cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Core Genome MLST for Source Attribution of Campylobacter coli.

Campylobacter species are among the leading foodborne bacterial agents of human diarrheal illness. The majority of campylobacteriosis has been attributed to Campylobacter jejuni (85% or more), followed by Campylobacter coli (5-10%). The distribution of C. jejuni and C. coli varies by host organism, indicating that the contribution to human infection may differ between isolation sources. To address the relative contribution of each source to C. coli infections in humans, core genome multilocus sequence type with a 200-allele difference scheme (cgMLST200) was used to determine cgMLST type for 3,432 C. coli isolated from food animals (n = 2,613), retail poultry meats (n = 389), human clinical settings (n = 285), and environmental sources (n = 145). Source attribution was determined by analyzing the core genome with a minimal multilocus distance methodology (MMD). Using MMD, a higher proportion of the clinical C. coli population was attributed to poultry (49.6%) and environmental (20.9%) sources than from cattle (9.8%) and swine (3.2%). Within the population of C. coli clinical isolates, 70% of the isolates that were attributed to non-cecal retail poultry, dairy cattle, beef cattle and environmental waters came from two cgMLST200 groups from each source. The most common antibiotic resistance genes among all C. coli were tetO (65.6%), blaOXA-193 (54.2%), aph(3')-IIIa (23.5%), and aadE-Cc (20.1%). Of the antibiotic resistance determinants, only one gene was isolated from a single source: blaOXA-61 was only isolated from retail poultry. Within cgMLST200 groups, 17/17 cgMLST200-435 and 89/92 cgMLST200-707 isolates encoded for aph(3')-VIIa and 16/16 cgMLST200-319 harbored aph(2')-If genes. Distribution of blaOXA alleles showed 49/50 cgMLST200-5 isolates contained blaOXA-498 while blaOXA-460 was present in 37/38 cgMLST200-650 isolates. The cgMLST200-514 group revealed both ant(6)-Ia and sat4 resistance genes in 23/23 and 22/23 isolates, respectively. Also, cgMLST200-266 and cgMLST200-84 had GyrAT86I mutation with 16/16 (100%) and 14/15 (93.3%), respectively. These findings illustrate how cgMLST and MMD methods can be used to evaluate the relative contribution of known sources of C. coli to the human burden of campylobacteriosis and how cgMLST typing can be used as an indicator of antimicrobial resistance in C. coli.
Case Report: Deutetrabenazine as an Adjunctive Treatment for Stuttering

Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which disturbances occur in the normal fluency and time patterning of speech. While the dopamine system has been well-described in its neurophysiology, there currently is no FDA-approved treatment for stuttering. Second-generation antipsychotics, which have been effective in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, act as dopamine D-2 receptor antagonists at the postsynaptic neuron and have been shown to reduce the symptoms of stuttering. However, the D-2 receptor antagonist and partial agonist agents carry the potential for metabolic side effects and can potentially lead to movement disorders. Deutetrabenazine, a VMAT-2 inhibitor indicated to treat hyperkinetic movement disorders, is a potential candidate in the treatment of stuttering, based on its mechanism of action in decreasing dopamine activity while not carrying the risk of metabolic adverse events.
Effect of Warnings in Advertising on Adolescents' Perceptions of Risk for Alcohol Consumption

The present study examined the effect of warning labels in alcohol advertising on the perception of risk for alcohol consumption. Under incidental conditions, subjects from two age groups, young (M = 13.6 years) and older (M = 23.3 years), examined a collection of magazine ads. Three of the ads in the booklet were for alcoholic beverages and these were either accompanied by a warning or the warning was absent. When present, the warnings were manipulated by the orthogonal combination of text voice (2nd vs. 3rd person) and pictorial (presence vs. absence) in a between-subjects design. A fifth condition served as the no-warning control. After examining the magazine ads, subjects answered a questionnaire which assessed several dimensions related to the ads: number and type of ads, attractiveness of the ads, and number and type of warnings in the ads. Examination of the questions dealing with the risk of alcohol consumption indicated that adolescents rated their own risk lower than the risk to adolescents in g...
The International Enclosure of China’s Innovation Space

This chapter highlights the external constraints on China's ability to innovate by recounting how the existing international intellectual property regime has evolved in a way that significantly encloses the innovation space of developing countries. It begins by tracing the development of this regime from its very beginning to the establishment of the WTO TRIPS Agreement. It discusses not only the constraints the Agreement has placed on developing countries, but also the various flexibilities it retains to their benefit. The chapter then examines the rapid proliferation of TRIPS-plus bilateral, plurilateral and regional trade, investment and intellectual property agreements, including both the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement and the still-under-negotiation Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. It also points out that China has been slowly emerging as an innovative power and therefore a potential beneficiary of higher intellectual property standards, just as developed countries used non-multilateral agreements aggressively to further enclose the innovation space of developing countries. The chapter concludes by outlining four sets of challenges the international intellectual property regime will pose to China's continued effort to strengthen its innovative capacity.
Algorithms for computing the optimal Lipschitz constant of interpolants with Lipschitz derivative

One classical measure of the quality of an interpolating function is its Lipschitz constant. In this paper we consider interpolants with additional smoothness requirements, in particular that their derivatives be Lipschitz. We show that such a measure of quality can be easily computed, giving two algorithms, one optimal in the dimension of the data, the other optimal in the number of points to be interpolated.
Hydrogeological study of the intensely exploited aquifer of the Santa Croce leather-producing district, Tuscany (central Italy)

A hydrogeological study was undertaken to define the groundwater circulation in the Santa Croce area (Tuscany, central Italy) where the existing multilayered aquifer has long been intensively exploited. Investigations carried out on about 150 wells revealed the existence of a deep piezometric depression (to 20 m below sea level) which drains groundwater from the entire surrounding area. Samples from about 70 water points, collected twice in 2007, were analysed for major elements and stable isotope composition. Three major groups of waters, which mix in the study area, have been distinguished: (1) waters of the Ca–Mg–HCO3 type mainly flowing along the Arno River Plain; (2) waters of the Na–K–Cl/Ca–Mg–HCO3–SO4, type with SO4 content up to 275 mg/L, inflowing from the Pisane Hills; (3) relatively high-salinity waters mainly of the Na–HCO3 type which, with Cl concentrations up to 750 mg/L, likely arise from a normal fault located at the foot of the northern hills. The characteristics of the different components are greatly affected by significant modifying processes such as cation exchange and sulfate reduction. The achieved conceptual model suggests the southern hills as the main recharging area of the aquifer system from which water circulation, characterized by pathways of different length and depth, develops.
Twenty years after. The legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Outside the community.

Twenty years ago, when the Washington Star told the public that the United States Public Health Service had, since 1932, maintained a study of untreated syphilis in the Negro male that was still going on, my reaction was, How could people have done this? I later worked on the participants' lawsuit, and I learned of the study's many complexities. In the end, though, the best explanation of "how" it could have happened is the obvious one: the researchers did not see the participants as part of "their" community or, indeed, as people whose lives could or would be much affected by what the researchers did.
Radical alterations in the roles of homeobox genes during echinoderm evolution

Echinoderms possess one of the most highly derived body architectures of all metazoan phyla, with radial symmetry, a calcitic endoskeleton, and a water vascular system. How these dramatic morphological changes evolved has been the subject of extensive speculation and debate, but remains unresolved. Because echinoderms are closely related to chordates and postdate the protostome/deuterostome divergence, they must have evolved from bilaterally symmetrical ancestors. Here we report the expression domains in echinoderms of three important developmental regulatory genes (distal-less, engrailed and orthodenticle), all of which encode transcription factors that contain a homeodomain. Our findings show that the reorganization of body architecture involved extensive changes in the deployment and roles of homeobox genes. These changes include modifications in the symmetry of expression domains and the evolution of several new developmental roles, as well as the loss of roles conserved between arthropods and chordates. Some of these modifications seem to have evolved very early in the history of echinoderms, whereas others probably evolved during the subsequent diversification of adult and larval morphology. These results demonstrate the evolutionary lability of regulatory genes that are widely viewed as conservative.
The Hα Profile in Zeta Puppis

The Hα profile in the spectrum of Zeta Puppis is shown in Figure 1 (Conti and Frost 1977). It is of the P Cygni type, with a violet displaced absorption component that extends to about 300 km s−1 from line center. An unusual feature is the broad wing, emission which can be seen out to 1500 km s−1 on both sides of the line. Of the roughly 2.5 A equivalent width of Hα, 1.8 A is due to velocity displacements |△v| > 300 km s−1. The presence of wing emission shortward of the violet absorption edge has been noted before in a Wolf-Rayet star, where it is attributed to non-coherent electron scattering (Castor, Smith and Van Blerkom 1970). In the present case, an optical depth in electrons of nearly 1.5 is required to produce the extensive wings by scattering a normal P Cygni profile. This exceeds by a factor of three the electron scattering optical thickness through the entire envelope, assuming published values of the mass loss rate, terminal velocity of the wind and photospheric radius. Thus an alternative explanation is required.
Embedding coverings of 2-paths with 3-paths

In this paper, we completely solve the embedding problem for (3,2)-path coverings of complete graphs.
Changes in [14C]glycine-incorporating activities of rat-adrenal microsomes and soluble cell fraction during prolonged adrenocorticotropin administration

Abstract 1. 1. During the first several days of ACTH administration the activities of the 105 000 × g supernatant and microsomes for supporting incorporation of [ 14 C]glycine in vitro into rat adrenal protein are increased. Concomitantly, there are progressive increases in adrenal weight, protein content and RNA content, with little or no change in DNA content. 2. 2. Over the next several days of ACTH administration a period of DNA replication occurs accompanied by the following changes: (a) a decrease in total adrenal-RNA content; (b) a decrease in microsomal-RNA concentration; (c) an interruption of the effect of ACTH on adrenal weight and net protein synthesis; and (d) a decrease in activities of the 105 × 000 g supernatant and microsomes for supporting [ 14 C]glycine incorporation. These inhibitory changes are subsequently reversed with further ACTH administration and completion of the DNA-replication period. 3. 3. It is suggested that the soluble (? transfer enzyme) and microsomal (increased ribosomal and messenger RNA) factors responsible for the effects of ACTH on adrenal protein synthesis are metabolically unstable, and that the induction of these factors by ACTH is mediated through (or requires) DNA-directed RNA synthesis.
An ecological study of a natural population of diamondback terrapins ( Malaclemys t. terrapin ) in a Delaware salt marsh

A two-year study of a population of the northernediamondback terrapin (Malaclemys t. terrapin) was undertaken in a salt marsh in Delaware. Population size estimates based on markrelease-recapture data indicate an early season mean population size of 1655 individuals during June of 1975, declining to a mean of 378 by August. Captures per unit effort declined during this same period, supporting this trend. The decline is a result of later season dispersal. Data from 1976 indicate that this pattern may have been repeated, and that the population had experienced no significant new recruitment between years. Size class frequency data reveal a lack of juveniles in the sampled population, which could not readily be attributed to sampling techniques. The estimated size of the terrapin population from this study indicates that terrapins may be important, though frequently overlooked, components of the marsh food web.
Using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Hospital Inpatient Care

AI can be used to address many challenges facing America's healthcare system - from disease detection to building predictive models for treatment - thereby improving the quality and lowering the cost of patient care.
Thermoplastics Modified with Nanoscale Inorganic Macromers

We have taken a unique approach to the synthesis and study of hybrid organic/inorganic materials. Our method involves synthesizing nano-size inorganic P1R7Si8O12 clusters which contain seven inert “R” groups for solubility and only one functional “P” group for polymerization. This strategy permits the synthesis of melt processable, linear hybrid polymers containing pendent inorganic clusters and allows us to study the effect these clusters have on chain motions and polymer properties. The synthesis of norbomenyl-based polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) macromers, their ring opening metathesis copolymerizations with varying amounts of norbornene, and analysis of the effect of the pendent POSS group is presented. The mechanical relaxation behavior and microstructure of norbornyl-POSS hybrid copolymers have been examined for their dependencies on the mole fraction of POSS-norbornyl monomer, as well as for potential sensitivity to the seven inert “R” groups present in each POSS macromer. POSS copolymerization is observed to enhance the α -relaxation temperature, Tα, in proportion to the mole fraction of POSS-norbornyl comonomer. Interestingly, however, the magnitude of this dependence is larger for POSS-norbornyl comonomer possessing cyclohexyl groups (CyPOSS) than for cyclopentyl groups (CpPOSS). While POSS copolymerization yields only slight enhancement of the tensile storage modulus measured near room temperature, at temperatures lower than a strong mechanical relaxation (β -relaxation near T = -75 ° C), there is a significant POSS-reinforcement of the storage modulus.
Vibration and Acoustic Analysis of Trussed Railroad Bridge Under Moving Loads

A finite element (FE) model was developed for a Pratt truss railroad bridge located at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. This model was used to investigate the vibration responses of a bridge under vehicle loading. Modeling results were obtained for a single axle with two wheels traversing the bridge at different speeds. The current model does not include the effects of vehicle suspension. Superposition of multiple axles was used to represent a locomotive transiting the bridge. The output of the vibration response was used as an input to an acoustic FE model to determine which vibrational modes radiate infrasound. The vibration and acoustic models of the railroad bridge will be reviewed, and results from the analysis will be presented. Measurements from an accelerometer mounted on the bridge agree reasonably well with model results. Infrasound could potentially be used to remotely provide information on the capacity and number of vehicles traversing the bridge and to monitor the bridge for significant structural damage.
Requirements planning systems in the health care environment

Abstract An important problem confronting health care administration is cost containment in hospitals. Much of the current high costs can be traced directly to outdated procedures in materials management leading to waste, excessive inventory and unnecessary obsolescence of expensive short shelf life items. In this paper, we illustrate how a modern requirements planning system for surgical supplies was developed for a private hospital in Houston and used to effectively hold inventory levels to the minimum required to support a detailed schedule of surgical procedures. We also discuss some specific problems involved in the transfer of manufacturing technology to the hospital setting.
Evidence for Impaired Plasticity after Traumatic Brain Injury in the Developing Brain

Abstract The robustness of plasticity mechanisms during brain development is essential for synaptic formation and has a beneficial outcome after sensory deprivation. However, the role of plasticity in recovery after acute brain injury in children has not been well defined. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability among children, and long-term disability from pediatric TBI can be particularly devastating. We investigated the altered cortical plasticity 2–3 weeks after injury in a pediatric rat model of TBI. Significant decreases in neurophysiological responses across the depth of the noninjured, primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in TBI rats, compared to age-matched controls, were detected with electrophysiological measurements of multi-unit activity (86.4% decrease), local field potential (75.3% decrease), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (77.6% decrease). Because the corpus callosum is a clinically important white matter tract that was shown to be consistently inv...
On Irregular Infinite Jordan Groups

Two constructions are given of unfamiliar examples of infinite Jordan permutation groups. The examples are important to the classification of all infinite primitive Jordan groups. It is also shown that in the first example, the group has infinitely many orbits on triples.
Long-term clinical observation of the immunogenicity of inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in children.

Abstract 110 children who were given the complete course of the inactivated hepatitis A vaccine (Havrix™) were followed up 10 years later. Age-matched healthy children who were not inoculated served as controls. One month after two primary injections, all children were positive for serum antibody. After 10 years, 99.09% of inoculated children remained positive for serum anti-HAV antibody, with a geometric mean concentration (GMC) of 61.59 mIU/mL. GMC values following a secondary immunization in children with antibody levels
The President's Been Shot and They Are Bringing Him to the Emergency Room.

As chief resident in surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital, I had just completed an aortoiliac endarterectomy with Dr Malcolm Perry on November 22, 1963 and, following the surgery, we went to the main hospital cafeteria for lunch. Shortly after sitting down, I heard the operator page Dr Tom Shires “STAT” and then rapidly announce several STAT pages for different department chairmen over the loudspeaker. In 1963, we did not have pagers or beepers or cell phones and messages were obtained primarily by displayed lighted signs or by overhead speakers. As the operator continued to page various physicians STAT and, knowing that Dr Tom Shires, my chief, was out of town at the Western Surgical Association meeting in Galveston, Texas, I went to the telephone on the wall in the cafeteria and called the operator. I asked her, “Why are you paging so many chairmen STAT?” She replied: “The President has been shot and they are bringing him to the emergency room and they need physicians.” After experiencing a tremendous adrenaline flush, I turned around and immediately saw the chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology, Dr Marion Jenkins, and our operating room nurse supervisor, Ms Audrey Bell. I said, “You aren’t going to believe this but the President’s been shot.” Dr Jenkins said: “I will go to the operating room and get an anesthesia machine” and Ms Bell said she would get the operating room ready. Dr Jenkins later told me he knew something terrible had happened by the look on my face as I walked toward him. I assumed that the President had been shot in a crowd, with injury to the abdomen or chest, and would probably require emergency surgery. As the operator continued to page people STAT, other hospital workers who were in the cafeteria began to stand up, looking at me and my reaction. They too sensed something terrible had occurred. I went back toward Dr Perry, my junior attending staff, to inform him and, in the meantime, Dr James “Red” Duke, one of the fourth-year residents,
Sociometrics with preschool children: Agreement between different strategies

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare several different strategies for estimating peer acceptance to determine to what extent they yielded similar ratings. Using photos of their classmates, 99 children between the ages of 4 and 6 completed both a nomination and a rating sociometric task. Nine different strategies were then employed to place children into sociometric groups. Correlations, kappa coefficients, and percentages of agreement between the different strategies were then obtained. There was considerable variability across strategies in the number of children identified as unpopular. While most of the correlations and kappa coefficients were significant, the average of the percentages of agreement between the rankings obtained by the different pairs of strategies was only 68.14% ( SD = 10.49%). This indicates that, at least for preschool children, which sociometric strategy is used may make a significant difference in how unpopular a specific child is judged to be.
Disproportionate recruitment of CD8+ T cells into the central nervous system by professional antigen-presenting cells.

Inappropriate immune responses, thought to exacerbate or even to initiate several types of central nervous system (CNS) neuropathology, could arise from failures by either the CNS or the immune system. The extent that the inappropriate appearance of antigen-presenting cell (APC) function contributes to CNS inflammation and pathology is still under debate. Therefore, we characterized the response initiated when professional APCs (dendritic cells) presenting non-CNS antigens were injected into the CNS. These dendritic cells expressed numerous T-cell chemokines, but only in the presence of antigen did leukocytes accumulate in the ventricles, meninges, subarachnoid spaces, and injection site. Within the CNS parenchyma, the injected dendritic cells migrated preferentially into the white matter tracts, yet only a small percentage of the recruited leukocytes entered the CNS parenchyma, and then only in the white matter tracts. Although T-cell recruitment was antigen specific and thus mediated by CD4 + T cells in the models used here, CD8 + T cells accumulated in numbers equal to or greater than that of CD4 + T cells. Few of the recruited T cells expressed activation markers (CD25 and VLA-4), and those that did were primarily in the meninges, injection site, ventricles, and perivascular spaces but not in the parenchyma. These results indicate that 1) the CNS modulates the cellular composition and activation states of responding T-cell populations and that 2) myelin-restricted inflammation need not be initiated by a myelin-specific antigen.
The putative mechanisms underlying testosterone and cardiovascular risk.

The use of testosterone supplementation therapy (TST) is increasing primarily in men with symptomatic hypogonadism. While TST has been shown to have numerous benefits, as its use increases, the role on cardiovascular health must be explored. Previous evidence showed no adverse cardiovascular risks associated with TST use; however, more recent studies suggest that there may be an associated risk. The exact mechanism by which TST may contribute to cardiovascular risk has not been elucidated. Numerous mechanisms have been proposed which include testosterone’s effect on thromboxane A2 receptors, vascular adhesion molecule 1 receptors, erythropoiesis, and obstructive sleep apnea, all of which can ultimately lead to atherogenesis and increased cardiovascular risk.
Pituitary binding of 3H-labeled Sertoli cell factor in vitro: a potential radioreceptor assay for inhibin.

We have previously demonstrated that binding of partially purified, 3H-labeled Sertoli cell factor (SCF) to rat anterior pituitary homogenates was tissue specific, saturable, time and temperature dependent, and competitively inhibited by unlabeled SCF. The present study further characterized the binding of [3H]SCF to rat anterior pituitary in vitro and explored its potential use as a radioreceptor assay for SCF and other inhibin preparations. [3H]SCF was synthesized by rat Sertoli cells cultured in the presence of [3H]leucine (5 μ Ci/ml) and was then partially purified by Sephadex gel filtration and high pressure liquid chromatography. The purified [3H]SCF had a specific activity of approximately 20,000 dpm/μg protein and was biologically active in pituitary cell cultures. The binding was carried out in 0.5 ml buffer, containing one pituitary equivalent and, wherever appropriate, various unlabeled competing substances. The binding was optimal at pH 7.4 and was decreased by pretreatment of [3H]SCF with try...
Managing for flexibility: a manufacturing perspective

This paper investigates managerial practices that are conducive to the management of flexibility. Using data from manufacturing plants in the USA, this paper identifies managerial practices that manufacturing managers strongly demonstrate in plants that place a high emphasis on flexibility. The results indicate that managers who pursue flexibility, emphatically engage in team building, employee empowerment, and other relationship oriented practices that generate enthusiasm among employees. These practices seemingly motivate workers to deal with the uncertainty and changes, in the form of product mix, customer delivery schedule, capacity adjustments, etc., that characterize manufacturing flexibility. Furthermore, workers are entrusted with the traditional responsibilities of manufacturing managers, such as monitoring and problem solving.
A Study of Active Sonar Reverberation using Ultrasonic Experiments in a Shallow-water Tank

This paper describes a study of active sonar reverberation level (RL) estimates made using scaled ultrasonic water-tank data. Such laboratory experiments provide a means of upper bounding the performance of RL estimates made in real shallow-water ocean environments. An ocean-to-tank scaling factor of 1000:1 was used to model a 180-220 Hz active source in a 100 m. deep, 2 km. extent of ocean using a 180-220 kHz. ultrasonic source in a 2 m. diameter tank filled to 0.1 m depth. Time-frequency analysis of backscattered ultrasonic data yielded intensity striations which compare favorably with theoretical models. Reverberation level (RL) estimates were computed as a function of frequency and range for both conventional frequency-invariant processing and more recently proposed waveguide-invariant processing. Experimental results indicate that waveguide invariant RL estimates provides an average 8 dB mean-square-error improvement over conventional methods.
On the advection of spherical and non-spherical particles in a non-uniform flow

Small spherical particles when introduced into a non-uniform or unsteady flow are usually subject to inertial effects, either of the particle mass or of the fluid added-mass, and the gravitational settling. Small non-spherical particles, even when inertial effects are negligible, turn in response to the local fluid velocity gradients and the settling velocity of a particle varies with its orientation. These features are distinct from the response of lagrangian elements which simply move with the local fluid velocity. In this paper these different responses for small, stokesian particles are considered for some example non-uniform laminar flows. It is noted that this added feature may lead to chaotic particle motion where the motion of lagrangian elements is regular, and conversely regular motion where there is chaotic advection of lagrangian elements.
Accuracy of clinical evaluation of locally advanced breast cancer in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Physical examination (PE), mammography (MG), breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET), and pathologic evaluation are used to assess primary breast cancer. To the authors' knowledge, their accuracy has not been well studied in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Accuracies of each modality in tumor and lymph node assessment in patients with T3/T4 tumors receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were compared. METHODS: Forty-five patients of a prospective clinical trial studying T3-T4M0 tumors were included. Patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy: docetaxel/carboplatin with or without trastuzumab before and/or after surgery (depending on HER-2/neu status and randomization). Tumor measurements by PE, MG, and MRI and lymph node status by PE and PET were obtained before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Concordance among different clinical measurements was assessed and compared with the tumor and lymph node staging by pathology. Spearman correlation (r) and root mean square error (RMSE) were used to measure the accuracy of measurements among all modalities and between modalities and pathologic tumor size. RESULTS: Compared with the tumor size measured by PE, MRI was more accurate than MG at baseline (r = 0.559, RMSE = 35.4% vs r = 0.046, RMSE = 66.1%). After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, PE correlated better with pathology than MG or MRI (r = 0.655, RMSE = 88.6% vs r = 0.146, RMSE = 147.1% and r = 0.364, RMSE = 92.6%). Axillary lymph node assessment after neoadjuvant chemotherapy demonstrated high specificity but low sensitivity by PET and PE. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that MRI was a more accurate imaging study at baseline for T3/T4 tumor, and PE correlated best with pathology finding. PET and PE both correctly predicted positive axillary lymph nodes but not negative lymph nodes. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Evidence in support of RNA-mediated inhibition of phosphatidylserine-dependent HIV-1 Gag membrane binding in cells

The matrix domain promotes plasma-membrane-specific binding of HIV-1 Gag through interaction with an acidic lipid phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate. In in vitro systems, matrix-bound RNA suppresses Gag interactions with phosphatidylserine, an acidic lipid prevalent in various cytoplasmic membranes, thereby enhancing the lipid specificity of the matrix domain. Here we provide in vitro and cell-based evidence supporting the idea that this RNA-mediated suppression occurs in cells and hence is a physiologically relevant mechanism that prevents Gag from binding promiscuously to phosphatidylserine-containing membranes.
Comparison of Ba(OH)2, BaO, and Ba as Starting Materials for the Synthesis of Barium Titanate by the Alkoxide Method

A discussion of the relative merits and problems of using Ba(OH)2, BaO, and Ba as starting materials for the synthesis of barium titanate by the alkoxide method is presented. The Ba(OH)2 process is promising because it does not involve the synthesis of barium alkoxide, whereas the BaO (93% pure) process suffers from complex chemical reactions; the impurities in BaO cause unknown effects on the composition and properties of the final ceramic. Use of high-purity Ba metal (99.99%) for the synthesis of barium alkoxide is more desirable since it results in high-purity, ultrafine barium titanate powders.
TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR (TGF) ACTIVITY IN OVINE FETAL KIDNEY: POSSIBLE ROLE FOR TGF IN FETAL DEVELOPMENT

Recent studies demonstrating that epidermal growth factor (EGF) has biologic effects in the fetal lamb suggest a role for EGF or the EGF-like transforming growth factors (TGFs) in ovine fetal development. However the presence of EGF or TGF in the ovine fetus has not been established. To determine whether ovine fetal tissues contain EGF or TGF-like activity, an acid-ethanol extract of ovine fetal kidney was tested for the ability to induce growth of rat kidney fibroblasts in soft agar. The fetal kidney extract (20-800 ug protein/ml) stimulated a dose dependent increase in the number of soft agar colonies (≥8 cells). Approximately 70% of these colonies measured ≥ 3750 uM2. The fetal kidney extract was dissolved in 1 M acetic acid and chromatographed on Bio-Gel P10. Two peaks of TGF-like activity, with apparent MW 14K (peak 1) and 8K (peak 2), eluted from the column. Half-maximal effects of pooled peaks 1 and 2 were achieved using 100 and 20 ug protein/ml, respectively. Peaks 1 and 2 also competed with 125I-mouse EGF for binding to EGF receptors in ovine fetal liver but had no activity in a homologous mouse EGF RIA. Neither TGF activity nor EGF receptor binding activity was detected in Bio-Gel fractions co-eluting with 125I-EGF. These findings demonstrate that ovine fetal kidney contains TGF activity. The absence of EGF receptor activity in fractions co-eluting with 125I-EGF suggests that TGF may predominate in the ovine fetus and may play an EGF-like role in ovine fetal development.
Biochemical basis of asthma therapy.

Current therapy for asthma is highly effective. β2-Adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonists are the most effective bronchodilators and relax airway smooth muscle cells through increased cAMP concentrations and directly opening large conductance Ca2+ channels. β2AR may also activate alternative signaling pathways that may have detrimental effects in asthma. Glucocorticoids are the most effective anti-inflammatory treatments and switch off multiple activated inflammatory genes through recruitment of histone deacetylase-2, activating anti-inflammatory genes, and through increasing mRNA stability of inflammatory genes. There are beneficial molecular interactions between β2AR and glucocorticoid-activated pathways. Understanding these signaling pathways may lead to even more effective therapies in the future.
Toxicity of uranium to Daphnia magna

The toxicity of U to Daphnia magna was determined in acute and chronic tests. The 48-hr LC50 of U (VI) in Columbia River water was 6 mg L−1. Acute toxicity diminished by a factor of 7.5 as mean water hardness and alkalinity values increased from 70 mg L−1. and 57 mg L−1. to 195 mg L−1. and 130 mg L−1. respectively. This effect was most likely the result of complexation of uranyl ion with carbonate ions. D. magna reproduction was suppressed in Columbia River water at U concentrations between 0.5 and 3.5 mg L−1. Potential hazards of U to aquatic life are discussed as they relate to mining practices.
Geophysical Signal Recognition

Progress of pattern recognition as applied to various geophysical signals is reviewed. They include the teleseismic signals for nuclear detection and monitoring, exploration seismic signals for oil prospecting, marine seismic signals for study of subsurface structure of ocean floor, seismic signals for earthquake prediction, seismic signals for intrusion-detection, and geomagnetic signals for study of irregularities of the earth's magnetic fields. With the exception of teleseismic signal, research in geophysical signal recognition is still in its infancy. We expect to see considerable research progress in the next decade.
The Merck Internal Contract Research Organization Project

Periodic reevaluation of human and financial resource use efficiency in clinical drug development is essential to continued profitability. Starting with a clean slate, knowing what needs to be done, and knowing that it needs to be done efficiently, may better identify procedures or useful refinements to current procedures than formalized ‘continuous improvement’ activities. An internal Merck contract research organization (mICRO) was created to function as an independent entity whose objective was to bid on and execute a data processing and analysis job at a profit and at an acceptable quality level. mICRO was not obliged to follow Merck practices or procedures or to adhere to Merck standards not identified in the contract. A key component of the mICRO activity was identifying and trying out different ideas for improving efficiency in data processing and analysis and in interacting with CROs.The key project milestone dates were met, and the final statistical report was delivered on time at a cost one-thir...
TRANSCALTACHIA (THE RAPID HORMONAL STIMULATION OF INTESTINAL CALCIUM TRANSPORT) : A COMPONENT OF ADAPTATION TO CALCIUM NEEDS AND CALCIUM AVAILABILITY

Synopsis. Calcium is one ofthe key elements required for maintenance and survival oflife in animals with both endo- and exoskeletons. Because there is a wide variation in dietary calcium (dependent upon the local habitat) and dietary practices, and because there is a changing physiolog? ical need throughout life (e.g., for mammals, during growth, puberty, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause), it is essential that the process of intestinal calcium absorption be adaptable and responsive to both the dietary and physiological circumstances. This article reviews the evidence that transcaltachia, or the rapid stimulation of intestinal Ca2+ transport by the steroid hormone, 1 a,25(OH)2-vitamin D3, as studied in the chicken, meets many ofthe objectives of an adaptive intestinal calcium transport process. Transcaltachia is studied in a perfused chick duodenum, where 45Ca2+ is placed in the lumen and potential agonists are perfused into the celiac artery; the transcaltachic reponse represents the stimulation within 4-8 min ofthe transfer of 45Ca2+ from the lumen to the vascular perfusate. la,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 stimulation of transcaltachia occurs via nongenomic mechanisms which involve a plasma membrane receptor for the secosteroid and the coupled opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels on the basal lateral membrane of the intestinal epithelial cell and the acti? vation of the second messengers, protein kinase C and cAMP.
A new model of neonatal stress which produces lasting neurobehavioral effects in adult rats.

Background: During critical care in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), infants experience stressors and treatments that may produce lasting effects on adult health. An animal mod
Radial Hydrodynamics in Risers

On the basis of the benchmark modeling exercise at Fluidization VIII, predicting riser hydrodynamics continues to be more of an art than a science. Ten different hydrodynamic models were compared with a set of experimental data that covered a wide range of operating conditions and showed reasonable to poor overall agreement. Herein, we describe the model that gave the best overall agreement with the experimental data. Density is calculated by a correlation based on slip factor, and the radial voidage profile depends solely on the cross-sectional average void fraction. Both the gas and velocity profile follows a power law type expression; the gas velocity at the wall is zero. The model predictions agree well with experiments conducted with sand but not as well as those conducted with fluidized catalytic cracking catalyst.
Lattice extraction of K→ππ amplitudes to O(p 4) in chiral perturbation theory

We show that lattice calculation of K --> pi pi and $epe$ amplitudes for (8,1) and (27,1) operators to O(p^4) in chiral perturbation theory is feasible when one uses K --> pi pi computations at the two unphysical kinematics allowed by the Maiani-Testa theorem, along with the usual (computable) two and three point functions, namely K --> 0, K --> pi (with momentum) and K - bar{K}. Explicit expressions for the finite logarithms emerging from our O(p^4) analysis to the above amplitudes are also given.
Mean Little Deaf Queer

Terry Galloway, Mean Little Deaf Queer. Beacon P, 2009. 248 pp. $23.95 (hardcover) In the heart-wrenching account of her father's final days, Terry Galloway's sister, Gail, asserts, “[h]e just took...
Thermal Deformations of Solid Mirrors

The tensor equations of elasticity including temperature terms in nonorthogonal coordinates are presented in a form suitable for the method of dynamic relaxation. A nonorthogonal coordinate system that includes a wide class of circular solid mirrors or lenses is described. The equations may be solved for any prescribed temperature distribution. Computed results are given for several cases.
The sociolinguistics of sign languages. Ceil Lucas (Ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Pp. 259.

The sociolinguistics of sign languages includes an introduction and six content chapters. In it the contributors present a clear and concise summary of many of the major areas of the study of sociolinguistics. The main purpose of the book is given in the introduction: to present linguistics students with an introductory text that covers many of the current issues and trends in the sociolinguistic study of signed languages. It also seeks to place the study of signed languages within the larger domain of general sociolinguistics. The book is quite successful with that goal in mind. A synopsis of the chapters' contents is presented below, followed by a review of the text as a whole.
Strain Differences in Delay Discounting between Lewis and Fischer 344 Rats at Baseline and Following Acute and Chronic Administration of d-Amphetamine

Stimulant drugs have been shown either to increase or decrease rates of delay discounting (impulsive choice). These mixed findings may result from genetic, neurochemical, or environmental factors. Lewis (LEW) and Fischer 344 (F344) rats have neurochemical and behavioral differences that may be relevant to delay discounting and were used to examine effects of acute and chronic administration of d-amphetamine (d-AMP) on impulsive choice using a within-session delay-discounting procedure. Male LEW (n=8) and F344 (n=8) rats chose between one food pellet delivered immediately and three food pellets delivered after an increasing delay. Saline and d-AMP (0.1, 0.3, 1.0, and 1.7 mg/kg) were tested acutely and during chronic d-AMP exposure. Choice for the larger reinforcer decreased as the delay to its presentation increased for both strains at baseline. LEW rats made more impulsive choices than F344 rats as indicated by shorter indifference points, and this is consistent with previous research. Acute administration of d-AMP dose dependently increased larger-reinforcer choice and area under the curve (AUC) for LEW, but not F344 rats. During chronic exposure to d-AMP, larger-reinforcer choice and AUC increased relative to acute administration for F344 rats responding in shorter delay series, but not for F344 rats responding in longer delay series or for LEW rats. Differential effects of acute and chronic administration of d-AMP on impulsive choice in LEW and F344 rats may be a result of various factors, including genetic, neurochemical, and environmental variables. Future research should attempt to tease apart the relative contribution of each of these factors on impulsive choice.
Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex

Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system. Competitive interactions among stimuli can be counteracted by top-down, goal-directed mechanisms such as attention, and by bottom-up, stimulus-driven mechanisms. Because these two processes cooperate in everyday life to bias processing toward behaviorally relevant or particularly salient stimuli, it has proven difficult to study interactions between top-down and bottom-up mechanisms. Here, we used an experimental paradigm in which we first isolated the effects of a bottom-up influence on neural competition by parametrically varying the degree of perceptual grouping in displays that were not attended. Second, we probed the effects of directed attention on the competitive interactions induced with the parametric design. We found that the amount of attentional modulation varied linearly with the degree of competition left unresolved by bottom-up processes, such that attentional modulation was greatest when neural competition was little influenced by bottom-up mechanisms and smallest when competition was strongly influenced by bottom-up mechanisms. These findings suggest that the strength of attentional modulation in the visual system is constrained by the degree to which competitive interactions have been resolved by bottom-up processes related to the segmentation of scenes into candidate objects.
Electron diffraction study of hydrated phospholipid single bilayers. Effects of temperature hydration and surface pressure of the "precursor" monolayer.

Abstract The molecular packing and phase transition of hydrated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine single bilayers are studied by electron diffraction, using an electron microscope equipped with a hydration stage. The phase transition and area per molecule are measured as functions of temperature, hydration and the surface pressure of the monolayer from which the bilayer is formed. The transition temperature of a bilayer agrees with calorimetric measurements on bulk lipid/water mixtures. The molecular packing of a bilayer corresponds to that of the precursor monolayer at a surface pressure of 47 dyne/cm.
A computer simulation of the carbon, phosphorus, and hydrologic cycles of a pine flatwoods ecosystem

Abstract A simulation model of a pine flatwoods ecosystem was constructed to determine rough estimates of annual ecosystem gross primary productivity (2100 g C m−2y−1), community respiration (1300 g C m−2y−1), net community productivity (860 g C m−2y−1), and ecosystem transpiration (990 mmy−1. Aboveground tree biomass accumulations match most field measurements within one standard deviation. Simulated discharge from the watershed was similar to the pattern and magnitude of measured discharge; simulated phosphorus concentrations in the discharge were also similar to measured concentrations.
Displacement analysis of lipides. VIII. Preliminary studies with steroids.

Abstract Displacement chromatography has been applied to model mixtures of some steroid compounds. From results gained, it appears that this type of chromatographic development can be used to advantage in separation of quantities of steroids as little as 50 mg. It also appears that carrier displacement chromatography may be applicable for the separation of much smaller quantities of steroids.
Transparent anomalous dispersion and superluminal light-pulse propagation at a negative group velocity

Anomalous dispersion cannot occur in a transparent passive medium where electromagnetic radiation is being absorbed at all frequencies, as pointed out by Landau and Lifshitz. Here we show, both theoretically and experimentally, that transparent linear anomalous dispersion can occur when a gain doublet is present. Therefore, a superluminal light-pulse propagation can be observed even at a negative 7group velocity through a transparent medium with almost no pulse distortion. Consequently, a negative transit time is experimentally observed resulting in the peak of the incident light pulse to exit the medium even before entering it. This counterintuitive effect is a direct result of the rephasing process owing to the wave nature of light and is not at odds with either causality or Einstein's theory of special relativity.