cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
STRUCTURE AND IMPORTANCE OF NONSTARCHY POLYSACCHARIDES OF WHEAT FLOUR

Although a minor biochemical component of wheat flour, the nonstarchy polysaccharides have been the subject of investigation by various groups of workers. This review discusses primarily the studies conducted at the Cereal Chemistry and Technology Department at North Dakota State University and covers information pertinent to structure, properties and function of the nonstarchy polysaccharides.
Optical properties of non-crystalline Si, SiO, SiOx and SiO2

Abstract Optical data for non-crystalline Si, SiO, SiO x ( x =1·5) and SiO 2 are presented and analyzed for the energy region 1 to 26 eV. The results indicate that amorphous substances of all intermediate compositions between Si and SiO 2 can be formed and that these materials are not simple mixtures of Si and SiO 2 but rather the two atom species are blended on an atomic scale. More specifically, the Si bonding is tetrahedral (perhaps highly distorted) and of the type Si−(Si v O 4− v ) where the distribution of atoms is essentially statistical. Further it is found that the optical properties of these layers are determined by the presence and grouping of Si−O and Si−Si bonds and that clusters of like bonds of the dimension of a Si−(Si 4 ) or Si−(O 4 ) tetrahedra have optical properties comparable to those exhibited by amorphous silicon or quartz, respectively, ‘in bulk’.
Aquatic insect diversity and biomass in a stream marginally polluted by acid strip mine drainage

Abstract Upper Three Runs receives a point source of acid mine drainage from a small acid feeder stream and the pH of the main stream falls from above 6 to about 4.5. Over the 1.2 km study section below the introduction of acid drainage, the pH rises to 5.0. This moderate degree of mine acid pollution has severely affected aquatic insect populations. The acid feeder itself (pH near 3.2) was inhabited only by a chironomid, a megalopteran ( Sialis ), and the caddisfly Ptilostomis . Biomass was very low (140 mg dry weight/m 2 ). The drainage of the acid feeder into the stream caused a drop in the Shannon-Weiner diversity index from 3.10 to 1.95, and a drop in biomass from 6.5 g/m 2 to 2.2 g/m 2 . At the two stations further downstream, the diversity index remained relatively constant and the biomass leveled off at about 1.2 g/m 2 . The number of taxa declined steadily from 30 at the control station to 13 at the lowest site. Populations of Coleoptera, Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera showed little or no recovery as the acid pollution ameliorated slightly. Representatives of the orders Diptera and Plecoptera (especially Nemoura ) showed a decided recovery and increase in numbers near pH 5.0. If fish were able to survive in acid mine polluted waters of pH's between 4.5 and 5.0 they should find sufficient insect food for maintenance of a limited population.
Ischaemic brain oedema.

Abstract Ischaemic brain oedema appears to involve two distinct processes, the relative contribution and time course of which depend on the duration and severity of ischaemia, and the presence of reperfusion. The first process involves an increase in tissue Na+ and water content accompanying increased pinocytosis and Na+, K+ ATPase activity across the endothelium. This is apparent during the early phase of infarction and before any structural damage is evident. This phenomenon is augmented by reperfusion. A second process results from a more indiscriminate and delayed BBB breakdown that is associated with infarction of both the parenchyma and the vasculature itself. Although, tissue Na+ level still seems to be the major osmotic force for oedema formation at this second stage, the extravasation of serum proteases is an additional potentially deleterious factor. The relative importance of protease action is not yet clear, however, degradation of the extracellular matrix conceivably leads to further BBB disruption and softening of the tissue, setting the stage for the most pronounced forms of brain swelling. A number of factors mediate or modulate ischaemic oedema formation, however, most current information comes from experimental models, and clinical data on this microcosmic level is lacking. Clinically significant brain oedema develops in a delayed fashion after large hemispheric strokes and is a cause of substantial mortality. Neurological signs appear to be at least as good as direct ICP measurement and neuroimaging in detecting and gauging the secondary damage produced by stroke oedema. The neuroimaging characteristics of the stroke, specifically the early involvement of greater than half of the MCA territory, are, however, highly predictive of the development of severe oedema over the subsequent hours and days. None of the available medical therapies provide substantial relief from the oedema and raised ICP, or at best, they are temporizing in most cases. Hemicraniectomy appears most promising as a method of avoiding death from brain compression, but the optimum timing and manner of patient selection are currently being investigated. All approaches to massive ischaemic brain swelling are clouded by the potential for survival with poor functional outcome. It is possible to manage blood pressure, serum osmolarity by way of selective fluid administration, and a number of other systemic factors that exaggerate brain oedema. Broad guidelines for treatment of stroke oedema can therefore be given at this time.
Quantum interference effects in electronic transport through nanotube contacts

Quantum interference has dramatic effects on electronic transport through nanotube contacts. In optimal configuration the intertube conductance can approach that of a perfect nanotube ${(4e}^{2}/h).$ The maximum conductance increases rapidly with the contact length up to 10 nm, beyond which it exhibits long-wavelength oscillations. This is attributed to the resonant interference phenomena in the contact region. For two concentric nanotubes symmetry breaking can reduce the maximum intertube conductance from ${4e}^{2}/h$ to ${2e}^{2}/h.$ The phenomena discussed here can serve as a foundation for building nanotube electronic circuits and high-speed nanoscale electromechanical devices.
Acute negative affect relief from smoking depends on the affect situation and measure but not on nicotine.

Background Smoking acutely relieves negative affect (NA) due to smoking abstinence but may not relieve NA from other sources, such as stressors. Methods Dependent smokers ( n = 104) randomly assigned to one of three smoking conditions (nicotine or denicotinized cigarettes, or no smoking) completed four negative mood induction procedures (one per session): 1) overnight smoking abstinence, 2) challenging computer task, 3) public speech preparation, and 4) watching negative mood slides. A fifth session involved a neutral mood control. The two smoking groups took four puffs on their assigned cigarette and then smoked those same cigarettes ad libitum during continued mood induction. All subjects rated their level of NA and positive affect on several measures (Mood Form, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Stress-Arousal Checklist, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state). They also rated craving and withdrawal. Results Negative affect relief from smoking depended on the NA source (i.e., mood induction procedure) and the affect measure. Smoking robustly relieved NA due to abstinence on all four measures but only modestly relieved NA due to the other sources and typically on only some measures. Smoking's effects on positive affect and withdrawal were similar to effects on NA, but relief of craving depended less on NA source. Smoking reinforcement only partly matched the pattern of NA relief. Few responses differed between the nicotine and denicotinized smoking groups. Conclusions Acute NA relief from smoking depends on the situation and the affect measure used but may not depend on nicotine intake. These results challenge the common assumption that smoking, and nicotine in particular, broadly alleviates NA.
ANALYSIS OF A CANDIDATE MOUSE IV (INVERSUS VISCERUM) GENE. • 123

Inherited single gene defects have been identified in both mice and humans that result in the loss of control over the development of left-right asymmetry of the heart and viscera. In mice, the recessively inheritediv (inversus viscerum) mutation results in randomization of left-right asymmetry: 50% of homozygous, live-born iv mice have situs solitus and levocardia and 50% have situs inversus and dextrocardia. Previous work localizes the iv gene to the sub-telomeric 160 kB of mouse chromosome 12 within the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus. A candidateiv gene, c8 was found within the cloned DNA from the corresponding region of mouse chromosome 12. This candidate gene c8 shows significant homology to a cytoskeleton-associated phosphoprotein and shows evolutionary conservation with a high degree of homology to Xenopus and human clones. Northern blot analysis of whole mouse embryos demonstrates the onset of c8 expression during gastrulation and the termination of expression after cardiac loop formation. In adult mice, c8 is expressed in spleen, brain, and testis. Using in-situ hybridization in Xenopus embryos, c8 is expressed in heart, gut, and brain primordia (all asymmetric structures) from gastrulation through cardiac looping, but not during later stages of embryonic development.
Asynchronous health care communication

Patients' desire for online communication with their health care providers is likely to change the course of both telemedicine and e-health technologies.
Focal microdialysis of CO2 in the perifornical-hypothalamic area increases ventilation during wakefulness but not NREM sleep

We investigated whether the perifornical-lateral hypothalamic area (PF-LHA), where the orexin neurons reside, is a central chemoreceptor site by microdialysis of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) equilibrated with 25% CO(2) into PF-LHA in conscious rats. This treatment is known to produce a focal tissue acidification like that associated with a 6-7 mm Hg increase in arterial [Formula: see text] . Such focal acidification in the PF-LHA significantly increased ventilation up to 15% compared with microdialysis of normal aCSF equilibrated with 5% CO(2) only in wakefulness but not in sleep in both the dark (P=0.004) and light (P<0.001) phases of the diurnal cycle. This response was predominantly due to a significant increase in respiratory frequency (11%, P<0.001). There were no significant effects on ventilation in the group with probes misplaced outside the PF-LHA. These results suggest that PF-LHA functions as a central chemoreceptor site in the central nervous system in a vigilant state dependent manner with predominant effects in wakefulness.
Grain boundary chemistry and heat treatment effects on the ductile-to-brittle transition behavior of vanadium alloys

Abstract The ductile-to-brittle transition (DBTT) behavior of vanadium alloys currently being developed for fusion power systems is sensitive to thermo-mechanical processing variables and history. Factors which contribute to this sensitivity are (1) pickup of interstitial impurities such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon during heat treatments and elevated temperature forming operations, (2) the final grain size achieved, (3) removal of impurities from solid solution due to precipitation reactions, and (4) segregation of impurities to grain boundaries. Previous work on a V–5Cr–5Ti (Heat No. 832394) alloy suggested that sulfur segregation or precipitation during final mill annealing may play a role in determining DBTT behavior. The effect of heat treatment on grain boundary chemistry and Charpy impact behavior was investigated using a production-scale heat of V–4Cr–4Ti (Heat No. 832665). Specimens were examined with Auger electron spectroscopy to characterize grain boundary microchemistry for correlation with Charpy impact test results obtained from one-third size specimens.
Exponential fitting of the delayed recruitment/renewal equation

Abstract From respiratory physiology to laser-based optical devices, the so-called delayed recruitment/renewal equation (1) e d c(t) d t =−c(t)+f(c(t−1)), provides the mathematical model in a diverse spectrum of practical applications. Here, e is inversely proportional to the product of the time-delay inherent in the physical system and its rate of decay. When this time-lag is large relative to the reciprocal of the decay rate, e is small and this delay differential equation (DDE) is singularly perturbed. When this situation obtains, c ( t ) can exhibit initial layers and chaotic oscillations. In order to accurately capture such solution features numerically, one must use an approximation technique tailored to singular perturbation problems. In this work, we develop such a family of exponentially fitted schemes for the numerical approximation of this fundamental DDE. Application of this new technique is then made to a variety of interesting and important problems, not the least of which is the subject of dynamical diseases.
Molecules from cyanobacteria and red algae that induce larval settlement and metamorphosis in the mollusc Haliotis rufescens

Potent inducers of metamorphosis of planktonic larvae of the gastropod mollusc Haliotis rufescens have been found in the following phycobiliprotein-producing cyanobacteria. Synechococcus spp. (one marine and one freshwater strain). Synechocystis spp. (one hypersaline and one freshwater strain) and Spirulina platensis (a freshwater strain). No inducers were detected in the bacterium Escherichia coli. Inducers from one of the cyanobacteria (S. platensis) were partially purified and compared to inducers from the foliose red macroalga Porphyra sp. and the crustose coralline red alga Lithothamnium californicum. In all three species the inducers can be largely separated from the biliproteins, with which they appear to be associated, by high-resolution gel-filtration chromatography. The molecular weights of the relatively small inducing molecules resolved by these procedures from cyanobacteria and red algac are similar, falling in the range of 640 to 1 250 daltons. The amenability of the cyanobacteria to largescale cultivation, and to physiological and genetic manipulation, make them useful for production of metamorphic inducers of marine invertebrate larval metamorphosis, and for further studies of the synthesis, structure and mechanism of action of such inducing molecules.
Keeping the lock on smallpox.

Since the eradication of natural smallpox infection, research efforts have waned and the vaccine is now outdated. Two studies revitalize efforts to create a new smallpox vaccine. One study moves vaccine production from animals into tissue culture; the other examines duration of immunity in already vaccinated individuals ( pages 1125–1139 and 1131–1137 ).
Symbolic representation, modeling, and manipulation of arcs and lines

From a computational perspective, a general vision problem is considered by many to be an ill-posed problem. Currently, the dominant approach to characterizing vision computations is to categorize the required processings into low, intermediate, and high levels. This paper adopts a structural approach to vision that couples symbolic and numerical methods and discusses the semantics, modeling, and manipulation of symbolic descriptions of arc and line image structures for vision applications. Collectively, this approach demonstrates a logical perspective on the processes that occur in low, intermediate, and high levels of vision computations.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Lipid Transport in the Lactating Mammary Gland

Mammalian cells depend on phospholipid (PL) and fatty acid (FA) transport to maintain membrane structure and organization, and to fuel and regulate cellular functions. In mammary glands of lactating animals, copious milk secretion, including large quantities of lipid in some species, requires adaptation and integration of PL and FA synthesis and transport processes to meet secretion demands. At present few details exist about how these processes are regulated within the mammary gland. However, recent advances in our understanding of the structural and molecular biology of membrane systems and cellular lipid trafficking provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the regulation and integration of PL and FA transport processes the lactating mammary gland. This review discusses the PL and FA transport processes required to maintain the structural integrity and organization of the mammary gland and support its secretory functions within the context of current molecular and cellular models of their regulation.
Miniature Neutron Detector

A miniature neutron detector has been designed to verify the correct operation of a pulsed 14-MeV neutron generator. The detector consists essentially of the following components: a plastic scintillator which converts neutron energy to light; a photomultiplier tube which collects light and converts it into an amplified electrical signal; a power supply adjustable between -750 and -1300 volts; and electronic signal-conditioning circuitry which produces an output while the neutron level exceeds a prescribed value. A light-emitting diode, mounted in the scintillator, provides a means of simulating a neutron burst and allows the detector to be independently tested for correct operation. The components are foam-potted in a case measuring 2.4 by 3.8 by 1.5 inches; the entire detector weighs less than 1 pound.
Spin-labeled erythrocyte membranes: Direct identification of nitroxide-conjugated proteins

The covalent incorporation of a spin-labeled analog of N-ethyl maleimide into erythrocyte membrane proteins has been monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and the individually labeled proteins detected by immunoblotting techniques, using an anti-nitroxide antibody, following electrophoretic separation of the membrane components. Spin-label was primarily found in the high molecular weight bands (I and II) with no incorporation in proteins with molecular weights less than 35,000. Increasing the reaction time between the spinlabel and ghosts altered both the observed labeling pattern and the epr spectra with an increase in the proportion of strongly- immobilized species.
A Review of Myelofibrosis in Dogs

Myelofibrosis is a proliferative response of the bone marrow fibroblasts. Myelofibrosis can be classified as primary or secondary depending on the underlying etiology. Primary myelofibrosis is a myeloproliferative disorder in humans in which there is a clonal proliferation of a pluripotent stem cell. Hemopathology includes finding nucleated red blood cells and immature granulocytes in the circulation, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and myelofibrosis. The proliferation of the bone marrow fibroblasts is not clonal in origin. To the best of this author's knowledge, this type of myelofibrosis has not been reported to occur naturally in the dog. Secondary myelofibrosis has been reported in the dog associated with neoplastic conditions, irradiation, congenital hemolytic anemias, and a variety of unknown etiologies. It has been shown in some cases of myelofibrosis that there is often concurrent bone marrow necrosis. Bone marrow necrosis has been documented in dogs with Ehrlichiosis and septicemia, and associated with drug treatment, including estrogens and cephalosporins. It is though that this necrosis is due to the destruction of the bone marrow microvasculature and/or hematopoietic elements. Release of growth factors by inflammatory cells may lead to the subsequent fibroblast proliferation. Several cases of secondary myelofibrosis in female laboratory beagles have been recently observed. These dogs present with a severe nonregenerative anemia and often a mild neutropenia with varying degrees of myelofibrosis in the bone marrow. Some animals have had concurrent bone marrow necrosis. At this time, the exact etiology is unknown.
A Framework for Understanding Collective Leadership: The Selective Utilization of Leader and Team Expertise within Networks

To date, the dominant approach to leadership research assumes that all aspects of the leadership role within a team are embodied by a single individual. In the real world, however, this is rarely the case. Rather, multiple individuals within the team may serve as leaders in both formal and informal capacities, and the shifting of leadership responsibilities is often rooted in which individual's expertise is most relevant to the given problem. In the present effort, we add to the rapidly growing body of work that focuses on the distribution of the leadership role among multiple individuals. We have reviewed relevant extant literature and proposed an integrated framework for understanding the collective leadership process. Also, in developing this framework we have taken an information and expertise-based approach such that we propose that collective leadership, or the distribution of the leadership role, is a function of selectively utilizing the information or specialized expertise that individuals within the network possess. In reviewing the framework, 55 propositions with regard to the collective leadership process are outlined and suggestions for future research are provided.
A preliminary study of peritraumatic dissociation, social support, and coping in relation to posttraumatic stress symptoms for a parent's cancer.

This study examined predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in adults who, as children, had a parent diagnosed with cancer. Possible predictors of adulthood PTSD examined were peritraumatic dissociation, satisfaction with social support, coping through denial, behavioral disengagement and self-distraction, and whether or not the parent died. Thirty research participants (20 women and 10 men, ages 18–38) were recruited who were 8–17-years old at the time of a parent's cancer diagnosis. Each participant completed measures of their current PTSD symptoms in response to their parent's cancer, peritraumatic dissociative experiences, demographic characteristics, and satisfaction with social support and use of coping strategies at the time of their parent's cancer diagnosis. Seventeen percent met screening criteria for likely PTSD. As hypothesized, PTSD symptoms were strongly and positively correlated with peritraumatic dissociation. Furthermore, PTSD symptoms were greater among females and were related to greater use of denial and behavioral disengagement and to less satisfaction with social support. These results suggest that health care providers need to recognize symptoms of peritraumatic dissociation in the children of parents who are diagnosed with cancer so that steps can be taken to minimize the children's development of PTSD that may extend into their adult lives. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of dinitrophenol on body temperature threshold for thermal polypnea.

ConclusionWe may conclude that DNP in doses of 10 and 20 mg per kg, although it does not prevent the occurrence of thermal polypnea, does significantly increase the rectal temperature level at which such polypnea appears. It accordingly appears that DNP does not sensitize the heat defense mechanism as would be required by the second hypothesis stated above. Rather it suggests that DNP depresses both heat and cold defense mechanisms by a nonspecific toxic action.
XUV harmonic enhancement by magnetic fields

Abstract Three techniques to enhance the harmonic output of a planar FEL operating in the Compton regime are examined. Firstly, the rms static periodic magnetic field level can be increased. Secondly, harmonic field distortions can be added to the periodic structure in order to improve the coupling efficiency to particular harmonics. Finally, changes can be made to the periodic field to introduce electron phase jumps at suitable locations, taking advantage of harmonic amplitude peaks in different parts of the interaction region. Overall order of magnitude harmonic output power enhancements seem feasible, even allowing for practical limitations due to phase errors and emittance effects.
A computer controlled beam-foil spectroscopy system with an application to argon

Abstract A computer controlled system for the acquisition of beam foil data is described. The system consists of a McPherson model 225 V.U.V. monochromator equipped with a stepping motor on the grating drive, and connected to an IBM 1130 computer. An identical motor is used to step the foil position in lifetime measurements. System capabilities are discussed. Preliminary data on argon acquired with the system are presented.
Live Measles Vaccine Not a Cause of Atypical Measles Syndrome

In the August issue of PIR (3:55, 1981)1 there is an abstract regarding atypical measles which we believe is misleading and may deter vaccination of a group of adolescents for whom live measles vaccine is indicated. We have received calls from a number of concerned pediatricians and believe the abstract should be corrected. The author states that the atypical measles syndrome is a possible consequence of administering live measles vaccine to former recipients of killed measles vaccine. Although severe local reactions and occasionally systemic reactions do occur following administration of live measles vaccine to former recipients of killed measles vaccine, there is no evidence that the live vaccine causes classic atypical measles syndrome. Three patients, referred to as having severe systemic reactions by Krause et al,2 experienced fever to 103 F (39.4 C), malaise, marked local pain, swelling and erythema seven days following vaccination; these reactions lasted an average of eight days. However, the abstract was incorrect because these patients did not develop the atypical measles syndrome. Although the reactions were more severe than reactions that might be observed in persons who had never received killed measles vaccine, they were substantially less severe than the atypical measles syndrome. Atypical measles is characterized by high fever, pneumonitis (often with pulmonary consolidation and pleural effusion), pedal and hand edema, and an unusual rash which may be maculopapular, petechial, vesicular or urticarial. The rash is often most concentrated on the extremities.3 Revaccination with live measles vaccine is indicated for former recipients of killed measles vaccine to induce permanent immunity to measles, so that the atypical measles syndrome does not develop when the vaccinee is exposed to natural measles. Revaccination will not cause the syndrome. Atypical measles has occasionally been reported in individuals exposed to natural measles who had previously received live measles virus vaccine within a few months of receiving inactivated measles vaccine.4-6 This raises the possibility that the temporary immunity conferred by the killed vaccine precluded an adequate immunologic response to the live measles virus vaccine. Therefore, persons who received live measles vaccine within three months of receiving inactivated measles vaccine should also be revaccinated with live measles vaccine. Killed measles vaccine was used in the United States between 1963 and 1967 when an estimated 1,836,000 doses were distributed. Persons vaccinated with an unknown type of measles vaccine during that period should also be revaccinated with live measles vaccine as the unknown vaccine may have been killed measles vaccine.
Getting more from requirements traceability: Requirements testing progress

Requirements Engineering (RE) and Testing are important steps in many software development processes. It is critical to monitor the progress of the testing phase to allocate resources (person-power, time, computational resources) properly, and to make sure the prioritization of requirements are reflected during testing, i.e. more critical requirements are given higher priority and tested well. In this paper, we propose a new metric to help stakeholders monitor the progress of the testing phase from a requirements perspective, i.e. which requirements are tested adequately, and which ones insufficiently. Unlike existing progress related metrics, such as code coverage and MC/DC (modified condition/decision) coverage, this metric is on the requirements level, not source code level. We propose to automatically reverse engineer this metric from the existing test cases of a system. We also propose a method to evaluate this metric, and report the results of three case studies. On these case studies, our technique obtains results within 75.23% - 91.11% of the baseline on average.
The Molecular Epidemiology of Lung Cancer

AbstractOne in ten tobacco smokers develops bronchogenic carcinoma over a lifetime. The study of susceptibility of an individual and a population to lung cancer traditionally has been limited to the study of tobacco smoke dose and family history of cancer. New insights into lung carcinogenesis have made the study of molecular markers of risk possible in human populations in the emerging field of molecular epidemiology. This review summarizes data addressing the relationships of human lung cancer to polymorphisms of phase I procarcinogen-activating and phase II-deactivating enzymes and intermediate biomarkers of DNA mutation, such as DNA adducts, oncogene and tumor suppressor gene mutation, and polymorphisms. These parameters are reviewed as they relate to tobacco smoke exposure, procarcinogen metabolizing polymorphisms, and the presence of lung cancer. Problem areas in biomarker validation, such as cross-sectional data interpretation, tissue source, race, statistical power, and ethical implications are ad...
Correlation between mammographic density and volumetric fibroglandular tissue estimated on breast MR images

Previous studies have found that mammographic breast density is highly correlated with breast cancer risk. Therefore, mammographic breast density may be considered as an important risk factor in studies of breast cancer treatments. In this paper, we evaluated the accuracy of using mammograms for estimating breast density by analyzing the correlation between the percent mammographic dense area and the percent glandular tissue volume as estimated from MR images. A dataset of 67 cases having MR images (coronal 3-D SPGR T1-weighted pre-contrast) and corresponding 4-view mammograms was used in this study. Mammographic breast density was estimated by an experienced radiologist and an automated image analysis tool, Mammography Density ESTimator (MDEST) developed previously in our laboratory. For the estimation of the percent volume of fibroglandular tissue in breast MR images, a semiautomatic method was developed to segment the fibroglandular tissue from each slice. The tissue volume was calculated by integration over all slices containing the breast. Interobserver variation was measured for 3 different readers. It was found that the correlation between every two of the three readers for segmentation of MR volumetric fibroglandular tissue was 0.99. The correlations between the percent volumetric fibroglandular tissue on MR images and the percent dense area of the CC and MLO views segmented by an experienced radiologist were both 0.91. The correlation between the percent volumetric fibroglandular tissue on MR images and the percent dense area of the CC and MLO views segmented by MDEST was 0.91 and 0.89, respectively. The root-mean-square (rms) residual ranged from 5.4% to 6.3%. The mean bias ranged from 3% to 6%. The high correlation indicates that changes in mammographic density may be a useful indicator of changes in fibroglandular tissue volume in the breast.
An analysis of the solution structure and signaling mechanism of LovK, a sensor histidine kinase integrating light and redox signals.

Flavin-binding LOV domains are broadly conserved in plants, fungi, archaea, and bacteria. These ≈100 residue photosensory modules are generally encoded within larger, multi-domain proteins that control a range of blue light-dependent physiologies. The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus encodes a soluble LOV-histidine kinase, LovK, that regulates the adhesive properties of the cell. Full-length LovK is dimeric as are a series of systematically truncated LovK constructs containing only the N-terminal LOV sensory domain. Non-conserved sequence flanking the LOV domain functions to tune the signaling lifetime of the protein. Size exclusion chromatography and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) demonstrate that the LOV sensor domain does not undergo a large conformational change in response to photon absorption. However, limited proteolysis identifies a sequence flanking the C-terminus of the LOV domain as a site of light-induced change in protein conformation/dynamics. Based on SAXS envelope reconstruction and bioinformatic prediction, we propose this dynamic region of structure is an extended C-terminal coiled-coil that links the LOV domain to the histidine kinase domain. To test the hypothesis that LOV domain signaling is affected by cellular redox state in addition to light, we measured the reduction potential of the LovK FMN cofactor. The measured potential of −258 mV is congruent with the redox potential of gram-negative cytoplasm during logarithmic growth (−260 to −280 mV). Thus a fraction of LovK in the cytosol may be in the reduced state under typical growth conditions. Chemical reduction of the FMN cofactor of LovK attenuates light-dependent ATPase activity of the protein in vitro, demonstrating that LovK can function as a conditional photosensor that is regulated by the oxidative state of the cellular environment.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Inpatient Quality Indicator #11 overall mortality rate does not accurately assess mortality risk after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Objective The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Inpatient Quality Indicator (IQI) #11, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair mortality rate, is a measure of hospital quality that is publically reported but has not been externally validated. Because the IQI #11 overall mortality rate includes both intact and ruptured aneurysms and open and endovascular repair, we hypothesized that IQI #11 overall mortality rate does not provide accurate assessment of mortality risk after AAA repair and that AAA mortality cannot be accurately assessed by a single quality measure. Methods Using AHRQ IQI software version 4.2, we calculated observed (O) and expected (E) mortality rates for IQI #11 for all hospitals performing more than 10 AAA repairs per year in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for the years 2007 to 2011. We used Spearman correlation coefficient to compare expected rates as determined by IQI #11 overall mortality rate risk adjustment methodology and observed rates for all AAA repairs in four cohorts stratified by aneurysm stability (ruptured vs intact) and method of repair (open vs endovascular). Results Among 187,773 AAA repairs performed at 1268 U.S. hospitals, hospitals' IQI #11 overall expected rates correlated poorly with their observed rates (E: 5.0% ± 4.4% vs O: 6.0% ± 9.8%; r = .49). For ruptured AAAs, IQI #11 overall mortality rate methodology underestimated the mortality risk of open repair (E: 34% ± 7.2% vs O: 40.1% ± 38.2%; r = 0.20) and endovascular repair (E: 24.8% ± 9% vs O: 27.3% ± 37.9%; r = 0.08). For intact AAA repair, IQI #11 overall mortality rate methodology underestimated the mortality risk of open repair (E: 4.3% ± 2.4% vs O: 6.3% ± 16.1%; r = .24) but overestimated the mortality risk of endovascular repair (E: 1.3% ± 0.8% vs O: 1.1% ± 3.7%; r = 0.25). Hospitals' observed mortality rates after intact AAA repair were not correlated with their mortality rates after ruptured AAA repair ( r = 0.03). Conclusions IQI #11 overall mortality rate fails to provide accurate assessment of inpatient mortality risk after AAA repair. Thus, it is inappropriate to use IQI #11 overall mortality rate for quality reporting. The accuracy of separate quality measures that assess mortality risk after repair of ruptured and intact AAAs, stratified by the use of open or endovascular repair, should be examined.
Sun Valley Summary

The fourth Expedition Inspiration conference was held March 21–23, 2000. While there are other conferences that concentrate on a particular facet of breast cancer, the design and goals of this conference are unusual. In order to maximize interaction of investigators and clinicians the meetings are small, invited, and private. The participants include both senior and junior physicians and scientists involved in clinical and basic research as well as clinical practice. The meetings serve four purposes: (i) Active discussion among participants who do not usually interact, (ii) Develop consensus as to the state of our knowledge as well as an action plan to stimulate future studies, (iii) Develop collaborative projects among the meeting participants, (iv) Foster new investigations by participants as well as others. This year immunology and the role of lymph nodes in breast cancer were the subject of the discussion. Investigators studying breast cancer biology, tumor immunity, potential cancer vaccines, and immunotherapy discussed potential therapeutic manipulation of the immune response to alter the natural history of breast cancer. Regional lymph nodes, the site of the immune response, are often affected early in the spread of breast cancer. For clinicians this involvement is central to planning effective treatment. The paradox that despite the involvement of these lymph nodes in mounting an immune response they are frequently the first site of breast cancer spread stimulated a great deal of discussion and some potentially interesting studies. The following consensus statement is the product of those discussions.
The effects of ethionine treatment on the metabolism of liver mitochondria

Abstract The administration of the methionine analog, ethionine, to female rats lowers the mitochondrial as well as the total intracellular level of ATP in the liver. The mitochondrial ADP/O, state 4 Q 02 , i.e., the respiratory rate in the absence of ADP, Ca 2+ - and water-activated ATPase remain unchanged up to 4 hr after ethionine treatment. However, the respiratory control index, state 3 Q 02 , i.e., the respiratory rate in the presence of ADP, and DNP-activated ATPase are considerably lower than the control values. The preincubation of the mitochondria in a medium favorable to K + transport will partially restore the activity of the DNP-activated ATPase. DNP-stimulated respiration is normal when potassium succinate is the substrate but is inhibited with potassium glutamate as substrate. Ethionine doses of 0.25 mg/g body wt and 0.5 mg/g body wt have little effect on the respiratory control index or state 3 Q 02 of rat liver mitochondria, although the latter dose reduces the hepatic ATP level to approximately 35% of the control value; doses of 0.75 mg/g body wt and 1 mg/g body wt reduce the ATP level to about 20% of the control value and produce inhibition of the respiratory control index and state 3 Q 02 . Therefore, it seems that mitochondria can function quite normally in respect to the control and generation of energy via respiration in the presence of a large decrease in intracellular adenine nucleotides. However, when the ATP concentration falls below 35% of the control value, changes in mitochondrial metabolism become apparent and the data suggest that these changes may be due to inhibition of the transphosphorylation reactions.
The influence of family and social problems on treatment outcomes of persons with co-occurring substance use disorders and PTSD

AbstractObjective: Family and social problems may contribute to negative recovery outcomes in patients with co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders, yet few studies have empirically examined this relationship. This study investigates the impact of family and social problems on treatment outcomes among patients with co-occurring substance use and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Method: A secondary analysis was conducted using data collected from a randomized controlled trial of an integrated therapy for patients with co-occurring substance use and PTSD. Substance use, psychiatric symptoms and social problems were assessed. Longitudinal outcomes were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEEs) and multiple linear regression.Results: At baseline, increased family and social problems were associated with more severe substance use and psychiatric symptoms. Over time, all participants had comparable decreases in substance use and psychiatric problem severity. However, changes in fam...
Surface plasmon effects in metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors

In this paper, we report a theoretical study on the various electromagnetic resonance effects (Horizontal surface plasmons, Cavity modes, 'hybrid' modes) in Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) Photodetector (PD). Field profiles are calculated using the surface impedance boundary condition technique, which is extended in this paper to model complex transmission gratings. A detailed study on the dependence of these different resonance modes on the structural geometry and material composition is described. Design rules to tailor the properties of the various resonance modes by appropriately varying the structural geometry and material composition for possible use in various applications are discussed. Potential structures of Si and HgCdTe MSM-PD are discussed for use in high-speed operation.
Fourteenth-century French queens as collectors and readers of books: Jeanne d'Evreux and her contemporaries

Although the earliest extant inventories of royal book collections are those prepared for Charles V (r. 1364-80), a study of wills and testamentary executions, together with the mentions of provenance in these later inventories, allows a sense of the kinds and numbers of books that French queens collected earlier in the century. Taking Jeanne d'Evreux and her extensive collection of manuscripts as its primary example, this article demonstrates not only how this material might be recovered from diverse sources, but argues that the documents, the identified extant books, and the friends and family members to whom she gave and bequeathed manuscripts reveal some of her feelings toward her books. In a final section, these women's collections are contrasted with the smaller libraries of the kings through mid-century. It comes as no surprise that the collecting patterns of the noted bibliophile, Charles V, mark a sea change; indeed one of his collecting goals seems to have been the uniting of books that had previously been in royal hands, including manuscripts that had belonged to these earlier women.
Is there a Logical Integration Sequence After EMU

In this paper the Balassa steps of economic integration are first reviewed, and then extended to cover currernt integration configurations. Pre-conditions for each stage of integration are detailed using a backward-looking economic conditionality approach, and then both economic and political spillover effects are analysed within a forward-looking approach so as to evaluate the sequencing of steps of integration. The European Union (EU) is currently the most advanced from of regional integration, so the template is then applied to the EU. The main findings are that fiscal union does not need to occur directly after Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but rather a dynamic that attains political union first and then attains fiscal union might be preferable, dependent on whether EMU forms an optimal currency area or not.
SEM of another flavour: two new applications of the supplemented EM algorithm.

The supplemented EM (SEM) algorithm is applied to address two goodness-of-fit testing problems in psychometrics. The first problem involves computing the information matrix for item parameters in item response theory models. This matrix is important for limited-information goodness-of-fit testing and it is also used to compute standard errors for the item parameter estimates. For the second problem, it is shown that the SEM algorithm provides a convenient computational procedure that leads to an asymptotically chi-squared goodness-of-fit statistic for the ‘two-stage EM’ procedure of fitting covariance structure models in the presence of missing data. Both simulated and real data are used to illustrate the proposed procedures.
Detection of acute myocardial ischemia using first-pass dynamics of MnDPDP on inversion recovery echoplanar imaging.

Previous studies used manganese N,N'-bis-(pyridoxal 5-phosphate)ethylenediamine-N,N'-diacetic acid (MnDPDP) to detect myocardial ischemia at a dose of 0.4 mmol/kg with spin echo imaging. The purpose of this study was to detect acute myocardial ischemia using MnDPDP at a dose range near that approved for hepatobiliary imaging (0.005 mmol/kg) in conjunction with inversion recovery echoplanar imaging (IR EPI). Regional ischemia was produced in 26 rats by occluding the left coronary artery for 20-30 minutes before imaging. Consecutive 32 IR EP images (inversion time [TI]/TR/TE 700/2000/10 msec) were obtained to monitor the first pass of MnDPDP at four incremental doses (0.005, 0.01, 0.02, or 0.04 mmol/kg, n = 6-8). MnDPDP produced dose-dependent enhancement of left ventricular blood and normal myocardium, but not ischemic myocardium. Quantitative analysis revealed a difference in signal intensities (P or =0.01 mmol/kg. In conclusion, acute myocardial ischemia can be detected with IR EPI using doses close to the clinically approved dose of MnDPDP.
Viscous Torque and Dissipation in the Inner Regions of a Thin Accretion Disk: Implications for Measuring Black Hole Spin

We consider a simple Newtonian model of a steady accretion disk around a black hole. The model is based on height-integrated hydrodynamic equations, α-viscosity, and a pseudo-Newtonian potential which results in an innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) that closely approximates the one predicted by general relativity. We find that, as the disk thickness -->H/R or the value of α increases, the hydrodynamic model exhibits increasing deviations from the standard thin disk model of Shakura and Sunyaev. The latter is an analytical model in which the viscous torque is assumed to vanish at the ISCO. We consider the implications of the results for attempts to estimate black hole spin by using the standard disk model to fit continuum spectra of black hole accretion disks. We find that the error in the spin estimate is quite modest so long as -->H/R ≤ 0.1 and -->α ≤ 0.2. At worst, the error in the estimated value of the spin parameter is 0.1 for a nonspinning black hole; the error is much less for a rapidly spinning hole. We also consider the density and disk thickness contrast between the gas in the disk and that inside the ISCO. The contrast needs to be large if black hole spin is to be successfully estimated by fitting the relativistically broadened X-ray line profile of fluorescent iron emission from reflection off an accretion disk. In our hydrodynamic models, the contrast in density and thickness is low when -->H/R 0.1, suggesting that the iron line technique may be most reliable in extremely thin disks. We caution that these results have been obtained with a viscous hydrodynamic model. While our results are likely to be qualitatively correct, quantitative estimates of, e.g., the magnitude of the error in the spin estimate, need to be confirmed with MHD simulations of radiatively cooled thin disks.
Medium optimization for recombinant protein production by Bacillus subtilis

Optimal concentrations of glucose, yeast extract and nutrient broth for the production of β-lactamase by B. subtilis were predicted using a statistical experimental design and then tested. More yeast extract (13 vs. 1 g/L), less glucose (7.4 vs. 10 g/L), and less nutrient broth (12.6 vs. 15 g/L) were required to achieve high β-lactamase activities (5700 U/L) instead of high cell growth rates (1.2 h-1).