cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blue light absorbing pigment in Streptococcus agalactiae does not potentiate the antimicrobial effect of pulsed 450 nm light.

Abstract Introduction Recently, it was shown that Group B Streptococcus (GBS) COH1 strain, which has granadaene—an endogenous chromophore known to absorb blue light—is not susceptible to 450 nm pulsed blue light (PBL) inactivation unless the bacterium is co-cultured with exogenous porphyrin. Purpose To confirm or refute the finding, we studied the effect of blue light on NCTC, another strain of GBS with more granadaene than COH1, to determine if the abundance of granadaene—and by implication more absorption of blue light—fosters GBS susceptibility to PBL. Methods We irradiated cultures of the bacterium with or without protoporphyrin, coproporphyrin, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) or NADH. After 24-h incubation, bacterial colonies were enumerated, log10 CFU/mL computed, and descriptive and inferential data analyzed and compared. Results: (1) The rich amount of granadaene in NCTC did not enhance its susceptibility to antimicrobial pulsed blue light (PBL). (2) Adding exogenous porphyrin fostered NCTC susceptibility to irradiation, resulting in 100% bacterial suppression. (3) Exogenous FMN or FAD, which strongly absorb 450 nm light, did not promote the antimicrobial effect of PBL, neither did exogenous NAD or NADH, two weak blue light-absorbing photosensitizers. Conclusion These results strengthen our previous assertion that an endogenous chromophore with the capacity to absorb and transform light energy into a biochemical process that engenders bacterial cell death, is essential for 450 nm PBL to suppress GBS.
Substance use and deaths by suicide: A latent class analysis of the National Violent Death Reporting System.

Abstract Substance use is strongly associated with suicide completions. However, little is known about the patterns of substances used in suicide deaths. The purpose of this analysis is to determine latent classes of toxicology-reported substances among individuals who completed suicide. The sample consists of suicide victims in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) during years 2003–2017 (n = 202,838). Toxicology reports were used to construct latent class analyses of substance use among suicide victims. Correlates for latent class membership included sex, race/ethnicity, previous experiences of child abuse, homelessness, and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. The majority of suicide victims were male (77.7%), straight/heterosexual (99.5%) and white (88.3%). The final unconditional model yielded a four-class model, including a “No substance/single substance use” class, an “Alcohol and other substance” class, a “Marijuana and other substance” class, and an “Opiate use” class. Compared to the reference class of “No substance/single substance,” females were more likely than males to be classified in the “Alcohol and other substance” class, the “Multi-substance use” class, and the “Opiate use” class. Homelessness was associated with classification in the “Marijuana and other substance” class and the “Opiate use” class compared to the “No substance/single substance” class. IPV was associated with both polysubstance use classes (“Alcohol plus other substance” and “Marijuana plus other substance”) along with the “Opiate use” class compared to the “No substance/single substance” class. These classes highlight profiles of suicide descendants and emphasize the importance of polysubstance use prevention among females, homeless individuals, and those who experience IPV.
Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES): A Summary of MPEES-Related Activities in 2020

The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a summary of Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES)-related activities in 2020. In 2020 original submissions (i.e., not counting...
Geographic Associations Between Social Factors and SARS-CoV-2 Testing Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic, February-June 2020, Massachusetts.

ObjectivesWidespread SARS-CoV-2 testing is critical to identify infected people and implement public health action to interrupt transmission. With SARS-CoV-2 testing supplies and laboratory capacit...
AgRP neurons coordinate the mitigation of activity-based anorexia

Abstract Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a debilitating and deadly disease characterized by low body mass index due to diminished food intake, and oftentimes concurrent hyperactivity. A high percentage of AN behavioral and metabolic phenotypes can be replicated in rodents given access to a voluntary running wheel and subject to food restriction, termed activity-based anorexia (ABA). Despite the well-documented body weight loss observed in AN human patients and ABA rodents, much less is understood regarding the neurobiological underpinnings of these maladaptive behaviors. Moreover, while exercise has been shown to diminish the activity of hunger-promoting hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons, much less is known regarding their activity and function in the mediation of food intake during ABA. Here, feeding microstructure analysis revealed ABA mice decreased food intake due to increased interpellet interval retrieval and diminished meal number. Longitudinal activity recordings of AgRP neurons in ABA animals revealed a maladaptive inhibitory response to food. We then demonstrated that ABA development or progression can be mitigated by chemogenetic AgRP activation through the reprioritization of food intake (increased meal number) over hyperactivity. These results elucidate a potential neural target for the amelioration of behavioral maladaptations present in AN patients.
Hippocampal damage: effects on dopaminergic systems of the basal ganglia.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the effects of hippocampal damage on dopaminergic systems of the basal ganglia and discusses the localized physiological and behavioral changes after hippocampal damage. The results in the chapter that suggest the presence of multiple sites for the central induction of grooming are unexpected, and as the evidence mounts in support of this idea, it is likely that the one located in nucleus (n.) accumbens is more influenced by hippocampal destruction than the region(s) affected by intracerebroventricular (icv) neuropeptide administration. Perhaps the interactions that occur at the basal ganglia level regulate the activation provided to large numbers of systems through these brainstem cell groups. Thus, there is a great deal of speculation and some evidence brought forward to support the idea that the dysfunctions of the dopamine (DA) striatal axis are causally related to many forms of mental and behavioral disorders.
Murine responses to (Tyr-Glu-Ala-Gly)n: II. H-2 and non-H-2 gene effects

Abstract Mice of the H-2b haplotype responded to the sequential polymer poly(Tyr-Glu-Ala-Gly) in the in vitro T-cell proliferative assay, irrespective of whether they were homozygous or heterozygous at the H-2b locus. The antibody responses of the H-2b congenic mice to this polymer were variable, with A.BY and BALB.B showing responses better than those of C57BL/6 and C57BL/10 strains. The antibody responses of the F1 progeny of (responder × nonresponder) strains of mice to this polymer are generally lower than the responder parents. F1 mice with C57BL/10 background were the poorest responders. Studies with F2 mice and backcross progenies of selective breeding of high and low antibody responder (C57BL/6 × BALB/c) F1 to high responder C57BL/6 mice indicated that both non-H-2 genes and H-2 gene dosage effects influenced the magnitude of the humoral antibody responses. Animals having low responder non-H-2 background and only half the dosage of the responder immune response genes has greatly diminished antibody responses.
Photodissociation and Photoionization Processes

The photodissociation and photoionization processes of species of astrophysical interest are reviewed, with emphasis on recent developments. Depth-dependent photodestruction rates by the interstellar radiation field are presented for a number of atoms and small molecules. The photodissociation processes of CO are discussed with reference to new laboratory data on the absorption cross sections.
The effects of state-based and event-based data representation on user performance in query formulation tasks

Ad hoc query formulation is an important task in effectively utilizing organizational data resources. To facilitate this task, managers and casual end-users are commonly presented with database views expressly constructed for their use. Differences in the way in which things, states, and events are represented in such views can affect a user's ability to understand the database, potentially leading to different levels of performance (i.e., accuracy, confidence, and prediction of the accuracy of their queries). An experiment was conducted over the Internet involving 342 subjects from 6 universities in North America and Europe to investigate these effects. When presented with an event-based view, subjects expressing low or very low comfort levels in reading entity-relationship diagrams expressed confidence that better predicted query accuracy although there were no significant differences in actual query accuracy or level of confidence expressed.
Mechanistic analysis of ammonium inhibition of atmospheric methane consumption in forest soils.

Methane consumption by forest soil was studied in situ and in vitro with respect to responses to nitrogen additions at atmospheric and elevated methane concentrations. Methane concentrations in intact soil decreased continuously from atmospheric levels at the surface to 0.5 ppm at a depth of 14 cm. The consumption rate of atmospheric methane in soils, however, was highest in the 4- to 8-cm depth interval (2.9 nmol per g of dry soil per day), with much lower activities below and above this zone. In contrast, extractable ammonium and nitrate concentrations were highest in the surface layer (0 to 2 cm; 22 and 1.6 μmol per g of dry soil, respectively), as was potential ammonium-oxidizing activity (19 nmol per g of dry soil per day). The difference in zonation between ammonium oxidation and methane consumption suggested that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria did not contribute significantly to atmospheric methane consumption. Exogenous ammonium inhibited methane consumption in situ and in vitro, but the pattern of inhibition did not conform to expectations based on simple competition between ammonia and methane for methane monooxygenase. The extent of ammonium inhibition increased with increasing methane concentration. Inhibition by a single ammonium addition remained constant over a period of 39 days. In addition, nitrite, the end product of methanotrophic ammonia oxidation, was a more effective inhibitor of methane consumption than ammonium. Factors that stimulated ammonium oxidation in soil, e.g., elevated methane concentrations and the availability of cosubstrates such as formate, methanol, or β-hydroxybutyrate, enhanced ammonium inhibition of methane oxidation, probably as a result of enhanced nitrite production.
The Relationship of Level of Eye-Hand Coordination and Answer Marking Format to the Test Performance of First — And Second-Grade Pupils; Implications for Test Validity

This study was concerned with the effects of eye-hand coordination on the ability of first- and second-grade pupils to use separate answer sheets on the California Test of Mental Maturity, Short Fo...
Allogeneic versus autologous blood transfusion and survival after radical prostatectomy

Blood transfusion (BT) is among the most common hospital procedures, with an estimated 15 million units transfused annually in the United States alone.1 Ideally, indications for BT should be optimized to prevent overuse of a costly resource with potential harms. Accumulating data support a restrictive transfusion strategy with a low hemoglobin threshold (7–8 g/dL) to achieve this goal.2–4 While improved screening has significantly curtailed transmission of viral pathogens, noninfectious hazards of BT are less well understood. Immunosuppression has been observed both clinically and in the laboratory, with prolonged renal allograft survival in patients receiving pretransplant allogeneic BTs.5 Also, nonanemic patients with little operative blood loss who receive BT have a greater risk of perioperative death than their nontransfused counterparts.4,6 The most provocative findings associate increased rates of cancer recurrence and mortality with perioperative BT in colorectal, esophageal, liver, breast, renal, and lung cancer patients.7–11 This observation, which may result from an immunosuppressive effect of allogeneic BT, is regarded as controversial and has been disputed.8,10,11 An alternative explanation for worse outcomes in transfused patients is simple confounding, as patient comorbidities, disease burden, and perioperative complications underlie the decision to transfuse.8,12 Radical prostatectomy (RP) patients comprise a unique population well suited to clarify the relationship of BT with cancer recurrence and mortality. RP is generally recommended for men with long life expectancy and limited comorbidities.13 Modern improvements in surgical technique have largely eliminated life-threatening hemorrhage, but need for BT in these patients persists, prompting some men to donate autologous blood preoperatively. In fact, some have reported absence of an association between autologous or allogeneic BT and prostate cancer recurrence.14–16 Investigations of the association between BT and survival after RP in small series have yielded conflicting results.16–18 The serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test facilitates early detection of cancer recurrence, but to capture both cancer-specific and overall mortality outcomes, long-term follow-up is essential due to the protracted clinical course of prostate cancer. We investigated whether perioperative BT (autologous vs. allogeneic) impacts recurrence, as well as cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) after RP using a large tertiary referral center RP database.
To What Type of Logic Does the "Tetralemma" Belong?

Although the so called tetralemma might seem to be incompatible with any recognized scheme of logical inference, its four alternatives arise naturally within the anhomomorphic logics which have been proposed in order to accommodate certain features of microscopic (i.e. quantum) physics. This suggests that the possibility of similar, "non-classical" logics might have been recognized in India at the time when Buddhism arose.
Inferring Origin Flow Patterns in Wi-Fi with Deep Learning

We present a novel application of deep learning in networking. The envisioned system can learn the original flow characteristics such as a burst size and inter-burst gaps conceived at the source from packet sampling done at a receiver Wi-Fi node. This problem is challenging because CSMA introduces complex, irregular alterations to the origin pattern of the flow in the presence of competing flows. Our approach is semi-supervised learning. We first work through multiple layers of feature extraction and subsampling from unlabeled flow measurements. We use a feature extractor based on sparse coding and dictionary learning, and our subsampler performs overlapping max pooling. Given the layers of learned feature mapping, we train SVM classifiers with deep feature representation resulted at the top layer. The proposed scheme has been evaluated empirically in a custom wireless simulator and OPNET. The results are promising that we achieve superior classification performance over ARMAX, Naive Bayes classifiers, and Gaussian mixture models optimized by the EM algorithm.
Volitional postures during maximal push/pull exertions in the sagittal plane

A set of push/pull experiments was performed by six men and women of varying anthropometry who were asked to exert maximal one-handed and two-handed push and pull forces on a load cell set at three...
Color Photography, Instant

Instant color photography began in 1963 with a one-step print process providing a finished photograph within a minute after exposure. Outwardly dry processing under ambient conditions is initiated within the camera upon release of reagent from a sealed pod that is provided as part of the film unit. Integral print films, introduced in 1972, retain the developed photosensitive layers concealed within the print. Instant film configurations also include print and transparency processing independent of the camera. Subtractive instant color processes use dye-developers and dye-release compounds to generate images comprising preformed dyes. Dye-release compounds are also utilized in wet-processed reprographic films and in photothermographic films for hard copy from images generated by instruments or computers. Additive instant color transparencies comprise microscopic black-and-white silver images formed by exposure of a panchromatic emulsion layer through an integral color screen. The chemistry of the various systems is discussed. Instant color films are utilized in many professional fields, especially those involved in documentation or imaging.
Patient-centered medical homes: primer for pharmacists.

Abstract Objective To provide a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) primer for pharmacists, including basic background information, key terminology, and examples of success stories. Data sources PCMH literature and resources obtained through search strategies by authors including but not limited to PubMed and Google Scholar. Summary PCMHs are a potential means of achieving cost reduction in health care and providing collaborative and comprehensive care, and they represent a promising option for achieving health care reform. Medication therapy management and collaborative drug therapy management are possible means for pharmacists to fulfill the goals of PCMHs. Conclusion Pharmacists must become knowledgeable of standards of PCMH and their abilities to fulfill these standards. Advocacy at local, state, and national levels is needed to achieve recognition of the value of pharmacists in PCMHs.
Modified Le Fort I (maxillary-zygomatic) osteotomy: rationale, basis, and surgical technique

A modified version of the Le Fort I maxillary osteotomy is described. The esthetic and anatomic basis, the surgical technique, and possible complications are discussed and two representative cases are shown. This technique has been used to treat 38 patients with various degrees of combined maxillary-zygomatic deficiency in the last 3 years. Based on this experience, it is concluded that this procedure provides a predictable esthetic result and excellent skeletal stability with few intraoperative and postoperative complications. Furthermore, the need for simultaneous bone grafting or alloplastic implants, as in the conventional Le Fort I, is virtually eliminated using this osteotomy.
Targeting of MOF, a putative histone acetyl transferase, to the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster

Dosage compensation ensures that males with a single X chromosome have the same amount of most X-linked gene products as females with two X chromosomes. In Drosophila, this equalization is achieved by a twofold enhancement of the level of transcription of the X in males relative to each X chromosome in females. The products of at least five genes, maleless (mle), male-specific lethal 1, 2, and 3 (msl-1, msl-2, msl-3) and males absent on the first (mof), are necessary for dosage compensation. The proteins produced by these genes form a complex that is preferentially associated with numerous sites on the X chromosome in somatic cells of males but not of females. Binding of the dosage compensation complex to the X chromosome is correlated with a significant increase in the presence of a specific histone isoform, histone 4 acetylated at lysine 16, on this chromosome. Experimental results and sequence analysis suggest that the mof gene encodes an acetyl transferase that plays a direct role in the specific histone acetylation associated with dosage compensation. Recently, RNA transcripts encoded by at least two different genes have also been found associated with the X chromosome in males. We have studied the role played by the various components of the complex in the targeting of MOF to the X chromosome. To this end, we have used indirect cytoimmunofluorescence to monitor the binding of these components in males carrying complete or partial loss-of-function mutations as well as in XX individuals in which formation of the dosage compensation complex has been induced by genetic means. Dev. Genet. 22:56–64, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
P5-S6.34 Provider characteristics associated with gonorrhoea treatment errors, Massachusetts, 2010

Background Massachusetts experienced a 29% increase in gonorrhoea cases during 2010. In 4% of cases where treatment was known, treatment was inconsistent with public health guidelines. We examined healthcare provider characteristics associated with gonorrhoea treatment errors to help target future educational outreach strategies. Methods Case-control study where treatment error cases were defined as any patient 15–65 years of age, diagnosed with gonorrhoea in 2010, who did not receive ceftriaxone 125 mg or 250 mg IM or other approved cephalosporin regimen, or azithromycin 2 g PO. Two controls were randomly selected from patients who received correct treatment, matched to cases in regard to age, sex, and month of diagnosis. Data regarding exposures to various provider characteristics were collected from case report cards, provider licensing databases, and direct provider phone calls. Proportions of cases and controls were compared on the basis of provider training, years in practice, specialty, and practice type by χ 2 analysis or Fisher9s exact test. Results 76 cases were matched to 152 controls. In preliminary analysis, no differences were identified with respect to provider degree (MD/DO or NP/PA; p>0.25). More treatment errors occurred in private practice/health maintenance organisations compared to STD or family planning clinics (p 0.25). More treatment errors occurred with family medicine physicians compared to OB/GYN (p=0.0225) and emergency medicine physicians (p=0.0101), but not compared to paediatricians or internists see Abstract P5-S6.34 table 1. Conclusions Although gonorrhoea treatment errors were rare, specific practice locations and physician specialties were significantly associated with gonorrhoea treatment errors, suggesting important opportunities for educational intervention. Further studies may determine reasons for errors, relative importance of provider factors, and what systems support accurate treatment.
A neuropsychological study of personality: Trait openness in relation to intelligence, fluency, and executive functioning

Openness is a personality trait that has been linked to intelligence and divergent thinking. DeYoung, Peterson, and Higgins (2005) theorized that trait Openness depends on dopamine function, especially in the prefrontal cortex. We tested their theory in 335 healthy adults by hypothesizing that individual differences in Openness would correlate more strongly with performance on tests of executive function than on tests of intelligence and fluency. However, Openness correlated more strongly with verbal/crystallized intelligence (Gc; r = .44) than with executive functioning (r = .16) and fluency (r = .24). Further, the partial correlation between Openness and Gc increased from r = .26 among young adults to r = .53 among elderly adults. These findings suggest that Openness is more closely associated with the acquisition of broad verbal intellectual skills and knowledge than with executive abilities localized to a specific brain region or neurotransmitter system.
Allosteric modulators of the α4β2 subtype of Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are ligand-gated ion conducting transmembrane channels from the Cys-loop receptor super-family. The α4β2 subtype is the predominant heteromeric subtype of nicotinic receptors found in the brain. Allosteric modulators for α4β2 receptors interact at a site other than the orthosteric site where acetylcholine binds. Many compounds which act as allosteric modulators of the α4β2 receptors have been identified, with both positive and negative effects. Such allosteric modulators either increase or decrease the response induced by agonist on the α4β2 receptors. Here we discuss the concept of allosterism as it pertains to the α4β2 receptors and summarize the important features of allosteric modulators for this nicotinic receptor subtype.
Design frameworks for concurrent engineering

Abstract As technological tasks in manufacturing environment have become progressively complicated, today's designers are confronted not only with increasing complexity of product designs but also with constantly increasing number and complexity of specialized design tools. The entire design process has consequently become very complicated. A large number of highly specialized design tools have to be developed to meet the technological needs of complex design tasks, and integrated into a computer-aided design (CAD) framework to provide better services to users. The concept of the framework may be of special interest to those who try to implement the philosophy of concurrent engineering, because a large number of design tools are required during the design phase to examine the entire aspects of a product's life-cycle in a coherent way. This paper identifies the needs and requirements of such CAD frameworks for concurrent engineering environment and discussed the object-oriented paradigm which has several salient features applicable to the development of control mechanisms for CAD tools within the framework.
Utp14b: a unique retrogene within a gene that has acquired multiple promoters and a specific function in spermatogenesis.

Abstract The mouse retrogene Utp14b is essential for male fertility, and a mutation in its sequence results in the sterile juvenile spermatogonial depletion (jsd) phenotype. It is a retrotransposed copy of the Utp14a gene, which is located on the X chromosome, and is inserted within an intron of the autosomal acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 3 (Acsl3) gene. To elucidate the roles of the Utp14 genes in normal spermatogenic cell development as a basis for understanding the defects that result in the jsd phenotype, we analyzed the various mRNAs produced from the Utp14b retrogene and their expression in different cell types. Two classes of transcripts were identified: variant 1, a transcript driven by the host gene promoter, that is predominantly found in germ cells but is ubiquitously expressed at low levels; and variants 2–5, a group of alternatively spliced transcripts containing some unique untranslated exons that are transcribed from a novel promoter that is germ-cell-specific. Utp14b (predominantly variant 1) is expressed at moderately high levels in pachytene spermatocytes, the developmental stage at which the expression of the X-linked Utp14a is suppressed. The levels of both classes of Utp14b transcripts were highest in round spermatids despite the transcription of Utp14a in these cells. We propose that when Utp14b initially inserted into Acsl3, it utilized the Acsl3 promoter to drive expression in pachytene spermatocytes to compensate for inactivation of Utp14a expression. The novel cell-type-specific promoter for Utp14b likely evolved later, as the protein may have acquired a germ cell-specific function in spermatid development.
College Students’ Use of Relational Management Strategies in Email in Long‐Distance and Geographically Close Relationships

This study examines how email is utilized to enact maintenance behaviors in interpersonal relationships and explores whether geographic distance between individuals affects this process. Two hundred twenty-six college students accumulated personal email messages over a one-week period. These emails were coded using Canary and Stafford’s (1994) maintenance strategy topology. Results indicate that self-disclosure (openness), discussing social networks, and positivity were the main categories found in email to family members and friends. For romantic partners, the most common categories were assurances, openness, positivity, and discussing social networks. Romantic partners and family members were more likely than friends to use assurances, and family members were more likely than romantic partners to refer to the social network. There were few differences between geographically close and long-distance interpersonal relationships.
Using blur to affect perceived distance and size

We present a probabilistic model of how viewers may use defocus blur in conjunction with other pictorial cues to estimate the absolute distances to objects in a scene. Our model explains how the pattern of blur in an image together with relative depth cues indicates the apparent scale of the image's contents. From the model, we develop a semiautomated algorithm that applies blur to a sharply rendered image and thereby changes the apparent distance and scale of the scene's contents. To examine the correspondence between the model/algorithm and actual viewer experience, we conducted an experiment with human viewers and compared their estimates of absolute distance to the model's predictions. We did this for images with geometrically correct blur due to defocus and for images with commonly used approximations to the correct blur. The agreement between the experimental data and model predictions was excellent. The model predicts that some approximations should work well and that others should not. Human viewers responded to the various types of blur in much the way the model predicts. The model and algorithm allow one to manipulate blur precisely and to achieve the desired perceived scale efficiently.
Nonparametric Bayesian matrix completion

The Beta-Binomial processes are considered for inferring missing values in matrices. The model moves beyond the low-rank assumption, modeling the matrix columns as residing in a nonlinear subspace. Large-scale problems are considered via efficient Gibbs sampling, yielding predictions as well as a measure of confidence in each prediction. Algorithm performance is considered for several datasets, with encouraging performance relative to existing approaches.
Patients seen in emergency departments who had a prior visit within the previous 72 h-National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 2002.

Summary Objective This study characterized emergency department (ED) visits of patients who had received services in an ED within the previous 72 h. Methods ED data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analysed for: (a) infectious-disease-related visits; (b) infectious-disease-related return visits; and (c) return visits reported within the previous 72 h for all visits. Data were collected from a nationally representative sample of hospital EDs and were weighted to generate national estimates. Results In 2002, an estimated 20.5 million ED visits occurred in the USA for infectious diseases, for a visit rate of 73/1000 people. A total of 3.5 million total return visits to EDs occurred within 72 h, and 67% were for follow-up visits. An estimated 625,280 return visits were for infectious diseases (18% of total ED return visits); 72% of these were for follow-up services. For total visits and infectious-disease-related visits, the majority of return visits were reported among those aged 25–44 years and among females. Discussion Approximately seven of every 10 return visits to EDs in 2002 were for follow-up services, and no difference existed in the percentage of return visits for infectious diseases compared with total visits. A health services implication exists for treating this percentage of patients in EDs when primary care practitioners should be the point of contact.
Comparative genomics of xenobiotic metabolism: a porcine-human PXR gene comparison.

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) plays a crucial role in xenobiotic and drug metabolism, being the major transcriptional regulator of cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase 3A4, which metabolizes more than 50% of all clinically used drugs. Recent pharmacodynamic studies have shown that the mouse is not an ideal model for predicting human clinical drug study outcomes. Therefore, we characterized the porcine PXR (pPXR) gene to evaluate the utility of the pig as an alternate preclinical animal model. The complete sequence of pPXR mRNA and 11 kb of genomic sequence were obtained. Similar to the human PXR gene, the pPXR gene revealed multiple splice variants in the ligand-binding domain. All pPXR splice variants (SV) were porcine-specific. The pPXR mRNAs varied in 3′-UTR length due to differential termination and specific deletions. Northern blot analyses identified high levels of pPXR mRNA expression in the liver, small intestine, heart, kidney, and colon. RT-PCR amplification detected lower levels of pPXR expression in multiple tissues. Ninety-three pigs representing eight breeds were analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Only one nonsynonymous SNP (S178L) was found in the pPXR ligand-binding domain. This characterization of the pPXR gene contributes to the development of a porcine model for human drug metabolic studies.
“Creating Hope” and Other Incentives for Drug Development for Children

Enhancing drug development for pediatric disease is a priority and a public responsibility. The Creating Hope Act of 2010 is important new proposed legislation that adds drugs and biologics for treating rare diseases in children to those for neglected tropical diseases as eligible for a priority review voucher from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Act enhances existing incentive programs through specific financial benefits to companies who seek a pediatric indication for a new drug to treat an orphan disease that occurs specifically in children.
Looking at the age of salespersons

This research reports on the significance of identifying and measuring the attitudes of salespersons, especially on how they perceive their self-development opportunities. The analysis of attitudes—after the employees were segmented into four age groups—indicates that the salespersons between the ages of 26–35 display lower levels of enthusiasm than the norm. Seeds of anxiety, excess mobility, new career demands and other reasons are examplified in related literature of the last decade. Some marketing practices and implications are discussed.
Sublethal Effects of Fire Smoke

Fire smoke toxicity has been a recurring theme for fire safety professionals for over four decades. There especially continue to be difficulty and controversy in assessing and addressing the contribution of the sublethal effects of smoke in hazard and risk analyses. The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and NFPA have begun a private/public fire research initiative, the “International Study of the Sublethal Effects of Fire Smoke on Survival and Health” (SEFS) to provide scientific information on these effects for public policy makers. The papers in this issue of Fire Technology present results from the first phase of the project: estimates of the magnitude and impact of sublethal exposures to fire smoke on the U.S. population, the best available lethal and incapacitating toxic potency values for the smoke from commercial products, the potential for various sizes of fires to produce smoke yields that could result in sublethal health effects, and state-of-the-art information on the production of the condensed components of smoke from fires and their evolutionary changes during transport from the fire.
Real estate private equity: the case of US unlisted REITs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how fixed‐share prices, as a structural flaw in private equity funds targeted to small‐unit investors, economically disadvantages those investors in favor of sponsors.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical model incorporates fixed share prices with continuous investment opportunity and evaluates the wealth transfer from long‐term investors to marketing affiliates and soliciting dealers in the form of fees paid on the sale of shares to follow‐on investors.Findings – This result holds in the presence of high‐payout dividend policy that attempts to compensate for wealth transfer.Research limitations/implications – Should share prices be marked‐to‐market using real estate appraisals or another method, the unlisted REIT and related offerings, such as tenant‐in‐common funds, will be profitable for sponsors without economically disadvantaging long‐term investors.Practical implications – The findings from this research are useful to fund sponsors who de...
Kinetics and mechanism of reduction of sperm-whale metmyoglobin by dithionite ion

Abstract The kinetics of reduction of sperm-whale aquometmyoglobin by excess dithionite ion was studied at 25°C, pH 6.9–9.8, and ionic strength 0.50 M (adjusted with potassium nitrate). The dependence of the pseudo first-order rate constant for the disappearance of metmyoglobin on hydrogen and dithionite ion concentrations is ( k 1 [S 2 O 4 2− ] + k 2 [S 2 O 4 2− ] 1 2 )[H + ]/( K a + [H + ]), where k 1 = 52 ± 11 M −1 s −1 , k 2 = 40.9 ± 2.3 M 1 2 s −1 , and K a (the ionization constant of the water coordinated to the iron) = (5.79 ± 0.49) × 10 −10 M. The rate law is interpreted on the basis of parallel pathways for the reaction of aquometmyoglobin with S 2 O 4 2− and SO 2 − , the hydroxometmyoglobin in equilibrium with the aquo form being unreactive. From a comparison of the rate constants for anation of aquometmyoglobin and the rate constant for reduction by SO 2 − , it is inferred that an outer-sphere redox mechanism is operative. It is postulated that the activation process for reduction of aquometmyoglobin requires considerable stretching of the Fe-OH 2 bond, and this model is utilized to assign an outer-sphere mechanism to the reduction by S 2 O 4 2− . The dithionite reduction of cyanometmyoglobin proceeds in two stages. The first stage proceeds at a rate that is dependent on dithionite concentration and corresponds to the outer-sphere reduction of cyanometmyoglobin. The second stage proceeds at a rate that is independent of dithionite concentration and corresponds to the dissociation of the transient cyanodeoxymyoglobin intermediate produced in the first stage. The results of the present investigation are compared with those obtained in three independent, previous studies.
Causes of differing temperature trends in radiosonde upper air data sets

[1] Differences between trends in different radiosonde temperature products resulting from the varying choices made by the developers of the data sets create obstacles for use of those products in climate change detection and attribution. To clarify the causes of these differences, one must examine results using a common subset of locations to minimize spatial sampling effects. When this is done for the Lanzante-Klein-Seidel (LKS) and Hadley Center (HadRT) radiosonde data sets, differences are reduced by at least one third. Differing homogeneity adjustment methods and differences in the source data are both important factors contributing to the remaining discrepancies. In contrast, subsampling the microwave sounding unit (MSU) satellite data sets according to the radiosonde coverage does not generally bring the trends in the satellite data closer to those in the radiosonde data so that adjustments and other processing differences appear to be the predominant sources of satellite-radiosonde discrepancies. Experiments in which we subsample globally complete data sets provide additional insight into the role of sampling errors. In the troposphere, spatial sampling errors are frequently comparable to the trends for 1979–1997, while in the stratosphere the errors are generally small relative to the trends. Sampling effects estimated from National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis and MSU satellite data for seven actual radiosonde networks show little consistent relation between sampling error and network size. These results may have significant implications for the design of future climate monitoring networks. However, estimates of sampling effects using the reanalysis and the satellite data sets differ noticeably from each other and from effects estimated from actual radiosonde data, suggesting that these globally complete data sets may not fully reproduce actual sampling effects.
Dramatic declines in red abalone populations after opening a “de facto” marine reserve to fishing: Testing temporal reserves

Abstract Red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) were assessed inside and outside a “de facto” reserve before fishing, after 3 and then 6 years of fishing. In just 3 years, there was a 65% decline (p 72% decline). Before fishing began, the intertidal density at the reserve was 86% greater (p = 0.001) than at a nearby fished site, however after 3 years of fishing there was no difference (p = 0.764). Abalone fishing report cards revealed a 950% increase in local catch once the reserve site was opened, however after just 1.5 years of fishing, catch declined sharply (59%) compared to the previous year. In 3 years, mean abalone catch per hour declined significantly (p
Analysis of the HAZOP study and comparison with similar safety analysis systems

Abstract The hazard and operability (HAZOP) study is being used increasingly in the chemical and petrochemical industry as a tool for discovering safety problems in existing plants or in plants just designed or under construction. In this paper the procedure of the study is introduced and its relation to the fault-tree analysis and to the failure-mode and effect analyses is demonstrated.
Total Synthesis of Clathculins A and B

Clathculins A and B represent a new class of vic-diamine alkaloids containing a PA2 unit as the basic structure. We report the first total syntheses of 1 and 2, which confirm the assigned structure of each. Dependence of their NMR spectroscopic behavior as a function of protonation state has been observed.
Rationale for the use of angiotensin ii receptor blockers in patients with left ventricular dysfunction (part I of II)

Almost 5 million individuals in the United States are diagnosed with chronic heart failure (HF), and the prevalence is increasing. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta blockers, neurohormonal antagonists that block the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the sympathetic nervous system, respectively, have been shown in clinical trials to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with HF, and these therapies are now integral components of standard HF treatment. Yet, morbidity and mortality rates in HF remain unacceptably high, and the limitations of current standard therapies are becoming increasingly apparent. About 10% of patients with HF are unable to tolerate ACE inhibitors, often because of cough. In addition, ACE inhibition may not completely block the RAS because angiotensin II, the main end product of the RAS, can be generated via non-ACE enzymatic pathways. Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) may exert more complete RAS blockade than ACE inhibitors by interfering with the binding of angiotensin II at the receptor level, regardless of the enzymatic pathway of production. They are also better tolerated than ACE inhibitors and have been shown to improve symptoms and function in clinical trials in patients with HF. These factors provide a strong rationale for the study of the clinical effects of ARBs in patients with HF.
Eye Movements in a Small Sample of Cerebral Palsied Adults

Monocular pursuit and saccadic eye movements were compared between a group of 5 men with cerebral palsy and a group of 5 men with normal movements using an infrared corneal reflection technique. Triangle, sine, and square waves (in the time domain) at 0.3 Hz in the horizontal and vertical dimensions were used as the stimuli for six 10-sec. tests of each subject. The momentary difference between stimulus and eye positions was used to obtain values for five pursuit variables (triangle and sine wave tests) Land five saccadic variables (square wave tests). The t tests for differences between these means showed that the cerebral palsy group had more fixations during the four pursuit tests, more saccadic intrusions during the horizontal pursuit tests, a greater maximum pursuit error during the horizontal sine wave test, and a greater maximum fixation error during the horizontal square wave test. The group means were not different for pursuit gain and saccadic velocity and latency. The dynamics of the errors during the tests of pursuit movements indicate that cerebral palsied persons may be unable to maintain the constant velocity of eye movement required to track a triangle wave stimulus. The dynamics of the errors during the tests of saccadic movements indicate that cerebral palsied persons would be unable to use technological devices for assisting communication, which depend on visual fixation as a control signal.
Grazing management and microclimate effects on cattle distribution relative to a cool season pasture stream.

Abstract Because of concerns about the impact of grazing management on surface water quality, a 3-yr study was conducted to determine grazing management and microclimate impacts on cattle distribution relative to a pasture stream and shade. Three treatments, continuous stocking with unrestricted stream access (CSU), continuous stocking with restricted stream access (CSR), and rotational stocking (RS), were evaluated on six 12.1-ha cool-season grass pastures stocked with 15 fall-calving Angus cows ( Bos taurus L.) from mid-May through mid-October of each year. On 2 d · mo −1 from May through September of each year, a trained observer in each pasture recorded cattle position and activity every 10 min from 0600 to 1800 hours. In years 2 and 3, position of one cow per pasture was recorded with a Global Positioning System (GPS) collar at 10-min intervals 24 h · d −1 for 2 wk · mo −1 from May through September. In week 2 of collar deployment in May, July, and September, cattle had access to off-stream water. Ambient temperature, black globe temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed were recorded at 10-min intervals and temperature humidity (THI), black globe temperature humidity (BGTHI), and heat load (HLI) indices were calculated. Based on GPS collars, mean percentage of time cows in CSU pastures were in the stream (1.1%) and streamside zone (10.5%) were greater ( P P
Building Bridges over Troubled Waters: Merit as a Guide

Th e federal civil service has developed in ﬁ ts and starts, with speciﬁ c reforms fashioned in reaction to the particu-lar political considerations of a given time. Yet the con-cept of merit has remained a central, albeit malleable, sometimes neglected, and perhaps quaint ideal. Reinven-tion, eﬃ ciency, and eﬀ ectiveness must honor excellence and the notion of public service as a calling.
Design, layout, and early results of a feasibility experiment for sodium-layer laser-guide-star adaptive optics

We describe the design and the early results of a feasibility experiment for sodium-layer laser-guide-star adaptive optics. Copper-vapor-laser-pumped dye lasers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation program are used to create the guide star. The laser beam is projected upward from a beam director that is located ~5 m from a 0.5-m telescope and forms an irradiance spot ~2 m in diameter at the atmospheric-sodium layer (at an altitude of 95 km). The laser guide star is approximately fifth magnitude and is visible to the naked eye at the top of the Rayleigh-scattered laser beam. To date, we have made photometric measurements and open-loop wave-front-sensor measurements of the laser guide star. We give an overview of the experiment’s design and the laser systems, describe the experimental setup, show preliminary photometric and open-loop wave-front-sensor data on the guide star, and present predictions of closed-loop adaptive-optics performance based on these experimental data. The long-term goal of this effort is to develop laser guide stars and adaptive optics for use with large astronomical telescopes.