cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intracellular mechanisms of contraction in the hypertensive and normotensive rat aortas.

Abstract The roles of intracellular mechanisms of contraction were compared in aortas from genetically hypertensive and normotensive rats by investigating the contractile activities of prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in the absence of extracellular calcium. PGF2α induced a greater amount of tension in aortic strips from hypertensive than normotensive rats. Furthermore, in hypertensive but not normotensive rat aortas, PGF2α- and TPA-induced contractions were additive and were capable of sustaining a near maximum degree of muscle activation. Therefore, the intracellular contractile mechanisms in hypertensive vascular tissue may differ from those in normotensive tissue.
Benzene exposure and hematopoietic mortality: A long-term epidemiologic risk assessment.

Background Previous studies of a cohort of rubber hydrochloride workers indicated an association between benzene exposure and excess mortality from leukemia and multiple myeloma. To determine whether risks remain elevated with increasing time since plant shutdown, we extended follow-up from 1981 through 1996. Materials and Methods We evaluated risk using standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and generalized Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results Five new leukemia cases were observed in benzene-exposed white males, but the summary SMR for this group declined from 3.37 (95% CI = 1.54–6.41) to 2.56 (95% CI = 1.43–4.22). In regression models, cumulative exposure was significantly associated with elevated relative risks for leukemia mortality. Four new multiple myeloma deaths occurred, three of which were in workers judged to be unexposed. Conclusions These findings reaffirm the leukemogenic effects of benzene exposure and suggest that excess risk diminishes with time. Am. J. Ind. Med. 42:474–480, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Growth hormone response to baclofen: a comparison of 10-mg and 20-mg doses in healthy men

Abstract Growth hormone (GH) response and baclofen levels were measured in seven healthy adult men following a 10-mg and a 20-mg dose of oral baclofen (γ-aminobutyric acid B agonist) to determine the preferred dose in baclofen challenge studies. Multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures revealed no differences between the doses. However, when a univariate ANOVA with repeated measures was performed for each dose, the 10-mg dose showed no significant GH response over time, whereas the 20-mg dose showed a significant GH response over time. The average ΔGH (change in GH from baseline) was 7.84 ng/ml (SD = 10.17) for the 10-mg dose and 3.34 ng/ml (SD = 3.64) for the 20-mg dose. The variability in the ΔGH response to the 10-mg dose was significantly greater than the response to the 20-mg dose of baclofen. This variance in GH response was not explained by the differences in serum baclofen levels. Thus, a 20-mg baclofen dose appears to be preferable to a 10 mg-dose in baclofen challenge studies.
Anabolic Steroid Use by Male and Female Middle School Students

Background . The prevalence of anabolic steroid use by high school and college students has been reported in the literature. However, rumors persist regarding the use of steroids by younger populations. Objective . To assess the extent of steroid use by male and female middle school students and to explore their attitudes and perceptions about these drugs. Methods . A confidential self-report questionnaire was administered to 466 male and 499 female students between 9 and 13 years of age (mean ± SD, 11.4 ± 0.9 years) in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades from four public middle schools in Massachusetts. The number of students reporting steroid use and differences between users9 and nonusers9 underlying attitudes and perceptions about these drugs were evaluated. Results . The response rate was 82% (965/1175 eligible). Results indicated that 2.7% of all middle school students reported using steroids; 2.6% were males and 2.8% were females. When steroid users were compared with nonusers, 47% versus 43% thought that steroids make muscles bigger; 58% versus 31% thought that steroids make muscles stronger; 31% versus 11% thought that steroids improve athletic performance; 23% versus 13% thought that steroids make one look better; 23% versus 9% knew someone their own age who currently took steroids; 38% versus 4% were asked by someone to take steroids; 54% versus 91% thought that steroids were bad for them; and 35% versus 2% indicated that they would take steroids in the future. Additional analyses determined steroid user involvement in sports and activities. Conclusion . The results of this study suggest that the problem of illicit steroid use extends to children and young adolescents and that a segment of this population is mindful of the potential physiologic effects of steroids. This information will be useful to pediatricians, sport authorities, and school teachers whose guidance will become increasingly more important as steroid educational interventions for male and female middle school students are developed.
HALCA images of the young radio source 1413+135

Abstract The radio source 1413+135 is remarkable for a number of reasons; 1) it is 18 times more variable at 8 GHz cm wavelengths than at 2.3 GHz, 2) it is one of the few (∼4) sources where radio absorption lines of H 1 , CO , HCN and other molecules (Wiklind and Combes 1994 A&A 286 :L9) have been detected, and 3) it appears to be a young radio source ( 4 years, Perlman et al. 1996, A. J. 111 :1839.), which has not yet produced kilo parsec scale radio lobes. Our HALCA+VLBA image have resolved compact jet components near the core, and future observations will measure the angular velocity of these components.
Comparison of vane shear and fall cone strengths of soft marine clay

A total of 1,014 measures of sediment shear strengths were measured by means of miniature vane shear and fall cone tests on five gravity cores collected in Eckernfo‐erde Bay, Baltic Sea. Paired t test was used to compare the shear strengths measured by the two methods. It was found that fall cone strength calculated with Wood's K60value (0.29) overestimates the vane shear strength by 0.15 kPa (a = 0.001) and the sample mean of the fall cone strength is 4.1% higher than the mean of the vane shear strength. However, fall cone strength calculated with Hansbo's K60 value (0.24) underestimates the vane shear strength by 0.88 kPa (a = 0.001), and the sample mean of the fall cone strength is 13.8% less than the mean of the vane shear strength. Both calculated fall cone strengths are significantly different from the vane shear strength, with a p value of less than 0.001. Regression analysis of the Echernfoerde Bay data indicates that a new K60 value is 0.275 with a confidence interval (a = 0.01) from 0.2704 to 0....
Fast proton-conducting ceramic membranes derived from ferroxane nanoparticle-precursors as fuel cell electrolytes

Ceramic membranes derived from carboxylate-ferroxane nanoparticles are shown to yield high power (5.21 mW/cm 2 ) and current (16.5 mA/cm 2 ) densities in a working membrane-electrode assembly, comparable to those obtained using untreated Nafion® membranes. The ceramic membranes have a high density of surface hydroxyl sites, conducting protons by a mechanism consistent with Grotthuss diffusion that is nearly insensitive to humidity over a range of 33–100% RH.
The topographical organization of the hippocampal projection to the septal area: a comparative neuroanatomical analysis in the gerbil, rat, rabbit, and cat.

An experiment was performed to determine the origin of the projection from the hippocampus to the septal area in the subrimate mammalian nervous system. Lesions were made by aspiration or by radio frequency in 4 gerbils, 17 rats, 8 rabbits, and 7 cats. Survival times varied from 2–5 days. Tissues were stained principally with the Fink Heimer I method for identification of degenerating axons and their terminals. Following lesions destroying any one or more of the fields of the dorsal hippocampus of the gerbil, rat, rabbit, or cat, terminal degeneration was observed only in the medial septal area, olfactory tubercle, and adjacent portions of the diagonal band. In addition, lesions producing total destruction of all dorsal hippocampal fields also resulted in the presence of terminal degeneration restricted to the medial septal area. In contrast, superficial lesions of field CA1 of the ventral hippocampus produced terminal degeneration in the lateral septal area, nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, and adjacent portions of the diagonal band. Similar findings were also observed following more widespread lesions of the ventral hippocampus which produced damage to other CA fields as well. Superficial lesions of the posterior crus of the hippocampus (i.e., a position midway between dorsal and ventral hippocampus) resulted in terminal degeneration localized to an intermediolateral region of the septum. Combined lesions of the dorsal hippocampus and fimbria produced widespread terminal degeneration in both the lateral and medial septum indicating that the axons contained within the fimbria arise only from the ventral hippocampus. Finally, lesions of the medial and lateral segments of the fornix of the cat produced terminal degeneration in the medial and lateral regions of the septum, respectively. These findings, collectively, indicate that the origin of the topographical projection to the medial and lateral septum are the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, respectively. This projection is unrelated to cytoarchitectonic fields within the hippocampus and is also invariant among the species considered in this study.
Genetic alterations in sporadic and Crohn's-associated adenocarcinomas of the small intestine

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: Small intestinal carcinomas are rare but occur with increased incidence in Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to elucidate the genetic alterations. METHODS: Mutations and deletions involved in colorectal carcinoma were studied in sporadic and Crohn's- associated intestinal carcinomas and precursors. RESULTS: c-K-ras mutations were present in all four sporadic carcinomas with contiguous adenomas, in only 18% without adenomas (P = 0.01), in 43% of Crohn's- associated carcinomas, and in 14% of dysplasias. Overexpression of p53 gene product and/or 17p allelic loss were present in 47% of sporadic carcinomas and 33% of contiguous adenomas and in 71% of Crohn's- associated carcinomas and 43% of dysplasias. In contrast, allelic losses of 5q (adenomatous polyposis coli [APC] gene region) and 18q (deleted in colorectal cancer [DCC] gene region) were rare. DNA replication errors (RERs) were present in 13% of sporadic carcinomas and in the carcinoma and dysplasias of 1 patient with Crohn's disease (14%), but mutations in the transforming growth factor beta type II receptor (TGFbeta RII) gene were absent. CONCLUSIONS: Accumulation of ras and p53 alterations occurs during the adenoma/dysplasia-carcinoma sequence in small intestinal carcinogenesis, but a ras-independent pathway may also exist. The infrequent loss of the APC and DCC regions and the absence of TGFbeta RII gene mutation in RER-positive neoplasms contrast with colorectal carcinogenesis. (Gastroenterology 1997 Jul;113(1):127-35)
The Dispersal of Subsidized Housing in Chicago An Index for Comparisons

This article shows how the Index of Dissimilarity can be used to develop a measure of the dispersal of subsidized housing in American cities. The Index is applied to data for Chicago: Similar data can be generated in other cities, and comparisons can be made among cities and metropolitan areas as to the degree of dispersal achieved over the three census years 1960, 1970, and 1980. This information should be useful to public officials who administer housing programs as well as to scholars, for it provides a means to assess the degree to which the policy of "deconcentration" of subsidized housing, pursued as national policy for more than a decade, was achieved.
Job Satisfaction and Acculturation Among Filipino Registered Nurses

Purpose: To determine the (a) levels of acculturation and job satisfaction, (b) relationship between acculturation and job satisfaction, and (c) effects of select sociodemographic variables in predicting job satisfaction among Filipino RNs educated in the Philippines who are working in the US. Design: Descriptive correlational. A convenience sample of Filipino RNs (N=96) present during the PNAA Eastern Regional Conference in Baltimore, MD was conducted. Methods: A survey was conducted using A Short Acculturation Scale for Filipino Americans (ASASFA) to measure acculturation, Part B of the Index of Work Satisfaction Scale (IWS) to assess job satisfaction, and a participant demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using A Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Findings: Participants had a moderate level of job satisfaction that was positively correlated to a level of acculturation that was closer to American than to Filipino culture. Furthermore, age, length of U.S. residency, and acculturation significantly predicted perception of job satisfaction among this group of Filipino RNs. Conclusions: Job satisfaction among Filipino nurses is related to acculturation and select sociodemographic variables. Further research to determine how best to improve acculturation may lead to improved retention rates of Filipino nurses in countries to which they have migrated.
Cancellation of the Zero Mode Singularities in Soliton Quantization Theory

Abstract We give a proof of an exact cancellation of the zero-mode singularities in each order of the loop expansion determining the quantum corrections to soliton (particle-like) solutions of classical field equations. The cancellation restores an underlying symmetry broken by a specific classical solution, and is owing to the stability of the soliton with respect to small perturbation generated by the symmetry group transformations.
TNF-receptor 1 deficiency fails to alter the clinical and pathological course in mice with globoid cell leukodystrophy (twitcher mice) but affords protection following LPS challenge.

Abstract Twitcher mice have an autosomal recessive mutation in the gene for the lysosomal enzyme galactosylceramidase, which is the same gene that is affected in human globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe’s disease). The failure to digest galactosylceramide and psychosine leads to initial pathological changes in oligodendrocytes. Secondary pathological changes that include infiltrating macrophages and other inflammatory responses have been postulated to promote the disease course. TNFα levels are elevated in twitcher mice compared to control animals, and studies on another demyelinating disease, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, indicate that TNF promotes pathogenesis via TNF-receptor 1 (TNF-R1). In the present study, twitcher/TNF-R1 deficient mice were generated, and the clinical and pathological course was compared between these mice and regular twitcher mice. There was no statistical evidence for any differences between these two groups of mice for all clinical (life span, weight loss, onset day of twitching) and pathological (demyelination, astrocyte gliosis, macrophage infiltration) measures that were examined. If mice were administered an intraperitoneal injection of LPS, then twitcher/TNF-R1 deficient mice had a shorter life span and an increased disruption to the blood–brain barrier compared to regular twitcher mice. These results showed that TNF-R1 is not sufficiently activated to affect the pathological and/or clinical signs during the natural course of this disease. However, when there is a secondary insult, TNF-R1 activation does lead to a significant acceleration of the development of clinical and pathological signs.
What Teachers Should Know about AIDS

(1991). What Teachers Should Know about AIDS. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 64, No. 5, pp. 343-345.
Primer: implementation of guideline-based programs for coronary care.

The implementation of guidelines into everyday practice does not always seem straightforward. In this primer article, Eagle and colleagues provide a summary of efforts to improve care for acute coronary syndromes in the Guidelines Applied in Practice program in Michigan, highlighting particularly methods that could be transferable to other cardiovascular subspecialties. The American College of Cardiology Acute Myocardial Infarction Guidelines Applied in Practice program in Michigan, USA, was an initiative designed to improve the quality of cardiovascular care by bringing the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association practice guidelines to the point of care. The program consisted of three different projects, involving a total of 33 hospitals. The program was implemented in five phases—planning, tool implementation, monitoring of tool use, remeasurement and reporting of results—by use of a collaborative model, which included a series of learning sessions for staff members that focused on the five phases. The goal was to identify the highest care priorities for patients with acute coronary syndromes and to incorporate these into the care itself. This aim was achieved with a standardized set of clinical-care tools, such as admission orders and discharge contracts; the use of such tools is associated with improvement in adherence to guidelines. Strategies were, however, tailored to each hospital by local teams. Performance was assessed by the use of tracking tools, which facilitate rapid improvement by enabling key performance indicators founded on the guidelines to be monitored. Using qualitative surveys of the project leaders, we identified an optimum timeline and correlations between hospital-specific attributes and greater or lesser success in achieving positive change. In this review, we describe our experience and identify the most useful strategies for future implementation of such a project.
Isolated choroid plexus cyst(s): An indication for amniocentesis

Objective: Our purpose was to prospectively evaluate the risk of chromosomal abnormalities associated with isolated choroid plexus cyst(s) in gravid women undergoing second-trimester ultrasonographic examination. Study Design: During a 24-month period 9100 pregnant women underwent midtrimester ultrasonographic evaluation. Women with a fetal diagnosis of choroid plexus cyst(s) were offered amniocentesis and a repeat examination in 4 to 6 weeks. Results: A diagnosis of choroid plexus cyst(s) was made in 102 fetuses (1.1 %). In four of these fetuses multiple congenital anomalies were noted. Three of the four fetuses had a chromosomal abnormality, two trisomy 18 and one unbalanced translocation, t(3;13). In the remaining 98 fetuses the choroid plexus cysts were isolated findings, that is, there were no other ultrasonographically detected anomalies. Seventy-five of these 98 fetuses underwent amniocentesis. An abnormal karyotype was identified in four fetuses: three had Down syndrome (two trisomy 21 and one unbalanced translocation, t[14;211), and one trisomy 18. The offspring of,the 23 patients in which amniocentesis was declined were phenotypically normal. Conclusions: In our prospective study the risk of chromosomal abnormality with isolated choroid plexus cyst(s) was 1:25, a risk that exceeds the 1:200 risk of pregnancy loss after amniocentesis and the 1:126 and 1:260 risk for aneuploidy and Down syndrome, respectively, in a 35-year-old pregnant women during the midtrimester. These findings indicate that amniocentesis should be offered to pregnant women in the presence of isolated fetal choroid plexus cyst(s).
Coherent interference effects in a nano-assembled diamond NV center cavity-QED system

Diamond nanocrystals containing NV color centers are positioned with 100-nanometer-scale accuracy in the near-field of a high-Q SiO2 microdisk cavity using a fiber taper. The cavity modified nanocrystal photoluminescence is studied, with Fano-like quantum interference features observed in the far-field emission spectrum. A quantum optical model of the system is proposed and fit to the measured spectra, from which the NV-zero phonon line coherent coupling rate to the microdisk is estimated to be 28 MHz for a nearly optimally placed nanocrystal.
A SCREENING METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF GLYPHOSATE IN GROUND WATER

A rugged dual column LC method was developed for the screening analysis of glyphosate in ground water. Analysis was based on a previously described pre-column fluorescence derivatization procedure. The method employed a short pre-column cartridge and a conventional reverse phase analytical column. Method precision for the screening assay was acceptable (13.1% RSD). The method was applied to a large set of pond water samples using the same analytical column without discernible loss of column efficiency during the course of analysis. The method represents an efficient and robust process for the analysis of glyphosate in ground water samples.
Ureaplasma species: Role in Diseases of Prematurity

There is accumulating epidemiologic and experimental evidence that intrauterine or postnatal infection with Ureaplasma species is a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes and complications of extreme preterm birth such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and intraventricular hemorrhage. In a cohort of very low birth weight infants, Ureaplasma spp were detected by culture or polymerase chain reaction in respiratory secretions, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid of almost half of the subjects, suggesting that this organism is the most common pathogen affecting this population. This review summarizes the evidence supporting the hypothesis that Ureaplasma-mediated inflammation in different compartments (intrauterine, lung, blood, or brain) during a common developmental window of vulnerability contributes to preterm labor and lung and brain injury. Appropriate methods for detecting these fastidious organisms and potential strategies to prevent or ameliorate the effects of Ureaplasma infection are discussed.
Evaluation of methods to detect fruit infected by Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi in mechanically harvested rabbiteye blueberry

ABSTRACT Blueberry fruit infected by Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi (causal agent of mummy berry disease) are unfit for processing because of the formation of hardened structures (pseudosclerotia) within them. In commercial packinghouses in Georgia, fruit loads exceeding the tolerance level for mummy berry are appraised at lower quality grades, resulting in severe economic penalties to producers. Two methods to detect and enumerate mummy berry in blueberry loads were evaluated in the laboratory using fruit samples with known numbers of infected fruit. The first method involved destructive processing of the samples in a blender. The resulting blueberry puree was passed through a series of screens and the number of pseudosclerotia of M. vaccinii-corymbosi retained on the screens assessed tactilely. The second method consisted of visual symptom assessment of intact fruit. Bias and coefficients of variation of the blender method in five experiments ranged from -63.0 to 152.4% and 6.9 to 44.1%, respectively, ind...
Energy optimization of a regular macromolecular crystallography beamline for ultra-high-resolution crystallography.

A practical method for operating existing undulator synchrotron beamlines at photon energies considerably higher than their standard operating range is described and applied at beamline 19-ID of the Structural Biology Center at the Advanced Photon Source enabling operation at 30 keV. Adjustments to the undulator spectrum were critical to enhance the 30 keV flux while reducing the lower- and higher-energy harmonic contamination. A Pd-coated mirror and Al attenuators acted as effective low- and high-bandpass filters. The resulting flux at 30 keV, although significantly lower than with X-ray optics designed and optimized for this energy, allowed for accurate data collection on crystals of the small protein crambin to 0.38 A resolution.
Aminoacylpyrrolidine-2-nitriles: potent and stable inhibitors of dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (CD 26).

Abstract Dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (EC 3.4.14.5) also known as CD26 is a membrane-bound serine peptidase which cleaves N-terminal dipeptides from a peptide chain containing a proline residue in the penultimate position. The enzyme is believed to play an important role in neuropeptide metabolism and T-cell activation. A series of aminoacylpyrrolidine-2-nitriles, in which the carboxyl group of proline is replaced by a nitrile group, was synthesized as inhibitors of dipeptidyl-peptidase IV. All compounds were found to competitively inhibit a homogeneous preparation of the rat kidney enzyme withKivalues in the low to submicromolar range. The nitriles presumably react with the active-site serine to form an imidate adduct. The compounds were stable following incubation either for 20 h at 37°C or 72 h at room temperature. They proved to be poor inhibitors of dipeptidyl-peptidase II and prolyl oligopeptidase. These studies demonstrate that the generally held concept that nitriles are poor inhibitors of serine proteinases needs to be reconsidered. Aminoacylpyrrolidine-2-nitriles by virtue of their ease of synthesis, stability, specificity, and inhibitory potency appear to be superior to other described dipeptidyl-peptidase IV inhibitors.
Irreducible Components of Fixed Point Subvarieties of Flag Varieties

Suppose G is a connected reductive algebraic group, P is a parabolic subgroup of G, L is a Levi factor of P, and e is a regular nilpotent element in Lie L. We assume that the characteristic of the underlying field is good for G. Choose a maximal torus, T, and a Borel subgroup, B, of G, so that T⊆B∩L, B ⊆ P and e ∈ Lie B. Let β be the variety of Borel subgroups of G and let 𝔙e be the subset of 𝔙 consisting of Borel subgroups whose Lie algebras contain e. Finally, let W be the Weyl group of G with respect to T. For ω ∈W let 𝔒ω be the B-orbit in 𝔙 containing ωB. We consider the intersections 𝔒ω ∩ 𝔙e. The main result is that if dim 𝔒ω ∩ 𝔙e = dim 𝔙e, then 𝔒ω ∩ 𝔙e is an affine space. Thus, the irreducible components of 𝔙e are indexed by Weyl group elements. It is also shown that if G is of type A, then this set of Weyl group elements is a right cell in W.
Serotonergic responses to stress are enhanced in the central amygdala and inhibited in the ventral hippocampus during amphetamine withdrawal

Withdrawal from amphetamine increases anxiety and reduces the ability to cope with stress, which are factors that are believed to contribute to drug relapse. Stress-induced serotonergic transmission in the central nucleus of the amygdala is associated with anxiety states and fear. Conversely, stress-induced increases in ventral hippocampal serotonin (5-HT) levels have been linked to coping mechanisms. The goal of this study was to investigate the neurobiological changes induced by amphetamine that contribute to stress sensitivity during withdrawal. We tested the hypothesis that limbic serotonergic responses to restraint stress would be altered in male Sprague-Dawley rats chronically pretreated with amphetamine (2.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) and then subjected to 2 weeks of withdrawal. Amphetamine withdrawal resulted in increased stress-induced behavioral arousal relative to control treatment, suggesting that drug withdrawal induced greater sensitivity to the stressor. When microdialysis was used to determine the effects of restraint on extracellular 5-HT, stress-induced increases in 5-HT levels were abolished in the ventral hippocampus and augmented in the central amygdala during amphetamine withdrawal. Reverse dialysis of the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone into the ventral hippocampus blocked the stress-induced increase in 5-HT levels in saline-pretreated rats, suggesting that glucocorticoid receptors mediate stress-induced increases in 5-HT levels in the ventral hippocampus. However, mifepristone had no effect on stress-induced increases in 5-HT levels in the central amygdala, indicating that stress increases 5-HT levels in this region independently of glucocorticoid receptors. During amphetamine withdrawal, the absence of stress-induced increases in ventral hippocampal 5-HT levels combined with enhanced stress-induced serotonergic responses in the central amygdala may contribute to drug relapse by decreasing stress-coping ability and heightening stress responsiveness.
Think Piece: Preserving Records of the Past, Today

I propose that as part of our research and writing responsibilities that we add another: to help create the materials that we and future historians will need, even if we are not rewarded or recognized for doing so. Specifically, I think we should agree to contribute the following to the greater community of historians.
Heterotopic ossification of the elbow treated with surgical resection: risk factors, bony ankylosis, and complications.

Background Heterotopic ossification is the most common extrinsic cause of elbow contracture and may lead to clinically important stiffness, and rarely, complete bony ankylosis. Surgery sometimes is performed to treat this problem, and published reports differ regarding the factors that are associated with success or failure after this operation and whether the procedure is effective for patients with elbow ankylosis.
Effects of Polydispersity on the Order-Disorder Transition in Block Copolymer Melts

We prepared controlled-polydispersity poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)-b-poly(DL-lactide) (PL) and polystyrene-b-polyisoprene (SI) block copolymers to study the effects of the molecular weight distribution on the order-disorder transition at controlled composition and overall molecular weight. Small-angle X-ray scattering and rheological measurements were carried out to characterize the changes in the order-disorder transition in these self-assembled materials as a function of their composition and polydispersity index. We determined that in both asymmetric PL and SI systems increasing polydispersity in the minority component resulted in a decrease in the segregation strength at the order-disorder transition, whereas increasing polydispersity in the majority component results in an increase in the segregation strength at the order-disorder transition. We speculate that increasing PDI in the majority domain weakens the effective potential holding the phase-separated microdomains ordered on a lattice.
Low-temperature preservation of the Biomphalaria glabrata cell line.

Biomphalaria glabrata embryo (Bge) cells are tolerant of a wide range of conditions for preserva- tion at low temperature. It is recommended that the cells, suspended in complete medium with 10% DMSO, be frozen at a rate of 0.5-2°C/min. If a controlled-rate freezer is not available, successful freezing is achieved by placing the lightly insulated sealed ampoule (Fig. 1) into the freezing compartment of a refrigerator (about - 16°C) for 1 hr, then transferring it directly to an ultradeep freeze at about -86°C for another hour before removing it from the insulation and placing it into liquid nitrogen at -198°C for semipermanent storage. There is minimal lag in growth after the cells are thawed. It is apparent that, if 5 × l0 5 or more cells are used for freezing, a certain and quick recovery of the culture after thawing is assured. Using this technique, we have accumulated a bank of 38 frozen ampoules in which cells are preserved with the genetic constitution inherent to this cell line at the fifty-sixth to sixty-third passage.
Perspective: The Chemotherapeutic Relevance of Apoptosis and a Proposed Biochemical Cascade for Chemotherapeutically Induced Apoptosis

Cancer cells that are sufficiently damaged by cancer chemotherapeutic agents (as well as radiotherapy) eventually die in an ordered sequential biochemical process known as apoptosis. Apoptosis is a general physiological mechanism for controlled cell deletion that is an active (i.e., an energy-dependent, at least initially), inherent (gene-directed) program of cell death, and therefore sometimes referred to as cell suicide and programmed cell death (1,2). The apoptotic biochemical events occurring after the anticancer agent's interaction with its biochemical target is the actual process of cell death and is a secondary phenomenon following the primary drug-target interaction. Thus, anticancer agents, despite having different primary biochemical targets (e.g., inhibition of thymidylate synthase, microtubule damage, topoisomerase inhibitors, DNA crosslinking agents, etc.), all ultimately kill by inducing the biochemical cascade of apoptosis (3,4). However, there is a “qualitative” and “quantitative” heteroge...
The Pathogen Recognition Receptor NOD2 Regulates Human FOXP3+ T Cell Survival

The expression of pathogen recognition receptors in human FOXP3+ T regulatory cells is established, yet the function of these receptors is currently obscure. In the process of studying the function of both peripheral and lamina propria FOXP3+ lymphocytes in patients with the human inflammatory bowel disease Crohn’s disease, we observed a clear deficiency in the quantity of FOXP3+ lymphocytes in patients with disease-associated polymorphisms in the pathogen recognition receptor gene NOD2. Subsequently, we determined that the NOD2 ligand, muramyl dipeptide (MDP), activates NF-κB in primary human FOXP3+ T cells. This activation is functionally relevant, as MDP-stimulated human FOXP3+ T cells are protected from death receptor Fas-mediated apoptosis. Importantly, apoptosis protection was not evident in MDP-stimulated FOXP3+ T cells isolated from a patient with the disease-associated polymorphism. Thus, we propose that one function of pathogen recognition receptors in human T regulatory cells is the protection against death receptor-mediated apoptosis in a Fas ligand-rich environment, such as that of the inflamed intestinal subepithelial space.
Using the Contingent Valuation Method to Measure Patron Benefits of Reference Desk Service in an Academic Library

The authors apply a survey technique known as the contingent valuation (CV) method to estimate the economic value that patrons attach to reference desk service in an academic library. The CV method has been used in environmental economics for the past thirty years to estimate the value of environmental amenities. The authors argue that the appropriate measure of patron benefit from reference service includes use value (the usual benefit concept in the library literature) and option value (the benefit to potential users of knowing they have the option of using the services). The survey population consisted of the students and faculty of the academic campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The authors surveyed 382 students and faculty eliciting willingness to pay (WTP) for reference desk services: WTP to maintain existing hours, WTP to keep the desk open an additional eighteen hours per week; and WTP to add 18.5 more hours (all hours the library is open). The 10 percent trimmed mean (a robust measure of central tendency) indicates that, on average, students are willing to pay $5.59 per semester to maintain current hours of the reference desk; instructional faculty indicate they are willing to pay $45.76 per year to maintain current hours. Given reasonable assumptions about the cost of service, students and faculty place a value on the current hours of reference desk service that exceeds the cost by a ratio of 3.5 to 1.
Complete and accurate clone detection in graph-based models

Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) has become an important development framework for many large-scale software. Previous research has reported that as in traditional code-based development, cloning also occurs in MDE. However, there has been little work on clone detection in models with the limitations on detection precision and completeness. This paper presents ModelCD, a novel clone detection tool for Matlab/Simulink models, that is able to efficiently and accurately detect both exactly matched and approximate model clones. The core of ModelCD is two novel graph-based clone detection algorithms that are able to systematically and incrementally discover clones with a high degree of completeness, accuracy, and scalability. We have conducted an empirical evaluation with various experimental studies on many real-world systems to demonstrate the usefulness of our approach and to compare the performance of ModelCD with existing tools.
Paleopathology of the commoners at Tell Amarna, Egypt, Akhenaten's capital city

The Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten initiated worship of a single god and established a new capital city (Tell Amarna) that was built and occupied only once from 1350-1330 BCE. This single short occupation offers a unique opportunity to study a short time period. The royal tombs have long been known and studied, but the location of graves for the common inhabitants has been an archaeological puzzle for more than 50 years. Recently four cemeteries have been located and the analysis of commingled bones from the South Tombs cemetery is presented here. The remains yield the following demographic profile: 53 adults with 19 females and 18 males; 14 juveniles between the ages of 5 and 17; and 3 infants. Arthritis and degenerative joint disease of the spine and joints indicates that DJD was not excessive. Only 2 to 8% of the adult population exhibits arthritis. There are 3 healed fractures of the arm (2 to 8% of the adult sample). There is 1 healed compressed fracture of the skull suggesting violence. The adult infection rate is between 2 and 8% with 3 healed and 1 active case of periostitis and no severe infections. Anemia is implicated by 23% of adult frontals exhibiting cribra orbitalia. Life for the common residents of Amarna appears to not have been as good as initially postulated.
THE VALUE ADDED BY BANK ACQUISITIONS: LESSONS FROM WELLS FARGO'S ACQUISITION OF FIRST INTERSTATE

Wells Fargo's recent acquisition of First Interstate Bancorp represents one of the relatively uncommon cases in which the economic values of both the acquiring and acquired banks increased sharply upon announcement of the deal. The transaction is also one of the few cases where the bidder in a major bank acquisition chose purchase instead of pooling accounting–despite the fact that the deal was openly hostile and that Wells Fargo had to fight off a competing bid from First Bank Systems. Based on the stock market's reaction to this merger battle, as well as the results of their study of 153 bank mergers over the period 1985–1991, the authors argue that the most promising mergers are those presenting large opportunities to reduce costs by eliminating redundant operations. The stock market is much less responsive to other merger rationales such as diversification or entry into new markets in pursuit of growth. The Wells case also suggests that a preoccupation with the accounting treatment of a merger is a mistake if it becomes the primary reason for turning down a deal that creates economic value, or if it prevents the bidder from choosing the lowest-cost method of financing the deal. Throughout the bidding contest for First Interstate, the stock market responded positively to the success of Wells Fargo's efforts, even though purchase accounting would have a large adverse impact on reported earnings. But if the stock market does not appear to care about the accounting treatment of a merger, the method of financing does appear to matter to investors. In general, acquisitions financed with cash are viewed more favorably by the market than stockfunded transactions. The evidence also suggests, however, that acquiring firms can reduce the negative impact of stock deals by making conditional offers (those in which the number of shares depends on the stock price performance of the acquirer) and by combining such offers with stock repurchase programs.
Reversible switching from antiferro- to ferromagnetic behavior by solvent-mediated, thermally-induced phase transitions in a trimorphic MOF-based magnetic sponge system.

Hydrothermal reactions of copper(II) acetate, tetrazolate-5-carboxylate (tzc), and the neutral N-donor spacer ligand 1,3-di(4-pyridyl)propane (dpp) lead in a single reaction vial to the simultaneous formation of three different single-crystalline solvates [Cu(tzc)(dpp)]n·0.5C6H14·0.5H2O (1), [Cu(tzc)(dpp)]n·4.5H2O (2), and [Cu(tzc)(dpp)]n·1.25C6H14 (3). All three structures were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. None of these solvates can be prepared as phase-pure bulk materials, but reaction conditions similar to those used for single crystal synthesis yield a phase-pure polycrystalline bulk material of an additional forth solvate phase [Cu(tzc)(dpp)]n·2H2O (4). Investigations of its thermal properties by in situ temperature-dependent synchrotron-based powder diffraction experiments have shown interesting phase transitions upon heating in a helium stream. Initially, the precursor dihydrate 4 transforms to an anhydrous phase [Cu(tzc)(dpp)]n (6I) via the intermediate monohydrate phase [Cu(...
When Can We Improve Subscores by Making Them Shorter?: The Case Against Subscores with Overlapping Items

Subscores can be of diagnostic value for tests that cover multiple underlying traits. Some items require knowledge or ability that spans more than a single trait. It is thus natural for such items to be included on more than a single subscore. Subscores only have value if they are reliable enough to justify conclusions drawn from them and if they contain information about the examinee that is distinct from what is in the total test score. In this study we show, for a broad range of conditions of item overlap on subscores, that the value of the subscore is always improved through the removal of such items.
Humor in Management: Prospects for Administrative Practice and Research

Humor has been suggested as an effecive management tool. Reviewed in this paper is the existing research on humor appreciation or what is funny to whom; the influence of humor on group characteristics such as cohesiveness, communications, power, and status; and the linkage, if any, between group dynamic variables and human performance. A list of guidelines for management in matching humor with the situation is given, and some priorities are suggested for research.
Meson exchange currents in pion double charge exchange reaction

It is shown that in the Born approximation the forward scattering pion double charge exchange (DCX) amplitude for the meson exchange current (MEC) mechanism does not depend on the energy. The unitarization of the amplidute as well as the contributions of the ρ, σ, and f0 mesons into MEC mechanism based on the composite meson model increase the cross section and lead to its energy dependence.
Aerodynamic Analysis Based on Challenging Minisatellite Payload Satellite Lift-to-Drag Measurements

A lift-to-drag ratio analysis is performed based on accelerometer measurements made by the Challenging Minisatellite Payload satellite to investigate the nature of gas-surface interactions taking place in orbit. The results described are for the November 2002 satellite yaw maneuver. At this time, the satellite flew at a mean altitude of 407 km. Two types of gas–surface interaction are considered in the analysis. The first is a cosine (fully diffuse) reflection model with incomplete energy accommodation. The second is a blended cosine reflection model having full accommodation combined with a fraction of quasi-specular reflection having an accommodation coefficient dependent on the surface material. It is found that the fully diffuse model best reproduces the satellite data during the yaw maneuver, and that the accommodation coefficient is approximately 0.89 during this time.
Challenges to curriculum development in information science

Curriculum development in information science involves clarification of the scopc and character of information science and demands new approaches in dealing with the phenomenon of information transfer in a variety of settings. A theoretical perspective is developed which hopes to generate novel approaches to, and to encourage a rethinking about, the education of information professionals. (French, German, and Spanish translations of this abstract can be found on pp. 351.) A Chinese proverb asserts: "Give me a fish and I'll eat today. Teach me to fish and I'll eat for a lifetime." A trendy new version of this aphorism, one consonant with current Chinese efforts rapidly to assimilate Western ideas of information management and technology, might be: "Give me some information and I'll solve today's problem. Teach me how to obtain information and I'll negotiate problems for a lifetime." Such an assertion is a noble ideal, one worthy of those who are concerned with training those who do information work, those who address and
User-generated descriptions of individual images versus labels of groups of images: A comparison using basic level theory

Although images are visual information sources with little or no text associated with them, users still tend to use text to describe images and formulate queries. This is because digital libraries and search engines provide mostly text query options and rely on text annotations for representation and retrieval of the semantic content of images. While the main focus of image research is on indexing and retrieval of individual images, the general topic of image browsing and indexing, and retrieval of groups of images has not been adequately investigated. Comparisons of descriptions of individual images as well as labels of groups of images supplied by users using cognitive models are scarce. This work fills this gap. Using the basic level theory as a framework, a comparison of the descriptions of individual images and labels assigned to groups of images by 180 participants in three studies found a marked difference in their level of abstraction. Results confirm assertions by previous researchers in LIS and other fields that groups of images are labeled using more superordinate level terms while individual image descriptions are mainly at the basic level. Implications for design of image browsing interfaces, taxonomies, thesauri, and similar tools are discussed.
The Structure of Space(s)

Some are called to looking at the world from the spatial perspective of the geographer. Distance powerfully structures many human spaces, and its effects are constantly revised by new technologies. For analytical purposes, both physical and human spaces may be transformed to produce conceptually simplified descriptions of apparently complex processes. Such spatio-temporal processes themselves are shaped by the structure of the underlying spaces. Examples range over behavioural, Shakespearian, air passenger, cross-country skiing and other spaces, and include the effects of spatial structure on the diffusion of influenza, HIV, and a virulent form of rabies. The epidemiological topics point to the educational task of helping others see the geography, as well as the more conventional history, in their own and specialized topics.