cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Branch and track

We present a new paradigm for tracking objects in video in the presence of other similar objects. This branch-and-track paradigm is also useful in the absence of motion, for the discovery of repetitive patterns in images. The object of interest is the lead object and the distracters are extras. The lead tracker branches out trackers for extras when they are detected, and all trackers share a common set of features. Sometimes, extras are tracked because they are of interest in their own right. In other cases, and perhaps more importantly, tracking extras makes tracking the lead nimbler and more robust, both because shared features provide a richer object model, and because tracking extras accounts for sources of confusion explicitly. Sharing features also makes joint tracking less expensive, and coordinating tracking across lead and extras allows optimizing window positions jointly rather than separately, for better results. The joint tracking of both lead and extras can be solved optimally by dynamic programming and branching is quickly determined by efficient subwindow search. Matlab experiments show near real time performance at 5–30 frames per second on a single-core laptop for 240 by 320 images.
Exercise when young provides lifelong benefits to bone structure and strength.

Short-term exercise in growing rodents provided lifelong benefits to bone structure, strength, and fatigue resistance. Consequently, exercise when young may reduce the risk for fractures later in life, and the old exercise adage of “use it or lose it” may not be entirely applicable to the skeleton. Introduction: The growing skeleton is most responsive to exercise, but low-trauma fractures predominantly occur in adults. This disparity has raised the question of whether exercised-induced skeletal changes during growth persist into adulthood where they may have antifracture benefits. This study investigated whether brief exercise during growth results in lifelong changes in bone quantity, structure, quality, and mechanical properties. Materials and Methods: Right forearms of 5-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were exercised 3 days/week for 7 weeks using the forearm axial compression loading model. Left forearms were internal controls and not exercised. Bone quantity (mineral content and areal density) and structure (cortical area and minimum second moment of area [IMIN]) were assessed before and after exercise and during detraining (restriction to home cage activity). Ulnas were removed after 92 weeks of detraining (at 2 years of age) and assessed for bone quality (mineralization) and mechanical properties (ultimate force and fatigue life). Results: Exercise induced consistent bone quantity and structural adaptation. The largest effect was on IMIN, which was 25.4% (95% CI, 15.6–35.3%) greater in exercised ulnas compared with nonexercised ulnas. Bone quantity differences did not persist with detraining, whereas all of the absolute difference in bone structure between exercised and nonexercised ulnas was maintained. After detraining, exercised ulnas had 23.7% (95% CI, 13.0–34.3%) greater ultimate force, indicating enhanced bone strength. However, exercised ulnas also had lower postyield displacement (−26.4%; 95% CI, −43.6% to −9.1%), indicating increased brittleness. This resulted from greater mineralization (0.56%; 95% CI, 0.12–1.00%), but did not influence fatigue life, which was 10-fold greater in exercised ulnas. Conclusions: These data indicate that exercise when young can have lifelong benefits on bone structure and strength, and potentially, fracture risk. They suggest that the old exercise adage of “use it or lose it” may not be entirely applicable to the skeleton and that individuals undergoing skeletal growth should be encouraged to perform impact exercise.
Preconcentration of uric acid at a carbon paste electrode

Abstract Uric acid is shown to adsorb rapidly on a carbon paste electrode, with the surface species retaining its characteristic electroactivity. Using this phenomenon to preconcentrate uric acid, voltammetric measurements are improved with respect to sensitivity and selectivity. By simply immersing the electrode in the uric acid-containing sample for a given period of time, and then transferring the electrode to an electrolytic blank solution, a high degree of selectivity is achieved. Solution-phase species with similar redox potentials, e.g., ascorbic acid, do not interfere. The differential pulse response is evaluated with respect to concentration dependence, preconcentration period, reproducibility, rotation speed, pH, paste composition, and other variables. The method is exploited for selective detection of uric acid in a flow injection system. Illustrative voltammograms of uric acid in urine and plasma are presented.
Kinetic processes of adsorption of 1-octyn-3-ol on iron in HCl solutions

The interfacial kinetic processes of adsorption of 1-octyn-3-ol on Fe in HCl solutions were studied as a function of concentration, potential and temperature by in situ time-resolved automatic ellipsometry. Effects of chloride on the adsorption process were further examined by XPS and 36Cl-radiotracer measurements. It was shown that as the octynol concentration in solution increases or the adsorption time increases, the orientation of the adsorbed octynol on the electrode surface changes from flat orientation, to partly-upright, and to the upright orientation, followed by continuous growth of a multilayer polymer film. These processes proceed faster with increasing temperature. The growth of the polymer film proceeds through a distinct “layer by layer” fashion, with the molecule assuming the upright position inside the film. The presence of Cl− reduces octynol adsorption substantially due to competitive adsorption, but it speeds up the reorientation process.
Metabolic Risk Factors in Prostate Cancer

The biology of prostate cancer is influenced by the metabolic profile of each individual. We examine the evidence available interlinking prostate cancer with obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic syndrome components.
A characterization of parenthesis languages

A parenthesis language is a context-free language possessing a grammar in which each application of a production introduces a unique pair of parentheses, delimiting the scope of that production. Parenthesis languages are nontrivial since only one kind of parenthesis is used. In this paper it is shown that algorithms exist to determine if a context-free language is a parenthesis language, or if it is equal to the language defined by a given parenthesis grammar. A possible merit of these results lies in the fact that parenthesis languages are the most general class of languages for which such problems are now known to be solvable; in fact, other problems which are very similar to the one solved here are known to be recursively unsolvable.
Laboratory-acquired Salmonella typhimurium enteritis:Association with erythema nodosum and reactive arthritis

A ccidental infection of workers in microbiology laboratories has long been recognized as an occupational hazard. Historically, diseases caused by microorganisms of high infectivity and pathogenicity, such as brucellosis, typhoid, tularemia, and tuberculosis, have predominated reports [1]. Laboratory-acquired infection with non-typhi Salmonella has rarely been reported. We report a case of laboratory-acquired Salmonella typhimurium infection associated with erythema nodosum, reactive arthritis, and episcleritis.
Recovery-promoting professional competencies: perspectives of mental health consumers, consumer-providers and providers

Objectives The purpose of this study was to empirically validate a set of conceptually derived recovery-promoting competencies from the perspectives of mental health consumers, consumer-providers and providers. Methods A national sample of 603 consumers, 153 consumer-providers and 239 providers completed an anonymous survey via the Internet. The survey evaluated respondents' perceptions about a set of 37 competencies hypothesized to enhance clients' hope and empowerment and inquired about interactions with providers that enhanced clients' recovery process. We used descriptive statistics and ranking to establish the relevance of each competency and generalized linear models and post-hoc tests to examine differences in the consumers', consumer-providers' and providers' assessments of these competencies. Results Analyses confirmed the recovery relevance of several competencies and their relative importance within each group of study participants. They also revealed that while most competencies tended to have universal significance, others depended more strongly on the client's preferences. Finally, differences in the perceptions of consumers, consumer-providers and providers about the recovery relevance of these competencies were established. Conclusions and implications for practice The study highlighted the crucial role practitioners play in enhancing recovery from serious mental illnesses through specific strategies and attitudes that acknowledge clients' personhood and foster their hopefulness, empowerment and illness management. It informed the development of a new instrument measuring providers' recovery-promoting competence and provides guidelines for sharpening the recovery focus of a wide range of mental health and rehabilitation services.
Wind and Climate on Mars

Several apparently conflicting inferences in Matthew P. Golombek's Perspective on martian climate ([1][1]) can be reconciled by recognizing that surface sediment features associated with rocks at the Pathfinder landing site indicate the direction of the strongest winds only in the present climate
Fossil Man-Apes of South Africa

BY invitation from Dr. Robert Broom, of the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, and from Prof. Raymond A. Dart, of the Medical School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, we visited South Africa in July and August last, and were given every facility for the study of the original fossils described as Australopithecus africanus Dart, 19251, Australopithecus (later Plesianthropus) transvaalensis Broom, 19362, and Paranthropus robustus Broom, 19383, all probably of Pleistocene age.
Dynamic interfacial tension near critical point of a solvent-antisolvent mixture and laminar jet stabilization

Abstract The hydrodynamic behavior of a solvent jet (ethanol) injected into a pressurized antisolvent (CO 2 ) fluid was experimentally investigated for a pressure range from far below to far above the critical point of the solvent–antisolvent mixture (CPM). The study shows that, at pressures sufficiently below the CPM, four traditional flow regimes (dripping flow, symmetric wave jet flow, sinuous jet flow, and atomization) can be identified depending upon the jet velocity and nozzle size. At pressures near the CPM where the equilibrium interfacial tension is extremely small (for pressure slightly below the CPM) or absent (for pressures above the CPM), all of these flow regimes can still be identified, indicating the existence of a dynamic interfacial tension (DIT). At pressures far above the CPM, only gas-like jets without any jet interfaces or droplet formation can be seen. The DIT near the CPM can be estimated from the measured stability curves (dependence of jet length on jet velocity) and our proposed analytic modeling. The zero-time DIT (ZTDIT) is insufficient to explain the jet behavior near the CPM since its relaxation time (microseconds) is very short in comparison with the jet breakup time (milliseconds). Hence another mode (or other modes) of DIT should exist. In this study, a new mode of DIT is proposed, namely, the nonisothermic DIT, which is caused by the enthalpy of mixing of two miscible fluids (such as solvent–antisolvent mixture near the CPM). The nonisothermic DIT enhances the jet stability for exothermic mixing while it reduces the jet stability for heat absorption, i.e. endothermic mixing. Both modes of DIT complement each other for jet stabilization. The ZTDIT stabilizes the small initial section of the jet while the nonisothermic DIT would stabilize (in case of exothermic mixing) the rest of the jet until its breakup.
Acoustic beam simulator with aberration, power law absorption, and refraction effects

Present ultrasound imaging simulations rely on pulse-echoes from amplitude-weighted point scatterer models rather than a model based on wave propagation. Aberration has been most often modeled as a phase screen adjacent to the aperture rather than as a distributed effect. A more realistic model which accounts for diffraction, absorption, refraction, and aberration effects has been implemented. Based on two layer measurements of fat and muscle in abdominal walls[1], the new model projects the layer data three-dimensionally to their correct physical locations so that spatially local heterogeneous aberration effects vary with array geometry to the field point. Frequency-dependent effects in the original data are removed and combined with wave propagation effects calculated along ray paths from a multilayer time domain model that includes material impulse response functions[2] for power law media and reverberations. The net result is a set of temporal functions that can be convolved with diffraction responses from the FOCUS software program [3,4] for more efficient simulations. Beam contours calculated for a 5 MHz, 76 element linear array demonstrate that beam quality has greater local dependence on combined propagation and aberration effects than shown in earlier work. New simulations indicate that phase screen is a poor approximation and that absorption has a small effect. This new scalable model for beam and eventual image simulation, which includes aberration, absorption and effects, is adaptable to different array geometries, frequencies, waveforms, and tissue combinations.
Other people's judgments: a comparison of users' and others' judgments of document relevance, topicality, and utility

The emerging user-centric model of relevance proposes that the only valid measure of relevance of a document to a user's information need is the one made by that user. If we accept this proposition, it raises an interesting question: how well do other people, especially those involved in information work who make such judgments as part of their training and work, perform as judges of documents for information needs they did not originate? This question was empirically tested, using three groups of subjects: incoming students to a school of information/library science, continuing students in that school, and academic librarians (holders of the MLS degree). These subjects made judgments of either “relevance,” “utility,” or “topicality” of two document sets to the original users' stated information need. These judgments were then compared to those of the users to see what patterns emerged, and to see what can be learned not only about secondary judgments in general, but also the ways in which information and library professionals make such judgments. These results are interesting in their own right (subject's judgments compared reasonably well to those of users, looked more like users' after more training and experience in library work, and fall into interesting patterns), but they also lead to some provocative questions about the nature of judgment and evaluation of information items. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The metabolism of subcutaneous adipose tissue in the immediate postnatal period of human newborns. 2. Developmental changes in the metabolism of 14 C-(U)-D-glucose and in enzyme activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK; EC. 2.7.1.11) and -hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD; EC. 1.1.1.35).

Extract: Changes in the in vitro metabolism of subcutaneous adipose tissue have been compared in normal human newborns from 2 hr to 2 weeks of age. A group of healthy adult volunteers was also included. Samples were obtained by using a needle biopsy technique. More of the isotope from 14C-(U)-D-glucose was incorporated into triglycerides (P < 0.05) and also oxidized by suspensions of adipose cells from infants 2–3 hr of age than in older infants (P < 0.01). The ratio of radioactivity in carbon dioxide to radioactivity in triglyceride was also significantly greater in 2− to 3-hr-old infants than in older neonates (P < 0.05). Thin layer chromatography of the total lipid extract showed the greatest amount of radioactivity in the triglycerides, a small amount in 1,3-diglycerides and 1,2-diglycerides, and a trace in fatty acids and monogiycerides. These findings were compared with the developmental changes in two key enzymes: phosphofructokinase (PFK), which represents the glycolytic pathway, and β-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase (HAD), which is involved in the β oxidation of fatty acids. The activity ratio of these enzymes decreased with age. In a preparation of isolated mitochondria, HAD activity increased with age (P < 0.001). These changes in substrate utilization and enzyme activity are consistent with an active metabolism of glucose in the subcutaneous adipose tissue in the first hours of life and relatively greater catabolism of fatty acids in older newborns. Speculation: Subcutaneous adipose tissue of human newborns is in many respects more active metabolically than the same tissue in adults. For example, lipolysis and reesterification seem to be more active, at least shortly after birth, and oxygen consumption is increased. This tissue is easily and safely accessible for examination, It responds sensitively to the metabolic situation of the newborn and could be effectively used as a source of information regarding peculiarities of newborns in whom fetal development was abnormal, such as premature delivery, intrauterine growth retardation, and maternal diabetes. Such studies might provide important information for the management of high risk infants.
Upper-truncated Power Laws in Natural Systems

— When a cumulative number-size distribution of data follows a power law, the data set is often considered fractal since both power laws and fractals are scale invariant. Cumulative number-size distributions for data sets of many natural phenomena exhibit a “fall-off ” from a power law as the measured object size increases. We demonstrate that this fall-off is expected when a cumulative data set is truncated at large object size. We provide a generalized equation, herein called the General Fitting Function (GFF), that describes an upper-truncated cumulative number-size distribution based on a power law. Fitting the GFF to a cumulative number-size distribution yields the coefficient and exponent of the underlying power law and a parameter that characterizes the upper truncation. Possible causes of upper truncation include data sampling limitations (spatial or temporal) and changes in the physics controlling the object sizes. We use the GFF method to analyze four natural systems that have been studied by other approaches: forest fire area in the Australian Capital Territory; fault offsets in the Vernejoul coal field; hydrocarbon volumes in the Frio Strand Plain exploration play; and fault lengths on Venus. We demonstrate that a traditional approach of fitting a power law directly to the cumulative number-size distribution estimates too negative an exponent for the power law and overestimates the fractal dimension of the data set. The four systems we consider are well fit by the GFF method, suggesting they have properties characterized by upper-truncated power laws.
Interactions between glucose and ketone body use by developing brain

Abstract The effects of ketonemia on brain carbohydrate metabolism of 20-day-old rats breathing air or 20% CO2 were studied. Intraperitoneal administration of sodium dl -β- hydroxybutyrate (8–10 mmol/kg) significantly reduced rates of glucose utilization by brains of both groups, as determined with [2-14C]glucose and [3H]deoxyglucose as tracers. The greater decrease found with [2-14C]glucose indicated that loss of a 14C-labeled intermediate from brain also occurred during ketonemia. Other investigators have observed release of lactate from brain into blood during ketonemia. It is likely that the loss of 14C was by this route. The decrease in rate of glucose utilization produced by ketonemia was additive with the decrease produced by hypercapnia. Changes in brain metabolite concentrations with ketonemia included increases in glucose, glucose 6-phosphate, pyruvate, citrate, α-ketoglutarate, malate, and glutamate. With the combination of ketonemia and hypercapnia there were further increases in brain glucose and glucose 6-phosphate concentrations, while the levels of the other metabolites fell to about the same or to a lesser extent as occurred with hypercapnia alone. These observations, coupled with those on rates of glucose utilization, support the following conclusions: (1) acute ketonemia diminished flux through the hexokinase, phosphofructokinase, and pyruvate dehydrogenase reactions, but total influx of substrates into the Krebs cycle temporarily exceeded CO2 evolution, leading to increased concentrations of cycle intermediates and glutamate; (2) hypercapnia superimposed on ketonemia had an additive inhibitory effect on phosphofructokinase activity; (3) during combined hypercapnia and ketonemia, there did not appear to be an adaptive increase in use of β-hydroxybutyrate by brain to compensate for the CO2-produced reduction in glucose use.
Effect of azapropazone and allopurinol on myocardial infarct size in rats.

The effect of the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol and the non-steroidal antiinflammatory agent azapropazone on infarct size in rats, subjected to 48 h of occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, were studied. Allopurinol (50 mg/kg i.p., twice daily from 24 h before to 48 h after LAD occlusion) and azapropazone (100 mg/kg i.p twice daily from 24 h before to 48 h after LAD occlusion) significantly reduced infarct size when compared to saline-treated rats. These data point towards involvement of xanthine oxidase derived free radicals in evolving myocardial infarction in rats; beneficial effect of azapropazone in this model may be related to the drug's ability to inhibit xanthine oxidase as well as various key neutrophil functions.
Left ventricular endocardial activation during right ventricular pacing: Effect of underlying heart disease

Endocardial catheter mapping of the left ventricle was performed in 40 patients during right ventricular pacing to determine the effect of underlying myocardial infarction on endocardial activation. Group I comprised 18 patients without infarction, Group II 12 patients with inferior infarction and Group III 10 patients with anteroseptal infarction. Thirty-nine of the 40 patients had only a single left ventricular breakthrough site located on the midseptum in 33 cases, apical septum in 4 cases and basal septum in 2 cases. The earliest left ventricular local activation time during right ventricular pacing was earlier in Group III (40 ± 11 ms) than in Group I (55 ± 17 ms) and Group II (60 ± 15 ms) (p It is concluded that: 1) left ventricular endocardial activation patterns and conduction times are influenced by the site of previous infarction. 2) Longer total endocardial activation in Group III suggests that specialized conducting tissue in the septal and anterior walls may play an important role in left ventricular activation during right ventricular pacing. 3) Left ventricular activation times during right ventricular pacing are similar to those previously observed in intrinsic left bundle branch block; thus, right ventricular pacing may serve as a model of left bundle branch block.
Copper accumulation and lipid oxidation precede inflammation and myelin lesions in N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate peripheral myelinopathy

Dithiocarbamates have a wide spectrum of applications in industry, agriculture and medicine with new applications being actively investigated. One adverse effect of dithiocarbamates is the neurotoxicity observed in humans and experimental animals. Results from previous studies have suggested that dithiocarbamates elevate copper and promote lipid oxidation within myelin membranes. In the current study, copper levels, lipid oxidation, protein oxidative damage and markers of inflammation were monitored as a function of N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDC) exposure duration in an established model for DEDC-mediated myelinopathy in the rat. Intra-abdominal administration of DEDC was performed using osmotic pumps for periods of 2, 4, and 8 weeks. Metals in brain, liver and tibial nerve were measured using ICP-MS and lipid oxidation assessed through HPLC measurement of malondialdehyde in tibial nerve, and GC/MS measurement of F(2) isoprostanes in sciatic nerve. Protein oxidative injury of sciatic nerve proteins was evaluated through quantification of 4-hydroxynonenal protein adducts using immunoassay, and inflammation monitored by quantifying levels of IgGs and activated macrophages using immunoassay and immunohistochemistry methods, respectively. Changes in these parameters were then correlated to the onset of structural lesions, determined by light and electron microscopy, to delineate the temporal relationship of copper accumulation and oxidative stress in peripheral nerve to the onset of myelin lesions. The data provide evidence that DEDC mediates lipid oxidation and elevation of total copper in peripheral nerve well before myelin lesions or activated macrophages are evident. This relationship is consistent with copper-mediated oxidative stress contributing to the myelinopathy.
Trusted computing architectures for a mobile IT infrastructure

As computing architectures become mobile the physical ownership of data and security guarantees for that data is required to gain trust of the users of the computing architectures. In this paper we highlight security guarantees required to alleviate privacy concerns of the users of a computing service.A hardware system entrusted with security is referred to as the trusted platform module (TPM). We highlight how security guarantees in an IT infrastructure can be met using trusted platform modules and should be an integral part of computing services along with other security constructs like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, anti-virus etc.
An artificial neural network model for virtual Superpave asphalt mixture design

This study presents an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the asphalt mixture volumetrics at Superpave gyration levels. The input data-set needed by the algorithm is composed of gradation of the mix, bulk specific gravity of aggregates, low- and high-performance grade of the binder, binder content of the mix and the target number of gyrations (i.e. Nini, Ndes and Nmax). The proposed ANN model uses a three-layer scaled conjugate gradient back-propagation (feed-forward) network. The ANN was trained using data obtained from numerous roads with a total of 1817 different mix designs. Results revealed that the ANN was able to predict Va within Va (measured) ± 1.0% range 85–93% of the time and within Va (measured) ± 0.5% range 60–70% of the time. Currently with the developed ANN model, Superpave mix design can take approximately between 1.5 and 4.5 days, which corresponds to 3–6 days of savings.
Contractile force measured in unskinned isolated adult rat heart fibres

A number of investigators have succeeded in preparing isolated cardiac cells by enzymatic digestion which tolerate external [Ca2+] in the millimolar range1–6. However, a persistent problem with these preparations is that, unlike in situ adult ventricular fibres, the isolated fibres usually beat spontaneously. This spontaneity suggests persistent ionic leakage not present in situ. A preferable preparation for mechanical and electrical studies would be one which is quiescent but excitable in response to electrical stimulation and which does not undergo contracture with repeated stimulation. We report here a modified method of cardiac fibre isolation and perfusion which leaves the fibre membrane electrically excitable and moderately resistant to mechanical stress so that the attachment of suction micropipettes to the fibre is possible for force measurement and length control. Force generation in single isolated adult rat heart fibres is consistent with in situ contractile force. The negative staircase effect (treppe) characteristic of adult rat heart tissue is present with increased frequency of stimulation. Isometric developed tension increases with fibre length as in in situ ventricular tissue.
Antimetastatic drugs in prostate cancer

Abstract Despite the benefits of local therapy with radical prostatectomy and radiation, many patients with prostate cancer require hormonal ablation. While chemotherapy has proven efficacy when the disease progresses to androgen-independent prostate cancer, patients ultimately succumb to the disease, thus the identification of other active therapies is needed. Future treatment modalities include molecular targeted therapies. Prostate cancer has been an ideal model to study the multiple steps required in the metastatic cascade. These steps have been utilized in the development of metastasis inhibitors. This review will present promising agents that have been tested preclinically or are undergoing clinical investigation for their abilities in preventing prostate cancer metastasis. Because prostate cancer metastasizes preferentially to the bone, special attention will be given to agents that interfere with this pattern of metastasis. Specifically, the efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors, metalloproteinase inhibitors, inhibitors of prostate cancer cell–endothelial cell interactions, and bisphosphonates will be reported. In addition, the introduction of these novel agents has raised many questions as to the relevance and optimal utilization of current clinical trial designs. Issues regarding combination therapy with chemotherapy, optimal timing of treatment with metastatic inhibitors, and the need for surrogate endpoints for molecular targeted therapies will be discussed.
Case-control study of medical comorbidities in women with interstitial cystitis

Purpose: We used physician assigned diagnoses in an electronic medical record to assess comorbidities associated with interstitial cystitis.Materials and Methods: A computer search of the administrative database at Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon was performed for May 1, 1998 to April 30, 2003. All women with a medical record diagnosis of interstitial cystitis (ICD-9 code 595.1) were identified. These cases were then matched with 3 controls each based on age and duration in the health plan. The medical diagnoses (using ICD-9 codes restricted to 3 digits) assigned to these 2 groups were compared using the OR.Results: A total of 239 cases and 717 matched controls were analyzed. There were 23 diagnoses that were significantly more common in cases than in controls (p ≤0.005). Seven of these 23 diagnoses were other urological or gynecological codes used to describe pelvic symptoms. Additional specific conditions associated with interstitial cystitis were gastritis (OR 12.2), child abuse (OR 9.3),...
492 STEROID SPECIFICITY OF RAT RENAL MINERALOCORTICOID RECEPTORS AFTER IN SITU PERFUSION

Recently, elimination of CBG has been reported to result in higher binding affinity of corticosterone (B) to mineralocorticoid receptor(MR). We have studied binding affinities of rat kidney MR by cytosol and tissue slice methods after complete perfusion in situ. To estimate the degree of serum contamination in the cytosol, rat serum CBG and albumin level in cytosol were assayed by RIA. Perfused kidney cytosol contained less than 0.1 ul per ml serum contamination. In cytosol and slice experiments without blockade of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), both Type I and II 3H-aldosterone binding sites were present, indicated by the curvilinear pattern of Scatchard analysis. With RU-28362 as GR blockade, Scatchard plots were rectilinear. In perfused cytosol, all the corticosteroids tested (aldosterone, deoxycorticosterone, B, cortisol, dexamethasone) bound to MR with the same affinity in the presence of RU-28362, while non-perfused cytosol showed steroid specificity similar to those previously reported. Addition of increasing amount of rat serum to perfused cytosol decreased the binding of B to MR, indicating that B was bound to CBG, thus decreasing the availability of B for MR-binding. Slices of well-perfused kidney showed steroid specificities similar to the non-perfused cytosol.
Management by consequences

Managers and supervisors are paid to influence others. The success a manager achieves in this endeavour is directly related to the words a manager says, and the procedures he or she uses. Some words and procedures work better than others. We can learn about those that are effective by interviewing supervisory personnel or by directly observing them as they go about their daily routine. We can also interview and observe the non‐management personnel they supervise.
International Relations in the Soviet Union: The Emergence of a Discipline

T HE PHENOMENAL postwar proliferation of books, journals, courses, and research institutes devoted to international relations in the United States prompted Alfred Grosser in 1956 to wonder whether the study of international relations was an American specialty. Had he been writing in 1956 about the other superpower, the Soviet Union, he might well have observed that the conspicuous avoidance of the study of international relations was one of the characteristic features of academic inquiry in that country. The intervening years, however, have witnessed rather dramatic developments-which the present article traces and analyzes -in the study of international relations in the Soviet Union.
Characterization of murine leukaemia virus-specific DNA present in normal mouse cells.

RNA type C viruses have been isolated from many animal species. In the mouse and chicken, they exist in an unexpressed form in every cell1–3. Whether endogenous type C viral genetic information is integrated within the cell genome has been studied genetically and biochemically. Loci for inducibility of biologically distinguishable viruses have been detected in mouse cells, suggesting that the loci may represent virus structural information4,5. Numerous biochemical studies have characterized and quantified type C virus-specific DNA in avian and murine cells6–9. In some reports, the number of viral DNA equivalents per cell was quantified by measuring the effect of unlabelled cellular DNA on the reassociation kinetics of a labelled DNA probe10. Using labelled double stranded (ds) DNA prepared in vitro with the reverse transcriptases of RNA tumour viruses, earlier reports indicated that the major portion of the type C virus ds DNA product was complementary to a relatively small fraction of the viral genome7,11; this in vitro DNA probe did not effectively discriminate between the DNAs of different species with respect to the presence of viral genetic information7,8. A portion of the ds DNA product was also shown to have a genetic complexity more representative of the 70S genome7,11.
A hospital's annual rate of esophagectomy influences the operative mortality rate

The reported operative mortality rate for esophagectomy for malignancy ranges from 2% to 30%. The goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate the relationship between a hospital’s annual rate of esophagectomy for esophageal cancer and the clinical outcome of the operation. Discharge abstracts of 1561 patients who had undergone esophagectomy for malignancy at acute care hospitals in California from 1990 through 1994 were obtained from the Office of Statewide Health Plating and Development. The hospitals were grouped according to the number of esophagectomies performed during the S-year period, and a mortality rate was calculated for each group. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between a hospital’s rate of esophagectomy and the mortality rate. Esophageal resections were performed in 273 hospitals. An average of two or fewer resections were performed annually in 88% of hospitals, which accounted for 50% of all patients treated. The mortality rate in hospitals with more than 30 esophagectomies for the S-year period was 4.8%, compared with 16% for hospitals with fewer than 30 esophagectomies. This could not be accounted for by other health variables affecting the patients’ risk for surgery. There was a striking correlation between a hospital’s frequency of esophagectomy and the outcome of this operation. The results support the proposition that high-risk general surgical procedures, such as esophagectomy for malignancy, should be restricted to hospitals that can exceed a yearly minimum experience.
Oxidative Damage and Aging: Spotlight on Mitochondria

Whereas free radical damage has been proposed as a key component in the tissue degeneration associated with aging, there has been little evidence that free radical damage limits life span in mammals. The current research shows that overexpression of the antioxidant enzyme catalase in mitochondria can extend mouse life span. These results highlight the importance of mitochondrial damage in aging and suggest that when targeted appropriately, boosting antioxidant defenses can increase mammalian life span.
InfoRAD literature search area

Ever since 1990, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has displayed a software program in the infoRAD learning center at RSNA's annual meeting that enables literature searches through the NLM's database. Called GrateFul Med, the software program is a user-friendly front-end program used for searching the NLM's on-line databases.
Lysine-21 of Leuconostoc mesenteroides glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase participates in substrate binding through charge-charge interaction.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) was isolated in high yield and purified to homogeneity from a newly constructed strain of Escherichia coli which lacks its own glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase gene. Lys-21 is one of two lysyl residues in the enzyme previously modified by the affinity labels pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and pyridoxal 5'-diphosphate-5'-adenosine, which are competitive inhibitors of the enzyme with respect to glucose 6-phosphate (LaDine, J.R., Carlow, D., Lee, W.T., Cross, R.L., Flynn, T.G., & Levy, H.R., 1991, J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5558-5562). K21R and K21Q mutants of the enzyme were purified to homogeneity and characterized kinetically to determine the function of Lys-21. Both mutant enzymes showed increased Km-values for glucose 6-phosphate compared to wild-type enzyme: 1.4-fold (NAD-linked reaction) and 2.1-fold (NADP-linked reaction) for the K21R enzyme, and 36-fold (NAD-linked reaction) and 53-fold (NADP-linked reaction) for the K21Q enzyme. The Km for NADP+ was unchanged in both mutant enzymes. The Km for NAD+ was increased 1.5- and 3.2-fold, compared to the wild-type enzyme, in the K21R and K21Q enzymes, respectively. For the K21R enzyme the kcat for the NAD- and NADP-linked reactions was unchanged. The kcat for the K21Q enzyme was increased in the NAD-linked reaction by 26% and decreased by 30% in the NADP-linked reaction from the values for the wild-type enzyme. The data are consistent with Lys-21 participating in the binding of the phosphate group of the substrate to the enzyme via charge-charge interaction.
Ultrathin PMMA films spin-coated from toluene solutions

Abstract Films of atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were produced by spin-coating from toluene solutions, and their properties were compared to similar PMMA films produced by spin-coating from chloroform [Walsh and Franses, Thin Solid Films 347 (1999) 167]. Two-angle ellipsometry at λ=6328 A was used to probe the film thicknesses, refractive indices, and their overall quality and uniformity. Ellipsometry was also used with microspot optics at one angle to determine the film thickness uniformity. The films from toluene were approximately 4-fold thinner, but more uniform and of higher quality, than the films from chloroform, evidently because of the lower volatility and slower evaporation, of toluene. Films with thicknesses d1=0.003 to 1 μm were produced for initial PMMA concentrations c=0.1–10 wt.%, and spinning speeds of 1000–3000 rpm. The thicknesses fit the equation d1 (μm)=0.92 c1.56 ω−0.51. The ω-dependence agrees with predictions of simple theoretical models. The results may find use in production of high-quality polymer films for resists or other applications.
The Timing and Prevalence of Women's Marriage in the French Department of the Loire, 1851-1891

This article examines the determinants of the timing and prevalence of female marriage in a sample of 33 rural villages in the French department of the Loire in the second half of the nineteenth century when the area was beginning to experience a demographic transition. Data from 1851 and 1891 are used in the analysis. The conclusions reached are that both timing and prevalence tended to be determined by similar factors Marriage chances were structured by demographic factors, with mortality in 1851 and the sex ratio in 1891 being significant deter minants. Socioeconomic factors exerted a relatively weak influence, and especially striking is the absence of any significant effect of rural industry on either the timing or the prevalence of marriage. Cultural factors, by contrast, were very significant: isolation, in 1851, and linguistic particularism, political conservatism, and female literacy in 1891 all supported traditional pat terns of restricted marriage. The unusual direction of the influence of liter...
Anatomical changes with age in the heart and ductus arteriosus in the dog after birth.

The heart-weight to body-weight ratios were calculated for 242 dogs in 11 groups ranging from one day to adult. The base-apex diameters, internal transverse diameters, external transverse diameters, and the anterior, posterior, lateral, and interventricular septal wall thicknesses were measured in left ventricles of hearts taken from 45 animals of nine different age groups. The ductus arteriosus was examined for patency in all puppies. The heart-weight to body-weight ratios were found to be highly variable and failed to show significant changes with age. The average ratios increased during postnatal development from 7.17 gm/kg in the newborn to 8.87 in adults. The left ventricular diameters and wall thicknesses increased progressively with age and were four times larger in adults than in the newborn. Diameter to wall-thickness ratios were calculated and did not change with age. Since the heart weight increased 10–16 times faster than the wall thickness, wall-thickness to heart-weight ratios were found to decrease with age indicating a faster lengthening than thickening of the myocardial fibers. The ductus arteriosus was functionally open in all puppies less than four days of age and did not close anatomically until 7–8 days of age.
History and Story: Leon Trout's Double Narrative in Galápagos

How much can you get away with in a book?' (Allen, Conversations 251). Kurt Vonnegut posed that question in reference to the unorthodox narrative strategy he devised to solve an “enormous” technica...
Be aware of the patient with an eye patch.

To the Editor: A 78-yr-old woman was scheduled for right upper lobectomy under general anesthesia. She weighed 54 kg and was 5 feet 10 in. tall. Her medical history was significant for hypertension, a 50-yr history of cigarette smoking, and an enucleation of the right eye for an unknown tumor 10 years previously. She had a glass eye but preferred to wear a large black (pirate) eye patch that covered the entire orbit including the eyebrows. Her physical examination was unremarkable with a class 2 airway. After induction of anesthesia with fentanyl and thiopental, vecuronium was given for muscle relaxation. Mask ventilation with sevoflurane in 100% oxygen proved difficult as a large leak was detected around her face. A new larger and well-inflated face mask was placed on her face but a large leak was still detected. A second anesthesiologist assisted by holding the mask with both hands, but the leak was still present. Only by increasing the fresh gas flow to 12 L were the lungs ventilated adequately despite the leak. A repeat pressure leak test of the anesthetic machine was done but no abnormality was seen. The cause of the problem was discovered when the eye patch was removed. The orbital cavity had no glass eye and an anatomical passage from the mouth cavity to the orbit of the eye was clearly seen. The problem was easily solved by packing the orbit with a 4 in. moist vaginal pack. Be aware of the patient with an eye patch. Should it be difficult to ventilate via mask due to a large orbital leak a moist vaginal pack can be used.
Basic cellular mechanisms of action of the calcium-channel blockers

Calcium-channel blockers inhibit the entry of calcium ion (Ca++) into excitable cells, including those of coronary and peripheral arterial smooth muscle and the heart. The ability of these drugs to block Ca++ entry into cells inhibits the essential role of this cation as an intracellular messenger. The effects of calcium-channel blockers on the heart include a negative inotropic effect on the working myocardial cells of the atria and ventricles. Because the up-stroke of the action potential in these regions of the heart, and in the rapidly conducting cells of the His-Purkinje system, is due to a fast, sodium-dependent ionic current, calcium-channel blockers do not inhibit conduction in these cells. In the sinoatrial and atrioventricular (AV) nodes, on the other hand, depolarization is due primarily to a Ca++-dependent slow inward current; as a result, the calcium-channel blockers inhibit the sinus pacemaker and AV conduction. Because our knowledge of the molecular structure of the calcium channels in the heart and smooth muscle is rudimentary, little is known of the molecular mechanisms by which calcium-channel blockers inhibit Ca++ entry across the sarcolemmal membranes in these cells. It is apparent, however, that the actions of different members of this class of drugs on the sarcolemma are not the same. Indirect evidence indicates that some members of this class of drugs may interact with hydrophobic regions of the proteins that make up, or regulate, the calcium channels in the plasma membrane.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)