cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Working Man's Reward: Chicago's Early Suburbs and the Roots of American Sprawl. By Elaine Lewinnek. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2014. Pp. vii, 239. $47.95.)

In 1872 and 1919, Chicago experienced two major housing‐related riots. Racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse Chicagoans demanded various versions of the American Dream rooted in home ...
Non-stationary VFD Evaluation Kit: Dataset and Metrics to Fuel Video-Based Fire Detection Development

Datasets play a major role in the advance of computer vision techniques nowadays. Open, complete and challenging ground truth data, combined with standardized metrics are essential to push the development and allow the proper evaluation of computer vision algorithms. Even though a significant amount of work on VFD (video-based fire detection) systems has been developed, compare different algorithms is a laborious task due to the lack of common evaluation schemes and evaluation datasets. We address both of these issues by presenting a dataset of fire videos along with frame by frame annotations to be used for non-stationary fire detection algorithms training and validation. By the time, this is the largest dataset released on this subject matter. Standard video file formats and open markup languages where used to allow compatibility and convenient integration with the most popular computer vision libraries. The dataset includes hand-held, robot attached and drone attached footages and aims to boost the development of fully autonomous firefighter robots. The presented ground truth and metrics adapt to the majority of the state-of-the-art techniques and provides a reliable and unbiased solution to compare them. The dataset, example source-code and documentation are publicly available under the Creative Commons 3.0 license on GitHub.
The AAPM should significantly revise its current governance structure.

For the past twenty years the AAPM has been actively considering ways to reduce the size of its Board of Directors, which now has reached a grand total of 49 members. Reduction in Board size is about to be put to members this Fall as part of a vote to “modernize” AAPM's organizational structure. Some believe that these changes are unnecessary and will do more harm than good, and this is the claim debated in this month's Point/Counterpoint. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Towards Professionalization in an Online Community of Emerging Occupation: Discourses among UX Practitioners

The occupational landscape of the digital economy is rapidly changing, resulting in the emergence of multidisciplinary occupations. Emerging occupations such as user experience (UX) design are in high demand, but these occupations lack clear boundaries and have yet to develop into a profession with a specified, coherent body of knowledge. While traditional occupations such as medicine and law successfully claimed their professional jurisdiction and high social power and status long before the Internet, how do these emerging occupations work towards professionalization, particularly as they are increasingly supported by and through online communities? In this paper, we investigate an online UX community to understand how UX practitioners specify their occupational knowledge and professional boundaries. Using this case as an example and provocation, we discuss how online communities support the emergence of new occupations and may play an indispensable role in modern day patterns of professionalization.
Analytical Transparency and Reproducibility in Human Neuroimaging Studies.

The Journal of Neuroscience is committed to editorial transparency and scientific excellence. Consistent with these goals, this editorial is the first of a series aimed at highlighting current outstanding issues and recommendations on statistical procedures. The goal of this initiative is to help
Cadmium Inhalation and Male Reproductive Toxicity

Cadmium does not occur freely in nature and there are no specific ores from which it is mined. The most common natural form is cadmium sulfide that is generally found complexed with zinc, lead, copper and iron. Therefore, it is recovered as a byproduct from the processing of these ores (Kirk-Othmer 1984). The usual oxidation state in most cadmium compounds is +2. The atomic weight of cadmium is 112.4, the melting point is 321°C, and the density 8.642 g/cm3 (Kirk-Othmer 1984). Cadmium is slowly oxidized under ambient conditions, but the reaction is accelerated when heated in air (Kirk-Othmer 1984). Cadmium is widely used in the metal industry as protective coatings for iron, copper, and steel. Cadmium-electroplated parts are used in television and radio sets. Cadmium oxide is used as the negative electrode in cadmium-nickel and cadmium-silver rechargeable batteries and is an important component in low-melting alloys in bearings, solder, nuclear reactor control rods, and in cadmium-copper telephone wires. It is also used in PVC heat stabilizers and to improve high-temperature properties of rubber and plastics as well as in semiconductors and in ceramic glazes.
Cocaine and Metabolites by LC-MS/MS

Abuse of the stimulant cocaine (COC) is a common problem in the United States and elsewhere. The drug can be used either as the powder or as the free base (crack COC), and causes feelings of alertness and euphoria; both forms of COC are powerfully addictive. The assay described here is designed to detect and quantitate parent COC, its major metabolite benzoylecgonine, and a selection of metabolites that can provide specific information about sample validity (m-hydroxybenzoylecgonine), potential toxicity (norcocaine), route of administration (anhydroecgonine methyl ester), and co-utilization with ethanol (cocaethylene).
Reply to revisiting calcineurin and human heart failure

We previously identified a significant increase in the content of calcineurin protein associated with calmodulin in failed human hearts, indicative of activation3. These data are consistent with a recent report in which calcineurin protein content was found to be increased in dilated cardiomyopathy in humans5. Since that report, we have invested considerable effort in dissecting the regulation of the three calcineurin catalytic genes in hypertrophied and failed heart. We have determined that both the CnA- and CnA- genes are expressed in the heart and that CnA-, but not CnA-, mRNA and protein are upregulated approximately 300% by hypertrophic agonist in cultured cardiomyocytes, and that enzymatic activity is increased to a similar extent6. In vivo, we have found that calcineurin protein content and catalytic activity are significantly increased in pressure-loaded rat hearts7. We have also re-evaluated calcineurin activation in failed human hearts using an enzymatic phosphatase assay. In eight control human left ventricular heart samples, calcineurin enzymatic activity was 100% 7%, compared with 171% 11% in twelve failed hearts ( P=0.007). This 71% increase in calcineurin enzymatic activity indicates that calcineurin activation is associated with human heart failure.
Balancing reality with hope in epilepsy therapy

When a person receives an initial diagnosis of epilepsy, the first question asked of the physician is “Why?” But the next question is “Can the seizures be controlled?” Our ability to answer that question is inadequate, even though the question of prognosis is implicit in every subsequent clinical interaction. At every visit, we as clinicians project the hope that our next maneuver will be the magic bullet. In this issue of Neurology®, Hughes et al.,1 analyzing the outcomes of 1,752 participants in the Standard and New Antiepileptic Drug (SANAD) study of new-onset epilepsy in the United Kingdom,2 report a new algorithm for the prediction of seizure control. Recognizing that prognosis is a moving target, they have developed a method for assessing it at each visit. They report that as time goes by in each person's course, it is possible to be more and more accurate in forecasting the patient’s condition. This sounds like a truism for any disease, but the course of epilepsy varies so much between individuals that quantitative data are especially welcome.
“If we’re not serving our own community, no one else would”: The lived experience of providers in ethnically similar therapeutic dyads at South Asian women’s organizations

South Asian women’s organizations have been established nationwide to meet the unique needs of South Asians impacted by domestic violence. Although services at these community-based agencies are pr...
Cost of oral cancer drugs: Trends in the United States Medicare population in 2013 and 2015.

6631Background: Rising pharmaceutical costs threaten affordability and access to cancer care. Methods: The 2013 and 2015 Medicare Part D claims databases were queried for CareFirst’s 2017 list of o...
Covering and the moral duty to resist oppression

I present, in response to Ghosh’s critique of Yoshino’s view on covering, a defense of a qualified moral duty on the part of LGBT+ persons to refrain from covering. This defense applies Ann Cudd’s ...
High-resolution mapping of spatial heterogeneity in ice wedge polygon geomorphology near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

It is well known that microtopography associated with ice wedge polygons drives pronounced, meter-scale spatial gradients in hydrologic and ecological processes on the tundra. However, high-resolution maps of polygonal geomorphology are rarely available, due to the complexity and subtlety of ice wedge polygon relief at landscape scales. Here we present a sub-meter resolution map of >106 discrete ice wedge polygons across a ~1200 km2 landscape, delineated within a lidar-derived digital elevation model. The delineation procedure relies on a convolutional neural network paired with a set of common image processing operations and permits explicit measurement of relative elevation at the center of each ice wedge polygon. The resulting map visualizes meter- to kilometer-scale spatial gradients in polygonal geomorphology across an extensive landscape with unprecedented detail. This high-resolution inventory of polygonal geomorphology provides rich spatial context for extrapolating observations of environmental processes across the landscape. The map also represents an extensive baseline dataset for quantifying contemporary land surface deformation (i.e., thermokarst) at the survey area, through future topographic surveys.
SU(3)F analysis for beauty baryon decays

We perform a general SU(3)F analysis of $$ b\to c\overline{c}s(d) $$ decays of members of the beauty baryon antitriplet to a member of the light baryon octet and a singlet. Under several reasonable assumptions we found $$ \left|\mathcal{A}\left({\Xi}_b^0\to \Lambda S\right)/\mathcal{A}\left({\Xi}_b^0\to {\Xi}^0S\right)\right|\approx 1/\sqrt{6}\left|{V}_{cb}^{\ast }{V}_{cd}/\left({V}_{cb}^{\ast }{V}_{cs}\right)\right| $$ and $$ \left|\mathcal{A}\left({\Lambda}_b\to {\Sigma}^0S\right)/\mathcal{A}\left({\Lambda}_b\to \Lambda S\right)\right|\sim 0.02 $$ . These two relations have been recently probed by LHCb for the case of S = J/ψ. The former agrees with the measurement, while for the latter our prediction lies close to the upper bound set by LHCb.
Routing in Large-scale Dynamic Networks: A Bloom Filter-based Dual-layer Scheme

The increasing volume of network-connected devices comprising Internet of Things and the variety of heterogeneous network architectures across these devices pose significant challenges to effective deployment and routing. In this article, we consider the adoption of probabilistic data structures to develop a novel Bloom Filter-based dual-layer inter-domain routing scheme. Our designed scheme implements internal and external routing layers in network gateways constructed upon the counting bloom filter and the original bloom filter. We first compare several representative structures in both theory and experimentation. We then propose our novel Bloom Filter-based dual-layer inter-domain routing scheme. In the design of the routing scheme, we consider issues related to the overall space cost and routing loop prevention, as well as present corresponding solutions. We also detail the principal structures and algorithms. Further, we conduct a theoretical analysis of the space efficiency of our proposed scheme compared to traditional routing with respect to the size of data packets and the size of routing tables, as well as in routing loop avoidance. Finally, via extensive performance evaluation, our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed scheme.
Power System Reliability Analysis Considering External and Insider Attacks on the SCADA System

Cybersecurity of the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, which is the key component of the cyber-physical systems (CPS), is facing big challenges and will affect the reliability of the smart grid. System reliability can be influenced by various cyber threats. In this paper, the reliability of the electric power system considering different cybersecurity issues in the SCADA system is analyzed by using Semi-Markov Process (SMP) and mean time-to-compromise (MTTC). External and insider attacks against the SCADA system are investigated with the SMP models and the results are compared. The system reliability is evaluated by reliability indexes including loss of load probability (LOLP) and expected energy not supplied (EENS) through Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS). The lurking threats of the cyberattacks are also analyzed in the study. Case studies were conducted on the IEEE Reliability Test System (RTS-96). The results show that with the increase of the MTTCs of the cyberattacks, the LOLP values decrease. When insider attacks are considered, both the LOLP and EENS values dramatically increase owing to the decreased MTTCs. The results provide insights into the establishment of the electric power system reliability enhancement strategies.
Pregnancy in physicians: A scoping review.

Abstract Background The personal health and professional impact of physician pregnancy requires further study. We performed a comprehensive scoping review of physician pregnancy to synthesize and assess the evidence to aid decision-making for relevant stakeholders. Methods A search of 7 databases resulted in 3733 citations. 407 manuscripts were included and scored for evidence level. Data were extracted into themes using template analysis. Results Physician pregnancy impacted colleagues through perceived increased workload and resulted in persistent stigmatization and discrimination despite work productivity and academic metrics being independent of pregnancy events. Maternity leave policies were inconsistent and largely unsatisfactory. Women physicians incurred occupational hazard risk and had high rates of childbearing delay, abortion, and fertility treatment; obstetric and fetal complication rates compared to controls are conflicting. Conclusions Comprehensive literature review found that physician pregnancy impacts colleagues, elicits negative perceptions of productivity, and is inadequately addressed by current parental leave policies. Data are poor and insufficient to definitively determine the impact of physician pregnancy on maternal and fetal health. Prospective risk-matched observational studies of physician pregnancy should be pursued.
Doctoring With a Double Disability.

Practicing medicine as a Deaf physician is an uphill battle in the best of circumstances; COVID-19's effect on policies, networking, scholarship, and in-person and virtual interactions has added ne...
Authoritarian Leadership Politics and Constraints on the Executive: A Mediation Analysis of Ideology, Populism, and Civil Group Balance of Power

Why do some regimes slide further into autocracy while other regimes, similar in their formal institutions and economies, move toward democratization? What can explain the erosion of longstanding traditional institutions in autocracy? I contend that the answer lies in the ideology of the dictator with rhetorical style in a secondary role. Specifically, ideological programs of aggressive social change necessarily weaken existing civil society constraints and the reliance of the regime on ideology for legitimacy increases the power of ideological support groups. The combination of ideological agendas hostile to existing social structures with the instrumental use of populist rhetoric to bypass existing constraints is corrosive to both civil society and the institutional constraints it supports. This project will demonstrate using mediation analysis that radical leadership ideology results in the erosion of institutional constraints with changes in civil society as a causal mechanism, and that populism's role is secondary.
Comparison of measured and calculated forces on the RE-1000 free-piston Stirling engine displacer

The NASA Lewis Research Center has tested a 1 kW free-piston Stirling engine at the NASA Lewis test facilities. The tests performed over the past several years on the RE-1000 single cylinder engine are known as the sensitivity tests. This report presents an analysis of some of the data published in the sensitivity test report. A basic investigation into the measured forces acting on the unconstrained displacer of the engine is presented. These measured forces are then correlated with the values predicted by the NASA Lewis Stirling engine computer simulation. The results of the investigation are presented in the form of phasor diagrams. Possible future work resulting from this investigation is outlined.
Navy’s Most Powerful Radio Facility

Design and construction of VLF radio station capable of transmitting to units of fleet, above, on, and beneath surface of North Atlantic and Mediterranean; problems of efficient integrating of refined, interdependent electronic and structural engineering features into VLF radio transmitter.
Substituent influences on the cope equilibrium in semibullvalene: Symmetrical heteroatomic 2.8-pentamethylene derivatives

Abstract Six 2,8-pentamethylene semibullvalenes having a heteroatomic unit (O, NCH2Ph, S, SO2, syn-SO and anti-SO) at the central linkage (to maintain symmetry) have been prepared from a single diazasnoutane precursor. Variable-temp. 1H NMR studies of the ether gave indication that the ground-state equilibrium is shifted substantially (80–88%) in the direction of tautomer a where the cyclopropane ring is positioned on the periphery of the structure. Progression through the order given above leads to an enhanced partiality for tautomer b (89% in the case of the anti sutfoxide). Entirely comparable equilibrium constants were obtained using 13C NMR methods. Thus, although the hetero atoms are quite adequately insulated from the semibullvalene core, subtle libration effects in the bracket are revealed by large alterations in Keq. Such differences are unlikely to be assessed as quantitatively by other techniques. The possible origin of those factors which contribute to the enhanced concentration of one tricyclic tautomer relative to the other is discussed.
NAC1, a cocaine-regulated POZ/BTB protein interacts with CoREST

In this report, CoREST was identified as a protein that interacts with NAC1. NAC1 is a cocaine-regulated Pox virus and Zinc finger/Bric-a-brac Tramtrack Broad complex (POZ/BTB) repressor protein, which mediates interactions among several other transcriptional regulators. In the present study, an interaction between NAC1 and CoREST was detected in neuro-2A cells and HEK293T cells. We found that the POZ/BTB domain is necessary and sufficient for interaction with CoREST. Surprisingly, only one of five mutations in the POZ/BTB domain that disrupts homodimer assembly interfered with NAC1 and CoREST interactions. These results indicate that POZ/BTB homodimer formation is not required for NAC1-CoREST interaction. CoREST demonstrated protein-protein interactions with both isoforms of NAC1, sNAC1, and lNAC1. Coimmunoprecipitation studies show that NAC1 and CoREST are physically bound together. To further support the results, a direct interaction was demonstrated in glutathione-S-transferase pull down assays. siRNA directed against NAC1 mRNA significantly reduced NAC1 protein expression and resulted in reversal of CoREST-mediated repression in cells. This interaction between NAC1 and CoREST was not found for other POZ/BTB proteins tested. Endogenous interaction was demonstrated in lysates from rat brain samples. This is the first report to demonstrate that a POZ/BTB protein interacts with CoREST. Taken together, the results indicate that CoREST may be part of the NAC1 repressor mechanism.
Formas combinantes: un estudio sobre los procesos morfológicos de truncamiento en español

Este trabajo propone considerar dos puntos importantes en la morfologia del espanol. Primero, aportar una descripcion adecuada para una serie de palabras que parecen estar entre la afijacion y la composicion. Segundo, gracias a esta descripcion, senalar la relevancia que el proceso morfologico de truncamiento y sus unidades (formas combinantes) tienen en la creacion de nuevas palabras en el lexico espanol. Asimismo, este proceso morfologico de truncamiento es un claro reflejo de las motivaciones pragmaticas empleadas por el hablante-oyente de una lengua con la finalidad de manipular procesos morfologicos y crear de esta manera nuevo lexico y connotaciones linguisticas en la lengua.
The three-dimensional solar wind around solar maximum

[1] Ulysses is now completing its second solar polar orbit, dropping back down in latitude as the Sun passes through its post-maximum phase of the solar cycle. A mid-sized circumpolar coronal hole that formed around solar maximum in the northern hemisphere has persisted and produced a highly inclined CIR, which was observed from ∼70°N down to ∼30°N. We find that the speed maxima in the high-speed streams follow the same slow drop in speed with decreasing latitude observed in the large polar coronal holes around solar minimum. These results suggest a solar wind acceleration effect that is related to heliolatitude or solar rotation. We also find that the solar wind dynamic pressure is significantly lower in the post-maximum phase of this solar cycle than during the previous one, indicating that while the heliosphere is larger than near solar minimum, it should be smaller than during or after the previous maximum.
Comorbidities associated with the increasing burden of hepatitis C infection.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is implicated in an increasing number of liver transplantations, hospitalizations and healthcare costs. Aims: We present an updated assessment of comorbidities associated with HCV in comparison to the general US population. Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective review of data from 800 patients with HCV evaluated between January 1998 and November 2007. Patient data were prospectively collected using a standardized questionnaire completed at the first encounter and was compared with general US epidemiological data. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported. Results: HCV conferred a 44% (CI 1.16–1.78) and 25% (CI 1.01–1.54) increased risk of diabetes (12.5 vs. 7.3–8.4%; P=0.001) and obesity (23.9 vs. 19.8–33.1%; P=0.041), respectively, compared with the US population. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (5.3 vs. 0.3%; P<0.001) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (4.5 vs. 0.2%; P<0.001) were 16- and 13-fold more prevalent in HCV. Interestingly, HCV bestowed 90% decreased odds (CI 0.09–0.15) for hyperlipidaemia (12.3 vs. 53.2–56.1%; P<0.001). The HCV population had a higher prevalence of significant alcohol consumption (41.5 vs. 4.7%; P<0.001), current smoking (57.7 vs. 18.8–20.8%; P<0.001), drug use (46.8 vs. 14.6–15.6%; P<0.001), incarceration (6.6 vs. 2.7%; P<0.001) and tattoos (20.3 vs. 14%; P=0.011), as well as chronic fatigue (44.6 vs. 11.3–19%; P<0.001) and depression (29.3 vs. 5.0–10.3%; P<0.001). Conclusion: HCV poses an increasing healthcare burden associated with increased prevalence of diabetes, obesity, HIV, ESRD, maladaptive lifestyle habits and poor quality of life. Practitioners should be cognizant of these trends in order to appropriately manage these comorbidities.
Successful Treatment of Recurrent Autoimmune Cytopenias in the Context of Sinus Histiocytosis With Massive Lymphadenopathy Using Sirolimus

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy (SHML), or Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), is a non-neoplastic, lymphoproliferative disorder that usually resolves spontaneously or with minimal conventional chemotherapy. Rarely, SHML can be associated with autoimmune findings. Such cases are often treatment resistant and have high rates of morbidity and mortality. We present a case of a patient with long-standing autoimmunity in the context of SHML, dependent on standard-treatment until he was transitioned to novel monotherapy with sirolimus. Sirolimus treatment resulted in a complete remission, now sustained after discontinuation of all treatments for over 23 months, with no observable long-term sequelae.
The Enhancing Rim: A New Sign of a Benign Pulmonary Nodule

OBJECTIVE To describe a new radiological sign, the enhancing rim sign, that indicates that a solitary pulmonary nodule is benign rather than malignant. Patients and Methods Sixteen adult patients underwent computed tomographic (CT) evaluation with intravenous contrast enhancement of an indeterminate solitary pulmonary nodule between May 25, 2000, and March 21, 2002, at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. In each patient, we identified a rim of enhancing soft tissue at the periphery of a solitary pulmonary nodule; this rim surrounds a homogeneous, lower-density central portion of the nodule. Surgical or biopsy specimens from 6 patients and clinical data from 10 patients were evaluated to determine whether the nodules with the enhancing rims were benign or malignant. Results Pulmonary nodules in 6 patients were diagnosed as benign after histological evaluations of tissue obtained by surgical resection (3 patients), bronchoscopic biopsy (1 patient), and CT-guided needle biopsy (3 patients) (1 patient had a needle biopsy and wedge resection). In another 10 patients, pulmonary nodules were diagnosed as benign during clinical follow-up (range, 2-24 months; median, 11 months): in 1 patient, the nodule disappeared; in 1 patient, the nodule's size was stable; in 3 patients, the nodule's size decreased; and in 5 patients, no further radiological studies were performed, but no symptoms or signs of pulmonary disease were present during follow-up. Coccidioides immitis spherules were identified in 2 surgical specimens and in 1 CT-guided biopsy specimen. Serologic results for C immitis were positive for 3 patients: 1 at the time of lobectomy and 2 during clinical follow-up. Conclusion The enhancing rim sign, seen on chest CT with intravenous contrast enhancement of a solitary pulmonary nodule, has been useful to distinguish some benign pulmonary nodules from malignant pulmonary nodules.
Impaired myogenic response and autoregulation of cerebral blood flow is rescued in CYP4A1 transgenic Dahl salt-sensitive rat.

We have reported that a reduction in renal production of 20-HETE contributes to development of hypertension in Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats. The present study examined whether 20-HETE production is also reduced in the cerebral vasculature of SS rats and whether this impairs the myogenic response and autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF). The production of 20-HETE, the myogenic response of middle cerebral arteries (MCA), and autoregulation of CBF were compared in SS, SS-5BN rats and a newly generated CYP4A1 transgenic rat. 20-HETE production was 6-fold higher in cerebral arteries of CYP4A1 and SS-5BN than in SS rats. The diameter of the MCA decreased to 70 ± 3% to 65 ± 6% in CYP4A1 and SS-5BN rats when pressure was increased from 40 to 140 mmHg. In contrast, the myogenic response of MCA isolated from SS rats did not constrict. Administration of a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor, HET0016, abolished the myogenic response of MCA in CYP4A1 and SS-5BN rats but had no effect in SS rats. Autoregulation of CBF was impaired in SS rats compared with CYP4A1 and SS-5BN rats. Blood-brain barrier leakage was 5-fold higher in the brain of SS rats than in SS-5BN and SS.CYP4A1 rats. These findings indicate that a genetic deficiency in the formation of 20-HETE contributes to an impaired myogenic response in MCA and autoregulation of CBF in SS rats and this may contribute to vascular remodeling and cerebral injury following the onset of hypertension.
Metamorphosed Ordovician Fe- and Mn-rich rocks in south-central Maine: From peri-Gondwanan deposition through Acadian metamorphism

abstra C t The Wilson Cove Member of the Cushing Formation is a thin (up to 120 m thick) metamorphosed Fe- and Mn-rich unit exposed discontinuously over a distance of >75 km in southern Maine. Cathodoluminescence imaging of zircon grains from the unit reveal texturally isolated detrital cores surrounded by distinct metamorphic overgrowths. U-Pb SHRIMP core ages range from 463 to 2058 Ma with a strong peak in the Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian. This distribution of ages is consistent with a peri-Gondwanan source region and a Middle to Late Ordovician depositional age. Zircon rims have an age of 373 ± 4 Ma, consistent with growth during late Acadian metamorphism. Whole-rock geochemistry reveals considerable major- and trace-element variability with generally elevated abundances of Fe2O3(t) (15–43 wt%), MnO (0.1–12.1 wt%), Ba (4–2503 ppm), and As (7–1161 ppm). Geochemical discrimination diagrams suggest the protoliths were mixtures of hydrothermal exhalatives and terrigenous clastic sediment, with these materials most likely having been deposited in a marine back-arc basin proximal to a peri-Gondwanan continental source region. Late Devonian low-pressure, amphibolite-facies metamorphism of these bulk compositions produced assemblages dominated by grunerite + garnet + biotite + quartz. These and other mineral assemblages found in the Wilson Cove unit in south-central Maine are consistent with peak metamorphic conditions of 550 to 600 °C and 3–4 kbar previously determined from nearby metapelites. Mineral assemblages, mineral modes, and mineral compositions in these Fe- and Mn-rich rocks are strongly influenced by whole-rock bulk compositional variability. In particular, the compositions of co-existing garnet and grunerite vary systematically as a function of whole-rock MnO concentration.
The regulation of ornithine decarboxylase in Neurospora crassa

The regulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC; l -ornithine carboxylase, EC 4.1.1.17) in Neurospora crassa was investigated. Putrescine, spermidine, and spermine inhibited the enzyme in vitro and caused in vivo repression. Of the three polyamines, putrescine was the strongest inhibitor. Mg 2+ reversed the in vitro inhibition of ODC by putrescine. Growth of cultures of wildtype 74A and the arginaseless mutant aga on arginine-supplemented medium caused 4- and 100 fold increases in ODC activity, respectively. Treatment of cultures with cycloheximide abolished the arginine-mediated increase in ODC activity. Differences in total enzymatic activity, coenzyme requirement, and temperature stability of ODC grown on minimal and arginine-supplemented media suggest that Neurospora possesses two forms of the enzyme.
Lengthening the Bovine Estrous Cycle with Low Levels of Exogenous Progesterone: A Model for Studying Ovarian Follicular Dominance*

In cattle the development of ovarian follicles greater than or equal to 5 mm occurs in waves, with either two or three waves per estrous cycle. To increase our understanding of the control of follicular dynamics in cattle, the present study was designed to characterize the pattern of follicular development during artificially lengthened estrous cycles. Cycles were lengthened by intravaginal insertion of Silastic devices containing progesterone [Controlled Internal Drug Release devices (CIDRs)]. Control heifers (group 1) received blank devices, whereas treated heifers received one (group 2) or two CIDRs (group 3) from days 14 to 28 after estrus. In groups 2 and 3, the insertion of CIDRs prevented return to estrus at the normal time and increased cycle length as compared to the control group (30.0 +/- 0.0 and 31.0 +/- 0.3 vs. 21.0 +/- 0.7 days, respectively, P less than 0.05). After natural luteolysis and between days 22 and 28 of cycle, progesterone concentrations were maintained at lower levels in group 2 (range = 0.9-2.1 ng/ml) than in group 3 (range = 3.7-4.9 ng/ml, P less than 0.003). Follicular development and regression were monitored daily by ultrasonography. The number of follicular waves per cycle was identical in groups 1 and 2 (2.7 waves per cycle), despite the significantly longer cycles in group 2. In group 2, the presence of one CIDR altered the normal pattern of follicular development by promoting the prolonged growth of the ovulatory follicle, and associated with it, a complete absence of follicular recruitment. When compared to ovulatory follicles in controls (group 1), ovulatory follicles in group 2 were detected on the ovaries for a longer time (1.8-fold), reached a greater maximal size (1.4-fold), and were dominant for a longer time (3-fold). Heifers in group 3 had significantly more follicular waves per cycle than groups 1 and 2 (3.8 vs. 2.7 waves per cycle, respectively, P less than 0.05), due to the production of additional follicular waves during the lengthened cycle in three of six heifers. The other three heifers in group 3 showed patterns of follicular development similar to those of group 2. All heifers in the control group had normal preovulatory rises in estradiol and LH. During the period of treatment (days 14-28), 17 beta-estradiol concentrations were higher in heifers in group 2 (lower progesterone levels) than in heifers in group 3 (higher progesterone levels; P less than 0.0001). No differences were observed in basal LH concentrations between groups 2 and 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Cytokine-mediated Transcriptional Induction of the Human Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Requires Both Activator Protein 1 and Nuclear Factor κB-binding Sites

The involvement of AP-1 and NF-κB transcription factors in cytokine-mediated induction of human inducible nitric oxide synthase (hiNOS) promoter activity was examined. Luciferase reporter plasmids, containing mutations in AP-1 and NF-κB sites, in a hiNOS promoter extending from −8.3 kilobase pairs (kb) to +168, were transiently expressed in A549 cells, and promoter activity was determined after treatment with a cytokine mixture (CM) containing interleukin 1-β, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Mutation of the AP-1 heptad located −5301 base pairs upstream decreased gene activation by 90% in a −8.3-kb promoter and a shorter −5.574-kb promoter. Disruption of AP-1 (at −5115) or NF-κB (at −115 and −8283) sites reduced promoter activity by 45, 67, and 52%, respectively. Responsiveness to CM was decreased by 85% in constructs mutated in both NF-κB sites. By gel retardation analyses, CM increased AP-1- and NF-κB binding. Supershift analysis identified Jun D and Fra-2 as components of AP-1 complexes. Each κB site bound different complements of NF-κB/Rel family members (downstream site, Rel A/p50; upstream site, Rel A/Rel A). Rel A was maximally, whereas IκB-α was minimally, expressed in nuclei after 1 h of CM treatment, corresponding with the peak in NF-κB inding activity. Thus, AP-1 and NF-κB are important cis-elements for induction of hiNOS gene transcription.
Tracheobronchomalacia and Tracheal Hemorrhage in Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Receiving Long-term Ventilation With Uncuffed Tracheostomies

Study objectives: Autopsy evaluation of tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who were receiving long-term ventilation through uncuffed tracheostomies. Design: Necropsies were performed in seven patients with DMD who had received positive-pressure ventilation through uncuffed tracheostomies for a duration of 5 to 30 years. Setting: Rehabilitation facility affiliated with a university medical center. Results: The range of peak airway pressures sustained during ventilation by all the patients was 23 mm Hg to 36 mm Hg. Bronchoscopy (which was performed in four of the five patients) detected tracheomalacia in only one of the patients. Five of the seven patients demonstrated variable degrees of airway malacia. Two patients also had tracheal perforations, one of which resulted in a fatal hemorrhage from a tracheovascular fistula. Conclusions: Given enough time, patients receiving positive-pressure ventilation can develop airway thinning and dilation even without the use of an inflated tracheostomy cuff. There is also a potential for tracheal erosion into an adjacent artery that can lead to fatal hemorrhage. Such findings also have implications for individuals receiving noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation, who could develop TBM as a result of the continuous cycling pressures on the airway wall.
Lateral geniculate and occipital cortex spikes with eye movements in awake and sleeping cats: Temporal and functional correlations

Abstract The temporal relationship between lateral geniculate and occipital cortex spikes and the fast and slow components of nystagmus and of fast-wave sleep rapid eye movements were investigated, using cats bearing chronically implanted electrodes. Computer averaging of the electrical activity from the electrooculogram, from occipital cortex, and from lateral geniculate nucleus (using the latter as the trigger point) demonstrated that the lateral geniculate spike is in all cases initiated at the fixation point of eye movements, i.e., at the inflection from fast to slow eye movement. Since phasic activation of midbrain reticular formation is considered to occur with the lateral geniculate spikes, it appears that the spikes normally function to produce an augmented reactivity at the moment of eye fixation.
Galaxy formation in Lambda greater than 0 Friedmann models: Consequences for the number counts versus redshift test

We study the effect of the cosmological constant Lambda on galaxy formation using a simple spherical top-hat overdensity model. We consider models with Omega(sub 0) = 0.2, lambda(sub 0) = 0, and Omega(sub 0) = 0.2, lambda(sub 0) = 0.8 (where Omega(sub 0) is the density parameter, and lambda(sub 0) identically equal Lambda/3 H(sub 0 exp 2) where H(sub 0) is the Hubble constant). We adjust the initial power spectrum amplitude so that both models reproduce the same large-scale structures. The galaxy formation era in the lambda(sub 0) = 0 model occurs early (z approximately 6) and is very short, whereas in the lambda(sub 0) = 0.8 model the galaxy formation era starts later (z approximately 4), and last much longer, possibly all the way to the present. Consequently, galaxies at low redshift (z less than 1) are significantly more evolved in the lambda(sub 0) = 0 model than in the lambda(sub 0) = 0.8 model. This result implies that previous attempts to determine Lambda using the number counts versus redshift test are probably unreliable.
The control and prevention of hospital acquired infection.

Abstract Nosocomial infections complicate from 3–13% of hospitalizations. Lower rates are seen in community hospitals where patients generally have less complicated underlying problems and shorter hospital stays, but even in these circumstances the risk of hospital-acquired infection exists and appropriate methods for control and prevention are mandatory. This paper offers suggestions for surveillance methodology as a major method of infection control for community hospitals. Responsible personnel with the necessary authority, staff cooperation, and reasonable methods for data collection and analysis are discussed. Guidelines for isolation procedures, environmental sampling and common types of hospital infection problems are briefly reviewed. Tables indicate problems, sample methods of recording data and isolation procedures which can be modified to meet the needs of individual hospitals.
Three-Dimensional Hybrid Framework Containing U2O13 Dimers Connected via Cation–Cation Interactions

A three-dimensional metal–organic framework with cation–cation interactions, UO2(NO2TA)2(H2O) (1), was synthesized hydrothermally and characterized via single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, UV–vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy (NO2TA = 2-nitroterephthalic acid). 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n [a = 11.6970(7) A, b = 15.1449(9) A, c = 12.2564(8) A, and β = 109.193(1)°] and contains U2O13 dimers. The UV–vis spectrum of 1 contains peaks attributable to both the ligand and the uranium cation. Furthermore, the ligand and the uranium cation of 1 can be independently excited, giving rise to two different luminescent spectra.
Omega‐3 and treatment implications in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and associated behavioral symptoms

Summary Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Marked impairments are also well-documented in self-regulatory and executive function skills associated with temporal organization, working memory, goal-directed behaviors and maintaining motivation, focus and effort. Another recognized feature of ADHD is the concept of emotional dysregulation which is the inability to regulate emotional processes and can often manifest as instability in temperament, and explosive temper. Although there is a high degree of heritability for symptoms of ADHD, somewhere in the region of 65– 75%, most of the genetic effect is considered accountable by gene/environmental interactions. One plausible environmental postulation is the hypothesis of inadequate neuronal levels of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) leading to abnormalities in dopamine-related neurotransmission in the frontal cortex and reward-related pathways in the ventral striatum regions. Neuroimaging studies have confirmed that these brain networks are impaired in ADHD compared to control counterparts during a range of tasks measuring motivation and reward management processes. Omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids have critical roles throughout the central nervous system featuring in complex structural and functional processes related, but not restricted to myelination, cell-signaling, gene expression and in the regulation of mood and affect. This article will present and discuss evidence from several clinical studies and raise questions regarding future research directions.
Diestrus administration of oxytocin prolongs luteal maintenance and reduces plasma PGFM concentrations and endometrial COX-2 expression in mares

The objectives were to: (1) evaluate the efficacy of varying intervals of oxytocin administration in preventing luteolysis in mares; (2) examine PGF(2α) release in mares experiencing prolonged diestrus secondary to oxytocin treatment; and (3) evaluate the endometrial expression of oxytocin receptor, estrogen receptor α, and prostaglandin synthesis enzymes after oxytocin administration. In experiment I, mares received oxytocin (60 IU, im) daily on Days 8 to 10, 8 to 12, or 8 to 14 postovulation, and control mares received sterile saline. Prolongation of diestrus was defined by elevation of serum progesterone >1.0 ng/mL through Day 30 postovulation. The proportion of mares experiencing prolonged cycles increased (P < 0.01) as the number of days of oxytocin administration increased. Oxytocin administration on Days 8 to 10, 8 to 12, and 8 to 14 prolonged luteal maintenance in 3/7, 4/7, and 6/7 mares respectively, compared with 0/7 control mares. Treated mares with prolonged diestrus had lower (P < 0.05) plasma PGFM concentrations at Day 16 than did mares with normal diestrus periods. In experiment II, endometrial biopsies from mares treated with oxytocin from Days 8 to 14 postovulation (N = 6) had reduced cyclooxygenase-2 expression (P < 0.05) compared with control mares (N = 6) as determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining. Oxytocin administration prolonged luteal maintenance in mares, with an increasing number of mares responding to treatment as the number of days of oxytocin administration was increased beyond Day 8 postovulation. Luteal maintenance in mares was also associated with decreased plasma PGFM concentrations and reduced endometrial cyclooxygenase-2 expression.
Electron transport characteristics of GaN for high temperature device modeling

Monte Carlo simulations of electron transport based upon an analytical representation of the lowest conduction bands of bulk, wurtzite phase GaN are used to develop a set of transport parameters for devices with electron conduction in GaN. Analytic expressions for spherical, nonparabolic conduction band valleys at the Γ, U, M, and K symmetry points of the Brillouin zone are matched to experimental effective mass data and to a pseudopotential band structure. The low-field electron drift mobility is calculated for temperatures in the range of 300–600 K and for ionized impurity concentrations between 1016 and 1018 cm−3. Compensation effects on the mobility are also examined. Electron drift velocities for fields up to 500 kV/cm are calculated for the above temperature range. To aid GaN device modeling, the drift mobility dependences on ambient temperature, donor concentration, and compensation ratio are expressed in analytic form with parameters determined from the Monte Carlo results. Analytic forms are also...
Education, Maternal Smoking, and the Earned Income Tax Credit

We estimate and explore mechanisms of the impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansions on the smoking behavior of women. Differential increases in federal EITC benefits by family size in the mid-1990s allow for a comparison of smoking status changes between mothers with one and more than one child. We exploit these changes in a difference-in-differences framework using data from the 1993-2001 waves of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and show that the increase in EITC benefits yielded a significant decline in the likelihood of being a current smoker among unmarried mothers with less than a college degree. Although women with a high school degree or less and women with some college education received similar benefit increases on average and exhibited similar labor supply responses, the reduction in the likelihood of smoking was concentrated among those with some college.