cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimated 24-Hour Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion in US Adults.

Importance In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) recommended collecting 24-hour urine to estimate US sodium intake because previous studies indicated 90% of sodium consumed was excreted in urine. Objective To estimate mean population sodium intake and describe urinary potassium excretion among US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants In a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of the US noninstitutionalized population, 827 of 1103 (75%) randomly selected, nonpregnant participants aged 20 to 69 years in the examination component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected at least one 24-hour urine specimen in 2014. The overall survey response rate for the 24-hour urine collection was approximately 50% (75% [24-hour urine component response rate] × 66% [examination component response rate]). Exposures 24-hour collection of urine. Main Outcomes and Measures Mean 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion. Weighted national estimates of demographic and health characteristics and mean electrolyte excretion accounting for the complex survey design, selection probabilities, and nonresponse. Results The study sample (n = 827) represented a population of whom 48.8% were men; 63.7% were non-Hispanic white, 15.8% Hispanic, 11.9% non-Hispanic black, and 5.6% non-Hispanic Asian; 43.5% had hypertension (according to 2017 hypertension guidelines); and 10.0% reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Overall mean 24-hour urinary sodium excretion was 3608 mg (95% CI, 3414-3803). The overall median was 3320 mg (interquartile range, 2308-4524). In secondary analyses by sex, mean sodium excretion was 4205 mg (95% CI, 3959-4452) in men (n = 421) and 3039 mg (95% CI, 2844-3234) in women (n = 406). By age group, mean sodium excretion was 3699 mg (95% CI, 3449-3949) in adults aged 20 to 44 years (n = 432) and 3507 mg (95% CI, 3266-3748) in adults aged 45 to 69 years (n = 395). Overall mean 24-hour urinary potassium excretion was 2155 mg (95% CI, 2030-2280); by sex, 2399 mg (95% CI, 2253-2545) in men and 1922 mg (95% CI, 1757-2086) in women; and by age, 1986 mg (95% CI, 1878-2094) in adults aged 20 to 44 years and 2343 mg (95% CI, 2151-2534) in adults aged 45 to 69 years. Conclusions and Relevance In cross-sectional data from a 2014 sample of US adults, estimated mean sodium intake was 3608 mg per day. The findings provide a benchmark for future studies.
XPS Studies of Polymer Surfaces for Biomedical Applications

Several examples are presented on the use of XPS to study polymer surfaces intended for biomedical applications. These studies include the apparent segregation of nitrogen-rich (polyurethane) and silicon-rich (polydimethylsiloxane) components in a block copolymer due to fabricating and curing conditions; the study of “treated” and untreated polystyrene cell culture dishes; and the examination of the surface of PVC films and catheters. This work is preliminary and must not be considered definitive at this stage. It does serve, however, to indicate the applications of XPS to biomaterials surface science.
Visualization of transcriptional activity during xenopus iaevis oogenesis.

Amphibian oogenesis has been divided into six discrete stages on the basis of morphological changes which occur during oocyte development (Dumont 1972). Stage 3, the maximum “lampbrush” stage, is characterized by highly extended chromosomes and by lateral loops along the chromosome axes that are known to be active sites of RNA synthesis. Dumont stage 4 Xenopus laevis oocytes undergo chromosome condensation and increase in size to become mature stage 6 oocytes which are 1200–1300 µm in diameter and marked by an equatorial white band separating the animal and vegetal hemispheres. Previous cytological studies have indicated that the lampbrush loops of mature oocytes are contracted, suggesting that a decrease in synthetic activity occurs at late stages of oogenesis (Dumont 1972; Muller 1974). However, recent biochemical evidence (Anderson and Smith 1978) indicates that stage 6 X. laevis oocytes exhibit rates of nonribosomal RNA synthesis that are as high or higher than those of stage 3. We have reexamined transcriptional activity in stage 3 and stage 6 X. laevis oocytes using phase contrast and electron microscopy.
Three Dimensional Modeling of the DC Potential Drop Method Using Finite Element and Boundary Element Analysis

Finite element (FE) and boundary element (BE) methods of numerical analysis have been utilized in the solution of numerous electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) phenomena. Investigations using these methods have been undertaken by Lord [1, 2, 3], Palanisamy [4], Atherton [5], Beissner [6], Burais [7] and others.
Use of contraception and use of family planning services in the United States: 1982-2002.

Objective—This report presents national estimates of contraceptive use and method choice based on the 1982, 1995, and 2002 National Surveys of Family Growth (NSFG). It also presents data on where women obtained family planning and medical services, and some of the services that they received. Methods—Data were collected through in-person interviews with 12,571 men and women 15–44 years of age in the civilian noninstitutional population of the United States in 2002. This report is based on the sample of 7,643 women interviewed in 2002. The response rate for women in the study was about 80 percent. Results—The leading method of contraception in the United States in 2002 was the oral contraceptive pill, used by 11.6 million women; the second leading method was female sterilization, used by 10.3 million women. The condom was the third-leading method, used by about 9 million women and their partners. The condom is the leading method at first intercourse; the pill is the leading method among women under 30; and female sterilization is the leading method among women 35 and older. More than 98 percent of women 15–44 years of age who have ever had sexual intercourse with a male (referred to as ‘‘sexually experienced women’’) have used at least one contraceptive method. Over the 20 years from 1982 to 2002, the percent who had ever had a partner who used the male condom increased from 52 to 90 percent. The proportion who had ever had a partner who used withdrawal increased from 25 percent in 1982 to 56 percent in 2002. Another important measure of contraceptive use is use at the first premarital intercourse: before 1980, only 43 percent of women (or their partner) used a method of birth control at their first premarital intercourse. By 1999–2002, the proportion using a method at first premarital intercourse had risen to 79 percent.
NONLINEAR TREATMENT OF LARGE PERTURBATION IN POWER REACTOR STABILITY

For large perturbations the usual assuinption in power reactor stability that the flux variations delta n are small in comparison with the steady-state flux level M is not valid. Due to the product term of excess reactivity and neutron flux, harmonics are generated tn the flux. The stability under such conditions can be discussed by extracting the fundamental flux component amd obtaining a quasi frequency response as the ratio of fundamental incremental flux component to excess rcactivity as a function of frequeney and amplitude of perturbation. This approach is applied to two Argonne power reactors, the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor and the Experimental Breeder Reactor, where experimental frequency responses have been obtained and a peak has been observed. It is found that for both reactors the stability decreases as the amplitude of perturbation increases. (auth)
CO Observations of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies, QSOS, and Powerful Radio Galaxies with the 12M Telescope

During the mid-1980s, the NRAO 12m telescope pioneered the first detections of CO in extragalactic sources at redshifts, Δλ/λ, of 0.03-0.2 . These observations strongly suggested that enormous supplies of molecular gas may be directly involved in the genesis of a wide variety of energetic phenomena, including ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIGs), quasi-stellar objects (QSOs), and powerful radio galaxies (PRGs). These detections of broad (ΔVFwzI ∼ 400 – 800 km s−1), weak (T✱R ∼ 1 – 3 mK) lines using integration times typically less than 10 hours were made possible by low-noise, dual-channel receivers in the 80-115 GHz band and switching techniques that allowed extremely stable baselines over a relatively wide detector passband. Continued improvements in receivers have recently allowed the possibility of detecting CO luminosities equivalent to the most luminous objects observed locally (z > 0.2) at redshifts above 1. However, the required integration times (∼60 hrs at the 12m telescope) may be near the limit of current single-dish performance.
Type II fatty acid and polyketide synthases: deciphering protein–protein and protein–substrate interactions

Covering: up to April 5, 2018 Metabolites from type II fatty acid synthase (FAS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) pathways differ broadly in their identities and functional roles. The former are considered primary metabolites that are linear hydrocarbon acids, while the latter are complex aromatic or polyunsaturated secondary metabolites. Though the study of bacterial FAS has benefitted from decades of biochemical and structural investigations, type II PKSs have remained less understood. Here we review the recent approaches to understanding the protein-protein and protein-substrate interactions in these pathways, with an emphasis on recent chemical biology and structural applications. New approaches to the study of FAS have highlighted the critical role of the acyl carrier protein (ACP) with regard to how it stabilizes intermediates through sequestration and selectively delivers cargo to successive enzymes within these iterative pathways, utilizing protein-protein interactions to guide and organize enzymatic timing and specificity. Recent tools that have shown promise in FAS elucidation should find new approaches to studying type II PKS systems in the coming years.
An Analysis of Voltage-Driven Spintronic Device Concatenation Through Spin Pumping

A prominent issue with spintronic architectures is the requirement to use charge current in order to realize magnetic state transduction, and thus, device concatenation, which is far less efficient than voltage-based devices, such as CMOS. With the advent and implementation of new spintronic technologies such as topological insulators and magnetoelectric materials, great improvements in energy efficiency have been achieved and are expected to improve. One may surmise that such technologies could provide an avenue to voltage-driven spintronic device concatenation. In this work, we explore the possibility of utilizing the magnetoelectric effect to induce ferromagnetic resonance, injecting pure spin current into an adjacent topological insulator through Spin Pumping, which then induces a potential difference depending upon the state of the ferromagnet that can then be used to switch cascaded devices. Thus, implementing voltage-based spintronic concatenation. By using a purely energy-based perspective of a sandbox device model to explore the constraints and boundaries of such behaviors, the potential and challenges of such a scheme are identified and discussed.
Regional growth trajectories of cortical myelination in adolescents and young adults: longitudinal validation and functional correlates

Adolescence is a time of continued cognitive and emotional evolution occurring with continuing brain development involving synaptic pruning and cortical myelination. The hypothesis of this study is that heavy myelination occurs in cortical regions with relatively direct, predetermined circuitry supporting unimodal sensory or motor functions and shows a steep developmental slope during adolescence (12–21 years) until young adulthood (22–35 years) when further myelination decelerates. By contrast, light myelination occurs in regions with highly plastic circuitry supporting complex functions and follows a delayed developmental trajectory. In support of this hypothesis, cortical myelin content was estimated and harmonized across publicly available datasets provided by the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) and the Human Connectome Project (HCP). The cross-sectional analysis of 226 no-to-low alcohol drinking NCANDA adolescents revealed relatively steeper age-dependent trajectories of myelin growth in unimodal primary motor cortex and flatter age-dependent trajectories in multimodal mid/posterior cingulate cortices. This pattern of continued myelination showed smaller gains when the same analyses were performed on 686 young adults of the HCP cohort free of neuropsychiatric diagnoses. Critically, a predicted correlation between a motor task and myelin content in motor or cingulate cortices was found in the NCANDA adolescents, supporting the functional relevance of this imaging neurometric. Furthermore, the regional trajectory slopes were confirmed by performing longitudinally consistent analysis of cortical myelin. In conclusion, coordination of myelin content and circuit complexity continues to develop throughout adolescence, contributes to performance maturation, and may represent active cortical development climaxing in young adulthood.
A Small Fusion Reactor Based on the Dense Z-Pinch

Recent developments in z-pinch stability theory and encouraging results from frozen-fiber pinch experiments have led to renewed interest in the simple linear pinch as a possible fusion system. In t...
Implications of Population Change in Rural America.

The size and composition of the rural population have changed dramatically since 1970. Research on the community-level implications of these demographic changes are synthesized in this paper. It ar...
Investigation on fire potential of ventilation ducts

Abstract Fires in underground mines can create dangerous conditions for personnel and cause severe damage to property. Because of the confined nature of the underground environment, these effects can escalate rapidly. In underground mines, air ducts/bags are used for ventilating narrow blind headings; these consist of combustible materials that have not been investigated thoroughly in terms of their fire potential and gas emissions. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the fire potential and emission factors for these ducts. A preliminary investigation was performed using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. These tests provide crucial information for duct samples including the melting point which is used for designing a novel experimental setup for combustion analysis. This setup was used to perform a combustion experiment at 350 °C, so that all specimens can achieve complete combustion. Furthermore, the heat release rate and emission factors were calculated; it was observed that heat release rate for all the specimens was identical because of similar oxygen consumption during the experiment. Sample B has the lowest emission factor among the four samples (A, B, C, D) tested in this study.
On Automated Role-Based Access Control Assessment in Enterprise Systems

Software system security gets a lot of attention from the industry for its crucial role in protecting private resources. Typically, users access a system’s services via an application programming interface (API). This API must be protected to prevent unauthorized access. One way that developers deal with this challenge is by using role-based access control where each entry point is associated with a set of user roles. However, entry points may use the same methods from lower layers in the application with inconsistent permissions. Currently, developers use integration or penetration testing which demands a lot of effort to test authorization inconsistencies. This paper proposes an automated method to test role-based access control in enterprise applications. Our method verifies inconsistencies within the application using authorization role definitions that are associated with the API entry points. By analyzing the method calls and entity accesses on subsequent layers, inconsistencies across the entire application can be extracted. We demonstrate our solution in a case study and discuss our preliminary results.
Hermaphrodites and parasitism: size-specific female reproduction drives infection by an ephemeral parasitic castrator

Sex can influence patterns of parasitism because males and females can differ in encounter with, and susceptibility to, parasites. We investigate an isopod parasite (Hemioniscus balani) that consumes ovarian fluid, blocking female function of its barnacle host, a simultaneous hermaphrodite. As a hermaphrodite, sex is fluid, and individuals may allocate energy differentially to male versus female reproduction. We predicted the relationship between barnacle size and female reproductive function influences the distribution of parasites within barnacle populations. We surveyed 12 populations spanning ~400 km of coastline of southern California and found intermediate-sized barnacles where most likely to be actively functioning as females. While it is unclear why larger individuals are less likely to be actively reproducing as females, we suggest this reduced likelihood is driven by increased investment in male reproductive effort at larger sizes. The female function-size relationship was mirrored by the relationship between size and parasitism. We suggest parasitism by Hemioniscus balani imposes a cost to female function, reinforcing the lack of investment in female function by the largest individuals. Within the subset of suitable (=female) hosts, infection probability increased with size. Hence, the distribution of female function, combined with selection for larger hosts, primarily dictated patterns of infection.
Heterogeneity in Outcome Reporting in Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.

Objectives Presently, there are no standards for reporting outcomes of endoscopic endonasal skull base reconstruction (ESBR). This is problematic as a lack of consistent reporting makes synthesizing findings in systematic reviews and meta-analysis challenging. Thus, the aim of this study was to systematically review and describe the patterns of reporting outcomes in ESBR as a foundation for developing reporting guidelines. Study Design Present study is a systematic review. Methods Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched for all publications with ≥25 patients and a focus on ESBR. The reporting patterns of each study's variables and outcomes were assessed. Results A total of 112 studies were included in the review. The most commonly reported demographic variables were the number of included patients (n = 112, 100%) and types of pathologies treated (n = 104, 92.9%). Meanwhile, the most routinely described preoperative variable was history of prior treatment (n = 48, 42.9%). Type of reconstruction was a commonly reported intraoperative variable (n = 110, 98.2%), though the rate of intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak was noted in only 76 studies (67.9%). With regard to postoperative outcomes, postoperative CSF leak rate was routinely provided (n = 101, 90.2%), but reporting of other surgical complications was more inconsistent. Ultimately, of the 43 variables and outcomes reviewed, a median of 12 (range: 4–22) was reported in each study. Conclusions There is significant heterogeneity in the outcomes reported in studies relating to ESBR. This highlights the need for the development of standard reporting guidelines to minimize bias and improve interstudy comparability.
Feedback with patients who produce invalid testing: Professional values and reported practices.

OBJECTIVE Providing feedback to clinical patients who produce invalid neuropsychological test data presents with several potential challenges. Given the limited guidance available on the topic, neuropsychologists most likely utilize approaches that idiosyncratically incorporate professional values related to both assessment and patient care to address overarching feedback goals. The current article discusses professional values believed to inform feedback decisions and presents survey results regarding how neuropsychologists would approach feedback across various clinical scenarios where testing is invalid. METHOD Participants were 209 adult-focused clinical neuropsychologists recruited via professional listservs, the majority of whom reported being board certified. Respondents were provided three case vignettes of clinical patients who produced invalid test data and were asked how they would provide feedback to each patient. Open-ended responses were coded to determine the relative frequency of feedback approaches, explicit statements, and implied goals. RESULTS Nearly all respondents (98%) indicated that feedback would include some description of the invalid findings, and most respondents indicated that they would provide explanations for the reasons of invalidity (67%) and statements regarding the impact of invalidity on test interpretation (75%). There was little agreement across respondents, however, regarding specific feedback approach. Feedback goals included to Inform, Investigate, Treat, Educate, and Correct, with the presence of these implied goals also varying across respondents. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that there is minimal consensus regarding feedback approaches provided to patients who produce invalid test data and underscore a need for further development and validation of specific feedback methods. The results are discussed within the context of the potentially competing professional values of evidence-based assessment, patient-doctor collaboration, and aspirational principles of beneficence and fidelity.
Self-assembly based post-translational protein oscillators

Recent advances in synthetic post-translational protein circuits are significantly impacting the landscape of biomimicry engineering. However, designing sustained dynamic phenomena in these circuits remains an outstanding challenge. Inspired by the KaiABC system regulating the circadian clock in cyanobacteria, we develop two experimentally realizable post-translational oscillators. The oscillators rely on a small number of components interacting only through reversible binding and phosphorylation/dephosphorylation reactions.
New Aspects of Invasive Growth Regulation Identified by Functional Profiling of MAPK Pathway Targets in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

MAPK pathways are drivers of morphogenesis and stress responses in eukaryotes. A major function of MAPK pathways is the transcriptional induction of target genes, which produce proteins that collectively generate a cellular response. One approach to comprehensively understand how MAPK pathways regulate cellular responses is to characterize the individual functions of their transcriptional targets. Here, by examining uncharacterized targets of the MAPK pathway that positively regulates filamentous growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (fMAPK pathway), we identified a new role for the pathway in negatively regulating invasive growth. Specifically, four targets were identified that had an inhibitory role in invasive growth: RPI1, RGD2, TIP1, and NFG1/YLR042c. NFG1 was a highly induced unknown open reading frame that negatively regulated the filamentous growth MAPK pathway. We also identified SFG1, which encodes a transcription factor, as a target of the fMAPK pathway. Sfg1p promoted cell adhesion independently from the fMAPK pathway target and major cell adhesion flocculin Flo11p, by repressing genes encoding presumptive cell-wall-degrading enzymes. Sfg1p also contributed to FLO11 expression. Sfg1p and Flo11p regulated different aspects of cell adhesion, and their roles varied based on the environment. Sfg1p also induced an elongated cell morphology, presumably through a cell-cycle delay. Thus, the fMAPK pathway coordinates positive and negative regulatory proteins to fine-tune filamentous growth resulting in a nuanced response. Functional analysis of other pathways’ targets may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of how signaling cascades generate biological responses.
Artifacts of Capturing Unintentional RF Energy Transfer During In Vitro Tonsillectomy

We have recently reported unintentional RF energy transfer to metal-based mouth retractor during tonsillectomy. Use of a highly sensitive current sensor to quantify this unintentional energy ends up capturing: (a) unintentional RF current coupled to the mouth retractor, (b) current flowing through the wire and probe of the electrosurgical equipment, and (c) current following through tissue during firing. The latter two are artifacts and hence undesired. In this work, we evaluate these artifacts via in vitro tonsillectomy experiments in presence and absence of mouth retractor. Our study shows that artifacts can lead to an overestimation of the unintentionally coupled current by 4.3, 2.6, and 2 times for power levels of 10 W, 20 W, and 30 W set at the electrosurgical generator, respectively. Hence, we illuminate the need for careful experimental design in future to eliminate such artifacts.
Early collaborations: Adult-Child and child-adult co-construction of ‘but’-clauses

Abstract The present study examines the development of ‘but’-introduced clauses in adult-toddler conversations, distinguishing between autonomous productions (I wanna stay but we need to go) and adult-child co-constructed uses (Adult: we’re going home, Child: but I wanna stay). Analyses covered all adult and child aval ‘but’ uses in three longitudinal Hebrew corpora (age-range: 1;5–3;3), showing that: (1) both adults and children mostly use aval ‘but’ in co-construction rather than autonomously; (2) adults begin co-constructing ‘but’-clauses with children months before the children start using ‘but’, mostly by elaborating on single-word child productions before adding the ‘but’-clause (Child: cup , Adult: that’s a cup, but you don’t like juice); (3) as children start combining more clauses, adults gradually conjoin more ‘but’-clauses directly with the children’s productions, without elaboration (Child: let’s go. Adult: but first put on your shoes). These patterns suggest that the main function of ‘but’-clauses in adult-child discourse is co-constructing ideas contributed by two (or more) interlocutors. Such co-constructions are initially scaffolded by the adults, until the children are able to contribute full-fledged propositions to co-constructions. These findings provide further evidence of the role of adult-child interaction in introducing and familiarizing children with new linguistic structures, and advancing their developing grammar.
A Disease Similarity Technique Using Biological Process Functional Annotations

Disease similarity methods are important for understanding disease mechanisms and relationships. Disease similarity results can be utilized in medical applications like drug repurposing and therapy development. In this paper, we present a new method for measuring disease similarity using biological process functional annotation. We measure the similarity between diseases by employing a weight function on the shared biological processes of disease genes. We evaluated the method in several experimental settings, and the results are encouraging. We found a strong and positive correlation between the weight of shared biological process functions and the number of shared therapeutic chemicals in diseases that do not share any genes. The biological process annotation of disease genes from the Gene Ontology can impart more comprehensive profiles of diseases than the disease genes alone.
American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) Resist Infection by Multiple Isolates of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Including One Implicated in Wild Mass Mortality

The emerging amphibian disease chytridiomycosis varies in severity depending on host species. Within species, disease susceptibility can also be influenced by pathogen variation and environmental factors. Here, we report on experimental exposures of American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) to three different isolates of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), including one implicated in causing mass mortality of wild American bullfrogs. Exposed frogs showed low infection prevalence, relatively low infection load, and lack of clinical disease. Our results suggest that environmental cofactors are likely important contributors to Bd-associated American bullfrog mortality and that this species both resists and tolerates Bd infection.
On Flat Plates and Detached Shock Waves

(2) T = cp/[cp (R/J)} (3) M = (27) [(0.22147^ + 0.1760 X lO~*Tt 2 0.1258 X io-87y) (o.23igr + 0.0520 x io4 r 2 + 0.2388 X 10-T*)]/7RT (4) p/pt = (r/i7oo) x (i7oo/r,)x exp[(2.753 X 10-)7V (5.134 X 10-*)Tt + 0.7932] X exp[(1.516 X 10")r + (5.224 X 10~)T 0.4087] (5) p/pt = (r/i700) x (1700/r,)x exp[(2.753 X 10-)r, (5.134 X lO" 4 )^ + 0.7932] X exp[(1.516 X 1 0 " 4 ) r + (5.224 X 10~)r 0.4087]
Predicting socially anxious group membership using reinforcement sensitivity theory

Abstract The present study examined the role of revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (r-RST; Gray & McNaughton, 2000) in discriminating individuals with high and low levels of social anxiety. Participants were solicited online via Amazon's MTurk and completed measures of social anxiety and reinforcement sensitivity theory. Participants were divided into low versus high social anxiety groups based upon recommended cut off scores. A logistic regression analysis using the r-RST subsystems as predictors was able to successfully classify 88.3% of participants into social anxiety groups. More specifically, the Freeze component of the Fight–Flight–Freeze system and the behavior approach system both emerged as significant predictors of group membership. Implications of these results for the understanding of social anxiety in the context of revised reinforcement sensitivity theory are discussed.
Collagenase Versus Placebo in the Treatment of Peyronie’s Disease: A Double-blind Study

AbstractWe investigated 49 men with Peyronie’s disease in a prospectively randomized placebo controlled double-blind study, comparing the effects on plaque size and penile deformity of intralesional purified clostridial collagenase and saline placebo. For the group as a whole, treatment out-performed placebo (p <0.007). When patients were analyzed with respect to disease severity, those with lesser deformity responded more favorably to treatment. The absolute angular change in patients responding to treatment was small. No significant side effects were noted within a 3-month followup.
NOAA’s HYSPLIT Atmospheric Transport and Dispersion Modeling System

AbstractThe Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT), developed by NOAA’s Air Resources Laboratory, is one of the most widely used models for atmospheric trajectory and dispersion calculations. We present the model’s historical evolution over the last 30 years from simple hand-drawn back trajectories to very sophisticated computations of transport, mixing, chemical transformation, and deposition of pollutants and hazardous materials. We highlight recent applications of the HYSPLIT modeling system, including the simulation of atmospheric tracer release experiments, radionuclides, smoke originated from wild fires, volcanic ash, mercury, and wind-blown dust.
Potential involvement of vicinal sulfhydryls in stimulus-induced rabbit platelet activation.

The potential involvement of vicinal dithiols in the expression of platelet-activating factor (AGEPC)- and A23187-induced alterations in rabbit platelets was explored through the use of phenylarsine oxide (PhAsO) and certain analogous derivatives. PhAsO (As3+) but not phenylarsonic acid (As5+) inhibited markedly at 1 microM concentration the release of arachidonic acid initiated by AGEPC and the ionophore A23187. In contrast, AGEPC-induced phosphatidic acid formation, phosphorylation of 40- and 20-kDa proteins, and Ca2+ uptake from external medium were not inhibited substantially by 1 microM PhAsO. However, these latter metabolic responses to AGEPC were inhibited by PhAsO at higher doses (10 microM). AGEPC- and thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and serotonin secretion also were prevented by PhAsO. The IC50 value of PhAsO was 2.7 +/- 1.2 microM toward AGEPC (5 × 10(-10) M)-induced serotonin release. Further, ATP and cAMP levels in PhAsO-treated platelets were not changed from controls. Interestingly, addition of Ca2+ to platelet sonicates (prepared in EDTA) caused diacylglycerol production and free arachidonic acid formation, even in the presence of 133 microM PhAsO. This would suggest that in the intact platelets PhAsO acted indirectly on phospholipase A2 and/or phospholipase C activities. Finally, a dithiol compound, 2,3-dimercaptopropanol, reversed the inhibition of platelet aggregation and arachidonic acid release effected by PhAsO. On the other hand, a monothiol compound, 2-mercaptoethanol, was not effective in preventing or in reversing the action of PhAsO. These observations suggest that vicinal sulfhydryl residues may be involved in stimulus-induced platelet activation.
A global research agenda for leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic spirochetal disease of global importance. This disease continues to have a major impact on people living in urban and rural areas of developing countries with inestimable morbidity and mortality. Funding for research and control efforts is currently haphazard, not organized and not effective for public health efforts, primarily because there are no concerted, ongoing international efforts to assess the impact of leptospirosis on human health. Major issues in the field need to be addressed to develop strategies of control, amelioration and treatment. These include the following: mechanisms of naturally acquired and vaccine-induced protective immunity against clinical leptospirosis; mechanisms of severe leptospirosis pathogenesis; standardized, precise and simplified taxonomy of Leptospira relevant to disease manifestations, transmission and control; effective adjunct treatments in addition to antimicrobials; and environmental assessment for risk of leptospirosis transmission and relevant mammalian reservoirs. Once effective ongoing, collaborative international efforts to assess the impact of leptospirosis on human and veterinary health are underway, appropriate mobilization of clinical and public health research funding will follow.
Cognitive Surveying: A Framework for Mobile Data Collection, Analysis, and Visualization of Spatial Knowledge and Navigation Practices

Spatial cognition researchers must, at present, choose between the relevance of the real world and the precision of the lab. Here I introduce cognitive surveying as a framework of computational techniques to enable the automated and precise study of spatial knowledge and navigation practices in everyday environments. I draw on surveying engineering to develop the framework's components: a hardware platform, data structures and algorithms for mobile data collection, and routines for data analysis and visualization. The cognitive surveying system tracks users with GPS, allows them to label meaningful points as landmarks, and asks them to point toward or estimate the distance to out-of-sight landmarks. The data from these and other questions is then used to produce specific analyses and comprehensive overviews of the user's spatial knowledge and navigation practices, which will be of great interest to spatial cognition researchers, the developers of location-based services, urban designers, and city planners alike.
Stabilization/Solidification of Wastes Containing Volatile Organic Compounds in Commercial Cementitious Waste Forms

Stabilization/solidification (S/S) is one of the most widely used techniques for the treatment and ultimate disposal of both radioactive and chemically hazardous wastes. But does not have regulatory approval for treating organics. Application with volatile organic compounds (VOC) is particularly controversial since it was believed that the necessary mechanical mixing and exothermic cementitious reactions would vaporize the VOC. The objective of this study was to establish whether S/S is a viable alternative for a sludge heavily contaminated (about 1%) with relatively immobile metals, but lightly contaminated ( 50% of the VOC was retained in the laboratory preparation of cementitious samples cured for 28 d. The performance tests indicated the commercial products could attain leachability indexes from 7 to >9 for the eight VOC studies and distribution coefficients of >10 could be attained for all eight and >100 for some compounds. 6 refs., 9 tabs.
A simple model to relate ionogram signatures to large‐scale wave structure

[1] The development of plasma structure in the nighttime equatorial F region, known as equatorial spread F(ESF), appears to be controlled by the preceding presence of large-scale wave structure (LSWS). To understand this process, knowledge of the properties of LSWS is crucial. Information about LSWS appears to reside in two ionogram signatures, multi-reflected echoes (MREs) and the so-called “satellite” traces (STs). However, how LSWS is related to MREs and STs is not yet clear. To gain insight, a tilted, linear reflector, modulated by LSWS, is described and shown to be capable of explaining even the most puzzling forms of MREs and STs. With this kind of model, ionogram signatures can be used to infer the nature of LSWS.
An automated collecting and measuring device for uterine blood flow studies.

Abstract Blood was collected in a plastic beaker as it flowed from catheters in the uterine veins of anesthetized sheep. The weight of the blood was monitored continuously on a potentiometric recorder. Signals from a retransmitting potentiometer attached to the slide wire of this recorder were sampled every 15 seconds and compared with each previous sample. By this means, the differential of the weight, or the rate of weight change, was recorded on a second instrument. Application of the device was demonstrated in experiments in which extremely high uterine blood flow rates were produced by progesterone and estrogen therapy and by manipulation of the uterus. Rapid, marked reductions in rate of uterine blood flow occurred following administration of oxytocin to one pregnant and three nonpregnant ewes.
One of two growth hormone genes in coho salmon is sex-linked.

Abstract Salmonid fishes have two growth hormone genes resulting from their polyploid ancestry. We used the polymerase chain reaction to examine genetic variation in the third intron (C) of both of these genes in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). A polymorphism in the length of intron C in GH-1 is due to a variable number of copies of a 31-nt repeat that is absent from GH-1 of the closely related chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Thus, this tandem repeat sequence has become established in the genome of coho salmon since the separation of this species from its closest relatives. All male coho salmon examined have an allele at the second growth hormone gene, GH-2, that is not found in females. GH-2 is thus on the sex chromosome and there is no recombination between GH-2 and the sex-determining locus (SEX). Sequences of intron C indicate much greater divergence between the X chromosome-specific allele and the Y chromosome-specific allele within coho salmon than between the X chromosome-specific alleles of coho and the closely related chinook salmon. Thus, absence of recombination between GH-2 and SEX apparently predates separation of these two species.
Production of two proteolytic enzymes by a transformable strain of Bacillus subtilis

Abstract A transformable strain of Bacillus subtilis has been shown to produce two distinct proteolytic enzymes in its culture medium, and in addition a third form that appears to be due to aggregation of one of the enzymes during salt concentration. The protease which appears late in the growth period can be isolated by binding to DEAE-cellulose at high pH, and has, in addition to proteolytic activity on casein, the ability to cleave benzoyltyrosine ethyl ester (BTEE). The second enzyme, which appears earlier in the growth of a culture, does not bind to DEAE-cellulose and cannot hydrolyze BTEE to any appreciable extent. Both enzymes have been purified by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration, and show single bands on acrylamide gel and cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Characterization studies show that the two enzymes have similar properties with regard to heat inactivation, response to inhibitors and metal ions, and pH optima and stabilities, and have slightly different molecular weights. The enzymes differ markedly, however, in their electrophoretic mobilities, precipitability by ammonium sulfate and amino acid compositions.
Nondestructive evaluation of interfacial damages in composite materials

Abstract The high stress concentration near the interface of fiber-matrix in composite materials causes the accumulation of the interfacial damages and the degradation of mechanical properties of the materials. In this paper, by using the residual surface displacement data, we evaluate the microscopic damages in terms of Somigliano's dislocations in composites near the interface caused by a series of unknown loadings. The goal of this research is to monitor the processes of the damage evolution near the interface and to relate this microscopic damage to the degradation of the macroscopic mechanical properties of the materials. The problem is an inverse problem, which is substantially different from the conventional forward analysis of structural mechanics. Therefore, the uniqueness and stability must be considered. It is proved that the residual fields and all the characteristic quantities along the interface, such as displacement jumps (Somigliano's dislocations), are uniquely determined by the residual surface displacements. It follows that the traction free parts of the interface correspond to cracks, the normal displacement jumps indicate debonding and the tangential displacement jumps measure the interfacial sliding. A special technique is utilized to stabilize the numerical calculations.
Government for the St. Louis metropolis

The city and county of St. Louis, divorced for more than a half century, are interested in the possibility of a new union. Thus far, however, they have been unable to agree on the marriage settlement.
Blunted Catecholamine Responses after Glucose Ingestion in Children with Attention Deficit Disorder

Eating simple sugars has been suggested as having adverse behavioral and cognitive effects in children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), but a physiologic mechanism has not been established. To address this issue, metabolic, hormonal, and cognitive responses to a standard oral glucose load (1.75 g/kg) were compared in 17 children with ADD and 11 control children. Baseline and oral glucose-stimulated plasma glucose and insulin levels were similar in both groups, including the nadir glucose level 3-5 h after oral glucose (3.5 +/- 0.2 mmol/L in ADD and 3.3 +/- 0.2 mmol/L in control children). The late glucose fall stimulated a rise in plasma epinephrine that was nearly 50% lower in ADD than in control children (1212 +/- 202 pmol/L versus 2228 +/- 436 pmol/L, p < 0.02). Plasma norepinephrine levels were also lower in ADD than in control children, whereas growth hormone and glucagon concentrations did not differ between the groups. Matching test scores were lower and reaction times faster in ADD than in control children before and after oral glucose, and both groups showed a deterioration on the continuous performance test in association with the late fall in glucose and rise in epinephrine. These data suggest that children with ADD have a general impairment of sympathetic activation involving adrenomedullary as well as well as central catecholamine regulation.
Three-exposure interferometric histological image reconstruction of biological tissue

A new method to produce an interference depth-lateral image of skin tissue without axial-lateral scanning with a 20 ms image acquisition time using grating-generated interference microscopy is demonstrated. The depth scan of 1.5 mm and the transversal coordinate image about 0.3 mm of the skin tissue with a depth resolution of 17 micrometers , and a sensitivity of up to -100 dB are achieved using 30 mw from mode locked Ti:sapphire laser at (lambda) equals 800 nm.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effects of procaine-HCl on the salt arousal of drinking

Abstract Effects of a single dose (25 mg/cc, 2.0 cc/400 g body weight) of procaine hydrochloride (HCl) and a brief period (75 sec) of etherization on two levels (8% and 16% NaCl) of salt arousal of drinking were studied. Ether depressed drinking for an unexpectedly long period of time. Effects of procaine-HCl were complex, latency to drink following subcutaneous injection of hypertonic saline was prolonged; then, drinking increased and intakes were significantly larger than those following similar injections of saline without procaine-HCl. Correlation coefficients between latencies and amounts of water ingested were significantly different from zero for only the large doses of saline. Correlation coefficients were negative. Procaine-HCl also depressed drinking following water deprivation and confirmed the earlier results of others.
The emerging role of nutrition in Parkinson's disease

Typically, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in ageing individuals. It is now clear that genetic susceptibility and environmental factors play a role in disease etiology and progression. Because environmental factors are involved with the majority of the cases of PD, it is important to understand the role nutrition plays in both neuroprotection and neurodegeneration. Recent epidemiological studies have revealed the promise of some nutrients in reducing the risk of PD since their intake is related to improvement of cognition and motor symptoms. In contrast, other nutrients may be involved with the etiology of neurodegeneration or exacerbate disease progression. This review summarizes the studies that have addressed these issues and describes in detail the nutrients and their putative mechanisms of action in PD.
Simulation Of Particle Diffusion Across Gap Junction Channels Based On Their Pore Geometry Explains Unidirectional Fluxes

Connexin proteins form gap junction channels that allow intercellular communication with distinct perm-selectivity properties. Mono-heteromeric and heterotypic combinations of cardiac connexin43 (Cx43) and Cx45 induce a preferential flux based on molecular size. For Lucifer Yellow or Rhodamine123, preferential flux was 3x larger from homomeric to heteromeric connexons. For heterotypic combinations, fluxes from homomeric Cx45 to homomeric Cx43 connexons were 4x larger. This favored direction was not expected. Our objective was to use computational simulation of particle diffusion across gap junction channel pores to find if geometrical parameters can explain our in vitro permeability data.HeLa cells were stained with red or green dyes to differentiate expression and co-cultured on glass cover-slips for 8 hours. A Nikon epifluorescent Eclipse7000 microscope helped quantifying diffusion. Fluorescent dyes were iontophoretially injected into a single red cell surrounded by green cells. Coupling coefficient (cells touching the injected cell/touching cells with dye) was determined 3 min after.3D geometric model of the pore was mathematically modeled combining cylinders, cones and an ellipsoid. Particle position, velocity, acceleration and force vectors were calculated after every time step (10-14 s), considering wall-particle and particle-particle elastic interactions, inter-particle electrostatic, Brownian and other forces. Particles' paths were recorded and those crossing the pore were counted. Without electric field, number of particles crossing increased linearly as mouth radius increased. With an electric field, number of particles crossing varied non-linearly with a maximum when radius was around 21.4 A.Our computer simulations predict that changes in phosphorylation, voltage or connexin recombination yield to changes in pore structure which in turn affects large molecules' permeability.