cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular endothelial cells and granulopoiesis: interleukin-1 stimulates release of G-CSF and GM-CSF

Cultured mononuclear phagocytes produce soluble factors that stimulate endothelial cells to release GM-colony-stimulating activity (GM-CSA). One such factor was recently identified as interleukin 1 (IL 1). Studies were designed to determine which types of granulopoietic factors are released by IL 1-stimulated endothelial cells. Supernatants from endothelial cells cultured for 3 days in medium containing IL 1 alpha and beta were tested in both murine and human CFU-GM colony growth assays. The effect of conditioned media on differentiation of WEHI-3B myelomonocytic leukemic cells was also examined. Control media containing IL 1 alone or unstimulated endothelial cell-conditioned media contained no detectable CSA in any bioassay. Medium conditioned by IL 1-stimulated endothelial cells stimulated the clonal growth of both human and murine CFU-GM and induced macrophage differentiation of WEHI-3B cells. Treatment of these conditioned media with a highly specific neutralizing monoclonal G-CSF antibody completely inhibited their activity in the murine CFU-GM assay, but only partially inhibited GM colony growth by human marrow. Treatment of the active conditioned media with a neutralizing rabbit anti-human GM-CSF antibody partially reduced the activity of the media in the human GM-colony growth assay. G-CSF radioimmunoassay of endothelial cell culture supernatants and Northern blot analysis of endothelial cell cytoplasmic RNA for GM-CSF gene transcripts confirmed that IL 1 induced expression of both G-CSF and GM-CSF genes. Because treatment of media with both antibodies abrogated all activity in the human GM colony growth assay, we conclude that IL 1-stimulated endothelial cells release both G and GM-CSF and that these are the only granulopoietic factors detectable in clonogenic assays released by these cells in vitro.
Microbial Degradation of Lignocellulose: the Lignin Component

A new procedure was developed for the study of lignin biodegradation by pure or mixed cultures of microorganisms. Natural lignocelluloses were prepared containing C in primarily their lignin components by feeding plants l-[U-C]phenylalanine through their cut stems. Lignin degradation was observed in numerous soils by monitoring evolution of CO(2) from [C]lignin-labeled oak (Quercus albus), maple (Acer rubrum), and cattail (Typha latifola). An organism (Thermonospora fusca ATCC 27730) that is known to degrade cellulose but not lignin was shown to grow on lignocellulose in the presence of [C]lignocelluloses without evolution of CO(2). A known lignin degrader (a white-rot fungus, Polyporus versicolor) was shown to readily evolve CO(2) from damp C-labeled cattail and C-labeled maple.
NETWORKS OF PRACTICE AS HETEROGENEOUS ACTOR-NETWORKS

This paper discusses some of the difficulties involved in using the concepts of ‘communities of practice’ and ‘networks of practice’ when understanding the exchange of knowledge among globally dispersed communities of professionals. It proposes rethinking ‘networks of practice’ as heterogeneous networks in the sense used by the actor-network theory. The revised concept is illustrated with examples from the author's study of software developers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and their ties to global technology.
1 – History of Seismology

Seismology refers to the study of seismic sources, the waves they produce, and the properties of the media through which these waves travel. This chapter traces the history of seismology upto 1960. The most common explanation given for earthquakes in early cultures was the same as for any other natural disaster. They were considered a manifestation of divine wrath. However, two premodern cultures, the Chinese and the Greek, developed naturalistic explanations for seismic shaking. The expansion and professionalization of science in the 19 th century led to earthquake studies, like many other parts of science, becoming a specialization. The main problem of instrumental seismology in this period remained that of relating observed bursts of energy on the seismic record to elastic waves in the Earth. On more local scales, there have been a number of studies of crustal velocity structure using earthquakes and the occasional large explosion. The results have been interpreted in the framework given by Mohorovicic, finding the depth of crust–mantle discontinuity and sometimes of other velocity discontinuities.
Algorithmic scalability in globally constrained conservative parallel discrete event simulations of asynchronous systems.

We consider parallel simulations for asynchronous systems employing L processing elements that are arranged on a ring. Processors communicate only among the nearest neighbors and advance their local simulated time only if it is guaranteed that this does not violate causality. In simulations with no constraints, in the infinite L limit the utilization scales [Korniss et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1351 (2000)]; but, the width of the virtual time horizon diverges (i.e., the measurement phase of the algorithm does not scale). In this work, we introduce a moving Delta-window global constraint, which modifies the algorithm so that the measurement phase scales as well. We present results of systematic studies in which the system size (i.e., L and the volume load per processor) as well as the constraint are varied. The Delta constraint eliminates the extreme fluctuations in the virtual time horizon, provides a bound on its width, and controls the average progress rate. The width of the Delta window can serve as a tuning parameter that, for a given volume load per processor, could be adjusted to optimize the utilization, so as to maximize the efficiency. This result may find numerous applications in modeling the evolution of general spatially extended short-range interacting systems with asynchronous dynamics, including dynamic Monte Carlo studies.
ADAMTS13: Structure and Function

ADAMTS13, a plasma metalloprotease that cleaves von Willebrand factor (VWF), has been shown to have both antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory activities. Severe deficiency of plasma ADAMTS13 activity is a primary cause of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a potentially fatal syndrome, but mild to moderate deficiency of plasma ADAMTS13 activity may be associated with increased risk for many other pathologies, including myocardial/cerebral infarction, malignant malaria, preeclampsia, and acute and chronic inflammation. Structure–function analyses demonstrate that N-terminal fragment containing a metalloprotease domain, a disintegrin domain, the first thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSP1 1), a cysteine-rich domain, and a spacer domain (i.e., MDTCS) appears to be sufficient for recognition and proteolytic cleavage of VWF in vitro and in vivo. The role of more distal C-terminal domains including TSP1 2–8 repeats and CUB (the complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, and Bmp1) domains remains to be determined. Recent studies suggest that TSP12–8 and CUB domains may negatively regulate ADAMTS13 activity. Further investigations of the binding sites of anti-ADAMTS13 autoantibodies from acquired TTP patients may help redesign ADAMTS13 protease for therapeutic use.
Effect of cost sharing on prescription drug use by Medicare beneficiaries prior to the Medicare Drug Benefit and potential adverse selection in the benefit

Objectives To (1) describe prescription drug cost sharing and benefit structures faced by seniors before implementation of the Medicare drug benefit, (2) examine the relationship between prescription drug benefit structure and prescription drug use by seniors prior to Medicare drug benefit, and (3) examine factors predicting intention to enroll in the Medicare drug benefit. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Internet-based survey administered on behalf of the researchers by Harris Interactive in October 2005. Participants Harris Interactive maintains a panel of individuals who have opted to participate in online surveys. Individuals from this panel who were English speaking, 65 years of age or older, U.S. residents, and enrolled in Medicare were invited to participate. Intervention The survey collected information on prescription coverage, prescription use, intention to enroll in the Medicare drug benefit, health status, and demographics. Main outcome measures Number of prescriptions used by a beneficiary in the month before the survey and the intention of the beneficiary to enroll in the Medicare drug benefit. Results Beneficiaries were enrolled in plans with a wide variety of benefit structures and cost-sharing amounts. Prescription drug use fell with higher copayment ranks and average coinsurance but not at the P Conclusion Prescription use decreased as cost sharing increased with mixed significance. There was evidence of potential adverse selection in the Medicare drug benefit.
WRN at telomeres: Implications for aging and cancer

Werner Syndrome (WS) is a premature aging syndrome characterized by early onset of age-related pathologies and cancer. Since WS is due to a single gene defect, it has attracted much interest from researchers seeking to understand pathways that contribute to cancer and aging at cellular and molecular levels. The protein mutated in WS, WRN, appears to play a major role in genome stability, particularly during DNA replication and telomere metabolism. Much of the pathophysiology associated with WS, including the rapid onset of cellular senescence, early cancer onset and premature aging, can be attributed to a defect in telomere maintenance. Recent genetic evidence from the mTerc –/– Wrn –/– mouse demonstrates that mice with critically shortened telomeres display aging phenotypes reminiscent of human WS, further reinforcing the notion that telomere dysfunction is required for the manifestation of aging pathophysiologies in the setting of WRN deficiency.
COMPONENTS IN LISTENING BEHAVIOR: THE ROLE OF SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Three measures of listening—short-term (STL), short-term listening with rehearsal (STL-R), and lecture comprehension—were compared with other scores of general mental ability and classroom performance scores. The listening measures were significantly different from each other in relation to ACT composite scores. Short-term listening related most closely to oral performance whereas lecture comprehension did so to general mental ability and written examination scores. Listening behavior seems not to be a singular skill but a very complex process.
Interpretation of arousal and its effects on motivation.

Summary Thirty-six male subjects were given a series of electric shocks by a confederate of the experimenter as they read a sexually exciting passage from a novel. One-third were informed via false electronic feedback that they were sexually aroused, one-third that they were aggressively aroused, and one-third that they were aroused through the action of a drug ingested previously. All subjects were then given a choice between shocking the confederate and examining a number of photographs of attractive female nudes. Subjects who had been informed that they were either aggressively aroused or aroused by the drug preferred to shock the confederate. Those who had been told that they were sexually aroused showed a preference for looking at nudes. Subjects who behaved in ways consistent with feedback on their arousal state were more confident of their decisons than subjects who behaved inconsistently. Other data show that demand characteristics do not entirely account for the findings.
Nonisothermal model of glass fiber drawing stability

Draw resonance is caused by a constant speed winder that leads to non-constant axial forces (Schultz, 1984). The well studied isothermal Newtonian fiber drawing predicts very modest critical draw ratios (around 20, much less than the typical production draw ratios for glass fibers of 103 – 105). The nonisothermal fiber drawing model presented here shows that cooling along the spin line strongly stabilizes the process. However, we show that the conclusion of Shah and Pearson (1972a,b) that non-isothermal Newtonian fiber spinning is unconditionally stable is based on non-converged numerical results. The choice of viscosity-temperature correlation function has a strong influence in determining the stability of the process. While viscoelasticity generally has an adverse effect on the stability, low viscoelasticity in the presence of extensional thinning helps to slightly improve the maximum critical draw ratio.
Enhanced clutter rejection with two-parameter magnetic classification for UXO

The magnetic detection of objects with ferromagnetic casings, such as unexploded ordnance (UXO), is typically plagued by high false alarm rates. In the past, only estimates of the magnitudes of the dipoles found in a magnetic search have been used to determine if the dipoles are UXO-like. Following Altshuler, this paper reports on a method aimed at significantly reducing the false-alarm rate, thereby making magnetic detection of UXO more effective. The method assumes that UXO magnetic dipoles are predominantly induced, rather than permanent, and that their ferromagnetic casings can be closely approximated as spheroids. the method relies on the determination of the full magnetic moment of each magnetic dipole. This information can be obtained, even in a multi-target scenario, by magnetic field gradiometers, which measure the five independent components of the gradient of the magnetic field. Two distinct two-parameter classification schemes are described. One assumes that the magnetic object is lying flat and determines the effective magnetic susceptibilities parallel and normal to the symmetry axis. The other scheme makes no assumption about the orientation of the magnetic object, but provides simple and robust limits on moment magnitude and direction that effectively reject clutter. Real magnetic clutter data gathered at sea is employed to demonstrate and estimate the effectiveness of these schemes.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Molecular weight distribution in continuous stirred tank vinyl acetate emulsion polymerization

Emulsion polymerization typically produces polymers of high molecular weight with broad distributions of molecular size. Many models have been proposed that use either a Flory type distribution, resulting in a polydispersity of two, or a distribution function to represent the breadth of the distribution. In this work, a model for the distribution of molecular weights is derived as a approximation from a detailed molecular weight model that was previously developed. The model is found to approximate the distribution of molecular weights well for several emulsifier concentrations is continuous stirred tank emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate. An analysis is also conducted of the transformation of gel permeation chromatography data to weight and number fractional distributions of the molecular sizes.
Short note: A geometric interpretation of convexity conditions for surfaces

Conditions for Bernstein-Bezier-Farin approximations defined over triangles to be convex have recently been developed by Chang and Davis [1984] and by Chang and Feng [1984]. This note gives a geometric interpretation of these convexity conditions based on the normal curvature and the second fundamental form of the surface.
Neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet contact laser ablation of Barrett's high grade dysplasia and early adenocarcinoma.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: We describe the efficacy and safety of neodymium:yttrium-aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) contact laser ablation of Barrett’s high grade dysplasia (HGD) and/or early adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Consecutive Barrett’s patients in whom HGD or adenocarcinoma was detected were eligible. Radial array echoendosonography and high frequency catheter probe ultrasonography were performed. Patients were excluded if ultrasound revealed the presence of Barrett’s cancer with regional lymph nodes or celiac trunk metastases or extension of the tumor into superficial submucosa (T1sm1) or greater. Nd:YAG laser used quartz contact probes, with all Barrett’s epithelium targeted at each session. Complete ablation was confirmed with Lugol’s iodine chromoendoscopy followed by surveillance biopsies of the neosquamous epithelium. Adverse events were ascertained by scheduled telephone contact interviews. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients with HGD/adenocarcinoma were evaluated at our center, 17 of whom met all inclusion criteria. Of the patients, 14 have remained in the study, and all have had successful elimination of HGD and cancer. In addition, 11 patients (78.6%) achieved complete endoscopic and histological ablation of all Barrett’s tissue. Two patients (14.3%) achieved 95% destruction of Barrett’s with residual metaplastic columnar epithelium containing goblet cells without dysplasia. The remaining patient has obtained 75% ablation of Barrett’s, with residual metaplastic columnar epithelium harboring Barrett’s with low grade dysplasia. Major complications included two esophageal strictures (11.8%) and one mild upper GI bleed (5.9%). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary experience with Nd:YAG contact laser for the treatment of Barrett’s HGD and early superficial cancers seems promising. The need for additional controlled trials with larger numbers of patients with longer follow-up, as well as consideration of a head-to-head trial with Photofrin photodynamic therapy, is warranted.
Lethal and sublethal effects of marine sediment extracts on fish cells and chromosomes

The cost of conducting conventional chronic bioassays with every potentially toxic compound found in marine ecosystems is prohibitive; therefore short-term toxicity tests which can be used for rapid screening were developed. The tests employ cultured fish cells to measure lethal, sublethal or genotoxic effects of pure compounds and complex mixtures. The sensitivity of these tests has been proven under laboratory conditions; the following study used two of these tests, the anaphase aberration test and a cytotoxicity assay, under field conditions. Sediment was collected from 97 stations within Puget Sound, Washington. Serial washings of the sediment in methanol and dichloromethane yielded an organic extract which was dried, dissolved in DMSO and incubated as a series of dilutions with rainbow trout gonad (RTG-2) cells. The toxic effects of the extract were measured by examining the rate of cell proliferation and the percentage of damaged anaphase figures. Anaphase figures were considered to be abnormal if they exhibited non-disjunctions, chromosome fragments, or chromosome bridges. A second cell line (bluegill fry, BF-2) was also tested for cell proliferation and was included because, unlike the RTG-2 cell line, it contains little or no mixed function oxygenase activity. Of 97 stations tested, 35 showed no genotoxic activity, 42 showed high genotoxic activity (P≤.01) and the remainder were intermediate. Among the toxic sites were several deep water stations adjacent to municipal sewage outfalls and four urban waterways contaminated by industrial and municipal effluents. Extracts from areas that showed genotoxic effects also inhibited cell proliferation and were cytotoxic to RTG-2 cells. Few effects were noted in the MFO deficient BF-2 cells. Short term in vitro tests provide aquatic toxicologists with a versatile and cost effective tool for screening complex environments. Through these tests one can identify compounds or geographic regions that exhibit high cytotoxic or genotoxic potential.
Low-Energy Events in Cosmic Radiation

The intensity of low-energy events in the cosmic radiation has been examined as a function of altitude with an energy gated scintillation counter. Events selected were those giving pulses the equivalent of 0.2-Mev to 2.0-Mev electron energy loss in the scintillation crystal. Compared with data for total radiation, the present results show a shift toward lower altitudes by an almost constant fraction of a radiation length.
Pituitary disorders during pregnancy.

Hyperprolactinemia and Cushing's syndrome may interfere with fertility and need to be controlled to allow conception. Cushing's syndrome, acromegaly, and hyperthyroidism secondary to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) hypersecretion may increase maternal morbidity and fetal morbidity and mortality. Removal of an adrenocorticotropin hormone-secreting tumor during pregnancy is warranted to reduce fetal loss, and medical control of hyperthyroidism is indicated. Pregnancy also may cause an increase in prolactin-secreting tumors, especially macroadenomas. In patients with hypopituitarism, thyroid hormone doses should be increased empirically because TSH levels cannot be used. Usually no increase in glucocorticoid dose is needed except to cover the stress of labor and delivery. Lymphocytic hypophysitis may occur with mass effects or hypopituitarism. Appropriate evaluation and hormone replacement are indicated in the acute and chronic forms of Sheehan's syndrome.
Clustering high-dimensional data via random sampling and consensus

In response to the urgent need for learning tools tuned to big data analytics, the present paper introduces a feature selection approach to efficient clustering of high-dimensional vectors. The resultant method leverages random sampling and consensus (RANSAC) arguments, originally developed for robust regression tasks in computer vision, to yield novel dimensionality reduction schemes. The advocated random sampling and consensus K-means (RSC-Kmeans) algorithm can operate in either batch or sequential modes, with the latter being able to afford lower computational footprint than the former. Extensive numerical tests on synthetic and real datasets highlight the potential of the proposed algorithms, and demonstrate their competitive performance relative to state-of-the-art random projection alternatives.
Prediagnostic body weight and survival in high grade glioma

Greater adiposity has been linked to an increased risk and/or poorer survival in a variety of cancers. We examined whether prediagnostic body weight 1-5 years prior to diagnosis is associated with survival in patients with high grade glioma. The analysis was based on a series of patients with high-grade glioma (N = 853) enrolled in a US-based multicenter case-control study. Subjects reported height and weight 1-5 years prior to interview and at age 21. BMI was categorized according to WHO criteria as underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (BMI 25-29.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m(2)). Proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for glioma-related death according to body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)). Overall survival was reduced among patients underweight (median survival: 12.0 months) or obese (median: 13.6 months) when compared to patients of normal weight (median: 17.5 months) prior to glioma diagnosis (p = 0.004). In a multivariate model controlling for other prognostic factors, an excess mortality was observed in patients reporting obese body weights 1-5 years prior to study interview when compared to patients with a normal BMI (HR = 1.32; 95 % CI 1.04-1.68). Consistent patterns of association with excess body weight were observed in men and women, and all findings were similar regardless of treatment for glioma. A lower than optimal body weight was associated with a nonsignificant excess mortality in multivariate analysis. Premorbid obesity was significantly associated with a poor patient outcome independent of treatment and established prognostic factors. Excess body weight may be an adverse prognostic factor in glioma, a relationship observed across a spectrum of cancer types. The current findings linking prediagnostic body weight with mortality in high-grade glioma warrant further research.
Treatment and diagnostic subtype in facial affect recognition in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have been described as having deficits in the ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion. We report the results of a study on the effects of global psychopathology, positive and negative symptoms, diagnostic subtype, and antipsychotic medications, on the ability of subjects with schizophrenia to recognize facial affect. Eighteen SCID diagnosed patients with schizophrenia and ten matched controls were evaluated at a drug-free baseline for ability to identify facial expression expressed in a standardized series of photographs, with concurrent measures of global psychopathology, and positive and negative symptoms. At baseline patients were impaired in affect recognition relative to the normals, and impairment was not related to measures of psychopathology or positive or negative symptoms. Performance did not improve with antipsychotic treatment, and patients with paranoid schizophrenia had significantly better affect recognition abilities than non-paranoid patients.
Effect of chronic clofibrate administration on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.

Abstract The effect of chronic clofibrate administration on fatty acid oxidation by isolated liver and skeletal muscle mitochondria was studied to determine if the hypolipidemic action of clofibrate may be mediated by reducing levels of fatty acyl substrates via enhanced fatty acid oxidation. Oxygen consumption and CO 2 production associated with the oxidation of fatty acids were decreased 30 per cent in liver mitochondria from clofibrate-treated rats. By contrast, CO 2 production from acetate and citric acid cycle intermediates was not significantly affected. This indicates impairment of β-oxidation of fatty acids to the level of acetyl CoA, an interpretation supported by the findings of a decrease in ketone body production. In liver mitochondria, oxygen consumption associated with the oxidation of glutamate, succinate and ascorbate was depressed. The per cent decrease was comparable in the absence or presence of ADP or dinitrophenol, suggesting impairment of the respiratory chain. There was no effect on energy production or utilization, as evidence by unchanged respiratory control, ADP/O ratio, ATP− 32 P exchange reaction, and substrate- or ATP-supported Ca 2+ uptake. Unlike isolated liver mitochondria, there were no effects on oxygen uptake or fatty acid oxidation by muscle mitochondria. It is unlikely that the hypolipidemic effects of clofibrate are mediated by reducing fatty acyl substrate levels via enhanced fatty acid oxidation.
Modeling multiple criteria in the faculty assignment problem

Abstract This paper describes two multiple criteria models for generating teaching assignments for faculty members. The first model requires faculty members to input utility values for possible teaching schedules while the second model requires that each faculty member only rank order possible teaching schedules. Unlike previously proposed models for this problem, the models described in this paper allow the user to evaluate the impacts and tradeoffs between goals that are associated with each individual faculty member and goals that are associated with the organization as a whole during the faculty assignment process.
Extreme Points of the Class of Discrete Decreasing Failure Rate Life Distributions

We show that the class of discrete decreasing failure rate DFR life distributions is a convex class. We then obtain the extreme points of this class. Finally we show how to represent any discrete DFR distribution as a mixture of these extreme points.
Nonparametric Bayesian Estimation of a Survival Curve with Dependent Censoring Mechanism

Let (X 1,Y 1),..., (X N ,Y N ) be a random sample from a bivariate distribution functionF. Based on observing only (δ i ,Z i ) whereδ i =1 ifX i ≦X i and =0 otherwise andZ i =min{X i ,Y i } fori=1,...,n, we obtain the Bayes estimator ofF whenF is a Dirichlet process under the usual integrated squared error loss function. It should be pointed out here thatX i andY i neednot be independent which is the usual assumption in survival analysis models. The effect of this dependence can be seen clearly in the estimators obtained and also in the given example which illustrates the estimator when Freunds' bivariate exponential distribution is taken as the parameter of the Dirichlet process.
Socio-cultural dimensions of climate change: charting the terrain

We have reached a crucial turning point in debates around climate change. A well established scientific consensus regarding the physical causes, dynamics, and at least many likely implications of anthropogenic climate change has thus far failed to result in any substantial movement towards mitigation. For many, then, the most urgent questions regarding climate change are now socio-cultural ones, such as: how do people come to hold and act on certain beliefs regarding environmental conditions and processes; how do institutional forms and histories shape and constrain the views and options of various sorts of actors; and what are relationships among fossil fuels, climate change, and the historical geographies and future trajectories of capitalism? Far from being simpler than physical and life science questions, these social science questions introduce entirely new sorts of actors, dynamics, and methodological challenges into this already complex and dynamic domain. This special issue takes up these topics. In this essay, we chart some of the major contours of contemporary social science thinking regarding climate change and introduce the articles in the special issue. We begin by examining work, from political science and scholarship on the commons, that foregrounds questions of sovereignty, territoriality, and cooperation with respect to environmental governance. Then we examine work from neoclassical economics and radical political economy, which frame climate change in terms of externalities, or contradiction and crisis, respectively. Finally, we examine the rapidly proliferating work exploring how individuals think and feel about these issues, emphasizing concepts of risk, communication, and governmentality.
Cancer in the second breast.

Summary o 1. After I, 200 radical mastectomies, cancersbehaving like independent growths have developed in the second breast in thirty-one patients (2.6 per cent) so far. It is to be expected that additional cases will yet appear among patients in the series who are still living. 2. In a selected group (stage i), cancer has developed in the second breast in 4 per cent. Corrected for future cases among patients still living, the eventual incidence will apparently rise to about 6 per cent, roughly three times the general incidence of unilateral cancer.
Efficient preparation of enantiomerically pure cyclic aminoalditols, total synthesis of 1-deoxynojirimycin and 1-deoxymannojirimycyn

Abstract Expeditious new syntheses of the title compounds, which are potent glycosidase inhibitors, have been developed based on a high-yield, ring-forming aminomecuration.
Clergy‐Congregation Mismatches and Clergy Job Satisfaction

Clergy are sometimes matched with congregations that are not as liberal or conservative as they are. We develop two arguments that predict different effects of clergy-congregation mismatches in theological conservatism/liberalism on clergy job satisfaction. One argument predicts no effect of a mismatch on job satisfaction because clergy have been socialized to expect challenges and frustrations in their ministry. The other argument predicts a reduction in clergy job satisfaction because of the clergy-congregation conflict produced by the theology mismatch. National data (N = 2,467) from two Protestant denominations are used to test these two hypotheses. We find support for the conflict argument: theology mismatches do produce clergy job dissatisfaction, net of numerous other factors. However this happens only when the minister is more liberal (not more conservative) than the congregation. Additional analysis also showed that these mismatched clergy are more likely to intend to leave their current churches.
Object detection based on gray level cooccurrence

Previous investigations indicate that edge information, gray level histogram information, texture information, and shape information are all useful in detecting objects. Gray level cooccurrence matrices contain a form of each of these types of information. Hence applying measures defined on cooccurrence matrices to the object detection problem would seem to be an approach which should be investigated. This paper presents a formulation of such an approach. The decision logic employed assumes that measures computed from regions containing the object form a cluster defined by N (μ 0 , Σ 0 ) in measurement space, while measures computed from regions not containing the object lie some distance away from this cluster. To help assure that this is the case, a measurement selection algorithm was formulated. Studies are reported which show testing detection accuracies of better than 90% on a number of experiments.
Alterations of the myristoylated, alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) in prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.

Abstract Abnormal synaptic plasticity has been implicated in the cognitive deficits seen in schizophrenia, where alterations have been found in neurotransmission, signaling and dendritic dynamics. Rapid rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton is critical for plasticity and abnormalities of molecular regulators of this process are candidates for understanding mechanisms underlying these changes in schizophrenia. The myristoylated, alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) is crucial for many roles associated with synaptic plasticity, including facilitation of neurotransmission, dendritic branching and in turn cognitive function. Accordingly, we hypothesized that this protein is abnormally expressed or regulated in schizophrenia. We measured protein expression of MARCKS by Western blot analysis in postmortem samples of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from elderly schizophrenia patients (N = 16) and a comparison group (N = 20). We also assayed phosphorylated-MARCKS (pMARCKS), given the role of phosphorylation in reversing membrane association by MARCKS. We found decreased expression of both MARCKS and pMARCKS in schizophrenia. Altered myristoylation may be a mechanism that explains this down-regulation of MARCKS, so we also assayed expression of the two isoforms of the key myristoylation enzyme, NMT, and an enzymatic inhibitor of this enzyme, NMT-inhibitor protein (NIP71) by Western blotting in these same subjects. Expression did not change between groups for these proteins, suggesting a mechanism other than myristoylation is responsible for decreased MARCKS expression in schizophrenia. These data suggest a potential mechanism underlying aspects of altered synaptic plasticity observed in schizophrenia.
SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES UNDER DETERMINATE SENTENCING SYSTEMS: A COMPARISON OF PREGUIDELINE AND POSTGUIDELINE PRACTICES IN MINNESOTA*

After a brief review of determinate sentencing systems, this study examines the impact of Minnesota's determinate sentencing law on various presentence and sentencing outcomes. Using comparable pre- and postguideline measures, the results of this study suggest that Minnesota's reform effort was largely successful in reducing disparity within the scope of the new guidelines. However, although the direct impact of socioeconomic attributes of the offender diminished, these characteristics continued to influence sentencing decisions indirectly through various presentence decisions and case attributes not governed by the guidelines Different models of charge bargaining and sentence negotiations are also observed when pre- and postguideline models are compared. Yet, the determinants of these time-specific models are not consistent with the assumptions of a circumvention argument. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research evaluating the impact of determinate sentencing systems on achieving social neutrality in the application of criminal sanctions.
Use of order sets in inpatient computerized provider order entry systems: A comparative analysis of usage patterns at seven sites

Abstract Background Many computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems include the ability to create electronic order sets: collections of clinically related orders grouped by purpose. Order sets promise to make CPOE systems more efficient, improve care quality and increase adherence to evidence-based guidelines. However, the development and implementation of order sets can be expensive and time-consuming and limited literature exists about their utilization. Methods Based on analysis of order set usage logs from a diverse purposive sample of seven sites with commercially and internally developed inpatient CPOE systems, we developed an original order set classification system. Order sets were categorized across seven non-mutually exclusive axes: admission/discharge/transfer (ADT), perioperative, condition-specific, task-specific, service-specific, convenience, and personal. In addition, 731 unique subtypes were identified within five axes: four in ADT ( S =4), three in perioperative, 144 in condition-specific, 513 in task-specific, and 67 in service-specific. Results Order sets ( n =1914) were used a total of 676,142 times at the participating sites during a one-year period. ADT and perioperative order sets accounted for 27.6% and 24.2% of usage respectively. Peripartum/labor, chest pain/acute coronary syndrome/myocardial infarction and diabetes order sets accounted for 51.6% of condition-specific usage. Insulin, angiography/angioplasty and arthroplasty order sets accounted for 19.4% of task-specific usage. Emergency/trauma, obstetrics/gynecology/labor delivery and anesthesia accounted for 32.4% of service-specific usage. Overall, the top 20% of order sets accounted for 90.1% of all usage. Additional salient patterns are identified and described. Conclusion We observed recurrent patterns in order set usage across multiple sites as well as meaningful variations between sites. Vendors and institutional developers should identify high-value order set types through concrete data analysis in order to optimize the resources devoted to development and implementation.
Operational and strategic information processing: Complementing healthcare IT infrastructure

Healthcare information technologies (HIT) have been promoted as key enablers of improved patient safety, reduced medical errors, and increased patient satisfaction but have yielded mixed results. Drawing upon information processing theory and quality management concepts, we examine HIT infrastructure simultaneously with two distinct means of processing information: (1) operational use of error data for detecting and reducing hospital errors, and (2) strategic use of objective data for organizational planning. We use time-sequenced data to examine HIT infrastructure (secondary data in 2008), information processing mechanisms (primary survey data from 258 hospitals in 2009), and two measures of hospital performance: (1) care quality, and (2) patient satisfaction (secondary data in 2010). Using hierarchical regression analysis we find that whether and how investments in HIT infrastructure are complemented by information processing mechanisms depends upon the performance measure under consideration and the form of information processing employed. Specifically, operational error processing complements HIT infrastructure in its association with higher care quality but not with patient satisfaction. In comparison, higher levels of strategic information processing complement HIT infrastructure in its association with higher patient satisfaction.
Solid particle erosion behavior of an Si3N4–MoSi2 composite at room and elevated temperatures

The solid particle erosion behavior at room and elevated temperatures (180, 500, 700 and 900 C) of an Si[sub 3]N[sub 4]-MoSi[sub 2] composite was studied. Alumina particles entrained in a stream of nitrogen gas impacted the target material at a velocity of 40 m/s. Impingement angles of either 60, 75 or 90[degree] were used. It was found that the erosion rate for the Si[sub 3]N[sub 4]-MoSi[sub 2] composite (measured at room temperature) was a maximum at the 90[degree] incident angle, erosion behavior typical of brittle materials. The erosion rate of the composite at a 75[degree] impingement angle increased slightly with increasing test temperature up to 700 C (i.e. from 4.1 to 4.9 mm[sup 3]/g). At 900 C, the measured erosion rate decreased to 2.9 mm[sup 3]/g. The erosion behavior of the Si[sub 3]N[sub 4]-MoSi[sub 22048mposite was compared to that of commercially available Si[sub 3]N[sub 4], WC-6%Co, 304 SS, IN-800 (Ni-Fe-Cr alloy) and Stellite-6B (Co-Cr-W-Mo alloy).
Thermal stability of thin InGaN films on GaN

Abstract The thermal stability of ∼200-nm-thick InGaN thin films on GaN was investigated using isothermal and isochronal post-growth anneals. The In x Ga 1− x N films ( x =0.08–0.18) were annealed in N 2 at 600–1000 °C for 15–60 min, and the resulting film degradation was monitored using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. As expected, films with higher indium concentration showed more evidence for decomposition than the samples with lower indium concentration. Also for each alloy composition, decreases in the PL intensity were observed starting at much lower temperatures compared to decreases in the XRD intensity. This difference in sensitivity of the PL and XRD techniques to the InGaN decomposition suggest that defects that quench luminescence are generated prior to the onset of structural decomposition. For the higher indium concentration films, the bulk decomposition proceeds by forming metallic indium and gallium regions as observed by XRD. For the 18% indium concentration film, measurement of the temperature-dependent InGaN decomposition yields an activation energy, E A , of 0.87±0.07 eV, which is similar to the E A for bulk InN decomposition. The InGaN integrated XRD signal of the 18% film displays an exponential decrease vs. time, implying InGaN decomposition proceeds via a first-order reaction mechanism.
Properties and applications of immobilized snake venom NAD glycohydrolase

The NAD glycohydrolase (NADase) from Bungarus fasciatus snake venom was adsorbed on concanavalin A-Sepharose, and demonstrated to retain both hydrolase and transglycosidase activities in the bound form. The matrix-bound enzyme was stable to repeated washing with buffer and storage at 4°C. The bound enzyme exhibited the same Km value for hydrolysis of nicotinamide-1,N6-ethenoadenine dinucleotide as previously measured with the soluble, purified form of the enzyme. The bound NADase was used repeatedly for a preparative-scale synthesis of 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide. It was further demonstrated that the immobilized enzyme could be prepared directly from crude snake venom, thus avoiding the time required for purification. The application of the immobilized snake venom NADase for the preparation of pyridine nucleotide coenzyme analogs has many advantages over procedures used previously for analog synthesis.
What should men know about prostate-specific antigen screening before giving informed consent?

Abstract Purpose: Since prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening is controversial, some authorities recommend that patients give informed consent before testing. We identified and compared what facts experts and patients thought men should know. Subjects and Methods: We recruited a Delphi panel of national experts (6 urologists and 6 non-urologists) and conducted 6 focus groups of couples (48 subjects) with 24 screened and unscreened men from a university hospital. We ranked key facts that experts and couples thought men ought to know before consenting to PSA screening and conducted a multidisciplinary focus group to help interpret the findings. Results: All participants would disclose that false positive and false negative results can occur and that it is not known whether PSA screening reduces prostate cancer mortality. The 12 experts would disclose the uncertain benefits of treating early, localized prostate cancer. All 24 couples would disclose that the PSA test is a blood test and that patients may worry about results. The 6 urologists would disclose that prostate cancer is often incurable when symptoms appear; the 6 non-urologists, that it can be asymptomatic. The 12 couples with screened men would disclose that the PSA test can detect cancer sooner than the digital rectal examination; the 12 couples with unscreened men, that PSA testing is controversial. Conclusions: Physicians and patients agree upon some facts that men should know about PSA screening before giving informed consent. However, physicians fail to emphasize other facts that patients find important. Physicians may differ by expertise; patients, by experience. Our findings provide content for informed consent for PSA screening, and our method may be useful for other controversial tests.
Index Numbers for Factorial Effects and Their Connection with a Special Kind of Irregular Fractional Plans of Factorial Experiments

Abstract It has been shown in this note how “index numbers” could be constructed and used for expressions for the main effects in case of 2 n -factorial experiments. Such indexes satisfy the tests basic in the theory of index numbers and are easy to calculate. The factorial combinations which get involved in these indexes constitute a special kind of meaningful fractional replicates. As the fractions are small, such replicates may be conveniently used for experimental purposes, and index numbers readily constructed to indicate the trend of main effects. These index formulae may also be taken over to econometric fields for use as multi-dimensional indexes.
Activity‐dependent release of tissue plasminogen activator from the dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons revealed by live‐cell imaging

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) has been implicated in a variety of important cellular functions, including learning-related synaptic plasticity and potentiating N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent signaling. These findings suggest that tPA may localize to, and undergo activity-dependent secretion from, synapses; however, conclusive data supporting these hypotheses have remained elusive. To elucidate these issues, we studied the distribution, dynamics, and depolarization-induced secretion of tPA in hippocampal neurons, using fluorescent chimeras of tPA. We found that tPA resides in dense-core granules (DCGs) that traffic to postsynaptic dendritic spines and that can remain in spines for extended periods. We also found that depolarization induced by high potassium levels elicits a slow, partial exocytotic release of tPA from DCGs in spines that is dependent on extracellular Ca(+2) concentrations. This slow, partial release demonstrates that exocytosis occurs via a mechanism, such as fuse-pinch-linger, that allows partial release and reuse of DCG cargo and suggests a mechanism that hippocampal neurons may rely upon to avoid depleting tPA at active synapses. Our results also demonstrate release of tPA at a site that facilitates interaction with NMDA-type glutamate receptors, and they provide direct confirmation of fundamental hypotheses about tPA localization and release that bear on its neuromodulatory functions, for example, in learning and memory.