cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dietary N-nitroso compounds and risk of pancreatic cancer: results from a large case–control study

N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) are among the most potent dietary and pancreatic carcinogens. N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) are the most prevalent NOCs identified in foods. Using a validated and comprehensive N-nitroso database developed to estimate total NOCs and important individual NOCs from food intake, we investigated dietary exposure to NOCs in relation to pancreatic cancer in a large matched case-control study. Self-administered food frequency questionnaires were collected from 957 pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases and 938 frequency-matched controls. For each food item, frequency of intake and portion size in grams was multiplied by the estimated NOC concentration from the N-nitroso database. Multiple unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for pancreatic cancer risk by quartiles of NOCs and major food group contributors to NOCs, with the lowest quartile as referent. Following adjustment for confounders, we observed significant positive associations for NDEA (ORQ4 versus Q1 = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.71-3.04, Ptrend < 0.0001) and NDMA from plant sources (ORQ4 versus Q1 = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.42-2.61, Ptrend < 0.0001) with pancreatic cancer. The major food groups related to NDEA and NDMA intakes in this population were fermented cheese, pizza, grains, seafood and beer. No associations of intake of nitrate or total NOCs were observed; nitrite was inversely associated with pancreatic cancer. Although some of our findings probably reflect reverse causation bias due to lower meat intake in cases with latent disease, biologically plausible findings for pancreatic carcinogens, NDEA and NDMA, warrant further prospective investigation.
Smartwatches Can Detect Walker and Cane Use in Older Adults

Background and objectives Clinicians commonly prescribe assistive devices such as walkers or canes to reduce older adults' fall risk. However, older adults may not consistently use their assistive device, and measuring adherence can be challenging due to self-report bias or cognitive deficits. Because walking patterns can change while using an assistive device, we hypothesized that smartphones and smartwatches, combined with machine-learning algorithms, could detect whether an older adult was walking with an assistive device. Research design and methods Older adults at an Adult Day Center (n = 14) wore an Android smartphone and Actigraph smartwatch while completing the six-minute walk, 10-meter walk, and Timed Up and Go tests with and without their assistive device on five separate days. We used accelerometer data from the devices to build machine-learning algorithms to detect whether the participant was walking with or without their assistive device. We tested our algorithms using cross-validation. Results Smartwatch classifiers could accurately detect assistive device use, but smartphone classifiers performed poorly. Customized smartwatch classifiers, which were created specifically for one participant, had greater than 95% classification accuracy for all participants. Noncustomized smartwatch classifiers (ie, an "off-the-shelf" system) had greater than 90% accuracy for 10 of the 14 participants. A noncustomized system performed better for walker users than cane users. Discussion and implications Our approach can leverage data from existing commercial devices to provide a deeper understanding of walker or cane use. This work can inform scalable public health monitoring tools to quantify assistive device adherence and enable proactive fall interventions.
Testing gravity with gravitational waves from binary black hole mergers: Contributions from amplitude corrections

The detection of gravitational waves has offered us the opportunity to explore the dynamical and strong-field regime of gravity. Because matched filtering is more sensitive to variations in the gravitational waveform phase than the amplitude, many tests of gravity with gravitational waves have been carried out using only the former. Such studies cannot probe the non-Einsteinian effects that may enter only in the amplitude. Besides, if not accommodated in the waveform template, a non-Einsteinian effect in the amplitude may induce systematic errors on other parameters such as the luminosity distance. In this paper, we derive constraints on a few modified theories of gravity (Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, scalar-tensor theories, and varying-$G$ theories), incorporating both phase and amplitude corrections. We follow the model-independent approach of the parametrized post-Einsteinian formalism. We perform Fisher analyses with Monte Carlo simulations using the LIGO/Virgo posterior samples. We find that the contributions from amplitude corrections can be comparable to the ones from the phase corrections in case of massive binaries like GW150914. Also, constraints derived by incorporating both phase and amplitude corrections differ from the ones with phase corrections only by 4% at most, which supports many of the previous studies that only considered corrections in the phase. We further derive reliable constraints on the time evolution of a scalar field in a scalar-tensor theory for the first time with gravitational waves.
A Concise History of Revolution

Presenting a new framework for the study of revolutions, this innovative exploration of French, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cuban, Iranian, South African, and more recent Arab revolutions, provides a theoretically grounded and empirically comprehensive demonstration of how revolutions mean more than mere state collapse and rebuilding. Through the examination of multiple historical case studies, and use of extensive historical examples to explore a range of revolutions, Mehran Kamrava reveals the range and depth of human emotion and motivations that are so prevalent and consequential in revolutions, from personal commitment to sacrifice, determination, leadership ability, charisma, opportunism, and avarice.
Justice Reinvestment: Vision and Practice

Justice reinvestment was introduced in the early 2000s as a means to respond to the massive growth in incarceration in the United States that had occurred during the past three decades by diverting...
Z hu Xi and Japanese Philosophy

The Learning of Zhu Xi or Shushigaku 朱子学 was introduced to Japan in the early thirteenth century. However, it was never as widespread as it is generally assumed until the Kansei Edict of 1790 or the Prohibition of Heterodox Studies that proclaimed it as the official teaching at the Tokugawa shogunate’s schools, notably the later Shōheikō 昌平黌 (Shōhei School). Shushigaku was subsequently tied to written examinations primarily administered to heirs of the Tokugawa upper and lower vassals, which allowed them to receive promotions, acquire prestige, and, most importantly, seek new employments depending on their performances. In time, the Shushigaku curriculum was adopted in different degrees by an increasing number of feudal domain schools and private schools across the country, which contributed to its perceived predominance. This chapter focuses on the philosophical continuity and discontinuity between Zhu Xi and the Japanese Learning of Zhu Xi. Confucius says in Analects 2.15, “Learning without due reflection leads to perplexity; reflection without learning leads to perilous circumstances.” He explains why this is the case in Analects 13.5: “If people can recite all of these three hundred Songs and yet when given official responsibility, fail to perform effectively, or when sent to distant quarters, are unable to act on their own initiative, then even though they have mastered so many of them, what good are they to them?” Confucius argues that if we were to fall short in our reflection on learning to extend its relevance to novel circumstances, we would fail to deal with them effectively in a productive manner on our own. In our negligence to acclimate our learning to unfamiliar situations in “distant quarters,” he bodes, we would find their uncertainty perplexing and novelty perilous. One of the defining characteristics of the Learning of Zhu Xi in Japan, I suggest, is the dynamic interplay between its aspiration to establish continuity with Zhu Xi through meticulous learning of texts imported from China and Korea and its sustained effort to reflect upon this learning to appropriate Zhu Xi to the distant quarters of Japan. The appropriation, however, makes their reflected learning discontinuous with Zhu Xi, but it is also this discontinuity that allows for the forging of a new path, as it were, towards the construction of the very Japanese Shushigaku that it is.
Distributed Denial of Service Attack Detection

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks has been a persistent threat for network and applications. Successful attacks can lead to inaccessible service to legitimate users in time and loss of business reputation. In this paper, we explore DDoS attack detection using Term Frequency (TF)-Inverse Document Frequency (IDF) and Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI). We analyzed web server log data generated in a distributed environment.
Brief reportAphasie and tactile—Perceptual deficits of disabled readers

As part of a psychoeducational battery, 36 children, referred for reading and/or other learning difficulties, were administered the Aphasia Screening Test. the Tactile Finger Recognition Test, and the Finger-tip Number Writing Perception Test from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Older Children. The children were divided into two groups: 18 determined on the basis of a severe discrepancy to be eligible for learning disabilities services in the area of reading (RD) and 18 determined to be ineligible for such services (NRD). Statistical comparisons of the two groups revealed the RD group to display significantly more impairment on the Aphasia Screening Test and the Finger-tip Number Writing Perception Test.
High frequency percussive ventilation in pediatric acute respiratory failure.

Objective High frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) is used in acute respiratory failure, but is poorly described in pediatrics. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, ventilator settings, and outcomes of a large pediatric cohort, and to determine predictors of who would benefit from HFPV. Hypothesis Gas exchange 2 h after HFPV initiation predicts success. Design Single center retrospective cohort study testing association between gas exchange 2 h after HFPV initiation with success, defined a priori. Patients Intubated children on HFPV for ≥2 h from 2012 to 2018. Methods We described indications, ventilator settings, and gas exchange immediately before, 2 h after, and at termination of HFPV. Univariate and multivariate regression tested association of oxygenation and ventilation after HFPV initiation with success. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were computed. Results We performed 237 courses of HFPV in 193 children (22% non-survivors), of which 162 (68%) were successful. In univariate analysis, pH (AUROC, 0.65) and PCO2 (AUROC, 0.66) 2 h after HFPV predicted success. In multivariate analysis, pH (aOR: 1.67 per 1 SD; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19-2.35), PCO2 (aOR: 0.49 per 1 SD; 95% CI: 0.31-0.79), and oxygenation index (aOR: 0.66 per 1 SD; 95% CI: 0.44-0.97) 2 h after HFPV initiation were associated with success. Conclusion We describe the largest cohort of HFPV to date, with detailed description of indications and settings. Gas exchange after 2 h of HFPV was independently associated with success.
Memory as tyranny: A dataist argument for posthuman interconnectivity in Humans and Real Humans:

Android fiction has connected memory to personhood in a variety of ways. The Swedish TV series Real Humans (2012–2014) and its British remake Humans (2015–2018) argue that lived experience is insuf...
Nuclear data for reactor production of 131Ba and 133Ba.

Abstract The newest radioisotope for brachytherapy treatment of prostate cancer is 131Cs (t1/2 = 9.69 d, 100% EC). Generated via electron capture decay of 131Ba (t1/2 = 11.6 d, 100% EC), 131Cs has been used in brachytherapy for prostate cancer since 2004. The 131Ba parent is produced through neutron capture of enriched 130Ba in a nuclear reactor. For large-scale production of 131Ba, an accurate knowledge of production and burnup cross sections of 131Ba are essential. In this paper, we report two group cross sections (thermal and resonance integrals) for 130Ba and 131Ba and a new measure of the half-life of 131Ba. Targets consisting of milligram quantities of enriched 130Ba (∼35%) were irradiated in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor at thermal and resonance neutron fluxes of (1.9–2.1) × 1015 and (5.8–7.0) × 1013 neutrons·cm−2 s−1, respectively, for durations ranging from 3 to 26 days. In addition, cadmium covered samples of 130Ba were irradiated for 1 hour at 12.6% full reactor power (10.7 MW). The yield of 131Ba approaches a saturation value of ∼60 GBq (∼1.6 Ci) per mg of 130Ba for 20 days irradiation at a thermal neutron flux of 1.8 × 1015 n·s−1·cm−2, with a thermal/epithermal ratio of ∼30. Under the above experimental conditions, the two group cross sections of 130Ba are 6.9 ± 0.5 b (thermal, σ0) and 173 ± 7 b (resonance, I0). These values represent the sum of cross sections to metastable and ground states of 131Ba. For 131Ba, the empirically measured thermal cross section is 200 ± 50 b assuming an I0/σ0 of 10. This cross section is reported for the first time. Further, the half-life of 131Ba was remeasured to be 11.657 ± 0.008 d. Lastly, this study also resulted in the co-production of 133Ba (t1/2 = 10.52 y, 100% EC). The experimental yield of 133Ba is ∼370 MBq (∼10 mCi) per mg of 132Ba (thin target) for one cycle irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor, and measured two-group 132Ba cross sections are 7.2 ± 0.2 b and 39.9 ± 1.3 b. These values also represent the sum of cross sections to metastable and ground states of 133Ba.
Abstract PR-02: Machine learning models to quantify lineage plasticity and neuroendocrine differentiation in high-grade prostate cancer

Neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) is a type of lineage plasticity that occurs in multiple cancer types either de-novo, or as a result of treatment-induced selection pressure. NED is identified by different, partially overlapping clinical, morphological and genomic features which include small cell neuroendocrine histomorphology, gene expression signatures of Rb1 loss and lethal tumor behavior. Through the eyes of pathologists, the most extreme form of NED is small cell, neuroendocrine carcinoma (SmCC), a rare cancer type that can arise in many organs. Adenocarcinomas, the most common cancer type in the adult population can harbor clinical and genomic characteristics of SmCC without recognizable morphologic features. Therefore, we determined whether machine learning algorithms can be trained to identify salient morphologic features of NED in adenocarcinoma. Using a cohort of prostate needle biopsies, we trained complementary algorithms to generate NED scores from high-grade prostate cancer regions and tested NED scores for correlation with gene expression and pathway activation from RNA sequencing of the exact same tumor regions. Using this approach as a validation strategy, we observed correlations between NED scores and pathway activation known to be increased in SmCC. In addition, we discovered novel morphologic features through functional interpretations of pathways correlated with NED scores. Finally, we used multi-variate regression analysis to demonstrate that computer generated NED scores predict the risk of lethal prostate cancer in diagnostic prostate needle biopsies. Altogether, we demonstrate the feasibility to quantify NED - lineage plasticity in regular diagnostic HE 2021 Jan 13-14. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(5_Suppl):Abstract nr PR-02.
Psychosocial adjustment mediates impacts of playmate positive support on body mass index and overweight risk in adolescents.

Abstract Objectives We examined the mediation effects of psychosocial adjustment on the impact of playmate positive support throughout childhood and early adolescence (from age 54 months to 11 years) on later body mass index (BMI) and overweight risk in middle adolescence (age 15 years). Study design This was a prospective cohort study. Methods Among 844 children and their families, positive support between child-playmate dyads was repeatedly assessed from child's age 54 months to Grade 5. Long-term positive support between child-playmate dyads throughout childhood and early adolescence was prospectively linked to child's BMI and overweight/obesity status at age 15 years. The average scores of repeated assessments of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems from Grades 3 to 6 were used as mediators. Results Significant mediations of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were observed on pathways from positive support between child-playmate dyads to later BMI and overweight/obesity status at age 15 years. The observed mediations were mainly sustained with pronounced magnitudes in girls, but not in boys. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated a significant mediating role of psychosocial adjustment. Future research efforts are highly encouraged to replicate our findings and further explore this underlying mediation mechanism.
Land Rich and Cash Poor: The Materiality of Poverty in Appalachia

This article considers the materiality of poverty in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia between 1865 and 1920. It problematizes the stereotypes of Appalachia as poor and white, and examines the dialectics in which groups that have power in a social system influence the allocation of different types of resources, such as land. With an emphasis on the landscape, I consider the intersections of poverty, race, and class in the material lives of African American landowners and tenants by comparing material remains as well as access and control of resources.
X‐ray Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy in Nanoscience and Lifesciences

The sections in this article are Introduction Soft X-ray Spectroscopy Soft X-ray Absorption Edges Soft X-ray Emission Spectroscopy Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Resonant Soft X-ray Emission Spectroscopy Experimental Details Chemical Sensitivity of Soft X-ray Spectroscopy Electronic Structure and Geometrical Structure Hydrogen Bonding Effect Charge and Spin States of Transition Metals Electronic Structure and Nanostructure Wide Bandgap Nanostructured Semiconductors Cu Nanoclusters ZnO Nanocrystals Electronic Structure and Molecular Structure Hydrogen Bonding in Liquid Water Molecular Structure in Liquid Alcohol and Water Mixture Electronic Structure and Ion Solvations Drugs in Water Solution Electronic Structure of Bases in DNA Duplexes Acknowledgments
How Consumers Respond to Price Information

An important factor for understanding consumer behavior is learning how consumers use price information in their purchase decisions. In this article, we summarize knowledge that provides insights for understanding how consumers respond to price information. One of the prerequisites for knowing how consumers respond to price information is to understand how people perceive prices. An important extension of this knowledge concerns how customers form value judgments, given their price perceptions. It is these value judgments that determine the willingness of consumers to pay particular prices for the products and services they desire. The traditional model of consumer behavior assumes that the decisions of what to buy and how much to buy depend on (i) the prices of all goods; (ii) the level of income or amount of purchasing power; and (iii) the tastes and preferences of the consumer. Assuming perfect information about prices, a fixed level of income, and knowledge about tastes and preferences, the consumer maximizes satisfaction by minimizing the price paid for each purchase. This assumption of “rational behavior” implies that consumers (i) have perfect information about prices; (ii) are capable of perfectly processing this information; (iii) are not affected subjectively by price information; and (iv) are perfectly aware of their tastes and preferences. Assumptions (i), (ii), and (iv) are clearly not valid. Further, it would be expected that consumers' preferences or choices depend on how they evaluate the quality or benefits they receive from a product relative to the cost or sacrifice inherent in the price. Thus, consumers' perceptions of value represent a mental trade-off between the quality and benefits they perceive in the product relative to the sacrifice they perceive by paying the price. Perceived value is positive when perceptions of quality and benefits are greater than perceptions of sacrifice. Willingness to buy is positively related to perceived value. Keywords: price perceptions; acceptable price range; price thresholds; price–quality relationship; numerical cognition; price awareness; price fairness; perceived value; reference prices
Synthesis-Oriented Situational Analysis in User Interface Design

Analytic evaluation is a term describing a class of techniques for examining a representation of a user interface design, discovering design flaws and/or predicting user task performance. In our work with analytic evaluation, we have observed limitations on the effectiveness and efficiency of analytic techniques for formative evaluation supporting the iterative design and re-design cycle. Here we support those observations with arguments based on theoretical limitations of the models underlying these techniques. By way of comparison we discuss desirable characteristics for an alternative approach. In our search for such an alternative, we have developed the Task Mapping Model, a substantively different approach to analysis for supporting the user interface design. We briefly describe the Task Mapping Model and give some examples illustrating its desirable characteristics.
Using Recursive Decomposition to Construct Elimination Orders, Jointrees, and Dtrees

Darwiche has recently proposed a graphical model for driving conditioning algorithms, called a dtree, which specifies a recursive decomposition of a directed acyclic graph (DAG) into its families. A main property of a dtree is its width, and it was shown previously how to convert a DAG elimination order of width w into a dtree of width ≤ w. The importance of this conversion is that any algorithm for constructing low-width elimination orders can be directly used for constructing low-width dtrees. We propose in this paper a more direct method for constructing dtrees based on hypergraph partitioning. This new method turns out to be quite competitive with existing methods in minimizing width. We also present methods for converting a dtree of width w into elimination orders and jointrees of no greater width. This leads to a new class of algorithms for generating elimination orders and jointrees (via recursive decomposition).
Induction of tolerance to factor VIII by transient co‐administration with rapamycin

Background Formation of inhibitory antibodies is a frequent and serious complication of factor VIII (F.VIII) replacement therapy for the X-linked bleeding disorder hemophilia A. Similarly, hemophilia A mice develop high-titer inhibitors to recombinant human F.VIII after a few intravenous injections.
In through the out door: nuclear localization of the regulators of G protein signaling

The regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) are an extraordinary class of diverse multifunctional signaling proteins best known for their potent capacity to down-regulate the activity of Gα subunits at the plasma membrane. In certain circumstances, some RGS proteins undergo translocation to the nucleus or plasma membrane from the cytoplasm. Translocation demonstrates a potentially dynamic alternative mechanism for Gα subunit or effector regulation. The nuclear localization of the regulators of G protein signaling proteins further suggests these proteins possess even greater functional heterogeneity than that envisioned previously, as regulators of transcription and cell cycle control.
A Comparison of the Success Rates of Resident and Attending Strabismus Surgery

Residency training involves surgery by resident surgeons at various levels of experience and proficiency, supervised by an experienced attending physician. We reviewed the results of strabismus surgery performed at four institutions with two residency training programs. Five hundred twenty-two cases with follow up greater than 6 weeks were evaluated. These cases included 315 attending procedures and 207 resident procedures under direct attending supervision. Success was defined as a strabismic deviation of 8 prism diopters or less. Average postoperative follow-up was 57 weeks and did not differ between groups. There was no statistical difference between the resident success rate of 58% (121/207) and the attending success rate of 69% (217/315) after adjusting for population differences. The average final deviation of the patients postoperatively was 7 delta for the attending group and 10 delta for the resident group. Amblyopia was significantly more frequent in the resident cases (P < .001). Adjustable sutures were used significantly more often in attending cases (P < .0001). This study supports the premise that resident strabismus surgery is as successful as attending surgery.
Streptokinase-activatable proactivator of human and bovine plasminogen.

Abstract A proactivator for both human and bovine plasminogen was fractionated from human plasma or euglobulin by gel filtration. The proactivator, which was free from plasminogen, was purified by three passages through Sephadex G-200, two passages through Bio-Gel A-150m, and stepwise elution through DEAE-cellulose. The ionic strength of medium containing purified proactivator was decreased by dialysis, resulting in precipitation of proteins with little proactivator activity. The supernatant, approximately 5 times as pure as before dialysis, was concentrated and was gel-filtered through Sephadex G-200. The fractions of highest proactivator activity were shown to be in the fractionation range of Sephadex G-200, smaller than the exclusion limit of the gel. There was no cross reactivity with a highly purified preparation of human plasminogen in immunodiffusion tests. A mixture of the proactivator with streptokinase could not digest casein or the methyl ester of tosylarginine in the absence of plasminogen. Activator prepared from the proactivator had a stronger activator activity for bovine plasminogen than did complexes of streptokinase with plasmin and plasminogen. Small amounts of streptokinase converted the proactivator into activator, which in turn converted human plasminogen into plasmin; but the same amounts of streptokinase could scarcely activate plasminogen in the absence of added proactivator. Very large amounts of streptokinase, however, activated plasminogen equally well in the presence or absence of proactivator. In sharp contrast to caseinolysis, esterolysis of tosylarginine with plasminogen was unaffected by the presence or absence of the proactivator, regardless of how much streptokinase was added. The proactivator lost 60% of its activity by heating at 85° for 10 min, and almost 100% by heating for 20 min. It lost 50% of its activity in 30 min at pH 2, but was relatively stable at pH 11.
Origin Was Just a Beginning

Charles Darwin The Power of Place. Volume 2 of a Biography. Janet Browne. Knopf, New York, 2002. 624 pp. $37.50, C$56.50. ISBN 0-679-42932-8. To be published 14 November by Cape, London. £25. ISBN 0-224-04212-2. Browne concludes her two-volume biography with a comprehensive account of the details and context of Darwin9s activities between the 1858 arrival of Wallace9s letter from the East Indies and her subject9s death in 1882.
On the monotonicity of positive invariant harmonic functions in the unit ball

A monotonicity property of Harnack inequality is proved for positive invariant harmonic functions in the unit ball.
In vivo analysis of sequences necessary for CBP1-dependent accumulation of cytochrome b transcripts in yeast mitochondria.

Abstract In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, cytochrome b, an essential component of the respiratory chain, is encoded by the mitochondrial gene cob. The cob transcription unit includes the tRNA(Glu) gene from positions -1170 to -1099 relative to the cob ATG at +1. The initial tRNA(Glu)-cob transcript undergoes several processing events, including removal of tRNA(Glu) and production of the mature 5' end of cob mRNA at nucleotide -954. The nuclear gene product CBP1 is specifically required for the accumulation of cob mRNA. In cbp1 mutant strains, cob transcripts are not detectable by Northern (RNA) blot analysis, but the steady-state level of tRNA(Glu) is similar to that of wild type. The results of a previous study led to the conclusion that a 400-nucleotide region just downstream of tRNA(Glu) is sufficient for CBP1 function. In the present study, the microprojectile bombardment method of mitochondrial transformation was used to introduce deletions within this region of cob. The analysis of cob transcripts in strains carrying the mitochondrial deletion genomes indicates that a 63-nucleotide sequence that encompasses the cleavage site at -954 is sufficient both for CBP1 function and for correct positioning of the cleavage. Furthermore, the data indicate that CBP1 prevents the degradation of unprocessed cob transcripts produced by endonucleolytic cleavage at the 3' end of tRNA(Glu).
Pathologic alterations in the diabetic neuropathies of humans: a review.

Pathologic study of nerve tissue is especially useful for the recognition of interstitial events such as inflammation or vascular alterations that cannot be inferred from clinical or electrophysiologic findings and may provide insight into an underlying mechanism or cause. Considerable variation in the natural history and pathologic alterations among diabetic neuropathies suggests that they are heterogeneous. For diabetic polyneuropathy, two mechanisms need to be considered. The first assumes that hyperglycemia induces metabolic derangements that directly affect Schwann cells (or myelin), nodes of Ranvier, or axons. The second assumes that hyperglycemia and metabolic derangement affect the structure and function of endoneurial microvessels, which then induce fiber changes by altering the blood-nerve barrier, inducing hypoxia or ischemia, or by unknown mechanisms. In proximal diabetic neuropathy, there is increasing evidence that the characteristic lesion is an inflammatory (immune) vasculitis that induces ischemic nerve fiber degeneration. Truncal radiculopathy may be due to an inflammatory polyganglionopathy. In cranial nerve III neuropathy, the monophasic course and the pathologic alterations of ischemia suggest that localized vasculitis should be excluded in future cases. Many upper limb mononeuropathies in diabetes mellitus are from carpal tunnel syndrome or cubital tunnel syndrome. Repetitive shear forces, anatomic factors, and excessive stiffness of connective tissues may cause these mononeuropathies.
Transbuccal peptide delivery: stability and in vitro permeation studies on endomorphin-1

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of buccal delivery of a model peptide, endomorphin-1 (ENI), using stability and in vitro permeation studies. ENI is a recently isolated mu-opiate receptor agonist with high selectivity and specificity for this receptor subtype. Stability studies were conducted in various buffers and the drug was shown to be stable in both acidic and basic buffer systems. In the presence of full thickness porcine buccal epithelium, ENI was unstable with only 23.4+/-15.7% intact drug present after 6 h. The region responsible for this degradation was found to coincide with the major barrier region of the buccal epithelium as delineated through stability experiments in the presence of partial thickness buccal epithelium. Various peptidase inhibitors were used to isolate the enzyme(s) responsible for this degradation. Diprotin-A, a potent inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase IV, provided significant inhibition of the degradation of ENI in the presence of buccal epithelium. In vitro permeation studies revealed that the permeability coefficient of ENI across porcine buccal epithelium was 5.67+/-4.74x10(-7) cm/s. The enzymatic degradation of ENI was found not to be rate limiting to the drug's permeation across buccal epithelium, as diprotin-A did not increase the permeation of ENI. Sodium glycocholate as well as sodium taurocholate were also ineffective in enhancing the permeation of ENI across porcine buccal epithelium.
Fabrication and measurement of electrode components for the national institute of Standards and Technology calculable capacitor

The current effort to manufacture a new calculable capacitor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is summarized with a focus on issues associated with the fabrication and measurement of the geometric properties of the main electrodes. Results presented here for a diamond turned aluminum prototype electrode show a useable profile that deviates from straight by less than 25 nm as measured using the NIST M48 coordinate measuring machine.
Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGID)

Primary eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders are defined as disorders that selectively affect the gastrointestinal tract with eosinophil-rich inflammation in the absence of known causes for eosinophilia (eg, drug reactions, parasitic infections, and malignancy). These disorders include eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastritis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, eosinophilic enteritis, and eosinophilic colitis and are occurring with increasing frequency. Significant progress has been made in elucidating that eosinophils are integral members of the gastrointestinal mucosal immune system and that eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders are primarily polygenic allergic disorders that involve mechanisms that fall between pure IgE-mediated and delayed T(H)2-type responses. Preclinical studies have identified a contributory role for the cytokine IL-5 and the eotaxin chemokines, providing a rationale for specific disease therapy. An essential question is to determine the cellular and molecular basis for each of these clinical problems and the best treatment regimen, which is the main subject of this review.
Queer challenges in organizational settings: Complexity, paradox, and contradiction

This chapter highlights the major themes presented in this volume. It also offers a glimpse into LGBTQ issues in organizational settings that remain underrepresented in adult, continuing, and higher education.
Slow Progress with Scleroderma

Excerpt In two decades, immunology has expanded with astounding speed: the decade of the lymphocyte (1960s) and the decade of genetic control of immune responsiveness (1970s). The 1980s will probab...
Outcome Expectancies of Partner Abuse: Assessing Perpetrators' Expectancies and Their Associations with Readiness to Change, Abuse, and Relevant Problems.

Concerns about low motivation to change among perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) have heightened interest employing behavior change models with this population. In the present investigation, a new scale was developed, the Outcome Expectancies for Partner Abuse (OEPA) Scale, assessing the negative and positive outcome expectancies of partner abuse. Items were generated from statements made by IPV offenders during videotaped group therapy sessions. Among a clinical sample of 130 IPV perpetrators, item psychometric properties, factor structure, and subscale validity were examined. Results indicated generally good psychometric properties and a 2-factor solution, with the exception of 4 items subsequently removed from the negative expectancies scale. Significant associations were demonstrated between instrument subscales, readiness to change, and self-reported abusive behavior. Additionally, positive expectancy scores correlated with anger problems and relationship adjustment whereas negative expe...
Function-limiting dysesthetic pain syndrome among traumatic spinal cord injury patients: a cross-sectional study

Diffuse burning dysesthetic sensations distal to the level of spinal injury are the most common and disabling painful sequelae of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). In a cross-sectional study of 19 SCI patients, clinical characteristics and results of 3 validated pain measurement instruments (McGill Pain Questionnaire, Sternbach Pain Intensity and Zung Pain and Distress Scale) were used to develop a profile of function-limiting dysesthetic pain syndrome (DPS). Compared to a cohort of 147 patients admitted to the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System during the time period of the study, subjects were more likely to have paraplegia, incomplete sensory myelopathy, gunshot wounds to the spine and non-surgical spinal stabilization. Most patients described the pain as 'cutting,' 'burning,' 'piercing,' 'radiating' and 'tight.' The majority of patients located the pain internally and in the lower extremities. Values obtained from 6 McGill Pain Questionnaire subscales, 2 Sternbach Pain Intensity ratings and the Zung Pain and Distress index equalled or exceeded those reported for other pain syndromes. Use of these validated pain measures resulted in a systematic comprehensive assessment of function-limiting DPS following SCI.
The balance of proangiogenic and antiangiogenic VEGFA isoforms regulate follicle development.

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) has been extensively studied because of its role in follicular development and is a principal angiogenic factor essential for angiogenesis. Since vascularization of the theca layer increases as follicles progress in size through preantral and antral stages, VEGFA might influence follicle growth via the regulation of angiogenesis. However, VEGFA might also influence follicular development through nonangiogenic mechanisms, since its expression has been localized in nonvascular follicles and cells. Alternative mRNA splicing of eight exons from the VEGFA gene results in the formation of various VEGFA isoforms. Each isoform has unique properties and is identified by the number of amino acids within the mature protein. Proangiogenic isoforms (VEGFA_XXX) are encoded by exon 8a, whereas a sister set of isoforms (VEGFA_XXXB) with antiangiogenic properties is encoded by exon 8b. The antiangiogenic VEGFA_XXXB isoforms comprise the majority of VEGFA expressed in most tissues, whereas expression of the proangiogenic VEGFA isoforms is upregulated in tissues undergoing active angiogenesis. Although proangiogenic and antiangiogenic isoforms can now be distinguished from one another, many studies evaluating VEGFA in ovarian and follicular development up to now have not differentiated proangiogenic VEGFA from antiangiogenic VEGFA. Experiments from our laboratory indicate that proangiogenic VEGFA promotes follicle recruitment and early follicular development and antiangiogenic VEGFA inhibits these processes. The balance of proangiogenic versus antiangiognic VEGFA isoforms is thus of importance during follicle development. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the way that this balance regulates follicular formation and progression.
Recent Advances in Oncology Acupuncture and Safety Considerations in Practice

Oncology acupuncture is a new and emerging field of research. Recent advances from published clinical trials have added evidence to support the use of acupuncture for symptom management in cancer patients. Recent new developments include (1) pain and dysfunction after neck dissection; (2) radiation-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer; (3) aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgia in breast cancer; (4) hot flashes in breast cancer and prostate cancer; and (5) chemotherapyinduced neutropenia in ovarian cancer. Some interventions are becoming a non-pharmaceutical option for cancer patients, while others still require further validation and confirmation. Meanwhile, owing to the rapid development of the field and increased demands from cancer patients, safety issues concerning oncology acupuncture practice have become imperative. Patients with cancer may be at higher risk developing adverse reactions from acupuncture. Practical strategies for enhancing safety measures are discussed and recommended.
Structure of a major yolk glycoprotein and its processing pathway by limited proteolysis are conserved in echinoids

Abstract To study the fate of the yolk glycoproteins found in eggs and embryos of the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus , a polyclonal antibody to a 90-kDa polymannose glycoprotein found in the embryo was prepared. Immunoblot analysis of total proteins over the course of development showed that this antibody recognized a family of glycoproteins. Concomitant with the disappearance of the major 160-kDa yolk glycoprotein of the egg during embryogenesis, glycoproteins with a lower molecular mass appeared. These glycoproteins (115, 108, 90, 83, and 68 kDa) were purified from S. purpuratus and analyzed by limited proteolysis and peptide mapping. This analysis revealed that these glycoproteins were cleavage products derived from the major yolk glycoprotein. The antibody to the 90-kDa glycoprotein in S. purpuratus embryos was used to identify a homologous set of yolk glycoproteins with similar molecular masses in the embryos of three other species in the class Echinoidea: Arbacia punctulata, Lytechinus pictus , and Dendraster excentricus . However, eggs from other echinoderm classes and from Xenopus laevis, Drosophila melanogaster , and the chicken did not contain any cross-reactive molecules. Cross-reactivity within the class Echinoidea was not due to a common carbohydrate epitope, because the antibody recognized the glycoproteins even after the N-linked carbohydrate side chains were enzymatically removed. The major yolk glycoprotein (160–170 kDa) from each of the three sea urchin species was purified and analyzed. Comparison of the physical and chemical properties of these glycoproteins revealed striking similarities in p I and in amino acid and monosaccharide composition. The results of peptide mapping also supported the conclusion that the 160- to 170-kDa glycoproteins from the four echinoids are structurally homologous glycoproteins containing N-linked polymannose chains. Immunolocalization by electron microscopy in S. purpuratus showed that the yolk glycoproteins remained within the yolk platelet throughout development, and that externalization of the 160-kDa glycoprotein or its cleavage products was not detectable.
Optimal energy policy planning

This paper describes the results of a study aimed at investigating the problem of optimal growth as an optimal control problem involving the maximization of welfare subject to the constraints embodied in a long-term macroeconomic energy model. For the policy optimization experiments, we as- -sumed that the set of policy instruments included the rate of taxes on capital income and Capital property, investment tax credits, sales taxes on consumption and investment goods and other tax rates. The performance index for the optimal control problem, is defined as the present value of a discounted stream of utilities accruing to households from the consumption of energy goods, nonenergy goods, capital services and leisure. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the optimization experiments from the standpoint of long-term energy policy planning.
A simple way of improving the login security

The login procedure is formulated as a test of hypothesis. The formulation is used to show that the commonly used procedure provides valuable information to a hacker which enables him to use trial and error to gain access to a computer system. A general method for reducing this information is described and its properties studied. The method introduces randomness into the procedure, thus denying a hacker the luxury of trial and error.
The effect of diethylstilbestrol as measured by host resistance and tumor susceptibility assays in mice

As part of a program to develop and validate methodology to measure chemically induced immunotoxicity, the effect of DES on resistance of adult B6C3F1 female mice to various microorganisms and to challenge with syngeneic tumor cells was evaluated. The mice received sc injections of 50 μl corn oil alone or of corn oil containing the equivalent of 0.2, 7, and 4 mg DES/kg·d for 14 d. Three days later they were challenged with Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus sp. influenza virus, herpes virus, Trichinella spiralis, or B16‐F10 tumor cells. Host resistance parameters were mortality for the bacterial and viral systems, expulsion of adult parasites from the gut for T. spiralis, and lung weights for the B16‐F10 tumor‐cell model. Host resistance to L. monocytogenes, herpes virus, and T. spiralis was significantly decreased following DES exposure. Resistance to Streptococcus sp. was decreased, but not at a statistically significant level following these doses of DES. However a dose of DES at 8 mg/kg·d resulted ...
A characterization of ribonucleic acid in the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum.

Abstract This report deals with the quantitative extraction of total nucleic acid (TNA) containing undegraded RNA from the slime mold Physarum polycephalum . With the use of a three-step phenol extraction technique, approx. 95 % of the nucleic acid optical density and 90 % of the 3 H-uridine incorporated radioactivity were routinely recovered in the extracts. With the use of this technique it was shown that (1) the TNA mg dry wt of the mold did not change throughout the mitotic cycle, even though the dry wt doubled; this indicates a continual net synthesis of nucleic acid throughout the cycle; (2) the relative proportions of the various nucleic acid components did not change significantly during the cycle and were found to be DNA, 6 %; rRNA, 82 %; and sRNA, 12 %; (3) RNA molecules with mol wts of 4.1 m and 1.9 m, which exhibit properties of rRNA precursors were found in plasmodia labeled for 20 min with 3 H-uridine. Furthermore, there appears to be an RNA fraction, found only in nucleic acid preparations presumably enriched in nuclear RNA components, which is heat-labile, does not enter 2.6 % acrylamide gels during 4 h of electrophoresis, and has a uridine/methyl ratio different from the presumed rRNA precursors and mature rRNA.
Quantitative aspects of situation management: measuring and testing situation management concepts

The Data and Information Fusion domains have for some time addressed the issues involved with Situation Estimation and Situation Refinement as part of the characterization of the "higher" levels of fusion processing, meaning those levels of processing that deal with more abstract and complex world states of interest that people call "situations". It is usually agreed however that at the moment at least the research in the Data and Information Fusion (DIF) field has by far been on the aspects of estimating single and sometimes multiple-object attributes from composite observational data, and usually from electronic or physics-based sensing devices such as radars and imaging systems, that is, on the so-called "lower" levels of fusion. As both the world and the technology have changed, and as research in the DIF arena has matured, there has been a considerable interest in directing the research to methods for estimating the higher state levels of DIF, usually called Situation Refinement and Threat or Impact Refinement, and related to "Level 2" and "Level 3" of the well-known "JDL" DIF process Model (Ref 1). Note that the "refinement" term is important, implying an awareness of the fact that the focus of DIF processing is almost always on dynamic events in the world; it also reflects the need for a temporally-adaptive, recursive state estimation process.