cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and natural history of colonization with fluoroquinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli in community-dwelling people with spinal cord dysfunction.

Abstract Roghmann M-C, Wallin MT, Gorman PH, Johnson JA. Prevalence and natural history of colonization with fluoroquinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli in community-dwelling people with spinal cord dysfunction. Objectives To estimate the prevalence of colonization with fluoroquinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli (GNB) and to assess risk factors for and define the natural history of colonization. Design Cross-sectional study with follow-up of up to 1 year. Setting Multiple outpatient sites. Participants Eighty-four community-dwelling adults with spinal cord dysfunction. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure Colonization of perineum with fluoroquinolone-resistant GNB. Results Overall, 24% of this community-dwelling cohort was colonized with fluoroquinolone-resistant GNB with resistance to both levofloxacin and gatifloxacin. The use of any antibiotic in the last 90 days was most strongly associated with an increased risk of colonization with fluoroquinolone-resistant GNB (relative risk, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1−4.8; P=.05). Incontinence was significantly more common among those with fluoroquinolone-resistant GNB colonization. Among the participants with incontinence (n=42), the use of intermittent catheterization (vs suprapubic, urethral, or condom catheters or overflow incontinence) was significantly protective. Colonization was not associated with an increase in urinary tract infection and was often transient. Conclusions Fluoroquinolone resistance among GNB colonizing community-dwelling people with spinal cord dysfunction is common. Colonization is more common among those receiving antibiotics and less common among those continent of urine. Among those with incontinence, those using intermittent catheterization have less colonization.
The solar cycle variation in ultraviolet irradiance

Abstract The Solar Stellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) is one of the ten science instruments on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), launched in 1991 and now successfully operated for more than nine years. The SOLSTICE makes daily observations of solar spectral irradiance in the interval 120 to 320 nm — radiation important to ozone in the Earth's middle atmosphere. Nine years of SOLSTICE observations now provide a reliable estimate of solar-cycle variations, extending from early in 1992 near the peak of solar cycle 22, through solar minimum in late 1996, and now back to the high levels of solar cycle 23. These observations indicate almost a factor of two variation near Lyman-α (121.6 nm), decreasing to less than 10% near 200 nm, and to less than 1% near 300 nm.
Summary Verification Measures and Their Interpretation for Ensemble Forecasts

AbstractEnsemble prediction systems produce forecasts that represent the probability distribution of a continuous forecast variable. Most often, the verification problem is simplified by transforming the ensemble forecast into probability forecasts for discrete events, where the events are defined by one or more threshold values. Then, skill is evaluated using the mean-square error (MSE; i.e., Brier) skill score for binary events, or the ranked probability skill score (RPSS) for multicategory events. A framework is introduced that generalizes this approach, by describing the forecast quality of ensemble forecasts as a continuous function of the threshold value. Viewing ensemble forecast quality this way leads to the interpretation of the RPSS and the continuous ranked probability skill score (CRPSS) as measures of the weighted-average skill over the threshold values. It also motivates additional measures, derived to summarize other features of a continuous forecast quality function, which can be interpret...
Experimental Combined Systemic and Local Chemotherapy for Intraocular Malignancy

• Greene melanoma was transplanted into the anterior chamber of rabbit eyes. These animal models were divided into four groups. Group 1 received carmustine (1,3 bis [2-chloroethyl]-1-nitrosourea) intravenously. Group 2 received the drug by sub-Tenon-retrobulbar (periocular) injection. Group 3 received both periocular and intravenous administration; the combined dose was the same as that in group 1. Group 4 served as untreated control. The effectiveness of the various administration routes was compared by clinical observation of the size of the tumor growing in the eye, weight of the enucleated eyes, and histopathologic examination. Administration of carmustine delayed the growth of Greene melanoma in rabbit eye of all three treated groups, but effectiveness of treatment was considerably enhanced by combining periocular and intravenous administration of a lower dose of carmustine.
Anisopia and perception of space.

In this paper, “anisopia” is understood to be unequal vision in the two eyes producing unequal imagery; anisopia can be either inherently existing or artificially introduced. The term imagery is defined to encompass the complexity of physical, chemical, neuro-biochemical, and physio-psychological processes within the eye, the visual pathway, and the visual center in the cortical zone. A great variety of physical, physiological, and psychological factors are capable of producing anisopia which manifests itself as a characteristic distortion of space because of angular disparity of apparent contours. This anisopic stereo-effect can best be observed by the use of two individual square targets lying in a fronto-parallel plane; the effect consists of an apparent rotation of the individual targets about individual vertical axes. The anisopic stereo-effect is related to changes in the perceptual image size which is altered as a result of anisopia. An analysis of anisopia and its significance in vision is attempted, and experiments dealing with anisopia produced by monocular application of neutral density filters, spherical and cylindrical lenses, pupillary diaphragms, and bleaching of the retina are described.
Resistance to tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis in mouse fibroblasts is a genetically dominant phenotype

Although many tumor cells are sensitive to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced cell death, most normal cells are resistant. To determine whether the sensitive phenotype or the resistant phenotype is genetically dominant, we constructed somatic cell hybrids of TNF-resistant (TNP) C3H mouse 10T1/2 fibroblasts and Ha-ms-transformed TNF-sensitive (TNFs) 10T-EJ cells and then tested the sensitivity of those hybrids to TNF-induced cell death. All somatic cell hybrid cell lines tested were resistant to TNF-induced cell death. The TNFr 10T1/2 cells, however, exhibited sensitivity to TNF-induced cell death in the presence of cycloheximide (CHX), whereas TNFs 10T-EJ cells did not show any further increase in sensitivity to TNF-induced cell death in the presence of CHX. In addition, the killing of 1OT1/2 cells by TNF in the presence of CHX involved apoptosis. These results demonstrate that resistance to TNF-induced apoptosis is a genetically dominant phenotype and that certain protein(s) constitutively expressed or induced by TNF in resistant cells may confer protection against TNF-induced apoptosis.
Assessing the Current Market of Sunscreen: A Cross-Sectional Study of Sunscreen Availability in Three Metropolitan Counties in the United States

Sunscreen use is recommended for the prevention of sunburn and skin cancer. Little is known regarding sunscreen availability in high versus low income communities. We analyzed sunscreen availability in three large metropolitan counties to determine the relationship between availability and community demographics. We included sun care products in all pharmacies and supermarkets open as of July 2013 in representative high and low income zip codes in Cook County, Illinois, Miami-Dade County, Florida, and San Diego County, California. We recorded the percentage of tanning oil, sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) 15, physical sunscreens, spray sunscreens, mean price per ounce (PPO), and mean SPF. Of the total products assessed, 11.0% were tanning oils, with physical sunscreens accounting for only 3.4% of the available sunscreens and 46.2% of sunscreens being spray-on. A comparison between higher and lower income zip codes demonstrated a significantly increased percentage of sunscreens with SPF 15 and higher PPO, even when taking into account SPF. Further studies of sunscreen usage patterns in different populations must take into account sunscreen availability and price, as these significantly differ based on the community demographic.
Nine lives for TH9s

There is currently much interest in dissecting the mechanisms of tumor immunity. A new study shows that a subset of CD4+ T cells that produce the cytokine interleukin-9 (IL-9) mediate inhibition of melanoma growth in mice and that analogous IL-9–producing T cells are present in human skin (pages 1248–1253). Could such cells be manipulated to develop new therapeutic strategies for melanoma?
Environmentalism and the multinational corporation: a viewpoint‐part II

This is Part Two of a two‐part paper on environmentalism and the multinational corporation. Part One was published in the previous issue of this journal. In Part One, we explored the concept of “power as capability” as seen in the rationale for international production, namely, ownership, locational, and internalization advantages. In this Part, we apply the concept of “power as influence” to re‐examine the bargaining power of the host country, the MNC, the home country, and Non‐Governmental Organizations. It is argued that in the initial bargaining with LDC host country, the power balance is tipped in favor of MNC as the lack of technical expertise may hinder feasibility assessment of pollution performance. However, over time, the bargaining power of LDC host increases, but constrained by the momentum of globalization. The power of the MNC is higher in manufacturing than in extractive industries. Home country plays an important role in influencing the formulating of corporate environmental policies by th...
Effects of Race, Class, and IQ Information on Judgments of Parochial Grade School Teachers

Abstract Parochial grade school teachers (N = 80) evaluated pictures of two boys previously identified as Hispanic lower class, Hispanic middle class, White lower class, and White middle class based on physical appearance. Initially, race and social class affected teacher judgments. After receiving information about IQ, the teachers reevaluated the pictures. Social class was no longer a factor, but race still influenced teacher judgments to the extent that the high IQ Hispanic child, regardless of perceived social class, was evaluated less positively than the high IQ White child. From the teachers' comments, it was concluded that these teachers believed that their biases were reliable predictors of future success.
A Selective, Non‐lschemic, Non‐Pharmacological Left Ventricular Failure Animal Model

Selective left ventricular failure was induced in 13 acute anesthetized, closed chest dogs ranging in weight from 18-26 kg. Failure was induced by passing a single, high intensity pulse of current from a defibrillator connected to a left ventricular catheter electrode and a left chest electrode. The intensity of the myocardial damaging shock was related to the predicted current required for transventricular defibrillation, based on heart weight. Thermodilution cardiac output, left ventricular pressure, impedance stroke volume, the cardiac electrogram, and lead II ECG were recorded, along with the pressure impedance (volume) loop, which is a measure of stroke work. It was found that the cardiac output decreased with increasing current intensity. Immediately following the high current shock, cardiac output, and stroke work decreased. In some animals, with a moderate intensity shock, there was a transient increase in cardiac output, followed by a decrease. In the five animals that were monitored continuously for 4 hours, the average percent reduction in cardiac output at this time was 42.5% for an average current overdose ratio of 5.39. The energy setting on the defibrillator to obtain this range of reduction in cardiac output was 175-350 joules. The method described herein is easily applied to the closed chest animal and will allow evaluation of the pumping capabilities of cardiac augmentation techniques, such as dynamic cardio-myoplasty and the skeletal muscle ventricle.
Isoxazoles as β-diketone synthons-selective anion formation on 3,5-dialkylisoxazoles

Abstract 3,5-Dimethylisoxazole can be metalated and alkylated regiospecifically. Alkylation occurs first on the 5-methyl group, and a second alkylation occurs on the 3-methyl group. This method permits specific synthesis of disubstituted isoxazoles, and of the corresponding β-diketones.
The continuous collapsing Knapsack problem

A Collapsing Knapsack is a container whose capacity diminishes as the number of items it must hold is increased. This paper focuses on those cases in which the decision variables are continuous, i.e., can take any non-negative value. It is demonstrated that the problem can be reduced to a set of two dimensional subproblems. Strategies for elimination of subproblems and conditions permitting reduction to a set of one dimensional problems are also considered.
The cyclic voltammetric study of iron-tallysomycin in the absence and presence of DNA.

Abstract Cyclic voltammetric studies on iron-tallysomycin complexes have been conducted with and without the presence of calf thymus DNA. Fe(II)-TLM samples exhibit a cyclic voltammogram with only a reduction peak at −230 ± 5 mV vs Ag/AgCl. The addition of DNA substrate causes the shift of this reduction peak to −140 ± 10 mV vs Ag/AgCl. This large shift in the positive direction implies that the regeneration of Fe(II)-TLM through the reduction of Fe(III)-TLM is facilitated with the aid of DNA. It also implies that the metal-binding/oxygen-activation domain may be directly involved in the formation of iron-tallysomycin-DNA ternary complex. Air oxidation of Fe(II)-TLM produces an activated intermediate with the following CV characteristics, I pc /I pa = 0.90; ΔE = 65 mV; E reduction peak = −100 mV vs Ag/AgCl. Addition of DNA abolishes the redox peaks of this voltammogram, signifying inactivation of the activated species through reaction with substrate. Air oxidation of preformed Fe(II)-TLM-DNA complex did not give a discernable cyclic voltammogram, nor did preformed Fe(III)-TLM and Fe(III)-TLM-DNA samples.
Protein and Energy Supplementation of High Alfalfa Silage Diets During Early Lactation

Abstract Protein versus energy as a first-limiting nutrient for milk yield and milk protein content was studied in cows fed high alfalfa silage diets. In Experiment 1, 12 cows during wk 3 to 12 of lactation were fed diets containing 48.2% alfalfa silage or 98.2% silage with or without infusion of 1 kg/d of casein into the abomasum. Infusion of casein resulted in a 22% increase in milk yield, 180-g/d increase in milk protein yield, and no change in DMI. In Experiment 2, 20 cows during wk 3 to 6 of lactation were fed 98.2% alfalfa silage diets and received no infusion, 1 kg/d of glucose infused into the abomasum, 1.2 kg/d of soy protein into the abomasum, or a mixture of the glucose and protein infusion into the abomasum. Infusion of glucose had no effect on milk yield but decreased DMI, milk fat, and milk protein. Infusion of protein increased daily milk yield by 17% and protein yield by 144 g/d. In Experiment 3, 20 cows during wk 9 to 12 of lactation were fed 98.2% alfalfa silage and received no infusion, .75 kg/d of propionate infused into the rumen, 1.2 kg/d of soy protein infused into the abomasum, and the propionate and soy protein infusions combined. In Experiment 4, 20 cows were fed 78.2% alfalfa silage diets with or without 5% propylene glycol. Infusion of propionate or supplementation of propylene glycol in Experiments 3 and 4 reduced DMI and milk yield. Milk yield response to protein infused into the abomasum and lack of response to energy infused into the abomasum or included in the diet in a nonfermentable form suggest that protein, not energy, is the first-limiting nutrient for milk yield in cows fed high alfalfa silage diets.
Validation of evaporation estimates from a modified surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) model in the south-eastern United States

A modified surface energy balance algorithm for land (SEBAL) model, which has been widely used in the western United States since its development in 1998, was validated in the humid south-eastern United States using daily and monthly evapotranspiration (ET) estimates. Sixteen Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images from April 2000 to September 2006 were processed, and the results were compared with energy-budget eddy covariance (EBEC) ET estimates from four US Geological Survey (USGS) stations. The model performed well in terms of Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) coefficients (daily = 0.82, monthly = 0.77) and coefficients of determination (R 2, daily = 0.83, monthly = 0.77). Root mean square errors (RMSEs, daily = 0.48 mm/day, monthly = 16 mm/month), mean absolute errors (MAEs, daily = 0.32 ± 0.36 mm/day, monthly = 12 ± 10 mm/month), mean relative errors (MREs, daily = 7 ± 8%, monthly = 11 ± 12%) and mean bias errors (MBEs, daily = 0.05 mm/day, monthly = −2 mm/month) were comparable to the results from simi...
In the Spotlight: Tissue Engineering — Quantitative Analysis of Complex 3-D Tissues

This work highlights the impact that integrated measurement techniques in tissue engineering platforms can have in elucidating basic biologic mechanisms. In this work, a composite matrix and strain device is described that can support natural matrices within a macroporous elastic structure of polyurethane. In this way, a well-defined dynamic strain could be imposed on the 3-D collagen and cells within the collagen for several days without the typical matrix contraction by fibroblasts when cultured in 3-D collagen gels. Taken together, these papers are illustrative of a larger body of work that is beginning to develop and integrate quantitative measurements techniques into complex tissue microenvironments in order to better understand dynamic responses to mechanical and chemical cues.
Resolvability and the upper dimension of graphs

Abstract For an ordered set W = { w 1 , w 2 ,…, w k } of vertices and a vertex v in a connected graph G , the (metric) representation of v with respect to W is the k -vector r ( v | W ) = ( d ( v , w 1 ), d ( v , w 2 ),…, d ( v , w k )), where d ( x , y ) represents the distance between the vertices x and y . The set W is a resolving set for G if distinct vertices of G have distinct representations. A new sharp lower bound for the dimension of a graph G in terms of its maximum degree is presented. A resolving set of minimum cardinality is a basis for G and the number of vertices in a basis is its (metric) dimension dim( G ). A resolving set S of G is a minimal resolving set if no proper subset of S is a resolving set. The maximum cardinality of a minimal resolving set is the upper dimension dim + ( G ). The resolving number res( G ) of a connected graph G is the minimum k such that every k -set W of vertices of G is also a resolving set of G . Then 1 ≤ dim( G ) ≤ dim + ( G ) ≤ res( G ) ≤ n − 1 for every nontrivial connected graph G of order n . It is shown that dim + ( G ) = res( G ) = n − 1 if and only if G = K n , while dim + ( G ) = res( G ) = 2 if and only if G is a path of order at least 4 or an odd cycle. The resolving numbers and upper dimensions of some well-known graphs are determined. It is shown that for every pair a , b of integers with 2 ≤ a ≤ b , there exists a connected graph G with dim( G ) = dim + ( G ) = a and res( G ) = b . Also, for every positive integer N , there exists a connected graph G with res( G ) − dim + ( G ) ≥ N and dim + ( G ) − dim( G ) ≥ N .
Computed tomography scanning with image reconstruction in evaluation of distal radius fractures

Seventeen patients with 18 intraarticular distal radius fractures underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning and image reconstruction to evaluate their distal radius fractures. All patients were selected prospectively because of intraarticular extension and/or displacement of their fractures on pre- or post reduction plain films. Patients who were not surgical candidates for open reduction and internal fixation of their fracture were not included in the study. X-ray films and CT scans were viewed separately and in random order by a senior radiologist not familiar with the cases. Both x-ray films and CT scans readily showed extension of fracture lines into the radiocarpal joint, radial shaft, and the ulnar styloid, but CT scans were better than x-ray films at demonstrating fracture involvement of the distal radioulnar joint, the extent of articular surface depression, and the amount of comminution. Due to the cost, it is recommended that the test only be used for patients who are surgical candidates for open reduction and internal fixation or when more information about the extent of comminution and joint depression is required.
Selectivity of oxidase and reductase activity of horse heart cytochrome c.

Abstract The ascorbate-TMPD-cytochrome c oxidase and succinate cytochrome c reductase activities and the redox potentials of native and chemically modified cytochromes c —NBS-cytochrome c with modification of Trp-59 and Met-65, nitro-cytochrome c with modification of Tyr-67, and a new preparation, Chloramine-T-cytochrome m c with modification of Met-80 and -65 to methionine sulfoxide—have been compared at pH 7.8 in 25 mM cacodylate-Tris buffer. These modifications exhibit (i) a slight lowering of redox potential, from 260 mV to 180, 215 and 170 mV, respectively, (ii) destabilization of the cytochrome c -reductase complex, 6 to 12 fold, but without alteration of the cytochrome c -oxidase complex, and (iii) a slight lowering of the maximum velocity for both the oxidase and reductase reactions. The selective destabilization of the cytochrome c -reductase complex is interpreted as an indication of a two-path, two-function model for the oxido-reduction function of cytochrome c .
A temporal comparison of BOLD, ASL, and NIRS hemodynamic responses to motor stimuli in adult humans

In this study, we have preformed simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) along with BOLD (blood oxygen level dependent) and ASL (arterial spin labeling)-based fMRI during an event-related motor activity in human subjects in order to compare the temporal dynamics of the hemodynamic responses recorded in each method. These measurements have allowed us to examine the validity of the biophysical models underlying each modality and, as a result, gain greater insight into the hemodynamic responses to neuronal activation. Although prior studies have examined the relationships between these two methodologies through similar experiments, they have produced conflicting results in the literature for a variety of reasons. Here, by employing a short-duration, event-related motor task, we have been able to emphasize the subtle temporal differences between the hemodynamic parameters with a high contrast-to-noise ratio. As a result of this improved experimental design, we are able to report that the fMRI measured BOLD response is more correlated with the NIRS measure of deoxy-hemoglobin (R = 0.98; P < 10(-20)) than with oxy-hemoglobin (R = 0.71), or total hemoglobin (R = 0.53). This result was predicted from the theoretical grounds of the BOLD response and is in agreement with several previous works [Toronov, V.A.W., Choi, J.H., Wolf, M., Michalos, A., Gratton, E., Hueber, D., 2001. "Investigation of human brain hemodynamics by simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy and functional magnetic resonance imaging." Med. Phys. 28 (4) 521-527.; MacIntosh, B.J., Klassen, L.M., Menon, R.S., 2003. "Transient hemodynamics during a breath hold challenge in a two part functional imaging study with simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy in adult humans". NeuroImage 20 1246-1252.; Toronov, V.A.W., Walker, S., Gupta, R., Choi, J.H., Gratton, E., Hueber, D., Webb, A., 2003. "The roles of changes in deoxyhemoglobin concentration and regional cerebral blood volume in the fMRI BOLD signal" Neuroimage 19 (4) 1521-1531]. These data have also allowed us to examine more detailed measurement models of the fMRI signal and comment on the roles of the oxygen saturation and blood volume contributions to the BOLD response. In addition, we found high correlation between the NIRS measured total hemoglobin and ASL measured cerebral blood flow (R = 0.91; P < 10(-10)) and oxy-hemoglobin with flow (R = 0.83; P < 10(-05)) as predicted by the biophysical models. Finally, we note a significant amount of cross-modality, correlated, inter-subject variability in amplitude change and time-to-peak of the hemodynamic response. The observed co-variance in these parameters between subjects is in agreement with hemodynamic models and provides further support that fMRI and NIRS have similar vascular sensitivity.
A unified model for resonances in scattering cross sections

Abstract An infinite-order perturbation technique has been used to obtain an expression for the T-matrix in the vicinity of a zero-order bound state of the target-projectile compound system. All zero-order bound states can contribute resonance structures to the scattering cross section.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: Contributions from the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy

AbstractObjective: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive brain trauma (RBT). Initially described in boxers, CTE has now been found in other contact sport athletes with a history of RBT. In recent years, there has been tremendous media attention regarding CTE, primarily because of the deaths of high profile American football players who were found to have CTE upon neuropathological examination. However, the study of CTE remains in its infancy. This review focuses on research from the Centre for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University.Methods: This study reviews the formation of the CSTE, major CSTE publications and current ongoing research projects at the CSTE.Results: The neuropathology of CTE has been well-described. Current research focuses on: methods of diagnosing the disease during life (including the development of biomarkers), examination of CTE risk factors (including genetic susceptibility and head impact exposur...
Gastric Absorption and Distribution of Acetylsalicylic Acid and Other Acidic Compounds in the Rat

A comparison was made of the gastric absorption and distribution of sodium acetylsalicylate-7-14C with the absorption and distribution of sodium salts of other weakly acidic compounds. Each of the other compounds observed had an absorption pattern which was characteristic for the compound. Only sodium acetylsalicylate caused gastric lesions in the rat. The observations do not rule out the possibility that absorption characteristics of acetylsalicylic acid and its salts may be associated with their ability to cause gastric ulcers.
Receptor cleavage reduces the fluid shear response in neutrophils of the spontaneously hypertensive rat

Physiological fluid shear stress evokes pseudopod retraction in normal leukocytes by a mechanism that involves the formyl peptide receptor (FPR) as mechanosensor. In hypertensives, such as the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), leukocytes lack the normal fluid shear response. The increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, including MMP-9) in SHR plasma is associated with cleavage of several cell membrane receptors. We hypothesize that the attenuated fluid shear response in leukocytes (neutrophils) of the SHR is due to extracellular proteolytic cleavage of the FPR. We show that suspended SHR neutrophils in whole blood sheared in a cone-and-plate device or individual neutrophils adherent to a glass surface and subject to fluid shear exhibited reduced pseudopod retractions compared with neutrophils of control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. SHR neutrophils and naive Wistar rat neutrophils exposed to SHR plasma also exhibited impaired fluid shear responses as shown by their inability to project pseudopods with fluid shear. Labeling of extracellular FPR revealed that the FPR density in SHR neutrophils is on average 27% reduced compared with those of the WKY rats. Exposure of Wistar rat neutrophils to the gelatinase MMP-9 (final concentration 5 nM) led to attenuation of fluid shear response and decrease in extracellular FPR density. Chronic treatment of the SHR with a broad-acting MMP inhibitor, doxycycline, significantly improved the fluid shear response and increased the FPR extracellular density of SHR neutrophils. These results suggest that proteolytic cleavage of the FPR may interfere with normal fluid shear-induced pseudopod retractions in SHR neutrophils.
Sequencing rules and due date setting procedures in flow line cells with family setups

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate due date setting procedures and dispatching decisions in a flow line cell with family setups. In this environment, setups are not required when switching from a job in a given family to a job in the same family. However, switching from a job in one family to a job in another family requires a setup. Family setups in this shop are sequence independent. The dispatching decisions in this shop are threefold: (1) when should the decision to switch from one part family to another be made; (2) once the decision to switch families is made, how should the next part family be chosen (next family decision); and (3) how should the jobs within a family be prioritized (next job decision)? If the decision to switch classes can only be made after the current family is exhausted, the rule is called a class exhaustion rule. Otherwise the rule is a truncated rule. The results indicate that the due date setting procedure has a major impact on how dispatching should be performed in the shop. The family exhaustion procedure using the APT next family rule and the SPT next job rule is the best performer for mean flow time. When setup times are long, the SEQ due date rule using the family exhaustion procedure with the FCFS next family and the EDD next job rules performed well for due date criteria. When setup times are short, the EDD/T, Sawicki truncation rule and the family exhaustion rules performed well for due date criteria.
Optimal lateral splitting of the AM1.5 solar spectrum for a mono-Si and CdTe two cell PV array

An analysis of the optimal spectral splitting for a lateral two-cell solar photovoltaic system is described and tested experimentally. A diffraction grating with arbitrary but known transmission efficiency versus wavelength was used to split the spectrum. An AM1.5 spectrum was produced using a Xe-arc lamp with 5mm pinhole, AM1.5 optical filter for Xe-arc lamps, and a collimating lens. Detailed balance simulations for solar p-n junctions were performed on the AM1.5 spectrum weighted by the optical transmission efficiency of the diffraction grating. When the optical efficiency is included in the detailed balance calculations, an accurate prediction for the performance of the experiment is obtained. Using the simple diffraction grating, we calculate the optimal efficiency of the system under no concentration to be ∼23.2% with cells of band gaps 1.14 and 1.82eV. Using mono-Si and CdTe with band gaps of 1.12 and 1.46eV respectively results in an optimal spectral split at 849nm and a total efficiency of 21.1%. Experimentally the result is proven using a mono-Si and CdTe PV array by splitting the spectrum over many wavelengths and finding the optimal split.
Japanese Tendergreen Mustard, Italian Rye Grass, and Oats as a Source of Green Feed for Laying Hens

Abstract GRASS and green herbage probably played an important part in the diet of birds long before domestication, and with our present knowledge of feeding it is very difficult to find a substitute for green succulent grazing. Experiment station results are not in complete agreement as to the part grazing plays in the diet of the hen and her progeny. The purpose of this paper is to present results found from birds grazing on Japanese tendergreen mustard, oats, and Italian rye grass, and the degree to which they affected mortality, hatchability, yolk color, and egg production. Thompson (1929) found as a substitute to the laying ration green feed has no apparent effect during the winter and spring season, but is beneficial during the summer and fall. His results on hatchability are in agreement with Carrick (1937) in that hatchability was not affected. Carrick (1937) found that fowls without cod liver oil . . .
Observations on the effects of fault manifestation as a function of workload

The authors describe a methodology for modeling fault effects on system behavior and evaluate the methodology through an experimental fault injection, study. The methodology characterizes a workload under faulted conditions, and then uses workload attributes such as instruction usage to infer the fault behavior of other workloads. A model of workload attributes required to predict faulty behavior, is presented and evaluated. >
Technolatry, methodolatry, and the results of family therapy

Wells and Dezen's revisited results of research on the outcomes of nonbehavioral family therapy are themselves revisited. While their conclusions are largely defensible in terms of conventional criteria for research design and for assessing change in psychotherapy, we question whether such standard criteria are sufficient for studying the outcomes of family therapy. Moreover, Wells and Dezen's preoccupation with therapeutic technology at the expense of relationship factors and of "objective" change measures at the expense of more inferential measures severely limits the clinical and conceptual meaningfulness of their review.
Robust learning of low-dimensional dynamics from large neural ensembles

Recordings from large populations of neurons make it possible to search for hypothesized low-dimensional dynamics. Finding these dynamics requires models that take into account biophysical constraints and can be fit efficiently and robustly. Here, we present an approach to dimensionality reduction for neural data that is convex, does not make strong assumptions about dynamics, does not require averaging over many trials and is extensible to more complex statistical models that combine local and global influences. The results can be combined with spectral methods to learn dynamical systems models. The basic method extends PCA to the exponential family using nuclear norm minimization. We evaluate the effectiveness of this method using an exact decomposition of the Bregman divergence that is analogous to variance explained for PCA. We show on model data that the parameters of latent linear dynamical systems can be recovered, and that even if the dynamics are not stationary we can still recover the true latent subspace. We also demonstrate an extension of nuclear norm minimization that can separate sparse local connections from global latent dynamics. Finally, we demonstrate improved prediction on real neural data from monkey motor cortex compared to fitting linear dynamical models without nuclear norm smoothing.
The potential for increase in the periodontal diseases of the aged population.

The periodontal disease trends in the nation's older adults aged 55 to 74 years are assessed using National Center for Health Statistics data spanning an approximate 12-year period. Both the 1960 to 1962 Health Examination Survey and the 1971 to 1974 Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I surveys used similar multistaged stratified probability samples. Examinations were calibrated and the collection of periodontal disease (PI), oral hygiene (OHI) and tooth loss scores were standardized. Data were collected on 1567 persons in 1960 to 1962 and 4746 persons in 1971 to 1974. The mean PI scores between the two surveys were not statistically different. However, when the periodontal diseases were divided into individuals with or without pockets, there was a significant decline in the per cent without pockets (P < 0.001) while the per cent with pockets remained unchanged or increased. The significant reduction in OHI scores (P < 0.02) seems to validate the decrease in gingivitis. The improvement in tooth loss ...
Exploration and Validation of the Differential Status Identity Scale

In response to the developing critique of traditional sociological measures of social class, the Differential Status Identity Scale (DSIS) was developed. The DSIS is a measure designed to tap the psychological impact on the individual of belonging to a particular social status. Internal consistency reliability and construct, convergent, and criterion validity of the DSIS were examined for a sample of 454 college students. The present data lent much support to DSIS as a new psychological measure of social status.
Variations on a theme: flower development and evolution

A recent study, comparing the maize SILKY1 gene to its well-characterized homolog APETALA3 from Arabidopsis, has provided some of the first evidence pointing to conservation of homeotic gene function between monocots and dicots.
Bringing Mysteries Into Daylight: Incidental Findings: Lesson from My Patients in the Art of Medicine, by Danielle Ofri, 184pp, $23.95, ISBN 0-8070-7266-4, Boston, MA, Beacon Press, 2005.

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne offers insight into the role of the physician and the outcome of the patient-physician relationship by noting that the physician probes, pries and delves with a “cautious touch.… Few secrets can escape an investigator, who has the opportunity and license to undertake such a quest, and skill to follow it up.” Hawthorne suggests that a wise, intuitive physician who is unobtrusive and empathetic will bring “mysteries into daylight.” Danielle Ofri’s newest book, Incidental Findings: Lesson from My Patients in the Art of Medicine, underscores the insights Hawthorne uncovers. In a series of essays, Ofri probes, pries and delves into the many conflicts of the physician-patient relationship. In the process we see her develop the ethics, compassion, sagacity and patience to become an excellent physician. Ofri acknowledges an important shift in perspective by stating “I started writing about patients, but now I’m writing about me…. [It’s] stepping into the emotional fray with the patient, that truly awes and humbles me. It is in that unsettling zone in which healing has a chance to take place.” In Incidental Findings, there are fifteen essays representing various clinical presentations that occupy this “unsettling zone.” Each is an emotionally moving piece that stands alone, but when viewed collectively, Ofri offers us the educational elements, social reality and emotional impact that patients bring to the physician. She demonstrates the clinical synthesis the physician must achieve to approach clinical excellence. In her deft and effective way, Ofri saliently discusses the clinical and ethical lessons of each essay. For example, she encounters a patient in “Acne” who is involved in an abusive relationship but only wants her skin condition discussed. She meets the non-terminal patient in “Living Will” who is depressed and wishes no treatment. In “Torment” she intervenes on behalf of a daughter whose mother is not very nice either to the family or the physician. In “Vision” she encounters a haughty man who comments negatively on nearly everything: physician style, medical teaching, hospital food, insurance restrictions, dress of students and attendings and quality of relationships. “In Her Own Key” recounts the pain of the well-rehearsed drug-seeker whose goal is not abstinence. Each adds a new dimension to the clinical skill of the physician. Incidental Findings contributes to a growing body of literature about the clinical aspect of medicine and the importance of physician-patient relationships as evidenced in the works of Verghese, Gawande and Watts. Ofri comments “In the end, medicine will always be about one patient and one physician in one room.” Incidental Findings is a must read for physicians- in-training. And for those of us who continue to struggle and grow in the practice of medicine, it is a confirmation of our efforts to bring “mysteries into daylight.”
Fixed Frequency and Tunable Metamaterial-Based Ring Resonators with Narrowly Spaced Resonances

Metamaterial-based composite right/left-handed transmission lines are used in the design of fixed frequency and tunable ring resonators. Under specific design conditions, the first two resonant modes can be narrowly spaced. A simple passive band-pass filter is demonstrated at 2.92 GHz with a bandwidth of about 9% using this concept. This type of design is also used as a tunable resonator and a tuning range of 30% is demonstrated.
More fine structural global square sequences

We extend the construction of a global square sequence in extender models from Zeman [8] to a construction of coherent non-threadable sequences and give a characterization of stationary reflection at inaccessibles similar to Jensen’s characterization in L.
A comparison of cesarean delivery outcomes for rural family physicians and obstetricians.

Purpose: Despite declining access to obstetrical care in many regions, family physicians often have difficulty obtaining Cesarean delivery privileges. We compared outcomes of Cesarean deliveries performed by family physicians (FPs) and obstetricians (OBs). The last such study done was more than 15 years ago. Methods: This study was a chart review of 250 consecutive Cesarean deliveries was done at 2 rural New England hospitals. At one hospital, Cesarean deliveries were performed by FPs; at the other they were done by OBs. Demographics, pregnancy risk factors, and maternal and neonatal complication rates at each site were compared. Results: Demographics, indications for Cesarean delivery, and prenatal risk factors were comparable at both sites except there were more hypertensive patients at the FP site. There were no differences in intraoperative or infectious complications. There were fewer postoperative complications at the FP hospital, which were mostly attributable to fewer blood transfusions and readmissions. There were no differences in neonatal outcomes, although there were more deliveries of fetuses Conclusions: Patients did not face increased risk when Cesarean deliveries were performed by FPs rather than OBs. A larger, more geographically diverse study is needed to confirm these findings. Results could support FPs seeking privileges to perform Cesarean deliveries, thus expanding access to care for pregnant women.
The Escherichia coli mrsC Gene Is Required for Cell Growth and mRNA Decay

We have identified a gene in Escherichia coli that is required for both the normal decay of mRNA and RNA synthesis. Originally designated mrsC (mRNA stability), the mrsC505 mutation described here is, in fact, an allele of the hflB/ftsH locus (R.-F. Wang et al., J. Bacteriol. 180:1929–1938, 1998). Strains carrying the thermosensitive mrsC505 allele stopped growing soon after the temperature was shifted to 44°C but remained viable for several hours. Net RNA synthesis stopped within 20 min after the shift, while DNA and protein synthesis continued for over 60 min. At 44°C, the half-life of total pulse-labeled RNA rose from 2.9 min in a wild-type strain to 5.9 min in the mrsC505 single mutant. In an rne-1 mrsC505 double mutant, the average half-life was 19.8 min. Inactivating mrsC significantly increased the half-lives of the trxA, cat, secG, and kan mRNAs, particularly in an mrsC505 pnp-7 rnb-500 rne-1 multiple mutant. In addition, Northern analysis showed dramatic stabilizations of full-length mRNAs in a variety of mrsC505 multiple mutants at 44°C. These results suggest that MrsC, directly or indirectly, controls endonucleolytic processing of mRNAs that may be independent of the RNase E-PNPase-RhlB multiprotein complex.
Computational Modeling of Grain Boundaries in ZrB2: Implications for Lattice Thermal Conductivity

A combination of ab initio, atomistic, and finite element methods (FEM) was used to investigate fundamental properties of grain boundaries and grain boundary networks and their impact on lattice thermal conductivity in the ultra high-temperature ceramic ZrB2. The structure, energetics, and lattice thermal conductance of certain low energy grain boundaries were studied. Atomic models of these boundaries were relaxed using density functional theory. Information about bonding across the interfaces was determined from the electron localization function. Interfacial thermal conductances were computed using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics. Microstructural models were used to determine the reduction in lattice thermal conductivity due grain boundary networks where FEM meshes were constructed on top of microstructural images.
Metals Induced Disruption of Ubiquitin Proteasome System, Activation of Stress Signaling and Apoptosis

The ubiquitin proteasomal system (UPS) is a highly conserved cellular pathway that plays an important role in the selective degradation of cellular proteins, helping to regulate a variety of vital cellular functions. Disruption of this system, therefore, can have significant downstream effects on critical cellular functions, impacting susceptibility and development of disease. Our research focuses on the identification and characterization of cellular responses to environmental metal exposure and the relationship to the development of neurodegenerative diseases . Our studies have shown that metals can also disrupt the UPS system and that some of these responses are mediated through key cell stress pathways in a similar fashion to what is seen with model UPS inhibitors . Although the accumulation of high molecular weight polyubiquitinated protein conjugates (HMW-polyUb) induced by metals was similar to what was seen with UPS inhibitor MG132, metals were less effective at inhibiting proteasomal activity, suggesting that the metals disrupt the UPS through an alternate mechanism. Our integrative analysis of genome-wide gene expression and pathway mapping in the mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (MEFs) exposed to cadmium (Cd), methyl mercury (MeHg), and arsenic (AS) demonstrated an induction of oxidative stress , disruption of UPS and cell cycle regulation . Cd and MeHg treatment in MEFs cells induced significant alteration of UPS pathway genes. Our findings strongly support the hypothesis that metal-induced disruption of UPS function results in changes in critical cellular mechanisms such as cell cycle regulation and apoptosis . This disruption has a significant implication for the potential development and susceptibility of neurodegenerative disease .
Spaces between home and school: The effect of eating location on adolescent nutrition

Using interview and self-administered survey data, this article examines how homes, schools, and the community spaces between these two locations affect adolescent nutrition in a low-income, urban setting. Results from this research show that eating location can play a significant role in the foods that adolescents consume. Food acquisition data provided by adolescents reveal that homes and schools provide spaces for the consumption of healthy foods while shops, restaurants, takeouts, and community centers contribute unhealthy snack foods to adolescent diets in a traditionally low-income, urban neighborhood in Northern Ireland. The results of this research show that eating location can provide a starting point for designing healthy eating interventions in low-income places to avoid overlap with spaces that already provide healthy foods to young people.