cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Use of Molecular Hybridization Techniques for Human Papillomavirus in the Investigation of Alleged Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract Identification of human papillomavirus (HPV) subtypes can be extremely helpful in cases involving suspected child molestation. A case is described of a 15-month-old female referred for extensive perihymenal and perirectal verrucous lesions resembling condyloma acuminata. The only identified potential HPV donor was the mother who had a verrucous lesion on her hand with no prior history of genital condyloma. Both the child's and the mother's lesions were identified by light microscopy as human papillomavirus. Using DNA hybridization techniques, the child's lesions were identified as subtype 6. The mother's lesion was a nongenital type, most probably type 1 or 4. Thus, this ruled out the possibility that contact of the mother's hand lesion was the source of the child's perianal and genital lesions and led to further investigations of potential donors.
Red vs. Yellow. Volume 2: Thailand's Political Awakening

Red vs. Yellow. Volume 2: Thailand's Political Awakening Nick Nostitz (Bangkok: White Lotus Press, 2011) When I reviewed the first of Nick Nostitz's promised three-volume set of photo-essays coveri...
On the energy dependence of the optical model of neutron scattering from niobium

Neutron differential-elastic-scattering cross sections of niobium were measured from 1.5 to 10.0 MeV at intervals of ⪅200 keV below 4.0 MeV, and of ≈500 keV from 4.0 to 10.0 MeV. Ten to more than fifty differential-cross-section values were determined at each incident energy, distributed over the angular range ≈ 20–160°. The observed values were interpreted in the context of the spherical optical-statistical model. It was found that the volume integral of the real potential decreased with energy whereas the integral of the imaginary potential increased. The energy dependence in both cases was consistent with a linear variation. There is a dispersion relationship between the real and imaginary potentials, and when this was used, in conjunction with the experimental imaginary potential, it was possible to predict the observed energy dependence of the real potential to a good degree of accuracy, thus supporting the consistency of the data and its analysis. The real-potential well depths needed to give the correct binding energies of the 2d52, 3s12, 2d32 and 1g72 particle states and of the 1g92 hole state are in reas those given by a linear extrapolation of our neutron-scattering-based potential. However, the well depths needed to give the observed binding of the 2p32, 1f52 and 2p12 hole states are about less than the extrapolated values.
Cardioembolic stroke following a fractured transseptal wire.

A 66-year-old right-handed man with a history of atrial fibrillation was admitted for an elective radiofrequency ablation procedure. During this procedure, a left atrial tachycardia was identified and ablated without interrupting anticoagulation, and this was complicated by a groin hematoma. The morning following the procedure, the patient awoke with tongue heaviness and mild confusion. During a groin ultrasound, he experienced the acute onset of flushing, diaphoresis and blurred vision, then transiently lost consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, he was found to be more dysarthric and confused. He underwent a stat CT Angiogram of the head and neck, which revealed no acute abnormalities. MRI brain showed multiple, embolic-appearing infarcts …
Correlation between CO2 and H2S production by Endamoeba histolytica.

Abstract 1. 1. Suspensions of Endamoeba histolytica form CO2 and H2S under anaerobic conditions from sugars in the presence of cysteine (or cystine). 2. 2. Evidence was obtained which indicated that glucose is phosphorylated and HDP is fermented to pyruvate which is then decarboxylated. 3. 3. It was shown that during the fermentation of glucose (or HDP in broken cells) triose phosphate is oxidized by cystine (or another ortho substituted aromatic disulfide). The oxidation of the resulting thiols occurs by way of a “labile S compound” (β-thiopyruvate or a derivative of it) which is enzymically desulfurated and the S reduced to H2S.
Recent increases in atmospheric deposition of mercury to north-central Wisconsin lakes inferred from sediment analyses

Profiles of total mercury (Hg) concentrations in sediments were examined in 11 lakes in north-central Wisconsin having a broad range of pH (5.1 to 7.8) and alkalinity (−12 to 769 μeq/L). The sediments, which were hydrous and flocculent, were collected at or near the area of maximum depth in each lake with a diver-operated sampler that permittedin situ sectioning of a 1-m core. Mercury concentrations were greatest in the top 15 cm of the cores and were much lower in the deeper strata. The Hg content in the most enriched stratum of individual cores ranged from 0.09 to 0.24 μg/g dry weight, whereas concentrations in deep, precolonial strata ranged from 0.04 to 0.07 μg/g. Sediment enrichment factors varied from 0.8 to 2.8 and were not correlated with lake pH. The increase in the Hg content of recent sediments was attributed to increased atmospheric deposition of the metal. Eight of the 11 systems studied were low-alkalinity lakes that presumably received most (≥90%) of their hydrologic input from precipitation falling directly onto the lake surface. Thus, the sedimentary Hg in these lakes seems more likely linked to direct atmospheric deposition onto the lake surfaces than to influxes from the watershed. The data imply that a potentially significant fraction of the high Hg burdens measured in game fish in certain lakes in north-central Wisconsin originated from atmospheric sources.
What's up with Qatar? How eustasy and neotectonics influenced the late Pleistocene and Holocene sea-level history of Qatar

The evolution of coastal plains, the present day shape, and surface hydrology of Qatar are related to changes in relative sea level. Several factors acting on different time scales have contributed to sea level changes. These include tectonism and glacioeustasy. The peninsula shape is the surface expression of the Qatar Arch, one of the largest structural features of the Arabian Plate. It plunges northward into the Zagros foredeep. The Arabian Gulf initially formed during the Tertiary period as a foreland basin due to the uplift of the Zagros Mountains. Previous studies indicate the Arabian Gulf was an arid fluvial plain during the Last Glacial Maximum, 18,000 years before present (BP). The Gulf floor was a likely route for people migrating between Iran and Arabia. 14,000 years BP the sea level started rising, flooding the Gulf. The period between 14,000-7000 years BP was marked by a rapid rise (1 m/100 yr) driven by the melting of the polar ice caps. Age dating of Qatar coastal deposits indicate the rate of rise decreased as the sea level approached present day, 7000 years BP. Most coastal deposits are relicts of a Holocene sea-level highstand, dating from 7000-3000 years BP. Holocene beaches at 2-4 meter elevations and up to 15 km inland are relicts of this highstand. Similar beaches are found elsewhere along the Gulf. During this period coral reefs formed a discontinuous fringe around the windward and oblique Qatar coastlines. A drop of sea level approximately 2000 years BP may account for the demise of the fringing reefs. The occurrence of Late Pleistocene to Miocene fluvial gravel deposits of the Hofuf Formation 20 to 40 meters above sea level are interpreted as being related to long-term tectonic uplift, the evolution of the Zagros foredeep and structural tilting of the Arabian plate. Pleistocene shoreline deposits above present sea level dating from 30,000-40,000 years BP are interpreted as part of the same structural flexural event. Thus, data from Pleistocene to present suggest that the sea-level history of Qatar reflects relatively high frequency changes driven by eustasy superimposed on a long-term pattern of tectonic uplift.
Rutile/TiO 2 II phase equilibria

The transition between rutile and α-PbO2 structured TiO2 (TiO2II) has been investigated at 700–1,200 °C and 4.2–9.6 GPa. Hydrothermal phase equilibrium experiments were performed in the multi-anvil apparatus to bracket the phase boundary at 700, 1,000, and 1,200 °C. The equilibrium phase boundary is described by the equation: P (GPa)=1.29+0.0065 T ( °C). In addition, growth of TiO2II was observed in experiments at 500 and 600 °C, although growth of rutile was too slow to bracket unambiguously the equilibrium boundary at these temperatures. Water was not detected in either rutile or TiO2II, and dry synthesis experiments at 1,200 °C were consistent with the phase boundary determined in the fluid-bearing experiments, suggesting that the equilibrium is unaffected by the presence of water. Our bracket of the phase boundary at 700 °C is consistent with the reversed, dry experiments of Akaogi et al. (1992) and the reversals of Olsen et al. (1999). The new data suggest that the phase boundary is linear, in agreement with Akaogi et al. (1992), but in striking contrast to the phase diagram inferred by Olsen et al. (1999). The natural occurrence of TiO2II requires formation pressures considerably higher than the graphite–diamond phase boundary.
A Comparison of Density-Functional Theory and HartreeFock Modeling of Organolithium Equilibria

Experimental values for a number of organolithium equilibria in THF solution expressed as pK values are compared with computational results at several theory levels. Solvation effects are considered only by coordination of lithium with two THF molecules. Best results are obtained with the hybrid density-functional method mPW1PW91, which gives satisfactory results over a range of almost 40 pK units, but explicit thermal corrections to 25° are required.
Direct measurement of the dependence of granular giant magnetoresistance on the relative orientation of magnetic granules

Experiments have been designed to vary the relative angle between the magnetic moments of different Co granules in Cu80Co20 granular system. The moments of granules are mostly aligned in the same direction by field cooling to low temperature in a high magnetic field. A small field applied at an angle relative to the cooling field rotates the moments of a portion of the granules that have small particle size and coercivity. It is found that the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) varies linearly with cos φ, where φ is the relative angle between the magnetic axes of granules. This behavior disappears if the sample is cooled in zero fields, or if the rotating field is too large or small, or if the measuring temperature is higher than the blocking temperature. Our results show that the GMR in granular structures has the same angular dependence as the layered films and confirm the existing theories and recent microscopic models of granular GMR suggesting a crucial role of the relative orientations of the magnetic granules in determining the spin dependent scattering.
Adiabatic connection for near degenerate excited states

In density functional theory, the adiabatic coupling may be treated perturbatively. This Gorling-Levy perturbation theory can be applied to both nondegenerate and degenerate states. Formulas are given to second order. Some excitations are shown to be poorly described to first order (i.e., in exact exchange), no matter how weakly correlated the system is. Results are demonstrated on a simple model system, two fermions in a one-dimensional parabolic well with a contact interaction.
A novel pre-clinical in vivo mouse model for malignant brain tumor growth and invasion

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rapidly progressive disease of morbidity and mortality and is the most common form of primary brain cancer in adults. Lack of appropriate in vivo models has been a major roadblock to developing effective therapies for GBM. A new highly invasive in vivo GBM model is described that was derived from a spontaneous brain tumor (VM-M3) in the VM mouse strain. Highly invasive tumor cells could be identified histologically on the hemisphere contralateral to the hemisphere implanted with tumor cells or tissue. Tumor cells were highly expressive for the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and the proliferation marker Ki-67 and could be identified invading through the pia mater, the vascular system, the ventricular system, around neurons, and over white matter tracts including the corpus callosum. In addition, the brain tumor cells were labeled with the firefly luciferase gene, allowing for non-invasive detection and quantitation through bioluminescent imaging. The VM-M3 tumor has a short incubation time with mortality occurring in 100% of the animals within approximately 15 days. The VM-M3 brain tumor model therefore can be used in a pre-clinical setting for the rapid evaluation of novel anti-invasive therapies.
User interface design and verification for semi-autonomous driving

This paper presents a project in its early stages of development, in which we propose a solution to the problem of human interaction with autonomous vehicles. We have devised a method for design of a user interface that displays sufficient and crucial information to the driver. Our contribution in this work is (i) identifying different modes of driving behavior, (ii) building an expectation model of a driver, and (iii) implementing an interface system.
From too much and too little towards stratified psychiatry and pathophysiology.

As J. Rapoport points out in her incisive commentary, pediatric psychopharmacology stands now at the crossroads of both too much and too little. Certainly, the number of options now available to clinicians far exceeds the resources physicians could draw on even two decades ago. However, appreciation of this apparent cornucopia is tempered by awareness of how limited therapeutic benefits tend to be when examined in controlled studies and by increasing insight into the numerous secondary adverse effects that inevitably accrue. Too little benefit, too many adverse effects.
Steroid secreting capacity of x-irradiated rat ovaries.

Rats were unilaterally ovariectomized and pituitary-autotransplanted during metestrus, and 7–13 days later the remaining ovary was exposed to 3000 r of X-irradiation to destroy follicles. Corpora lutea and interstitial tissue showed no discernible histologic evidence of abnormality following X-irradiation. After treatment with PMS no follicular development was observed, and there was no indication of estrogen secretion as evidenced by the absence of stratification of vaginal epithelium. Estradiol caused stratification and mucification, but not cornification, indicating that the X-irradiated ovary continued to secrete progesterone. In animals which were mated prior to pituitary auto-transplantation and X-irradiation, injections of LH failed to induce implantation although implantation occurred following subsequent treatment with estradiol. Thus, following destruction of all follicles by X-rays the rat ovary continued to secrete progesterone, indicating follicles are not required for this luteal function. U...
Effect of terrain orientation and solar position on satellite-level luminance observations

Abstract Changes in the luminance of a terrain along the local nadir direction are studied as a function of terrain slope, and the solar azimuth and elevation angles. The digital terrain data for the Santa Clara valley-Mt. Hamilton region of California, available from the U.S. National Cartographic Information Center, are used for this purpose. The elevation above mean sea-level of this selected region varies between 24 and 1,282 m. Luminance computations are performed by assuming the Lommel-Seeliger law of reflection, and the terrain reflectance to be a constant and independent of its geographic location. The atmospheric effects and contributions due to multiple reflections are neglected. It is shown that the ratio of the actual terrain luminance to that for the corresponding flat surface for 64 equal-size (∼ 4 km 2 ) finite subregions, changes by a very significant amount over the selected region, and also with changes in the solar position. Selected Landsat MSS band 7 data of the same region are presented for validation purposes.
Molecular-cluster study of core-level x-ray photoelectron spectra: Application to FeCl2.

Core-electron-removal energies representing both main-line and satellite features in core-level x-ray photoelectron spectra are calculated for FeCl/sub 2/ with use of a self-consistent embedded-cluster model. Energies are obtained by using the Slater transition-state scheme in both relativistic and nonrelativistic versions of a moment-polarized discrete variational method code. In the model calculations, spectral peaks correspond to energy differences between the ground state and ''well-screened'' or ''poorly-screened'' final states. The study includes considerations of exchange, basis set, effects associated with finite cluster size (e.g., cluster charge), and the correspondence between relaxation and excitation processes. Observed main-line and satellite spectra are successfully calculated, provided that the core hole is treated self-consistently, both with respect to the Hamiltonian and with respect to the choice of variational basis.
Levels of amdinocillin in human plasma and interstitial fluid following intravenous administration

Abstract Amdinocillin levels in human plasma and interstitial fluid were studied in 12 human volunteers. The results showed that relatively high levels of amdinocillin were detected in the interstitial fluid. The fluid to plasma ratio of the area under the curve was 0.25. This is consistent with high diffusibility as seen in drugs with a low percentage of protein binding.
Fusion and optimized Gabor filter design for object detection

We consider the problem of detection of objects in images using one filter based on different 2D Gabor functions. By detection, we mean locating multiple classes of targets with distortions present and in a clutter background. It is also desirable to minimize false alarms due to clutter. Gabor functions (GFs) are Gaussian functions modulated by complex sinusoids. The imaginary (real) part of a GF has been shown to be a good edge (blob) detector. In this work, we use a single filter which is a linear combination of the real and imaginary parts of several GFs. We refer to this as a macro Gabor filter. It is correlated with an input image and then thresholded to detect targets. The new aspects are: combining real and imaginary parts of GFs into one filter, separately optimizing the parameters of the GFs by controlling the shape of the correlation outputs for true classes and clutter and separately optimizing the linear combination coefficients using a new square law perceptron to detect hot and cold objects. We show multi-class distortion invariant detection results with better performance than obtained with other methods.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
From Imaging Gatekeeper to Service Provider — A Transatlantic Journey

A radiologist who made the transition from Britain's gatekeeping mindset to that of an American service provider believes that as the U.S. health care system changes, he and his colleagues will need to play a more central role in clinical decision making.
Development of Preschoolers' Social-Cognitive Play Behaviors:

To investigate the development of preschoolers' social-cognitive play behaviors 10 preschoolers each at three ages, 2, 3, and 4 yr., were observed in their classrooms on 15 occasions by a time-samp...
Working Group on Design Methods and Processes

A working group met to consider how the SE and HCI communities can learn from each other's work on design methods and process. The group identified shared research needs, examined the gaps between the two communities and discussed how those gaps can be bridged, and explored some commonalities between recent research in (Software) Process and (CSCW) Workflow. This report summarizes the issues considered by the group.
Use of the bare Chip Cernox thermometer for the detection of second sound in superfluid helium

Abstract Bare chip Cernox™ thermometers model CX-1030 from LakeShore Cryotronics Inc. have been used to detect second sound in superfluid helium. This paper presents some examples of second sound measurements and comments on the electrical and thermal time constants of these thermometers.
Calcite precipitation in synthetic veins: implications for the time and fluid volume necessary for vein filling

Although calcite is a common vein-filling mineral in rocks, there has been little understanding of the kinetics of vein-filling that gives a quantitative estimation of the fluid volume and time needed for calcite vein formation in subsurface fracture systems. A new experimental system capable of simulating calcite precipitation in veins was used to determine the influences of flow velocity and initial solution saturation state on the quantitative precipitation pattern of calcite in synthetic veins. Results are in relatively good agreement with the model predictions. Use of a Mn2+ tracer indicated that even at low concentrations manganese can have a substantial effect on the morphology of the calcite precipitate. Our model predicts that an extremely large volume of fluid is required to produce calcite veins in nature; typically 105 to 106 for a fluid/calcite volume ratio for formation of thin short veins. The model also predicts the time necessary for vein filling is thousands to millions of years, and is highly variable depending on factors such as fluid saturation state, flow velocity, vein dimension, and the precipitation kinetics that can differ under subsurface conditions.
Optimal location of actuators for correcting distortions in large truss structures

The paper suggests a continuum approximation to the statistical analysis . First, a continuum approximation to the calculation of statistical properties of the distorted and corrected shape of a statically determinate planar truss beam is compared to the exact calculation. Next the locations of the actuators are optimized to minimize the weighted rms of the distortion
The Economic Consequences of Immigration

Available research supports several major conclusions about the economic consequences of immigration. (i) The aggregate impacts of foreign workers on the earnings and employment of native workers are quite small, but differ for selected population subgroups and high ethnic density labor markets. (ii) Immigrants who arrived during the 1970s are less skilled than earlier arrivals, and their earnings will remain substantially below those of natives throughout their working lives. (iii) The evidence on immigrants' receipt of public assistance income is inconclusive.
The origins and evolution of geopolitics

2 Some geographers will, perhaps, object to the term "natural environment" as used in this paper. Indeed, what is called "natural environment" is often cultural environment (cultural landscape). But, again, cultural landscape is all too often a misnomer, too; it frequently has nothing to do with culture. Culture implies something cultivated (more or less), that is, the result of a known, and presumably desired, causal relationship. Yet many of the changes caused by man in the natural environment-and among them probably almost all of those most enduring -are an incidental, unknown at the time, or even unwanted result of man's activity. Then we should remember that nature always tries to "heal" its man-made "wounds," and it is debatable whether this "second-growth" naturethis new skin which covers old scars-is less natural than the primordial one was. For a critique of the concept of "natural environment" see Hartshome (41, pp. 65-71). tioned. It is only on rare occasions that our foot (or shoe) touches mother earth, and, whenever the outdoor temperature seems to us at variance with the optimum of our preferences, we are able not only to cover 90 per cent of our bodies with warming or cooling clothes but to reduce our contact with the natural elements to the few min-
A new nonlinear classifier with a penalized signed fuzzy measure using effective genetic algorithm

This paper proposes a new nonlinear classifier based on a generalized Choquet integral with signed fuzzy measures to enhance the classification accuracy and power by capturing all possible interactions among two or more attributes. This generalized approach was developed to address unsolved Choquet-integral classification issues such as allowing for flexible location of projection lines in n-dimensional space, automatic search for the least misclassification rate based on Choquet distance, and penalty on misclassified points. A special genetic algorithm is designed to implement this classification optimization with fast convergence. Both the numerical experiment and empirical case studies show that this generalized approach improves and extends the functionality of this Choquet nonlinear classification in more real-world multi-class multi-dimensional situations.
Patient, heal thyself! Advocating for accessible healthcare websites

The purpose of this research is to examine healthcare websites to determine their current level of accessibility based on the criteria established in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Web accessibility refers to providing equal access to the Internet and equal opportunity to use the Internet for people with disabilities. The unique value of this investigation lies in the attempt to identify what interventions could serve to improve the observed levels of website accessibility in healthcare websites. Federal public laws demonstrate a concern for assuring equal rights and access for those with disabilities. However, the intent of the laws, being to achieve accessibility, has not been accomplished. Recent studies have shown that most categories of websites have low accessibility levels. If allowed to continue, the failure to make accessibility a reality could result in the disenfranchising of a major segment of society. The goal of this study is to determine what can be done, realistically and pragmatically, to make healthcare websites within the United States more accessible. The approach will be a multi-method examination of accessibility involving: policy analysis, online survey, expert testing, automated testing, and accessibility testing. Each method will add a unique value to the study and in combination will provide a fuller and richer understanding of the current status of healthcare website accessibility. The multi-method approach supports the Action Stance taken in designing this study. This Action Stance approach focuses on designing research efforts that lead to effective and positive change. For this study, the positive changes will include developing a set of best practices towards attaining web accessibility, identifying interventions that promote accessibility, and making recommendations for improving the federal information policies that address website accessibility.
Recovering permanent displacements from seismic records of the June 9, 1994 Bolivia deep earthquake

[1] Ground displacements of the 1994 deep Bolivia earthquake are recovered from six on-scale velocity records of a temporary array located ∼600 km south of the epicenter. I first removed the instrument (STS-2) response using a time-domain deconvolution. To correct for baseline drift in the deconvolutions, I used two separate windows of the trace, one before and one after the transient motion from the earthquake, and fit them simultaneously with a 4th-order polynomial. The amount of permanent displacement is included in the post-transient signal window and is determined together with the polynomial coefficients by a least-squares inversion. The polynomial is then subtracted from the displacement to remove the drift. I found that this technique produces robust displacement waveforms, as demonstrated by similar results at all stations. The obtained vertical permanent subsidences range from 5.5 to 6.4 mm, which agree well with predictions by using normal mode summation.
Sensitization to Indoor Allergens and the Risk for Asthma Hospitalization in Children

Background Hospitalization for asthma continues to present a major health problem despite advances in our understanding that asthma is an inflammatory disease of the bronchi and that exposure to specific allergens can induce and worsen this inflammation. The role of sensitization to specific indoor allergens and hospitalization for acute asthma in children is unclear. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the independent contributions of sensitization to specific indoor allergens among children with asthma to the risk of hospitalization for asthma. Methods The charts of 138 consecutive children with asthma, aged 5 to 18 years, seen at pediatric allergy clinics were reviewed to obtain the results of skin tests to cat, dog, cockroach, and dust mite allergens and the history of hospitalization for asthma within the year prior to the clinic visit. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between indoor allergen sensitivity and other factors, and the risk of hospitalization for asthma. Results In univariate analyses, hospitalization for asthma was significantly associated with cockroach sensitivity (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 4.3); cat sensitivity (OR = 2.9; CI = 1.3, 6.4); black race (OR = 2.4; CI = 1.1, 5.1); public aid/self pay (OR = 2.3; CI = 1.1, 4.9) and age, (OR [per year increase in age] = 0.8; CI = 0.7, 0.9). In a stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis, only cat sensitivity (OR = 3.8; CI = 1.5, 9.2), age (OR = 0.8; CI = 0.7, 0.9) and race (OR = 3.2; CI = 1.4, 7.5) entered into the model as significant independent predictors. Conclusion Sensitivity to cat allergen may be an important determinant for asthma hospitalization in children. Sensitization to cockroach allergen per se was not found to be an independent risk factor. As observed in previous studies, younger and black children were at increased risk of hospitalization for asthma.
LVIS553 Transcriptional Regulator Specifically Recognizes Novobiocin as an Effector Molecule

In this study we aimed to identify small molecules with high affinity involved in the allosteric regulation of LVIS553, a MarR member from Lactobacillus brevis ATCC367. Using high throughput screening, novobiocin was found to specifically bind LVIS553 with a KD = 33.8 ± 2.9 μm consistent with a biologically relevant ligand. Structure guided site-directed mutagenesis identified Lys9 as a key residue in novobiocin recognition. The results found in vitro were correlated in vivo. An increased tolerance to the antibiotic was observed when LVIS553 and the downstream putative transport protein LVIS552 were either expressed in a low copy plasmid in L. brevis or as a single copy chromosomal insertion in Bacillus subtilis. We provide evidence that LVIS553 is involved in the specific regulation of a new mechanism of tolerance to novobiocin.
Comment on “Transient dynamics of Ohmic dissipative two-level systems driven by dc-ac fields” by Wang and Zhao

Recent results on the dynamics of a two-state system driven by dc-ac fields are discussed. We show that the approximation put forward in the work by Wang and Zhao [Phys. Lett. A 217 (1996) 232] gives qualitative incorrect results for the dynamics when effects of the dc field in the presence or absence of the ac field are considered.
Kinetics of the Sulfation of NaCl at Combustion Conditions

SO2 and NaCl react in the presence of O2 and water vapor to produce Na2SO4 and HCl. The sulfation of solid NaCl was studied in a fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range 400−600 °C where NaCl, Na2SO4, and their mixtures are solid. Other experimental conditions were as follows: 0.3−1.1% SO2, 3−11% O2, 0.5−20% H2O, 2 g of NaCl particles with surface areas of 0.13−0.29 m2/g, and a total gas flow rate of 15 cm3/s (at 20 °C). Under the experimental conditions employed, intraparticle diffusion and external mass transfer did not influence the overall rate, and true kinetic data were obtained. The sulfation rate of the solid NaCl was very slow, with only 0.5−1.1% of the NaCl converted to Na2SO4 in 3 h. The rate was not strongly temperature dependent, and the activation energy was 17 kJ/mol. The reaction rate depended on SO2 partial pressure but not on water vapor and O2 partial pressures. The observed reaction rate was consistent with a mechanism in which Langmuir-type adsorption of SO2 on the NaCl surface is ...
Bromocriptine inhibits in vivo free fatty acid oxidation and hepatic glucose output in seasonally obese hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

Seasonally obese hyperinsulinemic hamsters were treated for 5 weeks with bromocriptine (500 to 600 micrograms per animal) and tested for drug effects on energy balance, body fat stores, nocturnal whole-body free fatty acid (FFA) metabolism and hepatic glucose output, and diurnal glucose tolerance. After 5 weeks, bromocriptine treatment reduced retroperitoneal fat pad weight by 45% without altering either daily food consumption or end-treatment total daily energy expenditure. Also, 5 weeks of treatment improved the diurnal glucose tolerance, resulting in a 47% and 33% decrease in the area under glucose and insulin curves, respectively. After 4 weeks, bromocriptine treatment reduced nocturnal lipolysis by 28%, palmitate rate of appearance into plasma by 30%, palmitate oxidation by 33%, and hepatic glucose output by 28%. Moreover, these reductions were accompanied by a 75% reduction in plasma insulin concentration. The data suggest that bromocriptine may improve diurnal glucose tolerance in part by inhibiting the preceding nocturnal lipolysis and FFA oxidation. Reductions in nocturnal FFA oxidation and hepatic glucose production may result from bromocriptine's influences on circadian organization of hypothalamic centers known to regulate these activities. Available evidence suggests that bromocriptine may impact this neuroendocrine organization of metabolism by increasing the dopamine to noradrenaline activity ratio in central (hypothalamic) and peripheral (eg, liver and adipose) target tissues.
Utilization of zebrafish for intravital study of eukaryotic pathogen–host interactions

Unique imaging tools and practical advantages have made zebrafish a popular model to investigate in vivo host–pathogen interactions. These studies have uncovered details of the mechanisms involved in several human infections. Until recently, studies using this versatile host were limited to viral and prokaryotic pathogens. Eukaryotic pathogens are a diverse group with a major impact on the human and fish populations. The relationships of eukaryote pathogens with their hosts are complex and many aspects remain obscure. The small and transparent zebrafish, with its conserved immune system and amenability to genetic manipulation, make it an exciting model for quantitative study of the core strategies of eukaryotic pathogens and their hosts. The only thing to do now is realize its potential for advancement of biomedical and aquaculture research.
The use of correlation integrals in the study of localized muscle fatigue of elbow flexors during maximal efforts.

Abstract Innovative applications of non-linear time series analysis have recently been used to investigate physiological phenomena. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using the correlation integral to monitor the localized muscle fatigue process in the biceps brachii during sustained maximal efforts. The subjects performed isometric maximum contractions until failure in elbow flexion (90° from neutral). The median and the 70th percentile frequency of the Surface electromyography (SEMG) power spectrum, the integrated SEMG, and the Correlation Integral (CI) were evaluated during the trials. The linear correlation between these variables and the elbow torque production was used to quantify the ability of a parameter to follow the fatiguing process. The CI had the highest linear correlation with torque (0.77 (0.12SD)), while the spectral indices correlations with torque were much lower. The decreasing trend of the torque production was followed by the spectral indices for only the beginning part of the contraction, while the CI increased sharply after the torque production fell to about 0.60 of the MVC. This suggests that the CI is sensitive to different changes of the SEMG signal during fatigue than the spectral variables.
Lipid Induced Insulin Resistance is Associated with Increased Monocyte Expression of Scavenger Receptor CD36 and Internalization of Oxidized LDL

Elevated free fatty acids (FFAs) contribute to the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and may be atherogenic. We tested the relationship among lipid-induced insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, and monocyte capacity to form foam cells through scavenger receptor A (SRA) and CD36. Ten healthy subjects underwent 24-h infusion of Intralipid/heparin and saline (0.5 ml/min) on two separate occasions followed by brachial artery reactivity testing and a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic (80 mU/(kg.min)) clamp study to determine insulin sensitivity. Isolation of blood monocytes was performed 24 h after infusion. Surface expression and function of CD36 and SRA to take up oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) was determined by flow cytometry and quantitative confocal imaging. Lipid infusion resulted in a twofold increase in serum FFA levels, reduced whole-body glucose disposal by approximately 20% (P < 0.05), and possibly impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilation (P = 0.1). Blood monocytes obtained during lipid infusion demonstrated a approximately 25% increase in cell surface expression of CD36 (P < 0.05) but no change in SRA expression. Enhanced CD36 expression was associated with a 50% increase in internalization of oxLDL (P < 0.05). The increase in CD36 surface expression during lipid infusion correlated inversely with glucose disposal (P < 0.05) and not with FFA levels or brachial artery dilation. These data support a role for FFAs in induction of insulin resistance and provide a link to atherogenic mechanisms mediated by expression of scavenger receptor CD36.
Neonatal capsaicin treatment in rats results in scratching behavior with skin damage: potential model of non-painful dysesthesia.

We administered capsaicin or vehicle in 2-day-old rat pups, and for over 6 months examined the rats for damaged skin and for the behaviors of scratching, gnawing and biting their skin. By 35 days of age, all rats in the capsaicin group (n = 10) had damaged skin (i.e., lesions, hair loss and red skin) on the rostral half of their bodies. Skin damage remained prevalent over 6 months, whereas vehicle-treated rats (n = 8) had virtually no skin damage. Gnawing and biting behaviors were rarely observed, however, rats in the capsaicin group frequently scratched themselves. There was a significant positive correlation between the frequency at which rats scratched themselves and the total area of skin damage. Morphine (3.0 mg/kg, i.p.) greatly increased scratching behavior in only the capsaicin-treated rats and naloxone (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced scratching in these rats. Thus, neonatal capsaicin, in its destruction of the majority of primary afferent C-fibers, is capable of inducing opioid-sensitive scratching behavior.
LOW TESTOSTERONE LEVEL IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED MICROVASCULAR FUNCTION IN MEN

Asrac Caegor 9. reeo Clcalreseao umer 1181-153Auhors Frank Edward Corrigan, Danny Eapen, Pankaj Manocha, Muhammad Hammadah, Suliman Alradawi, Jennifer Vazquez, Lynn Cunningham, Irina Uphoff, Laurence Sperling, R. Wayne Alexander, Kenneth L. Brigham, Arshed Quyyumi, Emory University School of Medicine, Predictive Health Initiative, Atlanta, GA, USABackground: o esoseroe leel me s assocae h crease apos, sul ressace a slpema, hereas hgh esoseroe leels are assocae h ecrease aorc aheroscleross. Eohelal uco a mcroascular reac ca e measure oasel a are measures o log erm caroascular rs. We hpohese ha lo esoseroe leels corue o crease caroascular rs luecg mcroascular a eohelal uco.Methods: We recrue 212 males, age 50 ± 12 ears, rom he Emor Ceer or Healh Dscoer a measure caroascular rs acors, oal serum esoseroe, eohelum-epee rachal arer lo-meae lao (FMD), igerp gal reace hperema ex (HI) usg Eo-AT (Iamar, Ic) urg orearm schema a hperema as a ex o mcroascular uco. Spearma correlaos a mularae lear regresso ere perorme ajusg or relea clcal arales.Results: Tesoseroe leel correlae posel h HI (r= 0.2, p= .004) suggesg ha lo leels are assocae h mpare mcroascular hperema. Ths assocao eee esoseroe leel a HI remae sgica ee aer mularae ajusme or age, race, mea areral pressure, o mass ex, aees, curre oacco use, HD, a oal choleserol (B= 0.001, p= .014). Tesoseroe leel as o assocae h FMD.Conclusions: I healh me, loer serum esoseroe leel s assocae h reuce gal reace hperema, a measure o mcroascular uco, u o large areral rc oxe ac. Sce mpare mcroascular uco s assocae h orse log erm oucomes, heher repleshg esoseroe ll mproe uco a log erm rs ees o e urher esgae.
Temporal correspondence of intracranial, cochlear and scalp-recorded human auditory nerve action potentials.

Abstract Conventional, vertex-ipsilateral ear records (‘A’), as well as 3-channel Lissajous' trajectories (3-CLTs) of auditory brain-stem evoked potentials (ABEPs) were recorded from the scalp simultaneously with tympanic membrane electrocochleograms (‘TME’) and auditory nerve compound action potentials (‘8-AP’) recorded intracranially using a wick electrode on the auditory nerve between the internal auditory meatus and the brain-stem. The recordings were made during surgical procedures exposing the auditory nerve. The peak latency recorded from ‘TME’ corresponded to trajectory amplitude peak ‘a’ of 3-LLT and to peak ‘I’ of the ‘A’ channel ABEP. Peak latency of ‘8-AP’ was slightly longer than the latency of peak ‘II’ of ‘A’ when ‘8-AP’ was recorded from the root entry zone and the same or shorter when recorded from the nerve trunk. ‘8-AP’ peak latency was shorter than trajectory amplitude peak ‘b’ of 3-CLT regardless of where the wick electrode was along the nerve. Peak latencies from all recordings sites clustered into two distinct groups—those that included N1 from ‘TME’, peak ‘I’ of the ‘A’ record and trajectory amplitude peak ‘a’ of 3-CLT, and those that included the negative peak of ‘8-AP’ and trajectory amplitude peak ‘b’ of 3-CLT, as well as peak ‘II’ of the ‘A’ record, when present. In one case, the latency of peak ‘II’ and trajectory amplitude peak ‘b’ was manipulated by changing the conductive properties of the medium surrounding the auditory nerve. These results are consistent with other evidence proposing: (1) the most distal (cochlear) portion of the auditory nerve is the generator of the first ABEP component (‘I’, ‘a’); (2) the proximal auditory nerve is the major contributor to the ‘A’ channel ABEP component ‘II’; (3) in addition to the auditory nerve, more central structures participate in the generation of the 3-CLT ‘b’ component.
Dipole Shuffling in the Fermilab Energy Saver

Permuting the magnets in an accelerator can modulate the adverse effects of field errors on particle orbits; imperfections in magnetic fields can be made to cancel one another if some attention is paid to their arrangement. In particular, careful ordering gives a certain measure of control over resonances excited by field nonlinearities. Such considerations were used in assigning superconducting dipoles to the Fermilab Saver. The authors call this activity ''shuffling.'' Magnetic field nonlinearities of all the Saver dipoles were measured at Fermilab's Magnet Test Facility in terms of multipole moments and expressed as ''normal'' and ''skew'' harmonic coefficients. Harmonic coefficients associated with a dipole are the weighted averages of three measurements which are formally related to resonances in the usual way by treating field nonlinearities as a perturbation in the transverse Hamiltonian of the accelerator. This Hamiltonian is expressed in terms of action-angle variables and is written in a form that emphasizes its resonance structure. Of the coefficients included in this Hamiltonian it is the integral involving lattice functions which ''shuffling'' attempts to control. In Fermilab's Energy Saver its value is dominated by contributions from the bending magnets. In this paper the intention of the authors is to arrive atmore » a concise mathematical description of this effect.« less
Optimal information acquisition and monetary policy

Abstract I study optimal monetary policy with an expectational AS curve and private agents who optimally choose their amount of information pertinent to predicting policy. Shocks with time-varying variance (ARCH) induce interesting information acquisition (IA) dynamics; optimal IA affects optimal policy and vice versa. Under discretion, IA dynamics cause time-varying effectiveness of policy because of the expectational AS curve; policy may be rendered completely ineffective. In policy game equilibrium, a fall in the shock’s variance typically induces less IA and raises welfare. In one exceptional case the opposite occurs, a result which does not require implausible unstable equilibria. An agent becoming informed increases the endogenous component of economic volatility; IA therefore has a negative externality. Under commitment policy’s effectiveness is again time-varying, but policy is never completely ineffective: commitment enables the central bank to credibly limit policy’s volatility; this limits private agents’ incentive to become informed, so limits expectation-induced policy neutrality.
Differential expression of PSA-NCAM and HNK-1 epitopes in the developing cardiac conduction system of the chick

Although the critical role of the His-Purkinje system (HPS) in the propagation of cardiac action potentials from the atria to the ventricular myocardium in the mature heart is well appreciated, its functional and anatomical development are not well understood. The embryonic heart begins beating early in development devoid of a mature conduction system, and the HPS cannot be identified by conventional histochemical analysis until the seventh embryonic day of chicken development. Although many biochemical markers have been found that apparently identify HPS precursors, little is known about how these biochemical markers function in the maturation of the cardiac conduction system. Using immunohistological techniques, we demonstrated that the maturation of the HPS may be observed by the expression of two distinct populations of conduction system precursors, identified by the expression of cell surface carbohydrates PSA-NCAM (PSA) and HNK-1, both of which are known to participate in cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions in the development of the nervous system. By stage 25, PSA was detected in ventricular trabeculae and the interventricular septum (IVS) in a pattern that resembles bundle branches and Purkinje fibers. Beginning at stage 28, HNK-1 epitope expression in the IVS was observed in myocardium just superior to the PSA-positive bundles in a pattern that resembles the common His bundle. This junctional region was also positive for atrial myosin heavy chain (alpha MHC), another marker for the HPS. These data suggest that a complex, coordinated process of biochemical and morphological change governs the development of the cardiac conduction system.
Mechanical strain and airway responsiveness: how long does it take, how long will it last?

airway hyperresponsiveness is a defining characteristic of asthma, and airway smooth muscle function is a critical determinant of this airway responsiveness ([7][1]). Current therapies that target airway smooth muscle function in asthma, short- and long-acting bronchodilators, induce relaxation of