cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Neoarsphenamine on Spontaneous Breast Tumors of Mice

The frequency of syphilis in association with cancer is of great significance in the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of the malignant growth. While the diagnostic aspect of this problem can usually be dealt with satisfactorily and reliably by the use of the proper serological and histological examinations, the therapeutic and prognostic aspects of this disease combination, and their interrelations, are less clearly understood. Among the various therapeutic agents used against syphilis, arsenicals play an important role. This fact is significant because arsenic compounds have been used extensively heretofore against malignant tumors, locally as caustics and internally as specifics. Their therapeutic use in these conditions has, however, fallen into disrepute in recent times, as experiments have shown that arsenicals may act under certain conditions as growth stimulants, or even as etiological factors in the development of malignant neoplasms. Bayet and Slosse (1) have gone so far as to maintain that all cancers are due to the effect of arsenic. This is obviously incorrect, but the development of multiple cutaneous cancers on the basis of an arsenic dermatosis, due to the prolonged ingestion of arsenic-containing drugs or food substances, is undeniable. Furthermore, Leitch and Kennaway (2) succeeded in producing cutaneous cancer in mice painted with 0.12 per cent arsenic solution three times weekly over an extended period. Askanazy (3) reported the development of benign and malignant tumors in animals which had been intraperitoneally injected with embryo pulp mixed with arsenic solution. Rocunans (4), after injection of arsenious acid into tumor animals, observed an increase in the number of mitoses, an effect which he, however, did not attribute to the direct arsenic action, but which he believed to be due to the alkalosis produced.
Introduction of Cationic Charge into DNA Near the Major Groove Edge of a Guanine•Cytosine Base Pair: Characterization of Oligodeoxynucleotides Substituted with 7-Aminomethyl-7-deaza-2′-deoxyguanosine

The replacement of the 7-N atom on guanine (G) with a C-H to give 7-deazaguanine (c(7)G) alters the electronic properties of the heterocyclic base and eliminates a potential major groove cation binding site, which affects the organization of salts and water in the major groove. This has a destabilizing effect on DNA. We report herein the characterization of DNA oligomers containing 7-(aminomethyl)-7-deazaguanine (1) residues using a variety of spectroscopic and thermodynamic approaches. 1 is an intramolecular model for the major groove binding of cations and basic amino acid residues to G. In contrast to c(7)G, the tethering of a cation in the major groove using 1 affords DNA that is as, or more, stable than the corresponding unmodified DNA. The stabilization is associated with the folding enthalpy and hydration.
Insulin receptor signaling in the GnRH neuron plays a role in the abnormal GnRH pulsatility of obese female mice

Infertility associated with obesity is characterized by abnormal hormone release from reproductive tissues in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary. These tissues maintain insulin sensitivity upon peripheral insulin resistance. Insulin receptor signaling may play a role in the dysregulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion in obesity, but the interdependence of hormone secretion in the reproductive axis and the multi-hormone and tissue dysfunction in obesity hinders investigations of putative contributing factors to the disrupted GnRH secretion. To determine the role of GnRH insulin receptor signaling in the dysregulation of GnRH secretion in obesity, we created murine models of diet-induced obesity (DIO) with and without intact insulin signaling in the GnRH neuron. Obese control female mice were infertile with higher luteinizing hormone levels and higher GnRH pulse amplitude and total pulsatile secretion compared to lean control mice. In contrast, DIO mice with a GnRH specific knockout of insulin receptor had improved fertility, luteinizing hormone levels approaching lean mice, and GnRH pulse amplitude and total secretion similar to lean mice. Pituitary responsiveness was similar between genotypes. These results suggest that in the obese state, insulin receptor signaling in GnRH neurons increases GnRH pulsatile secretion and consequent LH secretion, contributing to reproductive dysfunction.
The sensory branch of the pudendal nerve is the major route for adrenergic innervation of the penis in the rat.

Background Multiple pathways have been proposed for the course of adrenergic fibers to the penis and, although it is generally recognized that the pudendal nerve (PudN) is the most important, there is little quantitative information available. Methods We used image analysis of catecholamine histofluorescence to quantify the effect of various nerve lesions on the adrenergic innervation of the rat penis. In addition to the denervation studies and as a direct test of whether penile adrenergic fibers traversed the pelvic plexus, penile neurons in the sympathetic chain were first labeled with a retrograde dye placed in the penis. The cavernous nerve of these animals was later exposed to another dye with different spectral characteristics. Results Interruption of the sensory branch of the PudN reduced adrenergic innervation of cavernosal smooth muscle by 86% (±2.5%). Vascular fibers of the deep penile and helicine arteries were also severely reduced but not entirely eliminated. Interruption of the motor branch of the PudN had a lesser and more variable effect on penile adrenergic innervation: a 21.2% (±6.8%) decrease in cavernosal muscle innervation but no obvious affect on vasomotor fibers. Combining the nerve lesions with phenol degeneration of perivascular fibers of the pudendal vessels further reduced but did not entirely eliminate adrenergic fibers in the cavernosal muscle and penile vessels. Conclusions The dramatic reduction of adrenergic innervation of the penis after section of the PudN, especially the sensory branch, and the absence of double-labeled neurons in the sympathetic chain suggest that the PudN nerve is the major, if not the exclusive, pathway by which adrenergic fibers reach penile erectile tissue of the rat. Anat. Rec. 247:479–485, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Some results on the norm of codes

Two upper bounds for the norm N(C) of a binary linear code C with minimal weight d and covering radius R are given. The second of these bounds implies that C is normal if R=3. >
Locating U.S. national standards for drinking water

Abstract This article presents historical background on the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act, the regulatory development process for the drinking water standards in the United States, new initiatives currently being discussed in the U.S. Congress to rewrite the Safe Drinking Water Act, and a detailed list of the drinking water standards currently promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Major sources used to update the standards are also included so that future EPA standards can be researched easily. Although the article covers only issues dealing with EPA-promulgated drinking water standards in the United States, it will be of interest to the international community because many countries use U.S. EPA standards as general guidelines for drinking water systems.
Clustering Blog Information

Blogs form an important source of information in today’s internet world. Most of the blog websites have the blogs arranged in chronological order rather than its contents. Such arrangement of blogs makes it difficult for the user searching information about a particular topic from the blog. To resolve this problem, we propose an idea to cluster the blogs. There are several clustering algorithms available. The objective of this paper is to understand various steps involved in clustering blog information and working of clustering algorithms, followed by detailed analysis of FCM and means to improve the clustering using FCM clustering algorithm.
SELENIUM AND TOCOPHEROL CONTENT OF COOKED PORK ROASTS

The content and the retention of the antioxidant nutrients, selenium and tocopherol (vitamin E), in boneless Chef's Prime pork loin roasts cooked by different methods to 71 and 82C internal temperatures were determined. Roasts were cooked at 163C by roasting, braising, and in an oven cooking bag. Yield, moisture, and crude fat measurements were similar for all treatments. The only form of vitamin E in the sample was α-tocopherol. Selenium and vitamin E content as well as true retention values were similar in pork cooked to the two internal temperatures by the three household methods with one exception ; the selenium content was significantly higher in pork cooked in the bag and roasted than in those prepared by braising. Overall, the selenium and vitamin E content of the cooked pork was 101.8 ± 0.5 μg/100 g (X ± SEM) and 0.144 ± 0.006 mg α-TE/100 g, respectively. Over half of the vitamin E but little to none of the selenium in the pork was lost during these household cooking procedures.
Phenotypic Reversion to Ancestral Form and Habit in a Marine Snail

IN separating the polyphyletic Vermetidae (s.l.) into its separate lineages, Morton1 noted the extreme anatomical similarity between Vermicularia and the coiled turritellids: “It is in fact little more than a turritellid which has taken on a sessile posture embedded in a hard substratum and proceeded to uncoil its shell whorls” (page 80 of ref. 1). Vermicularia is a ciliary suspension feeder, a common condition among sessile gastropods2. Only a few free living forms feed in this manner and one of these is Turritella. T. communis burrows into mud and may remain indefinitely in its favoured position. (Apex down and inclined at a high angle to the horizontal. The habits of Turritella are described in refs. 3 and 4.) The juvenile, regularly coiled Vermicularia lives in the same manner; its later attachment and uncoiling is a response to the availability of firm objects providing a substrate for rapid upgrowth.
Comparison of Nutrient and Microbial Dynamics over a Seasonal Cycle in a Mid-Atlantic Coastal Lagoon Prone to Aureococcus anophagefferens (Brown Tide) Blooms

To determine the roles of dissolved organic matter in the onset, duration, and decline of blooms of the “brown tide” pelagophyte, Aureococcus anophagefferens, nutrient and microbial dynamics, heterotrophic and autotrophic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) uptake, and peptide hydrolysis were compared in natural populations: (1) seasonally, among physically similar sites in a mid-Atlantic coastal lagoon, Chincoteague Bay, (2) at an individual site as a bloom initiated, developed, and declined, and (3) in whole versus size-fractionated water. Throughout the year, urea was the dominant form of N taken up at both bloom and nonbloom sites. C acquisition in the A. anophagefferens (1.2–5.0 μm) size fraction was dominated by bicarbonate uptake during bloom initiation but organic C compounds were taken up later during and after the bloom. Bacterial productivity was enhanced during and just after the bloom and bacterial abundance was four times higher at the bloom versus nonbloom site.
Development of a facility-based environmental performance indicator related to sustainable development

Abstract Companies are increasingly interested in environmental performance indicators as a means of managing the degree to which environmental goals and objectives are implemented. Many companies have publicly endorsed goals associated with sustainable development, like the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) principles for sustainable development. There is a need for metrics that facilitate implementation of these principles at the facility level and for research metrics that measure management improvement. An existing environmental self-assessment management tool called ESAP by the Global Environmental Management Initiative has been modified to measure a facility's response to the ICC's 16 principles of sustainability. The new tool's focus was shifted to a practical, facility based and easily applied assessment of progress towards sustainable development as represented by the ICC's 16 principles of sustainability. The new tool was called the Green Management Assessment Tool or GMAT, pilot tested and used in a research setting. Such tools have value to companies that are interested in the strategic goals of sustainable development and struggle with shifting corporate goals and objectives to manufacturing operations at the facility level.
Ornithine decarboxylase is a mediator of c-Myc-induced apoptosis.

Abstract c-Myc plays a central role in the regulation of cell cycle progression, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, the proteins which mediate c-Myc function(s) remain to be determined. Enforced c-myc expression rapidly induces apoptosis in interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent 32D.3 murine myeloid cells following IL-3 withdrawal, and this is associated with the constitutive, growth factor-independent expression of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a rate-limiting enzyme of polyamine biosynthesis. Here we have examined the role of ODC in c-Myc-induced apoptosis. Enforced expression of ODC, like c-myc, is sufficient to induce accelerated death following IL-3 withdrawal. ODC induced cell death in a dose-dependent fashion, and alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ODC enzyme activity, effectively blocked ODC-induced cell death. ODC-induced cell death was due to the induction of apoptosis. We also demonstrate that ODC is a mediator of c-Myc-induced apoptosis. 32D.3-derived c-myc clones have augmented levels of ODC enzyme activity, and their rates of death were also a function of their ODC enzyme levels. Importantly, the rates of death of c-myc clones were inhibited by treatment with DFMO. These findings demonstrate that ODC is an important mediator of c-Myc-induced apoptosis and suggest that ODC mediates other c-Myc functions.
Regional neurovascular inflammation and apoptosis are detected after electrical contact injury.

High-voltage electrical injuries are a devastating form of trauma often treated in burn centers. Examining superficial wounds alone may lead to an inaccurate assessment of local, regional, and systemic severity of injury. In this work, the neurovasculature at sites regionally distinct from the contact wound were assessed for cellular pathology. Nine male Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to 1000 V direct-current shocks were separated into three groups: high-shock (>10-second contact), low-shock ( Language: en
Weak-∗ generators for a class of subalgebras of l1

Let α ⩾ 0 and let D(α) = {f(z) = ∑0∞ αnzn ¦ ∑0∞ (n + 1)α¦ an ¦ < ∞}. Then D(α) is a subalgebra of l1. We discuss the weak-∗ generators of D(α). We use some of our techniques to prove that if ϑ is a weak-∗ generator of H∞ and ∥ ϑ ∥∞ ⩽ 1, then the composition operator Cϑ on the Dirichlet space has dense range.
Obesity and Related Chronic Health Conditions as Predictors of Motivation to Engage in Healthy Eating Behaviors Among Black Adults

Blacks in the USA have a high prevalence of obesity and therefore suffer disproportionately from obesity-related chronic health conditions. Eating a poor diet is a major contributor to obesity and obesity-related chronic health conditions (e.g., heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes) in Blacks. Having medical concerns has been identified in earlier research to be a motivator to eat a healthy diet among Blacks. The purpose of this study was to examine body mass index (BMI) as a predictor of motivation to eat healthy due to medical concerns and to determine whether this relationship is mediated by reported number of chronic health conditions. A cross-sectional sample of 207 Black adults (45.9 % males; age: M = 38, SD = 14.12; BMI: M = 27.56, SD = 6.55) in Bronx, New York, completed questionnaires (i.e., the Motivators of and Barriers to Health-Smart Behaviors Inventory and a Demographic and Health Information Data Questionnaire) at a variety of community-based sites in this city, including hospitals, laundry mats, and street locations. A mediation model was tested using Preacher and Hayes’ simple mediation macro for SPSS. BMI was not a significant direct predictor of motivation to eat healthy; however, BMI significantly predicted motivation to eat healthy indirectly through reported number of chronic health conditions. Interventions developed by health promotion and health disparities researchers to increase motivation to eat healthy should consider increasing awareness/knowledge of health risks associated with obesity and related chronic health conditions and promoting routine health care visits to facilitate early diagnoses of chronic health conditions as integral intervention components.
Empirical Bayes methods for two-way contingency tables

SUMMARY An empirical Bayes method for smoothing two-way tables is presented. It is based on the use of the log linear model and a normal prior distribution. Estimation of the variance com- ponent in the prior is discussed, and two approximations are considered, one which utilizes the EM algorithm. This paper proposes estimates of contingency table cell probabilities based on combining the log linear model with normal prior distributions. Attention is mainly confined to the two-way table, with possible extensions discussed in the last section. The approach taken is empirical Bayes, but there are obvious parallels with variance component models for con- tingency tables, which are considered in the last section. Our approach draws from many sources. Good (1956) proposed a normal prior model quite similar to ours for the two-way table used in our example. Good's approach is to use a prior distribution on the probabilities of the multinomial to give smoothed cell probabilities. Expanding upon Good's method, Fienberg & Holland (1970, 1973) proposed empirical Bayes estimates for two-way tables with a Dirichlet prior for the cell probabilities. They compared various methods for estimating the parameters of the Dirichlet distribution. We contrast their estimates with ours in our example. Our multinomial-normal model is a minor variant of that introduced by Leonard (1975). Our approach differs chiefly in the handling of the parameters of the normal distribution. Because our models are so similar, we defer discussion of Leonard's work to the next section, where we introduce our sampling model and prior distribution, and discuss estimation of the cell probabilities assuming the parameters in the prior are known. Then we discuss estimation of the prior parameters, give an example, and finally consider advantages, disadvantages and extensions of our approach.
L^P Estimates For A Singular Integral Operator Motivated By Calderxc3Xb3N'S Second Commutator

Abstract We prove a wide range of L p estimates for a trilinear singular integral operator motivated by dropping one average in Calderonʼs second commutator. For comparison by dropping two averages in Calderonʼs second commutator one faces the trilinear Hilbert transform. The novelty in this paper is that in order to avoid difficulty of the level of the trilinear Hilbert transform, we choose to view the symbol of the operator as a non-standard symbol. The methods used come from time-frequency analysis but must be adapted to the fact that our symbol is non-standard.
Desorption of organic analytes from activated carbon I: Factors affecting the process

A statistical analysis of the effects of loading, desorption volume at constant weight of solute, and the presence of other compounds on desorption efficiency was performed. For non-polar compounds and for a mixture of a polar and a non-polar compound, there was no effect of the presence of any one compound in the mixture on the desorption efficiency of the others. For polar compounds there was a dependency on the presence of other compounds. The implications of these findings and an explanation based on equilibrium considerations are advanced.
Effects of interruption of the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids on the transport of very low density-lipoprotein triglycerides

An increase in plasma very low density lipoprotein-triglycerides (VLDL-TG) is seen frequently during treatment with bile acid-binding resins. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this increment in VLDL-TG is due mainly to an increase in synthesis of VLDL, or to an enhanced catabolism. Three types of patients were studied: (1) 7 normotriglyceridemic subjects. (2) 4 obese patients, and (3) 9 hypertriglyceridemic patients. Before treatment they underwent a study of VLDL-TG kinetics that employed multicompartmental analysis of specific activity curves following injection of 3H-glycerol. The patients were then treated with a bile acid-binding resin, either cholestyramine or colestipol, for several weeks to several months. At the end of the treatment period, they were readmitted to the hospital for a second study of VLDL-TG kinetics. The patients showed a variable response to resin therapy. Many had an increase in concentrations of VLDL-TG, but others had no change or even a slight decrease. However, analysis of the data showed a high correlation between change in production rates of VLDL-TG and change in concentration. Also, when the data for the 20 patients were combined, there was a statistically significant increase in both synthetic rates and concentrations of VLDL-TG; in contrast, the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) was unchanged by therapy. Therefore, our data show that when treatment with bile acid sequestrants causes an increase in plasma VLDL-TG, the increase is due to an increment in production and not to a decrease in catabolism.
Late Cenozoic Evolution of the Great Basin, Western United States, as an Ensialic Interarc Basin

The Great Basin of the western United States corresponds closely to a well-defined zone of high heat flow, thin crust, and anomalously high-attenuation low-velocity upper mantle. Seismicity, of predominantly normal faulting type, occurs in two marginal zones above the lateral transitions in the upper mantle, which can be correlated also with the most recent volcanism. Petrological studies have indicated that the region was the site of calc-alkaline andesitic volcanism during the middle to late Cenozoic which changed abruptly to fundamentally basaltic volcanism in the late Cenozoic, accompanied by the beginning of major Basin-Range crustal extension. This is interpreted as a change from the island-arc-type volcanism to active interarc spreading. The latter was triggered by the termination of the early to middle Cenozoic West Coast subduction zone. The release of the compressive stress field of the sub-duction zone is considered necessary for interarc spreading. We suggest that the spreading is caused by a mantle diapir mobilized by the descending lithospheric slab. The diapir is trapped beneath the sialic crust, and flattens and spreads out laterally as it rises. This mechanism can explain the extension and the outward migration of volcanism in the Great Basin and the marginal seismic zones. The anomalous upper mantle now present beneath the Great Basin is interpreted as the remnant of this diapir.
Career Plans of Current Orthopaedic Residents with a Focus on Sex-Based and Generational Differences

Background: An orthopaedic workforce shortage has been projected. The purpose of this study is to analyze the supply side of this shortage by ascertaining the career plans of current orthopaedic residents, comparing these plans with the career patterns of practicing orthopaedists, and identifying career-plan differences according to sex. Methods: An online, self-administered survey was e-mailed to U.S. orthopaedic residents in postgraduate year three or higher, querying them about their fellowship specialty choice and their career plans. Results: A total of 498 residents completed the online survey; 430 respondents (86%) were male, sixty-three (13%) were female, and five (1%) did not provide information regarding sex. Ninety-one percent of the residents were planning to enroll in a fellowship, with some respondents indicating more than one subspecialty choice: 28% intended to choose sports; 21%, arthroplasty; 14%, hand surgery, 12%, trauma; 8%, pediatrics; 8%, shoulder and elbow surgery; 8%, spine surgery; 6%, foot and ankle surgery; and 2%, oncology. With regard to the top career priorities of residents in selecting a fellowship specialty, 40% indicated intellectual priorities; 36%, educational; 21%, lifestyle; and 4%, economic. Significantly more women than men were planning on pursuing a pediatric fellowship (24% versus 6%, respectively, p < 0.05) and significantly fewer were planning on pursuing a sports fellowship (11% versus 31%, respectively, p < 0.05). Significantly more women than men planned on a subspecialty-only practice (62% versus 34%, respectively, p < 0.05). The projected retirement age of sixty-four years for current residents is roughly equal to that of the previous generation. There was no difference between men and women with regard to leadership and research aspirations, projected retirement age, and projected workdays per week. However, significantly more women than men (65% versus 47%, respectively) planned on reducing their work hours or changing to part-time status at some time during their careers. There is a higher percentage of female residents (13%) than female practicing orthopaedists (4%) in the United States. Conclusions: We should continue efforts to collect workforce data and be proactive to avert or minimize the effect of impending orthopaedic workforce shortages on our patients. Given the trend toward an increasing proportion of female orthopaedists and the higher likelihood that they will reduce their work hours during portions of their career, policymakers should consider training more orthopaedists to ensure patient access to timely, quality orthopaedic care.
Ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block.

Background Peripheral nerve blocks are almost always performed as blind procedures. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of seeing individual nerves of the brachial plexus and directing the block needle to these nerves with real time imaging. Methods Using ultrasound guidance, infraclavicular brachial plexus block was performed in 126 patients. Important aspects of this standardized technique included (i) imaging the axillary artery and the three cords of the brachial plexus posterior to the pectoralis minor muscle, (ii) marking the position of the ultrasound probe before introducing a Tuohy needle, (iii) maintaining the image of the entire length of the needle at all times during its advancement, (iv) depositing local anaesthetic around each of the three cords and (v) placing a catheter anterior to the posterior cord when indicated. Results In 114 (90.4%) patients, an excellent block permitted surgery without a need for any supplemental anaesthetic or conversion to general anaesthesia. In nine (7.2%) patients local or perineural administration of local anaesthetic, and in three (2.4%) conversion to general anaesthesia, was required. Mean times to administer the block, onset of block and complete block were 10.0 (sd 4.4), 3.0 (1.3) and 6.7 (3.2) min, respectively. Mean lidocaine dose was 695 (107) mg. In one patient, vascular puncture occurred. In 53 (42.6%) patients, an indwelling catheter was placed, but only three required repeat injections, which successfully prolonged the block. Conclusion The use of ultrasound appears to permit accurate deposition of the local anaesthetic perineurally, and has the potential to improve the success and decrease the complications of infraclavicular brachial plexus block.
Insulin resistance in the sisters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome: association with hyperandrogenemia rather than menstrual irregularity.

This study was performed to determine whether the sisters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have evidence for insulin resistance. Three hundred and thirty-six women with PCOS, 307 sisters of these probands, and 47 control women were studied. The sisters were grouped by phenotypes: PCOS [hyperandrogenemia (HA) with chronic oligoor amenorrhea, n 39], HA with regular menses (n 36), unaffected (UA; n 122), and unknown (n 110). The analyses were adjusted for age and body mass index. PCOS and HA sisters of women with PCOS had similar and significantly elevated fasting insulin levels (P 0.001) as well as similar and significantly decreased fasting glucose/insulin ratios (P < 0.001) suggestive of insulin resistance compared with UA sisters and control women. Markers of insulin resistance were associated with hyperandrogenemia and not with menstrual irregularity. PCOS sisters also had decreased levels of SHBG (P 0.02) suggestive of higher ambient insulin levels. PCOS sisters had increased levels of proinsulin (P 0.04) compared with control women, which suggested pancreatic -cell dysfunction in this group of sisters. The magnitude of obesity also differed significantly among the groups of sisters. The PCOS sisters were significantly more obese than all the other groups, and the HA sisters were more obese than the UA sisters. We conclude that markers of insulin resistance are associated with hyperandrogenemia rather than menstrual irregularity in the sisters of women with PCOS. Menstrual irregularity may be related to the magnitude of insulin sensitivity or insulin secretion or to other factors associated with obesity. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 87: 2128 –2133, 2002)
Epigenetics in Human Melanoma

Background: Recent technological advances have allowed us to examine the human genome in greater detail than ever before. This has opened the door to an improved understanding of the gene expression patterns involved with cancer. Methods: A review of the literature was performed to determine the role of epigenetic modifications in human melanoma. We focused the search on histone deacetylation, methylation of gene promoter regions, demethylation of CpG islands, and the role of microRNA. We examined the relationship between human melanoma epigenetics and their importance in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and inhibition of metastasis. The development and clinical application of select pharmacologic agents are also discussed. Results: We identified several articles that have extensively studied the role of epigenetics in melanoma, further elucidating the complex processes involved in gene regulation and expression. Several new agents directly affect epigenetic mechanisms in melanoma, with divergent affects on the metastatic potential of melanoma. Conclusions: Epigenetic mechanisms have emerged as having a central role in gene regulation of human melanoma, including the identification of several putative tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. Further research will focus on the development of novel therapeutics that will likely target and alter such epigenetic changes. Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation have become increasingly recognized for their central role in cancer progression and metastasis.
Developmeno f Compact Pulsed Power for thet Dielectric Wall Accelerator (DWA)

We are developing compact pulsed power systems for various defense missions. Although the system is primarily intended for pulsed radiography, its modularity makes it well suited for compact neutron sources for explosives detection and as an HPM driver for various DOD missions. To date, we have performed extensive research at the component level and are now pursuing the integration of the technology into a single accelerator cell. Cost is 10J/cm3), specialized transmission line designs, HGI insulator technology, multi-gap low jitter (<1 ns) switches, and high voltage SiC photoconductive switching. We detail the progress of our overall research to date, recent high voltage test results, and the integration concept into a compact accelerator cell.
Torsion points on modular curves

Let N≥23 be a prime number. In this paper, we prove a conjecture of Coleman, Kaskel, and Ribet about the ℚ-valued points of the modular curve X 0(N) which map to torsion points on J 0(N) via the cuspidal embedding. We give some generalizations to other modular curves, and to noncuspidal embeddings of X 0(N) into J 0(N).
China's women: A new spirit for a new century

Counting only China's female population, China would still be the second most populous nation on earth. With the implementation of the “Open Door” policy and the introduction of a market economy, Chinese women will gain new opportunities and face unfamiliar obstacles. To adapt, they must be willing to reevaluate traditional roles, and meet these challenges head‐on. Chinese women can learn some from the spirit of western women in their struggle for equality. Like it or not, the reality of “China at the Turn of the Century” will demand changes. This article attempts to (1) draw attention to the changing status of women in China; (2) compare their emerging struggle to that of American women; (3) suggest that Chinese women adopt the spirit of western women to redefine themselves without losing their Chinese identity.
Measurement of the Fission Cross Sections of Uranium-233 and Plutonium-239 Relative to Uranium-235 from 1 keV to 30 MeV

The fission cross-section ratios of /sup 233/U to /sup 235/U and /sup 239/Pu to /sup 235/U were measured over the neutron energy range from 1 keV to 30 MeV at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory 100-MeV Linac. Ionization fission chambers and the time-of-flight technique were used to take data simultaneously over the entire energy range. This provided accurate determinations of the shape versus neutron energy of the ratios. Two independent methods were used to determine the average value of each ratio in the interval from 1.75 to 4.0 MeV for the purpose of normalization. Over the 1-keV to 30-MeV range, the total uncertainties for the /sup 233/U-to-/sup 235/U data range from 2 to 4%; the /sup 239/Pu-to-/sup 235/U data uncertainties range from 1 to 4%.
Modulating linear and nonlinear nanoplasmonic effects using the metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide

Linear and nonlinear nanoplasmonic effects - such as resonant absorption, second-harmonic generation and extraordinary optical transmission- are modulated in metallic nanostructures when the local dielectric environment is altered by the ultrafast metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide.
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome: Its Presentation in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Short Story ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and Its Oral Manifestations

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) was first documented in the medical literature in 1886. A HGPS patient has the physical characteristics and appearances of an elderly individual. In 1921, F. Scott Fitzgerald published a short story entitled 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. The main character of Fitzgerald's fictional work is born with a very rare condition in which he looks like an elderly person. The main difference between the fictional individual and individuals with HGPS is that Fitzgerald's character becomes younger as the years go by. This paper serves three purposes. The first purpose is to scientifically present the possibility that Fitzgerald consciously based his character, Benjamin Button, upon individuals with HGPS. The second purpose is to describe the rare condition of HGPS, along with its many manifestations in the head and neck region. The third purpose is to postulate that HGPS individuals might not only have the appearance of an aged person, but also might actually undergo true physical aging, which would enable researchers to gain valuable information into the treatment of ailments commonly associated with the natural process of aging.
Quorum sensing during nest-site selection by honeybee swarms

This study addresses a question about the nest-site selection process of honeybee swarms: how do the scout bees know when to initiate the preparation for their swarm’s move to their new home? We tested the quorum-sensing hypothesis: that the scouts do this by noting when one of the potential nest sites under consideration is being visited by a sufficiently large number of scouts. A falsifiable prediction of this hypothesis is that delaying the formation of a quorum of scout bees at a swarm’s chosen nest cavity, while leaving the rest of the decision-making process undisturbed, should delay the start of worker piping (the prepare-for-takeoff signal) and thus the takeoff of the swarm. In paired trials, we presented each of four swarms once with five nest boxes close to each other at a site and once with a single nest box. The multiple nest boxes caused the scouts visiting the site to be dispersed among five identical nest cavities rather than concentrated at one. We observed long delays in the start of piping and the start of takeoff in the five-nest-box trials relative to the one-nest-box trials. These results provide strong support for the quorum-sensing hypothesis.
The Family, Politics, and Religion in the 1980s In Fear of the New Individualism

The major objective of this article is to examine the process of the politicization of the family and to provide a sociological interpretation. Major social changes have led to the definition of the family as a social problem. Because old patterns have been disrupted, a “normative reaction to normlessness” has set in providing the motivation for the profamily social movement on both the religious and the political level. New Right familism can be viewed as a reaction to what are actually worldwide changes in family patterns that force a reevaluation of the “old individualism” (centered on male prerogatives) and encourage the acceptance of the “new individualism,” which respects the developing extrafamilial prerogatives of females, the young, and the elderly.Various developments may provide further success or failure for the profamily movement, but the ultimate impact of the movement on society will depend upon the interaction of social organizational and normative dynamics. To the extent that liberal view...
A volumetric index for the quantification of deep venous thrombosis

Abstract Purpose: The evaluation of treatment strategies for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is assessed through the use of a reliable method of quantifying the extent of the thrombotic process. Previous indices of thrombus burden have suffered from various limitations, including lack of clinical relevance, poor correlation with actual thrombus mass, and failure to include important venous segments in the methodology. The use of a novel scheme of quantifying venous thrombus was evaluated as an alternative method that would avoid some of the drawbacks of existing indices. Methods: The volumes of 14 venous segments (infrarenal inferior vena cava, common iliac, hypogastric, external iliac, common femoral, profunda, superficial femoral, and popliteal and six tibial veins) were calculated from computed tomography (pelvic vein diameter), duplex ultrasound scan (infrainguinal vein diameter), and contrast venography (length of all segments) measurements. A venous volumetric index (VVI) was assigned with the normalization of the values to the volume of a single calf vein. The VVI was validated with the assessment of the ability to discriminate between asymptomatic and symptomatic DVT and between those DVT that were associated with pulmonary emboli and those that were not. Results: With the imaging data, the VVI ranged from 1 for a single calf vein thrombus to 26 for the infrarenal inferior vena cava. Each VVI unit represented 2.3 mL of thrombus, with a maximum possible score of 63 representing a thrombus burden of 145 mL for a single extremity, including the infrarenal inferior vena cava. In 885 patients with DVT, the VVI ranged from 1 to 56, averaging 3.9 ± 0.2 in patients who were asymptomatic and 8.7 ± 0.3 in patients who were symptomatic ( P P Conclusion: A novel index of venous thrombus burden, on the basis of actual venous volume measurements, was more accurate than present indices in the differentiation between clinical categories of patients with DVT. As such, it offers an acceptable alternative to current scoring systems. (J Vasc Surg 1999;30:1060-6.)
Training in Counseling Psychology: An Introduction to the Major Contribution

This Major Contribution, consisting of four articles, critically evaluates the status of training in counseling psychology, especially at the entry level, and offers a model for moving the field forward. In this first article, we provide a rationale for the contribution, laying the foundation for the subsequent three articles. Specifically, we ask the questions, Do training programs in counseling psychology produce the desired results? and Is the prevailing paradigm of training effective in developing counselor competence? Then we report on the research showing a disappointing relationship among training, experience, and expertise. We conclude by inviting the profession to engage in honest self-reflection about the status and future direction of training in counseling psychology.
Health Outcomes And The Cost-Quality Trade-Off In Health Care: Empirical Study Of OECD Countries

This study applies multivariate regression analysis to cross-section data of 30 OECD countries to determine if there is a trade-off between health care cost and the quality of the health system on one hand, and better health outcomes on the other. It also investigates whether a higher quality health system leads to superior health outcomes. The empirical results provide positive answers to the above two questions. Indices of responsiveness, fairness or accessibility, and overall efficiency of the health system developed by the World Health Organization were used in this study to measure health system quality. The rate of infant mortality and a disability-free or healthy life expectancy measure developed by the WHO are used as indicators of health outcomes. The empirical models control for the effects of cross-country differences in literacy level and healthrisk or lifestyle. The study finds evidence that the more responsive and accessible the country’s health system is, the longer is the healthy life expectancy of its people. Moreover, the more accessible and efficient the country’s health system is, the lower is the rate of infant mortality.
International Impact: Business Education Importation and Economic Development

(1985). International Impact: Business Education Importation and Economic Development. The Journal of Business Education: Vol. 60, No. 8, pp. 336-341.
Lipid Exchange and Transfer on Nanoparticle Supported Lipid Bilayers: Effect of Defects, Ionic Strength, and Size

Lipid exchange/transfer has been compared for zwitterionic 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1,2-dimyristoyl-d54-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) and for the same lipids on silica (SiO2) nanoparticle supported lipid bilayers (NP-SLBs) as a function of ionic strength, temperature, temperature cycling, and NP size, above the main gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition temperature, Tm, using d- and h-DMPC and DPPC. Increasing ionic strength decreases the exchange kinetics for the SUVs, but more so for the NP-SLBs, due to better packing of the lipids and increased attraction between the lipid and support. When the NP-SLBs (or SUVs) are cycled above and below Tm, the exchange rate increases compared with exchange at the same temperature without cycling, for similar total times, suggesting that defects provide sites for more facile removal and thus exchange of lipids. Defects can occur: (i) at the phase boundaries between coexisting gel and fluid phases a...
Quantitative Analysis of the Combination Dose-Effects of Taurine and Taurine Analogues on the Phosphorylation of an ≈44-Kd Protein Present in a Mitochondrial Subfraction of Rat Heart

Combinations of taurine and analogues of taurine that partially contain the N-C-C-S moiety within a semirigid saturated ring structure were tested for their effects on the phosphorylation of an approximately 44-Kd protein present in the mitochondrial fraction of rat heart. (+/-)Piperidine-3-sulfonic acid (PiP), an inhibitor of the phosphorylation of the approximately 44-Kd protein with activity approximately similar to that of taurine, was observed to be mutually exclusive with taurine, i.e., to have a similar mode of action. The combination of taurine plus PiP in a fixed ratio mixture of 1:1 was slightly antagonistic at all concentrations. (+/-)Aminotetrahydrothiopyran-1,1-dioxide (APS), a sulfone derivative of taurine with a net positive charge, also has approximately the same inhibitory activity as taurine. However, APS was mutually nonexclusive with taurine when tested in combination and thus appears to act independently of taurine. Taurine plus APS in a fixed ratio mixture of 3:1 was highly antagonistic at low concentrations of the mixture, approached an additive relation at 50% saturation, and became synergistic at high concentrations of the mixture. Three analogues of taurine, pyridine-3-sulfonic acid (PyS), quinoline-8-sulfonic acid (QS), and 2-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (ABS), that have the basic taurine structure (N-C-C-S) partially in a semirigid unsaturated ring structure stimulate the phosphorylation of the approximately 44-Kd protein. Due to the unsaturated ring structure, these analogues of taurine have a net negative charge at physiologic pH and are not zwitterions. When PyS, QS, or ABS was titrated in the presence of a fixed concentration of taurine (10 mM), there was a competitive relation even though their electronic nature is quite different than that of taurine. The combination of QS plus PyS (1:5) appears to progress through a transition from being synergistic at low concentrations of the fixed ratio mixture, additive at 50% saturation, and finally antagonistic at high concentration of the fixed ratio mixture.
Determination of mercury in theurine by digestion in the water bath coupled with atom fluorescence spectrometry(AFS)

Objective:To offer a simple and time-saving and reliable analysis method for investigation of the mercury in the urine in order to investigate occupational diseases and baseline level in healthy population.Methods: Applying digestion in the water bath coupled with atom fluorescence spectrometry to determine the mercury in the urine.Results: The detective limits 0.0016 μ g/L,good linearity in the range from 0 μg/L to 100 μg/L,r=0.9994;the RSD(%) of two urine samples : 2.31%,1.12%,the recovery rate(%):97.0%,98.2%,98.6%,98.9%.Conclusion: The method is considered to be a quick,simple and reliable for measuring large amount of samples.
Sexual frigidity: the social construction of masculine privilege and feminine pathology

AbstractThis study examines how mid-twentieth century physicians used the term ‘sexual frigidity’ to disempower women. Conceptualizing medical texts as accounts, I focus on how medical authors saw, described and explained sexual frigidity from the 1930s to the 1960s in both scientific writings and in those aimed at the general public as sex guides, marriage manuals and advice columns. The study concludes, that behind the pretext of treating a woman’s frigidity, psychiatrists and gynecologists, using the language and theoretical structures of psychoanalysis, constructed a narrative in which ‘normal’, non-frigid women always see their man through a lens of unlimited patience, tenderness and altruism. Their attitude is always welcoming, joyous, and worshipful. By contrast, women defined as sexually frigid see their man through a lens of bitterness and resentment, an attitude which reaches its apotheosis during the man’s attempts to engage them in intercourse. Through the frigidity narrative, mid-twentieth ce...