cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lessons learned from recent randomized controlled trials comparing the immunogenicity of different infant vaccination schedules of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Background: The technically complex pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) is arguably one of the most important and widely studied vaccines since the Hib vaccine. Given the complexity of its design, the cost of administering the PCV is tremendous. While we cannot make adjustments to the vaccine itself post licensure, we can manipulate the dosing schedule. And yet little work has been done to understand the differences in immune responses across different dosing schedules. Methods: Accordingly, we conducted a review of three recently published randomized control trials that compared immune responses across commonly used vaccine schedules in both high- and low-income countries. Results: Each of these studies assessed how changes to the number of doses, spacing between doses and the use/timing of a booster dose affected ELISA geometric mean concentrations post-primary and post-booster dose. If the goal is to administer vaccinations in the most immunologically efficient manner as possible, evidence from these studies would suggest that several commonly used vaccine schedules are missing the mark. Conclusions: In order to deliver the most “bang for its buck”, PCV dosing schedules should not only leverage convenience but also immunological data. Without the reexamination of PCV schedules the status quo will remain inefficient, ineffective and needlessly expensive, threatening the sustainability of its implementation long-term.
WHO's Next - The United States and the World Health Organization.

Suppose a large forest fire hits California. Millions of acres are burning, and many towns are threatened. The Forest Service firefighters are cutting breaks and dropping water from helicopters. Th...
The Infinite Qualitative Difference and the Difference It Makes: A Recurring Theme in Barth’s Dogmatics

This article argues that the term “incommensurable” is a key indicator of Barth’s position that the difference between God and the world is a “pure difference” and therefore not a difference of any...
Lead-farmer extension and smallholder valuation of new agricultural technologies in Tanzania

Abstract Encouraging the widespread adoption and use of new on-farm technologies is an important part of productivity-led strategies to promote agricultural transformation. While many interventions have been designed to promote adoption through extension and education, little is known about how these efforts influence farmer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for new technologies. We use a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism to elicit farmer WTP for two improved seed varieties and a new seed treatment product, Apron Star, under two different lead-farmer extension treatments in Tanzania: (i) a demonstration plot showcasing the technologies within a village; and (ii) a demonstration plot coupled with distribution of trial packs enabling some farmers to test the technologies on their own land. In the BDM, farmers were presented with six products – the two bean varieties: without Apron Star, with Apron Star already applied, and with a sachet of Apron Star for the farmer to treat the seed him/herself. Our results suggest that neither extension treatment significantly affects WTP for these technologies. However, we find that farmers are willing to pay more for seed that is pre-treated with Apron Star than for seed bundled with a sachet of Apron Star for self-treatment.
On the accepted name of the Paria River breadroot, Pediomelum pariense (S.L. Welsh & N.D. Atwood) J.W. Grimes

Two groups independently and seemingly simultaneously published the new combination of Pediomelum pariense, the Paria River breadroot. Both names were published in the second-quarter issues of separate journals in 1986. Same issue dates have led to confusion over which name takes precedence and is thus accepted. However, one issue was delayed in printing. Evidence is provided herein for acceptance of Pediomelum pariense (S.L. Welsh & N.D. Atwood) J.W. Grimes over Pediomelum pariense (S.L. Welsh & N.D. Atwood) S.L. Welsh & N.D. Atwood.
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Historical Perspective: An AJPH Dossier.

In the time of COVID-19, manyare turning to the authors of epidemic and pandemic history in the hope that they will do for us what medical historian Henry E Sigerist did for his generation in the dark days of worldwide depression and World War II, that is, to give us perspective on the present by allowing us to see it through the lenses of time and social evolution 1 With this in mind, AJPH has encouraged historical essays to help place the COVID19 pandemic in perspective In this issue four such essays, along with five accompanying editorial comments, address the pre-vaccine challenges with which we have already been grappling: attempting to understand the complex epidemiology of the pandemic and hoping to learn important lessons from it, trying to collect data to solidly ground epidemiological analyses, pursuing social mitigation measures in the hope of buy-in and success, and facing head on the implications in terms of national reputation of our country's substantial failures thus far in dealing with COVID-19 Morabia (p 438) focuses on the US Public Health Service's 1918-1919 house-to-house morbidity and mortality survey to understand how that survey was done and what data were collected for analysis Because the survey included questions about economic status, race, and crowding, findings indicated that incidence and mortality were higher among the poor and that in many areas Whites were apparently more infected but died less than people of color
Why Have Uniform Informed Consent Documents When the Research Volunteers Are So Diverse

Making consent work for its primary purposes has been, and will be, a challenge. Millum and Bromwich have done an excellent job of considering the manifold obligations of informed consent, with the...
Transperineal ultrasonography

Transperineal US has increased in use in the last decade. It is helpful in the evaluation of distal genitourinary structures, the rectum and overlying soft tissues. When used in conjunction with transabdominal US, transperineal US can further delineate anatomy and assess abnormalities that affect the lower pelvis. This paper describes optimal technique and common indications for transperineal US in children with examples of congenital and acquired lesions in pediatric patients.
Reforming the Patent System

The costs of the intellectual property system in the United States are growing significantly faster than the amount of research. This article proposes three responses: to raise the standards for patentability, to decrease the use of patents to bar research, and to ease legal attack on patents of questionable validity.
Liberalism, Keynesianism, and French and German Responses to the 'Great Recession'

This paper argues that distinctive liberal traditions in France and Germany have been instrumental in shaping the two countries’ policy responses to the post-2007 economic crisis. In France, a tradition of “neutralist liberalism” privileges a notion of individual equality before the law and aggregate social and economic welfare fostered by an activist state. In Germany, by contrast, a tradition of “corporate liberalism” is more pluralist in inspiration and emphasizes the economic powers and responsibilities of social and economic groups among which the state serves as a referee rather than as an architect of social and economic order. The paper traces the development of these liberal traditions and argues that they have shaped the character of the post-2007 turn to Keynesian policies designed to boost economic activity and create jobs. It argues further that both existing institutions of social protection and interpretations of the crisis by key political actors, themselves shaped by nationally specific variants of liberalism, have played central roles in fashioning these policy trajectories. It concludes that these outcomes are inconsistent with traditional rationalist or institutional accounts and calls for additional work on the role of ideas in shaping national responses to economic crisis.
Globus toolkit version 4: software for service-oriented systems

The Globus Toolkit (GT) has been developed since the late 1990s to support the development of service-oriented distributed computing applications and infrastructures. Core GT components address, within a common framework, basic issues relating to security, resource access, resource management, data movement, resource discovery, and so forth. These components enable a broader “Globus ecosystem” of tools and components that build on, or interoperate with, core GT functionality to provide a wide range of useful application-level functions. These tools have in turn been used to develop a wide range of both “Grid” infrastructures and distributed applications. I summarize here the principal characteristics of the latest release, the Web services-based GT4, which provides significant improvements over previous releases in terms of robustness, performance, usability, documentation, standards compliance, and functionality.
Abstract W P261: Predictors of the Need for Intensive Care Unit Admission Following Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background: Current guidelines recommend that initial management of patients with an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) occur in a neuroscience intensive care unit (ICU). However, some patients can be safely managed without ICU care. We evaluated factors that may predict the need for ICU level of care. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all adult patients with supratentorial ICH presenting within 72 hours of symptom onset seen from 2009-2012. Patients admitted for palliative care or ICH due to a known structural lesion were excluded. Criteria defining need for ICU level of care were: need for intubation/mechanical ventilation, hyperosmolar therapy, neurosurgical procedure, prolonged ICU admission, or significant clinical deterioration. A univariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on patient demographics, medical comorbidities, time to presentation, vital signs, GCS/FOUR score, medications, laboratory studies, and imaging to identify independent predictors of the need for ICU admission. Results: 229 patients met inclusion criteria. Based on our triage criteria, 128 patients (56%) required ICU level of care. Multivariable analysis identified five factors that best predicted the need for ICU admission: younger age, shorter time to presentation, lower FOUR score, larger hemorrhage volume, and use of anticoagulants at presentation (table). Intraventricular hemorrhage and GCS score were not significant predictors on the multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Age, time to presentation, FOUR score, hemorrhage volume, and use of anticoagulants predict the need for ICU care after ICH. These variables will be used to develop a formula to aid clinicians in appropriate initial triage of patients with ICH. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Biodiversity of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria in Mercury-Contaminated Beaver Ponds at Avery Brook

Beaver ponds act as mercury sinks, exhibiting favorable conditions for the production of neurotoxic methylmercury by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRBs), a group of bacteria that are characterized by function (sulfate reduction) rather than phylogeny. This study was conducted to explore the diversity of SRB communities inhabiting microenvironments at the sediment-water interface in one beaver pond located on the Avery Brook stream system in the Conway State Forest. Clone libraries were constructed in order to capture some of the diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria as well as a biogeographic pattern. Though the clone libraries did not reveal a biogeographic pattern, the results showed an unprecedented amount of SRB diversity in all sampled microenvironments.
Effect of architecture configuration on software reliability and performance estimation

Presents a case study that enables the early prediction of software reliability and performance at the architecture design stage. Software architecture design is a crucial stage in the software development process, especially in developing large-scale software. Early prediction of the reliability and performance of the software can be used as a basis for making design decisions. We have studied several common architectural styles, with emphasis on the pipe-filter and the batch-sequential styles, and observed the impact of different configurations on reliability and performance measurements. Moreover, several external factors that might have an influence on these measurements are studied. The results show that altering the architecture configuration to attain higher reliability and/or better performance is feasible depending on variations in the execution environment.
Fluorometric Analysis for N'-Formylkynurenine in Plasma and Urine

We describe a fluorometric method of analysis for N '-formylkynurenine. The method depends on the rate of enol formation when a solution of the compound is made basic. The enol is more fluorescent than the neutral compound. The increase in fluorescence is measured, with use of 430-nm emission and 319-nm excitation wavelengths. This method is applied to the determination of N '-formylkynurenine in protein-free filtrates of plasma or urine. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative method for determination of N '-formylkynurenine.
Urinary Antidiuretic Hormone Excretion During the Menstrual Cycle and Pregnancy in the Monkey

24-hour urine collections were made in normally cycling and pregnant adult female rhesus monkeys. Volume and osmolality were measured and the antidiuretic hormone (ADH) excretion was determined by a r
Biogenesis of the clavine-type ergot alkaloids.

Mevalonic acid-2-C14 fed to saprophytic cultures of ergot, strain 47 A, gave rise, within two weeks, to radioactive penniclavine, elymoclavine, setoclavine, and agroclavine. The radiolable also entered lipidic materials and a pigment, but not the amino acids. The specific activities of elymoclavine and agroclavine were identical for each pair isolated from different cultures, a fact that might be interpreted to mean that they have a common biogenetic pathway, at least to the stage of the final carbon skeleton.
The Challenge of Parenting Girls in Neighborhoods of Different Perceived Quality

It is well-known that disadvantaged neighborhoods, as officially identified through census data, harbor higher numbers of delinquent individuals than advantaged neighborhoods. What is much less known is whether parents' perception of the neighborhood problems predicts low parental engagement with their girls and, ultimately, how this is related to girls' delinquency, including violence. This paper elucidates these issues by examining data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study, including parent-report of neighborhood problems and level of parental engagement and official records and girl-reported delinquency at ages 15, 16, and 17. Results showed higher stability over time for neighborhood problems and parental engagement than girls' delinquency. Parents' perception of their neighborhood affected the extent to which parents engaged in their girls' lives, but low parental engagement did not predict girls being charged for offending at age 15, 16 or 17. These results were largely replicated for girls' self-reported delinquency with the exception that low parental engagement at age 16 was predictive of the frequency of girls' self-reported delinquency at age 17 as well. The results, because of their implications for screening and early interventions, are relevant to policy makers as well as practitioners.
THE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN AROUSAL LEVEL ON CRITICAL FLICKER FUSION FREQUENCY AND FIGURAL REVERSAL TASKS

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between intra-and inter-individual differences in arousal level and performance on both critical flicker fusion frequency and figural reversal tasks. Forty male undergraduate Ss were used. Electrical skin conductance was used as the indicant of arousal level. For the intra-individual comparisons white noise was used to increase the Ss’arousal levels. Significant inverted U-shaped relationships were found between both flicker fusion thresholds and rates of figural reversal and skin conductance between individuals. A significant curvilinear relationship was found between rates of figural reversal and level of conductance within individuals. No significant curvilinear relationship was found between flicker fusion thresholds and level of conductance within individuals.
Ionization behavior of proteins. II. Chymotrypsinogen and its group-modified derivatives: Study of their ionization characteristics by potentiometric and calorimetric titration

Chymotrypsinogen, nitrated chymotrypsinogen (two of the four tyrosyls nitrated), acetylated chymotrypsinogen (all amino groups blocked), and nitrated-acetylated chymotrypsinogen were titrated as f(pH) in an isoperibolic calorimeter at 20°C. After appropriate correction and reduction of both the potentiometric and thermal titration data, the parameters N (ionizable groups per group-set), pK′, and ΔHi (heat of ionization) were evaluated using the iterative curve-fitting algorithm of the MLAB computer program. The pK′ parameters so obtained for the two normally ionizing tyrosyl groups in chymotrypsinogen and the two nitrated tyrosyl groups in the nitrated proteins essentially agreed with the results of spectral titration. Excellent fits to all data could be obtained using evaluated parameter sets of N and pK′ for the potentiometric titration data (groups vs pH plots) and N, pK′, and ΔHi sets for the calorimetric data (total heat vs pH plots). The invocation of electrostatic interaction effects was not required to explain the data satisfactorily, despite the differences in charge number and type among the four proteins. Rather, the data can be represented by series expressions of the mass-action law. Using all information, viz., the consequences of functional group modification, the downscale shift in tyrosyl group pK's on nitration, and the numerical values of the evaluated N, pK′, and ΔHi parameter sets for all proteins, the chemical identity of the various classes of group sets can be assigned with reasonable assurance.
Leading the way: Inside the experiences of high-achieving African American male students

More than two-thirds of all African American males who begin college never finish. This and a legion of other discouraging facts about African American males are the usual headlines. But what about...
Challenges in evaluating all-cause hospital readmission measures for use as national consensus standards.

CONTEXT The National Quality Forum (NQF) aims to improve the quality of health care for all Americans through fulfillment of its three-part mission. The NQF uses its formal Consensus Development Process to evaluate and endorse consensus standards, including performance measures, best practices, frameworks, and reporting guidelines. OBJECTIVE To understand the opportunities and challenges in endorsing measures addressing all-cause readmissions to hospitals for use as national voluntary consensus standards for accountability and quality-improvement purposes. DESIGN Report of standards development process. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The Consensus Development Process was used to evaluate 3 candidate standards using the NQF Measure Evaluation Criteria. A 21-member steering committee rated each standard according to the criteria and made initial endorsement recommendations for all measures. RESULTS Through the evaluation of measures for endorsement, several overarching issues in measuring all-cause readmissions were identified, including statistical modeling and the usability of the measures for quality improvement and accountability. Additionally, it was decided that, for the first time, quality monitoring and accountability of readmissions will take place at the health-plan level. Measuring at various levels of accountability reinforces the idea that multiple stakeholders have a responsibility and a role to reduce readmissions. CONCLUSIONS These NQF-endorsed measures are a major step in promoting better understanding of readmissions and a reduction in hospital readmission rates, when appropriate. These measures can help reduce the substantial financial and emotional stress that readmissions place on the health care system, and patients will be able to communicate hospital-level performance on this important quality indicator.
Abstract 2466: Tobacco carcinogen-enhanced lung tumorigenesis in Gprc5a knockout mice recapitulates human lung cancer development

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Lung carcinogenesis occurs through a multi-step process, which involves the activation or over-expression of oncogenes and the inactivation or silencing of tumor-suppressor genes. Mouse models for human lung cancer have proven to be valuable tools for understanding the basic tumor biology as well as for the development and validation of new approaches to cancer prevention and therapy. Previously, we found that mice with a knockout (KO) of G-protein coupled receptor 5A (Gprc5a) develop lung tumors after a long latent period (12 to 24 months). To determine whether a tobacco carcinogen will enhance tumorigenesis in this model, we administered 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) i.p. to 2-months old Gprc5a-KO mice and sacrificed groups (n=5) of mice at 6, 9, 12, and 18 months later. Compared to control Gprc5a-KO mice, NNK-treated mice developed lung tumors at least 6 months earlier, exhibited 2- to 4-fold increased tumor incidence and multiplicity, and showed a dramatic increase in lesion size. A signature of differentially expressed genes derived by transcriptome analysis of epithelial cell lines from normal lungs of Gprc5a-KO mice and from NNK-induced adenocarcinoma was highly similar to differential expression patterns observed between normal and tumorigenic human lung cells. The signature also separated both mouse and human adenocarcinomas from normal lung tissues based on publicly available microarray datasets. A key feature of the signature, up-regulation of UBE2C, MCM2, and FEN-1, was validated in mouse normal lung and adenocarcinoma tissues and cells by immunohistochemistry and western blotting, respectively. Our findings support the following conclusions: 1) lung tumorigenesis in the Gprc5a-KO mouse model is augmented by NNK, 2) gene expression changes induced by tobacco carcinogen(s) are conserved between mouse and human lung epithelial cells, 3) the Gprc5a-KO mouse model recapitulates human lung adenocarcinoma. Thus, the Gprc5a-KO mouse model could be useful for cancer chemoprevention studies. Supported by the Samueal Waxman Cancer Research Foundation and the NCI Cancer Center Core Grant P30-CA16672. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2466.
Analysis of two-dimensional measurement data for automated inspection

Abstract Automatic sensing machines often provide a mass of geometric boundary information that has to be analyzed in order to estimate desired geometric parameters of part features. This problem has been approached primarily by curve fitting and often ad-hoc and arbitrary definitions of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing terms such as “size” and “position”. As indicated in ANSI and ISO standards and as evident to designers, parts do not make contact on best fit surfaces but on their extreme functional boundaries. In this paper, definitions based on computational geometry are given to formalize the meaning of geometric imperfections according to the implications of the standards. Given two-dimensional data point patterns, the problem of determining the size, form, orientation, and position of circular, planar, and parallel-plane features are formally expressed. Those definitions which lead to known solution techniques in computational geometry are identified. Solutions to other problems not found in related studies are presented, such as the roundness problem and the size of parallel-plane features. A formal technique for dealing with datum related features is also presented. Finally, an example is given that illustrates how a typical position tolerance can be verified with a simple procedure. The application of these techniques is demonstrated in automated dimensional inspection and in modeling of manufactured part geometries.
Cortical inputs to the CA1 field of the monkey hippocampus originate from the perirhinal and parahippocampal cortex but not from area TE

We determined the cortical regions that project directly to the CA1 field of the monkey hippocampus by injecting the retrograde tracers Fast blue, Diamidino yellow or WGA-HRP into CA1 and examining the distribution of labeled cells. In the temporal lobe, large numbers of retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices. Only an occasional labeled cell, however, was observed in the unimodal visual area TE. Additional projections to CA1 arose in the dorsal bank of the superior temporal sulcus, in the rostral and retrosplenial portions of the cingulate cortex, in the agranular insular cortex, and in the caudal orbitofrontal cortex.
Immediate surgery reduced long-term risk for nonperioperative stroke in severe asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis

Source Citation Halliday A, Harrison M, Hayter E, et al. 10-year stroke prevention after successful carotid endarterectomy for asymptomatic stenosis (ACST-1): a multicentre randomised trial. Lancet...
The transmission of the ‘Digby’ corpus of bilingual glosses to Aldhelm's Prosa de virginitate

Aldhelm of Malmesbury's Prosa de virginitate (hereafter Pdv) can be called one of the most enduring works of Anglo-Saxon scholarship. Immensely influential in Aldhelm's lifetime, the text continued to be popular in England and on the Continent until Viking invasions put an end to native learning in the last half of the ninth century. Yet by the 920s interest in Aldhelm's prose treatise had revived, inaugurating a new movement in ‘hermeneutic’ Latin that lasted, in some centres, beyond the turn of the twelfth century. Fourteen English manuscripts of Pdv document the renewed interest in Aldhelm's work. Most of these manuscripts are heavily glossed, and, indeed, some preserve about 25,000 bilingual annotations ranging from single letters or symbols to entire paragraphs copied verbatim from Isidore's Etymologiae. The density of glossing is astounding, when contrasted with the length of Pdv, about 20,000 words.
The determination of moments for extension of the wrist generated by muscles of the forearm

In deciding on suitable tendon transfers to replace denervated muscle-tendon units, important considerations are the strength and effectiveness of possible substitutes. A method is presented by which the strength of the wrist extensor muscles and their moment arms can be determined. The method can be applied to other muscles at other joints. It involves the use of a force transducer which measures the combined forces of the three wrist extensors in an isometric contraction. This moment for wrist extension, measured in the living intact arm, is the same as the sum of the moments of the three wrist extensor muscles. The contribution of each muscle to the total moment is calculated from ratios that have been developed from a quantitative study of moment arms and muscle masses in sixteen cadaver limbs. It is suggested that the ratio of one moment arm to another is fairly constant from subject to subject, and that muscle masses also have sufficiently similar ratios to each other to serve as the basis for practical estimations by the surgeon. Thus the surgeon needs only one or two direct measurements of moments externally and only one or two skeletal measurements on any living subject to be able to estimate the effectiveness of a number of muscles on the basis of cadaver studies such as this, and to project the behavior of a muscle after it has been transferred to a position where it will have new moment arms.
Giant cardiac myxoma with malignant transformed glandular structures

A case of a right-sided giant cardiac myxoma with malignant transformation of glandular structures causing systemic metastases is described. Plain chest radiography and computed tomography localized the tumor within the heart. Exact depiction of the origin of the tumor using subtracted 2D-projection MR angiography is documented. Radiologic findings and differential diagnosis of this unique tumor are discussed.
Functional inhibition of cytosolic and mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase by l-2-amino-4-methoxy-trans-3-butenoic acid in isolated rat hepatocytes and mitochondria

Abstract The transaminase inhibitor l -2-amino-4-methoxy- trans -3-butenoic acid (AMB) decreased aspartate aminotransferase activity by approximately two-thirds in isolated rat liver mitohondria incubated with succinate, ammonia, and ornithine. Aspartate production by the mitochondria was unaffected over the 30-min incubation period, indicating that mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase activity is normally far in excess of that required for maximal rates of aspartate production. In rat hepatocytes incubated with lactate, ammonia, and ornithine the inhibition of both the cytosolic and mitochondrial isozymes of aspartate aminotransferase by AMB was partially blocked by the presence of ammonia and ornithine. When pyruvate was substituted for lactate as a carbon source with isolated hepatocytes, the presence of ammonia and ornithine blocked the inhibition by AMB of the mitochondrial but not the cytosolic isozyme of aspartate aminotransferase. Urea formation by cells incubated with lactate, ammonia, and ornithine was unaffected by AMB unless the cells were preincubated with the inhibitor prior to the addition of substrates. However, urea formation by cells incubated in the presence of pyruvate, ammonia, and ornithine was inhibited strongly by AMB even without preincubation. The results suggest that the stimulation of ureogenesis from ammonia and ornithine by pyruvate involves the cytosolic isozyme of aspartate aminotransferase. In contrast, the stimulation of ureogenesis elicited by lactate primarily involved mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase.
Tumoral calcinosis: A case report and review of the literature

Tumoral calcinosis rarely occurs in the hand. It is an uncommon familial disease suggesting an autosomal recessive gene pattern, often with laboratory findings of hyperphosphatemia and normocalcemia. Our patient had bilateral hand involvement, including local calcinosis cutis of the skin and bone changes not previously reported in the literature. At a 2-year follow-up after two lesions were excised from her left hand, one lesion had completely resolved and the other recurred. Two large symptomatic lesions and one area of local calcinosis cutis in her right hand have recently been excised.
CYCLOPENTADIENYL, INDENYL, AND FLUORENYL ANIONS : GAS-PHASE AND SOLVATION ENERGY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ELECTRON DETACHMENT ENERGIES

We have measured the gas-phase electron affinities of indenyl and fluorenyl radicals to be 42.7 ± 0.3 and 43.1 ± 0.3 kcal/mol, respectively, by electron photodetachment spectroscopy, using an ion cyclotron resonance spectrometer to generate, trap, and detect ions. From the electron affinities and literature values for the gas-phase acidities, we derive the bond dissociation energies: indene, 81.1 ± 2.4 kcal/mol and fluorene, 81.3 ± 2.4 kcal/mol. We describe a general approach for comparing gas and solution-phase ionic properties.
The effect of stretch removal on muscle weight and proteolytic enzyme activity in normal and dystrophic chicken muscles

Hypertrophy was induced in the patagialis (PAT) muscle of 6-week-old normal and dystrophic chicks by passive stretch for 1 week. Stretch was then removed and muscle weights and activities of the proteolytic enzymes cathepsin C, cathepsin D, and leucine aminopeptidase (LAPase) were measured after 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 days. In both genotypes, weights of stretch-released muscles dropped progressively for 7 days relative to control muscles, after which they were not significantly different. At the time of stretch release, proteolytic enzyme activities were approximately twice as high in stretched normal muscles as in normal control muscles. In dystrophic chicks there was no difference in activities between stretched and control muscles. However, the activities of the enzymes in dystrophic muscles were already about 4 times higher than in normal control muscles. After stretch release, the enzyme activities in normal muscle progressively fell for 10 days, after which they were not different from normal control muscles. In dystrophic muscles the enzyme activities remained elevated and were not different from dystrophic control muscle activities at any time. We conclude that degradative enzyme activities in normal muscle closely parallel changes in muscle weight, whereas in dystrophic muscle proteolytic enzymes remain elevated and constant whether the muscle is gaining or losing weight.
DNA-Mediated Electrochemistry

The base pair stack of DNA has been demonstrated as a medium for long-range charge transport chemistry both in solution and at DNA-modified surfaces. This chemistry is exquisitely sensitive to structural perturbations in the base pair stack as occur with lesions, single base mismatches, and protein binding. We have exploited this sensitivity for the development of reliable electrochemical assays based on DNA charge transport at self-assembled DNA monolayers. Here, we discuss the characteristic features, applications, and advantages of DNA-mediated electrochemistry.
Graves' disease complicating myelopathy.

Background. Exophthalmos, supraventricular arrhythmias, and myxedema have been noticed among patients chronically paralysed due to myelopathy. A survey was conducted to document and explain the observation. Method. A long term care population of 77 male myelopathy patients aged 59 +/- 14 years (mean +/- 1 standard deviation), paralysed 19 +/- 11 years, were compared by exophthalmometry (Hertel instrument) with 53 male non myelopathy patients and hospital employees, aged 57 +/- 15 years, by review of electrocardiograms (EKGs) of record with 91 male non myelopathy hospital patients, aged 59 +/— 13 years, and by thyroid function tests with standard values. Results. Abnormal ocular protrusion (>22mm) was found in 9 myelopathy patients (12%) and in none of the controls. Exophthalmos was bilateral in 7. The mean ocular protrusion was 17.2 +/- 3.6 mm for myelopathy patients and 14.9+/-3.9 mm for controls (p < 0.001). Three exophthalmic patients had atrial fibrillation. Arrhythmias had been recorded in 186 of 1390 EKGs in 34 myelopathy subjects and in 63 of 377 EKGs in 25 controls. The ratios of supraventricular to ventricular arrhythmias were 2.8 for myelopathy patients and 0.7 for controls (p < 0.02). Hypothroidism was found in 2 of 74 patients tested, 2.7%. Conclusion. Exophthalmos, supraventricular arrhythmias, and myxedema are unusually common among chronic myelopathy patients. Preceding Graves' disease with residual effects can be suggested as the explanation.
A Survey on the Electrification of Transportation in a Smart Grid Environment

Economics and environmental incentives, as well as advances in technology, are reshaping the traditional view of industrial systems. The anticipation of a large penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) into the market brings up many technical problems that are highly related to industrial information technologies within the next ten years. There is a need for an in-depth understanding of the electrification of transportation in the industrial environment. It is important to consolidate the practical and the conceptual knowledge of industrial informatics in order to support the emerging electric vehicle (EV) technologies. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the electrification of transportation in an industrial environment. In addition, it provides a comprehensive survey of the EVs in the field of industrial informatics systems, namely: 1) charging infrastructure and PHEV/PEV batteries; 2) intelligent energy management; 3) vehicle-to-grid; and 4) communication requirements. Moreover, this paper presents a future perspective of industrial information technologies to accelerate the market introduction and penetration of advanced electric drive vehicles.
Conditions Associated With an Abnormal Nonspecific Pattern of Pulmonary Function Tests

Background Little is known about a fairly frequent abnormal pattern of pulmonary function test results: reduced FEV1 and FVC with a normal FEV1/FVC and normal total lung capacity. We term this a nonspecific pattern (NSP). We sought to identify medical conditions having this pattern and to explore mechanisms producing it. Methods From a database of 80,929 test results, the NSP was found in 7,702 subjects from whom was drawn a random sample of 100 subjects. Medical records and all available tests were examined. Results Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and obesity were common. Two groups of subjects were identified. Group A consisted of 68 subjects with evidence of airway disease, including AHR and chronic lung disease. A volume derecruitment model was proposed to explain their NSP. Group B consisted of 32 subjects with no evidence of airway disease. Restricted expansion of the thorax or lung may explain the NSP in most of these subjects. Forty subjects had repeated tests, and in only 17 were the test results consistently nonspecific. Conclusions In a random sample of 100 subjects with the NSP, the probable underlying cause of the pattern in 68 subjects was airway disease. In most of the remaining 32 subjects, restricted expansion of the thorax or lung may be implicated.
REA Modeling of Mining Companies

ABSTRACT: This research paper applies the resource‐event‐agent (REA) framework to model the unique patterns, in both the REA accountability and policy infrastructures, of the mining enterprise domain. A unique resource in this domain is the mineral resource (MinResc), and the acquisition and development of MinResc to prepare it for the mining conversion process requires a unique information acquisition event to create and expand an information resource entity. The physical mineral deposit entity set and the intangible information entity set are thus aggregated into a more abstract and more valuable MinResc resource. The aggregation of a physical resource and an intangible information resource into a more certain and more valuable physical resource is an extension of the REA ontology that has applications in enterprise domains outside of mining.
Magnetic moments of baryons in a constituent quark model with relativistic and pionic corrections

Abstract The magnetic moments of the baryon octet are calculated in time-ordered perturbation theory in the harmonic oscillator quark model, which is supplemented by a small Dirac quark wave function to include the pion-quark coupling at long distances. Relativistic, pionic and quark confinement corrections are found to be substantial. Contributions from the pionic quark pair and exchange currents nearly cancel each other. A naive σ-meson quark-pair current seems to be ruled out by the data.
Identification of lead compounds for 99mTc and 18F GPR91 radiotracers

To develop the first radiotracer targeting GPR91, a cell membrane-bound receptor that modulates the cellular response to hyperglycemia and hypoxia, we designed and prepared a small series of compounds based on a published series of 1,8-naphthyridines with high affinity to GPR91. Our approach provides a mechanism to incorporate radioactive atoms ((99m)Tc and (18)F) into the GPR91 pharmacophore as the final synthetic step. Pharmacological assays confirmed lead compounds for (99m)Tc and (18)F GPR91 radiotracers within the series.
Timely drug delivery from controlled-release devices: dynamic analysis and novel design concepts.

Abstract Design tools are provided to assist in the development of drug-release devices that can control the time to establish a steady-state flux in addition to a desired delivery rate. In this contribution, the primary focus is placed on passive, heat-aided, and electrically assisted transport through planar membranes. Approximate analytical methods, that describe process dynamics, were applied to appropriate mathematical models to derive relationships between the system properties (e.g., diffusion coefficient, temperature and voltage potential) and the flux response time. Three case studies were investigated to illustrate the theoretical results. A steady-state benzocaine flux through ethylene-vinyl acetate membranes was achieved in 40 min as predicted by a first-moment time constant approach. It took 5 h and 45 min to reach a constant delivery rate of amitriptyline HCl across human skin for a donor cell concentration of 0.032 M and an electric current of 0.4 mA/cm2. Based on the upper limit and range estimates of the first eigenvalue, the onset of steady-state flux occurred between 3.4 and 3.5 min when the donor and receiver cells were maintained at 47 and 37 °C, respectively. These predictions were confirmed by simulation, experimental evidence and graphical examination of drug-release data.
A contactless photoconductance technique for the identification of impact ionization

A new, contactless, microwave photoconductance based technique for the direct measurement of the spectral dependence of free carrier generation efficiency in semiconductors is described and demonstrated. The technique is applied to the search for hetero-junction assisted impact ionization (HAII) with promising initial results. A strong photo-dielectric effect is also revealed for a ZnS:i-Si interface demonstrating the ability of the technique to characterize results other than the enhanced photoconductivity we seek. Such characterization will help to inform the next step in hetero-junction preparation.
On the role of subunit III in proton translocation in cytochrome c oxidase.

Mammalian mitochondrial cytochromec oxidase catalyzes the transfer of electrons from ferrocytochromec to molecular oxygen in the respiratory chain, while conserving the energy released during its electron transfer reactions by the vectorial movement of protons across the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. The protein domain that translocates the protons across the membrane is currently unknown. Recent research efforts have investigated the role of one of the transmembrane subunits of the enzyme (III,M r 29,884) in the vectorial proton translocation reaction. The data that favor subunit III as integral in vectorial proton translocation as well as the data that support a more peripheral role for subunit III in proton translocation are reviewed. Possible experimental approaches to clarify this issue are presented and a general model discussed.
A class of multistep sparse matrix strategies for concept decomposition matrix approximation

In information retrieval, text documents are usually modeled as a term-document matrix which has high dimensional and space vectors. To reduce the high dimensions, one of the various dimensionality reduction methods, concept decomposition, has been developed by [3]. This method is based on document clustering techniques and least-square matrix approximation to approximate the matrix of vectors. Gao and Zhang [4] have indicated that the retrieval accuracy from the concept decomposition can be comparable to that from Latent Semantic Indexing. However the numerical computation is expensive. In this paper we presented a class of multistep spare matrix strategies for concept decomposition matrix approximation. In this approach, a series of simple sparse matrices are used to approximate the decompositions. Our numerical experiments show the advantage of such an approach in terms of storage costs and query time compared with other approaches while maintaining comparable retrieval quality.
Analysis of the kinetic hairpin transfer model for parvoviral DNA replication.

All linear DNA molecules face special problems in replicating their 5' ends, as DNA polymerases add nucleotides only to pre-existing strands with free 3'-OH groups. Parvoviruses, a group of small animal viruses with a linear single-stranded DNA genome, cope with this problem by having palindromic terminal sequences that can fold back on themselves to form hairpin structures essential in priming DNA replication. The 3' terminal sequence that initiates replication becomes reversed in orientation during the process, and if the palindrome is imperfect, two different, reverse-complementary terminal sequences are generated. The relative abundances of the terminal sequence orientations at each end of the DNA molecules can be measured and give information about the replication process. From such clues, we developed a “kinetic hairpin transfer model” based on differential rates of hairpin formation and inversion processes depending on the conformations of the 3' termini. Numerical studies showed that this simple idea can account for the diverse pattern of DNA distributions observed in the family Parvoviridae. In this paper, we simplify the model to a set of coupled linear first-order ordinary differential equations in order to delineate its essential properties by Perron-Frobenius theory. Secondly, we examine our assumption of linear kinetics by modeling enzyme catalysis of the component steps of the hairpin transfer process. We show that the rate-determining step of the process is the binding of initiation complex to the self-priming hairpin structures. Furthermore, we find that if the replication machinery is saturated by DNA substrate late in an infection, the differential equations become non-linear but the steady-state DNA distribution is still given by the solution of our original linear equations.
Primitive groups having transitive subgroups of smaller, prime power degree

The groups in the title are classified, provided they are not too highly transitive. Let G be a primitive permutation group on a finite set S of n points. In 1871, Jordan initiated the study of G under the additional assumption that there is a transitive subgroup H of degree m, where 1 3; the fu l l collineation group o] AG(d,2), where d >= 3; or a Mathieu group M22, Aut(M22), M23, or M24. This result contains several recent theorems found in [2], [3] and [4]. PROOF. G is 2-transitive on S ([7, p. 32]). By 12, Sect. 6], we may assume that G is not 3-transitive. Let B be the complement of the given set of m points, so I B[ = k = n m. Let P be a Sylow subgroup of the pointwise stabilizer G(B) of B, so that P is transitive on S B. By [2, (3.6)], the distinct sets B g, g E G, form a design ~ whose lines have more than two points; moreover, if B is not a line o f ~ , then planes o f ~ are well-defined and G is transitive on the set of planes. Suppose first that B is a line o f ~ . Let O e G be such that B n B ~ is a point x. Since P is transitive on the lines # B on x, the stabilizer P , of B g in P has index t This research was supported in part by NSF Grant GP 37982X. Received January 1, 1974