cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proteoglycans in the human sclera. Evidence for the presence of aggrecan.

PURPOSE: The proteoglycans synthesized and accumulated within the adult human sclera (aged 50 to 80 years) were identified by their size, glycosaminoglycan side chains, and core proteins in an effort to characterize the proteoglycan content of the human sclera. METHODS: Sclerae, unlabeled, or radiolabeled in organ culture with 35SO4 or 3H-proline, were extracted in 4M guanidine-HCl and separated by Sepharose CL-2B and Superose 6 forced-pressure liquid chromatography. Peak fractions, identified by glycosaminoglycan content or radioactivity, were pooled and subjected to G-50 chromatography or sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis before and after digestion with specific glycosidases. Scleral proteoglycan core proteins were identified in Western blot analysis using specific antisera to decorin, biglycan, and aggrecan. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses were carried out on human scleral fibroblast RNA to confirm the transcription of one scleral proteoglycan. Proteoglycans were localized on sections of scleral tissue using specific antisera. RESULTS: After chromatography on CL-2B, scleral proteoglycans could be resolved into three major peaks, PG-1, PG-2, and PG-3. The largest scleral proteoglycan, PG-1, contained chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate glycosaminoglycan side chains. Results of Western blot analyses indicated that the core protein of PG-1 is the aggrecan core protein, migrating at approximately 350 kDa. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses confirmed that human scleral fibroblasts transcribe aggrecan in vitro and in vivo. PG-2 and PG-3 were identified as biglycan and decorin in Western blot analyses using antibiglycan and antidecorin antibodies, respectively. Immunostaining results indicated that aggrecan, biglycan, and decorin are distributed throughout the thickness of the human sclera. CONCLUSIONS: The adult human sclera contains three major proteoglycans; aggrecan, biglycan, and decorin. It is likely that these proteoglycans contribute to the structural properties of the sclera and that the ratios of these proteoglycans will change with age, specific region, and condition of the sclera.
Post-Diagnosis Neurological Care for Patients with Psychogenic Nonepileptic Spells (PNES) (S21.005)

Objective: This study investigated continuity of neurological care for patients discharged from the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) with a PNES diagnosis. Background: PNES, seizure-like episodes that cannot be explained by abnormal electrical brain activity, is challenging for patients to understand and accept. Consequently patients diagnosed with PNES commonly fail to start psychiatric therapy as recommended, and instead pursue unwarranted neurological and medical care. As consistent relationships with healthcare providers may help, we instituted standard follow-up for patients diagnosed with PNES. Design/Methods: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of adults diagnosed with PNES in our EMU. In November 2013, we began routine scheduling of post-discharge follow-up neurology appointments. We compared a pre-intervention (November 2010–October 2013) and post-intervention cohort (November 2013–May 2016) with regard to clinic attendance, understanding the diagnosis, compliance with recommendations, and event frequency. Results: We identified 55 patients in the pre-intervention cohort and 123 patients in the post-intervention cohort. We successfully implemented the intended practice changes; more patients had follow-up scheduled by discharge (pre-intervention 2% vs. post-intervention 36%, p Conclusions: Scheduling follow-up for patients diagnosed with PNES did not facilitate ongoing patient-provider relationships due to poor clinic attendance. As follow-up is unreliable, efforts should focus on encouraging acceptance of diagnosis and treatment initiation prior to EMU discharge. Disclosure: Dr. Hill has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schwartz has nothing to disclose. Dr. Davis has received personal compensation for activities with Guidepoint Global, GLG Consulting, Schlesinger Associates, and Lundbeck as a consultant. Dr. Litt has received personal compensation for activities with NeuroVista as a consultant and member of the scientific advisory board. Dr. Litt has received compensation for serving on the board of directors of MC10. Dr. Litt has received license fee payments the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Litt holds tock and/or stock options in NeuroPace, which sponsored research in which Dr. Litt was involved as an investigator.
Examining Arts Education Policy Development through Policy Frameworks.

ABSTRACTWhile policy formation frameworks are commonly used to understand public policy developments, scholars rarely have used them to reflect on arts education policies. Such analysis is importan...
Leaf cuticles as mediators of environmental influences New developments in the use of isolated cuticles

Isolated leaf cuticles have been used in our research to characterize trans-cuticular ion diffusion rates under various environmental treatments and to measure cuticular attenuation of solar radiation. These studies have been conducted to understand better the role of the leaf cuticle as a protective barrier against potential environmental stressors including acid rain, ozone and ultraviolet radiation. These studies provide examples of a variety of current research uses for isolated leaf cuticles.
Museums and Institutions, Role of

Natural history museums and related institutions are devoted to the exploration and study of the biological world, and through these efforts provide, with their vast collections, the primary record of life's history and diversity. Thus, their work is critical to our understanding of the richness of life and the magnitude of the impacts resulting from human activity and industrialization. The degree to which museums and like institutions are successful in their important mission of scientific research and education in the coming years will be pivotal in determining how effectively we deal with the great environmental challenges of the twenty-first century.
Stochastic Programming Models for Managing Product Variety

In the last decade, there has been an increasing emphasis on producing specialized products for different segments in the market as a means for providing better service to customers. Manufacturers have been adopting strategies including (but not limited to) (i) integration of marketing, manufacturing and distribution activities within the supply chain (see Cohen and Lee 1988 and Lee and Billington 1993), (ii) accurate response to changes in market needs (see Fisher et al. 1994), (iii) flexibility in manufacturing process using concepts such as delayed differentiation (see Lee 1996 and Lee and Tang 1998), (iv) incorporation of commonality at the product design stage (see Hayes, Wheel-right and Clark 1988 and Ulrich and Eppinger 1995), (v) adoption of flexible manufacturing technologies and (vi) implementation of just-in-time practices such as set-up reduction (see Hall 1983), in order to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction. Kekre and Srinivasan (1990) suggest that such strategies may mitigate any possible adverse effect of product proliferation.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy: Evidence for Limbic Network Disruption via Chronic Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus and Hippocampus Stimulation

Epilepsy is a chronic seizure condition affecting 50 million people worldwide, with 20 % refractory to medical therapy. Some of these patients are poor candidates for surgical resection of an epileptogenic focus. Since the 1980s, variably successful attempts to disrupt or prevent refractory seizures using DBS have capitalized on predictable limbic cortical–subcortical pathways of seizure propagation. Two “nodes” in this circuit have been recently targeted with high-frequency electrical stimulation in order to halt seizure activity: the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT) and the hippocampus. In 2010 the anticipated results of the first multi-center, double-blind trial of DBS for epilepsy, the SANTE trial, reported a 29 % greater reduction in seizure frequency compared to controls after 3 months of ANT stimulation. Hippocampus stimulation has also seen a recent surge in clinical trials that suggest an ability to both reduce seizure frequency in patients with hippocampal epileptogenic foci and cause fewer cognitive side effects than does surgical resection, a major contraindication to mesial temporal lobe surgery. However, a large, blinded and controlled trial has yet to be completed. In this chapter we review relevant limbic circuitry, discuss physiological and clinical evidence for ANT and hippocampal stimulation for seizure reduction and outline the excellent safety profile of DBS in general. We also present our DBS implantation protocol at the University of Pennsylvania.
Class I Genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex

Glen A. Evans, David H. Marg~dieJ Laborato~' of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., USA In the past several years, the powerful techniques of molecular genetics have been applied to the highly potymorphic class I genes of the major histocompatibility com- plex. Already, the rapid accumulation of data in a number of laboratories has altered
A sick house syndrome, possibly resulting from a landfill geologic effluvia

A novel indoor air quality investigation was associated with carbon dioxide and methane accumulation, presumably from effluvia from geologic sources. Each of 6 workers in an office building complained of respiratory symptoms, and of difficulty with memory and concentration in the workplace, a tightly-sealed structure under negative pressure. No single contaminant was identified to explain the clinical syndromes. No detectable levels of carbon monoxide, methyl ethyl ketone, formaldehyde, ozone, carbon disulfide, nitric oxide, ethylene oxide, ammonia, aldehydes, trichloroethylene or similar chlorinated compounds were found. Carbon dioxide and methane were both present at above ambient outdoor air concentrations. Carbon dioxide was documented to accumulate over a weekend with no occupants in the building, suggesting a geologic source.
Comparison of Wilkins Equation with Experiments on Water Systems

The neutron spectra in homogeneous and heterogeneous water systems are calculated using the Wilkins model. The approximations involved are discussed and the results are compared with experimental measurements. ( auth)
Bioactive Poly(ethylene Glycol) Acrylate Hydrogels for Regenerative Engineering

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels have been used in regenerative engineering applications due to attributes such as the ability to encapsulate cells, control the presentation of bioactive ligands, and manipulate the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. PEG chains are highly hydrophilic, uncharged and possess high chain mobility. This allows resistance to protein adsorption, making PEG very bioinert. Certain derivatives, such as PEG diacrylate (PEGDA), can be crosslinked to form hydrogels under conditions mild enough to allow cell encapsulations. PEGDA hydrogels can also be manipulated to span a range of stiffnesses relevant to soft tissues. Additionally, PEG chains can easily be covalently modified with peptides and proteins to allow cell adhesion or provide intrinsic cues to cells within the PEG hydrogel. Among the extensive uses of PEG acrylate-based hydrogels for regenerative engineering purposes, this review will first focus on the formation of bioactive PEG-acrylate hydrogels and then highlight tissue engineering applications of PEGDA-based hydrogels, with specific examples for cartilage tissue engineering, bone tissue engineering, vasculogenesis, liver tissue engineering, cardiac tissue engineering and the development of tumor models. Regenerative engineering seeks to combine materials with cells to generate new tissues outside of the body. In order to interact with cells and support the formation of tissues, the materials must be rendered biologically active and adopt certain characteristics of the native tissue environment. This review focuses on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) acrylate materials for regenerative engineering purposes. PEG acrylate-based materials are easily modified to be biologically active and are capable of mimicking a range of characteristics of the native tissue environment. These PEG materials have supported the formation cartilage tissues, bone tissues, blood vessels, liver tissues, cardiac tissues and tumor models. Future work will apply these results to the continued modifications of PEG-acrylate materials to generate more complex tissues. Specifically, the ability to mimic transient characteristics of native tissue microenvironments and the relevance of cell types in each tissue generated will need to be investagted within the PEG acylate materials.
A Biodegradable Injectable Implant Sustains Systemic and Ocular Delivery of an Aldose Reductase Inhibitor and Ameliorates Biochemical Changes in a Galactose-Fed Rat Model for Diabetic Complications

Purpose. To fabricate and characterize in vitro and in vivo performance of a sustained release biodegradable implant for N-4-(benzoylaminophenylsulfonyl glycine) (BAPSG), a novel aldose reductase inhibitor. Methods. The ability of BAPSG to inhibit aldose reductase activity and glucose-induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was assessed in a retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19). A poly (DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) implant containing 50% w/w BAPSG was fabricated and characterized for drug loading, in vitro drug release, and the thermal behavior of the drug and the polymer. Implants were injected subcutaneously into a galactose-fed diabetic rat model and cataract scores, plasma and tissue drug levels, galactitol levels in the lens and the retina, glutathione levels in the plasma, lens, cornea and retina and VEGF expression in the retina were determined on or until 18 days. Results. BAPSG inhibited aldose reductase activity and reduced VEGF expression in ARPE-19 cells. Implants (1 × 4 mm), with a loading efficiency of 106 ∓ 7% for BAPSG, were fabricated. Upon implant fabrication, while the glass transition temperature of the polymer decreased, the melting point of the drug was not affected. In vivo drug release correlated well with in vitro release, with ≈44% drug release occurring in vivo by the end of 18 days. The implant reduced galactitol accumulation, glutathione depletion, cataract scores, and VEGF expression in galactose-fed rats. Conclusions. An injectable biodegradable implant of BAPSG sustained drug release in vitro and in vivo, and reduced galactitol accumulation, glutathione depletion, cataract scores, and VEGF expression in galactose-fed rats.
Live Demonstration: Augmented Reality Prosthesis Training with Real- Time Hand Trajectory Prediction and Neuromorphic Tactile Encoding

This demonstration is a combination of the work described in [1], [2], and [3]. The goal of this work is to improve the efficacy of upper-limb prosthesis training protocols using visual feedback based on tactile and proprioceptive sensorization in an augmented reality environment.
Palladium-catalyzed enantioselective alkenylation of alkenylbenzene derivatives.

A regioselective and enantioselective palladium-catalyzed relay Heck alkenylation of alkenylbenzene derivatives to construct remote stereocenters is disclosed. Various β-substituted styrenes were readily obtained in moderate yields with good to excellent levels of enantioselectivity. This strategy provides rapid access to enantioenriched δ, e, ζ, and η-alkenyl aryl compounds from simple starting materials. Mechanistic studies suggest that termination of the relay reaction is controlled by affinity of the arene for the Pd complex during migration.
CPF Recruitment to Non-canonical Transcription Termination Sites Triggers Heterochromatin Assembly and Gene Silencing.

Summary In eukaryotic genomes, heterochromatin is targeted by RNAi machinery and/or by pathways requiring RNA elimination and transcription termination factors. However, a direct connection between termination machinery and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcriptional activity at heterochromatic loci has remained elusive. Here, we show that, in fission yeast, the conserved cleavage and polyadenylation factor (CPF) is a key component involved in RNAi-independent assembly of constitutive and facultative heterochromatin domains and that CPF is broadly required to silence genes regulated by Clr4 SUV39H . Remarkably, CPF is recruited to non-canonical termination sites within the body of genes by the YTH family RNA-binding protein Mmi1 and is required for RNAPII transcription termination and facultative heterochromatin assembly. CPF loading by Mmi1 also promotes the selective termination of long non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression in cis . These analyses delineate a mechanism in which CPF loaded onto non-canonical termination sites specifies targets of heterochromatin assembly and gene silencing.
Coping with spurious radiation in binary black hole simulations

Spurious radiation in the initial data for binary black hole numerical simulations has been an issue of concern. The radiation affects the masses and spins of the black holes, modifying their orbital dynamics and thus potentially compromising the accuracy of templates used in gravitational wave analysis. Our study finds that spurious radiation effects are localized to the vicinity of the black holes. Using insights from single black hole simulations, we obtain fitting formulas to estimate the changes from spurious radiation on the mass and spin magnitude of the black holes in binary systems. We demonstrate how these fitting formulas could be used to adjust the initial masses and spin magnitudes of the black holes, so the resulting binary has the desired parameters after the spurious radiation has left the computational domain. A comparison of waveforms from raw simulations with those from simulations that have been adjusted for spurious radiation demonstrate that spurious radiation could have an appreciable effect on the templates for LIGO sources with SNRs above 30.
Social Loafing in the Management of Social Dilemmas

Abstract A social dilemma is a situation in which people are confronted with a choice between acting for the group good or for selfish gain, and outcomes are determined in part by own choice and in part by what others do. Personal outcomes are always better when one acts selfishly than for the collective and the maximum personal outcome is received when one acts selfishly and all others act for the group. However, outcomes when everyone acts for themselves are worse than when everyone acts collectively. It is thus to the benefit of everyone to forgo selfish interests in favor of collective interests. Social dilemmas are prevalent in society. Examples include clean air and management of groundwater. Considerable evidence shows that, left to their own devices, people tend to gravitate toward selfishness, and decades of research has been directed toward identifying techniques to increase collective action. Selfishness can be seen as a form of social loafing, in that the actor is letting others do the work and hoping to benefit from their efforts. In this chapter, we will analyze selfishness from a social loafing perspective and review how social loafing theory can enhance our understanding of cooperation and how to promote it.
Etiology of hand foot and mouth disease in Heze, 2011

Objective To study the type and distribution of the pathogen of HFMD in Heze city 2011.Methods Stool or throat swab specimens of clinically diagnosed cases with HFMD were collected,and Enterovirus (EV),Enterovirus 71 ( EV71 ) and Coxsackievirus A16 (CoxA16) nucleic acid examination was done by Real-time PCR.Results 389 cases were tested,and 376(96.66％ ) cases were Enterovirus-positive,including 343 (91.22％) cases of EV71 positive. Confirmed cases were in 9 districts or counties ; most cases were in Mudan area and Dingtao county.The ratio of male to female was 2.69 ∶ 1.88.56％ of confirmed cases were less than 3 years old.Conclusion The HFMD in Heze city was mainly caused by EV71. Key words: Hand, foot and mouth disease; Etiology; EV71; Real-time PCR
JUARA SATU DAN DUA: MEMBANDINGKAN SITUASI KEBAHASAAN INDONESIA DAN PAPUA NUGINI

With 836 and 706 languages each, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia occupy the two top positions in the list of countries with the highest number of languages. This article aims to provide a linguistic comparison of these two neighbouring countries. After a general introduction with some background information about each country, the first part of the article focuses on the national languages (bahasa Indonesia and Tok Pisin), their history and current role, as well as a brief treatment of some lexical and structural features of Tok Pisin. Part one ends with a general discussion of the role of the regional languages in both countries, followed in part two by a more detailed discussion of one Austronesian regional language from each country: Muna from Southeast Sulawesi in Indonesia, and Vitu from West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. This section does not only treat the history and role of these two languages, but also compares various structural features, as well as their level of description and endangerment. The article ends with three brief suggestions.
Multi-disciplinary Optimization of Sensor Bracket

Sensors are used in vehicles for sensing traffic which can be used for cruise control and collision warning. Sensor mounting bracket needs to often satisfy contradictory performance requirements such as adequate dynamic stiffness so as to exhibit adequate frequency response function (FRF) characteristics and adequate compliance to meet lower leg injury metric when subjected to pedestrian protection loadcase. The current manual design process utilizing incremental design iterations requires significant effort from the engineers to get the design for meeting the requirements, which also may not be optimized. Purpose of this piece of work is to demonstrate application of multi-disciplinary optimization (MDO) process to arrive at optimized bracket design while satisfying the contradictory loadcases and also to minimize mass. Parametric design optimization with shape and gauge variables is considered. Choosing the right shape variables for MDO which are sensitive to the performance can often be a challenge. Here, the typical sensitive shape parameters are judiciously decided after examining the results of free-size optimization. Suitable meta-modeling technique and optimization scheme are used to arrive at the optimal design. It is found that MDO process is able to perform well in two common design scenarios: (1) mass savings and (2) meeting performance target when the baseline design is not meeting the requirements.
Association of Diet Quality and Dietary Components with Clinical Resolution of HPV.

Nutrient deficits have been repeatedly linked to cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) persistence, cervical neoplasia, and cervical cancer in case-control studies. This study sought to examine the r...
Cost savings of paper analytical devices (PADs) to detect substandard and falsified antibiotics: Kenya case study.

Background:Over 10% of antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are substandard or falsified. Detection of poor-quality antibiotics via the gold standard method, high-performance liq...
Tunneled Catheters or Pleurodesis: How Can We Palliate Effusions for Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma?

Pleural effusions are common in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. They can cause dyspnea, decreased quality of life, and may even contribute to weight loss. Palliation, whether as a bridge to treatment or part of a definitive plan, should always be considered. Options for management reside in either pleurodesis or placement of a tunneled pleural catheter. Herein, we discuss the advantages and limitations of each along with current and evolving treatment paradigms to provide evidence to aid in the comprehensive decision management of these patients.
Chronic Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Chronic pain is highly prevalent in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and can cause various physical and psychological impairments. Unfortunately, the appropriate diagnosis of chronic pain syndromes in this population can be challenging because pain may be primary to RA-specific inflammation and/or secondary to other conditions, typically osteoarthritis (OA) and fibromyalgia (FM). This disparity further poses a clinical challenge, given that chronic pain can often be discordant or undetected with standard RA-specific surveillance strategies, including serological markers and imaging studies. In this review, we provide a robust exploration of chronic pain in the RA population with emphasis on epidemiology, mechanisms, and management strategies. Chronic pain associated with RA typically occurs in patients with anxiety, female sex, and elevated inflammatory status. Up to 50% of these patients are thought to have chronic pain despite appropriate inflammatory suppression, typically due to peripheral and central sensitization as well as secondary OA and FM. In addition to the standard-of-care management for OA and FM, patients with RA and chronic pain benefit from behavioral and psychological treatment options. Moreover, early and multimodal therapies, including non-pharmacological, pharmacological, interventional, and surgical strategies, exist, albeit with varying efficacy, to help suppress inflammation, provide necessary analgesia, and optimize functional outcomes. Overall, chronic pain in RA is a difficult entity for both patients and providers. Early diagnosis, improved understanding of its mechanisms, and initiation of early, targeted approaches to pain control may help to improve outcomes in this population
Current issues in Barrett's esophagus and Barrett's-related dysplasia.

Surgical pathologists frequently encounter biopsies in patients with Barrett’s esophagus (BE), defined as replacement of the normal stratified squamous epithelium of the distal esophagus by metaplastic columnar epithelium containing goblet cells. Thus, one of the primary roles of the pathologist is to definitively identify goblet cells, best done on routine stained sections. It has recently been questioned as to whether goblet cells should be absolutely necessary to render a diagnosis of BE, given immunohistochemical and flow cytometric similarities between columnar-lined esophagus with and without goblet cells. Once a diagnosis of BE is rendered, the pathologist must state, using a simple classification, whether the biopsy is negative for dysplasia or shows dysplasia (low-grade dysplasia or high-grade dysplasia). However, there are a number of known pitfalls in distinguishing dysplasia from reactive epithelium, and it can be similarly difficult to distinguish low-grade dysplasia from high-grade dysplasia. In addition, there are some cases in which the distinction of high-grade dysplasia from intramucosal adenocarcinoma can be challenging. All of these issues are summarized in this paper.
Converting Monolithic Programs for DCE Client/server Computing Given Incomplete Cutset Information

Migrating monolithic sequential programs to distributed client-server environments enables the programs to access rich networked computing resources, distribute data to proper locations, and obtain other capabilities offered by distributed systems. However the migration task is often enormous. This paper presents a semi-automatic process for converting existing monolithic sequential programs to DCE applications. An incomplete-grouping based program partitioning algorithm is used to determine a complete partitioning strategy and to obtain a complete cutset for the program graph from a given incomplete minimal grouping information. The complete cutset determines the client-server relations among program components and defines the RPC interfaces for their interactions.
Real-time joint-transform correlation using optical heterodyning

Driven by potential applications in military, biology, robot navigation and other areas, various methods for optical pattern recognition have been proposed and studied over the past decades. The key feature in current real-time optical pattern recognition systems among these methods is the use of a spatial light modulator (SLM) at the Fourier transform plane in the so-called joint-Fourier transform correlation (JTC) system [C.S Weaver et al. (1966)]. We propose a novel hybrid (optical/electronic) processing technique to achieve real-time joint-transform correlation. The technique employs acousto-optic heterodyne scanning [T.-C. Poon et al., 1979] and it does not require a SLM at the Fourier plane as in other conventional real-time JTC systems. This departure from the conventional scheme is extremely important, as it does not depend on SLM design considerations and issues such as phase uniformity and contrast ratio. The effectiveness of the novel proposed system will be demonstrated with some experimental results. Future work will be focused on exploring scale-invariant, rotation-invariant and multiobject joint-transform correlation with this hybrid optical pattern recognition method.
Obese African-Americans with prostate cancer (T1c and a prostate-specific antigen, PSA, level of <10 ng/mL) have higher-risk pathological features and a greater risk of PSA recurrence than non-African-Americans.

Study Type – Prognosis (retrospective cohort) Level of Evidence 2b OBJECTIVE To analyse the relationship between African American (AA) race and obesity in men with prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 4196 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy from 1988 to 2008 were identified in the Duke Prostate Center database. A subset of 389 (AA 20.9% and non-AA 79.1%) patients with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2, T1c disease and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 7), extracapsular extension (ECE), seminal vesicle invasion and tumour percentage were assessed by univariate analysis followed by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS In the entire cohort, 143 (38.1%) AA men were obese, compared to 509 (25.0%) of the non-AA men. AA men had a significantly higher tumour percentage (15% vs 10%, P= 0.002), and a greater proportion of pT3/4 disease (45.1% vs 26.2%, P= 0.039), pathological Gleason sum ≥7 (70.7% vs 50.5%, P= 0.003), positive ECE (37.8% vs 23.1%, P= 0.007), and positive surgical margin (52.4% vs 36.8%, P= 0.010) than non-AA men. AA men had a greater risk of PSA recurrence on Kaplan Meier (P= 0.004) and Cox regression analysis (P= 0.040, hazard ratio 1.72) CONCLUSION A greater proportion of AA men was obese in this cohort. Obese AA with impalpable cancer and a PSA level of <10 ng/mL have a higher risk of pathological features than obese non-AA men, as well as a higher risk of PSA recurrence. Obesity might be responsible for the racial disparity seen in prostate cancer.
Uptake, transport and metabolism of exogenous nucleosides in intestinal epithelial cell cultures

The uptake and transport of nucleosides (adenosine, cytidine, guanosine, thymidine, uridine and inosine) were examined in intestinal cell lines (Caco-2 and IEC-6). Well-differentiated Caco-2 cells took up significantly more uridine and thymidine than less-differentiated cells over 24 h. These differences were reflected in the resulting trichloroacetic acid-soluble (nucleotide, nucleoside and nucleobase) pool sizes rather than in differences in nucleic acid incorporation. IEC-6 cells have smaller soluble pools than Caco-2 cells, and the uptake of nucleosides over 60 min reflected this difference. Caco-2 cells transported significantly more thymidine, cytidine, guanosine, adenosine and inosine into acid-soluble pools than IEC-6 cells. Caco-2 cells were grown on filters to examine the transcellular transport of nucleosides and to examine the chemical form in which nucleosides appeared at the basolateral aspect of the cell monolayer. The pattern of transport varied for individual nucleosides. The transport of cytidine and guanosine was significantly greater in the apical-to-basolateral direction than in the opposite direction over 2 h. No purine nucleoside was transported intact across the Caco-2 cell monolayer in either direction, with the majority of the transported material appearing as nucleobases. Nucleobases also represented the main metabolites of pyrimidines transported. However, some cytidine and uridine were detectable, but each constituted < 20% of transported material. Nucleosides are therefore transported by enterocytes but metabolized during transport.
Push-and-pull for piecewise linear machine training

A piecewise linear machine (PLM) is capable of pattern classification. A simple and robust training method for the PLM called push-and-pull training is presented. This method avoids the difficulties encountered by the learning vector quantization (LVQ) methods of T. Kohonen. The machine was capable of finding optimal solution efficiency for problems with either separated or overlapping category regions. >
Rural Teachers Meet the Internet.

AbstractReach for the Sky is a telecommunications project that has given a group of rural teachers access to the Internet. The paper explores the broad questions, “Does access to the Internet deliver the anticipated renewal of teaching and learning? If so, under what conditions and to what degree?” This article begins by looking at the triumphs and frustrations experienced by teachers as they became familiar with the Internet. It goes on to explore what kinds of resources were found on the Internet, and what tools were used to find them. Finally the question of changes in the teaching and learning process, brought about by access to the Internet, is explored.
Urologic Sepsis/Shock*

: At Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center during the six-year period 1968–1973, there were 1236 cases of sepsis from Gramnegative pathogens; 124 of these originated in the urinary tract. Of these 124 patients, 19 died — a mortality rate of 15.3 percent. There were 205 deaths among the 1236 patients with sepsis from Gram-negative organisms — a mortality rate of 16.6 percent. Previously, in the 1959–1964 and 1965–19067 periods, the mortality rates had been 56.3 percent and 19.6 percent respectively. The lowered mortality rate during 1968–1973 for urologic sepsis/shock was associated with improved management procedures: a) preventive measures such as postponement of urologic instrumentation and surgical intervention in patients infected with drug-resistant urea splitters, until the infection is under control, with emergency surgical patients being treated by susceptibility-tested drugs to control possible postoperative complications; b) early diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and immediate administration of bactericidal antibiotics parenterally; c) immediate restoration of fluid/electrolyte balance, with monitoring of renal and pulmonary functions and metabolic acidosis; and d) early administration of large pharmacologic doses of glucocorticoids, with monitoring of the microcirculation and use of β-adrenergic isoproterenol.
Postischemic poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition reduces ischemia reperfusion injury in a hind-limb ischemia model

Background Several experiments were designed to determine whether the systemic, postischemic administration of PJ34,which is a poly-adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose polymerase inhibitor, decreased tissue injury and inflammation after hind-limb ischemia reperfusion (I/R). Methods C57BL6 mouse limbs were subjected to 1.5 h ischemia followed by 24-h reperfusion. The treatment group (PJ) received intraperitoneal PJ34 (30 mg/kg) immediately before reperfusion, as well as 15 min and 2 h into reperfusion. The control group (CG) received lactated Ringer's alone at the same time intervals as PJ34 administration. The skeletal muscle levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), keratinocyte derived chemokine (KC), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured. Quantitative measurement of skeletal muscle tissue injury was assessed by microscopic analysis of fiber injury. Results ATP levels were higher in limbs of PJ versus CG mice (absolute ATP: 4.7 ± 0.35 vs 2.3 ± 0.15-ng/mg tissue, P = .002). The levels of MIP-2, KC, and MPO were lower in PJ versus CG mice (MIP-2: 1.4 ± 0.34 vs 3.67 ± 0.67-pg/mg protein, P = .014; KC: 4.97 ± 0.97 vs 12.65 ± 3.05-pg/mg protein, P = .037; MPO: 46.27 ± 10.53 vs 107.34 ± 13.58-ng/mg protein, P = .008). Muscle fiber injury was markedly reduced in PJ versus CG mice (4.25 ± 1.9% vs 22.68 ± 3.0% total fibers, P = .0004). Conclusion Systemic postischemic administration of PJ34 preserved skeletal muscle energy levels, decreased inflammatory markers, and preserved tissue viability post-I/R. These results support PARP inhibition as a viable treatment for skeletal muscle I/R in a clinically relevant post hoc scenario.
Bonding of Bovine Enamel to Restorative Resin: Effect of Pretreatment of Enamel

The efficiency of simple treatments of the enamel surface with various polyfunctional acids and chelating agents was studied to obtain adequate adhesion between tooth surfaces and commercially available acrylic resins. Many water soluble acids induced bonding to enamel. Two ten-second treatments at three minute intervals with acid solutions such as 20% lactic acid may be useful in the clinical treatment of precarious lesions.
Rate Constants for the Reactions of Hydroxyl Radical with Several Alkanes, Cycloalkanes, and Dimethyl Ether

Relative rate experiements were used to measure rate constants and temperature denpendencies of the reactions of OH with propane, n-butane, n-pentane, n-hexane, cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, and dimethyl ether.
Aeration efficiency as a means of comparing devices for lake restoration

Abstract Various devices for aerating lakes as part of a lake restoration program have been proposed, but methods for comparing aeration efficiency of these devices have limitations. For example, the oxygen transfer coefficient, KLa, might be used, but the values depend upon the size of the lake and other factors that are not always adequately specified in the literature. It is shown that comparisons based on aeration efficiency, P, weight of oxygen transferred per horsepower‐hour are superior to K,a values for rating efficiency of aerating devices. Aerating ratings based on values of P, however, must be sub‐classified for four conditions (steady‐state, non‐steady‐state, polluted, non‐polluted). The derivation, advantages, and utility of aeration efficiency is described.
Neighbourhood Composition and Residential Land Prices: Does Exclusion Raise or Lower Values?

Hedonic price models are used to explore the degree to which land-use and racial composition, used as outcome proxies for local zoning practices, influence residential land values in Santa Clara County, California. Fiscal pressures have prompted many California communities to zone on the basis of tax-yield potential, especially in fast-growing settings like Santa Clara County. Controlling for variables related to job accessibility as well as proximity to regional transport infrastructure, the analysis shows that indicators of land-use diversity and jobs-housing balance generally correlate with high residential land prices. While the fiscal instincts of Californian municipalities is to shun housing in favour of commercial development and thus to create imbalanced land development patterns, this research suggests these fiscal advantages are partly offset by lower land values and thus lower property tax intake. Racial diversity, on the other hand, lowered residential property values, even when controlling fo...
A possible explanation for the population size discrepancy in tuna (genus Thunnus) estimated from mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite data

Abstract A recent study using both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite data reported on a population size discrepancy in the eastern tiger salamander where the effective population size (Ne) estimate of the former exceeded that of the latter. That study suggested, among other hypotheses, that homoplasy of microsatellite alleles is responsible for the discrepancy. In this investigation, we report 10 new cases of a similar discrepancy in five species of tuna. These cases derive from our Bayesian inferences using data from Pacific Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares), as well as from published estimates of genetic diversity for additional populations of Yellowfin Tuna and three other tuna species. Phylogenetic character analyses of inferred genealogies of Pacific Bluefin and Yellowfin Tuna reveal similar reduced levels of mtDNA and microsatellite homoplasy. Thus, the discrepancy between inferred population sizes from mtDNA and microsatellite data in tuna is most likely not an artifact of the chosen mutation models used in the microsatellite analyses, but may reflect behavioral differences between the sexes such as female-biased philopatry and male-biased dispersal. This explanation now warrants critical testing with more local populations of tuna and with other animal and plant groups that have different life histories.
Implementing Reduced-Risk Integrated Pest Management in Fresh-Market Cabbage: Influence of Sampling Parameters, and Validation of Binomial Sequential Sampling Plans for the Cabbage Looper (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

ABSTRACT Populations of cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), were sampled in experimental plots and commercial fields of cabbage (Brasicca spp.) in Minnesota during 1998–1999 as part of a larger effort to implement an integrated pest management program. Using a resampling approach and the Wald's sequential probability ratio test, sampling plans with different sampling parameters were evaluated using independent presence/absence and enumerative data. Evaluations and comparisons of the different sampling plans were made based on the operating characteristic and average sample number functions generated for each plan and through the use of a decision probability matrix. Values for upper and lower decision boundaries, sequential error rates (α, β), and tally threshold were modified to determine parameter influence on the operating characteristic and average sample number functions. The following parameters resulted in the most desirable operating characteristic and average sample number f...
A phase II study of 5-azacitidine for patients with primary and post-essential thrombocythemia/polycythemia vera myelofibrosis

Myelofibrosis (MF; primary or post-essential thrombocythemia/polycythemia vera) is incurable clonal myeloproliferative disorder, with no effective treatment. Epigenetic changes play an important role in cancer pathogenesis through transcriptional silencing of critical tumor suppressor genes. We conducted a phase-II study to evaluate the activity of DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-azacitidine, in patients with MF. Thirty-four patients (76% previously treated) received 5-azacitidine at 75 mg/m2 subcutaneously daily for 7 days, every 4 weeks. Twelve (35%) patients had abnormal cytogenetics and 19 (70%) of 27 evaluable patients had JAK2V617F mutation. Responses occurred in 8 (24%) patients after a median of 5 months (range, 3–10). Partial response occurred in 1 (3%) patient (duration 22+ months) and clinical improvement in 7 (21%) patients (median duration 4 months; range, 2–8.5). Myelosuppression was the major adverse effect, with grade 3–4 neutropenia in 10 (29%) patients. Global DNA methylation assessed by the long interspersed nucleotide element (LINE) bisulfite/pyrosequencing assay decreased from 53% pretherapy to 44% on day 14 (P=0.0014) and returned to 50% at the end of the first 28-day cycle (P=0.016). 5-azacitidine is relatively well tolerated and results in induction of global hypomethylation in patients with MF, but results in limited clinical activity.
Interculture variation and evolution of B lineage lymphocytes in long-term bone marrow culture.

A recently described long-term culture system offers a unique experimental approach for dissecting regulatory mechanisms that control the developmental progression of B-lineage lymphocytes. Lymphoid cells, including B cells and their precursors, can be maintained for prolonged periods in strict dependence on a layer of adherent cells. However, before this system can yield to interpretable manipulation, much information is needed as to the identity and temporal phenotypic stability of both lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells. The findings reported here provide answers to some of those important questions. Successful establishment of lymphoid cells in culture was extraordinarily dependent on the batch of fetal calf serum used in the medium, and some undesirable serum lots supported cultures that were virtually all myeloid. With standardized culture conditions, various populations of lymphoid cells were identified on the basis of B-lineage differentiation markers and culture to culture variation was assessed. Lymphocytes that were firmly attached to the adherent cells were carefully compared to nonadherent lymphocytes in terms of cycle status, phenotype, size, and transferrin receptor expression. They were essentially identical in all of these respects and a partitioning of proliferating cells and their progeny in the cultures was therefore not apparent. It is also noteworthy that although a high mitotic rate was maintained, a majority of the cells were small lymphocytes. The outgrowth of identifiable B-lineage cells (detected with monoclonal 14.8 antibodies) in replicate cultures was initially similar, but the extent of interculture variation increased dramatically during the period 4–6 weeks after initiation of culture. Replicate cultures established from the same marrow cell pool often differed as much as 20-fold in numbers of 14.8-positive cells. After this time, the composition of individual cultures evolved much more gradually, and numbers of B cells and pre-B cells remained relatively constant. This indicates that subsets of lymphocytes become established in each culture dish during a discrete phase. At least two types of supporting adherent cells predominated in these cultures: typical macrophages and very large, nonphagocytic cells resembling adventitial reticular cells. The latter included subpopulations resolved on the basis of alkaline phosphatase content. In contrast to the lymphoid populations, proportions of these adherent cell types were relatively invariant among replicate cultures. The dramatic expansion or contraction of particular B-lineage populations which occurred prior to 6 weeks of culture did not appear to be reflected in the composition of the adherent layers on which they depended.
Propagation and its failure in coupled systems of discrete excitable cells

We study propagation and its failure in systems of discrete coupled excitable cells. It is shown that propagation fails when coupling is weak, but succeeds if coupling is strong enough. We use a theorem of Moser on maps of the plane to establish the existence of an infinite variety of stable standing solutions when coupling is small. We use upper and lower solution techniques and perturbation analysis to show that propagation is successful when the coupling strength is large enough. These results are applied to the cubic FitzHugh–Nagumo dynamics as well as to the more realistic Beeler–Reuter model of action potentials in myocardial cells.