cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy: A case report

Abstract Background Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) is a disorder of unknown etiology with a predilection for young women. AZOOR is characterized by an acute loss of one or more zones of outer retinal function with a corresponding loss of visual field in one or both eyes. Patients present with photopsia, variable funduscopic changes, and abnormal electroretinogram (ERG) findings. There are no proven treatments. Diagnosed cases have a reasonable prognosis because central vision is often spared. Case report A 24-year-old white woman presented with acute photopsia with clouded temporal vision in the right eye (O.D.). Initial evaluation found a slightly swollen nerve fiber layer with no other outstanding lesions O.D. Over a 7-week follow-up period, there was significant progression into the deep chorioretinal tissues O.D. with an anterior chamber response. At 3 months, an afferent pupillary defect (APD) developed with significant retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) changes. After extensive testing, the consulting retinal specialist identified AZOOR as the etiology. At 21 and 31 months, the process remained in remission. Although primary symptoms subsided, the dense inferior-temporal field defect remained O.D. Conclusion AZOOR is a rare condition with subtle and often vague signs and symptoms making diagnosis difficult. The course of AZOOR, its clinical presentations, hypothesis of etiology, differential diagnosis, workup, management, and prognosis are reviewed.
An Efficient Approach to Dihydrofuroflavonoids via Palladium-Catalyzed Annulation of 1,3-Dienes by o-Iodoacetoxyflavonoids

The palladium-catalyzed annulation of 1,3-dienes by o-iodoacetoxyflavonoids provides an efficient approach to biologically interesting dihydrofuroflavonoids. This reaction is very general, stereo- and regioselective, and a wide variety of terminal, cyclic and internal 1,3-dienes can be utilized.
Does teriparatide given in combination with menopausal hormone replacement therapy improve bone mineral density

Does teriparatide given in combination with menopausal hormone replacement therapy improve bone mineral density?
Anastomotic leaks after bowel resection: what does peer review teach us about the relationship to postoperative mortality?

Background Anastomotic leak is a dreaded complication of intestinal surgery and has been associated with a high mortality rate. But it is uncertain exactly which patient populations are at risk of death from the leak. We sought to assess the impact of surgeon volume on leak rate and to better understand the relationship of a leak to postoperative mortality. Study Design All adult patients having a small or large bowel resection with anastomosis at a university hospital from July 2003 to June 2006 were entered into a prospectively maintained quality database; data were entered by a specially trained nurse practitioner who rounded daily with housestaff. Patients with a postoperative leak based on standardized criteria were identified. Patient characteristics, surgical procedure, and operating surgeon were noted. Overall complication and leak rates by surgeon were compared using Fisher's exact test. Individual case review by a group of peers was performed for all patients with a leak who died, to determine the relationship to mortality. Results Five hundred fifty-six patients underwent resection with anastomosis during the study period. There were 27 patients with leaks (4.9%), 6 of whom died. Leak rate for the highest-volume surgeons ranged from 1.6% to 9.9% (p Conclusions The variability in leak rate by surgeons doing similar operations suggests that many leaks may be preventable. But death after a leak is most often a surrogate for a critically ill patient and was infrequently the actual cause of death.
Dispersion versus absorption (DISPA) plots as an index of static magnetic field inhomogeneity. Use for adjustment of spinning shims in a superconducting magnet

Abstract A new method for evaluating static magnetic field inhomogeneity in an NMR sample is described. Deviation from circularity of a plot of dispersion vs absorption (DISPA) provides a measure of the deviation of an experimental NMR lineshape from the ideal Lorentz shape. From DISPA plots constructed from spectra simulated from specified z -gradient (“spinning shim”) inhomogeneity terms, it is clear that the magnitude and direction of displacement of an experimental DISPA curve from its reference circle can serve to discriminate and quantitate the inhomogeneity in each of z , z 2 , z 3 , z 4 , and z 5 . As an index for monitoring field inhomogeneity, DISPA is more sensitive than monitoring the absolute area under a free induction decay (particularly for higher order spinning shims), and much faster and more discriminating (between different z n terms) than iterative fitting of the frequency-domain absorption spectrum. Although each of the experimental spinning shim coils does not produce a z gradient corresponding exactly to its labeled z n function, we find that experimental DISPA plots nevertheless correlate well with their theoretical counterparts for z 1 and z 2 . DISPA has already proved useful for automated phasing of FT NMR spectra; the present work suggests that DISPA may offer a simple, rapid, sensitive method for testing shim coil designs and ultimately for manual or automated shimming of the static magnetic field as well.
The development and validation of a tool to assess nurse performance in dual protection counseling

Objective To present preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the Dual Protection Counseling Checklist (DPCC), an instrument designed to evaluate nurses’ fidelity to high quality dual protection counseling in a family planning setting.
Mean Currents Driven by Topographic Drag over the Continental Shelf and Slope

Abstract A sequence of numerical simulations is described of wind-driven flow over irregular continental shelf topography. The model is barotropic, nonlinear, and forced by a periodic, spatially uniform alongshelf wind stress. The objective of the study is to determine whether topographic drag, known to be asymmetric for barotropic flow over the shelf, can generate substantial time-averaged alongshore currents in the presence of a fluctuating zero-mean wind stress. With realistic parameters, mean maximum alongshore currents of 0.05 to 7.0 cm s−1 are realized with flow in the direction of freely propagating shelf waves. The residual current strength is a strong function of wind stress period and bottom bump wavelength: larger forcing periods and shorter bump wavelengths enhance the time-mean circulation. Particle paths are generally observed to be chaotic, in contrast to the nearly cyclic behavior of the Eulerian velocity field. However, cross-shore particle dispersion is well correlated with the mean alon...
Morphological changes in the submandibular gland of aging rats.

Age-related histological changes in submandibular glands of 5-, 15-, and 24-month-old Sprague-Dawley male rats were compared qualitatively using semi-thin sections of epoxy-embedded glands. Atrophy of acini and granular ducts with a concomitant hyperplasia of intercalated ducts were the dominant features seen in the 15- and 24-month-old glands compared to 5 months. In both aged groups (15 and 24 months) there appeared structures similar to terminal tubules normally seen during development. At 15 months irregular ducts consisting of a mixture of agranular cells and granular cells typical of granular ducts were found in continuity with the hyperplastic intercalated ducts. The significance of these age-related morphological changes remains speculative.
Where the rubber meets the road: Performance measurement for state and local public agencies

Recent events that have encouraged performance measurement in local governments and local private nonprofit organizations are described in this chapter. The author discusses some obstacles managers face in measuring outcomes at the local level, and he offers successful uses of outcomes reporting to address citizen concerns.
A demonstration of energy-efficient lighting in residential new construction

,!This field study uses a new model home demonstrating good lighting-design principles with energy-efficient solutions. Surveys showed that builders and the general public accepted and even preferred the appearance and the lighting effects of energy-efficient lighting technologies. Key to the success was integration with architectural features, colour schemes, and user lifestyle. Detailed survey results, energy savings, and illuminance comparisons are presented, as well as a discussion of ongoing barriers to the use of energy-efficient technology. Designers share ‘lessons learned’ from this design case study.
Scale effects in the determination of rock mass strength and deformability

Scale Effects in the Determination of Rock Mass Strength and Deformability An extensive literature search was conducted, to investigate the effect of the scale of testing on the measurement of strength and stiffness of rock masses. The results are presented for bearing capacity tests, compression tests, and several types of deformability tests. Field strength values are generally several times smaller than laboratory values. Field moduli generally appear to be between 20 per cent to 60 per cent of laboratory measured moduli. All strength and deformability results reviewed point to the great need for more field tests. Specific suggestions are given.
Low resolution solution structure of the Bacillus subtilis glucose permease IIA domain derived from heteronuclear three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy.

A low resolution solution structure of the IIA domain of the Bacillus subtilis phosphoenolpyruvate-sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) glucose permease has been determined using 945 inter-residue and 724 intra-residue distance constraints derived from three-dimensional 15N and 13C edited NOESY spectra. A total of 15 structures was generated using distance geometry calculations. The protein is comprised of 13 β-strands forming an antiparallel β-barrel, The average backbone atomic RMS deviation about the average distance geometry structure for the β-sheet residues is 1.1 A. The conformations of the loop regions between the β-strands are less well determined. Backbone distance constraints obtained during the process of sequential assignment were insufficient to correctly calculate the polypeptide fold.
Atomic transition probabilities in RuI

Abstract Accurate absolute atomic transition probabilities are reported for 482 lines of RuI. These are determined by combining branching fractions, measured using the 1.0 m Fourier transform spectrometer at the National Solar Observatory, with radiative lifetimes, measured using time-resolved laser induced fluorescence.
Methionine metabolism in mammals: regulation of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase content of rat tissues.

Abstract Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase was present in all of the 12 rat tissues which we studied. The specific activity of the enzyme was highest in kidney, testes, pancreas, and liver—a pattern similar to that of methyltetrahydrofolate homocysteine methyltransferase. In liver, kidney, brain, and spleen, the specific activity of the reductase declined with age. The protein content of the diet had little effect on the enzyme in liver and brain. Protein restriction resulted in an increased specific activity in kidney and spleen. Treatment with several hormones led to significant and opposite changes in liver and kidney. Hydrocortisone, thyroxine, estradiol, and growth hormone increased the specific activity in liver while decreasing renal levels. Dietary or hormone-induced changes in the activity of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase did not necessarily parallel the changes in the activity of the homocysteine methyltransferase. Thus it is possible that these exogenous factors may affect the rates of synthesis and of utilization of methyltetrahydrofolate.
Leaders of Color as Catalysts for Community Building in a Multicultural Society.

Abstract In this article the author examines the construction of civic competency in a multicultural society as a factor in explaining why people of color should act as catalysts for community building. First, ways of knowing in a multicultural society are described, and then the following questions are addressed: What is the nature of social studies education and citizenship efficacy in the twenty-first century? What is the role of multiculturalism in constructing social understanding and civic efficacy? Why do scholars and activists of color need to assume a leadership role in constructing civic competency in a multicultural society? The central issue in this article is not an advocacy of exclusivity, but an explanation of the particular leadership role demanded of scholars from microcultures of color to give authentic voice to those microcultures in the expanded community.
Immunotherapy of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Abstract Type 1 diabetes mellitus is caused by the T cell mediated autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing β cells of the islets of Langerhans within the pancreas. Current immunotherapy strategies are aimed at directly inactivating the autoreactive T cells and/or inducing T cells with regulatory capabilities. At the preclinical level, several strategies that employ TCR antagonists — including monoclonal antibodies, autoantigen-specific peptides and soluble TCR ligands — are showing promise and being developed for clinical application. Several of these approaches employing monoclonal antibodies against the TCR–CD3 complex or soluble peptide antigens are producing favorable results in the clinic.
Eliciting user requirements using Appreciative inquiry

For decades and still today, software development projects have failed because they do not meet the needs of users, are over-budget, and abandoned. To help address this problem, the user requirements elicitation process was modified based on principles of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry, commonly used in organizational development, aims to build organizations, processes, or systems based on success stories using a hopeful vision for an ideal future. In four studies, Appreciative Inquiry was evaluated for its effectiveness with eliciting user requirements in different circumstances. In the first two studies, it was compared with brainstorming, a traditional approach, with end-users (study 1) and proxy-users (study 2). The third study was a quasi-experiment comparing the use of Appreciative Inquiry in different phases in the software development cycle (study 3). The final (fourth) study combined all lessons learned using Appreciative Inquiry in a cross-case comparison study of 3 cases to gain additional understanding of the requirements gathered during various project phases. In each of the four studies, the requirements gathered, developer and user attitudes, and the Appreciative Inquiry process itself were evaluated. Requirements were evaluated for their quantity and type regardless of whether they were implemented or not. Attitudes were evaluated for commitment to the requirements and project using process feedback. The Appreciative Inquiry process was evaluated with differing groups, projects, and project phases to determine how and when it is best applied. Potentially interceding factors were also evaluated including: team effectiveness, Emotional Intelligence, and perceived stress. Appreciative Inquiry produced positive results for the participants, the requirements obtained, and the general requirements eliciting-process. Appreciative Inquiry demonstrated benefits to the requirements gathered by increasing the number of unique requirements as well as identifying more quality-based (non-functional) and forward-looking requirements. It worked best when there was time for participants to reflect on the thought-provoking questions and when the facilitator was knowledgeable of the subject-matter and had extra time to extract and translate the requirements. The participants (end-users and developers) expressed improved project understanding. End-users participated consistently with immediate buy-in and enthusiasm, especially those users who were technically-inhibited. We conclude that Appreciative Inquiry can augment existing methods by presenting a positive and future aspect for a proposed system resulting in improved user requirements.
Swapping to Remote Memory over InfiniBand: An Approach using a High Performance Network Block Device

Traditionally, operations with memory on other nodes (remote memory) in cluster environments interconnected with technologies like Gigabit Ethernet have been expensive with latencies several magnitudes slower than local memory accesses. Modern RDMA capable networks such as InfiniBand and Quadrics provide low latency of a few microseconds and high bandwidth of up to 10 Gbps. This has significantly reduced the latency gap between access to local memory and remote memory in modern clusters. Remote idle memory can be exploited to reduce the memory pressure on individual nodes. This is akin to adding an additional level in the memory hierarchy between local memory and the disk, with potentially dramatic performance improvements especially for memory intensive applications. In this paper, we take on the challenge to design a remote paging system for remote memory utilization in InfiniBand clusters. We present the design and implementation of a high performance networking block device (HPBD) over InfiniBand fabric, which serves as a swap device of kernel virtual memory (VM) system for efficient page transfer to/from remote memory servers. Our experiments show that using HPBD, quick sort performs only 1.45 times slower than local memory system, and up to 21 times faster than local disk. And our design is completely transparent to user applications. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first work of a remote pager design using InfiniBand for remote memory utilization
Cardiac ultrasound imaging in acute care settings.

The current issue of iJACC has 3 papers that emphasize a recurrent theme of echocardiography as the test of choice in the acutely ill patient. Transthoracic image quality is often problematic in acutely ill patients, particularly those requiring ventilation. In this setting, the use of
Popliteal vascular injury during total knee arthroplasty

Abstract Background. Popliteal vascular injury during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is rare. Although the etiology, management, and outcome of this injury have not been systematically studied, several anecdotal reviews and small case series have suggested a high morbidity, with tourniquet injury as a predominant etiology. Methods. We surveyed 190 members of a major regional vascular society concerning their experiences with popliteal vascular injuries sustained during TKA, specifically regarding the presentation, mechanisms of injury, diagnostic studies, surgical exposure and methods of repair, and outcomes. Results. Thirteen surgeons provided data (6.8% response rate) on 19 patients with TKA-related popliteal artery injuries. In contrast to the historical literature, sharp, direct trauma was the predominant etiology of vascular injury. Vascular reconstructive techniques varied, with arterial bypass being the most common. There was no mortality in this series. Eighty-four percent (16/19) of the patients had full recoveries. Limb loss occurred in 2 of the 19 patients (10.5%). Conclusion. Popliteal vascular injuries during TKA are primarily the result of direct trauma to the vessel. Prompt diagnosis, extensile vascular exposure through a medial knee surgical incision, and standard reconstructive techniques offer a good prognosis for this limb-threatening complication.
Plasma synthesis of fluorocarbon films

Fluorocarbon films were obtained by introducing perfluorobutene-2 into the afterglow region of an argon plasma. The plasma was generated electrodelessly using plates excited at 13.56 MHz at 70 watts of power. Film deposition rates between 250 A and 450 A per minute were obtained during typical operating conditions. The films were light yellow in color, adhered strongly to dry glass substrates, and exhibited liquid contact angles very similar to those reported for poly(tetrafluoroethylene) surfaces. The infrared spectrum of the film was quite similar to that obtained for Teflon. The freshly prepared film contained a high concentration of unpaired spins, and the ESR signal decayed slowly on standing in vacuum. The films could be removed from the glass substrates by immersion in dilute hydrofluoric acid or in brackish water.
Pathologic sequelae of acute cardiac irradiation in monkeys

Abstract A review of cardiac damage secondary to irradiation is presented, as well as information on six adult monkeys given acute precordial irradiation and put to death at five months. The data presented in conjunction with the cited studies strongly suggests that precordial therapeutic irradiation at, or only slightly beyond, currently used dosage is a potential cause of extensive cardiac morbidity.
The use of arginine hydrochloride infusion to assess urinary acidification

TRADITIONALLY, the diagnosis of distal renal tubular acidosis has been established by measuring urine pH, blood pH, and plasma bicarbonate following the oral administration of ammonium chloride? This acidifying agent, however, is unpalatable and often produces emesis, which complicates the precise determination of the amount of ammonium chloride received. In the adult population, ammonium chloride has been administered in gelatin capsules in an attempt to minimize such side effects. Unfortunately, children often are unable to swallow the capsules. Moreover, maximum systemic acidosis may take as long as eight to nine hours to develop when the capsules are used. ~ The intravenous infusion of ammonium chloride is not well tolerated by children because of pain usually experienced at the site of infusion. Because of these problems and because ammonium chloride may induce severe uncompensated metabolic acidosis when administered to infants, 3 we have evaluated an alternate method for studying renal acidification of the urine. We chose to use arginine monohydrochloride, which is metabolized in the liver, generating free hydrogen ions? A commercial intravenous preparation is readily available for use in growth hormone stimulation testing.' This report summarizes our experiences with this agent. METHODS Twenty-two patients, whose ages ranged from 5 months to 15.5 years, were studied. Eight were investigated
State-of-the-art and new technologies in flotation deinking

Abstract Today, in the paper industry, flotation deinking is the dominating process worldwide for the removal of printing inks from recovered paper. It represents the decisive process step as far as improvement of the optical characteristics of the fiber stock such as brightness and dirt specks is concerned. Furthermore, flotation deinking is gaining more and more in importance in the separation of other contaminants, for example, stickies or fillers and pigments. This article reports on `state-of-the-art' flotation deinking as well as on the newest development trends in this field. It is also apparent today, just as at the beginning of flotation deinking, that there are obvious parallels to mineral flotation technology.
Contributions of heterogeneous and homogeneous chemistry in the catalytic partial oxidation of octane isomers and mixtures on rhodium coated foams

Abstract Catalytic partial oxidation experiments with n -octane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane ( i -octane), and an n -octane: i -octane (1:1) mixture were performed on 80 and 45 ppi Rh-coated α -alumina foam supports at 2, 4, and 6 SLPM total flow rate in order to explore the effects of chemical structure for single components and binary mixtures on fuel reactivity and product distribution. When reacted as single components, the conversion of i -octane is greater than n -octane at C / O > 1.1 (both fuel conversions are 100% for C / O 1.1 ). However, when reacted in an equimolar mixture, the conversion of n -octane is greater than i -octane. All three fuels give high selectivity to syngas ( H 2 and CO) on 80 ppi supports for C / O 1 . For C / O > 1 , n -octane produces high selectivity to ethylene while i -octane makes i -butylene and almost no ethylene. The fuel mixture produces these species proportional to the mole fractions of n -octane and i -octane within the reacting mixture. Increasing the support pore diameter decreases the selectivity to syngas and increases H 2 O and olefin selectivity. The reforming of all three fuels is modeled using detailed chemistry by decoupling the heterogeneous and homogeneous chemistry in a two-zone plug flow model. Detailed homogeneous reaction mechanisms with several thousand elementary reactions steps and several hundred species are used to simulate experimentally observed olefin selectivities for all three fuels on 80 and 45 ppi monoliths at 2, 4, and 6 SLPM quite well. These results support the hypothesis that a majority of the observed olefins are made through gas-phase chemistry.
Toward the Rational Design of Supramolecular Coordination Polymers. The Effect of Solvent and Substituent Changes on the Structure of Self-Assembled Metal-Organometallic Networks

Self-assembly of the π-complex (η4-benzoquinone)Mn(CO)3- (QMTC) with metal ions [Mn(II), Co(II), Zn(II)] generates neutral metal-organometallic coordination networks (MOMNs). The network architecture can be controlled by (1) a solvent-induced change in coordination geometry at the metal nodes and (2) the introduction of substituents on the benzoquinone ring.
Angle Estimation with Adaptive Arrays in External Noise Fields

A method of estimating the angle of arrival of a signal at an array of sensors in an external noise environment is outlined. The development is based on a maximum likelihood estimator and leads naturally to adaptive sum and difference beams which null the external noise sources. An algorithm for estimating angle of arrival, based on the outputs of adaptively distorted sum and differnce beams, is shown to perform well in the presence of sidelobe and/or main beam interference.
Parental Bereavement and Religious Factors

There is a long held theory that religiosity provides comfort in times of bereavement. The purpose of this study is to examine religious factors and their relationship with depression as measured b...
Hierarchical trajectory refinement for a class of nonlinear systems

Trajectory generation for nonlinear control systems is an important and difficult problem. In this paper, we provide a constructive method for hierarchical trajectory refinement. The approach is based on the recent notion of @f-related control systems. Given a control affine system satisfying certain assumptions, we construct a @f-related control system of smaller dimension. Trajectories designed for the smaller, abstracted system are guaranteed, by construction, to be feasible for the original system. Constructive procedures are provided for refining trajectories from the coarser to the more detailed system.
4,13‐Diaza‐18‐Crown‐6

4,13-Diaza-18-crown-6 intermediate: 1,10-dibenzyl-4,7-dioxa-1,10-diazadecane reactant: 1,2-bis(2-iodoethoxy)ethane (39.3 g, 106 mmol) intermediate: N,N′-dibenzyl-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6 product: 4,13-diaza-18-crown-6 Keywords: cyclization, condensation; metal-catalyzed reactions, palladium; reduction, miscellaneous; replacement reactions, halogen by amino; replacement reactions, halogen by halogen; sodium iodide
Human Neurotropic JC Virus and Its Association with Brain Tumors

JC virus (JCV) is a human polyomavirus known as the causative agent of the fatal demyelinating disease, Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). Further, in experimental animals this virus causes a broad range of tumors of central nervous system origin. Recent studies have suggested the association of JCV with several human tumors most notably malignant brain tumors of childhood, medulloblastoma. The development of tumors by JCV is most likely through mechanisms involving inactivation of tumor suppressors and de-regulation of signaling pathways such as Wnt by the viral early protein, T-antigen. The neurotropic nature of JCV along with the overwhelming evidence for its oncogenic potential in laboratory animals and its detection in significant numbers of human medulloblastomas invite the re-evaluation of the role for JCV in the development of human brain tumors.
Variation in the English definite article: Socio‐historical linguistics in t'speech community1

This paper provides a sociolinguistic analysis of variation in the English definite article, a.k.a. definite article reduction (DAR), in the city of York, northeast Yorkshire, England. Embedding the analysis in historical, dialectological and contemporary studies of this phenomenon, the findings uncover a rich system of variability between the standard forms as well as reduced and zero variants. These are involved in a system of multicausal constraints, phonological, grammatical, and discourse-pragmatic that are consistent across the speech community. However, the reduced variants are not derivative of each other, but reflect contrasting functions in the system. Interestingly, the reduced variants are accelerating in use among the young men, suggesting that DAR is being recycled as an identity marker of the local vernacular. This change is put in sociohistorical context by an appeal to the recently developing interest and evolving prestige of Northern Englishes more generally.
Enforcing direct communications between clients and Web servers to improve proxy performance and security

SUMMARY The amount of dynamic Web contents and secured e-commerce transactions has been dramatically increasing on the Internet, where proxy servers between clients and Web servers are commonly used for the purpose of sharing commonly accessed data and reducing Internet traffic. A significant and unnecessary Web access delay is caused by the overhead in proxy servers to process two types of accesses, namely dynamic Web contents and secured transactions, not only increasing response time, but also raising some security concerns. Conducting experiments on Squid proxy 2.3STABLE4, we have quantified the unnecessary processing overhead to show its significant impact on increased client access response times. We have also analyzed the technical difficulties in eliminating or reducing the processing overhead and the security loopholes based on the existing proxy structure. In order to address these performance and security concerns, we propose a simple but effective technique from the client side that adds a detector interfacing with a browser. With this detector, a standard browser, such as the Netscape/Mozilla, will have simple detective and scheduling functions, called a detective browser. Upon an Internet request from a user, the detective browser can immediately determine whether the requested content is dynamic or secured. If so, the browser will bypass the proxy and forward the request directly to the Web server; otherwise, the request willbe processed through theproxy. We implemented a detective browser prototype in Mozilla version 0.9.7, and tested its functionality and effectiveness. Since we have simply moved the necessary detective functions from a proxy server to a browser, the detective browser introduces little overhead to Internet accessing, and our software can be patched to existing browsers easily. Copyright c � 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the Horizon: New Options for Contraception

Future contraceptives include refinements of existing contraceptives and totally new methods. New formulations of oral contraceptives, subdermal hormonal implants, injectable hormones, vaginal spermicides, and intrauterine devices (IUDs) are being tested around the world. New methods that are not yet available include the use of vaginal preparations containing sperm-immobilizing agents, gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, vaccines against ova and sperm, and endogenous hormones. Male contraceptive methods use hormones to suppress testosterone and vaccines to immobilize sperm. The availability of all future contraceptives is dependent on ample funds for research, development, and testing, and such funds are in jeopardy.
Anaerobic respiration of Shewanella putrefaciens requires both chromosomal and plasmid-borne genes

Pleiotropic respiratory mutants, incapable of growth on any electron acceptor other than oxygen, were isolated from two strains of Shewanella putrefaciens (MR-1 and sp200). All anaerobic respiratory functions were restored by complementation of the mutants with specific cloned DNA fragments. Southern hybridization experiments revealed that the fragment that complements the MR-1 mutant was localized on the megaplasmids of both strains, while the fragment that complements the sp200 mutant was chromosomal. Neither of these fragments hybridized with the anaerobic regulatory genes of S. putrefaciens (etrA) or E. coli (fnr).
Review of the twelfth West Coast retrovirus meeting

Every year the Cancer Research Institute from University of California at Irvine organizes the West Coast Retrovirus Meeting where participants have a chance to discuss the latest progress in understanding the pathology of retroviruses. The 12th meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Suites in Palm Springs, California from October 6th to October 9th 2005, with the major focus on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pathogenesis. Philippe Gallay from The Scripps Research Institute and Thomas J. Hope from Northwestern University organized the meeting, which covered all the steps involved in the lifecycle of retroviruses with an emphasis on virus:host interactions. The trend in research appeared to be on the restriction of viral infection, both by the endogenous, cellular restriction factors, as well as by the potential antimicrobial compounds of known or unknown mechanisms. Additionally, new stories on the inevitable feedback from the host immune system were presented as well. HIV still represents a challenge that an army of motivated people has been working on for over 20 years. And yet, the field has not reached the plateau in knowledge nor enthusiasm, which was proven again in October 2005 in Palm Springs.
Loss of angiotensin-II receptors in portal hypertensive rabbits.

Decreased splanchnic vascular response to exogenous angiotensin-II (A-II) infusion in portal hypertension has recently been documented. A-II receptor density and binding affinity in the mesenteric artery, portal vein, and adrenal gland of normal and portal hypertensive rabbits were studied. Portal hypertension was induced by partial portal vein ligation 3 weeks before study. There were no significant differences in serum concentrations of sodium, potassium, A-II, serum osmolality, or hematocrit between normal and portal hypertensive rabbits. The portal hypertensive portal vein exhibited a 60% fall in A-II receptor number from 65.1 ± 0.3 fmol/ mg in normal to 27.0 ± 8 fmol/mg (P < .05) in portal hypertension. A significant decrease in receptor number occurred in the portal hypertensive mesenteric artery, 224 ± 39 fmol/mg compared with 345 ± 45 fmol/mg in normal rabbits, and in the adrenal cortex 6.8 ± 1.3 pmol/ mg compared with 12.1 ± 2.5 pmol/mg in normal controls (P < .05). No significant difference in A-II receptor affinity was observed in tissues studied between normal and portal hypertensive rabbits. Autoradiographic study on A-II receptors was consistent with data from membrane binding assays. Receptor subtype analysis showed exclusive type I receptor binding in the mesenteric artery and portal vein. We conclude there is a global reduction in the A-II receptor number in portal hypertension that may mediate much of the decreased response to A-II seen in this disorder. This loss of the A-II receptor may partially explain hemodynamic derangements peculiar to portal hypertension.
The V1, V2, and V3 Regions of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Differentially Affect the Viral Phenotype in an Isolate-Dependent Manner

It is well documented that removal of the V1V2 region or of the V2 loop alone from the envelope glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) increases the susceptibility of these viruses to neutralization by antibodies. The specific role of the V1 loop in defining the neutralization susceptibility of HIV is, however, not well documented. Our current studies indicate that although the V1V2 region is a global modulator of the HIV-1 neutralization susceptibility, the individual roles the V1 and V2 loops have in defining the neutralization susceptibility profile of HIV-1 differ and in some cases are opposite. While deletion of the V2 loop renders the virus more susceptible to neutralization by antibodies that recognize diverse epitopes, in particular certain ones located in the CD4 binding site and the V3 loop, deletion of the V1 loop renders the virus refractory to neutralization, especially by antibodies that recognize CD4-induced epitopes and certain CD4-site binding antibodies. Our current studies also indicate that the relative involvement of the V2 loop of the HIV-1 envelope during virus-cell entry appears to be envelope background dependent. As a result, although deletion of the V2 loop from the clade B, R5-tropic SF162 HIV-1 virus resulted in a virus that was replication competent, the same modification introduced on the background of two other R5-tropic isolates, SF128A (clade B) or SF170 (clade A), abrogated the ability of these envelopes to mediate virus-cell entry.
Developing a Role Activity Performance Scale

This article describes the Role Activity Performance Scale (RAPS) and presents data from a study of its reliability and validity. The RAPS evaluates an individual's functional level, using 12 subscales that represent a range of life roles. It was developed as an instrument for evaluating the impact of occupational therapy and other treatment modalities on the functioning of psychiatric patients. It is also useful in the diagnostic, treatment, and discharge planning processes. Validity and interrater reliability testing involved a sample of 30 patients in two major diagnostic groups. Interrater correlations for subscales and total scores were above .80 and statistically significant. A comparison of the RAPS with other accepted psychosocial rating scales showed strong correlations in scores. The psychometric evidence from this preliminary study supports the continued development and use of the RAPS for both clinical and research purposes.
PARAFAC-based frequency synchronization for SC-FDMA uplink transmissions

Frequency synchronization is a critical requirement for single-carrier frequency division multiple-access (SC-FDMA) uplink transmissions. Based on the key observation that the received signal at the base station can be formulated as the parallel factor analysis model, we present a joint carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimation and compensation scheme for SC-FDMA uplink transmissions with interleaved sub-carrier allocation. The proposed scheme, employing identical training symbols, guarantees the identifiability of CFO estimation, allows the system to operate on full load, and it is readily extendible to multi-antenna base station (BS) reception. Comparisons with existing approaches in the literature reveal that the proposed algorithms provide lower complexity and superior performance.
Direct measurements of beta-star in the tevatron

Simultaneous turn-by-turn beam position measurements across collider detector long straight sections provide full phase space information of a free oscillation. For signals with enough coherence (typically 1-2000 revolutions) the amplitude function and its slope at the two BPM's can be directly measured. Results for the Tevatron low-beta regions with a few percent accuracy are described.
Quantification and localization of cortical granules during oogenesis in the mouse.

Although the important subplasmalemmal localization of cortical granules (CG) has been documented, little is known about the timing and mechanism of granule translocation to the oocyte cortex. A fluorescent CG probe, confocal microscopy, and image analysis were used to obtain kinetic, spatial, and temporal information about CG migration during mouse oogenesis. The mean CG density in the cortex increased exponentially, from 3 to 14 CG/100 microns 2, during oocyte growth from 40-50 microns to 70-80 microns in diameter, respectively. Full-grown, > or = 80-microns, germinal vesicle-intact oocytes had a density of 30-35 CG/100 microns 2. During growth from 40-50 microns to > or = 80 microns, the mean total number of CG in the cortex per oocyte increased from 6000. When analyzed in terms of the stage of germinal vesicle chromatin organization, the mean CG density increased from 3 to 21 CG/100 microns 2 from stage I to early stage IV, respectively. In 50-60-microns oocytes, there was a crescent-shaped area of perinuclear staining containing both granules and Golgi apparatus-like structures, which were also more sparsely distributed in the subcortical cytoplasm. It is likely that these were sites of CG production from which translocation takes place; they were not observed in ovulated metaphase II eggs. This study demonstrates that CG number in the cortex increases continually during mouse oocyte growth (in contrast to that in several other species), that there is a greater than twofold increase in CG number during the final phase of growth, and that subcortical production ceases after ovulation.
A photo‐oxidizable kinetic pathway of three‐component photoinitiator systems containing porphrin dye (Zn‐tpp), an electron donor and diphenyl iodonium salt

A series of kinetic experiments were conducted involving visible-light activated free radical polymerizations with three-component photoinitiators and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). Three-component photoinitiator systems generally include a light-absorbing photosensitizer (PS), an electron donor and an electron acceptor. To compare kinetic efficiency, we used thermodynamic feasibility and measured kinetic data. For this study, 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphyrin zinc (Zn-tpp) and camphorquinone (CQ) were used as the PSs. The Rehm-Weller equation was used to verify the thermodynamic feasibility for the photo-induced electron transfer reaction. Using the thermodynamic feasibility, we suggest two different kinetic mechanisms, which are (i) photo-reducible series mechanism of CQ and (ii) photo-oxidizable series mechanism of Zn-tpp. Kinetic data were measured by near-IR spectroscopy and photo-differential scanning calorimetry based on an equivalent concentration of excited state PS. We report that the photo-oxidizable series mechanism using Zn-tpp produced dramatically enhanced conversions and rates of polymerizations compared with those associated with the photo-reducible series mechanism using CQ. It was concluded from the kinetic results that the photo-oxidizable series mechanism efficiently retards back electron transfer and the recombination reaction step. In addition, the photo-oxidizable series mechanism provides an efficient secondary reaction step that involves consumption of the dye-based radical and regeneration of the original PS. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3131–3141, 2009
Metathesis polymerization behavior of 2-cyanobicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene

This paper describes the ring-opening methathesis polymerization of homopolymers and copolymers of exo- and endo-2-cyanobicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene (norbornenenitrile) in solution. Polymerization kinetics were followed via 1H NMR spectroscopy in real time while the final polymer microstructure was determined via 13C NMR. While pure endo monomer does not polymerize readily, it copolymerizes with exo monomer, rapidly and to high conversions. The structure of the copolymer appears to be quite similar to that of exo homopolymer. We conclude that exo monomer adds directly to either exo or endo, while endo-endo addition is sterically hindered.
Characterization of vaccinia virus A12L protein proteolysis and its participation in virus assembly

Vaccinia virus (VV) undergoes a proteolytic processing to evolve from immature virus particles into intracellular mature virus particles. Most of structural core protein precursors such as p4a, p4b, and p25K are assembled into previrions and then proteolytically processed to yield core proteins, 4a, 4b, and 25 K, which become components of a mature virus particle. These structural rearrangements take place at a conserved cleavage motif, Ala-Gly-X (where X is any amino acid) and catalyzed by a VV encoded proteinase, the I7L gene product. The VV A12L gene product, a 25 kDa protein synthesized at late times during infection is cleaved at an N-terminal AG/A site, resulting in a 17 kDa cleavage product. However, due to the distinct characteristics of A12L proteolysis such as the localization of both the A12L full-length protein and its cleavage product in mature virions and two putative cleavage sites (Ala-Gly-Lys) located at internal and C-terminal region of A12L ORF, it was of interest to examine the A12L proteolysis for better understanding of regulation and function of VV proteolysis. Here, we attempted to examine the in vivo A12L processing by: determining the kinetics of the A12L proteolysis, the responsible viral protease, and the function of the A12L protein and its cleavage events. Surprisingly, the A12L precursor was cleaved into multiple peptides not only at an N-terminal AG/A but also at both an N- and a C-terminus. Despite the involvement of I7L proteinase for A12L proteolysis, its incomplete processing with slow kinetics and additional cleavages not at the two AG/K sites demonstrate unique regulation of VV proteolysis. An immunoprecipitation experiment in concert with N-terminal sequencing analyses and mass spectrometry led to the identification of VV core and membrane proteins, which may be associated with the A12L protein and suggested possible involvement of A12L protein and its cleavage products in multiple stages in virus morphogenesis.
Statistical process characterization in advanced analog IC manufacturing

The device parameter drift of a JFET operational amplifier is discussed in terms of yield loss and product quality of analog ICs. Planned statistical experimentation was used to identify process factors that were causing drift. The improvements obtained using statistical process characterization and the resultant analog IC yield enhancement are described. The scenario presented demonstrates the essential need for a statistical approach to solve complex IC manufacturing problems. The multidisciplinary approach involves statistics, device physics, process characterization, device characterization, and manufacturing. >