cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Etiology of Hypercalcemia in Hemodialysis Patients on Calcium Carbonate Therapy

Fourteen of 39 dialysis patients (36%) became hypercalcemic after switching to calcium carbonate as their principal phosphate binder. In order to identify risk factors associated with the development of hypercalcemia, indirect parameters of intestinal calcium reabsorption and bone turnover rate in these 14 patients were compared with results in 14 eucalcemic patients matched for age, sex, length of time on dialysis, and etiology of renal disease. In addition to experiencing hypercalcemic episodes with peak calcium values of 2.7 to 3.8 mmol/L (10.7 to 15.0 mg/dL), patients in the hypercalcemic group exhibited a significant increase in the mean calcium concentration obtained during 6 months before the switch, compared with the mean value obtained during the 7 months of observation after the switch (2.4 ± 0.03 to 2.5 ± 0.03 mmol/L [9.7 ± 0.2 to 10.2 ± 0.1 mg/dL], P = 0.006). In contrast, eucalcemic patients exhibited no change in mean calcium values over the same time period (2.3 ± 0.05 to 2.3 ± 0.05 mmol/L [9.2 ± 0.2 to 9.2 ± 0.2 mgldL]). CaCO 3 dosage, calculated dietary calcium intake, and circulating levels of vitamin D metabolites were similar in both groups. Physical activity index and predialysis serum bicarbonate levels also were similar in both groups. However, there was a significant difference in parameters reflecting bone turnover rates between groups. The hypercalcemic patients had significantly lower levels of serum osteocalcin (23 ± 4 v 94 ± 24 ng/mL, P v 74 ± 11 pg/nL, P = 0.034), and alkaine phosphatase (89 ± 7 v 120 ± 16 IU/L, P = 0.034) compared with eucalcemic controls. Aluminum burden, as measured by the deferoxamine (DFO) challenge test, was similar in both groups. There was a significant racial difference between the groups, with a predominance of white patients in the hypercalcemic group. The data suggests that low bone turnover rate, and not increased intestinal calcium absorption, is the risk factor most commonly associated with the development of hypercalcemia on CaC03 therapy. Whether this complication occurs more commonly in white patients, as we observed, requires further study for verification.
Design, Synthesis, and Preclinical Evaluation of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Targeted 99mTc-Radioimaging Agents

The high mortality and financial burden associated with prostate cancer can be partly attributed to a lack of sensitive screening methods for detection and staging of the disease. Guided by in silico docking studies using the crystal structure of PSMA, we designed and synthesized a series of PSMA-targeted 99mTc−chelate complexes for imaging PSMA-expressing human prostate cancer cells (LNCaP cell line). Of the six targeted radioimaging agents synthesized, three were found to bind LNCaP cells with low nanomolar affinity. Moreover, the same three PSMA-targeted imaging agents were shown to localize primarily to LNCaP tumor xenografts in nu/nu mice, with an average of 9.8 ± 2.4% injected dose/g tissue accumulating in the tumor and only 0.11% injected dose/g tissue retained in the muscle at 4 h postinjection. Collectively, these high affinity, PSMA-specific radioimaging agents demonstrate significant potential for use in localizing prostate cancer masses, monitoring response to therapy, detecting prostate cance...
Host Resistance to Mycobacteria Is Compromised by Activation of the Hypothalamic‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axisa

Host resistance to the growth of Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium tuberculosis is controlled by a gene, termed Nramp1, that maps to chromosome 1 in mice. Activation of the HPA axis or treatment of macrophages from susceptible mice with corticosterone suppresses the expression of Nramp1 mRNA and results in an increased susceptibility to mycobacterial growth. In contrast, neither activation of the HPA axis nor treatment of macrophages from resistant mice with corticosterone results in an alteration in their resistance or suppression of Nramp1 expression. Investigation into the mechanism of the differential response of the macrophages to corticosterone indicated that differences were associated with the stability of the mRNA in macrophages from BCG-resistant mice. Thus, corticosterone induced the accelerated degradation of Nramp1 mRNA as well as mRNA of several other macrophage activation genes in macrophages from BCG-susceptible mice. Treatment of macrophages with corticosterone before the induction of Nramp1 resulted in the accelerated degradation of mRNA in macrophages from both resistant and susceptible mice. The Nramp1 gene product appears to protect the mRNA of macrophage activation genes from degradation induced by corticosterone by an iron-dependent mechanism.
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Renal Tumors

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the response of actively growing renal masses to stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). We retrospectively reviewed our institutional review board–approved kidney database and identified 4 patients who underwent SBRT, 15 Gy dose, for their rapidly growing renal masses. Three patients had a decreased tumor size after radiation treatment by 20.8%, 38.1%, and 20%. The other patient had a size gain of 5.6%. This patient maintained a similar tumor growth rate before and after SBRT. Mean follow-up time was 13.8 months. SBRT represents an effective management option in select patients with larger rapidly growing kidney masses.
Renin angiotensin system blockade and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease and proteinuria: A meta-analysis

Objective The role of renin angiotensin system (RAS) blockade in controlling hypertension and the positive impact on cardiovascular (CV) outcomes is well known. However, the role of RAS blockade in improving CV outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is still unclear. Methods Randomized controlled trials that analyzed CV outcomes in patients with CKD/proteinuria treated with RAS blockade (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers) were included in our study. The relative risk across all study groups was computed using Mantel-Hanszel random effects model. Results were calculated with 95% CI and was considered statistically significant if 2-sided α error was Results Twenty-five trials (N = 45758) were used for analysis. Renin angiotensin system blockade decreased the risk for heart failure in patients with diabetic nephropathy when compared with placebo 0.78 (95% CI 0.66-0.92, P = .003) and control therapy (0.63, 95% CI 0.47-0.86, P = .003). The risk for CV outcomes was decreased with RAS blockade (0.56, 95% CI 0.47-0.67, P P P = .03), and heart failure (0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95, P = .02) when we pooled all the patients with CKD and compared RAS blockade to placebo. Conclusions A pooled analysis of all causes of CKD revealed a reduction in the risk for myocardial infarction, heart failure, and total CV outcomes when RAS blockade was compared with placebo. RAS blockade decreases the risk for CV outcomes and heart failure when compared with control therapy in patients with proteinuria. There were also benefits with RAS blockade in reducing the risk of CV outcomes and heart failure in patients with diabetic nephropathy when compared with placebo.
Faster placement of hydrogens in protein structures by dynamic programming

M. Word and coauthors from the Richardsons' 3D Protein Structure laboratory at Duke University propose dot scores to measure interatomic interactions in molecular structures. Their program REDUCE uses these scores in a brute-force search to solve instances of the NP-hard problem of finding the optimal placement of hydrogen atoms in molecular structures determined by X-ray crystallography. We capture the central combinatorial optimization in the hydrogen placement problem with an abstraction that we call an interaction (hyper)graph. REDUCE's dot-based scoring function cannot be decomposed into the sum of pair interactions, but because the function is short ranged we are able to decompose it into the sum of single, pair, triple, and quadruple interactions that we represent by graph hyperedges. Almost every interaction graph we have observed has had a small treewidth. This fact allows us to replace the brute-force search by dynamic programming, giving speedups of nearly ten orders of magnitude. This dynamic programming has been incorporated into REDUCE and is available for download.
Histone chaperone Asf1 is required for histone H3 lysine 56 acetylation, a modification associated with S phase in mitosis and meiosis

Histone acetylation affects many nuclear processes including transcription, chromatin assembly, and DNA damage repair. Acetylation of histone H3 lysine 56 (H3 K56ac) in budding yeast occurs during mitotic S phase and persists during DNA damage repair. Here, we show that H3 K56ac is also present during premeiotic S phase and is conserved in fission yeast. Furthermore, the H3 K56ac modification is not observed in the absence of the histone chaperone Asf1. asf1Δ and H3 K56R mutants exhibit similar sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. Mutational analysis of Asf1 demonstrates that DNA damage sensitivity correlates with (i) decreased levels of H3 K56ac and (ii) a region implicated in histone binding. In contrast, multiple asf1 mutants that are resistant to DNA damage display WT levels of K56ac. These data suggest that maintenance of H3 K56 acetylation is a primary contribution of Asf1 to genome stability in yeast.
Evidence supporting contemporary post-operative radiation therapy (PORT) using linear accelerators in N2 lung cancer.

Abstract Purpose Post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) treatment for lung cancer declined since a meta-analysis failed to show benefit in patients with N2 disease. Because several included studies employed outmoded radiation planning and delivery techniques, we sought to determine whether PORT with modern technology benefits patients with N2 disease. Methods We conducted searches of the published literature. For inclusion, studies must have included patients with stage III-N2 lung cancer treated with PORT using only linear accelerators, used a control group that did not receive PORT, and reported outcome data for overall survival (OS). Prospective and retrospective analyses were included. Exclusion criteria were the use of cobalt devices or orthovoltage radiation. Results Data were evaluated with random-effects models. Three prospective and eight retrospective studies were included. The PORT and no-PORT groups included 1368 and 1360 patients, respectively. The PORT group had significantly improved OS over the no-PORT group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62–0.96, P = 0.020). Locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) in 10 studies for which data was available was also improved in the PORT group (HR = 0.51, CI 0.41–0.65, P Conclusions PORT was associated with significantly lower risk of death and locoregional recurrence in patients with N2 lung cancer. Our study was limited by lack of access to individual patient data, which would have enabled more detailed analyses. Regardless, data thus far suggest PORT may be associated with a survival benefit. Given a lack of large-scale prospective data, clinical trials evaluating PORT with modern technology are warranted.
Outcomes of a System-Wide Protocol for Elective and Nonelective Coronary Angioplasty at Sites Without On-site Surgery: The Mayo Clinic Experience

OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) at 2 community hospitals without on-site surgery (Franciscan Skemp Healthcare and Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital) with a center with on-site surgery (Saint Marys Hospital). PATIENTS AND METHODS Using a matched case-control design, we studied 1842 elective and 667 nonelective PCI procedures (myocardial infarction [MI]/cardiogenic shock) performed from January 1, 1999, through December 31, 2007. The quality assurance protocol included operator volume and training, application of a risk-adjustment model, transport protocol, and database participation. We compared in-hospital mortality and/or emergent coronary artery bypass surgery after PCI at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare and Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital, which do not have on-site surgery, with Saint Marys Hospital, a medical center with the capability to perform coronary artery bypass grafting on site. RESULTS Of 22 baseline variables, significant imbalances between matched groups were present in only 3 (hyperlipidemia, history of MI, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association B2/C type lesion) in the elective group and 2 (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class III/IV angina, multivessel disease) in the nonelective group. The primary end point occurred in 0.3%, 0.1%, and 0.6% of patients undergoing elective PCI ( P =.07) and 3.3%, 3.3%, and 3.7% of patients undergoing nonelective PCI ( P =.65) at Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital, Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, and Saint Marys Hospital, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate at Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital and Franciscan Skemp Healthcare was comparable to that at Saint Marys Hospital for both elective (0.3%, 0.1%, 0.4%; P =.24) and nonelective PCI (2.6%, 2.4%, 3.1%; P =.49). No patient undergoing elective PCI required transfer for emergency cardiac surgery. Of the 21 transfers, 20 (95%) were in the setting of MI and cardiogenic shock or left main/3-vessel disease; 18 patients (86%) survived to discharge. CONCLUSION Optimal outcomes with PCI have been observed at community hospitals without on-site cardiac surgical programs with application of a prospective, standardized quality assurance protocol.
Regulation of repair choice: Cdk1 suppresses recruitment of end joining factors at DNA breaks

Cell cycle plays a crucial role in regulating the pathway used to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, homologous recombination is primarily limited to non-G1 cells as the formation of recombinogenic single-stranded DNA requires CDK1-dependent 5′ to 3′ resection of DNA ends. However, the effect of cell cycle on non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is not yet clearly defined. Using an assay to quantitatively measure the contributions of each repair pathway to repair product formation and cellular survival after DSB induction, we found that NHEJ is most efficient at G1, and markedly repressed at G2. Repression of NHEJ at G2 is achieved by efficient end resection and by the reduced association of core NHEJ proteins with DNA breaks, both of which depend on the CDK1 activity. Importantly, repression of 5′ end resection by CDK1 inhibition at G2 alone did not fully restore either physical association of Ku/Dnl4-Lif1 with DSBs or NHEJ proficiency to the level at G1. Expression of excess Ku can partially offset the inhibition of end joining at G2. The results suggest that regulation of Ku/Dnl4-Lif1 affinity for DNA ends may contribute to the cell cycle-dependent modulation of NHEJ efficiency.
Hydrogen line ratios as electron temperature indicators in nonequilibrium plasmas

The ratio of intensities of hydrogen Balmer lines H-alpha/H-beta is proposed as an indicator of electron temperature in a nonequilibrium plasma. Although different from the equilibrium case, the intensity ratio is a unique function of electron temperature provided that the optical depth is small for the visible lines and the plasma is far out of equilibrium. For such a plasma, the H-alpha/H-beta intensity ratios are computed. The results are tabulated in the form of a conversion table between the measured excitation temperature and the true electron temperature. The ranges of applicability of the conversion table are also computed and are presented in separate tables. An example is shown in which particle densities are consistent with the Saha equilibrium condition at the apparent excitation temperature even though the plasma is in nonequilibrium at a different true electron temperature.
Metal ion requirement by glutamine synthetase of Escherichia coli in catalysis of γ-glutamyl transfer

The requirement for metal ions by glutamine synthetase of Escherichia coli in catalyzing the γ-glutamyl transfer reaction has been investigated. In order of decreasing V at pH 7.0, Cd2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Co2+, or Zn2+ will support the activity of the unadenylylated enzyme in the presence of ADP. With AMP substituted for ADP to satisfy the nucleotide requirement, only Mn2+ or Cd2+ will support the activity of the unadenylylated enzyme. Kinetic and equilibrium binding measurements show a 1:1 interaction between the nonconsumable substrate ADP and each enzyme subunit of the dodecamer. (To obtain this result, each enzyme subunit must be active in catalyzing γ-glutamyl transfer.) The stability constant of the unadenylylated subunit for ADP-Mn is 3.5 × 105m−1, or ∼2.86 × 107m−1 under assay conditions, with arsenate, Mn2+, and glutamine being responsible for this large affinity increase. Saturation of two Mn2+ ion-binding sites per enzyme subunit is absolutely required for activity expression. While apparently not affecting the affinity of the first Mn2+ bound (K′ = 1.89 × 106 M−1), glutamine increases the stability constant for the second Mn2+ bound from 2 × 104 to 5.9 × 105m−1. Reciprocally, increasing Mn2+ concentrations decreases the apparent Km′ value for glutamine. Glutamine (by producing a net uptake of protons in binding to the enzyme) is responsible for changing the proton release from 3 to about 1 for 2 Mn2+ bound per enzyme subunit, with ∼0.5 H+ displaced in both fast and slow processes. The uv spectral change induced by the binding of the first Mn2+ to each enzyme subunit remains unchanged by the presence of glutamine. However, glutamine reduces the half-time of the spectral change or slow proton release from ∼30 to ∼20 sec at 37 °C. Binding and kinetic results indicate a mechanism involving a random addition of Mn2+ to two subunit sites. Saturation of the high-affinity site with Mn2+ induces a conformational change to an active configuration, while activity expression depends also on the saturation of a second Mn2+ binding site (at or near the catalytic site). Once the first Mn2+ binding site of the subunit is saturated, an active enzyme complex can be formed either by the sequential binding of Mn2+ and ADP at the second site or by the binding of ADP-Mn complex directly to this site if the concentration of ADP-Mn is greater than 10−8m in the assay. Some additional observations on the binding of Mg2+, Ba2+, Ca2+, and Zn2+ to the enzyme are presented.
Incorrect Price Information for a Heterogeneous Commodity: A Conceptual Synthesis

Theory and analysis of markets and market behavior have typically assumed that the information available to market participants is correct. Additionally, most analyses examine market behavior assuming homogeneous products. This article examines the implications of incorrect market price information, especially price differentials based on quality, first conceptually and then with evidence from prior research on cotton prices as an illustration. This evidence shows that price differences based on quality have direct implications on production and marketing processes. Incorrect price/quality information can lead to distortions in the market and market inefficiency.
The Scapegoating of Haitian Vodou Religion David Brooks’s (2010) Claim That “Voodoo” Is a “Progress-Resistant” Cultural Influence

Shortly after the catastrophic earthquake that crushed Port-au-Prince and the surrounding towns on January 12, 2010, The New York Times published an article in which columnist David Brooks claimed that “voodoo” is a “progress-resistant” cultural influence because it spreads the message that “life is capricious and planning futile.” Alongside Brooks, many authors promote similar views, especially Christians. I argue that Vodou does not negatively affect progress in Haiti. Rather, there are historical, linguistic, and governmental policies that limit progress. In reality, Vodou practitioners enhance progress in their attention to the planning and giving of ceremonies, in the hierarchical organization they establish in communities, in their ritual and language, and in the education imparted through inheritance, teaching, and initiation. The scapegoating of Vodou by Brooks and others perpetuates a racist colonial legacy, and it betrays an ignorance of the community and the abundant research about it.
The glycoprotein inner layer of glomerular capillary basement membrane as a filtration barrier.

The inner layer of the glomerular capillary basement membrane extends across the inner portion of endothelial fenestrations and is continuous with the surface coat material beneath endothelial cytoplasm. It is in a position to account for the filtration barrier to plasma albumin observed by Ryan and Karnovsky [ Fed. Proc. 34 , 877 (1975); Kidney Int. 9 , 36 (1976)] with normal blood flow. Different parts of the glomerular capillary wall can act as barriers to other tracers studied under different conditions by various investigators.
Differential reproduction in multiple-queen colonies of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The contribution to maternity of workers and female sexuals over time by queens in six multiple-queen laboratory colonies of Solenopsis invicta was directly assessed by use of enzyme genetic markers. Queens contributed more equally to the worker pool than to the pool of sexuals in virtually all samples (Fig. 1), and individuals producing a substantial proportion of the workers often had low or no representation of their daughters in the pool of sexuals. Signficant disparity among queens in their relative production of sexual daughters was often evident, with dominance in production of sexuals by a given queen commonly occurring in association with a pronounced loss of weight followed shortly by her death. The results suggest that significant variability in short-as well as long-term reproductive success may occur among the distantly related queens associating in natural polygyne S. invicta nests. Variance in apportionment of maternity of sexuals did not appear to be simply related to varying levels of fecundity, suggesting that the common presumption that reproductive success can be equated with fecundity in polygyne social Hymenoptera may not be well founded. The observed variance also did not appear to result from a simple mechanism of kin recognition and discrimination by workers in the process of brood rearing. Rather, this variance may have largely resulted from either, 1) recognition of certain queens and their progeny coupled with preferential sexualization of these immatures by nurse workers, or, 2) queen biasing of eggs toward development as sexuals. The frequent association of weight loss and death of mother queens with high levels of sexual daughter production may be best explained by the latter mechanism.
The Comparative Advantage of Agricultural Economists

As I sat down to compose this presidential address, a comment spoken by Ophelia in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" stole through my thoughts. She said, "O! what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!" I drew only slight comfort from knowing that others before me have surely felt the same uneasy sensation. Two questions framed my uneasiness. First, what does the AAEA membership want in its annual Presidential address? And second, what do I, in particular, have to say to this assembly? I believe that the membership these days wants something subjective and idiosyncratic in its presidential address. This morning, we sit on the brink of another large and complex annual meeting of this large and complex Association. The Fellows Lecture, the Waugh Memorial Lecture, the invited and selected papers, the symposia, the posters, and the free sessions soon will engulf us in a tidal wave of analytical economics. So, as I see it, another technical paper from an incoming president is not really needed nor will it be much missed if not delivered. There is, however, a sizeable demand within our membership for what I choose to call "professional introspection." Like other social scientists, we are powerfully drawn to this form of discourse; we revel in it. Perhaps, we agricultural economists wallow in professional introspection even more than other social scientists. I could produce a barrage of citations from our literature to underscore this point, but, for this audience, that will not be necessary. You all know what I mean.
A survey of the Van Hove scenario for high-tc superconductivity with special emphasis on pseudogaps and striped phases

Abstract The Van Hove singularity (VHS) provides a paradigm for the study of the role of peaks in the density of states (dos) on electronic properties. More importantly, it appears to play a major role in the physics of the high-Tc superconductors, particularly since recent photoemission studies have found that the VHS is close to the Fermi level in most of the high-Tc cuprates near the composition of optimum Tc. This paper offers a comprehensive survey of the VHS model, describing both theoretical properties and experimental evidence for the picture. Special topics discussed include a survey of the Fermi surfaces of the cuprates and related compounds, and an analysis of the reliability of the slave boson approach to correlation effects. While many properties of the cuprates can be qualitatively understood by a simple rigid-band-filling model, this is inadequate for more quantitative results, since correlation effects tend to pin the Fermi level near the VHS over an extended doping range, and can lead to a nanoscale phase separation. Furthermore, the peaks in the dos lead to competition from other instabilities, both magnetic and structural (related to charge density waves). A novel form of dynamic structural instability, involving dynamic VHS-Jahn-Teller effects has been predicted. Scattered through the literature, there is considerable experimental evidence for both nanoscale phase separation of holes, and for local, possibly dynamic, structural disorder. This review attempts to gather these results into a comprehensive database, to sort the results, and to see how they fit into the Van Hove scenario. Recent experiments on underdoped cuprates are found to provide a strong confirmation that the pseudogap is driven by a splitting of the VHS degeneracy.
Multidomain Carbohydrate-binding Proteins Involved in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Starch Metabolism

Human colonic bacteria are necessary for the digestion of many dietary polysaccharides. The intestinal symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron uses five outer membrane proteins to bind and degrade starch. Here, we report the x-ray crystallographic structures of SusE and SusF, two outer membrane proteins composed of tandem starch specific carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) with no enzymatic activity. Examination of the two CBMs in SusE and three CBMs in SusF reveals subtle differences in the way each binds starch and is reflected in their Kd values for both high molecular weight starch and small maltooligosaccharides. Thus, each site seems to have a unique starch preference that may enable these proteins to interact with different regions of starch or its breakdown products. Proteins similar to SusE and SusF are encoded in many other polysaccharide utilization loci that are possessed by human gut bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidetes. Thus, these proteins are likely to play an important role in carbohydrate metabolism in these abundant symbiotic species. Understanding structural changes that diversify and adapt related proteins in the human gut microbial community will be critical to understanding the detailed mechanistic roles that they perform in the complex digestive ecosystem.
Pulse response of linear dipole antenna

Applications of transient electromagnetics include nonnuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects on electronic systems to evaluate system vulnerability. A basic component used in the mathematical modeling of systems for EMP vulnerability is the linear dipole antenna. Wu has derived an approximate analytical solution for the pulse reflected from the feed point of a linear dipole antenna for an incident ideal step function of current. The solution does not include the part associated with the very high frequency components because of an approximation used in evaluating the integral describing the reflected pulse. The approximation is eliminated and a simple analytical solution is given that describes that portion of the step function response associated with the very high frequency components. Numerical evaluation of the solution demonstrates convergence with Wu's approximate solution.
An E-box Region within the Prostaglandin Endoperoxide Synthase-2 (PGS-2) Promoter Is Required for Transcription in Rat Ovarian Granulosa Cells

The prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase-2 (PGS-2) gene encodes an isoform of prostaglandin synthase that is transiently induced by protein kinase A (luteinizing hormone/cAMP) and protein kinase C (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) agonists in granulosa cells of ovulating follicles. The promoter of the rat PGS-2 gene contains a CAAT enhancer-binding protein consensus site (CAAT box) which can confer hormone inducibility to a PGS-2.CAT reporter gene, as well as a putative E-box region. To determine if the E-box region was involved in hormone induced trans-activation of the rat PGS-2 gene, constructs with the CAAT box and E-box regions (-192 PGS-2.CAT), only the putative E-box (-110 PGS-2.CAT), or neither region (-52 PGS-2.CAT) were transiently transfected into rat granulosa cell cultures. CAT activity was induced in both the -192 and -110 PGS-2*CAT vectors by luteinizing hormone (10-fold) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (6-fold), whereas CAT activity of the -52 PGS-2.CAT construct did not differ from the promoterless vector (pCAT-Basic). Deletion of 1 base pair from the E-box within the -110 PGS-2.CAT construct, as well as point mutations within the CAAT box, E-box, or both regions of the -192 PGS-2.CAT construct, demonstrated that the E-box is critical for basal transcription, and that regions, in addition to the CAAT box, are involved in hormone induction of the PGS-2 gene. An oligonucleotide spanning the rat PGS-2 E-box bound two specific protein complexes which were supershifted in the presence of antibody specific for the upstream stimulatory factor. Thus, in rat granulosa cells, the PGS-2 E-box region appears to interact with upstream cis-acting elements other than the CAAT box to confer hormonal regulation of the gene. The E-box region of the rat PGS-2 promoter does not contain ATF/CRE activity found in the human and mouse PGS-2 promoters, but is critical for basal transcription of the PGS-2 gene in rat granulosa cells and binds the upstream stimulatory factor (as do E-box regions of other genes regulated in the ovary).
Embolization techniques in vascular tumors of the head and neck

Surgical excisions of vascular tumors of the head and neck are frequently associated with difficulties because of the potential of operative blood loss. The technique of selective percutaneous embolization before surgery has emerged as a valuable adjunct-and even alternative-to surgery in the management of such lesions. By reducing the blood flow to a vascular tumor or arteriovenous malformation, embolization techniques can be greatly facilitate surgical excision. The participation of a qualified invasive radiologist is essential. If cases are carefully selected and procedural details strictly adhered to this technique can be quite valuable to surgeons treating vascular lesions of the head and neck.
Hydrophobicity and central nervous system agents: on the principle of minimal hydrophobicity in drug design.

The problem of getting drugs across the so-called blood-brain barrier (BBB) has long been under extensive investigation; however, the other side of the problem, that of keeping drugs out of the central nervous system (CNS), has not been studied so intently. As we strive to make more and more refined drugs with fewer side effects, the problem of keeping drugs out of the CNS has possibly become more important than getting them in. The role of lipophilicity has long been recognized as being important in CNS penetration by chemicals, but we believe that not enough attention has been devoted to just exactly what is meant when it is said that “a lipophilic drug is needed for CNS penetration.” How lipophilic? Can hydrophilic properties keep drugs out of the CNS? How hydrophilic should they be? There are other reasons for making drugs hydrophilic. Hydrophobic drugs, other factors being equal, are more inhibitory of biochemical systems than hydrophilic congeners. Evidence is beginning to show that cytochrome P450 is induced in direct proportion to hydrophobicity by a variety of compounds, and cytochrome P450 may produce modifications in lipophilic molecules in the body. Hydrophobic drugs are more slowly eliminated. This report discusses these problems in terms of the octanol-water (log P) hydrophobic scale. The principle is proposed that, without convincing evidence to the contrary, drugs should be made as hydrophilic as possible without loss of efficacy. Antihistamines are discussed in terms of what kind of hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance is best to avoid CNS-related problems.
Rapid localization of IC open conductors using charge-induced voltage alteration (CIVA)

Charge-induced voltage alteration (CIVA) is a new scanning electron microscopy technique developed to localize open conductors, on both passivated and depassivated ICs. CIVA overcomes the limitations usually encountered in localizing open conductors. CIVA images are produced by monitoring the voltage fluctuations of a constant current power, supply as an electron beam is scanned over the IC surface. Contrast variations in the CIVA images are generated only from the electrically open portion of a conductor. Because of this high selectivity, CIVA facilitates localization of open interconnections on an entire IC in a single, unprocessed image. The equipment needed to implement CIVA and examples of applying the technique to several failed CMOS ICs are described. Possible irradiation effects and methods to minimize them are also discussed. >
Hepatitis B vaccine and risk of autoimmune thyroid disease: a Vaccine Safety Datalink study.

Purpose Hepatitis B vaccine has been postulated as a possible cause of autoimmune disorders, including autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD). Cases of Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, following hepatitis B vaccine have been reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). To test the hypothesis that hepatitis B vaccine increases the risk of ATD, we conducted a case-control study, within the Vaccine Safety Datalink project. Methods We identified potential cases of Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, among persons aged 18–69 years from administrative data recorded by three health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and verified cases by medical record review. Controls were frequency-matched to cases by birth year, sex, and study site. Vaccine information was collected from administrative records, chart review, and telephone interviews with study subjects. We enrolled 355 Graves' disease cases, 418 Hashimoto's thyroiditis cases, and 1102 controls. We assessed the association between ever-receipt of hepatitis B vaccine, as well as receipt of hepatitis B vaccine less than 1 year, 1–5 years and at least 5 years prior to the index date, and the risk of ATD. Results Ever-receipt of hepatitis B vaccine was not associated with risk of Graves' disease (odds ratio (OR), 0.90; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62–1.32) or Hashimoto's thyroiditis (OR, 1.23; 95%CI, 0.87–1.73). There was also no association between the time interval since receipt of hepatitis B vaccination and either outcome. Conclusions We did not observe an increased risk of Graves' disease or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, following receipt of hepatitis B vaccine. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
URBAN RIPARIAN RESTORATION: AN OUTDOOR CLASSROOM FOR COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS COLLABORATING IN CONSERVATION

ABSTRACT Despite the biological, social, and physical challenges that exist in urban creek restorations, there are opportunities to effectively involve local residents in ecological rehabilitation projects. An urban riparian restoration project along Strawberry Creek (Berkeley, CA) began with the goal of removing exotic vegetation and restoring native plant coverage. However, through the involvement of local high school and college students, the project accomplished an additional goal of educating the local community about restoration and conservation. Undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley conducted pre-restoration vegetation surveys of species richness and cover in order to assess initial species composition at the restoration site. Berkeley High School students, under the guidance of UC Berkeley graduate student mentors, removed exotic vegetation from an 800 m2 area of the riparian zone and replaced exotics with over 500 individual native plants. Post-restoration vegetation su...
Solutions for deploying PV systems in New York City's secondary network system

New York City has set a goal to increase its installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity from 1.1 MW in 2005 to 8.1 MW by 2015. A key barrier to reaching this goal, however, is the complexity of the interconnection process on secondary network distribution systems (network).
The Quartus University Interface Program: enabling advanced FPGA research

FPGA researchers constantly face the challenge of determining whether their innovations will work in the real world. The Quartus University Interface Program (QUIP) allows the researcher to answer this important question by directly integrating research prototypes within one of the FPGA industry's leading CAD tool suites. This work describes the QUIP interface as well as research projects that are of significant interest to the FPGA industry.
Assessing the role of experience on infants' speech discrimination.

Several studies have investigated the effect of a particular linguistic environment on infants' discrimination of voicing for stop consonants. Exposure to contrasts phonemic for a community has been said to heighten preverbal infants' sensitivity to these contrasts.This paper argues that phonetic input cannot be specified and ‘experience’ cannot be defined in this context without knowing how infants perceptually structure speech input. Consequently, the discrimination paradigm provides no test for the effect of experience on infants' speech discrimination. The conditions to be met in order to conclude an effect of experience are outlined.
Requirements for optimal execution of oops with tests

Both the efficient execution of branch intensive code and knowing the bounds on same are important issues in computing in general and supercomputing in particular. In prior work, it has been suggested, implied, or left as a possible maximum, that the hardware needed to execute code with branches optimally, i.e., oracular performance, is exponentially dependent on the total number of dynamic branches to be executed, this number of branches being proportional at least to the number of iterations of the loop. For classes of code taking at least one cycle per iteration to execute, this is not the case. For loops containing one test (normally in the form of a Boolean recurrence of order 1), it is shown that the hardware necessary varies from exponential to polynomial in the length of the dependency cycle L, while execution time varies from one time cycle per iteration to less than L time cycles per iteration; the variation depends on specific code dependencies.
Topical use of recombinant human thrombin for operative hemostasis.

Background: The topical use of thrombin has a long history in surgery as an adjunct for achieving operative hemostasis. Until recently the majority of thrombin used topically was derived from bovine plasma. This preparation has been proven to be immunogenic and has led to safety concerns in recent years. Recombinant human thrombin (rhThrombin) has recently been developed as an alternative for topical use for surgical hemostasis. Objective: To review the clinical safety and efficacy data relating to rhThrombin using bovine-derived thrombin as a comparative standard. Methods: This review summaries recent literature regarding topical use of rhThrombin using bovine thrombin as the ‘gold standard’ for topical surgical hemostasis. Conclusions: The data indicates that topical rhThrombin is as effective as bovine thrombin for hemostasis and significantly less immunogenic.
Long Term Effect of Systemic Tetracycline Administration on the Severity of Induced Periodontitis in the Rat

The present investigation was undertaken to determine the influence of systemically administered tetracycline on periodontitis in the rat. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were arranged into two groups, one group received 21 mg of tetracycline hydrochloride each day for 10 weeks in the drinking water. Periodontitis was induced in the maxillary left segment with a 0.008 inch stainless steel ligature wire and by modifying the normal diet with sucrose. The direct microscopic and histometric measurements obtained were analyzed for statistical significance, which revealed the following: 1. Tetracycline-treated animals demonstrated significantly less resorption of the buccal alveolar bone. There were no statistical differences however, in the amount of alveolar bone resorption palatally or interdentally. 2. Tetracycline-treated animals demonstrated significantly less apical migration of the junctional epithelium on the distal root of the maxillary first molar tooth. 3. Tetracycline-treated animals demonstrated significantly fewer inflammatory cells. In conclusion, long term systemic administration of tetracycline in the rat may be of value in reducing the amount of tissue destruction in experimentally induced periodontitis.
THE ROLE OF LATE PRE-CONTACT COLONIAL ENCLAVES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POSTCLASSIC UCAREO VALLEY, MICHOACAN, MEXICO

According to ethnohistoric sources, northeastern Michoacan became incorporated into the eastern frontier of the Tarascan empire during the mid-1400s. At that time, the region was multiethnic in character, with enclaves of foreigners living within communities as well as making up whole communities. Recent investigation in the Ucareo-Zinapecuaro source area uncovered evidence of an earlier foreign enclave consisting of two settlements in the Ucareo Valley whose ceramics are distinct from those of neighboring sites while indistinguishable from those of Epiclassic Huamango in the Acambay region of the Toluca Basin. The implications of these data alongside Ucareo obsidian exploitation and its role in the construction of the Protohistoric Tarascan–Aztec frontier are considered along with the results of preliminary chronometric dating.
Long Wavelength (10 /spl mu/m) Infrared Detector Using Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/Si Multiple Quantum Wells

Summary form only given. The demonstration of a Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x//Si multiquantum-well infrared detector is reported. The quantum-well structure consists of 50 periods of 30-AA-thick Si/sub 0.85/Ge/sub 0.15/ wells (doped p=1*10/sup 19/ cm/sup -3/) separated by 300-AA-thick undoped Si barriers with p/sup +/ ohmic contacts on both sides. The quantum well is designed so that only the ground state is confined in the quantum well. The feasibility of Si-based highly sensitive long-wavelength infrared detectors with the advantage of monolithic integration with Si integrated circuits was demonstrated. >
When opportunity proceeds from autonomy: A tour-based architecture for disconnected mobile sensors

We consider the case of sparse mobile sensors deployed to implement missions in challenging environments. This paper explores a notion of tour networks that is well suited to circumstances in which autonomous sensing agents cannot rely on standard networking abstractions and must create their own opportunities for communication and interaction. Tours are high-level building blocks that combine motion, communication and sensing and can be assembled to implement a broad class of autonomous sensing missions. They are supported by an architecture designed to deliver performance and robustness without compromising design abstraction.
Promoting Ethnic Identity Development in African American Youth: The Role of Rites of Passage

Contemporary adolescent rites-of-passage interventions within the African American community are designed to positively influence the ethnic identity of African American youth through activities that provide historical and cultural information, teach intellectual and social skills, and promote values that are consistent with African American culture and community needs. Unfortunately, it is unclear how consistent these interventions are with current developmental research and theory. This article presents and describes the adolescent developmental pathways paradigm (ADPP), a rites-of-passage modelforAfrican American youth that provides a developmentalframework for ethnic identity development and integrates it into the current literature on adolescent rites of passage. Particular attention is given to the ecological context within which adolescent-focused interventions currently operate and have been shown to be effective. The implications of the ADPPfor adolescent development, community empowerment, socia...
Service interface and replica management algorithm for mobile file system clients

Portable computers are now common, a fact that raises the possibility that file service clients might move on a regular basis. This new development requires rethinking some features of distributed file system design. The authors argue that existing approaches to file replica management would not cope well with the likely behavior of mobile clients, and they present their solution; a lazy server-based update operation. This operation facilitates fast, scalable, and highly fault tolerant implementations of both read and write operations in the usual case. To cope with the weak semantics of the update operation, the authors propose a new file system service interface that allows applications to opt for UNIX semantics by use of a slower, less fault-tolerant read operation. >
What do Household Surveys Really Tell Us about Risk, Shocks, and Risk Management in the Developing World?

The authors report on a project to explore empirical patterns in risk, shocks and risk management using recent household surveys with risk modules from 16 different developing countries. Natural disasters, health shocks, economic shocks, and asset loss are the most commonly reported types of shocks and, especially for the poor, often result in ‘bad’ coping responses that may perpetuate vulnerability. The information culled from these survey modules falls short of expectations in several ways.
Animal Models of Exercise–Brain Interactions

It is now established that regular exercise broadly enhances cognitive performance across the lifespan. Animal models are beginning to discover the underlying biochemical, physiological, and morphological mechanisms. Of all the brain regions affected by exercise, the hippocampus is by far the most impacted. Large numbers of neurons fire in synchrony in this region during exercise, and the magnitude of the electrical activity is closely correlated with exercise intensity. In response to the repeated activation, the entire structure enlarges, in part from the addition of new neurons. The central involvement of the hippocampus in exercise–brain interactions is particularly intriguing given the key role of the hippocampus in learning and memory. In this chapter, we first describe a few different animal models used to study the effects of exercise on the brain. Then we review the rodent work focusing on the functional significance of exercise-induced adult hippocampal neurogenesis.