cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Neurobehavioral and Quality of Life Outcomes of Critically Ill Children after Glycemic Control

Objectives To investigate adaptive skills, behavior, and quality health-related quality of life in children from 32 centers enrolling in the Heart And Lung Failure-Pediatric INsulin Titration randomized controlled trial. Study design This prospective longitudinal cohort study compared the effect of 2 tight glycemic control ranges (lower target, 80-100 mg/dL vs higher target, 150-180 mg/dL) 1-year neurobehavioral and health-related quality of life outcomes. Subjects had confirmed hyperglycemia and cardiac and/or respiratory failure. Patients aged 2-16 years old enrolled between April 2012 and September 2016 were studied at 1 year after intensive care discharge. The primary outcome, adaptive skills, was assessed using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Behavior and health-related quality of life outcomes were assessed as secondary outcomes using the Pediatric Quality of Life and Child Behavior Checklist at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Group differences were evaluated using regression models adjusting for age category, baseline overall performance, and risk of mortality. Results Of 369 eligible children, 358 survived after hospital discharge and 214 (60%) completed follow-up. One-year Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II composite scores were not different (mean ± SD, 79.9 ± 25.5 vs 79.4 ± 26.9, lower vs higher target; P = .20). Improvement in Pediatric Quality of Life total health from baseline was greater in the higher target group (adjusted mean difference, 8.2; 95% CI, 1.1-15.3; P = .02). Conclusions One-year adaptive behavior in critically ill children with lower vs higher target glycemic control did not differ. The higher target group demonstrated improvement from baseline in overall health. This study affirms the lack of benefit of lower glucose targeting. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT01565941 .
Multi-lineage Human iPSC-Derived Platforms for Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery

Summary Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide a powerful platform for disease modeling and have unlocked new possibilities for understanding the mechanisms governing human biology, physiology, and genetics. However, hiPSC-derivatives have traditionally been utilized in two-dimensional monocultures, in contrast to the multi-systemic interactions that influence cells in the body. We will discuss recent advances in generating more complex hiPSC-based systems using three-dimensional organoids, tissue-engineering, microfluidic organ-chips, and humanized animal systems. While hiPSC differentiation still requires optimization, these next-generation multi-lineage technologies can augment the biomedical researcher’s toolkit and enable more realistic models of human tissue function.
Impact of Ruptured Aneurysm Circulation on Mortality: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample Analysis

Abstract Objective This study investigates the effect of aneurysm circulation on mortality and patient outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) within the United States. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), a part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), with ICD-10 codes for non-traumatic SAH between 2015-2016. Aneurysms were stratified as either anterior or posterior circulation. Multivariate logistic regression was used to find the impact of selected variables on the odds of mortality. Results The NIS reported 1,892 cases of non-traumatic SAH within the study period that were predominantly anterior circulation (82.6%), female (68.6%), white (57.7%), with mean age of 59.07 years, and in-hospital mortality of 21.4%. Anterior circulation aneurysms were associated with lower severity of initial illness (p = 0.014) but higher likelihood of vasospasm (p = 0.0006) than those of the posterior circulation. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, mortality was associated with posterior circulation aneurysms (OR: 1.42; CI 95% 1.005-20.10, p = 0.047), increasing age (OR: 1.035; 95% CI 1.022-1.049; p 0.05) and vasospasm (OR: 1.005; 95% CI 0.648-1.558; p > 0.05) were not significantly associated with higher odds of mortality. Conclusions Mortality following aneurysmal SAH is associated with posterior circulation aneurysms, and increasing age, but not smoking history or vasospasm. These findings may be useful for prognostication and counseling patients and families.
Improved Stability and Exciton Diffusion of Self‐Assembled 2D Lattices of Inorganic Perovskite Nanocrystals by Atomic Layer Deposition

Author(s): Lorenzon, M; Jurow, M; Hong, MJ; Lu, YH; Barnard, ES; Salmeron, M; Liu, Y; Penzo, E; Schwartzberg, AM; Weber-Bargioni, A | Abstract: Colloidal inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are solution-processable optoelectronic materials whose emission can be easily tuned via both size and composition while maintaining high photoluminescence quantum yield. Despite their relative defect tolerance, they suffer from photoinduced damage and degradation under ambient conditions. The lack of long-term stability is addressed by investigating how a ≈3 nm transparent ceramic coating applied onto a thin layer of close-packed PNCs via atomic layer deposition (ALD) affects the exciton mobility across the PNCs. Samples coated via both thermal and plasma ALD are compared, as well as an uncoated one. Exciton diffusion measurements yield a record value for all samples, up to λD = 480 ± 24 nm, one order of magnitude larger than the previously reported values for chalcogenide quantum dots and more than two times larger than what was previously found for the PNCs. Moreover, the ALD-coated samples show stable photoluminescence intensity and energy over 1 year time span. The measurement approach allows for discerning minimal variations in the local luminescence and qualitatively correlating them to the samples’ morphology. Hence, it is shown that PNCs coated with an ultrathin ALD film become a very versatile optoelectronic material that can be employed in devices beyond proof of principle.
Effects of substantia nigra lesions on the volumes of A, B, and D cells and the content of insulin and glucagon in the rat pancreas.

The effects of substantia nigra lesions on the volume densities of islet cells and on the content of insulin and glucagon in the pancreas were examined using five groups of age-matched, Sprague-Dawley rats. Two groups received bilateral substantia nigra lesions using intrathecal injections of either a low (6 μg/hemisphere) or a high (12 μg/hemisphere) dose of 6-hydroxydopamine. Rats given sham lesions served as controls for the effects of the neurotoxic drug. These three groups, plus a fourth consisting of unoperated controls, were provided with a high-fat diet to minimize lesion-induced alterations of food intake and body weight. Eleven weeks after lesion placement, tissue was collected from all animals for the assessment of islet cell volume densities and the pancreatic content of insulin and glucagon. Plasma samples also were obtained to determine the levels of glucose, insulin, and glucagon. Data from those animals were compared with that obtained from a fifth group, termed “pre-lesion controls”, sacrificed at the beginning of the experiment. Linear-scan morphometry documented an increase of B-cell volume density in the pancreas of non-lesioned rats over the 11-week period (p<0.05). However, the volume density of B cells in the pancreas of lesioned animals did not increase compared with that of pre-lesion controls. In terms of A or D cells, no significant differences of volume density were found between the five groups. Compared with that of the pre-lesion controls, pancreatic insulin and glucagon content increased in the lesioned and neurally-intact animals. However, the molar ratio of those hormones in the pancreas of lesioned rats remained similar to that of pre-lesion controls. The current findings suggest that the substantia nigra is an important autonomic area involved in controlling islet growth and development, and possibly islet function as well.
IL-1β Antibody Protects Brain from Neuropathology of Hypoperfusion

Chronic brain hypoperfusion is the primary cause of vascular dementia and has been implicated in the development of white matter disease and lacunar infarcts. Cerebral hypoperfusion leads to a chronic state of brain inflammation with immune cell activation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β. In the present study, we induced chronic, progressive brain hypoperfusion in mice using ameroid constrictor, arterial stenosis (ACAS) surgery and tested the efficacy of an IL-1β antibody on the resulting brain damage. We observed that ACAS surgery causes a reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) of about 30% and grey and white matter damage in and around the hippocampus. The IL-1β antibody treatment did not significantly affect CBF but largely eliminated grey matter damage and reduced white matter damage caused by ACAS surgery. Over the course of hypoperfusion/injury, grip strength, coordination, and memory-related behavior were not significantly affected by ACAS surgery or antibody treatment. We conclude that antibody neutralization of IL-1β is protective from the brain damage caused by chronic, progressive brain hypoperfusion.
Mapping NACC Centers: The Past and Future Trajectory of Academic Nonprofit Centers

Nonprofit and philanthropic studies (NPS) as an academic field grew over the past four decades. Academic centers are more flexible entities than traditional academic structures and as such play a central role in the field’s growth. Our study maps members of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) with specific attention on centers’ establishment and development. We survey NACC centers and review archival records to study NPS’s evolution. We find center creation clustered in the period 1999-2003, when a combination of external funding and academic growth created a favorable environment for academic entrepreneurs to establish academic centers. We illustrate two trends over the past decades. Academic centers increasingly emphasized a NPS disciplinary focus, while, in the same period, traditional university structures absorbed several centers. These two trends suggest contrasting narratives emphasizing either the field’s successful institutionalization or these centers’ loss of independence. Subscribe to JNEL
Supplemental medial small fragment fixation adds stability to distal femur fixation: A biomechanical study

Abstract Introduction: Bridge plating of distal femur fractures with lateral locking plates is susceptible to varus collapse, fixation failure, and nonunion. While medial and lateral dual plating has been described in clinical series, the biomechanical effects of dual plating of distal femur fractures have yet to be clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to compare dual plating to lateral locked bridge plating alone in a cadaveric distal femur gap osteotomy model. Materials and Methods: Gap osteotomies were created in eight matched pairs of cadaveric female distal femurs (average age: 64 yrs (standard deviation ± 4.4 yrs); age range: 57–68 yrs;) to simulate comminuted extraarticular distal femur fractures (AO/OTA 33A). Eight femurs underwent fixation with lateral locked plates alone and were matched with eight femurs treated with dual plating: lateral locked plates with supplemental medial small fragment non-locking fixation. Mechanical testing was performed on an ElectroPuls E10000 materials testing system using a 10 kN/100 Nm biaxial load cell. Specimens were subject to 25,000 cycles of cyclic loading from 100-1000 N at 2 Hz. Results: Two (2/8) specimens in the lateral only group failed catastrophically prior to completion of testing. All dual plated specimens survived the testing regimen. Dual plated specimens demonstrated significantly less coronal plane displacement (median 0.2 degrees, interquartile range [IQR], 0.0–0.5 degrees) compared to 2.0 degrees (IQR 1.9-3.3, p = 0.02) in the lateral plate only group. Dual plated specimens demonstrated greater bending stiffness compared to the lateral plated group (median 29.0 kN/degree, IQR 1.5–68.2 kN/degree vs median 0.50 kN/degree, IQR 0.23–2.28 kN/degree, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Contemporary fixation methods with a distal femur fractures are susceptible to mechanical failure and nonunion with lateral plates alone. Dual plate fixation in a cadaveric model of distal femur fractures underwent significantly less displacement under simulated weight bearing conditions and demonstrated greater stiffness than lateral plating alone. Given the significant clinical failure rates of lateral bridge plating in distal femur fractures, supplemental fixation should be considered, and dual plating of distal femurs augments mechanical stability in a clinically relevant magnitude.
Sensory effects of nicotine and tobacco.

Ingestion of nicotine by smoking, vaping or other means elicits various effects including reward, antinociception, and aversion due to irritation, bitter taste and unpleasant side effects such as nausea and dizziness. Here we review the sensory effects of nicotine and the underlying neurobiological processes. Nicotine elicits oral irritation and pain via the activation of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) expressed by trigeminal nociceptors. These nociceptors excite neurons in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) and other brainstem regions in a manner that is significantly reduced by the nAChR antagonist mecamylamine. Vc neurons are excited by lingual application of nicotine and exhibit a progressive decline in firing to subsequent applications, consistent with desensitization of peripheral sensory neurons and progressively declining ratings of oral irritation in human psychophysical experiments. Nicotine also elicits a nAChR-mediated bitter taste via excitation of gustatory afferents. Nicotine solutions are avoided even when sweeteners are added. Studies employing oral self-administration have yielded mixed results: some studies show avoidance of nicotine while others report increased nicotine intake over time, particularly in adolescents and females. Nicotine is consistently reported to increase human pain threshold and tolerance levels. In animal studies, nicotine is antinociceptive when delivered by inhalation of tobacco smoke or systemic infusion, intrathecally, and by intracranial microinjection in the pedunculopontine tegmentum, ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and rostral ventromedial medulla. The antinociception is thought to be mediated by descending inhibition of spinal nociceptive transmission. Menthol cross-desensitizes nicotine-evoked oral irritation, reducing harshness that may account for its popularity as a flavor additive to tobacco products.
A Comparison of Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Methods of Defining Objective Subtle Cognitive Decline in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease Based on Cogstate One Card Learning Accuracy Performance

Background Longitudinal, but not cross-sectional, cognitive testing is one option proposed to define transitional cognitive decline for individuals on the Alzheimer's disease continuum. Objective Compare diagnostic accuracy of cross-sectional subtle objective cognitive impairment (sOBJ) and longitudinal objective decline (ΔOBJ) over 30 months for identifying 1) cognitively unimpaired participants with preclinical Alzheimer's disease defined by elevated brain amyloid and tau (A+T+) and 2) incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI) based on Cogstate One Card Learning (OCL) accuracy performance. Methods Mayo Clinic Study of Aging cognitively unimpaired participants aged 50 + with amyloid and tau PET scans (n = 311) comprised the biomarker-defined sample. A case-control sample of participants aged 65 + remaining cognitively unimpaired for at least 30 months included 64 who subsequently developed MCI (incident MCI cases) and 184 controls, risk-set matched by age, sex, education, and visit number. sOBJ was assessed by OCL z-scores. ΔOBJ was assessed using within subjects' standard deviation and annualized change from linear regression or linear mixed effects (LME) models. Concordance measures Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) or C-statistic and odds ratios (OR) from conditional logistic regression models were derived. sOBJ and ΔOBJ were modeled jointly to compare methods. Results sOBJ and ΔOBJ-LME methods differentiated A+T+ from A-T- (AUC = 0.64, 0.69) and controls from incident MCI (C-statistic = 0.59, 0.69) better than chance; other ΔOBJ methods did not. ΔOBJ-LME improved prediction of future MCI over baseline sOBJ (p = 0.003) but not over 30-month sOBJ (p = 0.09). Conclusion Longitudinal decline did not offer substantial benefit over cross-sectional assessment in detecting preclinical Alzheimer's disease or incident MCI.
Low Power and Low Cost Millimeter-Wave Digital Beamformer Using An Orthogonal Coding Scheme

A novel four-channel receiver architecture is proposed using an orthogonal coding scheme for low-cost and low complexity millimeter-wave (mm- Wave) digital beamforming. In this proposed architecture, multiple signals are encoded with othogonal Walsh-Hadamard (WH) codes and multiplexed into a single channel. The combined signal is fed into a single Analog-to-Digital converter (ADC) at the digital baseband, leading to significant reduction in size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C). As a result, the hardware complexity of the receiver is reduced by more than 95 %. A key challenge addressed in this paper is the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) degradation due to inter-channel interference. Interference is greatly dependent on the choice of the employed orthogonal WH codes. In this paper, we introduce methods to achieve greater than 30 dB inter-channel interference rejection across a bandwidth of 400 MHz. As such, the proposed reduced SWaP-C and interference mitigation can have a major impact in realizing innovations for the 28-GHz and beyond mmWave links.
Light Absorption Characteristics of Multi-morphology FeS2 Granular Synthesized Under Hydrothermal Conditions

This chapter examines granular FeS2 synthesized under hydrothermal conditions of 220 °C, with a Fe/S ratio of 1:3. SEM and XRD characterize its morphology, composition, and structure. Measurement of the absorption spectrum within the range of 200–2,000 nm was performed using Cary 500 UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer. The band gap was calculated according to the band gap (eV) formula. The results showed that the samples were granular pyrite in the form of cube and octahedron, with a particle size of about 2–5 μm, and include a certain amount of pyrrhotite (Fe1−xS). The absorption peak was about 1,879 nm, with the intrinsic absorption edge (λ 0) and band gap values of 1,885 nm and 0.6578 eV, respectively. Through the relationship between semiconductor conversion efficiency and band gap, we obtained a limiting conversion efficiency which can achieve to about 15 %. We present a brief analysis of the vacancy affection to the band gap of pyrite.
Surface exposure of apolipoproteins in high density lipoproteins. I. Reactivities with agarose-immobilized proteases.

Abstract The exposure of apolipoproteins at the surface of human plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) was assessed by their accessibility to agarose-immobilized forms of trypsin and chymotrypsin. Proteolysis of lipid-free apolipoproteins and the lipoprotein subfractions HDL2 (d = 1.08–1.125 g/ml) and HDL3 (d = 1.125–1.195 g/ml) that differ in lipid-to-protein ratio was compared by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing of the apolipoproteins and peptide fragments and by quantitation of the various carboxylterminal groups formed. Gel filtration of the proteolyzed lipoproteins on Sephadex G-150 column indicated that more than 90% of the apolipoproteins and peptides remain associated with lipoprotein complexes. Proteolysis of lipoproteins occurred more slowly and with less fragmentation of the lipoproteins and apolipoproteins than proteolysis of the lipid-free apolipoproteins or the proteolysis of lipoproteins by soluble proteases reported by other investigators. The difference in lipid content of HDL2 and HDL3 made little difference in their proteolysis. Proteolysis of the lipoproteins by agarose-trypsin was more rapid at 37°C than at 22°C, but the proteolytic products were similar and differed from the products from the lipid-free proteins. Peptide fragments from lipoproteins were larger than those from lipid-free proteins, which suggests masking of potentially cleavable groups by lipid. The amounts (mol/g protein) of new carboxyl-terminal tyrosine and phenylalanine released by agarose-chymotrypsin were much greater from the lipid-free proteins, but about 3 4 of the tryptophan residues were inaccessible in both lipoproteins and lipid-free proteins. In agarose-trypsin digestion, lysine residues were slightly more masked than arginine in the absence of lipids and much more so in the lipoproteins. However, in the lipoproteins apoA-II, which contains lysine but no arginine, was cleaved more rapidly and extensively by agarose-trypsin than apoA-I.
Evolution of the Dynein Heavy Chain Family in Ciliates

Dynein heavy chains are motor proteins that comprise a large gene family found across eukaryotes. We have investigated this gene family in four ciliate species: Ichthyophthirius, Oxytricha, Paramecium, and Tetrahymena. Ciliates appear to encode more dynein heavy chain genes than most eukaryotes. Phylogenetic comparisons demonstrated that the last common ancestor of the ciliates that were examined expressed at least 14 types of dynein heavy chains with most of the expansion coming from the single-headed inner arm dyneins. Each of the dyneins most likely performed different functions within the cell.
Human Carbonic Anhydrases VIII. ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A POLYMORPHIC FORM OF A C TYPE ISOZYME

Abstract A polymorphic form of human carbonic anhydrase C has been isolated in crystalline form from the erythrocytes of Negroes who were either homozygous or heterozygous for this enzyme. It differs from carbonic anhydrase C in having an aspartic acid rather than an asparagine at a position 9 residues removed from the COOH-terminal end of the molecule.
File System Indexing and Backup

This paper briefly proposes two operating system ideas: indexing for file systems, and backup by replication rather than tape copy. Both of these ideas have been implemented in various non-operating system contexts; the proposal here is that they become operating system functions.
Meniere's disease: histopathology, cytochemistry, and imaging

Meniere's disease is a poorly understood, disabling syndrome causing spells of vertigo, hearing fluctuation, tinnitus, and aural fullness. In this paper, we present a review of the histopathology, cytochemistry, and imaging of Meniere's disease. Histopathology is significant for neuroepithelial damage with hair cell loss, basement membrane thickening, and perivascular microvascular damage. Cytochemical alterations are significant for altered AQP4 and AQP6 expression in the supporting cell, and altered cochlin and mitochondrial protein expression. Current developments include imaging techniques to determine the degree and presence of endolymphatic hydrops, and future studies will endeavor to correlate the observance of hydrops with clinical findings.
Variation in Photodynamic Efficacy during the Cellular Uptake of Two Phthalocyanine Photosensitizers

A decrease in the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with phthalocyanine photosensitizers was observed for lymphoblastic murine and human cell lines as the time between the addition of the photosensitizer, aluminum phthalocyanine (AIPc), to the culture medium and exposure to light was increased from 4 h to 18 h. The total intracellular concentration of photosensitizer did not decrease significantly during this 18 h interval. For the murine cell lines, the maximum cytotoxic and mutagenic effects were observed when the time between addition of the photosensitizer and irradiation was between 1 and 4 h. The time course of the variations in efficacy did not vary greatly from one murine cell line to another, even though the cell lines differ markedly in the extent of their cytotoxic and mutagenic response. The time course of the variation was similar for cytotoxicity and mutagenicity, as well as for the induction of DNA fragmentation. The human lymphoblastic cell line, WTK1, showed less variation in survival and mutability with time than did the murine cell lines. With Pc 4 (HOSiPcOSi[CH3]2[CH2]3N[CH3]2) as the photosensitizer, the photocytotoxicity for murine L5178Y (LY)-S1 cells did not change significantly as the time between addition of Pc 4 and irradiation was increased from 2 to 18 h. However, the mutagenicity decreased by a factor of three during this interval. The mutagenicity of PDT with Pc 4 was much less in LY-S1 cells than that with AlPc. The results suggest that the variation in the efficacy observed for AlPc-induced photocytotoxicity is caused by changes in the intracellular distribution and/or the aggregation of the photosensitizer with time after its addition.
Reproducibility of blood pressure response to hydrochlorothiazide.

Few studies have investigated the reproducibility of responses to antihypertensive therapies. The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of the blood pressure response to a thiazide diuretic, a preferred initial treatment for hypertension. Twenty-two subjects who underwent monotherapy with hydrochlorothiazide as part of a study to identify predictors of blood pressure response agreed to undergo the same protocol a second time, 26.6±11.8 (range, 4–52) months after their first participation. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses to hydrochlorothiazide did not differ significantly between the first and second participation (systolic response, −14.2±16.4 mm Hg vs. −16.0±16.5 mm Hg; diastolic response, −7.1±11.8 mm Hg vs. −6.6±8.6 mm Hg), and these responses were significantly correlated between the two trials (systolic response, r=0.61 and p>0.01; diastolic response, r=0.64 and p<0.01). However, both the direction and magnitude of responses for individual subjects varied considerably, with the limits of agreement between the first and second participations (i.e., 2 standard deviations above and below the mean difference between responses) ranging from 27.4 mm Hg to −23.8 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure response and from 17.4 mm Hg to −18.4 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure response. These results show that the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses to hydrochlorothiazide for a group of subjects are reproducible; however, the responses for individual subjects are unpredictable.
Polyamines are traps for reactive intermediates in furan metabolism

Furan is toxic and carcinogenic in rodents. Because of the large potential for human exposure, furan is classified as a possible human carcinogen. The detailed mechanism by which furan causes toxicity and cancer is not yet known. Since furan toxicity requires cytochrome P450-catalyzed oxidation of furan, we have characterized the urinary and hepatocyte metabolites of furan to gain insight into the chemical nature of the reactive intermediate. Previous studies in hepatocytes indicated that furan is oxidized to the reactive α,β-unsaturated dialdehyde, cis-2-butene-1,4-dial (BDA), which reacts with glutathione (GSH) to form 2-(S-glutathionyl)succinaldehyde (GSH-BDA). This intermediate forms pyrrole cross-links with cellular amines such as lysine and glutamine. In this article, we demonstrate that GSH-BDA also forms cross-links with ornithine, putrescine, and spermidine when furan is incubated with rat hepatocytes. The relative levels of these metabolites are not completely explained by hepatocellular levels ...
A U.S. interagency distributed climate modeling project

When the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes its Fourth Assessment Report of the Scientific Basis of Climate Change (AR4) in 2007, a significant portion of the report will analyze coupled general circulation model (GCM) simulations of the climate of the past century as well as scenarios of future climates under prescribed emission scenarios. Modeling groups worldwide have contributed to the report. Three U.S. contributors are: the Community Climate System Model (CCSM) project, the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Sciences, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). This collection of model results is providing a wealth of new information that will be used to examine the state of climate science, the potential impacts from climate changes, and the policy consequences that they imply.
Polyethylene terephthalate recycling for food-contact applications: testing, safety and technologies: a global perspective.

Studies were undertaken to determine the composition of five different types of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) feedstreams to ascertain the relative amounts of food containers and non-food containers. Deposit post-consumer PET feedstreams contained ~100% food containers, whereas curbside feedstreams contained from 0.04 to 6% non-food containers. Analysis of the PET containers from the different type feedstreams after the containers were subjected to a commercial PET wash system and after processing with a proprietary decontamination technology was accomplished to determine the levels of compounds in the post-consumer PET after the various stages of processing. Comprehensive thermal desorption/GC/MS, purge and trap GC/MS purge and trap GC quantitation, PET dissolution and extraction GC analysis and PET dissolution HPLC analysis established the types and concentrations of compounds that absorb in the PET from the various types of postconsumer feedstreams. A total of 121 compounds were identi...
Stress analysis of a thick-walled pressure vessel nozzle junction

Abstract A thick-walled pressure vessel with an attached nozzle under internal pressure is analyzed by using the finite element method. The specified boundary displacement method has been applied to measure the stress concentration due to the geometrical discontinuity. The problem areas involved with the analysis are identified. The results are compared to the work of previous investigators and are found to provide a significant improvement.
Corporate responsibility and the triple bottom line

This inquiry was undertaken relative to the requirements of the Australian Corporations Act as applied to profit and non-profit institutions. The report recognizes that Australia lags behind developments in corporate responsibility elsewhere across the globe. The findings give support and encouragement to enlightened corporations willing to undertake these new responsibilities. The report does not recommend any adjustment to current law to force corporations to comply with the demands of these new responsibilities. Sustainability reporting is seen to be an already undertaken point of compliance for many corporations. A range of response to such action has been seen across Australian corporate business. The report does nothing to support whistle blowers in bringing deficiencies in corporate reporting to public or corporate attention. The committee report threw the onus of corporate responsibility reporting on government entities. The report supported the engagement of corporations with these new concepts of responsibility but did little to ensure that such transformations would actually happen. (http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/corporations_ette)
Policy Perspectives of The Northwest City Manager, 1966-1974 Continuity or Change?

In 1966 and 1974 city managers in the Pacific Northwest were surveyed to determine their views on their roles in policy making. With respect to general policy and budget matters there was a larger percentage in 1974 who were willing to initiate policy and leadership, but where a community was evenly divided on an issue, a larger percentage of managers in 1974 felt that neutrality was desirable. The findings suggest that increasingly city managers may be turning from political advocacy leadership to programmatic leadership, which maintains the manager's image as an administrative expert even when making major contributions to policy directions.
Verification of Probabilistic Predictions: A Brief Review

Abstract The evaluation process is considered in some detail with particular reference to probabilistic predictions. The process consists of several ordered steps at each of which elements (of the process) are identified. Consideration of the purposes leads to the identification of two distinct forms of evaluation: operational evaluation concerned with the value of predictions to the user and empirical evaluation, or verification, concerned with the perfection of predictions, i.e., the association between predictions and observations. Attributes, i.e., desirable properties, of predictions are defined with reference to these purposes, and a number of measures of the attributes for empirical evaluation are considered. An artificial example of comparative verification in which different measures appear to yield contradictory results is used to demonstrate the importance of, and need for, a careful analysis of the evaluation process.
Electrospray Atomization of Electrolytic Solutions

Results of experiments on droplet production by electrospray atomization of electrolytic solutions are described. The spray results from the formation of liquid droplets at the tip of a Taylor cone. These experiments using sodium iodide dissolved in n-propyl alcohol show that as the solution concentration increases, the volumetric flow rate decreases, the electrical current increases, and the aerosol size distribution of the solid residue particles shifts to smaller sizes, a counter-intuitive result which occurs because the atomized droplet size decreases with increasing specific electrical conductivity of the solution. There is no complete analytical description of the electrospray but some analytical insights will be discussed regarding the behavior of its three distinct yet interacting parts: the Taylor cone, the jet, and the charged droplet spray.
Identification of alpha-fetoprotein polymers. Artifacts of the isolation procedure.

Abstract By combining polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and radioimmunoassay, a method has been developed to detect polymeric forms of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) during the isolation procedure. The method is capable of detecting AFP polymers in the presence of other serum proteins in serum samples that contain as little as 100 ng of AFP. Using this method, we have found that AFP polymers do not exist in cord serum; if encountered, we feel they should be considered to be artifacts of the isolation procedure. AFP polymers appear in 7.5% polyacrylamide gel as multiple bands. We believe the multiple bands to be AFP polymers and not serum protein contaminants for the following reasons: (1) the electrophoretic pattern is very similar to that of serum albumin; (2) the polymers do exhibit AFP activity, although less than the monomeric form does; (3) the molecular weight of the dimer is exactly twice that of the monomer; (4) in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and mercaptoethanol, the polymers move to the same position as do the monomers in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; (5) the polymers cannot be removed by repeated use of an immunoadsorbent affinity column designed to remove contaminant serum proteins.
Z decay and the search for dark matter.

The recent measurements of Z decay at the SLAC Linear Collider and the CERN ${e}^{+}$${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ collider LEP, when combined with nonaccelerator experiments, rule out various weakly-interacting-massive-particle (WIMP) candidates for dark matter including Dirac neutrinos, and strongly constrain all others. I discuss this, along with other implications of current Z measurements for the discovery of WIMP's in the laboratory.
Synergistic Wake Interactions in Aeroelastic Flutter Vibration Energy Harvester Arrays

This research experimentally investigates the operation of several aeroelastic flutter energy harvesters in an array. In order for such a wind energy harvesting array to operate effectively, it is important to understand the interaction between neighboring power harvesters including downstream wake effects, and how these interactions can be leveraged to maximize the output of the system. The fluttering motion of the energy harvester imparts an unsteady wake into the flow downstream of the device. Wind tunnel experiments with a pair of flutter energy harvesters show that this wake structure has significant effects on the oscillation amplitude, frequency, and power output of the trailing device. These wake interaction effects are shown to vary with the stream-wise and cross-stream separation distance between the two devices. At some separations, an advantageous frequency lock-in between the two devices occurs. When this occurs, the wake of the leading device adds constructively with the trailing device, causing larger oscillation amplitudes and higher power output in the trailing device. Experiments to characterize this variation in power output due to these wake interaction effects and to determine the optimal spacing of the energy harvesters are presented and discussed.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Multiplicity of brain cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase — Purification, characterization and subunit structure

Cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD), the rate-limiting enzyme in taurine biosynthesis, appears to be present in the brain in multiple isoforms. Two distinct forms of CSAD, referred to as CSAD I and CSAD II, were obtained on Sephadex G-100 column. CSAD I and CSAD II differ in (1) the elution profile on Sephadex G-100 column; (2) the sensitivity towards Mn2+, methione, and other sulfur-containing amino acids and (3) their immunologic properties. CSAD II has been purified to about 2,500-fold by a combination of column chromatographies and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The purity of the enzyme preparation was established as judged from the following observations: (1) a single protein band was observed under various electrophoretic conditions, e.g., 5–20% nondenaturing PAGE, 7% nondenaturing PAGE and 10% SDS-PAGE and (2) in nondenaturing PAGE, the protein band comigrated with CSAD activity. CSAD II has a molecular weight of 90 kDa and is a homodimer consisting of two 43 ± 2 kDa subunits. CSAD appears to require Mn2+ for its maximum activity. Other divalent cations fail to replace Mn2+ in activation of CSAD activity. However, the precise role of Mn2+ in the action of CSAD remains to be determined.
Going to the dogs: towards an interactive touchscreen interface for working dogs

Computer-mediated interaction for working dogs is an important new domain for interaction research. In domestic settings, touchscreens could provide a way for dogs to communicate critical information to humans. In this paper we explore how a dog might interact with a touchscreen interface. We observe dogs' touchscreen interactions and record difficulties against what is expected of humans' touchscreen interactions. We also solve hardware issues through screen adaptations and projection styles to make a touchscreen usable for a canine's nose touch interactions. We also compare our canine touch data to humans' touch data on the same system. Our goal is to understand the affordances needed to make touchscreen interfaces usable for canines and help the future design of touchscreen interfaces for assistive dogs in the home.
Adenosine thallium-201 tomography in evaluation of graft patency late after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Abstract Objectives. We sought to ascertain the utility of adenosine thallium-201 tomography for assessing graft stenoses late after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Background. Although pharmacologic perfusion imaging has been increasingly used in the assessment of patients with coronary artery disease, the value of this stress modality for detecting coronary artery bypass graft stenosis late after surgery is unknown. Methods. We studied 109 patients who underwent both adenosine thallium-201 tomography and coronary angiography at 6.7 ± 4.8 (mean ± SD) years after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Adenosine thallium-201 tomography was assessed quantitatively by computer-generated polar maps of the myocardial thallium-201 activity. Results. On coronary angiography, significant graft stenoses were present in 68 patients, 65 of whom had a corresponding perfusion defect as shown by thallium-201 tomography (sensitivity 96%). Significant stenoses were present in 107 (37.8%) of 283 grafts. The overall specificity by quantitative tomography was 61%. Seventy percent of the apparently false positive perfusion defects could be explained on the basis of unbypassed native disease or by the presence of fixed defects in patients with previous myocardial infarction. Conclusions. Thus, results of adenosine thallium-201 tomography are nearly always abnormal in patients with late coronary graft stenosis. Most of the false positive defects appear to be due to either unbypassed native disease or a previous myocardial infarction. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:1290–5)
Visual information literacy via visual means: three heuristics

Purpose – This paper offers definitions and application scenarios for three interdisciplinary heuristics designed to encourage a more holistic view of texts with the objective of raising awareness and enhancing the information literacy of student researchers.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the thesis that visual texts and images should be considered in information literacy theory and practice, a selection of three visual heuristics found to be useful in instruction session situations are explained and described in a practical teaching situation.Findings – These three heuristics can be used in a number of ways for different audiences to encourage critical thinking about the context, components, and the communication process involved in presenting texts used by students (from books, to journal and newspaper articles, and web sites).Research limitations/implications – There are other useful heuristics that have not been considered within the scope of this study. Other readers and research...
The life cycle of Isospora felis Wenyon, 1923, a coccidium of the cat.

SYNOPSIS. A pure strain of Isospora felis derived from a single oocyst was used to study the endogenous cycle. One and a half to two-month-old laboratory-reared, coccidia-free kittens were used thruout the study. The endogenous stages occurred in the epithelial cells of the distal parts of the villi in the ileum and occasionally duodenum and jejunum. All stages lay above the host cell nucleus. There were 3 asexual generations. The 1st generation schizonts were 11–30 by 10–23 μ when mature and contained 16–17 banana-shaped merozoites 11–15 by 3–5 μ. They became mature in 96 or sometimes in 120 hours. The 1st generation merozoites entered new host cells, rounded up and formed 2nd generation schizonts. These formed within themselves 2–10 or more spindle-shaped bodies resembling 1st generation merozoites in shape and size. These were 2nd generation merozoites. They were uninucleate 120 hours after inoculation, but by 144 hours they became larger, multinucleate and some lost their elongate shape and became ovoid. They were then 3rd generation schizonts. They were 12–16 by 4–5 μ. Each formed up to 6 or more banana-shaped merozoites 6–8 by 1–2 μ. The 3rd generation schizonts and merozoites developed within the same host cell and parasitophorous vacuole as the 2nd generation schizonts and merozoites. Mature schizonts containing only 3rd generation merozoites appeared 144 hours after inoculation, were most abundant 168 hours after inoculation, and might be present as late as 216 hours after inoculation. They were 14–36 by 13–22 μ and contained 36 to more than 70 merozoites. The 3rd generation merozoites entered the sexual cycle. The mature microgametocytes were 24–72 by 18–32 μ and contained a central residuum and a large number of microgametes 5–7 by 0.8 μ with 2 posteriorly-directed flagella. The mature macrogametes were 16–22 by 8–13 μ. Gametogony occurred 144–216 hours after inoculation. The prepatent period was 168–192 hours and the patent period 10–11 days. Peak oocyst production occurred on the 6th day of the patent period.
Polyclonally triggered B cells in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of normal individuals and in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and primary sjögren's syndrome

Numbers of B cells spontaneously secreting Ig (IgG, IgA, and IgM) were determined by a plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay simultaneously in the peripheral blood and bone marrow of normal individuals, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome. Normal individuals had 382 (+/- 89) PFC per 10(6) mononuclear cells in peripheral blood. Patients with either active or inactive Sjogren's syndrome had normal numbers of spontaneous Ig-secreting cells in peripheral blood (P greater than 0.2). Conversely, patients with inactive as well as active SLE had markedly increased spontaneous PFC (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.001, respectively). Patients with active SLE had significantly greater PFC than patients with inactive SLE; 3,984 (+/- 960) versus 1,605 (+/- 527) PFC per 10(6) mononuclear cells (P less than 0.05). The lack of increased numbers of activated B cells in the blood of patients with Sjogren's syndrome was not explained by a preferential sequestration of activated B cells in the bone marrow. However, of particular interest was the finding that the bone marrow served not only as a major source of virgin B cells but as a lymphoid organ of either in situ activation of B cells or sequestration for activated B cells. Normal individuals had approximately a 20-fold relative increase of activated B cells per 10(6) mononuclear cells in the bone marrow compared to peripheral blood, while patients with inactive and active SLE both had a 35-fold relative increase in activated B cells in bone marrow compared to peripheral blood. The potential relevance of circulating activated B cells and their sequestration in lymphoid organs is discussed concerning the discrepancy in this regard between Sjogren's syndrome and SLE, and our understanding of the significance of polyclonal B cell activation in the pathogenesis of these diseases.
Cerebral Desaturation During Shoulder Arthroscopy: A Prospective Observational Study

Background Patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery in the beach chair position may be at increased risk for serious neurocognitive complications as a result of cerebral ischemia.
High-Throughput Screening Identifies a Bisphenol Inhibitor of SV40 Large T Antigen ATPase Activity

The authors conducted a high-throughput screening campaign for inhibitors of SV40 large T antigen ATPase activity to identify candidate antivirals that target the replication of polyomaviruses. The...
High energy collisions between heavy nuclei

Abstract Neglecting Coulomb effects we derive a very simple analytical result for nucleus-nucleus elastic scattering in an optical limit of the Glauber approximation which has the property that it does not diverge at large momentum transfers when the center-of-mass correlation function is retained and is more accurate and easier to apply than the commonly used expressions which involve numerical integrations. We then derive a corresponding analytical expression for the elastic scattering amplitude which includes the Coulomb effects arising from point charge incident and target nuclei.