cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Levels of vancomycin in the cerebral interstitial fluid after severe head injury.

To evaluate the concentrations of vancomycin in the cerebral interstitial fluid after intravenous administration by multiple boli. Prospective non randomized study University hospital general ICU Four patients undergone to craniotomy for evacuation of cerebral posttraumatic hemorrhage, who developed pneumonia 4–7 days from the injury Two microdialysis catheters were placed in each patient: one in the edematous brain surrounding the focal lesion and one in the subcutaneous tissue of abdomen. Levels of vancomycin were measured in serum and in the microdialysates samples. Plasmatic concentration of 10–15 μg/ml in the trough level was obtained after four administrations of vancomycin. Levels of vancomycin in the subcutaneous tissue was above minimum inhibitory concentrations in all patients after the second administration. Mean serum/brain ratio was 8%. Cerebral interstitial concentration of vancomycin was never above minimum inhibitory concentrations; its maximum value was 1.2 μg/ml. In edematous brain close to a posttraumatic hemorrhage the levels of vancomycin do not differ from that in healthy subjects. At these plasmatic concentrations cerebral interstitial levels of vancomycin were insufficient while subcutaneous interstitial levels were effective for clinical use.
What is the slowest-yet-normal cervical dilation rate among nulliparous women with spontaneous labor onset?

Objective To integrate research literature that has provided insights into the cervical dilation rate that may best describe the slowest-yet-normal dilation rate among nulliparous women when beginning with criteria commonly associated with active labor onset.
Primary and Secondary Labor Markets Implications for Vocational Rehabilitation

This article reviews theoretical and empirical work in labor economics and the sociology of work relating to the segmentation of the labor market into a primary and a secondary sector and examines the implications for vocational rehabilitation. Demand-side and supply-side factors associated with labor market segmentation and movement of workers from the secondary to the primary sector are reviewed. Transition into primary sector employment is explored as an important aspect of career development for individuals with disabilities. Recommendations for working toward this goal are offered for job development, job analysis, and job training and support.
TIME-DELAY PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN INTEGRATING THE ADVANCED SIMULATOR FOR UNDERGRADUATE PILOT TRAINING

An advanced Computer Image Generation (CIG) visual system has been integrated with an advanced Flight Training Research Simulator. The integration design was the first developed for integrating a CIG visual system with a sophisticated flight simulator. There was much concern for the unique CIG system transport delay, and techniques were developed which proved to be quite successful in compensating for the majority of this delay. However, not enough concern was given to previously unrecognized and unreported excessive motion system delays which were encountered during final integrated system tests. The integration scheme and the impact of iteration rates, visual and motion system delays, and delay compensation on visual and motion cue coordination as perceived by pilots are presented.
Carbon emission from farm operations

This manuscript is a synthesis of the available information on energy use in farm operations, and its conversion into carbon equivalent (CE). A principal advantage of expressing energy use in terms of carbon (C) emission as kg CE lies in its direct relation to the rate of enrichment of atmospheric concentration of CO2. Synthesis of the data shows that estimates of emissions in kg CE/ha are 2–20 for different tillage operations, 1–1.4 for spraying chemicals, 2–4 for drilling or seeding and 6–12 for combine harvesting. Similarly, estimates of C emissions in kg CE/kg for different fertilizer nutrients are 0.9–1.8 for N, 0.1–0.3 for P2O5, 0.1–0.2 for K20 and 0.03–0.23 for lime. Estimates of C emission in kg CE/kg of active ingredient (a.i.) of different pesticides are 6.3 for herbicides, 5.1 for insecticides and 3.9 for fungicides. Irrigation, lifting water from deep wells and using sprinkling systems, emits 129F98 kg CE for applying 25 cm of water and 258F195 for 50 cm of water. Emission for different tillage methods are 35.3 kg CE/ha for conventional till, 7.9 kg CE/ha for chisel till or minimum till, and 5.8 kg CE/ha for no-till method of seedbed preparation. In view of the high C costs of major inputs, sustainable management of agricultural ecosystems implies that an output/input ratio, expressed either as gross or net output of C, must be >1 and has an increasing trend over time. D 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Data Collection and Harmonization in HIV Research: The Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain Initiative at the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Large-scale, multisite data sets offer the potential for exploring the public health benefits of biomedical interventions. Data harmonization is an emerging strategy to increase the comparability of research data collected across independent studies, enabling research questions to be addressed beyond the capacity of any individual study. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently implemented this novel strategy to prospectively collect and harmonize data across 22 independent research studies developing and empirically testing interventions to effectively deliver an HIV continuum of care to diverse drug-abusing populations. We describe this data collection and harmonization effort, collectively known as the Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain Data Collection and Harmonization Initiative, which can serve as a model applicable to other research endeavors.
Time Resolved Shadowgraph Images of Silicon during Laser Ablation: Shockwaves and Particle Generation

Time resolved shadowgraph images were recorded of shockwaves and particle ejection from silicon during laser ablation. Particle ejection and expansion were correlated to an internal shockwave resonating between the shockwave front and the target surface. The number of particles ablated increased with laser energy and was related to the crater volume.
EFFECTS OF A SEASON OF SUBCONCUSSIVE CONTACT ON CHILD- SCAT3 SCORES IN 8-12 YEAR-OLD MALE ATHLETES.

BACKGROUND: Each year, over 173,000 children and adolescents visit emergency departments due to sports and recreation related concussions, an increase of 60% over the last decade due to the rise in the number of children participating in sport. While numerous authors have sought to address the epidemiology of concussions across multiple age groups who participate in contact sports, a recent review of literature did not reveal a substantial amount of published articles that addressed the issue of subconcussive contact. Multiple tools have been developed to assess acute episodes of concussion. Among the assessment protocols many include an assessment of balance, short and long term memory recall, and balance. The Child-SCAT3 was designed specifically to evaluate concussions in children 5-12 years of age. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a season of subconcussive contact on Child-SCAT3 scores in 8-12 year old males compared to their age matched peers who participated in non-contact sports. A secondary purpose was to evaluate how scores of the sub- components of the Child-SCAT3 compare between contact and non-contact athletes. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was performed of 71 male athletes (58 football, 13 baseball) ages 8-12 (contact mean age 10.30 years, SD 1.20; non-contact mean age 10.03 years, SD 1.26) over the course of a season. METHODS: Portions of The Child-SCAT3 were administered and scored in pre-adolescent athletes prior to and following a season of participation in American football (contact sport group) and baseball (non-contact sport group). The outcome measures of interest included the portions related to Cognitive ability, Balance, and Coordination. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found in group, time or time and group interaction for any of the utilized portions of the Child-SCAT3. Statistically significant differences were found between groups for preseason cognitive orientation and postseason immediate memory. Cognitive orientation and coordination were also found to be statistically significantly improved across both groups over the course of the season. LIMITATIONS: This study was potentially limited by the number of control subjects tested. CONCLUSIONS: A season of subconcussive contact in football was not detrimental to cognitive and balance scores on the Child-SCAT3. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3. Language: en
A scientific approach to cyberattack detection

Attack-norm separation uses rigorous signal detection models to isolate attack signals from normal data before attack identification. By drawing from science instead of heuristics, this approach promises more efficient, accurate, and inclusive attack identification.
On-line tracking abilities of neural networks with graded responses

This paper analyzes the tracking performance of neural networks with graded analog responses when the weights of a target network change slowly with time. We first study the performance of a tracker consisting of a single neuron and then discuss two-layer networks. The target network weights are described by a stochastic difference equation with weights changing slowly with time. The tracker weights follow the Least Mean Square (LMS) gradient descent algorithm. We use a Gaussian error function: g(x)=1//spl radic/(2/spl pi/)/spl int//sub -x//sup x/e(-t/sup 2//2)dt, as this activation function makes the analysis tractable and the function closely approximates the standard sigmoidal nonlinearity (g(x)=tanh(x)). For a weight drift of rate y and appropriately chosen step size /spl mu/ the mean squared generalization error is proportional to /spl gamma//sup 2///spl mu/. The paper then formulates an approach to analyzing a two-layer soft committee machine and concludes by discussing extensions to this research.
An adaptive background model initialization algorithm with objects moving at different depths

Background subtraction is an essential element in most object tracking and video surveillance systems. The success of this low-level processing step is highly dependent on the quality of the background model maintained. Gutchess et al. [4] proposed a novel background initialization algorithm that utilizes local optical flow information to locate the stable interval (of intensity values) which is most likely to display background. However, it is found that the accuracy of the computed background is rather sensitive to the parameters used. In addition, their algorithm is not able to handle the scenario where objects are moving at different depths. In this paper, we propose an algorithm which is adaptive to the input sequence and is able to equalize the uneven effect caused by different object depths. Our algorithm is successfully tested on complex indoor and outdoor scenes with promising results.
Progressive Collapse of Structures: Annotated Bibliography and Comparison of Codes and Standards

Progressive collapse is one of the most under-researched areas in structural engineering due to the relative scarcity of the circumstances leading to progressive collapse. The current design standards and building codes provide limited prescriptive or performance-based guidance on analysis or design to guard against progressive collapse. The collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, led to demands by the public to amend current building codes and provide protection against collapse caused by extreme events. Following September 11, the literature on progressive collapse mitigation has expanded significantly. Important issues examined by investigators include events leading to progressive collapse, assessment of loads, analysis methods, and design philosophy. This paper seeks to explore aspects of the current state of knowledge on progressive collapse in the technical literature. The paper also discusses loads, structural analysis requirements, and design approaches in United States standards and guides as well as selected international building codes and standards.
Specific Interaction of the PDZ Domain Protein PICK1 with the COOH Terminus of Protein Kinase C-α

PICK1 is a protein kinase C (PKC) alpha-binding protein initially identified using the yeast two-hybrid system. Here we report that PICK1 contains a PDZ domain that interacts specifically with a previously unidentified PDZ-binding domain (QSAV) at the extreme COOH terminus of PKCalpha and that mutation of a putative carboxylate-binding loop within the PICK1 PDZ domain abolishes this interaction. The PDZ-binding domain in PKCalpha is absent from other PKC isoforms that do not interact with PICK1. We also demonstrate that PICK1 can homooligomerize through sequences that are distinct from the carboxylate-binding loop, suggesting that self-association and PKCalpha binding are not mutually exclusive. A Caenorhabditis elegans PICK1-like protein is also able to bind to PKCalpha, suggesting a conservation of function through evolution. Association of PKCalpha with PICK1 provides a potential mechanism for the selective targeting of PKCalpha to unique subcellular sites.
The effect of the ovarian steroids on the membrane potential of uterine muscle.

Measurements with flexible intracellular microelectrodes show that the rabbit myometrium when insufficiently stimulated by estrogen has a low membrane potential of about 30 to 35 mv. Estrogen (endogenous or exogenous) increases this value up to 43 to 48 mv., whereas progesterone increases it still further up to 55 to 60 mv. Between the 20th and 29th days of rabbit pregnancy the membrane potential at placental implantation sites is about 10 mv. higher than between these sites. Progesterone treatment increases the value at the interplacental sites to the level of the placental sites. The onset of labor is preceded by a drop in membrane potential at the placental sites to the level of the interplacental sites. This change results in a more or less uniform potential of 45–50 mv. along the length of the uterine horn at term. The membrane potential of the uterus is a log function of the [K]0 at values greater than 12 mM/liter, as is the case in other excitable tissues. In Ca-free Krebs the membrane potential of the estrogen-dominated uterus drops to a low level; the progesterone-dominated myometrium exhibits only a transient and lesser decrease. The membrane potential of the myometrial cell is influenced by endocrine regulation. The correlation between membrane potential and threshold only holds for the estrogen-dominated uterus, however, in other endocrine conditions the relationship breaks down.
A sensory brain map for each behavior

Multiple brain maps are commonly found in virtually every vertebrate sensory system. Although their functional significance is generally relatively little understood, they seem to specialize in processing distinct sensory parameters. Nevertheless, to yield the stimulus features that ultimately elicit the adaptive behavior, it appears that information streams have to be combined across maps. Results from current lesion experiments in the electrosensory system, however, suggest an alternative possibility. Inactivations of different maps of the first-order electrosensory nucleus in electric fish, the electrosensory lateral line lobe, resulted in markedly different behavioral deficits. The centromedial map is both necessary and sufficient for a particular electrolocation behavior, the jamming avoidance response, whereas it does not affect the communicative response to external electric signals. Conversely, the lateral map does not affect the jamming avoidance response but is necessary and sufficient to evoke communication behavior. Because the premotor pathways controlling the two behaviors in these fish appear to be separated as well, this system illustrates that sensory–motor control of different behaviors can occur in strictly segregated channels from the sensory input of the brain all through to its motor output. This might reflect an early evolutionary stage where multiplication of brain maps can satisfy the demand on processing a wider range of sensory signals ensuing from an enlarged behavioral repertoire, and bridging across maps is not yet required.
Effects of Chronic Exercise on Blood Pressure in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats

We tested the hypothesis that daily exercise would reduce directly measured arterial blood pressure (BP) and sympathetic nervous system support of BP in conscious, unrestrained, female Dahl salt-sensitive rats consuming 4.0% NaCl. Dahl S/Jr inbred rats were assigned to daily exercise (EX) or sedentary (SED) treatment conditions (n = 12/group) at 4 weeks of age. Rats in the EX group were housed in cages with attached running wheels. After 5 weeks of exercise, rats were running 10.3 ± 1.7 km/day. After at least 5 wks of treatment, all rats in both groups were placed on a 4.0% NaCl diet for 2 weeks to produce sodium-induced hypertension. Rats continued to either exercise daily or remain sedentary for an additional 2 weeks while consuming the high sodium diet. Carotid and jugular catheters were then implanted for measurements in conscious, resting, unrestrained rats on two separate days. Daily wheel running exercise for 7 to 9 weeks did not alter BP or HR in Dahl S/Jr rats consuming a 4.0% NaCl diet. However, acute arterial depressor responses to ganglionic blockade were less in EX rats. Furthermore, greater α-adrenergic (phenylephrine-induced) pressor responses were observed in the EX group while under ganglionic blockade. The findings suggest that overall resting sympathetic neural activity or cardiac β-adrenergic responsiveness to sympathetic activity is reduced in this model of hypertension by daily wheel running exercise.
Hidden Markov models for wavelet-based signal processing

Current wavelet-based statistical signal and image processing techniques such as shrinkage and filtering treat the wavelet coefficients as though they were statistically independent. This assumption is unrealistic; considering the statistical dependencies between wavelet coefficients can yield substantial performance improvements. In this paper we develop a new framework for wavelet-based signal processing that employs hidden Markov models to characterize the dependencies between wavelet coefficients. To illustrate the power of the new framework, we derive a new signal denoising algorithm that outperforms current scalar shrinkage techniques.
Effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on vasomotor functions of porcine arteries

Introduction. Lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC) is a product of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis by phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and is present in cell membranes, oxidized LDL, and atherosclerotic tissues. In this study, we determined the effects of LysoPC on vasomotor function and molecular changes of porcine coronary arteries. Methods. Porcine coronary artery rings were incubated for 24 h in control, low-dose lysoPC (12.5 μM), high-dose lysoPC (25 μM), antioxidant selenomethionine (100 μM), low-dose lysoPC with selenomethionine and high-dose lysoPC with selenomethionine. Vasomotor function was analyzed with myograph device in response to U46619, bradykinin, and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), respectively. Additionally, superoxide anion levels were determined by lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence assay. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) levels were determined by immunohistochemistry staining. Results. In response to U46619, the maximal contractivity was significantly reduced in the high-dose lysoPC treated vessels as compared to controls (37 versus 115 mN, n = 8, P < 0.05). In response to bradykinin, the endothelium-dependent relaxation showed a significant reduction in the high-dose lysoPC treated rings as compared to controls (12 versus 63%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, in response to SNP, the endothelium-independent relaxation was also reduced in the high-dose lysoPC treated vessels as compared to controls (27 versus 73%, P < 0.05). By contrast, antioxidant selenomethionine effectively reversed these effects of lysPC on vessel contractivity and relaxation. At the molecular levels, high-dose lysoPC significantly increased superoxide anion production by 32% (P < 0.05) and substantially decreased eNOS immunoreactivity. Selenomethionine effectively blocked these effects of lysoPC. Conclusions. These data demonstrate that lysoPC (25 μM) significantly impairs vasomotor functions and increase superoxide anion production in porcine coronary arteries. These detrimental effects of lysoPC may be related to increased oxidative stress and decreased eNOS activity as molecular mechanisms.
Robots with emotional intelligence

This keynote talk will illustrate a basic set of skills of emotional intelligence, how they are important for robots and agents that interact with people, and how our research at MIT addresses part of the problem of giving robots such skills. One of the most important skills is the ability to perceive and understand expressions of emotion, which I will highlight by demonstrating our latest technologies developed to read joint facial-head movements in real-time and associate these with complex affective-cognitive states, and technologies to read paralinguistic vocal cues from speech. The latter have been made open-source and are available for free. I will also show some non-traditional ways robots might sense and learn about human emotion, and ways they can respond to what they sense that can help or hurt people. I will discuss social and ethical issues these technologies raise. Finally, I will present some new possibilities for robots to both learn from people and help teach skills of emotional intelligence to people, especially to those with nonverbal learning impairments who may want to learn these skills, including many people with diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders such as Aspergers Syndrome.
Who Sits at the Table in the House of Labor? Rank-and-File Citizenship and the Unraveling of Confederal Organizations

Labor unions, religious denominations, political interest groups, and others often aggregate the interests of their members through confederally structured organizations. But governance rules, central authority, scale of membership, and scope of activity vary across time and organizations. Furthermore, unlike citizens of federally organized nation-states, individual members are rarely direct (voting) members of confederal organizations. I present a simple model of public goods provision under the threat of exit showing that distributive conflict over the appropriate balance between the gains from cooperation available in confederal organizations with the loss of control for individual groups can explain this variation in governance as well as the infrequent enfranchisement of the rank-and-file at the confederal level. I illustrate my conclusions with a comparative examination of the origins and development of the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor. I conclude with some observations about the recent schism in the American labor movement. The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Yale University. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
Transcriptional control of the human plasma membranephospholipid scramblase 1 gene is mediated by interferon-α

Interferons (IFNs) mediate their diverse biologic activities through induction of the expression of multiple genes. Whereas the mode of action of certain of these IFN-regulated genes has been well characterized, most of the molecular and cellular events underlying the constellation of biologic responses to the IFNs remain unresolved. This study showed that the newly identified PLSCR1 gene for phospholipid scramblase, previously implicated in remodeling of plasma membrane phospholipids, is regulated at the transcriptional level by IFN-alpha. Analysis of 5' flanking genomic sequence in reporter constructs showed that transcriptional control of PLSCR1 was entirely regulated by a single IFN-stimulated response element located in the first exon. A similar induction of PLSCR1 by IFN-alpha2a was also observed in a variety of other human tumor cell lines as well as in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In these cell lines, the marked IFN-alpha2a-induced increase in PLSCR1 protein expression, ranging as high as 10-fold above basal levels, was not accompanied by increased cell surface exposure of phosphatidylserine, suggesting that remodeling of the cell surface requires both exposure to IFN and a second yet-to-be identified event to stimulate plasma membrane phospholipid scramblase activity and to mobilize phosphatidylserine to the cell surface. (Blood. 2000;95:2593-2599)
Electrostatic contributions drive the interaction between Staphylococcus aureus protein Efb-C and its complement target C3d

The C3–inhibitory domain of Staphylococcus aureus extracellular fibrinogen-binding protein (Efb-C) defines a novel three-helix bundle motif that regulates complement activation. Previous crystallographic studies of Efb-C bound to its cognate subdomain of human C3 (C3d) identified Arg-131 and Asn-138 of Efb-C as key residues for its activity. In order to characterize more completely the physical and chemical driving forces behind this important interaction, we employed in this study a combination of structural, biophysical, and computational methods to analyze the interaction of C3d with Efb-C and the single-point mutants R131A and N138A. Our results show that while these mutations do not drastically affect the structure of the Efb-C/C3d recognition complex, they have significant adverse effects on both the thermodynamic and kinetic profiles of the resulting complexes. We also characterized other key interactions along the Efb-C/C3d binding interface and found an intricate network of salt bridges and hydrogen bonds that anchor Efb-C to C3d, resulting in its potent complement inhibitory properties.
Remote Sensing of Nutrient Concentrations of Soils and Crops in Biosolid Amended Soils

The accumulation of heavy metals in the biosolid amended soils and the risk of their uptake into different plant parts is a topic of great concern. This chapter summarizes the accumulation of several heavy metals and nutrients in soils and in plants grown on biosolid applied soils and the use of remote sensing to monitor the metal uptake and plant stress. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted with soybeans grown on soils applied with biosolids at varying rates. The data indicated that the chemical concentrations in soils and in soybean shoots and roots increased significantly with increase in applied biosolid concentrations. Copper (Cu) and Molybdenum (Mo) accumulated significantly in the shoots and roots of the metal-treated plants. The spectral and Landsat TM data indicated that the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) can be used to distinguish the metal stressed plants. The NDVI showed significant negative correlation with increase in soil Cu concentrations followed by other elements. This data indicated that the remote sensing can be used to monitor soybean stress patterns and to indirectly assess soil chemical characteristics. The data from remote sensing analysis of the biosolid applied soils indicated that the satellite imagery of bare-soil fields can be used to quantify and map the spatial variation of total phosphorous and copper concentration in surface soils.
Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Treat Distressed Couples: A Case Study With Two Couples

Abstract Although the field of couple therapy has made significant strides in recent years, there continues to be a need for theoretically sound and empirically supported treatments. The current case study examines whether Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an experiential acceptance-based behavior therapy, can be effective in treating distressed couples. Although ACT has demonstrated effectiveness in treating a variety of disorders in individuals, it has not been systemically applied to the treatment of couple distress, and the current study is the first empirical examination of ACT for the treatment of couples. Two married couples participated in the study. A number of core ACT interventions were modified to treat couples in a conjoint format. Cognitive defusion exercises were used to help couples reduce their fusion with and the believability of negative thoughts and feelings related to the relationship. Mindfulness and acceptance techniques were used to help couples increase awareness of their reactions to negative relationship cycles. Finally, value-directed action was used to help partners act in ways consistent with relationship values even in the presence of unwanted thoughts and feelings. The results of this preliminary case study suggest that ACT may be effective in increasing marital adjustment and satisfaction, and in reducing interpersonal and psychological distress in couples. Future studies with larger samples and more controlled designs are needed to build on the results from this single-case study.
Management of High-Risk Populations with Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer that extends beyond the confines of the prostatic gland on clinical and/or radiographic assessment, without evidence of lymph node or distant metastases, is regarded as locally advanced. The locally advanced prostate cancer patient population consists of a heterogeneous group of men, some of whom have tumors that may be amenable to primary curative intent with local definitive therapy associated with acceptable long-term cancer control rates. In order to optimally manage this group of patients, it is important to be able to recognize who is at a high risk of tumor recurrence after primary local therapy. In this brief review, we discuss the factors that contribute to the prediction of high risk in populations with locally advanced disease and the treatment options available. The Oncologist 2003;8:259-269
Modulation of actin mechanics by caldesmon and tropomyosin.

The ability of cells to sense and respond to physiological forces relies on the actin cytoskeleton, a dynamic structure that can directly convert forces into biochemical signals. Because of the association of muscle actin-binding proteins (ABPs) may affect F-actin and hence cytoskeleton mechanics, we investigated the effects of several ABPs on the mechanical properties of the actin filaments. The structural interactions between ABPs and helical actin filaments can vary between interstrand interactions that bridge azimuthally adjacent actin monomers between filament strands (i.e. by molecular stapling as proposed for caldesmon) or, intrastrand interactions that reinforce axially adjacent actin monomers along strands (i.e. as in the interaction of tropomyosin with actin). Here, we analyzed thermally driven fluctuations in actin's shape to measure the flexural rigidity of actin filaments with different ABPs bound. We show that the binding of phalloidin increases the persistence length of actin by 1.9-fold. Similarly, the intrastrand reinforcement by smooth and skeletal muscle tropomyosins increases the persistence length 1.5- and 2- fold respectively. We also show that the interstrand crosslinking by the C-terminal actin-binding fragment of caldesmon, H32K, increases persistence length by 1.6-fold. While still remaining bound to actin, phosphorylation of H32K by ERK abolishes the molecular staple (Foster et al. 2004. J Biol Chem 279;53387–53394) and reduces filament rigidity to that of actin with no ABPs bound. Lastly, we show that the effect of binding both smooth muscle tropomyosin and H32K is not additive. The combination of structural and mechanical studies on ABP-actin interactions will help provide information about the biophysical mechanism of force transduction in cells. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The utility of ICD9-CM codes in identifying induction of labor.

BACKGROUND Data evaluating the accuracy of ICD9-CM codes in identifying inductions are limited. Our objective was to examine the test characteristics of ICD9-CM coding for induction of labor and to identify differences between those captured by coding and those not. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study of ICD9-CM codes in identifying charts of induced women at our institution from 2005 to 2009. Review of the medical record was the gold standard. Characteristics of the charts were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests and chi-square tests where appropriate. RESULTS A total of 3,263 women were included, 708 with ICD9-CM coding for induction (screen positive). A total of 422 women were randomly sampled from those not coded as induction (screen negative). The sensitivity of ICD9-CM coding for induction was 51.4%, specificity 98.8%, positive predictive value 96.6%, negative predictive value 74.7%. False negative charts (25%) were more likely to be women induced for premature rupture of membranes (40% versus 8%, p < 0.001) or with oxytocin (51% versus 33%, p < 0.001) when compared with screen positive charts. CONCLUSIONS It is reassuring that 97% of charts coded for induction by ICD9-CM codes are, in fact, patients that were induced. With this degree of accuracy, we can be confident that charts coded as induction are unlikely to be miscoded.
Evidence of early ultrastructural photoreceptor abnormalities in light-induced retinal degeneration using spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Background To study spatiotemporal in vivo changes in retinal morphology and quantify thickness of retinal layers in a mouse model of light-induced retinal degeneration using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods BALB/c mice were exposed to 5000 lux of constant light for 3 h. SD-OCT images were taken 3 h, 24 h, 3 days, 1 week and 1 month after light exposure and were compared with histology at the same time points. SD-OCT images were also taken at 0, 1 and 2 h after light exposure in order to analyse retinal changes at the earliest time points. The thickness of retinal layers was measured using the Bioptigen software InVivoVue Diver. Results SD-OCT demonstrated progressive outer retinal thinning. 3 h after light exposure, the outer nuclear layer converted from hyporeflective to hyper-reflective. At 24 h, outer retinal bands and nuclear layer demonstrated similar levels of hyper-reflectivity. Significant variations in outer retinal thickness, vitreous opacities and retinal detachments occurred within days of injury. Thinning of the retina was observed at 1 month after injury. It was also determined that outer nuclear layer changes precede photoreceptor segment structure disintegration and the greatest change in segment structure occurs between 1 and 2 h after light exposure. Conclusions Longitudinal SD-OCT reveals intraretinal changes that cannot be observed by histopathology at early time points in the light injury model.
Simultaneous Quantitative Assay of Phenobarbital, Phenytoin, and p-Hydroxydiphenylhydantoin by HPLC and a Comparison with EMIT®

The antiepileptic drugs, phenobarbital and phenytoin, were determined in plasma by enzyme immunoassay (EMIT) and by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition, the major metabolite of phenytoin, p-hydroxydiphenylhydantoin (HPPH), was determined by HPLC. Within-day and between-day coefficients of variation for both methods were 7.6% or less for phenobarbital and 8.7% or less for phenytoin, and for HPPH, by liquid chromatography, were 7.4% or less. Both methods also showed good linearity from subtherapeutic through low toxic concentrations. Comparison of the results of the two methods for phenobarbital and for phenytoin showed good correlations r = 0.99 and 0.97 respectively, indicating that HPLC can be used rather than the more commonly used EMIT. In addition, this HPLC method simultaneously measures both antiepileptic drugs and the unconjugated form of the major metabolite of phenytoin, and with prior hydrolysis, the conjugated form of p-hydroxydiphenylhydantoin.
Design of Dust Removing System of Sandblasting Production Line for Oil Pipe

In the sandblasting of oil pipe surface,the open equipment is mostly adopted,and the ordinary silicon sand is used for the sandblasting material.The serious environment pollution problems are present in the process of the sandblasting.In order to realize the automatic sandblasting on internal and external oil pipe surface,improve the working environment,attain the criterion of dust discharge,the three-stage dust removing system is put forward,which consists of gravitational sedimentation chamber,cyclone dust extractor and bag-type dust extractor.Two dust removing system have been designed respectively for the sandblasting of internal and external oil pipe surface.The key equipment has been selected for the dust removing system.
Effects of the carcinogen 2-acetylaminofluorene and its derivatives on bacteria and bacteriophages.

The interaction of various carcinogenic fluorene derivatives with genomes was studied by examining the viability of bacteria and phage and the induction of prophage. Two strains of Salmonella typhimurium , wild type ( hcr + ) and an ultraviolet-sensitive mutant ( hcr - ) lysogenic for phage P221, were used for cell viability and prophage induction studies. Free T5 phage particles were employed for phage viability studies; T5 phage was assayed on Escherichia coli K-12. Incubation with 1 mM 2-nitro-, 2-amino-, 2-diacetylamino-, 2-acetylamino-, or N -hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene or its glucuronide (sodium salt) for 1 hr caused neither changes in bacterial viability nor prophage induction. N -Hydroxy-2-aminofluorene was very effective in induction of prophage and causing loss of bacterial cell viability. Loss of viability of hcr - cells was more rapid than that of wild type ( hcr + ) cells with this compound when tested at 0.1 and 0.2 mM levels. This compound at 0.1 mM also caused rapid prophage induction in hcr - cells compared to wild type cells. These results suggest that N -hydroxy-2-aminofluorene damages the bacterial genome, which is restored by the bacterial repair mechanism. Similarly, nitrosofluorene (0.5 mM) and N -acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (1 mM) also caused prophage induction and loss of bacterial cell viability. However, these compounds were not as effective as N -hydroxy-2-aminofluorene. In the presence of either rat liver cytosol fraction or guinea pig liver microsomes, N -hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene effectively induced the prophage and caused loss of hcr - cell viability. Among the compounds tested at 1 mM levels, only N -hydroxy-2-aminofluorene and N -acetoxy-2-acet-acetylaminofluorene caused significant loss of viability of free T5 phage particles, the latter being twice as effective as the former. These data demonstrate a correlation between the carcinogenicity of fluorene compounds and their effects on bacteria and bacteriophages. Such systems might serve as useful tools in testing for active and ultimate carcinogens.
Hypo-CpG methylation controls PTEN expression and cell apoptosis in irradiated lung.

AbstractPurpose: The current study was designed to address our hypothesis that oxidative stress secondary to the ionizing event upregulates phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) mRNA and protein in the lungs of C57BL/6J mice through oxidative DNA damage resulting in CpG hypomethylation in the PTEN promoter.Methods: Fibrosis-prone C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 0 or 15 Gy of 320 kVp X-rays to the whole thorax. Lung tissue was serially harvested at time points between one day and six months postirradiation. Tissue levels of PTEN mRNA, total protein, and phosphorylated PTEN, as well as CpG methylation of the PTEN promoter, expression of DNA methyltransferases 1 (Dnmt1) and 3a (Dnmt3a), NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) protein expression, and DNA damage levels were measured. The induction of DNA damage and global methylation changes were also examined in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro.Results: These experiments demonstrate th...
Coronatine Facilitates Pseudomonas syringae Infection of Arabidopsis Leaves at Night

In many land plants, the stomatal pore opens during the day and closes during the night. Thus, periods of darkness could be effective in decreasing pathogen penetration into leaves through stomata, the primary sites for infection by many pathogens. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 produces coronatine (COR) and opens stomata, raising an intriguing question as to whether this is a virulence strategy to facilitate bacterial infection at night. In fact, we found that (a) biological concentration of COR is effective in opening dark-closed stomata of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, (b) the COR defective mutant Pst DC3118 is less effective in infecting Arabidopsis in the dark than under light and this difference in infection is reduced with the wild type bacterium Pst DC3000, and (c) cma, a COR biosynthesis gene, is induced only when the bacterium is in contact with the leaf surface independent of the light conditions. These findings suggest that Pst DC3000 activates virulence factors at the pre-invasive phase of its life cycle to infect plants even when environmental conditions (such as darkness) favor stomatal immunity. This functional attribute of COR may provide epidemiological advantages for COR-producing bacteria on the leaf surface.
Radioreceptor assay for measurement of anticholinergic drugs in serum

Extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS) including Parkinsonian symptoms, dystonic reactions and akathisia frequently complicate use of neuroleptic drugs (Ayd, 1961; Donlon and Stenson, 1976). These iatrogenic symptoms, which are both stigmatizing as well as uncomfortable, deter many patients from compliance with neuroleptic treatment (Van Putten, 1974). Thus, the management of EPS must be considered an essential part in the effective treatment of psychotic disorders with neuroleptics. Reduction in neuroleptic dosage is usually not the primary strategy in controlling these side-effects because EPS correlate poorly with neuroleptic dose or therapeutic response (Alpert et al., 1978). Rather, co-treatment with the classical anti-Parkinsonian drugs, all of which block muscarinic receptors with the exception of amantadine, is the accepted approach for reducing EPS. Nevertheless, many patients persist in suffering from EPS in spite of treatment with recommended doses of anticholinergics (DiMascio, 1971).
Accuracy of Voltage Signal Measurement During Radiofrequency Delivery Through the SMARTTOUCH Catheter.

Introduction Current methods for measuring voltage during radiofrequency (RF) ablation (RFA) necessitate turning off the ablation catheter. If voltage could be accurately read without signal attenuation during RFA, turning off the catheter would be unnecessary, allowing continuous ablation. We evaluated the accuracy of the Thermocool SMARTTOUCH catheter for measuring voltage while RF traverses the catheter. Methods and Results We studied 26 patients undergoing RFA for arrhythmias. A 7.5F SMARTTOUCH catheter was used for sensing voltage and performing RFA. Data were collected from the Carto-3 3-dimensional mapping system. Voltages were measured during ablation (RF-ON) and immediately before or after ablation (RF-OFF). In evaluating the accuracy of RF-ON measurements, we utilized the RF-OFF measure as the gold standard. We measured 465 voltage signals. The median values were 0.2900 and 0.3100 for RF-ON and RF-OFF, respectively. Wilcoxon signed rank testing showed no significant difference in these values (P = 0.608). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.96, indicating that voltage measurements were similarly accurate during RF-OFF versus RF-ON. Five patients had baseline atrial fibrillation (AF), for whom 82 ablation points were measured; 383 additional ablation points were measured for the remaining patients. The voltages measured during RF-ON versus RF-OFF were similar in the presence of AF (P = 0.800) versus non-AF rhythm (P = 0.456) (ICC, 0.96 for both). Conclusion Voltage signal measurement was similarly accurate during RF-ON versus RF-OFF independent of baseline rhythm. Physicians should consider not turning off the SMARTTOUCH ablation catheter when measuring voltage during RFA. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Generalized dynamic PET inter-frame and intra-frame motion correction - Phantom and human validation studies

Patient motion can significantly hamper the high-resolution imaging capability of PET scanners. Frame-acquired (dynamic) PET images are degraded by inter-frame and intraframe motion artifacts that can degrade the quantitative and qualitative analysis of acquired PET data. This calls for appropriate motion-correction techniques that can considerably reduce (ideally eliminate) inter-frame and intra-frame motion artifacts in dynamic PET images. We present a novel approach called Generalized Inter-frame and Intra-frame Motion Correction (GIIMC) algorithm [1] that unifies in one framework the inter-frame motion correction capability of Multiple Acquisition Frames and the intra-frame motion correction feature of (MLEM)-type Deconvolution methods. Our method employs a fairly simple but new approach of using time-weighted average of attenuation sinograms to reconstruct individual (dynamic) frames. We also provide a mean-motion threshold for individual frames to construct a framing sequence.
Exploring Process Technologies to Fabricate Fibrous Scaffolds and Bio-Textiles for Biomedical Applications

In order to mimic natural tissues, a successful strategy is to design bio-inspired materials including controlled morphological and biochemical cues as nature guidelines suggested. In this context, old and new process technologies, case by case, have to be adapted to develop innovative templates with the finest control of structural/functional properties able to correctly interact with biological tissues. Since organic and inorganic materials from synthetic or natural source do not singularly satisfy all the requirements, the discovery of new process solutions able to combine two or more materials into multicomponent systems (i.e., blends, composites, hybrids) may represent an interesting alternative for scaffold design. In order to simplify process conditions, without limiting the complexity of final device, current trends mainly address to bottom up approaches based on fibres used as micro-tassels, variously combined as a function of the desired properties – biochemical, mechanical or biological ones, to form the final device.Here, two different approaches based on the use of polymeric fibres have been proposed. Continuous microfibres processed by capillary extrusion can be integrated as reinforcement agent of porous biodegradable matrices to develop composite scaffolds with multiscale degradation properties suitable for hard tissue regeneration. Alternatively, micro-or submicro-fibres made of synthetic and/or natural polymers can be randomly assembled or patterned to form uniaxially oriented or textured platforms, thanks to the high customization of electrofluidodynamic techniques (i.e., electrospinning). Both approaches offer a large variety of micro and nanostructured platforms - with micro/nanoscale architecture and peculiar chemical composition - suitable as scaffolds or biotextiles for tissue regeneration or other biomedical uses.