cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SOHO State of the Art Updates and Next Questions: Pathology and Pathogenesis of Nodal Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a heterogeneous and often clinically aggressive group of neoplasms derived from mature post-thymic T-lymphocytes. These neoplasms are rare and usually diagnostically challenging. Our understanding of the pathogenesis of PTCL is increasing and this improved knowledge is leading us to better molecular characterization, more objective and accurate diagnostic criteria, more effective risk assessment, and potentially better treatments. The focus of this paper is to present a brief overview of the current pathology criteria and molecular and genetic features of nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas focusing on distinct genetically and molecularly defined subgroups that are being recognized within each major nodal PTCL category. It is expected that the molecular stratification will improve the diagnosis and will provide novel therapeutic opportunities (biomarker-driven and targeted therapies) that might benefit and change the outcomes of patients with these neoplasms.
The Web We Weave

The Web We Weave The traditional model of autonomy sees patients as atomistic, and the clinician’s duty as providing information and protecting the patient from undue influence. But people are inte...
Lesions of the Anus and Perianus

Abstract Background: The anus and perianus may be affected by a variety of conditions. As providers of gynecologic health care branch out into the evaluation of anal neoplasia, familiarity with other anal and perianal lesions will be helpful if a patient with such a lesion is encountered. Objective: A brief discussion of anal anatomy and histology is provided. This review, then, discusses the more common lesions found in this area of the body. A list of less-common anal lesions is also provided. Conclusions: Familiarity with anal lesions will help gynecologic practitioners who are screening for anal neoplasia when it is encountered, and facilitate communication and appropriate referrals if necessary. (J GYNECOL SURG 31:123)
TSA: Mission Creep Meets Waste

The acronym TSA could just as well stand for "tactics to suppress accountability." It's an object lesson in the misuse of technology toward ill-defined ends.
A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of the effects of two eggs per day in moderately hypercholesterolemic and combined hyperlipidemic subjects taught the NCEP Step I diet

We investigated the effect of egg feeding in 161 hypercholesterolemic (HC) or combined hyperlipidemic (CHL) free-living subjects taught the NCEP Step I Diet.Subjects had LDL-C between 3.36 and 4.91 mmol/L (130 and 190 mg/dL). HC subjects had triglyceride concentrations or = 75th %-ile. Six weeks after instituting the Step I Diet, subjects were randomized to two eggs or egg substitute daily for 12 weeks.Mean dietary intake (9-day food records) was within NCEP guidelines and 131 subjects finished with stable weight and adherence > 80%. Placebo group lipoprotein lipids were unchanged at study end for both HC (n = 35) and CHL (n = 21) subjects. Egg-fed HC subjects (n = 44) increased LDL-C nonsignificantly, 0.07 mmol/L (3 mg/dL) (p = 0.49). Egg-fed CHL subjects (n = 31) increased LDL-C 0.31 mmol/L (12 mg/dL) (p < 0.001). HDL-C increased significantly in both HC and CHL groups, 0.10 and 0.08 mmol/L (4 and 3 mg/dL, p = 0.003 and 0.02), respectively. HC and CHL subjects did not differ by apo E...
The High Volume Return Premium and the Investor Recognition Hypothesis: International Evidence and Determinants

We examine the high volume return premium across countries as a test of the investor recognition hypothesis. Our cross-country tests are consistent with the hypothesis in that we find the magnitude of the premium is associated with market characteristics that relate to the importance of a stock's visibility, including proxies for information dissemination, investor confidence, and investor demographics. Further, we find that the high volume return premium, first documented by Gervais, Kaniel, and Mingelgrin (2001) for the United States, is a persistent phenomenon found in almost all developed equity markets and in emerging equity markets as well.
Structure and function of Escherichia coli ribosomes: II. Translational fidelity and efficiency in protein synthesis of a protein-deficient subribosomal particle

Abstract Treatment of 30 s subribosomal particles with cesium chloride yields 23 s core particles and a split protein fraction (SP30) which can be separated into basic and acidic components (SP30A, SP30B) respectively by DEAE cellulose chromatography. Reattachment of SP30B proteins to 23 s core particles yields [23, B] particles which are partially active in polypeptide synthesis, and whose activity is stimulated by SP30A proteins. Further studies described in this paper have shown the following results. (a) The [23, B] particles are partially active in polypeptide synthesis directed by natural mRNA, RNA from phage f2. (b) The [23, B] particles are partially active in the binding of formylmethionyl-tRNA directed by the triplet AUG, random poly AUG or phage f2 RNA. (c) The specific tRNA binding experiments done either with poly U-Phe-tRNA or f2 RNA-fMet-tRNA systems indicate that the stimulation by SP30A proteins is due to an increase in the number of specific binding sites, hence probably the number of active particles, in the preparation. (d) Possible increase in translation error was examined in the system with the [23, B] particles and the native 50 s particles using poly U or the poly (U-U-C) with the repeating sequence as an mRNA. No significant increase was observed compared to the system with the native 30 s particles. Thus, the deletion of the SP30A proteins from the 30 s particle does not change the translational fidelity of the particle. It is suggested that [23, B] particles can assume several different structures, some active and others inactive, and that, in the presence of the SP30A proteins, only the active form of the [23, B] particle is structurally permitted in [23, A,B] particles.
Introduction of a Coding Scheme of the Source and Target in Appropriation Moves

Several studies have shown the value of categorization schemes such as the DeSanctis and Poole (1994) typologies of appropriation moves in illuminating aspects of technology adoption and use (e.g. Poole and DeSanctis, 1992; DeSanctis, et al, 1993; Chudoba, 1999). The DeSanctis and Poole typology has served as both sensitizing categories for the recognition of appropriation moves and as a tool for organizing observed appropriation moves for interpretation and analysis (Chudoba, 1999; Miller, under review). Such analyses have provided important insight into patterns of adoption and use of technology within groups. Recent study however, has shown the value of analysis that delves deeper into the complexities of appropriation moves and illuminates aspects of appropriation that analysis of the types of appropriation moves alone does not reveal (Miller, under review). In particular, research has shown that determining the initiator of an appropriation move (the source) and the person or group towards whom the move is directed (the target) offers greater understanding of the nature of appropriation moves and reveals patterns of appropriation not apparent from analysis of the types of appropriation moves. Building on that research, this paper suggests a coding scheme that identifies and categorizes the source and target in appropriation moves. This coding scheme complements the DeSanctis and Poole (1994) appropriation move typology. When combined with the appropriation moves typology, the source-target scheme provides a ready means for organizing observations for analysis of an important aspect of group interaction and technology adoption and use.
Equity Markets, the Corporation, and Economic Development

Economic development depends today on the corporation as a form for doing business. Limited liability is a well-known characteristic of the corporation for promoting risk taking, but also important characteristics are legal personality and equity shielding (sometimes called affirmative asset portioning). At the beginning of the seventeenth century the English East India Company proved the value of the joint stock company as a device for assembling capital even without any of those three characteristics. A legal origins approach to corporate law throws less light on the role of law in promoting economic development than sometimes supposed. Not only is legal origin by definition not a policy option, but even if one were to agree on what the most important substantive legal rules were, enforcement is likely to be more important than substantive law. In any event, securities law is as important as corporate law if the object is to build an economy with widely held shareholdings. Where ownership is concentrated and where a family holds the controlling shares and especially where family members have important management positions (which is a common situation in developing countries), self-dealing resulting in expropriation of the value of minority shareholdings is all too common. Dual class shares and share pyramiding facilitates such self-dealing and are therefore undesirable.
Asymptotic behavior of stochastic wave equations with critical exponents on $\mathbb{R}^{3}$

The existence of a random attractor in H 1 (ℝ 3 ) x L 2 (ℝ 3 ) is proved for the damped semilinear stochastic wave equation defined on the entire space ℝ 3 . The nonlinearity is allowed to have a cubic growth rate which is referred to as the critical exponent. The uniform pullback estimates on the tails of solutions for large space variables are established. The pullback asymptotic compactness of the random dynamical system is proved by using these tail estimates and the energy equation method.
Representing object models as theories

Although techniques for using formal specifications have been progressing, methods for developing formal specifications themselves have improved little. To alleviate this problem, we propose a parallel refinement approach to specification acquisition where the designer uses an object-oriented specification representation while an underlying specification composition system manipulates an equivalent theory-based specification. The paper presents the key to such a system-a theory-based object model. Our theory-based object model formally defines object-oriented concepts in terms of algebraic theories and category theory operations. The theory-based object model provides the basis for the translation of the specification from a semi-formal, object-oriented representation to a formal theory-based specification suitable for input to semi-automated software synthesis systems.
Hypokalemic, metabolic alkalosis induced by high-dose ampicillin sodium

A case of hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis precipitated by high-dose intravenous ampicillin sodium is discussed. Cases of hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis attributable to ampicillin sodium have not been reported previously. There have been reports of this phenomenon associated with high doses of penicillin sodium and carbenicillin disodium. The possible mechanism of antibiotic-induced hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis is discussed. It is suggested that most cases of antibiotic-induced hypokalemia respond to oral or intravenous potassium chloride.
Comparison between optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy for turbid sample imaging

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (ORPAM) in theory provides lateral resolution equivalent to the optical diffraction limit. Scattering media, such as biological turbid media, attenuates the optical signal and also alters the diffraction-limited spot size of the focused beam. The ORPAM signal is generated only from a small voxel in scattering media with dimensions equivalent to the laser spot size after passing through scattering layers and is detected by an acoustic transducer, which is not affected by optical scattering. Thus, both ORPAM and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) reject scattered light. A multimodal optical microscopy platform that includes ORPAM and CLSM was constructed, and the lateral resolution of both modes was measured using patterned thin metal film with and without a scattering barrier. The effect of scattering media on the lateral resolution was studied using different scattering coefficients and was compared to computational results based on Monte Carlo simulations. It was found that degradation of lateral resolution due to optical scattering was not significant for either ORPAM or CLSM. The depth discrimination capability of ORPAM and CLSM was measured using microfiber embedded in a light scattering phantom material. ORPAM images demonstrated higher contrast compared to CLSM images partly due to reduced acoustic signal scattering.
Itraconazole vs. fluconazole for antifungal prophylaxis in allogeneic stem-cell transplant patients

Results from randomised, controlled trials and routine clinical experience indicate that itraconazole can be more effective than fluconazole for prevention of invasive fungal infections in allogeneic stem-cell transplant patients. The effective and safe use of prophylactic itraconazole requires an appreciation of the drug's pharmacokinetics, the optimal dosing regimen, and potential drug interactions. Because of the erratic bioavailability of oral itraconazole capsules, only the intravenous (200 mg once-daily) and oral cyclodextrin solution (200 mg twice-daily) formulations of the drug should be used. Prophylaxis should be started after the completion of pre-transplant chemotherapy in order to avoid interactions with chemotherapeutic agents. Patients unable to tolerate oral itraconazole should be given intravenous itraconazole to maintain effective prophylaxis. Post-transplant interactions between itraconazole and immunosuppressive agents or other drugs are generally not problematic, can be easily managed, and need not limit the use of itraconazole. If these guidelines are followed, Aspergillus and other invasive fungal infections can be safely prevented in allogeneic stem-cell transplant patients.
Solution structure of the KIX domain of CBP bound to the transactivation domain of CREB: a model for activator:coactivator interactions.

Abstract The nuclear factor CREB activates transcription of target genes in part through direct interactions with the KIX domain of the coactivator CBP in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The solution structure of the complex formed by the phosphorylated kinase-inducible domain (pKID) of CREB with KIX reveals that pKID undergoes a coil→helix folding transition upon binding to KIX, forming two α helices. The amphipathic helix αB of pKID interacts with a hydrophobic groove defined by helices α1 and α3 of KIX. The other pKID helix, αA, contacts a different face of the α3 helix. The phosphate group of the critical phosphoserine residue of pKID forms a hydrogen bond to the side chain of Tyr-658 of KIX. The structure provides a model for interactions between other transactivation domains and their targets.
Thermomechanical response of an Ni-Ti-Cr shape-memory alloy at low and high strain rates

The thermomechanical response of an Ni–Ti–Cr shape-memory alloy is investigated at various initial temperatures, over a wide range of strain rates, using an Instron hydraulic testing machine and one of the modified split-Hopkinson-bar systems at the Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials, University of California, San Diego. The transition stress for the stress-induced martensite formation is observed to be quite sensitive to the initial deformation temperature, but the yield stress of the resulting martensite is not. The linear transition stress–temperature relation with a slope of 8.5 MPa K−1, obtained in a quasistatic loading regime, seems to remain valid for strain rates up to 500–700 s−1. The transition stress and the yield stress of the stress-induced martensite show strain-rate sensitivity, increasing monotonically with increasing strain rate. There exists a certain critical strain rate at which the transition stress equals the yield stress of the material. This critical strain rate determines...
Urban Heat Islands: Observations, Impacts, and Adaptation

Urban heat islands are a clear, well-documented example of an anthropogenic modification to climate that has an atmospheric, biological, and economic impact. This review shows how field-based and modeling studies continue to help unravel the factors that are responsible for heat island development and are providing a basis for the development and application of sustainable adaptation strategies. As urban areas continue to expand, there is a heightened awareness that scientific knowledge of the urban heat island must be more effectively communicated to architects, engineers, and planners and translated into intelligent urban design. Green roof technology is a case in point. This and other technologies are being slowly adopted, and research published since 2003 suggests that the pace with which many practical applications are put into practice should accelerate.
The sediment-water flux of HOCs due to "diffusion" or is there a well-mixed layer? If there is, does it matter?

In most present modeling of the sediment-water flux of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs), the flux due to sediment erosion/deposition is described explicitly by means of a sediment transport model, while the remaining components of the flux (molecular diffusion, bioturbation, and groundwater flow) are lumped together and modeled as a "diffusive" flux. This diffusive flux is usually described by means of a mass transfer approximation with the implicit assumption of a well-mixed contaminant layer of thickness h in the sediments. On the basis of recent experiments and theoretical modeling, the justification for this assumption and the quantification of this diffusive flux are discussed here. In particular, for HOCs with large partition coefficients, it is argued that a well-mixed layer often may not exist, and, when it does, it is slow to form; that his difficult to define and even harder to quantify; and that, as far as long-term predictions (up to 100 years) of this diffusive flux are concerned, the exact value for h probably does not matter. What does matter are the magnitudes and time dependencies of each of the components of the flux and the interactions between the diffusive flux and the flux due to erosion/deposition.
Estimating forest structure in wetlands using multitemporal SAR

Abstract Data from 202 forest plots on the Roanoke River floodplain, North Carolina were used to assess the capabilities of multitemporal radar imagery for estimating biophysical characteristics of forested wetlands. The research was designed to determine the potential for using widely available data from the current set of satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors to study forests over broad geographic areas and complex environmental gradients. The SAR data set included 11 Radarsat scenes, 2 ERS-1 images, and 1 JERS-1 scene. Empirical analyses were stratified by flood status such that sites were compared only if they exhibited common flooding characteristics. In general, the results indicate that forest properties are more accurately estimated using data from flooded areas, probably because variations in surface conditions are minimized where there is a continuous surface of standing water. Estimations yielded root mean square errors (RMSEs) for validation data around 10 m2/ha for basal area (BA), and less than 3 m for canopy height. The r2 values generally exceeded .65 for BA, with the best predictions coming from sample sites for which both nonflooded and flooded SAR scenes were available. The addition of early spring normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from Landsat Thematic Mapper (Landsat TM) improved model predictions for BA in forests where BA levels were
Upgrading and Downgrading of Prostate Cancer from Biopsy to Radical Prostatectomy: Incidence and Predictive Factors Using the Modified Gleason Grading System and Factoring in Tertiary Grades

Abstract Background Prior studies assessing the correlation of Gleason score (GS) at needle biopsy and corresponding radical prostatectomy (RP) predated the use of the modified Gleason scoring system and did not factor in tertiary grade patterns. Objective To assess the relation of biopsy and RP grade in the largest study to date. Design, setting, and participants A total of 7643 totally embedded RP and corresponding needle biopsies (2004–2010) were analyzed according to the updated Gleason system. Interventions All patients underwent prostate biopsy prior to RP. Measurements The relation of upgrading or downgrading to patient and cancer characteristics was compared using the chi-square test, Student t test, and multivariable logistic regression. Results and limitations A total of 36.3% of cases were upgraded from a needle biopsy GS 5–6 to a higher grade at RP (11.2% with GS 6 plus tertiary). Half of the cases had matching GS 3+4=7 at biopsy and RP with an approximately equal number of cases downgraded and upgraded at RP. With biopsy GS 4+3=7, RP GS was almost equally 3+4=7 and 4+3=7. Biopsy GS 8 led to an almost equal distribution between RP GS 4+3=7, 8, and 9–10. A total of 58% of the cases had matching GS 9–10 at biopsy and RP. In multivariable analysis, increasing age ( p p p p Conclusions Almost 20% of RP cases have tertiary patterns. A needle biopsy can sample a tertiary higher Gleason pattern in the RP, which is then not recorded in the standard GS reporting, resulting in an apparent overgrading on the needle biopsy.
Cloning and structural characterization of a rabbit genomic DNA for α1 acid glycoprotein

The gene for rabbit α1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) has been isolated from a λ EMBL3 genomic DNA library. Isolated clone contains a 12 Kbp fragment of rabbit genomic DNA. Restriction endonuclease mapping has localized the gene within a 4.2 Kbp fragment spanning two EcoRI sites. Southern blot analysis of the rabbit genomic DNA and its comparison with the cloned gene indicates that there is only one gene for AGP present per genome. DNA sequence analysis of the cloned gene indicates that the entire gene, TATA box to the polyadenylation signal, is located within the 4.2 Kbp region and contains six exons representing the full-length cDNA described earlier (1). The 5′-end of α1-AGP gene sequences from rabbit, human, rat and mouse have been compared. Such analysis reveals two conserved regions located between −63 bp and −36 bp and −29 bp and −1 bp of putative transcription start site, which may play a role in transcriptional induction of this gene during acute response. In addition to this conserved domain, DNA sequence upstream of the major transcription start site contains a potential element for Sp1 binding and a 18 bp long palindrome sequence followed by a short repeating dinucleotide sequence, which may be important in the regulation of AGP gene induction.
Systems reliability and structural design

Abstract It is demonstrated that current limit state structural design standards do not explicitly account for systems reliability. An improvement is suggested, using systems factors, which accounts for the different levels of damage implied by the various limit states.
Aldehyde reactivity with 2-thiobarbituric acid and TBARS in freeze-dried beef during accelerated storage.

When lipid oxidation is evaluated in freeze-dried beef, a yellow 450-nm-absorbing pigment develops during the 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay. TBA analysis and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were applied to measure oxidative changes in salted freeze-dried beef patties (15% fat) initially during storage at 49°C. The TBA pink pigment (λmax=532 nm) was most pronounced in unstored salted freeze-dried beef, and yellow pigment (λmax=450 nm) predominated in stored samples. An in vitro study of TBA reactivity of different aldehydes, known to be secondary lipid oxidation products, showed that alkanals and alk-2-enals favored TBARS450 formation, while alka-2,4-dienals favored TBARS532. Values of TBARS450 from 95°C TBA incubation were lower than those from 25°C incubation (P<0.05), indicating that the yellow chromophore from the aldehyde–TBA complex was less thermally stable than the pink pigment. 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furfural, an aldehyde produced from Maillard reaction, also produced strong TBARS450. Propional, butanal and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF), were tentatively identified in freeze-dried beef during accelerated storage at 49°C, and have the potential to yield TBARS @450.
Development of a peptidase-resistant substrate for single-cell measurement of protein kinase B activation.

An iterative design strategy using three criteria was utilized to develop a peptidase-resistant substrate peptide for protein kinase B. Libraries of peptides possessing non-native amino acids were screened for time to 50% phosphorylation, degradation half-life within a lysate, and appearance of a dominant fragment. The lead peptide possessed a half-life of 92 ± 7 and 16 ± 2 min in HeLa and LNCaP cytosolic lysates, respectively, representing a 4.6- and 2.7-fold lifetime improvement over that of the starting peptide. The redesigned peptide possessed a 4.5-fold improvement in phosphorylation efficiency compared to the starting peptide. The same peptide fragments were formed when the lead peptide was incubated in a lysate or loaded into single cells although the fragments formed in significantly different ratios suggesting that distinct peptidases metabolized the peptide in the two preparations. The rate of peptide degradation and phosphorylation was on average 0.1 ± 0.2 zmol pg–1 s–1 and 0.04 ± 0.08 zmol pg–...
PeerCast: Churn-resilient end system multicast on heterogeneous overlay networks

The lack of wide deployment of IP multicast in the Internet has prompted researchers to propose end system multicast or application-level multicast as an alternate approach. However, end system multicast, by its very nature, suffers from several performance limitations, including, high communication overheads due to duplicate data transfers over same physical links, uneven load distribution caused by widely varying resource availabilities at nodes, and highly failure-prone nature of end-hosts. This paper presents a self-configuring, efficient and churn-resilient end-system multicast system called PeerCast. Three unique features distinguish PeerCast from existing approaches to application-level multicasting. First, with the aim of exploiting network proximity of end-system nodes for efficient multicast subscription management and fast information dissemination, we propose a novel Internet-landmark signature technique to cluster the end-hosts of the overlay network. Second, we propose a capacity aware overlay construction technique to balance the multicast workload among heterogeneous end-system nodes. Third, we develop a dynamic passive replication scheme to provide reliable end system multicast services in an inherently dynamic environment of unreliable peers. We also present a set of experiments showing the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed mechanisms and techniques.
Utilizing the central limit theorem for parallel multiple-scale image processing with neural architectures

A set of neural lattices that are based on the central limit theorem is described. Each of the described lattices, generates in parallel a set of multiple scale Gaussian smoothing of their input arrays. The recursive smoothing principle of the lattices can be extended to any dimension. In addition, the lattices can generate in real time a variety of multiple scale operators such as Canny's edge detectors, Laplacians of Gaussians, and multidimensional sine, cosine, Fourier, and Gabor transforms.
The Phylogeny of New World (Tacaribe Complex) Arenaviruses

Several New World (Tacaribe complex) arenaviruses (Arenaviridae) are known to cause severe hemorrhagic disease in humans. Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Tacaribe complex arenaviruses previously has been limited by the relative scarcity of sequence data for arenavirus genomes. In the present study, oligonucleotide primers were designed based on conserved regions of the nucleocapsid (N) protein gene and then used to amplify, by reverse transcription--polymerase chain reaction, a 613-to 649-nucleotide region of the N gene of all known Tacaribe complex arenaviruses. This has allowed completion of the first detailed genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of all known members of the Tacaribe complex. These viruses formed three lineages. Lineage A contained Flexal, Parana, Pichinde, and Tamiami viruses; lineage B contained Amapari, Guanarito (GUA), Junin (JUN), Machupo (MAC), Sabia (SAB), and Tacaribe viruses. Latino and Oliveros viruses occupied lineage C. The highly pathogenic Tacaribe complex arenaviruses (GUA, JUN, MAC, SAB) were all members of lineage B, suggesting the possibility that the highly pathogenic phenotype is the result of evolutionary radiation from a common ancestor. The approach described here provides a rapid method for characterization of novel Tacaribe complex arenaviruses and may provide clues as to their potential public health importance.
Elviz - exploration of metagenome assemblies with an interactive visualization tool.

Metagenomics, the sequencing of DNA collected from an entire microbial community, enables the study of natural microbial consortia in their native habitats. Metagenomics studies produce huge volumes of data, including both the sequences themselves and metadata describing their abundance, assembly, predicted functional characteristics and environmental parameters. The ability to explore these data visually is critically important to meaningful biological interpretation. Current genomics applications cannot effectively integrate sequence data, assembly metadata, and annotation to support both genome and community-level inquiry. Elviz (Environmental Laboratory Visualization) is an interactive web-based tool for the visual exploration of assembled metagenomes and their complex metadata. Elviz allows scientists to navigate metagenome assemblies across multiple dimensions and scales, plotting parameters such as GC content, relative abundance, phylogenetic affiliation and assembled contig length. Furthermore Elviz enables interactive exploration using real-time plot navigation, search, filters, axis selection, and the ability to drill from a whole-community profile down to individual gene annotations. Thus scientists engage in a rapid feedback loop of visual pattern identification, hypothesis generation, and hypothesis testing. Compared to the current alternative of generating a succession of static figures, Elviz can greatly accelerate the speed of metagenome analysis. Elviz can be used to explore both user-submitted datasets and numerous metagenome studies publicly available at the Joint Genome Institute (JGI). Elviz is freely available at http://genome.jgi.doe.gov/viz and runs on most current web-browsers.
Wavelength Sensitivity of Polarization Dependent Loss Measurements in Swept Laser Systems

Sensitivity of polarization-dependent loss (PDL) measurements to wavelength errors in swept-laser systems is presented. Results show wavelength error less than 2 pm is needed for accurate PDL measurements on devices with large transmission slopes.
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Evidence of Methanol Oxidation on Ruthenium Electrodes

Electrooxidation of methanol on Ru surfaces was investigated using in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Although the cyclic voltammogram did not show a significant methanol oxidation current on Ru, a Raman band at ∼1970−1992 cm-1 was observed from 0.4 to 0.8 V in 0.1 M HClO4 + 1 M methanol. By comparing with the C−O stretching band (νCO) of carbon monoxide (CO) adsorbed on RuO2(110) in the ultrahigh vacuum and on oxidized Ru electrodes, the observed spectral feature is assigned to νCO of adsorbed CO (COads) on RuO2. The formation of COads suggests that methanol oxidation does occur on Ru at room temperature, which is in contrast to the perception that Ru is not active for the reaction. The lack of significant methanol oxidation current is attributed to the competing rapid surface oxidation, which forms inactive surface oxides and therefore inhibits the methanol oxidation.
Intraocular tamponade and surface tension

Surface tension is an important property of substances used as intraocular tamponades. The physical properties of currently available intraocular tamponades (gases, silicone oil and Healon) are compared with emphasis on surface tension. The gas/water interface surface tension is the greatest and therefore is the most effective in closing retinal breaks (70 erg/cm2). This is followed by silicone oil/water interface surface tension (50 erg/cm2). Healon is a 1% solution of water and therefore has no surface tension. Practical and theoretical considerations of various tamponades are described. Some properties of an ideal tamponade are suggested.
Effects of Anticipatory Stress on Decision Making in a Gambling Task

Recent research has highlighted the fact that emotion that is intrinsic to a task benefits decision making. The authors tested the converse hypothesis, that unrelated emotion disrupts decision making. Participants played the Iowa Gambling Task, during which only experimental participants anticipated giving a public speech (A. Bechara, D. Tranel, & H. Damasio, 2000). Experimental participants who were anticipating the speech learned the contingencies of the choices more slowly, and there was a gender interaction later in the game, with stressed female participants having more explicit knowledge and more advantageous performance and stressed male participants having poorer explicit knowledge and less advantageous performance. Effects of anticipatory stress on decision making are complex and depend on both the nature of the task and the individual.
Food intake and body weight: Effects of specific and non-specific lesions in the midbrain path of the ascending noradrenergic neurons of the rat

Abstract Bilateral injections of 4.8 or 12 μg of 6-hydroxydopamine hydrobromide were made in the midbrain path of the ascending norepinephrine (NE) fibers. Maximum NE depletion was obtained with the 4 μg dose. Increasing the dose did not increase NE depletion in either the hypothalamus or the telencephalon. Increases in food intake were observed following the 12 μg dose only. Electrolytic, copper sulfate, or 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine lesions at the same site caused increases in both food intake and body weight with only moderate (−32 to −58%) decreases in NE levels. Behavioral changes were seen in only those groups in which a large amount of non-specific tissue damage was also observed. Therefore, the behavioral effects were attributed to general tissue damage in the area and not the NE fibers specifically.
An exploration of parent-child dyadic asthma management influences on quality of life

Most studies of childhood asthma management use data from a single family reporter and fail to capture the parent-child dyadic influences. In this descriptive exploratory study with 183 parent-child dyads, data were collected from both parents and children. Using structural equation modeling, the relationships of parents’ and children’s asthma knowledge, self-efficacy to manage asthma, and asthma management on the child's quality of life were examined. Direct significant relationships from knowledge to self-efficacy to asthma management were found for each member of the dyad. The associations between parents’ and children’s self-efficacy and asthma management were not statistically significant. Only the children’s self-efficacy to manage asthma was significantly associated with children’s asthma-related quality of life.
Efficacy of Various Combined Blood Purification Techniques for Treating Patients with Non-viral Acute Liver Failure

We sought to study the clinical efficacy of various combined blood purification techniques in patients with non-viral acute liver failure complicated by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). For this purpose, 19 patients diagnosed of mid- or late-stage liver failure with MODS score-4 were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups of PE+HP+CVVHDF, PE+CVVHDF, and HP+CVVHDF, respectively. Pre- and post-treatment heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), arterial blood gases (pH, PaO2, and PaCO2), hepatic function, platelet count, and blood coagulation were determined. The data show significant improvement in HR, MAP, PaO2/FiO2, total bilirubin (TBIL), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels after treatment (P < 0.05). TBIL decreased more significantly after treatment in PE+CVVHDF and PE+HP+CVVHDF groups (P < 0.01). Significant improvement in prothrombin time and albumin was observed only in PE+CVVHDF and PE+HP+CVVHDF groups (P < 0.05). The decrease of TBIL and improvement of PaO2/FiO2 ratio were more pronounced in PE+HP+CVVHDF than in HP+CVVHDF group (P < 0.05). To conclude, liver function was relatively improved by all the three combined blood purification techniques used; however, PE+HP+CVVHDF approach was found more efficient in the removal of toxic metabolites, especially bilirubin. The data suggest that the combined blood purification techniques used were effective and involved minor side effects.
Human pulp changes of iatrogenic origin

Abstract The iatrogenic changes which result from cavity preparation, and the use of medicaments and materials in restorative general dentistry have a tendency to accumulate and leave a chronic inflammation in the pulp. The practical importance of this can be appreciated only in the long run. Advocates of a material or a method often base their evaluation of success on lack of immediate pain or on the fact that the treated tooth has not broken down within a year or two. It is evident, however, that a chronic inflammation may continue for years without any clinical symptoms. Lack of symptoms is no criterion of the success of a method or material. Our patients and our society are not well served unless the dental profession considers the possibility of iatrogenic changes in all procedures and avoids the use of methods that will cause pathologic changes.
Pentagastrin promotes prolactin release in patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid.

Both calcitonin and gastrin have been found in the mammalian central nervous system, including the pituitary. Following a pentagastrin infusion in several patients with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid, we noted a coincident increase in plasma calcitonin and prolactin (PRL) levels. In order to evaluate further the influence of pentagastrin on human PRL release, a pentagastrin infusion was administered to 13 patients with active medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC), eight subjects with inactive MTC, eight family members without MTC, and ten normal subjects. Plasma mean ± SE PRL levels were significantly (P < 0.01) increased in the active MTC patients from 7.6 ± 0.5 to 12 ± 1.4 ng/ml by 15 minutes post pentagastrin. Plasma mean ± SE calcitonin levels increased in parallel with the plasma PRL levels from 0.28 ± 0.1 to a peak of 1.9 ± 0.9 ng/mL at 5 minutes post pentagastrin. A significant (P < 0.05) correlation was found between the percentage increase in plasma calcitonin concentrations and plasma PRL levels at five and ten minutes post pentagastrin stimulation in this group of active MTC patients. Significant increases in serum calcitonin levels in the other groups post pentagastrin were of lesser magnitude and were not associated with a significant increase in PRL release. This latter observation suggested that neither the stress of the infusion nor the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 nor the pentagastrin was responsible for the observed increase in plasma PRL levels in the active MTC patients. These findings suggest, but do not prove, that calcitonin is a PRL-releasing factor in humans.
Access to American Heart Association Journal Content Free to Developing Countries Through HINARI

C irculation Research is one of the more than 230 journals participating in a global theme issue on poverty and human development, conceptualized and coordinated by the Council of Science Editors (CSE).1 For our part in this initiative, we would like to highlight the participation of the five American Heart Association Journals— Circulation Research , Circulation , ATVB , Stroke , and Hypertension —in the HINARI project, the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (http://www.who.int/hinari/en/), sponsored and administered by the World Health Organization. Since its start in 2002, HINARI has provided free or low-cost online access to major medical and biomedical journals for institutions in developing countries. The types …
Preparation and properties of glutaraldehyde cross-linked whey protein-based microcapsules containing theophylline.

Whey protein-based microcapsules containing a model drug, theophylline, were prepared in organic phase, using glutaraldehyde-saturated toluene. In all cases, spherical microcapsules, ranging from <400 to 1000 μm in diameter, were obtained. Results indicated that core crystals were embedded throughout the wall matrix. In all cases, retention efficiency of theophylline was higher than 74% and was not affected by cross-linking conditions. Results of theophylline release in simulated intestinal and gastric fluids at 37°C indicated that the diffusion-governed core release was significantly affected by size of microcapsules, cross-linking conditions, and by type of dissolution medium. In all cases, core release in simulated intestinal fluid was faster than in simulated gastric fluid.
The relevance of a cognitive model of the mental lexicon to automatic word sense disambiguation: invited talk

Supervised word sense disambiguation requires training corpora that have been tagged with word senses, and these word senses typically come from a pre-existing sense inventory. Space limitations imposed by dictionary publishers have biased the field towards lists of discrete senses for an individual lexeme. Although some dictionaries use hierarchical entries to emphasize relations between senses, many do not. WordNet, which has been the default choice of NLP researchers for sense tagging because of its broad coverage and easy accibility, does not have hierarchical entries. Could the relations between senses that are captured by a hierarchy be useful to NLP systems? Concerns have also been raised about whether or not WordNet's word senses are unnecessarily fine-grained. WSD systems are obviously more successful in distinguishing coarse-grained senses than fine-grained ones (Navigli, 2006), but important information could be lost if fine-grained distinctions are ignored. Recent psycholinguistic evidence seems to indicate that closely related word senses may be represented in the mental lexicon much like a single sense, whereas distantly related senses may be represented more like discrete entities (Brown, 2008). These results suggest that, for the purposes of WSD, closely related word senses can be clustered together into a more general sense with little meaning loss. This talk will describe this psycholinguistic research and its current implications for automatic word sense disambiguation, as well as plans for future research and its possible impact.
The Phosphorylation of Bovine DNase I Asn-linked Oligosaccharides Is Dependent on Specific Lysine and Arginine Residues

Abstract The secretory glycoprotein DNase I acquires mannose 6-phosphate moieties on its Asn-linked oligosaccharides, indicating that it is a substrate for UDP-GlcNAc:lysosomal enzymeN-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (phosphotransferase) (Cacia, J., Quan, C., and Frenz, J. (1995)Glycobiology 4, 99). Phosphotransferase recognizes a conformation-dependent protein determinant that is present in lysosomal hydrolases, but absent in most secretory glycoproteins. To identify the amino acid residues of DNase I that are required for interaction with phosphotransferase, wild-type and mutant forms of bovine DNase I were expressed in COS-1 cells and the extent of oligosaccharide phosphorylation determined. Phosphorylation of DNase I oligosaccharides decreased from 12.6% to 2.3% when Lys-50, Lys-124, and Arg-27 were mutated to alanines, indicating that these residues are required for the basal level of phosphorylation. Mutation of lysines at other positions did not impair phosphorylation, demonstrating the selectivity of this process. When Arg-27 was replaced with a lysine, phosphorylation increased to 54%, showing that phosphotransferase prefers lysine residues to arginines. Mutation of Asn-74 to a lysine also increased phosphorylation to 50.3%, and the double mutant (R27K/N74K) was phosphorylated 79%, equivalent to the values obtained with lysosomal hydrolases. Interestingly, Lys-27 and Lys-74 caused selective phosphorylation of the neighboring Asn-linked oligosaccharide. Finally, mutation of Lys-117 to an alanine stimulated phosphorylation, demonstrating that some residues may be negative regulators of this process. We conclude that selected lysine and arginine residues on the surface of DNase I constitute the major elements of the phosphotransferase recognition domain present on this secretory glycoprotein.
Arrays in Sisal

Although Sisal (Streams and Iterations in a Single Assignment Language) is a general-purpose applicative language, its expected program domain is large-scale scientific applications. Since arrays are an indispensable data structure for such applications, the designers of Sisal included arrays and a robust set of array operations in the language definition. In this paper, we review and evaluate those design decisions in light of the first Sisal compilers and runtime systems for shared-memory multiprocessor systems. In general, array intensive applications written in Sisal 1.2 execute as fast as their Fortran equivalents. However, a number of design decisions have hurt expressiveness and performance. We discuss these flaws and describe how the new language definition (Sisal 2.0) corrects them.
Disparities in Life Expectancy Across US Counties Linked to County Social Factors, 2009 Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI)

In response to a National Healthy People 2020 goal to create social environments to improve health, we examined US community health status by social factors to identify opportunities for health improvement. County-level relationships between life expectancy and known social determinants of health were assessed. An ecological study of all 3,141 US counties or equivalents using 2009 Community Health Status Indicators dataset was conducted. We examined health status and social indicators across counties and correlation of average life expectancy with educational, income, and racial indicators. Life expectancy varied across US counties (median, 77 years; range, 67–81) and was negatively correlated with percentages of residents living below the federal poverty level (r = −0.65; P < 0.05), of adults aged ≥25 years without a high school diploma (r = −0.64; P < 0.05), and of African–American residents (r = −0.56; P < 0.05). By contrast, life expectancy positively correlated with percentage of White-American residents (r = 0.51; P < 0.05). Correlations persisted across counties with varying poverty and educational attainment; strongest correlations found in counties with largest percentage of residents in poverty or adults with no high school diploma. Life expectancy across US counties is moderately to strongly linked with county poverty, educational attainment, and racial composition. Counties with the longest life expectancy need further examination to identify their effective policies, resources, and investments responsible for better health.