cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic Methods for Detection of Carbapenemase Production in Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms: What Method Should Your Laboratory Choose?

Abstract Antimicrobial resistance is a rising problem among Gram-negative organisms, and resistance to carbapenems is a special concern and an urgent public health threat. Rapid detection of carbapenem resistance, and carbapenemase production specifically, is becoming increasingly important for guiding infection control strategies and for therapeutic management of patients. Several types of phenotypic tests for the detection of carbapenemase production continue to be developed and include culture/growth-based methods (carbapenem inactivation method [CIM]/modified CIM [mCIM]), colorimetric assays (Carba NP and derivatives), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based tests, and lateral-flow assays. Here, we describe the tests currently available, their performance characteristics, and how to select and verify/validate a test for the specific needs of a laboratory.
Normalisation of circulating adiponectin levels in obese pregnant mice prevents cardiac dysfunction in adult offspring

Adiponectin concentrations are low in obese pregnant women. Restoring normal adiponectin concentrations by infusion in obese pregnant mice prevents placental dysfunction, foetal overgrowth and metabolic syndrome in the offspring. We hypothesised that normalising maternal adiponectin in obese late pregnant dams prevents cardiac dysfunction in the adult offspring. Pregnant female mice with diet-induced obesity were infused with adiponectin (0.62 μg g−1 day−1, n = 24) or saline (n = 22) over days 14.5–18.5 of pregnancy (term = day 19.5). Control dams ate standard chow and received saline (n = 22). Offspring were studied at 3 and 6 months of age. Maternal obesity impaired ventricular diastolic function, increased cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area and upregulated cardiac brain natriuretic peptide (Nppb) and α-skeletal actin (Acta1) gene expression in adult male offspring, compared to control offspring. In adult female offspring, maternal obesity increased Nppb expression, decreased end-diastolic volume and caused age-dependent diastolic dysfunction but not cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Maternal obesity also activated cardiac Akt and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling in male, but not in female, offspring and inhibited cardiac extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in both sexes. Normalising maternal circulating adiponectin concentrations by infusing obese dams with adiponectin prevented offspring diastolic dysfunction and ventricular dilation and normalised cardiac Akt-mTOR signalling irrespective of sex. Maternal adiponectin infusion also reduced cardiac Nppb expression and increased ERK1/2 signalling in offspring of obese dams. Adiponectin infusion did not prevent cardiomyocyte hypertrophy but reduced ventricular wall thickness in male offspring and increased collagen content in female offspring of obese dams, compared to controls. Low maternal adiponectin levels in obese mice in late pregnancy are mechanistically linked to in utero programming of cardiac dysfunction in their offspring. Interventions enhancing endogenous adiponectin secretion or signalling in obese pregnant women could prevent the development of cardiac dysfunction in their children.
The reaction of arynes with münchnones: synthesis of isoindoles and azaisoindoles

Abstract Arynes derived from silyltriflate precursors undergo a smooth 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with munchnones to furnish isoindoles and azaisoindoles in moderate to high yields. Modification of the fluoride source, solvent, and temperature allows for the selective generation of either isoindoles or benzanthracenimines, the latter of which serve as precursors to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Redefining the ‘good body’: Challenging societal and structural stigma by embracing body diversity starting with self: Fat, pretty, and soon to be old: a makeover for self and society, by Kimberly Dark, Chico, CA, AK Press, 2019

Dark fittingly describes the essence of Fat, Pretty, and Soon to Be Old: A Makeover for Self and Society, right in the first line of the introduction, “This is not just a memoir told in essays. It ...
Identifying Best Practices for the Construction of Residential Basements in Fargo, North Dakota, USA Using Building Information Modeling (BIM)

This study aimed to evaluate and improve the construction processes for basements in Fargo, North Dakota. Basement construction was scrutinized in this study as a small but vital aspect of the many processes that go into building many homes in Fargo. A typical residential basement was analyzed to identify critical areas that could be improved in the construction process. An interactive BIM model of an as-built home in Fargo was developed for quantitative analysis. Face to face interviews and surveys with local contractors and home owners were conducted to ascertain their views and register complaints and suggestions on current standard practices in basement construction. The completed model displays hotspots within current construction practices, recommends appropriate measures for common basement issues during and after construction as well as suggest parameters designers and planners can use to make informed decisions on basement construction.
Role of Informatics in Bridging Public and Population Health

Population health is an evolving concept of healthcare. Population health aims to improve the health outcomes of defined populations by modifying health determinants that range from clinical to social and environmental factors. Both population and public health efforts aim to reach similar outcomes and target comparable determinants of health. Within healthcare operations, however, population health is driven by stratifying patients into groups of individuals with similar risks of undesired outcomes who will receive different types of interventions.
Differences in Metabolic Stress Using a Breathing Restrictive Mask Compared to Hypobaric Hypoxia During Cycling at a Matched Workload

The Elevation Training Mask (ETM) has been assessed for its impact on exercise performance using acute and training protocols. Although the ETM is widely available to consumers, little research exists for validation of the ETM mask settings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare physiological responses during exercise for the ETM mask settings against moderate hypobaric hypoxia. Nine participants living at moderate altitude (1600–1650 m) rested (10 min) and cycled in hypobaric hypoxia simulating 2743 m (ALT), in hypobaric hypoxia simulating 1829 m with the ETM set to 914 m (ALT + ETM), and with the ETM set to 2743 m (ETM) in a randomized order. Participants cycled for 20 min at 60% VO2max as determined by a maximal exertion test (VO2max) at baseline altitude. Oxygen consumption was measured throughout each test. There were no differences between conditions at rest. Repeated measures ANOVA showed the ALT condition elicited significantly greater VO2 compared to the ETM condition and 60% VO2max at baseline altitude (P < 0.05). When cycling at a matched workload, the exercising VO2 was higher in the ALT condition than at the ETM mask setting of 2743 m and exercising VO2 during the ETM condition was similar to 60% VO2max at baseline altitude. The results of this study indicate that the ETM did not produce additional metabolic stress compared to hypobaric hypoxia during steady-state exercise in moderate-altitude living individuals.
Dynamic models of stress-smoking responses based on high-frequency sensor data.

Self-reports indicate that stress increases the risk for smoking; however, intensive data from sensors can provide a more nuanced understanding of stress in the moments leading up to and following smoking events. Identifying personalized dynamical models of stress-smoking responses can improve characterizations of smoking responses following stress, but techniques used to identify these models require intensive longitudinal data. This study leveraged advances in wearable sensing technology and digital markers of stress and smoking to identify person-specific models of stress and smoking system dynamics by considering stress immediately before, during, and after smoking events. Adult smokers (n = 45) wore the AutoSense chestband (respiration-inductive plethysmograph, electrocardiogram, accelerometer) with MotionSense (accelerometers, gyroscopes) on each wrist for three days prior to a quit attempt. The odds of minute-level smoking events were regressed on minute-level stress probabilities to identify person-specific dynamic models of smoking responses to stress. Simulated pulse responses to a continuous stress episode revealed a consistent pattern of increased odds of smoking either shortly after the beginning of the simulated stress episode or with a delay, for all participants. This pattern is followed by a dramatic reduction in the probability of smoking thereafter, for about half of the participants (49%). Sensor-detected stress probabilities indicate a vulnerability for smoking that may be used as a tailoring variable for just-in-time interventions to support quit attempts.
Chapter 3.1 Biogeochemistry of Phosphate Minerals

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an interrelation between the organic and inorganic chemistries of phosphatic biominerals. Phosphorite is the term applied to calcium phosphate rocks, whether they are accumulations of bones or precipitates from seawater or replacements of calcareous rocks. The path of inorganic phosphates between phosphorite and human food comprises many intermediate stages: superphosphates (phosphatic fertilizers), soil minerals, and plants. There may be—for non-vegetarians—also an animal intermediate between plants and human food. The subcycle phosphorite to igneous rocks is accomplished through magmatic assimilation of sedimentary or metamorphic rocks that contain appreciable phosphorus. Weathering of such igneous rocks contributes to the unconsolidated mantle rocks, leaching of which ultimately produces dissolved phosphates in the runoff carried by streams and rivers to the ocean. In highly cultivated areas, there may be a significant contribution to surface waters from use of phosphatic fertilizers. Organic phosphates resulting from ingestion and metabolism of food may be passed on to soil or may be retained in the building of skeletal tissues of developing new animals. In mature animals, the weight of skeletal tissues is relatively stable, although metabolic processes provide for turnover of calcium and phosphorus. Under either circumstance, phosphates ultimately contribute to phosphorites as bone beds, or phosphatizing solutions, which interact with limestones or phosphatic cements of sandstones.
Incremental Growth of Plains-Type (Compactional) Folds in a Cratonic Environment as Revealed by the Sedimentary Sequence

The enigma of the origin and development of plains-type folds, as they were christened in the early 20th Century, essentially has been solved. The folds, a considerable distance from the tectonic disturbance, were formed by draping of sediments over differentially displaced Precambrian basement fault blocks. These Precambrian basement fault blocks controlled the location, size, and shape of the folds. Forces were transmitted through the rigid basement causing readjustment along the indigenous fracture/fault pattern formed much earlier. In the U.S. Midcontinent, the crystalline basement is overlain by a thin veneer of sediments, and once the structures were formed, they continued to develop as evidenced by features in the overlying sediments. As the stress was transmitted through the basement and then relaxed, the fault blocks moved differentially in concert to these outside forces. Sediment compaction and nondeposition over structural topographic highs reacted accordingly to form the features as seen today. To determine the structural history, structural closure on different horizons on the anticline is plotted in their appropriate stratigraphic position at depth. This gives a ‘compaction line’ for each tectonically coherent segment. Similar segments show a relatively straightline with offsets at major unconformities indicating breaks in the continuum. It is at these breaks that the section can be stretched until the compaction line matches as a continuum with the resulting gap giving the approximate amount of missing section for that part of the rock column. Conversely, the amount of closure on a structure at depth for each line segment can be estimated by extrapolating downward in that segment. This technique to determine depth of burial and thus the amount of missing stratigraphic section from well data at numerous locations has been compared with estimates made by other methods and the results are similar. Where no other data are available or for quick estimates, then, it is proposed that this approach will give reasonable results and that the values can be used as a constraint in basin modeling.
Chapter 3 Site-Specific Modification of the Electrophile Sensor Protein Keap1 and Activation of Nrf2-Dependent Gene Expression

Publisher Summary Cellular protection against electrophiles and oxidants relies on detoxication by phase II biotransformation enzymes, antioxidant enzymes and related stress response proteins. Many of these inducible genes such as the glutathione S-transferases, NAD(P)H oxidoreductase, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and γ-glutamyl cysteine ligase are regulated at the transcriptional level through cis-acting DNA sequences known as antioxidant/ electrophile response elements (ARE/EpREs). ARE-dependent transcription is regulated by the transcription factor Nrf2, a member of the basic-leucine zipper NF-E2 family. Nrf2 forms heterodimers with one of the small Maf proteins and this complex activates expression of ARE-driven genes. Studies with Nrf2-/- mice indicate that Nrf2 regulates a variety of genes, including chaperones, antioxidant genes and genes regulating protein degradation. The question of how Keap1 regulates Nrf2 has attracted intense interest and several models have been proposed. Keap1 initially was proposed totether Nrf2 to cytoplasmic actin filaments, thus preventing its access to the nucleus. Keap1 also was found to modulate nuclear Nrf2 levels by enhancing nuclear export of the transcription factor. Keap1 regulates the active degradation of Nrf2 by functioning as an adaptor for Cul3-dependent ubiquitination and degradation of Nrf2.
Typhoid fever in pregnancy

Abstract A case of probable intrauterine typhoid fever in a baby born of a mother convalescent from typhoid is described. The principal observations of significance were: the high agglutinin content of the breast milk against typhoid fever; the presence of typhoid bacilli in the baby's stools; and the carrier state of the mother and baby. Typhoid organisms were found in the maternal bile obtained by duodenal drainage. Cholecystectomy was performed during the fifth post-partum week. The gall bladder contained stones and typhoid bacilli were cultured from the mucosa. In all probability, the infant formed its own agglutinins.
The evolution of early Homo: a reply to Scott.

Scott presents a welcome reply to our article, “A single lineage in early Pleistocene Homo” (Van Arsdale and Wolpoff 2012). However, Scott's reply mischaracterizes and fails to directly address the hypothesis of a single lineage that we test. Additionally, the approach taken by Scott fails to replicate the methods used in our analysis. As Scott himself suggests, our null hypothesis of a single evolving lineage in early Homo remains without refutation. Although many evolutionary scenarios might explain the complex pattern of variation present in the early Homo fossil record, the most parsimonious remains that of a single lineage displaying evolutionary change over time.
Implicit Finite Difference Simulation of Inviscid and Viscous Compressible Flow

Publisher Summary Numerical procedures for solving the system of conservation-law-equations of fluid flow are not as efficient as the numerical procedures developed for the scalar nonlinear potential equation used in inviscid transonic flow analysis. The solution of a system of equations requires more work than the solution of a scalar equation. This chapter reviews the use of implicit finite difference schemes to solve the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations in primitive variables. It discusses an approximate factorization (AF) implicit finite difference scheme for solving the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. The chapter presents equations cast in generalized coordinates and highlights partial differential equation grid generation techniques used. In this approach, the flux vectors of the equations were differenced as whole quantities and time-accurate or time-like iterative schemes were used to solve the equations for general boundary surfaces. The chapter also reviews the ways of splitting and reducing the governing equations.
Time Course of Hematogenous Dissemination of Francisella tularensis A1, A2, and Type B in Laboratory Mice

Tularemia is a tick-borne zoonotic bacterial disease. In the United States, human tularemia infections are caused by Francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis (Type A, clades A1 and A2) or F. tularensis subspecies holarctica (Type B). We developed a mouse model that can be used to study the ability of ticks to acquire and transmit fully virulent strains of F. tularensis (A1, A2, and Type B). We showed that 1) bacteremia was evident by 2 days post-infection (dpi) for A1, A2, and B, 2) bacteremia was expected to reach levels of > 10 8 cfu/mL by 3 dpi for A1 and A2 but not until 4 dpi for Type B, and 3) illness onset was delayed for mice exposed to Type B compared with A1 and A2. To maximize the likeli- hood of ticks acquiring infection from laboratory-infected mice before they become moribund and must be euthanized, ticks should be placed on mice so that periods of rapid engorgement occur 3-4 dpi for A1 and A2 and 4-5 dpi for Type B. Rigorous experimental studies of tick vector competence and efficiency conducted under standardized conditions are required to address several significant public health issues related to preventing and controlling tularemia. Our study pro- vides the basis for a mouse model needed as the starting point to address these questions.
Therapy of Angina Pectoris with Propranolol and Long-Acting Nitrates

A double-blind study of the effects of isosorbide dinitrate, 10 mg given orally four times a day, propranolol, 40 mg four times a day, and the combination of these two drugs was performed on 21 patients with angina pectoris. Each patient received placebo, isosorbide, propranolol, and the combination of the two drugs for 1 month each in a random sequence over 4 months. The number of anginal pains and nitroglycerin tablets used were recorded, and a multistage treadmill ECG exercise test was performed after each treatment period. Frequency of anginal pains was reduced significantly with propranolol (7.0±2.5 pains/week) and the combination of propranolol and isosorbide dinitrate (9.9±2.9) as compared with placebo (21.0±6.4). Similarly, the number of nitroglycerin tablets was reduced with propranolol-containing regimens. Isosorbide was not significantly better than the placebo. Symptomatic improvement with propranolol could be related to a reduction in heart rate, and the product of heart rate and systolic blo...
Rearrangements initiated by trimethylsilyl iodide: the facile ring opening of some cyclobutanone derivatives

Abstract The powerful electrophile trimethylsilyl iodide in the presence of certain catalysts rapidly and cleanly initiates the ring opening of a variety of cyclobutanone derivatives in a highly regioselective fashion yielding ultimately β-iodoketones.
Effects of personality and social situation on representational gesture production

The present study investigated the correlation between speakers’ self-reported Big Five personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience) and their representational gesture production. In addition, possible interactions between the speakers’ personality traits and the social situation, specifically whether the gestures could be seen by the listener or not, were examined. We found that extraversion and neuroticism both positively correlated with representational gesture production. We also found an interaction between extraversion and visibility condition. While speakers produce more gestures when their audience can see them than when their audience cannot, this difference is smaller for speakers who report high levels of extraversion than it is for other speakers. The findings suggest that both the personality of the speaker as well as aspects of the social situation are important contributors to how frequently speakers gesture.
Status of international cooperation and east-west information exchange

Abstract It is proposed that there are certain necessary conditions for sci-tech intellectual transfer to appear in significant, and therefore noticeable, proportions. The two obvious conditions are the existence of a “donor” country (a country which experiences a surplus of intellectual output) and a “recipient” country (one which manages to accommodate foreign intellectual production in its publications). The sci-tech intellectual transfer is likely to occur when the publishing potential of a given country exceeds its intellectual production or when the quality and importance of research performed abroad surpasses internal accomplishments. Patterns of Soviet aerospace science as information donor and recipient have been investigated in a case study. An assessment of two decades of AIAA's (the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) coverage of the Soviet aerospace and engineering literature in the Aerospace Database demonstrates that the former Soviet Union has been transformed from a recipient of foreign intellectual effort to a donor country. Aspects of utilization/integration of Soviet information are examined, and a survey of the AIAA Journal suggests that Soviet literature entering the U.S. via the alternative channel of distribution (i.e., as a result of international intellectual transfer) is far more likely to be integrated into the mainstream of actively utilized aerospace knowledge. Suggestions for change in this area are presented, with emphasis on ways to reduce language barriers.
Evaluation of Monovalent Influenza Vaccine in a Retirement Community During the Epidemic of 1965-1966

Monovalent adjuvant and aqueous influenza vaccines were evaluated in a retirement community from 1964 to 1966. In the second year of investigation, an epidemic of A2 influenza provided opportunity to study the protective value of immunization. Vaccine efficacy was shown to be related to the pattern of vaccination. Individuals who had received single doses of A2 vaccine in both years of the study were considerably better protected than those who had received vaccine in only one of the years. The rate of febrile illnesses in the former group was more than 90% below that of vaccinated control. Those given one dose were only about half as well protected. Monovalent adjuvant A2 vaccine given more than a year before the outbreak appeared to protect as well as, if not slightly better than, monovalent aqueous vaccine administered several months before the epidemic.
CYTOGENETIC STUDIES OF LEUKEMIA INDUCED BY 6,8,12- AND 7,8,12-TRIMETHYLBENZ(A)ANTHRACENE

Cytogenetic studies on 64 rat leukemias induced with 7,8,12- and 6,8,12-trimethylbenz(a)anthracene were performed. Highly distinctive changes were found repeatedly in one special pair of chromosomes. 10 leukemias (15.6%) showed the presence of stemline(s) with trisomy of the largest telocentric chromosome (C-1 trisomy). Another chromosome abnormality, elongation of one of the pairs of the same chromosome (long C-1), was found in 5 leukemias (7.8%) as the predominant stemline and in 7 other cases as a small cell population. This chromosome abnormality, despite slight differences in their elongation rate, was defined as a new specific chromosome abnormality. Other chromosome abnormalities not related with C-1 chromosome were found in 8 cases (12.5%). The remaining 41 leukemias (64.1%) had the predominant stemline with normal karyotype. From this study it appears that three structurally different hydrocarbon carcinogens, 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene and 7,8,12- and 6,8,12-trimethylbenz(a)anthracene act on blood-forming cells by a common specific mechanism.
Analysis of adenosine-mediated pyrimidine starvation using cultured wild-type and mutant mouse T-lymphoma cells

Using the S49 T-cell lymphoma system for the study of immunodeficiency diseases, we characterized several variants in purine salvage and transport pathways and studied their responses to the cytotoxic action of adenosine (5–20 μM) in the presence of adenosine deaminase (ADA) inhibitors. Both an adenosine transport deficient mutant and a mutant lacking adenosine (ado) kinase activity are resistant to the cytotoxic effects of adenosine up to 15 μM. Variants lacking hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase or adenine phosphoribosyltransferase are sensitive to the killing action of adenosine. We monitored the intracellular concentrations of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, orotate, and PPribose P in mutant and wild-type cells following the addition of adenosine and an ADA inhibitor. We conclude that at low concentrations, adenosine must be phosphorylated to deplete the cell of pyrimidine nucleotides and PPribose P and to promote the accumulation of orotate. These alterations account for one mechanism of adenosine toxicity.
Transplantation for primary hyperoxaluria in the United States

Transplantation for primary hyperoxaluria in the United States. Background Transplantation (TX) has become an acceptable treatment for renal failure in primary hyperoxaluria (PH). We have analyzed data from three U.S. sources to estimate the success or failure of different modes of management in PH patients. Methods The United States Renal Data System (USRDS) tapes provided coded medical record data, with PH assigned to 235 patients from 1974 to 1996. Another 45 patients were found from USRDS hospitalization records. We limited patients to those developing end-stage renal disease at Results By life table analysis, the 94 total TX patient survival was better than for the 34 NoTX patients ( P P P P P P Conclusion KTX offers better patient survival in the United States then either K/LTX or NoTX. Graft survival does not differ between KTX and K/LTX. Because K/LTX can still follow a failed KTX, isolated living related donor KTX is still a reasonable first option for PH type 1 if a strictly managed protocol is followed.
Restorative Retelling for Violent Death: An Investigation of Treatment Effectiveness, Influencing Factors, and Durability

Many adults who have lost a loved one to violent death suffer from depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complicated grief. Limited research has examined structured group interventions for violent death survivors or characteristics (e.g., types of loss, quality and type of relationship with the deceased) that may impact response to intervention. This records review of 91 survivors examined the effectiveness of Restorative Retelling (RR), a brief structured group intervention for violent loss survivors. Participants completed depression, PTSD, and complicated grief measures at pre- and post-treatment and at 1-year follow-up for a subset of participants. Findings revealed statistically significant changes in depression and PTSD symptoms (Cohen's d values ranged from .33-.46) at post-treatment, with significant changes observed across all domains at 1-year follow-up. Treatment response appeared to be influenced by high distress, gender, and relationship with the deceased. Results imply a large-scale randomized control trial to determine treatment efficacy.
Proceedings of the “Arthritis, Agriculture, and Rural Life: State of the Art Research, Practices, and Applications” Conference, West Lafayette, Indiana, May 11–13, 2011

ABSTRACT This article presents proceedings of the first national conference to assemble professionals to address the issue of arthritis in agriculture. The “Arthritis, Agriculture, and Rural Life: State of the Art Research, Practices, and Applications” conference, May 11–13, 2011, at the Purdue University Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette, Indiana, focused on increasing awareness and education in the prevention, effects, care, and treatment of arthritis specific to farmers. Presentations included a contextualizing keynote and sessions addressing the prevention and treatment of arthritis in agriculture, including topics such as traditional arthritis therapies, alternative treatments, assistive technology, and ergonomic techniques and modifications. Participants discussed particular issues on a field trip to several Purdue University research farms addressing ergonomics. The conference concluded with a farmer panel, where attendees heard personal stories from farmers suffering from the effects of a...
An Alcohol Research Center in concept and practice: Interdisciplinary collaboration at the UConn ARC

Summary The Center for Research on the Etiology and Treatment of Alcohol Dependence is dedicated to the systematic examination of the nature, development, and clinical management of alcohol use disorders. The Center is organized around an integrated network of three basic science laboratories (Neurobiology, Neurodynamics, and Psychophysiology) and one treatment evaluation laboratory that incorporates basic science methods and concepts into its program. This paper describes the organization, programs and mission of the Center. It also discusses the conditions under which interdisciplinary collaborative research is likely to flourish.
Calculating Thornthwaite and Mather's actual evapotranspiration using an approximating function

A simple negative exponential function is presented which relates soil water storage to a maximum storage value (field capacity) and accumulated potential water loss. This formula summarizes 10 tables from Thornthwaite and Mather (Publications in Climatology, 10: 183–311, 1957) needed to calculate actual evapotranspiration (AET). Comparisons are presented for values predicted by this formula and Thornthwaite and Mather's tabulated values.
Pricing offshore wind power

Offshore wind offers a very large clean power resource, but electricity from the first US offshore wind contracts is costlier than current regional wholesale electricity prices. To better understand the factors that drive these costs, we develop a pro-forma cash flow model to calculate two results: the levelized cost of energy, and the breakeven price required for financial viability. We then determine input values based on our analysis of capital markets and of 35 operating and planned projects in Europe, China, and the United States. The model is run for a range of inputs appropriate to US policies, electricity markets, and capital markets to assess how changes in policy incentives, project inputs, and financial structure affect the breakeven price of offshore wind power. The model and documentation are made publicly available.
Lack of tropomyosin correlates with the absence of stress fibers in transformed rat kidney cells

Abstract We have utilized epithelial rat kidney cells and their Kirsten viral transformant (442) to examine the role of actin-binding proteins in cellular morphogenesis. Normal rat kidney cells are well spread while the transformed cells are more spherical, poorly adherent, and lack actin stress fibers (Rubin, R.W., Warren, R.H., Lukeman, D.S. and Clements, E. (1978) J. Cell Biol. 78, 28–35). By immunofluorescence, anti-tropomyosin prominently stains normal rat kidney cell stress fibers while only a weak, nonspecific fluorescence is observed in 442 cells. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, tropomyosin can be detected in normal rat kidney cell homogenates. The tropomyosin subunits are enriched in Triton-extracted filamentous normal rat kidney cell models, and in extracts of normal rat kidney cell homogenate produced by using a rapid myosin affinity technique to isolate actin and actin-associated proteins. The identity of the tropomyosin subunits has been confirmed by electrophoretic mobility, lack of proline, and the peptide map generated by limited proteolysis. None of these techniques have detected tropomyosin in the corresponding 442 preparations. Our results suggest that transformation of normal rat kidney cells has led to an overall reduction in tropomyosin content. This may be related to the inability of 442 cells to organize filamentous actin stress fibers.
Renal vein thrombosis : initial manifestation of goodpasture's syndrome

We report a patient who presented with renal vein thrombosis and nephrosis that progressed to alveolar hemorrhage and renal failure. Renal biopsy immunofluorescence and serum antiglomerular basement membrane antibody titer studies confirmed the diagnosis of Goodpasture's syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the first report of renal vein thrombosis as the initial presentation of Goodpasture's syndrome. (Chest 1991; 99:239–40)
Differences in the pattern of proliferative responses with age in thymocytes undergoing spontaneous and induced proliferation

Abstract The proliferative capacity of thymocytes from C3H/HeJ mice decreases as the animals attain maturity. The proliferative response of thymocytes from 24- to 28-week-old mice to stimulation with concanavalin A (Con A) is only 20% of that observed at 4 weeks of age. The decreased proliferative capacity of thymocytes in response to Con A stimulation observed between 4 and 24 weeks of age closely correlates to the drop in thymic weight and cellularity observed during this period. In contrast, the spontaneous proliferative capacity of thymocytes, as well as proliferation of thymocytes in response to stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and ionomycin, drops only slightly during this period, as proliferation under these conditions in thymocytes from 24- to 28-week-old mice is approximately 65–70% of that observed in 4-week-old animals. We have previously shown that cytoplasmic extracts from proliferating lymphoid cells contain a factor, termed the activator of DNA replication (ADR), which is capable of inducing DNA synthesis in isolated, quiescent nuclei. We show in this study that the decreased proliferative capacity of thymocytes during whole organism maturation and thymic involution is associated with decreased endogenous levels of ADR, while nuclear sensitivity of thymocytes to ADR was retained during these processes. The diminution of ADR activity during thymic involution was quantitatively greater than the loss in proliferative capacity.
Constructional apraxia in left brain damaged patients: A planning disorder?

The aim of the present study was to verify the hypothesis advanced by Hecaen and Assal (1970), that the presence of landmarks can improve the copying performance of left brain-damaged patients, while leaving unchanged that of right brain-damaged patients. Sixty-two control subjects and 196 brain-damaged patients with lesions restricted to the right (N = 84) or to the left (N = 112) cerebral hemisphere were given two tests of copying drawings. In the first task the patients were asked to directly copy a drawing; to perform the second test they were given guiding landmarks. On both tests no difference was found between the performance of the two hemispheric groups. Right-sided patients used a lower number of guiding landmarks, but this occurred only on the half of the drawings contralateral to the side of the lesion and was apparently due to unilateral spatial neglect.
Independent-pair wave functions for the three- and four-body nuclei

Abstract A method which was described previously for generating independent-pair wave functions for three-nucleon systems is generalized so that the S′ state with mixed symmetry can be included in three-body calculations and so that the method can be used to generate independent pair wave functions for the alpha particle. This procedure is used to find approximate ground-state functions for several three- and four-body Hamiltonians. The functions so obtained are used to calculate an upper and, in some cases, a lower bound to the ground-state energy and to calculate the charge form factors for these three- and four-body systems. When the interactions are chosen so that both low- and high-energy two-nucleon data are correctly predicted, then the calculated binding energies are slightly too large, the ratio of the form factors for 3 H to that of 3 He is consistent with the experimental ratio, and the form factors for all three nuclei are too large at large momentum transfers. By increasing the radius of the hard core, the calculated form factor functions are decreased closer to the experimental ones.
Matrigel augments xenograft transplantation of meningioma cells into athymic mice.

Objective We investigated the use of Matrigel to enhance the growth of human meningiomas in athymic (nude) mice. Tumor take and growth of xenograft meningioma cells in an in vivo model have previously been only partially successful. Methods The use of Matrigel has been reported to enhance tumorigenicity in a variety of solid tumors. This substance is derived from a mouse sarcoma and is a mixture of basement membrane proteins and growth factors. Meningioma cells obtained from human patients were placed in culture for 1 to 2 passages and then harvested and mixed with Matrigel and the mixture injected into the subcutaneous space in the flank of nude mice. Tumor volumes over time were measured at least three times a week and then harvested at 100 days postimplantation. Tumors were formalin-fixed, and histological examinations were performed. Immunohistochemistry was performed for human and mouse laminin, fibronectin, collagen Type IV, and epithelial membrane antigen. Results Tumors developed in all 40 mice studied. Growth of meningioma tumors was dependent on total number of cells injected and independent of the total volume of tumor cells and Matrigel matrix. Histologically and immunohistochemically, the xenograft tumors were very similar to the original human tumors. Conclusion Matrigel is relatively easy to use and has a high rate of histologically confirmed meningioma tumor formation in an athymic mouse model. We plan to use this model for studying the growth of meningiomas in vivo.
Complete response of carcinosarcoma of the ovary to therapy with doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and dacarbazine

Although carcinosarcoma occurs in various locations throughout the body, it rarely originates in the ovary. Chemotherapy has been minimally beneficial. This case describes a patient with carcinosarcoma of the ovary who responded minimally to chemotherapy used for epithelial carcinomas but had a complete response after receiving chemotherapy used for sarcomas. The patient relapsed within 1 year after receiving cisplatin therapy. She was treated with mesna, ifosfamide, Adriamycin, and dacarbazine (MAID) chemotherapy and after one cycle of chemotherapy she had no evidence of tumor. She has received six cycles of chemotherapy without evidence of progression 13+ months since beginning MAID therapy. MAID chemotherapy may be useful in the treatment of carcinosarcoma of the ovary.
Catecholamines in adult lampreys: baseline levels and stress-induced changes, with a note on cardiac cannulation.

Abstract The circulating levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (about 1300, 1300, and 3600 pg/ml, respectively) of the adult sea lamprey are very high when compared with the levels in teleosts and mammals, but similar to the levels found in the shark. Contrary to the situation in the shark, teleosts, and mammals, however, epinephrine has the highest plasma levels of the three catecholamines studied, and dopamine seems to be released mainly outside the brain. We find two types of responses: agitation causes a decrease of circulating dopamine, whereas decapitation causes an enormous increase of norepinephrine release. Details of a technique of heart cannulation for repeated blood sampling from individual lampreys are also given.
Vibrational relaxation in liquid diethylamine

Abstract Two types of time resolved experiments have been performed on the intermediate sized polyatomic molecule diethylamine, in the liquid phase, in order to elucidate the pathway for vibrational relaxation of the ν = 3 level of the NH stretching mode, which has 9420 cm−1 of energy. Both techniques had calibrated absolute sensitivities and were specific for vibrational modes of ca. 3000 cm−1, yet with neither were transient populations in such modes observable. It is inferred that population relaxation in this highly excited room temperature system proceeds on the subpicosecond time scale to lower lying levels. The importance of intramolecular channels for this decay is suggested.
THE SIMULATION OF MANAGEMENT DECISIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL STAFF CONTROL

The Management Decision Program for Professional Staff Control is a management technique for analyzing persistent problems of professional staff organization. The program can be used to simulate probable outcomes which are functions of personnel policies imposed by management, the training and experience of the staff, and the interaction of the two. Through reiteration of the problem over an appropriate range of values for governing variables, a variety of questions can be answered.
Formula For The RMS Blur Circle Radius Of Wolter Telescopes Based On Aberration Theory

A formula for the RMS blur circle radius of Wolter telescopes has been derived using the transverse ray aberration expressions of Saha. The resulting formula for the RMS blur circle radius over an image plane and a formula for the surface of best focus are based on third, fifth, and seventh order aberration theory and predict results in very good agreement with exact ray tracing. It has also been shown that one of the two terms in the empirical formula of VanSpeybroeck and Chase for the RMS blur circle radius of a Wolter I telescope can be justified in terms of the aberration theory results. Numerical results are given comparing the RMS blur radius and the surface of best focus versus the half field angle computed by skew ray tracing and from the analytical formulas for grazing incidence Wolter I-II telescopes and a normal incidence Cassegrain telescope.
Critical area driven dummy fill insertion to improve manufacturing yield

Non-planar surface may cause incorrect transfer of patterns during lithography. In today's IC manufacturing, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is used for topographical planarization Since polish rates for metals and oxides are different, dummy metal fills in layout is used to minimize post-CMP thickness variability. Existing metal fill solutions target secondary goals minimizing timing and crosstalk impact. They may however reduce yield by increasing probability of failure (POF) due to particulate defects. Layout design solutions that minimize POF and also improve surface planarity via dummy fill insertions have competing requirements for line spacing. In this work, we present a formulation to balance these competing goals and provide a comparative study of greedy (or fixed spacing), variable spacing and LP formulation based fill insertions based on scalability and quality of solution. Finally, we extend the critical area based solution to include SRAF insertion in order to account for optical diffraction in lithography. The key contributions of this paper are i) layout density analysis model, ii) heuristic greedy, variable spacing and LP formulation based fill insertion techniques and iii) characterization and implementation of inter-feature spacing based SRAF insertion. Thus the proposed solution addresses both lithography and particulate related defects. Experimental results based on layout of ISCAS 85 benchmark circuits show that the variable spacing and the LP formulation based fill insertion techniques result in substantially reduced critical area while satisfying the layout density and uniformity criteria.
Body-on-a-chip simulation with gastrointestinal tract and liver tissues suggests that ingested nanoparticles have the potential to cause liver injury

The use of nanoparticles in medical applications is highly anticipated, and at the same time little is known about how these nanoparticles affect human tissues. Here we have simulated the oral uptake of 50 nm carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles with a microscale body-on-a-chip system (also referred to as multi-tissue microphysiological system or micro Cell Culture Analog). Using the ‘GI tract–liver–other tissues’ system allowed us to observe compounding effects and detect liver tissue injury at lower nanoparticle concentrations than was expected from experiments with single tissues. To construct this system, we combined in vitro models of the human intestinal epithelium, represented by a co-culture of enterocytes (Caco-2) and mucin-producing cells (TH29-MTX), and the liver, represented by HepG2/C3A cells, within one microfluidic device. The device also contained chambers that together represented the liquid portions of all other organs of the human body. Measuring the transport of 50 nm carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles across the Caco-2/HT29-MTX co-culture, we found that this multi-cell layer presents an effective barrier to 90.5 ± 2.9% of the nanoparticles. Further, our simulation suggests that a larger fraction of the 9.5 ± 2.9% nanoparticles that travelled across the Caco-2/HT29-MTX cell layer were not large nanoparticle aggregates, but primarily single nanoparticles and small aggregates. After crossing the GI tract epithelium, nanoparticles that were administered in high doses estimated in terms of possible daily human consumption (240 and 480 × 1011 nanoparticles mL−1) induced the release of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), an intracellular enzyme of the liver that indicates liver cell injury. Our results indicate that body-on-a-chip devices are highly relevant in vitro models for evaluating nanoparticle interactions with human tissues.
Directory of Databases for Research into Alternative and Complementary Medicine: An Update

The Directory of Databases with significant holdings of primarily bibliographic references to complementary and alternative medicine research resources has been compiled to facilitate access to the widely scattered data and literature. The Directory is directly accessible from the Web site of the Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Columbia University's CPMCNet (http:/(/)cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/rosenthal/) where it is kept regularly updated. General selection criteria and a brief description of content, access or contact details are given for each of the 56 databases. Thirty-six of the databases are available online over the Internet and of these, 17 are freely, publicly available. There are 13 search services and a further 8 databases available in a variety of formats. Following are some recent updates to supplement the written version of the Directory published in this journal (Wootton, 1997). The section numbering corresponds to the numbering in the original article and on the Columbia University Web site.
Physical aspects of supervoltage x-ray therapy.

The physical properties of the concepts frequently used in radiationdosimetry to compute dose are studied for high‐energy x‐ray beams. The dose in tissue is divided into total incident and phantom‐scatter components. The incident beam includes the primary photons as well as the collimatorscattering contribution. The phantom scattering is composed of back‐ and front‐scatter functions. The former function is shown to have essentially zero effect on dose at 33‐ and 45‐MV energy x rays.Characteristics of tissue‐maximum‐ratio (TMR) at high energies are investigated and TMR tables are provided. Contrary to the definition of TMR, this function is observed to depend on SSD. TMR curves are fitted with a semi‐empirical function with a maximum deviation of 1%. Mathematical equations are derived for the computation of dose from TMR. The applicability of the equivalent square technique to high energy photons is examined and found to be adequate. Properties of percent depth dose are studied and a number of related phenomena are discussed.