theories of normal cognitive functioning through the analysis of acquired disorders of cognition. Following a brief discussion of the basic assumptions that motivate cognitive neuropsychological research, I consider Kosslyn and Van Kleeks (1990) claim that the study of brain-damaged subjects for the purpose of constraining theories of normal cognitive processing cannot lead to meaningful conclusions unless the theories are directly cast in terms of anatomical and physiological facts. I argue that these authors conflated criticisms that may apply to any empirical science with criticisms that may apply specifically to cognitive neuropsychology. Separate consideration of the criticisms specific to cognitive neuropsychology reveals that these are unfounded. The main point of this discussion is to emphasize the pragmatic character of the motivation for using impaired performance to constrain theories of normal cognition. The usefulness of cognitive neuropsychological research is illustrated through specific examples.
A weak law for randomly stopped sums of multidlmensionally indexed random variables

Let be a sequence of independent random variables a sequence of constants and T Npositive integer-va.lued random variables. In this article we explore convergence in probability for partial sums indexed by T N i.e., sums of the form
The decision to forgo CPR in the elderly patient.

CARDIOPULMONARY resuscitation (CPR) is attempted in one third of those who die in American hospitals. One third of these patients survive the initial resuscitation effort; one third of the survivors leave the hospital; 80% of these individuals will be alive six months later; and 60% will be alive five years later. Half of those who receive CPR are more than 65 years of age. The majority of the survivors remember nothing about the experience except a sore chest on awakening. Most long-term survivors resume their previous activity, but almost half decide to forgo CPR in the future and 2% of the survivors will be left in the persistent vegetative state.1-4 As these data suggest, long-term survivors of cardiopulmonary arrest have run a daunting biologic gauntlet. Full recovery from cardiopulmonary arrest is a test of the responsiveness of the cardiopulmonary system, the tolerance of the brain to global ischemia, and
Boundary Lubrication and Surface Mobility of Mixed Alkylsilane Self-Assembled Monolayers

We use a combination of experiment and theory to study the boundary lubrication characteristics of mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed by tethering alkylsilanes with different chain lengths to planar substrates. The structure of mixed SAMs is characterized using atomic force microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and hexadecane contact angle measurements. Lateral force microscopy is used to quantify the load and velocity dependence of friction force for one-component (pure) and two-component (mixed) SAMs. We find that if two-component SAMs and one-component SAMs are created with comparable packing density, the two-component systems possess lower friction coefficients. The friction force measured on silicon surfaces grafted with mixed SAMs increases linearly with the logarithm of sliding velocity over a broad range, whereas for pure SAMs, the friction force first increases linearly with the logarithm of velocity and then reaches a plateau. This plateau is believed to arise from the viscoelasticity of...
Transfer of proteins from gels to diazobenzyloxymethyl-paper and detection with antisera: a method for studying antibody specificity and antigen structure

We describe a rapid and very sensitive method for detecting proteins as antigens after their separation in polyacrylamide/agarose composite gels, with or without sodium dodecyl sulfate. The polyacrylamide matrix is crosslinked with a reagent that can be cleaved with periodate or alkali to facilitate transfer of the protein bands to diazobenzyloxymethyl-paper, where they are coupled covalently. Specific proteins are detected by autoradiography after sequential incubation with unfractionated, unlabeled specific antiserum and 125I-labeled protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. Antibody and protein A can be removed with urea and 2-mercaptoethanol, and the same paper can be probed again with a different antiserum. An antiserum specific for the simian virus 40 virion proteins VP3 and VP2 has been prepared; it does not crossreact with VP1, as demonstrated by this method. An antiserum raised in rabbits against simian virus 40-transformed rabbit kidney cells is shown to be directed primarily against a periodate-sensitive moiety present in tumor (T) antigen from infected or transformed cells, whereas an antiserum raised in rabbits against large T antigen purified from lytically infected monkey kidney cells by electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate [Lane, D.P. & Robbins, A.K. (1978) Virology 87, 182-193] is directed primarily against determinants that are not sensitive to periodate.
Molecular cloning of an ovine ovarian tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases: ontogeny of messenger ribonucleic acid expression and in situ localization within preovulatory follicles and luteal tissue.

Secretion of a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP-1) is initiated by ovine preovulatory follicles after the gonadotropin surge. In addition, TIMP-1 is a major secretory product of ovine corpora lutea. We have isolated an approximately full-length cDNA clone for TIMP-1 from an ovine luteal cDNA library. The 887-basepair cDNA obtained was 95%, 86%, and 77% identical to the reported nucleotide sequences of bovine, human, and mouse TIMP-1 cDNAs, respectively. Total cellular RNA was isolated from preovulatory follicles collected before (presurge; n = 5) or 12-14 h after (postsurge; n = 4) a LHRH-induced gonadotropin surge (36 h after prostaglandin F2 alpha-induced luteolysis); from luteal tissue collected on days 3, 7, 10, 13, and 16 postestrus (n = 5, 5, 4, 5, and 5, respectively); and from purified populations of small (n = 4) and large (n = 3) luteal cells. Concentrations of TIMP-1 mRNA (picograms per micrograms tissue DNA) were increased in preovulatory follicles after exposure to a gonadotropin ...
A rapid and simple method for the detection and isolation of Salmonella from mixed cultures and poultry products.

Abstract RAPID and simple methods for the detection and isolation of Salmonella from foods and feeds have been the subject of much research and investigation. A detailed discussion of the conventional biochemical methods of detecting and isolating Salmonella in foods and feeds was made by Galton et al. (1968). The use of fluorescent antibody for rapid detection of Salmonella in animal food products was reviewed by Ayres (1967). However, all these procedures are time consuming (48–96 hr.) and laborious or require special equipment such as a microscope with fluorescence equipment. Schafer et al. (1968) reported on the use of reagent tablets for rapid biochemical confirmation of Salmonellae after isolation on selective agar. A glass apparatus for determining the presence of Salmonella in mixed cultures was described by Banwart (1968). Also, Banwart et al. (1968) developed a screening method for determining Salmonella-negative samples of pasteurized dried whole egg. With most conventional…
Differentiation and growth on a fibrin matrix modulate the cyclooxygenase expression and thromboxane production by cultured human placental trophoblasts

Abstract Preeclampsia is associated with altered placental production of several end-products of cyclooxygenase activity. Thromboxane (TX) is one of these end-products, and trophoblast is a source of villous thromboxane. We cultured term trophoblast in the presence or absence of fibrin to study how differentiation and epithelial-matrix interactions regulate cyclooxygenase expression. The cellular trophoblast present during the first 24 h of culture on uncoated plastic produced TXB 2 , but little or no TX was produced in cultures grown longer than 24 h when differentiation into syncytial trophoblast occurred. Growth of cells on a fibrin matrix enhanced cellular trophoblast TX production five-fold. Medium containing 10 μmol/l arachidonic acid maximized thromboxane production in cells cultured for less than 24 h, regardless of growth surface, but this medium had little or no effect on TX production by cultures grown for more than 24 h. In contrast, exogenous arachidonic acid enhanced prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production by both cellular and syncytial trophoblast. Cytochemical staining indicated that changes in cyclooxygenase content occurred with trophoblast differentiation. Western immunoblot analysis of cells cultured in the presence or absence of a fibrin matrix showed cyclooxygenase was induced under both growth conditions. Detectable cyclooxygenase protein disappeared beyond 24 h in cells grown on uncoated plastic. In contrast, cells grown beyond 24 h on fibrin showed sustained expression of cyclooxygenase by Western immunoblotting, and this enzyme protein expression correlated with increased PGE 2 production by the differentiated trophoblast. These studies indicate (a) cellular trophoblast produces TX, (b) syncytial trophoblast produces PGE 2 but little or no TX, (c) trophoblast-matrix interactions increase TX production, and (d) expression of cyclooxygenase is regulated during trophoblast differentiation in vitro and is modulated by a fibrin matrix. Altered in vitro placental TX production in preeclampsia may result from a response of cellular trophoblast to the increased fibrin deposition typical of placentas from preeclamptic women.
Embedding a Distributed Auditing Mechanism in the Service Cloud

The Cloud Security Alliance identified the "notorious nine" threats for cloud computing. The range of these threats across the cloud indicates that centralized prevention and detection would be highly inefficient, potentially reporting incidents to tenants well after they occur and are difficult to mitigate. This paper presents an auditing framework for the service cloud that distributes logging, monitoring, and reporting at the local service level, at the application or session level that can involve multiple tenant services, and at the cloud level where corroboration and verification of threats takes place. To verify the forensic coverage of the framework, a set of CAPEC attack patterns are investigated to match attack evidence gathering and mitigation techniques with the proposed distributed detection and mitigation levels of the framework.
Effectiveness of community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes

Aims The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of community health workers in supporting the care of persons with diabetes. Methods Computerized searches were conducted of multiple electronic bibliographic dababases until March 2004. We identified studies in any language and of any design that examined the effectiveness of diabetes-related interventions involving community health workers and reported outcomes in persons with diabetes. Results were synthesized narratively. Results Eighteen studies were identified, including eight randomized controlled trials. Most studies focused on minority populations in the USA. The roles and duties of community health workers in diabetes care were varied, ranging from substantial involvement in patient care to providing instrumental assistance in education sessions taught by other health professionals. Participants were generally satisfied with their contacts with community health workers and participant knowledge increased. Improvements in physiological measures were noted for some interventions and positive changes in lifestyle and self-care were noted in a number of studies. There were few data on economic outcomes, but several studies demonstrated a decrease in inappropriate health care utilization. Conclusions Diabetes programmes include community health workers as team members in a variety of roles. There are some preliminary data demonstrating improvements in participant knowledge and behaviour. Much additional research, however, is needed to understand the incremental benefit of community health workers in multicomponent interventions and to identify appropriate settings and optimal roles for community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes.
Spatial-frequency phase noise in central and peripheral vision

Common image features, such as edges, are spatially broadband, comprising localized patterns at multiple scales and in relative positions to one another. In order for the visual system to perceive form, not only must it be sensitive to spatial patterns at different scales, it must also be able to encode their relative positions, or phase, with precision. It has been suggested that inaccuracy in phase encoding partly accounts for the deficiency in form perception in the peripheral visual fields. We showed that mathematically phase noise can be approximated as a spatial-frequency-specific multiplicative noise, that is, a Gaussian “pink” noise with a power spectrum that is a scaled version of the image. We derived a double-noise masking paradigm to measure the effective amount of phase noise in central and peripheral visual fields. Observers identified Times-Roman letters of size 2.7 deg presented in the fovea and at 10-deg eccentricity in the lower visual field. Four levels each of static white and pink Gaussian noises were added to a letter target to obtain a total of 16 contrast thresholds at 79% criteria at each eccentricity. Threshold contrast energy as a function of the two noise spectral densities could be approximated by a 2D plane. Average threshold elevation between fovea and 10-deg eccentricity was about a factor of 4. Data were fitted to an ideal-observer model, which incorporated both multiplicative (phase) and additive noise sources. From fovea to 10-deg eccentricity, internal phase noise increased by a factor of 3, accounting for about a factor of 2.5 (out of 4) increase in threshold contrast energy. Our results showed that inaccuracy in phase encoding is a major factor that contributes to the deficiency in form perception in the periphery.
Three-dimensional x-ray fluorescence mapping of a gold nanoparticle-loaded phantom

Purpose : X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a promising technique with sufficient specificity and sensitivity for identifying and quantifying features in small samples containing high atomic number (Z) materials such as iodine, gadolinium, and gold. In this study, the feasibility of applying XRF to early breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is studied using a novel approach for three-dimensional (3D) x-ray fluorescence mapping (XFM) of gold nanoparticle (GNP)-loaded objects in a physical phantom at the technical level. Methods : All the theoretical analysis and experiments are conducted under the condition of using x-ray pencil beam and a compactly integrated x-ray spectrometer. The penetrability of the fluorescence x-rays from GNPs is first investigated by adopting a combination of BR12 with 70 mm/50 mm in thickness on the excitation/emission path to mimic the possible position of tumor goldin vivo. Then, a physical phantom made of BR12 is designed to translate in 3D space with three precise linear stages and subsequently the step by step XFM scanning is performed. The experimental technique named as background subtraction is applied to isolate the gold fluorescence from each spectrum obtained by the spectrometer. Afterwards, the attenuations of both the incident primary x-ray beam with energies beyond the goldmore » K-edge energy (80.725 keV) and the isolated gold K{sub α} fluorescence x-rays (65.99 –69.80 keV) acquired after background subtraction are well calibrated, and finally the unattenuated K{sub α} fluorescence counts are used to realize mapping reconstruction and to describe the linear relationship between gold fluorescence counts and corresponding concentration of gold solutions. Results : The penetration results show that the goldK{sub α} fluorescence x-rays have sufficient penetrability for this phantom study, and the reconstructed mapping results indicate that both the spatial distribution and relative concentration of GNPs within the designed BR12 phantom can be well identified and quantified. Conclusions : Although the XFM method in this investigation is still studied at the technical level and is not yet practical for routinein vivo mapping tasks with GNPs, the current penetrability measurements and phantom study strongly suggest the feasibility to establish and develop a 3D XFM system.« less
Generation of proper adapters and converters from a formal service specification

An efficient approach is described for solving a protocol conversion problem by a formal method. It is assumed that protocol entities are modeled by automata and that the required services of the conversion system are known. It is shown that an adapter can be generated if and only if an adapter exists. A method for verifying the liveness of the conversion system is examined, and it is used to construct a proper converter that has desirable properties, such as bounded queues, and deadlock- and unspecified-reception-free properties, from a conversion system with an adapter. >
Effects of Chronic Central Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) on Maternal Behavior in Chronically Stressed Rat Dams

Exposure of mothers to chronic stressors during pregnancy or the postpartum period often leads to the development of depression, anxiety, or other related mood disorders. The adverse effects of mood disorders are often mediated through maternal behavior and recent work has identified arginine vasopressin (AVP) as a key neuropeptide hormone in the expression of maternal behavior in both rats and humans. Using an established rodent model that elicits behavioral and physiological responses similar to human mood disorders, this study tested the effectiveness of chronic AVP infusion as a novel treatment for the adverse effects of exposure to chronic social stress during lactation in rats. During early (day 3) and mid (day 10) lactation, AVP treatment significantly decreased the latency to initiate nursing and time spent retrieving pups, and increased pup grooming and total maternal care (sum of pup grooming and nursing). AVP treatment was also effective in decreasing maternal aggression and the average duration of aggressive bouts on day 3 of lactation. Central AVP may be an effective target for the development of treatments for enhancing maternal behavior in individuals exposed to chronic social stress.
Energy enhancement in mode-locked lasers using sinusoidal transmission functions for saturable absorption

A generalized master mode-locking model is presented to capture the periodic transmission created by a series of waveplates and polarizer in a mode-locked ring laser cavity, and the equation is referred to as the sinusoidal Ginzburg-Landau equation (SGLE). Numerical comparisons with the full dynamics show that the SGLE is able to capture the essential mode-locking behaviors including the multi-pulsing instability observed in the laser cavity and does not have the drawbacks of the conventional master mode-locking theory. The SGLE model supports high energy pulses that are not predicted by the master mode-locking theory, thus providing a platform for optimizing the laser performance.
Organic Acid Adsorption on Lead Titanate Surfaces

Several carboxylic acids were adsorbed on the surface of lead titanate. The total amount of adsorbed acid was determined and characterized by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transmission spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The acids were found to be chemisorbed on the lead titanate surface by a metal carboxylate bond. This bond forms by reaction between surface hydroxyls and the organic acid functional group. The amount of adsorbed species per unit surface area varied with each carboxylic acid studied and generally correlated with the size of the individual molecules. The experiments also demonstrate an application of a sensitive method for carbon analysis, oxygen-based coulombic titration.