cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical management of coccidioidomycosis in children.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Operations for Coccidioides immitis infection in children have received little study. The authors perceived an increase in the number of patients requiring operations for coccidioidomycosis at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The authors therefore reviewed the surgical management of children with C immitis infection in Phoenix, Arizona. Methods: The medical records of all children hospitalized from 1994 to 1999 with a confirmed laboratory diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis were reviewed. Age, gender, race, immune status, laboratory data, operations, and outcome were recorded. Results: Of 39 children with proven coccidioidomycosis, 21 patients (54%) underwent a total of 49 operations. Boys represented 72% of all children reviewed. Sixteen patients (29% of the operative cohort) were immunocompromised. Thoracic procedures (19 cases) were most frequent. Conclusions: Over half the children hospitalized for coccidioidomycosis required at least 1 operation. Most were immunocompetent boys with thoracic disease. Pediatric surgeons, who provide the bulk of operative care, should expect to encounter coccidioidomycosis in endemic areas, and increasingly in nonendemic areas. J Pediatr Surg 35:1633-1634. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Glucose-dose dependent characteristics of insulin secretion in obese and lean sheep.

We previously reported that obesity in sheep and cattle was associated with basal hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and an exaggerated insulin response to a single dose (350 mg/kg) of glucose. In this study, the glucose-dose dependency of insulin secretion in obese and lean sheep was determined by 1) using jugular venous concentrations of insulin (Exp 1) and 2) arteriovenous differences in insulin concentrations across the pancreas together with plasma flow rates in the portal vein (Exp 2). Sheep were injected with glucose doses of 0 (water), 10, 30, 100, and 350 mg glucose/kg body weight in Exp 1 (six sheep per group) and with a low (20 mg/kg) and high (200 mg/kg) dose of glucose in exp 2 (four sheep per group). In Exp 1, mean (+/- SE) pretreatment plasma concentrations of insulin (22.0 +/- 1.7 vs. 9.4 +/- 0.4 microU/ml) and glucose (56.1 +/- 0.5 vs. 52.4 +/- 0.8 mg/dl) were greater (P less than 0.01) in obese than lean sheep fasted for 12 h. The glucose-induced rises in insulin concentrations above pretreatment levels were always greater (P less than 0.05) in obese than lean sheep regardless of glucose dose. Eadie-Scatchard plot analysis of the hyperbolic relationship between the acute insulin and acute glucose response areas (0 to +10 min) indicated that the maximum (Vmax) early phase insulin response was greater (P less than 0.025) in obese than lean sheep (568 +/- 148 vs. 156 +/- 33 microU ml-1 X min). In Exp 2, pretreatment concentrations of insulin (25.1 +/- 3.4 vs. 5.6 +/- 1.2 microU/ml) and glucose (58.3 +/- 1.8 vs. 45.5 +/- 1.1 mg/dl) in arterial plasma were greater (P less than 0.01) in obese than in lean sheep fasted 18 to 22 h. Similarly, pretreatment pancreatic secretion rates of insulin were greater (P less than 0.01) in obese (17.8 +/- 5.8 mU/min) than in lean (4.9 +/- 1.3 mU/min) sheep. Glucose-induced acute (0 to +10 min) increments in pancreatic secretory rates of insulin also were greater (P less than 0.05) in obese than in lean sheep after the low (215 +/- 73 vs. 11 +/- 15 mU) and high (881 +/- 281 vs. 232 +/- 66 mU) doses of glucose. It was concluded that insulin secretion in response to a range of stimulatory concentrations of glucose was greater in obese than in lean sheep because the obese sheep had greater maximum (i.e. Vmax) acute phases of glucose-induced insulin secretion.
Review and theory of oxygen ordering in the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ

Abstract The basal-plane ordering of oxygen vacancies into “chains,” which characterizes the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural transition in the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-δ, has heretofore been regarded as an example of a simple Ising lattice gas model with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor interactions. This model is reviewed within a general framework that unifies and compares previous treatments. The observed transition temperature T 1 ≃ 1000K is, however, one to two orders of magnitude smaller than predicted by this Ising model when realistic physical values are assigned to its repulsive coupling constants. Attempts to resolve this dilemma by inclusion of farther-neighbor couplings or screening effects are shown to be unsuccessful. Rather, it appears that the crucial missing ingredients are the energy associated with Cu-O bonds, and an oxygen valence charge which depends on the atom's bonding configuration, the average valence being O- in the tetragonal phase but O2- in the orthorhom...
Revenge of the "sit" II: Does lifestyle impact neuronal and cognitive health through distinct mechanisms associated with sedentary behavior and physical activity?

It is generally understood that regular moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) promotes good health from head to toe. Evidence also supports the notion that too much sitting can increase all-cause mortality and risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Moreover, there is evidence that daily MVPA may not offset negative effects of sedentary behavior on systemic risk factors. We extend the discussion to brain structure and function and argue that while MVPA is recognized as a protective behavior against age-related dementia, sedentary behavior may also be an important contributor to brain health and even counteract the benefits of MVPA due to overlapping or interacting mechanistic pathways. Thus, the goals of this review are (1) to outline evidence linking both PA and sedentary behavior to neurobiological systems that are known to influence behavioral outcomes such as cognitive aging and (2) to propose productive areas of future research.
Effect of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on influenza virus host resistance in mice.

Abstract 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes numerous immunotoxic effects including thymic involution and an immunosuppression of nonspecific as well as specific cell- and humoral-mediated immunity. TCDD administration to laboratory animals also results in a decreased resistance to numerous bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Effects on virus host resistance appear to be among the most sensitive effects of TCDD immunotoxicity. However, previous studies have not achieved a no effect level. The present studies utilized an influenza virus host resistance model in mice to quantify the sensitivity of this model to TCDD and to determine the NOAEL (no observed adverse effect level) of TCDD for influenza virus. Results indicated that a single dose of TCDD at 0.10, 0.05, or 0.01 μg/kg resulted in an increased mortality to Hong Kong influenza virus when mice were challenged 7 days after TCDD administration. Increased mortality was not correlated with increased virus titers in the lungs. TCDD at 0.005 or 0.001 μg/kg had no effect on influenza-induced mortality. TCDD alone did not affect thymus weight at any dose administered in this study. TCDD also did not alter the virus-enhanced increase in lung weight:body weight ratio nor the virus-induced decrease in thymus weight. Thus, low levels of TCDD exposure lead to enhanced mortality to influenza virus; however, the mechanism of this effect remains to be elucidated. Nonetheless, enhanced mortality to influenza virus in mice following a single dose of 10 ng TCDD/kg represents the most sensitive adverse effect yet reported for TCDD.
Epoxide functionalized polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays

Abstract We report the development of a novel method for functionalizing polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays (PCCA). This new method enables us to easily incorporate molecular recognition agents into the PCCA to produce chemical sensing materials that report on analyte concentration via diffraction of visible light. We copolymerize glycidyl methacrylate with acrylamide and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide around crystalline colloidal arrays. The incorporated epoxide groups are available for further PCCA functionalization through reactions with thiol, amine or hydroxyl groups. We fabricated a Pb2+ sensor, which utilizes a crown ether recognition agent, as well as a glucose sensor, which utilizes glucose oxidase.
Profiling carbonylated proteins in human plasma.

This study reports the first proteomic-based identification and characterization of oxidized proteins in human plasma. The study was conducted by isolating carbonylated proteins from the plasma of male subjects (age 32−36) with avidin affinity chromatography subsequent to biotinylation of carbonyl groups with biotin hydrazide and sodium cyanoborohydride reduction of the resulting Schiff’s bases. Avidin selected proteins were digested with trypsin, and the peptide fragments were separated by C18 reversed phase chromatography and identified and characterized by both electrospray ionization and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. Approximately 0.2% of the total protein in plasma was selected with this method. Sixty-five high, medium, and low abundance proteins were identified, the majority appearing in all subjects. An interesting feature of the oxidized proteins isolated was that in addition to carbonylation they often bore other types of oxidative modification. Twenty-four oxidat...
IUE's view of Callisto: Detection of an SO2 absorption correlated to possible torus neutral wind alterations

Observations taken with the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) detected a 0.28 micron absorption feature on Callisto's leading and Jupiter-facing hemispheres. This feature is similar to Europa's 0.28 micron feature, however it shows no correlation with magnetospheric ion bombardment. The strongest 0.28 micron signature is seen in the region containing the Valhalla impact. This absorption feature also shows some spatial correlation to possible neutral wind interactions, suggestive of S implantation (rather than S(sub x)) into Callisto's water ice surface, Indications of possible temporal variations (on the 10% level) are seen at other wavelengths between the 1984-1986 and the 1996 observations.
Measurement of Renin Activity in Human Plasma

A method is described for estimating plasma renin activity by using renin substrate present in plasma. This method differs from other indirect renin assay methods by (1) incubation in the absence of ions thus establishing conditions for zero order kinetics for the reaction between endogeneous renin and substrate and (2) the use of angiotensinase inhibitors di-sodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and d-isopropylfluorophosphate (DFP). Recoveries of renin added to plasma in levels similar to those occurring in plasma are 85% SD±7%. The incubation was done at pH 5.5 which was shown to be the optimum for human renin reacting with human substrate. By incubating human plasma samples with known quantities of human renin, evidence was obtained suggesting that factors other than enzyme or total substrate concentrations affect the velocity of angiotensin formation. This variability of reaction rate may be explained by the existence of an inhibitor or activator in this system or by a variation in the type of substrate.
Effect of Sodium Bicarbonate Addition to Alfalfa Hay-Based Diets on Digestibility of Dietary Fractions and Rumen Characteristics

Three trials were to evaluate effects of sodium bicarbonate in alfalfa hay-based diets. In Experiment 1, four Jersey cows were fed diets of 40:60 chopped alfalfa hay:grain with either 0, .25, .5, and .75% sodium bicarbonate in a 4 X 4 Latin square digestion trial. Dry matter and fiber digestion were unaffected. Volatile fatty acids of ruminal fluid and milk fatty acids were not different. In Experiment 2, two rumen fistulated cattle were fed diets of Experiment 1 for changes of ruminal fluid characteristics at -1, 2, 4, and 8 h postfeeding. Volatile fatty acids of ruminal fluid and hydrogen ion concentration were not different across time with sodium bicarbonate. In Experiment 3, four Holstein cows with rumen cannulae were fed diets of 30:70 chopped alfalfa hay:grain with 0, .4, .8, and 1.2% sodium bicarbonate in a 4 X 4 Latin square. Dry matter and fiber digestion were unaffected. Ruminal fluid samples were collected at -1, 3, 6, and 9 h postfeeding. Volatile fatty acids were different only at 6 h with 0 and 1.2% sodium bicarbonate diets displaying lower concentrations. Rate of increase of hydrogen ion concentration was greater for diets containing 0 and .4% compared with .8 and 1.2% sodium bicarbonate between -1 and 6 h. Milk fatty acid composition, ruminal liquid dilution rate, and dry matter disappearance from nylon bags suspended in the rumen were not affected by sodium bicarbonate.
Micro-movements of varying difficulties: wrist and arm movements

An experiment was designed to determine the degree to which reducing movement amplitude (16°, 8°, to 4°) while keeping the relative accuracy requirements (IDs 1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6) and visual feedback display constant by increasing the display gain proportional to the decrease in amplitude (1×, 2×, 4×) influences reciprocal aiming movements of the wrist and arm. Research on smaller amplitude movements is limited and inconclusive, but these types of movement conditions are becoming increasingly more important as microsurgery and micro-mechanical applications increase. Participants were asked to flex/extend their limb/lever in the horizontal plane at the wrist (arm stabilized) or elbow joint (wrist stabilized) in an attempt to move back and forth between two targets as quickly and accurately as possible. The targets and current position of the limb were projected on the screen in front of the participant. Target width was manipulated with amplitude constant (16°, 8° or 4°). Results indicated that the linear relationship between MT and ID, typically observed for Fitts’ tasks, was observed. There were moderate decreases in MT as amplitude was decreased but only for high ID movements. ID 6 movements at 4° amplitude, for example, were produced more quickly than at amplitude 16° without sacrificing end-point accuracy. The decrease in movement time was, however, related to increased dwell time and very low peak velocities.
Dispersal of Three Strains of Hatchery-Reared Lake Trout in Lake Ontario

Rates of dispersal and resultant geographical distributions were determined for three strains of hatchery-reared lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) stocked at six sites in U.S. waters of Lake Ontario. The strains were Lake Superior (SUP); Clearwater Lake, Manitoba (CWL); and Seneca Lake, New York (SEN). The fish were recovered with bottom trawls fished during July and August 1980–1985 at 16 locations, extending from Toronto southward and eastward along the south shore to Dablon Point at the east end of the lake. For SUP fish stocked as spring yearlings, the mean distances from stocking site to capture location 2, 14, and 26 months after stocking were 12, 57, and 62 km, respectively, for fish released at four south-shore sites and 5, 34, and 38 km for fish released at two eastern outlet basin sites. Rates of dispersal for the CWL fish were similar to those of the SUP strain for fish stocked at the four south-shore sites, but were considerably less for fish stocked in the eastern outlet basin. The SEN strain was stocked only in the eastern outlet basin; their dispersal was similar to that of the SUP strain. For fish of the same age, SUP fish stocked as fall fingerlings became more widely dispersed than those stocked as spring yearlings. Movement of lake trout between the eastern outlet basin and the lake proper was limited. Large numbers of fish were captured on the Niagara Bar, but few moved past there into the west end of the lake. Movements of lake trout from stocking sites were generally with the prevailing currents. Differences between geographical distributions of the SUP and CWL strains were probably due to the influence of different current regimes at the depths they occupied. These results will be useful in selecting the best genetic strains of lake trout for rehabilitating the species in Lake Ontario, as well as for identifying the best stocking sizes and maximizing post-stocking survival of hatchery-reared fish.
Dynamics and control of autothermal reactors for the production of hydrogen

Autothermal reactors, coupling endothermic and exothermic reactions in parallel channels, represent one of the most promising technologies for hydrogen production. The bulk of existing research work concerning their operation refers, however, to steady-state conditions. In the present work, we analyze the dynamic behavior of autothermal reactors. We demonstrate that such systems are modeled by systems of equations that are stiff, their dynamics consequently featuring two time scales. Within the framework of singular perturbations, we derive reduced-order, non-stiff models for the transient evolution in each time scale, and draw an analogy between the rigorously derived model of the slow dynamics and widely-accepted empirical low order models used in the literature. Furthermore, we uncover some of the challenges posed by the transient operation of autothermal reactors, and demonstrate the implementation of feedback control to improve transient performance. All theoretical concepts are illustrated with numerical simulations performed using the model of a hydrogen production reactor.
Building a Flexible, Collaborative, Intensive Master's Program in Computational Linguistics

We present the design of a professional master's program in Computational Linguistics. This program can be completed in one-year of full-time study, or two-three years of part-time study. Originally designed for CS professionals looking for additional training, the program has evolved in flexibility to accommodate students from more diverse backgrounds and with more diverse goals.
Semi-automated radioassay for determination of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity. Screening cancer patients for DPD deficiency, a condition associated with 5-fluorouracil toxicity.

Abstract Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) catalyzes the reduction of the naturally occurring pyrimidines, uracil and thymine, and the fluoropyrimidine anticancer drug, 5-fluorouracil (FUra) to 5,6-dihydropyrimidines. Previous studies have demonstrated that cancer patients who are DPD deficient exhibit severe toxicity (including death) following treatment with FUra. To date, the direct measurement of DPD enzyme activity has been the only reliable method to identify DPD deficient cancer patients. We now report a semi-automated radioassay for measuring DPD activity in human peripheral lymphocytes. Following incubation of lymphocyte cytosol (at a fixed protein concentration of 200 μg) with [6- 14 C]FUra at timepoints ranging from 0 to 30 min, samples are ethanol precipitated, filtered and analyzed by HPLC. Determination of radioactivity is accomplished using an in-line flow scintillation analyzer with automatic quantitation of peaks. This method provides the first specific assay for DPD enzyme activity which is rapid, reproducible and sensitive enough to be used in the routine screening of cancer patients for DPD deficiency prior to treatment with FUra.
Approximate probability integrals and critical values for Bartholomew's test for ordered means

SUMMARY Critical values for Bartholomew's test of the equality of means against an alternative of simple order are available only in special cases when the number of groups exceeds four. In this paper a Taylor expansion of the null distribution of the test statistic is developed, from which adjusted critical values in the general case are derived. The adequacy of the approximation is examined when the number of groups is four or six.
Integration of the DNA of mouse mammary tumor virus in virus-infected normal and neoplastic tissue of the mouse

Abstract We have used restriction endonucleases which cleave the DNA of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) at one site (Eco RI) and at several sites (Pst I, Sac I and Bam HI) to study infection and mammary tumorigenesis in mice. Proviruses acquired during infection of BALB/c mice foster-nursed by virus-producing C3H females can be distinguished from the MMTV proviruses endogenous to uninfected BALB/c mice by the nature of the fragments generated with Pst I and Bam HI. Using this assay, we show that lactating mammary glands as well as mammary tumors from BALB/cfC3H mice have acquired MMTV DNA, and that a minimum of ∼10% of normal glandular cells can be infected. The new proviruses appear to be linked to cellular DNA of mammary tumors and infected lactating mammary glands within a limited region (0.2 × 10 6 daltons) of the viral DNA; the location of this region, based upon mapping studies with unintegrated MMTV DNA, suggests that the orientation of these proviruses is colinear with linear DNA synthesized in infected cells and thus approximately colinear with the viral RNA. Comparisons of many mammary tumors and studies of lactating mammary glands with a high proportion of independently infected cells indicate that a large number of sites in the cellular genome can accommodate a new provirus; the acquired proviruses are rarely, if ever, found in tandem with each other or with endogenous proviruses. We cannot, however, distinguish between random integration and integration into a large number of preferred sites in the host genome. Since Eco RI and Bam HI cleavage of DNA from each mammary tumor generates a unique set of viral-specific fragments, we propose that the tumors are composed principally of cells derived from a subset of the many infected cells in a mammary gland; this proposal is supported by our finding that Eco RI digestion of DNA from several transplants of a primary tumor yields the pattern characteristic of the primary tumor.
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I and retinoic acid induce the synthesis of IGF-binding protein 5 in rat osteoblastic cells.

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) regulatory system has a major impact on bone physiology. Among the modulators of IGFs, a family of structurally related proteins, the IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), have been shown to either potentiate or inhibit IGF actions on bone growth. However, the regulation of IGFBP expression in bone cells is not completely understood. In the present study, the expression of IGFBP-5 was analyzed in primary osteoblastic cells (Ob cells) isolated from 22-day-old fetal rat calvariae. Treatment of Ob cells with either IGF-I or all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) caused a time- and dose-dependent increase in IGFBP-5 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, as determined by Northern blot analysis. Stimulation of IGFBP-5 mRNA was obtained at 100 nM IGF-I between 6 and 16 h (2- to 2.5-fold) and 100 nM RA between 16 and 24 h (3- to 4-fold). Concomitant treatment of Ob cells with IGF-I and RA revealed an additive effect and a 5- to 7-fold increase in IGFBP-5 mRNA levels after 16-24 h. The effect of IGF-I a...
You must be joking: a historic open reviewing at global internet '07

We did it! A few CCR issues back, this column argued in favor of an all open review. At the time, most people thought that it was a joke. Quite frankly, we meant it as a joke. It is a crazy world we live in. No, seriously, it was not so much of a joke, as a wild attempt to think outside the box. Or else, desperate times call for desperate measures. Something like that. Apparently, we were so desperate that we actually tried it. And it worked. Beautifully. But then again, we may be biased."To say it was easy would be a lie." R. Rejaie and M. Faloutsos, early 21st century.
Effect of short-term stainless steel welding fume inhalation exposure on lung inflammation, injury, and defense responses in rats.

Many welders have experienced bronchitis, metal fume fever, lung function changes, and an increase in the incidence of lung infection. Questions remain regarding the possible mechanisms associated with the potential pulmonary effects of welding fume exposure. The objective was to assess the early effects of stainless steel (SS) welding fume inhalation on lung injury, inflammation, and defense responses. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to gas metal arc-SS welding fume at a concentration of 15 or 40 mg/m{sup 3} x 3 h/day for 1, 3, or 10 days. The control group was exposed to filtered air. To assess lung defense responses, some animals were intratracheally inoculated with 5 x 10{sup 4}Listeria monocytogenes 1 day after the last exposure. Welding particles were collected during exposure, and elemental composition and particle size were determined. At 1, 4, 6, 11, 14, and 30 days after the final exposure, parameters of lung injury (lactate dehydrogenase and albumin) and inflammation (PMN influx) were measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, particle-induced effects on pulmonary clearance of bacteria and macrophage function were assessed. SS particles were composed of Fe, Cr, Mn, and Ni. Particle size distribution analysis indicated the mass median aerodynamic diameter of the generatedmore » fume to be 0.255 {mu}m. Parameters of lung injury were significantly elevated at all time points post-exposure compared to controls except for 30 days. Interestingly, no significant difference in lung PMNs was observed between the SS and control groups at 1, 4, and 6 days post-exposure. After 6 days post-exposure, a dramatic increase in lung PMNs was observed in the SS group compared to air controls. Lung bacteria clearance and macrophage function were reduced and immune and inflammatory cytokines were altered in the SS group. In summary, short-term exposure of rats to SS welding fume caused significant lung damage and suppressed lung defense responses to bacterial infection, but had a delayed effect on pulmonary inflammation. Additional chronic inhalation studies are needed to further examine the lung effects associated with SS welding fume exposure.« less
Survey of emergency medicine residents who completed a separate internship

Study objectives: We determine the opinion of emergency medicine residents about the value of completing a separate 1-year rotating or transitional internship before starting an emergency medicine residency that does not require a separate internship. Methods: All Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited emergency medicine residency programs not requiring a separate internship (postgraduate year [PGY] 1 to 3, PGY 1 to 4, PGY 1 to 5 combined emergency medicine/pediatrics or emergency medicine/internal medicine) were contacted to determine the number of current emergency medicine residents who completed a separate internship before starting their residency. A Web-based survey was distributed to applicable residents in November 2003, with a follow-up reminder sent to nonrespondents in December 2003. Results: One hundred thirteen residents from 30 emergency medicine residencies were identified as having completed a separate internship; 46 surveys were returned (41% response rate). Fifty-nine percent (n=27) of residents are DOs, 41% (n=19) are MDs. Most respondents are residents in PGY 1 to 3 programs (83%, n=38), the remainder in PGY 1 to 4 (15%, n=7) and combined emergency medicine/pediatrics (2%, n=1). Reasons for completing a separate internship included DO licensure requirements in certain states (70% of DOs, 41% of total respondents, n=19); failing to match into emergency medicine directly from medical school (15%, n=7); military obligations or requirements (11%, n=5); change of career plans (11%, n=5); desiring additional time after medical school (11%, n=5); and other reasons (11%, n=5). A majority perceived themselves to be more comfortable with medical histories and physical examinations during the first year of their emergency medicine residency compared with their colleagues who did not complete a separate internship (83%, n=38). Most also perceived themselves to be more comfortable with procedures during the first year of their emergency medicine residency (74%, n=34). This difference in comfort decreased with each subsequent year of emergency medicine residency training, with an increasing number of residents believing their colleagues' proficiency about the same as theirs. Most residents (72%, n=33) were glad they completed their internship, with 65% (n=30) indicating they would repeat the internship again "if they had to do it all over again." However, the majority of DOs who completed the internship because of licensure requirements would not have done so if it were not required (67%, n=18). Conclusion: A small number of residents in emergency medicine residencies that do not require a separate internship have completed a separate 1-year rotating or transitional internship. The reasons for internship completion are varied, with the majority being related to licensure or military requirements. In general, respondents indicated this year to be a valuable experience.
Formation-stimulating regimens other than sodium fluoride

Although no bone formation-stimulating regimen has been approved for treatment of established osteoporosis, there are a number of potentially effective drugs that are in various stages of preclinical and clinical testing. The two that show the greatest potential and the ones most likely to become available initially for clinical treatment are a parathyroid hormone fragment, PTH(1-34), and insulin-like growth factor-I. A promising approach for the future is to discover orally active agents that enhance the local production of growth factors by bone cells. It is likely that effective formation-stimulating regimens will become available for treating established osteoporosis within the next 5 years.
Assessing and Changing Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Expectations:

Evidence that a significant percentage of career decision-makers may be helped only partially by traditional information-oriented approaches suggests that career counselors pay increased attention to the personal-emotional barriers which deter many individuals from making and enacting sound career plans. Self-efficacy theory seems to be especially promising as a guide for changing negative expectations, as it offers the counselor a set of specific strategies for assessing low expectations and for treating them. Social-cognitive theory provides a firm research-based framework from which the counselor can encourage clients to gather new efficacy information. Using the basic social-cognitive strategies, counseling can proceed to facilitate the changing of clients' cognitive schemata, by means of the counselor's encouraging clients to consider new evidence and to try further tests of old beliefs. Counselors are encouraged to continue to explore methods for assessing and treating low career decision-making self-efficacy expectations. A self-efficacy-based approach lends itself to the requirement for focused, short-term intervention which is typical of many settings in which career counseling is practiced, while it also ensures that important personal-emotional issues in career decision-making are addressed.
Asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. difficile in long-term care facilities: a meta-analysis of prevalence and risk factors.

Background The impact of Clostridium difficile colonization in C. difficile infection (CDI) is inadequately explored. As a result, asymptomatic carriage is not considered in the development of infection control policies and the burden of carrier state in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is unknown. Purpose To explore the epidemiology of C. difficile colonization in LTCFs, identify predisposing factors and describe its impact on healthcare management. Data Sources PubMed, Embase and Web of Science (up to June 2014) without language restriction, complemented by reference lists of eligible studies. Study Selection All studies providing extractable data on the prevalence of toxigenic C. difficile colonization among asymptomatic residents in LTCFs. Data Extraction Two authors extracted data independently. Statistical Methods The pooled colonization estimates were calculated using the double arcsine methodology and reported along with their 95% random-effects confidence intervals (CIs), using DerSimonian-Laird weights. We assessed the impact of patient-level covariates on the risk of colonization and effects were reported as odds ratios (OR, 95% CI). We used the colonization estimates to simulate the effective reproduction number R through a Monte Carlo technique. Results Based on data from 9 eligible studies that met the specified criteria and included 1,371 subjects, we found that 14.8% (95%CI 7.6%-24.0%) of LTCF residents are asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. difficile. Colonization estimates were significantly higher in facilities with prior CDI outbreak (30.1% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.01). Patient history of CDI (OR 6.07; 95% CI 2.06–17.88; effect derived from 3 studies), prior hospitalization (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.08–4.13; derived from 3 studies) and antimicrobial use within previous 3 months (OR 3.68; 95% CI 2.04–6.62; derived from 4 studies) were associated with colonization. The predicted colonization rate at admission was 8.9%. Conclusion Asymptomatic carriage of toxigenic C. difficile represents a significant burden in LTCFs and is associated with prior CDI outbreaks in the facility, a history of CDI, prior hospitalization and antimicrobial use. These findings can impact infection control measures at LTCFs.
Enhancement of the antiallodynic and antinociceptive efficacy of spinal morphine by antisera to dynorphin A (1–13) or MK-801 in a nerve-ligation model of peripheral neuropathy

Neuropathic pains arising from peripheral nerve injury can result in increased sensitivity to both noxious and non-noxious stimuli and are accompanied by a number of neuroplastic alterations at the level of the spinal cord including upregulation of neurotransmitters including dynorphin, cholecystokinin and neuropeptide Y. Additionally, such pain states appear to be associated with activation of excitatory amino acid receptors including the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Neuropathic pains have often been classified as `opioid resistant' in both clinical and laboratory settings. As it is known that dynorphin produces `non-opioid' effects through interaction with NMDA receptors and this peptide is upregulated after peripheral nerve injury, the present studies were undertaken to determine the possible importance of this substance in the neuropathic state. Nerve injury was produced in rats by tight ligation of the L5 and L6 spinal roots of the sciatic nerve. Catheters were inserted for the intrathecal (i.t.) delivery of drug to the lumbar spinal cord. Tactile allodynia was determined by measuring responses to probing the plantar surface of the affected limb with von Frey filaments, and acute nociception was determined in the 55°C hot-water tail-flick test in nerve-ligated and sham-operated subjects. Intrathecal administration of MK-801 or antisera to dynorphin A (1–13) did not alter the tactile allodynia associated with nerve-ligation injury or the baseline tail-flick latency in either sham-operated or nerve-injured animals. As previously reported, i.t. morphine did not alter tactile allodynia and showed reduced potency and efficacy to block the tail-flick reflex in nerve-injured animals. Co-administration, however, of i.t. morphine with MK-801, or i.t. antisera to dynorphin A (1–13) given prior to morphine elicited both a full antiallodynic response and a complete block of the tail-flick reflex in nerve-injured animals. These results suggest that tonic activation of NMDA receptors, following peripheral nerve injury, is involved with the attenuation of the effectiveness of spinal morphine in a model of neuropathic pain. Additionally, this tonic NMDA activity may be mediated, in part, by increased levels of endogenous dynorphin associated with peripheral nerve injury.
Characterization of metabolites and disposition of tertiary amyl methyl ether in male F344 rats following inhalation exposure

Tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) is a fuel additive used to reduce carbon monoxide in automobile emissions. Because of the potential for human exposure, this study was conducted to develop methods for the characterization and quantitation of metabolites in expired air and excreta of rats exposed to a mixture of [13C]- and [14C]TAME ([2,3,4-13C]- and [2-14C]2-methoxy-2-methylbutane). The distribution of TAME in rats was determined following inhalation exposure, and TAME-derived metabolites were characterized in expired air and urine. Male rats were exposed for 6 h via nose-only inhalation to 2500 ppm [14C/13C]TAME, and expired air, urine and feces were collected for up to 7 days. Over 95% of the total recovered radioactivity was excreted by 48 h after exposure. Recovered radioactivity was expired as organic volatiles (44%) and 14CO2 (3%) and excreted in urine (51%) and feces (1%). Both TAME and its metabolite tertiary amyl alcohol (TAA) accounted for > or =90% of the radiolabel in expired air 0-8 h following exposure termination. Three major urinary metabolites of TAME were identified: (1) a direct glucuronide conjugate of TAA; (2) a product of oxidation at the methylene carbon of TAA (2,3-dihydroxy-2-methylbutane); (3) a glucuronide conjugate of metabolite 2. Metabolite 1 accounted for most of the TAME-derived metabolites excreted 0-8 h following exposure termination. Further metabolic products of TAA (metabolites 2 and 3) accounted for most of the excreted TAME-derived metabolites at later time points.
Security and Privacy: Enemies or Allies?

We show ID cards at every juncture. Is this necessary? Is it helpful? Or is it actually harmful, not just to our privacy but to security as well?
MOTORCYCLE CONSPICUITY REVISITED

There is a widespread belief that motorcycles are more difficult to detect in traffic than are cars and trucks, which has led to much research designed to enhance motorcycle conspicuity. This paper examines the basic concept and finds that it lacks empirical support. Further, a number of other possible explanations could account for the differences one finds when comparing car-motorcycle and car-car collisions. Additional research is required to determine whether conspicuity is a special problem for motorcycles and the extent to which such a problem might contribute to crash involvement.
Commensal Bacteria Increase Invasion of Intestinal Epithelium by Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi

The intestinal microflora consists of a heterogeneous population of microorganisms and has many effects on the health status of its human host. Here, it is shown that the products of certain strains of bacteria normally present in the intestinal microflora are able to trigger redistribution of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein in epithelial cells. CFTR is used by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi as a receptor on epithelial cells which mediate the translocation of this microorganism to the gastric submucosa. Serovar Typhi-epithelial cell adhesion and CFTR-dependent invasion by serovar Typhi of epithelial cells were increased following commensal-mediated CFTR redistribution. These data suggest that commensal microorganisms present in the intestinal lumen can affect the efficiency of serovar Typhi invasion of the intestinal submucosa. This could be a key factor influencing host susceptibility to typhoid fever.
Molecular profiling and companion diagnostics: where is personalized medicine in cancer heading?

The goal of personalized medicine is to use the right drug at the right dose – with minimal or no toxicity – for the right patient at the right time. Recent advances in understanding cell biology and pathways, and in using molecular ‘omics’ technologies to diagnose cancer, offer a strategic bridge to personalized medicine in cancer. Modern personalized medicine takes into account an individual's genetic makeup and disease history before developing a treatment regimen. The future of clinical oncology will be based on the use of predictive and prognostic biomarkers in patient management. Once implemented widely, personalized medicine will benefit patients and the healthcare system greatly.
Increased noise immunity in large vocabulary speech recognition with the aid of spectral subtraction

This paper presents several ways of making the signal processing in the IBM speech recognition system more robust with respect to variations in the background noise level. The underlying problem is that the speech recognition system trains on the specific noise circumstances of the training session. A simple solution lays in the controlled addition of noise. The level of noise that has to be added in to effectively mask all background noise is rather high and causes a significant reduction in accuracy. Spectral subtraction does a better job in a limited number of cases, but the thresholding in spectral subtraction often leads to training problems in the hidden Markov model based recognition system. The best results were obtained by reintroducing a semi-natural background by adding noise after applying spectral subtraction.
The personal internetworked notary and guardian.

In this paper, we propose a secure, distributed and scaleable infrastructure for a lifelong personal medical record system. We leverage on existing and widely available technologies, like the Web and public-key cryptography, to define an architecture that allows patients to exercise full control over their medical data. This is done without compromising patients' privacy and the ability of other interested parties (e.g. physicians, health-care institutions, public-health researchers) to access the data when appropriately authorized. The system organizes the information as a tree of encrypted plain-text XML files, in order to ensure platform independence and durability, and uses a role-based authorization scheme to assign access privileges. In addition to the basic architecture, we describe tools to populate the patient's record with data from hospital databases and the first testbed applications we are deploying.
Verification of Biochemical Processes Using Stochastic Hybrid Systems

Modeling and analysis of biochemical systems are critical problems because they can provide new insights into systems which can not be easily tested with real experiments. One such biochemical process is the formation of sugar cataracts in the lens of an eye. Analyzing the sugar cataract development process is a challenging problem due to the highly-coupled chemical reactions that are involved. In this paper we model sugar cataract development as a stochastic hybrid system. Based on this model, we present a probabilistic verification method for computing the probability of sugar cataract formation for different chemical concentrations. Our analysis can potentially provide useful insights into the complicated dynamics of the process and assist in focusing experiments on specific regions of concentrations. The verification method employs dynamic programming based on a discretization of the state space and therefore suffers from the curse of dimensionality. To verify the sugar cataract development process we have developed a parallel dynamic programming implementation that can handle large systems. Although scalability is a limiting factor, this work demonstrates that the technique is feasible for realistic biochemical systems.
A 5′ Dystrophin Duplication Mutation Causes Membrane Deficiency ofα-Dystroglycan in a Family with X-linked Cardiomyopathy

Abstract 5′-mutations in the dystrophin gene can result in cardiomyopathy without clinically-apparent skeletal myopathy. The effect of dystrophin mutations on the assembly and stability of the dystrophin associated protein (DAP) complex in human heart are not fully understood. The molecular defect in the dystrophin complex was explored in a family with an X-linked pedigree and severe dilated cardiomyopathy. Dystrophin gene analysis demonstrated a 5′ duplication involving exons 2–7, which encodes the N-terminal actin binding domain of dystrophin. Ribonuclease protection and PCR assays demonstrated a reduction in muscle promoter transcribed dystrophin mRNA in the heart compared to skeletal muscle. A deficiency of cardiac dystrophin protein was observed by Western blot and lack of membrane localization by immunocytochemistry. The cardiac expression of the dystrophin related protein utrophin was increased, and the 43 kDa ( β -dystroglycan), 50 kDa ( α -sarcoglycan) and 59 kDa (syntrophin) dystrophin associated proteins (DAPs) were co-isolated and present in nearly normal amounts in the membrane. However, cardiac dystrophin deficiency and increased utrophin expression were associated with loss of extracellular 156 kDa dystrophin associated glycoprotein ( α -dystroglycan) binding to the cardiomyocyte membrane. α -Dystroglycan is responsible for linkage of the dystrophin complex to the extracellular matrix protein laminin. Therefore, 5′ dystrophin mutations can reduce cardiac dystrophin mRNA, protein expression, and dystrophin function in X-linked cardiomyopathy (XLCM). The presence of membrane-associated β -dystroglycan, α -sarcoglycan, syntrophin, and utrophin are insufficient to maintain cardiac function. This XLCM family has a 5′ dystrophin gene mutation resulting in cardiac dystrophin deficiency and a loss of α -dystroglycan membrane binding.
Kernel matching pursuits prioritization of wavelet coefficients for SPIHT image coding

The Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT), an efficient wavelet-based progressive image-compression scheme, is oriented to minimize the mean-squared error (MSE) between the original and decoded imagery. In this paper, we use the kernel matching pursuits (KMP) method to estimate the importance of each wavelet sub-band for distinguishing between different textures segmented by an HMT mixture model. Before the SPIHT coding, we weight the wavelet coefficients, with the goal of achieving improved image-classification results at low bit rates. A modified SPIHT algorithm is proposed to improve the coding efficiency. The performance of the original SPIHT and the modified SPIHT algorithms is compared.
Task demand modulation of steady‐state functional connectivity to primary motor cortex

Correlations in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI signals from separate areas within the human brain have been used as a measure of functional connectivity. Steady-state measures of interregional correlations are particularly useful because they do not depend on the specific design of a task nor on subtracting conditions in a blocked design task. However, the conditions under which such correlations are measured may influence these indices of functional connectivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of task demand on interregional correlations within the motor system. Specifically, tapping rates in audibly paced finger-tapping tasks were controlled and varied between runs in order to observe their effects on interregional correlations to contralateral primary motor cortex (PM). Regions of interest included the supplementary motor area, ipsilateral cerebellum, ipsilateral auditory cortex, and a control region. It was found that tapping rate was a significant factor in determining the mean correlation of some regions to PM, and that correlations measured during tapping in general increased relative to resting state. Furthermore, analysis of the percent of voxels in each region significantly correlated to PM suggested that changes in the mean correlation of that region to PM could be accounted for by changes in the fraction of significantly correlated voxels within a region. This provides insight into the manner in which steady-state correlations are modified in response to different task demands and further evidence that low-frequency fluctuations in BOLD signals reflect functional connectivity.