cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Levocarnitine for pegasparaginase-induced hepatotoxicity in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Pegasparaginase (PEG-Asp), commonly used in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is associated with hyperbilirubinemia and elevated transaminases. Treatment of acute hepatotoxicity is limited to cas...
Cellular dynamics in the airways induced by constitutive expression of achaete-scute homoloque-1 (ASH-1): A model for premalignant changes in pulmonary adenocarcinoma

748 We have previously demonstrated that the proneural transcription factor ASH-1 enhances tumorigenesis in SV40 transgenic mice (Cancer Res. 2000: 60: 4005-9). We now examined the implications of constitutive ASH-1 expression under the Clara cell specific (CC10) promoter in the peripheral lung of CC10/ASH1 transgenic mouse. At 9 months the number of airway cells in transgenic mice had increased 200% in the terminal bronchioles (TB) and alveolar ducts when compared with the wild type (WT) mice resulting in bronchiolization of the alveoli (BOA). In order to assess the mechanism of the cellular increase, we determined the proliferation rate using proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation in serial sacrifice study. Proliferation indeces in TB epithelium and BOA of transgenic mice increased to three fold at 3 weeks, and 1.5 fold at 2-4 months compared with WT mice. The TUNNEL assay yielded up to 6-fold lower apoptotic indeces in the same regions of CC10/ASH-1 mice. By immunohistochemistry, the cells were positive for ASH-1, anti-apoptotic factors BCL2 and phospho-AKT with its downstream genes, and negative for the pro-apoptotic caspase 3. The results were confirmed by laser capture microdissection and real-time PCR or Western blot analyses. Our data indicate that constitutive expression of ASH-1 enhances cellular proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in TB epithelium in CC10/ASH-1 transgenic mice, which results in BOA, a potentially premalignant lesion of pulmonary adenocarcinoma (Int. J. Cancer 1998: 75: 489 –496). We conclude that several apoptosis-regulating pathways may play important roles in promoting BOA.
Site-aware Anomaly Detection with Machine Learning for Circuit Probing to Prevent Overkill

This paper introduces an anomaly detection methodology with machine learning for Circuit Probing (CP) using Integrated Passive Device (IPD) as example devices. The IPD can improve the power integrity, performance, and package dimensions of the Integrated Fan-Out Package on Package (InFO-PoP), which is more cost-effective than 3D Integrated Circuits (3DIC) to achieve “More than Moore’s law” for mobile devices. Because a defective IPD can invalidate the entire package, the previous test methods are dedicated to very high-end screening for the underkill/failure-escape of high quality and reliable devices. On the other hand, the overkill issues are not concerned yet, which periodically impact the yield and cost. In this paper, we propose a new flow with machine learning methodologies to detect previously ignored anomalies on site-aware wafer-maps for predictive maintenance. The proposed flow covers the overkill and re-test issues to complete the high-quality and cost-effective test methodology with test defense.
Hyperuniform states of matter

Abstract Hyperuniform states of matter are correlated systems that are characterized by an anomalous suppression of long-wavelength (i.e., large-length-scale) density fluctuations compared to those found in garden-variety disordered systems, such as ordinary fluids and amorphous solids. All perfect crystals, perfect quasicrystals and special disordered systems are hyperuniform. Thus, the hyperuniformity concept enables a unified framework to classify and structurally characterize crystals, quasicrystals and the exotic disordered varieties. While disordered hyperuniform systems were largely unknown in the scientific community over a decade ago, now there is a realization that such systems arise in a host of contexts across the physical, materials, chemical, mathematical, engineering, and biological sciences, including disordered ground states, glass formation, jamming, Coulomb systems, spin systems, photonic and electronic band structure, localization of waves and excitations, self-organization, fluid dynamics, number theory, stochastic point processes, integral and stochastic geometry, the immune system, and photoreceptor cells. Such unusual amorphous states can be obtained via equilibrium or nonequilibrium routes, and come in both quantum-mechanical and classical varieties. The connections of hyperuniform states of matter to many different areas of fundamental science appear to be profound and yet our theoretical understanding of these unusual systems is only in its infancy. The purpose of this review article is to introduce the reader to the theoretical foundations of hyperuniform ordered and disordered systems. Special focus will be placed on fundamental and practical aspects of the disordered kinds, including our current state of knowledge of these exotic amorphous systems as well as their formation and novel physical properties.
GENDER STEREOTYPES IN THE PROFESSIONAL APPROACH OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN SLOVAKIA, THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND LITHUANIA

Background and Objectives: Gender stereotypes and the conventionalization of terms like motherhood and fatherhood have, of lately, been a subject of heated debated and have been a dichotomizing theme for the society. A fraction of the population recognizes the allotment of the model role of a mother, as the caregiver and homemaker, and that of a father, as the caretaker and breadwinner, while the other segment of people oppose this allocation of functions and responsibilities. These circumstances, in turn, influence diverse domains of the society’s operations, in addition to social workers whose clientele merely consists of fathers and mothers. Main Goal: The central purpose of the study is to juxtapose and discern the prevalence of stereotyped gender depictions, representing the ideal role expected and presumped from men and women, within families of social workers in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. Methods: The primary method used for producing this research was that of pragmatic analysis and detailed evaluation of derivative secondary data which aided in the formulation of conclusions for the study regarding the topic in concern. Investigative results of the three studies, were obtained and refined by charatceristic and subjective approaches – such as interviews and content analysis. The total number of participants were 28 (13 Slovak, 7 Czech, 8 Lithuanian). Results: The results of the experiment display that social workers are considered to have sexual discriminations, which reflects in their preference for usually choosing to involve women to work with, while confronting family matters, rather than men. However, according to them, this choice only seems natural, functional and habitual as per their practical experience in everyday life. Further revelations included a lack of knowledge, education and awareness on the part of social workers in context of gender equality. Future Research: Presently, the concept of gender equality in the field of social work has not been adequately studied, and thus, as a matter of fact, the subject offers numerous possibilities and a wide scope for empirical research to be carried out. For future purposes, we suggest examining the issue in one of the advanced, post-industrial or ‘developed’ countries, the public of which does not identify itself with gender stereotypes, much unlike that of the traditional or ‘developing' countries. We believe that the rational and sensible way of reflection of ‘developed’ countries can contribute in the disintegration and breakdown of the deep-rooted stereotypical mindsets of social workers.
Quality of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) influenced by microwave and hot water pasteurization

Abstract This research investigated the influence of 915 MHz microwave-assisted thermal pasteurization and conventional hot water pasteurization ( F 90 10 =10 min) on chlorophylls, greenness (a*), ascorbic acid, and the growth of spoilage microorganisms in green beans in storage at 10, 7, and 2 °C for up to 100 days. Frozen cut green beans were processed in vacuum-sealed containers flushed with N2. The beans suffered 28.3% and 33.9% losses of chlorophyll a, 9.2% and 15.3% losses of ascorbic acid during the microwave and hot water processing, respectively. During storage, slower spoilage (21 days at 10 °C, 42 days at 7 °C, and 100 days at 2 °C), superior preservation of chlorophyll (47–50%), ascorbic acid (47–62%), and a lower increase in a* (2.8–5.2) were obtained in samples processed with microwave-assisted thermal pasteurization. Paenibacillus spp. were identified as the predominant bacteria in the spoiled green beans pasteurized with both methods. The results highlighted the potential of microwave pasteurization for producing safe, high-quality vegetable products.
Phenotypic analysis of established diffuse histiocytic lymphoma cell lines utilizing monoclonal antibodies and cytochemical techniques

Ten diffuse histiocytic lymphoma (DHL) cell lines were extensively characterized with monoclonal antibodies and histochemical techniques. The original biopsy specimens, representing nine of ten cases from which the cell lines were derived, were reviewed utilizing the International Working Formulation. Eight of ten cell lines reacted with anti-immunoglobulin reagents and/or a subset of B-lymphocyte surface markers, supporting a B-cell derivation. Only U-937, a monocytoid DHL cell line reactive with OKT4 and 6, displayed any T-cell markers. Cytochemical analysis alone proved to be of little value in the subclassification of the DHLs. The pathologic review revealed that, despite disparate immunologic phenotypes, five of the diffuse large cell lymphomas were subclassified as large, noncleaved lymphomas. Our analysis confirms the phenotypic diversity of this subgroup of malignant lymphomas and underscores the value of monoclonal reagents for the immunologic evaluation of the hematologic malignancies. These well characterized cell lines constitute a valuable resource for the laboratory investigation of the lymphomas.
Swing phase kinematic and kinetic response to weighting the hind pasterns.

Summary Reasons for performing study: It is considered that specific exercises to strengthen limb musculature would be helpful. Objective: To describe swing phase kinematic and kinetic changes in the hindlimbs of trotting horses in response to the addition of leg weights to the hind pasterns. Methods: Six horses were prepared by placing reflective skin markers on the hindlimbs, the withers and fore hooves. Horses were evaluated at trot for 6 trials with and without leg weights (700 g) attached around the pasterns, with the 2 conditions applied in random order. The markers were tracked to determine peak heights of the flight arc of the hind hooves and swing phase joint angulations. Inverse dynamic analysis was used to calculate positive and negative work done across each joint in the first and second halves of the swing phase. Comparisons between conditions were made using paired t tests (normally distributed data) or the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (non-normally distributed data). Results: Peak height of the flight arc of the hind hooves was significantly higher with leg weights as a result of increased flexions of the stifle, tarsal and metatarsophalangeal joints. Increased positive (concentric) work was performed by the hip and tarsal musculature to protract and raise the limb in early swing, then to retract and lower the limb in late swing. Increased negative (eccentric) work was performed across the stifle and metatarsophalangeal joints to control their movements in response to increases in inertia and momentum due to the weights. Conclusions: The addition of weight to the hind pasterns stimulates increased muscular activity across all the hindlimb joints from the hip to the metatarsophalangeal joint. Clinical significance: The addition of weight to the hind pasterns may have therapeutic applications in activating and strengthening the hindlimb musculature. This is particularly relevant in the hip region, which appears more sensitive and responsive to the effect of weights than to tactile stimulation alone.
Language support and compiler optimizations for STM and transactional boosting

We describe compiler optimizations for object-based Software Transactional Memory (STM) systems designed to make STM more accessible and efficient than is possible in the context of a purely library-based approach. Current object-based STM libraries are faced with a difficult tradeoff: offer an efficient but complex programming model or, as some recent libraries have done, sacrifice efficiency for ease-of-use. In this paper, we show that this dichotomy is not necessary. Our research suggests that an STM-enabled optimizing compiler can achieve performance comparable to that of the most efficient STM algorithms coded by a programmer, while still supporting a nearly transparent programming model. We also propose novel language extensions to support transactional boosting, a powerful new technique for transforming existing linearizable objects into transactional objects, thus permitting highly concurrent objects such as those found in the java.util.concurrent package to participate in STM transactions. When applied in conjunction with compiler support, we show that transactional boosting is both a flexible and natural way to escape the standard transactional model, and thus offers a promising alternative to existing "expert" approaches, such as open nesting and early release. Based on our results, we conclude that appropriate language support and high quality compiler optimizations are necessary parts of any STM system.
Lipid data from NHLBI veteran twins: interpreting genetic analyses when model assumptions fail.

Analyses were performed on lipid data from the NHLBI Veteran Twin Study. The analyses focused on longitudinal multivariate models, describing how the genetic effects on lipids vary over time. Our pedigree-based model selection approach allows simultaneous estimation of both covariance structure parameters and regression parameters. The analyses reveal strong correlations between additive genetic effects over time, implying that genetic effects on lipids are somewhat constant throughout the life span represented within this sample. Both univariate preliminary analyses and robust fitting applied to the longitudinal models indicate that several assumptions underlying the twin analyses are violated
Experimental investigation of design and performance of data centers

Data centers will be the computational hub of the next generation. Hosting business and mission-critical applications demand a high degree of reliability and flexibility. Deployment of large number of high powered computer systems in very dense configurations in racks in a data centers will result in very high power densities at room level. Managing high power levels in a data center with cost effective reliable cooling solutions is essential for reliability and uptime. Energy consumption of data centers can also be severely increased by over-designed air handling systems and rack layouts that allow the hot and cold air streams to mix. In this paper, we present experimental results from a design of experiments conducted at a production data center facility. The "smart" data center includes a pervasive monitoring layer that enables controlled deployment of air conditioning resources based on demand. Temperature distribution across the data center is measured by a large distribution of sensors at different computer room air conditioning (CRAC) unit air flow and supply temperature configurations. Dimensionless parameters in the form of Supply Heat Indices (SHI) are calculated, based on rack inlet, outlet and CRAC unit supply temperatures, at rack level for validation purposes. Experimental data show that SHI provides a simple and powerful tool to understand the convective heat transfer and fluid flow in diverse regions inside the data center. Analysis based on supply heat index is carried out to understand the optimization of relative air flow distribution among heterogeneous rack heat loads. The index is also used to investigate CRAC unit influences and rack air flow. Results show that these parameters not only provide an invaluable tool to understand convective heat transfer in large data centers but also suggest means to improve energy efficiency in data centers.
The Effect of Varying Periods of Water Restriction at Different Ages in Broiler Chickens

Abstract This experiment was prompted by the occasional malfunctioning of hanging-type tank waterers used for broiler chicks at this station, particularly in view of the report by Kellerup et al. (1965) who noted that body weights and feed consumption of crossbred broiler chicks 8 weeks of age decreased when water was restricted in 10% steps up to one-half of that consumed by chicks receiving water ad libitum. Duplicate lots of crossbred broiler chicks were equally divided for sex and distributed into 26 pens of 24 birds each. The ration used and the management employed have previously been reported (Kellerup et al., 1965). The experimental design consisted of withdrawing water for 24, 48 and 72 hours during the latter part of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th weeks of age. Before and after restriction, each group was treated identically to the control group receiving feed and water ad libitum. One 5-gallon hanging-type…
PCN10: COST-EFFECTIVENESS MODEL OF PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer is the most common type of malignancy found in US male population and the second leading cause of cancer fatality in men. PSA screening is a common test in prostate cancer diagnosis. This research investigates its cost-effectiveness. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness model is constructed following a cohort of patients aged 60 to 75 taken from a general US population. Clinical outcomes, costs, and transition state probabilities were derived from medical literature and used to construct a Markov state probability model. The analysis takes a societal perspective and all costs were converted to 2000 dollars. Discount rate in base case was 3%. The parameters in the base-case were assessed for robustness using one-way sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: We found that a screening program with annual PSA testing starting at age 60 would result in cost-effectiveness ratios of $8000 per QALY. One-way sensitivity testing found the results to be very stable. Threshold analysis revealed that screening ceased to be cost-effective (CE ratio> $50,000/QALY) only when costs for procedures such as prostate surgery approached $500,000 or prostate cancer was detected at high levels (80% true positives in first year of testing, up from current 20%) in the population. CONCLUSIONS: The model suggests that annual PSA screening of male population for prostate cancer is extremely cost-effective, given current data. Further research into outcomes of prostate cancer is needed to estimate cost-effectiveness of screening in various subpopulations. In particular, given the long clinical progression of prostate cancer, more research is required into outcomes and cost-effectiveness in relatively healthy patients versus those burdened by serious co-morbidities.
Effectiveness of Contingent and Non-Contingent Electric Shock in Reducing Cigarette Smoking:

An attempt was made to examine the effects of negative practice with both contingent and non-contingent electric shock upon the cigarette smoking of 15 college students. A control group participated but received no treatment. An analysis of co-variance (co-varying initial smoking rate) yielded a significant experimental effect. Further analysis showed that significant decreases in smoking frequency occurred only in the contingent-shock group. It was suggested that this procedure might be useful in the initial phases of a program for reduction of smoking.
Mechanics of myocardial relaxation: Application of a model to isometric and isotonic relaxation of rat myocardium

Abstract Using a simple model for cardiac muscle relaxation which takes into account muscle length, activation, elasticity and a rate constant for the decay of activation, we are able to use easily measured mechanical parameters to assess the state of the cardiac relaxing system. In isolated trabeculae carneae from the left ventricle of the rat, performing physiologically sequenced contractions, observations have been made (1) at varying preloads and afterloads, (2) with changes in temperature from 23° to 33°C, (3) with changes in bath Ca2+ concentration and (4) with the addition of isoproterenol. During isometric relaxation, the slope (SIM) of the curve relating maximum rate of decline of force ( − d F d t max ) to end-systolic muscle length is load-independent and sensitive to interventions which directly affect the cardiac relaxing system (e.g., temperature, isoproterenol); it is only slightly sensitive to bath calcium concentration. During isotonic relaxation, the maximum velocity of lengthening ( + d L d t max ) is in negative linear proportion to muscle shortening at a given preload, the slope (SIT) of the curve relating + d L d t max to end-systolic length is sensitive to the interventions which directly affect the cardiac relaxing system but insensitive to calcium-mediated inotropic interventions. The model provides a theoretical basis for the use of SIM and SIT as measures of the relaxation process.
The liver as an immunological organ

The liver is an immunologically distinct organ that contains its own unique population of cells of the innate and adaptive cellular immune response. The liver is known as a site of inflammatory immune responses as well as a site of tolerance induction. This dual function is important to understand the pathogenesis of infectious liver diseases and to understand induction of tolerance upon exposure to oral and allograft antigens. This review will address the unique role of the liver in the immune system.
On bilinear estimation and control

Discrete single-input single-output bilinear systems with constant parameters are considered. First, the minimum variance regulator for known parameters is determined. Then the least squares parameter estimation method is applied and is seen to have certain desirable properties. Finally, the least squares parameter estimator is combined with the minimum variance regulator for the estimated model to produce a bilinear self-tuning regulator «BLSTR’. It is found that though the estimation may be biased, under certain assumptions, the BLSTR will converge to the minimum variance control law.
Unsupervised Ensemble Based Learning for Insider Threat Detection

Insider threats are veritable needles within the haystack. Their occurrence is rare and when they do occur, are usually masked well within normal operation. The detection of these threats requires identifying these rare anomalous needles in a contextualized setting where behaviors are constantly evolving over time. To this refined search, this paper proposes and tests an unsupervised, ensemble based learning algorithm that maintains a compressed dictionary of repetitive sequences found throughout dynamic data streams of unbounded length to identify anomalies. In unsupervised learning, compression-based techniques are used to model common behavior sequences. This results in a classifier exhibiting a substantial increase in classification accuracy for data streams containing insider threat anomalies. This ensemble of classifiers allows the unsupervised approach to outperform traditional static learning approaches and boosts the effectiveness over supervised learning approaches.
Interstitials, vacancies, and dislocations in flux-line lattices: a theory of vortex crystals, supersolids, and liquids

We study a three-dimensional Abrikosov vortex lattice in the presence of an equilibrium concentration of vacancy, interstitial, and dislocation loops. Vacancies and interstitials renormalize the long-wavelength bulk and tilt elastic moduli. Dislocation loops lead to the vanishing of the long-wavelength shear modulus. The coupling to vacancies and interstitials\char22{}which are always present in the liquid state\char22{}allows dislocations to relax stresses by climbing out of their glide plane. Surprisingly, this mechanism does not yield any further independent renormalization of the tilt and compressional moduli at long wavelengths. The long wavelength properties of the resulting state are formally identical to that of the ``flux-line hexatic'' that is a candidate ``normal'' hexatically ordered vortex liquid state.
Matrix Effects Studies with Fused-Silica Aperture Thermospray Sample Introduction to ICP-AES

Matrix effects with fused-silica aperture thermospray (FSApT) sample introduction for ICP-AES are found to be higher than those for pneumatic sample introduction. The effects are comparable to those reported for sample introduction to ICP-AES using ultrasonic nebulization with desolvation. The matrix effects for >mg/mL levels of Ca are found to be influenced by the thermospray operating temperature. By the use of higher thermospray temperatures, matrix effects due to transport losses are reduced to low levels, presumably by reduction of primary aerosol particle sizes. Background increases due to higher Ca input with the thermospray system result in small changes in background noise that do not appear to have a large effect on limits of detection (LODs). Matrix effects occurring within the plasma appear to be the primary source of interferences. Ca interferences can also be reduced or eliminated by appropriate adjustment of the aerosol carrier gas flow rate. For simultaneous multielement analysis, a compromise flow rate must be chosen. With the use of such compromise conditions, LODs for a wide range of elements were increased in the presence of Ca, but were on average within a factor of 1.7 of those obtained in the absence of Ca. LODs obtained for analytes in the presence of 1000-3000 μg/mL Ca for FSApT/ICP-AES were all below United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required limits for Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) samples derived from concrete stabilized hazardous waste, while pneumatic sample introduction provided inadequate detection for half the key elements tested.
PTEN and myotubularin phosphatases: from 3-phosphoinositide dephosphorylation to disease

The phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) and myotubularin (MTM1) represent subfamilies of protein tyrosine phosphatases whose principal physiological substrates are D3-phosphorylated inositol phospholipids. As lipid phosphatases, PTEN- and MTM1-related (MTMR) proteins dephosphorylate the products of phosphoinositide 3-kinases and antagonize downstream effectors that utilize 3-phosphoinositides as ligands for protein targeting domains or allosteric activation. Here, we describe the cellular mechanisms of PTEN and MTMR function and their role in the etiology of cancer and other human diseases.
The edge version of Hadwiger's conjecture

A well known conjecture of Hadwiger asserts that K"n"+"1 is the only minor minimal graph of chromatic number greater than n. In this paper, all minor minimal graphs of chromatic index greater than n are determined.
Cervical screening adjuncts: Recent advances

In an effort to reduce the false-negative rate of cervical cytologic findings, several new technologies have recently evolved. Automated cytologic testing (PapNet, AutoPap 300 QC) proposes to rescreen negative conventional cytologic findings to identify smears likely to be false negative. Fluid-based monolayers (ThinPrep, CytoRich) propose to reduce the false-negative rates by optimizing the collection and preparation of cells. Human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic acid testing by Hybrid Capture has been proposed for a variety of screening and triage roles. Visual screening after application of acetic acid is done by cervicography by use of a photographic technique, whereas in speculoscopy the screening is done by direct visualization of the cervix by the primary care provider. Polarprobe uses biophysical parameters and a computer algorithm to give an instantaneous prediction of the likelihood of cervical disease. Each of these techniques, as well as the clinical experience with them, is reviewed. Current and possible future uses are discussed with regard to both clinical usefulness and cost-effectiveness.
Quantitative modelling of perceptual salience at human eye position

We investigate the extent to which a simple model of bottom-up attention and salience may be embedded within a broader computational framework, and compared with human eye movement data. We focus on quantifying whether increased simulation realism significantly affects quantitative measures of how well the model may predict where in video clips humans direct their gaze. We hence compare three variants of the model, tested with 15 video clips of natural scenes shown to three observers. We measure model-predicted salience at the locations gazed to by the observers, compared to random locations. The first variant simply processes the raw video clips. The second adds a gaze-contingent foveation filter. The third further attempts to realistically simulate dynamic human vision by embedding the video frames within a larger background, and shifting them to eye position. Our main finding is that increasing simulation realism significantly improves the predictive ability of the model. Better emulating the details of how a visual stimulus is captured by a constantly rotating retina during active vision has a significant positive impact onto quantitative comparisons between model and human behaviour.
Effects of neonatal testosterone administration on anterior pituitary levels of Met5-enkephalin in adults rats

Abstract Neonatal injection of testosterone to male rats significantly increased the anterior pituitary level of Met5-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity (ME-LI) in adulthood. Neonatal castration resulted in a decrease of the ME-LI level, but neonatal testosterone administration failed to restore the level. Combined administration of androgens neonatally and in adulthood was required to restore the level to that of unoperated controls. On the other hand, neonatal testosterone injection to female neonates diminished the elevation of ME-LI level which occured after ovariectomy in adulthood. These results suggest that neonatal testosterone plays some role in priming or modifying the responsiveness of the anterior pituitary ME system to gonadal hormones present during adulthood.
De novo fatty acid synthesis in developing rat lung.

Abstract The rate of de novo fatty acid synthesis in developing rat lung was measured by the rate of incorporation of 3H from 3H2O into fatty acids in lung slices and by the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in fetal, neonatal and adult lung. Both tritium incorporation and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity increased sharply during late gestation, peaked on the last fetal day, and declined by 50% 1 day after birth. In the adult, values were only one-half the peak fetal rates. In vitro regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in fetal lung was similar to that described in adult non-pulmonary tissues: activation by citrate and inhibition by palmitoyl-CoA. Similarly, incubation conditions that favored enzyme phosphorylation inhibited acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in lung while dephosphorylating conditions stimulated activity. Incorporation of [U-14C]glucose into lung lipids during development was influenced heavily by incorporation into fatty acids, which generally paralleled the rate of tritium incorporation into fatty acids. The relative utilization of acetyl units from exogenous glucose for overall fatty acid synthesis was greater in adult lung than in fetal or neonatal lung, suggesting that other substrates may be important for fatty acid synthesis in developing lung. In fetal lung explants, de novo fatty acid synthesis was inhibited by exogenous palmitate. Taken together, these data suggest that de novo synthesis may be an important source of saturated fatty acids in fetal lung but of lesser importance in the neonatal period. Furthermore, the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity and fatty acid synthesis in lung may be similar to non-pulmonary tissues.
Availability and use of emergency obstetric services: Kenya, Rwanda, Southern Sudan, and Uganda

Abstract The article summarises the baseline assessments of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) carried out in Uganda, Kenya, Southern Sudan, and Rwanda in 2003 and 2004. Objectives Our objectives were to: (1) set up program baselines on the availability and utilization of EmOC services in these countries; (2) identify gaps and obstacles in providing EmOC services; and (3) make recommendations to governments based on evidence generated. Methods Data were collected from clinical record reviews, provider and client interviews, observations, and focus group discussions. Either random or universal sampling was applied in the selection of health facilities assessed. Local nurses and midwives participated in the data collection and, to some extent, data processing and analysis. Results The coverage of basic EmOC services ranged 0–1.1/500,000 population compared to the UN-recommended level of 4/500,000. The coverage of comprehensive EmOC services ranged 0.5–4.3/500,000 compared to the recommended level of 1/500,000. Between 0.6% and 8.8% of all births took place in EmOC facilities, and 2.1% and 18.5% of all expected direct obstetric complications were treated. Cesarean section as a proportion of all births was between 0.1% and 1%. Shortage of trained staff especially mid-level providers, poor basic infrastructure such as lack of electricity and water supplies, inadequate supply of drugs and essential equipment, poor working conditions and staff morale, lack of communication and referral facilities, cost of treatment, and lack of accountability and proper management were identified as the main obstacles in providing 24-h quality EmOC services especially in remote and rural areas. Conclusions Lack of basic EmOC services limits women's access to life-saving services during obstetric complications. To reduce maternal mortality ratio the states and development partners need to focus their effort to improve the coverage, quality, and utilization of EmOC services through supportive national policy, effective program strategies, increased budget allocation to maternal health program, rural infrastructure development, and regular monitoring, and evaluation of progress.
How Radioactive Is Your Banana

This exercise uses a banana to illustrate the level of radioactivity (in this case, from 40K) in an everyday object.
Update in geriatric medicine.

This Update in Geriatric Medicine features 12 articles published in 2006. Topics include endocrinology, supplements for age-related disorders, urology, dementia, and preventive medicine.
The region encompassing the procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP) gene promoter plays a role in plasmid DNA replication in Trypanosoma brucei

Abstract We have previously reported the construction and characterization of an autonomously replicating plasmid in Trypanosoma brucei. In this plasmid the procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP) gene promoter drives the transcription of a selectable marker. Deletion of this promoter incapacitates the plasmid, suggesting its utilization as a promoter-trap. Three independent libraries were created by inserting variously digested T.brucei genomic DNA into this promoterless construct. Transfection of these libraries into procyclic T.brucei and the subsequent isolation of episomes led only to the reisolation of the PARP promoter. Additionally, a ribosomal RNA promoter failed to keep the construct as an episome, although it can sustain mRNA transcription in T.brucei and was shown to be an efficient promoter in this construct. Finally, by using a transient replication assay involving the methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease DpnI to distinguish between input and replicated DNA, we showed that the PARP promoter-bearing construct could replicate autonomously in procyclic T.brucei, but the corresponding construct with the rRNA promoter could not. The close association between elements that sustain transcription and DNA replication in T.brucei mirrors results observed in several higher eukaryotes and their viruses and suggests an ancient origin of this feature.
Geomorphology, water table and soil relationships in holocene beach ridges in southern sierra leone

Abstract The coast of southern Sierra Leone is fringed by a wave-built beach ridge barrier characterized by young, weakly developed soils composed of medium to coarse quartz sand. These littoral deposits have been more or less extensively modified by geomorphic processes resulting from sea level oscillations and possibly climatic fluctuations. Soil heterogeneity in these young beach deposits results from spatial and temporal variations in water table level. Such variations occur in response to geomorphic variables such as topography, beach ridge dissection or progradation and swale incision.
Barrier noise and flux creep in high-Tc superconductors

Abstract We calculate the rate of thermal activation of flux lines over a barrier exhibiting time-dependent fluctuations of the activation energy. Strong deviations from the linear T -dependence of the rate are predicted in the low temperature region, where the barrier fluctuations are of quantum nature.
Phalangeal morphology of the paromomyidae (?primates, plesiadapiformes): the evidence for gliding behavior reconsidered.

A comparative morphometric analysis of isolated proximal and intermediate phalanges attributed to the paromomyids Ignacius graybullianus and Phenacolemur simonsi was undertaken to test the hypothesis that these fossil phalanges exhibit evidence of a dermopteran-like interdigital patagium. Linear dimensions were collected for the fossil phalanges and a comparative sample of associated proximal and intermediate phalanges representing extant tree squirrels, tree shrews, dermopterans (colugos), gliding rodents and marsupials, and prosimian primates. Quantitative data indicate that the proximal and intermediate phalanges of paromomyids are most similar in their overall shape to those of the dermopteran Cynocephalus. The proximal phalanges of paromomyids and colugos possess well-developed flexor sheath ridges and broad, high shafts, whereas the intermediate phalanges of these taxa are most similar to one another in their trochlear morphology. Discriminant analysis indicates that all of the paromomyid intermediate phalanges resemble those from colugo toes more so than those from colugo fingers. Moreover, the relative length and midshaft proportions of both the proximal and intermediate phalanges of paromomyids closely resemble those of several squirrels that lack an interdigital patagium. The following conclusions are drawn from this study: 1) paromomyids share a number of derived phalangeal features with modern dermopterans that may be indicative of a phylogenetic relationship between them, 2) existing intermediate phalanges of paromomyids are inconsistent with the “mitten gliding” hypothesis because they do not possess the distinctive length and midshaft proportions characteristic of colugo manual intermediate phalanges, and 3) paromomyids share with colugos and the scaly-tailed squirrel Anomalurus several aspects of phalangeal morphology functionally related to frequent vertical clinging and climbing on large-diameter arboreal supports. Am J Phys Anthropol 109:397–413, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Transverse-mode filtering of wide-stripe semiconductor lasers using an external cavity

Semiconducft lasers which can produce high output jxwer in a single fundamental lateral mode have in recent years become a topic of signifxant research pj ss frr maximum energy transf& when coupling the laser output to other optical components h as waveguide, optical fibers, or beam forming optics Many applications, such as free-spe commuthcation, highSpCCd optical printing, and biomedical laser technology, could greatly benefit from advances in high power, single mo& laser thos Attempts at producing fundamental mode operation from varus types of laser arrays have met with only limited success. Wide stripe miconductcr lasers can produce high 1x,w& (-8 W), and require only the most basic fabricatiou steps. However, stripe widths of more than 1-2 μn produce multiple transverse m spectra and filamentation due to carrierinduced index variations. Filamentauon can degrade the farfie1d psofile and cause angular beam steering at high ouqit power. Using an anti-reflection coated wide stripe laser within a simple external cavity, we have produced both high output power and fundamental moik operation in the lateral dimension by filtering out higher order modes in pulsed operation. Mode discrimination is realized using an unstable cavity in the lateral dimension. The unstable cavity was fonned using a cylindrical lens within the external cavity which causes the higher order mxies to be more kssy than the fundamental. A simple Gaussian beam wopagaon model was used to xedict the effts of cylindrical lens pIzement within the external cavity. With this inokl we were able to calculate an overlap integral, or modal coupling term for each transverse mode. In our model the coupling term was considered to be spatially independent and was used to estimate the effective reflectivity of the external cavity system. Ung the cakulated effective reflectivity the threshold gath requirement for ch of the higher order modes was calculated , in order to predict the optimum placement of the cylindrical lens. Threshold gain was plotted as a fimction of the effective reflectivity (mxJal overlap) in order to predict the optimum placement of the cylindrical lens. In experiment, a 100 μm wide stripe laser was coupled to the anamorphic external cavity. WIth this cocfiguration, we achieved a nearly diffraction-limited beam at greater than 250 mW; this reprents a ftcr of ten improvement over the external cavity without the cylindrical lens. Beam quality was maintained to 3 times the original (uncoated) threshold injection current with negligible steering effects.
Medicare prospective payment reforms and hospital utilization. Temporary or lasting effects

Early evaluations of the Medicare prospective payment reforms found them very effective in reducing hospital utilization. In this study, the author investigated whether the reforms remained effective throughout the first decade of implementation. Seasonal autoregressive-integrated-moving average (AR
Regulatory focus and executive function after interracial interactions

Recent research finds that interracial interactions can negatively impact executive function. The present study examined whether regulatory focus may moderate this effect. Specifically, prior to an interracial interaction, 45 White female students were told either to try to have a positive interracial exchange (promotion focus), avoid prejudice (prevention focus), or given no instruction (control). After the interaction, participants completed the Stroop color-naming task, which assessed executive attentional task performance. Results revealed that participants in the prevention and the no instruction, control conditions performed worse on the Stroop than participants in the promotion condition. The findings suggest that promoting positive contact through active engagement rather than prejudice avoidance attenuates the previously documented negative effects of interracial contact on cognitive functioning.
VOID GROWTH AND STRESS-STRAIN RELATIONS OF A CLASS OF VISCOELASTIC POROUS MATERIALS

Abstract The mechanics of void growth and its influence on the stress-strain behavior of a class of viscoelastic porous materials are examined under axisymmetric loading. First the conditions of self-similar void growth and constant-porosity void growth are established, and it is found that the results depend not only on the shape and concentration of the voids, but also on the Poisson's ratio of the matrix. Detailed analyses are provided for both compressible and incompressible materials and the results show not only quantitative but also qualitative differences. This theory allows one to calculate the evolution of the void shape and concentration, and the stress-strain relation of the porous material with an evolving void structure. These calculations indicate that the changes of void shape and concentration depend only on the strain, but not on the strain rate. The stress-strain relations of the porous material on the other hand are highly sensitive to the rate of loading.
25-Hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-D3). III. Effect of Dosage on Soft Tissue Integrity and Vitamin D Activity of Tissue and Milk from Dairy Cows

Abstract In Trial I, eight cows, two per treatment, were given the following doses of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol: (1) 1.0 mg orally daily for 14 days, (2) 4.0 mg, (3) 8.0 mg, or (4) 16.0 mg intramuscularly in 5 ml sesame oil. No clinical or pathologic evidence of hypervitaminosis D was found. Tissue from animals slaughtered 14 to 35 days after treatment revealed no evidence of tissue irritation and less than a twofold increase in vitamin D content. Tissue from control animals contained 18 to 26 IU of vitamin D per 100 g compared to 20 to 48 IU per 100 g from treated animals. In Trial II, the mean vitamin D content of milk taken on Day 4 postpartum from seven orally-treated cows was not greatly different than that of seven control cows, 35 compared to 31 IU per liter. Similar values for seven intramuscularly injected cows were 75 IU vitamin D per liter compared to 38 for five control cows. Thus, short-term administration of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol at dosages that effectively reduce the incidence of parturient paresis appear safe for the animal, and the products produced by these animals safe for human consumption.
Properties of filament-bound myosin light chain kinase.

Myosin light chain kinase binds to actin-containing filaments from cells with a greater affinity than to F-actin. However, it is not known if this binding in cells is regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin as it is with F-actin. Therefore, the binding properties of the kinase to stress fibers were examined in smooth muscle-derived A7r5 cells. Full-length myosin light chain kinase or a truncation mutant lacking residues 2–142 was expressed as chimeras containing green fluorescent protein at the C terminus. In intact cells, the full-length kinase bound to stress fibers, whereas the truncated kinase showed diffuse fluorescence in the cytoplasm. After permeabilization with saponin, the fluorescence from the truncated kinase disappeared, whereas the fluorescence of the full-length kinase was retained on stress fibers. Measurements of fluorescence intensities and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching of the full-length myosin light chain kinase in saponin-permeable cells showed that Ca2+/calmodulin did not dissociate the kinase from these filaments. However, the filament-bound kinase was sufficient for Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain and contraction of stress fibers. Thus, dissociation of myosin light chain kinase from actin-containing thin filaments is not necessary for phosphorylation of myosin light chain in thick filaments. We note that the distance between the N terminus and the catalytic core of the kinase is sufficient to span the distance between thin and thick filaments.