cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of taurocholate on electrical potential difference across rat small intestine.

Abstract Taurocholate stimulated the transmural electrical potential difference across rat small intestine incubated in vitro . Stimulation was much greater in terminal ileum (where taurocholate is actively transported) than in upper jejunum. Fasting the rats for 24 hr decreased the electrical response in the terminal ileum, but bile-depletion increased it. Fasting also decreased taurocholate transport by terminal ileum, and bile-depletion is already known to increase transport. The correlation between electrogenicity and transport at different positions along the intestine and when the animals are either fasted or depleted of bile makes us suspect a functional relationship between the electrical effect of taurocholate and its transport.
Pathologic characteristics of breast parenchyma in patients with hereditary breast carcinoma, including BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers

BACKGROUND BRCA1 and BRCA2 alterations are associated with an increased risk of developing breast carcinoma. The authors hypothesized that the progression of breast neoplasia may differ between patients with hereditary disease and patients with nonhereditary disease and that this difference in progression may be visualized by studying the prevalence of precursor lesions and neoplastic lesions. METHODS The authors developed two case cohorts of high-risk patients with a strong family history of breast carcinoma who underwent prophylactic mastectomy. The first cohort was comprised of women who underwent therapeutic mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, and the second cohort was comprised of women who underwent bilateral prophylactic mastectomy. Patients without a family history of breast carcinoma who underwent unilateral or bilateral prophylactic mastectomy were selected as a control group. DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes was screened for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. The available pathologic materials were reviewed independently by two pathologists, and all neoplastic and precursor lesions were identified and classified. Proliferation activity was assessed using MIB-1 immunohistochemistry on all available lesions from the unilateral mastectomy cohort. RESULTS The 28 women from the unilateral cohort with deleterious BRCA1/2 mutations had a lower prevalence of proliferative fibrocystic changes (PFC) (7%) compared with their matched control group (25%) (P = 0.075) and with patients who had a family history but no BRCA1/2 mutation (22–33%). None of the 11 deleterious mutation carriers from the bilateral cohort (0%) had PFC compared with 36% of women in the matched control group (P = 0.03). There was no major difference in the prevalence of other precursor lesions (including in situ carcinoma) in either cohort. Invasive carcinomas from the deleterious mutation carriers in the unilateral cohort were of higher grade compared with the control group (P = 0.003) and patients without a mutation (P < 0.0001) but were of similar grade compared with carriers of unclassified variant BRCA1/2 alterations (P = 0.20). Neoplastic lesions from the deleterious mutation carriers in the unilateral cohort had higher MIB-1 proliferation indices compared with other patients with and without a family history of breast carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS The current data suggest that the progression rate of breast neoplasia is accelerated in women who carry BRCA1/2 deleterious mutations compared with other patients who have breast carcinoma with or without a family history. This increased progression rate should be taken into account when considering the surveillance of asymptomatic women. Cancer 2003;97:1–11. © 2003 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11048
Improving operating room efficiency through process redesign

Background. Operating rooms (ORs) are important resources for patient care and revenue, yet a significant portion of OR time is taken up by nonoperative activities. We hypothesized that redesigning the process that occurs between operations would lead to a decrease in nonoperative time (NOT = room turnover time plus anesthesia induction and emergence time). Methods. Following a 3-month multidisciplinary planning process, a prospective study to reduce NOT was initiated in 2 of 17 ORs at a tertiary care academic medical center. Unlike previous reports, which have limited the number of participants, we constructed a process that was restricted only by case duration. The plan focused on minimizing nonoperative tasks in the OR, effecting parallel performance of activities, and reducing nonclinical disruptions. Eligible cases were those with an estimated operative time of 2 hours or less. A target NOT of 35 minutes was established. Cases of similar duration in the remaining ORs served as a concurrent control group. Results. Twenty-three surgeons, 13 anesthesiologists, and 11 nurses worked in the project ORs over a 3-month period. Residents participated in all cases. There was a significant reduction in NOT (42.2 ± 12.9 vs 65 ± 21.7 minutes), turnover time (26.4 ± 11.2 vs 42.8 ± 21.7 minutes), and anesthesia-related time (16.9 vs 21.9 minutes, all P <.001) in the project rooms compared with cases of similar duration in control ORs. Process-related delays were identified in 70% of cases when NOT exceeded the 35-minute target. Conclusions. These results demonstrate that a coordinated multidisciplinary process redesign can significantly reduce NOT. This process is applicable to most ORs and has optimal benefit for cases of 2 hours or less in duration. The high percentage of residual process-related delays suggests that further improvements can be anticipated.
Targeting the Human DEAD-Box RNA Helicase, DDX3, as a Novel Strategy to Inhibit Aggressive Breast Cancer Metastasis

DDX3 is a human DEAD-box RNA helicase that is expressed at a high level in aggressive breast cancer cells. The increased expression of the DDX3 protein downregulates E-cadherin expression, which results in an increase in the aggressive breast cancer cells’ metastatic properties. Aggressive breast cancer cells are insensitive to many of the present drugs, and new therapeutic agents that halt aggressive breast cancer cells’ metastasis are much needed. DDX3 is an ideal drug target to halt aggressive breast cancer metastasis because DDX3 is not essential for healthy cells’ metabolism, yet it is an important regulator of aggressive breast cancer cell motility; hence, inhibiting the DDX3 function is not expected to lead to side effects in a therapeutic context.The separated catalytic core of the DDX3 protein possesses no ATPase or helicase activity, and DDX3 N- and C-auxiliary domains are required for DDX3 function. We are investigating the mechanism employed by DDX3 auxiliary domain to modulate DDX3 function with the ultimate goal of using this understating to find small molecule inhibitors of the DDX3 protein. The small molecule inhibitors will serve as lead compound for drugs that stop aggressive breast cancer metastasis. Our experimental results show that the C-terminal of DDX3 is involved in tethering of the DDX3 protein to RNA, and DDX3 dimer formation. Experiments are in progress to identify the C-terminal amino acid residues involved in RNA tethering, dimer formation and the role of the dimerization for the DDX3 physiological function. Moreover, by screening a library of 2000 natural products we were able to find three specific inhibitors of DDX3 ATPase activity. We are currently investigating these inhibitors exact mode of action.
Functional receptors for epidermal growth factor on human osteosarcoma cells.

Previous studies have shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates bone resorption in organ culture via a prostaglandin-mediated pathway, and that there are specific receptors for EGF on mouse bone (Tashjian and Levine, ′78; Shupnik et al., ′80). The present study demonstrates that a clonal line of human osteosarcoma cells, G-292 (Clone A141B1) has specific, high-affinity receptors for EGF and responds to treatment with EGF by increased prostaglandin production. Binding of 125I-EGF to G-292 cells exhibited a prolonged plateau phase (6 hours); thereafter, binding slowly declined (t1/2 = 6 hours) to 30–40% of the maximal level. This decrease in cell-associated 125I-EGF was prevented by leupeptin (50 μg/ml). EGF binding was of high affinity (Kd = 1.9 × 10−9 M) and was to a single class of non-interacting binding sites. Pretreatment of cells for 48 hours with EGF caused a maximum threefold increase in PGE2 production, with a half-maximal response at 9.8 × 10−10 M EGF. Increased PGE2 production was detectable within 2 hours and the constant presence of EGF was needed to maintain the response. Although EGF is mitogenic in several other systems, it did not increase DNA synthesis in the osteosarcoma cells. EGF treatment also did not increase medium or intracellular cyclic AMP in these cells, although parathyroid hormone and exogenous PGE2 (200 ng/ml) increased cyclic AMP three- to tenfold over control levels. Pretreatment with EGF decreased the level of subsequent 125I-EGF binding; receptor number decreased to 30–40% of control after 48 hours of treatment, and the half-maximal effect occurred with pretreatment concentrations of 1.6 × 10−9 M EGF. In all respects tested, the binding and biological actions of EGF on the human osteosarcoma cells were the same as those in whole mouse bone. G-292 cells thus provide a convenient model system to study EGF action on osseous tissue.
A framework for spyware assessment

One of the most challenging problems confronting the IT community is responding to the threat of spyware. Recent research, legislative actions, and policy changes have been hastened to counter spyware's threat to the privacy and productivity of both individuals and organizations [2, 10--12].
REPEAT ULTRASOUND GUIDED PROSTATE NEEDLE BIOPSY: USE OF FREE-TO-TOTAL PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN RATIO IN PREDICTING PROSTATIC CARCINOMA

AbstractPurpose: Despite being the most useful tumor marker for the diagnosis of patients with prostate cancer, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) is still hampered by lack of specificity. A negative prostate biopsy is associated with a 20 to 40% incidence of positive repeat biopsy in men with persistently elevated serum PSA levels. We determine whether the free-to-total PSA ratio could be predictive of prostate cancer in men undergoing repeat biopsy.Materials and Methods: Archival sera, drawn before the first biopsy, were gathered from 51 men with a total serum PSA of 2 to 15 ng./ml. who underwent repeat prostate needle biopsy for various indications. The percent free PSA was calculated using the Hybritech Tandem-R [dagger] free and total PSA as well as Dianon Systems free [double dagger] and Hybritech total PSA assays. The free-to-total PSA ratio results between the cancer and noncancer groups were compared using Student's t test.Results: The median Hybritech free-to-total PSA ratio was significantly...
Thermodynamics on the Molality Scale

For physical measurements, the compositions of solutions, especially electrolyte solutions, are expressed in terms of molality rather than mole fractions. The development of the necessary thermodynamic equations directly in terms of molality is not common in textbooks, and the treatment in the literature is not very systematic. We develop a methodical treatment of this topic and define a new reference solution that can be used for solutions whose composition is described in terms of molality. Thermodynamic quantities per mass of solvent appear naturally in the derivation. We discuss how these quantities may be used to analyze experimental data.
The depletion of monoamines blocks the sympathoinhibitory response to cocaine

Recent studies have shown that cocaine decreases, rather than increases sympathetic nerve discharge (SND). Whether these sympathoinhibitory responses are the result of cocaine's actions on monoaminergic transmission (i.e. blockade of neuronal uptake or stimulation of transmitter release) or its local anesthetic actions is not known. The purpose of the present study was to determine the degree to which cocaine's actions on monoaminergic transmission are involved in mediating the sympathoinhibitory response to this drug. We examined the mean arterial pressure, heart rate and splanchnic sympathetic nerve responses elicited by cocaine (1 mg/kg, i.v.) in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats depleted of monoamines. Monoamines were depleted by administering reserpine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) either 24, or 48 and 24 h before the experiment. The rats were also given alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) 2 h before the experiment. Vehicle-treated rats served as controls. Depletion of monoamines markedly reduced resting arterial pressure and heart rate and significantly attenuated the pressor response and tachycardia elicited by tyramine (1 mg/kg, i.v.). In control rats, cocaine elicited marked (-64 +/- 4%) and prolonged (44 +/- 4 min) decreases in SND. The magnitude (-34 +/- 11%) and duration (23 +/- 6 min) of these responses were significantly attenuated after 1 day of monoamine depletion. After 2 days of depletion, the sympathoinhibitory response was abolished and was replaced by a small, brief increase in SND (10 +/- 3%). The pressor responses were similar in control and depleted rats, while the bradycardic response (-33 +/- 4 bpm) was significantly reduced after 1 and 2 days of monoamine depletion to -20 +/- 3 and -15 +/- 2 bpm, respectively. We conclude that a functionally intact monoaminergic system is essential for the sympathoinhibitory response to cocaine. Whether the pressor responses result from a non-monoaminergic or a reserpine and/or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine resistant catecholaminergic mechanism is unknown.
“Pseudo-Speciation of the Human Race:Religions as Hazard-Precaution Systems”

Abstract Human individuals and groups have faced not only immediate and obvious threats to their welfare that trigger a flight-fight-or-freeze response but also long-term and unpredictable challenges to their general security. Defence systems against such threats involve detecting subtle signs of potential danger and eliciting precautionary responses to them. I will argue here that there is sufficient evidence in the historical, psychological, and anthropological literature to suggest that religions emerged as such “natural security systems.” I will also suggest, however, that with the global improvement in human physical well-being religions no longer play this kind of protective role and may themselves have become a threat to modern civilization.
Automatic Training Data Cleaning for Text Classification

Supervised text classification algorithms rely on the availability of large quantities of quality training data to achieve their optimal performance. However, not all training data is created equal and the quality of class-labels assigned by human experts may vary greatly with their levels of experience, domain knowledge, and the time available to label each document. In our experiments, focused label validation and correction by expert journalists improved the Micro and Macro-F1 scores achieved by Linear SVMs by as much as 14.5% and 30% respectively, on a corpus of professionally labeled news stories. Manual label correction is an expensive and time consuming process and the classification quality may not linearly improve with the amount of time spent, making it increasingly more expensive to achieve higher classification quality targets. We propose ATDC, a novel evidence-based training data cleaning method that uses training examples with high-quality class labels to automatically validate and correct labels of noisy training data. A subset of these instances are then selected to augment the original training set. On a large noisy dataset with about two million news stories, our method improved the baseline Micro-F1 and Macro-F1 scores by 9% and 13% respectively, without requiring any further human intervention.
Gamma radiations from the proton capture of Mg25

Abstract The γ-ray spectra from the Mg 25 (p, γ)Al 26 reaction have been observed in the proton energy range from 950 keV to 1.80 MeV. The γ-ray decays have been examined for 20 resonances using large scintillation detectors and coincidence techniques. A number of cascades through intermediate levels in Al 26 , previously not reported, were observed. Relative intensities have been measured for all the γ-rays and consistent decay schemes proposed.
The Systems Approach: A French Experience

The Systems Approach has become an increasingly familiar way of attacking various problems in engineering, management and, possibly, other areas. As a new viewpoint it can be detected today in three ways: in its applications, in the disciplines associated with its development and, in the various sources, some outside engineering and management, which can be ascribed to it. In what follows we describe a French experience to express and teach systems engineering at ENSAe France, since 1970. It is shown how from the experience of aerospace systems projects and from a reflection upon the school's own curricula in related fields of control, computer and electrical engineering, the decision was made to develop a new, separate program, based upon a pragmatic concept of systems, as evidenced in the French aerospace and defense industries. This five-year experience is then commented upon and summary of opinions of students, course alumni and industry systems engineers on the concept of the systems approach and teaching is presented.
Shale Gas Development Requires Bipartisan Path Forward, U.S. Senator Wyden Urges

“How do we work in a bipartisan way to lock in the lead that the country has with respect to natural gas and win all the gold that we want in the economic Olympic games?” That is a question U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) posed during his keynote address at a 25 July forum in Washington, D. C., on the future of shale gas development.
Speaker adaptation method for fenonic markov model‐based speech recognition

This paper proposes a speaker adaptation method for speech recognition based on the discrete hidden Markov models (HMM), especially the fenonic Markov model, which is a framewise model. The method consists largely of two parts—the adaptation of the vector quantization codebook and the adaptation of Markov models. The former employs a method which is based on the difference between the feature parameter distributions of the training speech and the word baseform as the basis for the adaptation, where the two are divided into N segments on the time axis. The latter employs a method based on a linear mapping, which is estimated from the matching between the quantized training speech and the word baseform. In this study, a recognition experiment was executed using 150 words with high similarities. Using the speech in which all object words are uttered ten times by a male, the codebook and the Markov models are estimated as the basis for the adaptation. Then the adaptation training is executed for seven males and four females by uttering once 25 words in the object vocabulary. The average error rate, i.e., 25.0 and 45.2 percent, respectively, for the males and females, is improved to 4.1 and 7.8 percent. Thus, the usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated.
Children's Envy and the Emergence of the Modern Consumer Ethic, 1890-1930

Between 1890 and 1930 attitudes towards children's envy changed dramatically. Children growing up during this period were exposed to the temptations of consumer society and often expressed envy. Between 1890 and 1915 children were told to suppress the emotion because it was sinful and to resist the temptations of consumerism. Children must learn to be contented with what they had and accept deprivation and inequality. Beginning in the late 1910s, these emotional prescriptions began to change. While children were still expected to suppress envy, a new rationale and means for doing so emerged. The emotion was to be suppressed not because it was sinful but because it did not fit social and economic needs. Additionally, child experts suggested that rather than being harmful, toys and other consumer goods might actually aid children's character development. They suggested that parents buy their offspring the playthings they desired in order to minimize envy and ensure their social acceptance. The solution to envy was no longer to be found in emotional repression but instead in gaining all that one desired.
The Breadth of Hopes

As a pediatrician who cares for children with life-threatening, complex chronic conditions, Dr. Chris Feudtner hears the word “hope” on a daily basis. Dr. Feudtner discusses prevalent presumptions about hope and offers alternative propositions.
Trisomy X as a possible initial chromosome change in a gastric cancer.

Abstract Primary and metastatic gastric tumors from a patient previously treated for five different cancers were cytogenetically examined by G-banding. Both types of tumors had cells with a 47,XX,+X karyotype; in addition, the primary tumor had a second clone with a 48,XX,+X,+12 karyotype. No other abnormality was found in either tumor. The lymphocytes of this patient revealed a normal female diploid karyotype.
Characterization of the mouse CP27 promoter and NF-Y mediated gene regulation.

Abstract The cp27 gene is a highly conserved and unique gene with important roles related to craniofacial organogenesis. The present study is a first analysis of the CP27 promoter and its regulation. Here, we have cloned the promoter of the mouse cp27 gene, examined its transcriptional activity, and identified transcription factor binding sites in the proximal promoter region. Two major transcription start sites were mapped adjacent to exon 1. Promoter function analysis of the 5′ flanking region by progressive 5′ deletion mutations localized transcription repression elements between −1993 bp and −969 bp and several positive elements between −968 bp and the preferred transcription start site. EMSA and functional studies indicated two function-cooperative CCAAT boxes and identified the NF-Y transcription factor as the CCAAT activator controlling transactivation of the CP27 promoter. In addition, this study demonstrated that for its effective binding and function, NF-Y required not only the minimal DNA segment length identified by deletion studies, but also a defined nucleotide sequence in the distal 3′ flanking region of the CP27 proximal promoter CCAAT box. These results provide a basis for our understanding of the specific regulation of the cp27 gene in the NF-Y-mediated gene transcription network.
Breakup of the aligned H 2 molecule by xuv laser pulses: A time-dependent treatment in prolate spheroidal coordinates

We have carried out calculations of the triple-differential cross section for one-photon double ionization of molecular hydrogen for a central photon energy of $75$ eV, using a fully ab initio, nonperturbative approach to solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in prolate spheroidal coordinates. The spatial coordinates $\ensuremath{\xi}$ and $\ensuremath{\eta}$ are discretized in a finite-element discrete-variable representation. The wave packet of the laser-driven two-electron system is propagated in time through an effective short iterative Lanczos method to simulate the double ionization of the hydrogen molecule. For both symmetric and asymmetric energy sharing, the present results agree to a satisfactory level with most earlier predictions for the absolute magnitude and the shape of the angular distributions. A notable exception, however, concerns the predictions of the recent time-independent calculations based on the exterior complex scaling method in prolate spheroidal coordinates [L. Tao et al., Phys. Rev. A 82, 023423 (2010)]. Extensive tests of the numerical implementation were performed, including the effect of truncating the Neumann expansion for the dielectronic interaction on the description of the initial bound state and the predicted cross sections. We observe that the dominant escape mode of the two photoelectrons depends dramatically on the energy sharing. In the parallel geometry, when the ejected electrons are collected along the direction of the laser polarization axis, back-to-back escape is the dominant channel for strongly asymmetric energy sharing, while it is completely forbidden if the two electrons share the excess energy equally.
Aggression in a rural psychogeriatric outreach program

A rural, community-dwelling group of elders referred to a psychogeriatric outreach program were examined for presence of aggressive behaviors. Aggressive patients were compared to non-aggressive patients on the following variables: age, sex, presence of hallucinations and delusions, alcohol use, cognition score, score on Hamilton Depression Scale, physical and instrumental activity of daily living (ADL) scores, general health and quality of life. Of one hundred and fifty-eight patients, 19 (12%) exhibited aggressive behavior. Aggression was significantly associated with presence of hallucinations (p < 0.0001), delusions (p = 0.004), lower physical (p = 0.004), instrumental activity of daily living scores (p < 0.0001) and diagnosis of dementia versus other psychiatric diagnoses. However, lower cognitive score, depressive symptoms, age, gender, alcohol use, quality of life and general health did not differ between aggressive and non-aggressive patients. Aggression is not uncommon in community-dwelling elders in a rural psychogeriatric program. Careful evaluation for treatment of psychotic symptoms should be done in aggressive elders.
Electronic charge densities for two layer semiconductors-SnS2 and SnSe2

The total valence electronic charge densities for two semiconductors with layer structure-SnS2 and SnSe2-are calculated using wavefunctions from pseudopotential energy band structure calculations at a representative k point. A comparison is made between the charge density distributions for these two compounds and those of ZnS in the wurtzite structure.
Cardiac effects of intracoronary arterial injections of various roentgenographic contrast media

Abstract The cardiac effects of intracoronary arterial injections of various contrast substances on coronary blood flow, myocardial contraction, and the electrocardiogram were studied. Urokon, Hypaque, Cardiografin, Renografin, and Diodrast (in the descending order of effectiveness) produced cardiac arrhythmias and ST-T wave changes in the electrocardiogram, depressed the contractile force of the heart, and caused a drop in blood pressure. All of the radiopaque dyes increased coronary blood flow following intracoronary injections.
Dynamic theory of high-angle annular-dark-field stem lattice images for a Ge/Si interface

Abstract A dynamical multislice approach for simulating the annular-dark-field (ADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images is presented. The ADF imaging contrast is dominated by thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) if the diffraction contrast from the high-order Laue zones (HOLZ) is excluded. The simulation of ADF images can be greatly simplified if the assumption is made of incoherent imaging theory such as is used in optics, that is, the image intensity is a thickness integration of the convolution of the electron probe intensity distribution at depth z with the localized inelastic generation function | G | 2 . This result may also be derived on the basis of coherent elastic scattering theory. The calculation according to the simplified theory can give almost exactly the same contrast as obtained from full dynamical inelastic calculations for thin specimens. The TDS can give atomic resolution lattice images if a small probe, less than the size of the unit cell, is used. A programming flow-chart for simulating ADF images is given. Calculations for Ge/Si(100) interfaces have shown that the ADF imaging contrast of the atoms is not affected by correlations of vibrations of neighboring atoms. It is pointed out that the contribution from elastic large-angle scattering will become important only if the atomic vibration amplitudes are less than about 0.03 A. The ADF image production may not be considered as incoherent imaging if this is the case.
Effect of shear rate on fouling in a Vibratory Shear Enhanced Processing (VSEP) RO system

Membrane fouling due to formation of inorganic scales limits the application of reverse osmosis (RO) technology for desalination. This study continued our investigation of the performance of RO membranes in a Vibratory Shear Enhanced Processing (VSEP) system during the treatment of a simulated brackish water source and a brine. Increasing vibration amplitude decreased membrane fouling, increased rejection of most solutes and changed the morphology of the scales from a tightly packed layer to a more scattered distribution of particles that is easier for water to permeate. Decreasing pH reduced fouling slightly, and the presence of natural organic matter displayed no substantial effect. When all but a thin ring of the membrane surface was sealed by impermeable epoxy resin, fouling decreased as the shear rate increased. In these tests, the fouling rate was almost identical in paired tests in which the same average shear rate was achieved by different combinations of ring radius and vibration amplitude. The shear rate appears to control fouling by determining the structure of the scale deposit that forms early in a filtration run.
Presentation, course, and outcome of head and neck skin cancer in african americans: A case-control study†

Background: Several reports have shown that the presentation, course, and outcome of skin cancer is altered in African Americans. Subset data from these studies suggest that the course of head and neck skin cancer may be different from that occurring in other sites. However, very few studies have specifically investigated skin cancer involving the head and neck region in African-American patients. Methods: Retrospective case-control study including 215 patients with skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma ISCC], basal cell carcinoma [BCC], malignant melanoma, and adnexal tumors) presenting to a tertiary care institution over a 9.5-year period. Cases were defined as African Americans with skin cancer, and the control group included white and Latin-American patients with skin cancer. Results: Skin cancer occurred in the head and neck region in 135 cases (62%). However, head and neck involvement was less common in African-American patients (44%) than the control group (76%; P <.001). The anatomic distribution of head and neck skin lesions was similar between the groups, with nasal and scalp skin most often involved. In the head and neck region, the ratio of BCC to SCC (4:1) was similar among all groups. In contrast, in non-sun-exposed regions, the ratio was 1:8.5 for African-American patients compared with 1:1 for the control group (P <.001). The overall distribution of malignant melanoma was not influenced by sun exposure in either groups. The study groups were similar in gender distribution, primary treatment modality, rates of positive margins, and development of second skin cancers. Although African Americans presented with more advanced lesions (P <.001), their disease-free interval was similar to the control group. Only the margin status was a significant predictor of disease-free survival by multivariate analysis, with a relative risk of 1.68 (95% CI: 1.58-18.24) Conclusions: Head and neck skin cancer is similar with regard to presentation and distribution in patients of all skin types. Moreover, in contrast to previous reports, the course of head and neck skin cancer may be less aggressive in African Americans, if appropriate treatment is provided. This report suggests that differences in skin cancer in African Americans reported in the literature reflect cancer occurring in non-sun-exposed regions.
Compile-Time Scheduling Algorithms for a Heterogeneous Network of Workstations

In this paper, we study the problem of scheduling parallel loops at compile time for a heterogeneous network of workstations. We consider heterogeneity in various aspects of parallel programming: program, processor, memory and network. A heterogeneous program has parallel loops with different amounts of work being done in each iteration; heterogeneous processors have different speeds; heterogeneous memory refers to the different amounts of user-available memory on the machines and a heterogeneous network has different communication costs between processors. We propose a simple yet comprehensive model for use in compiling for a network of processors, and develop compiler algorithms for generating optimal and near-optimal schedules of loops for load balancing, communication optimizations, network contention and memory heterogeneity. Experiments show that a signi"cant performance improvement is achieved using our techniques.
Two-dimensional mapping of electron densities and temperatures using laser-collisional induced fluorescence

We discuss the application of the laser-collisional induced fluorescence (LCIF) technique to produce two-dimensional maps of both electron densities and electron temperatures in a helium plasma. A collisional–radiative model (CRM) is used to describe the evolution of electronic states after laser excitation. We discuss generalizations to the time dependent results which are useful for simplifying data acquisition and analysis. LCIF measurements are performed in plasma containing densities ranging from ~109 electrons cm−3 and approaching 1011 electrons cm−3 and comparison is made between the predictions made by the CRM and the measurements. Finally, spatial and temporal evolution of an ion sheath formed during a pulse bias is measured to demonstrate this technique.
The role of nerve growth factor in neuropathic pain inhibition produced by resiniferatoxin treatment in the dorsal root ganglia

Background Resiniferatoxin (RTX), an excitotoxic agonist for vanilloid receptor 1, is a promising candidate for intractable pain treatment. Objective We evaluated the effects of RTX, applied to dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at high doses (1200 ng), in sensory-motor function and nerve growth factor (NGF) alterations in a photochemical sciatic nerve injury rat model. Methods Following RTX injection into the L3-6 DRG at high doses and behavioral evaluation, the rats were sacrificed and the DRG were tested by immunohistochemistry and mRNA analysis for NGF and its' receptors, tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) and p75. The correlation between neuropathic pain and NGF, TrkA, and p75 expression was analyzed. Results The treated rats had preserved touch, cold, pain, and high-heat sensations, and exhibited hypoalgesia to low-heat stimulation. After RTX treatment, TrkA and p75 altered their expressions from one neuronal type to another in the DRG. NGF and p75 expression changed from the small-size neurons in neuropathic rat DRG to the large- and medium-size neurons in non-neuropathic and RTX-treated animals, concomitantly with neuropathic pain suppression. TrkA was expressed in the small-size neurons in neuropathic rat DRG, and was drastically reduced in all size neurons after RTX treatment. NGF, TrkA, and p75 mRNA expression supported these phenotypic changes in the DRG. Conclusion The pathway of NGF-TrkA expressed in the small-size neurons, associated with neuropathic pain, was shifted to the NGF-p75 pathway expressed in the large-size neurons after RTX treatment, in association with neuropathic pain inhibition. These findings may play an important role in clinical trial designs.
Surfing new territory: club-drug use and risky sex among Hispanic men who have sex with men recruited on the Internet.

The Internet presents unique and growing opportunities for conducting HIV/STD research. This article reports on the first 171 participants enrolled in an ongoing study examining use of the Internet to recruit Hispanic men who have sex with men (HMSM) living in an AIDS epicenter to participate in community-based studies. First, it descibes initial success with chatroom recruitment. Second, it compares the demographic, psychosocial, and sexual risk practices among HMSM recruited through the Internet who had used club drugs in the last 6 months and those who had not. In 2 months, 211 hours were spent recruiting in chatrooms; 735 chatroom users were engaged. Researchers used a scripted dialogue to describe the study and to invite chatroom users to visit the study’s community sites for screening and enrollment. One bundred and seventy-six men came to the community sites; 172 (98%) were eligible and completed an audio-computer assisted self-interview. In the last 6 months, 48.5% of the sample had used club drugs [defined as cocaine, crystal methamphetamines (crystal), amyl nitrites (poppers), Ecstasy, gammahydroxybutyrate (GHB), ketamine (Special K), and Viagra]. The proportion of men reporting use of each drug was: cocaine (15.8%), crystal (11.7%), poppers (31.6%), Ecstasy (14%), GHB (3.5%), Special K (3.5%), and Viagra (19.3%). In multivariate analyses, having higher number of sex partners, having higher social isolation scores, and having engaged in unprotected receptive anal intercourse were significantly associated with club-drug use. These initial findings suggest that high-risk HMSM can be successfully recruited through chatroom dialogues to participate in community-based HIV studies. The alarmingly high rates of club-drug use and risky sexual practices among HMSM underscore the need for effective HIV preventive interventions for this population.
Interaction of ethanol and thyroxine on mitochondria

Abstract Thyroxine can stimulate mitochondrial swelling and uncouple oxidative phosphorylation. It was observed that ethanol inhibits both spontaneous and thyroxineinduced mitochrondrial swelling. The antiswelling activity of ethanol is manifested during mitochondrial respiration both in the presence and absence of phosphorylation. Ethanol was observed only to block thyroxine-induced swelling; it could not reverse the swelling. Ethanol also blocked Ca++ and phosphate-induced swelling. Therefore, the antiswelling activity of ethanol is more generalized than that of serum albumin. It is concluded that the ethanol antagonism of mitochrondrial swelling produced by various agents is probably dependent on the fact that ethanol alone inhibits swelling; ethanol is therefore a pharmacological antagonist of agents that induce swelling. In addition to inhibiting swelling, ethanol also blocks uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation by thyroxine and Ca++ but not by salicylate. These observations were interpreted to indicate that ethanol affects oxidative phosphorylation only indirectly by blocking mitochondrial swelling. The observed effects of ethanol on mitochrondria are discussed in terms of reports on the ability of thyroid hormone to antagonize acute alcohol intoxication in man, and the ability of ethanol to block effects of Ca++ on smooth muscle.
Posttranslational modifications in connexins and pannexins

Posttranslational modification is a common cellular process that is used by cells to ensure a particular protein function. This can happen in a variety of ways, e.g., from the addition of phosphates or sugar residues to a particular amino acid, ensuring proper protein life cycle and function. In this review, we assess the evidence for ubiquitination, glycosylation, phosphorylation, S-nitrosylation as well as other modifications in connexins and pannexin proteins. Based on the literature, we find that posttranslational modifications are an important component of connexin and pannexin regulation.
Complete genome sequence of bacteriophage VvAW1, which infects Vibrio vulnificus

Investigating the bacteriophages of vibrios has led to significant insights into the evolution and pathogenicity of their host strains. This report presents the first complete genome sequence of a bacteriophage that infects the deadly human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus. The phage was isolated from the surface waters of the Ala Wai Canal, which is part of an urban watershed in eastern Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. The phage particle is icosahedral, with a diameter of 35-40 nm, and a small non-contractile tail. The genome was sequenced in its entirety, rendering a 38 kb sequence located on a single, linear, circularly permuted chromosome. Here, we present the annotation and genomic features of the bacteriophage, VvAW1.
Hippocampal GluR1 Associates with Behavior in the Elevated Plus Maze and Shows Sex Differences

The hippocampus is involved in anxiety as well as spatial memory formation and is sexually dimorphic. Female rats typically show less anxiety in elevated plus maze procedure (EPM), a standard animal model of anxiety. Many intracellular proteins, including α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluR1 and the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), in hippocampus contribute to memory formation. However, less is known about the roles for hippocampal GluR1 and CREB in anxiety. We examined behavior in EPM in male and female rats and obtained hippocampal tissue samples to determine levels of GluR1 and CREB with western blots. EPM results showed that female rats exhibited less anxiety-like behaviors than male rats. Further, behaviors in EPM were significantly correlated with hippocampal GluR1 levels, but not with CREB. Yet, both proteins showed sex differences with lower levels in female rats. These data not only suggest some potential bases for sex differences in behaviors to which the hippocampus contributes but demonstrate that there is a strong association between hippocampal GluR1 levels and anxiety as assessed with EPM.
Prescription for Reorganizing: Merging Campus Libraries

Special Libraries, Special Challenges is a column dedicated to exploring the unique public services challenges that arise in libraries that specialize in a particular subject, such as law, medicine...
An analysis of sub-limit flame dynamics using opposite propagating flames in mesoscale channels

The excess enthalpy flames and their dynamics below the flammability limit are studied by considering two flames that propagate in opposite directions in parallel channels. The model enables the coupling between the external heat loss, convection preheating, diffusion transport and finite rate chemistry. Analytical expressions for the flame temperature, separation distance, and extinction limit are obtained. The results show that flame extinction can be caused by the external heat loss without heat conduction of inner wall in the streamwise direction. The heat recirculation across the separating wall dramatically increases the flame speed and extends the flammability limit. It is shown that the maximum and minimum flame speeds corresponding respectively to the fast and slow flame modes exist at all separation distances between the two flames. It is found that the flame can adjust its separation distance to adapt to the variation of heat loss, heat recirculation and fuel concentration. There exists a maximum flame separation distance beyond which sub-limit flame does not exist. The results also showed that heat recirculation significantly extends the flammability limit. Furthermore, at low fuel concentrations, the flame can be stabilized in a narrow range of separation distance. The present study not only generalized the previous analyses of the heat recirculation flames but also provided a model for the study and control of sub-limit flames in micro power devices and reactors.
Rapid assessment of drug susceptibilities of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by means of luciferase reporter phages

Effective chemotherapy of tuberculosis requires rapid assessment of drug sensitivity because of the emergence of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Drug susceptibility was assessed by a simple method based on the efficient production of photons by viable mycobacteria infected with specific reporter phages expressing the firefly luciferase gene. Light production was dependent on phage infection, expression of the luciferase gene, and the level of cellular adenosine triphosphate. Signals could be detected within minutes after infection of virulent M. tuberculosis with reporter phages. Culture of conventional strains with antituberculosis drugs, including isoniazid or rifampicin, resulted in extinction of light production. In contrast, light signals after luciferase reporter phage infection of drug-resistant strains continued to be produced. Luciferase reporter phages may help to reduce the time required for establishing antibiotic sensitivity of M. tuberculosis strains from weeks to days and to accelerate screening for new antituberculosis drugs.
A retrospectiv analysis of twiec-daily cefotaxime compared to conventional therapy from the treatment of infection in a USA hospital

A retrospective, matched cohort study was performed to determine the cost outcomes among 495 hospitalized patients who received twice-daily dosing of cefotaxime and 3949 matched cohorts who received other antibiotics. By an attribution model, twice-daily use was associated with shorter mean lengths of stay (-0.498 day, P < .7) and lower mean total costs of hospitalization (-$623, P < .8). Twice-daily dosing of cefotaxime is commonly employed for the treatment of a variety of serious infections, and appears to be cost effective.
Insights into interstitial flow, shear stress, and mass transport effects on ECM heterogeneity in bioreactor-cultivated engineered cartilage hydrogels

Interstitial flow in articular cartilage is secondary to compressive and shear deformations during joint motion and has been linked with the well-characterized heterogeneity in structure and composition of its extracellular matrix. In this study, we investigated the effects of introducing gradients of interstitial flow on the evolution of compositional heterogeneity in engineered cartilage. Using a parallel-plate bioreactor, we observed that Poiseuille flow stimulation of chondrocyte-seeded agarose hydrogels led to an increase in glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen deposition in the surface region of the hydrogel exposed to flow. Experimental measurements of the interstitial flow fields based on the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique suggested that the observed heterogeneity in composition is associated with gradients in interstitial flow in a boundary layer at the hydrogel surface. Interestingly, the interstitial flow velocity profiles were nonlinearly influenced by flow rate, which upon closer examination led us to the original observation that the apparent hydrogel permeability decreased exponentially with increased interfacial shear stress. We also observed that interstitial flow enhances convective mass transport irrespective of molecular size within the boundary layer near the hydrogel surface and that the convective contribution to transport diminishes with depth in association with interstitial flow gradients. The implications of the nonlinearly inverse relationship between the interfacial shear stress and the interstitial flux and permeability and its consequences for convective transport are important for tissue engineering, since porous scaffolds comprise networks of Poiseuille channels (pores) through which interstitial flow must navigate under mechanical stimulation or direct perfusion.
Editorial Commentary: Sexual Networks, Sex Hormones, and Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis: Not Such Strange Bedfellows

In women of reproductive age, a vaginal environment that is quantitatively dominated by hydrogen peroxide–producing Lactobacillus species typically has a pH considered to be normal (<4.7) and has consistently been associated with healthy pregnancy outcomes, lack of abnormal vaginal symptoms, and reduced risk for acquiring several sexually transmitted pathogens, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The most commonly isolated Lactobacillus species associated with this healthy environment are L. crispatus and L. jensenii. In addition to the direct antimicrobial effects of lactic acid and the consequent acidic pH these bacteria engender, the natural defense mechanisms of the vagina include production of endogenous defensins (including HNP1-3), secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, cytokines, and endocervical mucous. Bacterial vaginosis