cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determining groundwater MTBE sources using reverse particle tracking: Two case studies

In two case studies, low levels of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) were alleged to have entered residential wells from neighboring gas stations. In the first case, reverse particle tracking establis...
Rare copy number variants identified in prune belly syndrome.

Abstract Prune belly syndrome (PBS), also known as Eagle-Barrett syndrome, is a rare congenital disorder characterized by absence or hypoplasia of the abdominal wall musculature, urinary tract anomalies, and cryptorchidism in males. The etiology of PBS is largely unresolved, but genetic factors are implicated given its recurrence in families. We examined cases of PBS to identify novel pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs). A total of 34 cases (30 males and 4 females) with PBS identified from all live births in New York State (1998–2005) were genotyped using Illumina HumanOmni2.5 microarrays. CNVs were prioritized if they were absent from in-house controls, encompassed ≥10 consecutive probes, were ≥20 Kb in size, had ≤20% overlap with common variants in population reference controls, and had ≤20% overlap with any variant previously detected in other birth defect phenotypes screened in our laboratory. We identified 17 candidate autosomal CNVs; 10 cases each had one CNV and four cases each had two CNVs. The CNVs included a 158 Kb duplication at 4q22 that overlaps the BMPR1B gene; duplications of different sizes carried by two cases in the intron of STIM1 gene; a 67 Kb duplication 202 Kb downstream of the NOG gene, and a 1.34 Mb deletion including the MYOCD gene. The identified rare CNVs spanned genes involved in mesodermal, muscle, and urinary tract development and differentiation, which might help in elucidating the genetic contribution to PBS. We did not have parental DNA and cannot identify whether these CNVs were de novo or inherited. Further research on these CNVs, particularly BMP signaling is warranted to elucidate the pathogenesis of PBS.
Case 252: Acute Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy Resulting from Late-Onset Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency

A pattern of bilateral cingulate gyrus and insular cortex lesions on MR images, particularly with restricted diffusion and T2 prolongation, should raise concern for acute hyperammonemic encephalopathy.
The Duality of Human Experience: Perspectives From Psychosocial Adaptation to Chronic Illness and Disability—Historical Views and Theoretical Models:

This article examines the current views on the duality of the human experience as portrayed within the process of coping with and managing traumatic life events, with a special emphasis on those vi...
Repair of a symptomatic true radial artery aneurysm at the anatomic snuff box with interposition great saphenous vein graft

Abstract Radial artery aneurysms are exceedingly rare, with only a few reported cases of surgical revascularization. We describe a 25-year-old man who presented with severe ischemia of the right hand secondary to an idiopathic true radial artery aneurysm at the anatomic snuff box. The patient had embolic occlusions in his hand and fingers that were treated with catheter-directed thrombolysis. During angiography, the blood supply to the affected hand was determined to be radial artery dominant, and therefore the aneurysm was resected and revascularized using an interposition great saphenous vein graft. The patient denied ischemic symptoms postoperatively, and duplex ultrasound examination at a 10-month follow-up showed patent interposition graft.
Wandering world

Wandering World is an interactive installation that utilizes responsive sound, stereoscopic and multichannel projection mapping, three-dimensional, 360-degree animation and helium balloons with whirling images of flowers in suspended states of bloom, representing a desperate and self-defeating attempt at obliterating our perpetual states of distraction.
Assessment of Antibody Interference of Enfuvirtide (T20) Function Shows Assay Dependent Variability.

BACKGROUND During HIV infection, fusion of the viral and cellular membranes is dependent on folding of the gp41 trimer into a six-helix bundle. Fusion inhibitors, such as the antiretroviral Enfuvirtide (T20), interfere with the formation of the gp41 six-helix bundle. Recent in vitro studies reveal that the gp41 immunodominant region one targeting antibody 3D6 can block T20 interference, but the clinical and pathophysiologic significance of this finding is unclear. OBJECTIVE/METHOD We have previously characterized a number of antibodies that target conformational epitopes on gp41and herein characterized their ability to interfere with T20 in multiple assays and assess their prevalence in HIV infected subjects. RESULTS The T20 interference by antibody 3D6 was confirmed in a CHO-HXB2 envelope/ HeLaT4+ cell culture assay. Antibodies that target an immunodominant region one epitope, as well as a gp41 discontinuous epitope, also interfered in this assay, however, not all antibodies that targeted these epitopes showed T20 interference. This response was not due to the direct binding of T20 by the antibodies and could not be replicated utilizing TZM-bl and HL2/3 cells. Notably, serum competition studies on a panel of HIV subjects demonstrate that these conformational targeting antibodies are common in the HIV population. CONCLUSION The relatively common nature of antibodies targeting these epitopes, the disparate in vitro results, and lack of reported clinical failures ascribed to such antibodies leads us to conclude that antibody interference of T20 is likely not clinically relevant. However, this warrants continued consideration with the advancement of other fusion inhibitors.
Capillary electrophoretic assay of human acetyl‐coenzyme A carboxylase 2

Human acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase 2 catalyzes the carboxylation of acetyl coenzyme A to form malonyl coenzyme A, along with the conversion of magnesium-adenosine triphosphate complex to magnesium-adenosine diphosphate complex. A simple off-column capillary electrophoresis assay for human acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase 2 was developed based on the separation of magnesium-adenosine triphosphate complex, magnesium-adenosine diphosphate complex, acetyl coenzyme A and malonyl coenzyme A with detection by ultraviolet absorption at 256 nm. When Mg2+ was absent from the separation buffer, the zones due to magnesium-adenosine triphosphate complex and magnesium-adenosine diphosphate complex both split and migrated as two separate peaks. With Mg2+ added to the separation buffer, magnesium-adenosine triphosphate complex and magnesium-adenosine diphosphate complex produced single peaks, and the reproducibility of peak shape and area improved for human acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase 2 assay components. The final separation buffer used was 30.0 mM HEPES, 3.0 mM MgCl2 , 2.5 mM KHCO3 , and 2.5 mM potassium citrate at pH 7.50. The same buffer was used for the enzyme-catalyzed reaction (off-column). Inhibition of human acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase 2 by CP-640186, a known inhibitor, was detected using the capillary electrophoresis assay.
STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHANGES BY 3-DIMENSIONAL (3D) TRANSTHORACIC ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY AND GLOBAL LONGITUDINAL STRAIN IN ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS WITH BIOPSY-PROVEN NAFLD: RESULTS FROM THE PROSPECTIVE PREVALENCE STUDY

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is postulated to be a systemic disease process with poorly characterized effects on myocardial structure and function. We prospectively enrolled 835 asymptomatic patients without a history of prior liver disease or alcohol ingestion greater than the
Experimental evaluation of matching via a commercially available basketball video game

Many recent nonlaboratory-based quantitative analyses of behavior have relied on archival competitive sporting data. However, the ratio-based reinforcement schedules in most athletic competitions and the correlational nature of archival data analyses raise concern over the contributions of such findings to the behavior analytic literature. The current experiment evaluated whether matching in a human operant paradigm would approximate matching observed in nonlaboratory-based sports data. To this end, we used in-game attributes to parametrically manipulate 2- and 3-point shooting in a commercially available basketball video game. The behavior of 6 of 9 participants conformed to the generalized matching equation. These results suggest matching in sporting contexts may be a product of restricted nonindependent concurrent random-ratio schedules. Implications of this experiment, including those in applied behavior analysis and potential influence on gamification, are discussed.
Parent Perceptions of Real-time Access to Their Hospitalized Child's Medical Records Using an Inpatient Portal: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Engaging with parents in care improves pediatric care quality and patient safety; however, parents of hospitalized children often lack the information necessary to effectively participate. To enhance engagement, some hospitals now provide parents with real-time online access to information from their child’s inpatient medical record during hospitalization. Whether these “inpatient portals” provide benefits for parents of hospitalized children is unknown. Our objectives were to identify why parents used an inpatient portal application on a tablet computer during their child’s hospitalization and identify their perspectives of ways to optimize the technology. METHODS: Semistructured in-person interviews were conducted with 14 parents who were given a tablet computer with a commercially available inpatient portal application for use throughout their child’s hospitalization. The portal included vital signs, diagnoses, medications, laboratory test results, patients’ schedule, messaging, education, and provider pictures and/or roles. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed and continued until reaching thematic saturation. Three researchers used an inductive approach to identify emergent themes regarding why parents used the portal. RESULTS: Five themes emerged regarding parent motivations for accessing information within the portal: (1) monitoring progress, (2) feeling empowered and/or relying less on staff, (3) facilitating rounding communication and/or decision-making, (4) ensuring information accuracy and/or providing reassurance, and (5) aiding memory. Parents recommended that the hospital continue to offer the portal and expand it to allow parents to answer admission questions, provide feedback, and access doctors’ daily notes. CONCLUSIONS: Providing parents with real-time clinical information during their child’s hospitalization using an inpatient portal may enhance their ability to engage in caregiving tasks critical to ensuring inpatient care quality and safety.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE We report our experience with hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (HALN) for upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma and compare our results with a contemporary series of open nephroureterectomy (ON) performed at our institution. METHODS Between August 1996 and May 2003, 90 patients underwent nephroureterectomy for upper-tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Thirty-eight patients underwent HALN, while 52 had an ON. End-points of comparison included operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), intraoperative and postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, pathologic grade and stage of tumor, and tumor recurrence. RESULTS The mean patient age was 72.3 and 70.6 years in the ON and HALN groups, respectively. Mean operative duration was 243 minutes (ON) and 244 minutes (HALN), with an EBL of 478mL in the open group versus 191 mL in the hand-assisted group (P<0.001). No intraoperative complications occurred, but postoperative complications occurred in 4% and 11% of the ON and HALN groups, respectively (P=0.21). The mean hospital duration was 7.1 days (ON) versus 4.6 days (HALN) (P<0.01). No difference existed in the pathologic grade or stage distribution of urothelial tumors between the 2 groups. The mean follow-up was 51.0 months in the ON group and 31.7 months in the HALN group. Recurrence of urothelial carcinoma occurred in 50% of patients who underwent ON and 40% treated by HALN (P=0.38) at a median interval of 9.1 and 7.7 months, respectively, after surgery. CONCLUSION Hand-assisted laparoscopic nephroureterectomy is an effective modality for the treatment of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. Patients benefited from less intraoperative blood loss and a shorter hospitalization with an equivalent intermediate-term oncologic outcome compared with that of the open approach.
Sequential Change Detection by Optimal Weighted $\ell_2$ Divergence

We present a new non-parametric statistic, called the weighed $\ell_2$ divergence, based on empirical distributions for sequential change detection. We start by constructing the weighed $\ell_2$ divergence as a fundamental building block for two-sample tests and change detection. The proposed statistic is proved to attain the optimal sample complexity in the offline setting. We then study the sequential change detection using the weighed $\ell_2$ divergence and characterize the fundamental performance metrics, including the average run length (ARL) and the expected detection delay (EDD). We also present practical algorithms to find the optimal projection to handle high-dimensional data and the optimal weights, which is critical to quick detection since, in such settings, there are not many post-change samples. Simulation results and real data examples are provided to validate the good performance of the proposed method.
A Simple Route to the Synthesis of Pt Nanobars and the Mechanistic Understanding of Symmetry Reduction.

Noble-metal nanocrystals with anisotropic shapes have received increasing interest owing to their unique properties. Here, a facile route to the preparation of Pt nanobars with aspect ratios tunable up to 2.1 was reported by simply reducing a PtIV precursor in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 160 °C in the presence of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). In addition to its commonly observed roles as a solvent and a reductant, DMF could also decompose to generate CO, a capping agent capable of selectively passivating Pt{100} facets to promote the formation of nanobars. The size and aspect ratio of the nanobars could be tuned by varying the amount of PtIV precursor involved in the synthesis, as well as the concentration of PVP because of its dual roles as a stabilizer and a co-reductant. Our mechanistic study indicated that the anisotropic growth resulted from both particle coalescence and localized oxidative etching followed by preferential growth.
Perceptions of quality of communication in family interactions in neurocritical care.

Objective Given the challenges of patient-provider communication in neurocritical care lacking robust decision-making tools on prognostication, we investigated concordance in perceptions of communication among participants in family discussions and assess the different domains of communication that affect these perceptions. Methods Prospective observational study conducted over 4 months in a tertiary-level academic medical center neurocritical care unit. Our study involved family discussions regarding plan of care for admitted patients observed by a neutral observer. All participants completed a survey. The first four questions rated the understanding of the discussion and general satisfaction; the remaining questions were open-ended to assess the quality of communication by the physician leading the discussion. Responses were scored and compared among participants using a Likert scale. A difference of 1 was designated as discordance. All open-ended responses were classified into six domains. Results We observed 35 family discussions. Questions 1 to 3 inquiring on general satisfaction, impact, and understanding of treatment options yielded 99 cross-comparisons per question (297 compared responses). Most responses were either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree," with "Neutral" or "Disagree" responses being more prevalent in Question 2 regarding the impact of the conversation. Overall concordance of responses between participants was 88% with a lower rate of concordance (72%) on Q2. Further open-ended questions queried observers on specific physician-spoken content, and answers were analyzed to identify domains that affected the perception of quality of communication. Education was the most frequently cited domain of communication in response to open-ended questions. Among family and neutral observers, empathy was frequently listed, whereas providers more often listed family engagement. Conclusion Overall, satisfaction was high among providers, families, and the observer regarding the quality of communication during family discussions in the unit. Perceptual differences emerged over whether this communication impacted healthcare decision-making during that encounter.
The Life of a Pest: An Ethnography of Biological Invasion in Mexico: by Emily M. Wanderer, Oakland, University of California Press, 2020, xi + 198 pp., references, index, (paperback), ISBN: 978-0-520-30264-8.

Reviewing this book while socially distancing in Mexico City puts its insights about Mexican biosecurity into uncanny relief. Whereas ‘biosecurity’ might refer to disease management, the protection...
Group-based DBT skills training modules are linked to independent and additive improvements in emotion regulation in a heterogeneous outpatient sample.

Objective: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was initially developed to treat symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), but has also been shown to improve symptoms of several other mental...
P42. CT measurement of pelvic incidence in the evaluation of spondylolisthesis

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Pelvic incidence (PI) has been described as a parameter that may be a risk factor for lumbar spondylolisthesis. Studies have reported PI measurement is more precise in CT scans. Very limited studies have evaluated PI using CT scans in spondylolisthesis patients. PURPOSE Analyze the reliability of CT scans to measure PI in patients with spondylolisthesis compared to patients without spondylolistheses. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective study from a single, academic center between 2013 and 2016 PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 361 patients who had pelvic/abdominal CT scans during an emergency room visit. OUTCOME MEASURES Analyze the reliability of CT scans to measure PI in patients with and without spondylolisthesis. METHODS The study included patients > 18 years and had no lumbar or pelvis fracture. We documented: age, average PI (right and left) and spondylolisthesis (type, grading and location). Left and right PI were determined on sagittal CT scans measuring the angle between the hip axis to an orthogonal line originating at the center of the superior end plate axis of the first sacral vertebra. Spondylolisthesis grading was determined on sagittal CT scans using Myerding Classification. An average PI (right and left) was calculated using both sides. We categorized patients with spondylolisthesis (n=45) and those without spondylolisthesis (n=316). Subgroups were comprised based on the location of the spondylolisthesis (L4/L5 and L5/S1) and the type of spondylolisthesis (isthmic or degenerative). An ANOVA test was used for continuous variables and Chi-square test for the categorical variables. P≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS There was no statistical difference in PI: between patients with and without spondylolisthesis (p=0.29); between subgroups of patients with spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 and without spondylolisthesis (p=0.52); between subgroups with type of spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 and without spondylolisthesis (p=0.47); and between spondylolisthesis patients at L5/S1 and without spondylolisthesis (p=0.40). Patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis at L5/S1 had nearly significant higher PI (p=0.06) compared to without spondylolisthesis and with degenerative spondylolisthesis at L5/S1. There was a trend towards higher PI in Grade 2 spondylolisthesis patients (L5/S1), p=0.18. CONCLUSIONS PI was significantly higher in patients with isthmic spondylolisthesis at L5/S1 and a trend toward increased PI with Grade 2 isthmic spondylolisthesis at L5/S1. Our reported PI correlated with PI reported in literature measured using standard radiographs in patients with spondylolisthesis. FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.
Prediction of mortality among patients with chronic kidney disease: A systematic review.

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common medical condition that is increasing in prevalence. Existing published evidence has revealed through regression analyses that several clinical characteristics are associated with mortality in CKD patients. However, the predictive accuracies of these risk factors for mortality have not been clearly demonstrated. Aim To demonstrate the accuracy of mortality predictive factors in CKD patients by utilizing the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) analysis. Methods We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for eligible articles through January 2021. Studies were included based on the following criteria: (1) Study nature was observational or conference abstract; (2) Study populations involved patients with non-transplant CKD at any CKD stage severity; and (3) Predictive factors for mortality were presented with AUC analysis and its associated 95% confidence interval (CI). AUC of 0.70-0.79 is considered acceptable, 0.80-0.89 is considered excellent, and more than 0.90 is considered outstanding. Results Of 1759 citations, a total of 18 studies (n = 14579) were included in this systematic review. Eight hundred thirty two patients had non-dialysis CKD, and 13747 patients had dialysis-dependent CKD (2160 patients on hemodialysis, 370 patients on peritoneal dialysis, and 11217 patients on non-differentiated dialysis modality). Of 24 mortality predictive factors, none were deemed outstanding for mortality prediction. A total of seven predictive factors [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), BNP, soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), augmentation index, left atrial reservoir strain, C-reactive protein, and systolic pulmonary artery pressure] were identified as excellent. Seventeen predictive factors were in the acceptable range, which we classified into the following subgroups: predictors for the non-dialysis population, echocardiographic factors, comorbidities, and miscellaneous. Conclusion Several factors were found to predict mortality in CKD patients. Echocardiography is an important tool for mortality prognostication in CKD patients by evaluating left atrial reservoir strain, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, diastolic function, and left ventricular mass index.
Issuing 50 to 100-Year Bonds

In 2010-2011, investment-grade borrowers such as the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Norfolk Southern Corporation, Rabobank Netherlands, United Mexican States (UMS), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Southern California issued 100-year bonds with no call provisions; and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) issued a 50-year bond with no call provisions. AAA-rated TVA’s 50-year bond, and BBB-rated UMS’s 100-year bond had coupons of 4.625%, and 6.125%, respectively. Also in the same period, Goldman Sachs twice issued 50-year bonds with attractively-priced five-year call provisions, as the retail market traditionally under prices bond call options. Similar to Goldman Sachs, Telephone and Data Systems Inc, and its subsidiary United States Cellular Corp issued retail-targeted 49 NC-5s (non-calls) with attractively priced call provisions. The confluence of record-low 30-year Treasury yields and relatively tight corporate spreads are among the factors driving the issuance of bonds with 50 to 100-year maturities. The market for 50- and 100-year bonds (ultra-long, or super-long bonds) was invigorated in 1992 and 1993 by the: first-of-its-kind deal-of-the-year TVA 50 NC-20 (50-year non-call 20), Texaco 50 NC-20, Boeing 50 NC-L (non-call life), Walt Disney 100 NC-30, and Coca Cola 100 NC-L bonds. Typically, asset-liability managers such as insurance companies buy ultra-long bonds to match the duration of their assets and liabilities. The duration and, thus, the quarterly mark-to-market sensitivity of such bonds are only marginally higher than 30-year bonds. Asset managers may also buy ultra-long bonds to mitigate the negative convexity of their mortgage portfolios. Therefore, even small amounts of additional yield may tend to compensate investors for the incremental risks that they undertake.
Sensor Networks for Detecting Toxic Releases in Buildings

Sudden releases of a toxic agent indoors can cause immediate and long-term harm to occupants. In order to protect building occupants from such threats, it is necessary to have a robust air monitoring system that can detect, locate, and characterize accidental or deliberate toxic gas releases. However, developing such a system is complicated by several requirements, in particular the need to operate in real-time. This task is further complicated when monitoring sensors are prone to false positive and false negative readings. We report on work towards developing an indoor monitoring system that is robust even in the presence of poor quality sensor data. The algorithm, named BASSET, combines deterministic modeling and Bayesian statistics to join prior knowledge of the contaminant transport in the building with real-time sensor information. We evaluate BASSET across several data sets, which vary in sensor characteristics such as accuracy, response time, and trigger level. Our results suggest that optimal designs are not always intuitive. For example, a network comprised of slower but more accurate sensors may locate the contaminant source more quickly than a network with faster but less accurate sensors.
Oxygenation of hemoglobin: Correspondence of crystal and solution properties using diffusion coefficient measurements

Abstract Quasi-elastic light scattering has been used to measure the change in the translational diffusion coefficient of hemoglobin upon oxygenation and the difference in the diffusion coefficients of oxy- and methemoglobin. The diffusion coefficients of oxy- and methemoglobin were found to be the same within the experimental accuracy of 0.2%, while the diffusion coefficient of oxyhemoglobin tetramers in solution at 13 mg/ml was found to be 0.8% smaller than that of deoxyhemoglobin at the same concentration, when the reversible dissociation of oxyhemoglobin tetramers into dimers was taken into account. In the limit of zero concentration, the oxyhemoglobin diffusion coefficient was found to be 1.5% ± 1.0% smaller than that of deoxyhemoglobin. This result is in very good agreement with what we predict using atomic coordinates to model the liganded and unliganded hemoglobin molecules as ellipsoids of revolution.
Board Structure and the Governance Role of Independent Board in Dual-Class Firms

I study the board structure of a sample of dual-class firms from 1996 to 2002, and relate it to the degree of control-cash flow rights divergence. Compared to a group of matched single-class firms with similar contracting environment when ownership structure was made, dual-class firms have slightly bigger and less independent board. Two measures of control-cash flow rights divergence are used: voting control divergence and board seat control divergence. I document that board size increases in board seat control divergence at a decreasing rate, and board independence decreases in voting control divergence at an increasing rate. Board independence also optimally decreases in CEO incentive alignment. Over time, more dual-class firms adopt an independent board mechanism. For those who do so, an independent board helps reduce firm value discount and CEO percentage cash compensation arising from the agency problems associated with disproportional ownership structure. Therefore, independent board plays a marginally significant monitoring role in dual-class firms to limit agency costs.
The Impact of Pesticide Exposure on Breast Cancer Incidence. Evidence from Costa Rica

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent and the leading cause of death from cancer in women worldwide. The low percentage of cases related to reproductive history risk factors and to genetics suggests that the environment may play a role in its etiology. Pesticide exposure has been hypothesized to have an important effect. Objective: This ecological study tests whether BC incidence in Costa Rica is related to pesticide environmental exposure (PEE), controlling for access to health care, fertility, age at first pregnancy, and socioeconomic status. Methods: A Poisson regression model was run. Spatial analysis techniques to test for spatial autocorrelation, and geographically weighted regressions were used. Results: PEE had a statistically significant direct association with BC for women 45 yrs+. The corresponding incidence rate ratio for PEE was 1.29. This means that after controlling for other risk factors, moving a district to the next decile of PEE was associated with 29% increase in BC incidence for women 45+. PEE was significant in some rural and agricultural areas of the country, after controlling for other risk factors. Conclusions: There seems to be an actual relation between breast cancer and pesticides. Since it is a preventable risk factor, this is an important public health issue to be debated. Paying more attention to health consequences that derivate from environmental exposure would imply a shift toward the application of the precautionary principle. Conclusions about causality can not be drawn from an ecologic approach, like the one taken in this study.
Dynamic capillary effects in a small-volume unsaturated porous medium: Implications of sensor response and gas pressure gradients for understanding system dependencies

[1] Rate dependencies in system properties observed during nonsteady state unsaturated and multiphase flow are often referred to as dynamic capillary effects. One widely studied dynamic capillary effect is the apparent dependence of measured capillary pressure on the rate of saturation change. While this phenomenon has been observed for over four decades, a clear picture of the source of the phenomenon and its true magnitude remains elusive. Furthermore, reported dependencies on system properties and state variables have been contradictory. The focus of this work was on quantifying the relationship between measured capillary pressure and rate of saturation change using a small volume system with highly characterized fluid-selective microsensors. Experimental measurements in three systems were used to calculate the dynamic capillary coefficientτas a function of saturation during drainage. Corrections for sensor response and flow-induced gas pressure gradients were applied to explore how these potential artifacts would impact measuredτ values. Significant differences in τ values were observed in uncorrected measurement between the three systems, but corrected values were very similar in all cases. Corrected τ values were found to be on the order of 103 Pa s or less—one to two orders of magnitude lower than the uncorrected values, and two or more orders of magnitude lower than most published values for similar porous medium/fluid combinations. Because of the small size of the experimental system used, results suggest that at the representative elementary volume (REV) scale, the dependence of measured capillary pressure on the rate of saturation change may not be as significant as previously thought for unsaturated systems. It is hypothesized that the larger magnitude of some previously reported τ values may result at least in part from porous medium packing microheterogeneities that influence flow and pressure gradients in larger systems.
An enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae uses NAD+ to transfer the splice junction 2'-phosphate from ligated tRNA to an acceptor molecule

An enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae which removes the splice junction 2'-phosphate from ligated tRNA appears to require NAD+. This two-component enzyme has been previously implicated in tRNA splicing because of its specificity for substrates bearing an internal 2'-phosphate and because of the absence of other observed proteins that can efficiently catalyze the same activity after fractionation of the extracts. We show here that component I of this enzyme is heat-stable, chromatographs as a small molecule, can be substituted efficiently by NAD+, and comigrates with NAD+ on a reversed-phase column. Dephosphorylation of ligated tRNA in the presence of component I or NAD+ is accompanied by stoichiometric transfer of the splice junction 2'-phosphate to an unidentified acceptor molecule.
Near‐cloud aerosol properties from the 1 km resolution MODIS ocean product

This study examines aerosol properties in the vicinity of clouds by analyzing high-resolution atmospheric correction parameters provided in the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) ocean color product. The study analyzes data from a 2 week long period of September in 10 years, covering a large area in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The results indicate that on the one hand, the Quality Assessment (QA) flags of the ocean color product successfully eliminate cloud-related uncertainties in ocean parameters such as chlorophyll content, but on the other hand, using the flags introduces a sampling bias in atmospheric products such as aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and Angstrom exponent. Therefore, researchers need to select QA flags by balancing the risks of increased retrieval uncertainties and sampling biases. Using an optimal set of QA flags, the results reveal substantial increases in optical thickness near clouds-on average the increase is 50% for the roughly half of pixels within 5 km from clouds and is accompanied by a roughly matching increase in particle size. Theoretical simulations show that the 50% increase in 550nm AOT changes instantaneous direct aerosol radiative forcing by up to 8W/m2 and that the radiative impact is significantly larger if observed near-cloud changes are attributed to aerosol particles as opposed to undetected cloud particles. These results underline that accounting for near-cloud areas and understanding the causes of near-cloud particle changes are critical for accurate calculations of direct aerosol radiative forcing.
Stearate inhibits breast cancer cell spreading, motility, and invasion

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 1812 Morphological changes in cells are known to affect cell differentiation, tissue remodeling, mitosis and possibly cancer cell metastasis. Stearate is a long chain saturated fatty acid (C18:0) found in red meat and chocolate. There is in vitro and in vivo evidence that it inhibits cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth, as well as promotes breast cancer cell morphological changes, however the mechanism(s) underlying these effects are unclear. We demonstrate that physiological concentrations of stearate induce cell rounding, but not detachment, in ∼60-70% (p≤.02) of human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-435 and Hs578t cells) within 24 hrs of treatment, while normal mammary epithelial cells (Hs578Bst) are not significantly affected (p>.22). Trypan blue staining and lack of caspase activation indicate that the rounded cells (<1 process) are neither necrotic, nor apoptotic. In addition, actin stress fibers are reduced in stearate treated breast cancer cells. Interference reflection microscopy (IRM) revealed that 5 min of stearate treatment, decreased the number of adherent cells with greater than 5 focal adhesions by 30% (p<0.007), without causing cell rounding. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is necessary for focal adhesion formation. Our data shows that 12 hrs following stearate treatment of human breast cancer cells (Hs578t) FAK protein expression was unchanged, but phosphorylation on tyrosine 397 and 925 was decreased. Immunoprecipitation of FAK revealed that its association with FAK interacting protein-200 (FIP200), an endogenous inhibitor of FAK, was increased after 3 hrs of stearate treatment, although FAK’s association with other proteins was unchanged. These data are consistent with FAK, and possibly the interaction of FIP200 and FAK, being important in focal adhesion site turnover. Cell invasion and scratch assays demonstrated that treatment with stearate inhibits both invasion (98% + 1% inhibition, n=3) and migration (58% + 1% inhibition, n=2) in Hs578t cells. Thus, physiological concentrations of stearate profoundly inhibit breast cancer cell spreading, focal adhesion formation, cell migration and cell invasion. We are currently performing dietary studies using mouse metastasis models to explore our hypothesis that stearate will inhibit breast cancer metastasis in vivo.
InAlAs/InGaAs varactor diodes with THz cutoff frequencies fabricated by planar integrated technology

Future space-based radiotelescopes and planetary radar projects plan to include THz frequency coverage. Such applications necessitate the use of high-reliability compact local oscillators (LO's) to drive the THz receivers' mixers. While THz molecular lasers can provide high power, they are bulky and not reliable enough for space applications. Presently, solid-state LO's show the greatest potential reliability and compactness. Among the solid-state sources, LO's based on varactor multiplier chains show the most promise in terms of potential output power and efficiency. The highest performance diodes have traditionally relied on whisker anode contacting which is suitable only for discrete devices and has limited reliability. To address these problems, planar diodes have been proposed and demonstrated using GaAs. This paper reports on a planar integrated technology which, unlike previous approaches, utilizes InP-based materials and plated Au airbridges to contact the anode. This airbridge technology reduces parasitics by avoiding the use of a bridge-supporting dielectric. The In/sub x/A/sub 1-x/As/InGaAs heterojunction concept permits high C-V nonlinearity, reduced access resistance (R/sub s/) and high saturation velocity. Furthermore, this developed technology is fully planar and lends itself to integration with passive elements for monolithic applications. >
Security considerations in agent-based systems

Agent systems face all the security challenges involved with any system that sends messages. Delegating tasks to mobile programs, or to supposedly intelligent ones, raises another set of concerns. Agent-based systems also increase the connectedness and the complexity of the computing universe. As connectedness and complexity increase, new failure modes arise, some of which have security implications. These emergent security concerns are more speculative than the more traditional ones inherited from previous computing systems; the author mentions a few of the possibilities. The topics discussed include: controlling program execution, protecting agents, accidental agents, trusting data, and revealing data.
A unified approach to estimating parameters in some generalized poission distributions

A family of distributions labelled as Poisson v Katz is formulated, which includes, as particular or limiting cases, the Negative Binomial, Neyman Type A, Poisson v Pascal, and Poisson v Binomial. Thus, while analyzing data, estimating the parameters in the Poisson v Katz family obviates the necessity of having to choose from among the particular or limiting cases. In this article minimum chi-square estimators are presented and their asymptotic relative efficiency obtained. An example is presented to illustrate the procedure
Characterization of Brucella abortus infection of bovine monocyte-derived dendritic cells

Brucella abortus is a Gram negative facultative intracellular pathogen of cattle, and an important zoonosis in humans worldwide. Previous studies have shown that dendritic cells (DC) from humans and mice are highly permissive for Brucella survival and proliferation. Impairment of DC activation and maturation by Brucella infection has also been reported in these two species. The aim of this study was to characterize infection of bovine DC with B. abortus. Monocyte-derived DC (mdDC) were cultured from bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using the recombinant bovine cytokines IL-4 and GM-CSF. The resulting mdDC were DEC205(+), MHC class II(hi). Approximately 70% of the cultured cells were DEC205(+), MHC II(+). MdDC were infected with B. abortus strain 2308 at an MOI of 1 and 100. Parallel infection experiments were performed in monocyte derived macrophages (mdM) isolated from the same subjects. Bacteria were successfully killed by mdDC by 24 hours post infection (PI) with high and low dose of B. abortus, bacteria persisted in mdM infected with a high dose. Expression of IL-1b, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, IFNγ, iNOS and TNFα in B. abortus infected and LPS stimulated mdDC at 6 and 24 hours PI were evaluated using RT-qPCR. At 6 hours PI all transcripts were increased over control cells and significantly less IL-10, IL-12p40, and IFNγ were expressed in mdDC infected with B. abortus compared to LPS stimulation. Evaluation of mdDC cultures by flow cytometry was performed. Flow cytometric analysis of infected and LPS stimulated mdDC 24 hours PI showed expression of CD80 and CD86 was impaired in two of the three animals analyzed. MHC class II expression was equivocal between the groups. From these results we conclude that cultured bovine mdDC are not permissive for intracellular proliferation of B. abortus, and infected mdDC exhibit some signs of maturational and activational impairment.
Reynolds number similarity of orthogonal decomposition of the outer layer of turbulent wall flow

Experimental evidence is presented to show that in the outer region of wall‐bounded turbulent flow, both the eigenfunctions and the eigenvalue spectra of the one‐dimensional proper orthogonal decomposition have forms that are independent of Reynolds number when scaled by the wall friction velocity and the outer length scale.
Effect of Fungal Fermentation and Other Treatments on Nutritional Value of Waxy Barley Fed to Chicks

Abstract Unpearled and pearled waxy nude barley was subjected to water treatment, cooking, fermentation with Rhizopus oligosporus, or beta-glucanase treatment. Grain products were incorporated into 23% protein diets and fed to broiler chicks, with a corn-soy diet as control. Fermentation of barley improved body weight gains over chicks fed untreated barley and controls, although not significantly so in two of three trials. Water or beta-glucanase treatment did not produce significantly different weight gains over untreated barley or control diets, although feed gain ratios tended to be improved. Excreta of chicks fed untreated barley were greater in total quantity and wetness over corn-soybean meal fed controls, while fermentation of barley resulted in feces weight and wetness similar to controls. Greater overall growth response was observed in chicks fed unpearled barley over those fed pearled barley. Fermentation appeared to improve performance more than beta-glucanase treatment.
Nonuniqueness of the Energy-Momentum Tensor of a Spin-One Field

A first-order Lagrangian formulation is given for a spin-one field in which the usual antisymmetric field tensor is replaced by a symmetrical one. Despite this seemingly major modification, the construction is such that the equations of motion and the canonical commutation relations are identical to those which pertain to the usual description if one requires that only the four-vector part of the field participate in the coupling. Differences arise, however, when one considers more general interactions. Thus, in the case of minimal coupling to an electromagnetic field it is found that the $g$ factor is opposite in sign to the usual one for a vector meson. More surprising is the fact that the energy-momentum tensor for the free field contains additional terms which violate the minimal form of the Dirac-Schwinger covariance condition. Although Schwinger has shown that fields of spin greater than unity generally require the nonminimal form, this paper demonstrates for the first time the fact that even a lower-spin field need not satisfy the covariance condition in its simplest form.
p53 alterations in chemically induced hamster cheek-pouch lesions.

To confirm that the hamster cheek-pouch carcinogenesis model reflects development of human squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), we determined if and when p53 mutations occur in the development of SCC in this model by using immunohistochemical staining and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis plus direct DNA sequencing. Twenty-four hamster cheek-pouches were treated with a solution of 0.5% 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene in mineral oil three times a week for 16 wk. The malignant endophytic and exophytic tumors induced with this protocol are preceded by a sequence of premalignant lesions such as hyperplasia with or without dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, similar to the development of this cancer in humans. For this study, p53 protein accumulation was evaluated by immunostaining of various hamster cheek-pouch exophytic and endophytic SCCs as well as flat dysplastic hyperplasia and carcinomas in situ. A moderate percentage (33.3%) of exophytic lesions and most endophytic carcinomas (90%) showed positive p53 staining. In addition we also found p53-positive staining in a number of preneoplastic lesions, including areas of focal hyperplasia, dysplastic hyperplasia, and carcinomas in situ. To determine whether the alterations in p53 staining were due to p53 gene mutation, we used PCR-SSCP analysis and direct sequencing. PCR products corresponding to exons 5a, 6, 7, and 8 from 40 tumors with the highest percentage of p53-stained cells were analyzed. We detected shifted bands in 17 lesions. Direct sequencing of eight selected shifted bands revealed four mutations, including two G→T transversions in codons 216 (tumor #1) and 252 (tumor #2) and one G→C transversion in codon 282 (tumor #3). Tumor #4 contained a frameshift mutation in codon 251. These mutations are consistent with those reported in many human cancers. Therefore, we concluded that in the hamster cheek-pouch model, p53 protein accumulation occurs frequently and early in carcinogenesis, as it does in human SCCs, and some of these p53 alterations are due to p53 gene mutations. These findings may help us better define the mechanisms of carcinogenesis in the hamster cheek-pouch model, and p53 alterations may be an early biomarker of progression for chemoprevention studies. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Separation and quantitation of the stereoisomers of ephedra alkaloids in natural health products using flow injection-electrospray ionization-high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry

A method is described for the determination of ephedrine (E) and pseudoephedrine (PE) and their metabolites norephedrine (NE), norpseudoephedrine (NPE), methylephedrine (ME), and methylpseudoephedrine (MPE) alkaloids in natural health products by flow injection-electrospray ionization-high field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (FI-ESI-FAIMS-MS). The determination of the six alkaloids requires the separation of diastereomic pairs of E−PE, NE−NPE, and ME−MPE. FAIMS was able to resolve/separate these isomeric pairs based on their gas-phase ion mobility differences. The FAIMS-based separation and detection approach has been tested on over-the-counter diet pills. Following the extraction of the tablets, either by pressurized fluid extraction developed in-house or with sonication, the ephedra alkaloids were quantified using a modified isotope dilution approach. Detection limits for the alkaloids ranged from 0.1 to 3 ng/mL, and a linear range of at least 2 orders of magnitude was ...