cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fine Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Mortality among Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Patients

Background: Air pollution is a carcinogen and causes pulmonary and cardiac complications. We examined the association of fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) and mortality from cancer and all causes among pediatric, adolescent, and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer in Utah, a state with considerable variation in PM2.5. Methods: We followed 2,444 pediatric (diagnosed ages 0–14) and 13,459 AYA (diagnosed ages 15–39) patients diagnosed in 1986–2015 from diagnosis to 5 and 10 years postdiagnosis, death, or emigration. We measured average monthly PM2.5 by ZIP code during follow-up. Separate pediatric and AYA multivariable Cox models estimated the association of PM2.5 and mortality. Among AYAs, we examined effect modification of PM2.5 and mortality by stage while controlling for cancer type. Results: Increases in PM2.5 per 5 μg/m3 were associated with cancer mortality in pediatric lymphomas and central nervous system (CNS) tumors at both time points, and all cause mortality in lymphoid leukemias [HR5-year = 1.32 (1.02–1.71)]. Among AYAs, PM2.5 per 5 μg/m3 was associated with cancer mortality in CNS tumors and carcinomas at both time points, and all cause mortality for all AYA cancer types [HR5-year = 1.06 (1.01–1.13)]. PM2.5 ≥12 μg/m3 was associated with cancer mortality among breast [HR5-year = 1.50 (1.29–1.74); HR10-year = 1.30 (1.13–1.50)] and colorectal cancers [HR5-year = 1.74 (1.29–2.35); HR10-year = 1.67 (1.20–2.31)] at both time points. Effect modification by stage was significant, with local tumors at highest risk. Conclusions: PM2.5 was associated with mortality in pediatric and AYA patients with specific cancers. Impact: Limiting PM2.5 exposure may be important for young cancer patients with certain cancers. See all articles in this CEBP Focus section, “Environmental Carcinogenesis: Pathways to Prevention.”
Pixel Layering and Layer Propagation for Video Modelling and Foreground Detection

Abstract : Computer vision applications that work with videos often require that the foreground, region of interest, be clearly segmented from the un-interesting background. To address this problem, we present a general framework for scene modelling and robust foreground detection that works under difficult conditions such as moving camera and dynamic background. This is achieved by first representing the scene as a union of pixel layers, and then propagating these layers through the video by a maximum-likelihood (ML) assignment of pixels to the different layers. The possibility of a pixel not belonging to any of the layers in the scene is also one of the hypotheses that are automatically tested during the maximum-likelihood assignment. The proposed approach has a number of salient virtues. Firstly, the clustering and layering is automatic, while the feature-space can be user defined to suit the application. Secondly, the cluster propagation step implicitly performs layer tracking along with foreground detection. Standard pixel based scene modelling techniques become a particular case of our general framework, when all pixels in the scene are independent and distinct from each other and belong to separate clusters. It is observed that pixels belonging to the same clusters in the feature space usually map to spatially connected layers in the image space, leading us to consider that useful correlation exists between features of pixels in the spatial vicinity. This permits to deal with camera motion with none or nominal registration. We illustrate our ideas with a number of interesting and difficult real-life examples.
Effects of Oral Antihistamines on Tear Volume, Tear Stability, and Intraocular Pressure

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of two commonly used oral antihistamines-diphenhydramine and loratadine-on tear volume, tear breakup time, and intraocular pressure. Placebo, diphenhydramine, and loratadine were administered for one week to 33 subjects experimentally blind to the treatment given. All the subjects received all three treatments over a period of six weeks. The outcome measures were the change in phenol red thread test (PRT), the tear breakup time (TBUT), and the intraocular pressure (IOP) of both eyes evaluated by experimentally masked observers. Neither of the mean changes in TBUT or IOP depended on the treatment given, but there was a significant monocular decrease in tear volume from diphenhydramine use. While we used an adequate treatment washout period of seven days, our investigation was limited by the short treatment times and inclusion of only young healthy patients. Overall, however, these results suggest that systemic diphenhydramine use should be limited to increase the effectiveness of conventional therapies. Clinicians should have fewer reservations about recommending the use of loratadine concurrent with dry eye treatments.
The Heavy Photon Search (HPS) Software Environment

The Heavy Photon Search (HPS) is an experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) designed to search for a hidden sector photon (A’) in fixed-target electro-production. It uses a silicon microstrip tracking and vertexing detector placed inside a dipole magnet to measure charged particle trajectories and a fast lead-tungstate crystal calorimeter located just downstream of the magnet to provide a trigger and to identify electromagnetic showers. The HPS experiment uses both invariant mass and secondary vertex signatures to search for the A’. The experimental collaboration is small and quite heterogeneous: it is composed of members of the nuclear physics as well as particle physics communities, from universities and national labs from around the US and Europe. Enabling such a disparate group to concentrate on the physics aspects of the experiment required that the software be easy to install and use, and having such limited manpower meant that existing solutions had to be exploited.HPS has successfully completed two engineering runs and completed its first physics run in the summer of 2019. We begin with an overview of the physics goals of the experiment followed by a short description of the detector design. We then describe the software tools used to design the detector layout and simulate the expected detector performance. Event reconstruction involving track, cluster and vertex finding and fitting for both simulated and real data was, to first order, adopted from existing software originally developed for Linear Collider studies. Bringing it all together into a cohesive whole involved the use of multiple software solutions with common interfaces.
Enumeration and characterization of five pathogenic Legionella species from large research and educational buildings

Legionella pneumophila is the species that is most often cultured from the natural environment, while disease-relevant Legionella species, such as Legionella micdadei, Legionella bozemanii, Legionella anisa, and Legionella longbeachae have yet to be extensively explored in premise plumbing systems. This study examined the concentrations of five pathogenic Legionella species (listed previously) in the influent and the taps of five different large buildings (BPS, ERC, F, FH, and M), undertaken during the start of two semesters (late summer/fall (August–September) and early winter/spring (January)). A total of 37 large-volume samples to examine building water quality (influents to the buildings and exposure sites (taps)) were collected and analyzed using droplet digital™ PCR. Legionella spp. (23S rRNA) were present in all water samples during both seasons. The majority (66%) of the exposure sites (bathroom taps) were positive for at least one target Legionella species (listed above). Results showed that pathogenic Legionella species were most often detected during the winter/spring sampling event – the percent positives for any one of the pathogenic Legionella species at the hot-water taps was 80% in building F and 40% in BPS, M, FH, and ERC. Legionella pneumophila and L. longbeachae were found in the highest concentrations (2.0 log10 gene copies (GC)/100 mL) at the hot-water taps in buildings F and ERC, respectively. No strong relationships were found with the physical–chemical parameters. Overall, general Legionella spp. concentrations increased in the winter/spring samples due possibly to lower water usage (lower occupancy and no use of cooling towers, which led to more water stagnation or time in the system).
Role of Dental Nutrition Knowledge and Socioecological Factors in Dental Caries in Low-Income Women

Dental caries is a chronic oral condition that disproportionately affects low-income women. The aim of this research was to investigate relationships between dental nutrition knowledge, socioecological factors, and prevalence of dental caries in low-income women. This quantitative cross-sectional study involved 220 women who were recruited from Central Texas. Participants completed demographics, the Dental Nutrition Knowledge Competency Scale, United States Adult Food Security Survey Module, and the Multidimensional Home Environment Scale. Two dentists measured dental caries via the Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth Index. Regression models were conducted to test the effects of dental nutrition knowledge and Multidimensional Home Environment Scale factors on dental caries. Finally, mediation analysis explored relationships between dental nutrition knowledge and dental caries, adjusting for Multidimensional Home Environment Scale scores. Results showed that dental nutrition knowledge and Multidimensional Home Environment Scale score were significantly associated with dental caries. Subscales of self-efficacy for eating healthy, oral hygiene practices, emotional eating, availability of unhealthy foods at home, and social support were related to dental caries. The relationship between dental nutrition knowledge and caries was mediated by Multidimensional Home Environment Scale scores. This research emphasizes the role of dental nutrition knowledge and socio-ecological factors on prevalence of dental caries. Public health interventions to reduce dental caries should involve strategies that increase dental nutrition knowledge and encourage behavior change in low-income populations.
Centering the lives of immigrant and refugee youth: (Re)envisioning narratives of belonging in social studies education: Humanitarianism and mass migration: Confronting the world crisis, edited by Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, Oakland, University of California Press, 2019, 416 pp., $85.00 (hardcover); $32.95 (softcover), ISBN: 9780520297142

“Migration is a shared condition of humanity” (p. xi). Indeed, we are all shaped by migration; the movement of people around the world is something we have experienced as human beings since the beg...
Case finding of dry eye disease in Norwegian optometric practice: a cross-sectional study

Optometrists are primary eye care providers, and it is essential that they efficiently identify patients who will benefit from dry eye management. The aim of the study was to explore case finding of dry eye disease (DED) in optometric practice. A cross-sectional study examining dry eye symptoms and signs in 186 patients (18–70 years of age) attending a routine eye examination, with DED defined according to the criteria of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II. Standard statistical tests were used, and clinical diagnostics were explored using sensitivity, specificity, and receiveroperating curve (ROC) statistics. Fifty-six patients were contact lens wearers, and they were significantly younger than the non-contact lens wearers (mean age 35 (SD = 1) versus 48 (± 2) years). The mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the better eye was 1.0 (± 0.1) (decimal acuity). There was no difference in BCVA between contact lens wearers and non-contact lens wearers. The mean Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score was 22 (± 19), and 138 patients had at least one positive homeostasis marker. Eighty-six had DED, 52 had signs without symptoms, and 23 had symptoms without signs of DED. The sensitivity and specificity of OSDI in detecting any positive homeostasis marker were 62% and 54%, respectively. In all, 106 patients had meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), of which 49 were asymptomatic. In a ROC analysis, an OSDI ≥ 13 showed a diagnostic ability to differentiate between patients with a fluorescein breakup time (FBUT) < 10 seconds and a fluorescein breakup time ≥ 10 seconds, but not between patients with and without staining or MGD. The majority of patients had dry eye signs and/or dry eye symptoms. Routine assessment of FBUT and meibomian glands may enable case finding of DED in optometric practice.
Abstract #LB-249: Modulation of gene hypermethylation in colorectal cancer cells by anthocyanins from black raspberries

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 18-22, 2009; Denver, CO Hypermethylation of tumor suppressor gene promoters is a distinguishing characteristic of cancer genomes and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many tumor types including colorectal cancer. Our laboratory has shown that anthocyanins are among the most effective cancer preventive compounds in black raspberries (BRBs). In the present study, we determined whether BRB anthocyanins render positive effects on aberrant methylation of genes in human colorectal cancer cells. The colorectal cancer cell line, HCT116, was treated every 24 hours for three days with a 5 \#956;g/ml anthocyanin-rich fraction of BRBs. The methylation status of 24 cancer-related genes in anthocyanin-treated and untreated cells was investigated using restriction enzyme digestion combined with quantitative PCR and methylation specific PCR. Notable genes that exhibited decreased methylation with anthocyanin treatment include PTEN , p16 , TNFRSF10c , and HIC1 . This study has recently been extended to examine the effect of anthocyanin-containing BRB powder on the methylation status of genes in colorectal tumor specimens taken from patients who were treated for 2-4 weeks with 60g/day of BRB powder administered orally in water. The results of these investigations will be presented. This is the first study of the effects of anthocyanins on hypermethylation of cancer-associated genes. Our results suggest a possible mechanism for the preventive abilities of anthocyanins in diets with attainable doses and reasonable treatment periods. The ability of anthocyanins to induce promoter demethylation in colon cancer cells is encouraging considering the high availability of these compounds in the human diet. Supported by NCI grant CA103180 and USDA grant 38903-03560 . Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr LB-249.
On the Pareto efficiency of term structure targeting policies

Abstract In a stochastic economy, monetary policies that rebalance a central bank’s portfolio of short and long term government debt (term structure targeting) can have real effects. When the number of assets equals the number of states of uncertainty, however, this paper shows that the equilibrium allocation is Pareto efficient. Further, all policies with the same short-term interest rate targets support the same equilibrium allocation.
Abstraction and Authority

ion and Authority Frank H. Easterbrookt Our Constitution creates a government of laws and not of men. The distinction is more than slogan. It is embedded in structure. Congress must proceed by law, using intelligible standards and principles with sufficient breadth to be more than bills of attainder. Rules are proposed, debated, voted on, and published. Process matters: failure at any step means no law. There are no common law crimes. Sudden changes in norms may transgress the Ex Post Facto Clause, the Due Process Clause, or both. Executive officials must act under standards they can defend in public (and before courts); judges too must support their decisions by reasons of general application. Yet the law teems with devices that defeat uniformity and predictability. Laws may create plastic standards. They may, for example, charge an agency to act in the "public interest, convenience, and necessity." Judges attempt to define "unreasonable" restraints of trade. Balancing tests blossom in constitutional law-although lists of factors do not create "tests," for a combination of a lack of weights for the factors and the tension in a 200year stock of precedent enables judges to go any which way. As society becomes more complex and public actors-Presidents, administrators, legislators, judges-have less time to spend on each subject, it becomes both tempting and essential (if business is to be finished at all) to muddle through with standards rather than rules. Even in theory it is difficult to know when a rule is preferable to a standard;1 in practice neither information nor time permits a confident choice.2 Language itself is too crude for full specificat Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; Senior Lecturer, The Law School, The University of Chicago. This Article was prepared for The Bill of Rights in the Welfare State: A Bicentennial Symposium, held at The University of Chicago Law School on October 25-26, 1991. I 1991 by Frank H. Easterbrook. I thank Thomas Collier, G. Michael Halfenger, Alan J. Meese and Richard A. Posner for helpful comments on an earlier draft. ' Isaac Ehrlich and Richard A. Posner, An Economic Analysis of Legal Rulemaking, 3 J Legal Stud 257 (1974). See also Donald Wittman, Prior Regulation versus Post Liability: The Choice Between Input and Output Monitoring, 6 J Legal Stud 193 (1977). 2 See Frank H. Easterbrook, What's So Special About Judges?, 61 U Colo L Rev 773,
investigating the mechanisms involved in aberrant neurosphere migration in schizophrenia (784.2)

Schizophrenia (SCZD) is a chronic, debilitating disorder with a prevalence of 1% and typically appears in the late adolescent and early adulthood years. Postmortem studies have been pivotal in unde...
La denuncia a través de la mujer: La casa de la laguna, de Rosario Ferré

Puerto Rican history is a story of identity enforcement through cultural clashes and ambivalence from the arrival of the Spaniards to the island. In The House of the lagoon, Ferre analyzes the past and present of Puerto Rico. Created was a reconstruction symbolized in the history of families Mendizabal-Monfort, in which Elizabeth Monfort, try to discover the causes of the failure of their marriage. In this search and personal reflection, forgotten versions of Puerto Rican history and equally represented, and life gives voice to marginalized or silenced women.
Incorporating Imaging Into the Locoregional Management of Breast Cancer

Although some breast cancers present as palpable masses or with other clinical findings, many are detected at screening. Most screening is currently done with digital mammography, but high-risk patients or those with dense breast tissue may undergo additional screening examinations with magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasound. Additionally, digital breast tomosynthesis, contrast-enhanced mammography, and molecular breast imaging are newer technologies available at some sites. Optimal usage of breast imaging technologies remains controversial, both in screening and diagnostic settings following a new diagnosis of breast cancer. This article will review well established and newer, alternative breast imaging technologies as well as recent data regarding their role in optimizing patient care.
Modeling of oscillations in endocrine networks with feedback.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the mathematical approximation of endocrine oscillations in the framework of a modeling process structured in three formal phases. The mathematical methods presented are tailored to quantitatively interpret formal endocrine networks with (delayed) feedbacks. The goal is to illustrate different conditions, under which oscillations can emerge. The formal network itself consists of nodes and conduits, and is based on a qualitative analysis of available experimental data. In the presentation, the nodes are hormone concentrations in abstract pools, in which hormones are released or synthesized, under the control of other hormones. The conduits specify how the nodes interact within the network. The quantitative analysis of the formal network is based on approximation of the rate of change of a single system node. This essentially means that the dynamics of the hormone concentration is described with a single (delayed) ODE. A single half-life elimination model is used and the control of the synthesis is expressed as a combination of sigmoid Hill functions, depending on the related nodes. The derivation of the ODE is demonstrated, along with a brief analysis of the properties of its solution to facilitate the actual determination of all system parameters.
Isolation and Identification of Canthaxanthin from Micrococcus roseus

Cooney, J. J. (University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio), H. W. Marks, Jr., and Anne M. Smith. Isolation and identification of canthaxanthin from Micrococcus roseus. J. Bacteriol. 92:342-345. 1966.-The principal colored carotenoid of Micrococcus roseus was purified by solvent partitioning followed by column and thin-layer chromatography. Absorption spectra, partition coefficients, and infrared spectra suggested that the pigment was a diketo derivative of beta-carotene. The pigment was subjected to reduction, and the reduced pigment was subsequently dehydrated. Spectral data and partition coefficients of these derivatives indicated that the original pigment was canthaxanthin (4',4'-diketo-beta-carotene). The pigment was an all-trans isomer; it does not exist as an ester in M. roseus. Canthaxanthin has not previously been identified as a bacterial pigment.
Synthesis of transfer function from frequency response data

Abstract This article presents a method of obtaining an analytical expression for the transfer function of a system in the form of a ratio of two polynomials of the complex variable, 8, from the frequency response- data. The method alleviates the deficiencies of some of the other methods previously reported in the literature. First, it guarantees that the denominator polynomial, when factorized, would not have right-half plane poles and, second, there is no need to know the degrees of the numerator and denominator polynomials, a priori. By systematically examining the time response of the synthesized transfer function, say to a unit step function, the method guarantees that the form and the coefficient values of the transfer function which is finally arrived at do give the best fit to the frequency response data. The minimum mean square error criterion is used to judge the goodness of fit.
151 AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY ON AMP-SEPHAROSE 4R FOR THE SEPARATION OF “HIGH Km” AND “LOW Km” 5‘-NUCLEOTIDASES AND OTHER AMP METABOLIZING ENZYMES

AMP-Sepharose 4B has been widely used as a general ligand affinity chromatopraphy for purification of AMP deaminase, 5′-nucleotidase, adenosine kinase and other adenine nucleotide metabolizing enzymes. Since these enzymes generally differ in their kinetic properties related to the values of Km for AftP and analogous compounds, it was assumed that there may be a specific elution pattern of some of the enzymes which would enable sequential elution from the column during a sinple run. Using 0.5 M MaCl, 10 mU ATP and 5 mU adenosine as elating agents, it was possible to separate on AMP-Sepharose column AMP deaminase, “high Km” and “low Km” 5′-nucleotidase and adenosine kinase. Adenylate kinase, adenosine deaminase and nonspecific phosphatase did not bind to the column. Using human placental extract, AMP deaminase, “hiph Km” and “low Km” 5′-nucleotidase and adenosine kinase were purified 2.8, 2.9, 105 and 1240 fold, respectively. AMP deaminase and “high Km” 5′-nucleotidase were further separated using phosphocellulose column chromatography and the final purification was 227 and 143 fold, respectively. The specific activities of purified enzyme preparations were 9.1, 1.0, 0.4 and 0.5 umoles/min/mg protein of AMP deaminase, “high Km” 5′-nucleotidase and adenosine kinase, respectively. This approach provides a rapid method for initial purification of these enzymes from crude soluble extracts.
Finite-element modeling of damage evolution in heterogeneous viscoelastic composites with evolving cracks by using a two-way coupled multiscale model

This paper presents results obtained using a two-way coupled multiscale model capable of predicting the mechanical response of viscoelastic heterogenous materials subjected to dynamic and quasi-static loadings. The model can account for the two major energy dissipation mechanisms in composites: viscoelasticity and crack evolution at multiple time and length scales. There are many applications that would benefit from the level of complexity of this model. For example, protective devices are submitted to impacts and therefore need to dissipate a great amount of energy to be effective. By designing such structures with the aid of two-way coupled multiscale models that take into account important microstructural variables and different dissipation mechanisms, one can reduce the amount of laboratory experiments and thus minimize the overall cost of design. In this paper, a brief description of the two-way coupled multiscale model developed is given and some example problems are discussed in order to demonstrate its capabilities.
Initial Development of a New Measure of Minor Stress for Adolescents: The Adolescent Minor Stress Inventory.

The primary aim of this study was to develop, standardize, and establish initial reliability and validity for the Adolescent Minor Stress Inventory (AMSI), a new measure of minor stress for adolescents. The AMSI improves upon existing adolescent stress measures in a number of important ways in that it does not emphasize school or classroom-based stressors, and includes a method of adjusting for the over- and underreporting of stress. In this investigation, the AMSI was mailed to 1865 adolescents aged 13–17 from which we obtained 720 (39%) usable surveys. Standardized scoring was developed and the results provide initial data supporting the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the AMSI. The AMSI has potential application both in clinical and research settings, particularly during times when school is not in session or with adolescents who do not regularly attend school.
Sforza in America: the dilemmas of exile politics, 1940–43

Abstract The American years (1940–43) were probably the most important in the long exile experience of Carlo Sforza. Acting skillfully, Sforza managed to build a base of support and trust among American officials that enabled him in achieving many of his goals for Italy and for his own future. He became a critical player in the creation of a postwar US–Italian alliance. The price he paid was abandoning the idea of leading an Italian government in exile. However, this avenue was, in any case, closed off by the realities of American domestic politics, the sharp divisions between his Italian and Italian-American allies and, ultimately, the foreign policy approach of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The dual in Slovene dialects (review)

Tjasa Jakop's The dual in Slovene dialects makes an important contribution to the detailed study of Slovene dialectology.
Digital Image Correlation Of White Light Speckle Including The Effects Of Image Distortion

An image correlation theory of white light speckle is presented which describes the light intensity as a continuous function for both the reference and deformed images. The reference image is divided into small regions corresponding to small subimages of the object surface. The subimage forms the basic element of the process of image correlation. The subimage of the undeformed intensity pattern is mapped to the deformed surface in order to compare its location to a corresponding location on the deformed intensity surface. This mapping function mathematically translates, rotates and deforms small subimages until the best fit is obtained with the recorded data. The following is thus obtained: (1) translation, (2) rotation, and (3) deformation.
Technology Professional Development for Teachers

This article examines technology professional development for preservice and inservice teachers. It reviews the current status of technology in our schools, what we know about professional development in the area of technology, and research on efforts to increase preservice teacher use of technology in appropriate ways.
The structure of icosahedral MnAlSi and MnAl

Resultats de spectrometrie EXAFS pour la determination des structures de MnAlSi et MnAl icosaedriques. Ces resultats suggerent un modele de connexion au hasard des icosaedres suivant les directions triples des icosaedres de telle sorte que tous les icosaedres possedent la meme orientation. Calcul du diagramme de diffraction pour ce modele
Strength and Understanding of Signal Words by Elementary and Middle School Students

Several recent studies have examined the connoted meaning of signal words that are commonly used in product warning labels and signs. However, the tested population in almost all of these studies has used college students. One purpose of the present research was to determine if the hazard levels implied by signal words connote the same relative meaning to a different population of persons, namely elementary and middle-school students. A second purpose was to assess the understandability of signal words using an objective measure based on the number of missing ratings (i.e., ratings left blank). A third purpose was to develop a list of potential signal words that would be understandable to most younger persons. Elementary and middle-school students rated 43 potential signal words on carefulness (i.e., “How careful would you be after seeing each term?”). A sample of 70 college students also rated the terms on carefulness, strength, and understandability. Although the younger students gave higher carefulness...
The effect of reserpine on histamine and serotonin

Abstract 1.1. Reserpine liberates serotonin readily from blood and tissues and liberates histamine from rabbit blood. In guinea pigs and rabbits histamine was found to be released in part from tissues by reserpine but not as readily or to the same extent as serotonin. 2.2. The evidence suggests a possible similar type of bond for both histamine and serotonin in platelets but a different type of linkage in tissues. 3.3. The role of reserpine in producing side effects in patients by histamine release is suggested and discussed.
Deal breakers in the organ donation request process.

ABSTRACT Organ donation consent rates have stagnated at about 50%, while the need for transplantable organs continues to increase. This article focuses on consent rates of families who make a donation decision for a deceased loved one, and how social marketing efforts to increase organ donation can be enhanced by better understanding the decision-making process these families use. Three categories of factors bear significantly on that decision which, if not addressed properly, will very likely result in a refusal to donate. These “deal breaker” categories include (1) family predisposition and family care, (2) requestor characteristics, and (3) request dynamics. Recommendations are made toward developing best practices protocols which roughly parallel promotion activities and the selling process utilized in commercial marketing for overcoming these barriers.
Tempo of Spectrum Change as a Cue in Speech-Sound Discrimination by Infants

Six- to seven-month-old infants were tested on their ability to discriminate among three speech sounds which differed on the basis of formant-transition duration, a major cue to distinctions among ...
Keoladeo National Park: highlighting surface water tensions

Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, India is a world-class bird sanctuary and world heritage site experiencing serious ecological stress due to drought and upstream dam construction. In response to this reoccurring scarcity of water, Indian authorities have announced a new 17 km pipeline to divert water to the wetland. Both the dam-induced water shortage and proposed pipeline solution raise the question of how surface waters are allocated. Based on interviews conducted during May 2010, I compare the socially efficient outcome to the one agreed upon by lawmakers, highlighting the unique regional tensions and socioeconomic context of allocating water in a water-scarce developing nation.
Studies of UDP-Galactopyranose Mutase from Escherichia coli: An Unusual Role of Reduced FAD in Its Catalysis

The galactofuranose moiety found in many surface constituents of microorganisms is derived from UDP-d-galactopyranose (UDP-Galp) via a unique ring contraction reaction catalyzed by UDP-Galp mutase. This enzyme, which has been isolated from several bacterial sources, is a flavoprotein where the FAD coenzyme is noncovalently bound. Since its catalysis does not appear to involve a redox mechanism, whether the enzyme-bound FAD plays an active role in the reaction mechanism has been obscure. To study this transformation, the corresponding E. coli mutase was purified, and the ring contraction product, UDP-Galf, was chemically synthesized. Using UDP-Galf as the substrate, a Km of 194 μM and a kcat of 1.5 s-1 for the catalysis in the reverse direction were obtained. The preference of the reaction toward the pyranose product was confirmed by an equilibrium constant of 0.057 in the forward direction. Interestingly, when the enzyme was reduced by sodium dithionite, its catalytic efficiency was increased by more than...
The production of molecular positronium

It has been known for many years that an electron and its antiparticle, the positron, may together form a metastable hydrogen-like atom, known as positronium or Ps (ref. 1). In 1946, Wheeler speculated that two Ps atoms may combine to form the di-positronium molecule (Ps2), with a binding energy of 0.4 eV. More recently, this molecule has been studied theoretically; however, because Ps has a short lifetime and it is difficult to obtain low-energy positrons in large numbers, Ps2 has not previously been observed unambiguously. Here we show that when intense positron bursts are implanted into a thin film of porous silica, Ps2 is created on the internal pore surfaces. We found that molecule formation occurs much more efficiently than the competing process of spin exchange quenching, which appears to be suppressed in the confined pore geometry. This result experimentally confirms the existence of the Ps2 molecule and paves the way for further multi-positronium work. Using similar techniques, but with a more intense positron source, we expect to increase the Ps density to the point where many thousands of atoms interact and can undergo a phase transition to form a Bose-Einstein condensate. As a purely leptonic, macroscopic quantum matter-antimatter system this would be of interest in its own right, but it would also represent a milestone on the path to produce an annihilation gamma-ray laser.
A regularization-stabilization technique for nonlinear conservation equation computations

A regularization procedure for nonlinear conservation equations is introduced and demonstrated to have a stabilizing effect on the numerical solution of the associated approximate problem. Representative results for a least-squares finite-element method are given, and the numerical performance of the stabilization procedure explored. The effect of the regularization term is similar to a local numerical dissipation dependent on the numerical itegration time step.
Mutagen sensitivity as an indicator of soft tissue sarcoma risk.

The etiology of soft tissue sarcoma is poorly understood. Exposure to environmental chemicals may play a role, but the data are not clear. We compared a group of soft tissue sarcoma patients with healthy controls to determine whether the mutagen sensitivity assay, a simple chromosome aberration assay using the radiomimetic bleomycin, might be useful to identify patients at risk for soft tissue sarcoma. Patients with a diagnosis of soft tissue sarcoma at Memorial Sloan-Kettering's outpatient clinic signed informed consent and donated 30 ml of blood. Controls were selected from the general population of Connecticut by random digit dialing. Unrepaired DNA damage was assessed for 100 metaphase spreads for each individual, with the number of breaks in chromatids being counted as breaks per cell (b/c). The 20 cases with soft tissue sarcoma had 1.03 mean b/c and the controls had 0.88 b/c (P = 0.16). Patients with soft tissue sarcoma were 5.7 times more likely to be mutagen sensitive than controls (P = 0.01), as determined after dividing subjects into sensitive or not sensitive groups based on the median b/c among controls. As mutagen sensitivity has been shown to be associated with a number of cancers and appears to reflect genetic susceptibility, this assay may be an appropriate biomarker for radiation sensitivity or it may be a marker of susceptibility to soft tissue sarcoma. Larger studies should be undertaken to assess these possibilities.
DIFFERENCES IN MONOSACCHARIDE COMPOSITION OF MEMBRANE GLYCOPEPTIDES FROM CYSTIC FIBROSIS AND CONTROL SKIN FIBROBLASTS

Many of the abnormal secretory products found in cystic fibrosis (CF) can result from a defect in the cell surface membrane. Consequently, the monosaccharide units from the skin fibroblasts of four patients with CF and four age, sex and race matched controls were compared. The cells, grown under the same conditions, were removed from the monolayer by controlled trypsinization. The trypsin-sensitive glycopeptides and the cells from which the glycopeptides were removed were further processed and subjected to acid hydrolysis. The resulting monosaccharides were analyzed as their alditol acetate derivatives by gas liquid chromatography. Sialic acid content was measured separately by the thio-barbituric acid assay after mild acid hydrolysis and purification on Dowex 1-X8. The molar ratios of the monosaccharide units in the CF trypsin-sensitive glycopeptide fractions from the cell surface were different from those found in the controls. Specifically, the molar ratios of fucose: sialic acid: galactose: mannose: glucosamine were 1:3:4:2:10 for the CF fractions and 1:4:7:5:14 for the controls. Similar, although less pronounced, differences were found in the whole cell fractions. Thus, a refined analysis of the monosaccharide units reveals an alteration in the complex carbohydrates of the CF fibroblast cell surface when compared to controls. USPHS grants AM16859 and GM07025.
The crystal and molecular structures of diaquo-tetra-μ-(β-alaninatonium)dirhodium(II) tetraperchlorate tetrahydrate

Abstract The crystal structure of the binuclear carboxylatobridged complex [RH2(β-Ala)4(H2O)2] (ClO−4)4 ·4H2O has been determined by X-ray crytallography. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn with four formula weights in a unit cell of dimensions a = 14.435(7), b = 19.1775(5), and c = 13.385(5) A. The structure was solved by the Patterson method and refined to a final R value of 5.7% The Rh2(β-Ala)4(H2O)2 tetravalent cation is located on a crystallographic inversion center, with a RhRh distance of 2.386(3) A, and the two water molecules are axially bound to Rh at a distance of 2.33 A. These values are the same as those found in Rh2(OAc)4(H2O)2, which indicates that these two carboxylate R groups have approximately equal inductive effects. The trans effect between the RhRh and RhOH2 bonds is noted, as is the unusually large carboxylate OCO angle of 127° - a value found only in the Rh series of tetracarboxylate complexes. There are three independent types of perchlorate anions in the lattice, two of which are disordered over two statistically equivalent positions. All hydrogens in the ammoniums and waters participate in hydrogen bonding. There are both intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, involving all of the different molecular species in the cell.
Construction of Helical Arcs on an Elliptic Cylinder Tangent to Two Skew Lines

Abstract This problem concerns the construction, on an elliptic cylinder, of helical arcs which tangentially connect an arbitrary pair of skew lines. Although the problem is a mathematical one, it has applications to highway geometry and kinematics. Design curves are included for the special case where the elliptic cylinder becomes a circular one which is illustrated by computations of selected numerical examples. Vector methods, which are particularly advantageous for problems of space geometry, are used extensively.
Mineral Physics Committee Chairman's Report

I take on the chairmanship of a committee that has had a solid record of accomplishment during the last 2 years under the vigorous leadership of Bill Bassett of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. A major reassessment of the progress and research opportunities for mineral physics was made by the committee in the 1989 report, Frontiers in Mineral Physics. The report resulted from a 1988 workshop convened by Tom Ahrens of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. Copies may be obtained by writing to the Customer Service Department of AGU, 2000 Florida Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20009 or by calling 800-966-AGU1.
Ventricular Excitation During Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty of the Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery

Major ST shifts occur in the electrocardiogram within a few seconds of balloon occlusion of a proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery during transluminal coronary angioplasty, as reported by Wagner et al1 in the present issue. Ischemic “injury” potentials are generated as a part of the depolarization of individual myocardial cells in the ischemic region. Because the anteroseptal region is the first to depolarize in this local perfusion bed, injury currents showing up as ST elevation in anterior pmd (2) significant and, at times, major decrease in S waves and (3) transient frontal plane axis shifts with the QRS configuration of superior (anterior) fascicular block. These changes did not significantly prolong the QRS and disappeared within seconds of balloon deflation. This report defines a proposed anatomic and electrophysiologic basis for these observations.
Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (MALT) Lymphoma

Objectives To review the pathogenesis of MALT lymphoma, and the associations with antigenic stimulation, presentation, and unique treatment. Data Sources Research and review articles and textbooks. Conclusion MALT lymphoma is a heterogeneous but unique pathologic form of extranodal B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The gastrointestinal tract is the most common site of disease, but involvement of multiple other organ systems has been reported. In the case of gastric MALT lymphomas, H. pylori has been highly implicated as the stimulating agent. Treatment strategies for early disease involve eradication of H. pylori when it is involved and/or radiotherapy, which alone may result in cure of this lymphoma. Chemotherapy is used in more advanced or resistant disease. Implications for Nursing Practice Nurses play a significant role in the education of patients about this unique malignancy and follow-up regarding compliance with therapy. Attention to social needs of the patients is critical.
Decreased bladder cancer growth in parous mice.

Objectives To investigate the association between parity and exophytic bladder cancer growth in the UPII-SV40T transgenic mouse model of bladder cancer. Methods The UPII-SV40T transgenic mice express the simian virus 40 large T antigen specifically in the urothelium (driven by uroplakin II promoter) and reliably develop bladder cancer. UPII-SV40T transgenic female mice were either never bred (nulliparous; n = 6) or placed in breeding pairs and allowed full-term pregnancies and lactation. Multiparous animals (n = 5) had between 2 and 4 litters. UPII-SV40T transgenic male mice were sham-operated (intact; n = 9) or castrated (n = 8) at 24 weeks of age. Noninvasive, contrast-enhanced, flat panel detector-based, cone beam computed tomographic imaging of animals at 32 weeks of age permitted quantification of bladder cancer volumes. Results Multiparous animals had significantly smaller bladder cancers than their nulliparous female ( P P = .007) counterparts but not different from castrated males. Bladder cancer volume in nulliparous females was significantly larger than castrated males ( P Conclusions These results suggest that pregnancy, parity, lactation, or a combination of these may play a protective role in bladder cancer by inhibiting tumor growth. This could be an important model system for studying the effects of pregnancy/lactation hormones on bladder cancer, which could lead to identification of additional risk factors of bladder cancer.
Folding of a detachment and fault - Modified detachment folding along a lateral ramp, southwestern Montana, USA

Abstract The inversion of the Middle Proterozoic Belt sedimentary basin during Late Cretaceous thrusting in Montana produced a large eastwardly-convex salient, the southern boundary of which is a 200 km-long oblique to lateral ramp subtended by a detachment between the Belt rocks and Archean basement. A 10 km-long lateral ramp segment exposes the upper levels of the detachment where hanging wall Belt rocks have moved out over the Paleozoic and Mesozoic section. The hanging wall structure consists of a train of high amplitude, faulted, asymmetrical detachment folds. Initial west-east shortening produced layer parallel shortening fabrics and dominantly strike slip faulting followed by symmetrical detachment folding. “Lock-up” of movement on the detachment surface produced regional simple shear and caused the detachment folds to become asymmetrical and faulted. Folding of the detachment surface after lock-up modified the easternmost detachment folds further into a southeast-verging, overturned fold pair with a ramp-related fault along the base of the stretched mutual limb.
Human spaceflight and presidential agendas: Niche policies and NASA, opportunity and failure

Abstract After JFK's assassination in 1963, the Apollo program was virtually guaranteed a run at achieving success although its value was not as high as later mythology suggests. Lyndon Johnson cut the program's budget and vetoed a continuation in the Post Apollo Applications Program, a position ratified by his successor, Richard Nixon. A subsequent attempt by NASA to extend the Apollo program concept to future space exploration was rejected by Nixon. This 1969 decision foreshadowed presidential decisions regarding the human spaceflight program over the past nearly five decades. What makes the relative status of the human spaceflight within presidential agenda interesting and informative is that its importance fluctuates dramatically across time usually due to events outside the realm of space policy. Major changes in either international and/or domestic politics occur and as a result American space policy changes. What appears on the surface as an agency and program insulated from such considerations is in fact one totally subservient to such events. Space policy is only successful in seeking presidential support when it is directly and publicly linked to current presidential priorities; however, those linkages often prove fragile and short lived in part because of NASA's parochial focus and politics. By one count, there have been at least nineteen instances when NASA and its activities came to the president's agenda in a manner requiring a presidential decision. This analysis draws upon the public policy literature dealing with science and technology and the unanticipated outcomes arising within that field. What has not occurred to this point is an explicit analysis of presidential engagement in a framework not driven by presidential personality and short term events but rather one that focuses on space policy as an example of normal politics, meaning presidential engagement in space policy happens only under certain conditions.