cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective study of discharge disposition after vascular surgery.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine what factors are predictive of a decline in independent living after vascular surgery during recovery. Methods: Demographics, risk factors, operations, complications, wound status, and discharge disposition for all patients admitted to a tertiary vascular surgery service for any surgical procedure were prospectively recorded at the time of discharge. The declining order of dispositions at discharge were home (no professional assistance), home (professional assistance), rehabilitation facility, and skilled nursing facility. Results: Over a 15-month period, 380 patients underwent 442 primary operations. Primary operations included 74 (17%) carotid procedures, 38 (8%) aortic procedures, 186 (42%) extremity revascularizations, 29 (7%) major amputations, 45 (10%) minor amputations, and 70 (16%) other. There were 148 (33%) complications and 85 (20%) subsequent operations (same hospitalization); 159 (36%) open wounds occurred. Forty-six percent of the patients were discharged to home (no professional assistance), 28% to home (professional assistance), 3% to a rehabilitation facility, and 18% to a skilled nursing facility; 5% died. At discharge, 51% of patients required professional assistance, 39% had a decline in disposition, and 12% went from home (± professional assistance) to a facility. By multivariate regression analysis, a hospital stay more than 6 days, emergency operation, open operative wound, systemic complications, and minor amputation were significantly associated ( P Conclusions: Prospective study reveals that a large proportion of patients (39%) had a decline in disposition after vascular surgery. A hospital stay more than 6 days, emergency operation, open operative wound, systemic complications, and minor amputation were strong independent predictors of decline. This information suggests modifications in treatment strategies may improve independent living status after vascular surgery and decrease the intense use of extended care resources required for this patient population during recovery. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:62-8.)
Ulcerative Colitis From Patients' Viewpoint: A Review of Two Internet Surveys

Ulcerative colitis negatively impacts patients' quality of life, but little is known about which aspects of patients' lives are affected, how patients' perceptions compare with patients with other chronic conditions, and how these perceptions compare with those of gastroenterologists. This review discusses two recent Internet surveys: (1) the Ulcerative Colitis: New Observations on Remission Management And Lifestyle (UC:NORMAL) and (2) the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America studies. The surveys revealed that the major impact ulcerative colitis has on patients includes frequent disease manifestations, a substantial psychological burden, and disruption to daily activities. This was more evident in patients with ulcerative colitis than those with migraine, asthma, or rheumatoid arthritis. Physicians' perceptions were considerably different from those of patients, as physicians believed that the disease had a lesser impact on patient quality of life. Furthermore, patients and physicians also identified nonadherence to prescribed medication as a major concern in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Improved communication and education is needed to address nonadherence and poor health related quality of life in patients living with ulcerative colitis. The influence of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses on physicians, nurses, and patients may help improve adherence and long-term disease outcomes, including patients' health related quality of life. The nurse practitioner, working with both patients who have ulcerative colitis and the physicians who care for these patients, is uniquely placed to address these needs.
Arthrobacter sp. JS443‐Based Whole Cell Amperometric Biosensor for p‐Nitrophenol

An amperometric microbial biosensor for highly sensitive and selective determination of p-nitrophenol (PNP) is reported. The biosensor consisted of PNP-degrader Arthrobacter sp. JS443 immobilized by entrapment in Nafion polymer deposited on the top of the carbon paste electrode transducer. The biosensor was based on the measurement of the oxidation current of the intermediates 4-nitrocatechol and 1,2,4-benzenetriol formed by the highly selective oxidation of PNP by Arthrobacter sp. The sensor signal and response time were optimized with applied potential of þ 0.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode) and 0.03 mg of cells and operating in pH 7.5, 50 mM citrate-phosphate buffer at room temperature. When operated at optimized conditions, the Arthrobacter sp.-based biosensor measured as low as 5 nM (0.7 ppb) of PNP. The biosensor demonstrated excellent selectivity with no interference from phenolic compounds such as 2-nitrophenol, phenol and 3-chlorophenol but was interfered by 3-nitrophenol and 3-methyl-4nitrophenol. It had good precision and intra- and inter-day reproducibility, accuracy and was stable up to 3 days when stored in buffer at 48C. When applied for measurement in water from Lake Elsinore, CA, the results obtained were in excellent agreement with the amounts determined spectrophotometrically.
Procedural Justice and Social Regulation Across Group Boundaries: Does Subgroup Identity Undermine Relationship-Based Governance?:

The relational model of authority suggests that people are inclined to accept the decisions of ethnic outgroup authorities when they identify with a superordinate category they share with the authority, and when the authority satisfies their relational justice concerns. Using responses from a random sample of African Americans, Latinos, and Whites about their cross-ethnic interactions with legal authorities, the findings indicated that those who are highly identified with the superordinate category of America indicate greater reliance on relational concerns and less on instrumental concerns when evaluating the authority's decision. In contrast, identification with one's ethnic subgroup did not moderate the linkage between relational concerns and acceptance. Across all ethnic groups, there were positive rather than negative correlations between measures of American and ethnic identity. Together, these findings indicate that subgroup identity does not undermine the relational basis of social regulation and that relationship-based governance is compatible with multiculturalism.
Reverse engineering gene regulatory networks

An information theoretic algorithm that prunes away potentially indirect interactions allows for improved reconstruction of biological networks.
Effects of Gull-Wing Baffles on the Performance of a Single-Row, Annularly Finned Tube Heat Exchanger

The effect of gull-wing baffling on the performance of a single-row, annularly finned tube heat exchanger is quantified for Reynolds numbers from 5,000 to 13,000. A novel adaptation of the naphthalene sublimation technique provides optically measured sublimation depths that are used to determine local mass-transfer coefficients with a spatial resolution superior to previously reported data. Local and average heat-transfer data for baffled and unbaffled finned tubes are inferred through the analogy between heat and mass transfer. Local data are used to explain the flow and heat-transfer interactions and their impact on overall heat-transfer performance. Pressure drop data are presented for a complete measure of heat-transfer and pumping power performance, and a performance evaluation criterion is used to compare the heat exchangers. The data indicate that the unbaffled geometry provides nearly the same heat transfer as the baffled arrangement, but the unbaffled geometry incurs only 20 to 25% of the baffled...
Predicting Antigenicity of Proteins in a Bacterial Proteome; a Protein Microarray and Naïve Bayes Classification Approach

Discovery of novel antigens associated with infectious diseases is fundamental to the development of serodiagnostic tests and protein subunit vaccines against existing and emerging pathogens. Efforts to predict antigenicity have relied on a few computational algorithms predicting signal peptide sequences (SignalP), transmembrane domains, or subcellular localization (pSort). An empirical protein microarray approach was developed to scan the entire proteome of any infectious microorganism and empirically determine immunoglobulin reactivity against all the antigens from a microorganism in infected individuals. The current database from this activity contains quantitative antibody reactivity data against 35,000 proteins derived from 25 infectious microorganisms and more than 30 million data points derived from 15,000 patient sera. Interrogation of these data sets has revealed ten proteomic features that are associated with antigenicity, allowing an in silico protein sequence and functional annotation based approach to triage the least likely antigenic proteins from those that are more likely to be antigenic. The first iteration of this approach applied to Brucella melitensis predicted 37% of the bacterial proteome containing 91% of the antigens empirically identified by probing proteome microarrays. In this study, we describe a naive Bayes classification approach that can be used to assign a relative score to the likelihood that an antigen will be immunoreactive and serodiagnostic in a bacterial proteome. This algorithm predicted 20% of the B. melitensis proteome including 91% of the serodiagnostic antigens, a nearly twofold improvement in specificity of the predictor. These results give us confidence that further development of this approach will lead to further improvements in the sensitivity and specificity of this in silico predictive algorithm.
Endocrine regulation of de novo aggregation pheromone biosynthesis in the pine engraver, Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Abstract In vivo and in vitro radiotracer studies were conducted with the pine engraver, Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), to elucidate the relationships among feeding on host ( Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.) phloem, juvenile hormone III (JH III) biosynthesis, and de novo aggregation pheromone (ipsdienol) biosynthesis. The in vivo incorporation of [1- 14 C]acetate into ipsdienol by male I. pini increased with increasing dose of topically-applied JH III, demonstrating the stimulatory role by JH III in de novo pheromone production. In vivo incorporation of ( RS )-[2- 14 C]mevalonolactone into ipsdienol by male I. pini was not affected by increasing JH III dose. However, injection of [ 14 C]mevalonolactone resulted in significantly higher levels of [ 14 C]ipsdienol than those observed in saline-injected controls. This is direct evidence for the mevalonate-based isoprenoid pathway in de novo ipsdienol biosynthesis, and suggests that in this pathway JH III does not influence enzymatically-catalyzed reactions subsequent to the conversion of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate. An additional in vivo [ 14 C]acetate study demonstrated that de novo ipsdienol biosynthesis is also stimulated by feeding on host phloem. Lastly, an in vitro radiotracer study utilizing L-[ methyl - 3 H]methionine demonstrated that feeding stimulates JH III biosynthesis by the corpora allata (CA) of male, but not female, I. pini . Analysis by radio-high pressure liquid chromatography revealed that JH III is likely the type of juvenile hormone produced by the male CA. These data support a sequence of events leading to feeding-induced de novo pheromone biosynthesis in male I. pini : (1) feeding on host phloem; (2) feeding-dependent JH III biosynthesis by the CA; and (3) JH III-stimulated de novo ipsdienol biosynthesis.
Improving the quality of life for people with ALS: the challenge ahead.

In tandem with recent progress in basic and clinical research in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), clinical care and management has improved substantially. Key processes and practices have been ...
Osteochondritis dissecans of the lunate

Osteochondritis dissecans of the lunate has not been previously reported in the English-language literature. A case of osteochondritis dissecans of the lunate and an ulnar positive variance in a 16-year-old girl is presented. Several possible causes of the lesion and its surgical treatment are discussed.
TNF-induced activation of pulmonary microvessel endothelial cells : a role for GSK3β

The hypothesis tested was PKCα mediates the phosphorylation of glycogen synthetase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and that the GSK3β inhibition modulates the response to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) in rat pul...
Genes encoding calmodulin-binding proteins in the Arabidopsis genome

Analysis of the recently completed Arabidopsis genome sequence indicates that approximately 31% of the predicted genes could not be assigned to functional categories, as they do not show any sequence similarity with proteins of known function from other organisms. Calmodulin (CaM), a ubiquitous and multifunctional Ca(2+) sensor, interacts with a wide variety of cellular proteins and modulates their activity/function in regulating diverse cellular processes. However, the primary amino acid sequence of the CaM-binding domain in different CaM-binding proteins (CBPs) is not conserved. One way to identify most of the CBPs in the Arabidopsis genome is by protein-protein interaction-based screening of expression libraries with CaM. Here, using a mixture of radiolabeled CaM isoforms from Arabidopsis, we screened several expression libraries prepared from flower meristem, seedlings, or tissues treated with hormones, an elicitor, or a pathogen. Sequence analysis of 77 positive clones that interact with CaM in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner revealed 20 CBPs, including 14 previously unknown CBPs. In addition, by searching the Arabidopsis genome sequence with the newly identified and known plant or animal CBPs, we identified a total of 27 CBPs. Among these, 16 CBPs are represented by families with 2-20 members in each family. Gene expression analysis revealed that CBPs and CBP paralogs are expressed differentially. Our data suggest that Arabidopsis has a large number of CBPs including several plant-specific ones. Although CaM is highly conserved between plants and animals, only a few CBPs are common to both plants and animals. Analysis of Arabidopsis CBPs revealed the presence of a variety of interesting domains. Our analyses identified several hypothetical proteins in the Arabidopsis genome as CaM targets, suggesting their involvement in Ca(2+)-mediated signaling networks.
Self-Report Stability of Adolescent Cigarette Use Across Ten Years of Panel Study Data

This study is the first to examine adolescent cigarette report stability over 10 years. Six waves of data were utilized from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. This study examined internal/logical consistency and external consistency. Report stability was higher for lifetime use reports than the age of onset reports. Wave-by-wave differences revealed stability increased across time, with one-third denying use in the first two wave comparisons but dropping to 20% by the last comparison. Overall, report agreement was higher for females, older adolescents, and non-Hispanic/non-black youths. Implications regarding misclassification of users for prevention programs and measurement issues are discussed.
Olanzapine for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that is diagnosed primarily by the presence of generalized pain along with tenderness on palpation of certain body regions. Unfortunately, the pharmacological treatment of fibromyalgia remains problematic. Two patients are described who highlight the use of the atypical neuroleptic olanzapine for the control of symptoms related to fibromyalgia. Prior to the use of olanzapine, both patients had received a multitude of treatments, none of which greatly improved their ability to function in daily activities. With olanzapine, both patients reported a significant decrease in pain and marked improvement in daily functioning. In one case, the pain returned during a period of time when olanzapine was discontinued, an effect that was reversed when olanzapine was reintroduced. The paucity of serious side effects (i.e., extrapyramidal signs) with the atypical neuroleptic olanzapine strongly favors further exploration and use of this drug for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms.
The deformation and breakup of a slender drop in an extensional flow: inertial effects

The analysis of Acrivos & Lo (1978) for the deformation and breakup of a slender drop placed symmetrically in an axisymmetric pure straining flow is extended to include the effects of the fluid inertia within the drop. It is shown that, although the flow pattern within the drop is very complicated, internal inertia always tends to stabilize the drop. This stabilizing effect is, however, so weak that, for all practical purposes, it can be ignored.
Correlation in ion-atom collisions

Abstract Due to the strong electron-nucleus force in the target atom, many atomic collision processes are well-described within the independent particle model. This paper focuses on ion-atom collisions where dynamical correlations due to interaction between the electrons during the collision play an important role. Such correlations can be important for multi-electron transitions in weak coupling cases (high collision energies), since to first order in the projectile interaction and without correlation the cross section is zero. One example to be discussed is the double ionization of helium, where one manifestation of the correlation is the large difference in double ionization produced by protons and antiprotons. The situation for double ionization will be compared to other two electron processes, such as double excitation, excitation plus ionization, and transfer ionization.
Rapid component-based development for Condor job submission

Many scientific, engineering and business applications benefit from the ability to submit a large number of computational jobs to a Condor pool simultaneously. However, crafting a correct Condor submission script is not trivial, especially for the less computer command line-savvy users. Therefore, developers often wish to create a job submission page in a Web client application for the Condor system to provide an easy way for users to run their computation jobs. In doing so, the developers must understand the Condor ClassAd mechanism and provide a proper transformation if the application needs to support user or application defined ClassAds. This paper describes a rapid and easy way of creating a job submission page using our visual Web components. By integrating these components into a popular web application integrated development environment (IDE), the developers can easily compose a Condor job submission page by dragging and dropping the components. This will significantly reduce the time spent on creating the job submission application.
Syndioselective propylene polymerizations byansa-zirconocenium catalyst

The effect of reaction conditions, including catalyst concentration, temperature, and immobilization on support, have been investigated for syndioselective propylene polymerization by the “bare” zirconocenium ion generated from 1,1-diphenyl-methylidene(1-η5-cyclopentadienyl)(9-η5-fluorenyl)zirconium-dichloride precursor (2). Neither variation of the catalyst concentration nor immobilization of 2 on silica support affect the syndiospecificity of polymerization. The stereoregularity of the syndiotactic polypropylene, as judged from the melting transition temperature and homosteric r-pentad population by 13C-NMR, were found to be proportional to polymer molecular weight. These behaviors are compared with a typical isoselective catalyst ethylenebis(4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl) Zr precursor (4). They are in close resemblance in the case of the S-enantiomeric complex of 4, but the racemic mixture of 4 is markedly inferior. The origins of stereo- and regio-errors are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Enhancing segmentation systems

Market segmentation analysis and market segmentation systems, both geodemographic and household-level, have played an important role in marketing strategy, specifically in direct marketing. Geodemographic segmentation has been successfully used in the commercial sector for more than 30 years. During this brief time period, changes have been made to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these systems. A great deal of emphasis has been directed towards investigating different model types, for example mixed models, clusters, CHAID and CART, with the goal of separating consumers in terms of their heterogeneous purchasing behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how segmentation systems can be enhanced by modifying the systems with additional data dimensions. We propose that generic segmentation systems, built a priori to a general consumer behaviour analysis, can be enhanced by augmenting the systems with data variables known to be correlated with the behaviour of interest, which are not currently utilised in the segmentation system. Three sample files, representing three different industries, are examined. The files are appended with generic segmentation systems and then augmented with exographic variables (data descriptors that represent environmental phenomena beyond one's immediate being and neighborhood). These exographic variables are added to the pool of candidate variables from which the segmentation system is augmented. The results obtained in this study indicate that the proposed strategy of incorporating relevant data with current segmentation systems has potential value with respect to increasing separation between segments with regard to a consumer behaviour of interest. The Gini coefficient is described in this paper as a useful method for assessing segmentation system performance
Prophylactic Antibiotics for Posttraumatic Cerebrospinal Fluid Fistulae: A Meta-analysis

Objective: To determine the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics in the treatment of posttraumatic cerebrospinal fluid fistulae. Design: Meta-analysis with literature review. Methods: A MEDLINE search was performed to obtain all the reports pertaining to posttraumatic cerebrospinal fluid fistulae between 1970 and 1995. All the series that provided data specifying whether prophylactic antibiotics were provided and the incidence of meningitis were included in the analysis. Results: The findings of 6 studies, involving 324 patients, were analyzed. In these studies, 237 received prophylactic antibiotics and 87 did not. Only 6 of the 237 patients who received prophylactic antibiotics developed meningitis, yielding an incidence of 2.5%. Nine (10%) of the 87 patients who did not receive prophylactic antibiotics developed meningitis. The incidence of meningitis was significantly lower in the patients who received prophylactic antibiotics than in those who did not receive prophylaxis (Fisher exact test, P =.006). Conclusions: Individually, each of the studies included in this analysis demonstrated no significant difference in the incidence of meningitis with prophylactic antibiotic therapy. The reason for this is that inadequate numbers of patients were available at each institution. Pooling the data from the past 25 years revealed a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of meningitis with prophylactic antibiotic therapy. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1997;123:749-752
Secretion of neurotoxins by mononuclear phagocytes infected with HIV-1

Mononuclear phagocytes (microglia, macrophages, and macrophage-like giant cells) are the principal cellular targets for human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in the central nervous system (CNS). Since HIV-1 does not directly infect neurons, the causes for CNS dysfunction in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remain uncertain. HIV-1-infected human monocytoid cells, but not infected human lymphoid cells, released toxic agents that destroy chick and rat neurons in culture. These neurotoxins were small, heat-stable, protease-resistant molecules that act by way of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Macrophages and microglia infected with HIV-1 may produce neurologic disease through chronic secretion of neurotoxic factors.
Colorization of solid state AMLCDs for military head-mounted displays (HMDs) and other viewer applications

Kopin's miniature Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCD's) are rapidly becoming the display technology of choice in a wide range of military head mounted and sensor viewer applications. These low power, ruggedized displays operate from -37°C to +65°C with excellent imaging characteristics and reliability. Kopin and the US Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directive (NVESD) are co-operatively developing high resolution, full-color displays for day/night operations and image fusion applications. Kopin is leveraging the successful development of its monochrome SXGA (1280 x 1024) AMLCD to develop a color SXGA display and a color SVGA (800 x 600) display. Color technology approaches evaluated for these new products included color filters, frame sequential color, binary optic phase plate spot sequential color, and diffractive optic column sequential color. These approaches all involve frame sequential operation with the exception of color filters. A generic color frame sequential mode was selected for the SXGA display design that will allow operations of all frame-sequentially based approaches. This display facilitates color technology changes and upgrades by replacing the backlight assembly. The color filter approach was selected for the SVGA display. Both color technologies are used for Kopin commercial display products. Performance data and specifications for Kopin's displays will be presented with reference to military (HMD and weapon sight), industrial, and commercial applications. Analytical results and data from color approaches investigated will be presented and compared. Application extensions that utilize the new color technologies developed will be highlighted.
Advanced discrete wavelet transform fusion algorithm and its optimization by using the metric of image quality index

Of the many image fusion methods, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and various pyramids (e.g., the Laplacian pyramid) are among the most common and effective. For quantitative evaluation of the quality of fused imagery, the root mean square error (RMSE) is the most reasonable measure of quality if a ''ground truth'' image is available; otherwise, the entropy, spatial frequency, or image quality index (IQI) can be calculated and evaluated. Here, an advanced discrete wavelet trans- form (aDWT) method that incorporates principal component analysis (PCA) and morphological processing into a regular DWT fusion algo- rithm is presented. Specifically, a principle vector is derived from two input images and then applied to two of the images' approximation co- efficients at the highest DWT transform scale. For the detail coefficients at each transform scale, the larger absolute values are chosen and sub- jected to a neighborhood morphological processing procedure that serves to verify the selected pixels by using a ''filling'' and ''cleaning'' operation. Furthermore, the aDWT has two adjustable parameters—the number of DWT decomposition levels and the length of the selected wavelet that determinately affect the fusion result. An iterative fusion process that was optimized with the established metric—IQI—is then implemented. Experimental results tested on four types of inhomoge- neous imagery show that the iterative aDWT achieves the best fusion compared to the pyramid or the DWT methods judged on both the IQI metric and visual inspection. © 2005 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation En- gineers. (DOI: 10.1117/1.1871812)
Solitons and antisolitons on bounded surfaces

We generalize the one-dimensional KdV equation for an inviscid incompressible irrotational fluid layer with free surface, finite depth, and finite boundary conditions. We study the nonlinear dynamics of a fluid of arbitrary depth in a bounded domain. By introducing a special relation between the asymptotic limit of the potential of velocities at the bottom and the surface equation we obtain an infinite order PDE. The dispersion relation of the linearized equation is the well known capillarity-gravity dispersion relation for arbitrary depth. This generalized equation can be written as a differential-difference expression, and a class of traveling waves solutions in terms of power series expansion with coefficients satisfying a nonlinear recursion relation is obtained. In the limit of infinite long shallow water we recover the KdV equation together with its one-soliton solution. This generalized equation provides higher order (nonlinear) dispersion terms that do not cancel in the limit B"0=1/3. Consequently this equation can be used for investigation of soliton-antisoliton transition when the depth of the layer is closed to the critical one.
Immunotherapy in cat-induced asthma. Double-blind trial with evaluation of bronchial responses to cat allergen and histamine.

Abstract Ten asymptomatic patients with normal pulmonary function were selected for a double-blind trial of immunotherapy in cat-induced asthma. Each patient had a positive prick test to cat pelt extract and also a positive bronchial challenge response to the same extract. Patients were randomly assigned to active treatment or placebo groups and received weekly or biweekly injections over a 3 to 4-month period. The 5 patients who received the active treatment received a cumulative dose of cat pelt extract that ranged from 16.4 to 44.8 mg of total solid containing 1.7 to 4.7 mg of cat allergen 1. Apparent systemic reactions were observed in 3 patients who received the placebo and 3 patients who received the active treatment. The 5 patients who received the active treatment showed a reduction in skin reactivity to cat pelt extract as well as a significant mean reduction in bronchial sensitivity to the same extract. The 5 patients who received the placebo showed no significant changes in skin reactivity or bronchial sensitivity to cat pelt extract. Bronchial response to histamine did not change significantly in either the active treatment or the placebo groups.
Micro-RNAs small is plentiful

Two small temporally regulated RNAs (stRNAs)* of approximately 22 nucleotides regulate timing of gene expression during development of the nematode C. elegans. This regulation occurs at a posttranscriptional, presumably translational, level and is distinct from RNA interference (RNAi). One of the two stRNAs, let-7, as well as its target gene, lin-41, are highly conserved even in humans, suggesting a wide employment of stRNA-mediated gene regulation. Recent reports indicate that these two stRNAs are indeed likely to represent only the tip of an iceberg with hundreds or more of additional micro-RNAs (miRNAs) existing in metazoans. miRNAs might thus be previously underestimated key participants in the field of gene regulation.
Identifying a preferred countermeasure strategy for attack graphs

Attack graphs capture sequences of actions that an intruder can take to lead the system to an undesirable state. They have proven to be important tools for administrators to analyse and devise countermeasures to be deployed in the face of an attack. We consider preferences over countermeasures that the administrator may hold when devising a strategy to thwart the attacker's goals. We present a formalism based on CI-nets to represent and reason about such preferences. We present a method to find an intervention strategy in terms of a set of countermeasures that is guaranteed to thwart any attack on the system, which is also most preferred.
LATH MARTENSITES IN LOW CARBON STEELS

The morphology and crystallography of lath martensite in low and medium carbon steels have been studied by transmission electron microscopy and diffraction. The steels have microduplex structures of dislocated lath martensite (a M direction. The overall microstructure and orientations result from minimization of the total strain and shape deformation. Considerable accommodation occurs by deformation of laths (sometimes twinned) and austenite (sometimes tripped to twin martensite). In the meantime, microchemical analyses have shown considerable carbon segregation to the martensite-austenite interface. 4 figures.
Specificity of blebbistatin, an inhibitor of myosin II.

Blebbistatin is a small molecule inhibitor discovered in a screen for inhibitors of nonmuscle myosin IIA. We have examined the specificity and potency of the drug by assaying its effects on the actin-activated MgATPase assay of diverse members of the myosin superfamily. Blebbistatin potently inhibits several striated muscle myosins as well as vertebrate nonmuscle myosin IIA and IIB with IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 5 μM. Interestingly, smooth muscle which is highly homologous to vertebrate nonmuscle myosin is only poorly inhibited (IC50=80 μM). The drug potently inhibits Dictyostelium myosin II, but poorly inhibits Acanthamoeba myosin II. Blebbistatin did not inhibit representative myosin superfamily members from classes I, V, and X.
Effects of hypoxic disturbances on an estuarine nekton assemblage across multiple scales

Disturbances influence ecological communities over a wide range of scales. We investigated the effects of localized hypoxic disturbances on an estuarine fish assemblage at several spatial (m2 and 10s km2) and temporal (days, seasons, years) scales in a multivariate framework (temperature, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen). We examined whether seasons, years) scales in a multivariate framework (temperature, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen). We examined whether there were consistent changes in fish and crustacean estuarine assemblage characteristics along environmental gradients and whether these relationships were altered by hypoxic disturbances. We also investigated at what scale dissolved oxygen concentration may be influencing the structure of motile estuarine assemblages and whether the size of the hypoxic zone altered its effects on the estuarine assemblage. Hypoxic disturbances altered fish and crustacean assemblages along the depth gradients that were present during well-oxygenated periods. Species diversity, richness, and catch rates were lower in hypoxic patches than in oxygenated areas. Dissolved oxygen concentration remained an important explanatory variable for patch-level assemblage dissimilarity, species richness, and diversity when data were aggregated across seasons. When we examined the data at a larger scale, by aggregating information across the study area, we did not detect influences of hypoxia on assemblage structure. Fish moved out of local hypoxic zones, but remained within the estuary even in years with extensive hypoxia. There was no effect of size of the hypoxic distrubance on whether organisms responded to hypoxia or on diversity or richness of the study site. These results suggest that these local disturbances play an important role in structuring motile species assemblages at a patch-level within an estuary, but regional factors such as recruitment and migration are important in influencing species assemblages for the entire estuary over months and years.
MUON- AND PION-INDUCED FISSION OF URANIUM ISOTOPES.

We have measured the energy distributions of fission fragments following formation of muonic and pionic $^{233}\mathrm{U}$ and $^{235}\mathrm{U}$. We have confirmed earlier results on the mean lives for muon capture by $^{235}\mathrm{U}$ and $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ and extended the study to $^{233}\mathrm{U}$. Additional data have also been obtained on the process whereby a muon induces fission by transferring its excitation energy to the nucleus in a radiationless transition to the $1s$ level.
RRNA Modifications in an Intersubunit Bridge of the Ribosome Strongly Affect Both Ribosome Biogenesis and Activity

The presence of nucleotide modifications in rRNA has been known for nearly 40 years; however, information about their roles is sparse. Here, we describe the consequences of depleting modifications from an intersubunit bridge (helix 69) of the ribosomal large subunit in yeast. Helix 69 interacts with both A and P site tRNAs and contains five modifications. Blocking one to two modifications has no apparent effect on cell growth, whereas loss of three to five modifications impairs growth and causes the broadest defects observed thus far for modification loss in any ribosome region. Major effects include the following: (1) reduced amino acid incorporation rates in vivo (25%-60%); (2) increased stop codon readthrough activity; (3) increased sensitivity to ribosome-based antibiotics; (4) reduced rRNA levels (20%-50%), due mainly to faster turnover; and (5) altered rRNA structure in the ribosome. Taken together, the results indicate that this subset of rRNA modifications can influence both ribosome synthesis and function and in synergistic ways.
A graph coloring algorithm for large scale scheduling problems

Abstract Graph coloring finds application in a variety of conflict resolution problems, such as examination scheduling. Since it is an NP-complete problem, a number of heuristic methods have been suggested for its solution. We present a new heuristic solution procedure designed to produce good suboptimal solutions with very little computational effort.
The β3-adrenergic receptor gene and obesity in a population sample of African Americans

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of the Trp64Arg polymorphism in the β3-adrenergic receptor gene and the β3-adrenergic receptor gene locus in obesity-related traits in African Americans. SUBJECTS: A total of 687 individuals representing 193 African American families who were residents of metropolitan Chicago. MEASUREMENTS: Genotyping of the Trp64Arg polymorphism in the β3-adrenergic receptor gene and three microsatellite markers flanking the β3-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB3) locus and measuring various obesity-related traits, including body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass, fat mass, percentage fat mass, waist circumference and serum lipid levels. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity (defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) in the population was 27.3% and 51.2% in men and women, respectively. The frequency of the Arg64 allele was 10.0%. Multivariate regression analyses confirmed the existence of a significant contribution of familial variance to each of the five obesity-related traits noted above. Likelihood ratio statistics computed in a multivariate regression analysis failed to demonstrate a significant association between the Arg64 allele and any of the five obesity-related traits. Single and multipoint analyses using extended Haseman–Elston regression analyses failed to demonstrate suggestive evidence of linkage of three microsatellite markers that flank the β3-adrenergic receptor gene to BMI, percentage body fat, waist circumference or serum leptin levels. CONCLUSION: Given the contribution of familial variance to obesity-related traits in this population, neither the null finding for the Arg64 allele nor the lack of evidence of linkage of the ADRB3 locus to obesity-related traits could be attributed to lack of transmissibility of the traits suggesting that neither the Arg64 variant of the β3-adrenergic receptor gene nor another genetic variant in or near the ADRB3 locus contribute significantly to familial aggregation of obesity-related traits in African Americans.
Stochastic Hopfield artificial neural network for electric power production costing

The paper presents a stochastic Hopfield artificial neural network for unit commitment and economic power dispatch. Because of uncertainties in both the system load demand and unit availability, the unit commitment and economic power dispatch problem is stochastic, in this paper we model forced unit outages as independent Markov processes, and load demand as a normal Gaussian random variable. The (0,1) unit commitment-status variables and the hourly unit loading are modelled as sample functions of appropriate random processes. They are solutions of appropriately derived stochastic differential equations which describe the dynamics of a stochastic system for which the operating cost function is a stochastic Lyapunov function. Once the unit commitment and economic power dispatch have been done, the corresponding production costs are computed. >
Nonfluorescent Y chromosomes. Cytologic evidence of origin

Twelve presumptive structurally altered Y chromosomes were studied with Q-, G-, G-11, C-, Cd, and lateral asymmetric banding techniques and were compared with normal X and Y chromosomes and with an abnormal [i(Yq)] Y chromosome that exhibited intact fluorescence. Significant to this work is the fact that the Y chromosome has a small block of Giemsa-11 heterochromatin adjacent to the centromere on the long arm, while the X chromosome does not, which allows a distinction between the X- and Y-derived chromosomes. Two of the twelve altered chromosomes of either X or Y origin are small nonfluorescent rings. Each ring has a G-11-positive band of heterochromatin at the centromere, confirming Y origin. Each of the normal-length nonfluorescent presumed Ys and a Y with a fluorescent band in the center have one G-11 band at the centromere and another at an equal distance from the end of the long arm, the bands also being Cd positive, indicating that these chromosomes are pseudodicentric. The likely mechanism of origin is a break at the distal bright heterochromatin/euchromatin junction (or within the bright segment in the chromosome with the bright center band), fusion of the sister chromatids at the breakpoints, and loss of the distal segment.
Acquisition of conference proceedings from the Arab world

Abstract Proceedings of 143 conferences held in the Arab world are examined to: (1) define what a librarian means by conference; (2) delineate the morphology of conference proceedings; and (3) highlight various problems in identifying and acquiring conference proceedings from the Arab Middle East.
Phenobarbital treatment of status epilepticus in a rodent model.

Abstract Although phenobarbital is frequently used in the treatment of status epilepticus, little has been published concerning the dose or serum concentration which effectively control adult status. We studied the efficacy of phenobarbital in controlling status in a rat model which induces generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) which respond to other drugs at serum concentrations similar to those reported to be effective in human status. We found that phenobarbital is rapidly absorbed following intraperitoneal injection, but entry into brain is delayed. Brain entry was facilitated during uncontrolled status epilepticus. The ED 50 values for control of seizures in this model rose in a dose-dependent manner for increasing levels of seizure control, from 14.2 mg/kg for control of GTCS to 76.6 mg/kg for control of all motor and electrographic ictal activity. Raising serum concentrations above the 20 μg/ml required to control GTCS produced increasingly better control of the various types of ictal activity seen in this model.
Perinatal morbidity, mild motor delay, and later school outcomes

Four dimensions of motor competence were evaluated in 4-year-old term and preterm children and were related to academic achievement and use of school services at age 8 years. The objective of the study was to evaluate a graduated ‘stair-step’ effect between perinatal morbidity, mild motor delay, and later school outcomes in 168 children (88 females, 80 males) stratified into four study groups: 134 healthy term infants [ges ] 37 weeks' gestation, birthweight [ges ] 2500g); 134 preterm infants [les ]37 weeks' gestation divided into healthy preterm (n=41), clinically ill preterms (n=59), and preterm infants with neurological illness (n=34). Significant differences were found in total, fine and gross motor performance, and visual–motor integration at age 4 years. Scores for the preterm groups decreased with increasing morbidity. At age 4 years, mild motor delay was found in all preterm groups. Children with mild motor delay had lower academic achievement scores (Wide Range Achievement Test-3) and higher rates of school service use at age 8 years. Perinatal morbidity and compromised motor performance are important precursors of educational underachievement.
Video Cystometric Recording of Dilating Reflux in Infancy

AbstractPurpose: Bladder hypercontractility has previously been suggested to occur in male infants with gross bilateral reflux, and the causal relationship between hypercontractility and reflux has been questioned.Materials and Methods: In this video urodynamic study of dilating reflux the association between reflux and bladder pressure was evaluated in 16 infants.Results: In our 11 male patients hypercontractility was noted often, usually with reflux that occurred simultaneously with an increase in detrusor pressure. In the 5 female patients no hypercontractility was noted and reflux occurred without an increase in detrusor pressure.Conclusions: Our results further confirm the association between bladder dysfunction and dilating reflux in infants but with different patterns in male and female infants.
Coping Strategies of School-Age Children With Diabetes Mellitus

School-age children (N=43) with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were studied to determine if the coping strategies they used were associated with their Self -care management and/or with their metabolic control. Instruments used included the Schoolagers Coping Strategy Inventory and the Self-Care Questionnaire. Results indicated that the choice qf (-ol)iiig strategies did not differ by demographic characteristics, and level of self-care was not associated with metabolic control. Participants used cognitive coping strategies most often; higher frequencies tended to be associated with highter levels of self-care and metabolic control. Those who utilized distracting strategies also tended to have higher levels of self-care. Emotional coping strategies tended to be related to poorer metabolic control. The use of coping strategies explained approximately 18% of the variance in metabolic control. These data suggest that healthcare providers should assess what coping strategies are employed by school-age chil...
Towards Reconfigurable Embedded Medical Systems

Traditional embedded systems require flexibility and reconfigurable for effective operation. Devices used in medical systems that are life critical must be able to take the necessary action in response to an anomaly, such as the patient undergoing a heart attack or a stroke. Overly complicated operational requirements will be a clear barrier to their adoption, unless sound system-level design techniques can guarantee that these requirements will be met. The key to meeting these requirements is automated adaptability, meaning that the system must be able to reconfigure itself in response the environment. Unfortunately, dynamic reconfiguration itself is non- negligible in terms of both performance and power consumption. We present several reconfigurable design techniques for light-weight medical systems that demonstrate how one can make efficient use of limited resources and balance the tradeoffs between power consumption, memory consumption, and interoperability in an heterogeneous environments.
Cell Dimensions, Solid Solution, Polymorphism, and Identification of Mullite and Sillimanite

X-ray, optical, and chemical data are presented for sillimanites and for a wide range of natural and synthetic mullites. Single-crystal X-ray studies have revealed a new type of mullite (called S mullite) characterized by subsidiary sharp reflections in distinction to the extra diffuse reflections of common mullite (called D mullite). Atomic substitution of aluminum in D mullite leads to expansion of a and c but not of b, whereas substitution of iron and titanium in natural mullites gives a slight initial decrease in a and b followed by a subsequent increase; c increases uniformly for all concentrations. The data are consistent with solid solution ranging between the extremes 3Al2O3.2SiO2, 2Al2O3.-SiO2, and 3(Al0.9Fe0.1)2O3.2SiO2. Cell dimensions of sillimanite vary only slightly. Consideration of the various methods of distinguishing mullite and sillimanite shows that the measurement of cell dimensions is the most reliable and for mullite has the added advantage that the S and D polymorphs may be distinguished and an estimate of the composition obtained for D mullite.