cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Child-rearing During Postgraduate Medical Training and Its Relation to Stress and Burnout: Results From a Single-institution Multispecialty Survey.

Introduction Child-rearing is difficult for medical trainees, but much of the available evidence is limited to individual specialties or lacks an analysis of well-being. In light of this, we sought to examine current perspectives across a wide range of medical specialties, determine associations with stress and burnout, and identify potential supportive solutions. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, a voluntary and anonymous survey was sent to all residents and fellows at a large academic medical center with a U.S. Air Force joint training agreement in 2019. Frequency tables were generated for survey responses, using χ2 test for analysis between groups. Results One hundred and eighty-four physician trainees completed the survey (21.6% response rate), of which 38.0% were parents. Overall, 90.8% of trainees want children but 68.5% plan to wait until after training to start or grow their families, mainly due to insufficient time or inadequate child care. Less than 2% cited lack of program support as the reason. Among trainee parents, 72.0% reported that child care was at least quite stressful. Child care contributes to burnout for 68.6% of trainee parents, and there was no difference between medical and surgical trainees or between military and nonmilitary trainees. Day care was the most common primary child care strategy, and 37.1% of trainee parents reported spending >25% of their household income on child care. Proposed helpful solutions include on-site day care and subsidies. Conclusions Most medical trainees in this sample want children, yet many are delaying growing their families due to time and financial constraints. For trainee parents, child care causes stress and family and financial strain and contributes to burnout. Physicians in training, including military members training at civilian medical centers, could benefit from child care assistance in order to relieve stress, reduce burnout, and improve well-being. Furthermore, by expanding existing resources and implementing new creative solutions to the challenges of child-rearing among medical professionals, the U.S. military has an opportunity to improve members' well-being and be a model to civilian graduate medical education programs nationwide.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Cincinnati Ohio USA from August to December 2020

The world is currently in a pandemic of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease-2019) caused by a novel positive-sense, single-stranded RNA {beta}-coronavirus referred to as SARS-CoV-2. Fortunately, most infected individuals recover and are then resistant to re-infection for a period, indicating that a vaccination approach can be successful. Elucidation of rates of past SARS-CoV-2 infection within select regions across the United States of America (USA) will help direct vaccination efforts and together will inform our approach towards achieving herd immunity. Here we investigated rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, USA metropolitan area from August to December 2020, just prior to initiation of the national vaccination program. Examination of 9,550 adult blood donor volunteers for serum IgG antibody positivity against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein showed an overall prevalence of 8.40%, measured as 7.56% in the first 58 days of this time frame, versus a significant increase to 9.24% in the last 58 days, and a final rate of 12.86% in December 2020. Approximately 56% of Spike seropositive individuals also had immunoreactivity against the receptor binding domain (RBD) within the Spike protein, which is associated with viral neutralization. Males and females in the Cincinnati area showed nearly identical rates of past infection, and rates among Hispanics, African Americans and Caucasians were not significantly different. Interestingly, donors under 30 years of age had the highest rates of past infection, while those over 60 had the lowest. Geographic analysis showed that the West side of Cincinnati had a rate of 9.63% versus 8.13% on the East side (demarcated by Interstate-75), while the adjoining area of Kentucky was 7.04% (as demarcated by the Ohio River). These results among healthy blood donors will be critical in calculating the time needed to achieve regional herd immunity in conjunction with the national vaccination campaign.
Architectural Development of an Advanced EVA Electronic System

An advanced electronic system for future EVA missions (including zero gravity, the lunar surface, and the surface of Mars) is under research and development within the Advanced Life Support Division at NASA Ames Research Center. As a first step in the development, an optimum system architecture has been derived from an analysis of the projected requirements for these missions. The open, modular architecture centers around a distributed multiprocessing concept where the major subsystems independently process their own I/O functions and communicate over a common bus. Supervision and coordination of the subsystems is handled by an embedded real-time operating system kernel employing multitasking software techniques. A discussion of how the architecture most efficiently meets the electronic system functional requirements, maximizes flexibility for future development and mission applications, and enhances the reliability and serviceability of the system in these remote, hostile environments is included.
A probabilistic similarity metric for Medline records: A model for author name disambiguation: Research Articles

We present a model for estimating the probability that a pair of author names (sharing last name and first initial), appearing on two different Medline articles, refer to the same individual. The model uses a simple yet powerful similarity profile between a pair of articles, based on title, journal name, coauthor names, medical subject headings (MeSH), language, affiliation, and name attributes (prevalence in the literature, middle initial, and suffix). The similarity profile distribution is computed from reference sets consisting of pairs of articles containing almost exclusively author matches versus nonmatches, generated in an unbiased manner. Although the match set is generated automatically and might contain a small proportion of nonmatches, the model is quite robust against contamination with nonmatches. We have created a free, public service (“Author-ity”: ) that takes as input an author's name given on a specific article, and gives as output a list of all articles with that (last name, first initial) ranked by decreasing similarity, with match probability indicated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
From gene expression to the bedside: A high-throughput approach for identifying serum diagnostic markers and immunotherapy targets in human malignancies using DNA microarrays

From gene expression to the bedside: A high-throughput approach for identifying serum diagnostic markers and immunotherapy targets in human malignancies using DNA microarrays
EBV-Related Lymphomas: New Approaches to Treatment

In the treatment of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related lymphomas, there are few therapies specifically targeted against the latent virus within these tumors; in most cases the treatment approach is not different than the approach to EBV-negative lymphomas. Nonetheless, current and emerging therapies focused on exploiting aspects of EBV biology may offer more targeted strategies for EBV-positive lymphomas in the future. Conceptually, EBV-specific approaches include bolstering the antiviral/antitumor immune response with vaccines or EBV-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, activating lytic viral genes to render the tumor cells susceptible to antiviral therapies, and inhibiting the downstream prosurvival or antiapoptotic pathways that may be activated by latent EBV proteins. EBV-specific cytotoxic T-cell infusions have proven effective in EBV-related posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV-PTLD) and expanding such adoptive immunotherapies to other EBV-related malignancies is an area of active research. However, other EBV-related lymphomas typically have more restricted, less immunogenic arrays of viral antigens to therapeutically target with adoptive immunotherapy compared with EBV-PTLD. Furthermore, the malignant EBV-positive tumor cells of Hodgkin lymphoma are scattered amid a dense infiltrate of regulatory T-cells, macrophages, and other cells that may dampen the antitumor efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy. Strategies to overcome these obstacles are areas of ongoing preclinical and clinical investigations. Some emerging approaches to EBV-related lymphomas include the coupling of agents that induce lytic viral replication with antiherpesvirus agents, or the use of small molecule inhibitors that block signaling pathways that are constitutively activated by EBV. EBV vaccines seem most promising for the treatment or prevention of EBV-related malignancies, rather than the prevention of primary EBV infection. EBV vaccine trials in patients with residual or low-bulk EBV-related malignancies or for the prevention of EBV-PTLD in EBV-seronegative patients awaiting solid organ transplantation are ongoing.
The occurrence of cystic fibrosis and celiac sprue within a single sibship.

A family is presented in which celiac sprue and cystic fibrosis occurred within the same sibship. A cousin of the index case was also discovered to have celiac sprue. The genetics and incidence of both conditions is reviewed. It is estimated that the likelihood of this association occurring on the basis of chance in this family is 1 in 50,000.
Dependence Of The Diffraction Efficiency Of Bi 12 SiO20 On Recording Parameters

The dependence of the diffraction efficiency and hologram writing rate of Bi12Si020 crystals on bias voltage and write-beam irradiance was investigated. The diffraction efficiency was found to increase with increasing bias voltage, but displayed very little dependence on write-beam irradiance for bias voltages of 5 kV or less. The hologram writing rate was found to increase with increasing bias voltage and increasing write-beam irradiance.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Skp2 Regulates Myc Protein Stability and Activity

Myc is an oncoprotein transcription factor that plays a prominent role in cancer. Like many transcription factors, Myc is an unstable protein that is destroyed by ubiquitin (Ub)-mediated proteolysis. Here, we report that the oncoprotein and Ub ligase Skp2 regulates Myc ubiquitylation and stability. Because of the growing number of Ub ligases that function as transcriptional coactivators, we speculated that Skp2 might also regulate Myc's transcriptional activity. Consistent with this model, we also show that Skp2 is a transcriptional coactivator for Myc, recognizing an essential element within the Myc activation domain and activating Myc target genes. These data suggest that Skp2 functions to connect Myc activity and destruction, and reveal an unexpected oncoprotein connection that may play an important role in controlling cell growth in normal and cancer cells.
A canine model for studying endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to create an animal model of endoleak after stent-graft placement for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in which a large aneurysmal sac would be preserved for the testing of techniques for its percutaneous occlusion. MATERIALS AND METHODS Infrarenal AAAs were created in nine dogs by anastomosis of an isolated segment of the inferior vena cava to the right side of the abdominal aorta in combination with a large anterior patch from the external jugular vein. One hour later, animals underwent percutaneous implantation of polytetrafluoroethylene-covered Z stent endografts with three 3-mm-diameter holes through the fabric. Aortograms were obtained before and after surgery, after endograft placement, and at the time of animal sacrifice at 1 week or 1, 2, 3, or 6 months. Pressures within the aorta and the aneurysm sac were recorded before animal sacrifice. Gross and histologic evaluations of the specimens were then carried out. RESULTS Immediately after endograft placement, all nine animals had artificial type III endoleaks with angiographic filling of lumbar arteries and veins. One animal died of surgical complications within 2 days of surgery and is not included in our data analysis. One aneurysm ruptured at 1 week. At completion of the study, six endografts were patent and two were occluded. The aneurysm sac had enlarged by approximately 50% in seven animals. At follow-up, type I endoleak was present in three animals, type II endoleak was present in three, and the artificial type III endoleak was present in all six animals with patent endografts. The pressure differential between aorta and aneurysm sac was 36 mm Hg, with a mean aortic pressure of 87 mm Hg ± 13.3 and a mean aneurysmal sac pressure of 51 mm Hg ± 28.1. The aneurysmal sac exhibited early thrombus formation at 1 week, which progressed to complete thrombosis in 1–6 months. CONCLUSIONS The model is technically feasible but would be useful in testing occlusive techniques for residual aneurysm sacs only in the acute phase after endograft placement. It would be not reliable for chronic evaluation because of rapidly progressive thrombosis in most aneurysm sacs and occasional complete thrombosis of the AAA and endograft.
Rheological controls on the shapes of single-layer folds

Abstract Information about rheology can potentially be gained from analyzing the shapes of folds in isolated buckled layers. We employ two-dimensional finite element models of incompressible flow in power-law viscous fluids to investigate this. We first show that the shape of the initial perturbation has relatively little effect on the final shape of the folds when the buckling instability is high. We find that the most significant factor affecting the shapes of single-layer folds is the stress exponent, n L , in the flow law of the layer. The hinges of outer arcs become sharper as n L increases and the limbs become relatively longer and straighter. These differences can be expressed quantitatively by defining a curvature index, ki , which has a value of 0 for a fold formed by circular arcs and 1 for a chevron fold. Results show a dependence of ki on n L that is well-defined for L / h > 10, with ki increasing with n L . Data for experimentally-produced folds are consistent with the numerical results. Limb dip, ki and L/h can all be readily measured on natural folds and provide a basis for comparing the shapes of natural and computer-simulated folds. The data for small folds in siltstone layers in shales in the central Appalachians are consistent with highly non-linear flow of the stiff siltstone layers during buckling.
Cadherin-6: a new prognostic marker for renal cell carcinoma.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Cadherin-6, a new cell adhesion molecule of the cadherin family, is expressed in normal kidney and renal cell carcinoma. First results demonstrated that the expression of cadherin-6 in renal cell carcinoma may have prognostic value. We prospectively evaluated the importance of cadherin-6 in renal tumors in a large cohort of patients.Materials and Methods: A total of 216 patients with renal cell carcinoma who underwent tumor nephrectomy were evaluated for cadherin-6 expression by immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. The expression pattern was correlated with known prognostic factors of renal cell carcinoma. Statistical analysis was performed by the Mann-Whitney U and Pearson chi-square tests. Multivariate analysis was performed by the proportional hazard Cox model.Results: Cadherin-6 expression in renal cell cancer correlated with known prognostic factors, such as pT stage (p = 0.03), pN stage (p = 0.001), histological growth pattern (p = 0.001), M stage (p = 0.06) and renal venous inv...
Spiritual Support and African American Breast Cancer Survivors

This qualitative study used data from interviews with 18 African American breast cancer survivors in the southeast regarding the women’s live experiences of spiritual support during the process of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Through a thematic content analysis, four primary sources of spiritual support were identified: God, members of religious communities, family members and friends, and health care professionals. Some participants reported negative experiences associated with the reactions of religious community members to their breast cancer. Those who received spiritual support from their health care providers reported welcoming such support.
Automatic variogram parameter extraction for textural classification of the panchromatic IKONOS imagery

Range and sill are two important parameters of a variogram. Their extraction usually involves experimental fitting of variograms using models specified by the analyst and requires much use of trial and error. The objective of this paper is to design an algorithm for extracting the range and sill of a variogram automatically without fitting a model. Combined with the semivariance at the lag of one pixel (/spl gamma//sub 1/), the extracted range and sill were applied to the textural classification of a panchromatic IKONOS image over Xichang, Sichuan Province, China. Results show that any of these three parameters can lead to the increase of the classification accuracy. When all three parameters were used with the raw image data, the average kappa statistic for five window sizes increased from 0.24 to 0.76, indicating promise of the range and sill in texture classification.
Transmitter configuration to improve resonant coupling efficiency of a wireless power transfer system consisting of misaligned coils

Resonant coupling efficiency (RCE) in an inductively coupled near-field wireless power transfer (WPT) system is proportional to quality factor of the transmitter and receiver resonators, and square of coupling coefficient between them. The coupling between transmitter and receiver is highest when the two coils are perfectly aligned. However, in real-life systems, the transmitter and receiver coils can be angularly or laterally misaligned, thereby reducing the coupling between the coils and hence RCE. In this paper, we propose a transmitter having three orthogonal coils. Depending upon the orientation of the receiver coil, power can be fed only to the transmitter coil which is best coupled to the receiver coil. Alternatively the ratio of power fed to three coils can be adjusted to rotate the magnetic field such that the coupling between transmitter and misaligned receiver is maximized.
Multispectral photoacoustic imaging of tissue denaturation induced by high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment

This paper presents an ex vivo study in imaging high-intensity focused ultrasound induced tissue denaturation with multispectral photoacoustic approach. Beef tissues treated by both water bath and high-intensity focused ultrasound were imaged and evaluated by photoacoustic imaging method, where light in multiple optical wavelengths between 700nm and 900nm is applied. Tissue denaturation after being treated by water bath and high-intensity focused ultrasound has been observed in multispectral photoacoustic images. The denaturation is more striking in relatively shorter optical wavelength photoacoustic images than in relatively longer optical wavelength photoacoustic images. This study suggests that multispectral photoacoustic imaging method is promising in the evaluation of tissue denaturation induced by high- intensity focused ultrasound treatment.
An Introduction to Basic Quality Metrics for Practicing Radiologists

INTRODUCTION The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is transforming the delivery of health care in the United States from a volumebased, fee-for-service model to one that aims to reward the delivery of value-added care [1]. Currently, a majority of radiology practices use an array of process metrics to measure and manage their performance; however, soon they will need to embrace emerging, to-be-defined metrics that measure value and how radiologists contribute to health care costs and outcomes. In this brief review, we describe current and anticipated future metrics that will be used to manage radiologic services.
Assembly of the QM protein onto the 60S ribosomal subunit occurs in the cytoplasm.

QM is a human cDNA originally isolated as a transcript elevated in a nontumorigenic Wilms' tumor microcell hybrid, relative to the tumorigenic parental cell line. The QM gene encodes a 24 kDa basic protein that peripherally associates with the ribosomes. Recently, the gene for this protein has also been shown in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeto encode an essential 60S ribosomal subunit protein that is required for the joining of the 40S and 60S subunits. Since the association of QM with ribosomes can be disrupted with 1M NaCl, which has no effect on the association of core ribosomal proteins, indirect immunofluorescent cell staining was performed to colocalize the QM protein with the human large P-antigen, a core ribosomal protein of the 60S subunit, and to determine whether the assembly of the QM protein onto the 60S ribosomal subunit occurs in the nucleolus or in the cytoplasm. Our results reveal that QM co-localizes with the large P-antigen only to the cytoplasm where the rough endoplasmic reticulum is found and not to the nucleolus where ribosome assembly occurs. This finding suggests that the QM protein is most likely involved in a late step of the 60S subunit assembly and is added to the 60S ribosomal subunit in the cytoplasm and not in the nucleolus. J. Cell. Biochem. 68:281–285, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Challenging Knowledge, Sex and Power: Gender, Work and Engineering

Over the past several decades, highly educated women in many countries have made noticeable gains in moving into traditionally male professional and technical occupations. But for a number of count...
Development of CO 2 waveguide lasers and laser technology for remote sensing

We have developed rapidly tuned RF-pumped CO2 waveguide laser transmitters for remote sensing in the 9 - 11 micrometers spectral range. The small size, high power and efficiency, and tunability of these lasers offer significant advantages over other laser sources in this spectral region. Employing acousto-optic modulators to achieve random-access tuning at pulse rates up to 100 kHz permits rapid gathering of data on time scales short compared to times for change in atmospheric turbulence and absorption effects, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratios that can be achieved. Laser system design and performance characteristics of present systems are described, along with proposed concepts to increase optical bandwidths and extend the tuning range to cover the full long-wave atmospheric transmission window from 8 - 12 micrometers .
Paramagnetic Effects on Nuclear Relaxation in Enzyme-Bound Co(II)–Adenine Nucleotide Complexes: Relative Contributions of Dipolar and Scalar Interactions☆

31P NMR measurements on CoADP bound to creatine kinase designed to estimate the relative contribution of scalar and dipolar interactions to 31P spin relaxation rates show that these rates are primarily due to distance-dependent dipolar interactions and that the contribution of the scalar interaction is negligible.
Physician-nurse perceptions of styles of power usage.

Abstract An attempt was made to see whether physician order-giving comprised a major area of conflict with nurses. A group of physicians and nurses at a metropolitan hospital in Los Angeles was asked to use the semantic differential to assign meanings to two hypothetical situations wherein a physician tried to influence a nurse and a patient, respectively. Results indicate that, for each of the methods of influence for which their mean scores were significantly different, either the direction of meaning was the same for both groups, or the nurses—as influencees or observers of M.D. influence—had only a ‘slight’ response to the method. The conclusion is that physician power-usage—in the institution studied—is not an apparent source of conflict with nurses.
Consent documents for oncology trials: Does anybody read these things?

This study was conducted to assess the readability and length of informed consent documents used in clinical trials in oncology. One hundred seven consent documents from clinical protocols open to accrual at the Emory University Winship Cancer Institute were quantitatively analyzed. These included trials sponsored or organized internally, by commercial interests, and by various cooperative groups. Each form was analyzed using the electronic text version of the consent document approved by the Emory University IRB. Readability software was used to determine the length of each document and 2 measures of readability: The Flesch Reading Ease Score and a grade-level readability estimate using the Gunning Fog Index. The mean length +/- SD was 2709 +/- 971 words or 10.8 +/- 3.8 pages. The mean +/- SD Flesch Reading Ease Score was 45.48 +/- 5.24. The mean +/- SD grade level using the Gunning Fog Index was 11.9 +/- 1.53. None of the consent documents were written at or below the 8th-grade reading level; 1.8% were at or below the 9th-grade level; 10.5% were below the 10th-grade level. Results were similar regardless of study sponsor. Consent documents for clinical trials in oncology are lengthy and complex to the point that is unlikely that most patients will be willing to read them or be able to understand the concepts they discuss. IRBs and cooperative group review committees are either unwilling or unable to enforce widely accepted readability standards for the consent document. We discuss the implications of this situation and suggest ways to improve it.
The Developmental and Cultural Contexts of Objectified Body Consciousness: A Longitudinal Analysis of Two Cohorts of Women

Longitudinal analysis of 10-year follow-up data on objectified body consciousness, body esteem, weight-related attitudes and behaviors, and psychological well-being in 74 middle-aged and 72 young women tested hypotheses developed from age-related change and cohort differences models of body experience. Young women's body surveillance and body shame decreased, and their body esteem increased, supporting an age-related changes model. Relationships between variables were relatively consistent with the 2 cohorts across data waves, supporting a cohort differences model, although nonoverlapping cohorts limit the interpretation of the data. The importance of developmental context in understanding women's body experience is discussed.
The “Peripheral State”: Continuity and Change in the International Division of Labour

(1982). The “Peripheral State”: Continuity and Change in the International Division of Labour. Journal of Contemporary Asia: Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 415-431.
Income inequality and 30 day outcomes after acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia: Retrospective cohort study

Objectives To examine the association between income inequality and the risk of mortality and readmission within 30 days of hospitalization. Design Retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. Hierarchical, logistic regression models were developed to estimate the association between income inequality (measured at the US state level) and a patient's risk of mortality and readmission, while sequentially controlling for patient, hospital, other state, and patient socioeconomic characteristics. We considered a 0.05 unit increase in the Gini coefficient as a measure of income inequality. Setting US acute care hospitals. Participants Patients aged 65 years and older, and hospitalized in 2006-08 with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia. Main outcome measures Risk of death within 30 days of admission or rehospitalization for any cause within 30 days of discharge. The potential number of excess deaths and readmissions associated with higher levels of inequality in US states in the three highest quarters of income inequality were compared with corresponding data in US states in the lowest quarter. Results Mortality analyses included 555,962 admissions (4348 hospitals) for acute myocardial infarction, 1,092,285 (4484) for heart failure, and 1,146,414 (4520); readmission analyses included 553,037 (4262), 1,345,909 (4494), and 1,345,909 (4524) admissions, respectively. In 2006-08, income inequality in US states (as measured by the average Gini coefficient over three years) varied from 0.41 in Utah to 0.50 in New York. Multilevel models showed no significant association between income inequality and mortality within 30 days of admission for patients with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia. By contrast, income inequality was associated with rehospitalization (acute myocardial infarction, risk ratio 1.09 (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.15), heart failure 1.07 (1.01 to 1.12), pneumonia 1.09 (1.03 to 1.15)). Further adjustment for individual income and educational achievement did not significantly attenuate these findings. Over the three year period, we estimate an excess of 7153 (2297 to 11,733) readmissions for acute myocardial infarction, 17,991 (3410 to 31,772) for heart failure, and 14,127 (4617 to 23,115) for pneumonia, that are associated with inequality levels in US states in the three highest quarters of income inequality, compared with US states in the lowest quarter. Conclusions Among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia, exposure to higher levels of income inequality was associated with increased risk of readmission but not mortality. In view of the observational design of the study, these findings could be biased, owing to residual confounding.
Tests of the Affinity Assumption in Phantomlike Elastomer Networks

Phantomlike elastomer simulations do not always deform globally affinely in the way that classical theory predicts. Assuming that each crosslink will deform affinely with its topological neighbors gives much better results, and creates a way to isolate crosslinks with unpredictable deformation properties. The correlation of non-affinities and network properties depends on the constitutive model and boundary condition used. We always find a correlation between local density of crosslinks and degree of non-affinity.
Lateral migration and bank erosion in a saltmarsh tidal channel in San Francisco Bay, California

Saltmarsh tidal channels have often been recognized as being stable landscape features, despite highly sinous planforms, severely undercut banks, and high rates of bank erosion. In an effort to solve this paradox, a saltmarsh tidal channel in the San Francisco Bay was monitored from March 1995 to March 1996. The short-term rate of bank erosion was measured using erosion pins and found to be 57 ± 10 mm yr−1 on the outside banks of meander bends. In addition, a long-term maximum lateral migration rate of 23 ± 23 mm yr−1 was estimated from aerial photos, producing a dimensionless channel migration rate (defined as the rate of migration divided by channel with), of 0.5% yr−1. The difference in the rates of lateral migration and bank erosion is attributed to the persistence of failed bank material (slump blocks) in the channel. The slump blocks induce sedimentation, protect the banks, and prevent further bank erosion. A published stability analysis method for undercut banks is applied to determine a maximum overhanging width. Using the measured compressive and tensile strengths of rooted bank material, 16.55 ± 1.16 kPa and 2.93 ± 0.71 kPa, respectively, the maximum width of an undercut bank is calculated to be 0.69 m. The average width of slump blocks measured in the field is 0.67 ± 0.25 m. A simple numerical model predicting the rate of lateral migration is derived using the results from the stability analysis and data from sedimentation and erosion pins inserted throughout the channel. This model accurately predicts a rate of 23 ± 3 mm yr−1.
Infrared spectral sensitivity of Melanophila acuminata.

Abstract The spectral sensitivity of the pit organ of the beetle Melanophila acuminata (Coleoptera:Buprestidae) was measured using an ultrafast tunable infrared laser source and standard electrophysiological techniques. The pit organ may be classified as a broadband detector as the beetles responded to all infrared excitation wavelengths from 2 to 6 μm. There was a decrease in response threshold and latency and an increase in the magnitude of the response in the region from 2.8 to 3.5 μm, which corresponded to a region of decreased transmittance (increased absorbance) as measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The implications of the correlation between spectral response and optical properties are discussed.
DARK MATTER SEARCHES

One of the most central problems in astronomy and cosmology is to understand the nature of the dark matter pervading the universe. And as we will see, the solution may involve particle physics. We review the current attempts to directly detect this dark matter. We have included in this written version the most recent results that were not available at the time of the Lepton Photon conference: the 5.7 year MACHO data [1], the 4 year modulation evidence for WIMPs claimed by DAMA [2], and the new WIMP results of CDMS [3]. Considerable evidence (see e.g., [4]) gathered in the last fifteen years indicates that at least 90% of the mass in the universe is dark: it does not emit nor absorb any form of electromagnetic radiation. Once a subject of controversy among astronomers, the existence of dark matter is now well established at a variety of scales. The debate has shifted to measuring the amount of dark matter in the universe, studying its distribution and unraveling its nature. Figure 1 presents a map of the possibilities. A central question is whether this dark matter is made of ordinary baryonic matter or is non-baryonic. Note that the problem has become even more complex, because the recent measurement of supernovae at high redshift [5, 6] may indicate an additional diffuse component, possibly with negative pressure, such as a cosmological constant. We will review in Section 2 the astrophysical hints for the nature of dark matter. We need both dark baryons and non-baryonic dark matter. Section 3 will summarize searches for baryons. We review in Section 4 the various searches for non-baryonic dark matter before focusing in Section 5 on the detection efforts for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs).
Chromium Transformations in Natural Environments: The Role of Biological and Abiological Processes in Chromium(VI) Reduction

Chromium is a redox-dynamic element that has many industrial uses. As a consequence, it is often introduced at elevated levels into the surface environment through human activity. Additionally, ultramafic rocks such as serpentinite are commonly enriched in chromium, and thus can also lead to appreciable levels of this element within soils and waters. In the trivalent state, it poses little hazard to biological activity, but, unfortunately, in the hexavalent state it is very toxic to living matter. One must therefore assess the oxidation state of Cr in a given system and determine the potential for transformation between valence states. The objective of this paper to is review and provide new insight on reduction reactions of Cr(VI) within natural environments. A number of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria demonstrate the enzymatic ability to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III); two species can even grow using Cr(VI) as the terminal electron acceptor in respiration. The ability to reduce chromium in itself is not eviden...
An electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical investigation of bis(2,2′-bipyridine)(2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)triazine)ruthenium(II): a potential building block for supramolecular systems

Abstract Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical measurements have been carried out on the complex [Ru(bpy)2(tpt)]2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, tpt=2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)triazine. In N,N-dimethylformamide solution, this complex undergoes a series of reversible one-electron reductions at negative potentials with E°′ values of −0.59, −1.22 and −1.48 V versus Ag/AgCl(3 M NaCl). Additionally, two poorly resolved reduction waves are observed at −1.77 and −1.86 V. In acetonitrile, a single metal based oxidation is observed at +1.55 V versus Ag/AgCl(3 M NaCl). UV-Vis spectroelectrochemistry has been used to characterize the complex as well as its first three reduction products. On the basis of the spectroelectrochemical measurements, the first reduction is assigned as a tpt reduction, while the second and third reductions involve separate bpy ligands.
Application of semiconductor fluorescent nanocrystals as optical probes for rapid early viral detection

Fluorescence is a tool widely employed in biological assays. Fluorescent semiconducting nanocrystals, quantum dots (QDs), are beginning to find their way into the tool box of many biologist, chemist and biochemist. These quantum dots are an attractive alternative to the traditional organic dyes due to their broad excitation spectra, narrow emission spectra and photostability. Non-specific binding is a frequently encountered problem with fluorescent labeling in biological assays. In these studies various cell lines were examined for non-specific binding to quantum dots. Evidence suggests that non-specific binding is related to cell type and, may be significantly reduced by functionalizing quantum dots with polyethyleneglycol ligands (PEG). In addition quantum dots were used to detect and monitor the progession of the viral glycoproteins ,F (fusion) and G (attachment), from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in HEp-2 cells. RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in children worldwide and the most common cause of hospitalization of infants in the US. Antiviral therapy is available for treatment of RSV but is only effective if given within the first 48 hours of infection. Existing test methods require a virus level of at least 1000-fold of the amount needed for infection of most children and require several days to weeks to obtain results. The use of quantum dots may provide an early, rapid method for detection and provide insight into the trafficking of viral proteins during the course of infection.
Anaerobic Resistance of Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus to Aminoglycosides

The anaerobic minimum inhibitory concentration of six aminoglycosides (amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, netilmicin, sisomicin, and tobramycin) averaged over 10-fold greater than the aerobic minimum inhibitory concentration for 50 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. Cultures from osteomyelitis and blood generally showed a somewhat greater increase in minimum inhibitory concentration due to anaerobiosis than did cultures from abscesses and wounds, and amikacin activity was most affected by anaerobiosis.
Educating Human Resource Development Leaders At The University Of Texas At Austin: The Use Of Action Learning To Facilitate University-Workplace Collaboration

Human resource development professionals are increasingly being called on to move beyond their technical roles and to bring their knowledge of the human dimension of organizations to leadership roles. Taking into account the challenges of a rapidly changing world, I redefine leadership and then describe how the university and program participants' workplaces collaborate to help learners develop the necessary leadership skills. The difficulties and rewards of implementing an action learning program as a part of a graduate degree are explored. Some of the difficulties addressed include differences between the cultures of universities and the workplace, an incompatibility between action learning and the kind of learning traditional to universities, and the challenges to the habitual behavioral, emotional, and thought processes of both faculty and students. Some of the rewards include the solution of difficult problems in work organizations, advancement of learners' careers, and the development of more effective learning strategies by both faculty and students.
A comparison of two automated monitors in the measurement of blood pressure reactivity

Cardiovascular reactivity is the change in blood pressure, pulse, and other parameters of cardiovascular function in response to a challenging task. During the conduct of cardiovascular reactivity protocols, researchers frequently use automated blood pressure devices to measure blood pressure reactivity. However, the accuracy of automated devices in measuring blood pressure reactivity is unknown. To investigate the accuracy and precision of the Dinamap 1846 SXP and the VitaStat 2600B in the measurement of blood pressure reactivity, we compared blood pressure reactivity recorded by the VitaStat and Dinamap with that obtained by observers using a conventional mercury sphygmomanometer. At three sites, 159 normotensive subjects performed the same task twice, once with blood pressure reactivity measured by the manual observers and once by the VitaStat (n = 79) or Dinamap (n = 80), with the order determined at random. Ratios (VitaStat/Dinamap) of aggregate within-person variance for baseline and task, systolic and diastolic blood pressures ranged from 1.53 to 4.93 (all P < 0.01), suggesting that the Dinamap has better precision than the VitaStat. For both diastolic and systolic blood pressure reactivity and for both types of automated devices, the mean differences in blood pressure reactivity between manual and automated measurements were small (range, -1.8 to 0.8 mm Hg). However, the VitaStat versus manual scatter plot of diastolic blood pressure reactivity showed greater dispersion (correlation coefficient r = 0.16, P = 0.15) than the Dinamap versus manual scatter plot (r = 0.36, P = 0.001). For systolic blood pressure reactivity, the VitaStat versus manual and Dinamap versus manual scatter plots were similar. Our data indicate that the Dinamap is superior to the VitaStat in the measurement of blood pressure reactivity. The substantial performance differences between the VitaStat and Dinamap suggest that other automated blood pressure monitors must be evaluated prior to use in cardiovascular reactivity studies.
Effects of orthostatic postural changes on myocardial oxygen demands

The effects of orthostatic tilting were studied in 12 mongrel dogs anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital. Orthostasis produced significant decreases in cardiac output and left ventricular dimensions. Secondary decreases in coronary flow and myocardial oxygen consumption were also documented. These changes were attenuated when the animals were pretreated with propranolol. The upright posture may be of value in treatment of angina pectoris.
Pituitary and Thyroid Gland Lesions Induced by 2-Mercaptobenzimidazole (2-MBI) Inhalation in Male Fischer-344 Rats

2-Mercaptobenzimidazole (2-MBI) is a member of the thioureylene compound family known for their potent antithyroid activity. Male Fischer-344 rats were exposed to 0.0, 3.13, 12.5, and 50.0 mg/m3 of 2-MBI via inhalation for 13 wk. Follicular cell hyperplasia occurred in the thyroid glands of rats from the 3 2-MBI treatment groups. Thyrotrophs in the pituitary glands from rats in these 3 groups were hyperplastic, and they had varying numbers of hypertrophic cells with either eosinophilic stippled cytoplasm or with eosinophilic globules within 1 or more large vacuoles that displaced the nucleus. These cells were compared by immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural examination to "thyroidectomy cells" within the anterior pituitary glands of thyroparathyroidectomized rats and were determined to be identical to them. Immunohistochemical staining for the beta-chain of thyroid-stimulating hormone confirmed that the hyperplastic and hypertrophic cells were thyrotrophs. Ultrastructurally, hypertrophic cells in 2-MBI-treated rats and thyroidectomy cells in thyroparathyroidectomized rats had expanded cytoplasm containing either increased profiles of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) or one or more widely dilated cisternae of RER, which displaced other cellular organelles. 2-MBI appears to act comparably to other thioureylene compounds that have been shown to produce low serum concentrations of triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which results in thyrotroph hypertrophy and hyperplasia, resultant thyroid hyperplasia, and subsequent goiter.
An unusual case of glomerular nephritis with uremia

Summary This case presents one of maximum renal insufficiency as shown by a persistent high urea nitrogen nonprotein nitrogen ratio. This ratio which normally averages 40 per cent has on several occasions been as high as 92 per cent. The highest blood pressure reading obtained was 126/82, and this is a definite, though moderate, elevation for a child nine years old. There was present a fairly severe secondary anemia, which responded best to the second blood transfusion. At no time was there any evidence of edema, a fact which can probably be accounted for by the fact that there has at no time been any depletion in the plasma proteins. That he is in a uremic state is shown by the tremendous nitrogenous retention in the blood, a persistent low carbon dioxide combining power of the blood, retention of inorganic phosphates, and a very high creatinine content. All of this evidence pointed to a chronic diffuse glomerulonephritis. The exact etiology in this case is uncertain. However, we can presume, from the history of repeated low-grade upper respiratory infections and periodic malaise covering almost five and one-half years, that the prime cause of his nephritis lay in these early episodes. He now looks fairly well, except for his pallor and is at home leading a moderately normal life in spite of the evidences of the blood chemistry, which is that of a uremic individual.
Competition between Photochemistry and Energy Transfer in Ultraviolet-Excited Diazabenzenes. 3. Photofragmentation and Collisional Quenching in Mixtures of 2-Methylpyrazine and Carbon Dioxide †

The quantum yield for HCN formation via 248 and 266 nm photodissociation of methylpyrazine (C5N2H6 )i s determined by IR diode probing. HCN is produced at two different dissociation rates, one of which is extremely prompt. The total quantum yield is ) 0.93 ( 0.08 for 248 nm and 0.35 ( 0.05 for 266 nm excitation. Analysis of the quenching data within the context of a gas kinetic, strong collision model allows an estimate of the rate constant for HCN production via “late” methylpyrazine photodissociation, kd1s ) 6.4 10 4 s -1 and kd1s ) 4.9 10 3 s -1 for 248 and 266 nm excitation, respectively. The rate constant for “prompt” dissociation is too large to be measured using this technique. After 266 nm excitation methylpyrazine lives more than an order of magnitude longer than after 248 nm excitation. Methylpyrazine also lives more than twice as long as pyrazine excited under identical conditions. Transient absorption measurements probing rotationally and translationally excited CO2 molecules produced following excitation of methylpyrazine are analyzed within the context of a kinetic scheme incorporating methylpyrazine photodissociation, as well as excitation of CO 2 by both translationally hot HCN and vibrationally excited methylpyrazine. This analysis indicates that vibrationally hot methylpyrazine, which has sufficient energy to dissociate, is the source of excitation in collisions imparting large amounts of rotational and translational energy to CO 2.
Adult neurogenesis: a substrate for experience-dependent change

A rapidly growing body of literature indicates that adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is sensitive to a variety of environmental factors. The effects of emotionally salient experiences, such as stress and physical exercise, have been characterized extensively with regard to both adult neurogenesis and behaviors associated with the hippocampus. Experience-dependent changes in the production and function of new neurons may serve as a means to fine-tune the hippocampus to the predicted environment. Here, we discuss this possibility along with the argument that more naturalistic experimental conditions may be a necessary step toward understanding the adaptive significance of neurons born in the adult brain.