cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A multi-purpose implementation of mandatory access control in relational database management systems

Mandatory Access Control (MAC) implementations in Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) have focused solely on Multilevel Security (MLS). MLS has posed a number of challenging problems to the database research community, and there has been an abundance of research work to address those problems. Unfortunately, the use of MLS RDBMS has been restricted to a few government organizations where MLS is of paramount importance such as the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. The implication of this is that the investment of building an MLS RDBMS cannot be leveraged to serve the needs of application domains where there is a desire to control access to objects based on the label associated with that object and the label associated with the subject accessing that object, but where the label access rules and the label structure do not necessarily match the MLS two security rules and the MLS label structure. This paper introduces a flexible and generic implementation of MAC in RDBMS that can be used to address the requirements from a variety of application domains, as well as to allow an RDBMS to efficiently take part in an end-to-end MAC enterprise solution. The paper also discusses the extensions made to the SQL compiler component of an RDBMS to incorporate the label access rules in the access plan it generates for an SQL query, and to prevent unauthorized leakage of data that could occur as a result of traditional optimization techniques performed by SQL compilers.
Sensitivity to Tuber Necrosis Caused by Potato Mop-Top Virus in Advanced Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Breeding Selections

Potato mop-top virus (PMTV) is transmitted by the powdery scab pathogen (Spongospora subterranea f.sp. subterranea (Sss)) and no effective disease control methods are currently available for either pathogen. Eighty-one advanced breeding selections of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) from different market classes and a broad genetic base were evaluated for sensitivity to PMTV-induced tuber necrosis in a field in North Dakota known to be infested with PMTV. Commercial cultivars, ranging from sensitive to tolerant in their reaction to PMTV-induced tuber necrosis incidence were included in each market class as internal controls. Results of tuber assessments revealed high variability in PMTV-induced tuber necrosis incidence and severity among selections. Based on PMTV-induced tuber necrosis incidence results over a two-year period, a total of 17 advanced selections were found to be tolerant, nine - moderately tolerant, eight - moderately sensitive, and six were found to be sensitive. The russet-skinned types had lower tuber necrosis incidence than the red-, white- and yellow-skinned types. Increases in the incidence of PMTV tuber necrosis during the storage period was influenced significantly by selection type and skin-color. Further studies are needed to investigate if tolerant selections are resistant to the virus to determine their suitability as parents in breeding programs to introduce PMTV resistance into commercial potato cultivars. In the short term, tolerant selections with other desirable agronomic characteristics could be released as commercial cultivars for growers to utilize as a means to limit the economic impact of PMTV-induced tuber necrosis.
Geography and ethics I: Waiting and urgency

Within the context of global capitalism and late liberalism, the social and political implications of waiting have attracted particular attention from geographers. States and other powerful institu...
Kachina Dolls: The Art of Hopi Carvers.

Kachina Dolls: The Art of Hopi Carvers. Helga Teiwes. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1991. 160 pp., color and b/w illustrations, bibliography, index. $29.95 (cloth).
Postmodern, Post-Cartesian Positionings on the Subject of Psychology

Descartes's philosophical position, founded upon a mind/body dualism, has had a strong influence on psychology. His dualistic system has supported the creation of a discipline in which individuals are viewed both as systems affected by mechanistic bodily emanations and as self-regulating agents replete with self-awareness and the capacity for moral responsibility. The purpose of Harwood Fisher's (1995) paper is to demonstrate that this Cartesian view is crucial to the continuation of a psychological science, which has this form of being as its subject. The major antagonists of these goals are those involved in the postmodern move in psychology, and he focuses especially on the work of Kenneth Gergen, Rom Harre and John Shotter. My attempt here is to expose the manner in which Fisher masks his desire as reason, and to invite him to accept his desires as a foundationless, a priori commitment. Further I contend that possibilities other than chaos among faceless automatons can result from the erasure of the C...
Dendrimer-based drug and imaging conjugates: design considerations for nanomedical applications

Dendrimers are members of a versatile, fourth new class of polymer architecture (i.e. dendritic polymers after traditional linear, crosslinked and branched types) [1]. Typically, dendrimers are used as well-defined scaffolding or nanocontainers to conjugate, complex or encapsulate therapeutic drugs or imaging moieties. As a delivery vector, the dendrimer conjugate linker or spacer chemistry plays a crucial part in determining optimum drug delivery to disease sites by conserving active drug efficacy while influencing appropriate release patterns. This review focuses on several crucial issues related to those dendrimer features, namely the role of dendrimers as nanoscaffolding and nanocontainers, crucial principles that might be invoked for improving dendrimer cytotoxicity properties, understanding dendrimer cellular transport mechanisms and the exciting role of dendrimers as high-contrast MRI imaging agents. The review concludes with a brief survey of translational efforts from research and development phases to clinical trials that are actively emerging.
Chemical Reactions Between Model Rubber Systems and Plasma Polymerized Acetylene Films. Part A: XPS, AES and SIMS Investigations

Abstract Chemical reactions between natural rubber (NR) and plasma-polymerized acetylene films were investigated using model systems in which natural rubber was replaced by the unsaturated compound squalene (C30H50) or its saturated analogue, squalane (C30H62). Analysis of plasma-polymerized acetylene films on steel substrates before and after reaction with model rubber systems was accomplished using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The importance of unsaturation in the model rubber compound was demonstrated by comparing the results for the two model systems. For the squalene-based model rubber system, the results obtained were consistent with a model in which components of the curing system reacted with both squalene and the plasma-polymerized acetylene film to form a relatively large number of polysulfidic pendant groups. In the early stages of the reaction, pendant groups were probably terminated by cobalt ions since ...
Attending coverage in academic emergency medicine: a national survey.

We surveyed the 66 accredited emergency medicine residency programs in the United States during 1986 on the issue of attending coverage. Responses were received from 411 residents and 288 faculty; this accounted for 42% of the residents and 56% of the faculty from the 56 responding programs. Seventy-three percent of emergency medicine residency programs had 24-hour attending coverage. According to residents, faculty from programs with 24-hour coverage spent a greater percentage of their shift doing primary patient care than faculty from programs without 24-hour coverage (35% vs 17%, respectively, P P P
Effect of Chlorthalidone, Amlodipine, and Lisinopril on Visit-to-Visit Variability of Blood Pressure: Results From the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial

Few randomized trials have compared visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of systolic blood pressure (SBP) across drug classes. The authors compared VVV of SBP among 24,004 participants randomized to chlorthalidone, amlodipine, or lisinopril in the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT). VVV of SBP was calculated across 5 to 7 visits occurring 6 to 28 months following randomization. The standard deviation (SD) of SBP was 10.6 (SD=5.0), 10.5 (SD=4.9), and 12.2 (SD=5.8) for participants randomized to chlorthalidone, amlodipine, and lisinopril, respectively. After multivariable adjustment including mean SBP across visits and compared with participants randomized to chlorthalidone, participants randomized to amlodipine had a 0.36 (standard error [SE]: 0.07) lower SD of SBP and participants randomized to lisinopril had a 0.77 (SE=0.08) higher SD of SBP. Results were consistent using other VVV of SBP metrics. These data suggest chlorthalidone and amlodipine are associated with lower VVV of SBP than lisinopril.
How Parents Grade Schools

Scholars Sean Kelly and Laura Northrop discuss recent changes in perceptions of school quality. They find that Americans are not positive about the overall quality of elementary and secondary schools in the United States, while beliefs about school-to-school differences in quality are often exaggerated.
BP: Social Responsibility and the Easy Life of the Monopolist

In the Spring 2003 issue of this publication, Bernard Bulkin, chief scientist at what was once known as British Petroleum, outlined the corporate vision for his company. He defined sustainability as would be nurtured in BP as: “environmental protection, economic development, social progress and building for the future” (Bulkin 2003). This Journal Executive Viewpoint appeared in what was a very contentious debate within the Journal over the research on corporate social responsibility. I was then an editorial board member and was mightily entertained.
Measurement and energy correction due to charge carrier lifetimes in large HPGe spectrometers

This work addresses the energy spectrum correction due to increased charge carrier collection times in larger HPGe spectrometers. The energy of the radiation interaction is expected to be proportional to the total collected charge. This is increasingly not true with larger HPGe spectrometers. Some charge is lost as the total charge travels from the interaction location to the collection electrode. This path dependent loss of charge results in decreased energy resolution. In HPGe spectrometers, this process is characterized by the charge carrier lifetime constant and is given as an exponential function of the charge carrier collection time divided by this constant. Thus large detectors can experience exponential decrease in energy resolution as charge carrier collection time increases. We studied the effect of charge carrier lifetime on energy resolution for a p-type point contact HPGe spectrometers using pulse shape analysis. We present a method using the rise time to correct for the charge carrier lifetime on a pulse by pulse basis for a given HPGe spectrometer.
Abstract 3117: BET bromodomain inhibition triggers apoptosis of NF1-associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors through Bim induction

SUMMARY Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) arehighly aggressivesarcomas that develop sporadically or in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients. There is no effective treatment for MPNSTs and they are typically fatal. To gain insights into MPNST pathogenesis, we utilized an MPNST mouse model thatallowedustostudytheevolutionofthesetumors at the transcriptome level. Strikingly, in MPNSTs we found upregulation of a chromatin regulator, Brd4, and show that BRD4 inhibition profoundly suppresses both growth and tumorigenesis. Our findings reveal roles for BET bromodomains in MPNST development and report a mechanism by which bromodomain inhibition induces apoptosis through induction of proapoptotic Bim, which may represent a paradigm shift in therapy for MPNST patients. Moreover, these findings indicate epigenetic mechanisms underlying the balance of antiand proapoptotic molecules and that bromodomain inhibition can shift this balance in favor of cancer cell apoptosis.
Metabolic syndrome components in murine models

Animal models have enriched understanding of the physiological basis of metabolic disorders and advanced identification of genetic risk factors underlying the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Murine models are especially appropriate for this type of research, and are an excellent resource not only for identifying candidate genomic regions, but also for illuminating the possible molecular mechanisms or pathways affected in individual components of MetS. In this review, we briefly discuss findings from mouse models of metabolic disorders, particularly in light of issues raised by the recent flood of human genome-wide association studies (GWAS) results. We describe how mouse models are revealing that genotype interacts with environment in important ways, indicating that the underlying genetics of MetS is highly context dependant. Further we show that epistasis, imprinting and maternal effects each contribute to the genetic architecture underlying variation in metabolic traits, and mouse models provide an opportunity to dissect these aspects of the genetic architecture that are difficult if not impossible to ascertain in humans. Finally we discuss how knowledge gained from mouse models can be used in conjunction with comparative genomic methods and bioinformatic resources to inform human MetS research.
How best to recruit the injured lung

Sustained re-opening of collapsed lung tissue (recruitment) requires the application of airway pressures that exceed those of the tidal cycle. The post-maneuver PEEP as well as the duration of high pressure application are also key factors in its success, with their accompanying potential for hemodynamic compromise. Although a wide variety of recruiting maneuvers have been described, the technique that strikes the best balance between efficacy and risk may well vary among patients with differing right heart loading status and lung properties.
Endangered wolves fall prey to politics.

In May 2011, the Northern rocky mountain gray wolf was removed from the federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the first legislative delisting of an endangered species since the 1973 U.S. Endangered Species Act ([ 1 ][1]) was passed into law. The delisting decision excluded Wyoming
Cervical Fracture Stabilization within 72 Hours of Injury is Associated with Decreased Hospitalization Costs with Comparable Perioperative Outcomes in a Propensity Score-Matched Cohort.

Introduction: Prior studies have indicated that early decompression of traumatic cervical fractures can be performed safely and is associated with improved outcomes, though the economic impact of the timing of surgery in the American population has not been studied. After adjusting for patient, hospital, and injury confounders, we performed propensity score modeling (PSM) on a large clinical administrative database to determine associated costs depending upon timing of surgery for acute cervical fracture. Methods: A total of 3,348 patients with surgically treated, traumatic, cervical fractures were identified. Patients were sorted into early (within 72 hours of admission) and late (beyond 72 hours) surgery groups. PSM was able to match 2,132 early and late surgery patients on age, comorbidity, expected payer, trauma severity, hospital type, urgent admission, and surgical approach. Perioperative complications, mortality, and resource utilization were assessed. Results: Late surgery was more frequently associated with increased age, more comorbidities, higher ICISS score, and non-private insurance. Following PSM matching, there were no significant, preoperative differences between early and late surgery groups. Surgery performed after 72 hours was associated with an increase in in-hospital complications (OR=1.3). The early surgery group was associated with decreased length of stay (11 days vs. 16 days, p <0.0001) and hospital charges ($237,786 v. $282,727, p <0.0001). Conclusions: After controlling for potential confounding differences through PSM matching and multivariate analyses, we found late surgery independently associated with increased in-hospital complications, length of stay, and hospital resource utilization. These data suggest surgery within 72 hours may decrease resource utilization without a corresponding increase in postoperative morbidity.
Bradycardia with sevoflurane in siblings with branchio-oto-renal syndrome

Branchio-oto-renal syndrome (BOR, Melnick-Fraser syndrome, MIM#113650) refers to a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by branchial cysts or fistulas, hearing loss, external ear malformation, preauricular pits and renal abnormalities. The authors present three episodes of significant bradycardia in two siblings diagnosed with BOR syndrome during the sevoflurane general anesthesia. There is no published experience of anesthesia with this syndrome. Bradycardia occurred variously at induction, maintenance and immediately prior to emergence and required surgical stimulation, atropine, or epinephrine to treat. We seek to raise awareness of the potential for bradycardia during the procedures in patients with this syndrome requiring volatile anesthesia, especially sevoflurane.
Synthesis and processing of PMMA carbon nanotube nanocomposite foams

Abstract Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposites were synthesized by several methods using both pristine and surface functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the presence and types of functional groups in functionalized MWCNTs, while the dispersion of MWCNTs in PMMA was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared nanocomposites were foamed using carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as the foaming agent. The cell morphology was observed by SEM, and the cell size and cell density were calculated via image analysis. It was found that both the synthesis methods and CNTs surface functionalization affect the MWCNTs dispersion in the polymer matrix, which in turn profoundly influences the cell nucleation mechanism and cell morphology. The MWCNTs are efficient heterogeneous nucleation agents leading to increased cell density at low particle concentrations. A mixed mode of nucleation mechanism was observed in nanocomposite foams in which polymer rich and particle rich region co-exist due to insufficient particle dispersion. This leads to a bimodal cell size distribution. Uniform dispersion of MWCNTs can be achieved via synergistic combination of improving synthesis methodology and CNTs surface functionalization. Foams from these nanocomposites exhibit single modal cell size distribution and remarkably increased cell density and reduced cell size. An increase in cell density of ∼70 times and reduction of cell size of ∼80% was observed in nanocomposite foam with 1% MWCNTs.
Lack of role for the vanilloid receptor in response to several inspired irritant air pollutants in the C57Bl/6J mouse

Sensory irritants initiate respiratory reflexes by stimulating trigeminal sensory nerves. The vanilloid receptor (TRPV1) is expressed on sensory C fibers. The current experiments were aimed at examining the role of this receptor in mediating responses to several airborne irritants including an acidic (acetic acid), electrophilic (acrolein), and lipophilic solvent (styrene) vapor. Wild-type (C57Bl/6J) and VR1 knockout [B6.129S4-VR1(tm1jul)] mice were exposed to these irritants and breathing pattern responses were assessed by plethysmographic techniques; both wild-type and knockout animals responded similarly to the irritants. The TRPV1 antagonist iodoresiniferatoxin was also without effect on the responses to the irritants. Thus, in the C57Bl/6J mouse the TRPV1 receptor does not appear to play a major role in the stimulation of nasal trigeminal central reflex responses by these irritant air pollutants.
High-Throughput Protein Expression and Purification for Proteomics Research.

INTRODUCTION. Full insight into the control of genomic sequences over many biological processes requires the analysis of the protein products. Only through the analysis of proteins on a genomic scale can we begin to understand the complexities encoded in the genome. Methods that allow for the production of proteins in a high-throughput manner are vital to achieve this goal. We have developed a system for high-throughput subcloning, protein expression and purification that is simple, fast, and inexpensive. We utilize ligation-independent subcloning to create an expression vector encoding a N-terminal histidine tag. A dot blot expression screen was developed to analyze protein levels following expression in bacterial cultures, which facilitates the testing of multiple expression parameters if necessary. Protein purification in a 96-well format using Ni-NTA resin yields highly purified proteins.
Left ventricular dysfunction during infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

background : Clinical observations suggest that pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) underestimates the resuscitative volumes required prior to release of aortic cross-clamp. methods : To investigate pressure-volume relationships associated with repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), we simultaneously monitored PAOP by pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) and estimated left ventricular (LV) diastolic volume using two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in 22 patients undergoing AAA repair. Data from PAC monitoring and TEE were collected before, during, and after aortic occlusion. TEE cross-sectional images were obtained at the mid-papillary level. results : Overall, PAOP correlated with left ventricular end-diastolic area (LVEDA), but the correlation was not particularly strong (r = 0.37, P P P P = 0.005). conclusion : This study demonstrates a relatively weak correlation between PAOP and LVEDA using intraoperative TEE during AAA repair. Furthermore, the strength of the correlation worsened during surgery, particularly after unclamping. Although unclear at this time, this finding may be attributable to changes in LV compliance. We found TEE to be a valuable adjunct in guiding volume resuscitation of patients undergoing AAA repair.
DNA synthesis, phosphate content and growth in mass and volume in synchronously dividing cells

Abstract Mass cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis GL were synchronized by the method of Scherbaum and Zeuthen. In various phases of synchronized population growth, cell volume and dry weight were measured. No change in the ratio weight/volume of the average cell could be observed which could be related to the synchronous division. Acid soluble, temperature labile phosphates increased by a factor 1.5 to 2.0 in the course of the treatment. From the end of the treatment (6.5 hours) to the onset of synchronous fission (7.8 hours) the acid soluble phosphates increased further (28 to 33 per cent). The content of the “residual” heat labile phosphates in the average cell remained constant all throughout the treatment. However, it increased approximately 50 per cent prior to the synchronous division. Suggestions are made to interpret these data. The synthesis of DNA during the treatment appears to be almost linear. The DNA content increased 1.5 to 1.8 times in the average cell. Microspectrophotometric measurements on single nuclei do not favor the idea of a block for DNA synthesis at a specific step in the cell cycle. However, the DNA content increased after the treatment beyond the double amount of the normal value in some of the cells. This observation suggests that the temperature treatment might interfere with the formation of a small but specific DNA fraction which might play a role in cell division. The ratio of the DNA content to the nuclear volume decreased during the temperature treatment, reaching a minimum of 0.56 one hour after treatment. It rose sharply during the synchronous division. Cells in the stationary phase of growth had smaller nuclei with a higher concentration of DNA when compared with cells from the exponential phase of growth. Cells after the end of the temperature treatment showed a high cytoplasmic and nuclear affinity to bind fast green stain, while in the maximum stationary phase almost all the cells look up fast green stain only in the nucleus.
Paradigms of truth detection

Alternative models of idealized scientific inquiry are investigated and compared. Particular attention is devoted to paradigms in which a scientist is required to determine the truth of a given sentence in the structure giving rise to his data.
VASE: The visualization and application steering environment

The visualization and application steering environment (VASE) provides interactive visual computing and steering for scientific and engineering programs. VASE defines an abstraction for a steerable program structure and provides tools that create and manage collections of these steerable codes. It is designed to work with existing codes written in Fortran. Based on simple annotations in the source code, VASE tools construct a high-level model of each application and enable the user to work with this model rather than at the detailed source-code level. Collections of steerable codes execute in a distributed environment. This paper describes the design objectives for VASE, its architecture, and its implementation, and illustrates its use with an example application.
The Impact of Cystinuria on Renal Function

Purpose: Patients with cystinuria frequently have recurrent renal calculi and may subsequently require multiple stone removing procedures during their lifetime which could have an impact on overall renal function. We determined the potential impact of cystinuria and cystine stone formation on the level of renal function compared to calcium oxalate stone formers.Materials and Methods: Clinical data on 40 cystinuric patients followed at 2 medical centers and 45 such individuals in a large stone population data base were analyzed. These results were compared to data on 3,964 calcium oxalate stone formers enrolled in this data base.Results: Mean serum creatinine plus or minus standard deviation for stone forming cystinuric patients was significantly higher than that of the calcium oxalate cohort (1.13 ± 0.28 versus 1.01 ± 0.28 mg./100 ml., p = 0.0001). A significantly greater percentage of cystinuric patients (5.8%) had an abnormally increased serum creatinine compared to the calcium oxalate stone formers (2....
Selective activation of accumbens neurons by cocaine-associated stimuli during a water/cocaine multiple schedule

Abstract Electrophysiological recording procedures were used to examine the responsiveness of nucleus accumbens (Acb) neurons to stimuli associated with cocaine delivery during a multiple schedule for water reinforcement and cocaine self-administration. Rats (n=9) were trained to press one lever for water reinforcement (0.05 ml/resp.; fixed ratio 1; FR1; 15 min) and a second spatially distinct lever for intravenous cocaine (0.33 mg/infusion; FR1; 2 h). The delivery of each reinforcer was signaled by different auditory stimuli. Of 101 neurons, 52 cells were classified as phasically active, exhibiting one of four well-defined types of patterned discharges relative to the water- or cocaine-reinforced response [J. Neurosci., 14(12) (1994) 7735; J. Neurosci., 20(11) (2000) 4255]. Acb cells were examined in test sessions consisting of ‘probe’ trials during which the stimulus previously paired with cocaine infusion was randomly presented in a response-independent manner during the self-administration portion of the session. Results showed that only neurons that exhibited changes in firing rate within seconds following the reinforced response for cocaine (but not water) were activated by the stimulus. This finding indicates that the responsiveness of cocaine selective neurons to cocaine-associated stimuli likely represents a conditioned response as opposed to a generalized stimulus-evoked discharge.
How many levels of processing are there in lexical access

The patterns of semantic errors in speaking and writing are used to constrain claims about the structure of lexical access mechanisms in speech and written language production. It is argued that it is not necessary to postulate a modality-neutral level of lexical representation (lemma) that is intermediate between lexical-semantic representations and modality-specific lexical representations. A dual-stage access model is proposed in which the first stage involves the selection of semantically and syntactically specified, modality-specific lexical forms, and the second stage involves the selection of specific phonological (orthographic) content for the selected lexemes.
A stable isotope study of bank storage mechanisms in the Truckee river basin

Abstract River, ground water, and snow samples were collected in the Truckee river drainage basin in northern California and Nevada to determine the mechanisms of bank storage. Lake Tahoe, the source for the Truckee river, has a σD of −57 and σ 18 O of −5.5. These compositions are more enriched than the average local precipitation, calculated to be −117 in σD and −15.8 in σ 18 O , due to continued evaporation during the long residence time of the water in the lake. Thus, Lake Tahoe water can be easily recognized allowing for easy tracing as bank storage. An enrichment threshold value was developed to explain the stable isotopic ratios observed in the Truckee river. The σD value of −85 was determined as being the threshold value, below which evaporation can explain the isotopic composition observed in the Truckee river, and above which the presence of Lake Tahoe water is required. There does not appear to be a direct relationship between the σD value of the Truckee river and the discharge to the river from Lake Tahoe, at least in the upper reaches of the basin. The rise in σD of the river to a value similar to that of the lake appears to move progressively upstream and is thought to be related to the discharge of the bank-stored Lake Tahoe water.
Does cancer reduce labor market entry? Evidence for prime-age females

Existing studies of the labor market status of cancer survivors have focused on the extent to which cancer disrupts the employment of individuals who were working when diagnosed with cancer. We examine how surviving cancer affects labor market entry and usual hours of work among females aged 28 to 54 years who were not working when first diagnosed. We find that prime-age females have employment rates 2 to 6 years after diagnosis that are 12 percentage points lower than otherwise similar women who were initially out of the labor force, full-time employment rates that are 10 percentage points lower, and usual hours of work that are 5 hours per week lower. These estimates are somewhat larger than estimates for prime-age women employed at the time of diagnosis and highlight the importance of considering nonworking females when assessing the economic and psychosocial burden of cancer.
Art and animation

The growing use of computer graphics by artists and animators is examined. The factors responsible for this trend are discussed. Advances in animation are described. These include the use of more live action film with image processing techniques to modify the images and improved rendering, animation systems, and geometric modelers. Algorithms for animation are discussed. Interactive art objects are considered, and the emergence of computer folk art is predicted. >
Effect of Hypoxia on Expression of Apoptotic Proteins in Nuclear, Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Fractions of the Cerebral Cortex of Newborn Piglets: The Role of Nuclear Ca ++ -influx

We have shown that hypoxia results in increased influx of nuclear Ca++ and increased expression of nuclear apoptotic proteins. The present study tests the hypothesis that hypoxia alters the distribution of pro-apoptotic proteins Bad and Bax, and the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-xl, and Bcl-2 in the nuclear, mitochondrial and cytosolic compartments of the cerebral cortex of newborn piglets and the administration of Clonidine, an inhibitor of high affinity nuclear Ca++-ATPase, will prevent the hypoxia-induced increase in apoptotic proteins’ expression. Studies were conducted in 19 newborn piglets, 6 normoxic (Nx), 7 hypoxic and 6 Clonidine-treated hypoxic (Hx-Clo). Tissue hypoxia was documented biochemically by measuring cerebral tissue ATP and phosphocreatine (PCr) levels. Bax and Bad protein expression increased in all the three compartments during hypoxia, while there was no significant change in the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl. In Clonidine pretreated hypoxic group, the hypoxia-induced increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bad and Bax was prevented in all the three fractions. We conclude that hypoxia results in increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins in nuclear, mitochondrial and cytosolic compartments and that the increased expression of pro-apoptotic proteins during hypoxia is nuclear Ca++-influx-dependent. We propose that during hypoxia the increased ratio of (pro-apoptotic Bad and Bax/anti-apoptotic Bcl-xl and Bcl-2) in all the three compartments, will lead to altered mitochondrial and nuclear membrane permeability as well as caspase-9 activation in the cytosolic compartment.
Usability of four commercially-oriented EEG systems.

Electroencephalography (EEG) holds promise as a neuroimaging technology that can be used to understand how the human brain functions in real-world, operational settings while individuals move freely in perceptually-rich environments. In recent years, several EEG systems have been developed that aim to increase the usability of the neuroimaging technology in real-world settings. Here, the usability of three wireless EEG systems from different companies are compared to a conventional wired EEG system, BioSemi’s ActiveTwo, which serves as an established laboratory-grade ‘gold standard’ baseline. The wireless systems compared include Advanced Brain Monitoring’s B-Alert X10, Emotiv Systems’ EPOC and the 2009 version of QUASAR’s Dry Sensor Interface 10–20. The design of each wireless system is discussed in relation to its impact on the system’s usability as a potential real-world neuroimaging system. Evaluations are based on having participants complete a series of cognitive tasks while wearing each of the EEG acquisition systems. This report focuses on the system design, usability factors and participant comfort issues that arise during the experimental sessions. In particular, the EEG systems are assessed on five design elements: adaptability of the system for differing head sizes, subject comfort and preference, variance in scalp locations for the recording electrodes, stability of the electrical connection between the scalp and electrode, and timing integration between the EEG system, the stimulus presentation computer and other external events.
Collagen synthesis by rabbit neural retina in vitro and in vivo

Abstract Monolayer cultures established from explants of adult rabbit neural retina were used for studies of collagen biosynthesis. Preliminary characterization indicates that the cultures consist predominantly of astrocytic glial cells. Type I comprises 90% of the collagen secreted into the medium by these cultures. AB collagen is also produced. Approximately the same proportion of these macromolecules is secreted by explants as by cells through the fifth passage. Although evidence indicates that the neural retina of some avian species contributes to the vitreous matrix during embryogenesis, no type II-related vitreous collagen is found in the products of cultures of this tissue from the adult rabbit. Since glial cells from the retina have been identified in pathological vitreous membranes, it is of interest to determine if they synthesize collagen within the vitreous and if the type of collagen produced is influenced by the vitreous matrix. Neural retina cells propagated in cell culture were injected into the rabbit vitreous and the newly-synthesized collagen was marked with radiolabeled amino acids and analyzed by CNBr peptide analysis. As in cell culture, the major collagen produced by neural retina within the vitreous is type I. The secretion by these potentially invasive cells of a type of collagen not normally found within the vitreous may contribute to vitreous pathology.
Ethnic studies, citizenship education, and the public good

Since the 1990s, ethnic studies and other components of multicultural education have been criticized by neo-conservative and assimilationist scholars who maintain that school diversity initiatives weaken national identity and fail to help students attain the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to function effectively in the national mainstream culture. The banning of ethnic studies courses in the Tucson (Arizona) Unified School District in the USA was a widely publicized manifestation of the neo-conservative response to multicultural school initiatives. This article describes neo-conservative critiques of ethnic studies, and argues that ethnic studies is an important component of US history that is required to help students become effective and thoughtful citizens in a democratic nation and global world.
Estimation of gender bias in clinical trials

The perception is that the clinical trials enterprise has been biased in favour of males by devoting a disproportionate effort to males and to the diseases and conditions afflicting them - a perception reinforced by a few high profile male-only heart trials undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s. The perception was sufficient to cause the U.S.A. Congress to enact legislation to require that a clinical trial 'is designed and carried out in a manner sufficient to provide for a valid analysis of whether the variables being studied in the trial affect women ...differently than other subjects in the trial'. Observed effort differentials are based on counts of single-gender trials indexed in MEDLINE and published in U.S. journals. Differentials are compared to those expected using male-female differentials in mortality and years of potential life loss due to mortality before age 65 to estimate effort bias. The ratios of female-only to male-only published trials were 0.53, 0.89 and 0.95 for the decades of 1966-1975, 1976-1985 and 1986-1995, respectively. The expected ratios, if single-gender trials were done in proportion to female-male mortality differentials, would be 0.57, 0.56 and 0.57, respectively. The differences in observed versus expected female to male ratios correspond to a slight excess of male-only trials in the decade of 1966-1975 and to sizeable excesses in female-only trials in the decades of 1976-1985 and 1986-1995. The results do not support the perception that women have been understudied relative to males in clinical trials. Most differentials favour females, whether based on mortality or years of potential life loss due to mortality before age 65 years.
778-4 Is Primary Angioplasty Less Effective in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Presenting in the Early Morning Hours?

Concern has been expressed that delays in physician and cath lab mobilization may adversely affect the feasibility and outcome of a primary angioplasty strategy in pts with acute MI presenting in the early morning hours. In the PAMI Trial, 395 pts within 12 hours onset of MI were prospectively randomized to t-PA (n = 200) vs. primary PTCA (n = 195). Demographic characteristics were similar between pts presenting between 12 MN and 6 AM (Group A) and 6 AM to 12 MN (Group B). Outcomes appear below: Time (mins) PTCA t-PA Group A (n = 36) Group B (n = 159) Group A In = 38) Group B (n = 162) chest pain onset to randomization 211 ± 129 173 ± 116 * 258 ± 179 183 ± 139 † randomization to t-PA bolus N/A N/A 34 ± 25 31 ± 22 randomization to cath lab arrival 43 ± 20 39 ± 18 N/A N/A cath lab arrival to first angiogram 21 ± 9 20 ± 11 N/A N/A first angiogram to reperfusion 19 ± 14 20 ± 24 N/A N/A Hospital events PTCA success 91.7% 94.3% N/A N/A Death 5.6% 1,9% 7,9% 6.2% Death or reinfarction 13.4% 3.1% § 18.4% 105% £ Recurrent ischemia 16.7% 88% £ 34.2% 26.5% * p l 0.09 † P = 0.005 § p = 0.008 £ p l 0.18 All other p = NS Conclusions Time to presentation is prolonged in pts with MI in the early morning hours. No delays occur, however, in cath lab mobilization, PTCA performance or success. Further studies are required to explain the apparently worse prognosis of pts presenting between 12 MN and 6AM in this trial.
Posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with bipolar disorder: a review of prevalence, correlates, and treatment strategies

Objectives: In this article, we review the evidence for, and implications of, a high rate of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals with bipolar disorder. Methods: We reviewed studies providing comorbidity data on patients with bipolar disorder, and also examined the PTSD literature for risk factors and empirically supported treatment options for PTSD. Results: Studies of bipolar patients have documented elevated rates of PTSD. Based on our review, representing 1214 bipolar patients, the mean prevalence of PTSD in bipolar patients is 16.0% (95% CI: 14–18%), a rate that is roughly double the lifetime prevalence for PTSD in the general population. Risk factors for PTSD that are also characteristic of bipolar samples include the presence of multiple axis I disorders, greater trauma exposure, elevated neuroticism and lower extraversion, and lower social support and socio-economic status. Conclusions: These findings are discussed in relation to the cost of PTSD symptoms to the course of bipolar disorder. Pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatment options are reviewed, with discussion of modifications to current cognitive-behavioral protocols for addressing PTSD in individuals at risk for mood episodes.
Role Conceptions and Professional Role Discrepancy Among Baccalaureate Nursing Students Employed as Nurse's Aides

It was hypothesized that more experience working as a nurse's aide would be associated with lower professional role conception and higher bureaucratic role conception scores as well as with a higher professional role discrepancy score. Senior baccalaureate nursing students (N = 117) were grouped into four levels according to hours of nurse's aide experience. An instrument designed by this investigator measured role conceptions and role discrepancy. The hypotheses were not supported. The mean professional role conception score of all students who had had nurse's aide experience was higher than that of students without such experience.
Psychological issues in genetic testing for inherited cardiovascular diseases.

Clinical genetic testing is now available for many cardiovascular diseases, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), familial dilated cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, channelopathies such as long-QT syndrome (LQTS), aortic diseases such as Marfan syndrome, and disorders of cholesterol metabolism such as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Utility and interpretation of these tests can be complicated by incomplete penetrance (not everyone with a gene mutation will have the disease), variable expressivity (varying symptoms and presentation in those who have the mutation), reduced detection rates (gene mutations cannot be identified in all individuals with the condition), extensive allelic and locus heterogeneity (multiple genes with multiple mutations), and limited genotype-phenotype correlations. These factors can introduce confusion and uncertainty when test results are conveyed to the individual being tested. With the rapid expansion in knowledge of the genetic basis for inherited cardiovascular diseases, and the evolution and increasing availability of clinical genetic testing, there is a compelling need to understand and address the psychological implications of genetic testing in cardiovascular diseases. This article has been organized to reflect the issues of clinically affected individuals and unaffected at-risk adults and children. Most of the relevant literature on this topic is in HCM and LQTS, so discussion of these diseases will be disproportionate to others. However, these genetic prototypes have many similarities with other inherited cardiovascular diseases, and concepts discussed are likely to be generally applicable. When relevant, unique issues for an individual disease will be highlighted. Genetic counseling is the process of integrating family and medical histories, providing education, and promoting informed choices and adaptation to having, or being at risk of developing, a genetic condition.1 Counselors also play a fundamental role in interpretation of the results and conveying the implications of positive, negative, and uncertain molecular test results to the index patient and his/her family …
Pax6‐induced alteration of cell fate: Shape changes, expression of neuronal α tubulin, postmitotic phenotype, and cell migration

The transcription factor Pax6 plays an important role in the development of the central nervous system. To understand its mechanism of action, we transduced HeLa cells with a Pax6-expressing lentiviral vector. Upon transduction, HeLa cells markedly changed shape and formed neuritelike extensions. Pax6-transduced HeLa cells expressed high levels of neuronal alpha3 tubulin, demonstrating a partial transdifferentiation towards a neuronal phenotype. Neurons are postmitotic cells. Pax6-transduced HeLa cells became postmitotic through mechanisms involving up-regulation of p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. One of the most striking effects of Pax6 was observed by time-lapse videomicroscopy: cells started to dissociate from cell clusters and displayed intense migratory activity. Migration was accompanied by dynamic and reversible shape changes. Our results identified three elements of Pax6 action: (i) expression of neuron-specific genes; (ii) establishment of a postmitotic phenotype; and (iii) involvement in the regulation of cell shape and cell migration.
Comparison of saturation behavior of thermal shock damage in a variety of brittle materials

Abstract The saturation of thermal shock fatigue damage in ceramics composites (as observed by the authors) is compared with the damage saturation behavior for other researchers' data on brittle materials including polymers, dense ceramics, and refractories. The data encompasses a variety of fluid quench media including water, oil, air, and liquid nitrogen. An emperical equation is presented that describes much of the data well. Similarities between mechanical loading fatigue and thermal loading fatigue studies are also discussed.