cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Prostate Cancer Unit: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Which the Time Has Arrived

Large US-population-based studies of prostate cancer patients suggest that oncology specialist visits relate strongly to prostate cancer treatment choices for localized disease [1]. Studies also indicate that specialists tend to prefer and recommend the modality they themselves deliver. It is recognized that there is a paucity of comparative studies demonstrating superiority of one standard treatment modality, surgery or radiation, over another with regard to localized prostate cancer. Additional strategies include active surveillance and a variety of minimally invasive and focal therapies that continue to evolve and that are used in routine clinical care [2]. Therefore, prostate cancer specialists consider it essential to ensure that men have access to balanced information, including risks and benefits, before choosing a specific treatment for localized disease. Adequate pretreatment counseling can potentially reduce treatment regret and improve outcomes [3]. One approach to dealing with the complexities of prostate cancer management is the coordination of care among providers, known as the multidisciplinary model. There are few published reports of multidisciplinary clinic outcomes for all malignancies and even less for prostate cancer. A 2010 review was unable to definitively determine a causal relationship betweenmultidisciplinary care and outcomes such as survival [4]. However, our group now has convincing data that is discussed later in this paper. One of the current challenges in assessing the impact of multidisciplinary care models is the lack of a formal definition of what multidisciplinary cancer care actually is. This approach can take many forms, but a true multidisciplinary care model, as described by Hong et al [4], fundamentally encompasses ‘‘collaborative patient care by a team of individuals where all diagnostic and treatment
The determination of diffusion tensors in surface diffusion by the fluctuation method (theory)

Abstract An extension of the field emission fluctuation method for studying the diffusion of adsorbates on metal surfaces to the measurement of anisotropic diffusion is described. The modification consists of using a long, narrow rectangular slit as probed region. This allows a determination of the decay of the correlation function along the narrow direction only, so that, by rotating the slit to coincide with the principal axes of the diffusion tensor, its diagonal elements can be found. The determination of principal axes when these are fixed by substrate symmetry, and also when this symmetry is broken by adsorbate overlayers is discussed. Relevant equations for density and field emission current correlation functions are derived and numerically integrated where necessary. It is also shown that the mean square fluctuation for a slit can be orientation dependent and that such measurements can give information on correlation lengths in various directions.
Controlling the Mechanical Myofibroblast via SRC: A Potential Drug Discovery Platform

Connective tissue makes up a large portion of our bodies, with collagen constituting ∼30% of the protein of connective tissue. Any tissue that undergoes fibrosis, either due to a genetic mutation or with age or use, typically falls into the ubiquitous category of ‘connective tissue fibrosis’. There are multiple potential contributors to connective tissue fibrosis; however, two dominate the literature — mechanical stress/strain and cytokines. Both stimuli lead to activation of fibroblast cells to a myofibroblast phenotype, the cellular hallmark of fibrotic disease. The myofibroblast phenotype is indicated by the expression of smooth muscle α-actin (αSMA), which associates with myosin to form actin-myosin contractile elements and generates intracellular force that is transduced to the ECM via cell membrane integrins.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Tangential chow forms — rank 1 hypersurfaces in a Grassmannian

Let Xn ⊂ PN be an n-dimensional projective variety, and N−n−1≤k≤N−1. The closure in the Grassmannian G(k+1, N+1) of the set of k-planes meeting the smooth locus of X nontransversally is a tangential Chow form (TCF) of X.
Modulation of duck intrapulmonary chemoreceptor discharge by cardiac activity

A previous study on duck intrapulmonary chemoreceptors (IPC) reported that the cardiac cycle modulated discharge of most IPC, but did not distinguish whether pulsatile blood flow or cardiac-linked fluctuation in parabronchial gas flow was responsible. In this study with Pekin ducks one of 14 IPC recorded was found to be modulated by cardiac activity in the perfused lung, and none in the non-perfused lung. Discharge variability expressed as coefficients of variation did not change with pulmonary artery ligation. It is concluded that: (1) pulsatile blood flow does not affect discharge regularity of most IPC and (2) the infrequent occurrence of cardiac modulation of IPC in thoracotomized ducks may be the result of IPC having receptive endings near the parabronchial lumen.
Plasma lipoproteins stimulate progestin production by rat ovarian granulosa cells cultured in serum free medium.

Abstract These studies investigated the effect of human high density lipoprotein (hHDL), human low density lipoprotein (hLDL), and rat high density lipoprotein (rHDL), on steroidogenesis by cultured rat ovarian granulosa cells. Granulosa cells were isolated from ovaries of estrogen stimulated, hypophysectomized, immature female rats, and were cultured in a serum-free medium. After pretreatment of the cells in culture for 2, 4, or 6 days with oFSH and 4-androstene-3,17-dione to induce the enzymes necessary for progestin synthesis, the addition of hHDL to the cultures for 2 days resulted in a 4 to 6 fold increase in granulosa cell progesterone and 20α-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one production. The predominant progestin was 20α-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one and maximum progestin production occurred after 4 days of oFSH and 4-androstene-3,17-dione pretreatment. Dose-response studies showed that progestin production was linear with the log dose of hHDL. The addition of hLDL and rHDL for 2 days also stimulated a 2 to 4 fold increase in progesterone and 20α-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one production by granulosa cells pretreated for 2 days with oFSH and 4-androstene-3,17-dione. In contrast to their stimulatory effect on progestin synthesis, the lipoproteins had no effect on granulosa cell estrogen production. These results demonstrate that rat and human plasma lipoproteins act directly on granulosa cells to stimulate progestin production, presumably by providing cholesterol substrate. The granulosa cell culture system utilized in this report permits the study, under controlled conditions, of the role of plasma lipoproteins in rat ovarian steroidogenesis.
Mining frequent patterns with differential privacy

The mining of frequent patterns is a fundamental component in many data mining tasks. A considerable amount of research on this problem has led to a wide series of efficient and scalable algorithms for mining frequent patterns. However, releasing these patterns is posing concerns on the privacy of the users participating in the data. Indeed the information from the patterns can be linked with a large amount of data available from other sources creating opportunities for adversaries to break the individual privacy of the users and disclose sensitive information. In this proposal, we study the mining of frequent patterns in a privacy preserving setting. We first investigate the difference between sequential and itemset patterns, and second we extend the definition of patterns by considering the absence and presence of noise in the data. This leads us in distinguishing the patterns between exact and noisy. For exact patterns, we describe two novel mining techniques that we previously developed. The first approach has been applied in a privacy preserving record linkage setting, where our solution is used to mine frequent patterns which are employed in a secure transformation procedure to link records that are similar. The second approach improves the mining utility results using a two-phase strategy which allows to effectively mine frequent substrings as well as prefixes patterns. For noisy patterns, first we formally define the patterns according to the type of noise and second we provide a set of potential applications that require the mining of these patterns. We conclude the paper by stating the challenges in this new setting and possible future research directions.
Real-Time Simulation of Isolated Biomolecule Characterization with Frequency and Force Modulation Atomic Force Microscopy

Recently a new AFM technique, frequency and force modulation AFM (FFM-AFM), was proposed for the characterization of delicate samples and applied within numerical simulations to calculate the cross-sectional scan of a single bacteriorhodopsin molecule with a carbon nanotube probe in air. A real-time imaging simulation of the same molecule and probe is presented here, illustrating the effect of horizontal scan speed, cantilever stiffness, effective frequency setpoint, and quality factor on the images obtained. Controls parameters are proposed for scan speeds of ∼150 and ∼25 nm/s in air and water, respectively. The results indicate that the most common causes leading to distorted images are excessive sample compression and denting by the tip when it approaches the sample horizontally, and loss of contact with the surface as the tip continues traveling horizontally past the sample, both of which can occur for high scan speeds and large cantilever force constants. The calculations also show that imaging conditions can be found for which the tip-sample repulsive forces and sample deformation are small and depend only weakly on imaging parameters other than scan speed.
Altered expression of α-subunits of G proteins in failing human hearts

We have recently demonstrated that the activity of the inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein Gi is increased in the hearts of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We determined whether altered Gi protein levels in the failing human heart correlate with changes in steady state levels of the mRNA encoding one of the αGi peptides. cDNAs encoding αGs, αGo, and three subspecies of αGi were used as hybridization probes to quantify steady state levels of mRNA encoding these αG peptides in failing and non-failing human heart. The lengths of the mRNAs that encode each αG peptide were the same in non-failing and failing hearts. Steady state levels of mRNA encoding both αGi-3 and αGs were significantly increased in the failing hearts when compared to non-failing hearts. By contrast, there was no significant change in the levels of mRNA encoding αGo or of rRNA. The relative abundance of the mRNA encoding each of the subspecies of αGi was different in the human heart; αGi-3 mRNA was abundant, αGi-2 was barely detectable, and we were not able to detect αGi-1 utilizing our hybridization conditions. These results suggest that alterations at the level of transcription as well as post-translational modifications can affect the activities of transmembrane signaling proteins in chronic congestive heart failure.
Quality at time of purchase of dried milk products commercially packaged in reduced oxygen atmosphere

Nonfat dry milk (NDM) and powdered whey beverages are available at the retail level, packaged in No. 10 cans in a reduced oxygen atmosphere to prolong shelf life. The objective of this research was to determine the sensory and nutritional quality of these dried milk products at the time of purchase. In the 10 brands tested, wide variation existed in headspace oxygen, can seam quality, sensory quality, and vitamin A (with 6 of 10 brands entirely lacking the vitamin). Manufacturers of dried milk products packaged in cans for long-term storage need to give careful attention to can seam quality, product labeling, and vitamin fortification. Consumers would be well advised to evaluate several brands of dried milk products prior to large quantity purchases.
Bacteremic Pneumococcal Pneumonia: A Community Hospital Experience

We reviewed our experience with bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia (BPP) over a 1-year period at a 600-bed community teaching hospital; 26 cases were identified. The mean age was 57.5 years and there were 12 male and 14 female subjects. Cough, sputum production, fever, and mental status changes were the most frequent symptoms. Risk factors included drug abuse in 10, HIV in 4, current smoking in 7, diabetes in 3, and cancer in 3. The mean PaO2/FIo2 ratio was 274. Radiographic features included a consolidation pattern in 7, bronchopneumonia in 15, combined in 1, and an initial normal film in 3. Average length of stay (LOS) was 11 days with an overall mortality of 11.5%. Four patients required mechanical ventilation, two meeting the criteria for ARDS (if this group were eliminated, LOS would be 8.4 days). Three of these survived. Four patients had organisms resistant to penicillin and all survived. We conclude that (1) BPP remains a serious but treatable infection particularly when utilizing full supportive care; (2) the bronchopneumonia x-ray film pattern was associated with all the mortality; and (3) the occurrence of penicillin resistance did not contribute to the mortality, since early recognition and the use of appropriate antibiotics saved all of these patients.
Securing BGP incrementally

Despite the pressing need to secure routing, none of the existing secure variants of BGP has been widely deployed. Due to the size and decentralized nature of the Internet, it became clear that any viable secure routing protocol must offer benefits also in its early stages of deployment. In order to determine when the protocols are not adoptable, we quantify the benefits offered by a partial deployment of an Idealized Secure BGP which is able to detect malicious routes with perfect accuracy. We also quantify the benefits of an imperfect version of the protocol. Subsequently, we conclude that even the best protocols which simply detect and avoid bogus routes do not offer good security performance except in limited scenarios. We offer alternative designs, and hope that our insights will result in a new secure routing protocol that will be more attractive to early adopters.
CLINICAL OUTCOMES AFTER CERVICAL SPINE FUSION

The advent of sterile technique, modern anesthesia, and organized industrial society have allowed for great advances and widespread use of cervical arthrodesis for a variety of disorders. This article defines expected outcome for cervical arthrodesis used to treat degenerative disease, trauma, deformity, and a variety of other disorders.
Anodic behaviour of carbon steel in concentrated NaOH solutions

Abstract A study has been made of the anodic behaviour of carbon steel in deaerated 1–19 N NaOH solutions at 25–80°C over a range of potentials from active to transpassive regimes. A rotating steel disk electrode was used to obtain the anodic polarization curves at a scan rate of 1 mV s −1 . The soluble dissolution products during the potential scan were analyzed with a rotating ring-hemisphere electrode. The results indicate that in the active dissolution potential regime, steel dissolved primarily via a two-electron transfer reaction to HFeO − 2 ion. As the potential approached the active—passive transition potential, a parallel reaction occurred, which produced a soluble tri-valent iron species of FeO − 2 ion. The formation of FeO − 2 ion was caused by the oxidation of an intermediate Fe(OH) 2 surface species in the active dissolution reaction. At the active—passive transition potential, the Fe(OH) 2 intermediate was further oxidized to a passive Fe 3 O 4 film, causing the current to drop with further increase in potential. In the course of current drop from the active to passive state, the Fe 3 O 4 film was oxidized to a Fe 2 O 3 film, resulting in a small second current peak on the anodic polarization curves. The passivity of steel was unstable in NaOH solutions at the concentration greater than 4 N and temperature higher than 40°C. The Fe 2 O 3 film reacted with hydroxyl ion and dissolved in concentrated NaOH solutions at high temperatures. The exposed steel then anodically dissolved into the electrolyte to form FeO − 2 ions at the passive potentials, and the current—potential curve exhibited a humped shape. The steel dissolution reaction in the hump potential regime was a first order reaction with respect to the activity of hydroxyl ions. The rate of the dissolution reaction in the hump potential regime was limited by the ohmic resistance of an intermediate Fe(OH) 3 surface layer at low overpotentials. At high overpotentials, the reaction became limited by mass transfer of the dissolution product, FeO − 2 , to the bulk electrolyte.
The ‘multiple impacts hypothesis’ for mass extinction: a comparison of the Late Devonian and the late Eocene

Abstract Application of the lag-time multiple impacts hypothesis [Poag, 1997b. Palaios 12, 582–590; Poag et al., 2001. Columbia Univ. Press] to the Late Devonian leads to the prediction that the Frasnian–Famennian pulsed extinctions were triggered by a rapid drop in global temperature that followed an impact-produced anomalous warm interval, which interrupted the global cooling trend from the Middle Devonian greenhouse to the Early Carboniferous icehouse. In actualistic comparison with the late Eocene, the lag-time multiple impacts hypothesis would predict that a Frasnian interval of multiple impacts should have occurred between 367.7 and 366.7 Ma. The fact that three impacts (the Alamo, Siljan and Flynn Creek) do occur either within this predicted interval, or close to it in time, is corroborative evidence that the lag-time multiple impacts hypothesis may indeed provide the causal mechanism for the Frasnian–Famennian mass extinction. Based on the application of the lag-time multiple impacts hypothesis to the Frasnian–Famennian mass extinction, it is here suggested that future searches for evidence of impact events in the Late Devonian be concentrated in strata that occur in the Frasnian transitans to Early hassi zonal interval, and not in strata immediately below or above the Frasnian–Famennian boundary.
Separation of angiotensins by high-performance liquid chromatography on a weak anion-exchange bonded phase.

Abstract A mixture of 12 angiotensins was separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on a weak anion-exchange bonded phase using a triethylammonium acetate buffer and acetonitrile as the eluant. An excellent separation of these compounds was obtained. Recoveries for all 12 were over 90%, as determined by comparative amino acid analysis. A strong effect of temperature on retention was observed. The buffer used here allows sensitive detection of these peptides at wavelengths in the range 210–225 nm. Because the eluants are also volatile, isolation of separated compounds for reuse or further analysis is facilitated.
New technique to quantitate regional pulmonary microvascular transit times from dynamic x-ray CT images

Microvascular red blood cell mean transit time is a crucial parameter underlying basic pulmonary physiology. Dynamic x-ray CT imaging during bolus radiopaque tracer injection offers the ability to make functional measurements throughout the lungs, but is not able to resolve individual microvascular beds. We have implemented a model-free Fast Fourier Transform deconvolution algorithm to extract the microvascular transport characteristics from the acquired time-intensity data. The deconvolved feeding arterial bolus input curves and corresponding regional pulmonary parenchymal 'response' functions provide measures of regional pulmonary tracer residence times, allowing calculation of microvascular transit times for different spatial regions of the pulmonary system. The acquired feeding (main) pulmonary artery and regional pulmonary parenchyma time-intensity curves were fit to gamma variate functions which were then sampled with a temporal resolution of 0.1 seconds. Deconvolution of the feeding arterial and regional parenchymal curves consistently results in bimodal regional residue functions. The two modes consist of a relatively large, sharp, narrow peak approximating a delta function followed by a smaller more dispersed curve. The sharp, narrow peak appears to be due to small artery inclusion in the sampled parenchymal region (partial volume effects). The magnitude of the dominant arterial peak decreases as sampling locations are moved from the less expanded dependent to the more expanded non-dependent lung regions of supine dogs. Mathematical separation of the two modes allowed isolation of the arterial and microvascular components. The shape and transit times of the putative microvascular components agree well with results from similar measurements via microfocal angiography and in vivo microscopy. Reconvolving the microvascular component with the input curve results in a corrected parenchymal curve representing the regional microvascular transport characteristics, free of arterial flow signal contamination. The corrected residue curves can then be used for non-invasive in vivo quantitation of regional organ microvascular transit times, volumes and flows in relation to the existing in vivo anatomy.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Soft tissue pseudotumor following intramuscular injection of "DPT": a pitfall in magnetic resonance imaging.

We report the time-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes that resulted from an intramuscular injection of a commonly-used pediatric sedation regimen (“DPT”). These changes at the site of injection consist of a focal abnormality characterized by a slight increase in signal intensity on T1 weighted images and markedly increased signal intensity on T2 weighted images. Alterations in signal are detectable almost immediately after the injection and progress over the first 31 hours. This abnormality, which could be mistaken for real disease, persists up to 36 days following injection.
Support Group Counseling for Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Abstract This article describes Alzheimer's disease and the burdens that caregivers encounter in dealing with Alzheimer's patients. Information concerning support group counseling for caregivers, their particular needs, and special family issues are presented.
Purification and kinetic studies of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase from human erythrocytes.

Abstract Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase was purified 2200-fold from human erythrocytes. The purification steps involved (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 fractionation followed by Sephadex-G75 column chromatography, DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 precipitation. Partially purified enzyme was stabilized by 0.3 m (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , which also protected the enzyme from heat denaturation. The enzyme was partially inhibited by sodium ions which were partially antagonized by magnesium. Divalent cation is an absolute requirement for high enzyme activity. Ca 2+ , Mn 2+ , and Mg 2+ supported high initial rates and Hg 2+ completely inhibited the enzyme. The kinetic data with initial velocity and the product inhibition studies are consistent with a mechanism in which the synthesis of nucleotide proceeds as an ordered sequential reaction.
Natural Convection Heat Transfer in Complex Enclosures at Large Prandtl Number

Etude experimentale du transfert de chaleur par convection naturelle dans de l'huile de silicone contenue dans une enceinte rectangulaire avec des cloisons verticales de differentes longueurs fixees a la paroi superieure pour des nombres de Prandtl compris entre 620 et 910
Chemical interpretation of Viking Lander 1 life detection experiment

An earth-based evaluation of the Viking Lander 1 life-detection experiments was conducted using a radiofrequency glow discharge in a simulated Martian atmosphere. The Gas Exchange Experiment conducted in the humid mode released substantial amounts of CO2, O2, N2, Ar, and CO into the atmosphere, indicating that these substances were adsorbed onto the Martian soil. An adsorption potential plot is given, graphing quantity of gas against time (d). For a model surface area of 17 squares meters per gram of measured substance, oxygen adsorption was found to be relatively high, a result which tends to confirm the hypothesis that Martian oxygen exists largely in chemisorbed states or in active oxygen compounds, e.g., peroxide, superoxide, hydroperoxide
Structure, Function, and Regulation of the Aldouronate Utilization Gene Cluster from Paenibacillus sp. Strain JDR-2

Direct bacterial conversion of the hemicellulose fraction of hardwoods and crop residues to biobased products depends upon extracellular depolymerization of methylglucuronoxylan (MeGAXn), followed by assimilation and intracellular conversion of aldouronates and xylooligosaccharides to fermentable xylose. Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2, an aggressively xylanolytic bacterium, secretes a multimodular cell-associated GH10 endoxylanase (XynA1) that catalyzes depolymerization of MeGAXn and rapidly assimilates the principal products, β-1,4-xylobiose, β-1,4-xylotriose, and MeGAX3, the aldotetrauronate 4-O-methylglucuronosyl-α-1,2-xylotriose. Genomic libraries derived from this bacterium have now allowed cloning and sequencing of a unique aldouronate utilization gene cluster comprised of genes encoding signal transduction regulatory proteins, ABC transporter proteins, and the enzymes AguA (GH67 α-glucuronidase), XynA2 (GH10 endoxylanase), and XynB (GH43 β-xylosidase/α-arabinofuranosidase). Expression of these genes, as well as xynA1 encoding the secreted GH10 endoxylanase, is induced by growth on MeGAXn and repressed by glucose. Sequences in the yesN, lplA, and xynA2 genes within the cluster and in the distal xynA1 gene show significant similarity to catabolite responsive element (cre) defined in Bacillus subtilis for recognition of the catabolite control protein (CcpA) and consequential repression of catabolic regulons. The aldouronate utilization gene cluster in Paenibacillus sp. strain JDR-2 operates as a regulon, coregulated with the expression of xynA1, conferring the ability for efficient assimilation and catabolism of the aldouronate product generated by a multimodular cell surface-anchored GH10 endoxylanase. This cluster offers a desirable metabolic potential for bacterial conversion of hemicellulose fractions of hardwood and crop residues to biobased products.
Race, Risk and Responsibility: Editorial Constraint in the Framing of Inequality

An examination of the presentation of racially comparative risk by 49 leading dailies reveals a tendency to frame stories of difference in terms of Black loss. This framing appears deliberate, and structurally constrained. Indeed, clear examples of the demotion of leads identified by van Dijk are found in cases where headlines fail to reflect leads that emphasize the high probability of White success in the pursuit of mortgages. Structural influences, as represented by the proportion of Black Americans in the newspaper's market, were revealed in correlations suggesting that the greater the presence of Blacks in the market, the more likely the papers were to use a lead emphasizing the high probability of Black failure.
Magnetospheric particle detection efficiency of a conical telescope

Abstract A semianalytic program has been developed to map the pitch angles of magnetospheric particles onto a detector telescope acceptance cone. The telescope fractional efficiency is defined as the fraction of the pitch angle cone in common with the telescope cone multiplied by the fractional perpendicular component of the exposed detector area, and normalized by 2π. Calculations have been performed as a function of the satellite's location, orbital inclination and the zenith angle of the telescope axis, both in dipole and real geomagnetic field models. At the dipole equator, the peak efficiency occurs at 90° pitch angle. In the real geomagnetic field model, the average value of the pitch angle for maximum efficiency is ∼ 88°. The efficiency function depends strongly upon latitude and is independent of longitude in a dipole field, but depends on longitude in the real field model. In either field model, altitude, angle of tilt and orbital inclination have little effect upon efficiency. The efficiency function calculated at the dipole equator can be used at the minimum magnetic field equator with little error, but not for points away from from the B min position. The results are applied to calculate the absolute flux of magnetospheric particles observed near the equator.
Quantitation of types I and III collagens in human tissue samples and cell culture by cyanogen bromide peptide analysis

A procedure for the quantitation of types I and III collagens by cyanogen bromide peptide analysis was developed with the aim of eliminating certain problems associated with this method. Ion-exchange chromatography reduced high background levels on gel scans used to quantitate the peptides; reduction with beta-mercaptoethanol substantially increased the efficiency of the cyanogen bromide cleavage; use of a concave gradient in acrylamide from 8 to 20% improved the resolution of cyanogen bromide peptides separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and a normalization procedure eliminated variations due to differences in the amount of material loaded on the gel system. This method of quantitation was applied to human aorta samples and to collagen secreted by human skin fibroblasts. Metachromasy of type I and type III collagen cyanogen bromide peptides stained with Coomassie blue R-250 was established and this was used as an index of the purity of the cyanogen bromide peptide preparations. Type I and III collagens were prepared from human placental tissue, and these purified collagens were used to construct calibration curves to determine the relationship between the quantity of diagnostic cyanogen bromide peptides present and the composition of the sample in terms of types I and III collagens.
Polyamine content of several RNA plant viruses.

Abstract Three polyhedral viruses in the bromovirus group, brome mosaic virus, cowpea chlorotic mottle virus, and broad bean mottle virus, contain no detectable polyamines. Two other polyhedral viruses, turnip yellow mosaic virus and cowpea mosaic virus, contain roughly 1% spermidine by weight. The rod-shaped barley stripe mosaic virus contains no detectable polyamines.
Stimulated serotonin release from hyperinnervated terminals subsequent to neonatal dopamine depletion regulates striatal tachykinin, but not enkephalin gene expression.

Abstract Dopamine (DA) depletion in neonatal rodents results in depressed tachykinin and elevated enkephalin gene expression in the adult striatum (STR). Concurrently, serotonin (5-HT) fibers sprout to hyperinnervate the DA-depleted anterior striatum (A-STR). The present study was designed to determine if increased 5-HT release from sprouted terminals influences dysregulated preprotachykinin (PPT) and preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA expression in the DA-depleted STR. Three-day-old Sprague–Dawley rat pups received bilateral intracerebroventricular injections of vehicle or the DA neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA, 100 μg). Two months later, rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of vehicle or the acute 5-HT releasing agent p -chloroamphetamine ( P CA; 10 mg/kg). Rats were killed 4 h later and striata processed for monoamine content by HPLC-ED and mRNA expression by in situ hybridization within specific subregions of the A-STR and posterior striatum (P-STR). 6-OHDA treatment severely (>98%) reduced striatal DA levels, while 5-HT content in the A-STR was significantly elevated (doubled), indicative of 5-HT hyperinnervation. Following 6-OHDA, PPT mRNA levels were depressed 60–66% across three subregions of the A-STR and 52–59% across two subregions of the P-STR, while PPE mRNA expression was elevated in both the A-STR (50–62%) and P-STR (55–82%). P CA normalized PPT mRNA levels in all regions of the DA-depleted A-STR and P-STR, yet did not alter PPE levels in either dorsal central or medial regions from 6-OHDA alone, but reduced PPE to control levels in the dorsal lateral A-STR. These data indicate that increased 5-HT neurotransmission, following neonatal 6-OHDA treatment, primarily influences PPT-containing neurons of the direct striatal output pathway.
Protein-Sequencing Jigsaw

The jigsaw technique has been used in a fourth-year biochemistry course to increase problem-solving abilities of the students. The jigsaw method is a cooperative-learning technique that involves a group structure. Students start with a “home” group. That group is responsible for learning an assigned portion of a task. Then the instructor separates students into new groups, the “jigsaw groups”, by assigning one member from each home group to a new group. In the jigsaw group, students share information and complete some sort of project or product: in this case, several protein-sequencing problems. The implementation of this technique increased student scores in this particular area on an individual exam and on the final exam.
Changes in hemodynamics, ventricular remodeling, and ventricular contractility during normal pregnancy: A longitudinal study**

Objective To investigate the hemodynamic changes occurring in normal pregnancy and to see if these changes were associated with an increase in myocardial contractility. Methods In a longitudinal study, primigravidas were studied with echocardiography in early (15 ± 1.8 weeks), mid (26 ± 1.2 weeks), and late (36 ± 1.0 weeks) gestation, as well as at 6 weeks postpartum. Cardiac dimensions were measured with two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography and hemodynamic indices were calculated. All measurements were made with subjects in the left lateral decubitus position. Statistical analysis was performed with repeated measures analysis of variance. Results Seventy-six women with normal pregnancy outcomes completed all four studies. From the baseline study to late gestation, an increase in cardiac output of 27% (from [mean ± standard error] 4.2 ± 0.1 to 5.8 ± 0.2 L/min, P = .001), and a decrease in total peripheral resistance of 33% (from 1356 ± 69 to 941 ± 37 dynes/second cm −5 , P = .001) occurred. Over this same time period, left ventricular function, while demonstrating a small and non-significant increase in velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (from 1.25 ± 0.02 to 1.27 ± 0.02 cm/second), revealed a 12% decrease in wall stress (from 36.3 ± 1.0 to 31.9 ± 1.0 g/cm 2 , P = .001) and a 13% decrease in the load-independent wall stress to velocity of circumferential fiber shortening ratio (from 30.0 ± 1.2 to 26.1 ± 1.0, P = .01), implying enhanced intrinsic myocardial contractility. Conclusion Normal pregnancy is characterized by enhanced myocardial performance.
The effect of SV40 transformation on the chromosomal proteins of 3T3 mouse embryo fibroblasts

Abstract The composition and metabolism of chromosomal proteins — histones and nonhistones chromosomal proteins — were examined in normal and SV40 transformed 3T3 mouse cells. Variations were observed, many of which were similar to those previously reported for normal and SV40 transformed WI38 human diploid fibroblasts. The possible implications of these viral induced changes in the protein component of the genome for the phenotypic modifications which occur in transformed cells are discussed.
Is Actiq Use in Noncancer-Related Pain Really “A Recipe for Success”?

Passik and Kirsh's editorial regarding the use of Actiq in patients with noncancer pain raises several important issues, but I disagree with some of their conclusions and implications. One of their central points is “that it is nonsensical for an opioid analgesic to carry an indication specifically for cancer pain”[1]. I believe that cancer patients with severe pain are different from patients with chronic noncancer pain in a few critical ways, and I am not alone. When clinicians think of cancer patients with severe pain, they typically think of patients with terminal conditions and a prognosis measured in months or less. These patients know they are dying, and many fear the pain and suffering associated with the dying process more than death itself. There is consensus that in these patients, when oral opioids prove inadequate, more aggressive analgesic measures, including outpatient parenteral opioid administration, are appropriate [2,3]. In contrast, the use of opioids in chronic noncancer pain is consistently approached more cautiously. Passik and Kirsh imply that considering cancer and noncancer pain separately—the approach employed by the United States Food and Drug Administration—is out of touch with clinical practice and expert opinion. In fact, there are numerous national and international consensus guidelines specifically for …
Algorithms for Complex ML ICA and Their Stability Analysis Using Wirtinger Calculus

We derive a class of algorithms for independent component analysis (ICA) based on maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and perform stability analysis of natural gradient ML ICA with and without the constraint for unitary demixing matrix. In the process, we demonstrate how Wirtinger calculus facilitates derivations, and most importantly, performing second-order analysis in the complex domain and eliminates the need for making simplifying assumptions. We derive natural gradient complex ML ICA update rule and its variant with a unitary constraint, as well as a Newton algorithm for better convergence behavior. The conditions for local stability are derived and studied using a generalized Gaussian density (GGD) source model. When the sources are circular and non-Gaussian, we show analytically that both the ML and ML-unitary ICA update rules converge to the inverse of mixing matrix subject to a phase shift. When the sources are noncircular and non-Gaussian, we show that the nonunitary ML ICA update rule is more stable than the ML-unitary ICA update rule. When the sources are noncircular Gaussians, both update rules are stable only when the sources have distinct noncircularity indices. Simulation results are given to support these results.
Wireless Medium Access via Adaptive Backoff: Delay and Loss Minimization

We consider packet transmission scheduling at the MAC-layer via adaptive backoff algorithms that are favorable in terms of queue occupancies in a wireless network. General network topologies are considered under the operational constraint that transmitters within close proximity of each other cannot be transmitting simultaneously. Transmitters probe the channel at random instants and transmit if the channel is idle. We adopt a measurement based framework in which channel probing rates are adaptively determined based on feedback measured from the network. We consider two separate objectives associated with minimization of packet delay and packet loss rate in the network. We obtain dynamic algorithms that strictly improve channel access rates in a related fluid model. Analytical development of the algorithms is based on a convenient decomposition technique that decouples channel access and queue occupancy statistics, and that leads to a favorable tradeoff between analytical insight and modeling accuracy. Obtained algorithms are oblivious to network load and topology. We also consider versions of these algorithms that are suitable for distributed implementation and study their effectiveness numerically.
Application of electrode stress for improving frequency-temperature behavior of UHF quartz resonators

We present a new method in which the electrode stress can be used to improve the frequency-temperature (f-T) behavior of ultra-high frequency (UHF) quartz resonators. The electrode films are treated as composite layers of different metals in a plate resonator. A FEM model for the effects of non-homogeneous thermal stress on the f-T behavior of quartz resonators was developed. For our 1 GHz AT-cut resonator, the use of chromium-aluminum electrodes yields improved frequency-temperature behavior compared to the case where aluminum electrodes are used alone. The UHF quartz resonators must be treated as composite plates of quartz and electrode film since the ratio of electrode thickness to quartz plate thickness is significant. The quartz-aluminum composite plate rotates the f-T curve clockwise while the quartz-chromium composite plate rotates the f-T curve counter-clockwise. The titanium was found to be a good electrode metal due to its small effect on the f-T curve.
Implications of New Marriages and Children for Coparenting in Nonresident Father Families

Prior research has noted that although cooperative coparenting between resident and nonresident parents is beneficial to children, this form of shared parenting is relatively uncommon. Relying on nationally representative data from two waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 628), this study examines the importance of nonresident fathers’ and resident mothers’ new marriages and new children for levels of cooperative coparenting and test whether changes in coparenting are linked to changes in parents’ marital or fertility statuses. Consistent with prior studies, the data suggest that cooperative coparenting does not occur in most nonresident father families. Results suggest that changes to the nonresident father’s family structure are of primary importance for cooperative coparenting, but that mother’s family structure is relatively unimportant.
Polyphenols in Montmorency cherries

SUMMARY– An examination of the polyphenols of Montmorency cherries resulted in the separation and identification of six isomers of caffeoyl-quinic acid, four isomers of p-coumaryl-quinic acid, caffeic acid, and p-coumaric acid. In addition two flavonols, kampferol-3-rhamnoglucoside and kampferol-3-monoglucoside were also identified. Four additional polyphenols were separated but could not be identified.
The Unusual Phylogenetic Distribution of Retrotransposons: A Hypothesis

Retrotransposons have proliferated extensively in eukaryotic lineages; the genomes of many animals and plants comprise 50% or more retrotransposon sequences by weight. There are several persuasive arguments that the enzymatic lynchpin of retrotransposon replication, reverse transcriptase (RT), is an ancient enzyme. Moreover, the direct progenitors of retrotransposons are thought to be mobile self-splicing introns that actively propagate themselves via reverse transcription, the group II introns, also known as retrointrons. Retrointrons are represented in modern genomes in very modest numbers, and thus far, only in certain eubacterial and organellar genomes. Archaeal genomes are nearly devoid of RT in any form. In this study, I propose a model to explain this unusual distribution, and rationalize it with the proposed ancient origin of the RT gene. A cap and tail hypothesis is proposed. By this hypothesis, the specialized terminal structures of eukaryotic mRNA provide the ideal molecular environment for the lengthening, evolution, and subsequent massive expansion of highly mobile retrotransposons, leading directly to the retrotransposon-cluttered structure that typifies modern metazoan genomes and the eventual emergence of retroviruses.
Relationship between Practice Characteristics of Primary Care Internists and Unnecessary Hospital Days

Background. Inpatient utilization review remains a useful approach for hospitals to achieve cost sav ings, however utilization review efforts need to be come more focused and sophisticated.Methods. In order to identify physicians with a higher percentage of unnecessary hospital days, and to analyze how their practice characteristics distin guished them from their colleagues, 364 consecutive admissions of 57 primary care internists were re viewed concurrently, on a daily basis. Days without acute hospital level of care that occurred while pa tients were awaiting placement in a rehabilitation or in a chronic care facility were adjusted out of the calculation. Analysis was undertaken to assess the impact of physician age, location of training, Board Certification, practice location, participation in med ical training programs, years of experience, and par ticipation in various types of managed-care programs on the level of unnecessary hospital days. Character istics of the patients and their illnesses were i...
Kidney stones: an update on current pharmacological management and future directions.

Introduction: Kidney stones are a common problem worldwide with substantial morbidities and economic costs. Medical therapy reduces stone recurrence significantly. Much progress has been made in the last several decades in improving therapy of stone disease. Areas covered: This review discusses i) the effect of medical expulsive therapy on spontaneous stone passage, ii) pharmacotherapy in the prevention of stone recurrence and iii) future directions in the treatment of kidney stone disease. Expert opinion: Fluid intake to promote urine volume of at least 2.5 L each day is essential to prevent stone formation. Dietary recommendations should be adjusted based on individual metabolic abnormalities. Properly dosed thiazide treatment is the standard therapy for calcium stone formers with idiopathic hypercalciuria. Potassium alkali therapy is considered for hypocitraturia, but caution should be taken to prevent potential risk of calcium phosphate stone formation. For absorptive hyperoxaluria, low oxalate diet a...
Patenting Certain Forms of Life: A Moral Justification

In the first case (In re Bergy, Coats and Malik 195 USPQ 344 [1977]), the inventors Malcolm Bergy, John Coats, and Vedpal Malik had isolated a biologically pure culture of a microorganism, Streptomyces vellosus, which could be used in the manufacture of a drug called Lincomycin. This organism in pure culture form had not previously existed in nature. They filed an application seeking a patent for this new culture; in the meantime they had conveyed the rights to this invention to The Upjohn Company. The Patent Office decided that this culture was a living organism and as such, not the proper subject matter for a patent under the provisions of the U.S. Patent Statutes (35 USC 101). Although a "composition of matter" could be patented under the law, in the Patent Office's view a living organism did not qualify as such a composition. Bergy and his colleagues appealed the decision to the CCPA.
Optimal Control of Building HVAC Systems in the Presence of Imperfect Predictions

This paper deals with the problem of robust model predictive control of an uncertain linearized model of a building envelope and HVAC system. Uncertainty of the model is due to the imperfect predictions of internal and external heat gains of the building. The Open-Loop prediction formulation of the Robust Model Predictive Control (OL-RMPC) is known to be unnecessarily over-conservative in practice. Therefore, we adopt a Closed-Loop prediction formulation of Robust Model Predictive Control (CL-RMPC) which exploits an uncertainty feedback parameterization of the control sequence and results in a tractable formulation of the problem. To improve on the efficiency of CLRMPC we propose a new uncertainty feedback parameterization of the control input, which leads to a number of decision variables linear in time horizon as opposed to quadratic as in previous approaches. To assess our approach we compare three different robust optimal control strategies: nominal MPC which does not have a priori information of the uncertainty, OL-RMPC and CL-RMPC. We show results from a quantitative analysis of performance of these controllers at different prediction error values of the disturbance. Simulations show that CL-RMPC provides a higher level of comfort with respect to OL-RMPC while consuming 36% less energy. Moreover, CL-RMPC maintains perfect comfort level for up to 75% error in the disturbance prediction. Finally, the newly proposed parameterization maintains the performance of CL-RMPC while reducing the simulation time by an average of 30%.