cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety of Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy in Patients With COPD: Results From the NAVIGATE Study.

Background Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) aids in the localization of lung lesions for biopsy and/or to guide fiducial or dye marking for stereotactic radiation or surgical localization. This study assessed ENB safety in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and/or poor lung function. Methods NAVIGATE is a prospective, multicenter, observational study of ENB. This substudy analyzed the 1-month follow-up of the first 1000 enrolled subjects. COPD was determined by medical history. Pulmonary function testing (PFT) results were collected if available within 30 days of the procedure. Procedure-related complications were captured. Results The analysis included 448 subjects with COPD and 541 without COPD (COPD data missing in 11). One-month follow-up was completed in 93.3%. Subjects with COPD tended to be older, male, and have history of tobacco exposure, asthma, and recent pneumonia. Nodule size, location, and procedure time were similar between groups. There was no statistically significant difference in the procedure-related composite complication rate between groups (7.4% with COPD, 7.8% without COPD, P=0.90). Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events scale grade ≥2 pneumothorax was not different between groups (2.7% with COPD, 3.7% without COPD, P=0.47). COPD was not a significant multivariate predictor of complications. Severity of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) or diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide impairment was not associated with increased composite procedure-related complications (ppFEV1 P=0.66, ppDLCO P=0.36). Conclusion In this analysis, complication rates following ENB procedures were not increased in patients with COPD or poor pulmonary function. Because pneumothorax risk is not elevated, ENB may be the preferred method to biopsy peripheral lung lesions in patients with COPD and/or poor pulmonary function testing.
Mercury accumulation by the fresh water alga

The deposition of mercury in the environment continued unchecked until recently when accumulations of this toxicant were found to be potentially dangerous to man. Since outbreaks of mercury poisoning among people were first positively diagnosed in the early 1960s, Japan, Canada, Sweden and the US have actively engaged in research and established regulations to prevent further human poisoning. Much research has been devoted to assessment of the accumulation of mercury in fish and aquatic birds which may be consumed directly by man. Yet relatively little work has been directed at mercury uptake by lower aquatic organisms. At the base of the aquatic food web are the algae from which the majority of non-photosynthetic aquatic organisms derive most of their energy. It is therefore important to explore the pathways by which mercury may enter the food web at this lower trophic level. In the present study, laboratory cultures of the unicellular, fresh-water, green alga Selenastrum capricornutum were utilized to examine uptake of inorganic mercury. Selenastrum was chosen as the test organism due to its wide natural distribution and because it has previously received intensive use as a bioassay organism in limnological and ecological studies. 3 references, 2 figures.
Neurogenic Disease and Incontinence: Physiology, Pathophysiology, Diagnostic Imaging, and Urodynamic Studies

Neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder and urethra is common; it has been estimated that the prevalence in adults of various forms of dysfunction may be as high as 10% (Friedland and Perkash 1983). The principal reason for this relatively high figure is that neuromuscular bladder dysfunction can be caused by common diseases, including, for example, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease (Dennis et al. Open image in new window Fig. 16.1 Effect of drugs on the detrusor and urethra 1991; Lose and Colstrup 1991; O’Donnell and BBeck 1991; Lose 1991; van Gool et al. 1992). It is not sufficiently realized, however, how frequent this problem has become with drug therapy. Figure 16.1 illustrates commonly used drugs that can contract or relax the detrusor and urethra. It should be noted that this list includes common drugs like antidepressants and those used for cardiovascular disease, such as β-blockers and calcium channel blockers. As these drugs are now used very widely, it is not surprising that side-effects in the urinary tract occur more often. Unfortunately, such side-effects are frequently not immediately recognized.
Effect of aqueous dilution on the absorption of the nerve agent VX through skin in vitro.

The in vitro percutaneous penetration of the nerve agent VX through pig skin was measured in the absence and presence of water or artificial sweat to determine the impact such conditions might have on penetration rates. Experiments were performed with Franz-type glass diffusion cells containing dermatomed pig skin as a surrogate for human skin. The receptor fluid used was 50% aqueous ethanol. 14C labelled VX was applied to the skin surface under infinite or finite dosing conditions with regular receptor fluid sampling up to 24 h. Penetration from aqueous solutions of VX showed the maximal steady state penetration rate (Jss) was from the 50% (v:v) solution (366 ± 149 μg·cm-2·h-1), this being ~2.2 fold greater than Jss measured for neat VX (169 ± 89 μg·cm-2·h-1). Application of neat VX to water-wetted skin was also found to result in an increased penetration rate, compared to dry skin, shortly after contamination. These studies have shown that, in vitro, aqueous solutions of VX in contact with the skin can result in increased penetration rates when compared to neat VX applied to dry skin.
Are veterinary clinical manuscripts published more slowly than medical or scientific counterparts? A comparative observational study

BACKGROUND: Publication speeds of clinically relevant veterinary journals have not been evaluated. METHODS: We compared 23 prominent veterinary journals to 11 comparable medical and 4 high-impact science journals and examined select factors that might affect these speeds. Submission date, acceptance date and first online publication date were recorded for 50 sequentially identified research articles from each journal that had been published immediately prior to April 26, 2018. Intervals from submission to acceptance, acceptance to publication, and submission to publication were calculated in days for each article. Data were compared visually across all journals, and statistically by field (veterinary, medical, high-impact), by impact factor and by publisher (commercial vs society) to identify trends or differences in publication intervals. RESULTS: When assessed by field, intervals from submission to acceptance (p=0.18), acceptance to publication (p=0.75) and submission to publication (p=0.13) did not differ. Individual journals varied slightly in intervals from submission to acceptance, but varied markedly in intervals from acceptance to publication. Three journals had median intervals from acceptance to publication exceeding 135 days and two exceeding 500 days. Three journals had median intervals from submission to publication exceeding 550 days. Neither impact factor nor publication model affected any intervals. Intervals from submission to acceptance and acceptance to publication were positively associated with overall interval from submission to publication (rho=0.7, P<0.0001 for both associations). CONCLUSIONS: Intervals from submission to acceptance for veterinary journals are like those for medical and high-impact journals, suggesting that the review process is similar across fields. However, several veterinary journals have intervals from acceptance to publication approaching 18 months.
Why Not Categorical Equivalence

In recent years philosophers of science have explored categorical equivalence as a promising criterion for when two (physical) theories are equivalent. On the one hand, philosophers have presented several examples of theories whose relationships seem to be clarified using these categorical methods. On the other hand, philosophers and logicians have studied the relationships, particularly in the first order case, between categorical equivalence and other notions of equivalence of theories, including definitional equivalence and generalized definitional (aka Morita) equivalence. In this article, I will express some skepticism about this approach, both on technical grounds and conceptual ones. I will argue that "category structure" (alone) likely does not capture the structure of a theory, and discuss some recent work in light of this claim.
Active Sensing on a Bicycle for Simultaneous Search and Tracking of Multiple Rear Vehicles

This paper uses an inexpensive single-beam laser sensor mounted on a rotationally controlled platform to simultaneously search for and track multiple vehicles that are behind a bicycle. Vehicles in the bicycle's lane and in the adjacent left lane are both considered. The tasks involved are searching both lanes to detect the presence of vehicles, tracking a vehicle's trajectory once it has been detected, and switching between searching and tracking as needed. A rigorous search algorithm that minimizes the number of sensor rotational angles needed to search the entire region of interest is developed. An error covariance matrix approach is utilized to switch between tracking vehicles and searching the region of interest. Detailed simulation results are presented to show how the developed system handles the absence and presence of vehicles in the two lanes and handles different types of lane change maneuvers while tracking multiple vehicles. Since the developed system uses an inexpensive lightweight sensor that is suitable for on-bicycle implementation, it can be used to detect the danger of a collision and provide a corresponding horn-like audio alert to the motorist.
Active Experiments in Space: The Future

Planned active space experiments and ideas for future active space experiments are reviewed. Three active experiments being readied are DSX (Demonstration and Space eXperiments), SMART (Space Measurement of Rocket-released Turbulence), and BeamPIE (Beam Plasma Interaction Experiment). Ideas for future experiments include relativistic-electron-beam experiments for magnetic-field-line tracing, relativistic-electron-beam experiments to probe the middle atmosphere, plasma-wave launching using superparamagnetic-nanoparticle amplification of magnetic fields, the heavy-ion mass loading of collisionless magnetic-field-line reconnection, the use of electrostatically charged tethers to pitch-angle scatter radiation-belt particles, cold plasma releases to modify magnetospheric plasma physics, and neutral-gas releases to enhance neutral-particle imaging of the magnetosphere. Technologies that are being developed to enable future space active experiments are reviewed: this includes the development of compact relativistic accelerators, superparamagnetic particle amplified antennae, CubeSats, and a new understanding of how to control dynamic spacecraft charging. New capabilities to use laboratory facilities to design space active experiments as well as new computer-simulation capabilities to design and understand space active experiments are reviewed.
Health, Social Reform, and Medical Schools — The Training of American Physicians and the Dissenting Tradition

Health, Social Reform, and Medical Schools The current revival of activism among U.S. medical students can be understood in the context of a dissenting tradition in medical training. Though never i...
The Journey to Discovering a Flatworm Target of Praziquantel: A Long TRP

Infections caused by parasitic flatworms impose a considerable worldwide health burden. One of the most impactful is schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic blood flukes. Treatment of schistosomiasis has relied on a single drug – praziquantel (PZQ) – for decades. The utility of PZQ as an essential medication is, however, intertwined with a stark gap in our knowledge as to how this drug works. No flatworm target has been identified that readily explains how PZQ paralyzes and damages schistosomes. Recently, a schistosome ion channel was discovered that is activated by PZQ and displays characteristics which mirror key features of PZQ action on schistosomes. Here, the journey to discovery of this target, properties of this ion channel, and remaining questions are reviewed.
Utilization of PHS Increased Risk for Transmission of Infectious Disease Donor Organs in Lung Transplantation: One Center's 7-year Experience

Purpose Over the past several years 37 to 41% of all deceased donor organs in Region 1 were designated as Public Health Service increased risk for infectious disease transmission compared to 25-27% nationally. Limited by the number of standard donors our Center sought to develop guidelines for utilizing these donors and implement a system for follow-up testing for disease transmission. We reviewed our single-center 7-year experience utilizing PHS donor organs in our lung transplant program. Methods Our Center developed a protocol based on the PHS Guidelines to guide the lung transplant program in the management of recipients. Transplant recipients of PHS donor organs had blood testing (serology and viral load) for HIV, HBV and HCV performed on the day of transplant; 1-3 months and 6-12 months after transplant. A QAPI project was implemented to ensure medical record documentation and follow-up testing was conducted. Results From 2013 to October 2019 there were 66 lung transplants performed from PHS donor organs. A retrospective analysis revealed one false positive HIV antibody test; and 15 recipients (23%) converted their HBV core antibody from negative to positive at the 1-3 month time frame after surgery. Of the 15, 11 converted back to HBV core antibody negative within a year after transplant; 2 patients did not have testing performed/expired; and 2 patients were still within the first year after surgery and remained HBV core antibody positive. Although the etiology of the conversion remains unclear it was attributed to the administration of cytomegalovirus immune globulin in the recipients. Of note, 8 of the 66 PHS organs (12%) were also HCV positive and were transplanted under an IRB protocol. The recipients of HCV NAT positive donor organs were started on direct acting anti-viral agents. All of these patients remained HCV viral load negative after transplant. In addition to these donors, there was one HCV antibody/NAT positive donor organ that did not meet PHS criteria that was tracked and the recipient was HCV viral load negative after transplant. Conclusion Our Center experience suggests that there is limited risk to using PHS donor organs in lung transplantation. Special considerations may be warranted in tracking recipients of HCV positive donor organs that may not meet PHS donor organ criteria.
En Balance: The Contribution of Physical Activity to the Efficacy of Spanish Diabetes Education of Hispanic Americans with Type 2 Diabetes.

Purpose En Balance, a culturally sensitive diabetes education program, improves glycemic control in Hispanics with type 2 diabetes. The program emphasized diet, physical activity, and other factors important for glycemic control. However, the individual contributions of these education factors are unclear. The purpose of this study is to assess the contribution of physical activity to the success of En Balance in improving the health of Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes. Methods A retrospective study was conducted with plasma samples collected pre- and post-3-month study. Samples from 58 (18 males and 40 females) Hispanic subjects with type 2 diabetes were analyzed for the concentration of kynurenines, known to decrease in response to exercise. After three months, health outcomes for the active group (decreased kynurenines) and the rest of the cohort were evaluated by paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results Half of the subjects had increased kynurenine levels at the end of the educational program. We found that the subjects in the active group with decreased kynurenine concentrations displayed statistically greater improvements in fasting blood glucose, A1C, cholesterol, and triglycerides despite weight loss being higher in the group with increased kynurenine concentrations. Conclusions En Balance participants with decreased kynurenine levels had significantly improved glycemic control. These data suggest that physical activity significantly contributes to the success of the En Balance education program. This analysis indicates that diabetes public health educators should emphasize the benefit of physical activity on glycemic control even in the absence of major weight loss.
A Comparative Study of the Self-Assembly of Achiral and Chiral Hairy Nanoparticles with Polystyrene Cores and Poly (2- hydroxyethylmethacrylate) Hairs

Hairy nanoparticles with polystyrene cores (PS cores) and poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (PHEMA) shells were synthesized by combining living anionic polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The structural characterization was carried out by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy (1H NMR, 13C NMR, APT 13C NMR and 1H 13C HMQC). The thermal stability of the PS cores was not affected by grafting PHEMA on their surfaces. A differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermogram of the HNPs showed two distinct transition temperatures indicating microphase separation. Chiral HNPs were prepared by inducing chirality in the achiral HNPs by complexation with R- or S-mandelic acid. The circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy of complexes of the HNPs/R- or S-mandelic acid indicated the formation of enantiomeric chiral structures. The self-assembled structures formed from the achiral HNPs show different surface morphologies, porous and zigzag, dependent on the solvents used. Blends of polystyrene functionalized with hydroxyl groups and PHEMA show different morphology and thermal properties compared with the core–shell HNP system. The chiral HNPs self-assembled into donut like structures or toroids with sizes in the range between 200 to 5000 nm. The study suggests that chirality can be utilized to develop interesting self-assembled structures.
Consecutive primes which are widely digitally delicate

We show that for every positive integer $k$, there exist $k$ consecutive primes having the property that if any digit of any one of the primes, including any of the infinitely many leading zero digits, is changed, then that prime becomes composite.
Emergency Department Utilization by Adolescents Experiencing Homelessness in Massachusetts.

BACKGROUND Adolescents who experience homelessness rely heavily on emergency departments (EDs) for their health care. OBJECTIVES This study estimates the relationship between homelessness and ED use and identifies the sociodemographic, clinical, visit-level, and contextual factors associated with multiple ED visits among adolescents experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. RESEARCH DESIGN We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Emergency Department Databases on all outpatient ED visits in Massachusetts from 2011 to 2016. We included all adolescents who were 11-21 years old. We estimated the association between homelessness and ED utilization and investigated predictors of multiple ED visits among adolescents who experience homelessness using multivariate logistic and negative binomial regressions. RESULTS Our study included 1,196,036 adolescents, of whom about 0.8% experienced homelessness and this subset of adolescents accounted for 2.2% of all ED visits. Compared with those with stable housing, adolescents who were homeless were mostly covered through Medicaid (P<0.001), diagnosed with 1 or more comorbidities (P<0.001), and visited the ED at least once for reasons related to mental health; substance and alcohol use; pregnancy; respiratory distress; urinary and sexually transmitted infections; and skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases (P<0.001). Homeless experience was associated with multiple ED visits (incidence rate ratio=1.18; 95% confidence intervals, 1.16-1.19) and frequent ED use (4 or more ED visits) (adjusted odds ratio=2.21; 95% confidence interval, 2.06-2.37). Factors related to clinical complexity and Medicaid compared with lack of coverage were also significant predictors of elevated ED utilization within the cohort experiencing homelessness. CONCLUSIONS Adolescents who experience homelessness exhibit higher ED use compared with those with stable housing, particularly those with aggravated comorbidities and chronic conditions. Health policy interventions to integrate health care, housing, and social services are essential to transition adolescents experiencing homelessness to more appropriate community-based care.
Architectural aspects of cell-blocks as small biopsies

Cell-block preparations have become an essential part of integrated cytology diagnosis. They are essentially microbiopsies that are formalin fixed and embedded in paraffin. This has become more prevalent with greater sample procurement due to the advent of newer biopsy techniques and needles. Cell-blocks allow retrieval of small tissue fragments from cytology specimens that sometimes cannot be processed by alternate cytologic techniques. They represent concentrated, cell-enriched preparations that provide cytologists with the opportunity to evaluate cellular architecture, as well as to perform ancillary testing. A cell-block compatible sample may thus obviate the need for a more invasive procedure such as a tissue biopsy. Microscopic examination of cell-blocks is quick, avoids obscuring material, permits cells to be evaluated in one focal plane, and allows the histologic architecture such as glandular differentiation, papillary formations, and sometimes invasion to be easily identified. This new era of “cytohistology” accordingly requires practicing cytologists to become more familiar with histopathology. This review article discusses the benefit of various architectural patterns identifiable in cell-blocks employed as an adjunct to Pap tests, exfoliative fluid specimens, and fine-needle aspirations.
Masson tumor of the lingual tongue: a case report

Background Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia, or Masson tumor, is a benign lesion of the head and neck region. The etiology of the lesion arises within a blood vessel and is thought to be reactive and associated with vascular injury. Masson tumors comprise approximately 2% of all vascular tumors of skin and subcutaneous tissues; however, this is rarely seen intraorally. It is important to consider at the time of differential diagnosis to distinguish from malignancy and avoid aggressive surgery or unnecessary treatment. Case Summary We describe a case of a patient who presented to the Erie County Medical Center Department of Oral Oncology for evaluation of a soft, nontender, mobile mass in the right side of the ventral tongue. The patient first presented in June 2019 with an approximately 5-mm round mobile mass on the right side of the ventral tongue of 6 days’ duration. The patient opted for no treatment in June 2019 and returned in December 2019 after the mass had grown in size and had begun to affect his everyday activities. Treatment options included excisional biopsy under general anesthesia or under local anesthesia. The patient opted for excision under local anesthesia. The vascular component was identified and tied off, and the tumor was removed in total. The tumor was a bluish lesion with a thick intact capsule. The final pathology revealed a thrombosed blood vessel with papillary endothelial hyperplasia consistent with Masson tumor. Immunostains for CD31 and D2-40 supported this diagnosis. The patient has some residual tethering of the right side of the tongue resulting from establishing primary closure. Conclusions The majority of tumors with this diagnosis have an excellent prognosis with complete excision. Malignant transformation and metastasis have not been reported.
Comparison of methods to quantify inducible HIV-1 outgrowth.

Abstract The quantitative viral outgrowth assay (qVOA) is the gold standard for measuring inducible, replication-competent HIV-1. Using MOLT4-R5 and SupT1-R5 cell lines instead of allogeneic blasts and HIV-1 RNA detection rather than p24 enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) has been proposed to improve the sensitivity of the qVOA. It is unclear, however, how these alternative approaches affect qVOA performance. We compared three qVOAs methods across 15 persons with HIV-1 on suppressive antiretroviral therapy and found that the MOLT4-R5 method yielded a significantly higher proportion of p24-positive wells (42%) than both the allogeneic blast (29%) and SupT1-R5 (32%) assays. Additionally, 5 of 7 qVOAs that were negative by p24 EIA showed viral outgrowth by HIV-1 RNA quantification (>10-fold increase within 7 days). These findings reveal the potential for underestimation of the latent, inducible reservoir by qVOA depending on the target cells used and the measure of viral outgrowth. Use of MOLT4-R5 cells with both p24 EIA and HIV-1 RNA to detect viral outgrowth was the most sensitive method.
Mice Deficient in the RNA-Binding Protein Zfp871 Are Prone to Early Death and Steatohepatitis in Part through the p53–Mdm2 Axis

p53 transcription factor is activated upon exposure to various cellular stresses, leading to growth suppression. However, aberrant activation of p53 can lead to defects in embryonic development and other abnormalities. Here, we identified zinc finger protein Zfp871 as a p53 target gene. We showed that as an RNA-binding protein, Zfp871 binds to Mdm2 3'UTR and stabilizes Mdm2 mRNA, which in turn suppresses p53 expression through increased expression of Mdm2 E3 ubiquitin ligase. Consistently, Zfp871 deficiency increases p53 expression, leading to growth suppression in a p53-dependent manner. To determine the role of Zfp871 in the p53 pathway, we used Zfp871-deficient mouse model and found that Zfp871-null mice were prone to embryonic/pre-weaning lethality, which can be partially rescued by simultaneous deletion of Trp53. We also found that mice heterozygous for Zfp871 had a short lifespan and were susceptible to steatohepatitis but not to spontaneous tumors. To determine the underlying mechanism, RNA-seq analysis was performed and showed that an array of genes involved in development, lipid metabolism, and inflammation is regulated by Zfp871 in conjunction with p53. Taken together, we conclude that the Zfp871-Mdm2-p53 pathway plays a critical role in tumor-free survival and development. IMPLICATIONS: A fine equilibrium of p53 is required for preventing damaging effects of aberrant p53 expression. We identify the Zfp871-Mdm2-p53 pathway that plays a critical role in development of mice and steatohepatitis.
A Highly Sensitive Point-of-Care Covid-19 Serological Test using Immuno-PCR in 35 Mins

Serological tests play important roles in the fight against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The most commonly used methods, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), provide reliable and sensitive antibody measurement though they require bulky laboratory infrastructure as well as lengthy turnaround time. Conversely, lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) are suitable for rapid point-of-care tests but with limited sensitivity. To combine the best attributes of ELISA and LFIA, we developed a novel streamlined immuno-PCR assay and applied it to a portable magnetofluidic instrument for point-of-care serological tests. In testing 107 clinical samples, our point-of-care serological test showed 98.3% (58/59) specificity and 93.8% (45/48) agreement with benchtop immunoassays. Moreover, 100% agreement was achieved by only slightly increasing the total assay time to 45 min, demonstrating its potential as a new point-of-care serological test for COVID-19 and beyond.
Effect of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes on nitric oxide transport : mathematical models

Nitric oxide is potent vasodilator acting through activation of soluble guanylate cyclase in the smooth muscle cells. Scavenging of free nitric oxide (NO) by hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) is considered a major cause of vasoconstriction following transfusion with HBOC used as blood substitutes. However, direct measurements of NO concentration in the microvessels are limited and they are not available in the presence of HBOC. To gain a quantitative understanding of the effects of NO, we formulated several mathematical models to systematically investigate the transport of NO around microvessels in the presence of HBOC and its dependence on such factors as free-Hb concentration, HBOC reactivity with NO, shear-stress dependent rate of NO release by endothelium and free-Hb extravasation. The calculations predict a strong effect of HBOC extravasation and reactivity, but only a moderate effect of wall shear stress. The predicted NO concentration falls several-fold from its physiological level when HBOC is introduced. We analyzed the transport resistance in and around the red blood cell since it is a determining factor on the luminal NO consumption. Using similar approach, we also investigated NO transport characteristics of phospholipid vesicles encapsulating Hb introduced recently as the next generation of blood substitutes.
Analysis of Spectra of Atmospheric Refractive Index Differences

Atmospheric radio refractive index differences analyzed in terms of power spectral distribution
Reconstitution of Cytochrome c Oxidase from a Copper-depleted Enzyme and Cui

Abstract Copper can be removed from bovine cytochrome c oxidase with bathocuproine disulfonate under anaerobic conditions in the presence of reduced cytochrome c. The copper-depleted enzyme is relatively inactive. Upon replacement of copper with Cui-acetonitrile, more than the original activity is regained. The rate of O2 consumption catalyzed by the reconstituted enzyme is unaffected by catalase; the product of reduction is presumably water. It is probable, therefore, that the enzymic activity of cytochrome c oxidase from bovine heart muscle is copper-dependent.
The increasing threat of legal liability for software developers

This paper discusses the increasing threat of legal liability for developers should software malfunction and cause financial loss or harm to the user. Recent events in the software industry have signaled a changing environment for development organizations. A discussion of the mounting market expectations for software to function properly is presented to underscore the increasing potential for users to seek legal recourse. Various theories in the U.S. legal system may form the basis for legal action on the part of the user, based upon the characteristics of the individual case. The focus of this discussion is on software which is developed for sale, as opposed to in-house development, since most legal actions would arise between a vendor and purchaser. Although we conclude that the legal liability of the software developer is currently unclear and varies by jurisdiction, the threat is nonetheless present and may indeed be on the rise.
Genetic Transformation of Maize Cells by Particle Bombardment and the Influence of Methylation on Foreign-Gene Expression

Much of the progress in understanding plant gene regulation has been due to the availability of gene transfer systems for many plant species. The results from these studies of the structure of plant gene regulatory regions have been reviewed recently (Schell, 1987; Willmitser, 1988). Additionally, the development of techniques for transferring genes into crop plants allows new agronomic traits to be introduced (Goodman et al., 1987). Recently, resistance to insects (Fischhoff et al., 1987; Hilder et al., 1987; Vaeck et al., 1987), viruses (Abel et al., 1986; Gerlach et al., 1987; Harrison et al., 1987; Cuozzo et al., 1987; Nelson et al., 1987), and herbicides (Shah et al., 1986; della-Cioppa et al., 1987; Fillatti et al., 1987; Cheung et al., 1988) have been introduced into crop plants via gene transfer techniques. Unfortunately much of this progress has not benefited cereals, as general techniques for transferring genes into cereal plants, such as rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays), are not as advanced as for many of the dicot plants.
Spinal Aspergillus Abscess in a Patient with Bronchocentric Granulomatosis

Aspergillus fumigatus hyphae is often found in the lung tissue of patients with bronchocentric granulomatosis (BCG). This organism is believed to be one agent responsible for inciting the hypersensitivity response and subsequent development of the characteristic pathology that defines BCG. The definitive etiology of this disease, however, remains conjectural. Corticosteroids represent the mainstay of therapy. The fungi recovered from patients with BCG are considered noninvasive; thus, the risk of fungal invasion secondary to steroid-induced immunosuppression is believed to be negligible. However, we report a case of spinal aspergillus abscess that developed in a patient with BCG subsequent to steroid therapy. This case also highlights the necessity for aggressive medical and neurosurgical intervention to avert the development of neurological sequelae.
Monoclonal anti-actin antibody recognizes a surface molecule on normal and transformed human B lymphocytes: expression varies with phase of cell cycle.

Abstract A monoclonal anti-actin antibody, 2C9, was used to study the distribution of an actin-like cell-surface antigen (hereafter termed actin) on a lymphoblastoid cell line LA350 and on human peripheral blood lymphocytes. It was determined that 8–40% of LA350 cells and 3–15% of peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy donors stain specifically with 2C9, almost exclusively on IgM-positive cells. Treatment of cells with 2C9 prior to incubation caused cell-surface actin to first patch and then to cap. Treatment of cells with nonspecific protease caused a loss of surface actin, with reexpression of the marker after 8–12 hr. The expression of LA350 surface actin also increased with DNA synthesis and was demonstrated to be maximal during late G 1 /early S phase. Thus, this antigen may be a sensitive marker for activated lymphocytes. These studies contribute to our understanding of the expression and distribution of actin-like membrane proteins that may participate in regulatory signals mediated by anti-actin antibody.
Thinking about the Needy: A Reprise

This article discusses Jan Narveson’s “Welfare and Wealth, Poverty and Justice in Today’s World,” and “Is World Poverty a Moral Problem for the Wealthy?” and their relation to my “Thinking about the Needy, Justice, and International Organizations.” Section 2 points out that Narveson’s concerns differ from mine, so that often his claims and mine fail to engage each other. For example, his focus is on the poor, mine the needy, and while many poor are needy, and vice versa, our obligations may differ regarding the poor than regarding the needy. Also, Narveson invokes a narrow conception of morality as those rules that government or society may compel people to follow. Given a broader, more plausible, conception of morality, many of Narveson’s claims actually support my substantive views. Section 3 shows that many of Narveson’s claims are relevant to the best means of aiding the needy, but do not challenge the validity of that end. This is true, for example, of his claims about the role of poor governments, the importance of freedom, the undesirability of mere “handouts,” and the effects of bad economic policies. Section 4 defends the importance of my distinction between acting justly and acting for reasons of justice. It illustrates that on several widely shared conceptions of justice there might be agent-neutralreasons of justice to aid the needy, even if from an agent-relative perspective one would not be acting unjustly if one failed to do so. Section 5 contests Narveson’s portrayal of egalitarianism as concerned about inequality of wealth, per se, as insensitive to prior wrongs, and as holding that the worse-off have a right to be made better off at the expense of the well-off. In addition, it rejects Narveson’s contention that egalitarians violate impartiality, and aim to impose their personal tastes on others. Section 6 challenges a fundamental assumption underlying Narveson’s doctrine of mutual advantage. In addition, it denies that egalitarians are irrational merely because equality can conflict with the pareto principle. More generally, by appealing to impersonal ideals, it challenges the widely held view that the pareto principle is a condition of rationality. Section 7 argues that Narveson’s meta-ethical assumptions are controversial, internally inconsistent, in tension with his normative views, and ultimately a version of skepticism. In addition, it challenges Narveson’s view about the role intuitions play in moral theory. Section 8 clarifies points where Narveson’s discussion of my views may be misleading. Finally, the paper notes the role that moral reasons may play in deliberation and action, but emphasizes the philosophical and theoretical nature of my work. My aim is to determine the moral considerations that are relevant to how people should act regarding the needy. Whether people will actually be moved to so act, for those reasons or otherwise, is another matter.
Comparison of multi-objective optimization approaches for distribution system reconfiguration

Distribution network optimization has been classically formulated by considering a single objective function. More recently, a number of approaches have been formulated to address the presence of multiple objectives, in particular exploiting multi-objective tools to deal with conflicting objectives. This paper provides an analysis of the requirements that have to be satisfied by meta-heuristic tools in order to be efficiently used in multi-objective distribution system reconfiguration, mainly referring to maintaining the network radial and to treat the equality and inequality constraints. Comparisons of the multi-objective versions of a genetic algorithm and of a particle swarm optimization tool are shown on the basis of the results obtained on a classical test system.
Relationship between hyperspectral reflectance, soil nitrate-nitrogen, cotton leaf chlorophyll, and cotton yield: A step toward precision agriculture

ABSTRACT Modern agriculture uses large amounts of organic and inorganic nutrients to optimize productivity. Excessive nutrient applications sometime lead to adverse effects on the environment and human health. Precision agriculture is evolving with the objectives of minimizing these adverse effects by enabling farmers to manage nutrient applications more efficiently while sustaining precious environmental resources. To develop a method that uses nutrients more efficiently on cotton, a field experiment involving three sources and three rates of nitrogen with and without nitrification inhibitor was carried out in four replications at Belle Mina, AL during the 1994-97 crop seasons. In 1997, these plots were used to determine if there was a relationship between remotely sensed hyperspectral reflectance data and three field measurements that included cotton leaf chlorophyll (defined as measurements of five leaves using a Minolta Chlorophyll SPAD Meter to represent cotton canopy), soil nitrate-nitrogen, and cot...
QUANTIFICATION OF THE RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF THE TOXIC DINOFLAGELLATE, KARENIA BREVIS (DINOPHYTA), USING UNIQUE PHOTOPIGMENTS1

Diagnostic photopigment analysis is a useful tool for determining the presence and relative abundance of algal groups in natural phytoplankton assemblages. This approach is especially useful when a genus has a unique photopigment composition. The toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (Davis) G. Hansen & Moestrup comb. nov. shares the diagnostic pigment gyroxanthin-diester with only a few other dinoflagellates and lacks peridinin, one of the major diagnostic pigments of most dinoflagellate species. In this study, measurements of gyroxanthin-diester and other diagnostic pigments of K. brevis were incorporated into the initial pigment ratio matrix of the chemical taxonomy program (CHEMTAX) to resolve the relative contribution of K. brevis biomass in mixed estuarine phytoplankton assemblages from Florida and Galveston Bay, Texas. The phytoplankton community composition of the bloom in Galveston Bay was calculated based on cell enumerations and biovolumetric measurements in addition to chl a-specific photopigment estimates of biomass (HPLC and CHEMTAX). The CHEMTAX and biovolume estimates of the phytoplankton community structure were not significantly different and suggest that the HPLC–CHEMTAX approach provides reasonable estimates of K. brevis biomass in natural assemblages. The gyroxanthin-diester content per cell of K. brevis from Galveston Bay was significantly higher than in K. brevis collected from the west coast of Florida. This pigment-based approach provides a useful tool for resolving spatiotemporal distributions of phytoplankton in the presence of K. brevis blooms, when an appropriate initial ratio matrix is applied.
Appropriate Acquisition And Processing For Shallow 3-D Seismic Surveys

Summary A conventionally processed, high-resolution 3-D seismic survey at the OU Gypsy test site exhibited poor ties to well control. The data was reprocessed with surface consistent predictive deconvolution, muting of wide-angle reflections, min/max exclusion stacking, and F-XY deconvolution. After reprocessing, a good character match with synthetic seismograms was observed.
Stress intensity factor calculations based on a conservation integral

Abstract It is observed that one of the integral conservation laws of elastostatics, the so-called M-integral conservation law, has certain special features which make it possible to apply this conservation law for a class of plane elastic crack problems in order to calculate the elastic stress intensity factor in each case without solving the corresponding boundary value problem. The main characteristics which a problem must have in order for the approach to be useful are (1) for points very near to the origin of coordinates, the known elastic stresses are 0(r−r) where r is the radial coordinate and γ ⩽ 1, (2) for points very far from the origin, the known elastic stresses are 0(r−r) where γ ⩾ 1, and (3) the boundary of the body is made up of radial lines on which certain traction and/or displacement conditions are satisfied. The approach is demonstrated by determining the stress intensity factors for four familiar elastic crack problems directly from the conservation law, and then four similar additional applications of the M-integral conservation law are discussed.
Evaluation of Color Sticky Panels for Monitoring Megastigmus spermotrophus (Hyntenoptera: Toryntidae)

Four colors and 3 types of colored sticky panels were tested for effectiveness in monitoring adults of Megastigmus spennotrophus Wachtl. Panels (gold Rebell) were used to catch chalcids in 44 seed orchard blocks over a 4-yr period. Although the relationship between number of M. spermotrophus captured and subsequent seed damage was weak, a threshold of a cumulative average of 1 female per panel (until 10 d after cone pendency) accurately predicted damage in 89% of the cases. This monitoring system could be used as part of a decision process that includes other factors such as cone crop size, tree phenology, seed value, and the likelihood of a secondary pest outbreak.
Multivariate Parametric Spatiotemporal Models for County Level Breast Cancer Survival Data

In clustered survival settings where the clusters correspond to geographic regions, biostatisticians are increasingly turning to models with spatially distributed random effects. These models begin with spatially oriented frailty terms, but may also include further region-level terms in the parametrization of the baseline hazards or various covariate effects (as in a spatially-varying coefficients model). In this paper, we propose a multivariate conditionally autoregressive (MCAR) model as a mixing distribution for these random effects, as a way of capturing correlation across both the regions and the elements of the random effect vector for any particular region. We then extend this model to permit analysis of temporal cohort effects, where we use the term "temporal cohort" to mean a group of subjects all of whom were diagnosed with the disease of interest (and thus, entered the study) during the same time period (say, calendar year). We show how our spatiotemporal model may be efficiently fit in a hierarchical Bayesian framework implemented using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) computational techniques. We illustrate our approach in the context of county-level breast cancer data from 22 annual cohorts of women living in the state of Iowa, as recorded by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Hierarchical model comparison using the Deviance Information Criterion (DIC), as well as maps of the fitted county-level effects, reveal the benefit of our approach.
High-temperature ultrafast liquid chromatography.

A novel liquid chromatographic system which enables high temperature ultrafast liquid chromatography (HTUFLC) has been designed through the careful consideration of heat transfer, band broadening, and pressure drop. Studies of the effect of linear velocity on the HETP show that column efficiency at high velocity, especially of well-retained solutes, dramatically improves at higher temperatures. At 150 °C, at a flow rate of 15 mL/min with a 5 cm by 4.6 mm (i.d.) column packed with 3 μm polystyrene-coated zirconia porous particles, long chain alkylphenones were completely resolved, and the analysis time could be decreased by a factor of 50 compared to that at room temperature (25 °C) at a conventional flow rate (4 mL/min). In addition, using pure water as the mobile phase, five phenols were separated in less than 30 s.
Effect of base concentration upon the reactivities of the hydroxyl groups in methyl D-glucopyranosides.

Abstract The anomeric methyl D -glucopyranosides were treated with N,N-diethylaziridinium chloride in various molarities of aqueous sodium hydroxide at variable ionic strength and constant ionic strength. It was found that the extent of reaction of the hydroxyl groups at C-2, C-3, and C-4 decreased with increasing concentration of base. Reaction at the C-6 hydroxyl group remained essentially constant with increasing concentration of base. Neither varying the ionic strength nor the concentration of reagent affected the distribution of substituents at any given concentration of base.
Unusual Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: I. Urticaria-like Lesions. Correlation with Clinical and Serological Abnormalities

Ten of 143 systemic lupus erythematosus patients demonstrated urticaria-like lesions. Lesional biopsies in 7 of 9 patients tested revealed a leukocytoclastie angiitis and in 2, a mononuclear perivascular infiltrate. Direct imununofluorescent studies in 2 of 6 patients tested revealed IgM and C3 deposition in and about dermal blood vessels. Nine of the 10 systemic lupus erythematosus patients displayed active clinical disease (e.g., arthritis, renal disease, etc.), a positive lupus band test, antibodies against deoxyribonucleic acid or Sm macromolecules, serum hypocomplementemia and markedly elevated quantities of serum immune complexes as determined by an immununoradiometric assay employing Raji cells. Similar lesions were not detected in 35 discoid lupus erythematosus patients. These studies strongly suggest: (1) urticaria-like lesions are uncommon cutaneous manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. (2) These urticaria-like lesions do not represent a classic IgE mediated urticaria. (3) These urticaria-like lesions generally occur in lupus erythematosus patients demonstrating clinical and/or serological evidence of systemic disease activity. (4) These lesions are probably secondary to immune complex deposition. We, therefore, conclude that all urticarial lesions in lupus erythematosus patients should be biopsied and the patient evaluated for active systemic disease.