cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Passage of Four Teleost Species Prior to Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Migration in Eight Tributaries of Lake Superior, 1954 to 1979

Seasonally operated barriers in rivers are used by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to block adult sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) migrations, yet pass other fish during some part of the year. Knowledge of the overlap of spawning migrations of sea lampreys and other fish species are vital for the efficient operation of the Commission's barrier program. The migration of sea lamprey spawners was compared with the migration of four other fish species using trap captures at electric barriers on eight Lake Superior tributaries during 1954 to 1979. The passage of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), longnose suckers (Catostomus catostomus), and white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) prior to the capture of sea lampreys was quantified as the proportion of the annual catch of each species. Average passage over all streams and years was smallest (5%) for longnose sucker and largest (21%) for rainbow smelt. Passage prior to first sea lamprey catch was significantly different among rivers for all four species and significantly different among years for rainbow trout. Much of the variability in annual passage was unexplained by river or year effects. It is suggested that stream-specific information on run times of sea lampreys and other fishes be used to define timing of seasonal barrier operations. If barrier operations are timed to block the entire sea lamprey spawning run, then fish passage devices are needed to pass rainbow trout, rainbow smelt, longnose suckers, and white suckers.
Mitochondrial clearance is regulated by Atg7-dependent and -independent mechanisms during reticulocyte maturation

Mitochondrial clearance is a well recognized but poorly understood biologic process, and reticulocytes, which undergo programmed mitochondrial clearance, provide a useful model to study this phenomenon. At the ultrastructural level, mitochondrial clearance resembles an autophagy-related process; however, the role of autophagy in mitochondrial clearance has not been established. Here we provide genetic evidence that autophagy pathways, initially identified in yeast, are involved in mitochondrial clearance from reticulocytes. Atg7 is an autophagy protein and an E1-like enzyme, which is required for the activity of dual ubiquitin-like conjugation pathways. Atg7 is required for the conjugation of Atg12 to Atg5, and Atg8 to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and is essential for autophagosome formation. In the absence of Atg7, mitochondrial clearance from reticulocytes is diminished but not completely blocked. Mammalian homologs of Atg8 are unmodified in Atg7−/− erythroid cells, indicating that canonical autophagy pathways are inactive. Thus, mitochondrial clearance is regulated by both autophagy-dependent and -independent mechanisms. In addition, mitochondria, which depolarize in wild-type cells before elimination, remain polarized in Atg7−/− reticulocytes in culture. This suggests that mitochondrial depolarization is a consequence rather than a cause of autophagosome formation in reticulocytes.
Efficacy of Inactivated Influenza A Virus (H3N2) Vaccines Grown in Mammalian Cells or Embryonated Eggs

Influenza virus (H3N2) host cell variants isolated from a single infected individual were compared for their protective efficacies when used as formalin-inactivated purified whole virus vaccines in ferrets. A/Mem/12/85 virus grown in embryonated chicken eggs (egg-grown), which differs from A/Mem/12/85 grown in mammalian Madin-Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK-grown) by a single amino acid substitution in the hemagglutinin molecule, was shown to be distinguishable by immune ferret serum. Ferrets were immunized intramuscularly with intact inactivated MDCK- or egg-grown virus and were subsequently challenged with infectious virus grown in either host cell type. MDCK-grown-virus vaccine induced higher mean serum hemagglutination-inhibiting (HAI) and neutralizing antibody titers than did egg-grown-virus vaccine and induced superior protection of ferrets against subsequent challenge with infectious virus grown in either host cell type. These results suggest that human influenza viruses that are antigenically and structurally similar to viruses grown in mammalian cells may be more efficacious as vaccines than some variants selected in eggs.
Induction of embryogenic Triticum aestivum L. calli. II. Quantification of organic addenda and other culture variable effects

Nine experiments were conducted to determine effects of various culture medium addenda on induction of embryogenic calli from immature embryos of a responsiveTriticum aestivum L. genotype (PCYT 10). Effects were quatified by counting somatic embryos (embryoids) per callus. Optimal auxin concentrations to induce and maintain somatic embryogenesis were 3.62 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or 9.05 μM 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (dicamba). In general, dicamba permitted formation of significantly more embryoids than 2,4-D. Kinetin (6-furfurylaminopurine) at 2.56 μM or 4.65 μM significantly increased percentage scutellar callus when added to 2,4-D or dicamba-containing medium, respectively. Kinetin at 4.65 μM signficantly increased the numbers of embryoids formed when added to medium containing either synthetic auxin. Significantly fewer embryoids formed when cultures were incubated under diffuse light (16-h photoperiod). Casein hydrolysate (200 mgl-1) or L-arginine (0.23 mM) had no effect on numbers of embryoids formed, whereas L-tryptophan (0.20 mM) enhanced such formation with 2,4-D and decreased such formation with dicamba. Two additional experiments generally demonstrated that response to auxin source in the genotypes ND 7532, PCYT 20, Yaqui 50, and Oasis was similar to that in PCYT 10. The higher molar concentration of dicamba required to induce embryogenic callus coupled with more evident embryoid precocious germination and a more rapid rate of tissue necrosis upon extended incubation without subculture suggests that dicamba is metabolized more rapidly than 2,4-D inT. aestivum callus cultures.
Near Infrared Spectroscopy as a Method for Non-Destructive Monitoring of Engineered Cartilage Growth

Tissue engineering is complicated by the plethora of factors which may influence the growth of tissue constructs. The potential of near infrared spectroscopy for the non-destructive periodic monitoring of engineered cartilage constructs was investigated. Spectral changes attributed to increased collagen and proteoglycan and decreased polyglycolic acid content were observed and were correlated to physical parameters of developing cartilage.
Enzymatic syntheses of phosphate, l-citrulline, and N-carbamyl l-aspartate labeled with either 13N or 11C

Abstract [ 13 N]- and [ 11 C]carbamyl phosphate, l -[ω- 13 N]citrulline, l -[ ureido - 11 C]citrulline, [ carbamyl - 13 N]- and [ carbamyl - 11 C]carbamyl- l -aspartate were synthesized using carbamyl phosphate synthetase coimmobilized with either aspartate transcarbamylase or ornithine transcarbamylase. Carbamyl l -[ 13 N]aspartate was enzymatically prepared from carbamyl phosphate and l -[ 13 N]aspartate. The tissue distribution of radioactivity in mice after injection of radiolabeled ammonia, carbamyl phosphate or citrulline was studied. The tissue distribution of isotope derived from [ 13 N)carbamyl phosphate and [ 13 N]ammonia were similar, with the exception of liver, brain and pancreas, in which 13 NH 3 uptake was higher after retroorbital injection. The distribution of label derived from l -[ω- 13 N]- and l -[ ureido - 13 C]citrulline was similar. Substantial tumor (Sarcoma-180) uptake of label from l -citrulline was observed.
Heat inactivation of threonine, glycine, and the acidic amino acids.

Abstract Little or no destruction of threonine, glycine, aspartic acid, and glutamic acid occurred when soybean oil meal, soybean protein, or the protein plus sucrose, glucose, dextrin, agar-agar, gum arabic, or soybean oil was autoclaved for 4 hr. at 15 lb. pressure. A portion of each of these amino acids was “inactivated” or tied up in such a manner that the biologically active amino acid could be liberated by acid but not by in vitro trypsin and erepsin digestion. Studies with soybean protein and mixtures of soybean protein and other constituents of soybean oil meal indicated that two types of inactivation occurred during autoclaving. Protein-bound threonine, glycine, and glutamic acid reacted with sucrose or glucose (glycine to some extent with dextrin or agar-agar) to form a linkage resistant to enzymatic but not to acid digestion. Protein-bound aspartic and glutamic acids reacted with some other constituent of the protein to form a linkage resistant to trypsin and erepsin digestion in vitro but hydrolyzed by acid digestion. Part of the second carboxyl groups of protein-bound aspartic and glutamic acids are combined with ammonia as the amide and part are free. It was postulated that the free carboxyl groups react with the free amino groups of lysine and arginine and with the imidazolyl group of histidine to form a peptide-type linkage resistant to enzymatic cleavage.
Relationship of psychoeducational diagnosis to educational placement

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between diagnostic classifications and educational placement recommendations utilized by educational psychologists in the evaluation of psychoeducational reports completed on a select group of boys referred to a Child Psychiatric Outpatient Department. In the present study, 45 reports were evaluated for clinical consensus in five input areas: Developmental History, School History, Cognitive Functioning, Sensorimotor-Perceptual Functioning, and Academic Achievement. In addition, one of four educational recommendations was identified for each subject: No Educational Placement Intervention Necessary, Special Tutoring or Remediation, Special Class Placement, and Special School Placement. There was interrater agreement at a greater than chance level (p≤.01) for three of the input areas, and agreement at a greater than chance level (p≤.05) for one of the input areas. Using the maximum rating given by the evaluators on each variable, subjects were classified into six discrete clusters based on their clinical characteristics. A chi square test determined that there was no significant association (p >.05) between cluster membership and specific educational placement recommendations. However, more global relationships between degree of clinical impairment and the need for some educational placement were found.
Therapy for helpless monkeys.

Abstract During the course of pilot studies and two formal experiments examining the learned-helplessness phenomenon in rhesus monkeys, 5 subjects failed to escape in a shuttlebox following earlier experience with aversive stimulation in primate-restraining chairs. The present report details a therapeutic manipulation designed to reverse these subjects' maladaptive behavior in the shuttlebox. Introduction of a different fear stimulus (a net previously used to restrain the animals) was found to be effective in inducing shuttlebox escape and avoidance learning. The implications of the present findings for an understanding of the learned-helplessness phenomenon and their relevance to therapy for human depression are discussed.
Leadership for Quality Improvement in Health Care: Empirical Evidence on Hospital Boards, Managers, and Physicians

This article explores factors promoting leadership from the top for hospital quality improvement (CQI/FQM). From literature on governance, quality improvement, and organization theory, working hypotheses were developed about the effects of physician and management involvement in governance on CQIITQM adoption, board leadership for quality, and top management leadership for quality. Hypotheses were tested using a sample of 2,030 hospitals obtained by merging two national mailed surveys. Probit and logistic regression showed physician involvement in governance played a significant role in CQI/FQM adoption and board activity in quality improvement. Formal management involvement in governance demonstrated little effect on CQI/FQM adoption, board leadership for quality, or top management leadership for quality. Informal management involvement in governance, as reflected in opportunities to influence board composition, had negative effects on board and top management leadership for quality. Top management leade...
The extent of complex population changes in nature

Many models of animal populations show complex yet predictable patterns of density changes under simple and plausible assumptions. Yet one previous attempt to determine the extent and importance of complex dynamics concluded that they were likely only in some laboratory populations, but not in field populations. Ecologists have treated changes more complex than a return to a simple equilibrium, such as the cyclical changes in populations of lynx and voles in the arctic, as special cases. Highly variable populations, such as insects, are usually thought to be driven by unpredictable changes in the weather. Here, we assemble 71 populations counted for over 50 years, and suggest that complex yet predictable population changes are more common than previously thought.
Rectifying institutional bias in medical research.

Increasing the representation of women and racial and ethnic minorities in human research has become a national priority. Federal agencies have made inclusion of women and minorities an explicit criterion on which applications for clinical research funding are judged.1 The need for this affirmative action stems from a historical bias favoring white men. As with most other institutions in the United States, medical research no longer actively excludes women and minorities. But the history of these institutions, the way they were designed and built—predominantly by and for white men—slants them in a way that continues to limit access for other groups. Federal efforts to remedy this institutional bias have not been very successful. Data from cancer clinical trials suggest that minority representation in research has not only failed to increase but has actually declined over time.
A study of rolling-contact fatigue of bearing steel coated with physical vapor deposition TiN films: Coating response to cyclic contact stress and physical mechanisms underlying coating effect on the fatigue life

Abstract The effect of physical vapor deposition (PVD) TiN coatings of different thicknesses on the rolling-contact fatigue (RCF) life of coated specimens is studied experimentally. Based on the results of conventional three-ball-on-rod testing, the optimum film thickness is found to be about 0.75 μm. Thinner coatings do not significantly affect the fatigue life, while much thicker ones have a negative effect on it. These trends agree with the findings of prior studies. Using a progressive testing technique, the mode of localized damage experienced by thick TiN coatings under cyclic contact stress conditions is established. The fatigue life reduction observed with such coatings is explained by comparison of the coated surface roughness in the damaged and the intact portions of the rolling track. Progressive testing results also indicate that the stress-affected material volume plays an important role in near-surface initiated rolling-contact fatigue. By modifying fatigue test conditions, the fatigue life enhancement observed with some PVD TiN coatings is demonstrated to result from loading ball polishing by the hard coating. The present experimental observations agree with the predictions of a companion theoretical study.
Self-reported depressive syndromes in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer's disease

Background: There is suggestion that self-reported depressive syndromes can independently manifest in the general population as cognitive/affective or somatic/vegetative. The Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II), a self-report measure of depressive symptoms, has been shown to support this two-factor structure. However, this finding has not been examined in an older adult sample with cognitive impairment. In order to determine whether older adults with cognitive impairments exhibit similarly independent cognitive/affective and somatic/vegetative depressive syndromes, we explored the factor structure of the BDI-II in this population. Methods: Participants were 228 older adults (mean age = 74, SD = 7.9) diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 137) or early Alzheimer's disease ( n = 85), who completed the BDI-II as part of an outpatient neuropsychological evaluation. Exploratory principal component factor analysis with direct Oblimin rotation was conducted, and a two-factor solution was specified based on our theoretical conceptualization of the cognitive/affective and somatic/vegetative items from the scale. Results: The first factor represented cognitive/affective symptoms of depression (e.g. self-dislike, pessimism, worthlessness), and accounted for 36% of the variance. Adding the second factor, reflecting somatic/vegetative items (e.g. sleep and appetite changes, loss of energy), accounted for an additional 6.8% of the variance. Conclusion: Results supported the presence of two distinct depressive syndromes, cognitive/affective and somatic/vegetative symptoms. Thus, cognitively impaired older adults report mood symptoms relatively similarly to younger and midlife adults. This supports the validity of self-reported mood in this group, and the results may have implications for psychiatric treatment in this population.
City planning personnel—A critical analysis

A recent survey discloses that city planning is finding a recognized place in government, but despite the fact that its goals are fairly well defined, qualifications and duties of technical personnel are disorganized and lacking in uniformity.
Bayesian Inference on a Proportion Believed to be a Simple Fraction

This article considers the problem of making inference on a proportion when there is reason to believe that the proportion is a simple fraction. By a simple fraction we mean a fraction that, when put in lowest terms, has a small denominator. After discussing the history of Bayesian inference on a proportion, we propose a class of otherwise noninformative priors that incorporates the idea that the proportion is likely to be a simple fraction, and we explore the impact of the choice of parameter. We propose the posterior mode as a point estimator, and we study the behavior of this estimator both asymptotically and for small sample sizes. We illustrate our approach by applying it both to the famous problem of estimating the probability that the sun will rise again tomorrow and to examples from the scientific work of the Augustinian friar Gregor Mendel.
In Situ mutagenesis and chemotactic selection of microorganisms in a diffusion gradient chamber

A new method has been developed to rapidly generate and select microbial strains having increased resistance to an inhibitory compound. The method combines in situ mutagenesis with use of a continuous gradient of the inhibitor to sort cells according to their resistance levels. Microbial chemotaxis is induced to accelerate the selection process. The method was used to develop a strain of E. coli having a feedback-resistant DAHP synthase enzyme. An unsteady-state mathematical model of the process has been developed. The model, that can reproduce key trends observed experimentally, was used to explore the effects of chemotaxis on the efficiency of the selection process.
Appearance Cues and the Shootings at Columbine High: Construction of a Social Problem in the Print Media

In this study, we used an interpretive approach to examine print media (newspaper) representations of the relationship between appearance and the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado. Our work was guided by the social constructionist definition of a social problem. Grounded theory analyses revealed that both primary and secondary claims-makers staged claims and/or counterclaims contributing to the construction of Columbine as an appearance-linked social problem. The content and form of these claims varied according to the stage in the construction of the problem. Further, although both primary and secondary claims were made with respect to the conceptualization of the problem, an explanation for it, and solutions to it, the roles of primary and secondary claims-makers in constructing the problem varied. Implications of claims made within the media and related to the role of appearance in the shootings are considered, and a call is made for future work in this area.
The U.S. forest service: Toward the new resource management paradigm?

Abstract The attitudes and values of U.S. Forest Service employees toward resource management issues are examined by applying general concepts and empirical observations found in the literature on social change and resource sociology. The concept of a resource management paradigm is developed and operationalized in a nationwide study of Forest Service employees. Its results suggest that the attitudes and values of one particular segment of Forest Service employees, the Association of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (AFSEEE), represent an alternative resource management paradigm that differs significantly from the dominant management paradigm held by the majority of Forest Service employees. The emergence of this extraorganizational group of Forest Service employees dedicated to agency reform is unprecedented in the history of federal land management agencies; their characteristics, both sociodemographic and attitudinal, are compared and contrasted with those of non‐AFSEEE Forest Service ...
Production of Metastable Mercury Atoms by Electron Impact

Excitation of Hg atoms by electron impact, particularly into metastable states, was studied in the energy range 4 to 15 eV. The excitation function for the $6^{3}P_{2}$ metastable state (5.46 eV) was measured from threshold up to 8.5 eV. The absolute cross-sectional scale for this state was calibrated by monitoring slow inelastically scattered electrons near threshold. The cross section had a maximum value of 3.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}16}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 25% (rms) at 5.75 eV and dropped to half this value at about 8 eV. An electron beam of 0.1-eV half-width was produced by the Retarding Potential Difference RPD method. Excited atoms were detected by electron ejection from a tungsten surface. The secondary electron yield for the $6^{3}P_{2}$ state was typically 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$. Pronounced structure in the detector current with maxima at 9.00 and 9.60 eV was attributed to the $7^{3}P_{1}$ state (8.64 eV). It appears that the contribution of the $6{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}^{3}{D}_{3}^{0}$ metastable state was minor. An upper limit of a few times ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ was estimated for the maximum cross section of this state. Another region of structure in the total detector current occurred close to and above ionization threshold. Experimental evidence indicates that this structure was produced by long-lived auto-ionizing states.
Striatal dopamine output is compromised within +/- BDNF mice.

We reported previously that mice lacking one brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) allele demonstrate elevated striatal dopamine (DA) concentrations but impaired behavioral responses involving the nigrostriatal dopaminergic (NSDA) system. To test the hypothesis that these elevated striatal DA concentrations are associated with perturbed NSDA functioning, we compared striatal DA output between heterozygous mutant (+/-) and wild-type littermate control (+/+) BDNF mice under conditions of an intact NSDA system, as well as following methamphetamine (MA)-induced neurotoxicity. Basal DA output from superfused CS tissue fragments did not differ between +/+ and +/- BDNF mice. Potassium (K+) stimulated DA outputs from intact striatal fragments of +/+ mice were significantly greater than that of +/- BDNF mice. Following MA treatment, K+ stimulated DA output of +/+ mice was statistically equivalent to +/- BDNF mice. Striatal DA concentrations of +/- BDNF mice were elevated, albeit not significantly, in both intact and MA-treated mice relative to +/+ mice. Following MA treatment, striatal DA concentrations were significantly decreased for both genotypes; however, the degree of DA depletion was significantly greater in +/+ mice. Analyzed collectively, these data show the differential effects exerted by a BDNF mutation upon striatal DA concentrations and output. Notably, lower striatal DA concentrations of +/+ vs. +/- BDNF mice can be contrasted with the significantly greater K+ stimulated DA output from the former. This difference was abolished following MA treatment. These results suggest that processes involved with the dynamics of DA release within the NSDA system may be compromised in +/- BDNF mutant mice.
Lessons from the Field: Cultivating Nurturing Environments in Higher Education

This article explores how a scholarly learning journey, as a student and faculty member, brings one back to an understanding of the value of knowledge gained in one’s home community, and provides insight on how to foster settings for others to cultivate knowledge.
COLLECTIVE SELF-ORGANIZATION IN GENERAL BIOLOGY: GILLES DELEUZE, CHARLES S. PEIRCE, AND STUART KAUFFMAN

. Stuart Kauffman's proposal in Investigations to ground a “general biology” in the laws of self-organization governing systems of autonomous agents runs up against the methodological problem of how to integrate formal mathematical with semantic and semiotic approaches to the study of evolutionary development. Gilles Deleuze's concept of the virtual and C. S. Peirce's system of existential graphs provide a theoretical framework and practical art for answering this problem of method by modeling the creative event of collective self-organization as both represented and practiced in the scientific community.
System Importance Measures Using MCS with Extended Saphire Applications

In order to address some technical challenges raised in the space shuttle PRA development, we introduce in this paper, a definition of group level importance measure (GIM) to resolve the issue of risk ranking for mission phase, system (or element) within various level of the integrated shuttle PRA model. The GIM measures defined here are extensions of Fussel-Vesely (FV) type importances, and can also be extended to calculate other conventional type of importance measures, particularly at the gate importance level within a coherent system fault tree model. Algorithms are also developed for extended SAPHIRE [1, C. Smith, T. Wood, 1996] implementations. Examples are given to show that the GIMs can be obtained for every level of contributors modeled in a PRA. Furthermore, these importances can be easily obtained and organized based on a top down hierarchy to show the safety significance of general contributors to specific category of mission risk profiles. Such measure can be easily used to produce PRA risk ranking at all level of details, such as by phase, element, sequence bins, failure type or any combinations of specific group of event type and failure mode. In the development of the underlying GIM importance measures, a complete set of extended mathematic functional relationships among the most commonly used importance measures are also derived and presented in the first section of this paper for the applications of PRA practitioners [2, F. Hsu et al., 2002].
The perception of gastroenterology fellows towards the relationship between hand size and endoscopic training.

Some endoscopic trainees find it difficult to manipulate an endoscope’s controls, possibly due to small hand size. To assess this, a survey was mailed to all gastroenterology fellows in the US. Two hundred twenty-seven of 1,295 (17.5%) fellows responded. Median surgical glove size was 7.5. Ninety-three respondents (41.0%) considered their hand too small for a standard endoscope’s handle; 176 (78.2%) felt that hand size affects the ability to learn endoscopy. Seventy-seven (34.2%) would use smaller handled endoscopes if available. Of the 38 respondents with glove sizes ≤6.5, 37 (97.4%) were female. These respondents were more likely to consider their hand too small (P < 0.001), want to use smaller handled endoscopes (P < 0.001), and feel that training programs should offer them (P = 0.009). These results suggest that a significant number of trainees, especially women, perceive that their hands are too small for standard endoscopes and believe that hand size plays a role in learning and performing endoscopy.
A Plethora of Nonlinear Dynamics Phenomena Observed in a Simple Cantilever Plate

An experimental study of the response of a rectangular, aluminum cantilever plate under transverse harmonic excitation is presented. Three test sequences, each involving a frequency sweep around a particular natural frequency of the plate and a different amplitude of base excitation, were performed. A couple of interesting nonlinear dynamics phenomena presented themselves in every test sequence. These phenomena include two-to-one and three-to-one internal resonances, external combination resonance, energy transfer between widely spaced modes, period-doubled motions, and chaos. In addition, the influence of the excitation amplitude on the energy transfer between widely spaced modes via modulation was also analyzed. It was found experimentally that the amount of energy transfer between the high- and low-frequency modes is strongly dependent on the closeness of the modulation frequency to the natural frequency of the low-frequency mode. If the modulation frequency is close to the low-mode frequency, then the amplitude of the low-mode response is large, otherwise it is small.© 2003 ASME
Pd-103 Strings: A New Approach to Brachytherapy Source Design

corresponding, which ensures one-to-one point correspondence after transformation. In this study, we chose the bladder surface in the first fraction (named F1) as a reference. The bladder surfaces in the remaining fractions (named F2-F5) were transformed onto the reference in order to obtain the deformation vector fields (DVFs) on the mesh vertices. As a comparison, the DVFs were also calculated through an inverse-consistent Demons algorithm using the same binary images. The accuracy of DVFs on bladder surface vertices were assessed with several metrics: the vertexto-vertex distance (VVD), defined as the Euclidean distance of the vertices on the deformed surface to their closest vertices on the target surface, the Hausdorff distance (HD) between the deformed surface to the target surface, the percent error of the deformed bladder volume from the expected volume (PE), and the conformity index (CI) between the deformed and the target bladder volume. Better results can be indicated by lower VVD, HD, and PE, or higher CI. Results: As an example, the overlapped surface meshes (F2 to F1) through rigid registration, Demons, and TPS-RPM are illustrated in Figure 1. While it shows that Demons performed on binary images can only match the two surface vertices to a certain degree, TPS-RPM is able to achieve more accurate alignment. The performance of TPS-RPM is further quantitatively compared with Demons using VVD, HD, PE and CI when deforming F2-F5 to F1. The mean VVD and its corresponding standard deviation for the four deformations are 4.6( 3.0)mm after Demons, and 1.9( 1.4)mm after TPS-RPM. The mean HD for these four cases is 18.2mm after Demons, and 5.4mm after TPS-RPM. The mean PE is 77.0% after Demons and decreases to 16.9% after TPSRPM. The mean CI is 0.64 after Demons, and increases to 0.91 after TPS-RPM. Both visual inspection and quantitative evaluation results indicate that TPS-RPM is more accurate in performing the deformation between two surfaces Conclusion: The bladder wall deformation is more accurate using the feature-based TPS-RPM algorithm than the intensity-based Demons algorithm, indicating that TPS-RPM has the potential for accurate bladder dose deformation and dose summation for multi-fractional cervix HDR brachytherapy
Cadmium amido alkoxide and alkoxide precursors for the synthesis of nanocrystalline CdE (E = S, Se, Te).

The synthesis and characterization of a family of alternative precursors for the production of CdE nanoparticles (E = S, Se, and Te) is reported. The reaction of Cd(NR2)2 where NR2 = N(SiMe3)2 with n HOR led to the isolation of the following: n = 1 [Cd(μ-OCH2CMe3)(NR2)(py)]2 (1, py = pyridine), Cd[(μ-OC6H3(Me)2-2,6)2Cd(NR2)(py)]2 (2), [Cd(μ-OC6H3(CHMe2)2-2,6)(NR2)(py)]2 (3), [Cd(μ-OC6H3(CMe3)2-2,6)(NR2)(py)]2 (4), [Cd(μ-OC6H2(NH2)3-2,4,6)(NR2)(py)]2 (5), and n = 2 [Cd(μ-OC6H3(Me)2-2,6)(OC6H3(Me)2-2,6)(py)2]2 (6), and [Cd(μ-OC6H3(CMe3)2-2,6)(OC6H3(CMe3)2-2,6)(THF)]2 (7). For all but 2, the X-ray crystal structures were solved as discrete dinuclear units bridged by alkoxide ligands and either terminal −NR2 or −OR ligands depending on the stoichiometry of the initial reaction. For 2, a trinuclear species was isolated using four μ-OR and two terminal −NR2 ligands. The coordination of the Cd metal center varied from 3 to 5 where the higher coordination numbers were achieved by binding Lewis basic solvents for...
Autotransfusion and blood conservation in urologic oncology.

Autotransfusion is the reinfusion of the patient's own blood. Currently utilized forms include preoperative donation, perioperative hemodilution, and intraoperative salvage. The principal benefit of autotransfusion is a reduction in the complications associated with receipt of homologous blood products. Principal among these are febrile reactions, allergic and hemolytic reactions, alloimmunization, and the transmission of hepatitis and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. An additional benefit in the management of cancer patients is the avoidance of transfusion induced immunosuppression. Redeposit autologous transfusion is a simple and safe method to reduce patient's requirements for exogenous blood. Although well suited for cancer patients, predeposit programs remain underutilized with only 5% participation. Perioperative hemodilution can be a valuable adjunct in selected patients. Although the presence of malignancy has been regarded as a contraindication to the use of intraoperative autotransfusion, preliminary reports suggest that intraoperative autotransfusion can be safely used in patients undergoing surgery for urologic malignancies.
Lengsin expression and function during zebrafish lens formation.

Abstract A zebrafish ortholog of human lengsin was identified by EST analysis of an adult lens cDNA library. During zebrafish development, lengsin transcription is first detected at 24 h post-fertilization (hpf). Immunolocalization, using polyclonal antiserum generated against a Lengsin bacterial fusion protein, detects lens-specific protein in whole-mount embryos at 30 hpf. Lengsin expression in zebrafish follows the temporal expression of the αA- αB1- and βB1-crystallin proteins in the lens. At 72 hpf, Lengsin is localized to a subpopulation of differentiating secondary fiber cells, while no expression is detected in the lens epithelial cells or central lens fibers. In the adult lens, Lengsin is restricted to a narrow band of cortical fibers and co-localizes with actin at the lateral faces of these interdigitating cells. Stable transgenic lines, using a 3 kb lengsin genomic fragment to regulate EGFP expression, recapitulate the Lengsin temporal and spatial expression patterns. Lengsin function in zebrafish lens formation was examined by antisense morpholino-mediated translation and mRNA splice inhibition. At 72 hpf, the lengsin morphant lenses are reduced in size and exhibit separations within the cortex due to defects in secondary fiber morphogenesis. The location of the morphant lens defects correlates with the Lengsin protein localization at this age. These results demonstrate Lengsin is required for proper fiber cell differentiation by playing roles in either cell elongation or the establishment of cell interactions.
Mass spectroscopic characterization of tars from the gasification of low-rank coals

Abstract Mass spectroscopic methods were developed for characterization of gasifier tars. The tars studied were produced during pilot plant operation of the GFETC slagging fixed-bed gasifier. Nine samples were selected, representing four low-rank coals and a range of gasifier conditions. The tars were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and low-voltage mass spectrometry. Whole samples and fractions separated by column chromatography were analysed by conventional g.c.-m.s. techniques for identification of major compounds. Carbon number analysis was accomplished using h.r.m.s. for mass identification and l.v.m.s. for quantitative analysis. The chemical nature of the coal gasified was shown to be important in determining the composition of the tar. Approximately twenty constituents varied markedly in tars produced from different coals gasified under identical conditions. The important operating parameters affecting tar composition are the amount of hydrogen in the gas phase and the coal residence time. Neither operating pressure nor oxygen rate appear to be related to the composition of the tar.
Insulin in Invertebrates and Cyclostomes

It seems increasingly clear that insulin is a hormone that does not occur exclusively in vertebrates. Several independent reports now exist giving evidence of insulin production in the digestive tissues of both deuterostomian and protostomian invertebrates. Cells with some light-microscopical and ultrastructural characteristics of vertebrate B-cells have also been observed. Recently, evidence has been obtained that insulin can act as a hypoglycemic hormone, promoting glycogen synthesis, also in a protostomian invertebrate, the gastropod mollusc, Strophocheilus oblongus . The endocrine pancreas of the cyclostomes occupies a key position in the comparative endocrinology of the islet parenchyma and in the evolution of insulin production. It may represent an evolutionary link between the presumably gut-connected dispersed insulin-producing cells of deuterostomian invertebrates and the pancreatic islets of gnathostomian vertebrates. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that cells with light-microscopical and ultrastructural similarities to the islet B-cells were observed in the bile duct mucosa of the hagfish, Myxine glutinosa . However, immunofluorescent studies with antisera against human insulin and C-peptide did not show any immunoreactive material outside the B-cells of the endocrine pancreas. Particular attention was paid to elucidate the biological significance of the large cystic cavities that are so typical for the cyclostomian islet parenchyma. The working hypothesis that they may contain stored insulin, proinsulin (or even “proto-proinsulin”) was not supported by immunofluorescence, autoradiographic, or ultrastructural investigations, nor by proinsulin assays. It is possible that hagfish islet B-cells contain zinc, despite the fact that the amino acid residue in B10-position is aspartic acid instead of histidine. The biosynthesis of hagfish insulin shows a pattern similar to that in gnathostomes. Its rate is related to the ambient temperature and at 11 C the conversion of proinsulin to insulin lasts several days.
Kinetics for degradation of rifampicin, an azomethine-containing drug which exhibits reversible hydrolysis in acidic solutions

Abstract The degradation of rifampicin ( I ) was studied at six pH values from pH 1 to 5 (37°C, I = 0.1 M). The principal reaction under these conditions is reversible hydrolysis of an azomethine bond. Oxidative side-reactions were prevented by the addition of ascorbic acid to the reaction media. Concentration-time plots were initially concentration dependent and approached an equilibrium, consistent with a reversible reaction. Studies were performed at low initial drug concentration (21 μg/ml), as the primary reaction product was observed to precipitate at higher substrate concentrations. Apparent rate constants for hydrolysis were calculated from the concentration-time data by two methods. The first assumed pseudo-first order irreversible behavior (forward reaction only), as linear log concentration-time plots were observed for about three half-lives. The second attempted to account for the expected pseudo-second order reverse reaction as well. The rate constants were in close agreement, due to the low initial drug concentration and the very low concentration of I (> 1–7.5% of initial) at equilibrium. The pH-rate pppears complex below pH 4.3, but displays a slope of −0.97 between pH 4.3 and 5.0, suggesting specific acid catalysis, or a kinetic equivalent.
Coulomb effects in deuteron-induced deuteron break-up

Abstract Coulomb effects in deuteron-induced deuteron break-up are introduced with Coulomb penetrability Fermi factors only for pd amplitudes. An excellent agreement with experimental data in the 6 to 13 MeV range is obtained.
Fortification of foods with amino acids.

In this article Dr Altschul discusses how the addition of specific amino acids can solve some nutritional problems, chiefly by reducing the pressure on protein produced from the land.
Liposome−Cell Interactions in Vitro: Effect of Liposome Surface Charge on the Binding and Endocytosis of Conventional and Sterically Stabilized Liposomes†

The cellular uptake of liposomes is generally believed to be mediated by adsorption of liposomes onto the cell surface and subsequent endocytosis. This report examines the effect of liposome surfac...
Comparison trial of four injectable anesthetics for laceration repair.

Objectives: To compare four injectable anesthetics (buffered 1% lidocaine, buffered 1% lidocaine with epinephrine, plain 1% lidocaine with epinephrine, and 0. 5% diphenhydramine with epinephrine) for pain of infiltration and effectiveness of anesthesia during suturing of minor lacerations. Methods: A prospective, randomized, double-blind, comparison trial of the above agents was performed in an urban ED; adults with simple linear lacerations without vascular compromise were enrolled. Physicians and patients ranked the pain of injection and suturing according to a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). Fisher's exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare demographic data, and Kruskal-Wallis and Newman-Keuls tests were used in analysis of VAS rankings. The power of the study was 0. 8 to detect a 1. 4-cm difference in VAS readings, and 0. 9 to detect a 1. 7-cm difference. Results: Seven of 200 enrolled patients were excluded due to improper data collection and 13 were removed from final statistical analysis due to need for additional anesthetic (treatment failures), leaving 180 subjects for final analysis. Demographic data were similar for the four groups (p > 0.05). Diphenhydramine with epinephrine was significantly more painful to inject than was buffered lidocaine or buffered lidocaine with epinephrine, according to both the patients (p = 0.0003) and the physicians (p = 0.0037). The two buffered compounds were slightly less painful to inject than was lidocaine with epinephrine, but statistical comparisons did not reach significance. For anesthesia effectiveness, lidocaine with epinephrine and buffered lidocaine with epinephrine were statistically better than buffered lidocaine or diphenhydramine with epinephrine (p = 0.0001 for the patients and the physicians). Conclusions: Buffered lidocaine with epinephrine and lidocaine with epinephrine were more effective anesthetics during suturing, according to both the physicians and the patients. There was a tendency toward less pain with infiltration in buffered solutions, compared with plain lidocaine with epinephrine, but the comparisons did not reach statistical significance. Diphenhydramine with epinephrine was more painful to inject than were buffered lidocaine with epinephrine and lidocaine with epinephrine, and was less effective anesthetically than the other three solutions.
Finger Flexor Tendon Excursion During Computer Keyboarding

Previously our laboratory demonstrated that a continuous one-hour keyboarding assignment caused acute changes in the ultrasonographic measures of the median nerve.1 We also attempted to correlate these changes to a variety of contributing factors, such as individual features, as well as certain biomechanical variables. In this study, our objective was to quantify the amount of tendon travel as a function of keyboarding and investigate the effects of tendon travel on the median nerve ultrasonographic measures.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Oral administration of contrast medium for rectal opacification in pelvic computed tomography

A technique is presented for rectal opacification by the administration of oral contrast medium given the night before a computed tomography scan. This has eliminated the need for enemas in most cases.
USE OF BAIT CONTAINING TRICLABENDAZOLE TO TREAT FASCIOLOIDES MAGNA INFECTIONS IN FREE RANGING WHITE-TAILED DEER

Triclabendazole-medicated corn bait was given to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the Welder Wildlife Refuge, Sinton, Texas (USA), at a dose of 11 mg/kg body weight per deer per day for seven days, for control of Fascioloides magna. Medicated bait was offered for one week each during the winters of 1987, 1988, and 1989. Deer collected from treated areas, from baited control and from unbaited control areas were examined before the start of the study in 1987, and four weeks after the end of the baiting period in each of three years. Prior to the study, prevalence of fluke infection was 68%. After treatment with triclabendazole medicated corn, 13 (56%) of 23 deer collected were infected with flukes of which 15% had live parasites; this was evidence for therapeutic treatment. Of the deer collected in the baited and unbaited control areas, 63% and 80%, respectively, were infected only with live flukes. Prevalence of live flukes in deer was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the treatment pasture than in the baited or unbaited control areas in each of the three years. Efficacy of the baiting system over the three years was 63% when comparing the treatment area and the baited control area.
Deciding to Use Organizational Grievance Processes Does Conflict Style Matter

University ombuds serve as a resource for students who want to resolve conflicts with professors. However, little research examines the relationship between individual conflict style preferences, perceptions of procedural justice, and intentions to use ombuds processes. Professor–student conflict is a unique area of study because the relationship is temporary and also the first time that individuals deal with conflict as adults. This study examined the relationship between students’ preferred conflict style, their perceptions of procedural justice, and their intentions to use the ombuds system if involved in a conflict. Individuals with solution-oriented styles had positive perceptions of procedural justice, whereas control and nonconfrontation styles were associated with negative perceptions. In addition, individuals with solution-oriented styles were more likely to indicate intent to use ombuds systems. The findings provide further support for the original literature on conflict styles.
Optimal Design of Sampling from Finite Populations: A Critical Review and Indication of New Research Areas

Abstract The design of sampling from finite populations is receiving increased attention in the statistical literature. This article presents a critical review of past studies and new developments and outlines areas meriting further study and research. Bayesian and non-Bayesian approaches are analyzed but are not offered in a normative manner. Both points of view and the extent to which they provide differences in survey sample design are discussed and examined. These differences are highlighted in stratification procedures, stratified sampling allocation, multivariate designs, and designs with varying inclusion probabilities.