cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of protease inhibitors on α-fetoprotein levels in HIV-infected pregnant women

134 MORBIDITY OF SURGICAL ABORTIONS IN AN HIV-INFECTED COUNTY HOSPITAL POPULATION GRETCHEN S. STUART, JEANNE S. SHEFFIELD, JAMES B. HILL, DONALD D. MCINTIRE, GEORGE D. WENDEL, JR, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dallas, TX OBJECTIVE: To determine the morbidity associated with dilatation and curettage (D&C) for management of abortions in HIV-infected women compared to HIV non-infected women. STUDY DESIGN: HIV infected women (cases) who presented requiring D&C for management of scheduled and unscheduled abortions in the first half of pregnancy, between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2002, were identified. HIV-noninfected women (controls) were matched for EGA, type of abortion, and year of procedure. Medical records were reviewed to obtain demographic characteristics, gestational age, abortion characteristics, and procedure-related complications. Chi-square, Student t-test, andWilcoxon rank-sum test were used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: 71 HIV-infected women (cases) and 213 HIV-noninfected women (controls) who underwent D&C during the study period were evaluated. Forty-eight (68%) cases and 146 (69%) controls underwent a scheduled D&C. Twenty-three (32%) cases and 66 (31%) controls underwent an unscheduled D&C for spontaneous or incomplete abortion. No significant differences were seen in age, gravidity, or parity. There were significantly more African American women in the HIV-infected cohort (P < 0.001), representative of our overall HIV population. The mean EGA in the cases was greater than in the controls (10.9 ± 4.2 versus 9.2 ± 3.1 weeks, P = 0.004). Procedure-related complications occurred in 10 (14%) of the HIV-infected women undergoing a D&C compared to 9 (4%) of the HIV-noninfected women (P = 0.004). Using logistic regression, complication rates were unaffected by the difference in EGA. Infectious complications did not differ between the two groups (P = 0.435). CONCLUSION: There was a higher rate of procedure-related complications among HIV-infected women undergoing a D&C for abortion. There was no increase in infectious morbidity in the HIV-infected women. 135
An English-language processing system that "learns" about new domains

We are developing an English-language processing system called LDC with emphasis upon (a) small- or medium-sized office domains, as opposed to large relationalstyle databases; (b) mechanisms to learn about new domains and the English to be used in discussing them; and (c) capabilities for deep semantic processing, for example where English inputs can be phrased naturally, not merely as a notational variant for complete, formal queries. LDC consists of two major components and an external retrieval module. The first component, which we call "Prep," obtains information about a new domain and the language to be used in discussing it. The second, "user-phase," component of LDC resembles an ordinary NL processor, but (a) most decisions are determined from the preprocessed information appearing in the data files produced by Prep, and (b) the emphasis is upon the semantics of "layered" domains, described herein. In this paper we (1) present the motivation behind LDC; (2) summarize and give examples of the behavior of Prep; (3) provide an overview of the user-phase component; and (4) give examples of current and projected capabilities of the system.
Steady-state cracking in brittle substrates beneath adherent films

Abstract A crack in a brittle substrate parallel to the film/substrate interface is considered. Stress intensity factors are obtained as a function of fiim, substrate thickness, elastic properties and edge loads at arbitrary crack depth. These results, combined with the criterion K 11 = 0. are used to predict the steady-state cracking depth. The critical combination of residual stress and film thickness below which steady-state substrate cracking is avoided can be inferred provided the substrate toughness is known.
Apoptosis-based evaluation of chemosensitivity in ovarian cancer patients.

Objective:Induction of apoptosis in target cells is a key mechanism by which chemotherapy induces cell killing. We have established an in vitro system for determining the chemosensitivity of epithelial ovarian cancer cells to carboplatin and paclitaxel (Taxol). Practical assays to predict the likelihood of individual tumor sensitivity are needed to facilitate the choice of adequate treatment. We sought to determine whether epithelial ovarian cancer cells (EOC) collected from the ascites fluid of patients known to be clinically chemosensitive or chemoresistant to carboplatin and paclitaxel would show a similar response to chemotherapeutic drugs after in vitro treatment.Methods:Thirteen patients with stage III and IV ovarian cancer treated with carboplatin and paclitaxel were studied. Caspase-3 activation was used as a surrogate marker for activation of chemotherapy-induced programmed cell death. We compared the in vitro apoptotic response to the clinical response of the patients from whom the tumor cells w...
Low-noise and agile X-band synthesizer based on optical frequency division

Antoine Rolland, Tara M. Fortier, Franklyn Quinlan, Fred N. Baynes, Joe Campbell, and Scott A. Diddams
In vivo regulation of the chicken cardiac troponin T gene promoter in zebrafish embryos.

The chicken cardiac troponin T (cTnT) gene is representative of numerous cardiac and skeletal muscle-specific genes that contain muscle-CAT (MCAT) elements within their promoters. We examined the regulation of the chicken cTnT gene in vivo in zebrafish embryos, and in vitro in cardiomyocyte, myoblast, and fibroblast cultures. Defined regions of the cTnT promoter were linked to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene for in vivo analysis, and the luciferase gene for in vitro analysis. Injection of the cTnT promoter constructs into fertilized zebrafish eggs resulted in GFP expression in both heart and skeletal muscle cells reproducing the pattern of expression of the endogenous cTnT gene in the chicken embryo. Promoter deletion analysis revealed that the cis-regulatory regions responsible for cardiac and skeletal muscle-specific expression functioned in an equivalent manner in both in vitro and in vivo environments. In addition, we show that mutation of the poly-ADP ribose polymerase-I (PARP-I) binding site adjacent to the distal MCAT element in the chicken cTnT promoter produced a non-cell-specific promoter in vitro and in the zebrafish. Thus, the PARP-I transcriptional regulatory mechanism that governs muscle specificity of the chicken cTnT promoter is conserved across several chordate classes spanning at least 350 million years of evolution.
The Concept of Organizational Citizenship

This article describes the construct of citizenship performance and summarizes some of the industrial-organizational psychology research on organizational citizenship. Citizenship performance is defined as behaviors that go beyond task performance and technical proficiency, instead supporting the organizational, social, and psychological context that serves as the critical catalyst for tasks to be accomplished. The research reviewed addresses these topics: (a) the weights supervisors place on task and citizenship performance when making judgments about organization members' overall performance; (b) whether personality predicts citizenship performance better than task performance; (c) links between citizenship performance and organizational effectiveness; and (d) relations between organizational characteristics such as justice in the workplace and citizenship performance. Citizenship on the part of organization members is important in contemporary organizations. Because of current trends, such as increased...
A Public Health Perspective on the Transport of Evidence-Based Practices

A public health perspective on the dissemination of empirically supported treatments is articulated, and the implications of this perspective for the foci of dissemination efforts and research are discussed. Strategies targeting multiple levels of the practice context, including payers and policy makers, will likely be needed to cultivate and sustain the demand for evidence-based treatments and to support the implementation of such treatments with fidelity. A continuous quality improvement system is recommended to document and improve the implementation and outcomes of evidence-based treatments delivered in community practice settings.
Microleakage of Class V compomer and light-cured glass ionomer restorations

Abstract Statement of problem. Resin-modified (light-cured) glass ionomer and polyacid-modified composite resin (compomer) restorations are popular choices for the restoration of root caries and cervical abrasion/erosion lesions, but clinical studies are relatively few and have been published primarily as abstracts. Purpose. In the absence of adequate clinical data, the marginal integrity of restorations of the above two types of material was compared in vitro. The microleakage of restorations of two light-cured glass ionomer restorative materials and of one compomer material was evaluated. Methods and material. Restorations of the three materials were placed in facial and lingual Class V cavity preparations in bovine incisors. All preparations were centered on the cementoenamel junction and were prepared with 45-degree enamel bevels. After thermal cycling, teeth were immersed in methylene blue dye, then sections of the restorations ( n = 16) were visually evaluated. Results. Dye penetration was observed at approximately 20% of restoration margins for all three materials, with the greatest incidence of severe leakage in the compomer restorations. Conclusion. No significant difference in microleakage among the three materials (ANOVA; p > 0.05) was found. (J Prosthet Dent 1998;79:261-3.)
The clinical utility and limitations of serum carbohydrate antigen (CA19-9) as a diagnostic tool for pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma.

CA19-9 is a tumor marker for pancreatic cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and other malignancies. However, its sensitivity and specificity is suboptimal in clinical practice, which we hypothesized limits its clinical utility. To evaluate the clinical utility and limitations of CA19-9 as a tumor marker. We performed a retrospective review of CA19-9 levels (U/ml) in 483 consecutive patients between 2006 and 2008 at two university hospitals. We abstracted clinical, radiographic, and pathological data and final diagnoses. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses were performed. Patients presenting with jaundice had the highest CA19-9 (420) compared to other complaints (<20) (p < 0.01). The indications with the highest CA19-9 had evidence of biliary obstruction (71), liver mass (54), and pancreatic head mass (27) compared to other indications (<15) (p < 0.01). The diagnoses with the highest CA19-9 (p < 0.01) were cholangiocarcinoma (476), pancreatic cancer (161), and choledocholithiasis (138). Using a receiver operator curve to evaluate CA19-9, the area under the curve was 0.7 when evaluating all patients for pancreatic cancer or cholangiocarcinoma or patients with pancreatic head mass for pancreatic cancer. This study found that for pancreatic cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, CA19-9 had poor clinical utility as a tumor marker and did not change patient management. Elevations in CA19-9 were associated with biliary obstruction based on clinical history, laboratory data, and diagnoses.
Regularization in the Ideal Resonance Problem

The Ideal Resonance Problem, defined by the HamiltonianF=B(y)+2eA (y) sin2 x, e≪1, has been solved in Garfinkelet al. (1971). There the solution has beenregularized by means of a special functionφ j , introduced into the new HamiltonianF′, under the tacit assumption thatA anB¨' are of order unity. This assumption, violated in some applications of the theory, is replaced here by the weaker assumption ofnormality, which admits zeros ofA andB′ inshallow resonance. It is shown here that these zeros generate singularities, which can be suppressed ifφ j is suitably redefined. With the modifiedφ j , and with the assumption of normality, the solution is regularized for all values ofB′, B¨', andA. As in the previous paper, the solution isglobal, including asymptotically the classical limit withB′ as a divisor of O(1). A regularized first-order aloorithm is constructed here as an illustration and a check.
A Genetic Algorithm Approach to Weld Pattern Optimization in Sheet Metal Assembly

In sheet metal assembly process, welding operation joins two or more sheet metal parts together. Since sheet metals are subject to dimensional variation resulted from manufacturing randomness, gap may be generated at each weld pair prior to welding. These gaps are forced to close during a welding operation and accordingly undesirable structural deformation results. Optimizing the welding pattern (the number and locations of weld pairs) of an assembly process was proven to significantly improve the quality of final assembly. This paper presents a Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based optimization method to automatically search for the optimal weld pattern so that the assembly deformation is minimized. Application result of a real industrial part demonstrated that the proposed algorithm effectively achieve the objective.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Comprehensive experimental and numerical optimization of surface morphology of transparent conductive oxide films for tandem thin film photovoltaic cells

Typical thin-film photovoltaic cells incorporate a textured transparent conductive oxide to efficiently harvest solar energy. What should be the ideally desired morphology of this textured surface for best cell performance - is highly debated but remains an unsolved mystery. We present a comprehensive methodology to 1) accurately model, 2) extract macroscopically sufficient statistical finger-prints and 3) predict best desired values for these statistical finger-prints of such a randomly textured surface for the best performance of the cell.
Optimizing Shake-and-Bake for proteins.

Shake-and-Bake is a direct-methods procedure which has provided ab initio solutions for protein structures containing as many as 1000 independent non-H atoms. This algorithm extends the range of conventional direct methods by repetitively, unconditionally and automatically alternating reciprocal-space phase refinement with filtering in real space to impose constraints. The application of SnB to protein-sized molecules is significantly affected by the choice made for certain critical parameters, including the number of peaks used for density modification, the choice of phase-refinement method and the number of refinement cycles. The effects of parameter variation have been studied for six protein structures, all of which are solvable by Shake-and-Bake using data at 1.1 A or higher resolution. Solvability in the resolution range 1.2–1.4 A appears to be enhanced by the presence of heavier atoms (S, Cl). Furthermore, it appears that in this range the ratio of refinement cycles and triplet phase invariants to atoms in the structure must be increased. Large structures lacking atoms of any element heavier than oxygen also require non-traditional parameter values.
Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1): antibody specificity and receptor expression in cultured primary neurons

The availability of high quality, well-characterized antibodies for molecular and cellular neuroscience studies is important. However, not all available antibodies are rigorously evaluated, nor are limitations of particular antibodies often reported. We have examined a panel of currently available mGluR1 antibodies and have identified which ones are selective for use by western blots and immunocytochemistry. We have also specifically determined whether the antibodies cross-react to recognize mGluR5, by examining (1) tissue from both mGluR1 and mGluR5 knock-out mice and (2) primary cortical cultures, in which mGluR5 is widely expressed but mGluR1 is not. Together, these data provide a baseline characterization of antibodies that can and cannot be reliably used in these types of studies, and will hopefully facilitate and positively impact the research efforts of others studying mGluR1.
The selenium concentration in placental tissue and fetal cord blood

Summary The concentration of selenium in placental tissue and fetal cord blood of normal patients was determined. The average selenium concentration in placental tissue was 0.18 ppm. and that in fetal cord blood, 0.12 ppm. The results indicate a close association between the selenium values of placenta and fetal cord blood.
Comparison of calibration techniques of an impedance probe for near-surface soil moisture measurement

An Impedance Probe (IP) was used during the Southern Great Plain 1997 field experiment to support the remote sensing soil moisture mapping effort in Oklahoma, USA. Soil moisture sampling techniques used as ground-truth for remote sensing are most often not adequate due to the time and cost associated with them. The need for fast, accurate, less expensive, and less destructive measurement techniques within the remote sensing discipline is increasingly growing. The IP offers an alternative for measuring soil moisture in remotely- sensed regions where the logistics of gravimetric sampling can restrict the number of samples obtained. The gravimetric technique has been the traditional and most accurate technique used to validate remotely measured soil moisture. This technique is very destructive and time consuming, thereby limiting our ability to apply it over large areas expected by coarse resolution microwave remote sensing products. Recent advances in the Time Domain Reflectometery (TDR) techniques have resulted in sensors with less noise and require minimum human intervention. Field sampling and laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate and calibrate soil moisture data measured using an IP. The objectives were: to examine the best calibration technique that can be used to estimate the spatial distribution of soil moisture and/or a representative mean moisture level for a given location, and to evaluate the correlation of soil moisture values using the probe and gravimetric measurement techniques. Results indicated that a site specific calibration curve developed by using a pressure plate apparatus provided a representative mean value was equivalent to the gravimetric technique. Both, the simulated and manufacturer calibration techniques provide soil moisture values that are spatially correlated with the gravimetric measurement technique. Our results indicated that, the instrument can provide reproducible results comparable to the gravimetric technique. This instrument can be utilized to meet the requirement of measuring the soil moisture content in the upper 6-cm of the soil depth.
Temperature effects on juvenile anadromous salmonids in California’s central valley: what don’t we know?

The anadromous Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) (4 runs) and steelhead (rainbow trout, O. mykiss), are both native to California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River (SSJR) system, whose watershed encompasses the central valley of California. The SSJR system holds the southernmost extant Chinook salmon populations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, whereas coastal anadromous steelhead populations are found at more southerly latitudes. Populations of both species of anadromous salmonid have experienced dramatic declines during the past 100 years, at least partly from water impoundments and diversions on most central valley rivers and their tributaries. These changes restricted the longitudinal distribution of these salmonids, often forcing the superimposition of steelhead populations and Chinook salmon populations in the same reaches. This superimposition is problematic in part because the alterations to the river systems have not only changed the historic flow regimes, but have also changed the thermal regimes, resulting in thermally-coupled changes in fish development, growth, health, distribution, and survival. Given the highly regulated nature of the system, resource managers are constantly trying to strike a balance between maintaining or increasing the population size of anadromous fish runs and with other demands for the water, such as irrigation and water quality. To do so, in this review, we summarize the published information on the temperature tolerance and growth of the stream-associated life stages of these two valuable species, which are so central to the natural heritage of the State and its cultures. We show that many of these limits and growth-related effects are specific regarding life stage and that some may be specific to distinct strains or races of Chinook salmon and steelhead within the system. Because the number of published studies on the physiology of central valley salmonids was surprisingly low, we also use this review to highlight critical areas where further research is needed. Overall, this review should assist biologists and resource decision-makers with improved understanding for the protection and enhancement of these native fishes.
Carbohydrate dynamics during decay of litter of Spartina alterniflora

Changes in absolute amounts of structural carbohydrates were followed over 23 mo (November 1979–September 1981) of decomposition of Spartina alterniflora litter in Great Sippewissett Marsh, Massachusetts, USA. Loss of structural carbohydrates was rapid during the first month, and temperature-dependent during the first year. In the second year, only 5 to 10% of the initial amounts of hemicelluloses and cellulose remained and little further loss occurred. Rates of decomposition were similar to each other and to that of the ash-free dry weight. Neither intraspecific differences in litter quality nor habitat differences within the salt marsh greatly altered the pattern of decomposition of structural carbohydrates among four types of litter of S. alterniflora. The persistence of structural carbohydrates after the first year of decay was apparently due to their close association with lignin. The proportion of lignin in the structural wall material (lignin +hemicelluloses+cellulose) increased throughout decay. Once the value of the ratio of lignin:structural wall material was greater than 0.3, little further loss of weight occurred. Concentrations of nitrogen were correlated with the proportion of lignin:structural wall material. This correlation presumably reflected the formation of refractory nitrogen-enriched complexes, and provided an indication of the increasing humification of the remaining material. The progressive lignification and humification of litter may play an important role in the storage and metabolism of organic carbon in salt marsh-estuarine ecosystems.
Plasmapheresis treatment for recurrent focal sclerosis in pediatric renal allografts.

Recurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in pediatric renal allografts is associated with a poor graft survival. This study reports on plasmapheresis for the treatment of recurrent FSGS in pediatric renal transplant recipients. The records of 100 consecutive pediatric (age 1 g/m2 per day) within 1 month of transplantation. Five of six patients treated with plasmapheresis went into remission (<0.2 g/m2 per day), receiving a total of 42±26 (12–73) sessions, with the mean number of sessions required to achieve a remission being 24±17 (8–51). One patient had a second recurrence 1 year following cessation of plasmapheresis and responded to another course of plasmapheresis. The 1 patient who did not respond to plasmapheresis had a delay in initiation of therapy of 42 days. Plasmapheresis initiated within 48 h of recurrence resulted in earlier remissions and improved graft survival among our patients. Plasmapheresis appears to be effective in treating recurrent FSGS following kidney transplantation and should be started as soon as possible. The number of plasmapheresis sessions used to achieve remission should be adjusted according to response rather than adhering to a fixed protocol.
Application Of Wide Band Bragg Cells For Integrated Optic (IO) Spectrum Analyzers

A 700 MHz bandwidth guided wave acoustooptic Bragg cell was developed for use in an integrated optic spectrum analyzer. Various configurations of multiple tilted SAW transducers were investigated theoretically and experimentally to find the most efficient combination which would provide a 700 MHz sub-octave acoustooptic bandwidth. Investigated were Bragg cells fabricated on Ti diffused LiNbO3 waveguides as well as Ti diffused LiNbO3 waveguides with Nb2O5 thin film overlays. A Bragg cell consisting of 6 tilted transducers was designed, fabricated, and tested, exhibiting 700 MHz bandwidth and 2.8%/RF watt diffraction efficiency. The Bragg cell operates between 775 MHz and 1475 MHz. Projections are made on the performance of an integrated optic spectrum analyzer utilizing this Bragg cell based on results obtained from an existing 200 MHz bandwidth spectrum analyzer.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Inactivity-induced increase in nAChRs upregulates Shal K+ channels to stabilize synaptic potentials

The authors report that prolonged inhibition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in Drosophila CNS results in a homeostatic increase in the α7 receptor, which then induces an increase in the A-type K+ current carried by Shal/Kv4 channels. This increase in Shal activity stabilizes postsynaptic potentials.
Ecological Complexity in a Coffee Agroecosystem: Spatial Heterogeneity, Population Persistence and Biological Control

Background Spatial heterogeneity is essential for the persistence of many inherently unstable systems such as predator-prey and parasitoid-host interactions. Since biological interactions themselves can create heterogeneity in space, the heterogeneity necessary for the persistence of an unstable system could be the result of local interactions involving elements of the unstable system itself.
Racial diversity and hate crime incidents

Abstract What makes the United States a unique country is the diversity of its people. However, when crimes are committed because of our perceived differences or bias against racial group(s) and/or ethnicity, these crimes can damage the social fabric of our society and fragment communities. In an attempt to determine the extent and nature of hate crime, this study examines demographic compositions and pertinent socio-economic factors that could help explain variations of hate crime incidents across states. The regression estimation results suggest dropout rate and the number of Asians, Pacific islanders as a proportion of state’s population to be significant predictors of hate crime incidents across state. The role of the general economic condition in explaining variations in hate crime incidents is found to be statistically inconclusive.
Characteristics of American women aged 19 through 50 years consuming a lower fat diet

We examined data from 2134 women, aged 19 through 50 years, selected using a multistage stratified area probability sample representative of the United States as part of the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1985–86 conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Individual dietary intake was estimated from 4 non‐consecutive 24‐hour dietary recalls collected from each respondent throughout the survey year. Information on selected socioeconomic characteristics as well as self‐report of body size were also obtained. Women were classified according to three levels of energy from fat intake (<30%, 30–39%, and ≥40%). Women in the lowest level of energy from fat consumed significantly fewer calories for energy, and less cholesterol, sodium and zinc than women in the middle and highest categories of fat intake, but significantly more ascorbic acid and alcohol. Additionally, women in the lowest fat intake group were significantly less likely to meet the RDA for zinc and calcium and significantly m...
Mapping Verbal Argument Preferences to Deverbals

We describe an experiment mapping semantic role preferences for transitive verbs to their deverbal nominal forms. The preferences are learned by data mining large parsed corpora. Preferences are modeled for deverbal/argument pairs, falling back to a model for the deverbal alone when sufficient data is not available. Errors in role assignment are reduced by 35%.
Co-occurrence of immunoreactive calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide in neuroendocrine cells of rat lungs.

Neuroendocrine cells of the lung, occurring singly or in clusters known as neuroepithelial bodies, contain a variety of biologically active compounds, including several neuropeptides. We have investigated the localization of calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) within single and grouped neuroendocrine cells in the respiratory epithelium of rats by an immunohistochemical double-staining technique which uses specific antisera raised in heterogeneous animal species. Calcitonin- and CGRP-immunoreactivities were nearly totally co-localized in both single neuroendocrine cells and neuroepithelial bodies. CGRP-immunoreactivity was also present in neurons in the jugular, nodose and dorsal root ganglia. The calcitonin-immunoreactivity in neuroendocrine cells, as in thyroid parafollicular (C) cells, was abolished by preincubation of the anticalcitonin serum with synthetic calcitonin. The CGRP-immunoreactivity in neuroendocrine cells and in the neuronal cells was abolished by preincubation of anti-CGRP serum with synthetic CGRP. Thus, while the calcitonin gene is expressed exclusively or predominantly as either calcitonin or CGRP in all other tissues except thyroid C-cells, our results strongly suggest that both peptides are expressed in the rat bronchopulmonary neuroendocrine cells.
High-pressure liquid chromatography-ultraviolet analysis of intracellular nucleotides

A high-pressure liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-uv) system is described which resolves over 20 uv-absorbing components of cell extracts. Together with a previously described procedure for HPLC-uv analysis of deoxynucleoside triphosphates (C. Garrett and D. V. Santi, 1979, Anal. Biochem.99, 268–273), pool sizes of the major purine and pyrimidine nucleotides in cell extracts may be readily determined. The utility of this system is illustrated by comparison of HPLC-uv profiles of extracts from control and methotrexate-treated L1210 cells; in addition to quantitation of changes in nucleotide pools, a thusfar unrecognized increase of an unidentified metabolite is reported in extracts of drug-treated cells. The chromatographic behavior of over 35 naturally occurring nucleotides in this system is described which permits tentative assignment of most of the peaks observed in HPLC-uv profiles of cell extracts. We also provide an evaluation of potential sources of error in the analysis of nucleotide pool sizes and offer suggestions as to how they may be detected and circumvented.
ApoA-I deficiency in mice is associated with redistribution of apoA-II and aggravated AApoAII amyloidosis.

Apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II) is the second major apolipoprotein following apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) in HDL. ApoA-II has multiple physiological functions and can form senile amyloid fibrils (AApoAII) in mice. Most circulating apoA-II is present in lipoprotein A-I/A-II. To study the influence of apoA-I on apoA-II and AApoAII amyloidosis, apoA-I-deficient (C57BL/6J.Apoa1−/−) mice were used. Apoa1−/− mice showed the expected significant reduction in total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) plasma levels. Unexpectedly, we found that apoA-I deficiency led to redistribution of apoA-II in HDL and an age-related increase in apoA-II levels, accompanied by larger HDL particle size and an age-related increase in TC, HDL-C, and TG. Aggravated AApoAII amyloidosis was induced in Apoa1−/− mice systemically, especially in the heart. These results indicate that apoA-I plays key roles in maintaining apoA-II distribution and HDL particle size. Furthermore, apoA-II redistribution may be the main reason for aggravated AApoAII amyloidosis in Apoa1−/− mice. These results may shed new light on the relationship between apoA-I and apoA-II as well as provide new information concerning amyloidosis mechanism and therapy.
How affect regulation moderates the association between anxious attachment and neuroticism

Abstract Correlations between anxious attachment and neuroticism (usually about .40 to .50) prompt questions about whether self-reported anxious attachment captures a key construct in attachment theory or if it reflects a more general personality trait instead. A college sample of late adolescents and young adults (N = 287) was used to show that questionnaire measures of neuroticism and anxious attachment do not have a simple linear association; instead, neuroticism and anxious attachment have a more complex dynamic relationship that is moderated by avoidant attachment, an attachment style that reflects an interpersonally derived strategy for affect regulation. The association between neuroticism and anxious attachment is further moderated by conscientiousness, a personality trait that may reflect a more biologically mediated system of affect regulation. These separate moderating effects and the different affect regulation systems they reflect are discussed in the context of longstanding debates about how...
MIRMAID: A Content Management System for Medical Image Analysis Research

Today, a typical clinical study can involve thousands of participants, with imaging data acquired over several time points across multiple institutions. The additional associated information (metadata) accompanying these data can cause data management to be a study-hindering bottleneck. Consistent data management is crucial for large-scale modern clinical imaging research studies. If the study is to be used for regulatory submissions, such systems must be able to meet regulatory compliance requirements for systems that manage clinical image trials, including protecting patient privacy. Our aim was to develop a system to address these needs by leveraging the capabilities of an open-source content management system (CMS) that has a highly configurable workflow; has a single interface that can store, manage, and retrieve imaging-based studies; and can handle the requirement for data auditing and project management. We developed a Web-accessible CMS for medical images called Medical Imaging Research Management and Associated Information Database (MIRMAID). From its inception, MIRMAID was developed to be highly flexible and to meet the needs of diverse studies. It fulfills the need for a complete system for medical imaging research management.
Measuring the Fractal Dimension of Boundary Lines

One of the earliest observations of fractal behavior of boundary lines was carried out by Richardson, although it was published obscurely (Richardson 1961). Driven by an interest in finding relationships between the economic and military conflict between nations and the length of their borders, Richardson tried to measure these lengths from maps. But he quickly discovered that the perimeter lengths varied markedly depending on the scale of the map, regardless of the care he took in performing the measurement.
Neuroscience for Educators: What Are They Seeking, and What Are They Finding?

What can neuroscience offer to educators? Much of the debate has focused on whether basic research on the brain can translate into direct applications within the classroom. Accompanying ethical concern has centered on whether neuroeducation has made empty promises to educators. Relatively little investigation has been made into educators’ expectations regarding neuroscience research and how they might find it professionally useful. In order to address this question, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 educators who were repeat attendees of the Learning & the Brain conferences. Responses suggest that ‘brain based’ pedagogical strategies are not all that is sought; indeed, respondents were more often drawn to the conference out of curiosity about the brain than a desire to gain new teaching methods. Of those who reported that research had influenced their classroom practice, most did not distinguish between neuroscience and cognitive psychology. Responses indicated that learning about neuroscience can help educators maintain patience, optimism and professionalism with their students, increase their credibility with colleagues and parents, and renew their sense of professional purpose. While not necessarily representative of the entire population, these themes indicate that current research in neuroscience can have real relevance to educators’ work. Future ethical discussions of neuroeducation should take into account this broader range of motivations and benefits.
Stereoselective macrocyclization through zirconocene-mediated coupling of achiral dialkynes.

1,4-Bis[trimethylsilyl(ethynyl)]naphthalene (1a) and 1,4-bis[trimethylsilyl(ethynyl)]anthracene (1b) undergo diastereoselective coupling with Cp2Zr(py)(Me3SiCCSiMe3) to give trimeric macrocycles in good yield.
Pilot Study of Aurora, a Social, Mobile-Phone-Based Emotion Sharing and Recording System:

Background: Emotion is a ubiquitous aspect of humanity that governs behavior in a number of ways and is linked inextricably with health. Pausing to evaluate one’s emotional state in the face of decisions and reflecting on past patterns of emotion have been shown to improve behaviors. Further, social expression of emotion has been shown to directly improve health outcomes. While the virtual reality research community does not ignore emotion on the whole, there does exist a need to explore what roles emotional awareness and emotion sharing can play in this domain. Methods: A mobile-phone-based social emotion recording and sharing system, Aurora, was developed to provide individuals with a means to pause and evaluate their emotional state, reflect on past emotions, share emotions with others, and participate in socially supportive activities with peers. A study was conducted with 65 subjects to evaluate Aurora as a tool to encourage emotional reflection and awareness as well as social sharing of emotion. Results: Users of Aurora reported an increased comfort in socially expressing emotion and were encouraged to share emotions, even with strangers. Subjects also reported liking reflecting on their emotional state and found it valuable. Subjects’ behavior also suggested that the system encouraged individuals to reach out to one another in acts of social support. Conclusions: The Aurora system offers a tool for encouraging emotional awareness, emotion sharing, and socially supportive behavior. Such a tool could be impactful in numerous health settings where emotion is considered to be an important indicator of or influence on outcome, such as for weight loss, alcohol cessation, or cancer sufferers.
The synthesis of copper/zinc solid solutions of hydroxyl carbonates, sulphates, nitrates, chlorides and bromides

The relative stabilities of the copper/zinc solid solutions of hydroxyl sulphates, carbonates, nitrates, chlorides and bromides were studied by attempting their preparation using a variety of methods. All of the naturally occurring solid solutions except rosasite were obtained as single phases. Rosasite crystallized in a mixture with malachite and calcium carbonate during a room temperature preparation from calcium carbonate, copper nitrate and zinc nitrate. The solid solution with the antlerite stoichiometry [endmember Cu3SO4(OH)4] as well as the nitrates were not produced by the methods employed. All of the natural polymorphs of Cu2(OH)3Cl were obtained and a new method for the preparation of botallackite is reported. Botallackite was found to be stable in solution for over a year, contrary to previous reports. A bromine-bearing analogue of botallackite was prepared. Compounds were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, which was used to determine the unit-cell parameters, and by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The relative instability of solid solutions with certain stoichiometries is discussed in terms of the Jahn-Teller effect and relative solubilities.
Reporting Confidence Intervals for Myelodysplasia Blast Counts

It is good to see discussions of statistics related to matters of pathology. I welcome the discussion by Dr Vollmer in the February 2009 issue of the Journal .1 What Dr Vollmer has demonstrated is that by statistical considerations, any blast count corresponds to a diagnosis of one of the subsets of myelodysplasia. For example, a cell count of 5% blasts could be a result from any of the following subsets: no excess blasts group, refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB)1, RAEB2, or acute leukemia. However, the further the observed blast count is from the diagnostic count value for a subset, the less likely it is that the subset diagnosis is responsible for the observed count. This is generally intuitively understood by pathologists and clinicians. Dr Vollmer has provided some quantitative and theoretical background to this practical understanding. What I think would improve the pathology report for clinicians is a measure of the precision of the blast count. This could be the confidence interval. Pathologists and clinicians are familiar with confidence …
On the Optimum Constructions of Composite Field for the AES Algorithm

In the hardware implementations of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm, employing composite field arithmetic not only reduces the complexity but also enables deep subpipelining such that higher speed can be achieved. In addition, it is more efficient to employ composite field arithmetic only in the SubBytes transformation of the AES algorithm. Composite fields can be constructed by using different irreducible polynomials. Nevertheless, how the different constructions affect the complexity of the composite implementation of the SubBytes has not been analyzed in prior works. This brief presents 16 ways to construct the composite field GF(((22)2)2) for the AES algorithm. Analytical results are provided for the effects of the irreducible polynomial coefficients on the complexity of each involved subfield operation. In addition, for each construction, there exist eight isomorphic mappings that map the elements in GF(28) to those in composite fields. The complexities of these mappings vary. An efficient algorithm is proposed in this brief to find all isomorphic mappings. Based on the complexities of both the subfield operations and the isomorphic mappings, the optimum constructions of the composite field for the AES algorithm are selected to minimize gate count and critical path
The clinical course of multifocal atrial tachycardia in infants and children

OBJECTIVES This study outlines the clinical course, treatment and the late outcome of infants and children with multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT). BACKGROUND Multifocal atrial tachycardia is defined by three distinct P-waveforms, irregular P-P intervals, isoelectric baseline between P-waves and rapid rate on an electrocardiogram. Several smaller prior reports have described pediatric patients with MAT, but their long-term outcome has not been fully assessed. METHODS The clinical records, echocardiograms and long-term follow-up of patients with MAT were reviewed and compared to previous reports of MAT. RESULTS Fourteen boys and seven girls (median age 1.8 months) presented with MAT. At diagnosis, six patients had respiratory illness, of whom two were critical. Ten were asymptomatic. Seven patients had structural heart disease (SHD), one of whom died. Four of 15 patients (27%) with echocardiograms had diminished ventricular function. Ventricular rates were 111 to 253 beats/min (mean 181 beats/min). Median duration of the arrhythmia was 4.9 months (mean 6.7 months). Electrical cardioversion was attempted in 4 patients without success and 15 patients received antiarrhythmic medication. Seventeen patients were followed for a mean of 60 months. Four patients were lost to follow-up. There were no late arrhythmias. CONCLUSIONS The majority of children with MAT are healthy infants under one year of age; a few may exhibit mild to life-threatening cardiorespiratory disease. Less often, MAT accompanies SHD. Mild ventricular dysfunction may be observed in the presence of MAT, but symptoms are few and resolution is generally complete. Response to antiarrhythmic agents is mixed, and cardioversion is of no avail. Finally, long-term cardiovascular and developmental outcome depends principally on underlying condition; for otherwise healthy children, it is excellent.
Bewitched Again: Supernaturally Powerful Women on Television, 1996–2011 Julie D. O'Reilly. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.

Bewitched Again: Supernaturally Powerful Women on Television, 1996-2011 Julie D. O'Reilly. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.With just the twitch of her nose, Samantha Stevens, from television's Bewitched, introduced American audiences to a world in which the feminine fused with the supernatural. In Bewitched Again, Julie O'Reilly examines the long lasting influence this iconic television show has had on the portrayal of supernaturally powerful female characters more than three decades later. O'Reilly's analysis focuses on the time period from 1996 to 2011 and divides these years into two eras: the gilded age and the post-gilded age of supernaturally powerful women on television. While the genre enjoyed great popularity with a visible increase in the number of programs from 1996 to 2006 and produced such long running shows as Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Charmed, She argues that this period is anything but a golden age of television for such female characters. She terms the period "the gilded age" due to the lack of empowered portrayals and asks, "Can these female characters truly be considered powerful, much less super-powerful, if they do not have the opportunity to embrace, develop, or utilize their abilities fully and/or freely?" (3-4). The author then argues that programs such as Medium and Ghost Whisperer which aired during the 2006-2011 years are descriptive of a post-gilded age as they demonstrate some, albeit limited, element of choice and agency.Supernatur ally powerful women on television may be immortal, possess the gift of clairvoyance, exhibit superhuman strength, or even be able to stop time but they cannot avoid the legacy of Bewitched. O'Reilly makes a convincing argument that Samantha Stevens's supernatural successors conform to the same traditional expectations of femininity and beauty that she did and deal with same challenges and obstacles that she faced in 1964. Supernaturally powerful women are often subject to the watchful eye of a male authority figure and live with the fear of being found out and labeled as freaks by others. They also feel pressure to use their powers to help others but not themselves. In stark contrast, sup er naturally powerful male characters found on programs such as Smallville and The Dead 2one do not experience these same constraints.O'Reilly's sample is not limited by program format, network broadcast, or target audience, and she even includes children's programs such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and My Life as a Teenage Robot in her analysis. …