cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thoracoscopic management of malignant pleural effusion

The diagnosis and management of pleural effusions have been well recognized over the years as indications for thoracoscopy. New technology has enhanced its appeal. Video-assisted thoracic surgery is a well-tolerated procedure that affords excellent visualization of the entire pleural surface. Directed biopsies of suspicious areas lead to a high diagnostic yield, particularly when compared with percutaneous biopsies. New algorithms reflect this fact. Video-assisted thoracic surgery now follows diagnostic thoracentesis as the next step in the evaluation of effusion suspicious for malignancy. Video-assisted thoracic surgery can also aid the lysis of adhesions, which might limit the effectiveness of surgical procedures to produce pleurodesis, and is an ideal tool for therapeutic management. It may be performed with general anesthesia or local anesthesia and sedation. All of the pleural fluid can be removed and this facilitates the procedure. With minimal instrumentation, pleurodesis may be performed by pleurectomy, mechanical abrasion, or talc sclerosis. Visually directed placement of chest tubes ensures adequate reexpansion of the lung.
A bucket architecture for the open video project

The Open Video project is a collection of public domain digital video available for research and other purposes. The Open Video collection currently consists of approximately 350 video segments, ranging in duration from 10 seconds to 1 hour. Rapid growth for the collection is planned through agreements with other video repository projects and provision for user contribution of video. To handle the increased accession, we are experimenting with “buckets”, aggregative intelligent publishing constructs for use in digital libraries.
Ectopic Pregnancy: A Nursing Approach to Excess Risk Among Minority Women

Ectopic pregnancy rates have quadrupled during the last decade. Although maternal mortality has been reduced for white women, largely because of rapid pregnancy testing and improved ultrasonography, the death rate for minority women is almost twice that of white women, and minority adolescents are almost five times as likely to die of ectopic pregnancy. In this article, causative factors are identified, and the potential for race, gender, and age bias in diagnosis and treatment is discussed. Involvement by nurses in preventive programs, clinical research, and advocacy for policy change may help reduce ectopic pregnancy mortality rates.
Extension of the Tryptophan Dihedral Angle - W3 Band Frequency Relationship to a Full Rotation

The correlation of the UVRR νW3 mode with the tryptophan χ 2,1 dihedral angle (T. Miura et al. 1989, T. Maruyama & H. Takeuchi 1995, H. Takeuchi 2003) has been extended to a full, 360° rotation. The three-fold periodicity of the relationship (cos 3χ 2,1) over 360° results in up to six dihedral angles for a given νW3. Consideration of a circular plot of dihedral angles for proteinaceous tryptophans taken from the Protein Data Bank along with a Newman projection shows that steric hindrance limits the range of preferred dihedral angles, and reduces the possible χ 2,1 to one or two, reasserting the general utility of the νW3 - χ 2,1 relationship. However, not all proteinaceous tryptophans follow the relationship. DFT based calculations suggest that the discrepancies observed for the PGA-ligated mutant enzyme, S. cerevisiae TIM Trp90Tyr Trp157Phe, are due to electrostatic interaction between the indole ring of Trp-168 and the Glu-129 carboxyl.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Stories of teacher alienation: a look at the unintended consequences of efforts to empower teachers

Abstract This article presents and analyzes the stories of three teachers/teacher teams who participated in a grant program designed to empower teachers to integrate technology innovations in their classrooms. Instead of experiencing actualized empowerment, these teachers/teacher teams ultimately experienced alienation. From these stories, two sources of alienation are identified: (1) resources obtained by teachers through grant acquisition can disrupt the egalitarian teacher culture, and (2) increased subjective empowerment and pressure afforded by grants can lead to an escalation of existing conflicts. Overall, the teachers experienced alienation when their initial, subjective sense of empowerment was undermined by the teacher culture and/or administrative decisions.
Diagnostic issues with cytopathologic interpretation of lung neoplasms displaying high-grade basaloid or neuroendocrine morphology.

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSQCC) and high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (HGNEC) including small cell carcinoma (SMCC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) can be difficult to differentiate on lung cytology. This problem is particularly true in scant specimens where immunoperoxidase stains cannot be adequately performed. Sixty-six cases of BSQCC, LCNEC, and SMCC (22 cases of each) on lung or mediastinal cytology were retrospectively reviewed from the cytopathology archives of two hospitals. Common cytomorphologic characteristics were; hypercellularity, small to intermediate round blue (hyperchromatic) cells, lack of prominent nucleoli, lack of three dimensional architecture, karyorrhexis/necrosis, mitoses, naked nuclei, nuclear crush artifact, and nuclear molding. Distinctive features included: larger cell size with pleomorphism, more cohesive architecture, syncytial aggregation, slightly coarser chromatin texture, rare keratinized malignant cells, and a granular smear background seen more often in BSQCC as opposed to HGNEC. Larger cells with prominent nucleoli and more cytoplasm with focal rosette formation were helpful in distinguishing LCNEC from SMCC and BSQCC. Finally, SMCC displayed uniform small cells with extensive necrosis, and higher mitotic rate. Immunoperoxidase (IPOX) staining using p63, CK5, 6, neuroendocrine markers (chromogranin, synaptophysin and CD56) and TTF-1 were helpful. BSQCC showed p63 expression and was mostly negative for neuroendocrine markers and TTF-1. HGNEC showed immunoreactivity for neuroendocrine markers with variable immunoreactivity for TTF-1. BSQCC, SMCC, and LCNEC share overlapping cytomorphologic features and can be difficult to differentiate on limited cytology specimens. Careful consideration to subtle but definite cytomorphologic clues and attention to selective IPOX stains can lead to a definitive diagnosis. Diagn. Cytopathol.2011;39:159–167. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
L'Italia e il confine orientale

Marina Cattaruzza (2007) L'Italia e il confine orientale (Bologna: Il Mulino), 391 pp., ISBN 9788815113948, [euro]27.00, soft cover How successful were Italy's attempts to extend the Italian ‘natio...
A historical query language

Abstract A historical query language, hquel , is designed as a minimal extension to quel , which is the query language of the database management system ingres . In the underlying data model, each attribute value is stored along with the time interval over which the value is valid. hquel includes new range declarations, set theoretic expressions, and conditions. Aggregate functions of quel are also extended for historical data. A new clause, “when”, is added to aggregate function definition to make aggregation over the time dimension easier. Semantics of time is embedded within the quel semantics without any major modifications. hquel also manipulates set-valued attributes in N1NF relations.
On the importance of advection in determining the local isotopic composition of the mantle

Abstract The equations for isotopic evolution in a deforming medium are derived and used to show that the local isotopic composition of the mantle depends primarily on the advection of heterogeneities by the flow field. Various examples of the role of advection are given using a two-scale model of mantle convection. The effect of small-scale flows, which have dimensions smaller than the plates themselves, is to convert any initially localized heterogeneity into thin spiral sheets. The isotopic properties of erupted lavas will depend on the relative size of the zone of partial melt to the spacing between such sheets. An idealized model for87Sr/86Sr variations from Pacific islands and the covariation of143Nd/144Nd-87Sr/86Sr is based on the combined effect of isotopic fluxes at subduction zones and advection by the return flow under the moving lithospheric plates.
Real-time distributed map building in large environments

Many of the future missions for mobile robots demand multi- robot systems which are capable of operating in large environments for long periods of time. One of the most critical capabilities is the ability to localize- a mobile robot must be able to estimate its own position and to consistently transmit this information to other robots and control sites. Although state-of-the-art GPS is capable of yielding unmatched performance over large areas, it is not applicable in many environments (such as within city streets, under water, indoors, beneath foliage or extra- terrestrial robotic missions) where mobile robots are likely to become commonplace. A widely researched alternative is Simultaneous Localization and Map Building (SLAM): the vehicle constructs a map and, concurrently, estimates its own position. However, most approaches are non-scalable (the storage and computational costs vary quadratically and cubically with the number of beacons in the map) and can only be used with multiple robotic vehicles with a great degree of difficulty. In this paper, we describe the development of a scalable, multiple-vehicle SLAM system. This system, based on the Covariance Intersection algorithm, is scalable- its storage and computational costs are linearly proportional to the number of beacons in the map. Furthermore, it is scalable to multiple robots- each has complete freedom to exchange partial or full map information with any other robot at any other time step. We demonstrate the real-time performance of this system in a scenario of 15,000 beacons.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Electronic excitation transfer as a probe of phase behavior in polymer composites

We use time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy decay measurements to watch the complete process of phase- separation of molecularly mixed polymer blends. Fluorescent chromophores are covalently incorporated into one of the polymers in a blend, and electronic excitation transfer (EET) between these chromophores contributes to the rate of fluorescence anisotropy decay, which is measured using time- correlated single photon counting. Since the EET is highly sensitive to the chromophore distribution, this technique can reveal the single-chain structure and spatial distribution of polymer chains in the blend on the angstroms distance scale. Blend samples are studied both by rapidly quenching the phase-separating material below its glass- transition temperature and analyzing nanoscopic aggregates trapped in the sample, as well as by watching the process evolve in situ as the sample is heated above the glass transition and through the cloud-point. We find that not only the annealing temperature, but also the variable rate of heating can have a dramatic effect on the aggregation state of the blend at the nanoscopic level. Therefore, we may be able to influence those physical properties of the blend which depend on the aggregation state in specific ways. We examine the onset of phase separation while varying the molecular weight and chromophore content of one of the blend components and the blend composition.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Transmitter And Receiver Design For Microwave Fiber Optic Links

Transmitter and Receiver Design for Microwave Fiber Optic LinksH. Blauvelt and H. YenHughes Research Labs3011 Malibu Canyon Rd Malibu Ca. 90265AbstractOptical fibers are an attractive media for transmitting microwave signals due to theirlow attenuation, light weight, immunity from electromagnetic interference and largebandwidth capabilities. In this paper, transmitter and receiver components for microwavefiber optic links are reviewed. Current limitations to link signal to noise imposed by theperformance of these components are analyzed and promising trends in component developmentare discussed.IntroductionMicrowave fiber optic links consisting of a microwave modulated optical source, anoptical fiber cable, and a high speed optical detector offer several advantages over coaxiallinks for rf transmission. These include low cost, low attenuation, light weight, immunityfrom electromagnetic interference, large bandwidths, and new signal processing capabilities.Recent advances in fiber optics technology have resulted in multimode fibers with length -bandwidth products in excess of 1 GHz -km and single mode fibers with tens of GHz bandwidths.Semiconductor lasers have been demonstrated with direct current modulation bandwidths ashigh as 11 GHz and traveling wave LiNbO modulators have been demonstrated with modulationbandwidths as high as 17 GHz
Matrix Synthesis in High Density Cultures of Bovine Epiphyseal Plate Chondrocytes

Bovine epiphyseal plate chondrocytes were cultured by a method combining both suspension culture and high density monolayers. The matrix synthesized by the cultured cells was analyzed at fifteen days for glycosaminoglycan, proteoglycan, and collagen content.In the cell culture product glycosaminoglycan distribution was: 65% chondroitin-6-sulfate, 18% chondroitin-4-sulfate, 15% keratan sulfate, and less than 2% dermatan sulfate. Essentially all the radioactive sulfate in labelled specimens was present in high molecular weight aggregates. The collagen which was synthesized co-migrated with Type II collagen standard. Parallel analysis showed the matrix of cultured cells to be similar to that of intact epiphyseal plate tissue.This study demonstrates the ability to grow epiphyseal plate chondrocytes in a cell culture system which allows matrix synthesis similar to that seen in vivo
Eating disorders and psychiatric comorbidity among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Abstract Objective Individuals with mental health problems are at elevated risk for eating disorders. Veterans serving in support of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq (OEF/OIF) have a high prevalence of deployment-related mental health problems, but little is known about their risk for eating disorders. Our aim was to determine rates of eating disorder diagnoses among OEF/OIF veterans with mental health problems, particularly among those with comorbid mental health problems. Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of nationwide VA healthcare facilities used descriptive statistics and regression analyses to determine eating disorder rates in OEF/OIF veterans who were new users of VA healthcare from October 7, 2001 to December 31, 2010 ( N = 593,739). Results Although the prevalence of eating disorder diagnoses was 0.007% ( n = 465) in women and n = 192) in men, veterans diagnosed with mental health problems were significantly more likely to have an eating disorder than those without mental health diagnoses. Eating disorders were significantly more common in women with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcohol and/or drug use disorders than in women veterans without these mental health disorders. Among men, the associations between eating disorder diagnoses and comorbid mental health diagnoses closely paralleled those observed in women. Conclusions Rates of eating disorders are significantly higher among returning veterans with comorbid mental health problems compared with those without mental health diagnoses. Further research should examine methods to improve detection and treatment of eating disorders in this population.
Identification and amplification of the E. coli phr gene product

We have constructed a series of multicopy plasmids that complement mutations in the phr gene of Escherichia coli. By subcloning into a tac plasmid vector we obtained a phr plasmid that upon induction overproduces two proteins of Mr's 49,000 and 20,000. Tn1000 insertions into the phr gene caused the disappearance of the 49,000 dalton protein, thus demonstrating this protein to be the phr gene product, DNA photolyase. The photolyase encoded by the phr gene makes up about 15% of total cellular proteins after induction of cells carrying a tac-phr plasmid. This protein binds specifically to UV (254 nm) irradiated DNA and upon exposure to near UV (300-500 nm) illumination repairs the UV damage and dissociates from DNA.
Lipase-catalyzed production of wax esters

The lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, E.C. 3.1.1.3) catalyzed synthesis of wax esters has been investigated via two different approaches. All studies were performed using an immobilized 1,3-specific lipase [Lipozyme from Novo Industries (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)]. The first approach involves reacting stoichiometric amounts of a fatty acid and stearyl alcohol in the presence of lipase. The medium is solvent-free, which allows for high substrate concentrations (1.55 M) and use of 5% (w/w) Lipozyme. In this reaction, maximum wax ester synthesis was found to be dependent upon the efficient removal of the water produced by the reaction. Under optimal conditions, yields of 100% were routinely reached after only 2 hr. The medium was then exclusively composed of the wax and the enzyme, no purification was required. The second method involves alcoholysis of a triglyceride, in this case triolein, with stearyl alcohol to produce 1,2-diolein, 2-monoolein and the wax ester of oleic acid. Again, no organic solvent was used. The wax ester yield was found to be directly dependent upon the alcohol concentration that was used to modulate the outcome of the reaction towards either the wax or the partial glycerides. The process was applied to the synthesis of waxes from high erucic acid rapeseed oil.
Incidence of invasive ureaplasma in VLBW infants: relationship to severe intraventricular hemorrhage.

As Ureaplasmas may be pathogens in preterm infants, this study was conducted to determine the incidence of invasive disease with Ureaplasma parvum and Ureaplasma urealyticum and the relationship with adverse outcomes in a prospective cohort of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. DNA was extracted from the cord or venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples obtained from 313 VLBW infants. PCR was performed using primers for the mba gene to detect all 14 serovars and then repeated for all positive samples using species-specific primers. Ureaplasma species were detected in serum and/or CSF samples from 74 of 313 (23.6%) infants. U. parvum was the predominant species (70%). Presence of Ureaplasma was significantly associated with elevated interleukin-1β in cord blood (odds ratio (OR) 2.6, 1.05 to 6.45, P=0.039). Ureaplasma serum-positive infants had a 2.3-fold increased risk of intraventicular hemorrhage ⩾grade 3 (OR 2.50; 1.06 to 5.89, P=0.036). Invasive Ureaplasma occurs commonly in VLBW infants and may increase the risk for severe intraventricular hemorrhage.
Traffic analysis-based unlinkability measure for IEEE 802.11b-based communication systems

Measuring communication anonymity (e.g., unlinkability) of wireless ad hoc networks is a critical but still unsolved problem. In order to solve this problem, we propose a two-step unlinkability measuring approach: (a) statistical traffic analysis-based evidence collection, (b) evidence theory-based unlinkability measure. To demonstrate our approach, we use IEEE 802.11b-based ad hoc networks as our analyzing communication systems. Based on our proposed IEEE 802.11b transmission and channel models, we can collect, a set of evidence which can be used to set up a probability assignment for each possible communication relation (i.e., the data sender and corresponding receiver): and then we can apply the evidence theory-based unlinkability measuring approach to the collected evidence to derive the unlinkability measure of the given 802.11b-based ad hoc network.
Managing interacting accounting measures to meet multiple objectives: A study of LIFO firms

Abstract Using a sample of LIFO users, we examine the strengths and weaknesses of adopting a simultaneous equations approach to study managers' adjustments of interacting accounting measures that meet multiple objectives. We focus on the importance of considering differences in the costs and the effectiveness of adjusting accounting measures. In addition, we examine managers' objectives in subsequent years and how adjustments' reversals affect those objectives. Although generally consistent with earlier studies of LIFO inventory adjustments, our results indicate that modelling interacting accounting measures, such as other current accruals and depreciation, leads to differing conclusions about the role of taxes.
Intertemporal choice with liquidity constraints: Theory and experiment

Since Thaler (1981), we have lived with the uncomfortable stylized fact that many humans choose strictly dominated actions in intertemporal choice experiments. We designed an experiment to probe the reasons for the apparently suboptimal behavior, and we find that the classic Fisher (1930) intertemporal choice theory with perceived transaction costs and liquidity constraints is perfectly consistent with our experimental data, whereas hyperbolic discounting is not.
Impact of operative start time on surgical outcomes in patients undergoing primary cytoreduction for advanced ovarian cancer

Objectives To evaluate the impact of operative start time (OST) on surgical outcomes in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
An utilization driven framework for energy efficient caches

With the shift from scaling frequency to scaling the number of cores,efficiency becomes a primary design consideration. The ability to scale the numberof cores while pushing back the memory and power walls with small increasesin die size will require significant improvements in cache efficiencies.This paper provides strategies to improve L2/L3 data cache efficiencies by couplingvoltage scaling with flexible cache management policies. Specifically, wepropose a framework that encompasses i) off-line creation of a voltage-area profile,ii) on-line measurement of cache line utilization to drive voltage scaling,and, iii) changing the placement function to match the voltage-scaled area and theprogram-phase cache footprint. The proposed techniques were applied to severalbenchmarks resulting in performance efficiencies doubling, energy efficienciesimproving by 10% (relatively) with a 10% improvement in Energy Delay Product.
Papillary lesions of the breast with and without atypical ductal hyperplasia: Can we accurately predict benign behavior from core needle biopsy

Evaluation of papillary lesions of the breast can be difficult, and in core needle biopsy specimens, accurate diagnosis is challenging. Initial studies suggested that all papillary lesions revealed by core biopsy required surgical excision. Recent data suggest that only papillary lesions with atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) revealed by core biopsy need surgical excision. We evaluated our experience at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, with papillary lesions with and without ADH on core biopsy to determine whether diagnostic accuracy can be achieved. In 51 core biopsy specimens, we evaluated the presence or absence of ADH: 25 were benign papillomas; 26 were papillomas with ADH. Surgical follow-up was available for 36 cases (11 papillomas and 25 papillomas with ADH). Clinical (radiologic) follow-up was available in 5 papilloma cases (average follow-up, 35.6 months). Follow-up revealed that all papillomas on core biopsy were benign. Excisional biopsy revealed ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma in 12 (48%) of 25 papillary lesions with ADH. Benign papillomas can be adequately diagnosed with core biopsy. All papillary lesions with ADH require surgical excision owing to the high rate of associated neoplasia.
The effect of pressure on muscle lactate dehydrogenase activity of some deep-sea and shallow-water fishes

The activity of crude muscle lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of several species of bathypelagic and shallow-water fishes has been measured at pressures between 1 and 578 atm and at temperatures of 15° and 25°C. No relationship has been found between the effect of pressure on enzyme activity and the hydrostatic pressure of the organism's environment. Applied hydrostatic pressure reduced activity at both temperatures. The decrease at 25°C was double the decrease at 15°C in LDH from shallow-water fishes. However, enzymes from 2 bathypelagic fishes showed approximately the same reduction at both temperatures. Thus, the interaction of temperature and pressure was less in deep-sea than in shallow-water fish LDH. Decreasing temperature and increasing pressure would both reduce the activity of LDH. That is, deep-sea conditions are noncompensatory in this instance. It is possible that the dissociation of the effects of temperature and pressure could be an adaptive feature of deep-sea life.
Dual busy tone multiple access (DBTMA)-performance evaluation

The dual busy tone multiple access (DBTMA) scheme was designed for decentralized networks such as packet radio networks (PRNs). We use the RTS/CTS dialogue to reserve the channel in DBTMA. In addition, we use two busy tones to notify neighbor nodes of the on-going transmission and reception after a successful channel reservation. Our analysis and simulations show that DBTMA provides higher network utilization, which is 100% more than the basic RTS/CTS schemes. We present the details of our analysis in this paper. In order to evaluate our protocol in a more general network, our analysis and simulations are based on a fully-meshed decentralized multi-hop network topology.
Construction and characterization of infectious cDNA clones of a chicken strain of hepatitis E virus (HEV), avian HEV.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of hepatitis E, is an important human pathogen. Increasing evidence indicates that hepatitis E is a zoonosis. Avian HEV was recently discovered in chickens with hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome in the USA. Like swine HEV from pigs, avian HEV is also genetically and antigenically related to human HEV. The objective of this study was to construct and characterize an infectious cDNA clone of avian HEV for future studies of HEV replication and pathogenesis. Three full-length cDNA clones of avian HEV, pT7-aHEV-5, pT7G-aHEV-10 and pT7G-aHEV-6, were constructed and their infectivity was tested by in vitro transfection of leghorn male hepatoma (LMH) chicken liver cells and by direct intrahepatic inoculation of specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens with capped RNA transcripts from the three clones. The results showed that the capped RNA transcripts from each of the three clones were replication competent when transfected into LMH cells as demonstrated by detection of viral antigens with avian HEV-specific antibodies. SPF chickens intrahepatically inoculated with the capped RNA transcripts from each of the three clones developed active avian HEV infections as evidenced by seroconversion to avian HEV antibodies, viraemia and faecal virus shedding. The infectivity was further confirmed by successful infection of naive chickens with the viruses recovered from chickens inoculated with the RNA transcripts. The results indicated that all three cDNA clones of avian HEV are infectious both in vitro and in vivo. The availability of these infectious clones for a chicken strain of HEV now affords an opportunity to study the mechanisms of HEV cross-species infection and tissue tropism by constructing chimeric viruses among human, swine and avian HEVs.
The impact of concurrency gains on the analysis and control of multi-threaded Internet services

With the proliferation of Internet services, many solutions have emerged to provide quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees when the demands for the hosted services exceed the server's capacity. We take an analytical approach to answering key questions in the design and performance of application-level QoS techniques, especially those that are based on the multi-threading or multi-processing abstraction. Key to our analysis is the integration of the effects of concurrency into the interactions between multi-threaded services. To this end, we extend traditional time-sharing models to develop the multi-threaded round-robin (MTRR) servers, a more accurate model of operation of typical multi-threaded Internet services. For this model, we first develop powerful, yet computationally-efficient, mathematical relationships that describe the performance (in terms of throughput and response time) of multi-threaded services. We then apply optimization techniques to derive the optimal allocation of threads given specific QoS objective functions. Using realistic workloads on a typical Web server, we show the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed new methodology.
Structural basis for dipeptide amide isoform-selective inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase

Structural basis for dipeptide amide isoform-selective inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase
Retinoids and Photocarcinogenesis: A Review

(1988). Retinoids and Photocarcinogenesis: A Review. Journal of Toxicology: Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology: Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 241-253.
Photosensitization by Norfloxacin is a Function of pH

Norfloxacin is a fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotic that has been reported to cause cutaneous photosensitivity in animals and occasionally in humans. We have studied the fluorescence and singlet oxygen (1O2)-generating properties of norfloxacin. Upon UV excitation the drug fluoresces in water, and the relative intensities of two major fluorescence bands at ca 420 and 450 nm are affected by pH. The overall quantum yield of fluorescence (phi F) is also strongly pH dependent: phi F is low in 0.2 N HCl solution (0.2), increasing steeply to 0.12 at pH 4, then gradually decreasing to 0.01 at pH 10. The changes in phi F are accompanied by changes in fluorescence lifetime from 0.6 ns at pH 1 to 1.8 ns at pH 4. Norfloxacin exhibits phosphorescence in low temperature glasses. The formation of a triplet state at room temperature is also suggested by 1O2 phosphorescence in aerobic D2O. This phosphorescence is "self-quenched" by norfloxacin itself with an efficiency that is pH dependent: kq is 7.9 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 at pD 4, decreases to 1.9 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 at pD 7.5 but then increases about 20-fold in alkaline D2O solutions. This quenching causes the observed 1O2 production by norfloxacin (0.1 mM) to show a maximum at around pH 8-9. However, after correction for self-quenching, the quantum yield of 1O2 production (phi 50)y measured by using perinaphthenone as a standard, yielded the following values: phi s0 is about 0.07 in 0.2 N DCI solution, 0.08 at pH 7.5 and then increases smoothly to approximately 0.2 in 0.1 M NaOD solution. The relatively high, unquenched 1O2 production at physiological pH 7.4 (phi s0 approximately 0.08) suggests that 1O2 reactions may play an important role in the cutaneous phototoxicity of norfloxacin and other FQ antibiotics.
Role of submarine canyons in trench and trench-slope sedimentation

Several well-preserved subduction complexes display a sharp textural contrast between coarse-grained trench sediments and overlying fine-grained lower-slope deposits. This relationship can be explained in part by the role of submarine canyons in sedimentation along the trench slope. Large submarine canyons funnel coarse terrigenous debris directly to the trench floor, effectively bypassing depositional sites along the lower slope. Smaller canyons are commonly blocked by tectonic ridges along the trench slope, and, as a result, coarse detritus is trapped within upslope basins. Because of sediment bypassing and upslope trapping, deposits on the lower slope are generally finer grained, consisting largely of hemipelagic muds and lutite turbidites.
Autologous glioma cell vaccine admixed with interleukin-4 gene transfected fibroblasts in the treatment of patients with malignant gliomas.

The prognosis for malignant gliomas remains dismal. We addressed the safety, feasibility and preliminary clinical activity of the vaccinations using autologous glioma cells and interleukin (IL)-4 gene transfected fibroblasts. In University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) protocol 95-033, adult participants with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) received gross total resection (GTR) of the recurrent tumors, followed by two vaccinations with autologous fibroblasts retrovirally transfected with TFG-IL4-Neo-TK vector admixed with irradiated autologous glioma cells. In UPCI 99-111, adult participants with newly diagnosed GBM or AA, following GTR and radiation therapy, received two intradermal vaccinations with the TFG-IL4-Neo-TK-transfected fibroblasts admixed with type-1 dendritic cells (DC) loaded with autologous tumor lysate. The participants were evaluated for occurrence of adverse events, immune response, and clinical response by radiological imaging. In UPCI 95-033, only 2 of 6 participants received the vaccinations. Four other participants were withdrawn from the trial because of tumor progression prior to production of the cellular vaccine. However, both participants who received two vaccinations demonstrated encouraging immunological and clinical responses. Biopsies from the local vaccine sites from one participant displayed IL-4 dose-dependent infiltration of CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cells. Interferon (IFN)-γ Enzyme-Linked Immuno-SPOT (ELISPOT) assay in another human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A2+ participant demonstrated systemic T-cell responses against an HLA-A2-restricted glioma-associated antigen (GAA) epitope EphA2883–891. Moreover, both participants demonstrated clinical and radiological improvement with no evidence of allergic encephalitis, although both participants eventually succumbed with the tumor recurrence. In 99-111, 5 of 6 enrolled participants received scheduled vaccinations with no incidence of major adverse events. Monocyte-derived DCs produced high levels of IL-12 p70. Treatment was well tolerated; however, we were unable to observe detectable IFN-γ post-vaccine responses or prolonged progression-free survival in these participants. Feasibility challenges inherent in the generation of a patient-specific gene transfection-based vaccine strongly suggests the need for more practical formulations that would allow for the timely administration of vaccines. Nevertheless, successful generation of type-1 DCs and preliminary safety in the current study provide a strong rationale for further efforts to develop novel glioma vaccines.
Metabolism of doxylamine succinate in Fischer 344 rats. Part I: Distribution and excretion.

Experiments were conducted with male and female rats (12 per group) dosed by gavage with 2 or 20 mg (based on the free amine) doxylamine succinate containing about 10/~Ci 14C-doxylamine succinate to determine distribution and excretion of the activity as a function of dose and sex with time. Urine and feces were collected at intervals up to 72 hr. Most of the dose (~70%) was eliminated in the first 24 hr after dosing and 95 to 100% of the dose was recovered during the 72-hr course of the experiments with both sexes and dose levels. Less than 1% of the total dose remained in the rats at the end of the test period. The urinary route of elimination was more predominant than the fecal route in both sexes given the 20-mg dose. The fecal route predominates in low-dose males whereas there is no significant difference between urinary and fecal routes of elimination in low-dose females. Preliminary characterization of urinary metabolite form using extraction techniques shows 99% of the metabolites to be in the polar conjugated form.
A Model for Assessing Cognitive Impairment after Fractionated Whole-Brain Irradiation in Nonhuman Primates

To investigate the effect of fractionated whole-brain irradiation on nonhuman primates, 6–9-year-old male rhesus monkeys were irradiated with 40 Gy delivered as two 5-Gy fractions/week for 4 weeks. Cognitive function was assessed 5 days/week for 4 months prior to fractionated whole-brain irradiation and for 11 months after irradiation using a Delayed-Match-to-Sample (DMS) task at both low and high cognitive loads. Local rates of cerebral glucose metabolism were measured prior to and 9 months after irradiation using [18F]-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography. Low cognitive load trials did not reveal a significant reduction in performance until 7 months after irradiation; performance then declined progressively. In high cognitive load trials, the initial impairment was observed ∼1 month after irradiation. This was followed by a transient recovery period over the next 1–2 months, after which performance declined progressively through 11 months after irradiation. Nine months after irradiati...
ET viewer: an application for predicting and visualizing functional sites in protein structures

Summary: The Evolutionary Trace Viewer (ETV) provides a one-stop environment in which to run, visualize and interpret Evolutionary Trace (ET) predictions of functional sites in protein structures. ETV is implemented using Java to run across different operating systems using Java Web Start technology. Availability: The ETV is available for download from our website at http://mammoth.bcm.tmc.edu/traceview/index.html. This webpage also links to sample trace results and a user manual that describes ET Viewer functions in detail. Contact: [email protected]
Derivation and Validation of a Material Model for Clayey Sand for Use Inlandmine Detonation Computational Analyses

A large‐strain/high‐deformation rate model for clay‐free sand recently proposed and validated in our work [1,2], has been extended to sand containing relatively small (< 15vol.%) of clay and having various levels of saturation with water. The model includes an equation of state which represents the material response under hydrostatic pressure, a strength model which captures material behavior under elastic‐plastic conditions and a failure model which defines conditions and laws for the initiation and evolution of damage/failure in the material. The model was validated by comparing the computational results associated with detonation of a landmine in clayey sand (at different levels of saturation with water) with their computational counterparts.
Site-to-site variability in abundance of meiobenthic copepods along a tidal gradient over 24 hours

As part of a larger study on the effects of juvenile fish predation on meiobenthic copepods, we collected meiofauna every two hours for 24 hours at three muddy sites along a transect through vegetated marsh, to unvegetated intertidal to unvegetated subtidal habitats. The vegetated marsh (Spartina alterniflora) site harbored significantly more copepods over the combined sampling period than the other two sites. Some species were distributed along the entire transect, but several species were much more abundant at one site than the others. For example, Microarthridion littorale was most abundant at the intertidal site, and Enhydrosoma propinquum was most abundant at the unvegetated sites. The most abundant subtidal species included Pseudobradya pulchella and Paronychocamptus wilsoni. Three species were most abundant in the vegetated marsh (Stenhelia (D.) bifidia, Nannopus palustris, and Diarthrodes aegidius). Maximum total copepod abundance occurred during the daytime low tide at all three sites. Of the four species more abundant in the light than at night, three were subtidal. Most of the time there were no detectable differences between high and low tide abundances, suggesting that there was little exchange of individuals between habitats as tidal levels changed. Without samples from additional transects or the ability to obtain samples for all possible combinations of light and tide levels, we could not detect significant interactions between these two environmental factors. Based upon the species composition of copepods in the gut contents of motile fish predators, the existence of distinct copepod species assemblages at sites along the transect may allow inferences about where fish had fed.
Imaging through optical fibers by spatial coherence encoding methods

Coherence encoding methods are used to transmit full complex images down a pair of optical fibers (multimode or single mode). An implementation using acousto-optic deflectors is analyzed. Experimental results are given.
A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR TEACHING RECEPTIVE LABELING TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Many early intervention curricular manuals recommend teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations (i.e., receptive labeling) using the simple-conditional method in which component simple discriminations are taught in isolation and in the presence of a distracter stimulus before the learner is required to respond conditionally. Some have argued that this procedure might be susceptible to faulty stimulus control such as stimulus overselectivity (Green, 2001). Consequently, there has been a call for the use of alternative teaching procedures such as the conditional-only method, which involves conditional discrimination training from the onset of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to compare the simple-conditional and conditional-only methods for teaching receptive labeling to 3 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The data indicated that the conditional-only method was a more reliable and efficient teaching procedure. In addition, several error patterns emerged during training using the simple-conditional method. The implications of the results with respect to current teaching practices in early intervention programs are discussed.
A Memory-Efficient and Modular Approach for Large-Scale String Pattern Matching

In Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDSs), string pattern matching demands exceptionally high performance to match the content of network traffic against a predefined database (or dictionary) of malicious patterns. Much work has been done in this field; however, most of the prior work results in low memory efficiency (defined as the ratio of the amount of the required storage in bytes and the size of the dictionary in number of characters). Due to such inefficiency, state-of-the-art designs cannot support large dictionaries without using high-latency external DRAM. We propose an algorithm called "leaf-attaching" to preprocess a given dictionary without increasing the number of patterns. The resulting set of postprocessed patterns can be searched using any tree-search data structure. We also present a scalable, high-throughput, Memory-efficient Architecture for large-scale String Matching (MASM) based on a pipelined binary search tree. The proposed algorithm and architecture achieve a memory efficiency of 0.56 (for the Rogets dictionary) and 1.32 (for the Snort dictionary). As a result, our design scales well to support larger dictionaries. Implementations on 45 nm ASIC and a state-of-the-art FPGA device (for latest Rogets and Snort dictionaries) show that our architecture achieves 24 and 3.2 Gbps, respectively. The MASM module can simply be duplicated to accept multiple characters per cycle, leading to scalable throughput with respect to the number of characters processed in each cycle. Dictionary update involves simply rewriting the content of the memory, which can be done quickly without reconfiguring the chip.
The Domestic and International Effects of Financial Deregulation

This paper studies the domestic and international effects of financial deregulation in a dynamic, stochastic, general equilibrium model with endogenous producer entry. We model deregulation as a decrease in the monopoly power of financial intermediaries. We show that the economy that deregulates experiences producer entry, real exchange rate appreciation, and a current account deficit. The rest of the world experiences a long-run increase in GDP and consumption. Less monopoly power in financial intermediation results in less volatile business creation, reduced markup countercyclicality, and weaker substitution effects in labor supply in response to productivity shocks. Financial deregulation thus contributes to a moderation of firm-level and aggregate output volatility. In turn, trade and financial ties between the two countries allow also the foreign economy to enjoy lower volatility. The results of the model are consistent with features of U.S. and international data following the U.S. banking deregulation started in 1977. JEL Codes: E32; F32; F41; G21.
Random Forests approach for identifying additive and epistatic single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with residual feed intake in dairy cattle.

Feed efficiency is an economically important trait in the beef and dairy cattle industries. Residual feed intake (RFI) is a measure of partial efficiency that is independent of production level per unit of body weight. The objective of this study was to identify significant associations between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and RFI in dairy cattle using the Random Forests (RF) algorithm. Genomic data included 42,275 SNP genotypes for 395 Holstein cows, whereas phenotypic measurements were daily RFI from 50 to 150 d postpartum. Residual feed intake was defined as the difference between an animal’s feed intake and the average intake of its cohort, after adjustment for year and season of calving, year and season of measurement, age at calving nested within parity, days in milk, milk yield, body weight, and body weight change. Random Forests is a widely used machine-learning algorithm that has been applied to classification and regression problems. By analyzing the tree structures produced within RF, the 25 most frequent pairwise SNP interactions were reported as possible epistatic interactions. The importance scores that are generated by RF take into account both main effects of variables and interactions between variables, and the most negative value of all importance scores can be used as the cutoff level for declaring SNP effects as significant. Ranking by importance scores, 188 SNP surpassed the threshold, among which 38 SNP were mapped to RFI quantitative trait loci (QTL) regions reported in a previous study in beef cattle, and 2 SNP were also detected by a genome-wide association study in beef cattle. The ratio of number of SNP located in RFI QTL to the total number of SNP in the top 188 SNP chosen by RF was significantly higher than in all 42,275 whole-genome markers. Pathway analysis indicated that many of the top 188 SNP are in genomic regions that contain annotated genes with biological functions that may influence RFI. Frequently occurring ancestor-descendant SNP pairs can be explored as possible epistatic effects for further study. The importance scores generated by RF can be used effectively to identify large additive or epistatic SNP and informative QTL. The consistency in results of our study and previous studies in beef cattle indicates that the genetic architecture of RFI in dairy cattle might be similar to that of beef cattle.
The Roman Synod of December 800 and the Alleged Trial of Leo III

A Roman Synod convoked by Charlemagne met on December ist of the year 800 for the purpose of investigating the accusations levelled against Pope Leo III. In the presence of the pope, the Frankish king presided over an assembly composed of ecclesiastics, Frankish and Roman nobles, including members of the Frankish episcopate — to wit, Arno of Salzburg, Theodulph of Orleans, Riculf of Mayence, Aaron of Angorra, the Saxons Witto and Fredugis, Alcuin's confidants — and other persons of consequence. The eldest son of Charlemagne, Charles, who together with his sisters had accompanied his father to Rome, was another participant.