cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal Examination of Bone Loss in Male Rats After Moderate–Severe Contusion Spinal Cord Injury

To elucidate mechanisms of bone loss after spinal cord injury (SCI), we evaluated the time-course of cancellous and cortical bone microarchitectural deterioration via microcomputed tomography, measured histomorphometric and circulating bone turnover indices, and characterized the development of whole bone mechanical deficits in a clinically relevant experimental SCI model. 16-weeks-old male Sprague–Dawley rats received T9 laminectomy (SHAM, n = 50) or moderate–severe contusion SCI (n = 52). Outcomes were assessed at 2-weeks, 1-month, 2-months, and 3-months post-surgery. SCI produced immediate sublesional paralysis and persistent hindlimb locomotor impairment. Higher circulating tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (bone resorption marker) and lower osteoblast bone surface and histomorphometric cancellous bone formation indices were present in SCI animals at 2-weeks post-surgery, suggesting uncoupled cancellous bone turnover. Distal femoral and proximal tibial cancellous bone volume, trabecular thickness, and trabecular number were markedly lower after SCI, with the residual cancellous network exhibiting less trabecular connectivity. Periosteal bone formation indices were lower at 2-weeks and 1-month post-SCI, preceding femoral cortical bone loss and the development of bone mechanical deficits at the distal femur and femoral diaphysis. SCI animals also exhibited lower serum testosterone than SHAM, until 2-months post-surgery, and lower serum leptin throughout. Our moderate–severe contusion SCI model displayed rapid cancellous bone deterioration and more gradual cortical bone loss and development of whole bone mechanical deficits, which likely resulted from a temporal uncoupling of bone turnover, similar to the sequalae observed in the motor-complete SCI population. Low testosterone and/or leptin may contribute to the molecular mechanisms underlying bone deterioration after SCI.
Technology Change or Resistance to Changing Institutional Logics: The Rise and Fall of Digital Equipment Corporation:

This article uses an institutional lens to analyze organizational failure. It does this through a historical case study of Digital Equipment Corporation, an innovator and market leader of minicompu...
The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Tweet: How #NotTheEnemy Twitter Discourse Defended the Journalistic Paradigm:

When U.S. President Donald Trump called the press the “enemy of the American people” and “FAKE NEWS” in a February 2017 tweet, his statement inspired a robust debate about the credibility, institut...
The utility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for human spaceflight – Past, present, and future

Abstract In order for astronauts to live and work in outer space, environmental conditions must be maintained within very strict parameters. Any change in these conditions (such as atmospheric composition, pressure, and/or temperature) could pose a risk to the astronauts and ultimately to the success of the mission itself. In particular, changes in pressure could place the astronaut at risk for decompression illness (DCI), a potentially life-threatening condition related to the presence of nitrogen bubbles within the body. There are a number of strategies in human spaceflight designed to minimize the risk of DCI or treat it if necessary. However, as humans prepare again to travel beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the risk of developing DCI may increase, as would the difficulties in treating it, given that evacuation to Earth will become substantially less feasible. Even though hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is the accepted gold standard for the treatment of DCI on Earth, there is currently limited capacity for this treatment option in space. Expanding HBOT capacity in human spaceflight could prove useful, given that this medical capability can also be used for the treatment of a number of other potentially life-threatening conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, thermal burns, and gangrene. This paper will examine the current issues related to HBOT in space and discuss the opportunities for its use in future human spaceflight endeavors.
Conduct Problems and Anxiety in Children

This chapter provides information on the co-occurrence of conduct problems, notably Conduct Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and anxiety. An emphasis is placed on understanding the potential relationship among comorbid problems and theories about how to work with children with these diagnoses. There is research suggesting that anxiety can be protective for children with conduct problems, and there is research suggesting that it is a risk factor. More studies will be needed to ascertain the role of anxiety, in terms of its role as a protective or risk factor for child functioning. Treatment incorporating emotion regulation may be critical, and mindfulness interventions may provide one mechanism for improving emotion regulation. The FEAR (feelings, expectations, positive actions, and rewards) model may be useful in treating both anxiety and conduct problems. Parent involvement may be crucial to treatment implementation, generalization, and success. Future studies assessing modular interventions for different conduct and anxiety symptoms will provide information to improve knowledge in the field.
Private Stochastic Convex Optimization: Efficient Algorithms for Non-smooth Objectives.

In this paper, we revisit the problem of private stochastic convex optimization. We propose an algorithm based on noisy mirror descent, which achieves optimal rates both in terms of statistical complexity and number of queries to a first-order stochastic oracle in the regime when the privacy parameter is inversely proportional to the number of samples.
No state change in pelagic fish production and biodiversity during the Eocene–Oligocene transition

The Eocene/Oligocene (E/O) boundary (~33.9 million years ago) has been described as a state change in the Earth system marked by the permanent glaciation of Antarctica and a proposed increase in oceanic productivity. Here we quantified the response of fish production and biodiversity to this event using microfossil fish teeth (ichthyoliths) in seven deep-sea sediment cores from around the world. Ichthyolith accumulation rate (a proxy for fish biomass production) shows no synchronous trends across the E/O. Ichthyolith accumulation in the Southern Ocean and Pacific gyre sites is an order of magnitude lower than that in the equatorial and Atlantic sites, demonstrating that the Southern Ocean was not a highly productive ecosystem for fish before or after the E/O. Further, tooth morphotype diversity and assemblage composition remained stable across the interval, indicating little change in the biodiversity or ecological role of open-ocean fish. While the E/O boundary was a major global climate-change event, its impact on pelagic fish was relatively muted. Our results support recent findings of whale and krill diversification suggesting that the pelagic ecosystem restructuring commonly attributed to the E/O transition probably occurred much later, in the late Oligocene or Miocene. Marine fish biomass and diversity did not change during the Eocene–Oligocene transition despite widespread cooling and Antarctic ice sheet expansion, according to microfossil fish teeth records from a set of deep-sea cores.
The evolution of machine learning: past, present, and future

Abstract The earliest computers were designed to perform complex calculations, and their architecture allowed for the storage of not only data but also the instructions as to how to manipulate that data. This evolved to the point where the computer processed data according to a structure model of the real world, expressible in mathematical terms. The computer did not learn but was merely following instructions. The next step was to create a set of instructions that would allow the computer to learn from experience, i.e., to extract its own rules from large amounts of data and use those rules for classification and prediction. This was the beginning of machine learning and has led to the field that is collectively defined as artificial intelligence (AI). A major breakthrough came with the implementation of algorithms that were loosely modeled on brain architecture, with multiple interconnecting units sharing weighted puts among them, organized in computational layers (deep learning). AI has already revolutionized many aspects of modern life and is finding application in biomedical research and clinical practice at an accelerating rate.
The role of cytochrome P-450 in the regulation of steroid biosynthesis.

A mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 catalyzes the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone in the various steroid-forming organs: pregnenolone is converted to the steroid hormones secreted by these organs. The conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone is commonly called side-chain cleavage (Figure 1). Side-chain cleavage appears to determine the rate of steroid biosynthesis so that the role of P-450 in that reaction is important in considering the regulation steroid production in the whole animal (1–3).
Robert J. Walker: The history and archaeology of a U.S. Coast Survey steamship: by J. P. Delgado and S. D. Nagiewicz, University of Florida Press, 2020, $85.00 (hb), 246 pages, illustrations, bibliography, index, ISBN 9780813066431

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is generally known as an environmental monitoring agency which observes issues as diverse as fisheries manage- ment and severe weather. I...
The Connected Condition: Romanticism and the Dream of Communication/Counterfactual Romanticism: The Connected Condition: Romanticism and the Dream of Communication, by Yohei Igarashi, Stanford, CA, Stanford UP, 2020, x + 237 pp., 4 illustrations.; Counterfactual Romanticism, edited by Damian Walford Davies, Manchester, Manchester UP, 2019, x + 324 pp., 6 illustrations.

Both The Connected Condition: Romanticism and the Dream of Communication by Yohei Igarashi and the collection Counterfactual Romanticism, edited by Damian Walford Davies, are invested in illuminati...
Mechanisms of enhancer action: the known and the unknown

Differential gene expression mechanisms ensure cellular differentiation and plasticity to shape ontogenetic and phylogenetic diversity of cell types. A key regulator of differential gene expression programs are the enhancers, the gene-distal cis-regulatory sequences that govern spatiotemporal and quantitative expression dynamics of target genes. Enhancers are widely believed to physically contact the target promoters to effect transcriptional activation. However, our understanding of the full complement of regulatory proteins and the definitive mechanics of enhancer action is incomplete. Here, we review recent findings to present some emerging concepts on enhancer action and also outline a set of outstanding questions.
A Novel Reagent for Radioiodine Labeling of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) and Biomolecules.

Radioiodine labeling of peptides and proteins is routinely performed by using various oxidizing agents such as Chloramine T, Iodobeads, and Iodogen reagent and radioactive iodide (I−), although some other oxidizing agents were also investigated. The main objective of the present study was to develop and test a novel reagent, inorganic monochloramine (NH2Cl), for radioiodine labeling of new chemical entities and biomolecules which is cost-effective, easy to make and handle, and is selective to label amino acids, peptides, and proteins. The data presented in this report demonstrate that the yields of the non-radioactive iodine labeling reactions using monochloramine are >70% for an amino acid (tyrosine) and a cyclic peptide (cyclo Arg-Gly-Asp-d-Tyr-Lys, cRGDyK). No evidence of the formation of N-chloro derivatives in cRGDyK was observed, suggesting that the reagent is selective in iodinating the tyrosine residue in the biomolecules. The method was successfully translated into radioiodine labeling of amino acid, a peptide, and a protein, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA).
Rehabilitation Principles to Consider for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair.

Context:Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is among the most common orthopaedic injuries, and reconstruction of a ruptured ACL is a common orthopaedic procedure. In general, surgical in...
Bringing People Back In: The Case of the Anthropology of Finance

glorified by journalists seeking living embodiments of nostalgic images of Ataturk’s times. Yet these Kemalists also felt tensions between the nostalgia that caused the private media to glorify them and the neoliberalizing political economy that increasingly excluded elders who still identified themselves so closely with the nation-state. These tensions were also reflected in divergences between the globalized, neoliberal content of museum exhibits for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Republic (Three Generations of the Republic, produced by the History Foundation, and To Create a Citizen: Introduction to Warfare for Creating a Modern Civilization, produced by Yapi Kredi, a private bank) and how more nostalgic and nationalistic guides and visitors reacted to them. Organizers of these exhibits wanted them to convey a vision of Turkish modernity in which people of different religions, ethnicities, and genders voluntarily embraced each other and a shared vision of homogenized, neoliberal, secular citizenship (from which signs of Islam were notably absent) that could prepare them to move beyond the nation-state into the European Union and the globalization and secularization it represents. Although these exhibits did not display Ataturk himself, guides and visitors often interpreted them in the context of their own nostalgia for and loyalty to Ataturk, and guides even told Ozyurek how much they hated the “Economic Awakening” section of the Three Generations of the Republic exhibit because it glorified selfinterested neoliberal businessmen, whom they perceived as damaging to the Republican emphasis on the importance of the nation-state. Ozyurek has produced a wide-ranging and multifaceted yet intimate and detailed ethnography that serves as a brilliant reminder of how politics are played out not only in discourses produced by elites but also in the discourses, images, and everyday activities of nonelite citizens. Nostalgia for the Modern is a fascinating, original book that sheds new light on often ironic tensions, contradictions, and interdependencies among citizens, the state, nationalism, neoliberalism, and nostalgia, through a seamless integration of rich ethnography and sophisticated theoretical insights. It should be of interest not only to those interested in Turkey but also to anyone interested in the study of nationalism, citizenship, neoliberalism, and the uses of history and memory.
A phased array non-contact vital signs sensor with automatic beam steering

Doppler-based non-contact vital signs (NCVS) sensor systems have the ability to monitor heart and respiration rates of patients without physical contacts. Because the accuracy of a NCVS sensor can deteriorate quickly in a noisy or cluttered environment, and that patients confined on their beds have different physical sizes and microwave signatures and will still move naturally (though not frequently), continuous NCVS monitoring that can work well for all individuals is very difficult. Therefore, we have developed a highly directive phased-array antenna NCVS system that can perform automatic electronic beam steering for continuous NCVS monitoring with considerably improved monitoring accuracy over that obtained from the Doppler radar with a fixed beam. Our NCVS system includes an automatic beam steering algorithm, and has achieved heart rate measurement accuracy of nearly 95% within 5 beat-per-minute (BPM) vs. reference at our engineering lab.
Rivers, blood and transportation networks

The long-standing problem of explaining metabolic scaling2 in animals, whereby whole-animal metabolic rate B is observed to increase as a function of body mass M approximately as M3/4, has been recently revisited by Banavar et al.1 (see also ref. 3, in which allometric scaling rules are derived from fractal geometry). These authors1 derive and generalize to non-biological systems, including river networks, a three-quarter-power 'allometric' scaling rule, which arises, in their treatment, from an assumption of the efficiency of the resource distribution network. Here I present a simple derivation of 3/4-power scaling based on the geometric requirements of inventorying resources before metabolization, which does not support the notion of allometric scaling suggested by Banavar et al.1 for rivers, at least not when applied to the problem of fluvial sediment transport. Although some distributary systems 'metabolize' according to the 3/4-power rule, this rule is not golden — each system needs to be investigated on its own merits.
Consumer Preferences for Live Seafood in the Northeastern Region of USA: Results from Asian Ethnic Fish Market Survey

Asian ethnic fish markets in the Northeastern region of the United States of America (USA) are popular for selling live fish and seafood. A consumer survey was conducted in selected supermarkets of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania during the summer of 2009 to assess consumer preferences for live seafood species. A binary logit model was developed to study the factors influencing preferences for live and fresh fish products. Results indicated that consumer preferences for live fish species vary by ethnic group. Live fish customers visited supermarkets at least two to three times a week and spent $16 to $20 a week to purchase medium size fish (0 to .91 kg live fish, on average). Freshness and appearance (bright, free of bruises, healthy fish) were the most important attributes. Findings indicate that promotion of live fish sales should be targeted to those stores dominated by East Asian (Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) customers.
Computing Accreditation: Evolution and Trends Associated with U.S. Accrediting Agencies

Accreditation is evolving to be an acceptable measure of a quality computing program. Several agencies provide evaluation of specialized technology programs or units in which such programs exist. This article reviews the fundamental history of computing accreditation, primarily in the United States. The fundamental concepts of accreditation, accreditation agencies, and the process itself are discussed. Keywords: accreditation; computing; ABET; AACSB; assessment; computing accreditation; information systems; information technology; computer science
Priming in Psychopathology

Priming is a process involved in memory and in the preparation of responses to coming events. Anomalies in priming have been identified in some kinds of psychopathology, especially in the schizophrenias. Studies of priming by psychopathologists have been primarily interested in priming as a technique for the investigations of the influence of the activation of associations to a presented stimulus upon responses to subsequent stimuli. In this respect their purposes have differed somewhat from those of cognitive scientists interested in dissecting the components of normal cognition.
Hyperkinesis and Attentional Deficiencies

The term minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) defines a cluster of clinically observable behavioral deviations among children. Although such terms as brain-injured, brain-damaged, and hyperkinetic impulse disorder of the previous era have been dropped in favor of MBD, the change in terminology was not occasioned by the discovery of the etiology, extent, or type of the presumed lesion(s) in the brain. In fact, the clinical picture of MBD is not considered the direct consequence of damage to the central nervous system. Instead, it is hypothesized that structural and/or functional impairment in the organization of the central nervous system leads to a disturbed interaction with the developmental environment, which includes the social, interpersonal, and objective world surrounding each individual. The behavioral deviation is the expression of such faulty interactions. The term hyperkinetic syndrome has often been used interchangeably with minimal brain dysfunction, and brain damaged has been inferred despite the absence of any history of prenatal insult or any clinical evidence of central nervous system findings. In some of these children, careful observation shows that while a high activity level is indeed present, it is not in the abnormal range. Attention span, while briefer than average, is not defective. These children typically react to stress by an exaggeration of their normal tendency. This seems to be the basis of some clinicians’ opinion that hyperactivity is the equivalent of anxiety or depression in children.
Coupling of a mutated form of the human beta 2-adrenergic receptor to Gi and Gs. Requirement for multiple cytoplasmic domains in the coupling process.

We constructed five genes encoding mutant human beta 2-adrenergic receptor sequence (beta 2AR) which contained 12-22 amino acid substitutions with corresponding sequence from the human alpha 2AAR in order to assess the receptor domains involved in Gs versus Gi recognition and coupling. Mutant beta 2AR with substitutions in the N (S1)- and C-terminal (S2) portions of the third intracellular loop, the proximal cytoplasmic tail (S3), and two combinations thereof (S2,3 and S1,2,3), were stably expressed in Chinese hamster fibrobasts (CHW-1102), as were the human beta 2AR and alpha 2AAR at comparable receptor levels. All mutant receptors with S2 substitutions (i.e. S2, S2,3, S1,2,3) were significantly (approximately 85%) uncoupled from Gs. Upon exposure to pertussis toxin, which uncouples receptors from Gi, S1,2,3 exhibited a 526 +/- 99% increase in agonist-stimulated adenylylcyclase activity compared with a 59 +/- 13% increase with the wild type receptor. This enhanced ability of S1,2,3 to interact with Gs following pertussis toxin treatment indicates that, in the absence of toxin exposure, substantial coupling occurs between the mutant receptor and Gi. Mutant beta 2AR bearing only one or two alpha 2AAR-substituted sequences showed no such enhancement. Forskolin-stimulated enzyme activities were increased by pertussis toxin treatment to similar degrees in all clones examined, indicating that the observed effects are confined to the receptor-mediated pathway. In the absence of GTP, competition binding experiments with S1,2,3, beta 2AR and alpha 2AAR revealed that approximately 40-50% of the receptors formed a high affinity binding state for agonist. Pertussis toxin treatment markedly reduced this to approximately 19% with S1,2,3, while having no effect on beta 2AR and completely eliminating high affinity agonist binding to alpha 2AAR. These results suggest that S1,2,3 interacts with Gi as well as Gs, and that receptor:G protein coupling requires the concerted participation of multiple cytoplasmic receptor domains.
A Review of “The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything”

GIMP, Adobe Photoshop's free competitor, is not easy to learn. But learning GIMP just got a whole lot easier. Lecarme, a professor emeritus in computer science, and Delvare, a Web development consu...
Serum acidosis prior to reperfusion facilitates hemodynamic recovery following liver transplantation

Reperfusion is the most critical event during liver transplantation, and sustained leakage of acidic preservation solution from the liver graft contributes to marked hemodynamic instability. Recent laboratory studies with hepatocyte cultures have revealed that low pH may protect hepatocyte mitochondria against ischemia–reperfusion injury by inhibiting the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), the so-called “pH paradox.” However, the clinical significance of this pH paradox theory remains largely unknown. In this study, we sought to determine whether there is an association between serum pH immediately prior to reperfusion and hemodynamic recovery after reperfusion and graft survival. We analyzed retrospective data from 527 patients who underwent Orthotopic liver transplantation between 2003 and 2008. All patients were allocated to one of two groups: pH ≤ 7.32 or pH > 7.32, as measured 5 min before reperfusion. Case–control matching was performed using the propensity score to adjust for background differences between the two groups. Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test and the χ 2 test. There were 85 patients in the pH ≤ 7.32 group and 385 patients in the pH > 7.32 group. The recovery of mean arterial pressure after hepatic artery reperfusion was significantly faster in the pH ≤ 7.32 group (slope of recovery: 0.0004 % vs. 0.0002 %/min, p = 0.041). Other parameters studied, including vasopressor dosage after reperfusion, did not show any statistically significant difference between groups. Our findings suggest that less aggressive treatment of acidosis with a slower rate of normalization of serum pH (from low to normal) after reperfusion promotes faster hemodynamic stabilization. These findings provide evidence to support the concept of the pH paradox, and may also substantiate the argument against the usage of alkalizing agents before reperfusion unless acidosis becomes clinically significant.
Effect of vertebrate pesticides on non-target wildlife populations: Evaluation through modelling

Abstract A general modelling methodology to evaluate the potential effects of pesticides on non-target wildlife populations is described, and its use within a resource management framework is demonstrated. Attention is focused on (1) interfacing relatively simple numerical and analytical procedures with available data to specify initial baseline population parameters, (2) representing density-dependent relationships affecting non-target natality and survival rates, and (3) interpreting simulated non-target population responses to different pesticide-use schemes within a management framework. The methodology involves use of a Leslie matrix model with variable age-specific natality and survival rates. Natality and survival rates can vary as a function of non-target population density, the density of competitor, predator, and/or prey populations, and/or abiotic environmental factors. Required model input includes estimates of initial density of the non-target population, age-specific natality rates, the relative magnitudes of age-specific survival rates, the relationship of natality and survival rates to the appropriate population densities and/or abiotic environmental factors, and the magnitude of pesticide-induced mortality. Model output includes estimates of the density of the non-target population over time, the mean lowest density reached, the mean recovery time, and the probability of extinction resulting from a specified scheme of pesticide use. Use of the model within a management framework is demonstrated by evaluating the effects of four hypothetical coyote control schemes, using Compound 1080, on great horned owl populations in the United States.
Oxcarbazepine in bipolar disorder: a critical review of the literature.

Oxcarbazepine (OXC) is a keto-congener of carbamazepine, which has fewer side effects and drug interactions. However, the efficacy of OXC in treating bipolar disorder is not as well established as that of carbamazepine. This article is a systematic literature review of all studies regarding OXC and bipolar disorders, with particular attention to papers published in the last 6 years. Using the terms ‘oxcarbazepine and bipolar disorder’, ‘oxcarbazepine and mania’ or ‘oxcarbazepine and bipolar depression’, a computer-aided search of MEDLINE for the years 2000 – 2006 has been conducted. Since its introduction as an antiepileptic drug in early 2000, clinical research regarding the potential role of OXC in the treatment of bipolar disorder remains limited. There is a lack of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. Studies recently published have small samples of patients, with insufficient follow-up periods and other methodological weaknesses. The efficacy of OXC in bipolar disorder has not been widely studie...
Are All IQ Scores Created Equal? The Differential Costs of IQ Cutoff Scores for At‐Risk Children

ABSTRACT—The IQ cutoff score of 70 used for the diagnosis of mental retardation has repercussions throughout America, influencing educational, social, and legal decision making. Because of the Flynn effect and changing IQ norms, however, IQ scores are rising and falling over time, independent of actual cognitive gains or losses. These fluctuations, combined with the use of the cutoff score, result in substantial misallocations of financial, educational, and social resources for children of all IQ levels but especially for those at risk for academic failure. Such far-reaching and grave implications call into question the use of IQ cutoff scores in educational and legal policies and underscore the importance for researchers to collect data in real-world settings to understand and appreciate the issues that surround the application of developmental theory.
Trends in College Binge Drinking During a Period of Increased Prevention Efforts: Findings from 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study Surveys: 1993–2001

The 2001 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study surveyed students at 119 4-year colleges that participated in the 1993, 1997, and 1999 studies. Responses in the 4 survey years were compared to determine trends in heavy alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and encounters with college and community prevention efforts. In 2001, approximately 2 in 5 (44.4%) college students reported binge drinking, a rate almost identical to rates in the previous 3 surveys. Very little change in overall binge drinking occurred at the individual college level. The percentages of abstainers and frequent binge drinkers increased, a polarization of drinking behavior first noted in 1997. A sharp rise in frequent binge drinking was noted among students attending all-women's colleges. Other significant changes included increases in immoderate drinking and harm among drinkers. More students lived in substance-free housing and encountered college educational efforts and sanctions resulting from their alcohol use.
Rectilinear Steiner trees on a checkerboard

The rectilinear Steiner tree problem is to find a minimum-length set of horizontal and vertical line segments that interconnect a given set of points in the plane. Here we study the thumbnail rectilinear Steiner tree problem, where the input points are drawn from a small integer grid. Specifically, we devise a fully-set decomposition algorithm for computing optimal thumbnail rectilinear Steiner trees. We then present experimental results comparing the performance of this algorithm with two existing algorithms for computing optimal rectilinear Steiner trees. The thumbnail rectilinear Steiner tree problem has applications in VLSI placement algorithms, based on geometric partitioning, global routing of field-programmable gate arrays, and routing estimation during floorplanning.
Distribution of 137Cs in the Lena River Estuary–Laptev Sea System

Abstract Surface sediment samples in the Laptev Sea have average 137 Cs content of 7.1 Bq kg−1, a value intermediate between that of the western Kara Sea (23 Bq kg−1) and the East Siberian Sea (4.2 Bq kg−1). Both surface sediment content and sediment inventory of 137 Cs in the Laptev Sea sediments show significant variability, and the influence of a variety of environmental factors. 137 Cs concentrations in the Laptev Sea surface sediments range from 0.8 to 16 Bq kg−1. There is a marked increase in 137 Cs content of surface sediment samples collected near the Lena River delta, and a local enrichment in the 137 Cs inventories at these sites is also evident. Fine-grained mixed-layer illite/smectite rich sediments in the estuary provide effective adsorption sites to fix 137 Cs, in spite of desorption processes associated with low salinities in estuarine mixing. The Lena River–Laptev Sea mixing zone is a major site of sea-ice production. River and shelf sediments are incorporated into sea-ice formed in this region ( Holmes and Creager, 1974 ). The irregular 137 Cs activity profiles of the Lena River estuary cores indicate disturbance or removal of 137 Cs-laden sediments via sea-ice related processes. Lena River and Estuary sediments may have served as a secondary source (i.e. other than direct fallout) of 137 Cs in sea-ice. North-east of the Lena River estuary, sediment contains a thin layer of 137 Cs-bearing material over an erosion surface. The 137 Cs-laden surface layer may be the result of transient deposition of estuarine sediments being delivered by sea-ice or spring floods.
Low loss waveguide four-port crossover circuit and its application for cross-slot antenna feed

A four-way crossover circuit using a cylindrical cavity with four rectangular input/output ports has been designed to feed a cross-slot antenna to achieve dual polarization. Because all the input and output circuits are waveguides, the network is especially useful for high power systems and millimeter wave applications. The crossover circuit exhibits a very low insertion loss and good isolation.
Structure−Activity Relationships of 4-Hydroxy-3-nitroquinolin-2(1H)-ones as Novel Antagonists at the Glycine Site of N-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptors

A series of 4-hydroxy-3-nitroquinolin-2(1H)-ones (HNQs) was synthesized by nitration of the corresponding 2,4-quinolinediols. The HNQs were evaluated as antagonists at the glycine site of NMDA rece...
Detection of upper gastrointestinal blood with fecal occult blood tests.

Abstract Objective: Although fecal occult blood (FOB) tests have most often been used to detect occult bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract, their utility in detecting occult blood loss from the upper GI tract is less well understood. The aims of this study were to determine whether small amounts of blood from the upper GI tract can be detected by currently available FOB tests and, if so, to correlate FOB tests with semiquantitative GI blood. Methods: Groups of 10 healthy volunteers without a history of GI disease drank 5, 10, or 20 ml of their own blood mixed with tomato juice for 5 or 3 consecutive days. Standard dietary and medication restrictions were observed. Consecutive stools were tested for 2 days before, as well as 4 days after, blood ingestion. Each stool was simultaneously tested for FOB with HemoQuant (HQ), Hemoccult II (HO II), Hemoccult II SENSA (SENSA), HemeSelect (HS), and FlexSure OBT (FS). Results: The mean age and hemoglobin concentration of the study population were 29.3 ± 0.5 yr and 14.3 ± 0.3 g/dl, respectively. No subject noted GI symptoms during blood ingestion. Fecal blood levels (measured by HQ) were elevated within 2 days after initiation of blood ingestion and remained elevated until 2–3 days after cessation of blood ingestion. Mean fecal blood levels peaked at 2.1, 7.9, 8.0, and 13.5 (mg hemoglobin/g stool) in groups ingesting 5 ml/5 days, 10 ml/3 days, 10 ml/5 days, and 20 ml/3 days, respectively. The proportion of positive tests during and immediately after the period of blood ingestion was greatest in the 20 ml/3 day group; 16% of HO II samples were positive as were 64% of SENSA and 67% of HQ samples. SENSA was more sensitive than HO II in all blood ingestion groups. At least one positive SENSA test was present in 50% of subjects ingesting 10 ml of blood (each 3 and 5 day groups) and in all subjects ingesting 20 ml/day. Immunochemical tests did not detect upper GI blood in any blood ingestion group. Conclusion: Inasmuch as many upper GI tract lesions have been reported to bleed small quantities of blood such as that studied here, and this amount of blood is readily detected with widely used guaiac-based FOB tests inlcuding Hemoccult II SENSA, the data emphasize that caution is warranted before attributing positive guaiac tests only to sites in the lower GI tract. The data raise the possibility that a combination of a highly sensitive guaiac-based FOB test plus an immunochemical could help differentiate occult upper from lower GI bleeding.
SLEEP‐RELATED BREATHING DISORDERS

SLEEP‐RELATED BREATHING DISORDERS. EXPERIMENTAL MODELS AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL Edited by D. W. Carley and M. Radulovacki 2003. Pp. 408. New York: Marcel Dekker Price $185.00. ISBN 0‐8247‐0877‐6 Understanding and awareness of sleep‐related breathing disorders has increased immensely in recent years. In particular, epidemiological studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome is a prevalent disease, which causes significant morbidity and mortality. Randomized, placebo‐controlled trials have shown that continuous positive airway pressure is a highly effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. However, this treatment is cumbersome and often considered onerous by patients. Therefore, new and more acceptable forms of treatment are required. Research and development for new treatments undoubtedly requires the development of new techniques. This book highlights the experimental models and methods that have been developed specifically to investigate sleep‐related breathing disorders and their treatment. It argues that the lack of a well‐defined animal model has been an important factor limiting the progress of research in this area. The book is divided into four sections: (i) an introduction to sleep‐related breathing disorders; (ii) the application of neurological techniques to the investigation of the control of sleep and breathing in the brainstem; (iii) experimentally induced models of sleep apnoea in animals; and (iv) naturally occurring models of sleep apnoea in animals. Each section consists of a number of chapters that review individual topics. This structure works. It allows the reader to quickly locate the technique or …
Probing the amyloid-β(1–40) fibril environment with substituted tryptophan residues

Abstract A signature feature of Alzheimer’s disease is the accumulation of plaques, composed of fibrillar amyloid-β protein (Aβ), in the brain parenchyma. Structural models of Aβ fibrils reveal an extensive β-sheet network with a hydrophobic core extending throughout the fibril axis. In this study, phenylalanines in the Aβ(1–40) sequence were substituted with tryptophan residues at either position 4 (F4W) or 19 (F19W) to probe the fibril environment. The F4W substitution did not alter self-assembly kinetics, while the F19W change slightly lengthened the lag phase without hindering fibril formation. The tryptophan fluorescence of Aβ(1–40) F19W, but not Aβ(1–40) F4W, underwent a marked blue shift during fibril formation and this shift was temporally correlated with thioflavin T binding. Isolated Aβ(1–40) F19W fibrils exhibited the largest fluorescence blue shifts consistent with W19 insertion into the Aβ(1–40) fibril inner core and direct probing of the substantially hydrophobic environment therein.
Switched-capacitor neural networks

A neural network implementation is proposed, consisting of switches, capacitors and inverters. A number of potentially attractive features of the implementation are pointed out.
Factors associated with early failure of infrainguinal lower extremity arterial bypass.

Objectives We analyzed the Veterans Affairs (VA) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), a large clinical database, to investigate which factors, other than technical, were associated with a higher incidence of early graft failure in infrainguinal bypass. Methods Data are prospectively collected in NSQIP from 123 participating VA Medical Centers. All patients from 1995 to 2003 in the NSQIP database who underwent infrainguinal arterial bypass were identified by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes (CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill, Copyright 2007). Data for 30-day graft failure were evaluated by univariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression was used to control for possible confounders. Results The NSQIP database identified 14,788 patients who underwent infrainguinal lower extremity arterial bypasses during the study period, and 723 acute graft failures (4.9%) occurred. On multivariate analysis, compared with patients aged >70 years, patient ages of Conclusion These data suggest that factors other than technique have an effect on the 30-day graft failure rates of infrainguinal bypasses. These results help the vascular surgeon to predict more accurately early bypass failure rates while planning the procedure and counseling patients about its prognosis.
Obesity in youth: implications for the advanced practice nurse in primary care.

Purpose To discuss the advanced practice nurse's diagnosis and management of obesity in youth in primary care. Data Sources Review of current scientific literature, practice guidelines, and a case study. Conclusions Obesity in youth is difficult to manage. Recent research suggests a genetic and environmental etiology associated with impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. Nutrition education, increasing physical activity, decreasing sedentary behaviors, and behavioral modification have been used with varying success. Management is directed at healthy lifestyle behavior change for youth and their families. Implications for Practice If obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia are left untreated, youth may develop type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease later in life and suffer early morbidity and mortality.
Treatment of Cystitis in Women with a Single Dose of Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole

The efficacy of a single dose (four tablets) and of 10-day courses of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) was studied in 77 women with symptomatic cystitis and negative tests for antibody-coated bacteria. Cure rates after six weeks were 76% for single-dose therapy and 87% for 10 days of treatment. For Escherichia coli infections, cure rates after six weeks were 80% and 86%, respectively. However, 10-day treatment eliminated enteric bacilli from urethral and vaginal sites more often than did single-dose therapy. Two weeks after completion of treatment, perineal colonization was observed more often in the women who developed recurrent infections than in those who did not (P = 0.01). During these two weeks, recurrent infections were found somewhat more often in the women who had received single-dose therapy than in those who had undergone 10-day treatment (5 of 38 vs. 2 of 39; P = 0.07). With conventional courses of antibiotics, retreatment of all recurrent infections was less successful in women previously given single-dose therapy. Recurrent infections were also more frequent in women infected with bacteria other than E. coli. Both drug regimens were well tolerated. However, serious adverse reactions were fewer in patients treated with a single dose (8.5%) than in patients treated for 10 days (15%). Single-dose therapy with TMP-SMZ appears as effective as 10-day therapy in acute uncomplicated cystitis caused by E. coli.
Endocrinological, neurochemical, and anabolic effects of polybrominated biphenyls in male and female rats

Abstract Pregnant rats were placed on a control diet or on a diet containing 100 ppm polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs, Firemaster PB-6) on Day 8 of gestation. On Day 28 postpartum the pups were weaned onto the same diet as their mothers, and maintained on this diet until sacrificed during the ninth week. Body weight gain was reduced in both the male and female rats exposed to PBBs. The absolute weights of some organs (ventral prostate and seminal vesicles in males, and adrenal and pituitary glands in females) were reduced in animals maintained on the PBB diet, but when expressed as a percentage of body weight only the ventral prostate weight remained significantly reduced. Exposure to PBBs did not affect plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone, prolactin, or corticosterone; nor did it affect the increase in the plasma concentration of the latter two hormones in response to a mild environmental stress. Exposure to PBBs did not alter the steady-state concentrations of norepinephrine or dopamine in the posterior pituitary or selected brain regions. Furthermore, treatment with PBBs did not alter the rates of synthesis of these catecholamines (as estimated by the rate of accumulation of dihydroxyphenylalanine following inhibition of dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase) in the brains of female rats on the day of diestrus or estrus. On the basis of vaginal cytology, exposure to PBBs significantly lengthened the estrous cycle of female rats.
A new metabolic link: The acyl carrier protein of lipid synthesis donates lipoic acid to the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in Escherichia coli and mitochondria

Lipoic acid is an essential enzyme cofactor that requires covalent attachment to its cognate proteins to confer biological activity. The major lipoylated proteins are highly conserved enzymes of central metabolism, the pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes. The classical lipoate ligase uses ATP to activate the lipoate carboxyl group followed by attachment of the cofactor to a specific subunit of each dehydrogenase complex, and it was assumed that all lipoate attachment proceeded by this mechanism. However, our previous work indicated that Escherichia colicould form lipoylated proteins in the absence of detectable ATP-dependent ligase activity raising the possibility of a class of enzyme that attaches lipoate to the dehydrogenase complexes by a different mechanism. We now report that E. coli and mitochondria contain lipoate transferases that use lipoyl-acyl carrier protein as the lipoate donor. This finding demonstrates a direct link between fatty acid synthesis and lipoate attachment and also provides the first direct demonstration of a role for the enigmatic acyl carrier proteins of mitochondria.
Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Pregenerated Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds in the Absence of Osteogenic Cell Culture Supplements

This study utilized a full-factorial design to investigate the effect of four factors: presence of whole bone marrow cells, presence of in vitro-generated mineralized extracellular matrix (ECM), presence of dexamethasone, and variations in culture duration, on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured on a polymer scaffold. Electrospun poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) fiber mesh scaffolds were seeded with rat MSCs and cultured in complete osteogenic medium for 12 days to generate constructs containing mineralized ECM. MSCs or MSCs and whole bone marrow cells were seeded onto decellularized ECM constructs (PCL/ECM) or plain PCL scaffolds and cultured statically for 4, 8, and 16 days in medium either with or without dexamethasone. After each culture period, the cell number was determined by DNA analysis, and the osteogenic differentiation state of the cells was determined by alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium assays. MSCs seeded onto PCL/ECM constructs and c...
Some Esterases of Cows’ Milk

Summary The influence of different concentrations of the organophosphorous enzyme inhibitors, N,N′-diisopropyl phosphorodiamidofluoridate, diethyl p -nitrophenyl thiophosphate, diisopropyl fluorophosphate, and tetraethyl pyrophosphate on the activity of milk enzymes toward phenyl acetate, phenyl propionate, tributyrin, benzyl butyrate, and the butyryl and stearoyl esters of 2-naphthol-6-SO 3 Na was studied, using Warburg manometric techniques at pH 8.0 and 37° C. Raw mixed milk served as the enzyme source. Three distinct esterases or esterase systems were evident. One was responsible for about 95% of the activity of the milk enzymes toward tributyrin, benzyl butyrate, and the butyryl and stearoyl esters of 2-naphthol-6-SO 3 Na, the second for 60 to 70% of their activity toward phenyl propionate, and the third for about 80% of their activity toward phenyl acetate. Each of these esterases appeared to hydrolyze one or more of the other substrates. A probable classification of these enzymes is outlined.