cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neonatal Candidiasis: New Insights into an Old Problem at a Unique Host-Pathogen Interface

Candida species are the leading cause of invasive fungal infections in premature infants. Associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, these infections represent serious and sometimes catastrophic complications in the course of hospitalization of a preterm infant in the neonatal intensive care unit. Although virulence factors of Candida and the host defense mechanisms that are important in protection from candidiasis have been the subject of intensive study, considerably less is known about the features of this disease that are specific to premature neonates. As animal models for neonatal candidiasis have been developed, efforts to understand the similarities and differences of candidiasis in the neonatal host relative to other immunocompromised patients have begun to provide insights to these questions.
Totalization with Mexico: A Path toImmigration Reform

I. Background 606 A. The U.S. Social Security System 606 1. Overview 606 2. Funding 607 3. Entitlement 608 B. The Mexican Social Security System 608 1. Overview 608 2. Funding 609 3. Entitlement 610 C. Totalization Agreements 611 1. Purpose 611 2. How Totalization Agreements Work 612 a. Totalization Agreements Are Executive Agreements, Distinct from Treaties 612 b. How They Address Dual Contributions 613 c. Avoidance of Situations in Which Workers Do Not Get Benefits Because They Have Divided Their Career Between Two Countries ........ 614
Toward giga-watt production of silicon photovoltaic cells, modules and systems

The current situation of photovoltaic generation industries and its progress towards the next Giga-watt production phase is discussed. It is observed that photovoltaic generation system installations are expanding to all corners of the world and that prices of photovoltaic generation systems continue going down. It is expected that photovoltaic generation systems will become a competitive power generation source within 2010-2020 and that photovoltaic generation systems will make a key role in social contributions as a vital energy supply source and as an important industry.
Research ethics of business academic researchers at AACSB institutions

Academic researchers in business are likely to have different perceptions and attitudes regarding what constitute unethical behavior in conducting their research. In fact, some might consider certain actions to be totally ethical while other behaviors might be unacceptable in one discipline, but acceptable in another. Therefore, a survey was administered to a sample of professors at AACSB-accredited institutions to identify those actions felt to be unethical and to gauge the state of research ethics among business academics. The survey was developed around eleven substantive issues concerning business research ethics. Some of the topics included: treatment of data, confidentiality, plagiarism, working with co-authors, and multiple submissions. First, respondents were asked whether they felt the behavior was unethical. Secondly, they were asked whether they had ever personally engaged in such activity. Finally, they were asked if they were aware of colleagues who had taken a particular action.
Trade liberalization, fiscal adjustment, and exchange rate policy in India

The authors investigate the impact of India's program of economic stabilization and trade liberalization launched in 1991, a year when the country was in the throes of a foreign exchange crisis. The authors address a key policy tradeoff between trade liberalization and fiscal adjustment arising from India's heavy dependence on tariffs for public revenues. They give quantitative expression to how trade liberalization should be coordinated both with fiscal adjustment - that is, a combination of trade-neutral tax increases and expenditure reduction and with a policy of exchange rate changes to restore both internal and external equilibrium. This paper asks: What is the impact of a reduction in the fiscal deficit characteristic of stabilization programs on tax and expenditure levels, on the real exchange rate, and the current account deficit? What is the effect of a significant trade liberalization without additional external financing on macroeconomic variables such as the required degree of fiscal adjustment and change in the real exchange rate, and, at a more disaggregated level, on output levels in different export-oriented and import-substituting sectors of the economy? What would the impact of such trade liberalization look like should substantive external financing become available without the need for domestic fiscal adjustment? The questions are explored using a general equilibrium model of the Indian economy that focuses on the consequences of trade policy reform. Policymakers are, however, also interested in how various import-substituting industries would be adversely affected by trade liberalization and how particular export-oriented industries would gain from it. These objectives are reconciled by the innovative expedient of implementing two models on a common data base: 1) a disaggregated 72-sector (price sensitive) input-output version that makes simplified assumptions regarding certain economywide relationships; and 2) an aggregated 6-sector version that pays attention to those relationships and can suggest what corrections ought to be made to the results of the sectorally disaggregated analysis. The policy questions were answered for the eve of the 1991 economic reform program launched by India's policymakers. Developments in the principal macroeconomic aggregates in the first two years of the liberalization process were then compared with the outcomes of the model and generally found to correspond closely. This finding encouraged an updating of the model for fiscal 1992-93 and its deployment to analyze the consequences of a set of further economic reforms for subsequent years. The authors conclude by suggesting that the approach developed for this paper could provide broad indications of the economywide and sectoral consequences of pursuing the unfinished agenda of reforms facing policymakers not only in India but in other developing countries as well.
Theory and analysis of near field adaptive nulling

A theory is developed for analyzing the behavior of adaptive hulling array antennas when subjected to a near field interference test source. Numerical results are presented for a linear array of isotropic receive antennas arranged in a sidelobe canceller configuration. It is shown that the near-field nulling performance of an adaptive array is comparable to its far-field nulling performance.
Artifacts and sampling requirement in transmission CT reconstruction with truncated projection data

In recent years, the quantitative accuracy of reconstructed SPECT images has been enhanced by compensating for photon attenuation using attenuation maps obtained from transmission CT data. The quality and quantitative accuracy of transmission CT images are affected by artifacts due to truncation of the projection data. In this study, the effect of data sampling on the quantitative accuracy of transmission CT images reconstructed from truncated projections has been investigated. Parallel-beam projections with different sets of acquisition parameters were simulated. In deciding whether a set of acquisition parameters (in terms of the number of linear and angular samples) provided sufficient sampling, use was made of the singular value decomposition of the projection matrix. The results of the study indicate that for noise-free data the ring artifact which is present in images reconstructed using iterative algorithms can be reduced or completely eliminated provided that the sampling is sufficient and an adequate number of iterations is performed. Reconstructions using the singular value decomposition were obtained and correlated very well with the reconstructions obtained using iterative algorithms. When the singular value decomposition indicated the presence of a null space, the iterative reconstruction methods failed to recover the object. The quantitative accuracy of the reconstructed attenuation maps depends on the sampling and is better as the number of angles and/or the number of projection bins is increased. Furthermore, the higher the degree of truncation the larger the number of iterations required in order to obtain accurate attenuation maps. In the presence of noise, the number of iterations required for the best compromise of noise and image detail is decreased with increased noise level and higher degree of truncation. Finally, the use of the body contour as support in the reconstructions resulted in quantitatively superior reconstructed images.
Moraxella nonliquefaciens Endophthalmitis After Trabeculectomy

Endophthalmitis caused by Moraxella nonliquefaciens developed five years after trabeculectomy in a 67-year-old man and 15 months after trabeculectomy in a 62-year-old women. Symptoms in both cases included pain, inflammation, and decreased visual acuity. Aggressive treatment with antibiotics and corticosteroids led to resolution within a few days.
The effects of stock type and radicle pruning on blue oak morphology and field performance

Des glands de Quercus douglasii ont ete mis a germer et repartis en trois groupes ou types de plants. Le premier a ete seme directement au champ, le second a ete eleve en conteneurs pendant 4 mois, et le troisieme pendant un an avant transplantation. De plus, chacun de ces groupes a ete subdivise en trois traitements de cernage racinaire: i) racines intactes, ii) ablation de 2-3 mm a l'apex, iii) cernage a 1 cm. Les resultats indiquent que le cernage a fortement modifie la morphologie des semis en conteneurs, mais n'avait pratiquement aucun effet sur les performances de croissance apres transplantation. En revanche, le type de plants a fortement affecte la croissance et la survie au champ, les semis directs et les plants de 4 mois presentant de bien meilleures croissances que les plants d'un an apres transplantation.
Observations of Epizootic Shell Disease in American Lobsters, Homarus americanus, in Southern New England

ABSTRACT Epizootic shell disease (ESD) is an emerging disease in American lobster, Homarus americanus, in southern New England (SNE). Monitoring surveys and research projects have been able to identify the initiation of the disease and changing prevalence levels over spatial and temporal landscapes, including demography. The sudden onset of ESD during the late 1990s was centered in SNE, specifically southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which have continued to show sustained mediumhigh prevalence levels. Legal and sublegal lobsters are both affected and we can now show that the disease occurs in small juvenile lobsters. Severity indices show little variation over time but ovigerous females have the highest prevalence and severity. Herein, we summarize available information on ESD in SNE.
Magnetism and candidate muon-probe sites in RBa2Cu3O y

Key results of zero-field (ZF) and transverse-field (TF) muon-spin-relaxation (μSR) experiments on superconducting and insulating RBa2Cu3O y (R123 y , with R=Eu, Gd, Pr and Pr/Y:y=6, 7) are examined. The chemical behavior of the positive muon probe is addressed, and muon-oxygen bonding is shown to occur in all these cuprates. To explain magnetic fields at muon-probe sites in Pr x Y1−x Ba2Cu3O y (0<=x<0.5,y=7 andx=0,y=6) samples, improvements on the reported magnetic structures from neutron diffraction are necessary. Cu magnetism in Pr123y (y=6,7) is observed belowT N1, which is near RT. The magnetism seen belowT N2 can be interpreted assuming an additional ordering in the Cutt-O chain layers. Alternatively, Pr ordering is also considered as the cause of the second phase transition. Considering the specific muon-probe location, a more detailed interpretation can be provided for the μSR parameters, measured in the normal and mixed states of these unconventional superconductors.
Résection d’un volumineux anévrysme de l’artère hépatique avec revascularisation

Les anevrysmes de l'artere hepatique sont rares, mais associes a une mortalite significative en raison du manque de symptomes lors de leur presentation et du risque de rupture. Nous rapportons un cas d'anevrysme de l'artere hepatique de 4 cm en croissance impliquant l'artere hepatique commune proximale jusqu'a la bifurcation en arteres hepatiques droite et gauche decouvert fortuitement lors d'un examen ultrasonore. Le traitement endovasculaire avec un stent a ete considere, mais en raison du siege de l'anevrysme et de la presence d'une thrombose significative des arteres hepatiques droite et gauche, une mise a plat avec revascularisation par veine saphene etait faite. L'echo-Doppler montrait un bon flux dans le pontage en postoperatoire et a un mois. Bien qu'une serie de techniques endovasculaires existent pour traiter les anevrysmes de l'artere hepatique, nos resultats indiquent que l'excision avec revascularisation ouverte peut etre necessaire et peut avoir de bons resultats.
The Herpes Simplex Virus 1 UL51 Protein Interacts with the UL7 Protein and Plays a Role in Its Recruitment into the Virion

The alphaherpesvirus UL51 protein is a tegument component that interacts with the viral glycoprotein E and functions at multiple steps in virus assembly and spread in epithelial cells. We show here that pUL51 forms a complex in infected cells with another conserved tegument protein, pUL7. This complex can form in the absence of other viral proteins and is largely responsible for recruitment of pUL7 to cytoplasmic membranes and into the virion tegument. Incomplete colocalization of pUL51 and pUL7 in infected cells, however, suggests that a significant fraction of the population of each protein is not complexed with the other and that they may accomplish independent functions. IMPORTANCE The ability of herpesviruses to spread from cell to cell in the face of an immune response is critical for disease and shedding following reactivation from latency. Cell-to-cell spread is a conserved ability of herpesviruses, and the identification of conserved viral genes that mediate this process will aid in the design of attenuated vaccines and of novel therapeutics. The conserved UL51 gene of herpes simplex virus 1 plays important roles in cell-to-cell spread and in virus assembly in the cytoplasm, both of which likely depend on specific interactions with other viral and cellular proteins. Here we identify one of those interactions with the product of another conserved herpesvirus gene, UL7, and show that formation of this complex mediates recruitment of UL7 to membranes and to the virion.
V2V Channels and Performance of Multi-User Spread Spectrum Modulation

Vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communications have drawn much attention in recent years. In this paper, we discuss tradeoffs between implementation complexity and accuracy of several stochastic channel models for the V2V environment, and then address spread spectrum system performance attained using these channel models. Two different propagation environments are considered: urban and open areas (highways). The necessity of employing non-stationary channel models to accurately represent the channel is substantiated by comparing stationary and non-stationary empirical model outputs with measured data. A framework to compare single carrier direct sequence code division multiple access (SC-DS-CDMA) and multicarrier DS-CDMA (MC-DS-CDMA) performance in V2V channels is presented, and bit error ratio (BER) performance of the schemes is provided for the two channels. Our comparison of single- and multi-user performance shows that MC-DS-CDMA performs better than SC-DS-CDMA in both V2V environments.
Phage-induced modification of valyl-tRNA synthetase.

Infection of Escherichia coli: with T4 bacteriophage causes the appearance of a new valyl-tRNA synthetase activity associated with a molecule that, compared to the host enzyme, exhibits a greater resistance to denaturation by heat or urea, a larger molecular volume, a higher rate of sedimentation in sucrose gradients, a greater net positive charge, and a greater ability to charge yeast tRNA. No evidence has been found for similar changes in synthetase activity for the other amino acids. Appearance of the new activity requires continued protein synthesis and results from a modification of the preexisting host enzyme rather than de novo synthesis of a totally new enzyme. By 20 minutes after infection at 30°C, all of the host enzyme has been converted into the new form. Phage mutants have been isolated that fail to effect a normal conversion. The properties of these mutants suggest that conversion involves the addition, to the host enzyme, of a protein specified by the phage genome. Drastic reduction of phage-induced activity in one of these mutants does not interfere detectably with phage development in a normal host, suggesting that the presence of the new activity is not essential for normal phage production.
The Illusionary Decline in Workforce Quality

SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR (the guest on the show): Men 25–34 are less likely to go on to some form of postsecondary education than probably their grandparents and parents did. . . . The percentage of men with some form of post-secondary education 25–34 is actually lower than the percentage of men who had some form of post-secondary education who are 55–64. . . . PROGRAM HOST: Are you surprised by that, that young men 25–34 are going to be less likely to have postsecondary education than their parents, grandparents? SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR: I’m quite surprised by it, and I really don’t have a good explanation for it.
Semisynthetic guayule latex with reduced allergenicity.

Abstract Semisynthetic latices were prepared batchwise using solvent-swollen rubber extracted from guayule ( Parthenium argentatum ). Emulsification of the extracted rubber with anionic surfactants followed by vacuum desolventization yielded stable, low-resin products. The swollen guayule rubber had a low protein content (2.3 μ g/g dry rubber). As a consequence, the semisynthetic latices had protein contents (11–20 μ g/g dry rubber) significantly lower than that of native guayule latex (129 μ g/g dry rubber) isolated directly from the shrub. More importantly, these semisynthetic latices and the dipped films prepared from compounded latices contained none of the protein allergens associated with either Hevea brasiliensis latex or native guayule latex.
Two distinct mechanisms of Topoisomerase 1-dependent mutagenesis in yeast

Topoisomerase 1 (Top1) resolves transcription-associated supercoils by generating transient single-strand breaks in DNA. Top1 activity in yeast is a major source of transcription-associated mutagenesis, generating a distinctive mutation signature characterized by deletions in short, tandem repeats. A similar signature is associated with the persistence of ribonucleoside monophosphates (rNMPs) in DNA, and it also depends on Top1 activity. There is only partial overlap, however, between Top1-dependent deletion hotspots identified in highly transcribed DNA and those associated with rNMPs, suggesting the existence of both rNMP-dependent and rNMP-independent events. Here, we present genetic studies confirming that there are two distinct types of hotspots. Data suggest a novel model in which rNMP-dependent hotspots are generated by sequential Top1 reactions and are consistent with rNMP-independent hotspots reflecting processing of a trapped Top1 cleavage complex.
Thromboxane Contributes to Submaximal Coronary Dilation During Myocardial Ischemia

Objectives: Thromboxane has been shown to contribute to coronary constriction in conduit coronary arteries during platelet aggregation at the site of a critical stenosis. Previous studies from our laboratory suggest that following a critical coronary stenosis, persistent vasomotor tone occurs. We tested the hypothesis that thromboxane is responsible for that increased tone.Methods: To test this hypothesis, 14 mongrel dogs of either sex were anesthetized and subjected to a critical coronary stenosis where distal coronary perfusion pressure was reduced to 36 ± 2 mm Hg. During the coronary stenosis, SQ 29,548 (thromboxane/endoperoxide receptor antagonist) was administered intravenously (0.2 mg/kg and 2.0 mg/kg). Coronary microvascular responses were observed by directly visualizing the epicardial microcirculation. Diameters were measured using intravital microscopy coupled to stroboscopic epi-illumination and jet ventilation to compensate for cardiac and respiratory-induced motion.Results: Coronary microvess...
Dissection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Entry with Neutralizing Antibodies to gp41 Fusion Intermediates

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry requires conformational changes in the transmembrane subunit (gp41) of the envelope glycoprotein (Env) involving transient fusion intermediates that contain exposed coiled-coil (prehairpin) and six-helix bundle structures. We investigated the HIV-1 entry mechanism and the potential of antibodies targeting fusion intermediates to block Env-mediated membrane fusion. Suboptimal temperature (31.5°C) was used to prolong fusion intermediates as monitored by confocal microscopy. After transfer to 37°C, these fusion intermediates progressed to syncytium formation with enhanced kinetics compared with effector-target (E/T) cell mixtures that were incubated only at 37°C. gp41 peptides DP-178, DP-107, and IQN17 blocked fusion more efficiently (5- to 10-fold-lower 50% inhibitory dose values) when added to E/T cells at the suboptimal temperature prior to transfer to 37°C. Rabbit antibodies against peptides modeling the N-heptad repeat or the six-helix bundle of gp41 blocked fusion and viral infection at 37°C only if preincubated with E/T cells at the suboptimal temperature. Similar fusion inhibition was observed with human six-helix bundle-specific monoclonal antibodies. Our data demonstrate that antibodies targeting gp41 fusion intermediates are able to bind to gp41 and arrest fusion. They also indicate that six-helix bundles can form prior to fusion and that the lag time before fusion occurs may include the time needed to accumulate preformed six-helix bundles at the fusion site.
Alternative Zippering as an On-Off Switch for SNARE-mediated Fusion

Membrane fusion between vesicles and target membranes involves the zippering of a four-helix bundle generated by constituent helices derived from target– and vesicle–soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs). In neurons, the protein complexin clamps otherwise spontaneous fusion by SNARE proteins, allowing neurotransmitters and other mediators to be secreted when and where they are needed as this clamp is released. The membrane-proximal accessory helix of complexin is necessary for clamping, but its mechanism of action is unknown. Here, we present experiments using a reconstituted fusion system that suggest a simple model in which the complexin accessory helix forms an alternative four-helix bundle with the target-SNARE near the membrane, preventing the vesicle-SNARE from completing its zippering.
Conformational mutations in human mitochondrial DNA.

Variation in the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence has been extensively analysed using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs)1–11. MtDNA RFLPs have previously been attributed to nucleotide changes within restriction endonuclease recognition sites1–10 or to small insertion–deletion mutations11. We now report that RFLPs detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis can also result from single nucleotide substitutions which alter the mobility of small- to medium-sized restriction fragments that incorporate the sequence. We have defined the mutation responsible at two loci and have identified several possible additional loci. When screening human mtDNAs with multiple restriction endonucleases, such mutations can be misidentified as insertion–deletion mutations or counted as multiple polymorphic restriction sites. This can lead to errors in constructing restriction maps and estimating sequence diversity.
Developing Capable Young People: An Alternative Strategy for Prevention Programs

Policies of the past 20 years have failed to reduce the incidence of adolescent pregnancy, school dropout, or substance abuse among United States youths. It is argued that this failure has been due...
ON THE PUZZLE OF THE OBSERVED NARROWING OF RADIO RECOMBINATION LINES

Recently, Bell et al. accurately measured in several giant H II regions both the width and the area of a great number of hydrogen radio recombination lines (RRLs)—up to the principal quantum number n = 274. For observations made at a frequency of 6 GHz, the measured line widths increased with the growth of n, but upon reaching some critical value n = ncr ~ 200, the line widths started to decrease rapidly with the further growth of n, while the line areas simultaneously increased above the predicted values. We show that the allowance for collisions with ions—especially for the transition from the impact limit of the ion Stark broadening at relatively low n to the quasi-static limit at relatively high n—could explain the puzzle of the narrowing of the RRLs observed by Bell et al.
Depression in the context of disability and the "right to die"

Arguments in favor of legalized assisted suicide often center on issues of personal privacy and freedom of choice over one's body. Many disability advocates assert, however, that autonomy arguments neglect the complex sociopolitical determinants of despair for people with disabilities. Specifically, they argue that social approval of suicide for individuals with irreversible conditions is discriminatory and that relaxing restrictions on assisted suicide would jeopardize, not advance, the freedom of persons with disabilities to direct the lives they choose. This paper examines the idea promoted by some proponents of assisted suicide that it is reasonable to be depressed about one's diminished quality of life in cases of irreversible illness or disability and, therefore, such depression should not call into question the individual's competence to request assistance in dying. The concept of rational depression is defined and examined in the context of: four real-life cases involving individuals with disabilities who requested assistance in dying; a set of criteria commonly applied to decision-making to determine rationality; and research bearing on the emotional status of people with disabilities. It is concluded that although disability is associated with particular socially mediated stressors, there is no theoretical or empirical evidence to indicate that depression and its role in the "right to die" is dynamically different, more natural, or more reasonable for disabled people than for non-disabled people.
A New Type of Constant-Torque Motor

A new type of single-phase alternating current motor that produces constant torque for any operating speed is described. The magnitude of the torque is adjustable. When rotation is in the direction of the developed torque motor action results. With reversed rotation the machine performs as a generator without change of the magnitude or direction of its developed torque. Efficiencies are comparable to those of conventional motors of equivalent ratings. No electronic devices or moving parts are required in the supply system. Sinusoidal voltages and currents prevail throughout the supply system and the motor components.
Coping and thought suppression as predictors of suicidal ideation in depressed older adults with personality disorders

Suicide rates are higher among older adults than any other age group and suicidal ideation is one of the best predictors of completed suicide in older adults. Despite this, few studies have evaluated predictors of suicidal ideation and other correlates of death by suicide (e.g. hopelessness) among older adults. Even fewer studies on this topic have been conducted among samples characterized as poor responders to treatments (e.g. depressed individuals with co-occurring personality disorder). The purpose of this study was to examine coping styles and thought suppression as predictors of a suicide risk composite score in a sample of depressed older adults with co-occurring personality disorders. Based on the extant literature, it was hypothesized that maladaptive coping (i.e. emotional and avoidance coping) and chronic thought suppression would significantly predict suicide risk. The results of this study indicated that elevated emotional coping and thought suppression were associated with increased suicide risk. Contrary to hypotheses, lower avoidance coping was associated with increased risk, although this finding is moderated by Axis II diagnosis Thus, treatments that focus on decreasing emotional coping and chronic thought suppression may result in decreased suicidal ideation and hopelessness for older adults with depression and Axis II pathology.
A Penning Discharge Ion Source for High Brightness

The development, characteristics and emittance of the Penning discharge ion source used in the Cosmotron injector are described. The maximum value of brightness reported is 3 × 1012 mA cm-2 rad-2 at 78 mA total current, 23 keV beam energy. The results are superior to recent values for duoplasmatrons from various laboratories, except for total current.
The effects of four outcome schedules on persistence, liking for the task, and attributions of causality1

Summary Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four schedules of outcomes on a problem solving task ascending, descending, constant success, and constant failure As predicted by White's theory of competence motivation, constant success subjects showed a sharp drop in desire to persist over time, interpreted as satiation of competence motivation Ascending subjects showed significantly more persistence than constant success subjects, with descending and constant failure subjects falling between these two conditions No differences on the final measure were found among conditions for liking for the task and attributions of causality, although significant differences between ascending and descending subjects were obtained on the difference scores, with ascending subjects showing more positive change than descending m liking and internal causality, from the first to the second measure
Origin of enhanced vibrational excitation in N 2 by electron impact in the 15-35 eV region

The authors calculate the integrated vibrational excitation cross section for $e$-${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ scattering in the interval 0-50 eV using the continuum multiple-scattering model with the Hara exchange approximation. Resonant enhancement is observed at 2.4 eV owing to the well-known ${\ensuremath{\pi}}_{g}$ shape resonance. In addition, however, enhanced vibrational excitation is found centered at \ensuremath{\sim}26 eV, arising from a broad shape resonance in the ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{u}$ channel. The authors propose this one-electron feature as the main source of the enhanced vibrational excitation observed by Pavlovic et al. in the 15-35 eV region.
Synthesis and resolution of substituted pipecolic acids

Abstract A new general method for the preparation of 2-alkyl-pipecolic acids has been developed. The syntheses of 2-methyl-, 2-benzyl- and cis -6-methylpipecolic acids are described. (−)S- and (+)R-2-methylpipecolic acids were resolved by fractional crystallization of the quinine salt of their N -carbobenzoxy derivative. Isolation of (−)S- cis -6-methylpipecolic acid required the use of 4-phenylbenzyloxycarbonyl as protecting group to achieve selective crystallization of the quinine salt. The absolute configurations of these compounds were determined by circular dichroism.
Knee extension strength and adiposity explain some of older adults' self-reported difficulty with mobility.

Background and purpose As adults lose strength with age and an increasing proportion of older adults are overweight or obese, this study was undertaken to examine the contribution of strength and adiposity to mobility difficulties among community-dwelling men and women at least 65 years of age. Methods The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2002 provided complete demographic, anthropometric, strength, and self-reported mobility data for 687 men and women. Results Spearman correlations of adiposity (.024-.149) and knee extension strength (-.120-.234) with mobility difficulty were mostly significant but not strong. Multiple regression showed that together, body mass index, knee extension force, and age offered the best explanation of mobility difficulty. Conclusions Adiposity and strength have relevance to the self-reported mobility difficulty of older adults. However, they leave most of such difficulty unexplained.
DFT analysis of co-alkyl and co-adenosyl vibrational modes in B12-cofactors.

Density functional theory (DFT)-based normal mode calculations have been carried out on models for B12-cofactors to assign reported isotope-edited resonance Raman spectra, which isolate vibrations of the organo−Co group. Interpretation is straightforward for alkyl−Co derivatives, which display prominent Co−C stretching vibrational bands. DFT correctly reproduces Co−C distances and frequencies for the methyl and ethyl derivatives. However, spectra are complex for adenosyl derivatives, due to mixing of Co−C stretching with a ribose deformation coordinate and to activation of modes involving Co−C−C bending and Co−adenosyl torsion. Despite this complexity, the computed spectra provide a satisfactory re-assignment of the experimental data. Reported trends in adenosyl−cobalamin spectra upon binding to the methylmalonyl CoA mutase enzyme, as well as on subsequent binding of substrates and inhibitors, provide support for an activation mechanism involving substrate-induced deformation of the adenosyl ligand.
Magnetic resonance imaging of bone marrow in oncology, Part 1

Magnetic resonance imaging plays an integral role in the detection and characterization of marrow lesions, planning for biopsy or surgery, and post-treatment follow-up. To evaluate findings in bone marrow on MR imaging, it is essential to understand the normal composition and distribution of bone marrow and the changes in marrow that occur with age, as well as the basis for the MR signals from marrow and the factors that affect those signals. The normal distribution of red and yellow marrow in the skeleton changes with age in a predictable sequence. Important factors that affect MR signals and allow detection of marrow lesions include alterations in fat-water distribution, destruction of bony trabeculae, and contrast enhancement. This two-part article reviews and illustrates these issues, with an emphasis on the practical application of MR imaging to facilitate differentiation of normal marrow, tumor, and treatment-related marrow changes in oncology patients.
Demonstration of DNA repair in normal and neoplastic tissues after treatment with proximate chemical carcinogens and ultraviolet radiation.

RECENTLY, increasing attention has been focused on the role of repair mechanisms in carcinogenesis and cell survival1-7. During the past decade many investigators have demonstrated DNA repair after damage with ultraviolet radiation in cultured mammalian cells2,8,9. Repair is now known to occur after damage with both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic alkylating agents in similar systems1,4–6,10–14. The molecular events involved in DNA repair in mammalian cells have not yet been completely clarified and most probably are best approached in culture. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know if cells as they normally exist in tissues and organs repair DNA in response to these damaging agents. Such data should help relate findings in cultured cells to processes like neoplasia and cell death which have been more extensively studied in the intact animal. The data might be especially useful in clarifying conflicting or apparently conflicting findings on the role of repair mechanisms in carcino-genesis2,3,10,14–19.
Fuzzy-Face: A Hybrid Wavelet/Fuzzy Self-Organizing Feature Map System for Face Processing

The human face is one of the most important patterns our visual system receives. It establishes a person's identity and also plays a significant role in everyday communication. Humans can recognize familiar faces under varying lighting conditions, different scales, and even after the face has changed due to aging, hair style, glasses, or facial hair. Our ease at recognizing faces is a strong motivation for the investigation of computational models of face processing. This paper presents a newly developed face processing system called Fuzzy-Face that combines wavelet pre-processing of input with a fuzzy self-organizing feature map algorithm. The wavelet-derived face space is partitioned into fuzzy sets which are characterized by face exemplars and membership values to those exemplars. This system learns faces using relatively few training epochs, has total recall for faces it has been shown, generalizes to face images that are acquired under different lighting conditions, and has rudimentary gender discrimination capabilities. We also include the results of some experimental studies.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy: comparison to open radical nephrectomy.

Abstract Objectives. Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery is easier to learn than standard laparoscopy and simplifies intact specimen removal. We present our experience performing hand-assisted laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (HALRN) and compare it with contemporary open radical nephrectomy performed at our institution. Methods. We performed 18 HALRNs for renal tumors ranging in size from 2 to 11 cm (average 4.5). Patients ranged in age from 40 to 83 years (average 62.9). All patients underwent HALRN with intact removal through a 7 to 8-cm vertical midline incision through an impermeable wound protector. Two or three working ports were used. We retrospectively compared our results with the results of 18 open radical nephrectomies performed during the same period, with the patients matched for age, body mass index, and American Society of Anesthesiologists’ score. Results. In the HALRN group, the average operating room time was 220.5 minutes, average length of stay 3.9 days, average time to return to normal activity 15.8 days, and average time to return to work 26.8 days. The median time to return to 100% normal was 28.0 days. No conversions or re-explorations were necessary in the HALRN series. The final pathologic examination revealed renal cell carcinoma in 15, oncocytoma in 1, angiomyolipoma in 1, and a complex cyst in 1. At a maximum of 48 months of follow-up (average 12.2), no recurrences were identified. Three deaths occurred in the series; 2 patients died with no evidence of disease and 1 patient died of metastatic disease (the nephrectomy was palliative). In the open group, the average operating room time was 117.8 minutes, average length of stay 5.1 days, average time to return to normal activity 23.5 days, and average time to return to work 52.2 days. The median time to return to 100% normal was 150 days, with 3 patients never returning to 100% normal. Conclusions. Our series demonstrated that HALRN is a safe, effective, minimally invasive option for treating renal cell carcinoma and provides a shorter hospital stay (P = 0.02), earlier return to work (P = 0.04), and earlier return to 100% normal (P = 0.0002) than open radical nephrectomy.
Imaging biomarkers for antiangiogenic therapy in malignant gliomas

The discovery that malignant gliomas produce an excessive amount of VEGF, a key mediator of angiogenesis, has heightened interest in developing drugs that block angiogenic pathways. These antiangiogenic drugs tend to decrease vascular permeability, thereby diminishing tumor contrast enhancement independent of anti-tumor effects. This has made the determination of tumor response difficult, since contrast enhancement on post-contrast T1-weighted images is standard for assessing therapy effectiveness. In light of these unique challenges in assessing antiangiogenic therapy, new biomarkers have been proposed, based on advanced magnetic resonance techniques and PET. This article outlines the challenges associated with the evaluation of antiangiogenic therapy in malignant gliomas and describes how new imaging biomarkers can be used to better predict response.
TO PUNISH OR REHABILITATE? A RESEARCH NOTE ASSESSING THE PURPOSES OF STATE CORRECTIONAL DEPARTMENTS AS DEFINED BY STATE LEGAL CODES

ABSTRACT This study examines all fifty states’ legal codes in an attempt to determine the legally mandated purposes for the existence of state correctional departments. Specifically, we seek to determine whether correctional departments exist primarily to either rehabilitate or punish offenders or both. Our findings reveal that rehabilitation is the most common goal with 41 states mandating its use. Our findings, however, do demonstrate that non-rehabilitative goals are increasingly being enacted. Our analysis also indicates that a majority of states have multiple purposes. The findings are discussed with attention to broader attitudinal trends towards crime and criminal justice. Suggestions for future research into the purposes of state correctional departments are made.
Banana Production Systems: Identification of Alternative Systems for More Sustainable Production

Large-scale, monoculture production systems dependent on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, increase yields, but are costly and have deleterious impacts on human health and the environment. This research investigates variations in banana production practices in Costa Rica, to identify alternative systems that combine high productivity and profitability, with reduced reliance on agrochemicals. Farm workers were observed during daily production activities; 39 banana producers and 8 extension workers/researchers were interviewed; and a review of field experiments conducted by the National Banana Corporation between 1997 and 2002 was made. Correspondence analysis showed that there is no structured variation in large-scale banana producers’ practices, but two other banana production systems were identified: a small-scale organic system and a small-scale conventional coffee–banana intercropped system. Field-scale research may reveal ways that these practices can be scaled up to achieve a productive and profitable system producing high-quality export bananas with fewer or no pesticides.
Growth of hybridoma cells under different agitation conditions

The effect of mechanical agitation on hybridoma cell growth was examined in laboratory scale vessels. At an agitation rate four times that required to keep the cells in suspension, both growth rate and growth extent were reduced. However, using the minimum agitation rate required to suspend cells, no adverse effect on cell growth was observed even with a turbine agitator.
Structure of Mouse Golgi α-Mannosidase IA Reveals the Molecular Basis for Substrate Specificity among Class 1 (Family 47 Glycosylhydrolase) α1,2-Mannosidases

Three subfamilies of mammalian Class 1 processing alpha1,2-mannosidases (family 47 glycosidases) play critical roles in the maturation of Asn-linked glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi complex as well as influencing the timing and recognition for disposal of terminally unfolded proteins by ER-associated degradation. In an effort to define the structural basis for substrate recognition among Class 1 mannosidases, we have crystallized murine Golgi mannosidase IA (space group P2(1)2(1)2(1)), and the structure was solved to 1.5-A resolution by molecular replacement. The enzyme assumes an (alphaalpha)(7) barrel structure with a Ca(2+) ion coordinated at the base of the barrel similar to other Class 1 mannosidases. Critical residues within the barrel structure that coordinate the Ca(2+) ion or presumably bind and catalyze the hydrolysis of the glycone are also highly conserved. A Man(6)GlcNAc(2) oligosaccharide attached to Asn(515) in the murine enzyme was found to extend into the active site of an adjoining protein unit in the crystal lattice in a presumed enzyme-product complex. In contrast to an analogous complex previously isolated for Saccharomyces cerevisiae ER mannosidase I, the oligosaccharide in the active site of the murine Golgi enzyme assumes a different conformation to present an alternate oligosaccharide branch into the active site pocket. A comparison of the observed protein-carbohydrate interactions for the murine Golgi enzyme with the binding cleft topologies of the other family 47 glycosidases provides a framework for understanding the structural basis for substrate recognition among this class of enzymes.
Molecular dimensions and their distributions in early folding intermediates.

The integration of ultrafast mixing technology with bright X-ray sources at synchrotrons and with sophisticated fluorescence methods is yielding quantitative insights into the dimensions of unfolded proteins and transient intermediates that appear during the earliest stages of folding. Time-resolved Forster resonance energy transfer and small-angle X-ray scattering techniques, which are sensitive to the distributions of distances, can also elucidate the nature of processes otherwise obscured in measurements of a single ensemble-averaged optical property. These two approaches have recently been applied to the protein folding problem. In particular, progress has been made in characterizing the dimensions of unfolded states, and discriminating between barrierless and barrier-limited collapse of the unfolded state at the beginning of the folding reaction.
Model-based lamotrigine clearance changes during pregnancy: Clinical implication

Objective The objective of the study was to characterize changes in the oral clearance (CL/F) of lamotrigine (LTG) over the course of pregnancy and the postpartum period through a model-based approach incorporating clinical characteristics that may influence CL/F, in support of developing clinical management guidelines. Methods Women receiving LTG therapy who were pregnant or planning pregnancy were enrolled. Maternal blood samples were collected at each visit. A pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using a population-based, nonlinear, mixed-effects model. Results A total of 600 LTG concentrations from 60 women (64 pregnancies) were included. The baseline LTG CL/F was 2.16 L/h with a between-subject variability of 40.6%. The influence of pregnancy on CL/F was described by gestational week. Two subpopulations of women emerged based on the rate of increase in LTG CL/F during pregnancy. The gestational age-associated increase in CL/F displayed a 10-fold higher rate in 77% of the women (0.118 L/h per week) compared to 23% (0.0115 L/h per week). The between-subject variability in these slopes was 43.0%. The increased CL/F at delivery declined to baseline values with a half-life of 0.55 weeks. Interpretation The majority of women had a substantial increase in CL/F from 2.16 to 6.88 L/h by the end of pregnancy, whereas 23% of women had a minimal increase. An increase in CL/F may correspond to decreases in LTG blood concentrations necessitating the need for more frequent dosage adjustments and closer monitoring in some pregnant women with epilepsy. Postpartum doses should be tapered to preconception dose ranges within 3 weeks of delivery.