cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analysis of proctoscopy vs computed tomography scanning in the diagnosis of rectal injuries in children: which is better?

Abstract Background Current dogma suggests that the diagnosis of rectal injury can be made after physical examination and proctoscopy (PR). However, anecdotal evidence suggests that these modalities lack specificity when applied to children and that computed tomography (CT) scanning may be superior. A direct comparison between CT scanning and PR has not been performed. We therefore sought to compare CT with PR in the diagnosis of rectal injury by analyzing our large institutional experience. Methods To assess institutional outcome, the charts of all children younger than 18 years admitted to our level I trauma center (1999-2004) were prospectively collected and retrospectively assessed. Demographics, diagnostic accuracy (PR vs CT), and outcome (length of stay, days in the intensive care unit [ICU], Injury Severity Score, and missed injury) were assessed. Results There were 24 injuries (63% boys, 71% blunt, 100% survival), and diagnostic modality included the following: PR, 37.5%; CT, 37.5%; laparotomy alone, 8%. Length of stay (PR 5.7 ± 6.2 vs CT 13.7 ± 22.2, NS) were similar between groups. Of the missed rectal injuries, 66% of patients undergoing PR had missed injuries that were ultimately detected by CT whereas 33% of the patients undergoing CT scan had a missed injury. Conclusion CT is at least as accurate as PR in diagnosing pediatric rectal injury. Consideration of early scanning as opposed to PR may improve diagnosis and outcome in these patients.
Prenatal steroids for microcystic congenital cystic adenomatoid malformations.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of prenatal steroid treatment in fetuses with sonographically diagnosed congenital cystic adenomatoid malformations (CCAMs). Methods This was an institutional review board–approved retrospective review of 372 patients referred to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), for fetal CCAM. Inclusion criteria were (1) a predominately microcystic CCAM lesion sonographically diagnosed at our institution, (2) maternal administration of a single course of prenatal corticosteroids (betamethasone), and (3) no fetal surgery. CCAM volume-to-head ratio (CVR), presence of hydrops, mediastinal shift, and diaphragm eversion were assessed before and after administration of betamethasone. The primary end points were survival to birth and neonatal discharge. Results Sixteen patients with predominantly microcystic CCAMs were treated with prenatal steroids. Three were excluded because of lack of follow-up information. All remaining fetuses (13/13) survived to delivery and 11/13 (84.6%) survived to neonatal discharge. At the time of steroid administration, all patients had CVR greater than 1.6, and 9 (69.2%) also had nonimmune hydrops fetalis. After a course of steroids, CVR decreased in 8 (61.5%) of the 13 patients, and hydrops resolved in 7 (77.8%) of the 9 patients with hydrops. The 2 patients whose hydrops did not resolve with steroid treatment did not survive to discharge. Conclusion In high-risk fetal patients with predominantly microcystic CCAM lesions, betamethasone is an effective treatment. This series is a pilot study for a prospective randomized trial comparing treatment of CCAM with betamethasone to placebo.
An ALE formulation of embedded boundary methods for tracking boundary layers in turbulent fluid-structure interaction problems

Embedded Boundary Methods (EBMs) for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) are usually constructed in the Eulerian setting. They are particularly attractive for complex Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problems characterized by large structural motions and deformations. They are also critical for flow problems with topological changes and FSI problems with cracking. For all of these problems, the alternative Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) methods are often unfeasible because of the issue of mesh crossovers. However for viscous flows, Eulerian EBMs for CFD do not track the boundary layers around dynamic rigid or flexible bodies. Consequently, the application of these methods to viscous FSI problems requires either a high mesh resolution in a large part of the computational fluid domain, or adaptive mesh refinement. Unfortunately, the first option is computationally inefficient, and the second one is labor intensive. For these reasons, an alternative approach is proposed in this paper for maintaining all moving boundary layers resolved during the simulation of a turbulent FSI problem using an EBM for CFD. In this approach, which is simple and computationally reasonable, the underlying non-body-fitted mesh is rigidly translated and/or rotated in order to track the rigid component of the motion of the dynamic obstacle. Then, the flow computations away from the embedded surface are performed using the ALE framework, and the wall boundary conditions are treated by the chosen Eulerian EBM for CFD. Hence, the solution of the boundary layer tracking problem proposed in this paper can be described as an ALE implementation of a given EBM for CFD. Its basic features are illustrated with the Large Eddy Simulation using a non-body-fitted mesh of a turbulent flow past an airfoil in heaving motion. Its strong potential for the solution of challenging FSI problems at reasonable computational costs is also demonstrated with the simulation of turbulent flows past a family of highly flexible flapping wings.
Frontobasilar fractures: contemporary management.

Approximately 5% of patients presenting to a level 1 trauma center in the United States will have sustained basilar skull injuries. The etiology of frontobasilar trauma is variable but is often associated with severe multisystem trauma caused by the significant force necessary to disrupt the thick frontal bone. Nahum demonstrated in an experimental model that forces of 800 to 2200 pounds are required to fracture the frontal bone, a force more than 2 to 3 times that required to fracture any other facial bone. Neurologic injuries are therefore common in this population of patients. Cerebral contusion is generally the most common radiographic finding; however, subdural and epidural hematomas requiring operative intervention are present in as many as 10% of the patients. Open brain trauma, globe injury, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, frontal sinus disruption, frontonasal fractures, and frontotemporal-orbital fractures are common manifestations of frontobasilar trauma, and may require multidisciplinary management. Thus, contemporary management of frontobasilar trauma in the United States should occur at designated level I or II trauma centers, whenever possible, due to the availability in these centers of maxillofacial surgeons, neurosurgeons, and ophthalmologists.
Recent trends in prostate cancer testing and incidence among men under age of 50.

Abstract Background : Information on prostate cancer testing and incidence among men under age 50 is scant. This study aims to describe trends of prostate cancer testing and incidence by demographic and clinical characteristics and identify potential correlations between prostate cancer testing and incidence. Methods : We examined prostate cancer testing and incidence rates among American men under age of 50 using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008) and data from the National Program of Cancer Registries and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results programs (2001–2006). We conducted descriptive, logistic regression, and trend analyses using SUDAAN and SEER*Stat. Results : The prostate cancer incidence rate among black men was more than 2-fold that of white men. The overall prostate cancer incidence rate slightly increased from 2001 to 2006; however, the prevalence of prostate cancer testing declined over time. There was a borderline significant increase in prostate cancer incidence rate (APC = 3.5, 95% CI = 0.0, 7.0) for men aged 40–44. Well-differentiated prostate cancer incidence decreased significantly (APC = −24.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −34.9, −12.8) over time. Conclusions : We observed a large difference in prostate cancer incidence between blacks and whites under age 50. Similar patterns in prostate cancer testing and cancer incidence by race and ethnicity suggested prostate cancer testing might have influenced incidence to some extent in this young population. The different temporal patterns for prostate cancer testing and incidence, especially for men aged 40–44 years, suggested screening alone could not fully accounted for the increasing prostate cancer incidence rates. Decreasing trend of well-differentiated prostate cancer may be partially due to “Grade Inflation”.
Fat metabolism in higher plants. Further characterization of wheat germ acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase.

Abstract Wheat germ acetyl CoA carboxylase was purified 600-fold over the crude homogenate. The purified enzyme gave rise to complex electrophoretic patterns in dissociating gels. As isolated, the activity of wheat germ acetyl CoA carboxylase exhibited profound dependence on the composition of the reaction mixture. In addition to the substrates MgATP, HCO 3 , and acetyl CoA, the enzyme required both free Mg 2+ and K + for optimal activity. The effects of the two ions were additive. At pH 8.5, Mg 2+ activated the carboxylase by adding to the enzyme prior to the other reactants in an equilibrium ordered reaction mechanism.
Synthesis, X-ray crystallography and computational studies concerning an oxadiazinone derived from d-camphor: a structural limitation of oxadiazinones as chiral auxiliaries

Abstract A camphor-based oxadiazinone was prepared by reaction of the N-nitroimine of d -camphor with (1R,2S)-norephedrine; the reduction of the resultant imine; N-nitrosation of the amine; reduction to the corresponding hydrazine and cyclization. The conformational behaviour of oxadiazinone 7 was modeled in the gas and solution phases using the semiempirical AM1 method and density functional theory. Application of the oxadiazinone in the titanium mediated asymmetric aldol reaction provided the highly diastereoselective formation of the expected syn-adducts 8a–d as evidenced by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Attempts to remove the oxadiazinone auxiliary using acidic or basic conditions failed to yield the expected β-hydroxyacid in significant yield.
Comparative population dynamics of large and small mammals in the Northern Hemisphere: deterministic and stochastic forces

Deterministic feedbacks within populations interact with extrinsic, stochastic processes to generate complex patterns of animal abundance over time and space. Animals inherently differ in their responses to fluctuating environments due to differences in body sizes and life history traits. However, controversy remains about the relative importance of deterministic and stochastic forces in shaping population dynamics of large and small mammals. We hypothesized that effects of environmental stochasticity and density dependence are stronger in small mammal populations relative to their effects in large mammal populations and thus differentiate the patterns of population dynamics between them. We conducted an extensive, comparative analysis of population dynamics in large and small mammals to test our hypothesis, using seven population parameters to describe general dynamic patterns for 23 (14 species) time series of observations of abundance of large mammals and 38 (21 species) time series for small mammals. We used state-space models to estimate the strength of direct and delayed density dependence as well as the strength of environmental stochasticity. We further used phylogenetic comparative analysis to detect differences in population dynamic patterns and individual population parameters, respectively, between large and small mammals. General population dynamic patterns differed between large and small mammals. However, the strength of direct and delayed density dependence was comparable between large and small mammals. Moreover, the variances of population growth rates and environmental stochasticity were greater in small mammals than in large mammals. Therefore, differences in population response to stochastic forces and strength of environmental stochasticity are the primary factor that differentiates population dynamic patterns between large and small mammal species.
Nursing and Regionalization of Perinatal Services

In regional perinatal projects, which include emphasis on service coordtnation and education, nursing must be planned to coordinate with the general goals of regionalization that go beyond the limits of individual institutions. This approach was applied in one such program where the nursing departments were successfully united to develop nursing care standards. A multifaceted educational program, based on these standards and a survey of 200 nurses, is in operation. This experience suggests that it is possible to organize perinatal nursing care throughout regions as long as due consideration of hospital individuality and autonomy is extended.
Contaminated and uncontaminated feeding influence perceived intimacy in mixed-sex dyads

It was expected that viewers watching adult mixed-sex pairs dining together will give higher ratings of the perceived intimacy and involvement of the pair if feeding is displayed while eating, especially if the feeding involves contaminated (i.e., with potential germ transfer) foods. Our hypotheses were tested using a design in which participants viewed five videotapes in varying order. Each video showed different mixed-sex pairs of actors sharing meal and included a distinct form of food sharing or none. These were shown to 50 small groups of young adults in quasi-random sequences to control for order effects. Immediately after each video, viewers were asked about the attractiveness, attraction and intimacy in the dyad they had just observed. As predicted, videos featuring contaminated feeding consistently produced higher ratings on involvement and attraction than those showing uncontaminated feeding which, in turn, mostly produced higher ratings on involvement and attraction than those showing no feeding behaviors.
Dynamic properties of eye movements in mitochondrial chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia.

To relate dynamic properties of eye movements to visual disability in a patient with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) due to mitochondrial DNA deletion. Visual function was evaluated by neuro-ophthalmological examination and visual function index (VF-14). Eye movements were measured using the magnetic search coil technique. The patient denied diplopia or oscillopsia at rest or during locomotion. His range of eye movements was limited to <12° horizontally, and <19° vertically with smaller movements of the left eye. All classes of movements were impaired, but the eyes accelerated to over 1000°/s/s at the onset of saccades and in response to brisk head rotations. Diplopia and oscillopsia were suppressed, probably due to visual system adaptation during the slow disease progression. We postulate that relative sparing of pale global extraocular fibres accounted for preserved acceleration of saccades and vestibular eye movements.
Lanthanide derivatives of phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus

Abstract Lanthanide derivatives of the zinc metalloprotein, phospholipase C ( Bacillus cereus ), have been formed. Their reactivation from the half-apo enzyme (one zinc atom removed) was found to be very pH-dependent. The maximum reactivation activity obtained between pH 7–8 is approx. 40% of the native protein. Both the native enzyme and the Gd 3+ -derivative show a plateau in activity toward dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/Triton X-100 mixed micelles between pH 5.5–8.5 with an acid p K a of 4.6 and a basic p K a of 10.3. Substrate specificity is unchanged by lanthanide substitution: no activity is observed toward sphingomyelin or ether-linked lecithins. Both metalloenzymes show parallel ‘surface dilution’ kinetics towards dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine solubilized in mixed micelles with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, zwittergent 3–14 and deoxycholate. However, the Gd 3+ -derivative appears to be more strongly inhibited by Triton X-100 than the native enzyme. This may reflect a decreased K i for the nonionic detergent. Because of its similarity to the native protein, the Gd 3+ -derivative is a very useful probe for NMR studies of protein interactions with lipids and detergents. For example, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, a cationic detergent, binds tightly to the enzyme. The N -methyl protons are preferentially broadened over bulk methylene and the terminal methyl group when the detergent is bound to the protein, indicating the proximity of this part of the molecule to the substituted metal site on phospholipase C.
Novel leak localization in pressurized pipeline networks using acoustic emission and geometric connectivity

Abstract Time dependent aging and instantaneous threats can cause the initiation of damage in the buried and on-ground pipelines. Damage may propagate all through the structural thickness and cause leaking. The leakage detection in oil, water, gas or steam pipeline networks before it becomes structurally instable is important to prevent any catastrophic failures. The leak in pressurized pipelines causes turbulent flow at its location, which generates solid particles or gas bubbles impacting on the pipeline material. The impact energy causes propagating elastic waves that can be detected by the sensors mounted on the pipeline. The method is called Acoustic Emission, which can be used for real time detection of damage caused by unintentional or intentional sources in the pipeline networks. In this paper, a new leak localization approach is proposed for pipeline networks spread in a two dimensional configuration. The approach is to determine arrival time differences using cross correlation function, and introduce the geometric connectivity in order to identify the path that the leak waves should propagate to reach the AE sensors. The leak location in multi-dimensional space is identified in an effective approach using an array of sensors spread on the pipeline network. The approach is successfully demonstrated on laboratory scale polypropylene pipeline networks.
The use of time during lexical processing and segmentation: A review

Speech, by its very nature, is a time-based phenomenon. Speech sounds are temporally distributed, with the presentation of one sound roughly conditioned by the fading of the previous one. In this review, three classes of models are discussed with respect to the sequential nature of speech. It is argued that the three resulting conceptions of time are linked to the type of segmentation process proposed by these models to deal with speech continuity. In the first one, lexical activation is viewed as perfectly synchronized with the temporal deployment of speech. This type of model corresponds to the traditional left-to-right (proactive) account of lexical processing. Because serious segmentation problems exist for such an approach (e.g.,car andcard are embedded incardinal), the second type of model treats word recognition as the result of a mechanism that sometimes delays commitment on word identity beyond word offset. Lexical activation, instead of shadowing the unfolding of time, lags behind it until an unambiguous decision can be made. The temporarily unprocessed information is stored in a memory buffer. In the third approach, a prosodic cue (lexical stress) contributes actively to speech segmentation and lexical processing. Every stressed syllable encountered in the signal is postulated as a word onset and thus constitutes the starting point of lexical activation. However, with non-initial-stressed words, retroactive procedures going “back in time” must be used. Finally, the use of time (including proactive, delayed, and retroactive procedures) is discussed in light of cross-linguistic phonological differences.
Decreased serum transferrin concentration in children with the nephrotic syndrome: effect on lymphocyte proliferation and correlation with serum immunoglobulin levels.

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that transferrin has immunoregulatory functions. In the nephrotic syndrome, excessive urinary losses can produce hypotransferrinemia. Whether low serum transferrin concentration in children with the nephrotic syndrome is related to their decreased immunoglobulin concentrations and to the decreased in vitro response of lymphocytes to a mitogen was studied. Twenty patients, 2 to 15 years of age, were studied. Fifteen patients had the nephrotic syndrome and 5 had other renal disorders. Of 13 patients with nephrotic syndrome in relapse, serum transferrin and γ-globulin concentrations were decreased in 10 and 11 patients, respectively. Transferrin levels correlated with the concentrations of total protein (r = 0.87, P
Molecular cloning and expression of equine calcitonin, calcitonin gene-related peptide-I, and calcitonin gene-related peptide-II

In this study, we describe the cloning and tissue expression of equine calcitonin (CT), calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP)-I, and CGRP-II cDNA. We also describe a novel divergent form of CGRP (CGRP-I). Equine CT has greatest homology (>85%) to human, rat and mouse subgroups of calcitonins. Equine CGRP-I has low homology ( 80% homology to chicken, human, rat, ovine, swine, and bovine CGRPs. The homology between equine CGRP-I and CGRP-II is low (56%). The high homology of equine CGRP-II and the low homology of equine CGRP-I to CGRP in other species were unexpected findings. Northern blot analysis revealed that CT mRNA expression was restricted to the thyroid gland; however, RT-PCR revealed that CT mRNA expression was also present in the pituitary gland and in the liver. CGRP-I and CGRP-II mRNA expression was present in several regions of the nervous system and other tissues of neuroectodermal origin. An unexpected finding was CGRP-I expression in the kidney by both Northern analysis and by RT-PCR. Based on these results, CT gene expression in the horse was not restricted to the thyroid gland, and CT may be important in regulating pituitary cell function. CGRPs are widely expressed in tissues of the central and peripheral nervous system. Information from this study will be valuable to study the role of CT, CGRP-I, and CGRP-II in equine health and disease.
RNA Folding Topology and Intermolecular Contacts in the AMP−RNA Aptamer Complex†

We report below on the NMR structural characterization of the complex between AMP and a 40-mer RNA aptamer in aqueous solution. Resonance assignments are based on multinuclear multidimensional NMR studies on complexes uniformly 13C,15N-labeled with either AMP or the RNA aptamer. AMP binds to an internal loop (labeled G7-G8-A9-A10-G11-A12-A13-A14-C15-U16-G17) and bulge (G34 positioned opposite the internal loop) segment in the RNA aptamer, and our NMR study provides insights into features of the RNA folding topology and the molecular recognition events in the AMP binding pocket on the RNA. Specifically, the helical stems are extended by G·G mismatch formation from either direction into the internal loop/bulge segment of the RNA aptamer on complex formation. The internal loop adopts a unique fold with the purine ring of AMP intercalated between A10 and G11 in the complex. The G8-A9-A10-AMP segment adopts certain stacking features in common with a GNRA turn and is closed by the G7·G11 mismatch pair. The puri...
Intentional occlusion of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt

The transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure is a well-described means of treating portal hypertension and its complications. Occasionally, the consequences of this shunt prompt the desire for its subsequent obliteration. We report one unsuccessful and one successful method of TIPS occlusion. Key words: TIPS, complications-Occlusion-Thrombosis-Balloon occlusion catheter-Amplatz spi-der-Embolization coil
Ethnic and racial differences in patients with Ewing sarcoma

BACKGROUND: Ewing sarcoma (ES) was a malignant tumor of bone or soft tissue. One of the few risk factors for developing ES is race, with a higher incidence noted in populations of European rather than African or Asian ancestry. The goal of the current study was to evaluate racial and ethnic differences in presentation and overall survival (OS) among patients diagnosed with ES before age 40 years. METHODS: Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database identified 1715 patients aged <40 years who were diagnosed with ES between 1973 and 2005. Racial and ethnic group differences were compared using chi-square tests. OS was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared using log-rank tests and Cox models. RESULTS: Black patients had significantly more soft-tissue tumors compared with white non-Hispanic patients (P <.0001). Asian and white Hispanic patients were found to have an intermediate frequency of soft-tissue tumors that also differed from white non-Hispanic patients (P <.0001). White Hispanic patients presented with a higher proportion of larger tumors compared with white non-Hispanic patients (P = .042). Black patients tended to be older than white non-Hispanic patients (P = .012). Sex, frequency of pelvic tumors, and metastatic status did not appear to differ by ethnicity or race. OS was found to differ according to race and ethnicity. Even after controlling for known confounders, OS was significantly worse for black, Asian, and white Hispanic patients compared with white non-Hispanic patients (P = .0031, P = .0182, and P = .0051, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic and racial differences in characteristics and outcomes of patients with ES do exist. Understanding the etiology of these differences will require further study. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Learning lexical indexation

Morphological concatenation often triggers phonological processes. For instance, addition of the plural suffix /-ən/ to Dutch nouns causes vowel lengthening in some nouns due to the stress-to-weight principle ([xɑt] vs. [ˈxaː.tən] ‘hole’). These kinds of processes often apply only to a subset of words – not all Dutch nouns undergo this process ([kɑt] vs. [ˈkɑ.tən] ‘cat’). Nouns need to be lexically indexed as either undergoing this process or not. I investigate how phonological grammar and lexical indexation are learned when learners are confronted with data like these. Based on learnability considerations, I hypothesise that learners acquire a grammar with default non-alternation, so that novel items are treated as non-alternating. I report the results of artificial language learning experiments compatible with this hypothesis, and model these results in a version of the Biased Constraint Demotion algorithm (Prince & Tesar 2004).
Waiting times for the appearance of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte escape mutants in chronic HIV-1 infection

The failure of HIV-1 to escape at some cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes has generally been explained in terms of viral fitness costs or ineffective or attenuated CTL responses. Relatively little attention has been paid to the evolutionary time required for escape mutants to be detected. This time is significantly affected by selection, mutation rates, the presence of other advantageous mutations, and the effective population size of HIV-1 in vivo (typically estimated to be {approx}10{sup 3} in chronically infected patients, though one study has estimated it to be {approx}10{sup 5}). Here, we use a forward simulator with experimentally estimated HIV-1 parameters to show that these delays can be substantial. For an effective population size of 10{sup 3}, even highly advantageous mutants (s = 0.5) may not be detected for a couple of years in chronically infected patients, while moderately advantageous escape mutants (s = 0.1) may not be detected for up to 10 years. Even with an effective population size of 10{sup 5}, a moderately advantageous escape mutant (s = 0.1) may not be detected in the population within 2 years if it has to compete with other selectively advantageous mutants. Stochastic evolutionary forces, therefore, in addition to viral fitness costsmore » and ineffective or attenuated CTL responses, must be taken into account when assessing the selection of CTL escape mutations.« less
Spectral curves for super-Yang-Mills with adjoint hypermultiplet for general simple Lie algebras☆

The Seiberg-Witten curves and differentials for N = 2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theories with one hypermultiplet of mass m in the adjoint representation of the gauge algebra G, are constructed for arbitrary classical or exceptional simple G (except G2. The curves are obtained from the recently established Lax pairs with spectral parameter for the (twisted) elliptic Calogero-Moser integrable systems associated with the algebra G. Curves and differentials are shown to have the proper group theoretic and complex analytic structure, and to behave as expected when m tends either to 0 or to oo. By way of example, the prepotential for G = SU (N) evaluated with these techniques, is shown to agree with standard perturbative results. A renormalization group type equation relating the prepotential to the Calogero-Moser Hamiltonian is obtained for arbitrary G, generalizing a previous result for G = SU(N). Duality properties and decoupling to theories with other representations are briefly discussed.
Characterization of human SCD2, an oligomeric desaturase with improved stability and enzyme activity by cross-linking in intact cells

SCD (stearoyl-CoA desaturase) catalyses the conversion of saturated fatty acids into mono-unsaturated fatty acids, a critical step involved in lipid metabolism and various other biological functions. In the present study, we report the identification and characterization of a human gene that encodes a novel SCD enzyme (hSCD2). The hSCD2 gene codes for a 37.5-kDa protein that shares 61% and 57% sequence identity with the human SCD1 and mouse SCD2 enzymes respectively. The recombinant hSCD2 enzyme expressed in mammalian and Sf9 insect cells efficiently catalysed desaturation of both stearoyl- and palmitoyl-CoAs to the corresponding mono-unsaturated fatty acids. In comparison with the hSCD1 gene that is predominantly expressed in liver, hSCD2 is most abundantly expressed in pancreas and brain. Additionally, hSCD2 transcripts from adult and foetal tissues exhibit different sizes because of alternative splicing in the non-coding region, suggesting that hSCD2 expression is developmentally regulated. The recombinant human SCD2 and SCD1 transiently expressed in COS-7 cells exhibited as oligomeric proteins that consist of homodimers and oligomers when resolved by SDS/PAGE. The complex formation was independent of SCD protein expression levels, as supported by a relatively constant ratio of the level of dimers and oligomers to that of the monomers from COS-7 cells transiently transfected with different amounts of SCD expression vectors. Furthermore, treatment of intact COS-7 cells with a cross-linking reagent resulted in dose-dependent increases in the levels of SCD protein and activity, suggesting that oligomerization may play an important role in regulating the stability of SCD enzymes.
Magnetic fabric determined from Arm and IRM anisotropies in Paleozoic carbonates, Southern Appalachian Basin

We have undertaken a comparative study of ARM and IRM anisotropies in Paleozoic carbonate rocks from the Nashville and Jessamine Domes in the Southern Appalachian Basin. The ARMA ellipsoids differ markedly from the IRMA ellipsoids. ARMA appears to reflect a pre-deformation magnetic fabric due to deposition and/or compaction with minimum axes near vertical and a weak lineation. Conversely, IRMA has minimum axes near horizontal and oriented NE-SW, which is compatible with a tectonic fabric due to Alleghanian deformation. Percent ARMA is consistently greater than IRMA. ARM was imparted at low alternating fields (30 mT), and thus ARMA may reflect the fabric residing in low and intermediate coercivity (coarse grained) magnetite. However, the IRM was imparted in saturating fields (300 mT) and appears to be dominated by the single domain fraction, which is believed to carry the observed Kiaman Superchron remagnetization.
Use of recruitment networks in randomized trials: North American versus global.

There is growing recognition among investigators, funding agencies, and other constituencies that the clinical trial enterprise in the United States is not keeping pace with our health system’s need for more and better information to guide clinical decision making.1 The need for better information is largely driven by the rapid pace of discovery in biology, technology, and health services delivery, which has yielded new medical capabilities that require testing before rationale clinical dissemination. The need for better information is also driven by an alarming rise in the cost of health care. Better research can help policymakers select services on the basis of value. The randomized clinical trial is the best source for unbiased information about the effectiveness of new therapies, diagnostic strategies, and health delivery innovations. Trials, however, have become expensive and inefficient in the United States, resulting in fewer investigators, unanswered questions, and more of the work shifting to other countries.2 It is not uncommon, furthermore, for randomized clinical trials to fail after initiation, resulting in unanswered questions, loss of initial investment, and unnecessary risk to participants. The causes of this failed enterprise include regulatory burden, lack of infrastructure, and a clinical culture that does not uniformly view research as a core mission in patient care.2 Funding agencies and investigators are keenly interested in strategies to revive the clinical trial enterprise.1,3 Established methods include pretrial planning with attention to feasibility, inclusion of patients and advocacy groups to vet the research question, funding mechanisms that direct funds to sites with better performances, and oversight that allows early redesign or termination. A relatively new method is the clinical research network. This method and its variations are still in development but may expand our capacity to conduct highly efficient clinical trials in many areas of biomedical …
Frustration and order driven by Hund's rule coupling in antiferrromagnets

Abstract We discuss a simplified version of a recently proposed Hamiltonian to describe the case when the super-exchange interaction between different atomic orbitals leads to frustration because of Hund’s rule coupling. Using spin-wave theory, we demonstrate that while this is a rather simple model which can be studied by more elaborate techniques, it contains the essential elements of the physics present in real materials and leads to possible novel magnetic phases.
Quantum dots as a FRET donor and nanoscaffold for multivalent DNA photonic wires

We demonstrate Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) through DNA photonic wires self-assembled around a central CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dot (QD). The central QD acts as a nanoscaffold and FRET donor to a series of acceptor dyes along a DNA strand. By utilizing a DNA intercalating dye, altering the location of the dyes and using a series of increasingly red-shifted dyes along the DNA, we are able to track the efficiency of energy transfer through the DNA photonic structure via steady-state spectroscopy. Data suggests that limiting factors for efficient energy transfer are the sub-obtimal photophysical properties of acceptor dyes, including low quantum yields. These issues may be addressed with improved configurations of QDs, DNA and dyes. The development of biophotonic wire assemblies utilizing the superior photophysical properties of QDs will have widespread application in nanotechnology.
Biosystematics and Morphology of Symphyta. I. Stem-Galling Euura of the California Region, and a New Female Genitalic Nomenclature

The sawfly genera Phyllocolpa, Pontania, and Euura incite galls on Salicaceae by injecting colleterial fluid into the plant meristem during oviposition. The Phyllocolpa make open galls by deforming leaf margins of Populus and Salix, and are not host species-specific. Each species of Pontania makes a distinctive closed leaf gall on a particular species or within a certain species group of willow. Species of Euura subgenus Gemmura make closed bud galls on related species of Salix, and the host species-specific subgenus Euura make closed petiole or stem galls on individual species of willow. Stem-galling Euura may form sibling arrays within related species groups of Salix, and 3 new sibling species (Euura lasiolepis , E. lemmoniae , E. scoulerianae ) are described here. Descriptions of 3 other new sitm-Euura (E. breweriae , E. exiguae , E. geyerianae ) and a new subgenus of Euura ( GEMMURA ) are also included. A diagnosis of the genus Euura and its subgenera, a key distinguishing the gall-making genera of the Euura group from one another and from other genera of specialized Nematini, and keys to the adults and galls of the stem-galling Euura of the California region are presented. The morphology of the female ovipositor (gonapophyses) reflects the physical structure and ecology of the host plant and the site galled, as well as the phylogeny of the insect, and can be used to delineate both willow and sawfly taxa. Genitalic structure and function of taxonomic significance are described in a revised terminology applicable to many female Symphyta.
Effects of central and peripheral nicotinic blockade on human nicotine discrimination.

Nicotine produces interoceptive stimulus effects in humans, which may be critical in understanding tobacco use. It has not yet clearly been demonstrated that discrimination of nicotine, or any drug, in humans is due to its central effects. We compared effects of mecamylamine (10 mg PO), a central and peripheral nicotine antagonist, on nicotine discrimination with those of trimethaphan (10–40 μg/kg per min IV), a peripheral nicotine antagonist only, and placebo. Smokers (n = 6) were first trained to reliably discriminate 0 versus 20 μg/kg nicotine by nasal spray and then tested on generalization of this discrimination across a range of nicotine doses (0, 3, 6, 12, 20 μg/kg) following antagonist/placebo pretreatment. Nicotine self-administration was also assessed after generalization testing by having participants intermittently choose between nicotine versus placebo spray. Compared with responding following placebo pre-treatment, discrimination of the highest dose of nicotine was significantly attenuated following mecamylamine but not trimethaphan. Similar results were observed for some subjective responses to nicotine. Mecamylamine also tended to increase nicotine self-administration. Consistent with previous animal studies, these results suggest that discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine in humans are mediated at least in part by its central effects.
Damage mechanics: Basic variables in continuum theories

It is shown that any type of material damage that causes stiffness degradation in general requires description by an eighth order damage tensor but that the principle of strain equivalence permits a reduction to a tensor of order four. The actual number of independent damage parameters in such a tensor is related to the material and damage symmetry. For the isotropic case, there must be two independent damage parameters which can be expressed in terms of damage parameter with physical meaning.
The unusual relativistic solar proton events of 1979 august 21 and 1981 may 10

Sixty-nine ground level events (GLEs) caused by relativistic solar protons have been observed from 1942 to 2005. GLEs are characteristically associated with intense solar flares [having peak ~9 GHz flux densities SP(9 GHz) > 103 sfu] and fast (>1000 km s-1) coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The small GLEs on 1979 August 21 and 1981 May 10 provide an exception to these rules of thumb. In comparison with other GLEs, they were associated with significantly weaker flares [SP(9 GHz) 1000 times the normal background because of preceding SEP events originating in active regions that were located in each case ~100° east of the active region responsible for the GLE. We suggest that the relativistic solar protons observed in these two events resulted from CME-driven shock acceleration of an elevated coronal seed population, reflecting the enhanced background proton intensity at 1 AU. For this scenario, the timing onset of the relativistic protons in the two events indicates that the shocks had access to the energetic seed particles within ~2-5 R☉ of the solar surface. While an elevated ~10 MeV proton background at Earth is a favorable/common condition for GLE occurrence, it is not a requirement.
Interaction of bacterial Fc receptors with goat immunoglobulins

The interaction of type I (staphylococcal protein A) and type III (streptococcal FcRc) bacterial Fc receptors with goat immunoglobulins has been studied. Staphylococcal protein A bound poorly to the majority of goat immunoglobulins at all pHs tested. There was some evidence that protein A bound IgG2 better than IgG1, particularly at pH 8 and above. One of 10 sera tested demonstrated a high level of reactivity with protein A and this was shown to correlate with the presence of a natural antibody to protein A. The streptococcal Fc receptors, FcRc, bound efficiently to all goat IgG and goat sera tested. Both goat IgG subclasses reacted efficiently with the FcRc between pH 6 and 8. Inhibition of binding of 125I-FcRc to immobilized goat IgG enabled levels of IgG in goat serum to be estimated. These results suggest the streptococcal FcRc will be of value as an immunochemical reagent in studies involving isolation and quantitation of goat immunoglobulins.
Correction of Murine Hemophilia A by Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy

A serious complication of current protein replacement therapy for hemophilia A patients with coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency is the frequent development of anti-FVIII inhibitor antibodies that preclude therapeutic benefit from further treatment. Induction of tolerance by persistent high-level FVIII synthesis following transplantation with hematopoietic stem cells expressing a retrovirally delivered FVIII transgene offers the possibility of permanently correcting the disease. Here, we transplanted bone marrow cells transduced with an optimized MSCV-based FVIII oncoretroviral vector into immunocompetent hemophilia A mice that had been conditioned with a potentially lethal dose of irradiation (800 cGy), a sublethal dose of irradiation (550 cGy), or a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen involving busulfan. Therapeutic levels of FVIII (42, 18, and 11% of normal, respectively) were detected in the plasma of the transplant recipients for the duration of the study (over 6 months). Moreover, subsequent challenge with recombinant FVIII elicited at most a minor anti-FVIII inhibitor antibody response in any of the experimental animals, in contrast to the vigorous neutralizing humoral reaction to FVIII that was stimulated in naive hemophilia A mice. These findings represent an encouraging advance toward potential clinical application and long-term amelioration or cure of this progressively debilitating, life-threatening bleeding disorder.
A simple theory of spin-wave relaxation in ferromagnetic metals

Abstract The anisotropic exchange interaction between localized spins and conduction electrons is described by an appropriate spin hamiltonian. This is used to calculate the lifetime of magnons for arbitrary values of Λ eq , where Λ e is the electron mean free path and q the magnon wavevector. At Λ eq ⪢ 1, this lifetime depends on the angle between q and the saturation magnetization. The antisymmetric part of anisotropic exchange (Dzialoshinsky-Moriya interaction) may dominate the relaxation of spin-waves of large q . The complicated band structure of transition metals gives rise to a magnon lifetime independent of Λ e . The contribution of isotropic exchange is also considered.
The non-prosecution of human trafficking cases: an illustration of the challenges of implementing legal reforms

Research on the implementation of reforms focusing on policies and practices of the criminal court system reveals that members of the courtroom workgroup often resist or circumvent these legal reforms. This is particularly true if the reforms require changes in the way cases are prosecuted, affect the likelihood of successful prosecution, or impede the efficient and effective processing of cases. In this paper, I demonstrate that the findings of the Farrell et al. study of the prosecution of human trafficking cases are consistent with the larger bodies of research on prosecutorial charging decisions and the implementation of legal reforms. Like reforms designed to enhance the likelihood of successful prosecution of sexual assault and domestic violence cases, the new human trafficking statutes may not be capable of achieving the instrumental effects that those who lobbied for the changes envisioned.
Fish-embryo toxicity associated with exposure to soils and sediments contaminated with varying concentrations of dioxins and furans

Abstract Studies were carried out to evaluate the toxicity to Japanese medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) embryos after exposure to soils and sediments from various sites contaminated with dioxins and furans. Eggs were exposed to 1–10 mg of material in 1 ml of rearing solution held in a glass vial. The eggs were monitored on a daily basis for death, stage development, and lesions. The soils that were evaluated included: two sites from Newark, NJ (2200 and 180 μg/kg 2,3,7,8-TCDD); Times Beach, Missouri (950 μg/kg 2,3,7,8-TCDD); and Seveso, Italy (128 μg/kg 2,3,7,8-TCDD). Exposure to these soils resulted in 100% lethality. Based on the Newark, NJ, soils, the LC50 to post-hatch survival was 0·09 (0·01–0·93) μg/kg of TCDD soil-bound equivalents. Exposure to estuarine core sediments collected near the Newark, NJ, site that contained 0·73–21 μg/kg were also toxic to the embryo, but the toxicity was less in the sediments than in the soil. The estimated bioavailability from the Newark soil was less than 0·2%. This type of biological-based toxicity can be useful in evaluating the extent of clean-up that may be required for any specific site.
Factors Affecting Knowledge about HIV/AIDS among Rural Villagers in Coastal Kenya:

Person-to-person interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 99 residents of 12 rural villages in the coastal region of Kenya. The survey was organized into four sections: demographics; sources of information regarding HIV/AIDS; knowledge about HIV/AIDS and its transmission and prevention; and perception of personal risk. The average age of the study population was 31.6 years. On average respondents had 7.1 years of formal education 51.6% were female 82.8% were married and 57.6% were Christian. The majority of people received information about HIV/AIDS from the radio (83.9%). Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported currently knowing someone with HIV/AIDS. The average knowledge score about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention is 71.6%. Significant predictors of a high knowledge score include getting information from a religious leader a nurse a friend AIDS literature and television. Those who currently know someone with HIV/AIDS have a significantly higher knowledge score. (authors)