cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rhabdoid tumour of the kidney: a diagnostic challenge and a fatal outcome

Rhabdoid tumour of the kidney is not common. Presentation of such a lethal tumour along with blunt abdominal trauma is even rarer. We report such a case of Rhabdoid tumour of kidney which presented as renal trauma, and discuss the diagnostic difficulties and rapidly fatal outcome.
Effect of high protein-cafeteria feeding on serum cholesterol and atherogenesis in the corpulent rat

Abstract The effect of experimental overnutrition via high-protein cafeteria feeding on atherogenesis and adiposity were determined in groups of congenic adult lean and corpulent LA/N-cp (corpulent) rats derived from the Koletsky strain, and fed Purina Laboratory Chow or a high-protein cafeteria diet consisting of the Purina Chow plus cooked eggs and red meat for 8 weeks. High protein cafeteria feeding resulted in more marked increases in body weight and adiposity in corpulent than in lean rats. Oral glucose tolerance was similarly impaired in corpulent rats before and after cafeteria feeding. Serum cholesterol concentrations were greater in corpulent than in lean rats initially, and increased 2-fold following the cafeteria feeding. In contrast, HDL cholesterol increased proportionately to the total cholesterol concentrations in cafeteria fed lean but not corpulent rats, resulting in highly significant increases in the VLDL+LDL: HDL and Total: HDL cholesterol ratios in the cafeteria-fed corpulent group. These results indicate that the corpulent phenotype of the LA/N-cp rat strain may be predisposed to atherogenesis in association with an exaggeration of their obesity when fed atherogenic high-animal-protein cafeteria diets for a prolonged period of time.
Metals in albatross feathers from midway atoll: influence of species, age, and nest location.

Female birds sequester some heavy metals in their eggs, which are then transferred to the developing embryo. Semiprecocial birds such as albatrosses are fully covered with down at hatching, but are dependent on their parents for food for many weeks. At hatching, levels of metals in the chick's down represent exposure from the female via egg, while levels in fully formed feathers at fledgling, several months later, represent mainly exposure from food provided by their parents. In this paper we examine the concentrations of “metals” (heavy metals, mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium, manganese, tin; and metalloids, arsenic and selenium), in the down and contour (body) feathers of half-grown young albatrosses, and contour feathers of one of their parents. We collected feathers from Laysan Diomedea immutabilis and black-footed Diomedea nigripes albatrosses from Midway Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. We test the null hypotheses that there is no difference in metal levels as a function of species, age, feather type, and location on the island. Using linear regression we found significant models accounting for the variation in the concentrations of mercury, lead, cadmium, selenium, chromium, and manganese (but not arsenic or tin) as a function of feather type (all metals), collection location (all metals but lead), species (selenium only), and interactions between these factors. Most metals (except mercury, arsenic, and tin) were significantly higher in down than in the contour feathers of either chicks or adults. Comparing the two species, black-footed albatross chicks had higher levels of most elements (except arsenic) in their feathers and/or down. Black-footed adults had significantly higher levels of mercury and selenium. We also collected down and feathers from Laysan albatross chicks whose nests were close to buildings, including buildings with flaking lead paint and those that had been lead-abated. Lead levels in the down and feathers of chicks close to nonabated buildings were 10 times higher than for chicks from other locations. Conversely, levels of cadmium and tin were lower near the buildings. Near lead-abated buildings, lead levels decreased as a function of distance, indicating residual contamination on the soil. Our results indicate that black-footed albatross adults and chicks generally have higher levels of heavy metals in their feathers than Laysans. Chicks of both species have higher levels in their down than in their contour feathers, indicating potentially higher exposure during the early chick phase.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Breast Biopsy

ABSTRACT The explosion in technological advances has provided physicians and patients more options in the diagnostic breast biopsy arena. Successful collaborative relationships between nurses, physicians, and all health care workers and detailed patient education are essential to provide optimum patient care. Survival in health care today mandates that perioperative nurses and their colleagues move outside traditional environments to provide quality, cost-effective care to patients and their family members. The aim of this collaborative approach to breast biopsy is to provide patients with the most expedient, accurate, cost-effective diagnoses with the least amount of physical and psychological trauma. AORN J 69 (April 1999) 810–821.
Exciton localization in MgxZnyCd1-x-ySe alloy

We report photoluminescence and reflectivity measurements of Mg x Zn y Cd 1-x-y Se epitaxial layers (0 0.3), we observe an anomalous temperature dependence of both the emission energy and line broadening. This behavior is assigned to the emission from localized states. Different mechanisms of carrier localization are discussed and exciton localization on statistical CdSe clusters is proposed to be the most likely one.
Characterization of a membrane-associated NADH-dependent cytochrome C reductase of human platelets.

Abstract Platelet membranes isolated by the glycerol lysis technique contain a NADH-dependent reductase which reduces cytochrome c. The K NADH of the membrane associated enzyme was 1.3 μM and the Vmax of the reaction was 4600 nmoles cytochrome c reduced/min/mg protein. Superoxide dismutase had no affect on the reaction indicating that reduction was independent of superoxide formation. The reductase was inhibited by the drugs quinacrine HC1, quercetin and tetracaine HC1 and also by PCMBS(p-chloromercuribenzoate sulfonate). Aggregation in citrated plasma induced by ADP, collagen and the ionophore A23187 were also inhibited by quinacrine HC1, quercetin and tetracaine HC1. It is possible that the inhibition of both the reductase activity and aggregation by these compounds reflects a role for the membrane-associated reductase in one of the processes which leads to the aggregation of platelets.
Power morcellators: a review of current practice and assessment of risk

Power morcellation has come under scrutiny because of a highly publicized case of disseminated leiomyosarcoma following a laparoscopic hysterectomy. A recent Federal and Drug Administration safety communication discouraging use of power morcellators on presumed uterine leiomyoma further highlights the need for reexamination of uterine tissue extraction. This clinical opinion aims to summarize current approaches to uterine/fibroid tissue extraction including the associated immediate and long-term potential risks of open power morcellation. The known data about risk of uterine sarcoma is reviewed followed by a discussion of acceptable risk and informed consent in the context of shared-decision making.
The influence of metakaolin and silica fume on the chemistry of alkali-silica reaction products

Abstract This investigation studies the influence of two mineral admixtures, silica fume (SF) and high-reactivity metakaolin (HRM), on the chemistry of alkali–silica reaction (ASR) products. Four different mortar bar mixes containing different combinations of high-alkali cement, alkali–inert dolomitic limestone, reactive Beltane opal, HRM, and SF were prepared and stored in a 1 N NaOH solution at 80°C (ASTM C 1260) for 21 days. Expansion of bar specimens was measured, and chemical analysis was performed at different ages using X-ray spectra and maps. Test results confirmed that HRM and SF significantly reduce expansion due to ASR. In addition, X-ray microanalysis showed that calcium content increases with time in ASR products. Furthermore, it was found that as ASR proceeded the calcium content of reaction products increased proportionally as the silica content decreased.
Techniques for detecting enzymes in high-performance liquid chromatography.

Abstract Techniques are described for the automated detection of a series of enzymes in high-performance liquid chromatographic system. Detection was achieved by either a direct or a coupled enzyme assay using photometric detectors. In direct detection the immediate enzymatic product was monitored. Coupled enzyme assays required additional enzyme(s) to convert the product of the primary enzyme reaction into a more easily detectable form. The efficiency of both free and immobilized coupling enzyme(s) was evaluated. The detector sensitivity could be increased three-fold by increasing the reaction temperature. This system is particularly suitable for isoenzyme profiling in biological materials.
Combining new immune therapies with traditional endometriosis treatment

Surgical treatment of endometriosis removes endometrial implants, but leaves the systemic disease intact. The diagnosis of the disease includes (needle) microlaparoscopy with conscious pain mapping under local anesthesia. Treatment is operative laparoscopy to remove endometrial implants and immune therapy for the systemic disease. The immune treatment program consists of oral tolerization, immune supplement, and diet changes. According to case studies, this therapy looks promising. Multicenter, controlled, long-term studies are warranted.
Nitrogen-sulfur relationships in corn as affected by landscape attributes and tillage

Corn (Zea mays L.) root access to the B horizon is needed for adequate sulfur nutrition on sandy, highly leachable Coastal Plain soils with tillage pans. Deep tillage increases rooting depth on these soils, but the interaction of deep tillage with landscape attributes in complex toposequences is not well understood. The effect of chisel plowing 35 cm deep, subsoiling 25 cm deep, and disking 12 cm deep on N and S accumulation by corn on a well-drained toposequence of Coastal Plain soil was studied in 1984 and 1985. Nitrogen and S concentrations of aboveground biomass were measured at anthesis (N a and S a , respectively) and at harvest (N h and S h , respectively). Soil surface curvature (CRV) (i.e., its convexity or concavity), and depth to the B horizon (BDEP) were correlated with S a in both years. Extreme drought in early 1985 resulted in a stronger negative linear response of S a with BDEP in the chisel plow and disk treatments compared with the subsoil treatment. The N a /S a ratio was negatively correlated with BDEP for all treatments and with CRV for chisel plow and disk tillage. Deep tillage had the greatest positive effect on S accumulation by corn at the linear slope position, which was the landscape position with the greatest depth to the B horizon.
An Analysis of the Ground Temperature and Reflectivity Pattern about St. Louis, Missouri, Using HCMM Satellite Data

Abstract Ground temperatures and reflectivity patterns have been examined for the area in and surrounding St. Louis, Missouri, using HCMM satellite data. Analyses demonstrate marked seasonal and day/night differences. In the warm season and during the day, the ground temperature distribution is influenced by small-scale land use features. The temperature contrast between the urban and rural region averages about 4.3°C. In the cold season and during the daytime, the pattern is similar to that found in the warm season, but the temperature contrasts are not as large (the temperature contrast between the urban and rum region is 2.4°C). At night, the ground temperature pattern does not show a strong dependence on small-scale land-use features. The temperature contrast between the urban and rural regions is about 2.5°C, which is similar to that found in the cold season during the day. The reflectivity is low in the central portion of St. Louis and in other smaller urban areas surrounding St. Louis. Difference i...
P-Rex1 Is a Primary Rac2 Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor in Mouse Neutrophils

Leukocyte chemoattractants regulate many leukocyte functions, including leukocyte chemotaxis, via the Rho family of small GTPases that include RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac. Previous work has revealed mechanisms by which chemoattractants regulate RhoA and Cdc42 in mouse neutrophils, but the mechanisms for regulation of Rac remain unclear even though Rac is important for neutrophil functions. Here, we characterized P-Rex1, a Gbetagamma and PIP(3)-regulated guanine nucleotide exchange factor that was initially identified as a Rac activator in response to chemoattractants, for its roles in the regulation of Rac activity and neutrophil functions. We generated a mouse line in which the P-Rex1 gene is disrupted and found that P-Rex1 deficiency did not significantly affect Rac1 activation but diminished Rac2 activation in response to a chemoattractant fMLP in mouse neutrophils. This preference for Rac2 may partially result from the apparent higher affinity of P-Rex1 for Rac2 than for Rac1 because P-Rex1 was more readily immunoprecipitated with Rac2(S17N) than Rac1(S17N). In addition, P-Rex1 deficiency significantly attenuated fMLP-induced F actin formation and superoxide production without affecting LPS- or PMA-induced production. Furthermore, P-Rex1 deficiency caused a chemotactic defect that is primarily attributed to a reduction in the migration rate rather than directionality.
Auditor's going-concern modification decision in the post-Enron era

The decision to modify a client's report for “going-concern” reasons is one of the most difficult decisions an auditor faces. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' (AICPA) guidance, in SAS No. 59, requires the auditor to evaluate whether there is “substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern.” But although the term going concern is widely used in the profession, curiously it is not defined authoritatively in accounting standards. Many auditors also point out that the going-concern modification fails to predict bankruptcy. And to further confuse matters, SAS 59 does not use the word bankruptcy anywhere in the text. The standard charges the auditor only with the responsibility to evaluate whether or not there is substantial doubt (another vague term) about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year beyond the date of the audit. So with all this uncertainty, what is the state of the going-concern decision in today's post-Enron era? © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Nitrate concentrations under irrigated agriculture

In recent years, considerable interest has been expressed in the nitrate content of water supplies. The most notable toxic effect of nitrate is infant methemoglobinemia. The risk of this disease increases significantly at nitrate-nitrogen levels exceeding 10 mg/l. For this reason, this concentration has been established as a limit for drinking water in many countries.
Children Who Do Well in School: Individual Differences in Perceived Competence and Autonomy in Above-Average Children

Self-determination theory and a motivational model of engagement were used to determine the impact of perceived competence and autonomy on engagement and performance in school of 77 3rd and 4th graders identified as above average in ability by scoring above the median on the Stanford Achievement Test. Despite this high ability, children who reported experiencing a lack of competence (those less certain of their abilities) or a lack of autonomy (being externally motivated) reported more negative affect and withdrawal behaviors than did children who perceived themselves as having ability or who perceived themselves to be autonomous. Implications for the achievement and adjustment of children in school are discussed.
Maximizing profit using SLA-aware provisioning

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract between a Service Provider (SP) and a customer that typically includes the customer requirements that the SP guarantees, the fee paid to the SP if the requirements are satisfied, and the penalty incurred by the SP if they are violated. Since an important requirement is the customer's service availability, we focus on routing and admission control in optical networks to improve the SP's ability to meet customers' availability requirements. Previous researchers used statistical path availabilities to satisfy SLA requirements. A more accurate measure is the actual probability that the request will satisfy the SLA requirements. Furthermore, since typically the SP's goal is to maximize profit, a good admission control policy should also consider the profitability of the request. We study the problem of provisioning connection requests to maximize profit in optical networks. We propose a two-step solution to this problem: first, efficient SLA-aware routing and second, intelligent admission control. For the SLA-aware routing, we consider both single path and pair of paths (one primary and one backup) solutions that route the request while minimizing the SLA violation probability. For the admission control, we propose a model to express the profitability of a request and an admission control policy that considers the violation probability and profitability to determine if and how the request should be admitted. Our admission control policy assesses a request's profitability by considering not only its expected profit but also by quantifying its resource utilization. Our results show that our solution provisions more requests, satisfies more SLA requirements, and yields more expected profit than the traditional approach.
Changing influences of sucrose and visual engagement in 2-to 12-week-old human infants: Implications for maternal face recognition

Abstract Healthy infants, 2- to 12-weeks of age, were studied while crying. Following a baseline period during which crying occured for at least 24s/min, each infant was allowed to taste 0.5-1.0 ml of a 12% weight/volume solution of sucrose, or water vehicle, once/min. for 30 sec. while being visually engaged by the experimenter. Two- and 4-week-old infants were quieted by sucrose-visual engagement and remained quiet during the 2-min posttreatment interval. Six- and 9-week-old infants were quieted during treatment. Calm did not endure, however, and baseline levels of crying were soon reachieved. Crying in 12-week-old infants was not reduced either during or following sucrose-visual engagement. Water only modestly reduced crying, and this was mainly attributed to response competition during water ingestion. Quieting did not persist in infants who received water. Heart rate was dissociated from quieting in infants of all ages. Heart rate increased, despite reduced crying, in the youngest infants who received water. Heart rate was not reduced by sucrose in 6- or 9-week-olds even though crying was. These data speak to the adequacy of different facets of the nursing setting to calm distraught infants and to support learning about the mothers specific facial characteristics.
Myocardial fat overgrowth in Proteus syndrome

Proteus syndrome (PS) is a rare, mosaic disorder with asymmetric and distorting overgrowth of the skeletal system, skin, and adipose tissues. Cardiac abnormalities are rare in this syndrome and only two prior cases have been reported. Many patients with PS followed at our institution underwent transthoracic echocardiograms for preoperative evaluation or as work-up for associated pulmonary disease. Some were noted to have prominent, focal echodense areas in the myocardium. We further investigated cardiac findings in a cohort of children and adult patients with PS. Patients with abnormal echocardiograms were referred for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, Holter monitoring, and exercise treadmill testing. Twenty children and adults with PS, age 24 months to 50 years old, underwent transthoracic echocardiograms. Seven patients (35%) had focal bright echodense areas within the myocardium suggesting fatty infiltration. The majority of patients had significant involvement of the interventricular septum. The cardiac characteristics of all patients with fatty infiltration on transthoracic echocardiograms were compared to Proteus patients without these findings. There were no significant differences in chamber sizes, mass, systolic or diastolic function. No increased risk of conduction defects or arrhythmias was found. This study shows that abnormal fat overgrowth is a common finding in the myocardium in patients with Proteus syndrome; however, it is not associated with functional derangements or arrhythmias. Further evaluation of a larger number of Proteus patients is needed in order to determine the frequency and prognosis of cardiac involvement. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Redressing metropolitan imbalances in service delivery: A time-series intervention analysis of a user charge policy

While a quarter of a century of contributions to the literature on central city-suburb relationships indicates that within a metropolitan context suburban exploitation of central cities may not exist, there is no lessening of the desire to reduce imbalances within a particular urban service delivery sector. This paper assesses the impact of an urban administrative policy intervention aimed at shifting the burden of supporting a municipal service to those who actually use and benefit from it. An interrupted time-series quasi-experimental design is merged with a data analysis strategy employing integrated moving average models. The evidence endorses the adoption of user charges for certain urban services as an effective strategy open to urban bureaucracies for redressing urban public finance imbalances.
Color Atlas of Genetics

Color Atlas of Genetics. By Eberhard Passarge. Thieme Medical Publishers Inc., New York, NY 1995. 411 pp., 174 color plates by Jurgen Wirth.
Ab initio calculated geometries and charge distributions for H 4 SiO 4 and H 6 Si 2 O 7 compared with experimental values for silicates and siloxanes

Ab initio STO-3G molecular orbital theory has been used to calculate energy-optimized Si-O bond lengths and angles for molecular orthosilicic and pyrosilicic acids. The resulting bond length for orthosilicic acid and the nonbridging bonds for pyrosilicic acid compare well with Si-OH bonds observed for a number of hydrated silicate minerals. Minimum energy Si-O bond lengths to the bridging oxygen of the pyrosilicic molecule show a close correspondence with bridging bond length data observed for the silica polymorphs and for gas phase and molecular crystal siloxanes when plotted against the SiOSi angle. In addition, the calculations show that the mean Si-O bond length of a silicate tetrahedron increases slightly as the SiOSi angle narrows. The close correspondence between the Si-O bond length and angle variations calculated for pyrosilicic acid and those observed for the silica polymorphs and siloxanes substantiates the suggestion that local bonding forces in solids are not very different from those in molecules and clusters consisting of the same atoms with the same coordination numbers. An extended basis calculation for H4SiO4 implies that there are about 0.6 electrons in the 3d-orbitals on Si. An analysis of bond overlap populations obtained from STO-3G* calculations for H6Si2O7 indicates that Si-O bond length and SiOSi angle correlations may be ascribed to changes in the hybridization state of the bridging oxygen and (d – p) π-bonding involving all five of the 3d AO's of Si and the lone-pair AO's of the oxygen. Theoretical density difference maps calculated for H6Si2O7 show a build-up of charge density between Si and O, with the peak-height charge densities of the nonbridging bonds exceeding those of the bridging bonds by about 0.05 e A−3. In addition, atomic charges (+1.3 and −0.65) calculated for Si and O in a SiO2 moiety of the low quartz structure conform reasonably well with the electroneutrality postulate and with experimental charges obtained from monopole and radial refinements of diffraction data recorded for low quartz and coesite.
Benthos and zooplankton of coal strip mine ponds in the mountains of northwestern Colorado, U.S.A.

Zooplankton, benthos and associated physico-chemical conditions were sampled in coal strip-mine ponds in northwestern Colorado from June 1977 to May 1978. Two spoils ponds derived all of their drainage from the coal mine, but differed in age; one pond received only partial drainage from mine spoils; a control pond was located in an adjacent drainage basin. Acid mine drainage was not observed, although total dissolved solids (TDS), nitrate and sulfate values were higher in the spoils ponds than in the control pond. Net zooplankton were less abundant in the spoils ponds, although standing stock of benthos exhibited a progressive decrease from the youngest spoils pond to the control pond. Zooplankton and benthos species diversity values were lower in the ponds affected by mine drainage. Certain groups of zooplankters (Cladocera) and benthos (Trichoptera, Amphipoda, Hydracarina, and Sphaeriidae) were rare or absent in the youngest spoils pond. Percentage Similarity Coefficients indicate that colonization phenomena (age and distance from a source of colonizers) may be responsible, in part, for the faunal differences between ponds, since the higher levels of nitrate, sulfate, and TDS in the spoils ponds were generally within the tolerance range of aquatic organisms.
Linear Free Energy of Activation Relationship for Barrierless Association Reactions

An analysis of variational transition state theory rate constants, for the association reactions Cl- + CH3Cl, Cl- + CH3Br, H + CH3, H + diamond{111}, CH3 + CH3, and Al + Al2 shows that the free energy of activation ΔG⧧ varies nearly linearly with temperature, over a broad temperature range, for each reaction. This suggests that association rate constants can be parametrized by the free energy of activation at 300 K, Δ , and the change in ΔG⧧ with temperature, ΔΔG⧧/ΔT. The near linear dependence of ΔG⧧ with temperature is supported by a semiempirical model for association kinetics. The rate constants for Cl- + CH3Cl, Cl- + CH3Br, and CH3 + CH3 decrease with increase in temperature, while those for H + CH3, H + diamond{111}, and Al + Al2 slightly increase. For the six association reactions considered here, the linear free energy relationship gives semiquantitative rate constants over a rather broad temperature range of 200−2000 K. To calculate accurate rate constants over a broader temperature range, partic...
Magnetic and structural characterization of the chromium(III) dimer sodium diμ-hydroxobis[bis(oxalato)chromate(III)] hexahydrate, Na4[Cr(C2O4)2OH]2·6H2O

Abstract The crystal and molecular structure of the sodium di-μ-hydroxobis[bis(oxalato)chromate(III)] hexahydrate, Na4[Cr(C2)4)2·6H2O [or Na4[Cr(ox)2OH]2·6H2O], has been determined from three-dimensional X-ray diffraction data collected by counter methods. The material crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with four dimeric formula units in a cell of dimensions a = 19.530(12), b = 9.860(7), c = 12.657(10) A and β = 106.93(4)°: least-squares refinement of the structure has led to a final R-factor (on F) of 0.061 using 3278 independent intensities. The structure consists of two crystallographically independent dimeric [Cr(ox)2OH]4−2 anions which interact with sodium cations and water molecules in the cell. The geometry around each independent chromium(III) center is roughly octahedral. The bridging unit is strictly planar, there being an inversion center in the middle of each dimer. The CrOCr bridging angles are 99.6(2) and 99.7(2)°, and the CrCr separations are 2.999(3) and 3.001(2) A. There is extensive hydrogen bonding between the oxalate ligands and the water molecules. The magnetic susceptibility of a single crystal of the complex has been examined in the temperature range 2–70 K, and has been interpreted by means of application of the magnetization expression for coupled pairs of S = 3 2 ions with a small value of ∣J∣. The dimer exhibits a very small exchange interaction, the best fit to the magnetization expression yielding J = −0.31 cm−1 and γ = 0.28; the latter value gives an inter-dimer lattice interaction parameter, J′, of 0.034 cm−1 for the four nearest neighbors.
Improved procedures for estimation of disease prevalence using ranked set sampling.

Ranked set sampling (RSS) is a sampling procedure that can be considerably more efcient than simple random sampling (SRS). When the variable of interest is binary, ranking of the sample observations can be implemented using the estimated probabilities of success obtained from a logistic regression model developed for the binary variable. The main objective of this study is to use substantial data sets to investigate the application of RSS to estimation of a proportion for a population that is different from the one that provides the logistic regression. Our results indicate that precision in estimation of a population proportion is improved through the use of logistic regression to carry out the RSS ranking and, hence, the sample size required to achieve a desired precision is reduced. Further, the choice and the distribution of covariates in the logistic regression model are not overly crucial for the performance of a balanced RSS procedure. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Prostaglandin biosynthesis by fat body from larvae of the beetle Zophobas atratus.

We describe prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis by microsomal-enriched fractions of fat body prepared from larvae of the tenebrionid beetle, Zophobas atratus. PG biosynthesis was sensitive to incubation time, temperature, pH, substrate and protein concentration. Optimal PG biosynthesis conditions of those we examined included 2 mg of microsomal-enriched protein, incubated at 22°C for 2 min at pH 6. These preparations yielded four major PGs: PGA2, PGE2, PGD2 and PGF2α. PGA2 and PGF2α were the predominant eicosanoids produced under these conditions. Two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, indomethacin and naproxen, effectively inhibited PG biosynthesis in low concentrations. In vitro PG biosynthetic reaction conditions, using vertebrate or invertebrate enzyme sources, usually include a cocktail of reaction co-factors. The Z. atratus preparation similarly performs better in the presence of co-factors. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 49:80–93, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Patterns of Trade in Ethnic Enclaves: A Study of Arab and Hispanic Small Businesses

Abstract This study examines the nature of intra-enclave trade for two ethnic enclaves, Hispanics and Arabs, within a U.S. metropolitan area. Based upon a sample of forty-two small ethnic businesses, a modified enclave input-output table is developed for purchases of materials, services, and labor inputs and sales of outputs. Analysis suggests that ethnic firms tend to rely more upon the ethnic enclave for labor inputs than for other resources. In addition, the study indicates that start-up firms rely more upon intra-enclave economic exchange than more mature ethnic business.
Understanding and Managing Atopic Dermatitis in Adult Patients

Atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults is an important dermatologic disease. Even in patients in whom the clinical presentation is mild, the burden of disease can be considerable. Relatively little has been published on adult AD compared to the body of literature devoted to AD in children, although adults with severe AD are greatly affected by the disease. Even when AD is a mild clinical disease in adults, the psychosocial and economic burden of the disease can be profound. Patients are likely to find it useful if these nondermatologic comorbidities of AD are addressed by health care providers in clinical encounters. The treatment options for AD in adults are the same as those for children with AD, with some modifications.
The structure of disaster resilience: a framework for simulations and policy recommendations

Abstract. In this era of rapid climate change there is an urgent need for interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding in the study of what determines resistance to disasters and recovery speed. This paper is an economist's contribution to that effort. It traces the entrance of the word "resilience" from ecology into the social science literature on disasters, provides a formal economic definition of resilience that can be used in mathematical modeling, incorporates this definition into a multilevel model that suggests appropriate policy roles and targets at each level, and draws on the recent empirical literature on the economics of disaster, searching for policy handles that can stimulate higher resilience. On the whole it provides a framework for simulations and for formulating disaster resilience policies.
Depression, self-care, and medication adherence in type 2 diabetes: relationships across the full range of symptom severity.

OBJECTIVE —We examined the association between depression, measured as either a continuous symptom severity score or a clinical disorder variable, with self-care behaviors in type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —We surveyed 879 type 2 diabetic patients from two primary care clinics using the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS), the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and self-reported medication adherence. RESULTS —Of the patients, 19% met the criteria for probable major depression (HANDS score ≥9), and an additional 66.5% reported at least some depressive symptoms. After controlling for covariates, patients with probable major depression reported significantly fewer days9 adherent to diet, exercise, and glucose self-monitoring regimens ( P P n = 709), increasing HANDS scores were incrementally associated with poorer self-care behaviors ( P CONCLUSIONS —These findings challenge the conceptualization of depression as a categorical risk factor for nonadherence and suggest that even low levels of depressive symptomatology are associated with nonadherence to important aspects of diabetes self-care. Interventions aimed at alleviating depressive symptoms, which are quite common, could result in significant improvements in diabetes self-care.
ICU nurses' acceptance of electronic health records

Objective To assess intensive care unit (ICU) nurses’ acceptance of electronic health records (EHR) technology and examine the relationship between EHR design, implementation factors, and nurse acceptance. Design The authors analyzed data from two crosssectional survey questionnaires distributed to nurses working in four ICUs at a northeastern US regional medical center, 3 months and 12 months after EHR implementation. Measurements Survey items were drawn from established instruments used to measure EHR acceptance and usability, and the usefulness of three EHR functionalities, specifically computerized provider order entry (CPOE), the electronic medication administration record (eMAR), and a nursing documentation flowsheet. Results On average, ICU nurses were more accepting of the EHR at 12 months as compared to 3 months. They also perceived the EHR as being more usable and both CPOE and eMAR as being more useful. Multivariate hierarchical modeling indicated that EHR usability and CPOE usefulness predicted EHR acceptance at both 3 and 12 months. At 3 months postimplementation, eMAR usefulness predicted EHR acceptance, but its effect disappeared at 12 months. Nursing flowsheet usefulness predicted EHR acceptance but only at 12 months. Conclusion As the push toward implementation of EHR technology continues, more hospitals will face issues related to acceptance of EHR technology by staff caring for critically ill patients. This research suggests that factors related to technology design have strong effects on acceptance, even 1 year following the EHR implementation.
Influence of leaf trichomes on predatory mite density and distribution in plant assemblages and implications for biological control

Abstract Non-glandular trichomes on leaves or stems are strongly positively correlated with the abundance of many predatory phytoseiid mite species. Some perennial fruit crops have few or no trichomes and overcoming this limitation of leaf habitat for natural enemy mites could improve biological control of pest mites in agricultural crops. This study evaluated whether juxtaposing plants with and without trichomes will promote more abundant natural enemies throughout an ensemble of plants. We first asked whether the pattern of increased phytoseiid retention with higher trichome densities on a single leaf “scales up” to larger plantings. For three patch sizes (1, 4 or 16 plants) of two grape varieties inoculated with phytoseiids, no strong effect of patch size on Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten abundance was observed in the trichome-rich Baco plantings or in the trichome-free Dechaunac plantings. No predator populations established in Dechaunac plantings of any size. Second, we asked whether the addition of a plant with leaf trichomes within a row (“array”) of plants lacking leaf trichomes can increase phytoseiid density throughout arrays. In both a greenhouse and a field experiment, predatory mites moved onto and established on a neighboring plant only if that plant had trichomes; phytoseiids rapidly dispersed from trichome-free plants even when the plant was the one inoculated with predators. The overall number of phytoseiids decreased over time in ensembles that included both trichome-rich and trichome-free plants in the greenhouse and the field experiments, clearly indicating that for biological control programs to be successful, all plants must express trichomes.
Deterministic receptive processes are Kahn processes

Deterministic asynchronous concurrent formalisms are valuable because determinism greatly simplifies the design and validation of such systems and most concurrent formalisms are nondeterministic. This paper connects two of the more successful deterministic asynchronous formalisms: Kahn's dataflow networks and Josephs's deterministic receptive processes. The main result: a divergence-free deterministic receptive process is a Kahn process in that it can be modeled by a continuous function from input to output sequences, thus verifying it is compositionally deterministic. This result provides a bridge between two communities, enabling results from the asynchronous digital hardware community to be used in the context of dataflow computation and vice versa.
GMIP: generalized maximum intensity projection

We describe a generalization of the ubiquitous Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) method of volume visualization, the Generalized MIP (GMIP). It combines the classification step employed by volume and surface rendering with the maximum intensity projection of the MIP algorithm. We compare and contrast this new algorithm with traditional surface and volume rendering methods on a variety of data sets and demonstrate how useful visualization of structures often considered to be challenging to visualize can be efficiently created without explicit hard or fuzzy segmentation. Briefly, this new technique allows the user to arbitrarily specify a range of intensity values of interest which are then mapped to the highest intensities in the scene while other intensity values are assigned other, lower values. This allows the user to not only restrict the range of values that are actually projected but to modify them as well. Whereas the MIP method projects the maximum intensity value along a particular line, the GMIP uses a function to transform the intensity values first. The maximum of these transformed intensity values along a particular line is then projected in the GMIP. This new method is computationally fast and is a conceptually straightforward extension of the familiar MIP method but provides a great deal of new capabilities. For example, GMIP allows one to render soft tissue structures in CT and MRI and even low intensity structures such as airway in CT, and bone in MRI. We compare and contrast this new method with other well known volume visualization methods.
Application of a Multisorbent Sampling Technique for Investigations of Volatile Organic Compounds in Buildings

An analytical method for volatile organic compounds (VOC) that employs a multisorbent sampler containing, in series, Tenax-TA, Ambersorb XE-340, and activated charcoal is described. The method was evaluated and then used to measure concentrations of VOC at a school and an office building. The sampler quantitatively collects compounds spanning a broad range of boiling points, including highly volatile solvents. The overall precision of the method is better than 10% and often better than 5%. The composition and concentrations of VOC in the two, approximately five-month old, non-residential buildings were similar and also similar to the composition and concentrations in typical residential indoor air. Concentrations of VOC were measured at two ventilation rates in both non-residential buildings, and the data were applied to a single-equation mass-balance model. Apparent specific source strengths for VOC approximately doubled with a six-fold increase in ventilation rate. 17 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.
P05.34. Well-being and wellness behaviors among family medicine residents: an exploratory descriptive study

Methods FM residents in the 2011 graduating class (n=56) were assessed at four time points, the beginning of each of the three years of residency and at graduation. Measures were self-administered online and included established measures of well-being: perceived stress, burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization), emotional intelligence (empathy and perspective taking), depression, positive and negative affect, satisfaction with life, mindfulness, gratitude, and a measure of wellness behaviors (sleep, nutrition, physical activity, mind-body activities, being in nurturing relationships, being outdoors in nature, and alcohol use).
Improving Data Analysis in Second Language Acquisition by Utilizing Modern Developments in Applied Statistics

In this article we introduce language acquisition researchers to two broad areas of applied statistics that can improve the way data are analyzed. First we argue that visual summaries of information are as vital as numerical ones, and suggest ways to improve them. Specifically, we recommend choosing boxplots over barplots and adding locally weighted smooth lines (Loess lines) to scatterplots. Second, we introduce the reader to robust statistics, a tool that can provide a way to use the power of parametric statistics without having to rely on the assumption of a normal distribution; robust statistics incorporate advances made in applied statistics in the last 40 years. Such types of analyses have only recently become feasible for the non-statistician practitioner as the methods are computer-intensive. We acquaint the reader with trimmed means and bootstrapping, procedures from the robust statistics arsenal which are used to make data more robust to deviations from normality. We show examples of how analyses can change when robust statistics are used. Robust statistics have been shown to be nearly as powerful and accurate as parametric statistics when data are normally distributed, and many times more powerful and accurate when data are non-normal.
Long-term relationships among early first language skills, second language aptitude, second language affect, and later second language proficiency

Fifty-four students were followed over 10 years beginning in first grade to determine best predictors of oral and written second language (L2) proficiency. Predictor variables included measures of first language (L1) skill administered in first through fifth grades, L1 academic aptitude, L2 aptitude (Modern Language Aptitude Test), and L2 affect (motivation, anxiety). All participants completed 2 years of L2 study in high school. Findings revealed strong correlations between early L1 skills and later L2 proficiency, but the Modern Language Aptitude Test was the best predictor of overall L2 proficiency and most L2 proficiency subtests. However, L1 word decoding was the best predictor of L2 word decoding skills. Early L1 skills, L2 motivation, or L2 anxiety added a small amount of variance to the prediction models. Findings suggested that language-related variables are the most robust predictors of L2 proficiency. Results are discussed in the context of long-term cross linguistic transfer of early L1 skills to later L2 aptitude and L2 proficiency.
Collodion baby and lamellar ichthyosis

It is important to differentiate the collodion baby from harlequin ichthyosis as the latter rarely survives past the first few days of life. Occasionally, babies share features of both disorders and defy a clinical diagnosis. We recently encountered such a baby who initially presented with harlequin-like features, but evolved into lamellar ichthyosis once the keratin cast was shed. Since the routine histology of all these ichthyoses is similar, we used electron microscopy to study serial biopsy specimens from the affected infant on days 7, 14, and 150, and compared them to our own other cases of harlequin ichthyosis and lamellar ichthyosis. Electron microscopic studies of our case revealed that the marginal band of cornified cells of the stratum corneum was absent when the baby exhibited collodion/harlequin ichthyosis features. Another biopsy taken when the clinical picture evolved into lamellar-like ichthyosis, showed a well-formed marginal band in the cornified cells. In harlequin ichthyosis, the marginal band is present at birth. It is suggested that electron microscopy can differentiate severe collodion baby from harlequin ichthyosis at birth using the absence of the marginal band. Previously reported features of harlequin ichthyosis, such as the presence of giant mitochondria and an abnormal formation of the marginal band in luminal villi of acrosyringeal eccrine duct, were absent in our case.
Inertially driven inhomogeneities in violently collapsing bubbles: the validity of the Rayleigh–Plesset equation

When a bubble collapses mildly the interior pressure field is spatially uniform; this is an assumption often made to close the Rayleigh–Plesset equation of bubble dynamics. The present work is a study of the self-consistency of this assumption, particularly in the case of violent collapses. To begin, an approximation is developed for a spatially non-uniform pressure field, which in a violent collapse is inertially driven. Comparisons of this approximation show good agreement with direct numerical solutions of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations with heat and mass transfer. With knowledge of the departures from pressure uniformity in strongly forced bubbles, one is in a position to develop criteria to assess when pressure uniformity is a physically valid assumption, as well as the significance of wave motion in the gas. An examination of the Rayleigh–Plesset equation reveals that its solutions are quite accurate even in the case of significant inertially driven spatial inhomogeneity in the pressure field, and even when wave-like motions in the gas are present. This extends the range of utility of the Rayleigh–Plesset equation well into the regime where the Mach number is no longer small; at the same time the theory sheds light on the interior of a strongly forced bubble.
A preliminary phytochemical study of Lithospermum ruderale Douglas.

It has been confirmed that anestrous is produced in mice by the ingestion of Lithospermum ruderale Douglas. Extraction studies and a preliminary phytochemical study are included in this report.