cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis as a Premalignant Biliary Tract Disease: Surveillance and Management

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a premalignant biliary tract disease that confers a significant risk for the development of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The chronic biliary tract inflammation of PSC promotes pro-oncogenic processes such as cellular proliferation, induction of DNA damage, alterations of the extracellular matrix, and cholestasis. The diagnosis of malignancy in PSC can be challenging because inflammation-related changes in PSC may produce dominant biliary tract strictures mimicking CCA. Biomarkers such as detection of methylated genes in biliary specimens represent noninvasive techniques that may discriminate malignant biliary ductal changes from PSC strictures. However, conventional cytology and advanced cytologic techniques such as fluorescence in situ hybridization for polysomy remain the practice standard for diagnosing CCA in PSC. Curative treatment options of malignancy arising in PSC are limited. For a subset of patients selected by using stringent criteria, liver transplantation after neoadjuvant chemoradiation is a potential curative therapy. However, most patients have advanced malignancy at the time of diagnosis. Advances directed at identifying high-risk patients, early cancer detection, and development of chemopreventive strategies will be essential to better manage the cancer risk in this premalignant disease. A better understanding of dysplasia definition and especially its natural history is also needed in this disease. Herein, we review recent developments in our understanding of the risk factors, pathogenic mechanisms of PSC associated with CCA, as well as advances in early detection and therapies.
R. Budd Dwyer: A case study in newsroom decision making

In late January of 1987, the State Treasurer of Pennsylvania, R. Budd Dwyer, shot himself to death in front of a dozen reporters and camera crews during a news conference in his office. Much was subsequently made in the popular press, and within the profession, about the difficult ethical decision television journalists were faced with in determining how much of the very graphic suicide tape to air. A review of the literature in this area suggests, however, that journalists have established a set of relatively detailed conventions for dealing with events involving graphic depictions of death. Analysis of the Dwyer tape and interviews conducted with Pennsylvania television news directors show that eighteen of the twenty stations in the state that carry news used basically the same type and amount of footage in their evening newscasts. One decided to use no tape. One showed the moment of death. When the story broke around noon, two additional stations showed the moment of suicide, but they revised their sto...
The Transatlantic Pocahontas

[Pocahontas] continued her kindness to the new settlers, and in 1612, married a Mr. Rolfe. By this gentleman she was instructed in the principles of the Christian religion, and baptized, by the nam...
Significance of the levels of bone marrow lymphoid infiltrate in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with nodular partial remission

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are considered in nodular partial remission (nPR) when they are in remission but bone marrow biopsies show rare nodules. The significance of the level of residual disease in nPR is not known. We studied 91 previously untreated CLL patients who were treated with fludarabine alone, fludarabine with prednisone, or fludarabine with cyclophosphamide and achieved nPR at the end of six courses. We compared bone marrow lymphoid infiltration before therapy and at the end of three and six courses of therapy as evaluated by a pathologist in retrospective fashion with that of the routine evaluation at the time of performing bone marrow biopsy. We then compared these results with those obtained by computer-aided histomorphometry in 28 patients in nPR. There was significant correlation (P 70% marrow involvement before therapy had a significantly shorter TTP (P = 0.02). All 91 patients showed similar results. However, we found reverse correlation between marrow lymphoid infiltrate at the end of three courses and OS (P = 0.01).
LEGALIZATION OF ASSISTED SUICIDE: A Pilot Study of Gerontological Nurses

1. Legalization of physician-assisted suicide poses serious challenges to the Code for Nurses of the ANA, particularly in the areas of self-determination and autonomy versus sanctity of life. 2. Nurses in this pilot study were divided in their support of legalization of physician-assisted suicide for all ages (46 in favor, 54 opposed) but showed stronger support for legalization when applied to the elderly (58 in favor, 42 opposed). 3. No demographic variables realized statistical significance toward attitudes on the legalization of physician-assisted suicide or its legalization as applied to the elderly. 4. While supported conceptually, the actual practice of physician-assisted suicide was not supported by many who were in favor of legalization of physician-assisted suicide.
Erdheim-Chester disease: radiographic findings in five patients

We present the case histories of five patients with Erdheim-Chester disease, a rare lipoidosis that has several typical radiographic features. In all the patients, the diaphyses and metaphyses of the extremities demonstrated a symmetric pattern of diffuse or patchy increased density, a coarsened trabecular pattern, medullary sclerosis, and cortical thickening. The epiphyses were spared in four patients and partially involved in one. The axial skeleton was involved in one patient. Radiotracer 99mTc accumulated in areas of radiographic abnormalities in all patients. In one patient, MRI demonstrated an abnormal signal, corresponding to radiographic abnormalities. The signal was hypointense to muscle on T1-weighted sequences and heterogeneously hyperintense and hypointense to normal bone marrow on T2-weighted sequences. Xanthogranulomatous lesions infiltrated the retroperitoneum in one patient, the testes in one patient, the eyelids in one patient, and the orbits in two patients.
The Effect of Shaping Inclined Slots on Film Cooling Effectiveness and Heat Transfer Coefficient

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the performance of two inclined slot jets when used in a film cooling application. The coolant gas was injected onto a flat plate in a subsonic wind tunnel. The two geometries used are a 35° inclined slot and a shaped 35° inclined slot. A density ratio of 1.55 was created by using foreign gas (carbon dioxide) injection. In order to determine heat transfer, a thin stainless steel foil was used as a resistance heater to create a constant heat flux. Using a transient method, the heat transfer coefficient was calculated downstream of the two-dimensional slots. In addition, the adiabatic effectiveness was measured. Shaping the slot improves overall performance, with an increased effectiveness and a slight reduction in heat transfer coefficient, particularly far downstream of the slot.Copyright © 1997 by ASME
Morphology, morphometry and electron microscopy of HeLa cells infected with bovine Mycoplasma.

The host-parasite relationship of HeLa M cells artificially infected with a bovine species of Mycoplasma was studied by light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The use of morphometry to quantitate some of the findings was explored. The parasites were seen in locations extracellular to the cell surface. The detection of small numbers of organisms by light microscopy was well demonstrated by use of the fluorescent antibody technique. Scanning electron microscopy proved to be an excellent method for revealing the surface details of cell-parasite morphology. Ultra-thin sections showed that the parasites are aligned mostly parallel to the plasma membrane of the host cell but separated by a gap of 10 nm. Morphometry indicated an average of 69 organisms per cell surface occupying 1.7% of the surface area. An increase of 26% in diameter of the HeLa cells, possibly as a result of infection, was observed.
Fitness in stratified societies

Abstract When wealth or social status can be transmitted from parents to offspring and when fitness depends on wealth or social status, evolutionary consequences of individual transmission strategies can be described by a parameter, called long-term fitness by Rogers (1990), which is the expected relative contribution of an individual to the gene pool in the long-term future. We show how to measure and use this parameter in two models of general interest in sociobiology. First, we construct a system with social classes and hypergynous marriage. Our treatment includes a method for computing the fitnesses of the two sexes separately. As expected, upper-class males have the highest long-term fitness in this kind of social structure, followed by lower-class females, then lower-class males and upper-class females. Upper-class preference for sons would be favored by selection in this system, but not female unwillingness to marry down—in this sense such systems do not conform to a Darwinian model. We then study a system with one sex and three social classes, the poorest of which has very low single generation fitness. In this system, the class with the highest single generation fitness does not have the highest long-term fitness. We suggest that this system is a useful model for understanding the changes in reproductive behavior that occured during the demographic transition in Europe. We suggest that the absence of a destitute lower class in Africa may help explain the failure, so far, for signs of demographic transition to appear in Africa.
Anticoagulant medication errors in nursing homes: Characteristics, causes, outcomes, and association with patient harm

Appropriate and safe use of medications is an important aspect of quality of care in nursing home patients. Because of their complex medication use process, anticoagulants are prone to medication errors in the frail elderly. Therefore, we designed this study to characterize anticoagulant medication errors and to evaluate their association with patient harm using individual medication error incidents reported by all North Carolina nursing homes to the Medication Error Quality Initiative (MEQI) during fiscal years 2010-2011. Characteristics, causes, and specific outcomes of harmful anticoagulant medication errors were reported as frequencies and proportions and compared between anticoagulant errors and other medication errors using chi-square tests. A multivariate logistic regression model explored the relationship between anticoagulant medication errors and patient harm, controlling for patient- and error-related factors.
Training opportunities for the nineteenth-century American neurologist Preludes to the modern neurology residency

During the nineteenth century, two parallel developments, a surge in neuroscience discovery and the advent of medical specialization, resulted in new educational demands for advanced, postgraduate neurologic training in the United States.Archival data, including trustees9 reports, school charters, and instructional plans from medical institutions in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, document three comparative models for early postgraduate neurologic training. First, senior physicians with an interest in neurologic disease incorporated postgraduates directly into their practice and as laboratory assistants; second, medical universities, as well as distinct postgraduate schools, organized advanced general medical curricula with optional opportunities for focused neurologic training; and third, separate neurologic hospitals provided physicians with full-time clinical instruction specifically in neurology. As a result, although neurology residencies were not established until the 1900s, postgraduate neurologic training was firmly institutionalized in nineteenth-century America. These programs provided doctors in the United States with advanced neurologic educational opportunities and expertise and fostered the development of a distinct American neurologic school. NEUROLOGY 1995;45: 1771-1776
Cellular antiviral responses against influenza A virus are countered at the posttranscriptional level by the viral NS1A protein via its binding to a cellular protein required for the 3' end processing of cellular pre-mRNAS.

Abstract The influenza A virus NS1 protein (NS1A protein) binds and inhibits the function of the 30-kDa subunit of CPSF, a cellular factor that is required for the 3′-end processing of cellular pre-mRNAs. Here we generate a recombinant influenza A/Udorn/72 virus that encodes an NS1A protein containing a mutated binding site for the 30-kDa subunit of CPSF. This mutant virus is substantially attenuated, indicating that this binding site in the NS1A protein is required for efficient virus replication. Using this mutant virus, we show that NS1A binding to CPSF mediates the viral posttranscriptional countermeasure against the initial cellular antiviral response—the interferon-α/β (IFN-α/β)-independent activation of the transcription of cellular antiviral genes, which requires the interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3) transcription factor that is activated by virus infection. Whereas the posttranscriptional processing of these cellular antiviral pre-mRNAs is inhibited in cells infected by wild-type influenza A virus, functional antiviral mRNAs are produced in cells infected by the mutant virus. These results establish that the binding of 30-kDa CPSF to the NS1A protein is largely responsible for the posttranscriptional inhibition of the processing of these cellular antiviral pre-mRNAs. Mutation of this binding site in the NS1A protein also affects a second cellular antiviral response: in cells infected by the mutant virus, IFN-β mRNA is produced earlier and in larger amounts.
Pulse power characteristics of poly(3-methylthiophene) cathodes in Li(SO2)3AlCl4 electrolyte

Abstract Thin, electrically conducting poly(3-methylthiophene) (PMT) films were formed electrochemically and used as cathodes in rechargeable lithium/sulfur dioxide cells. The pulse power capabilities of 1.4 μm thick PMT films were studied in Li(SO 2 ) 3 AlCl 4 electrolyte. Current densities of 56 mA cm −2 (800 W cm −3 ) were measured 0.5 s after applying a 1.46 V potential step from open circuit to 2.0 V. Multiple four second current pulses of 25 mA cm −2 (approximately 500 W cm −3 ) with one second rest periods between pulses were reproducible over many cycles.
Live-cell imaging and quantitative analysis of embryonic epithelial cells in Xenopus laevis.

Embryonic epithelial cells serve as an ideal model to study morphogenesis where multi-cellular tissues undergo changes in their geometry, such as changes in cell surface area and cell height, and where cells undergo mitosis and migrate. Furthermore, epithelial cells can also regulate morphogenetic movements in adjacent tissues1. A traditional method to study epithelial cells and tissues involve chemical fixation and histological methods to determine cell morphology or localization of particular proteins of interest. These approaches continue to be useful and provide "snapshots" of cell shapes and tissue architecture, however, much remains to be understood about how cells acquire specific shapes, how various proteins move or localize to specific positions, and what paths cells follow toward their final differentiated fate. High resolution live imaging complements traditional methods and also allows more direct investigation into the dynamic cellular processes involved in the formation, maintenance, and morphogenesis of multicellular epithelial sheets. Here we demonstrate experimental methods from the isolation of animal cap tissues from Xenopus laevis embryos to confocal imaging of epithelial cells and simple measurement approaches that together can augment molecular and cellular studies of epithelial morphogenesis.
The Dramaturgical Model of Behavior: Its Strengths and Weaknesses*

By means of the dramaturgical model we freshly illuminate social behavior as role-like “performances” in which persons manage the impressions that others get of them. This impression management involves the concealment of data in a “dramatic” struggle with those others who wish to penetrate one's “mask.” But the chief limitations of the dramaturgical model are that it excites the invalid inferences that offstage “roles” are more like stage actors' roles than they really are, and that the person is nothing but these “roles.” The differences between onstage and offstage behavior are kept in view when the metaphorical concept of “role playing” is re-connected to its source in role playing onstage. Through an analysis of theatre and the concepts of appearance and time we conclude that while we must appear to others in a “role-like” way offstage in order to be ourselves, we are nevertheless involved in world-time offstage in a way that fundamentally distinguishes our “role-playing” from an actor's role playing. We are our “roles”, but not just our “roles.”
Coenzyme Q and Succinate-Tetrazolium Reductase Activity of Neonatal Rat Kidney.

SummaryHistochemical studies of the low succinate-tetrazolium reductase activity found in tubular elements of the neonatal rat kidney cortex have shown that the low reductase activity is due to a low activity of the primary dehydrogenase and a lack of availability of optimum amounts of coenzyme Q. In addition, a correlation has been found between the low reductase activity, morphologic immaturity of renal tubular elements, and a lack of mitochondrial staining of these elements.
Meningioma resection in the elderly: nationwide inpatient sample, 1998-2002.

OBJECTIVE: Morbidity and mortality rates reported for meningioma resection in the elderly vary widely. Thus, it is difficult for neurosurgeons to compare the risks and benefits of operating on elderly patients against opting for radiosurgery or watchful waiting. To address this issue, we studied the effect of advanced age on outcome after meningioma resection using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. METHODS: We identified all patients over the age of 20 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database who underwent surgical resection of a meningioma between 1998 and 2002 and were admitted from home. Primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, adverse outcome (defined as death or discharge to a facility other than home), and length of hospitalization. Multivariate models were constructed to assess the effect of elderly age on the primary outcomes, adjusting for patient demographics, comorbid medical conditions, and hospital surgical volume. RESULTS: There were 8861 patients in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database who underwent resection of meningioma during the study period; 26.0% were age 70 or older. Each of the primary outcomes demonstrated a marked effect of advancing age. The in-hospital mortality rate was higher in the elderly than in the nonelderly (4.0% versus 1.1%, P < 0.001), as was the rate of discharge to a facility other than home (53.2% versus 16.6%, P < 0.001). Elderly patients also had a longer mean length of stay (7.2 versus 5.1 d P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The association between elderly age and adverse outcome after meningioma resection suggests a note of caution before proceeding to surgery with these patients.
Analysis of Adaptive Neural Networks for Helicopter Flight Control

The design of online adaptive neural networks for use in a nonlinear helicopter e ight control architecture is treated. Emphasis is given to network architecture and the effect that varying the adaptation gain has on performance. Conclusionsarebasedon asix-degree-of-freedom nonlinearevaluation model ofan attackhelicopter and ametricthatmeasuresthenetwork’ sability tocancel theeffectofmodeling errorsforacomplicated maneuver. Thenetwork isshownto providenearlyperfecttracking in thefaceofsignie cantmodelingerrorsand,additionally, to cancel the model inversion error after a short initial period of learning. Furthermore, it is shown that the performance varies gracefully and monotonically improves as the adaptation gain parameter is increased. The effect on control effort is modest and is mainly perceptible only during a short training episode that can be associated with transition from hover to forward e ight.
The Principles and Applications of Ammonia Leaching of Metals—A Review

Abstract An extensive literature survey on the principles and applications of ammonia leaching processes in hydrometallurgy is presented in this paper. The combination of ammonia anal ammonium salts is known to be a powerful lixiviant used in hydrometallurgical processes. Many metals can be extracted using the mixture of ammonia/ammonium. The thermodynamics and kinetics of the dissolution of various metals in ammonia/ammonium salts have been reviewed. The solubility, volatility, and complexation ability of various metals with ammonia have been reviewed and discussed. Eh-pH diagrams of various metal-ammonia-water systems are presented. Also presented is a comprehensive literature survey on the leaching behavior of metals in ammoniacal solutions. The metals considered in this paper are copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, cadmium, silver, gold and palladium.
The effect of total replacement of fish oil with DHA‐Gold® and plant oils on growth and fillet quality of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed a plant‐based diet

This study investigated the effect of the replacement of fish oil (FO) with DHA-Gold (DHA-G)-supplemented plant oils (PO) in rainbow trout fed plant-protein-based diets. Five diets (450 mg g−1 digestible protein and 150 mg g−1 crude lipid) were fed to rainbow trout (initial weight 37 ± 0.5 g) for 12 weeks in a 15 °C recirculating water system. The lipid inclusion types and levels were FO, PO and PO with DHA-G supplemented at 30 mg g−1, 60 mg g−1 or 90 mg g−1 of the diet replacement for corn oil. Fish fed 90 mg g−1 DHA-G were significantly larger and consumed more feed than fish-fed PO or FO (218 g and 2.6% bwd−1 versus 181 g and 2.4% and 190 g and 2.3%, respectively). Feed conversion ratio was significantly increased in fish fed 90 mg g−1 DHA-G (0.99) as compared to fish-fed FO (0.90) and 30 mg g−1 DHA-G (0.91). Panellists found trout fillets from fish fed the 90 mg g−1 DHA-G diet to have significantly fishier aroma and flavour than fish fed the FO diet. Fatty acid analysis demonstrated that 60 mg g−1 or 90 mg g−1 DHA-G supplementation increased PO fed fish fillet DHA to fatty acid levels equivalent or higher than those fish fed a FO diet.
DEHYDROXYLATION OF SOME CATECHOLAMINES AND THEIR PRODUCTS.

Abstract Normetanephrine is converted to homovanillic acid and m-hydroxyphenylacetic acid in the guinea pig treated with tolbutamide. The presence of these catabolites of normetanephrine in urine suggests that aliphatic dehydroxylation, aromatic dehydroxylation and O-demethylation of this compound can take place in this animal. Although injected vanillymandelic acid appears to be metabolically inert, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol is transformed to m-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. Dehydroxylation did not occur when epinephrine was used as the substrate but dopamine and norepinephrine were converted nearly quantitatively to m-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. Although tolbutamide is known chiefly for its hypoglycemic effect, our study shows that is also enhances both the aliphatic and aromatic dehydroxylation of several catecholamines and some of their products.
Comparison of Acellular and Whole-Cell Pertussis-Component DTP Vaccines: A Multicenter Double-blind Study in 4- to 6-Year-Old Children

• An acellular pertussis-component combined diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and pertussis (APDT) vaccine adsorbed was compared with a licensed whole-cell pertussis-component combined diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine adsorbed for reactogenicity and immunogenicity when given as the fifth DTP immunization to eighty-two 4- to 6-year-old children. The reaction rates with both vaccines were low; APDT vaccine recipients had significantly less pain and warmth at the injection site than did DTP vaccine recipients. Antibody responses to pertussis antigens (lymphocytosis-promoting factor, filamentous hemagglutinin, and agglutinogens) and to diphtheria and tetanus toxoids were all brisk. The APDT vaccine recipients had a more marked response in antibodies to filamentous hemagglutinin and a less marked response in agglutinins than whole-cell vaccine recipients. On the day after immunization, both APDT and DTP vaccine recipients had an increase in mean leukocyte and neutrophil counts. This APDT vaccine is immunogenic and less reactogenic than a DTP vaccine with a whole-cell pertussis component when administered as a booster to 4- to 6-year-old children. (AJDC. 1990;144:41-45)
HEAT BUDGET STUDIES ON THE MADISON RIVER, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK1

The analytical heat budget of a reach of the Madison River was determined. Net radiation and heat change in the river were measured. The difference between these two measurements was apportioned into evaporation and scnsiblc heat flux by the use of Bowen’s ratio. An equation that is based on net radiation, air and water tcmperaturcs, and air and water vapor pressures was developed for the precliction of clownstream cooling.
Using Sense-Making and Coorientation to Rank Strategic Public Communication in State Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs)

This study employs sense-making and coorientation theories to evaluate public communication in current emergency response planning in the United States. It employs a two-stage content analysis to evaluate and rank all available state emergency operations plans [EOPs] from among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The study concludes that: (1) only D. C. and New Mexico achieved the top score of 8 on our 1–8 scale with Ohio scoring a 7; (2) 22 jurisdictions do not have a state EOP, withhold the plan on security grounds (two states) or make it difficult for even trained researchers to gain access; and, (3) all the 29 states with available EOPs make provision for public communication but only 16 make either explicit or implicit provisions for two-way public communication. Thus, while most Americans will have access to some important state level information during emergencies many may not, and most will have no channel designed to allow them to ask for the information they feel they need.
Exclusive Dealing and the Whiskey Trust, 1890-1895

This article uses the history of the Whiskey Trust to explore the competitive effects of vertical restraints such as exclusive dealing. The Whiskey Trust distilled alcoholic spirits and bribed distributors not to carry competing brands of spirits. For the Whiskey Trust, exclusive dealing was an ineffective predatory strategy. Despite the trust's market dominance and manifold predatory strategies, it failed to preempt entry. The trust failed, in part, because its rivals could vertically integrate at low cost. Competition disciplined the trust more effectively than did numerous antitrust suits. S ome economists argue that firms use vertical restraints to increase their rivals' costs and deter entry.' Consider a frequent exclusive dealing arrangement: contracts requiring distributors to carry only the products of a particular manufacturer. A large manufacturer might use such contracts to undercut the ability of his rivals to compete. If the manufacturer controls distribution, his rivals have to open their own distributorships. This becomes a costly endeavor when distribution outlets are scarce. Other economists, however, argue that vertical restraints promote efficiency. Among other things, vertical restraints might protect relationship-specific investments and prevent competitors from free riding on a firm's advertising expenditures.2 Moreover, even if firms use vertical restraints strategically, it is not clear that such restraints promote substantial market power over the long run. The debate over vertical restraints and exclusionary practices is a subset of a larger debate over the ability of firms to use strategic behavior to create and sustain market power. Although the ratio of theory to evidence is high, there is a growing empirical literature on the competitive effects of vertical restraints.3 This article presents a case study on the Whiskey Trust to explore the sources and consequences of exclusive dealing. Exclusive dealing has received scant empiri
Extraction of Poles and Zeros of an $RC$ Circuit With Roots on the Real Axis

A graphical/numerical technique is presented for the extraction of roots (poles and zeros) of an RC circuit, where the roots lay on the left-hand side of the real axis (RLHP) in the s-plane. The method constructs a corresponding LC circuit for the RC circuit and, as shown, all the RLHP roots in the RC circuit are shifted to the jω axis, where the swiping-frequency signals exist. It is also shown that the magnitude of the corresponding roots in the two circuits are related by a scaling factor. The technique is also extended to study the behavior of real-axis RHP roots in RC circuits. Several examples demonstrate the performance of the proposed technique.
Promoting Minority Access to Health Careers through Health Profession–Public School Partnerships: A Review of the Literature

Partnerships between health profession schools and public schools provide a framework for developing comprehensive, creative solutions to the problem of minority underrepresentation in health careers. This review examines the functioning of partner relationships, focusing on elements of the social context that determine success or failure, and stages of partnership development. Influential aspects of the social context include cultural differences between personnel in higher education and K-12 institutions, the resources available to the partnership, and constraints on partnership activity. Stages of the process that partner institutions must negotiate include initiation, ongoing management, and institutionalization. Strategies to improve minority student achievement are reviewed, including specific types of programmatic interventions and best practices. Strategies available to partnerships for improving minority achievement include academic enhancement, science or math instructional enrichment, career awareness and motivation, mentoring, research apprenticeship, reward incentives, and parental involvement. Of these, academic enhancement and instructional enrichment have the greatest potential for improving minority student outcomes. Partnerships need to take a sustained multipronged approach, providing intensive interventions that target students, teachers, and curricula at appropriate educational stages. Documenting program impact is critical for attracting more resources to increase minority access to health careers: sponsoring organizations should dedicate funds for assessment of the partnership's functioning and for rigorous evaluation of interventions.
Reactive oxygen species induce procalcitonin expression in trigeminal ganglia glia.

Objective To examine calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) gene expression under inflammatory conditions using trigeminal ganglia organ cultures as an experimental system. These cultures have increased proinflammatory signaling that may mimic neurogenic inflammation in the migraine state.
Optimum Timing of Preplant Applications of Glyphosate to Manage Rhizoctonia Root Rot in Barley

Rhizoctonia root rot, caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 and R. oryzae, is considered one of the main deterrents for farmers to adopt reduced-tillage systems in the Pacific Northwest. Because of the wide host range of Rhizoctonia spp., herbicide application before planting to control weeds and volunteer plants is the main management strategy for this disease. To determine the effect of timing of glyphosate applications on the severity of Rhizoctonia root rot of barley, field experiments were conducted in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in a field naturally infested with a high level of both R. solani and R. oryzae. Crop volunteer plants and weeds were allowed to grow over the winter and plots were sprayed with glyphosate at 42, 28, 14, 7, and 2 days prior to planting. As the herbicide application interval increased, there were significant increases in shoot length, length of the first true leaf, and number of healthy seminal roots and a decrease in disease severity. Yield and the number of seminal roots did not show a response to herbicide application interval in most years. The activity of R. solani, as measured by toothpick bioassay and real-time polymerase chain reaction, declined over time in all treatments after planting barley. The herbicide application interval required to meet 80 and 90% of the maximum response (asymptote) for all plant and disease measurements ranged from 11 to 27 days and 13 to 37 days, respectively. These times are the minimum herbicide application intervals required to reduce disease severity in the following crop.
Use of pocket computers for self-administration of cognitive tests in the field

A pocket computer is described that can be used by subjects to self-administer cognitive tests in field situations. Two cognitive tests, a vigilance and an encoding task, were developed for this computer and used to test cognitive performance during a 30-day military field exercise.
The role of alanine in the nitrogen conserving quality of the branched-chain amino acids in the postinjury state☆

Abstract In a recent study from this laboratory the improved nitrogen-conserving quality of the branched chain amino acids (BCAA) in the post-traumatic state was demonstrated. A number of properties have been ascribed to the BCAA which may be responsible for these effects. In order to elucidate which of these properties ascribed to the BCAA is responsible for this nitrogen-sparing effect, three groups of rats were infused with 8% dextrose, 3% alanine in 5% dextrose, or 3% solution of all the branched-chain amino acids (100% BCAA) in 5% dextrose after undergoing laparotomy and jugular vein cannulation. The groups of animals receiving 100% BCAA showed less negative nitrogen balance and lost less weight than the animals receiving isocaloric 8% dextrose. The group receiving 100% BCAA had a significantly better nitrogen balance than the alanine group. The plasma and muscle amino acid pattern of the 100% BCAA is more nearly normal as compared with the other groups suggesting decreased amino acid efflux from muscle. That the group receiving 100% BCAA showed better nitrogen balance than the alanine group combined with the near normal plasma and muscle amino acid pattern in the 100% BCAA group suggests that the mechanism of the improved nitrogen-conserving quality of the BCAA in the post-traumatic state is not only through increased alanine production and gluconeogenesis by BCAA infusion, but is probably a combination of the BCAA being used as energy substrate in the muscle, serving as a substrate for alanine production and gluconeogenesis and blockage of amino acid efflux from the muscle.
The -928 G/C and -362 G/C single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter of MCP-1: Increased transcriptional activity and novel binding sites.

Background: The –928 guanine (G)/cytosine (C) and –362 G/C single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the proximal promoter region of the monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 gene have
Update in Geriatric Medicine

INTRODUCTION With an aging population, internists will provide care to a growing number of older adults, a population at risk of developing multiple chronic medical conditions and geriatric syndromes. For this update in geriatric medicine, we highlight recent key articles focused on preventive strategies and lifestyle changes that reduce the burden of disease and functional decline in older adults.
The Dialog manager a system for managing procedural knowledge

The Dialog Manager is a conversational web-based tool that helps organizations manage procedural knowledge. In the modern enterprise, procedural knowledge is of particular importance for service delivery organizations. The Dialog Manager helps standardization of operating procedures in order to deliver a consistently high level of service. In turn, it provides a systematic approach to capturing, managing and disseminating procedural knowledge. The Dialog Manager captures procedural knowledge in the form of dialogs that serve as interactive guides by offering a visual knowledge representation and an integrated content management system. It also provides a sophisticated conversation management mechanism that records and manages the activation status of nodes in a conversation. With advanced question selection algorithms, it makes the performance of procedural knowledge effective. The Dialog Manager has been piloted with the Application Management Services practice of IBM Global Business Services. Currently, the Dialog Manager is being used primarily for teams managing and supporting software applications for large enterprise customers in service engagements. We currently have several hundred users and expect the user population to grow to several thousand by the end of the year. The system has been received enthusiastically by users and in a recent survey. We found that over 70% found the tool to be of value to them and that it significantly improves the productivity of the practitioners. While the initial area of deployment has been in the area of IT services, the Dialog Manager is equally well suited to handling all kinds of procedural knowledge in the enterprise.
Braille, the Language, Its Machine Translation and Display

The manufacture of Braille textbooks has, in the past, been accomplished in two ways. The first is the large-scale production, utilizing zinc plate embossing presses. The second is hand production, done by a large number of dedicated volunteers. This paper outlines the trend in the last few years toward automatic Braille production and describes the development of a low-cost Braille translation and embossing system at the Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Criteria are given for the generation of input to an automatic system along with techniques for increasing the cost effectiveness of Braille manufacture.
Progress in field ionization source development for compact neutron generators

Low power, compact neutron sources have applications in areas such as oil-well logging and homeland security. In oil-well logging they have the potential to replace the radioactive sources that are widely used today.
Least-squares estimation of input/output models for distributed linear systems in the presence of noise

Abstract This paper addresses least-squares estimation of parameters in digital input/output models of linear time-invariant distributed systems in the presence of white process and sensor noise. The systems of interest have state-space realizations in Hilbert spaces. Both finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional input/output models are considered. The paper derives a number of new results for recursive least-squares estimation and filtering. The main results characterize the asymptotic values to which parameter estimates converge with increasing amounts of data. The most important result is an equivalence between least-squares parameter estimation on an infinite interval (i.e., with infinitely long data sequences) and linear-quadratic optimal control on a finite interval. Numerical results are presented for a sampled-data version of a wave equation.
The effect of school-based arts instruction on attendance at museums and the performing arts

Abstract In this essay, I use new data from the 1992 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts to show that arts instruction provided solely through the school has a significant positive effect on adult participation in the high status arts, independent of measures of family background. I construct two logistic regression analyses which estimate separately the effects of childhood arts lesson taking in and outside of school on attendance at art museums and the elite performing arts, when parents' education and subject's gender, race, age, type of residence, income, and education are held constant. I also construct two separate logistic regression analyses which estimate the effects on school-based lesson taking and lesson taking outside of school of parents' education, gender, race, and age. My findings suggest that the schools' provision of exposure to the arts has a significant effect on students' long-term cultural orientation, independent of measures of family influence.
Can the attorney-client and work-product privileges survive the annual audit?

The IRS has been aggressively pursuing tax accrual workpapers in court. If the IRS prevails, corporate executives who rely on the legal advice of attorneys in making decisions may be providing litigation road maps to those who sue their companies. This potential exposure of tax accrual workpapers is a wake-up call for executives. They must review their procedures for seeking and securing legal advice. The authors reveal the vital steps management must take to protect privileged documents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Proton NMR study of the influence on iron oxidation/ligation/spin state on the heme orientational preference in myoglobin.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been utilized to demonstrate that the degree of heme orientational disorder within a given myoglobin protein matrix can be a sensitive function of the oxidation/ligation/spin state of the heme iron. For sperm whale deuterohemin-reconstituted myoglobin, the equilibrium was found to strongly favor (5.7 to 7.8 kJ/mol) the X-ray characterized heme orientation in all six-coordinate states, but with a considerable reduction in preference (to 1.6 kJ/mol) in the five-coordinate deoxy state. In native yellow fin tuna myoglobin, changes in heme orientational preferences of ∼3 kJ/mol occur even between two six-coordinate ferric states differing solely in spin states.
Role of connective tissue growth factor in the pathogenesis of conjunctival scarring in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid.

Purpose Conjunctival fibrosis due to excessive accumulation of collagens is an important histologic feature in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP). Studies have suggested a role of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 in conjunctival fibrosis in patients with OCP. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is an important downstream mediator of TGF-beta1-induced collagen synthesis. CTGF usually acts synergistically with TGF-beta1 during the process of fibrosis in various organs. Hence, studying the mechanism by which CTGF influences TGF-beta1-induced synthesis of collagen in conjunctiva of patients with OCP would provide insight into the mechanism of conjunctival fibrosis in patients with OCP. Methods Biopsy specimens from conjunctiva of 10 patients with OCP and 5 normal subjects, were studied, with immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR, for the expression of CTGF and interstitial type I collagen. Using fibroblasts cultured from conjunctival biopsies we determined the effects of TGF-beta1 on the induction of CTGF and type I collagen by immunostaining, and quantitative real-time PCR. The effects of blocking the bioactivity of TGF-beta1 on the expression of CTGF and type I collagen were determined in TGF-beta1-stimulated fibroblasts, before and after treatment with type II receptor neutralizing antibody. Results An increased stromal accumulation of interstitial type I collagen with an increased expression of CTGF was observed in biopsy sections of patients with OCP, compared with the control. By quantitative real-time PCR, a 3.2-fold increase in the expression of CTGF was detected in conjunctival tissues obtained from patients with OCP, compared with control conjunctiva. Fibroblasts isolated from conjunctiva of patients with OCP expressed 4.4-fold more CTGF, compared with control conjunctival fibroblasts, by real-time PCR. When these cultured fibroblasts were immunostained, an increased expression of CTGF was detected in fibroblasts isolated from patients with OCP, compared with control. Furthermore, when conjunctival fibroblasts were treated with TGF-beta1, an approximately ninefold increase in the expression of CTGF and an approximately threefold increase in the expression of type I collagen were detected by real-time PCR, compared with unstimulated fibroblasts. Finally, when antibody to TGF-beta type II receptor was added before TGF-beta1 treatment of these fibroblasts, the expression of type I collagen and CTGF was significantly reduced. Conclusions In the present study, an increased expression of CTGF was recorded in conjunctiva of patients with OCP. TGF-beta1 can induce production of CTGF and type I collagen by fibroblasts obtained from conjunctiva in OCP. This induction of CTGF by TGF-beta1 can be blocked by antibody to TGF-beta type II receptors. The findings lead to the conclusion that CTGF is one of the molecules involved in the pathogenesis of conjunctival fibrosis in patients with OCP.
The optical birefringence of DNA solutions induced by oscillatory electric and hydrodynamic fields.

The optical birefringence induced in DNA solutions by both oscillating hydrodynamic fields (flow birefringence) and oscillating electric fields (Kerr effect) is measured over a wide frequency range. The observed frequency response of the birefrigence is compared with theories for rigid ellipsoidal particles and for Gaussian chains. DNA at 6 × 105 molecular weight is found to exhibit rigid particle hydrodynamic behavior, while DNA at 5 × 106 molecular weight behaves like a flexible chain. Characterization of the hydrodynamic relaxation spectra for the DNA's by oscillatory flow birefringence allows precise comparison between theory and the experimental Kerr effect response. The dielectric model for DNA contains both permanent and dispersionless induced dipole moments. The dielectric behavior of DNA has the character of a permanent dipole but with anomalous low-frequency dispersion in the Kerr effect. The existing theories do not adequately describe this dispersion. A fluctuation dipole mechanism with relaxation times comparable to those associated with the hydrodynamic motion could possibly demonstrate the observed polar behavior.
Fine structure in the field effect mobility of MOS transistors

Abstract We have studied the fine structure in the field effect mobility of MOS transistors at 4.2 K. With applied substrate bias, the position in gate voltage of the structure is unchanged and the amplitude decreases. The position of the structure is also unchanged by normal magnetic fields of up to 150 kgauss. We have studied samples with four equivalent source-drain contacts. The structure depends strongly on the contacts. The structure in the field effect mobility appears to be due to the contacts and not a property of the inversion layer or surface states.
Williamson and the Argument from Luminosity

Many of the results of Timothy Williamson's Knowledge and Its Limits depend upon his argument that many, if not all, of our mental states fail to be luminous in the sense that if we are in them, then we are in a position to know that we are in them. The purpose of this article is to show that his argument is unsound. I conclude by distinguishing between partial and total luminosity, and by arguing that even if mental states are not totally luminous, they are at least partially so.