cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Activity In Vitro of Ticarcillin, BL-P1654, and Carbenicillin

The activity of ticarcillin, BL-P1654, and carbenicillin was compared in vitro using a microtiter tube dilution test in Mueller-Hinton broth against 50 recent clinical isolates each of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, Enterobacter species, Proteus species, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Bactericidal end points were determined using a modified Steers replicator. Ticarcillin was generally two to four times more active against all organisms tested except S. epidermidis against which BL-P1654 was most active. Median minimum inhibitory concentrations in micrograms per milliliter were for S. aureus : ticarcillin (6.2), carbenicillin (12.5), BL-P1654 (25); for S. epidermidis : BL-P1654 (1.6), ticarcillin (3.2), carbenicillin (3.2); for E. coli : ticarcillin (3.2), BL-P1654 (6.2), carbenicillin (6.2); for Klebsiella sp.: >100 for all three drugs; for Enterobacter sp.: ticarcillin (3.2), carbenicillin (6.2), BL-P1654 (12.5); for Proteus sp.: ticarcillin (1.6), carbenicillin (1.6), BL-P1654 (3.2); for P. aeruginosa : ticarcillin (31), BL-P1654 (62), carbenicillin (125). Bactericidal end points were dependent on both the drug and the species but were in general no more than twofold more than the minimum inhibitory concentration with the exception of BL-P1654 against P. aeruginosa . BL-P1654 was bactericidal for only 60% of the strains tested at a concentration of 500 μg/ml.
Study of nighttime NO 3 chemistry by differential optical absorption spectroscopy

A newly constructed DOAS is described. The instrument was specially designed for making automated measurements over diurnal cycles in relatively clean environments, and has been employed since 1989 to measure NO3, NO2, 03 3fld CH2O. A comparative study of NO3 chemistry in two very different environments is presented. The first study took place in the marine boundary layer over Biscayne Bay in South Florida during 1989. Of particular interest was to determine the importance of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) as a sink for NxOr through its rapid reaction with NO3. Modelling the observations indicates that in the clean marine boundary layer, ([O2] 2 ppb), DM5 accounts for up to about 50% removal of NxOr whereas in more polluted conditions, ([NO2] 25 ppb), DMS only removes about 10%. The other significant sink is probably adsorption of N205 onto moist aerosol surfaces. The second study took place near Edison, California, as part of the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Study. At this dry and polluted location, NO3 exhibits marked variability during the night, although rarely exceeding 80 ppt. The presence of very high levels of industrial and agricultural hydrocarbons appears to limit both the maximum concentration and the duration of significant levels of NO3.
Amorphous Fe-based metal foam

A foam synthesis method that takes advantage of the viscous high-temperature liquid state of Fe-based bulk glass-forming alloys to produce amorphous steel foam is introduced. Zirconium hydride is utilized as a foaming agent taking advantage of the low hydrogen solubility of these glass-forming alloys. Amorphous foams with porosities up to 65% were produced having homogenous cellular morphologies that exhibit cell-size uniformity. Even though intracellular solid regions as thin as a few micrometers are detected, on a global scale the cellular structure is determined to be incapable of alleviating the foam from the brittle nature of the monolithic glass.
Co‐expression of p53 by epithelial and stromal elements in carcinosarcoma of the female genital tract: an immunohistochemical study of 19 cases

Carcinosarcoma is an aggressive neoplasm of the female genital tract, which comprises 1-2% of malignancies of the uterine corpus. Because of the broad range of differentiation exhibited by these tumors, the precise nature of the relationship between epithelial and stromal components in this unique tumor remain unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that mutation and consequent overexpression of the tumor suppressor gene p53 occurs frequently in carcinosarcoma and is conserved from primary to metastastic sites. We examined p53 accumulation in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival sections in 19 cases previously shown to have mutations in the p53 gene and performed semi-quantitative analysis of the intensity of staining and relative density of positive cells and stromal and glandular elements. There was a high level of concordance of immunohistochemical staining for the p53 oncoprotein between glandular and stromal elements. These results further suggest a clonal origin for the diverse elements of carcinosarcoma.
Motions of vortex patches

An evolution equation describing the motion of vortrex patches is established. The existence of steady solutions of this equation is proved. These solutions arem-fold symmetric regions of constant vorticity ω0 and are uniformly rotating with angular velocity Ω in the range $$\tilde \Omega _{m - 1}< \tilde \Omega \leqslant \tilde \Omega _m (\tilde \Omega = \Omega /\omega _0 ,m \geqslant 2)$$ where\(\tilde \Omega _m = (m - 1)/2m\). We call this class, ofm-fold symmetric rotating regionsD, the class Open image in new window of them-waves of Kelvin. Any Open image in new window may be regarded as a simply connected region which is a stationary configuration of the Euler equations in two dimensions. If Open image in new window then any magnification, rotation or reflection is also in Open image in new window with the same angular velocity Ω ofD. The angular velocity\(\Omega _m = \tilde \Omega _m \omega _0 \) corresponds only to the circle solution, which is a trivial member of every class Open image in new window ,m⩾2. The class Open image in new window corresponds to the rotating ellipses of Kirchoff. Other properties of the class Open image in new window are established.
Differential sperm expenditure by male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna, in a unisexual–bisexual species complex and the influence of spermiation during mating

Selection should favor strategies that reduce costs associated with spermatogenesis. This is especially true when males are sympatric with closely related species, and must avoid heterospecific matings, as in the unisexual–bisexual species complex of mollies. Male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna, are sexually parasitized by Amazon mollies (P. formosa), and produce more sperm in the presence of female sailfin mollies than in the presence of Amazon mollies. We tested the hypothesis that male sailfin mollies differentially expend sperm when mating with either conspecific or heterospecific females. We measured sperm expenditure by determining the amount of sperm males have remaining after mating. Male sailfin mollies had more sperm available after mating with female sailfin mollies than after mating with Amazon mollies. While this result could indicate higher sperm expenditure to Amazon mollies, males mating with female sailfin mollies had more sperm available after mating than their baseline sperm reserves. Spermiation, the last stage of spermatogenesis, could be triggered by physical contact with females, and could increase sperm availability during mating. We examined the relationship between sperm availability and the amount of time that males mated with females. We found that sperm availability increased as mating trial time increased with female sailfin mollies, but not with Amazon mollies. Spermiation in the presence of conspecific female stimuli could reduce physiological costs associated with spermatogenesis while increasing the amount and quality of sperm available for sperm competition. We suggest that future studies examining sperm priming and expenditure should consider the potential for spermiation.
Optimal design for polymer extrusion. Part II: Sensitivity analysis for weakly-coupled nonlinear steady-state systems

The die design methodology presented in Part I is extended to include performance measures that are functions of material residence time. We solve a hyperbolic differential equation using the velocity field computed from the Hele-Shaw pressure analysis to evaluate the material residence time in polymer melts. The residence time governing equation lacks natural diffusion, therefore, we employ the streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) finite element method to compute a spatially stable residence time field. In the design problem, we derive design sensitivities for steady-state nonlinear weakly-coupled systems and include design variables that parameterize essential boundary conditions. Design sensitivities are derived via the direct differentiation and adjoint methods. Special consideration is given to the SUPG weighting function since it is a function of the design. To demonstrate the methodology, sheet extrusion dies are designed to simultaneously minimize the exit velocity variation and the exit residence time variation.
Exogenous NO triggers preconditioning via a cGMP- and mitoKATP-dependent mechanism.

Exogenous nitric oxide (NO) triggers a preconditioning-like effect in heart via a pathway that is dependent on reactive oxygen species. This study examined the signaling pathway by which the NO don...
The Effect of Ceramic Supports on Partial Oxidation of Hydrocarbons over Noble Metal Coated Monoliths

Support effects on the production of synthesis gas and olefins by the partial oxidation of light hydrocarbons has been examined on noble metal catalysts at contact times of ∼5 ms. We consider the effect of the following parameters on selectivities and conversions: adding a washcoat, varying pore size, ceramic support material, and loading of noble metal. In oxidation of methane on rhodium-coated monoliths, maximum hydrogen selectivity improves from 89 to 95% on the addition of a washcoat. It is also a strong function of the catalyst pore size, changing from 83% on a catalyst with 20 ppi (pores per inch) to 93% on a catalyst with 80 ppi. It varies from 86 to 91% on different ceramic supports with ZrO2giving the best results. Usingn-butane as the fuel, the hydrogen selectivity improves from 70 to 95% on adding a washcoat and changes from 70 to 95% on changing the pore size. In the oxidation of ethane on platinum-coated monoliths, the addition of a washcoat reduces ethylene selectivity from 63 to 35%, while changing the pore size results in minor variations. On different ceramic supports, the ethylene selectivity varies from 60 to 64% with mullite giving the best results. We find that washcoat addition, decreasing pore size, and replacement of zirconia for alumina as the support material increase syngas selectivity and reduce olefin selectivity irrespective of the fuel, catalyst, or amount of diluent used. Most of these results can be explained on the basis of differences in mass transfer rates to the catalytic site between catalysts of different support geometries. It is argued that homogeneous reactions play a minor role in these short contact time processes.
Sex‐typing in infancy: The role of the father

Recent research on mother-infant interaction has provided little empirical support for the role of environmental factors in early sex-role development. In this paper, considerable support for the father's role is presented. Specifically, the research on mother- and father-infant interaction patterns is reviewed in order to describe developmental changes in the nature of differential treatment of the sexes during the first two years of life. Together, the studies reviewed highlight the importance of the father in early sex-role socialization, delineate a developmental model of the early differential treatment of the sexes, and provide clues as to the origins of later childhood sex differences in verbal and visual-spatial abilities.
Faith-Based Schools in Post-Soviet Turkmenistan

Throughout Eurasia, an Islamist social movement is helping Central Asians transition from their communist experience by building schools, offering English-language courses for adults, and consciously supporting a freer public sphere. It is because of both the extreme local conditions and the continuous success of the Turkish schools that Turkmenistan provides an edifying case study of the Gulen movement's contributions to postsocialist transformations of Central Asian societies. This paper argues that Turkish schools have flourished because the community preserves a modern, secular curriculum, while engaging rather than threatening the state.
Temporal Coding of Periodicity Pitch in the Auditory System: An Overview

This paper outlines a taxonomy of neural pulse codes and reviews neurophysiological evidence for interspike interval-based representations for pitch and timbre in the auditory nerve and cochlear nucleus. Neural pulse codes can be divided into channel-based codes, temporal-pattern codes, and time-of-arrival codes. Timings of discharges in auditory nerve fibers reflect the time structure of acoustic waveforms, such that the interspike intervals that are produced precisely convey information concerning stimulus periodicities. Population-wide inter-spike interval distributions are constructed by summing together intervals from the observed responses of many single Type I auditory nerve fibers. Features in such distributions correspond closely with pitches that are heard by human listeners. The most common all-order interval present in the auditory nerve array almost invariably corresponds to the pitch frequency, whereas the relative fraction of pitchrelated intervals amongst all others qualitatively corresponds to the strength of the pitch. Consequently, many diverse aspects of pitch perception are explained in terms of such temporal representations. Similar stimulus-driven temporal discharge patterns are observed in major neuronal populations of the cochlear nucleus. Population-interval distributions constitute an alternative time-domain strategy for representing sensory information that complements spatially organized sensory maps. Similar autocorrelation-like representations are possible in other sensory systems, in which neural discharges are time-locked to stimulus waveforms.
The metaphorical brains

In the late 1960s I asked my “Brains, Machines, and Mathematics” class at Stanford to draw block diagrams identifying and relating the major functional subsystems of the brain. I took these diagrams home, redrew them on large sheets of brown paper, and attached them to the walls of my bedroom so that I could look at them in search of the best composite diagram. When I showed them to John McChesney, a friend from the English Department, he proclaimed, “So, these are your metaphors for the brain”. And thus the title of my book The Metaphorical Brain was born. Deeper reflection showed that the title had two meanings-not only that our models of the brain can be seen as metaphors, but also that the operation of the brain is inherently metaphorical, building “models of the world” which provide metaphorical descriptions of fragments of the organism’s world. I am most grateful to the Book Review Editors of the journal Arti’cial Intelligence and to Messrs. Barnden, Hanson and Pribram for the Multiple Book Review of The Metaphorical Brain 2: Neural Networks and Beyond (TMB2; Arbib [3]) and the chance to respond in these pages. This response is being prepared in 1997, the 25th anniversary of the publication of The Metaphorical Brain: An Introduction to Cybernetics as Artijicial Intelligence and Brain Theory (TMB; Arbib [2]) to which TMB2 is the sequel. The subtitles tell something of the changing times of these books: In 1972, “symbolic AI” was dominant, and I sought to balance this dominance by looking back to the Cybernetics of the 1940s and to show that it was the source not only of AI in this limited sense but also of brain theory, as well as biological control theory, and cognitive psychology. In 1989, half the battle had been won and artificial neural networks (Hopfield networks, back-propagation, etc.) were enjoying a heyday, and so now my subtitle was designed to recognize the importance of such neural networks, but also to show that one must go “beyond”, most especially with the development of schema theory, but also with a fuller appreciation of neuroscientific data, and of the immense subtlety of living neurons.
Fluxon thermal motion detected by nuclear spin echo decay measurements: 89Y NMR in YBa2Cu3O7.

A new NMR approach was devised to investigate thermal motion of vortices based on the observation of dephasing effects of the transverse nuclear magnetization below [ital T][sub [ital c]]. The effect was observed in [sup 89]Y spin-spin relaxation time [ital T][sub 2] measurements of TBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7] for two crystal orientations with respect to the applied magnetic field. The data were fitted with a simple model of diffusion of [sup 89]Y nuclei with respect to the local magnetic field gradient generated by the moving vortices. Small values of a thermally activated effective diffusion constant of the vortices' motion well below [ital T][sub [ital c]] with reasonable activation energies were derived.
Hemolytic anemia complicating infectious mononucleosis due to the interaction of an IgG cold anti-i and an IgM cold rheumatoid factor.

This is the case of a 25-year-old man who presented with infectious mononucleosis complicated by hemolytic anemia and hepatitis. Antibody evaluation revealed a cold-reactive IgG anti-i and an IgM cold rheumatoid factor. The patient's hemolytic anemia improved following treatment with corticosteroids.
Historical responses to environmental externalities in electric power

Abstract This paper argues that policies in the USA to internalize environmental externalities from coal fired power plants have been linked to the evolution of our conceptual understanding of externalities and how externalities can be internalized. Government policies are divided into three periods: before the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969; between the passage of NEPA and actions in 1989 by the State of New York's Public Service Commission to include environmental externalities in integrated planning; and from 1989 to the present, which includes various state actions to explicitly include environmental costs in decision making, and the marketable emission allowances included in the 1990 Clean Air Act. The positions of economists, policy makers, and the general public have tended to converge over time to reach the current acceptance of, if not preference for, economic incentives as alternatives to command and control regulations. In recent years economists have moved from their strict emphasis on economic efficiency to questions of equity and implementation. At the same time policy makers, disciplines other than economics and the general public have come to appreciate the cost saving aspects of economic incentives. Future responses to environmental externalities in electric power will depend on the abilities of economists to accurately evaluate and communicate the pros and cons associated with economic incentives and on the willingness of policy makers and the general public to appreciate the benefits, as well as tolerate the compromises, that a move to a market based system will entail.
Stone Management for the Patient on Anticoagulation

Use of chronic anticoagulation has increased recently, leading to more surgical intervention on patients taking chronic anticoagulation. This review discusses anticoagulation and the management of urolithiasis.
Reduced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase in response to insulin in cells with truncated C-terminal domain of insulin receptor.

Insulin-stimulated activity of Raf-1 kinase was examined in Rat-1 fibroblasts transfected with wild-type and mutant human insulin receptors. Insulin stimulated Raf-1 binding to p21Ras in HIRc (wild-type), delta CT (insulin receptor lacking a 43-amino acid C-terminal domain), and Y/F2 (tyrosine 1316 and 1322 replaced by phenylalanine) cells. Despite equal binding to p21Ras, the activity of Raf-1 kinase (measured by phosphorylation of its downstream substrate, mitogen-activated protein/extracellular receptor kinase (MEK) was significantly reduced in the delta CT cells. As an association of Raf-1 with p21Ras does not activate Raf-1 kinase, but merely targets Raf-1 to the plasma membrane, we examined the binding of Raf-1 to 14-3-3 proteins and to the insulin receptor itself. Raf-1 was detected in both 14-3-3 and insulin receptor immunoprecipitates. Association of Raf-1 with either 14-3-3 protein or insulin receptor was not influenced by insulin and was similar in all control and insulin-treated cell lines. Th...
Acid clearance during sleep in the pathogenesis of reflux esophagitis

Impaired esophageal clearing of refluxed gastric contents during sleep has been implicated in the pathogenesis of reflux esophagitis. To more directly evaluate this hypothesis, 13 symptomatic patients with esophagitis and 13 normal controls had 15 ml of 0.1 N HCl instilled into the esophagus in the recumbent position while awake and during polygraphically monitored sleep. When sleep was maintained for the majority of the acid-clearing duration, the clearance times for both patients and controls were significantly prolonged when compared to those while awake (P<0.01). However, when sleep was maintained for less than 50% of the acid-clearing interval, the patients showed significantly longer acid clearance times. The swallowing rate did not differentiate the two groups under any condition. These data show that sleep impairs esophageal acid clearance. Acid clearance occurred predominantly in association with arousals from sleep. The defective acid clearance found in patients with esophagitis probably plays a major role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.
Democracy or autocracy on the march? The colored revolutions as normal dynamics of patronal presidentialism

Abstract What impact have Eurasia's 2003–2005 “colored revolutions” had on the state of democracy and autocracy in the region? The logic of patronal presidentialism, a set of institutions common to post-Soviet countries, suggests that the revolutions are at root succession struggles more than democratic breakthroughs generated by civic activists and foreign democratizing activity. This helps explain why Georgia is experiencing a new retreat from ideal-type democracy while only Ukraine, whose revolution weakened the patronal presidency, has sustained high political contestation after its revolution. This means that autocratic leaders clamping down on non-governmental organizations, free media, and their foreign supporters may have learned the wrong lessons, perhaps making their countries more susceptible to violent revolution than they were before.
RNA ligase does the AMP shuffle

Crystal structures of T4 RNA ligase 2 trapped at different stages of a multistep reaction show how one enzyme active site juggles three phosphoryl transfer reactions to join two RNA strands. The structures also show how the ligase enzyme selectively recognizes the sugar pucker of ribose to achieve catalytic specificity toward RNA-containing substrates.
Three-dimensional simulation of a free-electron laser amplifier

Abstract A new three-dimensional code for free-electron laser simulation has been developed. The code allows for a three-dimensional treatment of electron dynamics and the radiation field. It also includes space-charge, wiggler tapering and errors, and external focussing of the electron beam with either a quadrupole FODO lattice or ion channel. Simulation results for a microwiggler FEL are presented. Ion channel focussing is found to bring about significant enhancements in gain.
An Analysis of the 4c Complex of HL—A Based on Indian Populations

Sera detecting part or all of the 4c group of HL—A antigenic specificities were compared in two American Indian populations, the Ixils and the Pimas, and in one Spanish-Indian hybrid population, the Mestizos of Peru. Several new variants appeared. These were not identical to HL-A5, W5 or W18. Two of the variants appeared to represent specificities Z57 and Z51 as described during the 1972 Histocompatibility Testing Workshop. In addition, three new specificities could be detected. These were Z42*, Ao 88 and Ao 93. Z42*, Ao 88 appeared to belong to the 4c complex and Ao 93, a new specificity of the second locus, may belong to this same cross-reactive group.
Preventing and responding to medical identity theft

Medical identity theft is a crime with two victims: patients and providers. It is easy to commit and lucrative because healthcare record keeping and business interactions are complex and mainly electronic. Patients whose identity has been stolen are vulnerable to both medical error and financial loss. Providers may suffer both reputation loss and financial loss. There are steps to help prevent and to respond appropriately to medical identity theft.
Magnetic resonance elastography for the detection and staging of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B.

Objectives We measured the accuracy of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for the detection and staging of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and compared it with serum fibrosis markers.
Subacute inclusion body encephalitis. Report of 3 cases.

Subacute inclusion encephalitis is a disease of childhood and adolescence characterized by insidious onset, progressive downhill course, and uniformly fatal outcome. The complex, bizarre, and yet stereotyped symptomatology, frequently accompanied by a first zone Lange curve of the cerebral spinal fluid and "suppression bursts" in electroencephalograms, are indicative of diffuse and severe involvement of the brain. A viral etiology has been suspected since type A inclusion bodies were found in diseased brains by Dawson. This study adds 3 cases to the 40 reported in the English literature. No effective treatment has been found and no recovery recorded.
Communication and Early Contributions

In the context of the voluntary provision of a public good, I study the interaction of communication and dynamics in contributions. I modify the cheap talk, joint-project framework of Agastya, Menezes, and Sengupta (2007) by considering early contributions that precede communication and by assuming partially funded projects are not completely worthless. First, I show environments in which, without early contributions, parties cannot be trusted to communicate sincerely, so that the joint endeavor always fails. Then, for the same environments, I demonstrate that early contributions can create the conditions for mutual trust, improve the outcome of subsequent communication, and eventually increase welfare. This trust-building role of early contributions matches well with the aims that negotiation scholars attribute to preconditions for negotiations and to preliminary concessions.
Investigation of a Severe Downburst Storm near Phoenix, Arizona, as Seen by a Mobile Doppler Radar and the KIWA WSR-88D

Abstract A Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching Radar (SMART-R) was deployed near Phoenix, Arizona, during the summer of 2004. The goal was to capture a severe microburst at close range to understand the low-altitude wind structure and evolution. During the evening of 27 July, a severe storm formed along the Estrella Mountains south of Phoenix and moved south of the SMART-R as well as the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) in Phoenix (KIWA). Several microburst–downburst pulses were observed by radar and a surface wind gust of 67 mi h−1 was reported. The radar data illustrate the finescale structure of the microburst pulses, with the SMART-R’s higher-resolution data showing Doppler velocities 3–4 m s−1 greater than the KIWA radar. SMART-R wind shear values were 2–3 times greater with the finer resolution of the SMART-R revealing smaller features in the surface outflow wind structure. Asymmetric outflow may have been a factor as well in the differen...
The compositional and physicochemical homogeneity of male femoral cortex increases after the sixth decade

The temporal and spatial fluctuations in the dynamics of secondary osteonal remodeling impart heterogeneity to the compositional quality of bone. Bone mineral density (BMD) fails to reflect this heterogeneity as being a single score, and thus it cannot resolve the overlap between healthy individuals and those who experience fractures. Such information on tissue heterogeneity is lacking in the literature. In the current study, specimens were prepared from mid-diaphyseal portions of human femora (N=16, age range 52-85 years old) and grouped based on the anatomical location (anterior, lateral, medial and posterior quadrants). Raman microscopy was used to obtain multiple measurements from each specimen which allowed the construction of histograms of mineralization, crystallinity and carbonation. The coefficient of variation (COV) and skewness were extracted from histograms as measures of heterogeneity. Results demonstrated that average mineralization of the medial quadrant and the data pooled over quadrants significantly increased with age. The mean carbonation increased within the observed age range for the pooled data. The variations of values about the mean became tighter for mineralization, crystallinity and type-B carbonation with age, indicating an overall reduction in compositional heterogeneity of aging femoral cortex. Skewness values indicated that the distributions of histograms were not Gaussian. We conclude that age-related changes in mean tissue composition are confounded with changes in the variation of tissue make-up about the mean. Future studies will establish as to whether compositional heterogeneity correlates with the mechanical strength of bone.
Functional Affinity of Antibody to the Haemophilus influenzae Type b Polysaccharide

The functional affinity, or avidity, of antibody to the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae (Hib-PS) was measured in serum samples from 12 adult male subjects before and after immunization with Hib-PS vaccine. Mean avidity increased from 0.74 nM"1 to 1.5 nM'1 after immunization (/^ .05, paired Student's t test). The Bureau of Biologies reference antiserum had an avidity constant of 12 nM~\ which was the highest of all 25 serum samples studied.
Prelude to Everest: Alexander M. Kellas and the 1920 high altitude scientific expedition to Kamet.

Rodway, George W. Prelude to Everest: Alexander M. Kellas and the 1920 high altitude scientific expedition to Kamet. High Alt. Med. Biol. 5:364–379, 2004.—Following his untimely death due to illness during the early stages of the first Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition in 1921, Alexander M. Kellas has received relatively little attention in either mountaineering or scientific literature. He remains an obscure figure despite his noteworthy contributions to high altitude physiology and exploration. He can be considered not only one of the finest exploratory Himalayan mountaineers in history, but also the first person to apply state-of-the-art knowledge of high altitude physiology to field investigations at altitudes over 6000 m. By the time of his death, it is extremely likely that Kellas had spent more time above 6000 m than anyone on Earth, undertaking no fewer than eight Himalayan expeditions between 1907 and 1921. This article revisits and examines in some detail the most ambitious high altitude p...
Polyphase deformation in Oscar II land, central western Svalbard

Pre-Carboniferous rocks in central western Svalbard can be divided into two rock packages that have experienced three phases of deformation. The lower package includes upper Proterozoic sediments, the upper package is of upper Ordovician to lower Silurian age. Pre-upper Ordovician (Caledonian) deformation is characterized by north-south fold-axes, and is recorded in the lower package only. Following the Ordovician, east-west fold axes developed in the upper package but only locally in the lower. The third phase, probably Tertiary in age, produced easterly directed thrusting, and refolding about sub-horizontal, north-south fold axes in both packages. This complex structural history has resulted in tectonic thickening of the rock sequences by refolding and thrusting which has not been recognized by previous workers.
Treatment options for functional dyspepsia.

Non-ulcer dyspepsia is a common condition in primary care. The treatment of this condition is still controversial and no single therapy is uniformly effective. In this article we review currently available treatment trials for non-ulcer dyspepsia.
Excyclotropia of the Nonparetic Eye in Unilateral Superior Oblique Muscle Paralysis

The Maddox double rod test showed subjective excyclotropia of the nonparetic eye in 15 of 60 patients with unilateral superior oblique muscle palsy. This response was reported consistently by patients who habitually fixated with the paretic eye. This phenomenon is the result of a monocular sensorial adaptation to the cyclodeviation by means of a reordering of the spatial response of retinal elements along new horizontal and vertical meridians. This study showed that the fixation preference must be determined to interpret correctly the results of the Maddox double rod test in patients with unilateral superior oblique muscle paralysis.
Preventing HIV transmission: the perspective of inner-city Puerto Rican adolescents.

Abstract Purpose: To examine the development of HIV prevention strategies that address the concerns and needs of urban Puerto Rican adolescents. Methods: The study included 542 Puerto-Rican adolescents, divided into age sets of 12 to 14 years and 15 to 19 years. Participants were recruited from community work programs, recreation centers, schools, drug rehabilitation programs, and directly from neighborhood streets in North Philadelphia. A hierarchical series of peer-facilitated group techniques and interviews allowed adolescents to generate, prioritize and explain strategies. The study question was developed in focus groups. Ideas were generated and prioritized in Nominal Technique Groups. The ideas with the highest priority were used to develop a survey that allowed participants to rank those they believed would be most effective. Participants then clarified the top-ranked ideas in open focus groups. Results: In both age sets, the strategy perceived as the most effective in preventing HIV-risk behaviors was “Have people who are HIV-infected talk to teens.” Similar ideas addressing this theme varied in perceived effectiveness. The second and third rated ideas among participants aged 12 to 14 years were “Teach teens how HIV infects them, ” and “Show teens how people die from AIDS.” The second and third rated ideas among participants aged 15 to 19 years were “Show teens what AIDS does to people ” and “Have parents be more supportive of teens, so if they are having sex, they can encourage them to use condoms.” Other top-ranked ideas included the development of community programs, increased efficacy and availability of condoms, and assessing partners for the risk of HIV infection. Three items revealed significant gender differences.Males were more likely to rate “Give out more free condoms” and “Educate teens in schools about AIDS.” Females aged 15 to 19 years were more likely to rate “Teens should know their partner’s background before having sex.” Conclusions: To develop effective prevention strategies for youth, their views of the problems and interpretations of proposed solutions must be understood.
Schottky barrier, electronic states and microstructure at Ni silicide-silicon interfaces

Abstract Barrier height and interface states have been measured and correlated to the microstructure of the Ni silicide-Si interfaces, including the type A and type B NiSi 2 and a type C NiSi. All these interfaces can be formed with near perfect structures to yield a barrier height of 0.78 eV. Less perfect interfaces formed under less than ideal conditions or with impurity incorporation deteriorate the barrier height to 0.66 eV. The density and distribution of the interface states correlate well with the structural perfection. These results suggest that the barrier height is determined primarily by the structural perfection of the interface instead of the specific type of epitaxy.
Sialyltransferases in rat brain: reaction kinetics, product analyses, and multiplicities of enzyme species.

— The incorporation of NeuNAc from CMP-NeuNAc into endogenous glycolipids and glyco-proteins, and exogenously added GM1a (monosialoganglioside) and desialylated fetuin (DS-fetuin) was studied with particulate preparations from 11 to 15 day old rat cerebra. The apparent +K++m values of the enzyme systems for the different substrates, assayed with 0.5 mg enzyme protein, were: CMP-NeuNAc, 0.13 mm (same with endogenous and exogenous glycolipid and glycoprotein substrates); GM1a, 0.20 mm; DS-fetuin, 0.15 mm (or 1.2 mm in terms of acceptor sites). The activities, expressed as nmoles NeuNAc incorporated per 0.5 mg enzyme protein per 30 min incubation at 37°C and pH 6.3, were 0.094, 0.039, 0.17 and 0.64 with the endogenous glycolipids, endogenous glycoproteins, exogenous GM1a and exogenous DS-fetuin, respectively. Incorporation into endogenous glycolipids was mainly in GM3, while exogenously added GM1a was converted to GD1a. Incorporation into endogenous glycoproteins yields about 20 sialoglycopolypeptides on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Neura-minidase pretreatment of the particulate enzyme preparation decreased sialylation of the higher molecule weight polypeptides but increased sialylation of the lower molecule weight species. The sialyltransferase activity with the endogenous glycolipid substrates was more heat resistant than the activities with exogenous GM1a. Since more than 60% of the endogenous glycolipid activity was due to the conversion of lactosylceramide to GM3, the sialyltransferase responsible for this reaction appears to be different from the one that acts on GM1a. This was supported by the observation that exogenously added GM1a did not diminish the incorporation of NeuNAc into endogenous lactosylceramide. These two glycolipid sialyltransferase activities were distinguishable from the glycoprotein sialyltransferase activity since exogenous DS-fetuin did not compete with either the endogenous or the exogenous glycolipids for CMP-NeuNAc.
Phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein during hypoxia in cerebral cortex of newborn piglets and the effect of nitric oxide synthase inhibition

Previous studies have shown that hypoxia results in increased phosphorylation of CREB protein that mediates gene expression including that of the pro-apoptotic gene bax. We also have shown that hypoxia-induced expression of Bax protein is prevented by blocking nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The present study tests the hypothesis that inhibition of NOS by N-nitro-L-arginine (NNLA) will prevent the hypoxia-induced increased phosphorylation of CREB protein in neuronal nuclei of newborn piglets. To test this hypothesis, phosphorylation of CREB protein was assessed by immunoblotting neuronal nuclear proteins from five normoxic (Nx), 10 hypoxic (Hx) and five Hx-NNLA-treated 3–5-day-old piglets. NNLA (40 mg/kg) or saline was infused over 60 min prior to induction of hypoxia. Hypoxia was achieved by reducing the FiO2 (0.15 to 0.05) for 60 min and documented biochemically by ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr) levels. Neuronal nuclei were isolated using discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation and purified. Nuclear proteins were separated on 12% sodium dodecylsulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, reacted with anti-phosphorylated CREB protein antibody and conjugated with horseradish peroxidase antibody. Protein bands were detected using the enhanced chemiluminescence method and quantitated by imaging densitometry. Protein density was expressed as absorbance (OD)×mm2. ATP levels (μmol/g brain) were 4.3±0.6 in the Nx group, 1.3±0.5 in the Hx group (P<0.001) and 1.1±0.2 in the Hx-NNLA group (P<0.001 vs. Nx and Hx). Similarly, PCr levels (μmol/g brain) were 3.8±0.6 in the Nx group, 0.7±0.2 in the Hx group (P<0.001) and 0.6±0.1 in the Hx-NNLA group (P<0.001 vs. Nx and Hx). Density of phosphorylated CREB protein (OD×mm2) was 134.2±52.4 in the Nx group compared to 746.0±76.8 in the Hx group (P<0.05) and 491.1±40.9 in the Hx-NNLA group (P<0.05 Hx). The data show that NOS inhibition attenuates the hypoxia-induced increase in CREB protein phosphorylation in the cerebral cortex of newborn piglets.
A Bayesian approach to protein model quality assessment

Given multiple possible models b1, b2, ... bn for a protein structure, a common sub-task in in-silico Protein Structure Prediction is ranking these models according to their quality. Extant approaches use MLE estimates of parameters ri to obtain point estimates of the Model Quality. We describe a Bayesian alternative to assessing the quality of these models that builds an MRF over the parameters of each model and performs approximate inference to integrate over them. Hyperparameters w are learnt by optimizing a list-wise loss function over training data. Our results indicate that our Bayesian approach can significantly outperform MLE estimates and that optimizing the hyper-parameters can further improve results.
Prices of new and used automobiles in the Polish market: Centrally administered and free-market prices under conditions of scarcity

This study addresses eight aspects of automobile pricing in Poland: 1) the high price of new cars relative to workers’ incomes; 2) the comparative stability of newcar prices, interrupted by infrequent but large price adjustments; 3) the relationship of new-car prices to the level of consumer demand; 4) the impact of free-market pricing on used cars; 5) the responsiveness of free-market pricing to changing conditions in the Polish economy; 6) free-market price evaluations of the available auto product mix; 7) the durability of “inflated” used-car prices; and 8) the investment aspects of automobile ownership in Poland.
Symbolic communication—its origins and early development in the chimpanzee

Language acquisition in the chimpanzee does not involve the appearance of words or combinations of words: It is the construction of complex cognitive schemata which must be purposefully built and intentionally linked to symbols and to the abstract communicative process itself.
Thin-section contrast-enhanced computed tomography accurately predicts the resectability of malignant pancreatic neoplasms

Abstract A prospective diagnostic study was designed to determine the ability of thin-section contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to predict the resectability of malignant neoplasms of the pancreatic head. Patients with a presumed resectable pancreatic neoplasm referred during a 21-month period were studied with abdominal CT performed at 1.5-mm section thickness and 5-mm slice interval during the bolus phase of intravenous contrast enhancement. CT criteria for resectability included the absence of extrapancreatic disease, no evidence of arterial encasement, and a patent superior mesenteric-portal venous confluence. Of 145 patients evaluated, 42 were considered to have resectable tumors by CT criteria, and 37 (88%) underwent potentially curative pancreaticoduodenectomy. Six patients were found to have a microscopically positive retroperitoneal resection margin; no patient had a grossly positive resection margin. Five (12%) of 42 patients were found at laparotomy to have unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic tumors. Thin-section contrast-enhanced CT is an essential component of the preoperative evaluation for pancreaticoduodenectomy and can prevent needless laparotomy in most patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease.
Inverted terminal repeat sequences of adeno-associated virus enhance the antibody and CD8(+) responses to a HIV-1 p55Gag/LAMP DNA vaccine chimera

The immune responses to an HIV-1 p55Gag vaccine encoded as a DNA chimera with the lysosomal associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP) have been examined for the effect of the addition of the inverted terminal repeat (ITR) sequences of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) to the DNA plasmid construct, and of packaging the LAMP/gag gene as a recombinant AAV vector (rAAV). DNA plasmids encoding Gag and the LAMP/Gag protein chimera were constructed in two vectors, the pcDNA3.1 and a corresponding plasmid containing the ITR sequences (pITR) flanking the expression elements of the plasmid, and the pITR LAMP/gag DNA plasmid was encapsidated in the rAAV vector. Human 293 cells transfected in vitro with LAMP/gag plasmids either in pcDNA3.1 or pITR produced much Gag protein in cell extracts (1.6 and 2.2 ng of Gag/mg of protein, respectively). The immune responses of mice to immunization with these constructs were examined under three protocols: DNA prime/DNA boost, DNA prime/rAAV boost, and a single rAAV immunization. The results demonstrated that under DNA prime/DNA boost protocol, the "naked" DNA vaccines encoding the LAMP/gag chimera, either as pcDNA3.1 or pITR DNA plasmid constructs, elicited strong CD4(+) T cell responses. In contrast, significantly higher levels of CD8(+) and antibody responses were observed with the pITR-DNA constructs. Immunization with the rAAV vector under the DNA prime/rAAV boost protocol resulted in sustained T cell responses and a markedly increased antibody response, predominantly of the IgG(1) isotype resulting from the activation of the Th2 subset of CD4(+) T cells, that was sustained for at least 5 months after immunization.
Wind measurement accuracy for the NASA scatterometer

The NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) is designed to make measurements of the normalized radar backscatter coefficient ((sigma) o) of the ocean's surface. The measured (sigma) o is a function of the viewing geometry and the surface roughness due to wind-generated waves. By making multiple measurements of the same location from different azimuth angles it is possible to retrieve the near-surface wind speed and direction with the aid of a Geophysical Model Function (GMF) which relates wind and (sigma) o. The wind is estimated from the noisy (sigma) o measurements using maximum likelihood techniques. The probability density of the measured (sigma) o is assumed to be Gaussian with a variance that depends on the true (sigma) o and therefore the wind through the GMF and the measurements from different azimuth angles are assumed independent in estimating the wind. In order to estimate the accuracy of the retrieved wind, we derive the Cramer-Reo (CR) bound for wind estimation from scatterometer measurements. We show that the CR bound can be used as an error bar on the estimated wind. The role of geophysical modeling error in the GMF is considered and shown to play a significant role in the wind accuracy. Estimates of the accuracy of NSCAT measurements are given along with other scatterometer geometries and types.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.