cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Race, medical researcher distrust, perceived harm, and willingness to participate in cardiovascular prevention trials.

Abstract: Minority underrepresentation exists in medical research including cardiovascular clinical trials, but the hypothesis that this relates to distrust in medical researchers is unproven. Therefore, we examined whether African American persons differ from white persons in perceptions of the risks/benefits of trial participation and distrust toward medical researchers, and whether these factors influence willingness to participate (WTP) in a clinical drug trial. Participants were self-administered a survey regarding WTP in a cardiovascular drug trial given to 1440 randomly selected patients from 13 Maryland outpatient cardiology and general medicine clinics. Patients reported their WTP, rated their perceived chances of experiencing health benefit and harm, and rated their distrust toward researchers. Of eligible participants, 70% responded, and 717 individuals were included: 36% African American and 64% white. African American participants possessed lower WTP than white participants (27% vs. 39%, p = 0.001) and had higher mean distrust scores than whites (p < 0.0001). African American participants more frequently reported that doctors would less fully explain research participation to them (24% vs. 13%, p < 0.001), use them as guinea pigs without their consent (72% vs. 49%, p < 0.001), prescribe medication as a way of experimenting on people without their knowledge (35% vs. 16%, p < 0.001), and ask them to participate in research even if it could harm them (24% vs. 15%, p = 0.002). African American participants also more often believed they could less freely ask their doctor questions (8% vs. 2%, p < 0.001) and that doctors had previously experimented on them without their consent (58% vs. 25%, p < 0.001). African American participants expressed lesser WTP than white participants after controlling for racial differences in age, sex, socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease risk profiles (multivariable odds ratio [OR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–0.85). The impact of race was attenuated and nonsignificant after adjustment for potential mediating factors of racial differences in medical researcher distrust and perceived risk of harm (explanatory model OR, 0.84; 95% CI 0.54–1.30). In summary, African American participants expressed markedly greater concerns about experiencing harm from participation in clinical trials and distrust toward medical researchers than white participants. These factors, in turn, appear to explain much of the resistance among African American persons to participate in clinical trials compared to white persons.
8-Methoxypsoralen Induced Alterations of Mammalian Cells

In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrate that 8-methoxypsoralen, in the presence of ultraviolet light (8MOP-UV), induces phenotypic alterations in certain mammalian cells. Transformation for certain growth characteristics occurred in high percentages of 8MOP-UV treated primary mouse, rat, and hamster embryo cultures, and in continuous cell lines (BHK 21 /Cl 13 , NIH/3T3, and Balb/c 3T3). Morphological alterations were observed at both macroscopic (focus formation) and microscopic (random growth patterns, multilayering, etc.,) levels of examination. Treated cells which demonstrated altered phenotypes were tested for growth in soft agarose. Those cultures with altered morphology and whose cells grew in soft agarose. Those cultures with altered morphology and whose cells grew in soft agarose, were, in addition, tested for murine leukemia virus (MuLV) production by the XC cytopathogenicity test. 8MOP-UV transformed mouse, rat, and hamster (except BHK 21 /Clone 13 ) cells produced positive XC results. Florescent antibody tests of those cells which produced giant cell cytopathogenicity were positive. Cytoplasmic fluorescence was observed when these cells were tested with antisera to oncornavirus group specific (gs-3) antigen. Control nontreated cells were negative in all experiments. Hamster embryo fibroblasts transformed with 8MOP-UV, acquired apparent unlimited in vitro growth characteristics (> 150 population density levels); they exhibited mixoploidy; small numbers of these cells caused spindel cell sarcomas in hamster cheek pouches, and produced tumors in new born hamsters; and their generation times (x = 22.5 hr) were characteristic of transformed cells. Expression of altered growth characteristics by BHK 21 /CI 13 cells may be related to selection for cytotoxic resistant cells rather than being caused by 8MOP-UV induced transformation.
The haze and methane distributions on Uranus from HST-STIS spectroscopy

Abstract We analyzed a unique, three-dimensional data set of Uranus acquired with the STIS Hubble spectrograph on August 19, 2002. The data covered a full afternoon hemisphere at 0.1 arc-sec spatial resolution between 300 and 1000 nm wavelength at 1 nm resolution. Navigation was accurate to 0.002 arc-sec and 0.02 nm. We tested our calibration with WFPC2 images of Uranus and found good agreement. We constrained the vertical aerosol structure with radiative transfer calculations. The standard types of models for Uranus with condensation cloud layers did not fit our data as well as models with an extended haze layer. The dark albedo of Uranus at near-infrared methane windows could be explained by methane absorption alone using conservatively scattering aerosols. Ultraviolet absorption from small aerosols in the stratosphere was strongest at high southern latitudes. The uppermost troposphere was almost clear, but showed a remarkable narrow spike of opacity centered on the equator to 0.2° accuracy. This feature may have been related to influx from ring material. At lower altitudes, the feature was centered at 1–2° latitude, suggesting an equatorial circulation toward the north. Below the 1.2 bar level, the aerosol opacity increased some 100 fold. A comparison of methane and hydrogen absorptions contradicted the standard interpretation of methane band images, which assumes that the methane mixing ratio is independent of latitude and attributes reflectivity variations to variations in the aerosol opacity. The opposite was true for the main contrast between brighter high latitudes and darker low latitudes, probing the 1–3 bar region. The methane mixing ratio varied between 0.014 and 0.032 from high to low southern latitudes, while the aerosol opacity varied only moderately with latitude, except for an enhancement at −45° latitude and a decrease north of the equator. The latitudinal variation of methane had a similar shape as that of ammonia probed by microwave observations at deeper levels. The variability of methane challenges our understanding of Uranus and requires reconsideration of previous investigations based on a faulty assumption. Below the 2 bar level, the haze was thinning somewhat. Our global radiative transfer models with 1° latitude sampling fit the observed reflectivities to 2% rms. The observed spectra of two discrete clouds could be modeled by using the background model of the appropriate latitude and adding small amounts of additional opacity at levels near 1.2 bar (southern cloud) and levels as high as 0.1 bar (northern cloud). These clouds may have been methane condensation clouds of low optical depth (∼0.2).
Cloning, expression, and assembly of sericin-like protein.

Recombinant sericin proteins of different molecular masses (17.4, 31.9, and 46.5 kDa), based on the 38-amino acid repetitive motif of native sericin, were cloned, expressed, and purified. The recombinant sericin self-assembled during dialysis (starting concentration of 2.5 mg/ml) forming twisted fibers. Circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies demonstrated protein conformational transitions occurred from random coil to β-sheets during the dialysis. Congo red-stained recombinant sericin fibrils exhibited apple-green birefringence, indicating long-range order in the array of β-sheets. Biosynthetic sericin has a high content of polar amino acids (e.g. > 40 mol % serine), leading to a β-sheet conformation formed by hydrogen bonding via polar zipper interactions. Analysis of recombinant sericin sequence using Mandel-Gutfreund's (Mandel-Gutfreund, Y., and Gregoret, L. M. (2002) J. Mol. Biol. 323, 453-461) definition of polar and non-polar amino acids showed that the hydrophobicity pattern resembles the most frequent pattern of amyloidogenic proteins, polar amino acid aggregates (PPPPP). Many β-proteins and peptides are designed to study amyloidogenesis using a polar/non-polar alternating pattern (PNPNPN). Sericin-like proteins or peptides provide an alternative model in terms of hydrophobicity pattern with which to explore questions related to β-sheet formation and amyloidogenesis. The glue-like property of sericin is attributed to the hydrogen bonding between serine residues of sericin with serine residues in the fibroin structural components of silk fiber.
Evaluating higher-order four-wave mixing effect using a two-channel WDM system

Summary form only given. To suppress four-wave mixing (FWM) induced cross talk in wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems in dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF), the unequal channel-spacing scheme was proposed and works quite well for most cases because it avoids generating FWM products to fall on to any channels. However, the newly produced FWM products can mix with channel signals or themselves to produce higher-order FWM products which can overlap with channels and result in crosstalk. In this presentation, we show that these FWM products can become a serious problem as channel power increases or channel spacing decreases.
Condom use and the accuracy of AIDS knowledge in Côte d'Ivoire.

CONTEXT: Condom use remains low in Cote d’Ivoire despite an increasing prevalence of HIV and widespread awareness of how the virus is transmitted. Information is needed about characteristics that predict condom use and about the role of AIDS knowledge and sex differences in the use of condoms. METHODS: Data from the 1994 Cote d’Ivoire Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed for respondents who had had sex in the two months before the survey. Logistic regressions were performed separately by sex to determine whether the accuracy of men’s and women’s knowledge about AIDS predicted condom use at their most recent sexual intercourse. RESULTS: Accuracy of knowledge about AIDS did not significantly predict condom use. For male respondents the odds of condom use at last intercourse were significantly lower among those aged 35 or older than among those aged 15–19 (odds ratios 0.3–0.5). The odds were also lower among married men (0.4) and those who reported friends family or neighbors as their only source of AIDS knowledge (0.5). Compared with uneducated men men with secondary or higher education were significantly more likely to report condom use (1.7). Among women those aged 25 or older had significantly lower odds of condom use at last intercourse than those aged 15–19 (0.2–0.6). The odds of use were significantly reduced among women who were married (0.2) and those who had learned about AIDS from family friends or neighbors or from television or radio (0.3–0.6); however the odds were significantly higher for women with secondary or higher education than for uneducated women (2.2). CONCLUSION: The level of accuracy of AIDS knowledge did not predict the likelihood of recent condom use in this sample. Efforts to increase educational attainment in Cote d’Ivoire may be more effective in increasing condom use than a focus on improving the accuracy of AIDS knowledge. (authors)
Magnetic tunnel junctions. Principles and applications

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) have received much attention because of their potential use as non-volatile memory storage cells in magnetic random access memory and as advanced read sensors in hard disk drives. These applications necessitate stringent requirements on the materials and structure of the magnetic tunnel junctions. This paper briefly describes one aspect of the numerous recent developments in MTJ materials. In particular, we discuss structures with improved magnetic properties via insertion of ultra-thin non-magnetic nano-layers within the MTJ.
``1/f'' noise in thin metal films interacting with silicon substrates

Abstract In an effort to learn more about the microscopic variations in interfacial structures which lead to the previously observed systematics in first compound nucleation in metal-semiconductor systems, we have made measurements of “1/f” noise in systems composed of thin metal films deposited onto semiconductor substrates as a function of film thickness or surface resistance. Near-noble metal films deposited onto silicon typically display semiconductor-metal transitions at room temperature as a function of film resistance or metal thickness. Measurements of “1/f” noise on thin metal films deposited onto silicon can thus be correlated with those of observed electronic and structural transitions. Measurements of cobalt thin films r.f. sputtered onto silicon substrates at room temperature show a gradual increase in the magnitude of noise of over five orders as the metal thickness is increased to near that of the critical value for crystallization at room temperature. This is followed by a sudden drop in magnitude of over six orders after the semiconductor-metal transition has taken place and partial crystallization has occurred. The frequency exponent of the noise varies for these experiments from values near unity at high film resistance to a value approaching 2 near the critical thickness and then abruptly back to near unity when metallization has occurred. The results on nickel films show similar results but with significantly more scatter in the data and no clear trend for the frequency exponents.
Inhibitors of blood coagulation factors Xa and IIa synergize to reduce thrombus weight and thrombin generation in vivo and in vitro

Summary. Background: Many compounds currently in development for treatment of thrombotic disorders demonstrate high specificity for single targets of blood coagulation such as factor Xa (FXa) or thrombin. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine if inhibition of both FXa and thrombin by simultaneous administration of PD0313052 and argatroban, respectively, synergistically increases the effect of either drug alone in vivo and in vitro. Methods and Results: Analyses of thrombin generation from combined inhibition in human plasma using statistical methods of Bliss independence identified a synergistic reduction in thrombin production 30% lower than predicted by simple additivity. The greatest synergy occurred at concentrations of each compound below their individual IC50 values. In a rabbit arterio-venous shunt model (RAV) of thrombosis, co-administration of PD0313052 and argatroban reduced thrombus weight (TW) to a much greater degree than expected by additivity alone producing a synergistic decrease of 45% over the level predicted by additivity. Analyses of thrombin generation in plasma samples from the RAV also demonstrated 38% synergy ex vivo. Furthermore, at plasma concentrations with the greatest synergistic effect, no increase in bleeding or appreciable change in prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, or activated clotting time was observed, but thrombus weight reduction was greater than twofold higher than that expected from simple additivity. Conclusions: These results demonstrate a significant synergistic antithrombotic effect of combining low doses of PD0313052 and argatroban and support the hypothesis that simultaneous targeting of multiple coagulation enzymes may offer an improved therapeutic index in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis.
Effect of halogenated anaesthetics on heart rate changes during reversal of neuromuscular block with glycopyrrolate and neostigmine

The effect of halothane and enflurane on changes in heart rate during reversal of neuromuscular blockade was compared in 48 patients. Premedication and anaesthetic technique was standardized. Either halothane or enflurane was used as the primary anaesthetic. Neuromuscular block was reversed by injection of glycopyrrolate and neostigmine, given either separately or simultaneously. Heart rate changes were significantly different between the halothane and enflurane subgroups. Patients anaesthetized with enflurane showed less fluctuations in heart rate. Simultaneous injection of glycopyrrolate and neostigmine minimized the tachycardia in the halothane subgroups only.
Development of Higher Education Product-Value Indexes

Sage Technical Report No. 17, Workplans for Developing Educational Indicators, called for the development of first-approximation product-value indexes for public and private colleges and universities. These indexes were to be used to examine the relative attractiveness of program offerings to students and the relation of program offerings to the viability of the institutions themselves. Eight composite indexes describing the market values of degrees awarded by colleges and universities, termed Higher Education Product-Value Indexes (HEPVI), were developed and are presented in this technical report. These measures are used to describe the program offerings and changes in program offerings over time for schools in six institutional sectors and 17 National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) institutional classifications. Several of these measures are also shown to be significantly correlated with the levels of distress experienced by higher education institutions in three of the six sectors. A technical appendix is attached and presents additional details and data relevant to the construction of these indexes. The principal data sources used in this study were the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, and the annual surveys of starting-salary offers made to recent graduates conducted by the College Placement Council.
Total transmission of incident plane waves that satisfy the Brewster conditions at a free-space-chiral interface.

The common definition of the Brewster angles for dielectric and magnetic achiral materials are the angles at which the vertically and horizontally polarized reflection coefficients vanish. We examine broader definitions of the Brewster conditions for waves that are incident on a free-space–chiral interface. Besides the common definition, the Brewster angles have been defined as the angles at which the polarizations of the reflected waves are independent of the polarizations of the incident waves. We consider total transmission of incident plane waves that satisfy the Brewster conditions at a free-space–chiral medium planar interface. In this case we determine the polarization of the incident wave for which the reflected vertically and horizontally polarized waves vanish simultaneously. Thus with this definition of the Brewster conditions the polarization of the reflected wave is undefined. The conditions for the excitation of surface waves are considered. The characteristic polarizations that are the same for the reflected and incident waves are also examined subject to the Brewster conditions. Potential applications of this analysis are to experimentally determine the chiral or geotropic measure of the medium and to identify and characterize biological and chemical materials through their optical activity in real time. Several independent measurements can be taken with the same polarimetric instrument to avoid false identifications. Since measurements can be conducted in the reflection mode they can be nonintrusive.
Proven practices that can reduce stereotype threat in engineering education: A literature review

"Stereotype threat" is a term used by social scientists to describe the anxiety one feels when one fears that he or she will confirm a negative stereotype about his or her own group. This anxiety impairs performance and reduces motivation by introducing a self-evaluative threat. More than 300 studies have verified that people underperform when put in situations that cause stereotype threat. Documented consequences of stereotype threat include decreased performance; blaming failure on internal, rather than external, causes; and distancing oneself from a setting that generates stereotype threat (e.g. changing one's major from engineering or computer science). Given the plethora of research available on practices that increase or reduce stereotype threat, a set of recommended practices can now be used in engineering education to reduce stereotype threat and thereby increase the performance of potentially threatened groups. In this paper, we provide an easy to use and research supported list of best practices to reduce stereotype threat in engineering education.
Elimination of enuresis without a conditioning apparatus: An extension by office instruction of the child and parents

A new and effective method of training enuretic children without a conditioning apparatus has relied on a special trainer during the first day of training. The present study determined whether a single office session would suffice to teach the parents to conduct training themselves. Forty-four enuretic children 3 to 15 years of age were treated. The results were similar to those obtained when using the special trainer. All of the children stopped bedwetting. A median of four accidents occurred before achieving 2 weeks of dryness. Bedwetting was reduced to 18% on the first day and decreased progressively to 4% at the 1-year follow-up. Relapses were infrequent (7%), and none of the children “dropped out.” The new method appears to be very effective when taught in a single, usual office counseling situation without the need for a special trainer.
The quality of academic and public library reference service provided for NTIS products and services: Unobtrusive test results

Abstract This article reports on the use of unobtrusive testing to gather data on a performance measure— correct answer fill rate . Personnel from 12 academic and public libraries participating in the U.S. Government Printing Office's depository program were asked 5 pretested questions and the accuracy and efficiency of their search outcome were measured. Although the article reports a pilot project, the findings and discussion of study results should have broad interest. They document the inability of a number of staff members to negotiate successfully reference questions pertaining to NTIS and technical report literature. Clearly, the study merits replication on a broader scale and library staff should review their search skills with the test questions appended to this article.
Associations of alternative markers of glycemia with hemoglobin A(1c) and fasting glucose.

BACKGROUND: 1,5-Anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), fructosamine, and glycated albumin are of increasing interest as alternative measures of hyperglycemia. We characterize the associations of these nontraditional glycemic markers with hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c) and fasting glucose and assess their ability to identify people with diabetes. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional comparison of 1,5-AG, fructosamine, and glycated albumin with Hb A1c and fasting glucose measurements in 1719 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. We evaluated nonlinear relationships using R 2 and F-statistics. Performance for identification of cases of diabetes was determined using the area under the curve (AUC). Diabetes was defined by Hb A1c ≥6.5%, fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL (≥6.99 mmol/L), and/or a self-reported history of diagnosed diabetes. RESULTS: Median values of Hb A1c and fasting glucose were 5.8% and 109 mg/dL (6.05 mmol/L), respectively; 17.3% of the study population had diagnosed diabetes. Glycated albumin, fructosamine, and 1,5-AG were more strongly correlated with Hb A1c compared with fasting glucose (all P values <0.05). Nonlinear models provided the best fit for describing the relationships of the alternative markers to Hb A1c. When diabetes was defined by an Hb A1c ≥6.5%, fructosamine (AUC 0.83; 95% CI, 0.79–0.87) and glycated albumin (AUC 0.87; 95% CI, 0.83–0.90) performed comparably to fasting glucose (AUC 0.83; 95% CI, 0.79–0.87), while 1,5-AG performed worse (AUC 0.74; 95% CI, 0.69–0.78) for identifying cases of undiagnosed diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Fructosamine and glycated albumin may be useful adjuncts to Hb A1c and fasting glucose. Future studies should examine these markers in situations in which fasting glucose or Hb A1c measurements are invalid or not available.
Scale-dependent responses of plant biodiversity to nitrogen enrichment.

Experimental studies demonstrating that nitrogen (N) enrichment reduces plant diversity within individual plots have led to the conclusion that anthropogenic N enrichment is a threat to global biodiversity. These conclusions overlook the influence of spatial scale, however, as N enrichment may alter b diversity (i.e., how similar plots are in their species composition), which would likely alter the degree to which N-induced changes in diversity within localities translate to changes in diversity at larger scales that are relevant to policy and management. Currently, it is unclear how N enrichment affects biodiversity at scales larger than a small plot. We synthesized data from 18 N-enrichment experiments across North America to examine the effects of N enrichment on plant species diversity at three spatial scales: small (within plots), intermediate (among plots), and large (within and among plots). We found that N enrichment reduced plant diversity within plots by an average of 25% (ranging from a reduction of 61% to an increase of 5%) and frequently enhanced b diversity. The extent to which N enrichment altered b diversity, however, varied substantially among sites (from a 22% increase to an 18% reduction) and was contingent on site productivity. Specifically, N enrichment enhanced b diversity at low-productivity sites but reduced b diversity at high-productivity sites. N-induced changes in b diversity generally reduced the extent of species loss at larger scales to an average of 22% (ranging from a reduction of 54% to an increase of 18%). Our results demonstrate that N enrichment often reduces biodiversity at both local and regional scales, but that a focus on the effects of N enrichment on biodiversity at small spatial scales may often overestimate (and sometimes underestimate) declines in regional biodiversity by failing to recognize the effects of N on b diversity.
Stem Cells and Neuronal Progenitors and Their Diversity in the CNS: Are Time and Place Important?

Stem cells are multilineage progenitor cells that are capable of self-regenerating and giving rise to different cell types. The proper assembly of the CNS into functionally relevant circuits requires that stem cells produce the right types of cells in the right number and position at the appropriate time. We suggest that the positional specification of stem cells is provided by the pattern of expression of early transcriptional regulators along the body axes. These mechanisms restrict the competence of stem cells to programming a local cellular repertoire. Conversely, we argue that the specification of different cell types in the appropriate number and sequence is independently carried out within CNS domains by subprograms that progressively change the intrinsic properties of the stem cells. Temporal changes in proliferation and differentiation of stem cells are controlled by cascades of extracellular signals and basic helix-loop-helix (bHlH) transcription factors. These regulators in turn may activate ho...
Side-Scan Sonar Imaging of Subtidal Benthic Habitats in the Mullica River–Great Bay Estuarine System**

Abstract Side-scan sonar imaging conducted in Great Bay, New Jersey, during August 2003 reveals local variations in acoustic backscatter from the seabed that can be related to small-, medium-, and large-scale bedforms. Analysis of 600-kilohertz side-scan sonar data collected at a System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) survey site of the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve shows a relationship between backscatter intensity, bathymetry, and changing seabed morphology. Side-scan sonar records obtained at the survey site in Great Bay via deployment of an autonomous underwater vehicle (Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS) provide in-depth characterization of an array of complex and multiscaled bedforms and associated benthic habitats. Bedforms documented within the swath map region by side-scan sonar imaging include constructive transverse forms, notably ripples, dunes, and sand waves. These bedforms are valuable for assessing potentially important habitats for benthic invertebrate and demers...
Beliefs, attitude and behaviour towards fresh meat revisited after the Belgian dioxin crisis

This study revisits consumer beliefs, attitude and behaviour towards fresh meat consumption in Belgium after the occurrence of the dioxin crisis of 1999. The meat dioxin scare evoked a large amount of negative press, mainly pertained to poultry meat and pork. The focus of this follow-up study is on assessing shifts and persistence in consumer perception and attitude, based on cross-sectional data obtained from a sample of 205 meat consumers. Comparison with previous research reveals reasonable shifts in meat attribute perception and image dimensions. Beef perception significantly improved on containing hormones and safety-attributes, contrary to the evolution seen for poultry and pork. Persistence of perception is revealed for meat attributes that were not directly involved in the information flow of the last years.
Resource Allocation in Streaming Environments

This paper considers resource allocation algorithms for processing streams of events on computational grids. For example, financial trading applications are executed on large computational grids that receive streams of data such as stock ticker prices, commodity prices, foreign-exchange rates and total risk exposure. The economic value of a computation depends on the time taken to execute it; an arbitrage opportunity can disappear in seconds. Given limited resources, it is not possible to process all streams without delay. The more resource available to a computation, the less time it takes to process the input, and thus the more value it generates. Therefore, the scheduling policy should be designed to optimize the net economic value of computations executed on the grid. In this paper, we propose two scheduling/resource allocation algorithms for processing streams on computational grids to optimize economic value. Both algorithms are based on market mechanisms; one uses a centralized market and the other decentralized markets. We prove bounds on performance and present measurements to show that the performances of the resource allocation systems are near-optimal and outperform load-balancing heuristics.
Analysis of peristaltic two-phase flow with application to ureteral biomechanics

Fluid flow in the ureter is sometimes accompanied by solid particles that are produced in the kidneys or result from the breakup of larger kidney stones; ureteral peristalsis is affected by the presence of these solids. Peristaltic flow is analyzed for a solitary traveling wave in an axisymmetric tube with an incompressible, Newtonian fluid in which identical, solid spherical particles are distributed. A two-phase flow model is used in conjunction with a perturbation method based on a small radius to length ratio of the wave to obtain a closed-form solution of the flow and particle velocities. The phenomenon of trapping in which closed fluid recirculation streamlines in a moving coordinate frame occurs is discussed. Peristaltic pumping is affected as particle volume fraction is increased. The pressure drop diminishes as the amplitude ratio (wave amplitude/wave radius) decreases. The pressure in the contracted part of the ureter increases as the particle volume fraction is increased. It is suggested that certain pathological and physiological manifestations on the ureter can be related to these findings. The results may also be relevant to the transport of other physiological fluids and industrial applications in which peristaltic pumping is used.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of restriction endonuclease EcoRII

Crystals of the restriction endonuclease EcoRII have been obtained by the vapor-diffusion technique in the presence of ammonium sulfate or polyethylene glycol. The best crystals were grown with ammonium sulfate as a precipitant. Crystals with dimensions of up to 0.6 x 0. 6 x 0.6 mm have been observed. The crystals diffract to about 4.0 A resolution at a cryo-temperature of 100 K using a rotating-anode X-ray source and a Rigaku R-AXIS IV imaging-plate detector. The space group has been determined to be either I23 or I2(1)3, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 160.3 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees. The crystal asymmetric unit contains two protein molecules, and self-rotation function analysis shows a pseudo-twofold symmetry relating the two monomers. Attempts to improve the resolution of crystal diffraction and to search for heavy-atom derivatives are under way.
DISTINCT AND SEPARABLE ROLES FOR HISTONE METHYLTRANSFERASE EZH2 IN NEUROGENIC ASTROCYTES

BACKGROUND: The histone methyltransferase EZH2 is overexpressed in many tumors including gliomas. EZH2 catalyzes H3K27me3, which underlies Polycomb-mediated gene repression, and EZH2-inhibitors have been identified as potential therapeutic agents. In the adult brain subventricular zone (SVZ), a specialized population of astrocytes serves as neural stem cells (NSCs), generating new neurons throughout life. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms that enable lifelong neurogenesis from SVZ NSCs may help inform therapeutic strategies for gliomas. METHODS: We studied the expression and function of EZH2 in postnatal mouse brain with genetic strategies, gene expression, and chromatin analysis. The expression of EZH2 in the human brain SVZ was also analyzed. RESULTS: In SVZ astroglia, EZH2 was distinctly required for both NSC self-renewal and neuronal lineage specification. By deleting the EZH2 target Ink4a/Arf, we were able to rescue NSC proliferation, but not neuronal differentiation. During adult neurogenesis from mouse SVZ astroglia, EZH2 directly targets Olig2, and repression of this bHLH transcription factor is required for neuronal differentiation. Genome-wide transcript and chromatin analyses also indicate that EZH2 prevents the inappropriate expression of transcription factors involved in non-SVZ neurogenesis. Analysis of human brain specimens indicated EZH2 expression in SVZ astrocytes as well as young migratory neurons. The cell-type expression and correlation with neurogenesis in the human SVZ was remarkably similar to that of the mouse, suggesting a conserved epigenetic mechanism for neurogenesis from this specialized population of astrocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding that EZH2 plays distinct and separable roles in this astroglial population provides novel insights into the complex role of Polycomb gene repression in both normal brain development and brain tumors. Our results, while counterintuitive, indicate that EZH2 is critical for both self-renewal proliferation via Ink4a/Arf repression and differentiation by repressing key developmental regulators, including Olig2, which is required for glioma cell proliferation. The development of EZH2 inhibitors for cancer chemotherapy may benefit from this new understanding of the multiple, distinct roles that EZH2 plays in neural cell differentiation. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Preclinical Experimental Therapeutics.
Coupled electromagnetic-circuit simulation of arbitrarily-shaped conducting structures using triangular meshes

The partial-element-equivalent-circuit (PEEC) approach is an effective method to convert three-dimensional on-chip multiconductor structures to circuit-level descriptions. In this paper, a triangular-mesh-based PEEC approach is described, wherein the surfaces of arbitrarily-shaped conducting structures are represented by triangular mesh tesselations. A coupled EM-circuit formulation is obtained through the separation of the scalar, vector, and ohmic potential interactions between pairs of triangular edges-based basis functions. The overall approach can be interpreted as a SPICE-free, surface-only version of PEEC method and is especially useful for on-chip signal integrity analysis of systems-on-chip layout where components with irregular shapes are common.
On ion beam-plasma wave modes and ion beam deceleration by ion-acoustic turbulence

Abstract The properties of ion beam-plasma wave modes have been utilized to diagnose the ion beam deceleration by ion-acoustic turbulence in a multidipole plasma device.
The Economics of Controlling Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution

Economics is concerned with the allocation of scarce resources, both labour and materials, in the pursuit of improving the welfare of citizens. While money is the currency used by economists to express the costs of pollution prevention activities, it is important to recognise money costs as the “opportunity costs” of expending scarce labour and materials on one purpose rather than another. For example, if a factory expends resources to prevent outdoor air pollution, those same resources typically cannot be used to produce products that meet other societal needs. This chapter illustrates how the tools of economics can assist decision makers in their efforts to prevent human cancer by controlling levels of outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Long-Term Efficacy of Nonsurgical Urinary Incontinence Treatment in Elderly Women

BACKGROUND Although urinary incontinence affects up to 35% of community-dwelling elderly women, the long-term efficacy of conservative treatment in this population is unknown. METHODS Between April 1991 and January 1994, 81 community-dwelling women over age 60 underwent nonsurgical incontinence treatment that included pelvic muscle exercises, bladder retraining, estrogen replacement, biofeedback, functional electrical stimulation, and pharmacologic therapy. Information about intercurrent medical problems, urogynecologic diagnoses, treatment recommendations, and provider-documented outcome were collected from medical records. We mailed structured questionnaires evaluating persistent incontinence, treatment efficacy, interval therapy, and quality of life to women who had last attended clinic at least one year previously. RESULTS Fifty-three of 81 (65%) women, mean age (+/- SD) 76 +/- 8 years, returned the questionnaire. The mean follow-up interval was 21 +/- 8 months. At follow-up, 43% of women reported incontinence was not a problem or mild, 33% reported moderate incontinence, and 21% reported severe incontinence. When patients compared their initial with current incontinence severity, improvement was significant (p < .01). Genuine stress incontinence was diagnosed in 18 women, detrusor overactivity in 14, and mixed incontinence in 13. Improvement did not vary consistently by incontinence diagnosis. Older patients had more severe incontinence at presentation (r = .94, p = .02) and reported less improvement (r = .97, p < .01) than younger ones. However, the overall likelihood of improvement was greatest among patients with the most severe incontinence at presentation (r = .534, p < .001). Subjects considered pelvic muscle exercises, delayed voiding, and caffeine restriction most effective in reducing incontinence severity. CONCLUSIONS Elderly women derive long-term clinical benefit from nonsurgical incontinence therapy. Younger patients and those with more severe incontinence are most likely to respond to treatment.
Tensor component distinction of magnetic non-ferroelastic domain pairs

Global tensor distinction considers whether or not a physical property tensor can distinguish among all domains that arise in a phase transition. Domain pair tensor distinction considers whether or not a property tensor can distinguish between a pair of domains. To determine how switching of a pair of domains may be accomplished requires in addition tensor component distinction, i.e. the determination of which components of a property tensor distinguish the two domains. These tensor component distinctions are necessary but not sufficient conditions for switching. Here, we consider all magnetic non-ferroelastic domain pairs and determine the tensor component distinction for each for a wide variety of physical property tensors.
A parallel formulation of interior point algorithms

In this paper we describe a scalable parallel formulation of interior point algorithms. Through our implementation on a 256-processor nCUBE 2 parallel computer, we show that our parallel formulation utilizes hundreds of processors efficiently and delivers much higher performance and speedups than reported earlier. These speedups are a result of our highly efficient parallel algorithm for solving a linear symmetric positive definite system using Cholesky factorization. We also evaluate a number of ordering algorithms for sparse matrix factorization in terms of their suitability for parallel Cholesky factorization.
Development of an Automobile Driving Posture Algorithm for Digital Human Models

Digital human models have greatly enhanced design for the automotive driving environment. The major advantage of the models today is their ability to quickly test a broad range of the population within specific design parameters. The need to create expensive prototypes and run time consuming clinics can be significantly reduced. However, while the anthropometric databases within these models are comprehensive, the ability to position the manikins in a driving posture is limited. This study collected driving postures for occupants in two vehicle packages, a passenger car and utility-type vehicle. In all instances the occupant was instructed to adjust the vehicle parameters so they were in their most comfortable position. The posture of the occupants was then compared to postural output from RAMSIS and Catia V5 HumanBuilder. The relationship between the actual and predicted postures will be used to create a comfortable driving posture algorithm based on vehicle package for the human models.
Advanced Controls for Accelerators

We present our efforts in developing adaptive, artificial intelligence-based tools specifically to address control challenges found in particle accelerator systems. We will discuss the opportunities and challenges, especially for future compact sources that will not necessarily be co-located with accelerator operators or experts. Finally, we will discuss our modeling and simulation of systems as well as the experiments we have performed thus far showing great promise.
Stability Analysis of Reacting Wakes: Flow and Density Asymmetry Effects

This paper explores the hydrodynamic stability of bluff body wakes with non-uniform mean density, and with asymmetric mean density and velocity profiles. This work is motivated by recent experimental bluff body combustor studies by Tuttle et al. [1], which investigated reacting wakes with equivalence ratio stratification, and hence asymmetry in the base flow density profiles. They showed that highly stratified cases exhibited strong, narrowband oscillations, suggestive of global hydrodynamic instability. In this paper, we present a hydrodynamic stability analysis for non-uniform density wakes that includes base flow asymmetry. The results show that increasing the degree of base density asymmetry is generally a destabilizing effect, and that increasing base velocity asymmetry tends to be stabilizing. Furthermore, we show that increasing base density asymmetry slightly decreases the absolute frequency, and that increasing the base velocity asymmetry slightly increases the absolute frequency. In addition, we show that increasing the degree of base density asymmetry distorts the most absolutely unstable hydrodynamic mode from its nominally sinuous structure. This distorted mode exhibits higher amplitude pressure and velocity oscillations near the flame with the lower density jump, than near the flame with the higher density jump. This would then be anticipated to lead to strongly non-symmetric amplitudes of flame flapping, with much stronger flame flapping on the side with lower density ratio. These predictions are shown to be consistent with the experimental data measured by Tuttle et al. [1]. These comparisons support the analytical predictions that increased base density is destabilizing, and that hydrodynamic velocity fluctuation amplitudes should be greatest at the flame with the lowest density jump.
The later Stuart Church, 1660–1714

The later Stuart Church, 1660-1714, edited by Grant Tapsell, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2012, 272 pp., £65.00/$100.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-7190-8160-6This book contains nine essays detailing the complex religious culture of the established Episcopalian Church in the British Isles between the return of Charles I and ascension of George I. Grant Tapsell provides the introduction, in which he examines the long-term political, religious and organizational framework which affected the Church of England under the Restoration Stuart dynasty from 1660 to 1714. He also identifies three themes which were particularly important to the fate of the Anglican Church during this period: the sources of authority for the established church, the relations between laity and clerics and the execution of the church's pastoral function (9). The following essays engage with one or more of these themes while focusing on a narrow topic within the history of the later Stuart established church.The collection of essays is broken up into four parts, the first of which examines ideas and their impact on the Church of England. Jacqueline Rose revisits the role of the royal supremacy and the diverse interpretations English clerics held as to the obligations that statute placed upon them. Nicolas Tyacke examines the theological driftof the Restoration Church as the battle shifted from pitting Reformed against Laudian theologians to a new battle against Latitudinarian ideas, which set the stage for the confrontation between the "High Church" and "Low Church" factions.The second section of the collection, "People", examines roles of groups within the established church. Tapsell's chapter examines the theory and practice regarding the division of lay and ecclesiastical power in the Church of England. John Spurr urges a greater attention to the laity in order to understand religious life, because previous scholarship focused too narrowly on the clergy as standard-bearers for an institution.The third part, somewhat misleadingly named "Places", engages with the ways the English Episcopal Church both influenced and was influenced by churches outside of the kingdom. Clare Jackson shows that the other Stuart kingdoms, Ireland and Scotland, also had state churches which attempted to mirror the structure and doctrines of the Anglican Church, although they encountered significant problems with secular authorities and competition with other churches. Jeremy Gregory examines the fortunes of the established church in the North American colonial settings, where it did not possess the institutional apparatus in England and had to adapt itself to the religious differences between regions or colonies. …
Clinical Experience of Distal Femoral Fractures

In most cases, distal epiphyseal fracture of the femur turns out to be an intra-articular fracture. Compounded with the knee joint contracture and other problems. it poses a difficult challenge even to today's advanced bone fracture treatment.Briefly presented herein are therapeutic experiences on 17 such fractures encountered from January 1986 through November 1989.Fifteen patients (nine males, six females: average age, 46.5 years) were studied. Bone fractures were classified in terms of Seinsheimer's classification and results evaluated with Neer's criteria.Types I through III showed good results, even with surgical treatment. However, Type IV c was accompanied by knee joint contracture both at time of injury and after surgical intervention: thus, results were poor and justified secondary surgery.