cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Curanderismo and childhood illnesses

Abstract While classification schemes of beliefs about adult folk illnesses are found in the literature on curanderismo, scant attention has been given to folk-related childhood illnesses, such as caida de la mollera (fallen fontanel), mal aigre (evil air), mal ojo (evil eye), susto (magical fright), and tirisia (anxiety). This paper reports results of a factor analysis of beliefs held by Hispanic women that are used to (1) examine how well patterns of childhood illnesses are described by classificatory schemes of adult folk illnesses; and (2) provide a basis for the development of a classification of beliefs about childhood illnesses.
Interstitial pneumonitis from treatment with gemcitabine.

IntroductionThe use of gemcitabine may lead to numerous adverse effects ranging from mild to very severe, such as interstitial pneumonitis. The diagnosis of this complication is based on multiple l...
Light-front Schwinger model at finite temperature

We study the light-front Schwinger model at finite temperature following the recent proposal in \cite{alves}. We show that the calculations are carried out efficiently by working with the full propagator for the fermion, which also avoids subtleties that arise with light-front regularizations. We demonstrate this with the calculation of the zero temperature anomaly. We show that temperature dependent corrections to the anomaly vanish, consistent with the results from the calculations in the conventional quantization. The gauge self-energy is seen to have the expected non-analytic behavior at finite temperature, but does not quite coincide with the conventional results. However, the two structures are exactly the same on-shell. We show that temperature does not modify the bound state equations and that the fermion condensate has the same behavior at finite temperature as that obtained in the conventional quantization.
TNF-α-induced apoptosis in human naïve and memory CD8+ T cells in aged humans

Recently, human CD8+ T cells have been divided into naive, central memory (T(CM)), and two types of effector memory cells (T(EM) and T(EMRA)), which are phenotypically identified by a set of cell surface molecules. In this investigation, we have compared the relative sensitivity of these subsets to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis in young and aged humans. Our data show increased sensitivity of naive and T(CM) CD8+ T cells from aged humans to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis as compared to young subjects. Both T(EM) and T(EMRA) CD8+ T cells from young and aged subjects were relatively resistant to TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis and no significant difference was observed between young and aged subjects. Increased apoptosis of naive and T(CM) CD8+ T cells in aged humans was associated with increased activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 as compared to young subjects. There was no difference in the expression of TNFR-I or TNFR-II on any of the four subpopulations of CD8+ T cells between young and aged subjects. These data suggest that increased TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis of naive and T(CM) CD8+ T cells may play a role in the deficiency of naive and T(CM) CD8+ T cells in human aging. However, apoptosis does not appear to play a major role in increased accumulation of effector memory CD8+ T cells during human aging.
Building an Effective Staff Development Program: A Principal's Checklist

This writer pro vides a workable checklist princi pals can use to as sess building level staff development programing.
Vasopressin-Induced Antinociception: An Investigation into Its Physiological and Hormonal Basis*

Systemically administered lysine-8-vasopressin (LVP; 16-128 micrograms/kg) was found to induce a potent and dose-dependent antinociceptive effect, as measured by the tail-flick test in the rat. This effect could be seen in the absence of any significant change in general activity, indicating that it was not due to sedation or general motor debilitation. The antinociceptive effect of LVP does not appear to be mediated by endogenous opiates or other pituitary hormones, as evidenced by: 1) the lack of antagonism by the opiate receptor blocker naloxone, 2) the lack of cross-tolerance with morphine, and 3) its persistence after hypophysectomy. Des-glycinamide-LVP, a vasopressin analog with no appreciable pressor or antidiuretic action, showed no antinociceptive activity (128 micrograms/kg), and des-amino-arginine-vasopressin, a vasopressin analog with minimal pressor activity but greatly enhanced antidiuretic activity, was also relatively ineffective (128 micrograms/kg). These results suggest that the antinociceptive activity of vasopressin may be related to receptor types similar to those mediating its pressor effects. Nevertheless, the antinociceptive action of vasopressin does not appear to be secondary to its pressor activity, since phenylephrine failed to induce an antinociceptive effect at a dosage that mimicked the pressor response to vasopressin. These results are in concert with a growing body of evidence suggesting that vasopressin may be one of several nonopiate peptides that play a role in the modulation of pain sensitivity.
Environmental Effects on Redox Potentials of Viologen Groups Embedded in Electroactive Self-Assembled Monolayers.

Abstract : The electrochemical behavior of a new class of redox surfactant capable of forming electroactive, self-assembled monolayers was described. These compounds have redox moieties derived from the well known viologens, which display two distinct, reversible, one-electron couples. Their well behaved electrochemistry has lead to their use in a variety of studies ranging from electron transfer mediation to redox proteins to surface enhanced Raman studies of adsorption at electrode surfaces to the behavior of supermolecular assemblies at electrode surfaces. Our interest in understanding the influence of ionic interactions and solvation processes on redox behavior in such supermolecular assemblies lead us to synthesize several of these compounds and study their redox behavior in such assemblies using both electrochemical (cyclic voltametric, CV) and quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) techniques. In this report we describe the strong dependence of the redox potential of the viologen moiety on its exact position within the assembly (i.e. with respect to the monolayer/electrode and monolayer/solution interfaces) and expand on our previous report of the dependence of electrochemical behavior on the type of anion present within the monolayer assembly.
Effects of a prolonged-release formulation of sometribove (n-methionyl bovine somatotropin) on Jersey cows.

Abstract Milk production, feed efficiency, health, and reproduction were evaluated in 46 Jersey cows that received either 500mg of sometribove ( n -methionyl bST) in a prolonged-release formulation or an equivalent volume of excipient bi-weekly beginning at 60±3 DIM. Cows were fed a TMR for ad libitum intake and were milked twice daily. Treatment with sometribove increased 3.5% FCM production 5.3 kg/d (31.4%) over controls. Milk composition was not changed, except that milk P content averaged 51ppm higher in bST-treated cows. Net energy intake was 4.8 Mcal/d (22.9%) higher in the bST-treated cows than in the controls. General health of all cows was good throughout the study, but the cows treated with bST had more cases of mastitis than did the control cows. The bST treatment produced localized reactions at the site of injection in some cows, but these reactions did not affect milk production. Sometribove treatment had no effect on reproductive performance; 85% of the treated and 100% of the control cows calved successfully. Treatment with bST for a full lactation did not affect performance during the initial 60 d of the subsequent lactation.
The potential laboratory health hazard of 210Pb and a simple procedure for separation of 210Pb from the daughters 210Bi and 210Po.

Abstract Lead 210 (Radium D) is a naturally occurring radionuclide which is frequently used in toxicological studies due to its long half-life. The use of 210 Pb in tracer studies poses two problems. First, 210 Pb, along with its daughters 210 Bi and 210 Po, presents a significant health hazard to laboratory personnel. Second, the presence of the daughter products may interfere with the detection of 210 Pb, particularly by techniques which discriminate poorly between different radioactive emissions, e.g., autoradiography. The potential laboratory health hazards of 210 Pb and its daughters are briefly reviewed and a simple dithiozone extraction procedure which allows quantitative separation of 210 Pb from the daughters 210 Po and 210 Bi is described. The purified 210 Pb may then be utilized to reduce the health hazard from the daughter products and to construct calibration curves for the quantitation of 210 Pb in the presence of 210 Bi and 210 Po by liquid scintillation counting.
Metastatic malignant melanoma causing chiasmal syndrome

Malignant melanoma metastases to the pituitary area is described in two patients causing the presenting signs of a chiasmal syndrome. Diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy; subtotal removal of the tumor with decompression of the chiasm and optic nerves was followed by a dramatic visual improvement for the remainder of the patient's lives.
Fractionation and characterization of Whiterocks Tar sands bitumen

Tar sand samples from the Whiterocks deposit, located in the Uinta basin in Utah, were obtained from three different locations. Bitumen separation from each of these samples was accomplished by the Dean-Stark toluene extraction method and the physical and chemical properties of the resulting bitumens were determined. Further, each bitumen sample was fractionated by the modified Saturates, Aromatics, Resins, and Asphaltenes method, and the separated fractions from one of the bitumens were characterized by Fourier transform infrared transmission and specular reflectance techniques
Ferritin synthesis by splenic tumor tissue of Hodgkin's disease

Increased ferritin synthesis by Hodgkin's disease splenic tumor tissue was demonstrated by incorporation of 14C-leucine and radioautography. This suggests that elevated tumor and serum ferritin concentrations found in patients with Hodgkin's disease is derived from tumor tissue per se.
Shallow landslides triggered by consecutive rainfall events at Catanzaro strait (Calabria–Southern Italy)

This paper describes the activities conducted for the development of a thematic map of shallow landslides (and other landforms) resulting from by consecutive rainfall events during the fall-winter seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 in the Catanzaro Strait (Central Calabria, South Italy). The methodology is based on the interpretation of Google Earth high-resolution satellite images (post-event images are dated 19th March 2010), followed by processing and management of the collected data through a geographic information system.The inventory covers a wide area (692 km2) and includes 3483 shallow landslides and many other geomorphological features (zones of incipient shallow landslides and areas affected by soil erosion) related to the 2008–2010 rainfall events.The map produced may provide useful data to define shallow landslide events, develop landscape evolution models and characterise active geomorphic processes. Furthermore, the map may also be used as a basic tool to produce landslide or erosion suscept...
The rate of metabolism of cortisol in a normal human male.

INTRODUCTION ALIMITED amount of information has been published on the metabolism of cortisol in the normal human subject, using cortisol-4-C14 as tracer (1, 2). The present experiment was designed, not only to give insight into the over-all metabolism of the hormone, but to attempt to identify regions of metabolic activity through the study of turnover rates in the arterial, peripheral venous, and hepatic venous plasmas. EXPERIMENTAL As a means of tracing metabolic changes, a 420-microgram dose of cortisol-4-C14 which had been biologically synthesized from progesterone-4-C14 in our laboratory (3) was injected intravenously over a period of three minutes into a 24-year-old normal male subject weighing 71 Kg. The cortisol had a total radioactivity of 5 microcuries (μc.). Indwelling catheters had been previously placed in the hepatic vein, the femoral artery, and the antecubital vein. From these catheters, 20–ml. samples of blood were taken simultaneously at fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, one hour, two hou...
Combinatorial CVD of ZrO2 or HfO2 compositional spreads with SiO2 for high κ dielectrics

A modified low-pressure chemical vapor deposition reactor was used to create compositional spreads of MO2/SiO2 films (M = Hf or Zr) on a single Si(100) wafer. Tri(tert-butoxy)silanol and anhydrous metal nitrates of hafnium and zirconium were used to grow films at temperatures as low as 130 °C. The films were characterized by ellipsometry and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The compositional spreads of 5–54% of Hf in the HfO2/SiO2 system and 5–62% of Zr in the ZrO2/SiO2 system are proposed to result from chemistry occurring between the two precursors. A survey of possible reactions involved in the deposition is included. The dielectric constant ranged from approximately 4 in the silica-rich locations to 17 in the ZrO2-rich and HfO2-rich locations.
Bipolar Coagulation in Neurosurgery

Coagulation is an essential part of a surgical procedure, especially in neurosurgery. Beginning in the early years of this century, various techniques have been used to control bleeding at the surgical site. Over the years, these techniques have led to the invention of the bipolar coagulator and its modifications. Prevention of charring and tissue adhesion have been the goals of bipolar coagulator manufacturers all over the world; new techniques and different metallurgical compositions for the forceps have been tried to achieve these results. The NS2000, with its microprocessor-based controlled coagulative sequence, can be a good system for reducing tissue adhesion and charring under desired limits of low output power ranges provided by the system. Comparable results can also be obtained with the Malis CMC III and Synergy Malis systems with irrigation channels. These systems have the additional advantages of providing higher power outputs at lower panel settings and a maximum power output greater than that of NS2000. For neurosurgeons who need the additional option of cutting, the Malis CMC III is the recommended system.
Deterministically assembled three-dimensional silicon microstructures using elastomeric stamps

This paper reports the deterministic assembly of microscale silicon objects which are thick (>10 μm) and of arbitrary shape using the elastomeric microtipped stamps. The deterministic assembly consists of the preparation and manipulation of microscale silicon objects. This micromanufacturing strategy, influenced by the microtipped stamp based transfer printing, enables the construction of complex three-dimensional silicon structures which would be difficult or impossible to create using other methods.
Sporadic Mass Ejection in Red Supergiants

A general mechanism first proposed by Burke (1969) is applied to red supergiants for determining the spin-down rate and angular-momentum loss of rotating stars. This model relies principally on sporadic mass ejection, which is assumed to be the result of turbulent elements accelerating material in cool supergiant atmospheres. Mass is preferentially expelled in the forward direction of rotation, resulting in a rapid loss of angular momentum on time scales of 10,000 to 1 million years in the supergiant evolutionary phase. Such rotational breaking will occur if the turbulent elements have characteristic sizes a few percent of the stellar radius and rms velocities one-third the escape speed of the star. This model predicts the formation of a cool silicate disk or torus around the star because of the preferred expulsion of material near equatorial regions of the supergiant.
Orthogonal Markers for Orthogonal Factors: The Case of the Big Five

Abstract The Big Five model, originally based on studies of lexical personality descriptors, has proved useful and attracted much consensus. However, although the Big Five factors are held to be orthogonal, they are not orthogonal in previous marker sets developed for them. The author describes methods for creating relatively orthogonal marker sets for orthogonal factors and demonstrates that the Big Five can be operationalized in relatively orthogonal marker scales. The three marker sets presented are a 40-item short form of Goldberg's 100 unipolar markers (Ortho-Markers), a new set of Modular Markers built with item parcels, and a 40-item short form of these (Mini-Modular Markers [the 3M40]). The new Big Five marker sets are shown to have markedly lower interscale correlations, with no loss of validity, relative to previous marker sets with comparable numbers of items. This indicates that the nonorthogonality of previous Big Five marker scales is less a property of the Big Five model than an unintended outcome of commonly used scale construction procedures.
Nanopillars array for surface enhanced Raman scattering

The authors present a new class of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates based on lithographically-defined two-dimensional rectangular array of nanopillars. Two types of nanopillars within this class are discussed: vertical pillars and tapered pillars. For the vertical pillars, the gap between each pair of nanopillars is small enough (< 50 nm) such that highly confined plasmonic cavity resonances are supported between the pillars when light is incident upon them, and the anti-nodes of these resonances act as three-dimensional hotspots for SERS. For the tapered pillars, SERS enhancement arises from the nanofocusing effect due to the sharp tip on top. SERS experiments were carried out on these substrates using various concentrations of 1,2 bis-(4-pyridyl)-ethylene (BPE), benzenethiol (BT) monolayer and toluene vapor. The results show that SERS enhancement factor of over 0.5 x 10{sup 9} can be achieved, and BPE can be detected down to femto-molar concentration level. The results also show promising potential for the use of these substrates in environmental monitoring of gases and vapors such as volatile organic compounds.
Recent Changes in Taxonomy and Disease Manifestations of the Rapidly Growing Mycobacteria

Rapidly growing mycobacteria are a complex group of environmental organisms that cause human disease. Eight taxonomic groups of pathogens are recognized of which three, theMycobacterium chelonae-like organism (MCLO) and the twoMycobacterium fortuitum third biovariant groups, have yet to receive names pending DNA-DNA homology studies. Clinical disease due to all eight taxons usually consists of skin or soft tissue infections following trauma. Nosocomial disease has become increasingly important, pseudoepidemics associated with contaminated automated endoscopic washing machines being the most recently described manifestation. The development of DNA fingerprinting technology, especially pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, has improved the possibilities of studying the epidemiology of these infections. Pulmonary disease, primarily due toMycobacterium abscessus, and disseminated cutaneous disease due toMycobacterium chelonae, have recently been characterized. Imipenem and the newer macrolide clarithromycin represent important new therapeutic agents active against these species. Other important therapeutic agents include amikacin and the newer quinolones, which have variable degrees of susceptibility within different taxonomic groups, necessitating susceptibility testing.
Earlier Diagnosis of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: Importance of Family History and Implications for Cardiovascular and Renal Complications

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common and serious cause of hereditary renal disease. The emerging possibilities to intervene early in the disease course elevate the importance of both accurate and early diagnosis of ADPKD. Family history analysis is a simple and inexpensive approach to identifying individuals at risk for ADPKD. We hypothesized that advances in knowledge of and potential interventions for ADPKD have led to increased use of family history screening. Methods: We distributed surveys to 1,527 subjects from our ADPKD research database to determine the extent to which examination of family history was used to diagnose ADPKD, by birth cohort. Results: Six hundred thirty-seven subjects with ADPKD (42%) completed and returned surveys. Family history analysis led to the initial ADPKD diagnosis in 49% of all subjects overall. In the birth-cohort analysis, ADPKD was more likely to have been diagnosed in individuals born between 1951 and 1974 because of family history (55% versus 38%; P P Conclusion: In a large cohort of subjects with ADPKD, we found increased use of family history analysis as a tool for diagnosing ADPKD and earlier age of diagnosis in the more recent birth cohort. This trend may reflect increased overall awareness of ADPKD by physicians, as well as encouraging hypertension and proteinuria treatment outcome data that may depend on intervening early in the course of disease.
Developmental changes in the hypoxic ventilatory response in C57BL/6 mice.

Abstract C57BL/6 mice are the strain into which most null mutations for neurotransmitters or their receptors are backcrossed. A number of these transgenic mice have recently been shown to have an abnormal respiratory phenotype; however, the postnatal development of the ventilatory response to hypoxia has not been characterized in C57BL/6 mice. The effect of 8% oxygen for 5 min was examined in mice at five periods from P1 to P30 using a body plyethysmograph. Neonatal and juvenile animals from P7 to P30 showed a biphasic pattern in hypoxia in which the increase in minute ventilation achieved in the first min declined towards baseline by the fifth minute and was decreased below baseline in the first minute of return to air breathing. In contrast P1–P3 C57BL/6 mice had a sustained increase in both respiratory frequency and tidal volume and their minute volume remained above baseline on return to air. The decline in oxygen consumption, measured in the fifth minute of hypoxia, was not different in P1–P3 mice compared to P8–P10. These results suggest that the earliest response to hypoxia of the respiratory system in this strain is not characterized by a time dependent depression as seen in older animals and in species whose motor systems are relatively more developed at birth.
Internal Service Quality in Purchasing: An Empirical Study

Many organizations consider the implementation of total quality management a requirement to maintain a competitive advantage. In addition to the existing research that addresses general principles of total quality management, an emerging body of literature has attempted to define internal service quality. However, little research to date has empirically examined internal service quality among departments. The purpose of this study was to explore internal service quality from the purchasing department's point of view. The results indicated that (1) internal service quality initiatives could be adopted to a greater extent within U.S. organizations, (2) purchasing considered communication with their internal customers to be less effective with their internal customers than with their internal suppliers, (3) while supplier management activities are viewed as necessary for the overall improvement of service and product quality, relatively few of these activities have been actively implemented, and (4) although purchasing managers viewed themselves as providing good, to very good, service quality to their internal customers, they were critical of their internal suppliers.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON THE ETIOLOGY OF TYPHUS FEVER : VI. SKIN LESIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL TYPHUS FEVER OF GUINEA PIGS.

The skin of guinea pigs in which the virus of typhus fever is propagated, when mildly irritated in advance of the febrile reaction, shows a characteristic exanthem during the height of the experimental disease. More drastic methods of irritation, however, cause a dermatitis which obscures the rash but produce in the corium more marked specific histopathological changes. The exanthem may aid the study of the specific incitant of typhus fever in the lesions.
Resonant ion-dip infrared spectroscopy of benzene–(water)n–(methanol)m clusters with n+m=4, 5

Abstract Resonant two-photon ionization and resonant ion-dip infrared (RIDIR) spectra of benzene–(water) n –(methanol) m clusters (hereafter shortened to BW n M m ) have been recorded for a total of seven clusters with n + m =4 and 5. The infrared spectra in the OH and CH stretch regions show absorptions characteristic of H-bonded W n M m clusters which are bound to benzene by a π H-bond involving a dangling OH on the W n M m sub-unit. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations identify a number of conformational isomers in the n + m =4 series which meet the general criteria imposed by the experimental spectra. The structures, binding energies, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and infrared intensities for these isomers have been calculated for comparison with experiment. Based on the calculations, tentative assignments of several of the observed species are given. The calculations uncover the fact that complexation of benzene to the cyclic water tetramer imposes much the same perturbations on the cycle as substitution of methanol for water. In particular, the single-donor OH stretch spectra of W n M m and BW n +1 M m −1 are calculated to be virtually identical to one another. The comparison of experiment and theory for this series of cyclic structures is used to assess the strengths and limitations of the calculations at the DFT Becke3LYP/6-31+G * level of theory.
Facial nerve outcomes after middle fossa decompression for Bell's palsy.

ObjectiveEvaluate the long-term outcomes of facial nerve decompression via the middle fossa approach for Bell’s palsy patients with poor prognosis based on clinical and electrodiagnostic testing.Study DesignRetrospective case series.SettingTertiary-care, academic medical center.PatientsFourteen pati
Speech Accommodations to Dementia

This study investigated whether spouses would adopt a specialized speech register when communicating with adults with probable Alzheimer's disease. A picture description task was used so that the effectiveness of such speech accommodations could be assessed. The AD subjects did not vary the syntactic complexity, semantic complexity, or content of their descriptions when they were describing individual pictures versus directing their spouse to choose one of four pictures in a barrier task. The spouses' picture descriptions were more complex syntactically and semantically than the AD subjects' and included more highly salient elements. The spouses also varied the complexity and content of their descriptions, reducing syntactic and semantic complexity and increasing references to highly salient picture elements during the barrier task. These accommodations appeared to facilitate the AD subjects' performance on the picture description task.
Enteral Absorption of Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (rhG-CSF) in G-CSF-Receptor Deficient (-/-) and Wild-Type (WT) Mice

Enteral Absorption of Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (rhG-CSF) in G-CSF-Receptor Deficient (-/-) and Wild-Type (WT) Mice
Prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors in the defensive secretion of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae)

Abstract The defensive secretion of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) contains two aromatic hydroxy ketones which inhibit the conversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandin E 2 by prostaglandin synthetases of both mammalian and insect origin. Gas chromatographic analyses of secretions from individual beetles indicated that the major ketone component, 2′-hydroxy-4′-methoxypropiophenone occurs at 1–10 μg per beetle levels, and that the minor ketone component, 2′-hydroxy-4′-methoxyacetophenone (paeonol) occurs at 0.1–1 μg per beetle levels. To our knowledge this is the first report of exogenously released prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors derived from animal sources.
A randomized controlled trial to assess decay in acquired knowledge among paramedics completing a pediatric resuscitation course.

Background: Critical pediatric illness or injury occurs infrequently in out-of-hospital settings, making it difficult for paramedics to maintain phys- ical assessment, treatment, and procedure skills. Ob- jectives: To document the ability of paramedics to re- tain clinical knowledge over a one-year interval after completing a pediatric resuscitation course and to de- termine whether clinical experience or retesting im- proves retention. Methods: This was a randomized controlled study assessing retention of knowledge in pediatric resuscitation soon after, six months after, and 12 months following completion of a pediatric ad- vanced life support course. Forty-three paramedics participated in pre- and post-pediatric resuscitation course testing and were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Group 1 received a knowledge exami- nation (KE) and mock resuscitation scenarios (MR)
Molecular modeling studies of the binding modes of aldose reductase inhibitors at the active site of human aldose reductase

Abstract Molecular modeling studies using the CHARMM method have been conducted to study the binding modes of aldose reductase inhibitors at the active site of aldose reductase. The energy minimized structures of aldose reductase with six structurally diverse inhibitors (spirofluorene-9,5′-imidazolidine-2′,4′-dione ( 1 ), 9-fluoreneacetic acid ( 2 ), AL1576 ( 3 ), 2,7-difluoro-9-fluoreneacetic acid ( 4 ), FK366 ( 5 ), and Epalrestat ( 9 )) indicate that the side chains of Tyr48, His110, and Trp111 can form numerous hydrogen bonds with either the carboxylate or the hydantoin group of the inhibitors while the side chains of Trp20, Trp111, and Phe122 are positioned to form aromatic–aromatic interactions. Of the three residues (Tyr 48, His 110, and Trp 111) that can form hydrogen bonds with the ionized portion of aldose reductase inhibitors, protonated His110 appears to play an important role in directing charged inhibitors to bind at the active site through charge interaction. Based on the binding mode of the inhibitors and their observed inhibitory activities, pharmacophore requirements for aldose reductase inhibitors are discussed.
SPICE-Compatible Cavity and Transmission Line Model for Power Bus with Narrow Slots

Segmental lumped circuits are derived from coupled transmission line model for a narrow slot on the power bus. Both electric and magnetic coupling are taken into account by distributed inductances and capacitances. Then a SPICE- compatible circuit model for the power bus with the narrow slot is proposed. In this model, the segmental lumped circuits are connected to the equivalent circuit, which is derived by a hybrid cavity model and segmentation method for irregular power/ground planes. The model is validated by comparing with the calculations of finite element method (FEM) for the self or mutual impedances of the two port networks located in the power bus.
STAT2 acts as a host range determinant for species-specific paramyxovirus interferon antagonism and simian virus 5 replication

The antiviral state induced by alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) is a powerful selective pressure for virus evolution of evasive strategies. The paramyxoviruses simian virus 5 (SV5) and human parainfluenza virus 2 (HPIV2) overcome IFN-α/β responses through the actions of their V proteins, which induce proteasomal degradation of cellular IFN-α/β-activated signal transducers and activators of transcription STAT1 and STAT2. SV5 infection induces STAT1 degradation and IFN-α/β inhibition efficiently in human cells but not in mouse cells, effectively restricting SV5 host range. Here, the cellular basis for this species specificity is demonstrated to result from differences between human and murine STAT2. Expression in mouse cells of full-length or truncated human STAT2 cDNA is sufficient to permit antagonism of endogenous murine IFN-α/β signaling by SV5 and HPIV2 V proteins. Furthermore, virus-induced STAT protein degradation is observed in mouse cells only in the presence of ectopically expressed human STAT2. The results indicate that STAT2 acts as an intracellular determinant of paramyxovirus host range restriction, which contributes to the species specificity of virus replication, and that human STAT2 can confer a growth advantage for SV5 in the murine host.
Effects of Social Disruption on Physical Parameters, Corticosterone Concentrations, and Immune System in Two Genetic Lines of White Leghorn Layers

Farm management practices such as increasing group size and mixing of unfamiliar chickens may cause social disruption and affect bird well-being. To examine genetic-associated physical and physiological differences in response to social disruption, 2 strains of White Leghorn hens were used in the study [i.e., HGPS (line selected for high group production and survivability) and DXL (DeKalb XL commercial line)]. Social disruption was created when hens were 50 wk of age by increasing group size from 4 hens (control) to 8 hens (experimental) per cage and providing an unstable social environment by moving 2 hens weekly between cages within the same line (experimental hens only). At 58 wk of age, hens were feather-scored. After euthanization, BW and the right adrenal gland weight were collected (n = 10 per treatment). Adrenal gland weight was adjusted for BW, and adjusted adrenal weight was used for analysis. Plasma corticosterone was quantified using RIA. The T-lymphocytes (CD4+ and CD8+) were measured using flow cytometry. Results showed that average feather cover score was greater for DXL hens than HGPS hens in both the unstressed (P P < 0.10). Plasma corticosterone was significantly lower in both strains following social disruption (P < 0.01). The T-lymphocyte ratio (CD4+:CD8+) was greater in HGPS hens than DXL hens post social disruption (P < 0.05). The data indicate that the 2 strains of hens reacted differently in terms of the adrenal system and immunity in response to social disruption. Hens selected for longevity with docile behaviors and high productivity, such as HGPS hens, provide a useful tool for improving animal well-being.
The latent structure of child depression: a taxometric analysis.

Background: The current study examined the categorical versus continuous nature of child and adolescent depression among three samples of children and adolescents ranging from 5 to 19 years. Methods: Depression was measured using the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Indicators derived from the CDI were based on factor analytic research on the CDI and included indices of: 1) social withdrawal, 2) anhedonia, 3) incompetence/maladjustment and 4) negative self-esteem. Results: Taxometric procedures provided convergent support for the existence of a latent taxon across three independent samples. Internal and external consistency tests as well as Monte Carlo simulations supported the validity of the results. Conclusions: Multiple nonredundant procedures and samples were all consistently indicative of taxonicity in child depression.
Social Projection and Social Conformity in Adolescent Alcohol Use: A Longitudinal Analysis

This longitudinal investigation disentangles social projection from social conformity as mechanisms underlying the false consensus effect. Adolescent alcohol use was the context for the study. Self-reports of own alcohol consumption and estimates of the prevalence of peer use of alcohol were collected at two time points separated by approximately 1 year. Results indicated that conformity as well as social projection occurred in the sample of 378 seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls. With respect to conformity, regression analysis revealed that prevalence estimates at Time 1 predicted level of own use of alcohol at Time 2, after controlling for own use at Time 1. Similar results were obtained when onset of d7inking was the critical measure. Social projection was demonstrated by the finding that level of own alcohol use at Time 1 predicted prevalence estimates at Time 2, after controlling for estimates at Time 1. Implications for research on the false consensus effect are discussed.
Behavioral Training With and Without Biofeedback in the Treatment of Urge Incontinence in Older Women A Randomized Controlled Trial

ContextPrevious research on urge urinary incontinence has demonstrated that multicomponent behavioral training with biofeedback is safe and effective, yet it has not been established whether biofeedback is an essential component that heightens therapeutic efficacy.ObjectiveTo examine the role of biofeedback in a multicomponent behavioral training program for urge incontinence in community-dwelling older women.DesignProspective, randomized controlled trial conducted from April 1, 1995, to March 30, 2001.SettingUniversity-based outpatient continence clinic in the United States.PatientsA volunteer sample of 222 ambulatory, nondemented, community-dwelling women aged 55 to 92 years with urge incontinence or mixed incontinence with urge as the predominant pattern. Patients were stratified by race, type of incontinence (urge only vs mixed), and severity (frequency of accidents).InterventionsPatients were randomly assigned to receive 8 weeks (4 visits) of biofeedback-assisted behavioral training (n = 73), 8 weeks (4 visits) of behavioral training without biofeedback (verbal feedback based on vaginal palpation; n = 74), or 8 weeks of self-administered behavioral treatment using a self-help booklet (control condition; n = 75).Main Outcome MeasuresReduction in the number of incontinence episodes as documented in bladder diaries, patients' perceptions and satisfaction, and changes in quality of life.ResultsIntention-to-treat analysis showed that behavioral training with biofeedback yielded a mean 63.1% reduction (SD, 42.7%) in incontinence, verbal feedback a mean 69.4% reduction (SD, 32.7%), and the self-help booklet a mean 58.6% reduction (SD, 38.8%). The 3 groups were not significantly different from each other (P = .23). The groups differed significantly regarding patient satisfaction: 75.0% of the biofeedback group, 85.5% of the verbal feedback group, and 55.7% of the self-help booklet group reported being completely satisfied with treatment (P = .001). Significant improvements were seen across all 3 groups on 3 quality-of-life instruments, with no significant between-group differences.ConclusionsBiofeedback to teach pelvic floor muscle control, verbal feedback based on vaginal palpation, and a self-help booklet in a first-line behavioral training program all achieved comparable improvements in urge incontinence in community-dwelling older women. Patients' perceptions of treatment were significantly better for the 2 behavioral training interventions.
THE METHANOL.HCL COMPLEX : STRUCTURE AND METHYL GROUP INTERNAL ROTATION BARRIER

Abstract The rotational spectra of the methanol·HCl complex and several of its isotopomers were reinvestigated by Fourier transform-microwave spectroscopy. An ambiguity in the assignment of the ground state rotational spectrum was clarified. New E state transitions were measured and fit to determine the potential barrier that hinders the methyl group internal rotation for all species. A dramatic reduction in this torsional barrier height was determined using the conventional internal rotation Hamiltonian (from 373 cm −1 in bare methanol to about 74 cm −1 in methanol·HCl). This apparent barrier reduction arises from neglect of the large amplitude hydroxyl hydrogen wagging motion (or its hindered internal rotation) relative to HCl. Assuming that the methyl group torsional barrier does not change upon complexation, an estimate for the hydroxyl torsional barrier of 155(5) cm −1 was obtained. The rotational constants obtained for various isotopomers of the complex as well as the Cl quadrupole hyperfine coupling constants were used to obtain an improved structure for the complex.
Mining longitudinal web queries: trends and patterns

This project analyzed 541,920 user queries submitted to and executed in an academic Website during a four-year period (May 1997 to May 2001) using a relational data-base. The purpose of the study is three-fold: (1) to understand Web users' query behavior; (2) to identify problems encountered by these Web users; (3) to develop appropriate techniques for optimization of query analysis and mining. The linguistic analyses focus on query structures, lexicon, and word associations using statistical measures such as Zipf distribution and mutual information. A data model with finest granularity is used for data storage and iterative analyses. Patterns and trends of querying behavior are identified and compared with previous studies.
A Review of: “The Medical Library Association Essential Guide to Becoming an Expert Searcher: Proven Techniques, Strategies, and Tips for Finding Health Information. Jankowski, Terry Ann.”

How do searchers become experts in their fields? Terry Jankowski takes readers through the various tips and techniques that will allow you to grow as a searcher in this slim but informative book th...
Avian cholera in waterfowl: the role of lesser snow and ross's geese as disease carriers in the Playa Lakes Region.

We collected samples from apparently healthy geese in the Playa Lakes Region (USA) during the winters of 2000–01 and 2001–02 to determine whether carriers of Pasteurella multocida, the bacterium that causes avian cholera, were present in wild populations. With the use of methods developed in laboratory challenge trials (Samuel et al., 2003a) and a serotype-specific polymerase chain reaction method for identification of P. multocida serotype 1, we found that a small proportion of 322 wild birds (<5%) were carriers of pathogenic P. multocida. On the basis of serology, an additional group of these birds (<10%) were survivors of recent avian cholera infection. Our results confirm the hypothesis that wild waterfowl are carriers of avian cholera and add support for the hypothesis that wild birds are a reservoir for this disease. In concert with other research, this work indicates that enzootic infection with avian cholera occurs in lesser snow goose (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) populations throughout their ...
Precise range-ordering for dominant paths through interconnection networks

A new algorithm based upon the superposition principle and a novel decomposition technique for an interconnection network are developed and computer-coded. It determines the precise rank-ordering of all input-to-output transmission paths. The rank-ordering reveals the dominant paths and quantifies the relative importance of each path. >
Russian Organic Chemistry Matures: Emergence of a Russian-Trained Professoriate in Organic Chemistry

The rise of the schools of organic chemistry at Kazan’ and St. Petersburg proceeded apace during what may be considered the zenith of the science in Russia, the period between 1855 and 1890. The early part of this period is associated with Butlerov at Kazan’, and with Zinin and Borodin at St. Petersburg. However, in the ensuing decades, the students of these chemists made important contributions that made organic chemistry in Russia the equal of, or superior to that being carried out in the western world.
Semi-supervised clustering with limited background knowledge

In many machine learning domains, there is a large supply of unlabeled data but limited labeled data, which can be expensive to generate. Consequently, semi-supervised learning, learning from a combination of both labeled and unlabeled data, has become a topic of significant recent interest. Our research focus is on semi-supervised clustering, which uses a small amount of supervised data in the form of class labels or pairwise constraints on some examples to aid unsupervised clustering. Semi-supervised clustering can be either constraint-based, i.e., changes are made to the clustering objective to satisfy user-specified labels/constraints, or metricbased, i.e., the clustering distortion measure is trained to satisfy the given labels/constraints. Our main goal in this thesis is to study constraint-based semi-supervised clustering algorithms, integrate them with metric-based approaches, characterize some of their properties and empirically validate our algorithms on different domains, e.g., text processing and bioinformatics.
Towards the fault tolerant software: fuzzy extension of crisp equivalence voters

Redundancy, on which fault tolerance is based, can be achieved through hardware, software, information and time. With respect to different version outputs from redundant software versions, voting strategies are separated into two classes. Voting strategies are either based on output classification, partitioning of the outputs, or on convergence functions. The traditional equivalence relation does not enable gradual comparisons below the fixed threshold. Fuzzy extension of classical numerical equivalence relation, proposed in the paper, overcomes those potential problems. Test examples are graphically illustrated.
Optimizing NUCA Organizations and Wiring Alternatives for Large Caches with CACTI 6.0

A significant part of future microprocessor real estate will be dedicated to L2 or L3 caches. These on-chip caches will heavily impact processor perfor- mance, power dissipation, and thermal management strategies. There are a number of interconnect design considerations that influence power/performance/area characteristics of large caches, such as wire mod- els (width/spacing/repeaters), signaling strategy (RC/differential/transmission), router design, etc. Yet, to date, there exists no analytical tool that takes all of these parameters into account to carry out a design space exploration for large caches and estimate an optimal organization. In this work, we implement two major extensions to the CACTI cache modeling tool that focus on interconnect design for a large cache. First, we add the ability to model different types of wires, such as RC-based wires with different power/delay characteristics and differential low-swing buses. Second, we add the ability to model Non-uniform Cache Access (NUCA). We not only adopt state-of-the-art design space exploration strategies for NUCA, we also enhance this exploration by considering on-chip network contention and a wider spectrum of wiring and routing choices. We present a validation analysis of the new tool (to be released as CACTI 6.0) and present a case study to showcase how the tool can improve architecture research methodologies. Keywords: cache models, non-uniform cache archi- tectures (NUCA), memory hierarchies, on-chip intercon- nects.
SIMS Studies in Compound Semiconductors

In recent years, the SIMS technique has approached significantly closer to the desired role as a universal microanalytical technique with part-per-million sensitivity. Initial successes with boron and other p-dopants in silicon demonstrated the analytical power of the technique for depth profiling of dopant distributions in semiconductors. With the introduction of the cesium ion source [1,2], electronegative elements became accessible to analysis. Recent work has been directed towards extending the applicability of the technique to those elemental species which are neither strongly electronegative or electropositive and exploiting the capability of the technique to perform multi-element analysis in a given material. This paper will review recent progress in two such areas involving III-V compound semiconductors: analysis of nitrogen in gallium arsenide and gallium arsenide phosphide and studies of the redistribution of both the implanted dopant and the bulk compensating dopant during annealing of Be+ ion-implanted, Fe-doped indium phosphide.